Buscar:j nat

As a start for our label, we gathered tracks from old and new friends of the crew that reflect the vibe of a Crème-style afterparty. “Various Crèmes” is all about the love for the culture, the people who live it, and endless vibing on this world’s dance floors. Much Love, CC

ISKRA is the debut album by Polish multi-instrumentalist and composer Olga Anna Markowska. Starting at “Dawn” and ending at “Dusk”, it is a journey of melancholic depth and true beauty filled with warm memories from what was & what could be.

Using zither, cello, electronics and occasional wordless voice, Olga weaves together something so affecting and under the skin beautiful that it is hard to shake, bringing to mind classics from artists like Jacaszek and William Basinski, or the films of Kieslowski. However, there’s a personal touch in her playing and compositions that stands out. Olga explains: “the cello pieces, in particular, were born from a desire to reconnect with the instrument I’ve known intimately since childhood. However, I had to step away from it for two years to gain perspective and find a fresh approach when I returned.” She continues : “ISKRA is an album about "ignition" — a gradual shift in how I think about music and a search for new values. It also marks the closing of a chapter, blending archival recordings with the dawn of new ideas.”

The album feels deeply personal from the first note, and bridges the difficult point between classical and ambient music in a truly natural way, leaving any typical tropes far off, instead demanding your full attention. Olga uses plenty of loops throughout, which together with the cello and zither builds a transcendent atmosphere. Standouts contain amongst others the stunning “Train Ride Home” - a 7 minute piece with zither as main focal point; “Fever Dream” - a plunge into warm static noise and deep plucks, as well as the beautiful “Helix”, which sounds like a washed out dream with its minimal tape loops and ambient vocal washes. Overall the album connects very well with Olga’s subjects of identity, memory of the places and human relations with nature. There is a deep humanity burrowed within these 40 minutes of music which feels immensely appropriate in these contemporary times.

ISKRA was recorded in different times and places from 2017 to 2022 and lands with perfection on Miasmah - connecting the dots from the early years while reaching into the stars.

Shooting Daggers are a band that never seems to stop. Sal, Bea and Raquel are one of the hardest working outfits out there, constantly playing shows and lending their support to myriad causes all around the U.K. and Europe. So, it’s always an exciting prospect when the band takes some time out from the maelstrom to write and record new material. And 2 years on from the release of their acclaimed debut album ‘Love & Rage’ the band have been in Bear Bites Horse Studio with Wayne Adams (Big Lad, Green Lung) at the controls to come up with the goods once again. ‘The Real Life Thing’ is the latest hardcore sonic missive from one of London’s must-see bands, and it absolutely does not disappoint. Shooting Daggers are the real deal; the best, and most exciting and adventurous hardcore-inspired band in the country. A ‘mini album‘. 7 songs and 20 minutes of driving rocket fuelled punk meets melody picking up from their debut to go further into their own space. A selection of songs that are marked by a fierce energy, variety and cool musical nous, but always with a message firmly at its core. The band says … ‘It's a crucial time to focus on what really matters. Be present, be aware of real things happening in the world, with integrity and love we can make a difference as a community. There is hope out there, and if we all start treating nature, people and animals with respect and empathy we will be able to become better humans and coexist. In this mini album, we express the full range of our emotions through various sounds and genres. From cheerfulness to anger and hopefulness.

From hardcore punk, to shoegaze, to post hardcore and riot grrrl. We embrace our authentic self, with sensitivity in response to injustice, we act out, and all the while savouring every moment, being unapologetically yourself, empowering ourselves and each other’. With the help of some very special guests in the form of ‘The Menstrual Cramps' and Dennis Lyxzén from Refused, that message is driven home ‘big time’. ‘Adrenaline’ is as full on and heavy as Daggers have ever been, all buzzsaw riffs and rousing vocals, it’s a smart and catchy punch in the face to kick off proceedings. ‘My Oh My’ sweetens the vibe if only a bit with its layered post shoegaze guitars and anthemic vocals, exquisitely arranged we may add. It really shows how Daggers have taken the 90’s elements from Love & Rage and expanded it into something all their own. ‘T.R.L.T.’ back to ‘in yer face’ Daggers trademark off kilter punk, chants, fast bit, slow bits all straight into your head. ‘We just Wanna Play’ is, as Daggers put it ... ‘Empowering playground song for girls and queers to sing and play’. The perfect intro to … ‘Loud Mouths’ the first track to feature bestie guesties ‘The Menstrual Cramps’. A riotous call to arms. We are united with our sisters and queer folks in punk and hardcore, queercore is strong and more alive than ever. Together we will denounce problematic behaviours unapologetically, we won't shut up. Things must change and it’s happening when problems are pointed out and sorted. The scene is for everybody, and we are making it happen’. ‘Le Soleil’ is another step forward … a left field, almost dubby vibe with a dreamy melodic swirling vocal performance from Sal.

When Daggers decide to step outside the box, they do it seductively in style. ‘Glow’ is the second collaboration; this one featuring Dennis Lyxzén from Refused on dual vocal duties. A no brainer it seems … ‘Refused has been a band that never wanted to fit in with a specific sound, they are pioneers of experimental punk while still being rooted in hardcore. They believe in what we believe in, antifascism, veganism, social justice and Dennis on stage is anything but a generic hardcore singer’. It’s a celebration. It’s fuzzy, it's hooky and it’s heavy with, dare we say it, a bit of My Bloody Valentine in there too, generic hardcore it is not. And that pretty much sums up ‘The Real Life Thing’. This album and this band are anything but ‘generic’. They never stand still and continue to push the boundaries of what is ‘hardcore’ or ‘punk’ or whatever people think they are. T.R.L.T. is a delight and a surprise from start to finish, refreshing, abrasive, melodic and with a true beating heart. Embrace it.

"I decided to just let myself go," Zzzahara says of their new record, 'Spiral Your Way Out' "I think I finally came to this acceptance that I don't have to be perfect. I want to be a good role model to my fans and stuff like that, but I also don't want to hide who I am." Zzzahara's music wades into the deep waters of love, lust, and self-discovery in a part of the world where artifice and authenticity co-exist. Emerging from the heart of LA's alternative music scene, their sound is raw in feeling and rebellious by nature.

Their 2022 debut album, Liminal Spaces, chronicles a coming- of- age in Highland Park, following painful childhood memories through to late- night, live- fast coping mechanisms, and the changes the neighbourhood has endured over the same period of time. Their 2023 follow- up, Tender, marked a period of slowing down, looking inward, and embracing a softer side of being. 'Spiral Your Way Out' sees Zzzahara evolve again. Emotionally, its foundations are built on scorched earth.

The album finds Zzzahara in the aftermath of a relationship spent trying to fit someone else's mould, being jerked around by indecision, and then hitting "emotional rock bottom." Made in a three-month burst that let all their pent-up frustrations loose, 'Spiral Your Way Out' is in part a work of self-reclamation, swapping there 2nd album Tender's meditative state for something fiery and more assertive. The new album marks another sonic evolution as much as an emotional one. Zzzahara's songs have always come wrapped in a warm glow that reflects how they were written -namely at home in their bedroom.

That glow remains on 'Spiral Your Way Out', but it also packs an ambitious streak and a gutsy punch. Taking a more collaborative approach than usual, Zzzahara worked with a range of producers including Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, No Joy, Sky Ferreira), Sarah Tudzin (boygenius / Cloud Nothings / The Armed), former Ducktails guitarist Alex Craig (Jelani Aryeh / re6ce) and Halsey tour drummer Franco Reid, who helped harness their intimate style of writing and blow it up into something more panoptic. After a year of upheaval, Zzzahara finally feels "calm." The musical equivalent to going several rounds on a punching bag, 'Spiral Your Way Out' finds solace between extremes. It licks its wounds in a place where pain and love, healing and abandon, sit side-by-side. If it has a message, it's one of standing tall in your own shoes - scuffs and all.

"I decided to just let myself go," Zzzahara says of their new record, 'Spiral Your Way Out' "I think I finally came to this acceptance that I don't have to be perfect. I want to be a good role model to my fans and stuff like that, but I also don't want to hide who I am." Zzzahara's music wades into the deep waters of love, lust, and self-discovery in a part of the world where artifice and authenticity co-exist. Emerging from the heart of LA's alternative music scene, their sound is raw in feeling and rebellious by nature.

Their 2022 debut album, Liminal Spaces, chronicles a coming- of- age in Highland Park, following painful childhood memories through to late- night, live- fast coping mechanisms, and the changes the neighbourhood has endured over the same period of time. Their 2023 follow- up, Tender, marked a period of slowing down, looking inward, and embracing a softer side of being. 'Spiral Your Way Out' sees Zzzahara evolve again. Emotionally, its foundations are built on scorched earth.

The album finds Zzzahara in the aftermath of a relationship spent trying to fit someone else's mould, being jerked around by indecision, and then hitting "emotional rock bottom." Made in a three-month burst that let all their pent-up frustrations loose, 'Spiral Your Way Out' is in part a work of self-reclamation, swapping there 2nd album Tender's meditative state for something fiery and more assertive. The new album marks another sonic evolution as much as an emotional one. Zzzahara's songs have always come wrapped in a warm glow that reflects how they were written -namely at home in their bedroom.

That glow remains on 'Spiral Your Way Out', but it also packs an ambitious streak and a gutsy punch. Taking a more collaborative approach than usual, Zzzahara worked with a range of producers including Jorge Elbrecht (Japanese Breakfast, No Joy, Sky Ferreira), Sarah Tudzin (boygenius / Cloud Nothings / The Armed), former Ducktails guitarist Alex Craig (Jelani Aryeh / re6ce) and Halsey tour drummer Franco Reid, who helped harness their intimate style of writing and blow it up into something more panoptic. After a year of upheaval, Zzzahara finally feels "calm." The musical equivalent to going several rounds on a punching bag, 'Spiral Your Way Out' finds solace between extremes. It licks its wounds in a place where pain and love, healing and abandon, sit side-by-side. If it has a message, it's one of standing tall in your own shoes - scuffs and all.

Pianist and bandleader Linus Rebmann, together with Gabriel Widmaier on double bass and Johnny Walker on drums, shapes a transparent and powerful sound characterized by great joy in playing and a palpable sense of familiarity. The album's ten original compositions tell of observations, inner movements, and moments whose depth is better expressed through music than words. The three young musicians met in the Baden- Wurttemberg Landesjugendjazzorchester, and after winning the "Jugend jazzt south- west" competition in 2024, the trio was awarded the prestigious Deutschlandfunk Studiopreis at the national meeting. This made it possible to produce the album in the legendary Kammermusiksaal of Deutschlandfunk in Cologne - a space that has been among the country's finest recording venues for decades. The band members deliberately chose an intimate setting for the recordings. Everything was played through a single main microphone, without subsequent corrections to individual instruments. A working method that demands absolute presence and mutual trust. It is precisely this immediacy that shapes the sound of "Listen To The River": the album is transparent, organic, flowing, almost breathing.

Thirteen years later, building on everything they had learned about capturing the purest sound, Guttenberg returned to produce The Ultimate Demonstration Disc Volume 2. Designed to bridge the gap between technical terminology and the listening experience, this collection serves as a practical guide to the audiophile lexicon. On each track, Guttenberg "spells out" exactly what to listen for, providing clear musical examples of concepts like "transparency" and "soundstage depth." By using a custombuilt recording chain and avoiding dynamic range compressors, equalizers, or overdubbing, the album captures a "live" session exactly as the microphones heard it - resulting in a sound so neutral and natural that it can be used to reveal the subtle differences between high-end speakers, electronics, and cables.

Release week Focus Track: Paint the Rain RELEASE TIMELINE 12/10 - TMR signs Natalie Bergman Announcement with video on Youtube: I Will Praise You (Live) 01/27 - Announce w/ PreSave/PreOrder IG1: Talk to the Lord + (music video) 02/24 - IG2: Shine Your Light On Me + (music video) 03/24 - IG3: I Will Praise You (album version) 04/21 - IG4: I’m Going Home Potential Video Asset - Live set of all the IG tracks released 05/05 - IG5 and Official Music Video: Paint the Rain 05/07 - STREET DATE w/ Focus Track: Paint the Rain Mercy is Natalie Bergman's debut, a self-produced solo album recorded in the strangest of times, during a personal period of profound sadness and reinvention. It's startling, and often beautiful — a rush to the edge of the cliff, with an unflinching look below Recorded at her brother's home studio in Los Angeles, CA, Bergman has already had a lengthy, successful career as one half of the brother-sister duo Wild Belle, but this is the first time she wrote and played all the material. This record absolutely pulses with redemptive power; it is replenishing and original, and deeply cathartic. And before we go any further, you should know that this is kind of a gospel record. It should also be said -- Natalie made this record because she absolutely had to. The music of Mercy began to germinate a few months after she lost her father in a wrong-way, head-on collision. He and her step-mother were killed by a drunk driver. Shortly after, Natalie visited a monastery in the southwestern desert, and there she began to embark on this album. "The first song I wrote on Mercy was 'Home At Last,'" she says. "It is the best song I have ever written. I sing a lot about home on this record. Believing in that place has been my greatest consolation. I had an urgency and desperation to know that my father was there. His sudden death was a whirling chaos that assaulted my mind. This album provided me with my only hope for coming back to life myself. Gospel music brings hope. It is the good news; it’s exemplary. It can bring you truth. It can keep you alive. These songs have kind of written themselves, and they rely on me to sing them.” Natalie Bergman made one of the first great albums of 2021.

New Supa Killer Boogie Funk album of Funk Lab "Natural Feeling"

180g Heavy double vinyl LP with liner notes by Tyran Grillo. Limited Japanese Obi for the first pressing. Original artwork by Russell Mills and photography by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.

The third Time Capsule is a body of dub reinterpretations by celebrated producer Bill Laswell of Ethiopian singer Gigi. Curated by Tokyo record collector, music researcher and seasoned reissue supervisor Ken Hidaka, it is the first time Illuminated Audio is pressed to vinyl after its CD release in 2003.

Ejigayehu Shibabaw was born in 1974 in Chagni, northwestern Ethiopia and by pursuing a career as a singer, went against her father’s strict, traditional gender roles. As Gigi, she embraced the same musical freedom she had strived for in her personal life, incorporating the Ethiopian church, funk, hip-hop, West and South African music into her work. She first settled in Nairobi, then Addis Ababa, where she quickly established herself as one of the city’s leading singers. A move to San Francisco in 1998 led to a long and fruitful creative partnership with bassist and producer Bill Laswell.

Around the same time, Chris Blackwell had stepped away from Island Records to start the art house film company and label Palm Pictures. He took an interest in Gigi and together with Laswell, pulled together an all-star cast of musicians for her self-titled US debut album, including Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders and Wayne Shorter. It won international critical acclaim, not just for its musicianship but for making Gigi a “defining voice for the Ethiopian expatriate community”, as journalist Tyran Grillo praises in his Time Capsule liner notes. From the nation-defining 1896 victory over Italian invaders to the quiet revolutionaries who wear simple shemma garments, Grillo believes the themes in Gigi make it “a shower of sunlight on her homeland for those ignorant of its struggles.”

After its success, Blackwell encouraged them to go back into the studio to rethink the album and Illuminated Audio was born. “Anyone can make a voice sound worldly”, Grillo remarks, “but rare are those who can make one sound inner-worldly.” Gigi was clear with Laswell to give her vocals a minor role “because it’s already been done.” Instead her Amharic verse is fleeting, exhaling through the textures like ghostly fragments; soaring yet muted. Yet the album is still titled under her name, an assertion by Laswell of her central role in the album’s creation. Not only was it a fully endorsed project by Gigi, but she would be present throughout its development, giving feedback on half-finished ideas as Laswell played them back in the studio. “It works perfectly”, she reflected after the album’s release. “We wanted to capture the whole spirit of each track, and Bill’s remixes create a different music language that really puts you in a pleasant place”.

This new vocabulary takes its lead from a technical approach that Laswell had been perfecting during a furtive creative period at the turn of the millennium. Much like his ambient interpretations of Miles Davis (Panthalassa, 1998), Bob Marley (Dreams of Freedom, 1997), and Carlos Santana (Divine Light, 2001), Laswell approached Illuminated Audio by returning to the original multitrack masters. Gigi wasn’t just reworked, but recomposed into an expansive lattice of instruments, submerged in a watery ambience of dub and trance undercurrents.

Sonically, this new language that Gigi refers to, is manifested by the original album’s more understated parts being pushed to the fore. Explaining his contrasting methods, Laswell saw Gigi as being “put together in a way that fits”. Contrastingly, in Illuminated Audio, “a lot of things that I featured in the remix weren’t as audible in the original.” Instrumentation laying near-dormant, deep in the mix, are brought to the fore: the acid rock guitar and Wayne Shorter’s saxophone on ‘Tew Ante Sew’, Graham Haynes’ flugelhorn on ‘Nafekeñ’, Laswell’s bass on ‘Kahn’, the melodica in Mengedegna or the floating synths and talking drums in ‘Gud Fella’.

Brought to his attention by mentor DJ Nori, Hidaka describes Illuminated Audio as a “masterful sonic exploration into ethereal ambience and dub” and made sure this reissue also contained a full remaster to give its “deep musicality” much better dynamics and density in the overall sound. Hidaka admits that Laswell's music “is sometimes so out-there, it is often misunderstood” and, indeed, to dub album non-believers this might seem like a prolific producer imposing himself on another artist’s work; eternally developing rearrangements that never quite get to its destination. But that’s missing its true power and triumph. This is more than the reissue of a remix, but “a wholly unique musical entity”, as Hidaka describes. Illuminated Audio refers to the illuminated manuscripts that comprise the major part of Ethiopian art and its new compositions stand in proud solitude as a rare body of reworks that both informs and enhances their originals.

High Focus Records are proud to present the latest collaboration from Verb T & Illinformed. ‘Stranded in Foggy Times’ both continues and completes the trilogy that began back in 2015, with ‘The Man with the Foggy Eyes’, before broadening the horizons with last year’s release ‘The Land of the Foggy Skies’. This final chapter returns to the same conceptual landscape as its predecessors, but also sees Verb T & Illinformed returning to a more classic approach to album making. In spite of its concept, the Foggy Trilogy is something of a personal outpouring for Verb T, with the original aim being to vicariously discuss the trials and tribulations that play a part in his life, including his struggles with chronic illness and the feeling of alienation from leaving his hometown, while also reflecting on the state of the world as a whole. Their approach to making the album meant taking it back to the most natural form, where the idea for the track would be outlined, Illinformed would make the beat, Verb T would write to it and then they would tweak and adjust accordingly. The result is 19 of the most finely crafted tracks to emerge from the UK shores this year. As with the previous albums, ‘Stranded in Foggy Times’ finds Illinformed moving away from the more rugged sound that has shrouded the British scene over the last few months, thanks to his collaborations with the likes of Datkid and Wish Master, instead providing Verb T with an arguably more mellow backdrop. From the string and piano driven introduction on ‘Legacy’, to the blissful head-nod vibes of the closing track, ‘Blind Faith’, the union between beats and rhymes sits at the perfect level. The album also boasts one of the most impressive guestlists of the year, one that is very much a product of both players’ worlds. Thanks to Illinformed’s Bristol connection, there are features from the likes of Res One, Datkid, Leaf Dog, Smellington Piff and Chillman, as well as some locally sourced cuts from DJ Rogue. While on Verb T’s side of the fence, we have features from Rye Shabby and Moreone, along with a collaboration that reignites the same creative spark he found in his early days, as King Kashmere steps into the booth on Feeling Strange. All in all, ‘Stranded in Foggy Times’ does exactly what it sets out to do, by drawing the trilogy to a close while also providing insights into Verb T’s personal world and the world at large. The fact that it also happens to be one of the strongest rap albums of the year is the icing on the cake

Languoria is a collaboration between Denmark's Sofie Birch and Poland's Antonina Nowacka. While Birch describes herself as an ambient musician, Nowacka''s primary instrument is her own voice; they share in common a facility for creating complex, layered work.

Polish label Mondoj has teamed up with Unsound Festival, who initially brought this project to life for their 2021 Warsaw edition. After another show in Cracow later that year, the two have met in Copenhagen to record a series of compositions. Unsound will also premiere Languoria this year in Cracow as well as during their New York offshoot.

Sofie has previously published her music on Stroom, Seil, Longform Editions and Intercourse. Antonina's debut album "Lamunan" was released in 2020 by Mondoj. Antonina is also half of the A/V experimental duo WIDT.

"...their upcoming collaborative project Languoria, shows how natural the pairing is" - Pitchfork

"Soundscapes meet "spiritual vocalisations." - The Vinyl Factory

A few words for the album
Moment’s Aeternity:
a 12/8 composition celebrating the raw power of the “moment”, marked by whirling improvised moments between drums, bass clarinet and Harris P’s Armenian duduk.

Pajko, fire in the forest on the mountain:
in Sokratis own words: “I have a really vivid memory as a child. I was staring at the Djena mountain from my window in Archangellos which sits on the Pajko mountain. A little beam of light shone far in the horizon; it was a fire that in my little eyes looked as if the giants of Almopia were trying to communicate with each other using phryktoria (a way of contacting through fire in Ancient Greece).”

Footprints of some Giant Steps:
While the classic compositions of two true Jazz Giants- Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane- are certainly different, they do both connect in a mystical way. Rearranged in 5/8 combining half of each melody and half of each one’s chord progression, keeping the form of the piece for improvisation, still in 5.

Oson Zeis Fainou (Seikilo’s Epitaph):
found in a tomb stone in the Northeast of Greece, this is the only melody saved from the ancient times. It is accompanied by lyrics contemplating the meaning of life:
Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν τὸ τέλος ὁ xρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.
‘’While you live, shine
don’t feel blue for anything because our life is short and time demands an end.’’

Here is to Oghene K:
’’Hey man, where is the groove?’’, he would say, just to trigger another wave of inspiration for Sokratis. Oghene was a true force of nature, a well of kindness, a masterful artist that left this world too early. This one is for him.

Balkan Riff (for Milcho Leviev):
Milcho Leviev (1936-2019), was a long-time friend and collaborator and a true inspiration for expression, creativity and colorfulness. Expressing the deep sentiments evoked by the Balkan sound and history, this is a sorrowful dialogue between bass clarinet and contrabass.

Spirits of Djena:
one of the most esoteric and personal moments of the album. Composed and recorded during the challenging times of the COVID-era, you can hear the baritone and tenor saxophone firmly grounded on a crispy, hypnotizing contrabass groove.

Sokratis Votskos Quartet
Kostas Anastasiadis / Giorgos Klountzos - Chrysidis: Drums
Leandros Pasias: Piano
Vaggelis Vrachnos: Contrabass
Sokratis Votskos: Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet and Compositions


Sokratis Votskos is a jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, educator, and bandleader from Greece. Deeply invested in unearthing the folk sounds and heritage music of Greece and Eastern Europe, he weaves these into modern jazz compositions though the use of melodies, polyrhythms, and his reedy, timeless tone. He leads the Sokratis Votskos Quartet, he is one half of Kolida Babo and member of the Reggetiko Project. A highly regarded sideman and ensemble player, he has worked extensively with renowned jazz musicians with several highly acclaimed releases (MiC, Jazzman, Walt Disney and now Fair Weather Friends Records).

He has performed his music in numerous venues and festivals worldwide from Vinterjazz in Copenhagen, to the EFG London Jazz Festival where he performed at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s alongside Greg Foat.

He is also an archaeoacoustics researcher and enthusiast, having completed his Master studies on the field of ancient ritualistic caves of Greece research.

Leandros Pasias was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. At age 10 was introduced to piano, continuing his studies at the Modern Conservatory of Thessaloniki and later at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the department of jazz piano.Ηe holds a classical harmony diploma and a BA at the Department of Music Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 2020 he received jazz improvisation lessons from Aaron Parks.

With a series of appearances in multiple international jazz festivals, Leandros has collaborated with a wide range of musicians from Nicolas Masson and James Wylie to Marina Osk, Ivo Papasov and Haris Lambrakis, among others.

A member of the Yako Trio, he released “OdesSea” on Fair Weather Friends Records (2021).

Vangelis Vrachnos was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1989. While he started playing the bass at the age of 12, alongside his brother, his studies would commence a few years later. Introduced to double bass at the age of 23, he undertook jazz double bass studies at the Codarts Αcademy of Rotterdam. He has participated in several festivals such as the Technopolis and Odessa international jazz festivals. Since returning to his hometown, in 2015, he has been a founding member of Mordana and Yako Trio and has collaborated with a series of musicians like James Wyllie, Sokrates Votskos and Dimitis Agelakis, among others.

Kostas Anastasiadis is a tireless researcher, that has been diligently studying Tradition and its evolution, creating a fresh amalgam of sound moods. His mature improvisational virtuosity highlights a uniquely individual artistic expression and was recognized with the ̈Unique Individual Stylist" award by the PIT (Percussion Institute of Technology) in Los Angeles, California. He has been associated with various ensembles that have garnered significant interest in the global music scene. As an educator, he is the founder of "The Harmony of Rhythm" musical method, which aims to explore and establish the elements that constitute the concept of rhythm.

Giorgos Klountzos-Chrysidis was born in Thessaloniki in 1991. Following studies at the Modern Conservatory of Thessaloniki, he moved to France and the Conservatoire de Nice. With performances at well-known festivals like Nice Jazz Festival, Nuits du Sud and Jazz à Vienne, he had the opportunity to meet the American drummer Leon Parker, who encouraged him to move to Paris, where he spent the next two years under his tutoring and guidance.

In 2016, came a defining moment in his career as he traveled to New York for the first time. He participated in the quartet of saxophonist Diego Rivera for a series of performances and attended lessons by Rodney Whitaker and Randy "Uncle G" Gelispie at Michigan's State University.

Collaborations include Xavier Davis, Ricky Ford, Nicolas Masson, Diego Rivera, Craig Bailey, Baptiste Herbin, Marc Abrams, Pantelis Stoikos, Antonis Anissegos, David Lynch, Ziad Rajab and Ivo Papasov, among others.

Crypt of the Wizard is proud to present Scimitar – Scimitarium I on vinyl and digital formats. Formed in 2024 by veterans of Copenhagen’s underground music scene—including members of Slaegt, Endless Glory, and Shaam Larein—Scimitar arrives as a fully formed force of nature. In their raucous wake lies Scimitarium I, a frenzied, whirling dervish of black occult rock. For those familiar with the members' previous efforts, this should come as no surprise. This piece of musical alchemy is a perfect knife-edge dance, seamlessly blending elements of black metal, post-punk, and occult rock. Dark and serpentine, onyx black, scaled and sacred, Scimitarium I unfurls itself like an endless snake wrapped tight around the world. With a dark heart and a head full of fever dreams, this is an album of breathless intensity. Shaam A.’s constant presence provides an abundance of rich, overflowing lyrics, delivered in her distinctive and haunting voice—written as if hurriedly scrawled in feverish reverie—and reinforced by winding, twisted narratives played out on violent yet harmonic duelling guitars, alongside a rhythm section of unyielding intensity. Scimitar has quickly become an indelible part of the city's fertile and ever-evolving metal scene—a place where stalwarts continue to push boundaries and break moulds with seemingly effortless zeal. This is an album of forged perfection, honed and sharpened like a curved blade—shimmering with lethal precision—driven straight into the heart of all matters

Is the result of an unexpected and powerful connection between Meeks and Jedsa Soundorom.
Both have spent over 25 years immersed in music, coming from very different backgrounds but combining them to create something completely original.
Meeks, an experienced producer and beat-maker, made his mark during the French Touch boom of the early 2000s.
He worked with artists like Hernest Saint Laurent and Scratch Massive, earning respect for his attention to detail and his love of exploring sounds and textures.
Jedsa Soundorom, meanwhile, is a DJ and producer who’s traveled the world, always bringing new influences into his music and growing his unique style.
When they met a year and a half ago, it clicked right away. That connection became BUG DIVIsion, a project that blends Meeks’ careful precision with Jedsa’s raw energy, creating electronic music that feels both deep and natural.

Emotional Response presents the first of 2 EPs by Laura Sparrow aka LNS, the Calgary raised, Berlin based producer and DJ with 8 acid-tinged cuts that are equally expansive and inspiring, personal and inventive.

After her debut Malinge Range (cassette) on fellow native Canadian 1080p label in 2016, LNS moved to Berlin and has released a steady stream of 12”s, exploring ambient, dub, electro and techno. Initially appearing on Vancouver émigré’s Jayda G’s (alongside Fett Burger) Freakout Cult label before settling at DJ Sotofett’s cult WANIA label and more recently on the legendary and ‘original’ German techno label, Tresor.

A love of the Roland TR-303, alongside deep diving into breakbeat creation, manipulation, mutation and production, plus some intrepid mixing and post-production assistance, development and support with DJ Sofofett, have led to a collection of some of her favourite music to date.

LNS-ID 1 and LNS ID 2 are the result. Recorded during a burst of creativity through dedication, new studio equipment and learning techniques, as well the necessity of artistic expression in the moment.

Two sets of four tracks based on the acid tradition in the more restless corners of 90s and early 00s Braindance. Acid lines drive the melodies, while drums move between sliced break fragments and the familiar sounds of the Rolant TR-606 and TR-808.

Pads drift in with a warm glow or at times, quiet ghostly tension. The results are music that leans towards atmosphere and memory, something almost nostalgic that was built for those of us who still chase the more expressive edges of acid.

Emotional Response presents Volume 2 of the LNS-ID series. Atmospheric, infectious, at times nostalgic, warm yet ghosty, the tension of Laura Sparrow’s music is her exploration in electronic music.

An introduction to DJing and music production has been a natural progression, applying skills in new and fresh formats. Built on the heritage of Chicago and Detroit house, alongside old IDM and electro, her first productions might have been raw, but the creativity was lit.

While her recent productions have explored club orientated, loud cut records, in collaborations with DJ Sotofett, that represent the sound found in her residency on the Globus floor at the Tresor club, LNS’s interest in the solo productions of the LNS-ID recordings and more organic-style explored in the recent Misiats EP burns bright.

LNS-ID 1 and LNS ID 2 are her latest offering. Two sets of four tracks based on the acid tradition in the more restless corners of 90s and early 00s Braindance. Acid lines drive the melodies, while drums move between sliced break fragments and the familiar sounds of the Roland TR-606 and TR-808.

Pads drift in with a warm glow or at times, quiet ghostly tension. The results are music that leans towards atmosphere and memory, something almost nostalgic that was built for those of us who still chase the more expressive edges of acid.

Easygoing Acid Express, Alive Acid, Blue Acid and Gentle Acid. Get the message. We call it Acid.

Produced after a period spent alone, surrounded by the elements of nature, this record brought Katatonic Silentio back to her essence and her roots. The result is a dedication to the dancefloor through the genre she first became involved with, and to the music itself as the conductor of her whole life; an ever-changing entity of the essence of the soul; a bridge to the unknown and the depth of existence. A luminous voyage in the profound lightness of sound. Far from being an intellectual exercise, the album - the first club-oriented release by Krisis Publishing - is a physical and spiritual journey. This one is for the body, mind and soul, so that there may be harmony between the parties, between the inside and the outside, between the self and the other.

The American rock band was formed in 1996 by lead singer and guitarist Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin. They’re best known for their hit single “Wherever You Will Go”, which topped the Adult Top 40 for 23 consecutive weeks, making it the second longest running #1 hit in the chart’s history. The track featured on their debut album Camino Palmero, which was released in 2001. At the time, the band’s lineup included Band, Kamin, Sean Woolstenhulme, Nate Wood and the Grammy Award-nominated multi-instrumentalist Billy Mohler.

Camino Palmero was a commercial success and was certified with a Platinum status in several territories. In addition to the hit “Wherever You Will Go”, the band spawned two more singles, “Adrienne” and “Could It Be Any Harder”. The album features several guest performances; Whitesnake member Paul Mirkovich, who is also the band leader of Cher; session musician Bob Glaub, who played with artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Bob Dylan and many more; producer Ron Fair, who produced multiple #1 hits.

"This majestic Italo-Disco tune, arranged by Pierluigi Giombini, possesses something magical and mysterious. "On Ice" begins with Natasha King's a cappella vocals and a sweet piano melody by the same composer who wrote "Masterpiece" and "I Like Chopin" for Gazebo. A classic Italo-Disco piece from the mid-1980s, which, more than its sales, achieved success in live performances and on TV shows for the grace and charm exuded by the artist, who was also a dance teacher at the time. The elegance and precision of every move are the foundation upon which Natasha builds her technique. The reissue of "On Ice" was never fully embraced by lyricist Natascia ''Nati'' Maimone, straying from her tastes in soul, blues and jazz. It was also overshadowed by her previous hip-hop track, "AM-FM" - released from Best Record in 1983 - which made the artist world-famous at the age of twenty. This reissue in both original versions was also created to allow new generations to relive, at least in part, the great musical era of the 1980s, a period of incredible musical richness combined with a carefree spirit."

JUDDER opens a new chapter in its history with its first 12-inch vinyl release As part of a new mini-album series, the label brings together artists from diverse backgrounds and musical perspectives. What unites them all is an openness to experimentation and a deep affinity for sub-frequencies. Side A is driven by a bold, high-impact sound with references to techno, grime, and baile funk. The release opens with Komo by Italian producer Coido. The track unfolds in unpredictable ways, its rebellious character maintaining tension from start to finish and refusing to let go of the dancefloor. This energy is carried forward by Oddkut. His Phase Shift is a pure body-mover, where the core bassline and rhythms awaken a raw, primal energy. Side B shifts the focus toward more minimalist, rhythm-centered forms of bass music. In Diligence by Nattah, breakbeat and UK techno merge into a hybrid where atmospheric reverbs are expertly balanced with the drive of sub-bass pressure. Inspired by racing games, Naprimer closes the release with Carrera. This new 100 BPM experiment brings together the best elements of the Bristol and Manchester scenes. Tracklist: A1 Coido – Komo A2 Oddkut – Phase Shift B1 Nattah – Diligence B2 Naprimer – Carrera

Aspetuck has been steadily carving out a name for himself through releases on Never Late and Oslated, garnering a respected following for his DJ mixes and festival performances. Aspetuck’s latest record, Immersion, was sequenced and curated from dozens of ideas spanning a transformative few years in Griff’s life. The album is less a snapshot in time and more of a memory bank - flashes of fatherhood, loss, modular rabbit holes, late-night studio sessions, and long walks by the Hudson River with his daughter.
The emotional undertow of the album is immediate. Opener Hit Me With Your Pet Shark is one of the earliest compositions in the collection, created just months after the loss of Griff’s brother and during the sleepless swirl of new parenthood. Built around a single sound from Spectrasonics Omnisphere, found while rediscovering his brother’s studio gear, the track sets the tone: restrained yet searching, personal without becoming precious.
From there, The Printing Press captures the raw energy of a live jam in Griff’s upstate New York basement, running through a 1980s Tascam mixer like a lo-fi assembly line of synths, pads, and drum machines. REI, named after a spontaneous family mission to find a pink water bottle, encapsulates his knack for imprinting daily minutiae into sound. And title track Immersion- once known simply as Tuesday 303 Jam- emerges from a dinner break and a blender, distilling modular sketches and distorted drums into a powerful, slow-motion march.
Under, Under The Tree hits hardest. Built around a grainy iPhone voice memo of Griff’s daughter singing by the Hudson. And closing the album is Bobik, a collaborative studio session with Moon Patrol channeling the playful chaos of a close friendship and modular exploration. Named after a joke about their golden retriever and filled with alien textures from Griff’s beloved EMU XL7 gifted years ago by his late brother, it’s a fitting send-off to an album that straddles celebration and mourning with grace.
The artwork comes courtesy of Peter Skwiot Smith, whose textured analog/digital aesthetic resonated immediately with Griff’s original vision. Peter’s treatment draws on Griff’s personal photography and leans into motion, blur, and the layered nature of memory, echoing the album's sonic tone without overexplaining it.
Mastered by Sven Weisemann, Immersion is available on blue smoke colored 12”

Big Bombs EP marks the debut release on Bertie Bassett’s self-titled label, introducing a collection of groove-led house cuts rooted in classic influences and underground club culture.

Already gaining global support from DJs like Marco Carola and, Shaka Loves You and featured on Traxsource’s Essential Afro chart.

Across four tracks, Bertie Bassett delivers a mix of DJ-focused tools and edits, blending raw house rhythms, funk-driven elements and stripped-back arrangements designed for dancefloor use.

From the driving energy of Get House and Back To Underground to the reworked grooves of Man In Black (Edit Mix) and Finga Loop (Bertie Bassett Rumba Remix), the EP offers a versatile selection suited to both peak-time and deeper club sets.

With a long-standing background in house music and production, Bertie Bassett brings a seasoned approach to this first release, combining classic influences with a modern underground edge.

As the first release on the label, this EP sets the tone for the project moving forward, offering strong appeal for DJs looking for fresh, playable house cuts with a raw, groove-led feel.

A natural fit for fans of labels such as Razor-N-Tape, Toy Tonics, Bed Edits and Disco Express.

A DJ-friendly and versatile release for stores supporting underground house and edit-driven sounds.

Metrica Recordings presents its third release, marking the label’s first various artists project. The record brings together Memoryman aka Uovo and Dj Rou from Bologna together with Neg, Marco Spinetti and Franz Di Maio, the label’s owners. The result is a journey across house and electro vibes, where different influences blend naturally into a shared identity.

Wind of Oirat is the full length debut by Mongolian independent musician and sound artist Ts Bayandalai. Following his acclaimed 2020 EP Kimel, he now presents a further matured, composed and refined version of his signature sound, which combines traditional Mongolian music and instruments with influences from experimental music and post-rock. Deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of his homeland, Ts Bayandalai, who grew up in a nomadic family in the Mongolian steppe, explores nature and its myths, his ancestral roots, and the relationship between humans, animals and nature.

Artist Bio:

Ts Bayandalai is a Mongolian independent musician and sound artist. His childhood on the steppes shaped a deep sensitivity to natural and ethnic sound. To create his individual, deeply rooted yet modern soundscape, he combines traditional Mongolian musical elements with post-rock, experimental and electronic music, as well as from outernational music influences.

Born into a nomadic family on the steppes, Ts Bayandalai grew up wandering the vast grasslands with shepherds, absorbing the resonances of the horse fiddle and guitar — experiences that remain a primordial source of inspiration in his work.

Founder of the avantgarde band Horse Radio (2012) and the experimental project December3AM (2015), his compositions navigate cultural memory and contemporary aesthetics, reconstructing pastoral landscapes, temporal layers, and emotional spaces through sound.

His EP Kimel, released in 2020, manifested a delicate sculpting of sound, space, and cultural motifs, presenting a listening experience that is at once primal and modern.

Ts Bayandalai’s performances span China, Mongolia, and major independent music venues and festivals across Asia. His artistic vitality and creative autonomy have earned him critical acclaim and a devoted following in the international folk music and experimental music communities.

Katerina is an old friend from the early trips to Helsinki, a Finnish Bulgarian queen of the dance, having commanded the wood floors of Kaiku since its inception. Her debut EP with the ESP Institute, 'Natural High' is something special if we may humbly brag. It is the electronic embodiment of our annual journey around the sun, with its release landing just in time for this year’s Summer solstice. Over 4 tracks, the narrative shifts are technically subtle but emotionally palpable, presenting moods that swing both warm and cold but maintain a delicate balance start to finish, a confidence that speaks of true experience and understanding the dynamics of dancefloor moods. Our typical verbose track-by-track dissection feels unnecessary as Katerina’s work here is most legible as a whole. 'Natural High' is a cozy and honest offering, a soft-edged cerebral antidote to the daily falsehoods perpetrated by mankind, and a reminder that in the end, we are all just children of Gaia. Run Free!

Parra for Cuva returns in 2026 with a new LP – Nacar – and world tour, marking the next step in his ongoing artistic evolution. Known for creating immersive electronic soundscapes that combine organic instruments with detailed, emotive production, he now extends his vision with a renewed visual language and live experience that deepen the connection between sound and space.

Funkadelic’s eleventh studio LP, released in 1979, was more militant in tone than its predecessor 'One Nation Under A Groove' which described a Funk utopia. In contrast, ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ stated mandate was to “rescue dance music from the blahs”. The album features a 15-minute version of what was to become the Funkadelic’s last hit single ‘(Not Just) Knee Deep’, an edited version of which made no.1 in the US R&B chart. This was Funkadelic’s first album since 1972 not to feature a cover design by artist Pedro Bell (although he did contribute the interior design). A reference to the “Uncle Sam Wants You!” US Army recruitment poster, the sleeve depicts George Clinton aka Dr Funkenstein in a Huey Newton Black Panthers pose. ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ and Funkadelic-Parliament had a huge influence on Prince, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bill Laswell, Tupac Shakar, De La Soul and many more across all musical genres. George Clinton’s genius Funk & Style will continue to be an influence for many more years to come... FUNKADELIC Masterminded by the larger-than-life figure of George Clinton, Funkadelic was a key component of his influential P-Funk empire. Funkadelic’s unique combination of Rock, Psychedelia, R&B & Soul led to the band crossing over to the pop mainstream & gaining a vast international following, becoming one of the most important & influential groups in music. On 6 May 1997, Parliament / Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Prince. To commemorate six decades of thrilling & delighting fans, George Clinton returned to the stage in 2022 for a series of concerts. To celebrate, Charly have reissued Funkadelic’s classic four albums ‘Hardcore Jollies’; ‘One Nation Under A Groove’; ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’; & ‘The Electric Spanking Of War Babies’ (originally released by Warner Bros during a golden period for the band between 1976-1981). Each album will be available as deluxe gatefold Digi-Sleeve CDs in PVC wallets + obi-strip & facsimile-edition gatefold LPs on 180-gram black vinyl & limited edition 180-gram colored vinyl + 1970s-style obi-strip in a protective PVC sleeve. “They played a HUGE role in creating the future of music.” PRINCE

Mary Mundy born in 1944 is an underground soul and disco singer best known for her rare 1980 album Mother Nature.

Often referred to as "Dr. Mary Mundy," she is a cult figure among record collectors and DJs due to the scarcity and high quality of her work which blends heavy disco-soul grooves with powerful, soulful vocals.

Llewellyn "Lew" Hanson (1925–1984)

was a Jamaican-born writer, producer, and performer primarily active in Hartford, Connecticut. After serving in the Royal Air Force during the 1940s, he moved to the USA and established himself as a versatile figure in the Caribbean and soul music scenes.

Musical Career and Production

Hanson transitioned from performing traditional calypso with local bands to writing and producing more mainstream sounds in the 1960s.

​

The Islanders: In 1974, he released the LP Just For You... From Home And Abroad with his group, Lew Hanson and The Islanders. The album featured a mix of styles, including the flute-funk track "Soul Safari".

Record Labels: He founded Insurance City Records and Big Street Records to release his productions.

Key Collaborations:

Mary Mundy: Hanson worked closely with Mundy throughout the 1970s and 80s, producing her singles and her LP Mother Nature.

Pon is Tujiko Noriko’s sixth album for Editions Mego and a further extension of her already significant body of work as both a solo and collaborative artist. Dedicated to her cat who she adopted as an infant and passed away due an accident having been born deaf, Pon is imbued with abstraction, tenderness and a deep emotional resonance.

Noriko’s palette of electronics, romantic melodies and surprising sonic details are all fully present here, and like her last full length, 2023’s Crépuscule this is an epic work, released as a 2LP by Editions Mego alongside a Japanese CD release.

The unmistakable hue of Japan hovers throughout this emotional rich landscape. Subtle field recordings and fragile, abstract motifs drift through the album, all cloaked in a warmth and humanity that only Noriko seems able to conjure.

Pon moves effortlessly between the childlike and the obscure. There are moments of deceptive simplicity where unexpected elements suddenly surface — strange voices emerge on Boku Wa Obaka, Knife of Yonder is a standout: a startling ten-minute unfolding that begins with a warm, almost Eno-esque drift before launching into a soaring mid-section and finally landing somewhere unexpectedly blues-adjacent.

Kikoeru Pon is brimming with childlike wonder — a heartfelt ballad that dissolves into domestic field recordings, including sounds of the feline for whom both the album and track are named. A quietly devastating ending that brings the personal nature of the record into sharp focus.

There is a deep sense of the human in the way Noriko embraces technology. This is far from cold abstraction; rather, Ponfeels like a colourful photo album, documenting Noriko’s inner world and instincts with remarkable intimacy. Hovering in liminal states between pop, ambient and abstraction, this is a deeply affective and moving release that reveals new surprises with each listen.

The emotional range of Noriko’s latest offering inspires hope in a world in disarray. It is both gentle and epic and one which we feel embodies the work of an artist fully at the height of her powers.

"Over the past three decades, Philipp Lauer has produced an incredible body of work, deploying a myriad of aliases, both as a solo artist and as a part of collaborative projects. From his hardware-steeped Frankfurt studio Pyramide 2, he has built this catalogue through original material and remix commissions, taking on the full spectrum of electronic music while retaining an unmistakable signature. He combines a hands-on approach to rhythm and composition with a DIY MO and a love of big hooks. The level of expertise at hand seems to facilitate a playfulness that subtly permeates all layers of his work. He's a pop melody natural who just so happens to love fiddling with synthesizers, drum machines, and effects an equal amount. All of these qualities are exemplified on "Embalmed In Martino": Lauer's four-track ode to the Belgian Martino sauce, a spicy tomato-based condiment, and arguably the essential ingredient to top off the namesake raw meat sandwich. On "Embalmed", which makes use of instrumentation that would fit right in on an early eighties Manchester cut, and "Martino", where a sturdy, electroclash flavored arp bass provides the stamina, a slew of big and small riffs easily work their way in, thirsting for our ears. On the other side, "Transactional" combines Miami basslines and similarly electro-fundamental twinkling synth work with a flanger-laced 4/4 beat, while "Don't You Know" features soaring synthwave patterns and the only vocal samples on the EP. Both sport rich arrangements as well, right down to the cowbell overdubs. Lauer's often lauded for his "summery sound". In this light ALT026 lands right on time - yet we might disagree here, as it's suited for all seasons, and all terrains, both the shiny festival grounds and the dim-lit club floors."

Dutch electronic maverick Spekki Webu stretches out on an expansive album for new label Outer Orbit Records, exploring his deep and wide-ranging influences across a captivating narrative of tripped-out beatdowns and evocative dreamscapes. Spekki Webu is someone who was naturally drawn into the magnetic pull of Outer Orbit after playing for their sister party Mizz Softee. As the time-travelling album title suggests, it's a meditation on formative sounds that propelled him on to myriad adventures across the many microcosms of electronic music. That means indulging in slower tempos and crooked grooves, with the influence of trip hop and illbient looming large in the boom bap drums that punctuate many of the album's passages. There is also space for immersive techno that operates as a lighter reflection of the sound he is best known for, as well as hints of buoyant house music, rolling breakbeat, dislocated ambient and intricate electronica. Cari Lekebusch, a key influence, contributes a rolling, heavy-grooving remix that closes out the record.

,Pneuma" ist ein Zyklus von acht Kompositionen des Kontrabassisten und Komponisten Henry Fraser, erschienen bei Kou Records, der sich mit Atem, Resonanz und der sich wandelnden Beziehung zwischen Form und Improvisation auseinandersetzt. Fraser betrachtet seine Solopraktik als eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem Instrument selbst und arbeitet direkt mit der Materialität und den akustischen Eigenschaften des Kontrabasses, sodass Klang, Raum und Struktur durch tiefes Zuhören gemeinsam entstehen können. Aufgenommen, abgemischt und koproduziert von Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Thurston Moore) und Ben Greenberg (Uniform, Marc Ribot), erweitert das Album Frasers bisherige Solosprache durch ein erweitertes melodisches Register, vielschichtige Texturen und sorgfältig gestaltete Studioeingriffe. Ausgehend von sowohl vorgefertigten Motiven als auch neu improvisiertem Material entfaltet sich ,Pneuma" in einer Reihe prägnanter Sätze, von denen jeder einer eigenständigen rhythmischen oder harmonischen Idee Gestalt verleiht und gleichzeitig zu einer größeren, zusammenhängenden Form beiträgt. Die Aufnahme, bei der der Schwerpunkt auf natürlicher Dynamik und räumlichen Details liegt, bewahrt die volle physische Präsenz des Instruments und rückt die Resonanz, die Obertöne und die leisen Mikrogesten des Basses in den Vordergrund. Bestimmte Stücke bestehen aus mehreren übereinandergelegten Darbietungen, was den Umfang und den Ausdrucksbereich der Musik dramatisch erweitert. Das Ergebnis ist ein intimes und zugleich immersives Hörerlebnis - akustische Musik, die sich gleichzeitig greifbar und weitreichend anfühlt. ,Pneuma" dokumentiert Fraser in einem Moment künstlerischer Klarheit und bekräftigt sein Bekenntnis zu prozessorientierter Komposition und aufmerksamer Klangpraxis.

BASIC - das Trio aus Chris Forsyth (Gitarre), Mikel Patrick Avery (Percussion, Drumcomputer, Elektronik) und Douglas McCombs (Fender Bass VI) - hat sein neues Album mit sieben Titeln innerhalb von zwei Tagen in den Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago aufgenommen und die Overdubs sowie den Mix zusammen mit Je Zeigler in Philadelphia fertiggestellt. Die Aufnahmen sind groovig, aber leicht und locker, wobei die Songs viel größer klingen, als man es von einem Trio erwarten würde. Für reichlich Detail sorgen die ineinandergreifenden Gitarren und Averys einzigartige Kombination aus elektronischen Beats und akustischer Percussion, die er live mit verschiedenen selbstgebauten elektronischen Prozessoren bearbeitet und manipuliert. Kurz nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Debüts (This Is BASIC, 2024) stieß Bassist McCombs (Tortoise, Brokeback) zu der Gruppe, und zusammen mit den in Philly ansässigen Kernmitgliedern Forsyth (Solar Motel Band) und Avery (Natural Information Society) tourte die Band mit dem Album die Westküste rauf und runter sowie durch den Nordosten und Mittleren Westen der USA und machte Halt bei einflussreichen Festivals wie Sound & Gravity und Big Ears. Die Chemie zwischen den dreien führte fast sofort zur Entwicklung von neuem Material, und die ,Dream City"-EP erschien im Frühjahr 2025.

Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders return with their best album yet, and a UK tour this August. Press by Silver PR
‘’On the alternate timeline where the Meat Puppets inherited the bulk of the Grateful Dead’s tourheads when Jerry Garcia died in 1995, none of this would be necessary, because Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders are a household name for evolving their own musical space that overlays dusty folk, cosmic jazz, deep psych, free improv, and even (gasp!) indie rock, building an audience that ranges from open-eared curiosity seekers to deep committed music weirdos that’s also yielded the Heavy Lidders, an infamous sub-cult of concert tapers that you’re already sick of hearing about. A lot of other things are better over on that timeline, too.
But in this consensus reality (and probably the other one, too), Liquid Donnon catches the Lidders at their heaviest, “heavy” in the Lidderverse being far from a monolithic musical idea. There’s heavy like the album-opening “From Loch Raven to Fells Point,” one of several tracks with elegant and gnarled conversational jams featuring the core Lidders lineup of Alexander alongside guitarist Drew Gardner and bassist Jesse Sheppard (both of Elkhorn) and drummer Scott Verrastro. But there’s heavy, too, like “Calliope Walker” and “Tightroping,” featuring Gardner shifted to dream-space vibraphone, the former with saxophonist Tacuma Bradley, the latter with Christina Carter of Texas noise-psych legends Charalambides on veil-crossing wordless vocals, her first collaboration with Alexander in some 20 years.
But then there’s also heavy like the cover photo of Alexander’s late friend and album namesake Donnon, taken at a Dead show at Rich Stadium in Buffalo in 1989, a spirit threading through the songs and weaving unexpectedly into Alexander’s life decades later, emerging especially when Alexander passed through a near-death experience of his own. But, taken together, the different heavies of Liquid Donnon add up into a state of musical grace, where all the Heavy Lidders from all the universes come together as one. Just, like, imagine.
Convened in 2019 on Alexander’s relocation back to his native east coast, the Heavy Lidders are the latest hard-touring expression for the guitarist’s music, joining a vast and tangled discography (and tape list) that includes the beloved long-running west coast Dire Wolves Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band and, before them, the Iditarod and Black Forest/Black Sea, as well as a bushel of solo play-all-the-instruments projects, a stint with Jackie-O Motherfucker, sessions with Kemialliset Ystävät and Avarus and others, and you’ll have to keep digging for the rest.
And while it’s not hard to find tapers at Lidders gigs (and they encourage you to be one), or to track themes and songs over Alexander’s many live releases, Liquid Donnon makes a new primary text, the original versions of six new pieces for the repertoire. The album closes with a devastating pairing of “Reservoir Drop” into “The Summer Song,” floating into a duo between Alexander’s guitar and Carter’s voice. Catch a half-dozen Lidders shows this summer, and you might not ever catch them playing it like that again, but you just might open the doorway back to that better place." - Jesse Jarnow (writer, WFMU DJ, producer and host of The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast)

,Manifestations in the Shadow of an Uncertain Land" entfaltet sich durch aleatorische Komposition und intuitive Prozesse, geprägt von tief miteinander verflochtenen politischen und ästhetischen Traditionen. Verwurzelt in den gelebten Erfahrungen von Körpern und Köpfen, die sich mit der lokalen und globalen Last des Imperialismus auseinandersetzen, schöpft das Werk zudem aus der zeitlichen Logik von Film und Literatur, in der Erinnerung, Angst und Vorfreude nebeneinander existieren. Mit Stimme und modularer Elektronik arbeitet Lowe und behandelt Klang als skulpturale und filmische Kraft, geprägt von der entfremdeten Erinnerung an Chris Markers ,Sans Soleil", der politischen Desorientierung in Peter Watkins' ,Punishment Park" und der prozeduralen Gewalt in Kafkas ,In der Strafkolonie". Anklänge an elektroakustische und zeitgenössische klassische Traditionen kommen eher durch die Atmosphäre als durch direkte Zitate zum Vorschein und führen die Musik durch Zustände der Kontemplation, des Schreckens, der Feierlichkeit und der Dynamik. Das Ergebnis ist ein spannungsgeladenes Klangfeld, das sich einer festen Bedeutung widersetzt und von Bruch und der Möglichkeit der Transformation geprägt ist.

MEGAPTERA, the scientific name of the humpback whale, is also the title of the new album by French producer and composer Rone.


Born from an ambitious film project, the record was largely composed at sea, off the coasts of Brittany and Réunion Island, using a modular synthesizer and melodic sketches developed for an almost unreal proposition: attempting to resonate with whales through music.


Following Room With a View—a soundtrack to a performance created with the alternative dance company La Horde, exploring collapse and rebirth—Rone continues his investigation into new imaginaries. If that earlier work emerged from reflections on ecological, social, and technological tipping points, MEGAPTERA marks a shift: away from the city, toward the sea.


Gradually, he moved away from performance toward a more craft-based approach, extending his practice beyond the studio into a wider space of listening, exchange, and fieldwork. Early footage of sailors broadcasting his work into open water—seemingly answered by whale presence—circulated online, generating fascination, but also a growing unease for the artist regarding what these projections might imply.


This tension became the starting point for a longer period of field experimentation, developed in dialogue with scientists, environmentalists, sailors, and bioacousticians. The resulting 15-track album reflects this open-ended inquiry — not only into whether human-made sound can reach whales, but also into how this process can shape a new form of electronic music, and open it towards new deep-sea soundscapes.


Rather than seeking imitation, Rone works with reduction. Drawing on research into cetacean vocalisation, he pares back his language—focusing on frequency bands, repetition, and suspended structures. Minimalism appears less as reference than as natural convergence.

Growing together both personally and musically… That is indeed the good fortune of the musicians in the Marseille-based trio ubaq. We’re talking about bassist Antoine Carletto, guitarist Lucas Schemidt, and drummer Antoine Saussol, winners of the Rezzo springboard competition at Jazz à Vienne 2025. In their early twenties, they met in their late teens while still honing their musical skills. Nearly ten years later, they burst onto the scene, in perfect harmony, with their very first album, “Night WIP,” a follow-up to their EP, “20bis,” released in 2024. They owe their stylized stage name—written in lowercase with a “q”—to the ubac, that side of a mountain with very little sun exposure, where twilight reigns. “We liked that idea because we’re night owls,” says bassist Antoine Carletto. Hence the “night” for “nuit” and the “WIP” for “Work In Progress,” explains guitarist Lucas Shemidt. ubaq’s music is characterized by a nocturnal, melancholic heaviness, pierced by beams of light. “We love creating music that soothes us and highlights the precious nature of composing and playing in complete harmony,” says Antoine Carletto. “We cultivate complex tones, sometimes difficult to bear, whether they’re nostalgic or even verging on depression. But we manage to convey emotions without falling into clichés,” adds Antoine Saussol. Night and twilight serve as the perfect catalysts for this trio, which moves forward with perfect chemistry and harmony.

On this album, they feature the German-Armenian rapper and singer Talin, who is also based in Marseille. She appears on the track “Regarding Others,” where she chants that even though the year 2026 may see mothers weeping in every corner of the world, she still manages to smile. Thus, this track explores the three musicians’ relationship with the world and the necessity of looking at others. The unsettling “Sciatiq,” the haunting “Sakakinik,” and the ambivalence of “Flayosc”—the final track, on which the trio features trombonist Jules Regard—owe their titles to the musicians’ own observations and experiences. The multi-faceted track “Proud,” in two parts, is a tribute to Lucas Schemidt’s mother, who has since passed away. The presence of wind instruments—whether Jules Regard’s trombone or Mathieu Fabre’s saxophone on the intense track “From The Ending”—adds textures missing from the natural landscape depicted in “Night WIP.” This debut album captures the obsessions and introspective wanderings—sometimes anxious, sometimes enchanted—of a trio that cultivates melody as a pledge of warm fulfillment.

Ursprünglich 1968 in New York auf Barakas eigenem Label Jihad veröffentlicht, ist "Black And Beautiful Soul And Madness" ein leidenschaftliches Zeitdokument der 1960er Jahre. Man könnte es leicht für eine verschollene Veröffentlichung von ESP-DISK halten, fügt es sich doch nahtlos zwischen Sun Ra, The Fugs und Albert Ayler ein. Die Band nutzte ihre Stimmen auf vielfältige Weise: mal singend im Stil von Doo-Wop und Soul, mal rappend im Stil der Last Poets, und oft auch beides gleichzeitig. Emotional fesselnd und von enormer Kraft, wird dieses Werk nun erstmals wieder auf Vinyl zugänglich.

Key To World Peace is the third release by Prophetic Justice Ministry - aka Australian musician Sam Perry. An atmospheric, cinematic album that belies a striking pop songwriting nous at its core, its conductor Prophetic Justice Ministry is at the centre of a new wave of creative, rule-bending Melbourne artists. Romantic, smudged and hazy, Perry emerges from behind a wall of
half-light with a clutch of earworms and affecting emotions.

Recorded in home studios in Belgrade (Serbia), Christchurch (New Zealand) and Melbourne (Australia) over the course of three years, Key To World Peace offers a dichotomy in approach. Shifting on a dime between ambient, filmic washes of sound and more traditional song structures, the approach feels natural, casually acid-tipped and emotionally revealing. While Perry’s
distinctive keys and production melding with melody is evidenced in Melbourne group Who Cares?, as Prophetic Justice Ministry there’s a heightened sense of mystery and space being used.

Swirling in a psychedelic fog with dry iced chords falling down like melting stars, the album pulses with an ominous, distorted intro that sculpts air into blocks of sound before Psyop offers a glimpse through the gloom at the artist navigating through crushed, shoe-gazing chords, singing a consolation into an abandoned building. Side A’s more abstract tone veers from industrial tracks (T-A) to pastoral, impressionistic pieces (Trance) before album highlight Life’s A Party showcases the effortless, classic songwriting lurking in Prophetic Justice Ministry. Built on the tension between the upbeat lyrics and suppressed, rich delivery, the song lopes on an alluring loop with acoustic guitars and Perry’s voice walking a tightrope between irony and sincerity. The song blooms into a bright burst of light, almost inducing synesthesia in the listener and reminding a little of The Beta Band’s most outre and catchy moments.

Opening Side B, Naked Shine’s scintillating guitar is punctuated by a sub bass swell that offsets the yearning vocal performance. With palpable sensitivity the song is shepherded into short, atmospheric passages before Love Drum’s direct delivery: Perry’s vocal and guitar, dancing over a hint of distortion feels like Syd Barrett at his most casually brilliant. Carrying on the tradition of a single cover on every Prophetic Justice Ministry release, here Lana Del Rey’s Mariner’s Apartment Complex is given a stripped back but faithful treatment. With a sound that feels like a hushed, Chris Isaak classic it’s testament to Perry’s own compositions that the cover doesn’t outshine the rest of the album. Album closer and single Spirit House Party combines a classic chord progression with Perry’s double-tracked vocal into a murky but brilliantly catchy chorus. While nowhere near as lush in its production, there’s something in the atmosphere of Prophetic Justice Ministry’s vocal sitting in the mix just so that reminds us of The Electric Prunes’ Holy Are You-era work with David Axelrod.
Key To World Peace flits between displaying a spectrum of blurred emotional resonance in its instrumental passages and vulnerability in the shape of raw, melodic songwriting. With his first release outside of Australia and vinyl debut, Sam Perry’s Prophetic Justice Ministry is a beguiling dance in and out shadows.