Suche:ke

With Dispersion, Loom & Thread return to the volatile architecture of the expanded piano trio - and quietly fracture it from within.

Daniel Klein (drums), Tobias Fröhlich (double bass) and Tom Schneider (keys, sampler) remain the sole agents on stage and in the final recording. The triangle holds. And yet, the field has expanded. For their second studio album, the trio fed their improvisations with the timbral signatures of guest saxophone and vibraphone players - not just as additional voices to be featured, but also as material to be absorbed, atomized and redistributed. The result is not augmentation but thorough refraction.

Where the debut album explored the recursive labyrinth of Schneider's live sampling of his own piano, Dispersion introduces an external grain into the feedback system. Breath and metal. Reed turbulence and struck resonance. The trio sampled extended improvisations by saxophone and vibes players: Victor Fox, Asger Nissen, Volker Heuken, and L&T's own Daniel Klein; dissected their attacks, overtones and decay curves, and integrated these fragments into the trio's internal circuitry. What emerges is a play of presences without bodies - instrumental ghosts circulating through the dense weave of rhythm and keys.

At first, one might hear the familiar relational tension: Klein's polyrhythmic elasticity interlocking with Fröhlich's tensile double bass figurations, Schneider poised at the hinge between tonal field and percussive impulse. But soon, the surface splinters - again. A vibraphone shimmer appears, yet no mallets are visible. A reed multiphonic surges through the texture, bending space between bass and drums. These events are neither quotations nor overlays; they are redistributed energies, dispersed across the trio's grammar. A digital multidimensional interplay ensues.

If the first album unfolded as a two-tiered game - live phrase and sampled reflection - Dispersion adds a further axis. The sampled materials from other improvisers are stripped of their erstwhile two-way interaction and reconstituted as malleable particles. Signifier detached from origin, resonance detached from gesture. The trio navigates a constantly shifting topology in which acoustic memory and electronic manipulation are indistinguishable.

Crucially, the album never abandons the physical urgency of three musicians reacting in real time. The additional timbral layers do not thicken the texture into opacity; rather, they introduce stark points and arrows of diffraction. Density opens into prismatic clarity. Lines splinter and regroup. What seems like a quartet or quintet collapses back into three bodies negotiating an expanded field.

Dispersion is not about addition but about distribution - of agency, of timbre, of temporal perspective. It is an album in which the trio setting becomes a site of multiplicity without surrendering its immediacy. A dissolution not only of the divide between present experience and memory, but between inside and outside, self and other.

Three musicians. Countless vectors. A music that fractures in order to cohere.

CREDITS:
Tom Schneider: piano & sampler
Tobi Fröhlich: double bass
Daniel Klein: drums & percussion

sample sources:
Victor Fox: tenor saxophone
Asger Nissen: alto saxophone
Volker Heuken: vibes
Daniel Klein: vibes

Recorded by Martin Dressler at Bauer Studios, Ludwigsburg.
Mixed & mastered by Martin Ruch.
Artwork by Viet Hoa Le.

2xLP Magenta Vinyl. Sororitie, released in 2024, is a 15-track project that showcases Lucy’s signature maximalist production and genre-bending style.

Winnies Welt war nicht immer einfach. Manche sagen, er hätte berühmt werden können, aber es gab Probleme. Er hatte kurz Erfolg, aber das Leben kam ihm dazwischen. ,Manche Leute kümmern sich zu sehr. Ich glaube, das nennt man Liebe." Also lag es an Winston Hightower, die Chance zu ergreifen, sie festzuhalten und sich Gehör zu verschaffen. Ein Mann, der den Sound des amerikanischen Lofi liebt. Was befindet sich im Aschenbecher von Winston Hightowers "Day in the Life"? 14 Songs, die einem wehmütigen Herzen eine unbeschwerte Tarnung verleihen - es strahlt durch und durch. 33 RPM. Ein Pianist, der kein Klavier spielen kann und seine Melodien auf der Gitarre transponiert. Angenehme Klänge, überlagert von Gesprächen mit sich selbst. Was sieht dieser Ohio Player, wenn er in den Spiegel schaut? Nudge Squidfish? Daniel Johnson? Studio One Oldies Comps? Nach über 126 Songs auf Band sind wir immer noch dabei, das herauszufinden.

Petter Eldh's explosive ensemble Koma Saxo continues their adventures with a new album "Koma West", out on We Jazz Records, 18 March 2022. The album sees Koma Saxo expand on their previous sound with the addition of vocalist Sofia Jernberg and a strong cast of featured artists, including cellist Lucy Railton, violinist Maria Reich, pianist Kit Downes and accordionist Kiki Eldh (Petter's mom!). The hard-hitting key quintet remains, including Eldh on bass and assorted instruments, Christian Lillinger on drums, plus saxophonists Otis Sandsjö (of Y-OTIS), Jonas Kullhammar and Mikko Innanen bringing the SAXO to the KOMA operation.

At 14 tracks, "Koma West" is a full menu of monumental compositional ideas that could spawn entire albums. True to his chop & go production style, Eldh relies on continuous movement while presenting another all killer no filler program taking Koma Saxo on a sonic outing not quite like anything that had previously appeared under the band's name. That being said, there's very much the Petter Eldh touch here, one which might be hard to pinpoint and verbalise, but nevertheless a recognisable style of composing, producing and arranging.

Thematically, the album is rooted in the West Coast of Sweden, where Eldh grew up – he's from a tiny town called Lysekil. There's a thread of Swedish folk song tradition that has been part of the Koma Saxo DNA from the get-go and you can hear that here as well, especially on cuts such as "Närhet", beautifully sung by Sofia Jernberg.

Petter Eldh says:

"In a way, it's a concept album and a celebration of the Swedish West Coast. The first single is called 'Koma Kaprifol', and kaprifol is the landscape flower of Bohuslän on the West coast, where I grew up. I'm not too wild about attaching strong narratives to my music but there's no way around it this time. The oysters, a common snack around the coast, are a strong conceptual presence here. Anyway, they seem to pop up here and there quite often already thus far in the Koma Saxo narrative, even though it's not always so obvious. Koma Vocals! Koma Strings! I love the presence of Sofia Jernberg here and I love writing string arrangements, too, although I never thought I would do it for Koma, but of course, Koma should have some strings, why not?. Koma Saxo should and can become anything."

Double Exposure ist das neue Album des britischen Multiinstrumentalisten James Hoare, bekannt aus Bands wie Veronica Falls, Ultimate Painting und Proper Ornaments. Unter seinem Solo-Pseudonym Penny Arcade präsentiert er ein Werk, das noch roher, spontaner und experimenteller klingt als sein Debüt Backwater Collage (2024). Die Songs entstanden größtenteils schnell und intuitiv - aufgenommen auf einer 16-Spur-Bandmaschine, mit alten Drumcomputern, schwebenden Orgeln und reduzierten Arrangements. Gitarre ist erstmals nicht das zentrale Element, auch wenn Stücke wie "Regrets" zeigen, wie eindringlich Hoares Gitarrenarbeit bleibt. Das Album bewegt sich zwischen psychedelischen Folk-Momenten, Lo-Fi-Experimenten, souligen Anklängen und analogen Klanglandschaften, die an die Offenheit von Syd Barrett oder die Tape-Ästhetik von White Fence erinnern. Songs wie "Worst Trip", "Rear View Mirror" oder das träumerisch-verrauchíte "We Used To Be Good Friends" wirken wie spontane Momentaufnahmen - unfertig im besten Sinne, atmosphärisch dicht und voller subtiler Melodien. Double Exposure ist ein Album der Stimmungen und Schichten: ein intuitiver, unprätentiöser Blick in Hoares kreative Innenwelt, geprägt von Umbrüchen, Ortswechseln und der Schönheit des Ungefilterten.

Accessory ist das Soloprojekt von Jason Balla (von Dehd), einem in Chicago lebenden Songwriter und multidisziplinären Künstler. Ihre Arbeit dreht sich um den Konflikt zwischen Optimismus und Melancholie, wobei sie ihr scheinbar unendliches Gewicht mit gleicher Perspektive und Anmut halten und auf ihre Entsprechung durch neugierige und komplexe melodische Erfahrungen hinweisen, die die Spannung der natürlichen und digitalen Welt nachahmen. Ihr Debütalbum ,Dust" ist der Ort, an dem das Himmlische auf das Molekulare trifft. Engel, Sternschnuppen und Blitze unterhalten sich mit Blut, Serotonin und Kalzium. In einer Zeit von live gestreamtem Schmerz und überwältigender Apathie komponierte Balla diese Songs, um seine Welt in Ordnung zu bringen, um zum menschlichen Kern von allem vorzudringen und den Verfall für sich selbst und für alle anderen zu verarbeiten, die den Schmerz des Pessimismus und der Hoffnungslosigkeit spüren. Das Album ist eine Reise durch die Welt der Musik, die sich durch ihre Vielseitigkeit und ihre Fähigkeit auszeichnet, den Zuhörer in eine andere Dimension zu versetzen. Die Musik von Accessory ist eine Mischung aus Rock, Pop, Folk und elektronischen Klängen, die sich durch ihre Vielseitigkeit und ihre Fähigkeit auszeichnet, den Zuhörer in eine andere Dimension zu versetzen.

Distant Clouds Grey Vinyl. Das siebte Album von Teen Suicide ist das erste richtige Album der Band seit ,honeybee table at the butterfly feast", das durch Songs wie ,you were my star" wieder Aufmerksamkeit bekam, der auf TikTok richtig abging. Teen Suicide wurde 2010 als Nebenprojekt von Sam Ray gegründet und hat sich nach und nach weiterentwickelt, während es ein leidenschaftliches Projekt blieb. Seit 2017 gehört Kitty Ray zur Band, und 2022 wurde die Band mit dem Beitritt des Schlagzeugers Niko Wood offiziell zu einem Vollzeitprojekt. Gemeinsam begann das Trio mit dem Schreiben und Aufnehmen ihres kommenden Albums ,Nude descending staircase headless". Das Album stellt eine Reihe von Premieren für die Band dar: ihre erste Platte, die in einem professionellen Studio aufgenommen wurde, ihre erste Veröffentlichung, die als Vollzeitband geschrieben und aufgenommen wurde, und ihre erste seit 2012, auf der durchgehend ein festes Schlagzeuger zu hören ist. Es markiert auch den Beginn eines vollständig gemeinsamen Schreibprozesses zwischen Sam und Kitty Ray, die 2016 geheiratet haben und von Grund auf an der gesamten Platte mitgearbeitet haben, wobei sie sich sowohl das Songwriting als auch den Gesang aufteilten. Von Sam Ray als ,bisheriger Höhepunkt der Karriere" der Band beschrieben, erkundet Nude descending staircase headless das endlose Streben nach Erfüllung durch Kreativität und verknüpft Motive von Tod und Wiedergeburt mit Themen wie der Freude trotz großer Verluste. Das Album sieht das Selbst nicht als isoliertes Objekt, sondern als einen einzelnen Strang in einem größeren, miteinander verbundenen Netz. Zu den herausragenden Tracks gehören ,Idiot", das sich an direktem, wörtlichem Storytelling orientiert, und ,Spiders", bei dem Kitty Ray den Gesang übernimmt und eine düstere feministische Unterströmung in die übergeordnete Erzählung des Albums einbringt. Musikalisch lässt sich die Band von Künstlern wie Nirvana, Radiohead, Shellac und Helmet inspirieren und greift die Intensität und Experimentierfreudigkeit des Heavy Rock der späten 80er und 90er Jahre auf. Ihre jüngsten Tourneen mit DELTA SLEEP unterstreichen einmal mehr, dass Teen Suicide zunehmend Einflüsse aus Math Rock und Metal in ihren sich weiterentwickelnden Sound einfließen lässt.

Distant Clouds Grey Vinyl. Das siebte Album von Teen Suicide ist das erste richtige Album der Band seit ,honeybee table at the butterfly feast", das durch Songs wie ,you were my star" wieder Aufmerksamkeit bekam, der auf TikTok richtig abging. Teen Suicide wurde 2010 als Nebenprojekt von Sam Ray gegründet und hat sich nach und nach weiterentwickelt, während es ein leidenschaftliches Projekt blieb. Seit 2017 gehört Kitty Ray zur Band, und 2022 wurde die Band mit dem Beitritt des Schlagzeugers Niko Wood offiziell zu einem Vollzeitprojekt. Gemeinsam begann das Trio mit dem Schreiben und Aufnehmen ihres kommenden Albums ,Nude descending staircase headless". Das Album stellt eine Reihe von Premieren für die Band dar: ihre erste Platte, die in einem professionellen Studio aufgenommen wurde, ihre erste Veröffentlichung, die als Vollzeitband geschrieben und aufgenommen wurde, und ihre erste seit 2012, auf der durchgehend ein festes Schlagzeuger zu hören ist. Es markiert auch den Beginn eines vollständig gemeinsamen Schreibprozesses zwischen Sam und Kitty Ray, die 2016 geheiratet haben und von Grund auf an der gesamten Platte mitgearbeitet haben, wobei sie sich sowohl das Songwriting als auch den Gesang aufteilten. Von Sam Ray als ,bisheriger Höhepunkt der Karriere" der Band beschrieben, erkundet Nude descending staircase headless das endlose Streben nach Erfüllung durch Kreativität und verknüpft Motive von Tod und Wiedergeburt mit Themen wie der Freude trotz großer Verluste. Das Album sieht das Selbst nicht als isoliertes Objekt, sondern als einen einzelnen Strang in einem größeren, miteinander verbundenen Netz. Zu den herausragenden Tracks gehören ,Idiot", das sich an direktem, wörtlichem Storytelling orientiert, und ,Spiders", bei dem Kitty Ray den Gesang übernimmt und eine düstere feministische Unterströmung in die übergeordnete Erzählung des Albums einbringt. Musikalisch lässt sich die Band von Künstlern wie Nirvana, Radiohead, Shellac und Helmet inspirieren und greift die Intensität und Experimentierfreudigkeit des Heavy Rock der späten 80er und 90er Jahre auf. Ihre jüngsten Tourneen mit DELTA SLEEP unterstreichen einmal mehr, dass Teen Suicide zunehmend Einflüsse aus Math Rock und Metal in ihren sich weiterentwickelnden Sound einfließen lässt.

This striking and thought-provoking album, born from the encounter between a towering jazz personality and youthful sensibilities, captures the direction of Japanese jazz in the 1980s. It will be reissued as the fourth release in the "Spin This Now!" series.

Double Bass, Acoustic Piccolo Bass, Percussion: Isao Suzuki
Drums, Congas, Percussion: Keiyu Hirayama
Electric Guitar: Takayuki Kato
Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer: Masayoshi Yoneda
Trumpet, Flugelhorn: Shuji Miyake

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the passing of James Darroch, singer/songwriter/guitarist for Sydney's incredible The Eastern Dark, Grown Up Wrong! is thrilled to announce a long-awaited reissue of the band's classic single "Julie Is A Junkie/Johnny and Dee Dee".

Heavily influenced by the Ramones - the band opened their first live show with 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and from then on opened with a new Ramones song every time they played, working through the band's complete catalogue in chronological order - as all manner of hyper-melodic and high energy rock. The Eastern Dark were a classic trio powered by former Celibate Rifles bassplayer James Darroch's blazing guitar and anchored by former Lime Spiders backing vocalist Bill Gibson's hard driving and melodic bass playing (and supreme backing vocals) and Geoff Milne's untouchable beat keeping. They set Sydney's Radio Birdman influenced scene alight in 1984 and quickly built an international following on the back of their classic single. Sadly, just hours after completing what would become their next release - the mini-LP "Long Live the New Flesh" - the band's life, and that of 26-year old James Darroch, was brutally ended in a road accident whilst the band was on its way to Melbourne.

On the back of the tragedy, the band's music lived on and it's global impact was reflected in the influence it bore on numerous bands, from Boston's the Lemoneads to Tokyo's Teengenenete, and obviously a succession of Australian bands from the Hard-Ons through to God and the Meanies and beyond.

After years of searching, surviving members Bill Gibson and Geoff Milne recently found the single's original multi-track tapes, and for the new release, the original recordings have been both remixed and remastered for maximum impact under their supervision.

One of the longest standing figures amidst the Discrepant wolfpack, the unstoppable alias of sound collector Laurent Jeanneau returns to the fold 2 years after 'Tanzania II' with this 2.0 update of the celebrated 'The Lisu' sort-of-mixtape released way back in 2014.

Based on recordings of music from the Lisu communities in China and Thailand captured on site, this mix shows Gong more like a selector or dj, restricting electronic processing to a bare minimum in order to convey different histories, places and timeframes within the same mesmerising continuum. A respectful and deeply vivid evocation of all the richness and diversity found among the different strands of lisu music, from ceremonial vocal incantations through a chibeu string instrument "processed" in loco through saturated street speakers to moments of pure poetic radiance, 'The Lisu' flows gracefully with the keen sense of wonder and knowledge of one of this century's most thoughtful and insightful sonic travellers.

Das dritte Album der Kassierer von 1996 ist wieder auf Vinyl erhältlich, Nachpressung von 500 Stück! "Habe Brille" ist benannt nach einem Stück aus einer Operette von Jacques Offenbach und der Titel deutet schon an, wohin die musikalische Reise geht: Es wird ein weiter Bogen geschlagen von der Klassik (hier brilliert Wölfi mit einem a capella Solo über acht Oktaven), Big Band-Einspielungen bis zu düsteren technoiden Maschinenklängen, wobei das Hauptgewicht selbstverständlich auf solidem Punkrock liegt. Die Kassierer überraschen mit ihren virtuos eingespielten Liedern auch verwöhnte Ohren und strafen all die Lügen, die ihnen musikalische Kompetenz absprechen wollen. Was wie ein Streifzug durch die Musikhistorie wirkt, bringt kurz vor der Jahrtausendwende die Vielfalt und Beliebigkeit aller Stile auf den Punkt und liefert nicht mehr und weniger ein Stück Zeitgeschichte. Dabei bleiben die vielen Ohrwürmer sofort im Gedächtnis und laden zum spontanen mitsingen ein. Das große Plus der Band liegt in ihrer konsequenten Konzentration auf die deutsche Sprache, deren Vielfalt sie tiefer ausschöpfen als jede andere Gruppe der Gegenwart. Die Musik der Kassierer läßt den Hörer niemals kalt, sie packt ihn, entwickelt ihre dämonische Kraft und läßt den Hörer als einen anderen zurück. Hier werden Grenzen der Wirklichkeit verzerrt und verschoben, hier wird die realität neu zusammengezimmert. "Habe Brille" bildet die Größe und die Ungeheuerlichkeit der Welt auf musikalische Weise ab. Die Kassierer sind Visionäre und Propheten des dritten Jahrtausends, sie sind Menschen von übermorgen, die mitten unter uns leben. "Nennt es infantil, nennt es genial, scheißegal, die KASSIERER kümmern sich einen Dreck drum - Hauptsache, es wird reagiert. (...) Musikalisch sind die KASSIERER hier unbestritten in Höchstform: von Swing über Volksmusik bis hin zu ihrem altgewohnten Primitiv-Punk ist alles dabei." - Ox-Fanzine / Ausgabe #24

Ever since the late 1950s bossa-nova revolution, Brazil’s influence on French music has been undeniable. Pierre Barouh, Georges Moustaki and a vast array of lesser known artists, all made the Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) an axis of promotion at the service of a cool and metaphysical, modern and mixed Brazilian lifestyle. Some were seduced by the poetic languors of the bossa, some were looking for fun, and others just loved the American hybridization of jazz-bossa, jazz-samba.



What is bossa nova? One of its creators, Joao Gilberto said: "Its style, cadence, everything is samba. At the very start, we didn't call it bossa nova, we sang a little samba made up of a single note - Samba de uma nota so .... The discussion around the origins of bossa nova is therefore useless”. It is nevertheless useful to remember that these magnificent Brazilian songs, which the guitarist describes as samba, were shifted and balanced around improbable chords. "I like things that lean, the in-betweens that limp with grace," said Pierre Barrouh, quoting Jean Cocteau.



With emotion, arrangements for violin and supple guitar licks, bossa nova rapidly changed. A transformation that can be heard in the Tchic, tchic, French Bossa Nova 1963-1974 compilation, the result of a cultural reappropriation, which traveled through the United States and supplemented itself in France.

A musical revolution that has remained significant, bossa nova was born in Rio. From 1956 to 1961, Brazil lived through its golden years. In five years, the country had invented its modernist style. Elected president in 1956, Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, an elegant man with a broad forehead, brandished a promising slogan: "Fifty years of progress in five years". He quickly got to work. Not worried about increasing debt, he launched the project for a new federal capital, Brasilia, designed by the communist architect Oscar Niemeyer. Volkswagen opened state-of-the-art factories and created the “fusquinha”, the Beetle. In Rio, the Vespa made its first appearance. The Arpoador Surf Club crew run into the “girl” from Ipanema, Helô Pinheiro - the tanned garota ("chick"), between a flower and mermaid, who at 17 walked by the Veloso bar, where the fiery author and composer, Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, were getting drunk on whiskey. From then on, bossa symbolized cool.

In 1958, Joao Gilberto recorded Chega de Saudade, which the directors of Philips denied, calling it "music for fagots". The marketing director, who believed in it, secretly pressed 3000 78-inch vinyls and distributed them at schools around Rio, creating a tidal wave.

American jazzmen then took over. In particular, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and guitarist Charlie Byrd. In November 1962, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded a "Bossa-Nova" concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, inviting the genre’s pioneers. Unprepared, the show soon turned to disaster. But the troupe was invited to the White House by Jackie Kennedy. The first lady loved "the new beat" and in particular Maria Ninguem, a song by Carlos Lyra, later covered by Brigitte Bardot.

In Brazil, the 1964 military coup quickly ended this euphoria. The destructive atmosphere that ensued pushed many Brazilian musicians to leave, if not to exile. Thus, Tom Jobim, Sergio Mendes and Joao Gilberto arrived to the United States. In New York, Joao Gilberto met saxophonist Stan Getz. At the time, he was married to the Bahianese Astrud Weinert Gilberto, who had a German father. She had never sung before, but she knew how to speak English. Getz therefore asked her to replace her husband on The Girl From Ipanema. The Getz/Gilberto record with Tom Jobim on piano, was released in March 1964. Phil Ramone, the "pope of pop" was in charge of sound.

Bossa nova arrived in Paris through the classic “guitar-voice” channel (Pierre Barouh, Baden Powell, Moustaki…) But France loved jazz and Paris had already welcomed its American contributors. All these good people were to pass through Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The cabaret l'Escale became the Mecca of Latin American sound where one could find Pierre Barrouh and his friends, such as the Camara Trio, samba-jazz aces, whose only record was published by the Saravah label. With a band strangely called Les Masques (a band that included Nicole Croisille and Pierre Vassiliu, among others), the Camara Trio recorded an interesting Brazilian Sound, including the track Il faut tenir which is present on this tasty compilation of rarities.

Other enlightened musicians can also be found on the compilation, such as Jean-Pierre Sabar (songwriter for Hardy, Auffray, Leforestier ...) and the French pop rock organist Balthazar. In 1975, Sabar recorded Aurinkoinen Musiikkimatka on a Finnish label, which featured the crazy Vai, Vai, included on this record. We are now following the footsteps of Brazilian electronic musicians such as Sergio Mendes, Eumir Deodato or Marcos Valle who created funk and disco sounds on their keyboards and synthesizers. A style that influenced Véronique Sanson when she wrote Jusqu’à la Tombée de la nuit in 1969 for Isabelle de Funès, the niece of Louis and a great friend of Michel Berger - Sanson did end up singing this track on her 1992 Sans Regret record.


The pinnacle of exoticism and travel, Sylvia Fels’ Corto Maltese includes bongos, sea mist and ocean sounds. The title was taken from Jacky Chalard’s concept album written in 1974, Je suis vivant, mais j’ai peur (I am alive, but I am scared), based on Gilbert Deflez’s science fiction novel.


However, bossa nova extended the scope of popularity. "In the 1970s, I was a fan of Sergio Mendes, Getz / Gilberto. I fell in love with this music that I knew because I had been an orchestral singer, " explained Isabelle Aubret, who in 1971 delivered a composite record of covers by the very funky Jorge Ben, Orfeu Negro, Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Morais and Jean Ferrat. "I recorded this album for Meys Records in Paris, far from Brazil, with wonderful musicians, François Raubert, Roland Vincent, Alain Goraguer...". The latter wrote the arrangements for Casa Forte, a very percussive title borrowed from Edu Lobo, one of the initiators of the bossa who spent time in California. "Jazz and bossa came together and produced very rhythmic music. I love singing, it allows me to dream, to have fun, to feel a high on stage, and these songs brought me joy, made me swing, my singing felt like a dance.”


The world tours of French singers and their desire for the tropics, often brought them to Rio with its hills, forests, caipirinhas and tanned bodies. There are surprises though, like this Iemenja (Iemenja is the goddess of the sea in the Afro-Brazilian candomblé religion). Not unlike the composer and musician Jean-Pierre Lang, based in Sao Paulo, Claire Chevalier taught Brazil to Brazil. In 1970, the singer and painter published a 45-inch vinyl, Mon mari et mes amants (My husband and my lovers), under the improbable pseudonym of Clarinha (little Claire). She was then living in Rio, with her husband, Joël Leibovitz, who founded a band called Azimuth, and who owned a record label specialized in "sambas enredos" songs for samba school parades.


For its B side, she asked Pierre Perret to come up with lyrics for a song composed by Carlos Imperial: "Oh goddess of the sea, o goddess Iemenja, I bring a white rose to adorn your long hair ..." . "Perret came to see us, and we had fun, remembers Joël Leibovitz. We wrote Lemenja for fun, we recorded it at the Havaí studio, behind the Central do Brasil the central station. Erlon Chaves, the arranger who worked with Elis Regina, joined us" adding his share of Afro-Brazilian percussions and funky brass to the mix.

There is a common misunderstanding in Franco-Brazilian history: that bossa, admittedly hedonistic, is perceived as funny, even though the poets who wrote the texts are often philosophizing on the human condition. Its French interpreters pull it towards a carnival inspired universe, far removed from its fundamental essence. Thus, Jean Constantin covered the famous Samba da minha terra, an ode to the art of samba written by the classic Bahian composer Dorival Caymmi, renaming it with the enticing title of Pas tant de tchi tchi pompon: "On your pier there is no tchi tchi / when you arch your back, you know everything is alright ”(lyrics by Gérard Calvi). This expedited bossa aims for the absurd, but retains a certain elegance.

Indeed, Jean Constantin was not an idiot, the rather large man had a huge mustache and liked fantasy, (Les pantoufles à papa, Le pacha, inspired by cha-cha-cha-cha, salsa and jazz) but he was also the lyricist of Mon manège à moi interpreted by Edith Piaf, the composer of Mon Truc en plume by Zizi Jeanmaire and the soundtrack of François Truffaut’s 400 Blows. Le Poulpe, published in 1970, from which this bossa is extract, was arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier, an accomplice of Serge Gainsbourg’s Melody Nelson. In short: "There is enough of samba / By looking at the parasol / Because my poor cabeza / Is going to die in the sun".

Even the American actress Marpessa Down, who was at the heart of the bossa nova revolution with her role as Euridyce in Marcel Camus’ film Orfeu Negro, winner of the 1959 Cannes Palme d'or, fed the clichée with Je voudrais parler au petit cuica - "Tell me how you manage to always make people want to dance / It's true, I must admit that I cannot resist your magic" - in consequence, once can hear the cuica, a little drum inherited from the Bantu.


But bossa nova had many angles. Societal, of course, pushing actresses who were symbols of women's liberation like Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, or Sophia Loren to engage in the exercise of accelerated bossa. In February of 1963, Sophia Loren made a record in French in Rome, Je ne t'aime plus, featuring the song De jour en jour, a bossa written by two Italians, Armando Trovajoli and Tino Fornai, which was released a little later by Barclay. Bossa accompanied the 1960s, a decade of moral liberation. Ann Sorel, who interpreted La Poupée des favellas, caused a sensation with L’amour à plusieurs, a provocative song written by Frédéric Bottom and Jean-Claude Vannier. As for the actress Andrea Parisy, she displayed her bourgeois cheekiness in Marcel Carné's Les Tricheurs before interpreting Les mains qui font du bien. And Magalie Noël, the friend of Boris Vian, who sung Johnny fais-moi mal, was hired to sing Une énorme Samba, composed by Alain Goraguer (arranger to Gainsbourg, Bobby Lapointe and Jean Ferrat) with lyrics by Frédéric Botton.

But in the end, of what wood is bossa nova made of? The answer is given by Christianne Legrand, daughter of Raymond the conductor, and sister to Michel the composer: "With me, with jà" - jà means "immediately" in Portuguese. In 1972, the singer, an expert in vocal jazz and a member of the Double Six, published Le Brésil de Christianne Legrand. Two songs included on the Tchic Tchic compilation that demonstrate how bossa, jazz, funk, rock, etc. work like a swiss army knife: the music is used to denounce broken systems, or miracles, HLM et ciné roman, Cent mille poissons dans ton filet, two songs from the O Cafona soundtrack, a successful telenovela broadcast, at the time in black and white, on TV Globo. The first was adapted in French by the fighter and friend of the Legrand tribe, Agnès Varda. The second is content with a play on words, jostling them into a summer fun.



Véronique Mortaigne

Mit seinem neuen Solo-Projekt „NEOCORTEX“ präsentiert Thomas D ein Werk, dessen Entstehungsprozess teilweise über ein Jahrzehnt zurückreicht. Abseits der großen Stadion-Produktionen der Fantastischen Vier liegt der Fokus hier auf einer persönlichen und inhaltlich dichten Auseinandersetzung mit dem menschlichen Sein. Im Gegensatz zu den vorangegangenen Veröffentlichungen mit der Hamburger Band The KBCS handelt es sich bei den zwölf Titeln ausschließlich um neues Material und keine Remakes.

Musikalisch setzt Thomas D erneut auf die Zusammenarbeit mit den KBCS, die für einen organischen und geerdeten Sound sorgen. Ergänzt wird das Album durch Kollaborationen mit dem Künstler Gu sowie der Liedermacher-Legende Reinhard Mey.

„NEOCORTEX“ dokumentiert eine über 13 Jahre gereifte künstlerische Entwicklung und zeigt Thomas D als Songwriter, der sich direkter und lebensnäher als in bisherigen Solo-Arbeiten positioniert.

Mit "wos" legen Attwenger ihr zehntes Studioalbum vor - ein Werk, das erneut beweist, warum diese Band seit fast vier Jahrzehnten wie ein Naturphänomen durch die deutschsprachige Musiklandschaft fegt. Was 1991 mit einer Kassette, einem VHS-Tape und dem legendären Satz "Attwenger heißt im Dialekt denken, heißt den Schädel in den Most tunken" begann, hat sich zu einem der eigenständigsten Projekte des Landes entwickelt: Slangpunk, Dialekt-Avantgarde und anarchischer Groove, der keine Schublade akzeptiert. Auf "wos" treffen elektrisch aufgeladene Ziehharmonika-Linien auf treibende Drum- und Sequenzer-Beats. Worte fransen aus, Geschichten wirbeln herum, Sprache wird gebogen, gedehnt, zerlegt - und wieder zusammengesetzt zu einem Sound, der gleichzeitig tief verwurzelt und radikal zeitgenössisch ist. Attwenger kommentieren den Zustand einer überhitzten Gesellschaft, ohne den moralischen Zeigefinger zu heben. Stattdessen öffnen sie Räume zwischen den Zeilen: Orte für Humor, Auswege, Widerstand und befreiende Bewegungen jenseits der Erwartung. "wos is. is wos." - dieses Album lässt keinen kalt. Es fordert heraus, groovt, fräst, fragt, widerspricht. Und es zeigt einmal mehr: Attwenger bleiben unkopierbar.

Wenn du es weißt, dann weißt du es. Die Shows von Dash Rip Rock sind ein ausgelassener Spaß - eine explosive Mischung aus Respektlosigkeit, Verzerrung und rohem Gitarrensound. Dieses legendäre Trio aus der Louisiana Music Hall of Fame und langjährige Indie-Größen verbinden Roots Rock, Garage Rock, Country-Punk und Southern Swagger und werden von der New York Times für ihre ,Flüssigkeit in der amerikanischen Roots-Musik mit einer kräftigen Dosis Punkrock-Spirit" und von SPIN als ,unbestreitbar die größte Rockband des Südens" gelobt. Mit über siebzehn Underground-Klassikern, einer treuen, genreübergreifenden Fangemeinde aus Rock, Americana und Punk und einem Radiohit aus den 1990er Jahren mit ihrer ironischen Hymne ,Let's Go Smoke Some Pot" liefert Dash Rip Rock weiterhin mitreißende Live-Shows. Gründer, Leadgitarrist, Sänger und Songwriter Bill Davis wird oft als Pionier des Country-Punk, Cowpunk und Alt-Country bezeichnet - Genres, die Rock, Outlaw Country und Punk-Attitüde miteinander verbinden. Die Austin Chronicle lobt Davis als ,das Gehirn hinter Dashs Muskeln, einen Bar-Poeten mit einem ausgeprägten Sinn für Humor und einem unverschämten Talent für gute Riffs". Mit ,A Song in Everyone" kehrt Dash Rip Rock mit einer brandneuen LP zurück, die in Mississippi mit Matt Patton von den Drive-By Truckers aufgenommen wurde.

A magus is a wizard…a sorcerer. Magus, the band, is certainly interested in such things (who isn’t), but the name is especially apt due to the band’s approach to alchemy, the blending of rock, gothic, proto metal, and psychedelic styles to create a sound that is, ultimately, unique. Part of that uniqueness comes from the instrumentation. While guitar is often a dominant instrument of the rock oeuvre, the Fender Rhodes generally plays a supportive role. Not so here, where Jessica Weeks’ deft use of the keyboard dovetails with Greg Weeks’ more standard six-string approach. Not standard is the band’s sound. Doomy yet inspirational, dour yet vibrant, the duo’s tunes map sinister realms whose subjects span metaphysical creatures to enigmatic portals. You know, the typical stuff that rubs elbows with a magus.

Formed in late 2024, Magus sprung from a desire by both artists to experiment with darker, heavier sounds. Long enamored of artists like Flower Travelling Band,, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, the duo delved deeply into trance like riffs and euphoric solos to create the backbone of what has become their debut album, Music for Mandrax. This thirteenth Language of Stone offering features grounded, metronomic grooves, organic, lugubrious synth lines, and tandem vocals (supplied by both Weekses) that, in total, weave a heavy, trancelike spell sure to entice fans of bands as disparate as Sabbath is to Pink Floyd. Recorded at Weeks’ Hexham Head studio (to analog tape, of course), the band enlisted long-time counterparts Jesse Sparhawk (bass) and Ben McConnell (drums) to round out their sound and lock down the grooves that propel the album.

Mixed by Brian McTear and Amy Morrisey at Miner Street in Philadelphia, the band’s fully realized vision came to fruition, which left only the album art to contemplate. The band, wishing to further the gothic aesthetic of their sound, enlisted fashion designer and artist extraordinaire Hogan McLaughlin (Game of Thrones) to create the starkly beautiful line drawings of the front and back covers. The duo travelled to Salem, MA to complete the package with Courtney Brooke Hall, who shot the moody and evocative photographs that grace the gatefold release’s inner panels.

Kelly Green Vinyl, limited to 350 copies. 'Beyond The Beyond' is the highly anticipated tenth studio album from inter-dimensional space travelling explorers The Cosmic Dead, the album takes listeners on a four track expedition into the deepest cosmos of the band. Recorded at Dystopia Recording Studio in Glasgow, 'Beyond The Beyond' features the riff rolling rhythm section of Tommy Duffin on drums and Omar Aborida on bass guitar alongside soaring fiddle acrobatics from Calum Calderwood and electronic textural bleeps and bloops from Luigi Pasquini on synthesizers, all wah laden and with phasers set to destroy - Turn on, tune in and immerse yourself in the sound of The Cosmic Dead.

Alisha's Attic were one of the defining English pop duos of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Formed by sisters Shelly and Karen Poole, the pair first appeared in 1988 under the name Keren & Chelle, releasing their single "Sugar Daddy". In 1996 Alisha's Attic released their debut single "I Am, I Feel" which reached the #14 in the UK Singles Charts. Their debut album, Alisha Rules the World was released in November 1996, produced by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. The album became a major success, achieving Platinum in the UK and generated a string of single "Alisha Rules The World", "Indestructible" and "Air We Breathe" all of which reached the UK Top 15.

Reissue of the definitive street punk comeback of the 90s - remastered and raw!

Blaskapelle Chancentod macht Postpunk für Leute, die lieber stolpern als marschieren. Keine Bläser treffen auf Beton, Melancholie trifft auf Katerstimmung - und irgendwo dazwischen tanzt das Leben, wenn's keiner sieht. Wie rostige Liebesbriefe aus dem Nirgendwo. Wie dein kaputter Radiowecker. Es ist der Dreck unter den Fingernägeln der Poesie. Mit Mitgliedern von Oh Telephone! & The Outta Mind, aus Bern aus der Schweiz, physisch nur auf Kassette zu haben From Bern Switzerland! The dirt under the fingernails of poetry, Postpunk as fresh and new like your first hangover, with members of 'Oh Telephone!' and 'The Outta Mind'. - VRR 2026

La Peste war Bostons erste echte Punkband und hat die Lücke zwischen der einflussreichen Proto-Punk-Szene der Stadt in den 1970er Jahren und dem College-Rock und Hardcore-Punk der 1980er und 1990er Jahre gefüllt. Diese Sammlung will die ganze Geschichte von La Peste erzählen und zeigt die unveröffentlichten Studio- und Loft-Aufnahmen der Band zusammen mit den beiden offiziell veröffentlichten Tracks. Diese Tracks stammen aus der Studio-Session, aus der die 7"-Single ,Better Off Dead" (die einzige offizielle Aufnahme der Band) hervorging, aus ihrer Session mit Ric Ocasek von The Cars aus dem Jahr 1978, aus einer Session in den Electro Acoustic Studios aus dem Jahr 1978 und aus 4-Spur-Loft-Aufnahmen, die 1977 von den Bostoner Punks Billy Dafodil und Dave Cola gemacht wurden. ,Wenn du dir ,I Don't Know Right From Wrong" anhörst, wage ich zu behaupten, dass du nicht mehr aufhören kannst, sobald du angefangen hast - stell dir vor, diese Songs wären verfügbar gewesen, als La Peste sie aufgenommen hat. Stell dir vor, die atomaren Songs dieses Trios hätten aus den Plattenläden und Autoradios in ganz Boston, an der gesamten Ostküste und in ganz Amerika gedröhnt. Ich habe kaum Zweifel, dass genau das passiert wäre, wenn diese Musik Ende der 70er Jahre auf Platte erschienen wäre. Stattdessen müssen wir uns damit begnügen, sie jetzt zu hören - und wow, was für ein Trostpreis! Alles auf diesem Album kommt aus den Lautsprechern geflogen, macht Spaß, ist intensiv und so voller kaum zu bändigender Energie, dass man sich fühlt, als hätte man sich gerade Koffein gespritzt. Johnny Angels Beschreibung von La Peste als ,Black Sabbath meets Wire" trifft jetzt voll ins Schwarze: große, fette, dreckige Riffs zu einem umwerfenden Beat. Zwischen Peter Daytons feuriger Gitarre und seinen kehligen Schreien, Mark Andreassons tiefem Bass und Roger Tripps kraftvollen Drums gibt es in ,I Don't Know Right From Wrong" so viel Klanggewalt, dass der Typ in der Maxell-Werbung dagegen wie eingeschlafen wirkt" - Marc Masters

The new HARDLINE album ‘Shout’ sees the band helmed by American vocalist Johnny Gioeli (Axel Rudi Pell, Crush 40) and his Italian team mates, keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio, guitarist Luca Princiotta, bassist Anna Portalupi and drummer Marco Di Salvia, take up where their 1992 Melodic Rock masterpiece "Total Eclipse" left off.

Naive Melodies is a bold and visionary tribute to the music of Talking Heads, reinterpreted through the lens of Black musical innovation. Curated by Drew McFadden — the creative mind behind BBE’s acclaimed Modern Love (David Bowie tribute album) — this new collection dives deep into the Afro-diasporic rhythms and experimental soul roots that helped shape Talking Heads’ unmistakable New Wave sound. Inspired by artists like Fela Kuti, Parliament, and Al Green — whose influences loomed large in the band’s rhythmic DNA — Naive Melodies shines a light on the Black music traditions that underpinned their artistry. Far from a conventional tribute, Naive Melodies reframes the band’s catalog through the voices and visions of a new generation of genre-defying artists. These interpretations illuminate the foundational grooves and sonic textures that fueled Talking Heads’ rhythm-forward aesthetic, bringing them full circle with authenticity. “With Naive Melodies, I wanted to spotlight the deep and often overlooked influence of Black music on the sound of Talking Heads, drawing from the rhythmic foundations of Afro-diasporic traditions, soul, gospel, Latin, and spiritual jazz. This project is a chance to reimagine Talking Heads’ legacy through the lens of the very innovations that helped shape it, bringing those influences to the forefront through the voices of today’s most forward-thinking artists.” — Drew McFadden The album features a globally minded lineup, including Liv.e, Bilal, Rogê, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Aja Monet, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Theo Croker, Kenny Dope, Rosie Lowe, Pachyman, W.I.T.C.H., and more — spanning Afrobeat, jazz, soul, funk, gospel, dub, electronica, orchestral, and Latin styles. It reflects not only the boundary-pushing ethos of Talking Heads, but also the influence of Black music as a cultural force that helped shape it. This is not just a tribute album — it’s a recontextualization. A cultural conversation. A rhythmic reawakening.

Leading outlet for forward-thinking Scandinavian jazz, April Records, proudly presents the new album from Malmö-based quintet People In Orbit. A followup to their critically acclaimed 2023 release Close/Away (Naxos Prophone), the group continues to explore Scandinavia"s jazz tradition through a contemporary lens, blending acoustic interplay with electronics and a focus on collective improvisation. Led by trumpeter and composer Adam Sass, People In Orbit were formed in late 2020 with the intention of reimagining the classic jazz quintet with a contemporary edge. The group prioritises space, interaction, and ensemble balance, allowing composed material and collective responsiveness to shape the music. Alongside Sass, the band features Edvin Ekman (tenor saxophone, effects), Niklas Bergström (piano, Moog, keyboards), Edvin Elmersson (double bass), and Frank William Reis (drums). Viewpoint is a concept-driven album centred on perspective; how different viewpoints influence the way events are interpreted, and how perspective can foster connection or distance. Much of the album is built around Cycles, a four-part suite composed from a graphic score, with each section representing a different human life and its relationship to the surrounding world. The album moves through shifting emotional and psychological states, from curiosity and tension to reflection and release. Perspective is explored not only through human experience, but also via non-human viewpoints - including music inspired by deep-ocean communication between whales and slow, drifting motion. Musically, Viewpoint continues People In Orbit"s blend of modern jazz-rock and electronics, while drawing influence from the Scandinavian jazz quintet tradition of the 1960s. The music balances structured composition with openness, allowing individual voices to exist within a clearly defined collective sound. With Viewpoint, People In Orbit presents a focused and cohesive statement - an album shaped by shared intent, conceptual clarity, and a continued commitment to collective expression.

Free As You Wanna Be", the first album by drummer Bubbha Thomas and his band The Lightmen, predates the deep-set, maverick jazz issued by the likes of Tribe and Strata East: This album is a harbinger of the collective voice of resistance to the musical and cultural status quo that emerged in the 1970s jazz underground. Drummer, bandleader and activist Bubbha Thomas had toured America with R&B revues, served as a session musician for peacock and back beat records, and played straight ahead jazz with legends before the political and social upheaval of the late 1960s led him to a path first charted by Coltrane. Most of the tracks remain strongly groove-based with a clear sense of cohesion, but a few of the performances push further out than you might expect from later Lightmen releases, revealing the band's deep roots in avant-jazz. This lineup includes a very young Ronnie Laws sounding noticeably removed from the jazz-fusion style he'd adopt in the late '70s. Alongside Thomas on drums, the ensemble is rounded out by Doug Harris on tenor sax, Carl Adams on trumpet, Kenny Abair on guitar, and Joe Singleton on trombone.

Following their debut album "Flaws," here is a high-quality follow-up from GARDENS. The popular Viennese indie band are making music that feels warm, direct, and a little rough around the edges. Bright guitars, soft synths, and melodies that stick without trying too hard. Their sound drifts between indie pop, dreamy folk, and gentle garage energy, grounded in honest, quietly catchy songwriting. EP digitally and on ltd tape available. "GARDENS certainly succeed in adding new layers of inspiration into the modern dream-pop genre, something which has been far too long overdue for a refresh. Their debut record offers a colossal level of promise" - Far Out Magazine " an irresistible sonic tapestry" - KEXP "intricately crafted_glistens with warmth and depth" - DIY

GENERATION RADIO return with "Take Two", the eagerly awaited follow-up to their acclaimed debut, delivering another masterclass in AOR/West Coast rock infused with just the right touch of the Nashville sound. Produced by founding members Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts) and Jason Scheff (former Chicago), the band features an all-star lineup: Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Average White Band) joins on drums, replacing the formidable Deen Castronovo (who returned to Journey as full-time member), while Tom Yankton (guitar, vocals) and Chris Rodriguez (guitar, vocals) round up the powerhouse ensemble. “Take Two” is rich with pristine harmonies, unforgettable hooks, and timeless songwriting—hallmarks of the genre delivered with class and authenticity.

Tracks like the widescreen, harmony-laden “Montana Sky,” the hook-filled “The Melody,” and the emotionally charged ballad “Hate This Heart” showcase the band’s signature blend of melodic precision and heartfelt performance. Adding depth to the album’s appeal, Generation Radio also offers reimagined versions of timeless classics that shine in their live sets: Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again,” Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration,” Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright,” and a rock version of Rascal Flatts’ classic “These Days.” With "Take Two," Generation Radio not only honors the legacy of AOR and West Coast rock—they elevate it, combining elite musicianship and genre-crossing influences into a record that’s as fresh as it is nostalgic.

April Records proudly presents the new album from Danish trombonist and composer Lis Wessberg. Her most personal album to date, In The Wake of Blue is a song-driven work exploring transience, love, and transformation. Expanding her writing while remaining rooted in her distinctive instrumental voice, Wessberg creates an intimate musical landscape where lyric, melody, and texture carry equal weight. Wessberg has established herself as a leading voice on the European jazz scene through her band Yellow Map and a series of acclaimed releases on April Records. Her previous album, Twain Walking (2024), marked her first step into English-language songwriting and earned a Danish Music Award nomination in 2025 for the track Behind the Walls. In The Wake of Blue develops this direction further. The album draws on images from nature - sea, tides, clouds, mist, and birds - used as emotional anchors rather than abstractions. These elements frame songs that move from uncertainty and loss toward openness, connection, and renewal. The title reflects this arc: "blue" as melancholy, depth, and memory, and what emerges in its wake. Vocalist Veronika Rud is central to the album"s sound, bringing vulnerability and clarity to the songs. Rather than a traditional singer-led project, the music unfolds as a dialogue between voice and trombone, with Wessberg"s warm, airy tone mirroring and extending each song"s emotional core. At times the two move in close unison; elsewhere, they diverge and reconnect. The core ensemble - Steen Rasmussen (piano and keys), Lennart Ginman (bass), and Jeppe Gram (drums) - provides a responsive, understated foundation, while string quartet Live Strings appear on two tracks, expanding the ensemble"s depth and resonce. In The Wake of Blue offers a quietly assured statement from an artist continuing to refine a voice that speaks as clearly through brass as it does through words.

Odisea is the new album, actually the real debut from Los Retros, out in April on Stones Throw. It draws inspiration from 1980s Japanese City Pop, and marks a new creative chapter from Mauri Tapia shaped by growth, reflection, and renewed purpose. It's been a journey since Tapia first captured hearts with the lo-fi magic of "Someone To Spend Time With", recorded at the age of 17 on a humble four-track in his parents' living room. Now 25, the Oxnard native has stepped into an entirely new season of life - he married his high school sweetheart, became a father to two daughters, and embraced spiritual faith. Earlier this year, he revisited his start with Early Days (2016-2019), a compilation of unreleased music from Mauri's teen years. "Jazz fusion has become my favorite genre and greatest inspiration of all time," Mauri says. "I made this album for the version of me that first fell in love with music. It's my full-circle moment - a sonic hat tip to my beginnings - as well as a nod to the forefathers of jazz fusion and city pop for leaving us with great music." Through it all, he's kept the same DIY spirit, writing and recording every note himself, only now in a home studio of his own. On Odisea, Tapia blends neon-lit City Pop with the melodic sensibility of Latin American soft rock. Mauri's deep love for 70s and 80s jazz fusion records anchors the album, yet Tapia filters those influences through a modern lens. Odisea features two Japanese vocalists, - Hikari and HITOMITOI. Also check out Los Retros new compilation "Early Days" released simultaneously. RIYL soul, bedroom pop, indie, modern jazz, downtempo, soft rock, Mac DeMarco, Thee Sacred Souls, Skinshape, Men I Trust

Responsible Friend is an album about the ways in which we show up for one another. What does it mean to be a responsible friend - to be there for someone you love without trying to save them - in a society steeped in conflict and injustice? Some of the songs on Responsible Friend are joyful dedications while others feel more like letters Elizabeth wasn't sure she wanted to send. Taken together, it's a record about slowing down in a world that keeps accelerating. It's a commitment to friends, family, and self, at a time when everyone seems to be carrying more than they can reasonably hold.

Enter Shikari melden sich mit ihrem bisher ambitioniertesten und emotionalsten Album zurück: "Lose Your Self", das achte Studioalbum der Band, erscheint überraschend und besticht durch eine furchtlose Verschmelzung von Post-Hardcore-Intensität, elektronischen Experimenten und politisch engagierten Texten. Aufbauend auf ihrem UK-Nr.1-Album "A Kiss For The Whole World" (2023) und mit einem noch stärkeren Fokus auf cineastische, club-beeinflusste Klangwelten, präsentiert "Lose Your Self" eine Band, die die Grenzen des Heavy-Sounds immer wieder neu definiert. Das Album wird mit Headliner-Arena-Shows in Großbritannien und Europa sowie Konzerten in Nordamerika und Australien unterstützt. Der Guardian verlieh der Tournee 2024 vier Sterne und bezeichnete das audiovisuelle Spektakel als "den Beginn des größten Kapitels von Enter Shikari".

Shrunken Elvis ist ein Trio aus Nashville, bestehend aus Spencer Cullum, Sean Thompson und Rich Ruth - drei erfahrenen Musikern, die ihre Liebe zu genreübergreifender Instrumentalmusik verbindet. Die Gruppe entstand aus langen Autofahrten durch Europa, Winter-Jam-Sessions und dem gemeinsamen Bestreben, Musik eher aus dem Bauch heraus als aus Ambitionen heraus zu machen. Cullum, ein in East London geborener Pedal-Steel-Gitarrist, spielte bereits mit Angel Olsen, Lambchop, Miranda Lambert und Billy Strings gespielt und zwei Solo-Folk-Psych-LPs bei Full Time Hobby veröffentlicht. Thompson kam mit Gnarwhal und Promised Land Sound in der DIY-Szene von Nashville groß heraus und tourte später mit Margo Price und Skyway Man. Ruth schafft unter dem Namen Rich Ruth (Third Man Records) immersive Soloarbeiten, die spirituellen Jazz, Ambient und Post-Rock miteinander verbinden. Ihre Anfänge gehen auf eine Europatournee im Jahr 2022 zurück, die sie im Rahmen von Cullums Soloalbum unternahmen. Mit einem kompakten Setup aus Gitarren, Pedal Steel und Synthesizern in einem VW Passat zusammengepfercht, begannen sie unterwegs zu komponieren - und entwickelten eine gemeinsame musikalische Sprache, die sie in ihre Wintersessions in Nashville mitnahmen. Sie nahmen in einem Studio in einem Schuppen um einen Heizstrahler herum auf und fingen den Geist dieser Reisen mit Spontaneität und Vertrauen ein. Ihr Debütalbum zielt nicht darauf ab, individuelle Fähigkeiten in den Vordergrund zu stellen, sondern die Instrumente zu etwas völlig Neuem verschmelzen zu lassen. Mit der Einstellung ,keine Ziele, nur Ideen" schufen sie Musik, die sich ungezwungen, explorativ und lebendig anfühlt. Verwurzelt in den Traditionen von Kosmischer Musik, Jazz-Fusion, Elektronik und Ambient, lässt sich Shrunken Elvis von Alice Coltrane, Michael Rother, Pat Metheny, Ashra und KLF inspirieren lassen - zusammen mit visuellen Einflüssen wie ECM-Albumcovern und den Filmen von Kurosawa und Bergman. Gemischt von Jake Davis (William Tyler) und mit Artwork von Max Kinghorn-Mills (Hollow Hand) ist ihr Debüt ein leise drängendes, zutiefst kollaboratives Album - Musik, die ohne Erwartungen entstanden ist, aber voller Absicht.

Recorded in 1960, The Genius Hits the Road was a conceptual album by the great Ray Charles with all its songs referring to a geographical location. Arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns and featuring key members of Ray's band - including saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave - plus strings, the album includes the perennial hit "Georgia On My Mind" - the Hoagy Carmichael song that Ray Charles made his own.

Keja & AcidUpDub back on Babylon Feedback
Quality
Tribal, mystikal, axis frontal, enjoy.

BCUC – Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness – have been channeling the spirit of Soweto for over twenty years. Indigenous funk, hip-hop consciousness, and punk rock energy fused into something utterly original and deeply rooted. Their mantra: Music for the people, by the people, with the people. From humble beginnings rehearsing in a shipping container, a stone's throw from the church where Desmond Tutu organized the escape of the most wanted anti-Apartheid activists, they kept believing in their dream of self-empowerment. Today they command festival stages worldwide: Glastonbury West Holts, Roskilde, Afropunk Brooklyn, WOMAD, Fusion, Sziget, FMM Sines, Beaches Brew, Boomtown, Colours of Ostrava, Couleur Café – to name just a few. In 2023, BCUC were honoured with the prestigious WOMEX Artist Award, an accolade usually reserved for more established artists, in recognition of their fearless work and transcendent live performances.

THE ROAD IS NEVER EASY

The Road Is Never Easy is BCUC's fifth album and their debut on Outhere Records. On this new offering, BCUC take listeners on another Afro-psychedelic journey into the soul of Soweto. It feels like a gospel sermon colliding with a punk concert, "guaranteed to touch untapped corners of your soul" (OkayAfrica). BCUC's music is deeply rooted in history and echoes the voices of the ones who came before. The road was never easy for the people of Soweto who originally came to work in the mines of Egoli, the City of Gold, Johannesburg. When apartheid finally ended after a long struggle, it was hoped that life would improve. But more than 30 years later, many of those initial hopes and dreams are still waiting to be fulfilled. This album is about that struggle. The album contains 10 brand new songs – a record for BCUC, whose previous albums featured an average of 3 songs. It represents the culmination of more than two decades of performing together and building a reputation as a powerful live act. These ten songs encapsulate that same live energy, each one building gradually and drawing you into BCUC's Afro-psychedelic stream of consciousness. It's a seismic tour de force through life in Soweto today. Songs like Amakhandela (Breaking All the Chains) connect history to daily life: "How is this precious metal inflicting so much pain in us," sing BCUC, "this government has been telling us we are free, but we don't benefit from being free." The album also talks about all the hopes and dreams that remain: "I have too many wishes and dreams in my head," BCUC sing in Um duma khanda, "I think I am losing my mind". The album ends with the soothing Matla a rona ke Bophelo, "our strength is life", praising the spirits and thanking the elders for protection. The Road Is Never Easy is about the harsh reality of life in Soweto, where "people always carry heavy loads". BCUC are street poets trying to deal with that burden: sometimes revolutionary, sometimes soothing, but always hopeful and compassionate. "When you are from Soweto you can't retreat nor surrender." (Sebenzela)

RECORDING

The album was largely recorded in Munich, Germany during tour breaks over two sessions, each three days long. It took place in a small studio located in a German WW II bunker converted into rehearsal spaces. The songs were recorded in one take altogether in one room, with only a few overdubs added, mainly backing vocals, by BCUC at Fourways studio in Johannesburg. BCUC have created their own distinctive way of writing, or rather, finding and creating their songs. The recording process is like an improvised live performance. They bring their ideas into a zone where the music, the rhythm and the spirits take over until the song starts to form. In this Afro-psychedelic zone BCUC create their unique poetry that feeds on the dreams still dreamt, the hopes, the fears and the temptations lingering everywhere. BCUC's songs need to breathe and time to build. The right take was the one when the song took over, and just like their live performances, no one knew beforehand where the song would take them. During the recording, BCUC just let it all flow out: inner turmoil, cries of rebellion, but also resilience and a search for healing, love, unity and compassion. You don't have to be from Soweto to feel the deep meaning and impact of this music. In these times of so much hate and division, BCUC are like a campfire for people to gather around.

PRODUCTION & ARTWORK

"BCUC have a unique magic," says Outhere's Jay Rutledge, who produced the album. "It blew our minds. It's like punk and pure gospel at the same time. Their music can make you dance and it can make you cry, all at the same time. And when the song is over, you feel you're not alone in this world anymore. We felt compelled to do this." The album cover is based on a matchbox design, matches being a common household item in South Africa even today. "These were the matches people used to burn government buildings and cars," explain BCUC. Little messages, addresses, or phone numbers used to be scribbled on the back of these boxes; each one a reminder of the strength, resilience, and resistance that once drove the struggle for freedom in Soweto. BCUC keep this flame burning. The Road Is Never Easy is a heavy spiritual road trip, a deep dive into the subconscious of Soweto and a quest for truth, justice and sanity in this crazy world. BCUC tackle the harsh realities of the voiceless, guided by the spirit world of their ancestors. Rather than reinforcing stereotypes of poverty, BCUC's portrayal of Africa is one rich in tradition, rituals and beliefs. "We bring fun and Afro-psychedelic fire from the hood," says vocalist Kgomotso Mokone.

»Single #Two« offers another bite-sized portion of Muslimgauze. This one almost falls into traditional »A-side/B-side« territory, with side A containing a single buzzy, frenetic track just over 3 minutes in length. Densely looped percussion, vocal sample, and fuzzy keyboards meld together into a blurry rush.

The side B is longer, more chill, and less immediate; still utilizing the same ingredients but here spaced out, with the sampled singing only coming to prominence a few minutes in. If the first might provoke a twitch response, the second seems calibrated more for head-nodding.

mixed by aloisius

mastered by Amir Shoat

tracklist poem written by Isaiah Hull

releasing on digital + physical (Vinyl, CD & Cassette) 9th April 2026. Physical editions will feature a secret unlisted bonus track.

aloisius is a prolific, artist and producer, who recently produced a full length album for Pretty V, which released via life is beautiful records (and sold out at Big Love & Rough Trade). aloisius has also collaborated with artists such as: James Massiah, CTM, Nova Varnrable, DJ Spanish Fly, Cities Aviv, zukovstheworld, Kenichi Iwasa & many others.

‘vernacular’ is the debut studio album by improvisation-based artist, and founder of life beautiful, aloisius.

Built entirely from layers of improvised instrumentation recorded via laptop microphone, using various instruments such as guitar, piano, cello, trumpet, saxophone, drums & voice. vernacular is inspired by the spirit of collective improvisation, and embodies aloisius' instinctual & organic approach to musical composition.

Crafted solely by aloisius (except for track 6, which features a layer of piano by life is beautiful member, friend & collaborator Bianca Scout).

To celebrate the release of the album, a semi-improvised interpretation of the project will be performed live by ‘orchestra379’ (a collective improvisation project curated by aloisius, consisting of a fluctuating lineup that differs on each occasion of performance). Initially in London, then at a select few cities across Europe.

The Fuga compilation returns to Token with its seventh installment by a fresh batch of artists emphasizing the cryptic sound of the Belgian record label. The V/A displays urgency as its focal point, expanding and contracting its acoustic space throughout to channel instability. With eight contributions, Fuga VII sifts through nail biting arpeggios, frenzied percussion, and obscure ambiance to recalibrate techno's current soundscape.

Opening the compilation is contemporary techno mainstay Rene Wise with his debut contribution to the record label 'Rough Rider'. In this A1, Wise plays to his strengths by blending deep techno influences with hyper-focused rhythmic work. With a hint of tribalism, he conjures up synthwork from far off to whip motion into heavy drum patterns. Following this first track, STIPP and Sandrien take control in presenting 'Corrie', a sequence-forward groover that slides through drum programing to streamline rhythm. A shrill pad comes in at the halfway mark, completely lifting the energy of 'Corrie' to strain the track's obscurity with an ethereal counterweight. The brief passage of these kinds of elements provides a lot of dynamic to what would otherwise be a powerfully straightforward piece. Diving deeper, Red Rooms unveils 'Limited Sensory' as the next chapter of the compilation. Always swift and exact, the German artist continues to push into the ultra immersive with a web of elements that whiz by for a peaktime lock in. Cold in attitude, Red Rooms tunnels through 'Limited Sensory' with quick drumsand far-off percussive hits that rumble through the track. Stepping up afterwards is Lindsey Herbert with 'Oscillations in Space' - an appropriately named recording that experiments with mania as a tool for the dancefloor. Fast and spiraling, Herbert keeps her hands on the arpeggio's filter to contain tension through thunderous reverb transitions, balancing panic with pace. AgainstMe then stretches out the followup with the commanding 'Phase Shift' to double down on weight. Textural intimidation and stomping percussion is given the space it needs to perform on heavy weight sound systems, making it an austere middle point for Fuga. MAL HOMBRE then guides the listener to more elastic sound design in 'Critical Velocity', in a most appropriate Token fashion. Snowballing in intensity halfway through, MAL HOMBRE pushes the cutoff of his melody and programs snare rolls for vintage craze through the second section. Bells clash with ringing hats to fly the track along its course without looking back or letting go. Conor Wall takes control with 'The Strategy' that focuses on pace rather than melody, weaponizing metallic texture for a deep dancefloor experience. The ambiance does a lot of story telling here, marking breaks and riding through drops to provide grit to an already substantial record. This leads us to the final contribution in Fuga VII - 'Ad Libitum'. Here, Porteix emphasizes the conclusion of the compilation with mystery. The synths slither around pulsating rhythm, creating uninterrupted motion throughout the track's entirety. Porteix draws the curtains on an inquisitive note, keeping the suspense high until the next Fuga compilation comes around.