Cerca:id

Wasteland is a record that is unafraid to plunge into the darkness of the modern world and embrace the weirder, edgier and more unnerving moments that come from doing so. It is an album that captures all the enormity of life from the micro to the macro, zooming in on the personal as well reflecting on broader societal issues.

“Wasteland is about the idea of a place once known or familiar that is now broken down and unrecognisable,” says Ghedi. “It’s about exploring the process of watching someone’s surroundings and environment collapse.” And within that you have a lot going on. “It also explores death, personal loss, grief, mental health and how the natural world provides solace and meaning for that loss and how these worlds blur into one another.”
Ghedi has always been an artist that in many ways perfectly encompasses folk music in its purest form but he is also someone that frequently pushes the boundaries of that label and no more so is that apparent than on this record. As like previous albums, such as 2018’s A Hymn for Ancient Land and 2021’s In the Furrows of Common Place, Ghedi uses traditional folk songs as a means to explore contemporary issues via modern and experimentally-leaning music. “With the traditional material on this album I wanted to find songs with content that resonated with me,” says Ghedi. “But also that were based roughly around the north of England.” This is a central underlying theme to the album for Ghedi. The feelings of loss, erosion, and degradation are often most pronounced in working class communities and this was something he wanted to weave in. “It was important to voice and choose material that represented or expressed issues that correlated with things going on around me.”

However, as remarkable as some of the traditional material is, some of the most arresting work on the album is Ghedi’s entirely original compositions. Lead single ‘Wasteland’ is a stunning piece of work that while rooted in an environment being corrupted and broken – “there’s violence on these hills” Ghedi sorrowfully sings, before claiming this is no longer somewhere that can be called home – it is also a stirringly beautiful composition that soars and glides as it opens up, as sweeping strings swoop and in and out of Ghedi’s twangy electric guitar.

The decision to incorporate more fuller sounds, such as electric guitar and huge drums, results in a notable shift and evolution in tone for Ghedi. “The lyrical content needed something more band-driven and loud to deliver them,” he explains. “Incorporating the electric guitar in my songwriting was also a big part of opening the sound up, using drop tunings pushed me to use my voice in a wider range, which forced me to use falsetto a lot which I haven’t previously done before. That then opened the sound up and gave me creative ideas for bigger arrangements and to sonically really push things.”

What Ghedi has done in creating his masterpiece is construct a remarkable space where deeply intimate and personal feelings coexist with reflections on environment, place and society, while also interweaving historical context via traditional songs. Wasteland is as much of a world to explore and exist in as much as it is an album, with Ghedi carving out his distinctly unique sonic language and voice to explore that singular environment.

Wasteland is a record that is unafraid to plunge into the darkness of the modern world and embrace the weirder, edgier and more unnerving moments that come from doing so. It is an album that captures all the enormity of life from the micro to the macro, zooming in on the personal as well reflecting on broader societal issues.

“Wasteland is about the idea of a place once known or familiar that is now broken down and unrecognisable,” says Ghedi. “It’s about exploring the process of watching someone’s surroundings and environment collapse.” And within that you have a lot going on. “It also explores death, personal loss, grief, mental health and how the natural world provides solace and meaning for that loss and how these worlds blur into one another.”
Ghedi has always been an artist that in many ways perfectly encompasses folk music in its purest form but he is also someone that frequently pushes the boundaries of that label and no more so is that apparent than on this record. As like previous albums, such as 2018’s A Hymn for Ancient Land and 2021’s In the Furrows of Common Place, Ghedi uses traditional folk songs as a means to explore contemporary issues via modern and experimentally-leaning music. “With the traditional material on this album I wanted to find songs with content that resonated with me,” says Ghedi. “But also that were based roughly around the north of England.” This is a central underlying theme to the album for Ghedi. The feelings of loss, erosion, and degradation are often most pronounced in working class communities and this was something he wanted to weave in. “It was important to voice and choose material that represented or expressed issues that correlated with things going on around me.”

However, as remarkable as some of the traditional material is, some of the most arresting work on the album is Ghedi’s entirely original compositions. Lead single ‘Wasteland’ is a stunning piece of work that while rooted in an environment being corrupted and broken – “there’s violence on these hills” Ghedi sorrowfully sings, before claiming this is no longer somewhere that can be called home – it is also a stirringly beautiful composition that soars and glides as it opens up, as sweeping strings swoop and in and out of Ghedi’s twangy electric guitar.

The decision to incorporate more fuller sounds, such as electric guitar and huge drums, results in a notable shift and evolution in tone for Ghedi. “The lyrical content needed something more band-driven and loud to deliver them,” he explains. “Incorporating the electric guitar in my songwriting was also a big part of opening the sound up, using drop tunings pushed me to use my voice in a wider range, which forced me to use falsetto a lot which I haven’t previously done before. That then opened the sound up and gave me creative ideas for bigger arrangements and to sonically really push things.”

What Ghedi has done in creating his masterpiece is construct a remarkable space where deeply intimate and personal feelings coexist with reflections on environment, place and society, while also interweaving historical context via traditional songs. Wasteland is as much of a world to explore and exist in as much as it is an album, with Ghedi carving out his distinctly unique sonic language and voice to explore that singular environment.

Die US-Kultband veröffentlicht ihr viertes Album.

Als die Idee für ein viertes Album (zum zweiten Mal) aufkam, war American Football klar, dass es düsterer werden würde. Nach einer einjährigen Welttour mit ausverkauften Konzerten zum 25-jährigen Bandjubiläum und der Veröffentlichung eines Coveralbums (mit Songs von Iron & Wine, Ethel Cain, Blondshell, u.a.) tat sich das Quartett mit Produzent/Toningenieur Sonny Diperri (My Bloody Valentine, M83, Kurt Vile) zusammen, um sein bis dato essentiellstes Album aufzunehmen. LP4 verbindet atmosphärische Soundlandschaften mit emotionaler Katharsis im Post-Rock-Stil. Anders als alles, was American Football bisher aufgenommen hat, fügt sie sich dennoch nahtlos in ihren stetig wachsenden und beeindruckenden Katalog ein. LP4 ist ein ambitioniertes künstlerisches Statement einer Band, die die Grenzen von Genre und Kultur immer wieder neu definiert. Es ist ein wunderschönes und vielschichtiges Album, das sich Zeit nimmt, seine Schönheit zu entfalten, während es gleichzeitig die dunkleren Seiten anklingen lässt, die sich so gut wie möglich verbergen. Das Album enthält Gastvocals von Brendan Yates (Turnstile), Wisp und Caithlin De Marrais (Rainer Maria).

They Came Like Swallows is the first album-length collaboration between Thurston Moore and Kramer (now officially Bonner Kramer), two giants of alternative/ experimental music. The accomplishments and influence of these two artists in the world of independent music cannot be overstated and the result of their artistic union is a startlingly cohesive statement that burns through landscapes of primitive outsider rock, avant-garde composition, progressive ambient and further locales boldly and beautifully unnamable. “Kramer and I reconnected in Miami, Florida, a few years back, many many years after each of us had departed NYC on separate life adventures. It was only a matter of time before Kramer and I started making plans to record together and with his irrepressible due diligence he quickly set up a mobile recording contraption in the pad I was decamped in, the Florida sunshine flowing through the palm leaves, lithe lizards skittering across the windowsills, and we just went for it.

Kramer had the idea to cover a Joy Division tune, a left turn from the improvisations we had been tracking, though wholly in keeping with both our sensibilities of light and dark unifying in transcendent songwriting, both of us devotees of 'the song' as well as 'the freedom.’ What transpired is They Came Like Swallows, a session we immediately felt should exist as a prayer to the war-torn souls of the families of Palestine continually decimated by the brutality of genocide. We agreed beyond words to offer our music as a sonic activism and as a beneficent energy. This album is our duo exchange for human dignity, it is our soul music for any semblance of a peaceful planet.” ~ Thurston Moore “For the first time in our nearly 45 years of friendship, we had identical time windows open to make a record together,” recounts Kramer. After all this time not a moment is wasted as the duo immediately taps into the heightened core of improvisational tension across these seven offerings. Volcanic opener “Urn Burial” notches a similar historic union (John Cale and Terry Riley) to meet the circumstances of the moment, with swirling mists of organ and pounding toms over guitar that thickens the atmosphere with jagged, grimy dissonance.

Solemn strings open the second track, “The Redness In The West,” with Kramer’s cello and viola in dueling bow beneath the high tension drive and sustain of Thurston’s electric guitar, tapping out a Morse code of tension that mounts endlessly into a fog of inevitable war by the end. Moore and Kramer’s sense of experimentalism is in free and full grandeur throughout They Came Like Swallows, though the duo keep a strong and constant sideways eye on melody, composition and architecture, to the ends that any strict lines between song and improvisation are blurred beyond qualification.

As if to punctuate this point, Swallows closes with a nightwork cover of Joy Division’s “Insight,” a doleful coda that breathes out with a solemn inner grace under Thurston’s instantly stylistically recognizable guitar melodies as they weave into he and Kramer’s unison voices. As the lone vocal piece and only traditional ‘song’ form on the album, “Insight” is unique to this set and as a closing statement draws connective lines back to the kind of dynamic, electrified melodicism that wove deep, melancholy patterns into the untamed fire of Sonic Youth’s Sister and Daydream Nation. In the album’s final moments, the two voices repeat the lyric “I’m not afraid anymore” as mantra, underscoring the heavy, unsettled themes and methods that preceded it. Kramer describes the creative process of They Came Like Swallows: “I had composed and recorded a few pieces at my home studio over the course of a couple weeks. Thurston was spending the winter in South Florida, so I flew down and spent a few days recording his guitar parts in his home there. Watching him spontaneously compose his parts was pretty astonishing, to say the least. Once we'd finished working on those pieces, we began improvising and following wherever the music pointed us, and another few pieces were born. We got straight to it, without anything driving us other than the joy of finally working together.

My personal goal was to remain present and catch as many surprises as I could from Thurston's guitar work, and there were plenty during those few days. We had a fucking blast.” Thurston’s contributions here will be readily familiar to any acolytes of his other works, the through-line between his inspired playing, cradled in Kramer’s meticulous, solid arrangements. “If I had to make this record again, I'd do it all exactly the same way,” Kramer says. “It’s like jazz, you don't think about it. You just do it. It was miraculous, and you don't fuck with a miracle.”

They Came Like Swallows is the first album-length collaboration between Thurston Moore and Kramer (now officially Bonner Kramer), two giants of alternative/ experimental music. The accomplishments and influence of these two artists in the world of independent music cannot be overstated and the result of their artistic union is a startlingly cohesive statement that burns through landscapes of primitive outsider rock, avant-garde composition, progressive ambient and further locales boldly and beautifully unnamable. “Kramer and I reconnected in Miami, Florida, a few years back, many many years after each of us had departed NYC on separate life adventures. It was only a matter of time before Kramer and I started making plans to record together and with his irrepressible due diligence he quickly set up a mobile recording contraption in the pad I was decamped in, the Florida sunshine flowing through the palm leaves, lithe lizards skittering across the windowsills, and we just went for it.

Kramer had the idea to cover a Joy Division tune, a left turn from the improvisations we had been tracking, though wholly in keeping with both our sensibilities of light and dark unifying in transcendent songwriting, both of us devotees of 'the song' as well as 'the freedom.’ What transpired is They Came Like Swallows, a session we immediately felt should exist as a prayer to the war-torn souls of the families of Palestine continually decimated by the brutality of genocide. We agreed beyond words to offer our music as a sonic activism and as a beneficent energy. This album is our duo exchange for human dignity, it is our soul music for any semblance of a peaceful planet.” ~ Thurston Moore “For the first time in our nearly 45 years of friendship, we had identical time windows open to make a record together,” recounts Kramer. After all this time not a moment is wasted as the duo immediately taps into the heightened core of improvisational tension across these seven offerings. Volcanic opener “Urn Burial” notches a similar historic union (John Cale and Terry Riley) to meet the circumstances of the moment, with swirling mists of organ and pounding toms over guitar that thickens the atmosphere with jagged, grimy dissonance.

Solemn strings open the second track, “The Redness In The West,” with Kramer’s cello and viola in dueling bow beneath the high tension drive and sustain of Thurston’s electric guitar, tapping out a Morse code of tension that mounts endlessly into a fog of inevitable war by the end. Moore and Kramer’s sense of experimentalism is in free and full grandeur throughout They Came Like Swallows, though the duo keep a strong and constant sideways eye on melody, composition and architecture, to the ends that any strict lines between song and improvisation are blurred beyond qualification.

As if to punctuate this point, Swallows closes with a nightwork cover of Joy Division’s “Insight,” a doleful coda that breathes out with a solemn inner grace under Thurston’s instantly stylistically recognizable guitar melodies as they weave into he and Kramer’s unison voices. As the lone vocal piece and only traditional ‘song’ form on the album, “Insight” is unique to this set and as a closing statement draws connective lines back to the kind of dynamic, electrified melodicism that wove deep, melancholy patterns into the untamed fire of Sonic Youth’s Sister and Daydream Nation. In the album’s final moments, the two voices repeat the lyric “I’m not afraid anymore” as mantra, underscoring the heavy, unsettled themes and methods that preceded it. Kramer describes the creative process of They Came Like Swallows: “I had composed and recorded a few pieces at my home studio over the course of a couple weeks. Thurston was spending the winter in South Florida, so I flew down and spent a few days recording his guitar parts in his home there. Watching him spontaneously compose his parts was pretty astonishing, to say the least. Once we'd finished working on those pieces, we began improvising and following wherever the music pointed us, and another few pieces were born. We got straight to it, without anything driving us other than the joy of finally working together.

My personal goal was to remain present and catch as many surprises as I could from Thurston's guitar work, and there were plenty during those few days. We had a fucking blast.” Thurston’s contributions here will be readily familiar to any acolytes of his other works, the through-line between his inspired playing, cradled in Kramer’s meticulous, solid arrangements. “If I had to make this record again, I'd do it all exactly the same way,” Kramer says. “It’s like jazz, you don't think about it. You just do it. It was miraculous, and you don't fuck with a miracle.”

Oceanine, Jolanda Moletta’s third album and her first for Beacon Sound, is a powerful and ethereal statement of artistic community. Expanding on her previous work, each track represents a collaboration with a different female vocalist, with the foundational elements being generated entirely by her own voice. By turns haunting, enchanting, and inspiring, you won’t want to come up for air once you’ve been pulled under. Representing a
musical practice that is distinctly feminist, this is an album with a longer view in mind, to an age when the altars were to goddesses and women were centered as powerful beings representing the earth’s cycles of regeneration and renewal. Oceanine then, in all its beauty, can be viewed as an album of survival. It is deeply transportive, accessing something that lies within all of us. As the late, great Lithuanian folklorist and archaeologist Marija Gimbutas noted, “We must refocus our collective memory. The necessity for this has never been greater as we discover that the path of 'progress' is extinguishing the very conditions for life on earth.”

Jolanda Moletta is a multimedia artist and one-woman electronic choir. She creates wordless compositions through extended vocal techniques, integrating wearable-controlled live processing, alongside symbolic visuals. Moletta considers her performances to be a collective ritual and creates her Sonic & Visual Spells following the cycles of nature and the moon. Jolanda's 2022 critically acclaimed album Nine Spells was released on the Ambientologist label, followed by Night Caves on Whitelabrecs in 2025. Moletta’s artistic practice is a radical and spiritual journey through sound art, ritual, and the symbolic archaeology of the feminine.

Oceanine is inspired by sirens, water nymphs, and the timeless call of the sea. At its core lies Jolanda’s deep, lifelong connection to the Mediterranean Sea and to the ancient and modern myths and folklore that have emerged from its waters. Growing up by the Mar Ligure, Jolanda was surrounded by stories carried by salt, wind, and waves: legends of sirens, echoes of ancient voices, and the sea as both origin and oracle. This intimate relationship with the Mediterranean is not merely a backdrop, but a living source that shapes Oceanine’s emotional, symbolic, and sonic world.

Each track features a different female vocalist, creating a rich tapestry of voices, styles, and perspectives. This artistic choice not only broadens the album’s sonic palette, but also deepens its narrative core: celebrating the power, beauty, and mystique of feminine energy through myth, history, and sound.

The entire album is built exclusively from the human voice, processed and layered, yet always remaining voice, and nothing else. For each piece, Jolanda invited every vocalist involved to contribute a raw stem: a short, unedited melodic fragment of just a few seconds, inspired by the album’s themes. These intimate vocal seeds became the foundation of each track: the guest artists’ voices appear as brief, melodic stems, while the entire surrounding “orchestral” fabric is created solely from Jolanda’s own layered and processed voice. In this way, Jolanda’s voice becomes the Ocean itself, embracing, absorbing, and carrying the sirens’ calls within a vast, immersive soundscape. Every song is a unique expression of the feminine experience, revealing its depth, complexity, and emotional range, echoing the call of the sea and the many faces of the siren archetype.

The figure of the siren has transformed across centuries. In myths of Ancient Greece and Rome, sirens were hybrid beings, part woman, part bird, whose irresistible songs lured sailors to their doom. During the Middle Ages, the image shifted toward the half-woman, half-fish figure, often associated with temptation and danger. Historically, the voice of women has often been feared. Sirens were considered harbingers of misfortune not simply because they seduced or destroyed, but because they were powerful liminal beings.

In Ancient Greek, sirens functioned as psychopomps: figures who existed between worlds and guided souls, especially between life and death. Their songs were believed to carry forbidden knowledge, including prophetic insight and the ability to reveal truths about fate and the future. The danger of the sirens lay in what they revealed: knowledge that humans were not meant, or ready, to hear.

Oceanine confronts this legacy head-on. The voices heard throughout the album are not merely beautiful: they are dark and luminous, wild and enchanting, magical, soothing, dreamy, and at times fractured or distorted. They whisper, lament, beckon, and enchant. Like sirens, they skim the surface of the water and sink into its depths, hovering on the edge between tenderness and danger, vulnerability and power. They rise toward the sky, dissolve into mist, and return as echoes charged with raw, elemental emotion: voices that seduce, warn, mourn, and remember. They refuse to be reduced to decoration.

Alongside the album’s release in May, Oceanine will also unfold as a visual and performative work through a short art film. The film includes a live session recorded inside a sea cave facing the Mar Ligure, the very coastline where Jolanda spent her childhood, dreaming of sirens and listening to the sea as if it were speaking directly to her. This site-specific performance reconnects the music to its place of origin, allowing the voice to resonate within stone, water, and air, and transforming the cave into both a sanctuary and a threshold between myth and reality.

What if the sirens’ songs were considered dangerous because they carried another truth, an ancient truth long forgotten?

Oceanine embraces the idea that we are still deeply woven into myth. Though we may see ourselves as rational and modern beings, our world is saturated with ancient symbols and archetypes, often distorted, simplified, or stripped of their original meaning. And if those symbols are allowed to shift, if the mirror once held by the siren becomes an invitation to look beyond appearances and into what has been obscured, then we may finally uncover a deeper truth and reclaim the voice that was always ours.

Oceanine is not just an album. It is a reclamation, a spell, and a call from the depths.

Rhythmus ist die erste Sprache. Ein Puls, der irgendwo beginnt - in einer Maschine, in Händen, als Gedanke. MINCKA existiert in dem kreativen Prozess, der sich daraus entwickelt: ein Dialog zwischen Struktur und Chaos. Entstanden als Idee zwischen einem Schlagzeuger und einem Produzenten, lädt MINCKA heute Produzentinnen, Musikerinnen und Kreative gleichermaßen dazu ein, dem Projekt immer neue Formen zu geben - als etwas, das sich stetig weiterentwickelt.Alles beginnt als Skizze: ein Fragment oder eine Kadenz, die scheinbar ins Leere führt - bis das Live-Schlagzeug übernimmt und der Groove die Richtung vorgibt. Mal festgezurrt in unerbittlichen Beats, mal verträumt und schwer greifbar. Wie der Soundtrack zu einem Fiebertraum, mit Echos von Mo' Wax ebenso wie von International Anthem.Von dort aus öffnet sich ein Raum, in dem Musiker frei auf das reagieren, was bereits existiert. Klänge werden zerschnitten und neu zusammengesetzt, wie Filmszenen, die ihre Bedeutung erst im Schnitt erhalten. Eine passende Analogie für den Hintergrund des bosnisch-niederländischen Schlagzeugers Sergej Kreso, der zugleich ein vielfach ausgezeichneter Dokumentarfilmer ist. Gemeinsam mit dem niederländischen Produzenten Subp Yao initiierte er MINCKA. Doch eines wird durch diesen Ansatz schnell klar: MINCKA ist kein Duo.Statt einer einzelnen Vision wurden unterschiedliche Musikerinnen und Kollaborateurinnen (aus Seattle, Peking, Maastricht, Essex, Amsterdam, Heerlen und Uden) eingeladen, mit der Musik in einen Dialog zu treten. Ihre Antworten und klanglichen Abzweigungen prägten den Sound von Beginn an. Kollaboration ist das Wesen von MINCKA. Und ebenso der Kontrast: Mensch und Maschine. Organisch und elektronisch. Freie Improvisation und meticulousche Präzision. Wertschätzung für Low-End-Theorien.Es ist ein Sound im permanenten Wandel, der sich weigert, in eine Schublade gesteckt zu werden. Stattdessen tritt er die Schublade ein, zerreißt die Überreste und baut aus dem, was bleibt, eine vollkommen neue Collage.Selbst jetzt, da die Musik veröffentlicht wird, ist MINCKA nicht abgeschlossen. Der Dialog geht weiter und lädt jeden ein, MINCKA mitzugestalten, indem über Stems der eigenen Musik Produzentinnen und Musiker*innen zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Was du hörst, war es nicht. Was es werden wird, ist noch offen. Diese Veröffentlichung ist erst der Anfang._ MINCKA

Auf insgesamt 100 Stück limitiert. Rhythmus ist die erste Sprache. Ein Puls, der irgendwo beginnt - in einer Maschine, in Händen, als Gedanke. MINCKA existiert in dem kreativen Prozess, der sich daraus entwickelt: ein Dialog zwischen Struktur und Chaos. Entstanden als Idee zwischen einem Schlagzeuger und einem Produzenten, lädt MINCKA heute Produzentinnen, Musikerinnen und Kreative gleichermaßen dazu ein, dem Projekt immer neue Formen zu geben - als etwas, das sich stetig weiterentwickelt.Alles beginnt als Skizze: ein Fragment oder eine Kadenz, die scheinbar ins Leere führt - bis das Live-Schlagzeug übernimmt und der Groove die Richtung vorgibt. Mal festgezurrt in unerbittlichen Beats, mal verträumt und schwer greifbar. Wie der Soundtrack zu einem Fiebertraum, mit Echos von Mo' Wax ebenso wie von International Anthem.Von dort aus öffnet sich ein Raum, in dem Musiker frei auf das reagieren, was bereits existiert. Klänge werden zerschnitten und neu zusammengesetzt, wie Filmszenen, die ihre Bedeutung erst im Schnitt erhalten. Eine passende Analogie für den Hintergrund des bosnisch-niederländischen Schlagzeugers Sergej Kreso, der zugleich ein vielfach ausgezeichneter Dokumentarfilmer ist. Gemeinsam mit dem niederländischen Produzenten Subp Yao initiierte er MINCKA. Doch eines wird durch diesen Ansatz schnell klar: MINCKA ist kein Duo.Statt einer einzelnen Vision wurden unterschiedliche Musikerinnen und Kollaborateurinnen (aus Seattle, Peking, Maastricht, Essex, Amsterdam, Heerlen und Uden) eingeladen, mit der Musik in einen Dialog zu treten. Ihre Antworten und klanglichen Abzweigungen prägten den Sound von Beginn an. Kollaboration ist das Wesen von MINCKA. Und ebenso der Kontrast: Mensch und Maschine. Organisch und elektronisch. Freie Improvisation und meticulousche Präzision. Wertschätzung für Low-End-Theorien.Es ist ein Sound im permanenten Wandel, der sich weigert, in eine Schublade gesteckt zu werden. Stattdessen tritt er die Schublade ein, zerreißt die Überreste und baut aus dem, was bleibt, eine vollkommen neue Collage.Selbst jetzt, da die Musik veröffentlicht wird, ist MINCKA nicht abgeschlossen. Der Dialog geht weiter und lädt jeden ein, MINCKA mitzugestalten, indem über der eigenen Musik Produzentinnen und Musiker*innen zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Was du hörst, war es nicht. Was es werden wird, ist noch offen. Diese Veröffentlichung ist erst der Anfang._ MINCKA

There comes a point in every bands life when originality stops being a virtue and honesty takes the wheel. On their 11th long-playing record: Forgeries (72-84)-(16)- return to the impulse that first dragged them into loud rooms and bad ideas: the urge to steal what we love and make it semi-unrecognizable through devotion. We have partnered with Heavy Psych Sounds Records to release a collection of covers that function less as homage and more as a possession to be given away. The artworkrendered by the ever-amazing Maraldcompletes the ritualiconicunsettlingand unafraid. Weve always believed that a great cover is not mimicry but revelation. Its finding a song that's already lived inside you since youth and letting it crawl outbruised and changed. From the early 90s onward-(16)- have treated covers as translations rather than as replicasacts of tribute and emulationfiltered through distortionfatigueand lived experience. These are songs that taught us how to standhow to falland how to keep going. In our collective headthis album exists because these songs demanded it. Because they screamed copy meand we listened. In the endForgeries (72-84) stands as both a thank you note and a thefta reminder that all music worth a damn is borrowedbrokenand passed on between friends. The selections on Forgeries 72-84 span eras and attitudesunified not by genre but by necessity. Each track is a document of obsessionof influence absorbed and re-expressed without permission.

There comes a point in every bands life when originality stops being a virtue and honesty takes the wheel. On their 11th long-playing record: Forgeries (72-84)-(16)- return to the impulse that first dragged them into loud rooms and bad ideas: the urge to steal what we love and make it semi-unrecognizable through devotion. We have partnered with Heavy Psych Sounds Records to release a collection of covers that function less as homage and more as a possession to be given away. The artworkrendered by the ever-amazing Maraldcompletes the ritualiconicunsettlingand unafraid. Weve always believed that a great cover is not mimicry but revelation. Its finding a song that's already lived inside you since youth and letting it crawl outbruised and changed. From the early 90s onward-(16)- have treated covers as translations rather than as replicasacts of tribute and emulationfiltered through distortionfatigueand lived experience. These are songs that taught us how to standhow to falland how to keep going. In our collective headthis album exists because these songs demanded it. Because they screamed copy meand we listened. In the endForgeries (72-84) stands as both a thank you note and a thefta reminder that all music worth a damn is borrowedbrokenand passed on between friends. The selections on Forgeries 72-84 span eras and attitudesunified not by genre but by necessity. Each track is a document of obsessionof influence absorbed and re-expressed without permission.

For the second time, the Geneva-based duo Cyril Cyril hands the microphone to the Syndicat du Futur. Behind this small group campaigning for a better future are Jeannot and Marilou, Zoé, Marlowe and Lenaïs — the respective children of Cyril (Yeterian) and Cyril (Bondi). Two years after La Météo / Le Monde Embêtant, the crew is back. The voices have grown and changed, but the sharp perspective remains, and the adult world had better watch out.

On Le Petit Bonhomme Orange, a certain D. Trump takes a hit. Seen from a child’s point of view, the war leader and his gesticulations look less like a figure of authority than a ridiculous scarecrow ruling through fear. And when power turns grotesque, it stops being intimidating.

With Le Gros Hit, it’s time for the absurd. A song that builds itself in plain sight, stacking lines with no apparent logic and embracing its own laziness. A reminder that you can make a track with three ideas and a chorus, and sometimes that’s all it takes.

Album #2 der brandneuen Vinyl-Serie mit zukunftsweisenden Aufnahmen der musikalischen Avantgarde.
Mauricio Kagels Acustica, komponiert für experimentelle Klangerzeuger und Lautsprecher, zählt zu seinen
radikalsten Werken. Es kombiniert elektroakustisches Tonbandmaterial mit akustischen Darbietungen und
verkörpert Kagels Idee des instrumentalen Theaters, in dem Klang, Gestik und Präsenz der Darsteller zu
einem einzigen musikalischen Akt verschmelzen. Das Werk erkundet ein erweitertes Feld der Musikalität
und nutzt erfundene Instrumente, um den Klang von traditionellen Aufführungskonventionen zu befreien.
Die Vielzahl globaler Klangquellen spiegelt die Vielfalt seiner Kindheit in Buenos Aires wider, verwandelt
Chaos in spielerische Ordnung und betont die Autonomie jedes einzelnen Interpreten innerhalb eines kollektiven Ganzen. Mit Acustica schuf Kagel eine einzigartige lateinamerikanische Antwort auf die europäische
Avantgarde: eine lebendige, demokratische Klangwelt voller Erfindungsreichtum und Menschlichkeit.
Gemastert und geschnitten von den originalen analogen ¼-Zoll-2-Spur-Masterbändern von Rainer Maillard und Sidney Claire Meyer in den Emil Berliner Studios.
Limitierte und nummerierte Auflage mit Original-Artwork und einem neu gestalteten, wunderschön gearbeiteten Sammler-Cover mit neuen Liner Notes von Bradford Bailey, gepresst auf 180-g-Vinyl

Album #3 der brandneuen Vinyl-Serie mit zukunftsweisenden Aufnahmen der musikalischen Avantgarde.
Tōru Takemitsus Quatrain und A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden sind Beispiele für seine
Synthese aus westlichen Avantgarde-Techniken und japanischer Ästhetik. In Quatrain evoziert Takemitsu
durch fließende Veränderungen von Klangfarbe und Atmosphäre das japanische Konzept von ma – dem
Raum zwischen den Dingen. Er verglich das Werk mit einem Emaki, einer Bildrolle, die Szene für Szene
entfaltet, wobei jede musikalische Idee unabhängig ist, aber dennoch miteinander verwoben ist.
A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden erweitert diese Ideen zu einer zirkulären, nichtlinearen
Klangwelt. Sein „flock”-Motiv, das zuerst in der Oboe zu hören ist, taucht in ein schimmerndes harmonisches Feld ein, das von den Streichern geschaffen wird – den „garden”. Hier wird Takemitsus Zeit- und
Raumgefühl eher immersiv und zyklisch als progressiv.
Gemischt und geschnitten von den originalen analogen 1-Zoll-8-Spur-Masterbändern von Rainer Maillard
und Sidney Claire Meyer in den Emil Berliner Studios.
Limitierte und nummerierte Auflage mit Original-Artwork und einem neu gestalteten, wunderschön gearbeiteten Sammler-Cover mit neuen Liner Notes von Bradford Bailey, gepresst auf 180-g-Vinyl

Another Country is the fifth full-length album by Cindy, the San Francisco-based group built around the songwriting of Karina Gill. Recorded, like all of its predecessors, in their hometown and with a consistent line-up held over from their previous record (the Swan Lake EP from 2024), it is replete with the poetry of private vistas, eavesdropped dramas and confusing winds. These are classic Cindy concerns, and yet, as always, contain new mystery and charm to somehow feel like quiet revelations each time. Another Country is both opaque in its intentions and specific in its presentation, and as such presents the kind of truth that keeps the listener on the search for answers just out of reach.
"The title of this record, Another Country, refers to the James Baldwin novel of that name. The book has a kind of drama that makes sense to me. When I look around, the obvious explanations are not enough. The miasma of feelings and ideas that is supposed to account for it all, doesn't. Baldwin washes past that to longings that begin to explain. Cindy songs come out of the x-rays my particular brain makes out of what I see and experience. What you hear on this record is the result of collaboration with the members of Cindy that transforms that shadowy thing into full color, fully fleshed. Each of them, in music, is sure-footed and unblinking, and making this record together felt like, yes, yes, you see what I mean."
Cindy is Karina, Staizsh, Will & Oli. Another Country will be released on 1st May 2026 via Tough Love.

This is the age of post-factual lies, which is reflected in MESH's album title "The Truth Doesn't Matter" and a dark undertone that occasionally seeps into their new songs. What remains entirely true is the fact that the UK duo has a nearly uncanny knack for writing electronic hits that are as elegant as they are captivating. "The Truth Doesn't Matter" bursts out like a sparkling firework while subtly referencing three decades of electronic music spanning from GIORGIO MORODER, YAZOO, and DEPECHE MODE via GARBAGE and MASSIVE ATTACK to more contemporary artists. At the same time, MESH always maintain their easily recognisable and unique musical identity as well as the trademark sounds that they have cultivated since their beginnings in the early nineties. With "The Truth Doesn't Matter", MESH climb yet another rung on the ladder leading to electronic music heaven. Each song wriggles its way happily into the brain and sticks around leading to spontaneous whistling of melodies and the public singing of extremely catchy chorus lines. You have been warned: "The Truth Doesn't Matter" is highly infectious and leads to a happier life!"

""Neverland", the fourteenth studio album by ULVER is the sound of an escape. A journey into undiscovered lands.

Following three albums – "The Assassination of Julius Caesar" (2017), "Flowers of Evil" (2020), and "Liminal Animals" (2024) – rooted in more traditional song and production structures, "Neverland" marks a new chapter in the revered Oslo band's history.

"With 'Neverland' we embraced a more 'punk' spirit – more dreaming, less discipline – freer, quite simply", the band comments on the creative process behind the album.

Bursts of daybreak synths and whooshes of sound set the atmosphere, before the wolves start digging into the dynamics of ambient calm and anarchic mysticism. Dreamy and transportive textures develop into trippy percussive energies, and as the album unfolds, a lush and vibrant, and at times exotic space opens.

Apart from a few recurring distant voices and vocal chops, "Neverland" is a largely instrumental record, reminiscent of the mood and structure of that place where late '90s IDM sounds met the meandering structures of post-rock.

The ghost of premillennial sample culture surely haunts "Neverland", and some might even hear echoes from earlier acclaimed works like "Perdition City" (2000), or the "Silence" EPs (2001), or more recently "ATGCLVLSSCAP" (2016).

Still, "Neverland" sounds and feels like something else, something fresh in ULVER's continuous journey of perennial reinvention. Pop music from in-between worlds? A sonic hallucination? Or better: a collage of dreams. It's up to you."

Twenty Years Ago, Jan Jelinek's Debut Album Personal Rockwas Released By Source Records. Under The Pseudonym Gramm, It Brings Togethereight Tracks That Have Not Been Available On Vinyl Since Their Original Release.faitiche Is Very Glad To Announce The Re-release Of The Album: Personal Rockwill Appear As A Double Lp Featuring The Original Cover Artwork. What People Wrote About Personal Rock Two Decades Ago: "situated Somewhere Between Jelinek's Much Loved Loop-findingjazz Records, Farben, Move D's Conjoint Project And Atom Heart's Most Immersivework For Rather Interesting, It's A Late Night Album Full Of Subtle Productiontricks And Melodic House Structures That Belong To The Pre-millennial Idmheyday, But Which Transcend Its Overly-masculine Templates." (boomkat) "a Serene Little Masterpiece" (de:bug) "though Many Producers Have Pushed Forward Theclicks-and-cuts Style Of Experimental Ambience Developed By Germanexperimentalists Oval (among Others), Few Have Been Able To Matchtheir Knack For Making Abstract Cuts Into Pieces Of Undeniable Beauty. Janjelinek's First Lp As Gramm Is One Of The Precious Few, And It'sobvious From The Opener." (allmusic) "organized In Organic Structures And Minimal Movements, Thetracks Get Into Utopian States And Super-desirable Moods, Offering Superiorcontentedness And Dependable Taste Of The Kind Seldom Sustained For A Wholealbum. (...) Subway-escalator-soul." (spex)

Call it soulful dream pop, proto-trip hop or downtempo jazz - "Tender Rain" is the follow-up LP to the successful "This Is" album and continues to deliver Ghia's unmistakable sonic magic. On this release, the band shares a selection of previously unreleased vocal songs alongside instrumental pieces, all carried by their trademark chilled and almost meditative atmosphere. Most of the recordings date from the early 1990s, while early demo versions of "New Love" and "Teardrops in Your Eyes" may reach back as far as the late 1980s.

The album opens with the title track "Tender Rain," where smooth vocal jazz harmonies merge effortlessly with soulful pop elements. The track originally appeared only on CD in 1993 on the small Mikado label run by renowned German guitarist Ulli Bögershausen. The band recalls that the piece was first pre-recorded using MIDI equipment and a Tascam 16-track recorder before being completed in the studio with drums by legendary drummer Mickie Stickdorn (Carsten Bohn's Bandstand, Cyklus, Elephant, Lake), percussion by Corinna Ludzuweit, and the final touch-Lisa Ohm's remarkable vocals.

At the time, Mikado was also looking for instrumental material for radio and synchronization use. They selected the track "Tropfstein" for a sampler CD and requested more pieces. In response, "und recken ihre schlanken Glieder" (roughly translated as "and stretching their slender limbs") was composed especially for the project, as Frank Simon remembers. Both tracks appeared on the now rare Mikado sampler CD under the alias z. Zt., short for "zur Zeit" ("at present" or "these days").

Several further pieces in a similar vein were created during this period, including the previously unissued "Auf unserm grünen Sofa," "Reise bei Nacht," and "Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte." These tracks are beautifully crafted downtempo pieces featuring smooth, jazzy piano lines combined with touches of ambient and New Age aesthetics. "Auf unserm grünen Sofa" stands out in particular and will likely resonate with all downtempo enthusiasts. Lutz Boberg recalls that many of these recordings were captured during a single afternoon in the studio, fueled by spontaneous ideas and creative momentum.

On tracks such as "Teardrops in Your Eyes," "New Love," and the haunting Dark Spirits Mix of Ghia's song "What's Your Voodoo?", singer Lisa Ohm delivers soulful pop performances with her clear and captivating voice. "Change Your Sex," the third track previously featured on the Mikado sampler, leans more toward late-1980s funk and was aimed at radio and DJs at the time. Its subject matter was relatively daring for the period, telling the story of someone contemplating a change of sex "to get rid of the troubles."

Together with "This Is" and "Curacao Blue", "Tender Rain" forms another essential chapter in the rediscovery of the band's work. More than thirty years after their creation, these recordings still sound strikingly fresh, reflecting a unique style that in many ways anticipated the rise of trip-hop in the early to mid-1990s.

Sergeant ventures deeper into the chaos, occasionally emerging with something dangerously close to catchiness.

Symbols further explores the technique the band calls “dj-shadow-in-reverse”. Instead of digging for samples, they dig through themselves. Things are cut apart and glued back together: kraut drums, plunderphonics fragments, dance floor killers and dub chambers. This time, the wreckage has rhythm and the rhythm has an opinion. Ferre sings through the songs like he’s looking for an exit and having a great time not finding it. Somewhere in there, a flute appears: it sounds slightly worried about the bassline. But the band is more in charge of its plot than ever before. Sergeant finds bliss in losing it over and over again.

Roberto Zanetti, better known as Savage or Robyx, is without a doubt a fully realized artist. When he stepped into the world of dance electronics in 1983, success came instantly. Not only across Italy, but far beyond its borders. Alongside his own chart-defining run as Savage, Zanetti was simultaneously shaping the scene from behind the desk, developing talent and refining a signature sound that would define an era. By the late ’80s, Robyx was already an established powerhouse producer. Around that time, he wrote three tunes for Maurizio Felici, performing under the alias Wilson Ferguson. These tracks carried all the hallmarks of Zanetti’s late-’80s aesthetic: lush melodies, smooth, flowing arrangements and high-energy grooves built for the dancefloor. In Europe, where house music was rapidly taking over, this sound faced tougher competition, but in Japan, where Eurobeat was exploding into the mainstream, these productions were untouchable. Felici’s rich, throaty vocal delivery gave the tracks an unmistakable emotional weight and identity.

Responding to long-standing requests from fans, Vintage Pleasure Boutique now revisits the most melancholic and emotionally charged of these three recordings: “I’m Singing Again”, a bittersweet tale of lost love told through the language of Italo disco. It’s a perfect fusion of Savage’s late-’80s sonic elegance and a truly distinctive vocal performance.

For this new release, the story is pushed one step further with a fresh remix, slightly faster in BPM and clearly nodding to Robyx’s classic Eurobeat instincts, a version built to move bodies while keeping the original’s emotional core intact.

'Like the sharpshooting carnival contestant who knows that the winning practice isn’t to aim for the red star itself, but rather to shoot out a perimeter around the star and thus remove it, Old Saw have historically dealt with forms by tracing their boundaries rather than going for the target outright. If the first three records hinted at but never touched song-shaped forms, The Wringing Cloth makes at least glancing contact while retaining the layered haze and drawl that threads their sound together.
'Contrary to the often-used ambient tag, Old Saw shows up here in a markedly active and sculpted form — manipulating, unwinding, and pivoting with a strange and warped precision. What has always been uncanny about this music is that it arrives in a state at once familiar and obscured, like a memory weighed down with sensory information but no identifying details to place it.
'The Wringing Cloth walks off further into that geographical dream without time or language until it’s just a speck of light.'

Dino Lenny returns to Rekids with the ‘Piano Lessons at Eight’ EP, complete with a Tal Fussman remix. It follows Lenny’s ‘Not About The Volume’ EP, released in December 2025.

London-based DJ, producer, vocalist, and Fine Human Records label owner Dino Lenny returns to Radio Slave’s Rekids with the ‘Piano Lessons at Eight’ EP 24th April 2026, alongside a remix from label regular Tal Fussman. The EP follows Lenny’s ‘Not About The Volume’ EP, which released late 2025, and won support from Laurent Garnier, Chloé Caillet, Catz ‘n Dogz, and more.

‘Piano Lessons at Eight’ centres Lenny’s own vocals over a dark, chugging rhythm that develops steadily, tracing a personal journey from formal piano training to the discovery of electronic music. The biographical thread running through the record gives it an identity that sits apart from purely functional dance music. Rekids regular and Survival Tactics boss Tal Fussman then provides the accompanying remix, a crunchy, percussive rework that brings his characteristic blend of deep house and raw techno to bear, adding melancholic piano stabs that add texture without crowding the arrangement. The outcome is focused, atmospheric, and built for extended play.

With releases on R&S, Diynamic, Innervisions, Crosstown Rebels, Strictly Rhythm, Bedrock, and his own Fine Human Records label, and collaborative work alongside Underworld, Missy Elliott, Wu-Tang Clan, and Madonna, Lenny holds a long-established position within both underground and mainstream electronic contexts. Consistently supported by Pete Tong, Solomun, Carl Cox, and Groove Armada, he maintains a presence that spans scenes without being defi ned by any single one. Since 2021, he has hosted Tomorrowland’s CORE radio show, platforming artists including Nina Kraviz, Ellen Allien, and DJ Tennis.

Billie Eilishs mit fünf GRAMMY®-Awards ausgezeichnetes, mit Multi-Platin ausgezeichnetes Debütalbum
mit den Titeln „bad guy“, „when the party’s over“ und „you should see me in a crown“ – WHEN WE ALL
FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? – ist nun als limitierte erste internationale Pressung auf babyblauem
Vinyl erhältlich.
Diese Schallplatte besteht aus BioVinyl, das zur Vermeidung von Klimabelastungen das üblicherweise
bei der Vinylherstellung verwendete Erdöl durch Altöl und Abgase ersetzt. Alle Verpackungen aus Papier
und Karton sind FSC®-zertifiziert und bestehen zu 100 % aus Recyclingmaterial. Die Druckfarben sind
naturbelassen und pflanzlich, der Glanzdispersionslack ist wasserbasiert. Anstelle von Folienverpackungen
werden wiederverwendbare Hüllen aus 100 % recyceltem Polyester verwendet.
Billie Eilishs Debüt-EP mit weltweit über 2,6 Milliarden Streams, darunter „ocean eyes“, „bellyache“ und
„idontwannabeyouanymore“ – „dont smile at me“ ist jetzt als limitierte, weltweit erste internationale Pressung auf transparentem Vinyl erhältlich.
Diese Schallplatte besteht aus BioVinyl, das zur Vermeidung von Klimabelastungen das üblicherweise
bei der Vinylherstellung verwendete Erdöl durch Altöl und Abgase ersetzt. Alle Verpackungen aus Papier
und Karton sind FSC®-zertifiziert und bestehen zu 100 % aus Recyclingmaterial. Die Druckfarben sind
naturbelassen und pflanzlich, der Glanzdispersionslack ist wasserbasiert. Anstelle von Folienverpackungen
werden wiederverwendbare Hüllen aus 100 % recyceltem Polyester verwendet.

Belgian electronic body-music pioneers A Split-Second deliver an expanded reissue of their influential 1987 debut Ballistic Statues, a landmark of the New Beat and EBM movement. Blending dark electronics, cold-wave tension and precision-driven sequencing, the album helped define a pivotal moment in the late-80s European underground.

This new edition brings together all tracks from the original album and enhances them with essential recordings from the same era, including the band’s complete 1986 debut EP (A Split-Second), the cult Smell of Buddha, and additional period material.

Pressed in a limited run of 500 copies (200 on clear blue and 300 on black vinyl) housed on a gatefold sleeve with a reproduction of the original lyrics insert, an exclusive poster and one postcard.

Ballistic Statues remains a defining statement—raw, innovative and far ahead of its time. This reissue brings together the core foundations of A Split-Second in one essential collection making it ideal for both long-time followers and new listeners discovering the band.

Antônio Carlos & Jocafi, das legendäre Duo aus Bahia, dessen Musik seit über fünf Jahrzehnten den Soul Brasiliens verkörpert, kehrt mit einer kühnen neuen Zusammenarbeit zurück: Jazz Is Dead 026. Beto Barreto von Baiana System stellte Adrian Younge und Ali Shaheed Muhammad vor, und die Begegnung war sofort von Magie geprägt. ,Als wir uns zum ersten Mal trafen, war es wie bei einer Familie", erinnern sie sich. Diese Verbundenheit veranlasste Younge und Muhammad, das Duo nach Los Angeles einzuladen, wo sie eine Handvoll Ideen mitbrachten und vor Ort neue Songs schufen - ein intuitiver, improvisatorischer Prozess, der die Philosophie von Jazz Is Dead ausmacht. Mit dieser Veröffentlichung bekräftigen Antônio Carlos & Jocafi ihre kreative Vitalität und bringen gleichzeitig einer neuen Generation ihren zeitlosen bahianischen Geist näher. ,Adrians Liebe zu Brasilien ist größer als die vieler Brasilianer", sagen sie und betonen, wie aufmerksam er zuhört, studiert und die Rhythmen, Geschichten und Gefühle ihrer Kultur vermittelt. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das eine Brücke zwischen dem Mercado Modelo in Salvador und der globalen Bühne schlägt und die folkloristischen Traditionen Bahias mit der analogen Seele von Jazz Is Dead verwebt.

LP with printed Innersleeve with Linernotes by Eddie Piller (Acid Jazz) The compilation series “DJ's Choice” was launched in 2008 and has already enjoyed the participation of several high-profile curators, such as Keb Darge, Marc Hype, and DJ Suspect. A few years before the death of Unique Label founder Henry Storch in 2018, a DJ's Choice edition was created with his long-time friend and fellow DJ Eddie Piller. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition—as is so often the case, life had other plans, and sadly not all of them were pleasant. However, the idea was never completely forgotten, and with the help of Eddie and Henry's DJ partner in crime Sandra (Frollein Taube), a list of tracks that were on Henry's quick-select list for his sets was finally compiled.

Cloud Management return to Altin Village & Mine for a unique collaboration with New York writer and creative polymath Vivien Goldman.

A pairing spanning generations and geography, but with a musical overlap that is quite fitting in both process and result. Cloud Management’s jammy, improvisational approach to their dubby electronics blends well with Goldman’s idiosyncratic vocal style, which has its origins in the early days of post–punk and UK dub experimentalism. Cloud Management blend many historical aspects of German electronic music into something distinctly their own, while retaining a view well beyond those borders or any particular era. This approach fits well with Goldman’s deep multidisciplinary career, not easily defined because of its eclectic abundance across disciplines, yet always orbiting around music as its foundation.

When it comes down to it, these are great tracks created in the same way they sound: loose but refined, circling and turning inwards and outwards, back onto themselves. A dub of a dub of a dub, but never falling too far from the source — the minimalism necessary to deliver a direct, steady resolve and a gripping listen.

The B–Side of the record features three remixes by artists from across the globe, all with strong connections to the front line of dancehall, dub, and electronic music experimentalism. Longtime Equiknoxx member Time Cow from Kingston (Jamaica), delivers a version of »Quick Cover Up« that represents a major overhaul of the original. This remix strips away much of the looseness of the source material and leans into a lush yet slightly darker atmosphere, created by layered synths and a masterful use of underlying percussion and melodic stabs.

Up next are Twin Cities, Minnesota–based Feel Free Hi Fi, who take on »Judge Judge.« The duo tighten things up, overlaying weighty vintage string synths and digi–flute melodies. This version feels designed for smoky, late–night dub sound system sessions, harkening back to dub’s foundations.

Last but not least is London’s Pat Orburn. Stripped way down, the remix rides an interplay between alternating minimalism and a more lo-fi but lush exuberance, somewhat reminiscent of a bossa nova–esque minimal synth sound. This version’s lo–fi pop sensibility provides a fitting contrast and completes an eclectic yet copacetic trio of remixes for the record.

Kumachan Seal: solo project of Japanese vocalist / songwriter / producer Sairi Ojima, who has been playing in numerous indie bands, including Neco Nemuru, since her teens. She began her solo career in 2013, and released her first cassette in 2017. This EM Records release is her first CD/LP album, with all compositions by Ojima, who co-produced the album. Each of the eleven songs reveals beguiling layers of detailed and surprising sounds, with Ojima's DIY sonic core embroidered by vibrant and colorful beats and guitar from EM artist Le Makeup and the quintessential ambient-pop synths and keyboards of fellow EM-er Takao. Le Makeup mixed ten of the eleven songs, with Takao mixing "China Sandwich". The heart of Ojima's musical identity is her clear, aque- ous voice; apart from one instrumental, all the tracks here feature that mellifluous voice, but in an interesting twist, only half the songs have lyrics, with the remainder employing her wordless voice as melodic and textural elements. Although Kumachan Seal can be heard as a sort of bedroom pop filtered through ambient music and the new-age revival, listeners will note that the final two songs, "Atsumono" and "Tiny Cell", are respectively a slightly skewed four-on-the-floor track and a lightly skanking Doo-wop- flavored confection, slightly reminiscent of the UK's Brenda Ray. This album, full of Ojima's calm and cool observation of the world, is available on CD, LP and DL, and includes an English lyric sheet.

From the subterranean grooves of deep techno to the cosmic pulse of electro and IDM, Deep Space Protocol sees Japanese legend DJ Compufunk navigate a vast sonic universe with precision and feeling. A veteran of Osaka’s celebrated Compufunk Records scene — where he’s sold and spun cuts for nearly three decades — Compufunk seamlessly weaves together influences that span Detroit-infused machine rhythms, hypnotic electro textures, and the thoughtful intricacies of left-field IDM.
Pressed as a limited vinyl release, Deep Space Protocol feels like both a nod to classic techno lineage and a forward-thinking exploration of sound — perfect for listeners who cherish the raw pulse of the dancefloor as much as the cerebral depths of an immersive listening session. With roots that include releases on Detroit’s Motech and connections to Underground Resistance figures, this is an album that bridges cultures and decades while leaving plenty of room for the future.

An album Maximum Rock 'N' Roll deemed not punk enough to review, Unwound's 1994 sophomore effort was a lethal depth charge aimed at major label grunge and independent hardcore alike. From the off-kilter, vertiginous rhythm of "Entirely Different Matters" to the neck-snapping velocity of "What Was Wound" to the relentless pounding at the end of "All Souls Day," New Plastic Ideas is the Sonic Youth-loving older sister to Fake Train's postpunk- obsessed little brother.

With Neolithic Neon, Appleblim creates a kaleidoscopic reflection of the spirituality inherent within electronic music — the ineffable frequencies and communal traditions that spring from exploratory synthesis, deep-rooted rhythms and myriad other sonic codes.

Throughout his third album for Sneaker Social Club, Laurie Osborne continues to express a fascination with the ancient resonance held within modern rave as he guides his own studio practice towards more purposefully analogue processes. It's reflective of his desire to let go and trust his instincts within the more chaotic realm of voltages and signals, not to mention turning to a wider spread of instrumentation and opening up to noisier avenues. This direction defines the character of Neolithic Neon, which bristles with the living imperfections of the gear in the context of incisive and wide-ranging cuts touching on jungle, dubstep, techno, electro, acid and experimental electronic music of all stripes.

Across Osborne's solo output from 2018's Life In A Laser to 2021 tape Infinite Hieroglyphics, a strong melodic sensibility spills out of the richly layered production. It's equally audible in his Wrecked Lightship collaboration with Adam Winchester, and it charges Neolithic Neon with its star-gazing, contemplative streak. From the knotty plucks and licks weaving through opener 'Moorland' to the vaporous synths darting across the top of hardcore conductor 'Thunderstorm', a dreamlike evocation takes the sound off terra firma, musing on cosmic events and our connection to the enormity of the universe.

Eternally in thrall to the maverick vocabulary of pioneering beat scientists and fuelled by the inspiration of great thinkers dwelling on our purpose and place, Neolithic Neon unfurls big ideas without heavy-handed messaging. Instead, it trusts in the universal and time-honoured language of experimentation and rhythm to present its ideas, true to Appleblim's legacy to date while opening a new chapter in his ongoing sonic quest.

Wondrous ethereal folk songs by a reclusive pen pal of Maxine Funke, first introduced to A Colourful Storm by Funke while sharing music and ideas during her Australian tour. Ghost faced pansies. A moth coloured cat. Cauliflowers, cabbages undying. I hear the spine of the dictionary crack. Is what they call a creature who only wakes at dusk. And turning backs. My afternoon has turned pitch black. For a trace. For a shape. I wipe the steam from the window like the bloom on a grape. Ghost faced pansies. A moth coloured cat. Light of stars long since died.

Jeder Künstler muss seine eigene Stimme finden. Gia Margaret fand sich selbst erst, als sie ihre Stimme verlor. Aufgrund einer Stimmbandverletzung, die sie jahrelang am Singen hinderte, entwickelte sie andere musikalische Ausdrucksformen und meisterte die Grammatik einer komplexen, heimeligen Form der Ambient-Musik, die von Ernest Hood begründet und von The Books perfektioniert wurde. Angeführt von sanften Klaviermelodien, die wie Atem auf Glas hauchen, jetzt, da ihre physische Stimme geheilt und ihre künstlerische Stimme geschliffen ist, schließt sich der Kreis mit Singing, ihrem ersten Gesangsalbum seit There's Always Glimmer aus dem Jahr 2018. Die Musik auf Singing zeugt von derselben Sensibilität für Details, die sie in ihrer Stille entwickelt hat. ,Es gab eine Zeit, in der ich wirklich nicht wusste, ob ich jemals wieder singen würde. Als ich dann geheilt war, stand ich unter großem innerem Druck, stark zurückzukommen", sagt Margaret. ,Ich wusste nicht mehr, wer ich war. Es fühlte sich an, als würde ich neu anfangen und mich wieder mit diesen sehr alten, alten Teilen meiner selbst verbinden." Dieses Gefühl der Vermischung von Entfremdung und Wiederentdeckung ist auf dem gesamten Album spürbar. Im Opener ,Everyone Around Me Dancing" beobachtet sie eine Party von den Seitenlinien aus und ist sich bewusst, wie ihr Körper sie von gemeinschaftlicher Freude abhält, ihr aber gleichzeitig neue Wege der Selbsterkenntnis eröffnet. Ausgeschlossen von der Szene ist sie ,näher am Boden, am Planeten". In ,Alive Inside" ist sie so weit entfernt von der Quelle, dass sie zu jedem betet, der sie hören könnte (,ein Gott, ein verstorbener Freund, ein Geist"). Wenn ihre Stimme anschwillt, scheint sie in einem Netz aus Verzerrungen gefangen zu sein; es ist, als würde sie in ihrem Streben die Grenzen des Sagbaren ausloten. Der Entstehungsprozess von ,Singing" war ein Prozess des Lernens, jedem dieser Gefühle zu vertrauen. Das Album wurde teilweise in London mit Guy Sigsworth von Frou Frou aufgenommen, der Margaret dabei half, die Vielzahl ihrer Ideen für ,Good Friend" zu vereinen, einem Highlight des Albums, das unter anderem gregorianische Gesänge von ILA und Turntable-Scratches enthält . David Bazan und Amy Millan sind ebenfalls zu hören, ebenso wie Kurt Vile und Sean Carey, während Margarets langjähriger Kollaborateur Doug Saltzman einen Großteil des Albums spielt und co-produziert. Deb Talan, ehemals Mitglied von The Weepies, steuert ihre Stimme, ihr Klavier und ihre Gitarre zum abschließenden und definitiven Statement des Albums ,E-Motion" bei. Gia Margaret singt stets. Jede Note dieses Albums singt ein warmes Requiem für ihr vergangenes Ich; jede Ebene singt ihr zukünftiges Ich ins Leben. Auf dem gesamten Album wendet sie die Lektionen der Sprachlosigkeit an - die quasi-rationalen Wege, auf denen wir kommunizieren, ohne zu kommunizieren, die Art und Weise, wie formlose Klänge wie ein Skalpell zum Kern der Dinge vordringen können - auf ihre eigene künstlerische Stimme.

Jeder Künstler muss seine eigene Stimme finden. Gia Margaret fand sich selbst erst, als sie ihre Stimme verlor. Aufgrund einer Stimmbandverletzung, die sie jahrelang am Singen hinderte, entwickelte sie andere musikalische Ausdrucksformen und meisterte die Grammatik einer komplexen, heimeligen Form der Ambient-Musik, die von Ernest Hood begründet und von The Books perfektioniert wurde. Angeführt von sanften Klaviermelodien, die wie Atem auf Glas hauchen, jetzt, da ihre physische Stimme geheilt und ihre künstlerische Stimme geschliffen ist, schließt sich der Kreis mit Singing, ihrem ersten Gesangsalbum seit There's Always Glimmer aus dem Jahr 2018. Die Musik auf Singing zeugt von derselben Sensibilität für Details, die sie in ihrer Stille entwickelt hat. ,Es gab eine Zeit, in der ich wirklich nicht wusste, ob ich jemals wieder singen würde. Als ich dann geheilt war, stand ich unter großem innerem Druck, stark zurückzukommen", sagt Margaret. ,Ich wusste nicht mehr, wer ich war. Es fühlte sich an, als würde ich neu anfangen und mich wieder mit diesen sehr alten, alten Teilen meiner selbst verbinden." Dieses Gefühl der Vermischung von Entfremdung und Wiederentdeckung ist auf dem gesamten Album spürbar. Im Opener ,Everyone Around Me Dancing" beobachtet sie eine Party von den Seitenlinien aus und ist sich bewusst, wie ihr Körper sie von gemeinschaftlicher Freude abhält, ihr aber gleichzeitig neue Wege der Selbsterkenntnis eröffnet. Ausgeschlossen von der Szene ist sie ,näher am Boden, am Planeten". In ,Alive Inside" ist sie so weit entfernt von der Quelle, dass sie zu jedem betet, der sie hören könnte (,ein Gott, ein verstorbener Freund, ein Geist"). Wenn ihre Stimme anschwillt, scheint sie in einem Netz aus Verzerrungen gefangen zu sein; es ist, als würde sie in ihrem Streben die Grenzen des Sagbaren ausloten. Der Entstehungsprozess von ,Singing" war ein Prozess des Lernens, jedem dieser Gefühle zu vertrauen. Das Album wurde teilweise in London mit Guy Sigsworth von Frou Frou aufgenommen, der Margaret dabei half, die Vielzahl ihrer Ideen für ,Good Friend" zu vereinen, einem Highlight des Albums, das unter anderem gregorianische Gesänge von ILA und Turntable-Scratches enthält . David Bazan und Amy Millan sind ebenfalls zu hören, ebenso wie Kurt Vile und Sean Carey, während Margarets langjähriger Kollaborateur Doug Saltzman einen Großteil des Albums spielt und co-produziert. Deb Talan, ehemals Mitglied von The Weepies, steuert ihre Stimme, ihr Klavier und ihre Gitarre zum abschließenden und definitiven Statement des Albums ,E-Motion" bei. Gia Margaret singt stets. Jede Note dieses Albums singt ein warmes Requiem für ihr vergangenes Ich; jede Ebene singt ihr zukünftiges Ich ins Leben. Auf dem gesamten Album wendet sie die Lektionen der Sprachlosigkeit an - die quasi-rationalen Wege, auf denen wir kommunizieren, ohne zu kommunizieren, die Art und Weise, wie formlose Klänge wie ein Skalpell zum Kern der Dinge vordringen können - auf ihre eigene künstlerische Stimme.

Music never exists in a vacuum — every scene and sound evolves from the non-stop exchange of ideas between different groups and cultures. Traditions get passed down from one generation to the next, and then individual heads take influence from their own unique perspective. Sometimes, certain people strike upon fusions that spark massive new movements, but even those rarest innovations came from somewhere.

Jon E Cash knows this more than most — the legendary beats he started putting out at the turn of the millennium had their own disparate roots and influences which he had the motivation to put together into a sound he called sublow. There wasn't any other reference point for this music — when he took the first white labels of 'Drop Top Bimmer Kid' into Blackmarket Records in Soho, London, he had to describe it to a puzzled Nicky Blackmarket and J Da Flex as being, "between garage and hip-hop."

Playing catch-up in 2004, Rephlex Records nodded to sublow when trying to introduce a wider audience to the sounds which had been tearing up the London underground. "Grime. Sublow. Dubstep... It's Music. Different people call it different things depending on when they discovered it." But Jon E Cash's sound was rooted in more than the UK garage that had dominated the clubs through the late 90s, reaching way back to his pre-teen days when the first waves of hip-hop culture crossed the Atlantic and broke in the UK.

25 years on, it's a fine time to reflect on the impact of the music Cash made at the turn of the millennium. History looks back favourably on what he and the Black Ops crew were doing with sublow in the early 00s. The timing meant it ran in parallel with what was happening over East with Pay As U Go, Roll Deep et al, and of course there was crossover. Every DJ and every MC was on the hunt for the best beats they could find. But there's a whole different swagger to sublow — a different web of influences, a different intention and so a different outcome. It's still there in the beats Cash is making more than 20 years later — his 3dom Music label is carrying upfront productions with that sublow DNA coursing through their veins. Whatever the beat or the tempo, the drums are still hard as nails, and the bass is tuned for maximum rave damage.

Ariane Bonzini is a French singer-songwriter who is gradually establishing herself as one of the unique voices of the new French-speaking alternative scene. Her first notable project, Magenta, lays the foundations for a deeply personal universe: atmospheric RnB, tinged with sensitive pop, where the softness of her voice meets a refined, cinematic production. With this project, Ariane attracted attention thanks to an authentic sound identity, far removed from the codes usually associated with the genre.