Cerca:go dark

Feel the ground shake beneath your feet as swarms of infected march towards your colony! The soundtrack for They Are Billions was composed by Nicolas de Ferran, a prolific composer who already has about fifteen soundtracks to his credits and experience as a Music Editor on OSTs like A Plague Tale: Innoncence, Vampyr, and more.

Due the game's humble beginnings, the music was originally produced on a low budget, using only samples and virtuals instruments.

However, following the overwhelming success of the Early Access, the music was re-orchestrated and completely re-recorded with the National Slovak Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava. A 60-piece orchestra recorded the music for the game for an entire day in the concert hall of Slovak Radio, with sound engineer Peter Fuchs (known for Fable, Total War, Call of Duty and more).

With its cinematic epicness, stressful ambiences and inspiring melodies, this album is a must-have awaited by the whole community! "They Are Billions has been an incredible experience in my career and I'm very happy to be able to keep the music of this game alive with Microids Records" Nicolas de Ferran

The label is crated by Mathtiiaas Rosén (Mattias Lindgren) AKA Microman in 1995 in Stureby outside south of Stockholm Sweden.
in the beginning as a way of getting out things that Plumphuse Records did not...

After moving to UK in 98 more got in to it´s own "style" much because of London and that market, ...The label is just Microman´s backyard for experiments and try fix the holes in a dj set, the tunes needed in between the other. A techouse deep house funk house techno hybrid, now lately with the Ahab 13 taking the jump in to Brake Beat and Jungle looking back paying respect to 1998 old school.

Ahab 15 is here and Microman is on the case with a four track ep called: Freja - With a melodic yet stomping sound for both the bar before the gig.

A1: Stoopid Geneie 126 BPM a dark random bass and motion progressive rhymes.
A2: Omberg 122 BPM deep house soft rumble bass positive cords... To the more Techno style.
B1: Freja 132 BPM hybrid techouse journey with a brake down after 03:30 going into strings and full bass line revealed.
B2: Lite mer forskning 130 BPM balearic style sound with electric live bass and steel guitar melancholic melody.

N8noface is globally acclaimed as one of the most fresh and raw acts of the United States. For his debut in Oráculo N8noface presents an album where reviews some of his classic tracks exploring his most dark and minimal side, but not forgetting his unique new-punk sound for the likes of Sleaford Mods.

His proposal is extremely minimalistic but effective at the same time with that classic 90’s west-coast attitude that could remind even to the best era of Cypress Hill.

The whole thing surely deserves a place in the best vinyl collections. Presented in a one-off truly limited edition of 300 copies, lacquered pressed on 180gr. high quality solid black vinyl. All tracks have been specially restored and remastered for long cut vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios.

2023 Edition - Now a 'cult classic' , repressed for 2023 ears on All City Dublin. Onra started the project in August 2006, freshly returned from a trip to Vietnam, the land of his grandparents. A vinyl junkie at heart, he really couldn’t come back to France without bringing back some wax.

After hours spent riding on a motorbike through the streets of Saigon, a taxi finally helped him find some Asian records - he almost felt like an explorer discovering a forgotten treasure. He bought 30 records, most of them in poor condition, went back to his crib and started making beats with material that he wasn’t quite used to …

This record is named after Vedyanta, an ancient philosophy based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India. The music, originally composed and produced by Joseph S Joyce and later remixed by Sebastian Mullaert of Minilogue, was greatly inspired, after reading commentaries from Swami Rama Tirtha's biography "The Scientist & Mahatma" - Chapter 1 - Vedanta and The Secret of Success. Now, some nine years later, it gets served up as a remix EP.

There's a dark El Choop Reconstruct, a gorgeous ambient version from Sebastian Mullaert, a minimal headscape from Van Bonn, Federson SF goes warm and dubby and then a crisp, tech-edged vibe from Paul 90 ends the EP in style.

It is with honour & pleasure that we present to you the return of one of the finest in game! Active since god-knows-when, and equally known as artist, label owner, event promoter and all-round champion of all that’s right and proper, Semtek has cast a long shadow in the electronic underground over the past two decades.

Ever the mercurial savant, Benji distils a wide range of influences that have shaped his various endeavours on his first 12” for us: from the darkside revivalism of DJ Persuasion through to the raw productions of L.M.Y.E, and even down to his earliest productions on DBA. RAD-SEM1 is two tracks of ice-cold club cuts that capture the chilly futurism of second wave Detroit Techno, the sparser fringes of UKG and the abyssal soundscapes of late 90s DnB. But as is characteristic of Semtek’s output, always far greater than the sum of its parts.

Whitelands follow their acclaimed single ‘Setting Sun’ – which saw the London-based band added to the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist – with their first ever vinyl release, an EP of reworkings, which is released as a limited edition orange vinyl 10” on June 23.Simply titled Remixes, the EP features two reworkings of ‘Setting Sun’ by dreampop legends A.R. Kane – the short Initiation Dub and the epic Hero Remix, which comes in three parts, titled Departure, Initiation and Return and takes the song to some unexpected and exciting new places.“Whitelands came up in conversation three times in a week,” explains A.R. Kane’s Rudy Tambala of how he got to know the band and came to remix them. “Two times is coincidence, three times is a conspiracy, so I reached out to them on social media, and we started chatting. They’re cool, like baby Kanes. ‘Setting Sun’ was close to my heart, reminding me of ‘Fools Gold’ meets Slowdive versus Frank Ocean. Anyway, I heard several approaches in my head, so I thought, ‘Fuck it, let’s do ’em all’. “I knew I wanted to take a prog approach: Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon, Sasha’s Involver2, Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, Frank Ocean’s Blond, etc. Even my own sixty nine. It’s that seamless drift from one part into the next, stretching the idea until it ruptures, creating space for a new way of perceiving; this has the first inklings of hive mind, telepathy, in a musical form; you dissolve into it as it dissolves into you. A fundamental dreampop construction and aim, whereby subject and object become one. Ahem. “As the extended mix took shape it suggested to me the three components of The Hero’s Journey, hence the titles. The three-minute pop song was determined by the technical limitations of the 7” vinyl single. Digital has obliterated that. The perfect dreampop song has no time limit. ‘Setting Sun’ A.R. Kane Hero Remix is timely.” Alongside Rudy’s reworkings is an equally dazzling drum’n’bass take on last year’s single ‘How It Feels’ by the band’s guitarist Michael in his howdogirlssleep guise.

Lewis II was the follow up to Lewis Taylor's epochal, self-titled debut album. It was initially released in 2000 and this double LP release, its first ever vinyl edition, has been heavily anticipated for nearly a quarter of a century. It's often years before most listeners catch up with an album's breathtaking vision and devastating execution, and so it has proved with Lewis II; it stands up exceptionally well today.

After Island rejected Lewis Taylor's second release (later released as The Lost Album), he returned to the studio to record Lewis II. Less esoteric than Lewis Taylor, Lewis II is a more polished, sophisticated funk and mature uptempo soul than the dark psych-soul of his debut. The production, whilst slicker, is a bit tougher, with more crisp, R&B-flavoured grooves and head-nod beats and more bass pumping up his voice. The vocal intensity present on album number one doesn't abate. Indeed, as Lewis himself noted, "my voice is better on Lewis II and the vocals are high in the mix."

The moody funk of "Party" sounds like a mad blend of Riot-era Sly Stone and Brian Wilson. It rides a stuttering drum machine groove with acapella harmony vocals arriving halfway through to stay for the duration. "My Aching Heart", with its clean, slick, late 90s R&B drums, could surely have been a single. Perhaps Lewis's idiosyncratic melodies would've been too challenging for the charts. Lewis *had hoped* "You Make Me Wanna" would be a single but the dank, organ-drenched groove, coupled with the growling eroticism of Lewis's vocals would've, again, made this beyond the pale for most mainstream music fans. Somewhat incongruous acidic synths and bleeps give way to a laconic summertime groove on breezy highlight "The Way You Done Me", all funky acoustic guitars and stunning, good-time vocals. Sumptuous ballad "Satisfied", a real fan favourite, marries unusual instrumentation with classic soul-ballad structure and closes with a monster guitar solo which almost out-Princes Prince in its gritty melodicism, set against sweeping strings of real majesty. Prog-Funk-Rock!

The dubbed-out, spaced-out "Never Gonna Be My Woman" is the closest the album comes to classic D’Angeloesque neo-soul, with echoes of the esoteric funk featured across Maxwell's contemporaneous Embrya. But what follows is on some next level business. As Lewis's biggest fan, Geoffrey Scull, noted, "the "I'm On The Floor" / "Lewis II" / "Into You" song cycle stacks up against any other consecutive 15 minutes of recorded music, ever!" And who are we to argue with that? These could've been hits for Justin Timberlake during his fascinating Timbaland-collaborating days, such is the sonic and textural pop experimentation at play here. The extraordinary title track sounds like an outtake from Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man and spends its last third as a searingly dark piano-led psychedelic-guitar-crunching soul instrumental. Just astounding. And then. AND THEN! The way it segues into, er, "Into You" is just straight up genius. Goosebumps galore on this one, no words can describe its celestial brilliance. Just kick back and be beguiled by the "Let me come on over again" refrain that ornately adorns its sensational coda. Phew.

The swoonsome, lovelorn ballad "Blue Eyes", apparently written in the spirit of Marvin’s "Vulnerable", is a lush, slow swinger with some gorgeous noir touches. To close, Lewis completely retools Jeff Buckley’s beloved, beautiful "Everybody Here Wants You" and, while talking some liberties, even manages to surpass the original. Yes, really! With soaring, fiery vocals set against icy piano and psychedelic guitars, Lewis recasts Buckley's effort as dramatic, ethereal soul.

When it came to translating the original CD booklet into a 12 inch LP sleeve, thanks to some suggestions from Cally Callomon (head of Island’s art department, who designed all the sleeves for Lewis’s two Island albums and their singles) and his trusting us with his “Lewis Taylor” folder full of various negatives, test prints and whatever else he was able to salvage from the old Island art department, we’ve gotten pretty close to what the original LP sleeve would’ve looked like if it existed. Simon Francis’s vinyl mastering, presents the eleven tracks over a double LP so, as ever, the record sounds outstandingly good. The records have been cut by Cicely Balston at Air Studios and pressed at Record Industry.

Going past musical genres and instead straight towards something more elemental - Selvhenter’s music creates a strikingly direct, physical experience of sound composed of polyrhythms, acoustic and electric melodies, heavy music and improvised beauty.

Since forming in Copenhagen in 2010, drummers Jaleh Negari and Anja Jacobsen, saxophonist Sonja LaBianca and trombonist Maria Bertel have forged a unique approach to making music that starts with their instrumental setup: two drummers that interlock as frequently as they go their own way, a trombone put through a bass amplifier loud enough to rattle your chest and a saxophone put through a range of effects so that it often sounds unrecognisable. Selvhenter work within their own idiom, drawing from the individual players’ personalities and interests to make a highly collective music, where all four musicians are absorbed into a total sound where an improvised free jazz approach collides with experimental electronic music and avant-garde noise/post-punk sonorities.

Their new LP Mesmerizer - which marks their first physical album release in nearly a decade and their debut on the French label Hands in the Dark - carries forward this process of exploration, deploying original and complex patterns of rhythm through various percussive instruments and finely textured horns and synths. The attention to sonic details is also almost pushed to an extreme on this new offering, making the open auditory adventure suggested by the title of the album all the more captivating. These creative developments have brilliantly kept Selvhenter’s music alive to new uncharted moods and possibilities, while at the same time strengthening their core elements: a propulsive, dense and often ecstatic music.

Lucinda Williams’ music has gotten her through her darkest days. It’s been that way since growing up amid family chaos in the Deep South, as she recounts in her candid new memoir, Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I told You. Over the past two years, it’s been the force driving her recovery from a debilitating stroke she suffered on November 17, 2020, at age 67. Her masterful, multi-Grammy-winning songwriting has never deserted her. To wit, her stunning, sixteenth studio album, Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart, brims over with some of the best work of her career. And though Williams can no longer play her beloved guitar – a constant companion since age 12 – her distinctive vocals sound better than ever. The band rocks out on the album’s jubilant opening track, “Let’s Get the Band Back Together,” which features a gang of background singers, including Margo Price and Buddy Miller. Inspired by “that need for community after all the isolation of the pandemic,” Williams offers, the song is “about getting old friends together again who’d drifted apart.” Price also joins her on the bluesy protest, “This Is Not My Town.” The evocative “New York Comeback” also includes guest vocalists – Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. A Lucinda Williams fan, Springsteen had joined her onstage in London a few years back, and he and Scialfa had wanted to contribute to a Williams album for a while. With Reese Wynans on B3 and the Pettibone-Mathis guitar attack, the musical setting perfectly matches the theme of “Comeback,” as well as on the catchy story-song “Rock N’ Roll Heart,” to which Springsteen and Scialfa also contributed vocals. Says Williams, “Having Bruce and Patti on these songs feels really great. It’s just so cool!” As she promises on the powerful last track of Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart–one of the best albums of her career–Lucinda Williams is “never gonna fade away.”

Lisa Bassenge ist zurück, und sie hat Blumen mitgebracht. Mit "Wildflowers" vollendet sie ihre Trio-Trilogie, wieder mit Jacob Karlzon am Klavier und Andreas Lang am Bass - wie schon bei "Borrowed and Blue" (2018) und "Mothers" (2020).

Elf Songs sind es diesmal, scheinbar querbeet und doch aus einem Guss. Von Dolly Parton bis Depeche Mode reicht die Bandbreite auf "Wildflowers", von Bob Dylan bis Death Cab for Cutie. Dazu Lisa Bassenges hintergründig-melancholische Eigenkomposition "Morning Song". Ein bunter Strauß, aber so wie die drei ihn arrangieren und darbieten, wirken die einzelnen Stücke nicht zusammengewürfelt, sondern wie Kapitel einer Erzählung. Jedes schillert für sich, doch das Ganze ist mehr als die Summe seiner Teile.

Das gilt auch für das Trio selbst. Die beiden Musiker - Jacob Karlzon aus Schweden und Andreas Lang aus Dänemark - betten Lisa Bassenges unverwechselbare Stimme in einen warmen, im besten Sinn skandinavischen Sound: entspannt, aber stets verbindlich; sehr spielfreudig, aber nie aufdringlich. "Dieser Sound hat uns gefunden", sagt Lisa Bassenge. Und auf "Wildflowers" haben die drei ihn zur Vollendung gebracht. Jeder Takt des Albums bezeugt die unglaubliche Chemie zwischen der Sängerin und den Musikern.

Was die Songs außerdem verbindet, ist die Qualität der Lyrics. Es sind poetische Texte von existentieller Tiefe, und in Lisa Bassenges eindringlicher Interpretation und glasklarer Phrasierung werden sie zum berauschenden Kopfkino.

Ist das nun Jazz, Pop oder Chanson? Mit "Wildflowers" zeigt das Lisa Bassenge Trio einmal mehr souverän, wie fließend die Grenzen zwischen vermeintlich ganz unterschiedlichen Genres sind. Diese Musik braucht keine Schublade. Es geht ihr um die Schönheit und Wahrheit der Songs.

Phi-Psonics is a meditative, deeply soulful immersive jazz group from
Los Angeles, led by bassist Seth Ford-Young and featuring Sylvain
Carton on woodwinds, Mitchell Yoshida on electric piano, and Josh
Collazo on drums. Their deeply soulful music draws on jazz and
classical influences together with Ford-Young’s own musical
experiences, relationships, and his introduction to spirituality, yoga and philosophy at a young age, along the way they create something
uniquely their own, beautiful landscapes for your thoughts to roam
within.

Octava is their second album and like the Cradle before it’s emotional,
introspective, and unusual approach to spiritual jazz offers us a
beautiful space for uplifting contemplation and wields a quiet power to create a spiritually inspiring world of timeless, warm melodies and
instrumental exploration for the deep listener. Originally from
Washington DC area, Ford-Young moved to California in the early 90s
and fell in love with the deep sounds of the upright bass and the music of Charles Mingus, John and Alice Coltrane, and Duke Ellington along with Bach, Chopin, Pärt, and Satie. He immersed himself deeply in music and keen to learn combined intense personal study with
collaborations, tours, and recordings with artists such as Tom Waits,
Beats Antique, and John Vanderslice. In 2010 he moved from the SanFrancisco Bay area to the Los Angeles hills and continued his
explorations and although Phi-Psonics music has been described as
spiritual jazz, or deep immersive listening music but this is music for
fans of Radiohead and The Invisible as well as fans of Alice Coltrane
and Pharaoh Sanders.

The album opens with Invocation as we embark on our journey. The
repeated melody at the end feels ancient but also contains an energy
that is driving forward. An Offering is a humble but beautiful tune full of texture and colour. We Walk in the Gardens of Our Ancestors shows clear eyed reverence for those who came before us as we walk through their gardens. Green Dreams is a tender, gentle love song to Seth’s wife.Where We've Been Is a group improvisation centered around the drums. Lunar Reflections is a romantic ode to nature that draws inspiration from where Seth lives a green oasis within the sprawling cityscapes of LA. Becoming draws on memories of the dark days of 2020 but this was a period that was also full of beauty and light and this song elevates and uplifts us. Finally New You offers hope of change

Phi-Psonics is a meditative, deeply soulful immersive jazz group from
Los Angeles, led by bassist Seth Ford-Young and featuring Sylvain
Carton on woodwinds, Mitchell Yoshida on electric piano, and Josh
Collazo on drums. Their deeply soulful music draws on jazz and
classical influences together with Ford-Young’s own musical
experiences, relationships, and his introduction to spirituality, yoga and philosophy at a young age, along the way they create something
uniquely their own, beautiful landscapes for your thoughts to roam
within.

Octava is their second album and like the Cradle before it’s emotional,
introspective, and unusual approach to spiritual jazz offers us a
beautiful space for uplifting contemplation and wields a quiet power to create a spiritually inspiring world of timeless, warm melodies and
instrumental exploration for the deep listener. Originally from
Washington DC area, Ford-Young moved to California in the early 90s
and fell in love with the deep sounds of the upright bass and the music of Charles Mingus, John and Alice Coltrane, and Duke Ellington along with Bach, Chopin, Pärt, and Satie. He immersed himself deeply in music and keen to learn combined intense personal study with
collaborations, tours, and recordings with artists such as Tom Waits,
Beats Antique, and John Vanderslice. In 2010 he moved from the SanFrancisco Bay area to the Los Angeles hills and continued his
explorations and although Phi-Psonics music has been described as
spiritual jazz, or deep immersive listening music but this is music for
fans of Radiohead and The Invisible as well as fans of Alice Coltrane
and Pharaoh Sanders.

The album opens with Invocation as we embark on our journey. The
repeated melody at the end feels ancient but also contains an energy
that is driving forward. An Offering is a humble but beautiful tune full of texture and colour. We Walk in the Gardens of Our Ancestors shows clear eyed reverence for those who came before us as we walk through their gardens. Green Dreams is a tender, gentle love song to Seth’s wife.Where We've Been Is a group improvisation centered around the drums. Lunar Reflections is a romantic ode to nature that draws inspiration from where Seth lives a green oasis within the sprawling cityscapes of LA. Becoming draws on memories of the dark days of 2020 but this was a period that was also full of beauty and light and this song elevates and uplifts us. Finally New You offers hope of change

With a well-received new album “Darkadelic” in the shops, the Damned continue to build on their legendary status.

This month as well as finally releasing the “David Vanian And The Phantom Chords” album as a 2LP set we are delighted to also offer “The Best Of The Damned”.

This album was originally released back in 1981 and pulled together the classic singles that the band had made for the label like ‘Love Song’, ‘Smash It Up’ (Parts 1 and 2)’, ‘I Just Can’t Be Happy Today’, ‘History Of The World Part 1’, ‘Hit Or Miss’, their Christmas single ‘There Ain’t No Sanity Clause’ and ‘Wait For The Blackout’. Not only are these now seen as gold-standard Damned tracks but also map out a musical development where they moved from their punk roots to crafting melodic pop songs that also took them into the charts. Better still, when originally pressed up in 1981 the album cannily also included those earlier classics punk classics ‘New Rose’ and ‘Neat Neat Neat’. There’s even Captain Sensible and the Softies’ version of ‘Jet Boy, Jet Girl’ that appeared on the flip of ‘Wait For The Blackout’ in 1982.

You don’t mess with a classic so we have reissued the album just as it looked back in 1981, complete with inner sleeve and blackmail label lettering. Saying that, fans of the Damned both old and new will need no encouragement to add this to their collection.

Psych-rap enigma Onoe Caponoe returns with his fifth studio album ‘Concrete Fantasia’ on High Focus Records. In crystal clear communication with the mothership; littered with striking references to fantastical realms and uncommon lore, but very much anchored in the inner city blocks and smoggy roadsides that inform his everyday, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is a dark fantasy tape that expertly blurs the lines between genres, tones, moods and character profiles.

Of this world and out-of-this-world perfectly poised; Onoe offering up escape portals, before quickly pulling the listener back in with wave-upon-wave of catdelix riptides. ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is something of a tug-of-war; peppering movie samples, vignettes and complex go-betweens tickling the senses, combining with a cacophony of mind-bending lyricism resulting in a singular journey, with Onoe confidently filling the shoes of both author and narrator.

Pinocchio ducking feds in the hood, an Ice King ruling over a frostbitten kingdom, The Cheshire Cat trying to clean up Alice’s act, sweet serenades to off-shore mermaids, the trials and tribulations of life in a haunted trap house, big booty witches, flying carpets and beyond, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is a real trip through the imaginative mind of Onoe Caponoe. With an eclectic line-up of featured artists and productional talent propping up the fictional cast, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ has all the makings of an alt-rap odyssey for the ages.

Psych-rap enigma Onoe Caponoe returns with his fifth studio album ‘Concrete Fantasia’ on High Focus Records. In crystal clear communication with the mothership; littered with striking references to fantastical realms and uncommon lore, but very much anchored in the inner city blocks and smoggy roadsides that inform his everyday, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is a dark fantasy tape that expertly blurs the lines between genres, tones, moods and character profiles.

Of this world and out-of-this-world perfectly poised; Onoe offering up escape portals, before quickly pulling the listener back in with wave-upon-wave of catdelix riptides. ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is something of a tug-of-war; peppering movie samples, vignettes and complex go-betweens tickling the senses, combining with a cacophony of mind-bending lyricism resulting in a singular journey, with Onoe confidently filling the shoes of both author and narrator.

Pinocchio ducking feds in the hood, an Ice King ruling over a frostbitten kingdom, The Cheshire Cat trying to clean up Alice’s act, sweet serenades to off-shore mermaids, the trials and tribulations of life in a haunted trap house, big booty witches, flying carpets and beyond, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is a real trip through the imaginative mind of Onoe Caponoe. With an eclectic line-up of featured artists and productional talent propping up the fictional cast, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ has all the makings of an alt-rap odyssey for the ages.

Psych-rap enigma Onoe Caponoe returns with his fifth studio album ‘Concrete Fantasia’ on High Focus Records. In crystal clear communication with the mothership; littered with striking references to fantastical realms and uncommon lore, but very much anchored in the inner city blocks and smoggy roadsides that inform his everyday, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is a dark fantasy tape that expertly blurs the lines between genres, tones, moods and character profiles.

Of this world and out-of-this-world perfectly poised; Onoe offering up escape portals, before quickly pulling the listener back in with wave-upon-wave of catdelix riptides. ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is something of a tug-of-war; peppering movie samples, vignettes and complex go-betweens tickling the senses, combining with a cacophony of mind-bending lyricism resulting in a singular journey, with Onoe confidently filling the shoes of both author and narrator.

Pinocchio ducking feds in the hood, an Ice King ruling over a frostbitten kingdom, The Cheshire Cat trying to clean up Alice’s act, sweet serenades to off-shore mermaids, the trials and tribulations of life in a haunted trap house, big booty witches, flying carpets and beyond, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ is a real trip through the imaginative mind of Onoe Caponoe. With an eclectic line-up of featured artists and productional talent propping up the fictional cast, ‘Concrete Fantasia’ has all the makings of an alt-rap odyssey for the ages.

Three years after his last album ‘I Need Space’, Mounika. is back on his favorite playground: electronic music, which arouses his curiosity since his beginnings. He is now ready to unveil ‘Don't Look At Me’, a new opus that takes us, by other paths, to his unique universe. Recorded during the confinement in the intimacy of his home studio, the French artist reveals little by little another facet of his artistic personality, more raw and affirmed, without totally abandoning the cottony sounds already proposed on titles like ‘Cut My Hair’ (diamond single) or ‘Tender Love’ (gold single). We discover sensitive compositions, still inspired by his love for trip-hop, piano and artists who made his musical culture during his youth: Moby, Ratatat, Air or Bonobo. After all, a Mounika. album without a tribute to these figures is not really an album...

But something new was needed to distinguish this opus from the previous ones. From the very first tracks, we can clearly feel this need for exploration that has always guided the French producer. ‘BonXair’ or ‘Nomadics’ take us, for example, in a more straight electronic, more heady than usual. In the same spirit, the rhythms close to the deep house of a track like ‘See You Dancing In The Dark’ offer to the album a new direction, and yet is quite representative of the work undertaken by Mounika. these last years.

In this new record that will also satisfy the fans of the first hour (a sample loop well felt, as on ‘Little Love’ or ‘I Looked Into Her Eyes’, always makes its effect), the French artist has also opened to collaborations of choice. Mounika. works on the heart, and thus wished to welcome those who have particularly marked him during his more or less recent discoveries. The American artist Roland Faunte lends his voice to the effective ‘Little Love’, while Ural Thomas & The Pain (discovered notably on the series ‘It's Bruno’) takes care of the chorus of ‘I Looked Into Her Eyes’. The British rapper Lord Apex delivers a spellbinding performance on ‘Memories’.

Finally, if you listen carefully, you can even hear Mounika. singing on some tracks... like ‘20’ or ‘Don't Smoke’. Put together, these appearances perfectly complement the energy transcribed by Mounika. throughout ‘Don't Look At Me’.

And what could be better than an amazing graphic universe to open the doors of this album like no other? Meet Carl & TJ, two cartoonish characters created in collaboration with Berlin-based artist Joe Taylor, who take care of guiding the listener through this new adventure. One is dreamy and contemplative, the other asks himself a lot of questions... and between them, they form a colorful duet illustrating with tenderness the universal emotions that punctuate this third opus, and that Mounika. will notably defend in the first part of Wax Tailor's French tour starting next April.

The successive pianos composing the productions of ‘When In My Heart In Your Heart’ then ‘Outro’ come, at the end of the record, to conclude the setting in orbit proposed by this ‘Don't Look At Me’. One more step in the sensory journey that Mounika. is committed, from the intimacy of her room to the international success, to build relentlessly.

In 1990, Eric Clapton performed 18 nights at one of his favorite venues - the famous Royal Albert Hall in London. During the 18 run of shows Clapton performed with three different line-ups: a rock band, a blues band, and an orchestra. Eric returned to the same venue in 1991 with the same three line -ups and played a further 24 shows. The huge undertaking of rehearsing for performances of three distinctly different genres was made even more challenging by the line-up for the rock shows varying from 4, 9 or 13 band members.

Clapton has always played with superlative musicians, and these shows were no exception. The bands included Johnnie Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, Chuck Leavell, Nathan East, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Ferrone, Ray Cooper, and Jerry Portnoy. Additionally, legendary special guests joined Clapton on stage: Phil Collins in the rock ensemble; Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and Albert Collins for the blues shows.

The Orchestral performances were arranged and conducted by Michael Kamen the highly regarded and successful composer who had worked with Clapton previously (Lethal Weapon, Edge Of Darkness). The set list included the epic 30 minute ‘Concerto For Guitar’ that Kamen composed especially for Clapton - released now for the first time.

Many of the performances in both years were filmed and recorded. The huge volume of audio and film material from the archive has been painstakingly restored and upgraded by Clapton’s team of Simon Climie (audio production and mixing), producer Peter Worsley (Slowhand at 70 and The Lady In The Balcony), and director David Barnard (The Lady In The Balcony).

This remarkable series of shows will finally be given the release that they deserve. A full concert of each genre (Rock, Blues, Orchestral) has been assembled from the hours of material available and will be released on audio (CD, LP, digital) and with an accompanying film on Blu-ray and DVD.

The Clapton classics performed with the rock band include ‘White Room’, ‘Lay Down Sally’, ‘Wonderful Tonight’, ‘Pretending’ and ‘Layla’. The Orchestral show features a stunning version of ‘ Layla’, plus stand-out highlights of ‘Bell Bottom Blues’, ‘Edge Of Darkness’ and ‘Sunshine of Your Love’. Great covers of ‘Cocaine’, ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ and ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ also feature. The 14-song Blues set includes standards such as ‘Sweet Home Chicago, ‘Have You Ever Loved A Woman’, and ‘Key To The Highway’.

The limited-edition ‘Definitive 24 Nights’ deluxe box sets include 47 songs and almost 6 hours of music on 6 CDs or 8 LPs and 3 Blu-ray’s.

Jeder, der den extremen Metal-Underground in den letzten drei Jahrzehnten auch nur halbwegs verfolgt hat, sollte mit Schlagzeug-Phantom-Lord Perra Karlsson vertraut sein. Von seinen bescheidenen Anfängen bei Wortox/Altar über frühe Vorzeigebands wie Suffer und Nasum bis hin zur Präsentation seines einzigartigen Schlagzeugspiels bei legendären Bands wie Nominon, In Aeternum, Benediction und Deströyer 666 und dem Verleihen seines Könnens an neuere Bands wie Kvaen, Devil's Force und AngelBlast scheint die Liste seiner Beiträge zum Metal schier endlos.
Nach einem Leben, das er im Underground verbracht hat, mit einer nie erlahmenden Hingabe an das Handwerk des Metals, ist sein Name zum Synonym für harte Arbeit und eine wahre Liebe für alles, was mit Metal zu tun hat, geworden. Frustriert über den Mangel an Aktivität in seinen derzeitigen Stammbands, nutzte Perra seine Unzufriedenheit, um das Feuer der Kreativität zu schüren, und so wurde "Underdog" geboren.Um dieses Monster von einem Album zu realisieren, rief der außergewöhnliche Drum-Lord zu den Waffen, die von einem Geschwader von Legenden des Metal-Undergrounds beantwortet wurden, die selten auf einem Album versammelt sind.

Mit herausragenden Leistungen von Marc Grewe (Morgoth, Insidious Disease), Hellbutcher (Nifelheim), John Zwetsloot (Dissection, Cardinal Sin), Anders Jacobsson (Nasum, Necrony, Axis of Despair), Dave Hunt (Benediction, Anaal Nathrakh), Jörgen Sandström (Grave, Entombed, Torture Division), Simon Wizén (Valkyrja, Die Hard), K. K. Warslut (Deströyer 666, Bestial Warlust) und Gord Gord Olson (Darkened) wird dieses Biest weder verleugnet noch enttäuscht werden.

Mit ihrem vierten Album, das Gastauftritte der malischen Künstlerin Fatoumata Diawara und der kanadischen Sängerin Charlotte Cardin enthält, liefert die Band eine raffinierte und umfassende Interpretation ihrer einzigartigen Klangvision.

Auf ihrem Independent-Debüt „Living In A Haze“ schreiben Milky Chance tanzbare Alternative-Pop-Songs und bringen ihren unverkennbaren Sound ins Jahr 2023. Aufgenommen in den Jazzanova Recording Studios in Berlin mit namhaften Produzenten wie DECCO, Jonas Holle, Tobias Kuhn und Dennis Neuer transportiert das neue Album die musikalische Neugier des Duos und liefert gleichzeitig meisterhafte Song-Kunst.

TSJUDER meldet sich zum ersten Mal seit 2015 mit einem brandneuen Werk zurück! Mit einem erneuerten Lineup und Schlagzeugmeister Jon "The Charn" Rice am Thron ist Helvegr eine authentische Darstellung des wahren norwegischen Black-Metal-Sounds, den Tsjuder in den 90er Jahren mit definiert hat. Die Band ist sich sicher, dass sie das Jahr 2023 mit Blasphemie und Blast Beats erobern wird!

Schwarzes 12" Vinyl in bedruckter Innenhülle im Deluxe Gatefold (mit speziellem Schnitt). Erste Pressung 1.000 Exemplare weltweit.

FFO: Mayhem, 1349, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Carpathian Forest

TSJUDER meldet sich zum ersten Mal seit 2015 mit einem brandneuen Werk zurück! Mit einem erneuerten Lineup und Schlagzeugmeister Jon "The Charn" Rice am Thron ist Helvegr eine authentische Darstellung des wahren norwegischen Black-Metal-Sounds, den Tsjuder in den 90er Jahren mit definiert hat. Die Band ist sich sicher, dass sie das Jahr 2023 mit Blasphemie und Blast Beats erobern wird!

FFO: Mayhem, 1349, Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, Carpathian Forest

Brüder und Schwestern, wir haben uns versammelt, um die Heavy-Götter auf dem Altar des Metal anzubeten. HIGH PRIEST kommen aus Chicago, Illinois in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, um unsere Tage mit einer hoffnungsfrohen Botschaft des Doom zu erhellen. Ihre Prophezeiung in Form des Debütalbums "Invocation" ist in Stoner Rock gehauen und in metallene Schrift gegossen. HIGH PRIEST haben sich die Worte der Ältesten zu Herzen genommen. Ihre glorreichen Harmonien und Melodien tragen die eingängige Handschrift von THIN LIZZY. Die düstere Schwere wurde von BLACK SABBATH vorausgesagt und von ELECTRIC WIZARD wiederbelebt. Sogar einige Verse von METALLICAs klassischen Riffs haucht den Songs ihr Leben ein. Und aus den Schriften des Grunge kommt eine emotionale Kraft, die durch an ALICE IN CHAINS gerichtete Gebete empfangen wurde. All diese Herrlichkeit wird in einem neuen Testament aus bluesigen Gitarrenriffs und gefühlvollem Gesang dargeboten. HIGH PRIEST entstanden mit einer klaren Vision in den Köpfen von vier Freunden, die seit ihrer Jugend schon in diversen Bands und Besetzungen zusammen gespielt hatten. Während einer ELECTRIC WIZARD Show in ihrer Heimatstadt im Jahr 2015 gelangten sie spontan und gleichzeitig zu der Erleuchtung, dass sie fortan Doom und Old School Metal spielen mussten. Ihr erstes öffentliches Bekenntnis zum Metal-Evangelium war die im Jahr 2016 erschienene EP "Consecration", die HIGH PRIEST nicht nur viel Aufmerksamkeit in der Doom und Stoner Metal-Szene einbrachte, sondern auch einen Plattenvertrag mit Magnetic Eye. Dies führte zunächst zur Veröffentlichung der zweiten EP "Sanctum" im Jahr 2019. Nun ist es soweit: HIGH PRIEST liefern ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum ab. "Invocation" hält nicht nur, was die beiden EPs versprachen, sondern trägt seine Hörer auf einem Wagen aus feurigen Riffs direkt in den Himmel. Amen!

Brüder und Schwestern, wir haben uns versammelt, um die Heavy-Götter auf dem Altar des Metal anzubeten. HIGH PRIEST kommen aus Chicago, Illinois in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, um unsere Tage mit einer hoffnungsfrohen Botschaft des Doom zu erhellen. Ihre Prophezeiung in Form des Debütalbums "Invocation" ist in Stoner Rock gehauen und in metallene Schrift gegossen. HIGH PRIEST haben sich die Worte der Ältesten zu Herzen genommen. Ihre glorreichen Harmonien und Melodien tragen die eingängige Handschrift von THIN LIZZY. Die düstere Schwere wurde von BLACK SABBATH vorausgesagt und von ELECTRIC WIZARD wiederbelebt. Sogar einige Verse von METALLICAs klassischen Riffs haucht den Songs ihr Leben ein. Und aus den Schriften des Grunge kommt eine emotionale Kraft, die durch an ALICE IN CHAINS gerichtete Gebete empfangen wurde. All diese Herrlichkeit wird in einem neuen Testament aus bluesigen Gitarrenriffs und gefühlvollem Gesang dargeboten. HIGH PRIEST entstanden mit einer klaren Vision in den Köpfen von vier Freunden, die seit ihrer Jugend schon in diversen Bands und Besetzungen zusammen gespielt hatten. Während einer ELECTRIC WIZARD Show in ihrer Heimatstadt im Jahr 2015 gelangten sie spontan und gleichzeitig zu der Erleuchtung, dass sie fortan Doom und Old School Metal spielen mussten. Ihr erstes öffentliches Bekenntnis zum Metal-Evangelium war die im Jahr 2016 erschienene EP "Consecration", die HIGH PRIEST nicht nur viel Aufmerksamkeit in der Doom und Stoner Metal-Szene einbrachte, sondern auch einen Plattenvertrag mit Magnetic Eye. Dies führte zunächst zur Veröffentlichung der zweiten EP "Sanctum" im Jahr 2019. Nun ist es soweit: HIGH PRIEST liefern ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum ab. "Invocation" hält nicht nur, was die beiden EPs versprachen, sondern trägt seine Hörer auf einem Wagen aus feurigen Riffs direkt in den Himmel. Amen!

Brüder und Schwestern, wir haben uns versammelt, um die Heavy-Götter auf dem Altar des Metal anzubeten. HIGH PRIEST kommen aus Chicago, Illinois in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, um unsere Tage mit einer hoffnungsfrohen Botschaft des Doom zu erhellen. Ihre Prophezeiung in Form des Debütalbums "Invocation" ist in Stoner Rock gehauen und in metallene Schrift gegossen. HIGH PRIEST haben sich die Worte der Ältesten zu Herzen genommen. Ihre glorreichen Harmonien und Melodien tragen die eingängige Handschrift von THIN LIZZY. Die düstere Schwere wurde von BLACK SABBATH vorausgesagt und von ELECTRIC WIZARD wiederbelebt. Sogar einige Verse von METALLICAs klassischen Riffs haucht den Songs ihr Leben ein. Und aus den Schriften des Grunge kommt eine emotionale Kraft, die durch an ALICE IN CHAINS gerichtete Gebete empfangen wurde. All diese Herrlichkeit wird in einem neuen Testament aus bluesigen Gitarrenriffs und gefühlvollem Gesang dargeboten. HIGH PRIEST entstanden mit einer klaren Vision in den Köpfen von vier Freunden, die seit ihrer Jugend schon in diversen Bands und Besetzungen zusammen gespielt hatten. Während einer ELECTRIC WIZARD Show in ihrer Heimatstadt im Jahr 2015 gelangten sie spontan und gleichzeitig zu der Erleuchtung, dass sie fortan Doom und Old School Metal spielen mussten. Ihr erstes öffentliches Bekenntnis zum Metal-Evangelium war die im Jahr 2016 erschienene EP "Consecration", die HIGH PRIEST nicht nur viel Aufmerksamkeit in der Doom und Stoner Metal-Szene einbrachte, sondern auch einen Plattenvertrag mit Magnetic Eye. Dies führte zunächst zur Veröffentlichung der zweiten EP "Sanctum" im Jahr 2019. Nun ist es soweit: HIGH PRIEST liefern ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum ab. "Invocation" hält nicht nur, was die beiden EPs versprachen, sondern trägt seine Hörer auf einem Wagen aus feurigen Riffs direkt in den Himmel. Amen!

Robin Saville - one half of the influential duo ISAN - returns to Morr Music with »Lore«, his fourth solo album to date. After 2020’s »Build A Diorama«, the British musician takes his love for field recordings, whirring pads, hovering bells and subtle electronics further, adding extra depth to both his sonic palette and his storytelling, focussing on biological diversity and its implications for human life.

For many years now, ›look and listen‹ has been Robin Saville's motto on his regular environmental explorations. The avid ambler does not just enjoy being out and about in nature; it is an important inspiration for his creative work as well. Sounds, smells, colours and even soil properties add to the experience. Equipped with a microphone and a recording device, Saville documents his strolls, using these recordings as a base for his compositions. »The field recordings on the album were made very locally this time, for obvious reasons,« he says. Welcome to the sonic landscape of the UK's East Anglia.

»Judith Avenue«, the opening track, is a great example of how Saville evolved his perspective on the sounds of nature: »It is a residential street, fading into a scrubby, wild landscape. There, I made a recording of nightingales at dusk. Such romantic birds! The males fly here from Africa a couple of weeks ahead of the females. They find a good territory, and at dusk, when all the other birds are going quiet, they start to sing to tempt the females down from their migratory flight paths. This has happened for thousands of years. However, the patch of ground where I made the recordings is earmarked for development and I don't suppose it'll happen there again. The recordings therefore become part of the history of that place, the lore.«

Recording the sounds of nature and enriching them with electronic sorcery, Saville is not only a documenting preservationist; he also translates these recordings into meaningful musical miniatures. Building on the soundscapes that marked his previous LP »Build A Diorama«, »Lore« is dominated by both open-hearted melancholy and more upbeat rhythms. But even when the music sounds quirky and loose, there is always deeper meaning. The album is characterised by an ever present melancholy about the threatening loss of living spaces, and a celebration of their beauty. This simultaneity turns the tracks into existential meditations about our human habitat. Saville enriches our lives musically by addressing the very issues we often ignore. At the same time, he becomes an agent of hope and change. Moving between light and dark, »Lore« is a musical allegory of where we stand today.

»The album is a document of places and times and while it is certainly a celebration of those things, it is also a record of things we are losing. That's how interaction with nature feels to me nowadays: something precious and amazing, but with an underlying sadness about the destructive relationship that humanity seems inevitably to have with the world around it.«

Let's not lose any more things.

DeathCollector started as a way of filling time during Covid lockdowns. Guitarist Mick Carey (Zealot Cult/Brigante) and drummer Andy Whale (Bolt Thrower/Darkened) kept busy working on classic & current metal covers with friends, which were shared across social media. After deciding to work on original material, vocalist Kieran Scott(Ashen Crown/Grimorte) and bassist Lee Cummings(Severe Lacerations/Bloodshed) came on board and DeathCollector was born. On the buzz surrounding the debut EP “Times Up”, DeathCollector was signed to Prosthetic Records, and work started on the debut full length album “Death’s Toll” started to take shape "The idea behind the band is to make honest straight forward music we like,its a mixture of Death Metal/Hardcore and Punk, the later of which has always been at the root of Death Metal music in the UK"

Sidekick is the evocative, uplifting and adventurous debut from London based producer and composer Chris Hyson. Chris's work as duo Snowpoet with vocalist Lauren Kinsella has earned him a formidable reputation as a producer with refreshing perspective and spot-on taste; his blending of sweet hook-laden vocal lines with warm and lush arrangements has sparked serious interest from many artists, most notably Jordan Rakei (Ninja Tune). Citing influences ranging from James Blake to Bjork and Radiohead, Chris' music is soaked with sun-drenched harmonies yet underwritten with darker sub-tones and a sense of melancholy that deeply enriches the music and emotional narrative. Powerful and compelling, Sidekick is a major new album with collaboration at its core, featuring incredible singers Frida Touray, Alison Sudol and Soren Bryce as well as instrumentalists Josh Arcoleo and Joe Webb.

JAG PANZER not only are one of the most important US Heavy Metal bands, but also one of the first ones. The band was formed in 1981 in Colorado, and released their debut album entitled "Ample Destruction" just 3 years later, in 1984.

Today, almost 40 years later, the album – which already presented the band’s very own and unique style - is known as one of the pillars of American Heavy Metal, and is often referred to as the trailblazer of the Power Metal scene. In the last few decades the Heavy Metal scene was going through ups and downs, and so was the band’s career.

Nevertheless, JAG PANZER managed to release 10 more studio albums, and earned the status of an absolute legend of the genre. Yes, they are being called legends, they are being called veterans – but it absolutely doesn’t mean that the band sounds outdated. Exactly the opposite applies:

Their new concept studio album entitled "The Hallowed" of course includes all trademarks and sounds like a classic JAG PANZER album. But it also includes an impressive dose of energy and high-octane in-your-face attitude that will please both old school die-hard fans and young enthusiasts of the genre alike!

Superb Gatefold printed sleeve...

Conceptual inside brain travel...

To express the mental acid sounds to check...

First track announces the style with a long Break intro... mental tune... Superb ambiances... very Cinetic and good to mix.

Second track goes 128 BPM acid progressive techno... Excellent Dj tool at a rare speed... flirting with the Trance.

Last track of the A side grow the speed up to 150 BPM with a long break intro tunring after a while more/less 4/4... The sound is very acid and industrial. A big tune !

B side goes up to 160 BPM : Minimal acid sound.

...And finishes in a dark 170 BPM progressive acid track. Mentalcore aera starts here....

Second record opens with a 146 BPM techno mental acid stabilizer. Deep.

Second track is mentalcore big acid overdrive dancefloor pearl from Mr Gasmask !

Last Track of C side from Emetic is a Hardcore splendid exciting tune... maybe the best of this record. Quiet minimal and banging at 170 BPM it reminds the A*Symetric Spivey style:)


... Last side, opens with Minus Polaris and a pure mental acid grower

Last tune of this jewel is from Scandal Orchestra, a Hardcore frontier Hardtek acid track in the classic french good vibe style... Enjoy !

Gladio Operations inaugurates 2023 with its seventh release titled “Split Machine”, a new series of shared EPs, where in this first episode the producers Jauzas The Shining and Cycloplex go halves on the EP.

The French producer returns to Gladio with three cuts which possess his peculiar and characteristic rugged sound. The EP launches with “Business Machines” and “Isla De Encanto”, two powerful cuts with aggressive and noticeable basslines filled-up with dark textures. Jauzas gifts us a last cut titled “Equation”, a nod to the EBM sound, where he preserves the same darkness as in the previous cuts.

On side B we encounter the Spanish producer Francisco Aguado, who has recently released his first work under the “Cultivated Electronics” label under his new electro alias, Cycloplex. With two cuts titled “Intercepted” and “Acid Machine”, Cycloplex reveals his particular minimalist vision of electro sound in an abstract journey of excellent monotonous rhythms.

REPRESS !!!!

Ybrid reaches her golden gae... Hopefully people will love this superb maxi. A pure hardstyle mystic experience. Dark as an old Cold Rush pcp, with the loud sound and the hysterical incantations... A KILLER !

The Big G is back, but has Godzilla bitten off more than it can chew? 1992's GODZILLA VS MOTHRA is a triple threat treasure, with Godzilla battling the legendary Mothra and its dark doppelganger Battra, unleashed by a meteorite and is intent on destroying Mothra and, subsequently, the world. Throw in a rogue archaeologist, his ex-wife, and a multinational company exploiting the minute Mothra Cosmos twins, and you have a thrilling kaiju adventure with a stunning score by the original Godzilla composer, the brilliant Akira Ifukube. GODZILLA VS MOTHRA is undoubtedly one of Ifukube's most outstanding scores, bringing together the traditional booming brass and bass that accompanies Godzilla and Battra with a more ethereal sensibility for Mothra and her mission to save the Earth. Godzilla's theme is stomping in the foreground, and Battra gets similar material with a gigantic doom-laden motif for his destructive power. But the "Sacred Springs" theme for Mothra is a match for any of them, with Ifukube using it in minor and major modes, with a gorgeous rendition with a female chorus at the climax of the score, illustrating once again that when it comes to the music of Godzilla, Akira Ifukube is the master.

Lost soul phenomenon Lewis Taylor's Numb finally arrives on double vinyl! One of UK soul’s most fascinating artists, most enigmatic figures and most under-appreciated talents, Andrew Lewis Taylor is a prodigious multi-instrumentalist and eclectic polymath. He enjoys a fiercely loyal following which, over the years, has included celebrity champions like Bowie, Elton and D'Angelo. Numb is Taylor's sixth album, initially released on his own label Slow Reality (an anagram of his name) and licensed to Be With for this long-awaited physical edition. It captures Taylor's wholly unique, intoxicating take on lush, late-night psychedelic soul music.

Lewis wrote and recorded these 10 brand new tracks after a 17 year break from making music, although the album came together over a two-year period. The years away have done nothing to dull Taylor's unique musical vision. He still astounds. The lyrical themes, however, have shifted. Understandably, more than a decade and a half of soul searching and unflinching self-examination cannot fail to influence this most honest of songwriters, and boy does it show. Numb marks a return to the darker, more mysterious side of his output: "Brian Wilson-channels-Smokey Robinson atmospheres", as Mojo put it recently.

After playing a rapturously received gig at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC in 2006, Lewis unceremoniously walked away from music and disappeared completely. An interview in 2016 shed light on some of the reasons for Taylor’s withdrawal from the business, but there was no hint of a return anytime soon. Then in June 2021, news emerged out of the blue that he was readying new music alongside Sabina Smyth with whom he had worked first time around.

On Numb, Lewis deftly balances stark, soul-bearing lyrics with moody mid-tempo pop-soul sheen. He deals candidly with depression, mental turmoil, even thoughts of suicide - clearly more personal than Taylor's earlier songs. The music is rich, warm and layered, with infectious melodies and hooks that stick with you. A true grower of an LP, it really does reward repeated listens. As Jim Irvin in Mojo reflected, "despite the depths these plumb, it's a curiously uplifting experience, unfurling like a concept album about life's challenges with an optimistic beauty at its heart."

Triumphant dubwise horns ring out yet, almost instantly, “Final Hour” takes on a dark, downbeat vibe. With lyrics that confront (and, seemingly, confound) death head-on, Lewis ensures the groove is still there, the beats still swing and your head still nods, strings glissade. Woven around delicate yet insistent piano and subtle strings over a killer bassline, the title track “Numb” is a good example of the lyrical themes throughout the album. As Taylor reflects, "So removed I feel no pain / And for all I know I could be having the time of my life" with a coda that feels very much in conversation with Brian Wilson's finest harmonies. "Feels So Good" is sophisticated 90s-sounding soul of the highest order. The music and vocals feel simultaneously optimistic and despondent. Downlifting. A neat trick, and one Lewis has been so adept at over the years. "Apathy" is a mini-epic, a symphonic-soul gem which builds and glides and, eventually, soars. “Worried Mind" is another slow-builder, creeping out the gate in a sketchy, discordant fashion before climbing to half-crescendo but never quite breaking free of its disorientating restraint.

The brighter "Please" presents a more hopeful mood, with the refrain "I still believe" ringing out as Lewis harmonises with himself. "Brave Heart" quietly struts from step one, as Lewis's falsetto swaggers over a downtempo backdrop with ace echoey drums, beautiful strings and serene electric guitar. Closing out Side C, "Is It Cool" answers its own (non-) question with a spellbinding five and a half minutes of swoonsome deep soul that oscillates between a restrained, barely-there backdrop and a lushly full musical accompaniment of acoustic and electric guitar and organ over bass and slick drums. The penultimate track "Nearer" is a magical, soul-stirring ballad in which Lewis sings of reaching a sweet salvation and achieving a peace of mind. If the hairs on the back of your neck aren't standing up by the midway point, you might need to check your pulse. Album closer and true tear-jerker "Being Broken" places Lewis's gorgeous voice high in the mix and the wordless falsetto and melodies invite you to ponder what Pet Sounds might sound like if it were refashioned as a dubby 21st Century electronic soul album. Astonishing.

Simon Francis’s vinyl mastering spreads out the ten tracks over a double LP so, as ever, nothing is compromised. And as usual, the records have been cut by Cicely Balston at Air Studios and pressed at Record Industry. Turn it up and let the Lewis Taylor sound envelop you.

In the five years since Creep Show’s acclaimed Mr Dynamite album was released it’s fair to say that we’ve all been through a fair bit. Sitting here, in 2023, things don’t seem to be getting any better. There’s the cost of living crisis and political meltdowns; we're in deep water with global warming and to top it all there’s a war on our doorstep.

Back in 2018 everything seemed less complicated. Sure, there was stuff to get riled about, but we knew nothing about what was to come. Mr Dynamite was a fairground ride into the dark corners of a world that was on the brink of being blitzed in a blender. It was a record teetering on the edge. Five years down the line you’d expect the follow-up, Yawning Abyss, would double-down and bring the white-knuckled, teeth-gritted fury of the last five years to the boil. And yet….

A quick recap? No problem. Wrangler + John Grant = Creep Show. And Creep Show? “A band of musical misfits who have found a voice or two”, says Wrangler’s Ben “Benge” Edwards, whose Bond villain studio on the edge of a moorland is Creep Show Grand Central as well as home to an analogue synth arsenal that could sink ships.

Wrangler have known each other for a while. Tunng’s electronics wizard Phil Winter and Cabaret Voltaire’s trailblazing, pioneering frontman Stephen Mallinder go way back, while Phil and Benge crossed paths in the 21st century when they seemed to be increasingly in the same venues at the same times. Meanwhile, Mal had been living in Australia since the mid-90s and when, in 2007, he returned to the UK his old pal Phil suggested he meet Benge and the three of them immediately began working together.

Wrangler collectively bumped into Grant at their soundcheck for Sheffield’s Sensoria Festival in 2014 where they were playing with Carter Tutti. A friendship blossomed and when they were invited to perform together for Rough Trade’s 40th anniversary show at London’s Barbican in 2016, well, they jumped at the chance... and Creep Show was born.

Let’s talk about the new album... What is the ‘Yawning Abyss’? You might well ask. According to Mal, it’s “a cosmic event horizon that I can see from my attic window when stand on a chair”. Yeah. Thanks.

“On this album”, offers Benge, feet firmly on the floor, “Wrangler wrangled some vintage synths, mostly Roland, Moog, and the ‘Crystal Machine’ - then John Grant joined in the fun at Memetune Studios where lots of musical experiments were carried out. Then Mal and John ran off to Iceland with the master tapes and recorded a load of madcap vocals. Back at Memetune, me and Phil were left to try and make sense of it all. Which wasn’t hard because what they did in Iceland was totally magnificent.”

Which kind of brings us back to where we began. You’d imagine ‘Yawning Abyss’ would be blowing steam out of its furious ears. Mr Dynamite but kicking a wasps nest. Repeatedly. And yet…

Opener ‘The Bellows’ comes on like a modular ‘Radio Ga Ga’, the singalong ‘Moneyback’ (“You want your money back? / I didn’t think so”) sounds like Godley & Creme’s ‘Snack Attack’ meets Prince Charles And The City Beat Band (“Pennies, pounds, dollar bills, signed agreements, death wills”). ‘Yahtzee!’ is an unhinged electro breakdance party in four minutes and nine seconds.

Where Mr Dynamite was menace, a mélange of mangled voices, with Grant and Mallinder being heavily treated, pitched up or down, rendering their contributions largely indistinguishable, Yawning Abyss takes a more direct approach. You hesitate to say feelgood, but there’s a skip in the step here for sure.

The title track plays John Grant’s vocal straight. Completely. It’s good, so very good. Like ‘Axel F’ covered by Vangelis. The delicious shimmering synths of ‘Bungalow’ also plays those Grant pipes with a straight bat. ‘Matinee’ delves into darker, very funky territory. With Mal upfront it comes on like ‘The Crackdown’. Choice lyric: “You are starting to breakdown / And it’s so fun for me to see / You should have thought of that / You should have come prepared / You can see what’s happening and you look a little scared”.

So, you know, not all feelgood. But it does feel good. It’s probably best to draw your own conclusions... This is Creep Show after all.

epressed! Proto-punk and garage Zamrock: the celebrated guitarist Paul
Ngozi’s essential debut album. Featuring Chrissy Zebby Tembo

Guitarist/vocalist Paul Ngozi’s debut album – under the name Ngozi Family - is an important record: not just in the Zamrock genre,
but in the global rock canon. Day of Judgement is an introduction to the most intense, raw and inimitable golden era Zamrock
recorded, as it paved the way for a dozen Paul Ngozi and Ngozi Family releases (the most famous being drummer Chrissy Zebby
Tembo’s My Ancestors) that straddled the line between funk and punk, of driving hard rock and Zambian folk melodies and rhythms.
Day of Judgement was released in 1976, the same year as other, now famous, Zamrock albums, from WITCH’s Lazy Bones!! to Rikki
Ililonga’s Zambia. But it sounds like none of its counterparts. Part of that stems from its frenzied primitivism, the Ngozi Family’s
attempt to overcome a lack of musical acumen with sheer force of will.
That will allowed Paul Ngozi to overcome a humble upbringing to become the most unlikely combination: Zamrock’s most beloved
star in its brief but now-well chronicled arc; the only musician to maintain his fame and recording prowess in the dark ages of the
’80s; an inspiration to not only aging but young Zambians — and now others, beyond Zambia’s borders.
But one cannot imagine Paul Ngozi without this album, a full-on aural assault that sounds as wild nearly forty years after its release
as it must have sounded in the developing Zamrock landscape from which it emerged. We listen to this anachronistic yet prescient
album now as a wholly original, completely unpredictable album in line with those from mavericks from across the world – from the
Ramones to the Sex Pistols to Death. And, though it’s been over two decades since Paul Ngozi’s passing, his voice and vision still
seem exciting, powerful, unique, unvarnished, new.

The Craft Music label is back after a one year break with some fresh new cuts by resident Marco Lazovic. It's an EP inspired by the sound of the English club scene in the nineties and noughties, labels like Good Looking Records and artists such as Mike Millrain. Opener 'Losin Control' sure is a compelling mix of electro and breaks that soars on cosmic lines with euphoric vocals in the distance. 'Come To London' has a distinctly garage feel to it with its crisp broken beats and there is more high energy but melody-rich breakbeat action in 'Dark Gravity' while 'Space Jazzy' is s super sweet and deep jungle cruiser.

The 4th Pumpkin Witch album released by Deathbomb Arc, and their first non-reissue for the label. Nothing can keep the Pumpkin Witch dead for long. The Witch is back! And her web of evil is larger than ever, her vile plans call for nothing short of world domination... The Three Dark Figures have conjured up 11 new tracks of creepy cackles and crazed cacophony that create an audiological kaleidoscope of terror. An emphasis on percussion and an evident influence from goth club music blends with the horror soundtrack-fueled dark ambience of albums past, making this perfect listening for any unholy ritual or cemetery soiree. You can lock your doors, board up your windows, and say your prayers but nothing can protect you from "The Return of the Pumpkin Witch"!