Поиск:las

The instrumental Bruges based trio VENTILATEUR released a promising self-titled EP in 2019. Slowly, plans were forged to record a first full album. The corona pandemic caused those plans to be pushed back, but it provided more time and focus for the music to grow. In April 2021, they finally "went into the studio" to record their debut album. The choice was made not to crawl into a classical studio, but to loft for a week in a country house in a small town in Zeeuws Vlaanderen: Hoofdplaat. It became the title of their first full album.
For this record the band went in search of the most unadulterated and pure form of themselves. The result is minimalistic and stylized compositions that radiate inner peace. Simple but catchy guitar lines, refined bass parts and purified drum grooves are the main ingredients of this cinematic and melancholic album.
Their infectious blend of jazz, post-rock and instrumental soul produces a unique and compelling sound reminiscent of groups like Khruangbin and closer to home Dans Dans.
The album is recorded and produced by Jeff Claeys, who has produced albums by Millionaire, The Van Jets, Isolde Lasoen and others, and who will also produce the new record by Zwangere Guy.

From the shadows of Slovenia, Shadow Universe is an instrumental music project, creating breathtaking cinematic soundscapes from post-rock, neoclassical/ambient and post-metal elements. Their third album, Subtle Realms, Subtle Worlds is released on 11 March 2022 worldwide on Monotreme Records. Formed in 2017 by Peter Dimnik and Žan Šebrek, Shadow Universe merge contrasting textures of shimmering ambient soundscapes and heavy anxious darkness to portray the diversity of nature and life on earth and beyond. Subtle Realms, Subtle Worlds: Every person experiences the world differently, which puts us into our own unique bubbles, subtle worlds. Subtle Realms, Subtle Worlds finds the band turning their songs into living, breathing ecosystems, carefully dissecting every moment of peace and chaos alike. The album sees the building particles of the universe as separate worlds, with their own story, perception, rules and individual inner realm. Opening track Organism, which portrays the coherence of forming organisms; from a vast universe itself down to the tiniest building particles of it, sets the tone with its slow, tense build to crushing, exhilarating peaks. Don’t Look at It and You’ll See It evokes free-flowing spontaneity through beautiful cascading piano and emotive violin, towering guitars, and soaring synths. Masterfully harnessing both the quiet and the loud, Hymn for the Giants glorifies our almighty and precious trees, with moments of calm cut apart by vast swathes of brutal, yet considered, cacophony. Losing Home’s portentous, droning synths and trumpet ratchet up the suspense, while on Antares Goes Supernova the band carve out layer upon layer of affirming and effecting riffs, each one more powerful than the last. Season of Eternal Maze wraps up the album with a meditative piano and harmonium, wide guitar driven melodies and guides you to your inner maze.

Described as a ’60s garage rock band performing as a mini-orchestra stuck within a Tarantino film, Los Angeles-based Spindrift is a cinematically inspired rock band that has also been described as “Heavy Western” or “psychedelic spaghetti-western rocknroll.” Led by songwriter-producer-composer Kirpatrick Thomas on guitar and lead vocals, along with Portland-based guitarist Becca Davidson, bass / baritone guitarist, producer, and vocalist Riley Bray, and aerospace engineer Joe Zabielski on drums and electronics, Spindrift creates a cinematic scope that has been heard on their compilation albums like Classic Soundtracks Vol 1, 2, and The West (released by Xemu Records), HBO’s Eastbound & Down (Seasons 1 & 2), the Quentin Tarantino-produced biker exploitation film Hell Ride, the film Diablo (featuring Scott Eastwood), and “The Ballad of Darrell Lemaire” from Season 1 Episode 9 of Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia (Viceland). Classic Soundracks Vol. 3 is their tenth studio soundtrack compilation album, co-produced by Riley Bray and Jello Biafra. Released by Jello’s own Alternative Tentacles Records, it completes a trilogy of themes from various feature films, documentaries, and TV mini-series. This final installment reveals a new level of maturity from the band, opening doors to new genres including espionage-esque Bond themes, upbeat guitar duets, “Italian Polizia” car chase electronica, hard rock from the Middle East, psychedelic disco, and progressive “kung fu” rock." "Los Angeles-based cinematically inspired rock band’s third in a trilogy of themes from various features. Songs have been heard on HBO’s Eastbound & Down, the Tarantino-produced Hell Ride, Diablo and Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia on Viceland.

Repress

Dancefloor Damage all the way. The new Soul Notes VA 12'' has been building anticipation all around.

Since it includes 4 of the most in demand names from the rough house scenes at the moment, this one is not to be missed. Labelowner Kastil pulled out the big guns and got soul notes usual Fulbert on one record with himself and the ever so amazing Malin Genie who has been making waves through the whole of europe with his thumping sound. Fulbert, Kastil and Malin delivered 3 excellent productions that will perfectly fit into one peaktime set.

This is music for the dancefloor and nothing else. Bass bin wrecking club slicers for true house heads.

Last but not least, the excentric Jefferson Belmondo makes an appearance With a disco'ish anthem called Booty Groove. The title kind off reveals where he's coming from as Jefferson might be unknown for most, on the streets of Miami he is a bonafide legend. After spending most of his life in shady motels and as a DJ in extravagantnightclubs, Jefferson finally took out his old DAT tapes and got this track to Kastil through a mutual friend.

All and all, Many Shades of Soul Notes Vol.1 is a peaktime record that is above all meant for clubplay.

This fine package includes a 180GR 12'' and a designed sleeve. This 6th installment in the Soul Notes series will be available from
March 4th through all respected retailers.

On June 17, 2020, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Los Angeles, announced that the iconic multi-million selling
soul/R&B band, THE CHI-LITES, would be honoured in their Class of 2021, by receiving a star on Hollywood Boulevard on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• On 30th September 2021, with family friends and other soul legends in attendance, including their legendary label mate, Gene
Chandler, Marshall Thompson, co-Founder and last surviving member of THE CHI-LITES, accepted the honour on behalf of the Band.
• Although they had formed nine years earlier, it was when the Band met record producer Carl Davis in 1968 that they signed a
contract with Brunswick Records. They began to achieve commercial recognition and success, with songs predominantly written and
composed by band member Eugene Record, who was also their lead singer, although their first charting song, ‘Give It Away’ (US
R&B Chart #10) was co-written by Record, with producer Carl Davis.
• THE CHI-LITES released more than 15 studio albums and registered on the UK chart on nine occasions, with five Top 10 entries, one
of them being the Double-A sided reissue ‘Have You Seen Her’/’Oh Girl’.
• In 1976, THE CHI-LITES switched labels from Brunswick to Mercury and recorded two albums ‘Happy Being Lonely’ (1976) and ‘The
Fantastic Chi-Lites’ (1977), before teaming-up again with Carl Davis on his own Chi-Sound records label, to record 1980’s ‘Heavenly
Body’ and 1981’s ‘Me And You’.
• This 12-track vinyl LP set focuses on their Brunswick Records period and includes all of their UK hits, opening with their barnstorming ‘Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)’, the intro from which, being famously and expertly sampled by Beyoncé (and featuring
Jay-Z), for her worldwide 2003 hit and Transatlantic #1,‘Crazy In Love’.

Jerry Leger follows up his critically acclaimed 'Time Out For Tomorrow' with 'Nothing Pressing'; produced by Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies).Jerry's last self released album 'Songs from the Apartment' was a stripped-down lo-fi affair recorded in Leger's home using a cheap tape recorder with an internal microphone
This lead to two songs from Nothing Pressing, "Underground Blues" and "Sinking In," to be also recorded in Leger's home.The remaining nine tracks included on 'Nothing Pressing' present Leger's work in two starkly contrasting soundscapes.

"Nothing Pressing," "Protector," and "Still Patience," are soloacoustic recordings cut live in the studio with little embellishment. The other six tracks are prime roots rock and roll featuring his long-time band The Situation. Among the latter songs, "Kill It With Kindness" and "Have You Ever Been Happy?" have the kind of drive, energy and spirit that are sure to make them highlights of his future live shows.

Leger often times finds himself at a loss as to explain the source of his songs. He feels his songwriting, while clearly drawing on experiences filtered through a panoply of influences,often verges on being a supernatural experience. Over the course of the eleven songs on Nothing Pressing, the songwriter's songwriter engages with questions of existence, mortality,hope, trust and heartbreak while
simultaneously conjuring feelings of isolation, reflection, longing and gratitude.

Paired with such evocative lyrics are wonderfully crafted melodies, soulful vocals and the spirit and energy of a mature songwriter, comfortable in his skin and growing as an artist withevery release. Nothing Pressing serves a wonderfully refreshing tonic in troubling times

Legendary American musician Ry Cooder played together with the world's greatest artists, such as John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Neil Young, and Eric Clapton. Cooder is known for his slide guitar work, and was ranked eighth on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.

Chicken Skin Music was his fifth studio album. The title serves as a direct, simple description of the album's emotional appeal. For this record, Cooder decided to ignore traditional boundaries and instigated lasting cross-cultural communication through music, which was unusual for 1976. Chicken Skin Music blends gospel, folk, blues and Hawaiian with the help of his backing band (Jim Keltner, Milt Holland, Chris Ethridge, and George Bohannon) and two eminent Hawaiian musicians, Gabby Pahinui and Atta Isaacs. In addition, to throw in some Mexican styles, Ry Cooder is assisted by Norteño musician Flaco Jimenez.

Chicken Skin Music is available on black vinyl and includes an insert.

ANATHEMA'S 'WEATHER SYSTEMS' NOW AVAILABLE ON 2LP GATEFOLD VINYL

'Weather Systems' is the ninth studio album from Anathema. Lead vocalist & guitarist, Daniel Cavanagh, discussed the album, "it feels like we are at a creative peak right now & this album reflects that. Everything from the production to the writing to the performances are a step up from our last album."

He continues, "This is not background music for parties. The music is written to deeply move the listener, to uplift or take the listener to the coldest depths of the soul."
The intertwining melodic structures, the profoundly beautiful & intensely powerful - yet simple - songs transports the listener closer to the heart of life, that is to say, to the heart of themselves.
Previous album, 2010's 'We're Here Because We're Here' was described by Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) as, "definitely among the best albums I've ever had the pleasure to work on."

''Weather Systems' was recorded in Liverpool, North Wales & Oslo, each place significant to Anathema. The record was produced & mixed by 5-time Norwegian Grammy nominated Christer- André Cederberg (Animal Alpha, In the Woods...), who Daniel described as "a revelation. His calmness & brilliance helped to bring about the greatest inter- band chemistry that Anathema have experienced
together in their career."

This career stretches back to 1990 when the band formed in Liverpool. Since then, they have embarked on a remarkable musical journey, initially emerging as pioneers of melodic heavy music & continually evolving over the ensuing years, always remaining true to their original goal of creating forward thinking, meaningful, passionate & honest music.
"Absolute World Class" 'Detlef Dengler' Metal Hammer

“Out of Our Hands” brings together Alvin Lucier and Jordan Dykstra who, through the hands of Ordinary Affects, have created debut recordings of two new compositions.

These companion pieces have similar orbits as they were not only both composed in Middletown, CT (where Alvin and Jordan lived for a number of years), but are about Middletown, at least from a starting point. Alvin’s piece — a homage to the location of the house in which he recorded “I am sitting in a room” back in 1969 — continues his study into slow-moving glissandi and carefully crafted beating patters by interweaving three string players within a minor third (voiced by two vibraphonists). The result is entrancing, almost psychedelic, and opens space where one didn’t expect. Like much of his previous work, it is conceptual and process-based; once the wheels get turning they go on and on, giving the listener time to approach the piece, sit with it, and then move back inward.

On the other hand, Dykstra’s piece “32 Middle Tones” (a pun on his Middletown street address and the harmonic microtonality utilized in the composition) is a very textural work. His piece asks the cellist to sustain pitches for extended durations — at times quietly singing in close proximity to the stopped pitch coming from the cello — while the rest of the ensemble (violin, viola, and 2 percussion) voice a sequence of chords separated by notated silences. The cello voice is sometimes alone, but never for too long as it finds itself supported from both the top and bottom in a harmonic embrace. This supportive structure involves a percussion section which colors the seemingly simple chords (major 6th, inverted minor 7th, inverted minor 2nd, etc.) with a non-traditional toolkit of bowed singing bowls, stone sheets, harmonicas, and even leaves.

This is music that gently gives the listener a sense of predictability but always in an unexpected (and subtly indeterminate) shade. Speaking of shade, the album’s cover photo was taken in 2019 in Alvin’s backyard in Middletown. Alvin and Jordan sit with similar demeanors in front of his favorite tree — a crooked aspen which early on looked to be doomed — but which he would often saunter over to spend time with, giving it whispers of blessings and encouraging words.The world was blessed with Alvin’s presence and hopefully this album will whisper to you and yours.

Artist statement:
“With Alvin’s recent passing I was overwhelmed with messages and calls from friends, collaborators, and his former students. Everyone had a heavy heart, no doubt, but were grateful for the memories and their gift to be around Alvin during his lifetime of prolific dedication to the arts, his fascination with poetic storytelling through scientifically-inspired minimalism, and his calm and warmhearted spirit. In his last few years on earth, Alvin was busier than ever — brainstorming new ideas, creating new pieces, and planning big things. While he was here, he was alive, and may his music — and spirit — live on forever, spreading from his corner of Church and High (where he recorded his seminal piece I am sitting in a room) to every corner, concert hall, and loudspeaker in the world.”

His last album " La fête est finie " (The Party is over) sold over a million copies worldwide. He is one of the top French rappers with unique lyrics The documentary TV series about his career now showing on Amazon France is the biggest show ever on this platform in France. This new album has 15 tracks with two featurings : one with the iconic duo The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo) and the other with Gringe, his friend from Casseurs Flowters

Vor langer Zeit, im fernen Jahre 2001 veröffentlichten ELVENKING das Album HEATHENREEL! Das Quintett aus Italien hat einen langen Weg zurückgelegt seit seinen bescheidenen Anfängen. Dabei haben sie nie ihre Wurzeln vergessen: eine ausgeprägte Mischung aus rauem Thrash Metal und folkigen, mittelalterlichen Klängen. HEATHENREEL überzeugt auch nach heutigen Standards noch und wird daher mit einer Neuauflage geehrt. Lasst uns 20 Jahre feinsten italienischen Folk-Power-Metal mit der Jubiläumsausgabe von HEATHENREEL feiern, die am 18. März 2022 erscheint!

Max Dean and Prunk come together in superb fashion for a new EP on South. It features three new cuts from Max, with a Prunk remix making it another explosive package.

Up first is Loving Saturday, a driving house track with a nagging, soulful vocal that really tugs at the heart strings. The bass is warm and the drums kick hard, but this one really has some standout emotion to it. This Party is a more loose, fluid, ducking and diving groove, with rich percussion making it a perfect late night groove. More deft vocals add some human emotion as this one drives on.

This Party (Prunk Remix) is then a nice spaced out deep house cut that has real bite. The kicks and hi hats fuse together perfectly, while balmy pads encircle the groove to bring the vibes. Last of all, Sunshine Upon the 33 is another big hearted out track with an irresistible groove. The dynamic drums never let up, while the spaced out pads work and great vocal samples all elevate the track.

This is a fantastic four track package from this new one to watch label.

2LP with a 4-page colour insert

As Guadeloupean vocalist and composer Marie-Line Dahomay writes in her liner notes to the compilation, gwoka is more than a style of music, it is “a way of living and thinking.” Rooted in the social, musical and ritual practices of enslaved African people and their descendants on Guadeloupe, gwoka has always sought to express the spirit of independence and resistance authentic to the island.Building on its traditional call-and-response form and the ideas of pivotal figures like Gérard Lockel and Christian Laviso, modern gwoka evolved throughout the second half of the twentieth century to include funk, jazz and electronic influences.

Defined by its propensity for innovation and experimentation, this compilation charts the most radical changes to modern gwoka, capturing a sensory riot of traditional répertoires, rhythms and makè techniques fused with genre-defying experimentation.Whether heard in the deeply cosmic, spiritual music of Dao, Freydy Doressamy and Gaoulé Mizik, or the jazz funk inflections of Gui Konket and Horizon, the music here is united by the feeling of santiman ka, crucial not only to gwoka music but the identity of Guadeloupe at large.

As co-curator Cédric Lassonde (Bueaty & The Beats) writes: “What unifies these selections is the depth of the compositions, the experimentation around the santiman ka, and the spirit of resistance and liberation against slavery, be it modern or ancestral. With a thirst for innovation typical of the island’s creole culture, the ka spirit is deeply rooted in collective history and in a quest for identity.”

Co-curator Brandon Hocura (Séance Centre) continues: “The creative energy of these musicians is powerful and demonstrates a universal pursuit of resistance, freedom and identity. Their voices are distinct, but the chorus rises high and carries their message far across the sea.”

Lèsprit Ka: New Directions in Gwoka Music from Guadeloupe 1981-2010 is the first compilation of its kind to bring the sound of modern gwoka to a wider audience, with many of the featured musicians still active today. Presented as a double LP, the release features a specially commissioned essay by Guadeloupean musician Marie-Line Dahomey, and extensive liner notes from Cédric Lassonde and Séance Centre’s Brandon Hocura.

True to the hybrid nature of the music, the compilation seeks not to provide a definitive sound, but express the variety of contemporary forms that have evolved from gwoka. Just as Guadeloupean trailblazers Kassav fused gwoka with funk and cadence to create zouk, so did the musicians on this collection push gwoka in new directions rarely heard beyond its shores.

In the words of Gérard Lockel, “gwoka is the soul of Guadeloupe”

Drunk Uncle hail from Austin, TX, but their namesakes are probably drawn from someone you know. Think about your last family gettogether- Uncle Bill is halfway through a six-pack when the alien conspiracy theories start pouring out of his mouth. He starts chaotic and loud, then gets quiet and sad as he keeps drinking. His mood will swing wildly in-between emotions. His speech is raw and his vulnerability is beautiful. Bottle that energy up into music form and you have Drunk Uncle. Drunk Uncle's debut album "Look Up" draws on catharsis. Picture yourself in a grimy basement surrounded by your best friends, watching a band as music washes over you and you feel like everything is in the right place. You smile as frantic guitars fill the room and gruff vocals push out every emotion you could possibly feel. Drums and bass slow down and speed back up as the music moves from anger to regret to hope. You feel it all- every note, every hit, every strain. It feels good to feel. You open your eyes and you are in your room alone. You flip the record back over and you are back in the basement. All is right.

Following his feature on We Miss The Crowd EP - the last addition to our Killer Cuts series - Romeo Louisa returns to the Shall Not Fade catalog with a blissful solo EP.

Rarified Terms sees the emerging French producer come into his powers with three soulful deep house tracks which reflect his musical background in jazz, and see reworks from the likes of Shall Not Fade family members and fellow collaborators, THEOS and Denyl Brook, and London duo, Funk Cartel.

The EP starts as it means to go on. A skippy house beat, jazz-like piano chords and diva-esque vocal phrases lend "Desires" a driving propulsion, equally suited to the dancefloor as it is to a more laid-back listening environment. Next up, the stripped-back melody on the title track makes way for a focus on percussion, paying tribute to Romeo's brief residence in London with a half broken garage beat. "The House of Jazz" sees the EP at its classiest with soulful piano chords and a bouncing deep house rhythm, at times punctuated by drum accents which reference the sporadic nature of jazz improvisation.

Next up, enter Silver Steps Records boss, Denyl Brook, and fraternal duo, Funk Cartel, who offer their take on the title track before French producer THEOS rethinks "The House of Jazz", teasing out the lower ends so that the track is led by a funk-infused bassline.

“Boot licking, piss drinking, finger frigging, tit tweaking, love biting, arse licking, shit stabbing, motherfucking, spunk loving, ball busting, cock sucking, fist fucking, lip smacking, thirst quenching, cool living, ever giving…”

There’s no fairer introduction to ‘Fist’, Joshua James’ latest contribution to Phantasy, than to advise one simply to prepare themselves. Sampling iconic performance artist, club promoter and designer Leigh Bowery, James connects the expert dancefloor pressure he exacts each weekend as one of London’s best-loved club residents with the unapologetic, defiant legacy of a personal hero. None other than Peaches then takes up the remix mantle for ‘Fist’, intertwining the provocations of two radical performers and connecting three generations of underground queer culture in one sonic menage-a-trois, perhaps the straight-up rudest club record in recent memory.

On the original production, James shifts his sound in a heavier direction still since last summer’s euphoric Amber Rush, which was remixed by labelmate and friend Daniel Avery. A bouncing industrial tilt underscores the heavy-duty production, as Bowery, originally recording alongside Richard Torry in their band Minty, espouses a catalogue of sexual acts - some specialist, all sensational - as James pushes dancers further down into the belly of some revolting rave beast.

A multi-faceted match to Bowery themselves, Peaches continues a decades-long journey dedicated to genre and gender deconstruction with her wild and playful take on ‘Fist’. Dripping in cybernetic club juice, Peaches wraps herself around Bowery’s own teaches on the mic, easily matching his demands as she careens towards a system-rattling techno conclusion.

Reissue of George Duke's classic 1976 jazz-funk-fusion album 'Liberate Fantasies'

This 1976 album, the last one of the MPS fusion series, continues George Duke's tendency to couple his fusion world with accessible R&B songs. Once again, he shows a discernible vocal development. In "Tryin' And Cryin" the Californian together with rock singer Napoleon Brock overlays multiple vocal tracks.
On "Seeing You" Duke lays on a glaze of soulful tenderness, whereas "What The…" is 30 seconds of frivolous funning around. "Back to Where We Never Left" is a witty gem in which Duke bundles his pool of synthesizers into a united groove, whereas "I C'n Hear That" shows off synth and marimba tonal colors in dialogue, with the bass riffing on the bottom.

The album flows into the final bend carrying along the sonorous richness of Brazil. "After the Love" plays with the languorous erotic colours of the tropics, whereas all the band members are allowed to shine on the epic circa ten minute title track with its hot samba flair: the rhythm section with "Ndugu", Al Johnson, and Airto Moreira's percussion arsenal, Daryl Stuermer with his rock interludes on guitar, and Duke himself with inspired virtuosity on all sorts of synths and
keyboards.

Nach ihrem gefeierten Debüt Album Puritan Masochism, das mit Veröffentlichung im Jahr 2020 die gesamte Doom- und Heavy- Metal Szene im Sturm eroberte, steht die dänische Blackened Death- und Doom Metal Macht KONVENT nun mit ihrem 2. Longplayer in den Startlöchern, auf welchem sich die Band mit ihren Songwriting Qualitäten und brutalem Sound selber übertrifft!

Die musikalische Entwicklung von KONVENT ist im Laufe von nur zwei Jahren auf Call Down The Sun unüberhörbar und überrascht an jeder Ecke mit neuen Elementen. Zweifellos inspiriert von den jüngsten und dunklen Zeiten der anhaltenden Pandemie und Absagen diverser Live Auftritte, kommt das neue Album der Kopenhagener Band deutlich böser, schwerer, angepisster und pechschwarz daher.

Aufgenommen und gemischt wurde das neue KONVENT Album von Lasse Ballade in den Ballade Studios in Schweden, für das Mastering zeichnet sich Brad Boatright der Audiosiege Studios verantwortlich. Call Down The Sun ist eine Apokalypse von Sound, dem man sich nicht entziehen kann. KONVENT haben hier ein unfassbar erfrischendes und lebendiges Album geschaffen, welches sich mit Leichtigkeit nicht nur auf die Top-Album-Listen des Jahres 2022 einreihen, sondern sich möglicherweise als eine der besten Deathund Blackened Doom Metal Scheiben der Neuzeit etablieren wird!

The latest release from this iconic country catalog brings together 40 of Hank’s greatest gospel songs from the Mother’s Best recordings.

From the GRAMMY award-winning team, this collection is produced by Cheryl Pawelski with restoration by Michael Graves and new liner notes by Colin Escott.

Includes the classics “I Saw The Light”, “Farther Along”, “I’ll Have A New Life” & “When The Saints Go Marching in”

The Shires are the biggest selling UK country music act having sold over 400,000 albums. Formed in 2013, they are the first country act to score a Top 10 album with their debut release ‘Brave’ in 2015 and its follow up ‘My Universe’ becoming the fastest-selling British country album of all time following its release in 2016.

Paving the way for British country artists, Crissie and Ben were the first UK act to have received a highly coveted award from the American Country Music Association. Their last album ‘Good Years’ was recorded in Nashville and hit #3 in the UK charts in March 2020. Having been awarded the CMA for International Country Broadcaster in 2020, Ben now has his own radio show on Absolute Country, and the band also co-present a coveted Apple Music Country Radio show, the only UK act to do so. As they move into their 10th year the band now release their fifth album 10 Year Plan.

Thomas Headon was born in London and raised in Melbourne but dreamt of moving back to the city to pursue music. Thomas’ mum told him he had a year to get a “proper job” otherwise he would have to return home. Arriving in London just before the pandemic hit, Thomas started to build a community online - blowing up on TikTok with 14.7M likes and over 400K followers to date - with his off-kilter live sessions, tongue-in-cheek charm and remarkable song writing ability. Learning to write and produce on his own in his late teens, Thomas has already released a self-written and self-produced debut EP, ‘The Greatest Hits,’ and dropped The Goodbye EP last year, amassing 50M streams world-wide. All before his 21st birthday.

On November 5th, Thomas will announce his brand-new EP, Victoria, due 11th March 2022 and available to pre-order from the announcement. Alongside the announcement, he drops new single ‘Strawberry Kisses’ a few days prior, kicking off the road to the EP officially.
Building an incredibly loyal fanbase over lockdown and amassing 100K followers on Instagram, Thomas’ blend of playful alternative pop that speaks to the Gen-Z experience, has been compared to the likes of the 1975’s Matty Healy, and critically praised by Triple J, naming him a “seriously impressive force in pop music”. Already performing a charmingly energetic live session on Jack Saunders’ BBC Radio 1 show, Thomas has just sold out two nights at London’s Heaven on a 17-date tour in November, following the “Living Room Shows” tour, where he played an intimate acoustic series to thousands of fans across the UK. One of the first artists to curate Spotify’s Our Generation playlist, the 21-year-old has also collaborated with American singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine on his single 'Bored’ and gained over 50M global streams.
Thomas will also be supporting Sigrid next year on her European Arena Tour.

Proper Grounds was an alternative rap-metal band from Los Angeles that first formed in 1988. After being discovered by Madonna and signing to Maverick Records, they released their first and last studio album Downtown Circus Gang in 1993. Proper Grounds was able to merge the gritty realities of life on the street with the intensity and velocity of heavy metal. Formed by frontman The Sandman (who is also on the cover of the album) and bass player/producer Danny Saber, they had a deep-rooted social consciousness that neatly subverted the mindless violence and material worship that engulfed rap in the Nineties. They called their particular brand of noise “anguish rap metal”. Soon after the release of Downtown Circus Gang, Proper Grounds disbanded and rap-metal moved to the suburbs where iconic bands such as System Of A Down and Papa Roach found their origin.

After their debut full-length album, Puritan Masochism, took the entire doom and heavy metal scene by storm upon its release in 2020, critically acclaimed Danish blackened death doom outfit KONVENT returns with a sophomore offering that doubles down on the band’s songwriting talent and brutal, heavy sound! The sonic evolution of KONVENT over the course of just two years is immediately evident on Call Down The Sun, surprising with new elements at every turn. Undoubtedly inspired by recent dark times, the ongoing pandemic and cancellation of live performances, the new album sees the Copenhagen-based band more pissed off, fast-paced and pitch black throughout. Rikke Emilie List’s guttural, sublime growls and fierce screams perfectly integrate with a heavy as hell wall of blackened death and funeral doom metal riffs from guitarist Sara Helena Nørregaard, backed by a thick, profound rhythm section provided by bassist Heidi Withington Brink and drummer Julie Simonsen. Tracks such as “Grains” – a ground-shaking, stomping black doom metal epos that will be a must-hear on KONVENT’s upcoming live setlists – showcase the band’s deep black soul with a hint of post-metal and even progressive elements. Featuring a haunting violin and cello guest performance by Felix Havstad, the band creates dark, eerie yet epic atmosphere on “Harena”, revealing threatening yet beautiful facets of their sound. With songs such as “Pipe Dreams” and massive album opener “Into the Distance”, the four-piece unleashes hurricanes of blackened death doom metal. Recorded and mixed by Lasse Ballade at Ballade Studios, Sweden and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Studio, the new album’s thunderous apocalyptic sound is impossible to escape. Call Down The Sun a refreshing, vibrant record that is not only poised to top 2022 Album Of The Year lists, but reign as one of the best death and blackened doom metal records of modern times!

The “Dystopia – EP” features 6 face-melting tracks of rocktivity incl. some previously unreleased goodness! Cover versions of “Sleeping My Day Away” (D-A-D) and “Ace In The Hole” (Winterhawk) are newly recorded versions which will help Dead Lord to further climb the rock Olympus! Furthermore, the EP contains “Hands Down” (Moon Martin – Cover), “Moonchild” (Rory Gallagher – Cover) and “I staden som aldrig slumrar till” (Swedish version of “Letter From Allen St.”). Those tracks were only featured on the Ltd. CD Edition of “Surrender” and are now available for the first time on vinyl and digitally. The title track “Dystopia” (last track on “Surrender”) was too good not to give this one more attention. Therefore, this EP stands for this track, which will later also be adorned with an official video! The EP will be available as 180g LP and Digital Album!

New Gospel Revisited is the new album from the fearless and formidable American composer and trumpeter Marquis Hill. A live recording that revisits and reinterprets his debut 2012 album New Gospel, this time round employing a band of super-heavyweight musicians including Walter Smith III, Joel Ross, James Francies, Kendrick Scott and Harish Raghavan. Marquis Hill’s rise over the last few years has been striking and there’s no letting up. Since winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Composition award he has demonstrated full command of his art and built a reputation for synthesizing what he describes as the essential elements of the Africa-American creative heritage including contemporary and classic jazz, hip-hop, R&B, house and neo-soul. Now, his sights are set even higher. New Gospel Revisited, is an extraordinary live recording that reimagines his debut as a leader with a new band, a new focus and a sharpened ear as a bandleader, composer and performer. The set is breathtakingly good with a band that sounds as inventive and creative as it reads on paper. “… New Gospel was my debut album and my first completed production. To revisit this music in a fresh way, with a new band has been uniquely invigorating —and hugely rewarding.” Marquis Hill

Green vinyl format of the hits packge that was released in 2021. Continued marketing.

40 minutes of superb Jazz-Beats by one of Hamburgs nicest and kindest beat producers out there. This is some art-stuff with a beautiful Gatefold Cover designed by Robert Winter and Jeremias Diekmann.

In the 1990s, Malka Family landed from the planet Kif to convert France to their vibrant and crazy madness made of euphoric riffs and glittering suits. Direct heirs of George Clinton and his cosmic P-Funk, they quickly burned stages around the world with this communicative energy which only large ensembles have the secret to. France, Europe, Japan, Africa, Canada… They will be forced to stop in the early 2000s replaced by DJs and computers.

2021. June 5th. Three years after the reformation of the band, Ground Control received a message from "Major Thom" - the astronaut Thomas Pesquet himself. The post is clear! Le Retour du Kif produced in 2018 is played in space… @Thom_astro and all the crew members of the ISS are totally fans of the Malka Family’s Music!

A new era begins, the Jedi of Funk have swept away the machines and their logarithmic music, groove and heavyweight Funk reign in the galaxy once again. The Malka Family is releasing a new 14 track album, SuperLune, a crazy and heavenly funk combo!

This time, back to Malka Family’s old recipes. They spend hours, nights in the studio, writing songs, arranging horns, recording vocals, slapping the bass guitar… "SuperLune is a more introspective album, we did everything without any restrictions, and our funk is more accomplished than ever…" says Jo Mannix fresh out from mixing the album. French Radio Nova tells: "In their spaceship, the bass is definitely queen. From your head to your feet and (especially) through your buttocks, “Blue Funk” will awaken your senses. Without even realizing it, you've already been swept up in the crazy storm of the Malka Family. All the ingredients are there: the dance, the music and an atmosphere that only they have the secret to…" Last but not least, to accompany the interplanetary release of SuperLune, Malka re-embark in their spaceship for the next cosmic tour. Let’s go to the Moon! The SuperLune!

"If I could watch any jazz band in the UK, any, I would choose Matthew Halsall's band, just love what he's been doing over the last few years... It's always high level, spiritual jazz music" Gilles Peterson BBC Radio 1.

Matthew Halsall (born September 11, 1983, in Manchester, England) is a Worldwide Award winning and MOBO nominated trumpeter, composer, producer and DJ.

Since 2008, Matthew has released seven critically acclaimed studio recordings and has been a key figure in the rise of a new jazz sound in the UK. In addition to his own releases Halsall has collaborated with many DJs and producers, most notably DJ Shadow and Mr. Scruff, and in 2013 Matthew's music was selected by Bonobo for his Late Night Tales compilation. Halsall is also the founder of Gondwana Records, a genre bending independent record label featuring a wealth defining albums by the likes of Portico Quartet, GoGo Penguin, Hania Rani and Mammal Hands.

His own rich music draws on the spiritual-jazz of Alice Coltrane and Phaorah Sanders, contemporary electronica and dance music alongside his travels in Japan, the traditional art and music of which, has left a lasting impression on his compositions.

Sending My Love (2008) and Colour Yes (2009) were his first releases and document Halsall's first great bands featuring the likes of flautist Chip Wickham, saxophonist Nat Birchall, harpist Rachael Gladwin, bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Gaz Hughes. Joyful, life-enhancing albums, drawing on UK jazz and spiritual jazz influences but with a decidedly modern bounce, they introduced Halsall's music to the world gathering support from the likes of Gilles Peterson and Jamie Cullum, Mojo, Straight No Chaser and beyond.

But Halsall was never completely happy with how the records were presented and as part of Gondwana Records 10th anniversary decided to revisit the recordings, meticulously remixing and remastering them for vinyl and commissioning new artwork from Ian Anderson, one of his favourite designers. These then are the definitive editions of the records.
Sending My Love comes complete with the beautiful bonus track This Time, while Colour Yes features the equally striking It's What We Do and Ai.

"I am very proud of these early recordings. They represent the starting point of my musical journey in Manchester and showcase some of the cities finest musicians such as: Nat Birchall, Chip Wickham, Rachael Gladwin, Adam Fairhall, Gavin Barras and Gaz Hughes. They are also the very first recordings my brother and I decided to release on our record label (Gondwana Records). Listening back they sound full of energy and joy and really reflect how I was feeling at that precise moment. But as much as I loved the music, I was never 100 percent happy with the sound of the mixes and mastering.
So I decided to go back to the original tapes to remix and remaster them and present them the way I'd always wanted, and along the way we unearthed a couple extra unreleased tracks, which we decided to include as bonus material. Myself and my brother also decided to bring in Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic to re-imagine the artwork and we are super blown away by the results!" Matthew Halsall, Oct 2019

Piano, handmade electronics, tenor sax, couple strings.

I was after something tangible. Sounds you could roll around in your palm and consider different, complex, and flawed textures. Feel the weight, maybe even smell them.

This desire is probably a reaction to the dissociative nausea from the constant simulacra of these early 2020s. Like deliberately going barefoot to feel yourself grounded in a real place, as I read Andrea Needham did when facing charges for disarming a warplane.

Anyway, my methods to achieve these sound "objects" was to use a healthy amount of acoustic instrumentation with all its familiar sonic unevenness, to free sounds from rhythmic or thematic structure, and to give plenty of blank space around each note so the ear can reach in and pluck it out. A berry from a bush, an eyelash from a friend's cheek.

Really though, a lot of the time now I just want to listen to the birds. There are plenty on here. Mourning dove, titmouse, helicopter.

"Hunter on the Wing" is a reference to De'Andre Hunter, the Atlanta Hawks small forward.

KF, Dec. 2021

Calibro 35, the legendary crime funk combo sampled by Dr.Dre and Jay-Z, announce the reissue of "Traitors", their iconic fourth album, on Crystal Red vinyl and digital deluxe edition with bonus tracks.

Record Kicks proudly presents the reissue of CALIBRO 35's fourth legendary long-time sold out album "Traditori Di Tutti" (Traitors) on March 04thon limited edition crystal red vinyl and digital "deluxe" edition with bonus tracks.The publication is part of "The Record Kicks Trilogy" that follows the reissue of the first three albums of the band, released in 2020. This time, Milan label Record Kicks will repress on wax of three different colours and on digital deluxe edition, the fourth, fifth and sixth legendary studio albums of the Italian cinematic-funk cult band. The digital deluxe edition of"Traditori Di Tutti" includes 2 bonus tracks: a crime funk cover of "Get Carter", originally released as a b-side of the "Butcher's Bride" 45 vinyl, and the unreleased funky stormer "Milan, Michigan".

"Traditori Di Tutti" is the fourth album by Milan's combo, inspired by noir masterpiece novel "Betrayers"published by the father of Italian noir, award-winning crime fiction author Giorgio Scerbanenco. The album contains only band's original recordings, from floor-shaking first single "Giulia Mon Amour" to groovy "The Butcher's Bride", from deep funky "Filthy Bastards" to the dancefloor jazz madness of "Mescalina 6". The five-piece pays homage to "I Maestri" such as Morricone, Micalizzi and Bacalov with 12 tracks full of funky beats, heavy guitars, groovy bass lines and fuzzy organs.

There's one thing that Italians do better than others: funky soundtracks. Quentin Tarantino knows best: soundtracks from Italian movies of the '60s and the '70s are the THING! "Calibro 35 does with music what Tarantino does with films". They borrow what they love and they make it their own. With Rolling Stone magazine words "Calibro 35 are the most fascinating, "retro-maniac" and genuine thing that happened to Italy".

Active since 2008, CALIBRO 35 enjoy a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent bands around. During their fourteen-year career, they were sampled by Dr. Dre on his Compton album, Jay-Z, The Child of lov & Damon Albarn; they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat and Headhunters and as unique musicians they collaborated with, amongst others, PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (The Jet). Described by Rolling Stone magazine as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that happened to Italy in the last years", Calibro 35 now count on a number of aficionados worldwide including VIP fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) among others.

Composer, bassist and producer Horatio Luna is a musician
intrinsically interwoven into the fabric of Melbourne’s (and indeed the
global) jazz scene. Following his 2020 LP “Boom Boom” (Which won
support from the likes of Jamz Supernova, Lefto, Bradley Zero,
Earmilk and OkayPlayer) Horatio returns to Jitwam’s The Jazz Diaries
imprint, inviting several of his all time favourite producers to
reimagine some of his standout tracks.

The ‘Reworks EP’ kicks off with Horatio’s interpretation of ‘Milestones’ (a cover of the incredible Miles Davis track), while enigmatic UK producer Zepherin Saint takes to the boards with his remix of ‘Bumps’, giving the track a new lease of life with scattered drums and jazzy progressions. Next up Detroit’s Patrice Scott turns in his emotive remix of Horatio’s LP title track ‘Boom Boom’ - featuring moody pads, piano flourishes and an ominous bassline, he adds some Mo-town seasoning into the original. Last but not least the one and only Kai Alcé also turns his gaze to ‘Boom Boom’ opting for a more uplifting approach, and his Wurlitzer notes stretch into the ether, to be joined by a driving rhythm section to keep the dancers moving.
With these incredible remixes, Horatio’s infectious and groove-soaked
driving bassline and astral textures are given a soulful injection from some of the finest in the game.

FOR FANS OF
Miles Davis, Kai Alce, Patrice Scott, Glenn Underground, Kaidi Tatham, Kamaal Williams, 30/70

KEY POINTS
Remixes of 'Boom Boom' and 'Bumps' from Horatio Luna's 2020 studio album on The Jazz Diaries Featuring remixes from house
heavyweights Kai Alce and Patrice Scott! Title track 'Milestones' is a
blistering jazzy house cover of the seminal Miles Davis song of the same name Milestones featured on Spotify's All New Jazz playlist

Vordergrundmusik's head honcho re:deep kicks off the Vertigo remix series with his interpretation of Aural Drift. He gives the track a whole new vibe by adding a lively beat and garnishing it with restrained sounds and beautiful harmonies. An oh so cozy affair!

The second installation is of no other than one of Shitkatapult's labelfounders, T.Raumschmiere.
Keeping the vibe of the original whilst spicing it up with effectful and driving elements. An energetic 135 bpm madness to go wild to!

In between the striking synth jabs and arcane vocals of Back to Life, Rittik Wystup spins a net of sharp, crackly drums and fondle, almost trickling piano tones. His elation to combining electronic and acoustic spaces is mirrored throughout the rework, echoing his own unique sound note by note.

Last but not least, we are very delighted to have the german powerduo Extrawelt on the remix duties. The Cluster Buster version takes the original on a dark and imposing journey of huge 808s, raw synths and celestial widescreen pads. Turning it into a sturdy yet cinematic beast of an electro tune. While the Laser Blazer Remix takes things to a whole new level. Ever since Extrawelt started playing this version in their live sets, people have been going absolutely nuts! As the title already suggests, an absolute highlight and surely one for the books!

Clear Vinyl

Early last decade, Brooklyn based .thejass. created two, out-of-body, hour length recordings as part of the Slabs of the Tabernacle mix series, with the now legendary, 'Murdered Out Techno' Volumes 1 and 2. Several years on .thejass. returns with their full-length debut LP entirely in keeping with their 'Murdered Out' sound. Putting the listener in an almost sleep paralysis state, without any sense of time or space, the only constant being a pulsing throb from within. This record is a mesmerising and at times terrifying experience which immerses you deeper with each listen. Transparent crystal vinyl, 200 copies.

A hidden gem from the notorious Nurse With Wound list ! Limited to 500 copies, this double LP features Heratius' studio album Les Boniments (1979) - never before released on vinyl - and the first ever vinyl reissue of Gwendolyne (1978). Heratius could be described as like a mix of Etron Fou Leloublan and Faust (in acoustic mode that is), with hints of Albert Marcoeur, Red Noise, in a music that is full of invention with typically French eccentric touches. The Heratius album Gwendolyne was also much touted by Chris Cutler (of Henry Cow fame) at the time as the French Faust.

Nonesuch Records releases Ghost Song, the label debut of singer/songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant. Ghost Song features a diverse mix of seven originals and five interpretations on the themes of ghosts, nostalgia, and yearning. Salvant says, “It’s unlike anything I’ve done before – it’s getting closer to reflecting my personality as an eclectic curator. I’m embracing my weirdness!” Cécile McLorin Salvant plays at Cadogan Hall on November 16 as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival, four shows at SFJAZZ in February, and two nights featuring the music of Ghost Song at Jazz at Lincoln Center in May. Salvant says of the title track, out now, “What if the love has gone, the love has left you and you have the emotions around that, and you’re still going through them, still engaging with the ghost of that love?” She continues, “Some songs are so painful to come out but this one came out pretty quickly. I’ve had some loss the last couple of years: my grandmother, the drummer in my band Lawrence Leathers.”



Ghost Song opens and ends with a sean-nós (traditional Irish unaccompanied vocal style) performance by Salvant, recorded in a church. On track one, she transitions into Kate Bush’s 1978 classic ‘Wuthering Heights’. Salvant says of the song, “Wuthering Heights is a book that really struck me to my core as I was making this album, during the pandemic. And the best interpretation of the novel is Kate Bush’s song.” She continues, “It’s the most classic ghost story. I decided I wanted to do an album called Ghost Song, and I knew that one had to be on it. Then I had the idea to mix it in with the sean-nós ‘Cúirt Bhaile Nua’, which binds it to the traditional ‘Unquiet Grave’, the last track on the album. The ghost is not haunting me; now I am haunting the ghost. They parallel each other so well and they’re such different time periods. I wanted the album to be a circle, with the sean-nós reference at the beginning and at the end. So it is the first track but it’s also the last track and it’s also the middle track, which is how I listen to music, walking around my neighborhood, on a plane, travelling somewhere, putting stuff on repeat.” “All the songs on the album kind of mirror each other. I tried to create this strange symmetry. So as you go in from both ends, the songs are sort of matched together,” Salvant says. “‘I Lost my Mind’ is the center of the Russian doll. I wrote that in the middle of the pandemic. There were nights when I wanted to just scream. It was this deeper part of me saying, ‘It’s OK if this sounds completely crazy, OK to just go with the completely crazy thing and not worry if people think you have lost your mind for doing it.’



“The bands also mirror each other from top to bottom. In terms of the instrumentation, everything,” Salvant explains. “That’s why the songs are there in that relationship: they match each other, they’re like fraternal twins, or one is the evil twin of the other. I, as the living, am visited by the ghost, and then I go visit the ghost in turn. I am haunting the ghost and annoying the ghost, which is saying, ‘Get out of here and go live.’” Of the sonic variety on Ghost Song, Salvant says, “Texture is a big part of how I sing, having multiple textures in one song. It’s almost a compulsion. I can’t allow myself to stay in one texture. The instrumentation creates that but the recording process as well. It’s something I like, even when I’m eating. You want the creamy and chewy and crunchy at the same time. Warm and cold.”



Cécile McLorin Salvant, a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award winner, is a singer and composer bringing historical perspective, a renewed sense of drama, and an enlightened musical understanding to both jazz standards and her own original compositions. Classically trained, steeped in jazz, blues, and folk, and drawing from musical theater and vaudeville, Salvant embraces a wide-ranging repertoire that broadens the possibilities for live performance. Salvant’s performances range from spare duets for voice and piano to instrumental trios to orchestral ensembles. Her unreleased work Ogresse is an ambitious long-form song cycle based on oral fairy tales from the nineteenth century that explores the nature of freedom and desire in a racialized, patriarchal world. Salvant studied at the Université Pierre Mendès-France. She has performed at national and international venues and festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, and the Kennedy Center. Salvant is also a visual artist.

Heiko Voss has earned near mythical status as a torchbearer for the emotional, deeply felt and quietly radical style of electronic music. The blissed-out radiance of his Kompakt Pop single, “I Think About You” remains one of the label catalog highlights and a stellar run of collaborative singles as Schaeben & Voss; others might know him for his stewardship of the excellent, much-underrated Firm imprint. But with his new album, 3:30 Minutes To Live, released by Michael Mayer’s label Imara, Voss returns after a long silence with a beautiful collection of songs that hymn heartbreak with a lusciously melodic touch.

There is something definitive and newly confident in 3:30 Minutes To Live that has it feeling like a real statement of intent if compared to his earlier releases. “Although it’s not, 3:30 Minutes To Live feels like my debut album,” Voss reflects. “All releases before were more song sketches or electronic dance tracks.” Bunkering down in Teary Eyes Studio, Voss worked up somewhere between thirty and forty sketches of songs, which he whittled down to the twelve collected here, all of them situated in a unique space, but very much in accord with Voss’s defining aesthetic, which he describes as “indie pop music with a lot of guitar, electronic elements and a great love for melancholic ‘80s synth-lines.”

Voss is sensitive to both variety and consistency – 3:30 Minutes To Live sits together as an assured, vibrant collection of pop songs, but it’s marked by all kinds of surprising incident, like the guitar solo that erupts out of “This Is My Life”, or the acoustic guitar-led melancholy of the closing “This Summer”. It’s all borne of the alchemy of the studio process and the intimate romance of music-making. “If you constantly feel a little bit like you’re in love while writing and producing your music – simply because of the sound of the synth flowing warmly and gently through the room, or because the sequence of notes awakens something in you, or even a randomly arising groove in the loop of a guitar lick makes you shout, ‘Ha!!’ – then it usually becomes a beautiful song,” Voss nods. “Those moments make me happy.”

There’s also a delicious tension between the push of the music, its melodic lushness and gliding, ballerina-like movement, and the darker currents that pull through Voss’s lyrics, inspired by a “short, dramatic and toxic love affair.” This may read like familiar terrain for a pop album, but the way Voss weaves language through both the extra-linguistic joys of music and the inarticulate speech of the heart somehow allows for direct communication that is simultaneously plain-spoken and deeply profound. “Say It” is a simple, devastatingly effective plaint of alienation; “She Wasn’t Lonely” a simple portrait of everyday living set to chiming, clacking guitars, the music in the bridge taking astral flight as the titular character ‘lets herself go.’

A smart and sharp collection of songs that captures you with its gorgeous melodicism just as it blindsides you with its aching heart, 3:30 Minutes To Live is Heiko Voss at his most assured and open-hearted best.

Heiko Voss hat sich als Fackelträger einer emotionalen, von ganzem Herzen kommenden und nicht auf den ersten Blick radikalen Spielart von elektronischer Musik einen nahezu mythischen Status erarbeitet. Das schiere Glück, welches seine Kompakt Pop-Single "I Think About You" aus dem Jahr 2003 immer noch ausstrahlt, macht sie nach wie vor zu einem der Highlights des Label-Katalogs, wo sie neben einer ganzen Reihe hervorragender Singles als Schaeben & Voss steht; andere kennen Heiko vielleicht durch das tolle und vielfach unterschätzte Label Firm, für das er zusammen mit Thomas Schaeben verantwortlich war. Mit seinem neuen Album “3:30 Minutes To Live”, das am 4. März 2022 auf Michael Mayers Label Imara erscheint, kehrt Voss nun nach einer langen Pause mit einer wunderschönen Sammlung von Songs zurück, die den Herzschmerz – getragen auf den Schwingen unwiderstehlicher Melodien – ausgiebig besingen.

“3:30 Minutes To Live” kommt mit einer gehörigen Portion Überzeugung und Selbstbewusstsein daher, was im Vergleich zu seinen früheren Veröffentlichungen wie ein bewusstes Statement wirkt. "Obwohl es das nicht ist, fühlt sich ‘3:30 Minutes To Live’ wie mein Debütalbum an", meint Voss. "Alle meine vorherigen Veröffentlichungen waren eher Song-Skizzen oder elektronische Dance-Tracks."

Im Teary Eyes Studio arbeitete Voss zwischen dreißig und vierzig Songskizzen aus, die er auf die zwölf hier versammelten Songs reduzierte, die alle ihren eigenen Raum einnehmen, dabei aber sehr gut mit Voss' übergeordneter Ästhetik harmonieren, die er als "Indie-Pop-Musik mit viel Gitarre, elektronischen Elementen und einer großen Liebe für melancholische 80er-Jahre-Synthies" beschreibt.

Voss ist sowohl für Abwechslung als auch für Konsistenz empfänglich - “3:30 Minutes To Live“ ist eine selbstsichere, lebendige Sammlung von Popsongs, die aber auch von allerlei Überraschungen geprägt ist, wie dem Gitarrensolo, das aus “This Is My Life” herausbricht, oder die von einer Akustikgitarre getragene Melancholie des abschließenden “This Summer”.

Das alles ist entstanden aus der besonderen Alchemie des Studioprozesses und der intimen Romantik des Musikmachens. "Wenn du beim Schreiben und Produzieren deiner Musik ständig das Gefühl hast, ein bisschen verliebt zu sein – einfach weil der Klang des Synthesizers warm und sanft durch den Raum fließt, oder weil die Notenfolge etwas in dir weckt, oder sogar ein zufällig auftauchender Groove im Loop eines Gitarren-Licks dich ein 'Ha!' ausrufen lässt – dann wird daraus meist ein schöner Song", nickt Voss. "Diese Momente machen mich glücklich."

Es entsteht eine besondere Spannung zwischen dem positiven Elan der Musik, ihrer melodischen Verschwendungssucht, den gleitenden, Ballerina-artigen Bewegungen und den dunkleren Strömungen, die durch Voss' Texte ziehen, die von einer "kurzen, dramatischen und giftigen Liebesaffäre" inspiriert sind. Das mag sich wie ein vertrautes Terrain für ein Pop-Album anhören, aber die Art und Weise, wie Voss die Sprache sowohl durch die nonverbalen Elemente der Musik als auch durch den nicht artikulierten Ausdruck des Herzens verwebt, ermöglicht eine Art direkte Kommunikation, die gleichzeitig ausgesprochen klar und trotzdem tiefgründig ist. “Say It" ist eine erschütternd einprägsame Anklage von Entfremdung; "She Wasn't Lonely" ist ein einfaches Porträt des alltäglichen Lebens, untermalt von klappernden Gitarren, in dem die Musik einen astralen Flug unternimmt, während die Titelfigur sich "gehen lässt".

“3:30 Minutes To Live“ ist eine kluge und scharfsinnige Sammlung von Songs, die den Zuhörenden mit ihren wunderschönen Melodien fesseln, aber auch mit einer Menge schmerzenden Gefühlen konfrontiert. Ein Album, auf dem Heiko Voss ganz bei sich ist und Euch dabei mehr als nur sein Herz öffnet.