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• ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF THE DISCO ERA IN 1974
• HAD THE BIGGEST SELLING SINGLE IN 1974, SELLING OVER 11 MILLION COPIES
WORLDWIDE OF ‘ROCK YOUR BABY’
• THIS EXCLUSIVE COMPILATION OF HIS GREATEST HITS CONTAINS THE
EXTENDED ALBUM VERSION OF HIS BIGGEST SELLING SONG
• FEATURES ALL OF HIS INTERNATIONAL CHART HITS FROM 1974-1978,
INCLUDING ‘I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE’ AND ’YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL‘

Pioneering British electronic musician Mark Van Hoen is set to release his latest solo album, The Eternal Present, on 23 May 2025 via Dell'Orso, a remarkable collection of tracks spanning nearly three decades of recordings from 1998 to 2024.
The Eternal Present embodies its philosophical title, inspired by Joseph Campbell's concept that "Eternity isn't some later time... Eternity is that dimension of here and now that all thinking in temporal terms cuts off." The album explores music as the ultimate expression of existing in the present moment, transcending time and creating a sonic experience that is simultaneously "spectral, ghostly, melodic, harmonic, and decayed."
An influential contemporary of Aphex Twin, Autechre, LFO and Boards of Canada, Van Hoen is best known for his solo work as Locust in the mid-'90s, which helped push post-rave electronic music into newly challenging realms. His extensive discography spans releases on influential labels including R&S, Touch, and Editions Mego. Van Hoen has worked on numerous collaborations throughout his career, including with Nick Holton and Neil Halstead of Slowdive under the moniker Black Hearted Brother—their album Stars Are Our Home was released in 2013.
The Eternal Present continues the lineage of Van Hoen's most significant works, with artwork by Ian Anderson (Designers Republic) reflecting the album's "eternal present" concept with a mysterious visual approach, allowing listeners to form their own imaginary landscapes. The mastering by Stefan Betke (Pole) enhances this document of the evolution of the artist over the years as he continues to hone his signature sound. Using a host of instruments including analogue synthesisers and employing various recording approaches, Van Hoen's equipment changed dramatically over the years—from early DSP processing used on his first solo record on Apollo ‘Playing With Time’ to various synthesisers, modular systems, tape machines, and digital workstations—contributing to the album's rich sonic diversity.
Throughout The Eternal Present, ideas are woven together through spoken word quotations and abstract vocals featuring notable collaborations from Rachel Goswell on the Slowdive cover "Shine" (from 1998), Megan Mitchell (Cruel Diagonals) on "Somewhere", and session vocalists Clare Dove and Dorothy Takev on "No-One Leave" and "It's Not You (In A Way)" respectively. The use of cleverly assembled vocal samples from an "undisclosed but very famous female vocalist" on "Multiplex" (2016) and the indistinct vocalisations on the Cabaret Voltaire-influenced "Only Me" (2017), constantly challenges and disorientates the listener through fluctuating, ever-changing musical elements.
The album was recorded across multiple locations including Somerset, London, Los Angeles, and New York—even beginning compositions during flights and in airport lounges—reflecting Van Hoen's changing personal circumstances, environments, and situations throughout the years.
Of Indian-Jamaican descent, Van Hoen was born and raised in England, absorbing diverse musical influences from his neighbors—African-Jamaican on one side and Punjabi Indian on the other. "Each family played their own music frequently, and I absorbed it." His musical foundations include Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, OMD, Tangerine Dream, Japan, Cabaret Voltaire, and Cocteau Twins, later finding inspiration in My Bloody Valentine, LFO, and '90s producers Robert Leiner and CJ Bolland.
These eclectic influences are evident on The Eternal Present, which contains snapshots of different periods in his life, with changing circumstances across decades creating a variety of textures and sounds. As Mark explains: "It holds the same sonic signature as many of my solo releases and early Locust albums. It's a natural development that has taken place in the last few decades. It's even related to the earliest music I made as a teenager, although perhaps more sophisticated."
“What a remarkably affecting, majestically broad and captivating work it is..what strikes you most is the album’s myriad diversity. Outstanding” (Electronic Sound)

“Whether channelling mid- 70’s Eno, early Aphex Twin or Neu! his vivid sounds shimmer with emotional weight” (Mojo 4*)

"Musically, Van Hoen belongs to a distinguished family tree. Originally influenced by the likes of Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream, and later presaging both Autechre's glitch and Boards of Canada's pastoral IDM." (Pitchfork)

Jede Compilation-Serie hat ein Ende. Nach 10 grandiosen Ausgaben verabschieden wir uns nach diesem 11. Teil von der unter Sammlern und Musikliebhabern hoch geschätzten Praise Poems Reihe. Ganz bewusst wagen wir uns mit diesem letzten Teil an ein Genre heran welches wir bis dato nur in Ausnahmen mit einbezogen haben: Power Pop der späten 1970er und frühen 80er.

Los geht’s mit „Real Proof“, einem unveröffentlichten Song der ursprünglich aus Boulder, Colorado stammenden Band The Nails die einige Jahre später sogar unter Vertrag eines Major-Labels standen. Obwohl die Fingerprints ein ganzes Album aufgenommen haben hat es über 45 Jahre gedauert bis dieses schließlich 2022 veröffentlicht wurde. „Wasted On You“ stammt von einer der drei Singles die zwischen 1978 und 1980 veröffentlicht wurden. Ganz im Gegensatz zu den Fingerprints sind die Original-Singles von Naked Rush extrem selten. Dies ist wohl mit ein Grund warum keiner ihrer Songs bis dato auf einer Compilation zu finden ist. Schön, dass wir dies nun ändern. Dies gilt übrigens für die Mehrzahl der Songs auf diesem Album und generell für alle unserer Compilation-Alben. Fritz, Blue Rain, oder Holidaye machen hier keine Ausnahme. Speziell erwähnen möchten wir noch zwei Songs. Zum einen „Don’t Quit“ von The Scam der von William Garrett produziert wurde. Garrett war von 2016 bis 2023 bei Spotify als Senior Music Producer für die Einführung von Spotify Singles zuständig und hat in dieser Zeit mit Künstlern wie Elton John, Ed Sheeran, John Legend und vielen weiteren zusammengearbeitet. Zum anderen gibt’s eine tolle Geschichte zu Animal Logic. 1989 erfuhr die Band, dass Stuart Copeland von The Police eine neue Band gründete. Der Name? Animal Logic! Nachdem Bitten, den Namen nicht zu verwenden, ignoriert wurden, sahen sich die Jungs von Animal Logic gezwungen, die Angelegenheit vor Gericht zu bringen, und verkauften schließlich den Namen an Copeland. Noch viel mehr weitere, spannende Geschichten rund um die Bands gibt’s im Begleitheft der CD bzw. der LP-Beilage.

Mit “A journey into raw, energetic power pop from the 1980s” beenden wir nun unsere 10-jährige Entdeckungsreise durch die Musikgeschichte unter dem „Praise Poems“ Schirm. Wir hoffen sehr, dass euch unsere akribische Arbeit viel Freude bereitet hat. Geht eine Tür zu, geht eine andere auf. So wird es auch hier sein. Es gibt noch so unglaublich viel zu entdecken und so freuen wir uns jetzt schon auf viele weitere Veröffentlichungen!

From his early-’60s days as hip shaker Twistin’ Harvey to his late-’70s nights on the light up dance floor in search of a “Disco Lady,” Harvey Scales survived scrapes with the pop charts, bankrupt record companies, walk outs, sit ins, strikes, price hikes, lay offs, and under table payoffs over a 40 year career. Compiled here for the first time are Scales’ Cuca and Magic Touch recordings, 27 slabs of cracker jack R&B, stomping northern soul, divorce-ridden deep soul, feverish funk, and hustling disco spread across 2 LPs and housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket.. Bill Dahl’s in depth notes document the entire sordid affair, with dozens of period photos and ephemeral bits illustrating the accompanying 20 page book. So necessary.

From his early-’60s days as hip shaker Twistin’ Harvey to his late-’70s nights on the light up dance floor in search of a “Disco Lady,” Harvey Scales survived scrapes with the pop charts, bankrupt record companies, walk outs, sit ins, strikes, price hikes, lay offs, and under table payoffs over a 40 year career. Compiled here for the first time are Scales’ Cuca and Magic Touch recordings, 27 slabs of cracker jack R&B, stomping northern soul, divorce-ridden deep soul, feverish funk, and hustling disco spread across 2 LPs and housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket.. Bill Dahl’s in depth notes document the entire sordid affair, with dozens of period photos and ephemeral bits illustrating the accompanying 20 page book. So necessary.

Juan Ramos is up to bat for the next Körperspannung release with the four-track stunner EP ‘Hard Bois’. Deeply connected to the ongoing pursuit of gay excellence and endeavors, Juan honors those who have come before us and touches us deeply in our soft spots at all the right moments. Across ‘Hard Bois EP’, the Berlin resident and behind the scenes operator (IYKYK) shows precisely why he’s one of dance music’s most exciting and dependable prospects. Opening the release, ‘Hard Bois’ combines snaking drums in a melange of samples with bff Kris Baha vocalizing sizzling and snaking lyrics winding around this propulsive club cut that could easily be a snapshot right out of a scene from Chicago’s iconic Medusa Club. ‘Saviour Sound’ is music that makes iron pipes sweat with hedonistic abandon. Exposed steel vibrates to a hardcore beat. Gears interlock to move the whole building into autonomous productivity. Conduits of electricity pulsate to the drama unfolding in a dim lit factory with dank corridors leading us on a path to a flowerbed growing and thriving in a subterranean hydroponic garden.
On the flip, the alarm strikes and it’s (shout it out): ‘Werk Day’! This is your call to get buttoned up and ready to make dreams reality. Head to the gym, pump those guns and then house your body. Technological funk winding through a sturdy and rock hard kick that helps you ride through the chasms of pleasure and pain. Rounding out the release is your ‘Acid BB’ rocking and roaring through the airspace of atomized acid matter, a perfect closer to a thoroughly exciting direction Juan Ramos takes with his newfound sound. Play it loud. Play it proud. Juan is one of our own and we do all we can to take care of each other.

The project’s title track is the perfect blend of gossamer shoegaze and Graveface’s signature eerie nocturnal feel, with the lyrics similarly balancing the purity of love against mankind’s darker instincts in the face of romantic obsession.

“‘For Keeps’ is a story written from the perspective of someone who is so desperately in love, they’d do anything to hold onto that love,” the band shares. “We just wanted to explore a really dark part of the human psyche.”

To further elucidate on these themes, Night School has shared a music video that pairs performance footage with a narrative of amour fou that gets a little bit too fou—I won’t spoil anything, but there is manslaughter involved.

20 Jahre - das letzte Studioalbum der britischen Death-Metal-LegendeThose Once Loyal ist das siebte und letzte Studioalbum der britischen Death-Metal-Band Bolt Thrower. Ursprünglich 2005 veröffentlicht, zählt es bis heute zu den stärksten Werken der Band. Mit präzisem Songwriting, markanten Riffs und einer kompromisslosen Produktion verkörpert das Album alles, wofür Bolt Thrower bekannt sind: kraftvoller, schnörkelloser Death Metal mit Haltung.Die Texte behandeln Themen wie Loyalität, Erinnerung und die Auswirkungen von Krieg - ernst, reflektiert und ohne Klischees. Musikalisch bleibt die Band sich treu: midtempo-lastige Songs, eingängige Gitarrenarbeit und ein wuchtiger Sound, der auch nach zwei Jahrzehnten nichts an Wirkung verloren hat. Ein Album, das sich nicht nur an Fans der Band richtet, sondern auch an alle, die klassischen Death Metal mit Substanz schätzen.Jetzt erhältlich als 20th Anniversary Edition in der neuen Farbe Military Green.01. At First Light - 4:0202. Entrenched - 3:4203. The Killchain - 4:5704. Granite Wall - 3:4705. Those Once Loyal - 4:1706. Anti-Tank (Dead Armour) - 4:1507. Last Stand of Humanity - 3:2308. Salvo - 5:3209. When Cannons Fade - 5:44

The year is 1995, Italy has just witnessed the biggest corruption scandal in its history, a new sound is thriving in the underground.

Far from the idyllic atmospheres of Dream House, “Location EP” by mysterious producer Universe City (moniker of Michael Preti) erupts like an earthquake on the dance floors of a shattered country: telluric textures, metallic echoes, a state hypnosis induced by volcanic tension.

A new genre was born, Progressive Trance, and this was just the beginning..

In 2006, Danger Mouse is King Midas of the music world. He has an uncanny knack for creating jagged, dense, frenzied beats and odd, eerie, vivid soundscapes that never compromise the music's natural flow. Meanwhile, rapper and singer Cee-Lo, a veteran of Atlanta's Dirty South scene, has never been one to be constrained by hip-hop conventions, and is a willing partner in adventure. The result is an intrepid psychedelic blend of pop, hip-hop, soul, and rock that consistently challenges and delights. It's no wonder that "Crazy," with its modest riff, irresistible hook, and disarming opening line ("I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind") became a worldwide Internet sensation a full six months before the official release of St. Elsewhere. But that relatively simple soul-pop gem is the tamest track on this wide-ranging, often dark and introspective collaboration. (In fact, the duo considers Gnarls Barkley to be a wholly new creation, as opposed to a collaboration of existing artists.) "Everybody is somebody, but nobody wants to be themselves," Cee-Lo croons on "Who Cares?" He and Danger Mouse try very hard not to be their old selves as they creatively and confidently break down boundaries, but the brilliant cores of their musical personae Cee-Lo's eccentric spiritual soul man and Danger's bold sonic explorer remain. Marc Greilsamer.

"I Became Birds feels like emo once again flipping the switch on its eternal energy source." - PITCHFORK // "One of the most arresting and interesting rock albums in recent memory." - SPIN // "Composed of self-deprecating wails, crashing guitar riffs, and a flicker of lyrical hope that almost feels naive _ in other words, the perfect foundation for classic emo catharsis." - STEREOGUM //// With I Became Birds, Florida's Home Is Where push their unique blend of whirlwind hardcore aggression and warm, open-hearted folksy melancholy to even further heights. Frontperson Brandon MacDonald's Dylan-esque eccentricities are on full display here, from the occasional blast of harmonica (like on early standout "Long Distance Conjoined Twins" or the disaffected, despondency-soaked closer "The Old Country") to their knack for abstractly evocative neurosis-as-poetry. But far from being a copycat act, Home Is Where's wearily raw-throated aesthetic and dynamically vivid compositions feel idiosyncratic and vital. The bittersweet folk melodies seep deeply into the band's DNA, adding an element of accessibility and immediate nostalgia to otherwise churning and angular song structures and sonic assaults. Vocals range from an intimate, gentle, and disarming croon to a full-bodied expectoration of the soul, oftentimes in the same song (like "Sewn Together from the Membrane of the Great Sea Cucumber," which splits the difference between mournful, gothic post-punk and staccato-heeled screamo with aplomb). A devastating rhythm section and nimble, versatile, yet powerful guitar work assist with the record's genre-bending, which ranges from maniacal chemical mixtures to gymnastic flips, twists, and turns. And yet, even amid the din, Home Is Where find ample time for hooks-- the oddball effervescence of lead single "Scientific Classification of Stingrays" and the shimmering, propulsive, delightfully off-kilter late-album stunner "Assisted Harakiri" are more than proof of that. Ultimately, I Became Birds shows Home Is Where hitting an early high-water mark. A brisk record-- six songs in roughly 17 minutes-- it never takes a dip in enthusiasm and inventiveness. Home Is Where's inexhaustible creativity and restless energy is bound to serve them well, and I Became Birds is all the proof anyone needs.

A1 - Sequence Array
Exquisitely filtered breaks open Sequence Array as Aural Imbalance opens the EP with a glorious intro capped off with a tight 808 bassline solo before the dependable, rapturous crunch of amens thrash their way into the mix. Programmed with dextrous skill allowing the crisp subtleties of the breaks to breathe among the layers upon layers of floral ambience, this one is an amen journey to remember.

A2 - In Formation
A more understated affair takes the stage as In Formation is introduced by airy pads and light DJ-friendly filtered breaks in the backdrop before a punchy yet delicate break pattern - high on the juddering snares and low on the kicks - ushers us along through plinky melodies and mood-elevating synthwork, completing a journey of reflective solitude from the master of ambient atmospherics.

AA1 - Voices From Neptune
Light keys and excitable, shimmering waves of ambience kick off the elegantly composed Voices from Neptune, setting a sumptuous tone before the uniquely constructed breakbeats commence. Kicks and energetic hi hats & snares are soon joined with a light Hot Pants break, crisp and complimentary in the mix as low pass melodies bask in the soothing swathes of exquisite synthwork.

AA2 - Decoded Message
Closing out the EP, Aural Imbalance sets free his Decoded Message, opening with a quietly suspense-fuelled intro flecked with light hi hats before a yearning, mournful melody intersects with a tapestry of ambient pads and effects. Swirling with an array of subtle jangling melodies to form a kaleidoscope of spine-tingling mood music, the compositions capped-off with old-school breakbeats riddled with analogue charm and earthy bass.

Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial / Red Mist)

White & Black Smash Vinyl. Drab Majesty's third album, Modern Mirror, is a journey of self-reflection, nostalgia, love, beauty, and heartbreak told across eight addictive and emotional synth pop anthems - a seemingly classic tale delivered unblinkingly through the frame of the modern world. Elements of classic tragedy weigh heavily in the reflection of Modern Mirror in songs like "The Other Side", possessing a fundamental sound that is energetic, luminous and hopeful. Fusing the sonic aesthetics of predecessors like New Order and The Cure within the cautious instruction of Greek mythology and modern science fiction, Drab Majesty has birthed a hybrid of dreamy malaise, captured for a future moment. The first single, "Ellipsis", romantically plays up the distorted concept of courting through modern technology in a world that has yet to adapt, while on "Long Division", Deb's resounding guitar cascades around the chorus shared with No Joy frontwoman Jasamine White-Gluz, wistfully warning us against our vanity and self-obsession. Even when hope for everlasting love peeks through in "Oxytocin", a sparkling and stoic track sung by Mona D., we are firmly reminded our fleeting existence. Produced by Josh Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv) with appearances by Jasamine White-Gluz (No Joy) and Justin Meldal-Johnson (NIN, Beck, M83, Air).

Official reissue of this sought-after Canadian psychedelic hard-rock album from 1970.
Formed in Toronto in the late 60s, It’s All Meat (the name was taken from a dog food commercial!) soon caught the attention of influential character Jack London (frontman of pre-Steppenwolf band Jack London and the Sparrows) who managed the band and secured a deal with major label Columbia Records.
After recording their first 45, the proto-punk MC5/Stones sounding “Feel It”, the band started working on their first album with the tandem of Jed MacKay and Rick McKim as main songwriters.
“It’s All Meat” was released in 1970 and offered a powerful mix of garage-rock, psychedelia and early hard- rock, drawing influences from bands like the Stones, Country Joe & The Fish, Doors, Velvet Underground... tracks like “Roll My Own” or the lysergic “Crying Into The Deep Lake” are now considered classics of the genre.
Sadly, the band would split soon after the LP was released.
*Original artwork in gatefold sleeve *Remastered sound in 24-bit domain *Insert with liner notes by Plastic Crimewave and rare photos / memorabilia
*Download card with non-LP singles and rare tracks
RIYL: STONES, MC5, DOORS, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, NEW YORK DOLLS,
“One of the classic Canadian rarities. It’s All Meat deliver ballsy Stones influenced hardrock with some psychedelic west-coast moves” - Patrick Lundborg (Acid Archives)

The Sorcerers' latest long player lands in perfect time for the summer, offering a further progression into their unique take on Ethio-inspired jazz. Other Worlds and Habitats is, of course, released on ATA Records and is blessed with the analogue recording and painstakingly loving production we have come to expect from this boutique studio. This, The Sorcerers eagerly anticipated fourth LP, follows on from the success of I Too Am A Stranger, a record which garnered praise from BBC Radio 2’s Jamie Cullum, “I love this, this is so good!”, Ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke, “I like the grooves, and it is good to see The Sorcerers interpret Ethio jazz in their own unique way”, and Nightmares on Wax, “This sounds great! Love the way it's recorded”.

Never ones to stop moving forward, and ever vigilant to avoid the realm of pastiche, The Sorcerers see the Ethiopique sound as a building block for their natural progression as a group, but a block that sits at the base of a much larger, ever expanding, structure, The addition of keyboardist Johnny Richards, whose use of the Jen 73 piano, Mellotron and Farfisa Compact Duo, alongside the core members of the group, has opened some exciting doors for The Sorcerers, fusing the future looking optimism of the late 60s and 70s (when artists began to experiment with the new electronic technology and synthesisers becoming more readily available) and more traditional sounds. Taking inspiration from Ethiopian keyboardist Hailu Mergia and Nigerian musician William Onyeabor, Other Worlds and Habitats, as the name suggests, showcases The Sorcerers' shift to a new, and deeply exciting, musical landscape.

The Sorcerers’ Other Worlds and Habitats is a natural progression in the world they have created for themselves. Richer for shared experiences, and accepting the rise of the machines, they prove that while their journey is always going forward, there are many different paths to take.

Jethro Tull kündigt die Neuauflage des Compilation-Albums „Living in the Past“ im neuen 5CD/BR-Format an. Das ursprünglich 1972 veröffentlichte Album ist eine Sammlung von Singles, Albumtiteln und Outtakes, die weltweit in den Charts waren. Die neu erweiterte Ausgabe „Still Living in the Past“ enthält Remixe von Steven Wilson, Edits, Demos, „Live at Carnegie Hall 1970“ (Steve Wilson Remix) und vier Promo-Filme. Außerdem ist eine 2LP-Edition des Doppelalbums mit Remixe von Steven Wilson erhältlich.CD1: Original mixes, remixes, edits & demos 1968-1971CD2: Living in the Past (Part 1) - Steven Wilson stereo remixesCD3: Living in the Past (Part 2) - Steven Wilson stereo remixesCD4: Live at Carnegie Hall 1970 (Part 1) - 2025 Steven Wilson Stereo RemixCD5: Live at Carnegie Hall 1970 (Part 2) - 2025 Steven Wilson Stereo RemixBR: Steven Wilson remixes in 24/96 PCM stereo and DTS 5.1 surround, flat transfer of the original album and bonus unreleased original mixes, Live at Carnegie Hall 2025 remix in 24/96 PCM and DTS 5.1 surround plus four promo films










j Teacher (Us Album Version) [2025 Remix]



[n] By Kind Permission Of (Live) [2025 Remix]
[o] Dharma For One (Live) [2025 Remix]










[j] Teacher (Us Album Version) [2025 Remix]



[n] By Kind Permission Of (Live) [2025 Remix]
[o] Dharma For One (Live) [2025 Remix]

Legendary indie travellers Half Japanese return with their new album Adventure. The prolific outsider combo, helmed by the ever-optimistic Jad Fair, delivers a heartwarming set of upbeat sonnets celebrating the power of love, affection, and maturity. More than 50 years since Jad and his brother David emerged from their lo-fi bedroom in Uniontown, Maryland, USA, Adventure takes the latest incarnation of the band down new and more refined avenues. Recorded in London at Vacant TV and produced by Jason Willett and Jad, Adventure presents a more pristine and polished canvas for Jad to expand upon. The addition of Euan Hinshelwood to the sonic palette, with saxophone, harmonica, and piano, creates a smoother backdrop for the band's less lubricated sound. Lemonade Sunset is an ode to the world of wonder, a spacious overture built with melancholy in mind but relishing the positivity of life. By contrast, Step On Up revolves around a glorious rising piano motif that hints at Steely Dan if they were high on energy drinks and spinach rather than their usual tipple. It's a light-hearted evocation of the good times. Magnificent is a homage to living in the present tense, powered by the bittersweet saxophone, with a glorious piano-led sub-melody offsetting Jad's positivity: "magnificently magnificent," no less. Elsewhere, ringing percussion and sharp arrangements provide Jad with a sturdy and far reaching soundtrack to lament over. Adventure sees Half Japanese covering new ground, with Jad's considered soliloquies set in a sumptuous setting. The lineup for Half Japanese on Adventure includes Jason Willett (bass, keyboards), Gilles-Vincent Rieder (drums, percussion), John Sluggett (guitar, piano, bass), Mick Hobbs (guitar), Euan Hinshelwood (guitar, saxophone, piano, harmonica), and Jad Fair (vocals, percussion). Sadly, longstanding member Mick Hobbs passed away last year. "Absurdly underrated art-rockers" - Record Collector. * "Fair's ability to bang out music behind him is matched perhaps only by Mark E Smith" - The Wire.

Schweiengötter nehmen menschliche Gestalt an und veröffentlichen ,Debütalbum"? Wenn man in einer Kleinstadt aufwächst, muss man entweder seine Freizeit kreativ gestalten oder man radikalisiert sich im Internet. Über dem San Fernando Valley von Los Angeles erhebt sich der süße, schwüle Sound von The Toxhards. Mit halb Psych, halb Prog, halb Rocktheater und halb Indie (das sind vier Hälften) hauchen The Toxhards dem längst obsoleten Genre des ROCK 'n' Roll neues Leben ein. Von ,existenziellen Doom-Bops" bis zu mitreißenden Hymnen über Schweinegötter, bieten The Toxhards einen genreübergreifenden, elektrischen und exzentrischen neuen alternativen Sound. Ihre Musik wird bereits auf TikTok Reels millionenfach angeklickt, ihre unterhaltsamen Bits und Sketche millionenfach geschaut (135k Follower auf TikTok, 75k Follower auf Instagram und 13k auf YouTube). Im Laufe der zwölf Tracks plus vier Zwischenspielen folgt ,Your Neighborhood" dem Protagonisten Adam und seiner Unzufriedenheit mit dem Leben - er hat Freundin verloren, ihm fehlt der Mut, seinen Ambitionen zu folgen - und er beginnt, die schlimmste Version seiner selbst zu werden, die er nur sein kann: ein unsicheres, reaktionäres Individuum, das Trost darin findet, sich in dunklen Online-Ecken über ,andere" zu beschweren. Ursprünglich aus dem Midwestern, nun in der smoggefüllten Höllenlandschaft des San Fernando Valley von Los Angeles lebend, ist die Band auch für ihre unterhaltsamen und mitreißenden Live-Auftritte bekannt, bei denen sie aufblasbare Schweinekostüme tragen, T-Shirts verschenken, unveröffentlichte Songs präsentieren, Kaffeepausen einlegen, Instrumente tauschen und gelegentlich einer ausgedehnten Jam (oder zwei oder drei oder...) fröhnen. Mit jeder neuen Veröffentlichung und bei jeder Show beweisen sie, dass sie die Zukunft von was auch immer sind. The Toxhards haben uns viel zu erzählen und zu bieten. 2023 bei Hopeless Records unterschrieben und direkt ihre erste Single "(The) Coffee Song / October" veröffentlicht.2024 gab's die limitierte und aktuell ausverkaufte Vinyl-Compilation ihrer bisherigen Songs und Singles zwischen 2022 und 2024. Obwohl es sich um eine Zusammenstellung handelt, betrachtet die Band es als ihr "eigentliches Debütalbum", aber nun ist "Your Neighborhood" dran! Für Fans von Ween, Car Seat Headrest, White Reaper, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, symphonischen Weezer, Indie-Prog, Alterntive Pomp, Psychpunk....

Strut present the first international release in over 30 years by legendary Afro-jazz group Oneness Of Juju with their new album Made Through Ritual on 11th July 2025.

In 1975, the late DJ / producer and jazz distributor Jimmy Gray and James “Plunky” Branch joined a musical revolution, founding Black Fire Records and releasing the label’s debut album, the classic African Rhythms by Oneness of Juju. This July, Plunky brings this important musical relationship full circle with Made Through Ritual, produced by Plunky’s son Jamiah “Fire” Branch and Jimmy’s son Jamal Gray.

The album takes a novel approach to beat culture. Working from demos created by Jamal using a selection of original jazz samples, Plunky took the tracks, replayed and re-interpreted the arrangements using live musicians. “The album explores the art of deconstruction and reconstruction in music - sampling, sequencing, and live improvisation merge with multi-track recording to craft intricate harmonies and arrangements,” explains Plunky. “The process became a ritualistic expression of creativity and transformation.”

The resulting album is a fascinating listen. Opening with the meditative soul chant ‘Share This Love’ voiced by regular Oneness vocalist Charlayne “Chyp” Green, the album opens out into a series of jazz vignettes including the title track, ‘In Due Time’ and ‘Free Spirit’. The powerful album closer, ‘Children Of The Drum’ celebrates black culture and legacy through the poetry of Roscoe Burnem.

Released on 1LP and 1CD with specially commissioned cover artwork by contemporary Ivorian artist Maxime Manga, Made Through Ritual represents an important new chapter in the Oneness story. The album will be supported by a selection of European tour dates during Autumn and Winter 2025.

Legendary artist, Raincoats co-founder, songwriter, filmmaker, and feminist icon Gina Birch has announced her eagerly awaited second solo album, Trouble, arriving via Third Man Records on Friday, July 11. Pre-orders are available now.

Trouble is heralded by today’s premiere of the album’s blistering centerpiece, “Causing Trouble Again,” available for streaming now. An official music video – directed by famed photographer/filmmaker Dean Chalkley and featuring an all-star collective of fellow female artists including Birch’s longtime friend and co-founder of The Raincoats, Ana da Silva, Neo Naturists co-founder Christine Binnie, singer-songwriter Amy Rigby, X-Ray Spex and Essential Logic co-founder Lora Logic, painter Daisy Parris, artist Georgina Starr, writer Jill Westwood, multi-disciplinary artist and activist Bobby Baker, award-winning costume designer Annie Symons, veteran photographer and Raincoats collaborator Shirley O’Loughlin, and many more – is streaming now on YouTube.

“For the ‘Causing Trouble Again’ video, after hearing Bob Dylan sing about a white ladder all covered with water, I became obsessed with white ladders,” Gina Birch says. “ I decided to use five white ladders, three with seven rungs…I realized later that this references Jacob’s Ladder and a connection from Earth to heaven, but I think I was thinking of ladders as a symbol of getting on, getting up. I wanted to have a choreographed movement with four of us with these ladders. How do we move with ladders? Do we move together, do we fight, do we dance? “I also wanted to reference the wind scene from the film, The Colour of Pomegranates, and to include as many artist women from the Women in Revolt exhibition as I could.

+ 7 tracks for the first time on vinyl
* 5 tracks previously unreleased

- Following on from the success of the 2024 editions of The Age of Consent and the incredible viral activity for 'Smalltown Boy', London Records follow up with Forbidden Fruit - a remix compendium to The Age of Consent. Similarly to 1995's Hundreds and Thousands album, The Age of Consent has been re-interpolated to create a new remix album - traversing Hi-NRG, House, Italo Disco and more - while working together as a cohesive listening experience.

This is their first new album in almost two years, which is rather short considering the time it took them to prove this theorem.
The songs coexist with a vast amount of musical information, including funk, hip-hop, hard rock, gospel, southern rock, and electronica, and sound open in all directions.

Noda's talent is astonishing, but at the same time, he also uses the metaphor of word play to poke at the truth. Noda's sensitive gaze toward
love and life, which exist side by side with despair, nihilism, and death, cannot be faulted in a work that carefully and skillfully translates such detailed sensitivities into sound. It is an unquestionable masterpiece.

Originally released in late 2012, the third John Foxx And The Maths album brings together collaborations with The Soft Moon (the post-punk psychedelia of the title-track); Gazelle Twin (including the strikingly beautiful 'Changelings'); New York duo Xeno & Oaklander and Ghostly International's Matthew Dear, plus a Pink Floyd cover and some new Foxx/Benge material. This includes the rich analogue glow of 'Walk' and apocalyptic ballad 'Only Lovers Left Alive'. Meanwhile, regular Maths live band member Hannah Peel plays violin on 'My Town’. This new vinyl reissue includes only the vocal tracks from the album.

The original Madlib instrumentals to Georgia Anne Muldrow’s critically acclaimed album; “Seeds” which was released in 2012 on SomeOthaShip Connect. Heralded as one of her most captivating and immediate front-to-back statements of purpose, a deeply spiritual collection of songs. It was the first time in her career where she handed over all production duties to someone other than herself, that someone being the legendary Madlib.
The beats on “Seeds” are naturally heavy, funky, soulful, abrupt yet hypnotic. All the characteristics of Madlib’s signature sound we know and love.

On the B Side of the vinyl is a collection of Georgia Anne Muldrow instrumentals from across 3 Dudley Perkins albums, “Young Spirit”, “Self Study”, and “Holy Smokes.” Beats with synths reminiscent of J Dilla’s electronic era but with enough G-Funk influence to melt your Raiders hat. Bass lines that could get The Click back together. Georgia Anne Muldrow is a master of her craft on the beats and the microphone. This record is a testament to that. Rediscover “Seeds”, the magical powers of Madlib, and why beat tapes will never go out of style.

Pelican has always been a band that's not just from Chicago, but distinctly of Chicago. Formed in 2000 by guitarists Trevor Shelley de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec alongside brothers Bryan and Larry Herweg on bass and drums respectively, Pelican's foundation was built upon the rule-free, genre-agnostic scene synonymous with the Fireside Bowl. "The `90s in Chicago was a free-for-all. Everyone was just coming from a place of pure creativity," says Shelley de Brauw. With Schroeder-Lebec returning to the band following Dallas Thomas' departure in 2022, this reunified version of Pelican allowed the band to tap back into the spirit of their formative era and build something distinctly new with Flickering Resonance. While longtime Pelican fans will recognize the album as an update to the band's ethos_one that's been constantly evolving since their very first EP_their new partnership with Run For Cover Records emphasizes something that's always been implicit to the Pelican formula. These songs take as much inspiration from titanic `90s post-hardcore, space-rock, and emo as they do traditional metal, showing that though Godflesh and Goatsnake records occupied the shelves of Pelican's songwriters, so too did Quicksand, Christie Front Drive, and Hum. "A lot of people didn't hear it at first," says Schroeder-Lebec. "I was like, well, I guess the metal world is where we fit. But now, we're more willing to acknowledge all the suits we're wearing."On Flickering Resonance, Pelican doesn't attempt to reinvent itself as much as emphasize the elements that were so often overlooked. Though Pelican's thick sonic backbone remains intact, the songs on Flickering Resonance show a more humanistic side of the band. Tracks like "Evergreen" and "Indelible" tease Pelican's doom-metal roots, but these songs feel equally, ebullient and truthful, playing like Texas Is The Reason songs transmuted into a post-rock landscape. Recorded with longtime musical compatriot Sanford Parker, who recorded their first EP, Pelican begins this new chapter of their career with an album that's neither full reinvention nor back-to-roots revivalism. After so much time apart, and with so much life having been lived between the original Pelican lineup's last recording sessions together, the band approached it with renewed vigor and a more communal spirit."There was more room for openness and critique with the understanding that we're all trying to craft the best song possible and that every suggestion is valid until it's proven invalid," says Shelley de Brauw. That process allowed everyone to embrace the material with a shared vision. "We didn't move forward unless we all wanted to move forward, and that felt like real community building," says Schroeder-Lebec of this unified approach. "I went from seeing it as my art and my craft to our craft that we were shaping together."In doing so, Pelican allowed themselves to look at their music less as a means of hard-earned catharsis and more as an appreciation for the glimmers of joy that occur even in the bleakest landscapes. Songs like "Cascading Crescent" and "Indelible" don't languish in what's been lost, these tracks see the band embracing what remains in their hands instead of lamenting what's slipped through their fingers. It's a concept that's mirrored in the artwork of Christian Degn that graces the cover of Flickering Resonance. It's a piece built off the concept of flame meditation, and how the smallest flames can often bring about the biggest transformations. A song like "Flickering Stillness" exemplifies this feeling through its sonic expanse, putting the band's sonic density and hyper-focused clarity on display, but with an emphasis on the profound human connections that have kept Pelican going all these years. "When Laurent left and we were able to carry it through, there became a real sense of gratitude for the fact we still have this artistic outlet and a community of people who want to be a part of it" That feeling of deep, grounded appreciation isn't just one that's within the band members, it's expressed in every track on Flickering Resonance. Because at the very core of Pelican, are four individuals who have grown both separately and together, and always will.Like a distant light faintly glowing in the darkest night, Flickering Resonance is a reminder of all that has passed us by, but also all that is still to come.

Random Colored Edition, Limitiert. Love A ist etwas Bemerkenswertes gelungen: Das, was ihr Debüt "Eigentlich" auszeichnet, haben sie sich bewahrt. Die volle Faust auf die Zwölf, diese unmittelbare und schnörkellose Konfrontation, das Getriebensein durch ein Leben, das mehr Fragen aufwirft als es Antworten anbietet, dem Scheitern immer näher als dem Gelingen. Stefans Gitarre, die ganz untypisch für Punk völlig unverzerrt daherkommt und Jörkks latente Hysterie über allem.

Tracks include unearthed fragments of BLADDER FLASK, circa ’80s by Richard Rupenus, a founding member of THE NEW BLOCKADERS.

STEVEN STAPLETON, ANDREW LILES, RICHARD RUPENUS.





New studio album “Backside” on vinyl by Nurse With Wound, includes unearthed fragments of Bladder Flask by Richard Rupenus, circa ’80s, also released on Cd in 2024 (there is also a DIY “lathe cut”).
Cover art by Babs Santini.


The paths of Nurse With Wound and Bladder Flask first crossed in 1980 and the following year Bladder Flask’s debut album One Day I Was So Sad That The Corners Of My Mouth Met & Everybody Thought I Was Whistling (Orgel Fesper Music) was distributed by United Dairies.


Following the aborted project for a second Bladder Flask album, scheduled for 1981, some forty years later, Richard Rupenus approached Steven Stapleton to use fragments of old recordings he’d unearthed from “Bladder Flask”, an invitation that Stapleton accepted, and rather than simply remixing or reworking existing Bladder Flask tracks, Steven Stapleton and Andrew Liles have succeeded in reinforcing Nurse With Wound and Bladder Flask’s sense of the absurd in this new opus “Backside”.



“As the closest release style-wise to classic old NWW in decades, the album’s opening track ‘Backside’ could almost be a relic of the early 1980s, full of squeaky and crunchy noises, big plate reverbs, lots of plunderphonics meets musique concrete type cut-up work, bizarre vocals and all sorts of unfathomable sonic elements. It’s quite an intense listen, but totally enjoyable. ‘Chernobyl Picnic’ feels more like ‘Cooloorta’-era NWW, as it involves more use of extended tones, with lots of liberally chopped-up and totally messed about sounds, much of it fried and modulated in the most fascinating ways, a kind of harsher and more multi-faceted ‘Soliloquy For Lilith.’ An excellent release, especially for jaded old NWW fans who want more in the style of ‘the good old days’ (Alan Freeman)”.

Back to the 80s: A Holy Grail of Italo Disco Returns on Vinyl

Oh, those magical 1980s… an era forever entwined with iconic music that still stirs the soul. For the young, it’s a source of fascination; for those who lived it, a flood of unforgettable memories. And when you combine that nostalgia with a collector’s thrill and the magic words “Italo Disco”, only a handful of legendary labels come to mind. One of them? Sensation Records: the experimental sub-label of the iconic Disco Magic, headquartered at Via Mecenate 78/A in Milan. Known for its distinctive blue label, Sensation was home to less commercial, often bold and boundary-pushing releases – tracks that dared to be different.

Today, Vintage Pleasure Boutique dives deep into the vaults of Sensation Records to revive one of the genre’s most coveted treasures: Marylinlove – “Another Love.”

Produced by none other than Bruno Mosti – a mastermind behind some of the most sought-after Italo tracks of the era. This is more than a reissue. It’s the return of a true cult classic, a holy grail for collectors and genre lovers alike.

If you know, you know. And if you don’t, this is your moment to own a piece of history. Don’t miss your chance to grab this stunning vinyl reissue, before it disappears again.

Silva Screen Records is proud to announce the release of Music from House of the Dragon, a new album featuring the epic score from HBO's hit series House of the Dragon reimagined by London Music Works and renowned cellist Nick Squires. This collection of music from the show's first two seasons - originally composed by Emmy Award-winner Ramin Djawadi - offers fans a fresh way to experience the grandeur and drama of Westeros through powerful new performances. From the thundering battle themes to the haunting melodies of the Targaryen saga, the album brings to life the sounds that have become an integral part of the House of the Dragon experience. Double LP on Orange Edge Glow Vinyl

Accomplished Polish beat-maker Emapea has made memorable appearances on many Cold Busted label compilations – such as in the IWYMI and Bust Free series – and has been selected for inclusion in Mark Farina’s next Mushroom Jazz installment. All this activity has mouths watering for the debut full length album from Emapea, and the appearance of Seeds, Roots & Fruits doesn’t disappoint one bit. Featuring sixteen exceptional tracks ranging from hip hop to acid jazz to psychedelic trip hop in the style of Mo’Wax, Emapea’s long player is indeed, as a wise man once said, “a journey into sound.” Seeds, Roots & Fruits rises above the average beats album to reveal the enduring depth of this young producer

Schwarzes Vinyl, Gatefold Sleeve. Der Hardcore-Klassiker ist zurück. "Brother Against Brother" liefert kompromisslosen 90er Oldschool-Sound mit brutaler Energie und NYHC-Attitüde. Fette Riffs, ehrliche Wut, kein Bullshit - ein Muss für jeden Hardcore-Fan. Ein Meilenstein des 90er Hardcore - jetzt endlich wieder in hochwertiger Gatefold-Ausführung verfügbar!

Über Jahrzehnte hinweg erwarb sich George Harrison den Ruf eines der rätselhaftesten und kreativsten
Rock’n’Roll-Menschen. Wie bei jedem ehemaligen Beatle wurde Georges Loslösung von der Band durch
die anhaltende und manchmal obsessive Liebe der Welt zu den Beatles als eigenständiger Einheit gebremst.
Doch wie die Veröffentlichung seines epischen Albums „All Things Must Pass“ im Jahr 1970 zeigte, war
er ein Mann mit einer ganz eigenen Geschichte. Songs wie „My Sweet Lord“ und „What Is Life“ fanden
Eingang in eine umfangreiche Sammlung, die bis heute zu den großen Werken der Album-Ära zählt. Heute
erinnert man sich an George als jemanden, der seinen Leidenschaften bis zu bemerkenswerten Schlussfolgerungen folgte, als einen Mann der Widersprüche, dessen ungewöhnliche Balance aus spiritueller Hingabe,
trockenem Humor und echtem Mitgefühl das Leben vieler Menschen berührte.

In 1995, when Cobweb-day was released, Fabrice Laureau was 24, Nicolas Laureau 21, Ludovic Morillon 22, and Quentin Rollet, who had just joined them on this new album, was 21. Prohibition, founded in 1989, had already released two albums: Turtle in 1993 and Nobodinside in 1994, on the Distorsion label. Cobweb-day, literally "Spider-web Day," is poetic, satirical, and libertarian. A title conceived by Nicolas to express all the feelings and themes explored on the album, this neologism also echoes the artwork on the cover. The lyrics describe, in vitriolic poetry and with a touch of self-deprecation, a world based on the powers of commodification and order, on submission to modern Molochs. Thirty years ago, it addressed themes such as the trade in minds and bodies, Kafkaesque justice, state violence, and Western blindness. Is this a coincidence that might raise a smile? Fabrice and Nicolas were both conscientious objectors at the time the album was written. The deceptively childish drawing that adorns the cover was created by Fabrice in 1989. It evokes African art and the skyscraper where the brothers grew up. Its title? "Glances on the Horizon." Yet, in these naive eyes, locked in a rhizomic matrix, there is the disturbing sensation of being observed, scrutinized, or perhaps imprisoned. This is Cobweb-day. During this period, the band spent its entire life touring with the British post-punk trio Headcleaner and the furious Lyon-based Condense. Their correspondence, followed by a meeting in 1994 with Guy Picciotto, singer-guitarist in Fugazi, led to a series of concerts with the Washington, DC quartet, around the time of the album's release in the spring of 1995. Quentin Rollet gradually joined the band, first on stage and then on the records. The concerts of this era often ended with long improvisations featuring saxophone, sitar, bass, and drums. Prohibition had emerged from the shadows, but chose to continue evolving underground, with the Laureau brothers creating their label Prohibited Records. Cobweb-day serves as the first reference. Thirty years ago, then. The album was recorded at Ark Studios near Paris in January 1995, along with eight other previously unreleased tracks. This new mix was created at Black Box Studios by Peter Deimel and Nicolas from 24-track analog tapes in August 1998, shortly before the release of 14 Ups & Downs, Prohibition's fifth and final album, and their US tour. All tracks were remastered by Fabrice and Nicolas Laureau in March/April 2025.

Repress!

The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express ('Theme From The Watcher').

It only seemed natural for the team at ATA Records to scratch their own Library itch and so last year's "The Library Archive Vol. 1" was born. Recorded over a series of sessions in the Alladins cave of vintage recording equipment that is ATA studios, it featured many of the stalwart musicians from the label who can also be found recording with The Sorcerers, Work Money Death and The Lewis Express.

Garnering praise from Library aficionado Shawn Lee("Holy F*$K this sounds great! ATA really smash the classic British Library sound. 10 out of 10") and the Don of British Library Music himsel fAlan Hawkshaw, "The Library Archive Vol. 1" was very well received and so a follow up was inevitable. Recorded during the Autumn of 2020, "The Library Archive Vol. 2" still has the golden age of European Library music squarely in it's sights, but this time the focus is drawn more to the wonky organ work of Italian quartet I Marc 4.

Each track has been lovingly crafted with a keen ear for authenticity and the same eye for detail shown on 'The Library Archive Vol. 1', recorded on the same instruments and equipment and with the same techniques as the music that inspired it.

The Library Archive is a labour of love for the label with more volumes planned.

Come On Come On isn’t just Mary Chapin Carpenter’s most popular album, with sales of 3 million copies. It’s also a contemporary country landmark. No less than seven of its songs became country hits: “I Feel Lucky,” “I Take My Chances,” “Not Too Much to Ask,” “The Hard Way,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” and two inspired covers, of Dire Straits’ “The Bug” and Lucinda Williams’ “Passionate Kisses.” More importantly, though, this 1992 release pointed the way towards what country music would become in the 21st century with its savvy seasoning of pop and soft-rock sounds into a more personal style of country songwriting from a female point of view. If you’re thinking that sounds familiar, you’re not wrong; Come On Come On’s prodigious commercial prowess isn’t the only thing this record has in common with the early work of Taylor Swift. But, it also crossed over into the rock realm in a way that, arguably, Swift’s records have not; the flourishing Americana and alt-country audiences of the early ‘90s ate this album up, and guest stars like Rosanne Cash, The Indigo Girls, and Shawn Colvin just upped its street cred. Somehow, this classic record has never (come on!) made it to vinyl; we’re making up for a whole lot of lost time with a grape vinyl pressing housed inside a color inner sleeve with lyrics. Essential!

Hardcore Rap music is still here! Mike Redman is considered a cult legend known for his unorthodox music production in various genres. He's well known as an artist in the Jungle and Hardcore scene, as a renowned movie score composer and made a name for himself as organiser of the infamous 'Redrum Hip-Hop' events since the 90's which hosted international artists from Guru to Cannibal Ox, Public Enemy, Beatnuts and many more. He also set up Redrum Recordz, a pioneering independent record label focusing merely on anything musically unpolished. Even though Mike Redman (which is his name of birth by the way) was often linked to many Hip-Hop success stories and produced records for artists such as Public Enemy and Big Daddy Kane, Mike has just recently, after many years, decided to produce a solo record featuring the Rap artists he admires and form the foundation of his legacy. With great respect towards his mentors, in a non-profit manner, Mike now releases 'Redrum Relics' featuring Rap icons such as Kool Keith, Chuck D, Schoolly D, Sticky Fingaz, Young Zee, Chino XL, O.C. and many more. This album is truly exceptional and is not made with the intention to be commercially successful, but is a love-letter to a period in time where passion was the motivation. 'Redrum Relics' brings Rap music back to the golden era with a contemporary touch and keeps it unpolished and unyielding as ever. People that tend to say that Hip-Hop is dead might want to reconsider.

The album opens with "Hypnagogia," an ode to the space between sleep and wakefulness where we are open to other realms of consciousness. The song slowly builds along a steady pulse provided by bassist Pickle (Nicole Smith) and drummer Rikki Styxx. Tripped out saxophone bleats from guest player Gabe Flores swirl on top of the organ drones laid out by guest keyboardist Gregg Foreman. The band's choral objectives for Under the Spell of Joy are established right off the bat, with Bonnie Bloomgarden's melodic invocations bolstered by a choir, giving the album a rich and vibrant wall-of-sound aesthetic. The song ominously builds on its hypnotic foundation until it opens up into a raucous revelry at the four-minute mark. The portentous simmer of the opening track yields to the ecstatic rocker "Hold My Hand," where verses reminiscent of Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting For The Man" explode into big triumphant choruses. From there the band launches into the title track, which marries the griminess of The Stooges with an innocence provided by a children's choir chanting the album's primary mantra "under the spell of joy / under the spell of love." Death Valley Girls have always vacillated between lightness and darkness, and on "Bliss Out" they demonstrate their current exuberant focus with a patina-hued pop song driven by an irrepressibly buoyant organ line laid down by keyboardist The Kid (Laura Kelsey). A similar cosmic euphoria is obtained on "The Universe," where alternating chords on the organ help elevate soaring saxophone and keyboard lines out beyond the stratosphere. If you're looking for transcendental rock music, look no further.

Ria Moran steps into a bold new chapter with Cubico, her debut solo album set for release in July 2025 via DeepMatter Records. A deeply personal and sonically rich project, Cubico sees Ria stepping forward as a producer and instrumentalist, blending R&B, neo-soul, and jazz with introspective songwriting that explores love, self-discovery, and emotional growth. The 12-track album moves fluidly between smooth R&B grooves and darker alternative tones, embodying the full spectrum of her artistry—sweet, emotional, moody, quirky, and fun. Ria made her long-awaited return in November 2024 with Take It or Leave It, a collaboration with Nubiyan Twist that showcased her evolving artistry and set the stage for Cubico and finding support from BBC Radio 6, Radio 1, Rinse Fm, Jazz FM, Worldwide FM, and more. Prior to this, her 2019 EP Moving into the Light gained widespread recognition from BBC Introducing, BBC Radio 6, and Worldwide FM, placing her among the UK’s most exciting contemporary soul voices. Her music sits at the juncture of forward-thinking UK soul music and nu-jazz, placing her alongside contemporaries including Ego Ella May, Yazmin Lacey and Cleo Sol, whilst also nodding to pioneers like Sade and Erykah Badu. Beyond her solo work, Ria has built an impressive career as a collaborator. Her contributions to Nubiyan Twist’s Freedom Fables earned a MOBO Award nomination, and she later appeared on Blue Note Records’ Blue Note Re:Imagined series, performing a BBC Radio 2 live session at the legendary Maida Vale Studios. She also worked with bassist Daniel Casimir on his acclaimed Boxed In album, joining a roster of UK jazz heavyweights including Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd. Since 2019, she has been a touring vocalist with Gotts Street Park, sharing stages with Celeste, ENNY, and Pip Millett. With Cubico, Ria Moran is fully stepping into her own as an artist, delivering a debut album that is as raw as it is soulful, as vulnerable as it is empowering—a must-hear for fans of innovative and heartfelt music..

2025 Repress
Yes! Tommy Guerrero’s much-loved 4th LP – the smooth West Coast classic From The Soil To The Soul - gets its first ever vinyl release. As the follow up to his revered Soul Food Taqueria, this album was originally released by Quannum Records 2006 but only on CD. Working with Tommy directly, the LP has been fully remastered, cut on to heavyweight wax, and comes with artwork freshly reworked by the man himself.
From The Soil To The Soul represents a continuation of Tommy’s blissful guitar-soul whilst demonstrating increasingly complex chops and a slightly darker side to his distinctive sound. His spare, effortless funk is blended here with elements of Americana, heavy psych, lo-fi fuzz and intoxicating Latin rhythms. Combined with his typically breezy, laid-back San Franciscan style, it’s a vibe from start to finish.
Recorded primarily in his home studio, Tommy wrote, arranged and played nearly all the instruments, including bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion and kalimba. Renowned street artist Barry McGee, aka Twist, designed the cover art which Tommy has now recast in a deep, deep red for the vinyl version.
As ever with Tommy, the highlights are many and memorable. From twinkling, sun-drenched opener “Hello Again” to the penultimate, punk-rocking track “Let Me In Let Me Out” (featuring the melodic yet fearsome rapping of Lyrics Born), the variety across the LP is relentless, but satisfying, and without once losing focus.
We’re treated to the gorgeous hip-hop blues of “The Under Dog”, Meters-style Hammond B-3 jams like “War No More” and “No Guns More Glory” and Balearic bangers like Bing Ji Ling’s star-turn on the sleazy “Don’t Fake It.”
Curumin’s soulful guest vocal elevates the already-great Brazilian lounge feels of “Salve” to hitherto unscaled heights and the heavy, driving basslines - funky and warm on “Badder Than Bullets”, sombre and intense in “Tomorrow’s Goodbye” and “Molotov Telegram” – never fail to move both body and soul.
But our favourite track is the beautiful breezy pop of “Just Ain’t Me”. A bittersweet, skipping ballad which boasts an incredibly rare instance of Tommy singing. “What you want from me, I can never give” he repeats throughout, lending the already-melancholic atmosphere greater poignancy. It would’ve been number 1 across the planet in a parallel universe.