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Tech-Nology was launched in 2003 specifically to make records with the artist Bjorn Svin. Bjorn was the first Danish artist who made underground crossover into commercial hit territory via "Mer Strom" - but still keeping respect in the "real" music world for his enthusiasm, non-compromising style, persona, and sweaty live performance skills - his musical understanding and need to explore new directions took the crowd on a personal musical journey from jazz and classical musicians to early electronic pioneers - but always in a tone of his own. Bjorn always felt a need to escape norms, to grow and not to repeat, but investigate and create. The first record on Tech-Nology was born under the alias - El Far: Couples of lonely dancers. "Bjorn is maybe the most talented electronic producer ever in Denmark" and he was celebrated as a wonder kid by the media back in the 90's. An insider with new knowledge of Bjorn told us: "Yeah I think its good music.. It's not for everyone I must add, but it's definitely quality music for those who dig this sound.. sometimes a bit too deep.. which kind of works against it, cause you really need to listen to it.. you cannot just skip through it, cause then you don't really grasp the soul of it.. so this is what makes it more difficult to sell - but if a guy like this was a bigger name he would sell much better.."

We love Bjorn and we agree - We have tried to sell Bjorn and his music for over 2 decades now - But you can't capture Bjorn, you can't own him - he is only making music for himself - and you can get on the ride if you want to, but don't expect all the rides to be fun - sometimes it hurts! Bjorn is difficult to sell, but we don't think Bjorn really would like to sell much better if he had the option to do a more commercial approach to his music - because Bjorn is about not selling out, he's a purist at heart, making music documents for the few. Bjorn is bigger than superficial success and streaming numbers. He made jingles for Nokia, toured and played Roskilde's main stage, the biggest Festival in Denmark, but he still doesn't care... and that is important if you want to make interesting music that last for the future. When Bjorn met Mester Jakobsen, label boss of Tech-Nology, he has been releasing on numerous underground labels, made the jump to a major label, and everything more or less turned out as a big disappointment, so Bjorn presented a completely experimental album to the Tech-Nology label under the moniker Prinz Ezo - The Body Offset. We loved it then - we still love it now - and a truly collectors item and a secret DJ tool.

Today, Bjorn is still breaking all habits and rules, still doing the same thing - just in new ways, but he has gained insight on another level, adding even more nuances and textures to his post-genre compositions.

Welcome to the second album by Prinz Ezo on Tech-Nology: KURIER Why Kurier? Because Bjorn left to explore the Berlin Underground, shortly after the first two releases on Tech-Nology - he left his roots to search for a bigger meaning, a bigger understanding, to compose real mature sounds and understanding his skills, at the point where you understand why you have to cross borders, still incognito, doing smuggler-sounds, always in transit - between cities, between cultures, between worlds, time and space. Not Restless nor rootless, just forever on the move, always discovering new landscapes! But now Bjorn is settling down - accordingly with the music - to find - not inner peace, but to be completely in balance with the music inside of him. Prinz Ezo is raw, narrative, minimalistic electronic storytelling that refuses to freeze. Tension builds and releases - feel the energy and the drama for the last 2 decades if you dare to take the journey?

Almost twenty years after the first Prinz Ezo album, it has now been possible to make the music for those who never arrived.

Gold-braunes Farbvinyl (140g) mit zusätzlicher schwarzer Flexidisc mit zwei neuen Tracks in braunem Sleeve.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - die verrückte Soundcollage / 2000er Skratch-Odyssee des Musikgenies Kid Koala - wird zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum von Ninja Tune neu aufgelegt. Als wahrer musikalischer Visionär kombinierte Eric San alias Kid Koala eine sinnliche Herangehensweise an sein Handwerk mit wildem Humor und verlieh seiner Kunst damit eine völlig unnachahmliche Qualität. Als leidenschaftlicher Turntablist (Turntablism": die Kunst, Plattenspieler als Musikinstrument zu benutzen, um originelle Sounds, Mischungen und Rhythmen zu kreieren) nahm San Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ausschließlich mit Plattenspielern auf, indem er Vinylplatten von Hand auf einen Achtspurrekorder aufspielte. Das Ergebnis ist ein exzentrischer, fröhlicher Streifzug durch seinen einzigartig verdrehten und brillanten Verstand. Die neue Auflage ist erstmal auf Single LP mit umgedrehtem Artwork erhältlich inklusive einer Flexidisc mit zwei neuen Songs.

Transparent violettes Vinyl, limitiert auf 350 Exemplare. Riffs wie eine Wand aus Wüstensand. Schweiß und Tränen im Gesicht. Der unbarmherzige Groove der 90er, violett blitzende Lichter und viel, viel Rauch.GIANT HAZE sind 4 Musiker aus der Kieler Stoner Rock / Hardcore Szene, die gemeinsam für KYUSS-Tribute Shows auf der Bühne standen. Schnell kristallisierten sich kreative Synergien innerhalb der Band heraus und es entstanden eigene Songs - Giant Haze war geboren. Im Spätsommer 2024 wurde das Debütalbum ,Cosmic Mother" im bandeigenen Studio aufgenommen und anschließend von Ulf Nagel gemischt und gemastert. Schlagzeug und Bass wurden an einem Tag live eingespielt, um den richtigen Groove einzufangen. Die Produktion erfolgte ganz oldschool ohne Amp-Modeling, Drum-Trigger oder sonstigem Schnickschnack. Es wurde lediglich sehr sorgfältig und detailverliebt mikrofoniert und aufgenommen.Das spacige Artwork stammt aus der Hand von Gitarrist Pete und steht symptomatisch für das Herzblut und die Hingabe, mit der alle Bandmitglieder bei Giant Haze am Werk sind. Die Texte erzählen persönliche Geschichten über die Irrungen und Wirrungen des Lebens, Drogen, verlorene Freunde sowie kritische Gedanken zu gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen und nationalistischen Tendenzen.

LP-Nachpressung des kultigen OXO 86-Debütalbums (2000, SCUMF UCK) als auf 333 Stück limitierte Edition in Ultraclear with Orange Splatter Vinyl! Das Quintett aus Bernau gibt es jetzt tatsächlich schon seit 20plus Jahren, die unvergleichliche Mischung aus ruppigem Oi!-Punk, fröhlich vorwärtsschunkelndem Ska mit prägnanten Trompeten-Hooks und den einmalig doppelbödigen und unterhaltsamen Schmunzeltexten von Gesangsentertainer WILLI lässt die Band weit über den Durchschnitt des Genres hinaus strahlen. Mit dem Titel ihres Debütalbums wurde ein wesentlicher Grundpfeiler der OXO 86-Philosophie errichtet. 16 Songs, darunter Kracher wie "Wochenende", "Viagra", "Damenfußballspielleiter", "So Wie Du" oder "Frollein" lassen bis heute kein Auge trocken mit ihrer zielgenauen Balance aus Klamauk, Ironie, Kritik und Emotionalität. Kein Wunder, dass die Band um die Gründungsmitglieder WILLI und RUNKEL heute zu den beliebtesten Acts auf den Punk- und Ska-Szenefestivals zählt und auf mittlerweile acht erfolgreiche Alben zurückblicken kann.

Are you ready for seconds? Feed LA are back once again with their sophomore full-length album, "More Feed’.

With each release, Feed LA lifts away from familiar forms, offering listeners both inventive improvisations and unexpected harmonic textures. Based in Berlin, the band weaves freely across experimental jazz, punchy funk, and low rock treadings. Sidestepping neat categories and market gridlines, the group leans into the joy of jazz music—rich in wandering detours and pivoting surprises. Feed LA's tracks unfurl before our ears, inviting listeners to the intricate conversations between players, where every murmur, pause, and sudden spark waits to be discovered.

They describe their style as "Free Pop”, a blend of jazz, funk, and pop instrumentation, with a touch of vocal accompaniment.

Get a second helping of Feed LA's unique musical sounds with their newest album, "More Feed,” now available on black vinyl LP and compact disc. Only on Mighty Eye Records!

Leeds-based noise-rock band Thank drops their second EP Please. Coming out as a joint venture between Buzzhowl Records and Belgium's EXAG, Please is the follow-upto the group's debut EP, 2017's Sexghost Hellscape. While the tension in Please could be too much for some bands to hold, Thank sustainit expertly across the four tracks here. This is thanks in part to superbly-balanced production by Rob Slater and Jamie Lockhart (Greenmount Studios) as well as a meaty mastering job from Declared Sound's Dominic Clare. Furthermore, vocalist Freddy Vinehill-Cliffe (Beige Palace) acts as a lightning rod for both elements of Thank's sound. Vinehill-Cliffe's lyrics tackle by turns Catholic guilt, deaths in the family, his experiences in therapy, sex, loyalty and betrayal. Whatever the subject matter, every syllable of Please is delivered in a selfflagellatingyelp that is equal-parts Xiu Xiuand post-Nite Flights Scott Walker. Such a tragi-comic performance is the perfect focalpoint for Thank's harsh, powerful Please. "A brutally deranged band that mixes krautrock and experimental electronic music into their caterwauling punk, reforming noise rock with robotic grooves and manipulatedsynths." - Post Trash "Thank trade in groovily abrasive riffs, burbling synths, disco-punk drum patterns and high level ranter vocals." - The Quietus

As they landed from their extended hovering adventure – a journey en(capsule)ated by twists, turns and various chops – the Fast At Work crew found themselves drawn to the idea of a new, singular sonic flow. Always on a noble mission for a future-forward vision of higher-deeper tempos, the crew realized that often the most meaningful iterations of their gospel can be found in the most inconspicuous places – “not even noticed,” some might say. Within these subtle crevices, a rising duo emerged to carry this torch (disc) forward into new, uncharted realms. Taking inspiration from “Eteus,” the god of light and knowledge, this duo expertly crafted four original offerings, all with a distinctive, minimalistic fusion of breaky, hopeful expansion. While the title contribution echoes a sermon of oozing bassline flows and siren signals, “Drip Advise” equally mesmerizes with its spiraling melodies and strong percussive foundation. On the disc’s flip, the anointed duo broadened and refined their journey via the acid-tinged bedrock of “Creamavity,” while the final offering “Anxious” ironically synthesized the full pilgrimage into a polished musical (and vocal) definition – “release yourself, into the unknown.” With the hope of sharing this glistening gospel far and wide, the mystical duo prescribed a set of two reshapes from enlightened phonic gurus in their own right. While Wisdom Teeth’s K-Lone opted for the always reliable essence of strong foundational grooves and deep airy textures, Maara (founder of the newly formed Ancient Records) crafted an oceanic odyssey – over 10 minutes of timeworn atmospherics and sensorial sensibilities.

ULTRA LIMITED EDITION - Cassette/Tape - Consits of 4 DIFFERENT ARTWORKS (BUY, OBEY, WATCH TV, SLEEP) - NO REPRESS!

FULL soundtrack of John Carpenter's cult sci-fi/action/horror cult film They Live (1988) in never released on vinyl before expanded edition from legendary composer Alan Howarth.

Blues riffs surf on ambient synth, saxophone and harmonica mingle with sparse alien electronics and abstract soundscapes - Alan Howarth's score perfectly matches the eerie paranoid urban Western meets corporate sci fi vibe of John Carpenter's iconic movie.

This version, officially licensed from Alan Howarth, includes all 29 tracks from the soundtrack - the true complete music scores of They Live!

Points of interests

- For fans of soundtracks, horror, cult, sci fi, synth, Western, VHS, John Carpenter, bubble gum, conspiracies, cowboy boots, sunglasses, very rare editions of vinyl records.

- Full EXPANDED version of the They Live soundtrack on vinyl for the first time!

Repress.

Roof lifting new single from Nicole Willis! Pending between soul and essence of hip-hop this is the best of many worlds: warm, sexy, cool, deep, funky and powerfull. B-side with superb stripped bass-horn-vocal version. Excellent heat from Jimi Tenors new label.

When we did the first ever vinyl reissue of this 1972 masterpiece back in 2012 it sold out so fast and so many lost the chance to grab a copy has translated into continuous messages asking us to do a repressing of this marvel - which we did and, again, it sold like hot bread. So here is a new edition of this UK jazz masterpiece, this time with a twist :

- Silk-screened cover art : we respect the original design, but have upgraded the printing from regular offset to silk screen to give it an artistic touch!

- In adition to the limited black vinyl edition (400 copies), we offer an ultra limited clear vinyl version (100 copies-only!)

One of the big names in UK Jazz, Neil Ardley was offered the leadership of the seminal New Jazz Orchestra in 1964. Under his direction the Orchestra moved though different styles and changes of personnel, bringing in musicians such as Mike Gibbs (trombone), Harry Beckett andHenry Lowther (trumpets) or even Jack Bruce (bass), some of them also contributed with the writing of some original compositions, making the NJO the root from which the UK's 70's jazz scene was to blossom.

By 1972 the NJO was already defunct, but his legacy remained in the works of its members. Ardley's 'A Symphony Of Amaranths' is a perfect example of what was boiling in the UK jazz scene. It was Ardleys tribute to his idols Duke Ellington and Gil Evans, and featured the skills of some great musicians of the scene including Don Rendell,Stan Tracey, Henry Lowther, Harry Beckett, Jeff Clyne & Jon Hiseman. Side B is inspired by the words of Edward Lear, W. B. Yeats, James Joyce and Lewis Carroll that are musicated by Ardley and feature, among other highlights, Ivor Cutler's narration of 'The Dong With A Luminous Nose' and Norma Winstone's vocals on 'Will You Walk A Little Faster'.



Musicians that participated in the recording session :

- Derek Watkins, Nigel Carter, Henry Lowther, Harold Beckett (trumpets)
- Derek Wadsworth, Ray Premru (trombones)
- Dick Hart (tuba)
- Barbara Thompson, Dave Gelly, Don Rendell, Dick Heckstall-Smith (woodwind, saxes)
- John Clementson (oboe)
- Bunny Gould (bassoon)
- Dave Gelly (glockenspiel)
- Neil Ardley (prepared piano)
- David Snell, Sidonie Goossens (harp)
- Stan Tracey (piano, celeste)
- Karl Jenkins (electric piano)
- Alan Branscombe (harpsichord)
- Frank Ricotti (vibraphone, percussion)
- Chris Laurence, Jeff Clyne (bass)
- Jon Hiseman (drums, percussion)
- Eric Gruenberg, Jack Rothstein, Kelly Isaacs (violin)
- Ken Essex (viola)
- Charles Tunnell, Francis Gabarro (cello)
- Ivor Cutler (narrator)
- Norma Winstone (vocal)
- Jack Rothstein, Neil Ardley (conductors)

For his third long-player under the Phi-Psonics banner, Ford-Young marshalled a series of live recordings at the Healing Force Of The Universe record store in Pasadena, sculpting fourteen tracks, largely composed in the moment with a fluctuating cast of players, which wonderfully transmit his ideals of community and inner peace. Called "Expanding To One", it features exquisitely calming yet searching pieces like "There"s Still Hope", where Seth"s softly undulating bassline underpins beatific explorations from core Phi-Psonics members, Sylvain Carton and Randal Fisher (both on saxophone), and Josh Collazo (drums), alongside guests Zach Tenorio (Wurlitzer piano) and Mathias Künzli (percussion). Equally sublime, "Healing Time" ripples like a mountain stream, with Ford-Young, Carton, Fisher and Tenorio joined by Minta Spencer (harp), Dylan Day (guitar) and, on drums/percussion, Jay Bellerose, a revered LA stickman most recently under the spotlight in Jeff Parker ETA IVtet.

When you love a record too damn much, you will soon discover whether you "got what it takes” to make it yours. Such is the case with Turbo label head Tiga, who has played 11Schnull & Newinfluenzer’s 2023 underground hit “Ich und meine Ubahn” in each and every one of his DJ sets since its non-Turbo release. But unbridled track-passion is not always enough, and sometimes one must take a step back and recognize that the music business is also a business. So our in-house Corporate Development team, which has of late been entirely focused* on figuring out how best to monetize Tintin entering the public domain, set to work, successfully licensing the original while also creating the fun and potentially life-saving opportunity to visualize just how amicable the licensing process was.

All of which brings us to the remix pack at hand. The essentially perfect electro programming and vocal performance of the 2023 original leaves virtually no angle for improvement, save for the fact that the 4:20 runtime not enough for the median touring DJ to satisfy their chatbot mistress before they must begin the exacting work of selecting and mixing the next track. As such, we enlisted producers who could interpret the song from different planes of existence, namely Chilean-German wizard Matias Aguayo, French hardstyle prodigy Krarmpf, German aesthetes Extrawelt, Hamburg electro master DJ MELL G, and Asturian highbrow god Architectural. For reference, the planes conjured by these remixes are as follows: blacked out on Ivermectin; finally beat a pay-to-win mindfulness game; voted the Greatest Living Teen Artist by the readers of US Weekly; transformed into an expressionless little muscleman as if by magic; going viral; and curing jet lag in our lifetime. It is not for us to say which remix corresponds to which realm of human experience, but we do know that it is limited to those options.

Finally, please do not invite a chatbot lover into your marriage. Your spouse cannot hope to compete. And know that this advice comes from our best understanding of current world affairs, and does not represent what a repressed British man would calling “taking the pee.” At their very best, jokes are funny, and the fate of the human bedroom is no laughing matter at all.

*Like a laser!

First-ever double vinyl release of TARIKAT, featuring 16 tracks recorded between 1986 and 1989, originally released on the now out-of-print 1997 double CD (Daft Records) and innitial 1991 cassette. This release features 16 tracks, remastered for this edition, showcasing E.G.'s unique sound from the eighties, reminiscent of other albums like Arispejal Astisaró, Nador, and Sheikh Aljama. This is a period especially appreciated by E.G. fans, where they developed their original and unique style that influenced many later groups and artists of industrial music and even certain forms of techno. Rough, primitive and minimalist, the tracks are constructed on distorted and noise rhythms, sometimes industrial, sometimes with tribal and African influences using synthesizers and analog electronic instruments. Gabriel Riaza, founding member of E.G. until 1991, worked in Melilla (North Africa) during those years, and this influenced the conception of many of Tarikat's tracks. The images used in this release are by Andrés Noarbe, who was responsible for Esplendor Geométrico's graphic design during the eighties and also served as the band's manager. The overall design is by Alonso Urbanos. Recorded by Arturo Lanz and Gabriel Riaza in Madrid and Melilla (North Africa) between 1986 and 1989. Tarikat is available as a limited edition double LP, a key release for fans of E.G., capturing their innovative and influential style that shaped industrial music and techno.

Der offizielle Soundtrack zu "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" von Evan Call ist jetzt als Doppel-Vinyl erhältlich. Diese exklusive 2-LP-Ausgabe bringt die emotionalen Höhepunkte von Frierens Reise auf den Plattenteller - eine Reise voller Freundschaft, Verbundenheit und der Kostbarkeit gemeinsamer Zeit. Die zwei coloured LPs (in Smaragdgrün und Kobaltblau) kommen in einem liebevoll designten Gatefold und mit einem Insert mit Original-Illustrationen. Ein Must-Have für alle, die Frieren, Himmel, Heiter und Stark ins Herz geschlossen haben.

LTD. CLEAR BLUE VINYL

New York painter and musician exploratory industrialist Tor Lundvall initially envisioned his 14th album, Beautiful Illusions, as an entirely instrumental affair, "inspired by memories of sitting in a church or cathedral watching the shifting sunlight through stained glass." Although he ultimately chose to wreath the majority of the tracks with hushed, poetic vocals, his original muse still resonates. These are certainly songs of shadowplay and vaulted skies, the quiet grandeur of dusk deepening on the horizon. Lundvall characterizes the lyrical subject matter, too, in ways both specific and surreal, exploring "the doubts, the anxieties and even the bleak fantasies the mind spirals into during moments of isolation, separation and distance." Tricks of the eye, mind, and ear, magnified by silence and the looming long winter. Shivering pulses and muted bass lines tread the twilight while icicle synths and wiry guitar map the melody until the voice enters, narrating oblique moods of essence and absence, tenderness and truth. Glimpses of dark humor flicker in the wordplay but the greater sonic landscape is one of falling leaves and failing light, small gestures rendered as revelation, cloaked in reverb and spatial fog. Lundvall's mastery of nuance and negative space continues to heighten, whispered brushstrokes of the invisible and the unsaid, what lies beneath and what lies beyond: "Behind the shields and false fronts is usually a sadness. The heartbreaking reflections of what might have been."

Emerging from the Sydney punk scene alongside bands such as Gee Tee, R.M.F.C., and Tee Vee Repairmann, and with large side of Egg punk accompanying their NWOBHM bacon (also maybe the beans in this messy breakfast are AOR?… I think we might be overreaching with this metaphor). Steröid are ready to rock the main stage with more thunderous aplomb than an atom bomb, hard-boiled and clad in chainmail ripping blisteringly hot rockin’ riffs all night long. Brought to you by rock and roll savant Lord Gordith also known as (at least some of the brains) behind Gloomy Reflections and Quest Master proving once again that he might very well be the most exciting act to follow in heavy underground music these days.
This is a record about rocking, and never stopping, and then rocking some more. You can rock with friends at a gig or a show. Sometimes you have to rock alone, but thats okay. Just give it your best, and never miss your chance to rock.

Men in Love is a collaborative concept album by Irvine Welsh and The Sci-Fi Soul Orchestra, exploring the complexities of love, relationships, and the human condition. The album blends classic Motown and disco influences with contemporary electronic dance production, creating a unique and powerful sound that is both nostalgic and fresh.

From soaring anthems to intimate ballads, Men in Love takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of romance, celebrating the power of connection, vulnerability, and the enduring search for love in a chaotic world.

The album will be released concurrently with Welsh's new novel, also titled Men in Love. The book is a sequel to Welsh's seminal work, Trainspotting, and continues the story of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud, Begbie, and other beloved characters. The album serves as a sonic companion to the novel, with its themes, lyrics, and musical atmosphere reflecting the experience and inner turmoil of its characters. The album also introduces The Sci-Fi Soul Orchestra, a unique musical entity with their own unique music releases in the pipeline

When they performed a handful of concerts as a duo in the summer of 1998, Kristen Noguès and John Surman had already worked a lot on the interweaving of genres: Noguès had confronted traditional Breton music with contemporary music and Surman had changed his jazz into atmospheric numbers that would be amongst the finest recording on the ECM label. As a duo, the harpist and the saxophonist would go on to invent something different: free folk, traditional ambient, modal ‘fest- noz’ … it is difficult to label, because the duo Noguès / Surman is one of a kind.

Diriaou, means “Thursday” in Breton. It is also the title of the first piece that Kristen Noguès and John Surman played together in 1991. Noguès learned the Breton language as a child, at the same time as the Celtic harp, – taking lessons with Denise Mégevand, who would go on to teach others, notably Alan Stivell. At the beginning of the 1970s, Noguès discovered Breton singing (soniou and gwerziou) At the beginning of the 1970s, she discovered the Breton song tradition (soniou and gwerziou) and became involved in Névénoé, a cooperative of traditional expression founded by Gérard Delahaye and Patrick Ewen. She recorded a single with the two musicians in 1974, then her first album, two years later.

Everyone who has listened to Kristen Noguès debut Marc’h Gouez, is now aware of her mysterious plucked strings. Her art, leaving Brittany, would go on to take in all landscapes and folklores, in the same as that of John Surman, conceived a little further north including vernacular jazz, international fusion with Chris McGregor or Miroslav Vitouš, and exploring more personal territory. Remember the Cornish landscapes in one of the best albums on the ECM label : Road To Saint Ives.

Kristen Noguès and John Surman thus shared an ‘extra-Celtic’ inspiration infused with free improvisation. On this recording, made in 1998 by Tanguy Le Doré at the Dre Ar Wenojenn festival, the duo uses original compositions which refer back to traditional songs (Maro Pontkalek, Le Scorff). The musicians then create fantastic impressions: Baz Valan, on which Noguès and Surman have a heavenly exchange; Kernow, on which the shared theme slowing disappears into the mist; Maro Pontkalek and Diriaou which move from the storm to the calm. Elsewhere, there is singing, first with Surman (Kleier) and then moving on to Noguès (Kerzhadenn and her signature song Berceuse). On a canvas of traditional music, the two musicians weave countless memorable landscapes.

sferic land a debut album of thizzing and blown-out ambient trap x dub techno vapours from XTCLVR.

Produced under trying circumstances, Ukraine’s XTCLVR wrests an escapist sense of hazed beauty on a compelling maiden voyage for bleary-eyed specialists sferic, written and recorded during long nights under curfew and occasional shelling. Vocals are there, but mostly unintelligible, disrupted by a persistent offbeat churn and fragmentary instability, a paradoxically lush but anxious sound that reflects broader butterfly effects of war and its ripples of socio-economic fuckery on one level, and simply a trippy soundtrack to the afters on another.

Ten smudged shots unfurl across a 3D stereo space in gyring and shearing motion, cryptically shielding and scrambling a message meant to be deciphered by your sixth senses. A vocoder is diffused in aerosolised designs on the rugged lean of ‘Perspective’, setting up a chain reaction that buckles to more fraught feels on ‘Allergen’ and the ruptured raptures of a ‘Storm Shadow’ recalling Nazar’s recent sound design spheres for Hyperdub.

BSW948 lends nervous bars laced into the warped matrix of ’Night Shift Cut’, and OB3TH perfuses the iridescent dub techno of ‘The Wise Mystical Tree’, whilst Indy lends to the ambient drill of ‘Acid Flavour’, and closer ‘Dead Smoke’ perhaps best betrays, even if metaphorically, a feeling of psychic distress in its dank, submerged mire.

Another record, another appearance from Kid Lib (& his many aliases) on Future Retro London... ????

As I said before on FR015, the Dub & Wheel stuff he makes is almost always making it into my selection for DJ sets, I honestly can't get enough of it. He had done this tune (originally titled Shaka Sound) in 2017 (I think?) but it was never fully finished on its own & I don't think there were any plans to finish it or release it. That didn't stop me from playing it in my sets of course haha

Eventually, I reached a point where I felt like I'd played it so much that I couldn't allow it to not come out, so I offered to finish the tune and then it could come out on Future Retro London & thankfully he allowed me to work on it and get it done.

In dub, they'll record many different versions/mixes of a tune with various differences in arrangement and sounds used & I felt it'd be cool to do that with this tune, with Mix One sounding more true to his original idea & Mix Two having a bit more variation in the bassline & drum patterns.

Anyway, big up to Kid Lib for letting me work on The Firmament & for letting me release it, hopefully there'll be more Dub & Wheel material from him in the future, I'm patiently waiting...

Welcome to a whole new stage from Akasha Records, introducing the label into the analog world.

To begin with, Delazar brings us three delightful dancefloor dishes together with an ambient mix from the timeless gem "Memory Access", released in the first Akasha's digital appearance.

Monkey Slayer, this new EP, brings us so much flavour with acid touch, funny percussive bounces and synth sounds. A1 brings the perfect mood. It's remix version from master Deep Mariano takes us to an intense and happy trip, so that alter on, "Reincarnation" makes us close the stadium. "After" well... You already know when to play this one. And to come back to Earth at some point, as dessert, you can delight with an ambient masterpiece.

No one can help you build something beautiful quite like those who know you best. Alan Sparhawk knows this well. In his years in Low, he built decades of stirring music with his wife and lifelong creative partner Mimi Parker. In recent years, he has performed around Minnesota with his son Cyrus in DERECHO Rhythm Section, a funk band that also frequently features his daughter Hollis on vocals. There's an irreplaceable naturalism that comes with this kind of dynamic. Those who know you understand you. They love you. They want to help you bring your greatest passions to fruition. So it made sense that Sparhawk would turn to fellow Duluth musicians Trampled by Turtles to realize his latest record. As friends and mentees of Low's, taken under Sparhawk and Parker's wing from their earliest days as a bar band, Trampled by Turtles have performed with Sparhawk countless times over the years. The Duluth ties run deep: "There's a certain vibe that has to do with underdog syndrome, coming from a small town," Sparhawk muses. "Some of it is the weird grind and slackness that being at the mercy of Mother Nature puts in you. It humbles you." The two artists hold the kind of ironclad bond. Following Parker's passing in 2022, Trampled by Turtles invited Sparhawk to join them on tour to give him a space to be surrounded by friends. Occasionally, he would join them onstage. The outpouring of love was palpable every time they played together, a surge of warmth. When playing together is that powerful, why stop there? In winter, 2024, Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles created With Trampled by Turtles, a record exactly as its name implies: Collective. Communal. Fraternal. Empathetic. A vessel for comfort, a reminder of the harmony that can exist when surrounded by those closest to you. Where White Roses, My God, Sparhawk's last album, plunged headfirst into electronica and radical vocal modulation, With Trampled by Turtles leans into the folk and bluegrass stylings of its backing band, Sparhawk's voice now completely unvarnished. With Trampled by Turtles is far more than just Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles. It's an affirmation of all the people who have been vital in Sparhawk's life and music, and an opportunity to hold each of their gifts into the light. It's producer Nat Harvie, who has been collaborating and performing with him for years. It's Sparhawk's daughter Hollis, who duets with her father on "Not Broken." And it's Mimi Parker, too: "Too High," "Princess Road Surgery," and "Not Broken" were all tracks she and Sparhawk had been working on in the last few years. These songs finally found a setting that stirringly commemorates them, bolstered by a full ensemble to make every note sing. Their presence is a kind of eternal connection to Parker, a way her musical grace will keep flourishing.

“The Mighty Tiny & The Many Few have released their debut Album ‘Be The Good People’

A life- and love-affirming record crafted with vintage techniques and timeless principles.

Walshy Fire (Major Lazer) bridges cross-continental connections in collaboration with Grammy-winning composer and writer Randy Valentine, a South London-based artist hailing from Clarendon, Jamaica. Joining them is Copenhagen-based improvisational jazz visionary Steven Jess Borth II, aka CHLLNGR (I Am An Instrument) along with the crème de la crème of Danish jazz talent, including Morten McCoy, Jonathan Bremer, Rumpistol, Mikkel Hess, Laurits Qwist Bilén, Frederik Scharff and more.

For over two decades, Randy Valentine has cultivated a distinctive voice in music, and his latest work with the concept band The Mighty Tiny and the Many Few brings this artistry to life in a fresh, vibrant way. Brought together by Steven Jess Borth II and Walshy Fire, the band unites over 15 musicians from three continents, celebrating collaboration and shared joy. Alongside Ånd&, the team has crafted a musical masterpiece that resonates with a global perspective and a collective spirit of creative expression.

"Be The Good People" is both a statement and a declaration of revolutionary love—a bold call to action. This seven-track album blends soul-drenched, horn-driven, and timeless instrumentation with forward-thinking, insightful lyrics inspired by life’s triumphs and challenges. The result is a powerful musical journey, promising to be a rewarding ride for every anchoring ear.

‘Be The Good People’ is released independently on new label imprint Ånd&.”

Brenda (Hudson Whitlock of Surprise Chef / Karate Boogaloo / The Pro-Teens) presents new album 'Bath Time', a suite of heartbreaking, cinematic indie-soul ballads from the hotbed of Melbourne, Australia.



Brenda encompasses the left-field soul sensibilities for which Whitlock has come to be recognised in cult instrumental groups Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo and The Pro-Teens, alongside heartfelt, introspective lyricism delivered in a sincere, delicate falsetto. Stylistically, lines can be drawn to the 1960s sweet soul ballads of The Delfonics, Jean-Claude Vannier's vivid arrangements for Serge Gainsbourg, and, of course, the unmistakable flavour of Melbourne's cinematic soul movement à la other Whitlock exploits Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo.



'Bath Time' contains ten entrancingly melancholic ballads that earnestly express Whitlock's dramatic indie-soul sensibilities; encompassing the classically introspective nature of the poetic lyricist and the idiosyncratic use of soulful instrumental arrangements. The songs encompass themes of old romantic habits dying hard, familial rifts and unrequited love.



True to his modest vagabond nature, Whitlock has 'released' six Brenda albums to date, each uploaded exclusively to bandcamp, gladly resigning the music to the underground. Whilst he created theses albums in solitude, playing each instrument himself, 'Bath Time' sees Whitlock relinquishes the isolationism of previous works in favour of including his trusted inner circle of friends and collaborators: Surprise Chef's Lachlan Stuckey and Jethro Curtin on guitar and keyboard respectively, Karate Boogaloo's Darvid Thor on bass, and production from Henry Jenkins (Surprise Chef, Karate Boogaloo, Frollen Music Library).

AVAILABLE IN BLACK ICE WITH ORANGE AND BLUE SPLATTER (COK015WW)

The Bar-Kays were originally formed in Memphis, Tennessee, 1966, as a sextet backing group for Stax Records. They had a promising career in front of them as a session band & recording outfit before the backbone of the group was killed, along with Otis Redding who had hired them as his backing band for a tour, in a plane crash. Only Ben Cauley survived the crash and went on to form what could be dubbed Bar-Kays Mark II. James Alexander (Bass) was also one of the original members but was not aboard the plane because of limited seats on Redding's plane. For Alexander and Cauley and new members Michael Toles, Willie Hall, Ronnie Gordon and Harvey Henderson, the track 'Sang & Dance' was one of the first tracks from the new group, cut in late 1969. They recorded steadily for Mercury records in the 70s & 80s, the two tracks on this 7” among their best loved and sought after. “Open Your Heart” only previously a 7” B-side in Spain

IZIPHO SOUL are extremely proud to present first time on a 7” NIMBISS - PARADISE b/w YOU AND I

NIMBISS were a talented group from Chicago, consisting of Barry Burford, Charles Riley, Toni Moore, Kevin Burford and Al Lake; they released a couple of 12”s in the early 80s.

The original NIMBISS 12” is extremely tough to find and an evergreen modern soul classic - it was released slightly later to the group Jewel’s version - both are excellent with the NIMBISS variant raising the boogie stakes by including prominent synths and driving percussive electronic claps.

On the B Side we present YOU AND I - a ballad of epic proportions, the vocals of Charles Riley are truly magnificent.

Brazilian Psychedelic Rock Artist Firefriend via Cardinal Fuzz and Little Cloud Records announce a first time vinyl pressing for the classic - “999 to 666 ts Street” Prepare to take the long way through the void — Brazilian sonic architects Firefriend present the searing “999 to 666 TS Street”, a full-length LP that bends time, bleeds color, and dives deeper into the cracked corridors of psychedelic rock. With roots tangled deep in the underground of São Paulo and their eyes forever fixed on the cosmic unknown, Firefriend has carved out a space uniquely their own — a distorted dreamscape where shoegaze meets fuzz, noise folds into melody, and every track is a doorway. “999 to 666 TS Street” is a concept record that navigates a haunted psychogeography: an address etched between realities, where spiritual unrest collides with dystopian daydreams.

A Journey Through Sound and Shadow Drenched in fuzzed-out guitars, whispered vocals, analog synths, and pulsing rhythms, this LP sees the trio — Yury Hermuche (guitar/vocals), Julia Grassetti (bass/vocals), and Cacau Bandeira (drums) — begin to forge the fearless vision they seek. From the opening surge to the final fractured lullaby, “999 to 666 TS Street” is both a destination and a transmission: a call to the wanderers, the outsiders, and the seekers. But Firefriend's mission isn’t just sonic — it’s political.

As proudly left-wing artists with an internationalist vision, the band channels the disillusionment and resistance of a generation watching the world teeter. Their music radiates both critique and hope, connecting the dystopia of late capitalism with a dream of liberation. Whether playing São Paulo basements or European festivals, Firefriend brings an urgent message beneath the haze: solidarity is louder than silence. "This album is a street you can't find on any map — it's the place your mind goes when you turn the lights off," says frontman Yury Hermuche. "It's noise, beauty, and a little bit of danger." "We wanted to build a record that feels like a fever dream on vinyl," adds bassist Julia Grassetti. "Something physical, something that glows in the dark." About Firefriend Known for their hypnotic live shows and cult international following, Firefriend has shared stages with underground legends and graced the grooves of multiple celebrated independent releases.

They’ve become essential listening for fans of Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Velvet Underground — yet remain wholly, defiantly themselves. “999 to 666 TS Street” marks the start and is another milestone in their prolific catalog, pushing the limits of psychedelic rock while remaining anchored in the beautifully bleak emotionalism that defines their sound. Beneath the distortion lies a worldview — anti-authoritarian, borderless, and defiantly alive.

Known for her timeless voice and emotive delivery, Chantay brings soulful elegance to
a modern groove - blending classic R&B sensibilities with contemporary production.
This release marks a powerful moment of refection, resilience, and growth, perfectly
suited for lovers of real soul music and fans of artists like Jill Scott, Angie Stone, and
H.E.R.
Return of legendary 90's R&B talent Chantay Savage.
Still is a certifed modern soul classic gaining huge support from the scene since
it's digital release.
Produced by Chicago house music legend Terry Hunter & James Poyser (The
Roots)

Mikro Records proudly marks its debut with a finely crafted 12" release that highlights the label’s commitment to deep, minimal-dub techno. Based between Prague and Berlin, Mikro steps onto the scene with a confident and sophisticated first offering. The EP features three distinct tracks from acclaimed talented producer Gathaspar, whose sound effortlessly blends hypnotic grooves with textured atmospheres. Adding further depth, the release includes a mesmerizing remix by none other than Audio Werner—bringing his signature subtlety and swing to the project. A versatile and timeless record, equally suited for introspective listening or peak-time sets. A must-have for discerning selectors and vinyl enthusiasts alike.

Mutant is proud to present Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s latest installment of his Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen series - Featuring more iconic scores from Giacchino’s career that have been exclusively rearranged and re-recorded for this series in the retro lounge style of the 1950s.

Volume 2 spans the period of 2012 to 2022 and features not only his work with Marvel Studios (including their iconic Marvel Studios Fanfare, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and more!) but also more career defining music for Disney • Pixar (Inside Out, Coco and Lightyear) as well as smaller, cult classics like John Carter, and Tomorrowland, more personal films such as Jojo Rabbit and The Book of Henry. He has taken these iconic themes and transformed them into soothing, beautiful 60’s lounge-inspired reworks.

Other highlights include ‘The Batman Suite’, taken from Matt Reeves' 2022 blockbuster The Batman, ‘Jyn Erso’s Theme’ from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as well as themes for War For The Planet Of The Apes, Jurassic World and two selections taken from his directorial debut Werewolf By Night

"We are thrilled to continue exploring Michael’s storied career with this incredible collection of some of his most beloved themes reworked for warm summer nights with a cocktail (or mocktail) in hand," says Mutant co-founder Spencer Hickman. "Michael is a rare composer who is comfortable with superheroes, horror, action, or intimate drama. He always manages to create incredibly beautiful earworms that have been further highlighted by these stripped-back downtempo versions of his award-winning themes.’

Featuring liner notes by Charles Phoenix, artwork by Luke Insect, and pressed on limited edition color vinyl (also available on CD)
“So much was rooted in the big orchestral sound, so it was really about scaling it back. The real trick is figuring out the little fun hooks and things you can add along the way. There were no rules; I was up for anything. It was a way to re-engage with the material and be creative in a new way.”

Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1 includes an array of reinterpreted pieces from Michael Giacchino’s career. Highlights include ‘Primordial Forest’ from the 1997 video game The Lost World: Jurassic Park, ‘Life and Death’ from Lost, the theme from Ratatouille, ‘Roar!’ from Cloverfield, ‘Enterprising Young Men’ from Star Trek (2009), ‘A Man, A Plan, A Code, Dubai’ from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and a Super 8 suite.

Featuring package design by Luke Insect, and liner notes by Charles Phoenix.

Delving into the Great American Songbook of Howe Gelb, Sandworms is a new collection that rephrases and rephases the legacy of Giant Sand acrossgenerations. This release offers bold reinterpretations from Water From Your Eyes, Deradoorian, Jesca Hoop & John Parish, Lily Konigsberg, Holiday Ghosts, Ella Raphael, Monde UFO, The Golden Dregs, and Gently Tender. The ever-present Giant Sand and their one-man cerebral traveller, Howe Gelb, are anchored by a reputation for idiosyncratic storytelling. A "natural storyteller," Gelb's multifarious musical delivery adds an enduring sense of wonder as he extols the virtues of happenstance. This collection celebrates the esoteric and singular journey Giant Sand have taken, through alt-country, jazz, lo-fi experiments, and beyond, while their legacy is reimagined here by a new generation of artists paying tribute to their lasting influence. Brooklyn duo Water From Your Eyes, known for their stoner humour, fatalistic undercurrents, and art-pop flair, bring a delicate balance of punk riffing and dream-pop escapism to Warm Storm, first heard on Giant Sand's Ramp (1991). Whitney K takes on Happenstance (from 1994's Glum), unravelling its existential puzzles with a whispering baritone that recalls the hushed intensity of Leonard Cohen. Drifting further into orbit, Angel Deradoorian reinterprets Center Of The Universe, the title track from the band's 1992 album, transforming its desert-fried rock into a spaced-out Sun Ra-paced drama. Elsewhere, Yer Ropes, a jaw-dropping highlight from Glum, is taken on by The Golden Dregs, blurring sentimentality and relationship mismanagement into something truly strange and moving. A special collection for both long-time fans and the newly curious, Sandworms: The Songs of Howe Gelb and Giant Sand is released via Fire Records and includes liner notes from Dave Henderson (Mojo).

Old-time and traditional music stay exciting for their contrasts. Exacting instrumentation honed through mentorships and late-night jams at fiddler's conventions tangles with a community-sourced inventiveness that influences variants and new sounds. Joseph Decosimo is a master of this genre for this very reason, blending deep technique with an openness and curiosity that keep his music crackling with life. A "marvelous fiddler" (No Depression) and banjo player who braids "exultation and veneration" (INDY Week) into his music, on his third solo album Fiery Gizzard Decosimo gathers a close-knit ensemble of friends from his musical career to infuse his interpretations of fiddle and banjo pieces with a contagious communal joy. As an artist working with traditional music from the South and Appalachia, Decosimo chooses songs based not only on historical significance and lineage but also his own sensory approach. For Fiery Gizzard, his ear was tuned to otherworldly tones and mystery, sourcing from field recordings such as Virginia fiddler Luther Davis' hypnotic version of "Shady Grove" while amping up the music's psychedelic potential. On the middle Tennessee banjo composition "Flowery Girls," a VHS of bluesman Abner Jay inspired Decosimo to rig up a pickup inside a fretless banjo and play it thr ough a tube amp to capture some of Jay's edge and funkiness. But to round out the sound and keep it kinetic meant galvanizing a genre-eschewing crew to jam out - and not in a "spaced-out drooly" kind of way, he laughs, but as a sort of "responsive conversation." Decosimo has always been a community-minded artist. He began playing as a seventh graderin Tennessee, fostering relationships with older players at jams and in homes, a learning mode natural to his inquisitive nature and desire for musical connection. A folklorist by intuition, he later became one by profession, studying with old-time legend Clyde Davenport, teaching in East Tennessee State University's renowned bluegrass program, and receiving his PhD at the University of North Carolina with a dissertation titled "Catching the `Wild Note': Listening, Learning, and Connoisseurship in Old-Time Music." In North Carolina, Decosimo kicked about in the verdant environment of Durham and Chapel Hill's folk and indie scenes, collaborating with artists including Alice Gerrard, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Jake Xerxes Fussell. This community has influenced his own music, including his "sublime and strangely heartening" (Bandcamp Daily) 2022 release While You Were Slumbering and Beehive Cathedral, Decosimo's 2024 "Appalachian mountain music treasury" (New Commute) trio album with Luke Richardson and Cleek Schrey for Dear Life Records. Continuing on this path, Fiery Gizzard is home base for a loose outfit of mostly Tarheel-based musicians from within and beyond traditional music. Inspired by a tour with fiddler Stephanie Coleman (Nora Brown), guitarist Jay Hammond, and synth builder and multi-instrumentalist Matthew O'Connell, Decosimo assembled studiomates based on close friendships and comfort. Coleman, O'Connell, and Hammond contribute to Fiery Gizzard, along with bassist and producer Andy Stack (Helado Negro, Wye Oak), horn player Kelly Pratt (Beirut, David Byrne), Mipso and Fust's Libby Rodenbough, Joseph O'Connell (Elephant Micah), andtrad/experimental artist Cleek Schrey. Decosimo's fiddle and banjo work is virtuosic, intricate and simple simultaneously, a testament to his many years of study. On some tracks, his playing or lovely, plain-hearted singing is the centerpiece, such as on his interpretations of Texan street preacher Washington Phillips' 1929 recording "I Had a Good Father and Mother" or the Eastern Kentucky fiddle barn-burner "Glory in the Meetinghouse," famously played by Luther Strong for Alan Lomax. But there's also a trusting open-door policy, like where Southern Appalachian tune "Ida Red" relaxes into Coleman's sweet, confident fiddling and Hammond's loping guitar. As a bandleader, Decosimo's confidence and enthusiasm for the music reveal the heart of traditional music and how it can come to life through community. Fiery Gizzard is Joseph Decosimo as a powerful champion of traditional music - a sponge who soaks up as much as he squeezes out, a responsive artist who makes his genre accessible, and a magnet who can bring musicians of all sorts into his orbit with his same passion.

Still Forms in Air is the debut album by Italian composer Francesca Marongiu under her own name. It draws inspiration from mid-1980s Japanese ambient music — Hiroshi Yoshimura, Satoshi Ashikawa, Takashi Kokubo — and, more subtly, from Italian experimental echoes rooted in both personal and cultural memory.

The album unfolds like suspended time, like architecture that quietly bears witness to the shifts that have shaped our cities and the ways we live in them. These tracks reflect an emotional and urban landscape, shaped by a gaze cast upon the mid-1980s and early ’90s — a time of subtle yet lasting changes in the form and meaning of shared space. That period marked a delicate turning point, later described as les années d’hiver: the slow onset of fragmentation beneath a surface of creative openness.

Still Forms in Air doesn’t dwell in nostalgia (though it draws from it), but reimagines that duality through a contemporary lens. Its sound blends memory and presence, layering ambient textures with a refined spatial sensitivity. It is a dialogue across decades — clear-eyed, affectionate, and quietly luminous.

Written, arranged and recorded by Francesca Marongiu in Rome and Pistoia between May 2024 and March 2025.
Francesca Marongiu: electronics, synthesizers, vocals, sound objects.
Antonio Gallucci: wind arrangements on track 1 and 4, bass and sound objects on track 3, drums on track 3 and 4.
Mixed by Francesca Marongiu and Antonio Gallucci. Mastered by Antonio Gallucci at Mercurial Mastering in Pistoia. Artist photo by Elisabetta Scarpini. Artwork by Daniel Castrejón.

The quietest voices can be the most durable.

American Football’s original triumph, on their 1999 self-titled debut, was to reunite two shy siblings: emo and post-rock. It was a pioneering album where lyrical clarity was obscured and complicated by the stealth musical textures surrounding it.

Like Slint’s Spiderland, or Codeine’s The White Birch, even Talk Talk’s Laughing Stock, American Football asked far more questions than it cared to answer. But there wasn’t a band around anymore to explain it, anyway. The three young men who made the album – Mike Kinsella, Steve Holmes, and Steve Lamos – split up pretty much on its release.

Fifteen years later, American Football reunited (now as a four-piece, with the addition of Nate Kinsella). They played far larger shows than in their original incarnation and recorded their long-anticipated second album, 2016’s American Football (LP2). The release was widely praised, but the band members still felt like their best work was yet to come.

‘I feel like the second album was us figuring it out,’ says Nate. ‘For me, it wasn’t quite done. I knew there was still more.’

Enter American Football (LP3). ‘We put a lot of time and a lot of energy into it,’ says Mike. ‘We were all thoughtful about what we wanted to put out there. Last time, it was figuring out how to use all of our different arms. This time, we were like – Ok we have these arms, let’s use them.’ The band used the same producer, Jason Cupp, and recorded the album at the same studio (Arc Studios in Omaha, Nebraska) as its predecessor – yet they approached it in a markedly different way. There was a determination to let the songs breathe, to trust in ideas finding their own pace. The final result is a definite, and deliberate, stretching of the band.

As a result, LP3 is less obviously tethered to the band’s past than the second album. An immediate contrast between LP3 and its two predecessors is its cover. The two previous albums featured the exterior and interior of a residence in the band’s original hometown of Urbana, Illinois (now attracting fans for pilgrimages and photo opportunities), by the photographer Chris Strong. But American Football knew that LP3 was an outside record. Instead of the familiar house, this time the cover photo (again by Strong) features open, rolling fields on Urbana’s borders. It is a sign of the album’s magnitude in sound, and of the band’s boldness in breaking away from home comforts.

American Football also joked that LP3’s genre was ‘post-house’, because of this very conscious visual break. But, in a strange way, there are links in LP3 with an actual post-house genre: shoegaze. The more exploratory members of the original British shoegaze scene were inspired by the dreamtime and circularity of house music (ambient house in particular), cherishing its sonic possibilities. That spirit drips into LP3, most obviously on ‘I Can’t Feel You’, a collaboration with Rachel Goswell of Slowdive.

The album also features Hayley Williams from Paramore on the album’s catchiest moment, ‘Uncomfortably Numb’, and Elizabeth Powell, of the Québécoise act Land Of Talk. Mike wrote lyrics in French especially for her.

LP3 is contemplative, rich, expressive, yet with a queasy undercurrent. It is heavy with expectancy, revealing its ideas slowly, eliciting the hidden stories people carry around with them. ‘I feel like my lyric writing has changed a lot over the years,’ says Mike. ‘The goal is to be conversational, maybe to state something giant and heavy, but in a very plain way. But, definitely in this record, I keep things a little more vague.’ As on the first album, the lyrics on LP3 may seem confessional and concentrated, but the more you scrutinize them, the further their meaning slinks away. Or, as Mike tellingly sings on ‘I Can’t Feel You”: I’m fluent in subtlety.

‘Somewhere along the way we moved from being a reunion band to just being a band,’ says Steve Holmes. American Football is now a bona fide ongoing focus, and they are making some of the best music of their lives. American Football (LP3) stands with two other rare reunion successes – Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine’s mbv – as a fine example of how a band refinding one another can augment, rather than taint, their legacy.

‘I think that there are those albums, or the music that you heard when you were younger, and they imprint on you,’ says Nate. ‘And no matter where you go, or what you do they’re always there.’ He is talking of Steve Reich – an early and ongoing influence on American Football – but he might as well be reflecting what is said of his own band, and the ardent following they inspire. American Football stands as an enduring symbol of elusive emotional landscapes, where introspection can be as dramatic as confrontation

2xLP+Book. Black & White Splatter vinyl. Between 1975-77, Chicago's southside nightclubs were experiencing dark times. The after-hours routine may have been on the up, but the sound of urban blues was on its way down, getting funkier, heavier, picking up a Zeppelin echo from the British rock scene that had raided its larder. Thankfully, lightening came by way of a lanky white guy skulking from club to club with a camera and strobe light. Chicago photographer Michael Abramson hit Perv's House, Pepper's Hideout, The High Chaparral, The Patio Lounge, and The Showcase Lounge nightly, not to capture the artists on stage but instead popping off a half-dozen rolls every night exclusively on the seldom photographed crowd. Light: On The South Side gathers more than 100 beautiful black and white Abramson images, as Numero shines its own light on yet another dark corner of the musical past. The 132-page hardback book features not just these photos, but an extended and wildly colorful ephemera section, plus an essay by British novelist and Numero fan Nick Hornby. Housed in a gorgeous slipcase with the 12X12 monograph is the 2LP set Pepper's Jukebox, a 17-track compilation of Chicago blues in transition, as heard from both the stage and the Wurlitzer.

New colour on Enter Shikari’s 2023 number 1 album.

Enter Shikari are a rock band from St Albans, UK. In 2020, they released their sixth album - Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible - which also gave them their sixth album to debut in the UK Album Chart top 5. Frequently collecting Best Live Artist awards, Enter Shikari’s seventeen-year career thus far has seen them rise from teenagers touring the UK grassroots venues, to festival main stages and arena headliners worldwide.

It was in the Spring of 2022 that the band descended to the coastal town of Chichester, and a delipidated farmhouse, to rebuild their studio setup and capture their renewed momentum on record. Using only solar power to track the album–in what Reynolds says was to “bring back some sense of naivety” – the life-giving properties and Technicolor palate of A Kiss For The Whole World were made real. Reynolds continues: “Back to basics. This band - my best friends - bundled into an old farmhouse, miles away from anywhere. Off-grid, and ready to rediscover ourselves. This album is powered by the sun, the most powerful object in our solar system. And I think you can tell. It’s a collection of songs that represent an explosive reconnection with what Enter Shikari is. The beginning of our second act”.

Internet's favourite music critic and Youtube star Anthony Fontana aka Needledrop has gotten a liking to the Grande Mahogany vinyl & digital album 'As Grande As'. The bald funny guy has been raving about the album to his millions Youtube, TikTok and Instagram follower on several occasions, also covering the record in his 'one of the great albums of 2024' round up.

The album is also already making waves in the UK with continuous plays on BBC Radio 1 by Jazz Supernova and BBC Radio 6 by Cerys Matthews as well as the New Music Fix show.

If this is the first time you're hearing about Grande Mahogany, now is the time. Behind the alter ego of Grande Mahogany is Finnish-Ghanaian multi-instrumentalist Jesse Essel, who relocated with his family from Finland to Manchester, England, at the age of 11. It was in Manchester where Essel found his own style, drawing inspiration from the city's diverse music scene.

Grande Mahogany's unique blend of Funk, Rock, Afro-Psychedelia, and R&B has already garnered international interest. Singles from the album, such as "Angle of The Dangle," "Thundercurls," and "SUPER ROCKER," have caught the attention of prominent music critics, for example Anthony Fantano of Needledrop.

"As Grande As" stands as a testament to relentless creativity and perseverance, much of it crafted during tumultuous times. It invites listeners to embrace its raw authenticity, serving as a chronicle of the artist's journey towards unfiltered expression. Mastered by Guy Davie, whose credits include work with Kaytranada, Jon Hopkins, and Mikael Kiwanuka, the album ensures a high-quality sonic experience.

Flamenco is a Spanish art, which has always been prone to hybridization with a multitude of musical languages. Therefore, the universe of "flamenco fusion" could well reflect the way in which Spaniards have related throughout history with other cultures. And that relationship may have often been one of dialogue, exchange, respect and crossbreeding. Among the circumstances that could have favored the traditional mestizaje of flamenco art is the open character of the south of the Iberian Peninsula, to all the civilizations that have settled in its territories; the encounter with America in 1492, and the brotherhood with the Spanish-speaking countries; that the Casa de contratación de Indias, the entity that regulated the transit between Spain and America for centuries, was founded in none other than... Seville! (and olé); without forgetting the FUNDAMENTAL African contribution, brought to America by millions of black slaves throughout the 400 years of the slave trade. Pícaro vol. 4 is an excellent example of how some Spanish flamenco musicians knew how to take advantage of the fashion of other styles and rhythms coming from outside Spain, creating a new sound universe and incorporating them into their repertoire. Undoubtedly, there is a generational replacement of "flamenco Ye-Ye" in Spain with artists like Rosalía or C. Tangana, although now it will be necessary to modernize "the label". This compilation offers us a snapshot of the multiple styles of flamenco hybridization that triumphed in the world during the decades of the 50's and 60's of the 20th century. Through its microsurcos we will discover immeasurable flamenco ye yé (track 1), flamenco rock & roll (tracks 3 and 4), flamenco cha cha chá (tracks 6, 7 and 15) or flamenco mambo (track 12), together with other unusual, exotic and impossible mixes of Spanish song with tango arrabalero, bluegrass, easy listening, swing, groove or soul. Always a happy mix, which are brought together with exquisite taste in this vinyl for your enjoyment.

Coastal County II marks the fifth release from Oslo-based Lomas Productions, the long-running collaboration between musicians and producers Lars Mellgren and Thomas Hauge. Following the underground success of their 2019 Coastal County, the duo returns with a new installment that expands their instrumental universe. Coastal County II continues the sonic explorations of its predecessor, expanding the palette with a rich blend of cinematic moods and classic soundtrack grooves. Across eight tracks, the album moves from noir-infused symphonics and beat-driven progressions to Anatolian-inspired rock, jazz-tinged vignettes, and mountainous melodies. While steeped in the traditions of composers like David Axelrod and Alessandro Alessandroni, Coastal County II adds a Nordic sensibility – rich in details with shadows around the edges. This is not just a follow-up. It's a continuation.

CATCHY, MESMERIZINGLY BEAUTIFUL, DREAMY CHAMBER POP WITH A FOLKY TWIST

Music can have a multitude of emotional impacts and can create inner worlds out of voices, sounds, and moods.
If you open heart and ear to the mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful soundscapes of AURI, you might find a beacon of light inside a sonic realm untouched by today’s often scary, grim realities; a dreamscape that can be profoundly uplifting.
On their third studio album, III - Candles & Beginnings’ the stars have aligned yet again. Propelled by the unique and celestial voice of Johanna Kurkela, the magical textures of Nightwish mastermind Tuomas Holopainen and the almost unlimited musical palette of Nigtwish multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, Auri have presented a world to be unlocked with the senses, blending folk, progressive and symphonic elements, world music, pop and avantgarde.
Right after completing Nightwish’s 2024 monument Yesterwynde, the songwriting for the third chapter in Auri’s musical adventures started in 2023, with Troy writing in Yorkshire and Tuomas and Johanna working their creative magic in Kitee, Finland. By Autumn 2024, a 10-song demo was complete, setting the stage for what would become another breathtaking Auri journey. The band and their trusted engineer Tero “Teecee” Kinnunen took the mixing process to sunny Spain, letting the Andalucian vibes infuse the music whereas in March 2025 mastering was wrapped up by Tim Oliver at the legendary Real World Studios - a ground-breaking recording complex started by Peter Gabriel in 1989.
The album is a tapestry of emotions - each song a world of its own, touching on childhood memories, vivid life experiences, and even a nod to one of the group’s most beloved places on Earth - The Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge, a historic spot nestled in the North York Moors and one of the most remote pubs you will ever find.
Visually, the cover artwork by Pete Voutilainen, layout and watercolors by Mikko Pankasalo plus calligraphy by Johanna Kurkela provide wonderful illustrations perfectly capturing Auri’s unique musical visions.
With guest musicians like Frank Van Essen (strings), Jonas Pap (cello), Juho Kanervo (basses), and the incredible drumming and percussion courtesy of Nightwish’s Kai Hahto, Auri III - Candles & Beginnings is as lush as it is atmospheric and provides astonishing dynamics.
Having been a studio endeavor in the past, Auri is finally going on tour with their first-ever live European trek kicking off in August 2025, followed by summer festivals in 2026, allowing you to hear, see and feel songs from their previous two albums, as well as brand new pieces from III - Candles & Beginnings.