quête:j man

The new recording of The Book of Sounds is an intimate exploration of the piano by pianist Carlos Cipa - a way of looking into the sound, of listening into the moment when Cipa's fingers press down on the piano keys. The Book of Sounds, composed between 1979 and 1982 by composer and pianist Hans Otte, is a musical pendulum movement of one hour in twelve 'pieces', as the composer himself describes them. Chords and melodies repeat themselves, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly; they follow each other in harmonic cadences and yet never dissolve - a timeless back and forth.
The Book of Sounds is the European-German answer to the concert music of American minimalism. But it is also the essence of many questions about society and the human condition at that time. Inspired by Zen Buddhism, Otte was convinced that a return to simplicity, to the unagitated - a piano, harmonic cadences, a middle register - frees the listener to focus on what is really important in art: the human being. Introspection begins with listening. Seldom have simple chords and melodies been so selectively staged. It is a process of endless reduction - no wild sound dramaturgies, no climaxes, hardly any beginning or end. The interpreting pianist simply prepares a tableaux of perception for the listener. Cipa naturally sets accents; he recorded the 12 pieces on three different pianos - a Steinway grand piano, a Yamaha piano, and a Yamaha CP-70, an early electric piano - to help shape the tonal characteristics.
Carlos Cipa hits the nerve of the times with this new recording. What music can be as art is still up for debate today. The Book of Sounds is not 'art-proof' and in this it is still a provocation today; absolutely unspectacular and practising relaxation. It is a wonderful invitation to feel, experience, and perhaps even find oneself in the confrontation with the work - and for a moment not to fuel the discourse. Cipa, who otherwise appears as a composer himself, here carries out Otte's intended gesture of withdrawal in a double sense and steps into the background as creator but also interpreter, in order to bequeath The Book of Sounds to the loudspeakers and headphones at home in one step forward.

Ryan Kaiser hat sich mit seinem verträumten, sonnendurchfluteten Polaroid-Pop als Yot Club einen Namen gemacht. Nun liegt eine Nachauflage des limitierten pinkgrünen Vinyls von 2022 mit den beiden frühen EPs "Bipolar" und "Nature Machine" vor, darunter mit Yot Clubs Multimillionen-Streaminghit "YKWIM?".

Michael Bublé's 2007 album will be available on limited edition Cobalt Blue colour vinyl. With its finger-snapping big band arrangements, the album has its share of homage to Frank and Dino while being decidedly contemporary. Includes stylistically adventurous versions of songs by Eric Clapton, Leonard Cohen, and Willie Nelson as well as an original song by Bublé called "Everything.”

The very first (and long overdue) career-spanning retrospective from Soul music legend P.P. Arnold • A 57 song 3CD set, or 25 song 2LP set featuring singles, album tracks, demos, and previously unreleased songs • A stylishly packaged collection with new sleeve notes by author Jude Rogers • A companion piece to P.P. Arnold's critically acclaimed autobiography Soul Survivor The term "well-established" might be appropriate for some artists but it barely begins to cover the career of the phenomenal P.P. Arnold, whose records and performances are now in their seventh decade.

Her consistently excellent music covers multiple genres, her high-profile admirers and collaborators are plentiful, and yet 'Soul Survivor - A Life In Song' is the first collection dedicated to this extraordinary body of work. Compiled by the artist, 'Soul Survivor - A Life In Song' is being released on a 57 song 3CD set, and 25 song 2LP set, both formats housed in an eye-catching sleeve created by photographer (and close friend) Gered Mankowitz, with extensive new sleeve notes by author Jude Rogers.

Alongside key singles and album tracks it includes previously unreleased recordings, demo versions, live performances, and some rare mixes that are being reissued for the very first time. From her early days at Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label (where she "became one of us", according to Andrew) her allies, associates, and working partners have included the Small Faces, Cat Stevens, Mick Jagger, Barry Gibb, Eric Clapton, Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Blockheads' Chaz Jankel, Roger Waters, Ocean Colour Scene, The Blow Monkeys' Dr. Robert, and Paul Weller. In 2022 P.P. Arnold told her extraordinary life story in her critically acclaimed autobiography Soul Survivor (Mojo magazine called it "a jaw-dropping memoir"); now that book has the soundtrack that it deserves.

Kyle Falconer, prämierter Songwriter und Kopf der schottischen Indieband The View, bringt auf "The One I Love The Most" neue Acoustic-Versionen von Songs aus dem umfangreichen The View- und Solokatalog aus fast zwei Jahrzehnten (vom No.1 Debütalbum "Hats Off To The Buskers" (2007) bis zum Top-10-Comebackalbum "Exorcism Of Youth" (2023)), die alle nach Frauen benannt sind. Immer schon von der weiblichen Muse inspiriert, erzählt Kyle von guten Zeiten der Liebe und Lust, von schlechten Zeiten der Reue und des Kummers, von überlebensgrossen Charakteren ("Madonna") und fiktiver Verspieltheit. Bei dem ansonsten reduzierten "Lucy" fügt Rapper PROSE aus Manchester seine messerscharfen Reime hinzu.

Canada’s answer to Metallica? The Eddie Van Halen of thrash metal? Both these terms could have easily applied to Annihilator and its mastermind, lead guitarist and songwriter Jeff Waters. A fan of both speed metal and classic rock, the Canadian emphasized a flair for both. The fresh invention of Waters’ guitar work was a major reason why Annihilator got off to a promising start and have survived to the present, with a dozen or more albums under their belts.

THE BEST OF ANNIHILATOR compiles cuts from the band’s first three studio albums, a rarities collection, and a live disc, all of which emerged on Roadrunner between 1989 and 1996.

There have been many records in the years since, as Annihilator has continued to be one of the few bands to fly the flag for the classic thrash metal sound, earning themselves a devoted following and a regular spot on the European concert and festival circuit. THE BEST OF ANNIHILATOR takes the listener back to the early days of that sound, which stands up to anything else of it’s time - and even most metal today.

Two albums filled with the best that this band has to offer and for the first time available on vinyl.
Best Of Annihilator is available as limited numbered edition of 1500 copies on silver coloured vinyl

Standard weight white vinyl remastered from the original tapes, restoring the original album on vinyl for the first time since 1995, including its original artwork. Includes download code.

In 1991, four kids from the suburbs of Chicago, IL formed Cap’n Jazz, arguably one of the most influential rock bands of the last 30 years. Those kids, brothers Tim & Mike Kinsella, Victor Villarreal, and Sam Zurick, were joined by Davey von Bohlen in 1994 and recorded their only full-length album before calling it quits - Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We’ve Slipped on, and Egg Shells We’ve Tippy Toed Over - often referred to as Shmap’n Shmazz. Originally released on the Man With Gun label, the album quickly fell out of print after the band’s breakup, with the songs eventually making their way to the Analphabetapolothology compilation, released in 1998 via Jade Tree Records.

As a testament to this legendary debut, Polyvinyl is thrilled to announce the vinyl reissue of Shmap’n Shmazz, which has been remastered from the original tapes - restoring the original album on vinyl for the first time since 1995, including its original artwork. With the unmatched intensity heard in the opening track, “Little League,” coupled with eccentrically poetic lyrics, this iconic album has influenced countless artists since its release and unintentionally sparked a new genre. Pitchfork calls the album “a touchstone of Midwestern emo,” while Vulture placed “Little League” at #3 on their 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time list. Musician Devendra Banhart has also expressed his love for the band in a 2017 Joan of Arc documentary, describing Tim’s powerfully striking vocals like "going to the zoo on quaaludes, but all the other animals are on speed."

In addition to the band’s influential legacy, Cap’n Jazz was the catalyst to the formation of other notable bands featuring the original members, including American Football, Joan of Arc, The Promise Ring, Owls, Owen, Make Believe, Ghosts and Vodka and many more.

Mit dem neuen Gitarristen Antonio 'Yogi' Pettinato schöpft der furchterregende Fünfer aus namhaften Einflüssen wie Judas Priest, Riot und Crimson Glory. „Wir sind stark von der Musik der 80er Jahre inspiriert, einschließlich der Glam-Ära. Obwohl unser Aussehen unverkennbar Glam ist, sollte man sich davon nicht täuschen lassen ... unsere Songs sind hart und laut“, sagt Gitarrist Joel Dominguez. Saber haben sich schnell an die Spitze der
NWOTHM-Szene gespielt, indem sie traditionellen Heavy Metal auf eine neue Art und Weise spielen.

"This album is a superb collection of Frank and friends from a part of Frank’s career that’s long been underrated. Here, Sinatra scales the jazz summit with Louis Armstrong on “Birth Of The Blues” and does three electrifying collaborations with one of his favorites, Ella Fitzgerald. Ella’s voice is at her best in each. Rival Elvis Presley gets the Chairman’s respect on a wonderfully playful meeting-of-the-icons medley of “Witchcraft”/”Love Me Tender.” The tunes are bright and lively and many benefit from Nelson Riddle’s arranging genius. Frank and Dean are great, improvising and playing off one another as always. But wait until you hear “Together” in which Bing joins Dino and Frank for a happy, hilarious threesome.

The debut full-length album from Los Angeles duo Cash & Skye, following their successful 7” No More Candy (Third Man Records) in 2021. This alluring infusion of Americana and Rock and Roll, executed with a punk-rock ethos, documents the 7 year musical journey of songwriters Henri Cash and Sophia Skye de Reeder, and features players from Cash’s prolific and beloved band, Starcrawler.

Berlin based producer CONCEPTUAL is back home after his Not an easy one Ep, again providing his own vision on techno, full of sonic landscapes, detail and intelligence.

Release starts with Approach slowly a brief atmospheric intro that sets the pace for what comes next in Il silenzio degli innocenti introducing the rhythmic pulse from the first bar with almost all elements into he equation, this is a minimalistic tool where percussive elements evolve in a subtle manner all over the arrangement.

No more excuses continues in the mood, adding more spice to the formula with reverberated details, growing mental sequences and the usual complex groove. Intense and mental all in one.

Sand fury follows, with atmospheres colliding with rugged components, evolving all together in a progressive arrangement, a superb tool to enhance your mixes properly.

Miles per hour introduces you into another sonic realm, using elastic synth lines, a wise reverb work and a sensation of infinite space combined with floor intensity. Again a proper intelligent missile for the adequate dancefloors out there.

Simone Scardino is one of those few creators that always pushes his sound one step further and we are super proud to have him onboard again.

Bursting forth from the darkness of this pre-apocalyptic winter comes 'The Cabanists', the first release of an improvisational project of the same name, comprising three members of the UK's seminal avant-rock band, Nøught. Garnering a cult following since their initial self-titled debut, Nøught became known in the London experimental underground for their tightly orchestrated yet highly complex compositions, ranging from heavy atonal riffage to mesmerizing and hypnotic meditations. 'The Cabanists' builds on Nøught's musical language and are a boundary-pushing trio fusing intricate guitar riffs, dynamic keyboard textures and explosive percussion into a sound that defies convention. Featuring James Sedwards on guitar (most recently known for his involvement with the Thurston Moore Group and This Is Not This Heat), Luke Barlow on keyboards (who co-runs Copepod Records with musician Alex Ward) and Bo Mapper on drums, the band recorded their groundbreaking material during an extended session at London's Lonely Man Studio, marking a defining moment in their musical journey.

With influences spanning progressive rock, experimental jazz and post-punk energy, The Cabanists weave a sonic tapestry that is as cerebral as it is visceral. They challenge standard rock and jazz norms while crafting deeply resonant soundscapes, inviting listeners into a thrilling journey of sound and intense emotion.

Prepare to lose yourself in the intricate chaos and undeniable groove of 'The Cabanists' - where every note is a revelation.

Koldbrann's 4th album black vinyl repress. After an almost decade-long period of dwelling in the shadows, Koldbrann returned with a series of select festival appearances in 2022/23, premiering new material and proving that they're still full of cold grimness and misanthropy, and completely void of compromise. After last year's 2-track 7" single "Den 6. Massedod (Manna fra en annen himmel)", their long-awaited 4th album "Ingen Skånsel" is ready to be unleashed - and Koldbrann is sounding rawer, harsher and better than ever. Even though deeply rooted in the True Norwegian Black Metal tradition, Koldbrann has carved out their own sound within the genre confines and it sounds fresh, raw and different. There's a fierce nerve running through the album, and the songs stand out from today's typical black metal sounds. You can feel the aggression throughout the whole album. "Ingen Skånsel" is one of the most interesting, aggressive and fierce Norwegian black metal albums in modern times!

Maud the moth, the solo project of Spanish-born and Scotland-based pianist, singer and songwriter Amaya Lopez-Carromero announces her new album, The Distaff, to be released via The Larvarium (digital +CD) and La Rubia Producciones (vinyl) Amaya has long used the mantle of Maud the moth as an alter-ego, a séance-like conduit to explore themes of rootlessness, identity and trauma. The Distaff in particular refers to the stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning, and an object which has historically been used across multiple cultures as a symbol wielded by the “virtuous woman”, an authoritarian ideal around which much of the trauma surrounding the feminine coalesces. The album takes the form of a sort of self reflective and surreal autobiography. It was in part inspired by the poem of the same name written by the Greek poet Erinna, as she mourns her friend's loss of individuality and agency in exchange for marriage - and therefore safety and acceptance in the eyes of society. The album exists in an ethereal but violent world of aesthetic overlaps where time stands still and fictional and reimagined folk sits at the table with Maud the moth’s usual sonic menagerie. It is the result of a lifetime of obsession with sound and music, where glimpses of musical genre offer insight into Amaya’s artistic interests and her participation in the underground European scene for many years, in bands such as healthyliving. Heavier, darker, and more exposed than any of her previous works it features some highly accomplished artists, such as Seb Rochford (Patti Smith, Polar Bear, Sons of Kemet, Pulled by magnets, etc.) on drums, Alison Chesley (Helen Money) on cello, Fay Guiffo on violin and Scott McLean (Ashenspire, healthyliving, Falloch) on guitar, saxophone and synthesiser. Maud the moth shares the video for "Siphonophores". About the track, Maud the moth says; I wrote "Siphonophores" on guitar, during the first lockdown, a period where I was kind of trapped between an almost empty flat in Edinburgh and Dresden. It was an incredibly harrowing time, but also one of hope and where important new things were being birthed. I felt incredibly sensitive to everything, almost like life was happening in slow motion. I´m not a confident guitarist since I am completely self-taught, but, probably because of this, I feel that this instrument allows me to focus on aspects of the songwriting that I normally overlook when writing on piano, and I think it was a necessary step for this song to exist. Something else which I've been really exploiting lately and features strongly in the album is the percussive capabilities of the piano, and in particular, of the sustain pedal when mic'd up. This can be heard very clearly at the beginning of "Siphonophores". Written and arranged by Amaya, with some contributions in the later role from the aforementioned collaborators, the album presents nine tracks originally written entirely on acoustic piano as accompanied voice pieces, in pure singer-songwriter fashion. The album was co-produced and recorded by Scott and Amaya in different studios across the UK between January and July of 2024, in a process that started shortly after the 2020 pandemic and finished alongside the album recordings in a detailed, organic and at times obsessive process aimed primarily at capturing the natural dynamics and expression of free performance. The Distaff was mixed in its entirety by Scott and mastered at Abbey Road by Alex Wharton (Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Aurora, Kathryn Joseph etc.) Despite being born of a very personal point of view, the album lacks a specific narrator and was conceived almost as a sonic trousseau, where the needle point, silks and other family heirlooms have been swapped for out-of-the-corner-of-the-eye memories of rural Spain by the vineyards, family disputes, old tales of wartime pains, generational breaches and finally the conflict of migration and estrangement. The songs paint dystopian pastoral scenes which evolve throughout the span of one fictional day outside of time and coherent locations and where imagination (often the only account surviving from traumatic events and gaslighting) has become indistinguishable from fact. The Distaff attempts to acknowledge past trauma, comprehend and process some of the more difficult aspects which have contributed to our darker self and offer closure and solace through creative catharsis.

Maud the moth, the solo project of Spanish-born and Scotland-based pianist, singer and songwriter Amaya Lopez-Carromero announces her new album, The Distaff, to be released via The Larvarium (digital +CD) and La Rubia Producciones (vinyl) Amaya has long used the mantle of Maud the moth as an alter-ego, a séance-like conduit to explore themes of rootlessness, identity and trauma. The Distaff in particular refers to the stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning, and an object which has historically been used across multiple cultures as a symbol wielded by the “virtuous woman”, an authoritarian ideal around which much of the trauma surrounding the feminine coalesces. The album takes the form of a sort of self reflective and surreal autobiography. It was in part inspired by the poem of the same name written by the Greek poet Erinna, as she mourns her friend's loss of individuality and agency in exchange for marriage - and therefore safety and acceptance in the eyes of society. The album exists in an ethereal but violent world of aesthetic overlaps where time stands still and fictional and reimagined folk sits at the table with Maud the moth’s usual sonic menagerie. It is the result of a lifetime of obsession with sound and music, where glimpses of musical genre offer insight into Amaya’s artistic interests and her participation in the underground European scene for many years, in bands such as healthyliving. Heavier, darker, and more exposed than any of her previous works it features some highly accomplished artists, such as Seb Rochford (Patti Smith, Polar Bear, Sons of Kemet, Pulled by magnets, etc.) on drums, Alison Chesley (Helen Money) on cello, Fay Guiffo on violin and Scott McLean (Ashenspire, healthyliving, Falloch) on guitar, saxophone and synthesiser. Maud the moth shares the video for "Siphonophores". About the track, Maud the moth says; I wrote "Siphonophores" on guitar, during the first lockdown, a period where I was kind of trapped between an almost empty flat in Edinburgh and Dresden. It was an incredibly harrowing time, but also one of hope and where important new things were being birthed. I felt incredibly sensitive to everything, almost like life was happening in slow motion. I´m not a confident guitarist since I am completely self-taught, but, probably because of this, I feel that this instrument allows me to focus on aspects of the songwriting that I normally overlook when writing on piano, and I think it was a necessary step for this song to exist. Something else which I've been really exploiting lately and features strongly in the album is the percussive capabilities of the piano, and in particular, of the sustain pedal when mic'd up. This can be heard very clearly at the beginning of "Siphonophores". Written and arranged by Amaya, with some contributions in the later role from the aforementioned collaborators, the album presents nine tracks originally written entirely on acoustic piano as accompanied voice pieces, in pure singer-songwriter fashion. The album was co-produced and recorded by Scott and Amaya in different studios across the UK between January and July of 2024, in a process that started shortly after the 2020 pandemic and finished alongside the album recordings in a detailed, organic and at times obsessive process aimed primarily at capturing the natural dynamics and expression of free performance. The Distaff was mixed in its entirety by Scott and mastered at Abbey Road by Alex Wharton (Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Aurora, Kathryn Joseph etc.) Despite being born of a very personal point of view, the album lacks a specific narrator and was conceived almost as a sonic trousseau, where the needle point, silks and other family heirlooms have been swapped for out-of-the-corner-of-the-eye memories of rural Spain by the vineyards, family disputes, old tales of wartime pains, generational breaches and finally the conflict of migration and estrangement. The songs paint dystopian pastoral scenes which evolve throughout the span of one fictional day outside of time and coherent locations and where imagination (often the only account surviving from traumatic events and gaslighting) has become indistinguishable from fact. The Distaff attempts to acknowledge past trauma, comprehend and process some of the more difficult aspects which have contributed to our darker self and offer closure and solace through creative catharsis.

Independent and Double Platinum ARIA-certified artist Ziggy Alberts' eagerly anticipated seventh studio record, New Love, set for release in February 2025, captures the essence of personal growth, reflection and adventure in a year defined by Alberts' return to the road. Written during his 2023 Rewind World Tour and completed in the beautiful Australian town of the Northern Rivers, this album is a return to simplicity, embracing magic and adventure amid life's chaos. With anthemic songs made for the stage and a deep, cohesive narrative, New Love stands as a spiritual sequel to Albert's 2018 album, Laps Around The Sun. Co-produced with Garrett Kato, the new record embraces the warmth of acoustic folk on Side A and the raw energy of rock and country on Side B. New Love is a testament to growth and resilience, choosing joy and doing good, and letting life's journey guide you back to the simple, meaningful moments. As part of the Artists’ commitment to sustainability, all physical albums are produced on 100% Recycled Stock. Main/Standard LPs use Eco-Mix Coloured Vinyls - which are created using recycled offcuts and colours from previous records. Where possible with manufacturers, environmentally conscious alternatives to plastic shrink-wrap will be used. A comprehensive global marketing campaign is in place to drive awareness from its announcement, on the 18th of September.

Mother’s Spiritual is the eighth studio album by New York City-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro. The album was originally released at the beginning of 1984, following a year of difficult and expensive recording sessions, and came more than five years after its well-received predecessor, 1978’s Nested. Thanks to a small buzz surrounding Nyro’s return to the spotlight after a period of semi-retirement, Mother’s Spiritual became her last US chart entry, reaching #182 on the Billboard 200.

Musically, the album stands out as the most serene and easygoing of all Nyro’s works, presenting a more maternal tone compared to the wilder and more experimental nature of albums like Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry. Thematically, the focus shifts from personal explorations of passion and love to broader societal concerns, such as environmentalism, motherhood, and feminism. Laura Nyro was Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

Johnny and Edgar Winter - Together: Live (1976) is the first ever album featuring both brothers, Johnny Winter (guitar, vocals) and Edgar Winter (saxophone, vocals). Released just three months after Johnny Winter’s Captured Live!, it is composed entirely of rock and roll and soul standards. This album is a chance to hear The Edgar Winter Group (Edgar on saxophone, Rick Derringer on guitar, Dan Hartman on piano and Chuck Ruff on drums) playing with Johnny Winter’s band (Johnny and Floyd Radford on guitar, Randy Jo Hobbs on bass and Richard Hughes on drums) together on a same stage. The album was live recorded at San Diego Sports Arena and Swing Auditorium.

This MOV release comes as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on white marbled coloured vinyl.

Erstmals ist Suicide Commando’s berüchtigtes Album “Critical Stage” nun auch auf Vinyl erhältlich!

Erlebe den rohen, bahnbrechenden Industrial Sound, mit dem alles begonnen hat, noch einmal ganz neu: Jetzt mit der Tiefe und Wärme, die nur Vinyl erzeugen kann. Diese Limited Edition gehört in die Sammlung eines jeden Suicide Commando Fans. Also, nicht warten, sichere Dir jetzt Deine “Critical Stage” Vinyl und damit Dein eigenes Stück EBM-Geschichte!

High Roller Records, reissue 2025, 180g black vinyl, ltd 500, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, specially mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony

Wrekmeister Harmonies, the duo of JR Robinson and Esther Shaw, are sonic shape shifters with expansive ideas. From special performances to collaborations the band have worked with David Yow (Jesus Lizard) Ryley Walker, Ken Vandermark, Bruce Lamont, Mark Solotroff, Sanford Parker, Jamie Fennely (Mind Over Mirrors), The Body, Mary Lattimore, Olivia Block, Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Chris Brokaw, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Thor Harris (Swans). Inspired by artists such as Glenn Branca, Rhys Chatham, and Lou Reed, the duo approach each album as a new sonic adventure. Flowers in the Spring was born of deep, careful listening as much as composing. It explores music as a meditative practice with a focus on microtonal shifts and intersectional overtones. Robinson explains: "It"s the subtle movements within and without, the fine threads of sound, loud or quiet, interior or exterior that become valuable." Limiting himself to just four mixer channels on each piece; precisely layering guitar and electronics, intently listening and manipulating either the intensity or the duration of each loop to yield unexpected interactions, moments of beauty as well as dissonance. "Flowers in Spring" emerges from fizzing distortion, hewing monolithic slabs of drone from the rock face while electronics push through fissures. "Fuck the Pigs" uses layers of noise as it metaphorically shifts into the depths of winter, arctic winds howling while the guitar scars like frost across a windowpane. In contrast "A Shepherd Stares Into the Sun" is pure light and heat, overwhelming in its sheer celestial enormity. "Flowers Variation" was born of nature"s microscopic subterranean movements in its primordial gloom and buzzing synth pads. Each track holds multitudes of micro sonic details coming together to form the album"s expansive ecosystem.

Radioactive Toys aus Köln spielen einen schnellen Punkrock/Hardcore a la "Poison Idea". Es wird geknüppelt, aber auch gerockt. Erscheint auf dem Hamburger Label Rookie Records.

180 Gram Vinyl Melina Paxinos is a composer and saxophonist (soprano and alto) and dedicates her album "Time", to the now state of time, because time is the most precious thing we have. Here, modern Jazz meets Mediterranean flair, creating a small journey through time with the help of her expressive melodies. The band Melina Paxinos Quartet plays together since 2018 and consists of Melina Paxinos (bandleader, sax, comp.), Yiannis Papadopoulos (piano), Ntinos Manos (bass) and Dimitris Klonis (drums). As a guest musician this time she invited Andreas Polyzogopoulos, who with his lyrical playing, accompanies the band with his trumpet and flugelhorn. The last song on her album "Ta Matoklada sou Lampoun" is a composition by one of the most famous Greek rebetiko musicians Markos Vamvakaris (1905-1972), which Melina rearranged for her album, thus bringing the past, that is the cultural heritage, into the present.

180g, blue marbled vinyl. Melina Paxinos is a composer and saxophonist (soprano and alto) and dedicates her album "Time", to the now state of time, because time is the most precious thing we have. Here, modern Jazz meets Mediterranean flair, creating a small journey through time with the help of her expressive melodies. The band Melina Paxinos Quartet plays together since 2018 and consists of Melina Paxinos (bandleader, sax, comp.), Yiannis Papadopoulos (piano), Ntinos Manos (bass) and Dimitris Klonis (drums). As a guest musician this time she invited Andreas Polyzogopoulos, who with his lyrical playing, accompanies the band with his trumpet and flugelhorn. The last song on her album "Ta Matoklada sou Lampoun" is a composition by one of the most famous Greek rebetiko musicians Markos Vamvakaris (1905-1972), which Melina rearranged for her album, thus bringing the past, that is the cultural heritage, into the present.

Wrekmeister Harmonies, the duo of JR Robinson and Esther Shaw, are sonic shape shifters with expansive ideas. From special performances to collaborations the band have worked with David Yow (Jesus Lizard) Ryley Walker, Ken Vandermark, Bruce Lamont, Mark Solotroff, Sanford Parker, Jamie Fennely (Mind Over Mirrors), The Body, Mary Lattimore, Olivia Block, Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Chris Brokaw, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Thor Harris (Swans). Inspired by artists such as Glenn Branca, Rhys Chatham, and Lou Reed, the duo approach each album as a new sonic adventure. Flowers in the Spring was born of deep, careful listening as much as composing. It explores music as a meditative practice with a focus on microtonal shifts and intersectional overtones. Robinson explains: "It"s the subtle movements within and without, the fine threads of sound, loud or quiet, interior or exterior that become valuable." Limiting himself to just four mixer channels on each piece; precisely layering guitar and electronics, intently listening and manipulating either the intensity or the duration of each loop to yield unexpected interactions, moments of beauty as well as dissonance. "Flowers in Spring" emerges from fizzing distortion, hewing monolithic slabs of drone from the rock face while electronics push through fissures. "Fuck the Pigs" uses layers of noise as it metaphorically shifts into the depths of winter, arctic winds howling while the guitar scars like frost across a windowpane. In contrast "A Shepherd Stares Into the Sun" is pure light and heat, overwhelming in its sheer celestial enormity. "Flowers Variation" was born of nature"s microscopic subterranean movements in its primordial gloom and buzzing synth pads. Each track holds multitudes of micro sonic details coming together to form the album"s expansive ecosystem.

First vinyl edition of Carme López’ debut album of entrancing bagpipe arrangements. Unravelling forms of early music and funereal, queered droneworks full of strange tonalities, phased harmonics and curious subversions.

Carme López is a researcher and teacher of traditional Galician oral music, and ‘Quintela’ features her debut recordings for the Galician bagpipe, split into four longform movements totalling 40 minutes of supremely engrossing drone flourishes. Misunderstood by many, the bagpipe is here brought into the experimental realm as a form of decontextualisation, fashioning the instrument’s naturally peculiar timbres into soft, wavering tones.

Despite its unusual resonance, in López's hands the bagpipe almost becomes a pipe organ, producing long, swaying, sustained tones that highlight the instrument's complex timbral qualities. López plays with its breathy overtones, placing microphones on the bag itself to pick up residual sounds while she sculpts its squeals into cavernous siren calls, and then extracting half-rhythms from its reeds on the elegiac closer 'iv: CACHELOS. a César De Farbán'.

The instrument’s inherent wheezing and anomalous timbre lend the recordings a wavering foundation that feels designed to unsettle, but somehow becomes nothing short of entrancing through almost imperceptible harmonic shifts and odd tunings. It’s meditative music that requires active participation, focussed listening - so as to make sense of all the infinitesimal shifts and faults - in a way that feels unique to this most maligned, misunderstood, almost mystical instrument.

Rich Oddie (Orphx) and Dave Foster (Huren/Teste) reunite for their electronic-industrial punk project, O/H.
NO CONTACT LP - is a live compilation that captures the raw energy of their performances between 2011 and 2019. This intense anthology distills the essence of their sound: noise driven electronic power, relentless rhythms, and obsessive vocals. For the first time, this fury is preserved on a double vinyl with a special edition.
Fosters gritty vocals clash with Oddies dark sound
manipulations, reflecting a world on the edge of collapse a bleak view of modern civilization embodied in their
uncompromising music.

Let's dive into the third act of the KR3 Fifth Anniversary
celebration

It's been a long (and fun) time but finally Ari Bald & CJ Scott are getting the international recognition they deserve, after years of meticulously crafting their own brand of pure, guilt-free, locally sourced house music, through regular releases on a
string of illustrious underground labels and, more recently, two striking EPs on their hometown label Studio Barnhus outta Stockholm, Sweden.
On the dynamic duo's new Studio Barnhus release Humble Jumble, cheekiness levels and BPM counts are pushed to their limits, with ingenious sample choices and floor-friendly arrangements spread across two slabs of DJ-optimised vinyl, arriving on February 7 2025. Comes in yellow, red and green sleeves. Stamped and numbered by the artists themselves. Limited edition of 300 copies.

parabrutality was composed over the course of three days, featuring vocals from Æthereal Arthropod and production from bod 包家巷.
parabrutality is defined exactly as the word's construction delineates.

the work should be considered a mantic instrument for knowledgeable and careful usage.
the artwork is derived from a photo of a tattoo given by Æthereal Arthropod to bod [包家巷] and a stone carving made in prehistory.

all track titles are encoded to a key that will only be disclosed (in addition to the source of the stone carving) in exchange for a private transfer of one thousand euros or more to paypal.me/baojiaxiang

Briefly available on a 12" Island single in the UK to promote Bunny's 'Black Heart Man' album but this is the first time it has been coupled with the awesome Sylvan Morris and Karl Pitterson mixed dub version that first appeared on Bunny's criminally neglected 'Dub D'sco' album. Here we have a totally different mix demonstrating the strength and ability of this authoritative rhythm to take any amount of interpretations. 'Amagideon' was also versioned by Augustus Pablo for his seven inch Message release 'Pablo's Armageddon'.

Amsterdam-based keyboardist, producer, arranger and DJ Soul Supreme reached out to NYC drummer Jay Mumford in 2021 to lay the down groove on his re-imagining of Q-Tip and J-Dilla's "Let's Ride". That paved the way for future collaborations: a cover of A Tribe Called Quest's "Award Tour (We Gettin' Down)" and two tunes on Soul Supreme's Poetic Justice LP. But when the pair began doing brief covers of their favorite funk, jazz and hip-hop tunes on Instagram just for fun, followers of both musicians - and often, the covered artists themselves - began to take note. Two of those 20+ covers were particularly well-received, and the duo decided to answer the peoples' call for a 7" release with the songs pushed to their full potential. Similar to "Award Tour" and "Let's Ride", a hip-hop classic and a fan favorite are pushed to their full potential here. This installment goes coast to coast and explores Digable Planets' "9th Wonder" (the "East" side) and People Under the Stairs' (PUTS) "Crown Ones" (the "West" side).

The iconic synth intro of "9th Wonder" makes way for Jay's thunderous ode to a slowed down Clyde Stubblefield groove. Sure to be a favorite with DJs, Jay eventually detours into a syncopated New Orleans funk break, before getting back to the groove for Soul Supreme's funky wah wah clavinet work. Throughout, the arrangement expands beyond both that of the original and all of its DNA. The addition of cascading horns (featuring a trumpet solo by Lourens van der Zwaag) and a second, more aggressive break from Jay bring it back full circle, completing a modern update of a classic that manages to pay homage to '70s jazz-funk, breakbeats and '90s hip-hop - all while staying both modern and raw.

Diehard PUTS fans will recognize Soul Supreme's catchy Rhodes line as soon as the needle drops, but Jay's heavy funk groove quickly separates it from the original and takes it from hip-hop cover to heavy funk tune. Soul Supreme's Rhodes solo pushes it far beyond the confines of instrumental funk as the groove intensifies, while his chops as an arranger are on full display: his horn parts - featuring van der Zwaag, trombonist Olav Schloorlemmer and Job Chajes' Contra-Alto Clarinet that channels The Headhunters - counter his synth melodies in a discussion that completes the record as a heavy slice of uncut jazz-funk.

Album features and was co-produced by Joseph Shabason. String arrangements by Owen Pallett. Thom Gill has written songs for Chaka Khan, in addition to contributing to albums by The Mountain Goats, Owen Pallett, Joseph Shabason, Bernice, and many others. Way Through is a collaborative album by Toronto musicians Chris Cummings, Joseph Shabason, and Thom Gill (as Cici Arthur). Inspired by moments of discovery in familiar places, the album's title reflects the feeling of uncovering hidden paths in life. Musically, it blends mid-century influences like Jobim and Sinatra, with producer-instrumentalists Shabason and Gill crafting lush, expansive soundscapes. Featuring a 30-piece orchestra led by Owen Pallett, the album brings a grand scale to Cummings' intimate, reflective lyrics. The project began in 2020 when Cummings lost his job and turned to full-time music for the first time in his life. His collaborators tailored the arrangements to showcase his understated vocal delivery against sweeping orchestral backdrops. Songs like 'Cartwheels for Coins' and 'Prior Times' explore themes of regret and emotional complexity, contrasting the grandeur of the music with Cummings' quiet introspection. Tracks like 'Damaged Goods' provide upbeat moments with doo-wop harmonies, while the cinematic closer 'No Fight Or Flight' emphasizes the filmic quality of the album. Through its orchestral richness and deeply personal lyrics, Way Through captures the tension between ambition and realism, offering a poignant reflection on life's unpredictable journey

Bunny Wailer, respectfully called "The Blackheart Man", produced Johnny Scar's one-off recording 'United Africa'. The mystic singer wrote this heavy roots song and sang in his unique chant with a stylistic nod to the roots reggae icon, Burning Spear. The song appeared as 12"on the Solomonic Production imprint in 1986.

When Apollo Brown and Crimeapple connect, it’s like old film grain under a projector— gritty, timeless. This album isn’t just boom-bap nostalgia; it’s a rebirth of smoke-stained bars, where Crimeapple plays both poet and philosopher, flipping bilingual manteca rhymes with a chef’s precision, stirring up the street grime and serving it with a side of sharp wit. Apollo Brown, as always, builds his beats like ancient architecture—dusty, soulful, and heavy with forgotten stories. These tracks sound like the cracks in the sidewalk talking back, the perfect companion for long nights and even longer thoughts. It’s a sonic novel, a street sermon, and Crimeapple’s wordplay dances through it like grease sizzling in a pan, a reminder that even in decay, there’s beauty. This, Is Not That.

After 10 years, WOLF HALL returned our screens in 2024 bringing Hilary Mantel's epic saga to its grim conclusion in WOLF HALL: THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT. Directed by Peter Kosminsky, the six episodes tell the continuing story of Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance) and his complex relationship with Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) after the execution of Anne Boleyn,.

The new soundtrack reunites original Wolf Hall composer Debbie Wiseman with The Locrian Ensemble. Debbie Wiseman comments on her return to that world - "The distinctive sound of Wolf Hall is all about immediacy and being in the present with these characters. Drawing on elements from the original Wolf Hall score, new themes have been created for our soprano, Grace Davidson, our viola player, Philip Dukes, and our mandolin player and guitarist John Parricelli. It's been the most thrilling experience composing the score for this production."

Tradition shapes your work. For saxophonist and bandleader Shabaka Hutchings, that's something he's long understood. After years spent in the orbit of London's jazz circuit, he examines and reimagines his influences with a dexterity that's unique. Drawing out the vision underlying his new album, he says, I see energy as being a form of wisdom to be passed down through the ages.'

Unpicking the album's title, he continues, "When we study the music, the lives, the words of our master musicians we obtain a glimpse of that artist's essential energy source. This is the core vitality of the individual which leads them to utilise the musical specifics of their chosen genre in a way that mirrors their inner source of power. This is an intuited wisdom that's handed to us from the legacies of our elders.

The album is a document of sessions combining Hutchings with a group of South African jazz musicians he's long admired. His connection to the group was Mandla Mlangeni (bandleader of the Amandla Freedom Ensemble), whom he'd flown there to play with over the past few years. Recorded across just one day, the group drew on their South African lineage - heroes like Zim Ngquwana and Bheki Mseleku - to bring their own slant to the American jazz lineage which is reconfigured in Hutchings' compositions themselves.

Going beyond the jazz greats Hutchings cites, influences are drawn from plenty of other sources: Caribbean calypso, central African song structures and Southern African Nguni music all play a part. Bringing together those ideas with the contributions of his bandmates is, he explains, crucial to what he sees in the role of an album artist. Even though I wrote all the music, for me, the leader of the project isn't the person who writes all the music but the one who has a vision for how certain musical elements will be combined."

A regular sight on stages around London and beyond, playing - and often leading - groups like The Comet Is Coming, Sons of Kemet and Melt Yourself Down, he's part of a generation whose idea of jazz is pointedly unrefined. That's to say, Wisdom of the Elders comes from an artist interested in the indefinable gaps more than fitting into boxes.

DOVS are the duo of Vienna’s Johannes Auvinen, aka Tin Man, and Mexico City’s Gabo Barranco, aka AAAA. Psychic Geography is their second album together, but it differs considerably from both their respective solo work and their 2019 debut LP together, Silent Cities: Where that album’s hardware-based acid kept its gaze focused squarely on the dancefloor, Psychic Geography is a strictly ambient affair.

The album has its roots in a trio of beatless tracks that peppered Silent Cities; this time, the duo decided to try making an entire album with no drums. “It opened up the chance to make a different, more narrative style of music with more complex structures,” Auvinen says. Ambiguity and uncertainty are key watchwords for their music, which moves with eerie, liquid grace. Untethered from 4/4 kicks, their music drifts and morphs; familiar acid sequences give way to surprising shifts in tone and mood. And with no drums to distract the ear, the seeming simplicity of their silvery synth lines opens up to reveal remarkable depth and dynamism.

Barranco and Auvinen recorded the album together in the studio utilizing machines like the Roland TB-303, Juno G, Prophet 5, Elektron Octatrack MKII, Make Noise DPO and René, Mutable Clouds, Roland SH-101, Behringer TD3, and Sherman Filterbank. Listen on good speakers or headphones, and you can tell: Their gear yields a tonal richness that recalls the ambient and cosmic music of decades earlier. You can practically feel the heat from their circuits warming the air.

The meaning behind the name DOVS is as ambiguous as the duo’s music. (Dig, if you will, the picture of Picasso’s dove of peace—or, perhaps, the outline of a bird pressed into a small white pill.) But Psychic Geography needs little explanation. DOVS’ album is a collection of mental maps of imaginary places. Set your coordinates for the mirage on the horizon and prepare to dissolve.

Just in time for the lover’s season, The Altons deliver “Waiting” b/w “Teach Me to Forget You”- two brand new sides of sweet soul sublimity. “Waiting” the lead track off their forthcoming album Heartache in Room 14 is a moody, mid-tempo tune that creeps along with indubitable swing.

With lead vocals duties shared between Adriana Flores and Bryan Ponce, the interplay between their unique timbres brings a romantic quality to the music that is absent in many of today’s soul offerings. On the flip and exclusive to this 45 is “Teach Me to Forget You”, a feel-good mover that features the ever soulful Adriana on lead vocals. A must for soul DJs and enthusiasts alike!

There are very special records that achieve mythical status amongst collectors and vinyl diggers. THE SHARPEES GO ON AND LAUGH is top of that tree.

Welcome to the strange world of Nothern Soul…

The story began some years ago when legendary UK record dealer John Anderson discovered an acetate in Chicago with the record title GO ON AND LAUGH scrawled on it but no artist name.

He sold it to cutting edge Northern Soul DJ John Vincent who credited the track to THE JUST BROTHERS when playing out.

The acetate, by now popular amongst the Rare Soul cognoscenti, was traded back to John Anderson who passed it on to Mark Dobson, aka Butch. His DJ sets around the World made it an in-demand dance floor filler and a subject for many years of much conjecture as to the ID of the mystery artist who had recorded this masterpiece which was not just a one-off uber rarity but also the epitome of Nu-Northern Soul cool.

Fast forward to 2016 when USA record label Secret Stash gained access to 200 plus master tapes recorded in the 1960’s by the Windy City’s ONE-DER-FUL set up.

They were forwarded to UK Soul entrepreneur Mark Bicknell who to his amazement found GO ON AND LAUGH in the haul. And finally the whodunit mystery was over with the artist identified as THE SHARPEES, who far from being obscure unknowns aee fondly well known in Soul circles for their much loved DO THE 45 and TIRED OF BEING LONELY singles. Secret Stash promptly issued GO ON AND LAUGH in America but demand far outstripped simply and it quickly sold out with copies now fetching northwards of £150.

ANORAX - living up to its #eatsleepcollect mantra - have snapped up the rights and are delighted to issue it as a 500 run limited edition 7”.

GO ON AND LAUGH is coupled with the timeless classic TIRED OF BEING LONELY. It follows the release by ANORAX of gems from DRIZABONE, JAY. J Feat. BIG BROOKLYN RED and DON CARLOS