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Jon Tye and Pete Fowler have been making music as Seahawks for a decade now. Given the sounds they’ve been exploring over those ten years it was a cosmic inevitability that they would be asked to contribute to the catalogue of the legendary library label KPM.

They replied with Island Visions, an exploration of sound for vision where they construct “audio micro-worlds to explore and inhabit”. A way to transport the listener away from the everyday without the bother of getting on an aeroplane. Mind travel is space travel after all, and much better for the environment.

Mostly recorded at The Centre Of Sound in Cornwall, with additional recording at Studio 34 in London, Jon and Pete’s travelling companions on this particular trip were boogie wunderkind Sven Atterton on fretless bass and keys, Nick Mackrory on percussion and the Seahawks live team of Dan Hillman and Alik Peters-Deacon.

From the grooves of Brian Bennett to the moog vibrations of Mike Vickers, the lush textures of Les Baxter to the experimental sounds of Delia Deryshire and David Vorhaus, this new music channels sounds and moods from across the KPM universe.

The spacious “Hot Sand Shuffle” opens the record with some of Seahawks’ familiar “deck-shoegaze”. The slinky digi-dub of “Sky Blue Sky” follows, gently encouraging us to lay back and relax. “Mystic Beach” is a refreshing ocean spray of a synthetic groove that clears the head, priming a pathway to receive “Crystal Forest”, a new age house groove of birds and flutes.

Dense, deep and dreamlike, “Distant Shore” is ambient rainforest house with a 90s vibe, its dense foliage clearing to let us bask in the shimmer and shine of “River Run”. Hang drum, electric gamelan, flute and loon close side A.

Side B bounces into being with “Catch A Wave”, an upbeat beach groover of synthetic guitar, effervescent synth and snappy drums. Equatorial bubbler “Paradise Bird Bath” soon glides in with marimba, crisp beats and fat synth bass. Fender rhodes, space echo and fretless bass make “Smooth Runnings” a laid-back poolside groove.

“Spirits Have Flown” conjures a hazy vibe with marimba, sax, synth funk bass and chilled beats before “Rolling Deep” serves up a light cocktail of sultry rhythms, refreshing textures, cooling sax and fretless bass. Almost-title track “Island Blues” brings the horizontal poolside feels with melodic chimes, oboe and more fretless bass for maximum vibrations. The marina drone of modular electronics, celestial trumpet and jungle ambience pay the album’s final respects to the cosmos on “Sun Salute”.

Like many KPM suites, this is a record of two distinct sides. The sunrise of side A brings a deep meditation, a journey within to renew the jaded self. Side B refreshes with cocktails by the pool and a chance to groove away the evening at some sunset beach party before dancing under the stars in the house of dreams.

Pete’s front cover for the LP is part map, part postcard: “the record has five different sections and I wanted to reference those in the worlds they created, musically and physically. From beach campfire, to poolside hanging and nighttime dancing. A kind of portal to those places and the pictures they inspired in my mind. All places we’d like to be in this turbulent year”. The track descriptions on the back help guide the way.

2020 marks 10 years since Ocean Trippin’, the first Seahawks release, and Island Visions is the perfect distillation of the sounds, sights, textures and moods that Jon and Pete have been exploring over the last decade. Sunrise to sunset condensed to two sides of an LP. The normal rules of space and time don’t apply here.

This is the first time Be With has worked with Seahawks, but individually Jon and Pete have been members of the extended Be With family since forever (Pete did those posters for our Ned Doheny tour and we worked with Jon on the vinyl version of Hatchback’s Colors Of The Sun). Of course we were going to put this out on vinyl.

Mastered by balearic engineer of choice (and Be With’s regular audio co-pilot) Simon Francis, cut by the legendary Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry, the sonic frequencies of these Island Visions have been precision tuned and encoded for optimum travelling conditions. Take the trip.

Just act like it didn’t happen…
Reznik & Mikesh crack open a fine vintage bottle of conspiracy with the scorching truth bomb ‘The Moon
Landing Was A Hoax’. Following their remix of Telepopmusik last year, the freshly-formed duo of
Keinemusik affiliates deliver such an acid weapon Justin Strauss insisted they release it after it caused
total Panorama Bar meltdown for him.
In case you missed the inaugural edit, ‘The Moon Landing Was A Hoax’ takes off with pure 303 bounces
before sharp vocal cuts pepper the mix leading to a heaven-opening breakdown. Total euphoria; it’s so
powerful it totally misses the lunar landscape and spins us back around our own planet faster and faster
with every emphatic layer. Reznik & Mikesh’s ‘Area 51 Infinite Mix’ adds three more minutes of feels,
creating this immense drama that sits somewhere between Chemical Brothers and Two Lone
Swordsmen.
It’s backed by a giant leap of a remix by Justin Strauss himself. Teaming up with Throne of Blood’s Max
Pask, they take it up through the gears, ramping the rolling acid tension until the last two minutes pays
out the euphoria jolt we’re waiting for. File under rocket-fuel.
There are no small steps elsewhere on this trip either; ‘The Nostromo Swerve’ goes intergalactic with
such tense, epic acid techno thunder it could dodge entire black holes while ‘Kiss My Axe’ goes all-out
Stingray-style electro with its gravity-defying breakbeat swing and sweeping layers of melancholy
synths. Total celestial immersion: in space, no one can hear you scream, dream or even make up
hoaxes… Happy landings.

“…In The City Of Lights Where Nothing Is Grey…" In the City Of Angels by way of Prague, Pink Gloves channels classic Italo Disco on their Italians Do It Better debut. Petr Pliska weaves a tale of introspection on the neon soaked streets of Los Angeles.

Act 1 – Downtown. The title track is a hypnotic journey to the city center over a symphony of synthesis. He laments that he “Never Wanted To Come… Never Wanted To Stay… In The City Of Lights Where Nothing Is Grey”. It’s a place where nothing ever changes
& fantasy greets us in every direction. Beneath the sedated vocals, the synthesizers strike deep & dissolve quickly into a haze blanketing the strut of the heavy backbeat. The stage is set.

Act 2 – The Dancefloor. “Dancing on My Own” infuses Robyn’s four on the floor classic with it’s own cocktail of ethereal melodies & a rhythm section ala Ultravox. In the face of the Narrator’s lament, a mirror ball shimmers reflections of resilience.

Act 3 – The Highway. The downtempo “Wilderness” haunts us, bursting with silken synthesizers & spectral electronics reverberating like the ghosts of last night’s party. The tempered cinematic landscape blends with a mesmerizing sorcery as we drive into the unknown.

Act 4 – End Credits. Suddenly, the film is over. We hear the sunrise straight out of an ‘80s John Hughes film & the beautiful grit of Power, Corruption & Lies.

Produced By Johnny Jewel. Mixed By Lukáš Turza & Johnny Jewel. Mastered By Mike Bozzi At Bernie Grundman Mastering. Vinyl Cut By Bernie Grundman, Hollywood.

MIDTGAARD is danish Balearic DJ/ producer Anders Midtgaard. Sommerfugl (means Butterfly in danish) - the Original version was handed out to a few DJs in Ibiza last year. First up Italy's finest, Luca MOPLEN has in masterful style been re-working this piano driven groover that oozes summery flavour all over. The package here also comes with a great balearic re-rub from Denmarks Mike Salta (MFD) and the Original version. Support and kind words from the likes of Kenneth Bager (Music For Dreams), Francois Kevorkian, Phil Mison Colleen Cosmo Murphy, Willie Graff and many others.

Mavericks of the musical landscape, Brooklyn’s finest genre-defying duo Dave + Sam release their anticipated debut album ‘No Shade’ on Classic Music Company this spring, a thirteen-track narration of the 21st century experience, told through the eyes of vocalist Dave Giles II and production maestro Sam O.B. With the aim to package love, empowerment and socio-political commentary into a collection of tracks that never compromise on groove or soul, this enchanting album never loses sight of its message as it journeys from deep Chicago house and otherworldly melodies to funk-laden jams and adventurous studio experimentation.

Hinged tightly by the soulful nuances of Moodymann, Mos Def and Gil Scott Heron, Dave’s captivating spoken word delivery is purposeful and considered, as Sam weaves rhythms and grooves so deep you can get lost in them – the two musical narratives working in perfect harmony. Impassioned cuts like ‘Facts’, ‘Worth It’ and ‘Sauce’ leverage hip-hop’s tradition of battle rap against white supremacist rhetoric, a message that remains ever more relevant in today’s political climate. Title track ‘No Shade’, ‘Day One (Oh Baby)’ and ‘Can’t Get Enough’ allow stories of love and loss to unfold to the listener, while the stripped-back grooves of ‘Round The Way’ and ‘You Da Shit Girl’ add another dimension to the album. Featuring a number of collaborators such as Chicago legend Mike Dunn, powerhouse vocalist Ramona Renea and fellow Brooklyn natives Cor.Ece and LATASHÁ, ‘No Shade’ is an evocative, powerful and joyful experience when played in its entirety.

Recorded in Brooklyn’s Bedford Stuyvesant, a neighbourhood bearing the scars of over-policing and encroaching gentrification, the vibrancy of the community and its unyielding history of creative expression shines through on the album’s entirety. As products of such environments, Dave + Sam’s music is resilient, revolutionary and organic in equal parts. An homage to their mutual reverence for early Chicago house and the golden era of underground parties in New York, ‘No Shade’ is a riveting body of work ready for you to lose yourself in.

Exhilarating, previously unreleased recordings by Derek Bailey and his guests at Company Week in 1983: Jamie Muir, Evan Parker, Hugh Davies, Joëlle Léandre, John Corbett, Peter Brötzmann, Vinko Globokar, Ernst Reijseger and J.D. Parran.
What’s remarkable throughout this album is the respect and affection the musicians show for each other, exemplifying the dictionary definition of ‘company’ as ‘the fact or condition of being with another or others, especially in a way that provides friendship and enjoyment.’

It starts with Landslide, a brilliant, spiky, spluttering, twanging reunion of Music Improvisation Company members Evan Parker (tenor sax), Hugh Davies (electronics) and Jamie Muir (percussion). Next up, Seconde Choix, with Joëlle Léandre’s close-miked prepared bass and Bailey’s acoustic guitar seemingly heading in different directions before coming together miraculously in just four minutes.

The opening of First Choice, a duet between Bailey and Muir, is a revelation for those who moan that the guitarist plays too many notes. His patient and truly exquisite exploration of harmonics is beautifully counterpointed by Muir’s metallic percussion.

On Pile Ou Face (Heads Or Tails) Davies concentrates on his high register oscillators, carefully shadowed by Parker’s soprano until Léandre’s deft, springy pizzicato lures them into the playground. JD In Paradise is a surprisingly delicate wind quartet, with John Corbett’s trumpet, fragile and Don Cherry-like, punctuating the sinuous interplay between Peter Brötzmann and J.D. Parran (on sopranos, flutes and clarinet), while trombonist Vinko Globokar growls approvingly in the background.

Igor Stravinsky’s definition of music as the ‘jeu de notes’ comes to mind listening to Bailey’s duet with cellist Ernst Reijseger (executing fiendish double-stopped harmonics with staggering ease). Technical virtuosity has never sounded so effortless – it is, as its title Een Plezierig Stukje simply states, a fun piece.

On the closing La Horda, Bailey and Reijseger team up with the horns for what on paper looks like it could be rough and rowdy sextet but which turns out once more to be a thoughtful, spacious exchange of ideas, shapes and colours.

Soul Jazz Records set Sounds of the Universe:
Art + Sound 2012-15 features some of the heaviest Afrofuturistic producers out there, PITCHFORK.

Soul Jazz Records new Sounds of the Universe: Art + Sound 2012-15 is a new double album CD (and two separate volumes of double-vinyl) featuring a line-up of some of the most forward-thinking and progressive artists and producers working with electronic music around the world today.

This lovingly compiled collection features a stunning array of contemporary artists: Chicago’s Afro-futurist genius Hieroglyphic Being; Kaseem Mosse (aka Gunnar Wendell/Siege of Troy), one of the most talked-about, respected artists in underground house and techno; out of Detroit’s Moodyman stable comes Andres; also featured is Los Angeles-based Ras G, associated with the Brainfeeder label established by fellow producer Flying Lotus; and many more!

This new collection features a first CD of tracks recorded exclusively for Soul Jazz Record’s bespoke Sounds of the Universe label. These were originally issued under their Art + Sound series between 2012 and 2015 as unique hand-etched and original commissioned art pieces (reproduced here) collectors’ 12” singles - all pressed in micro-editions of 250 copies for each artist’s release that were only ever available exclusively from Soul Jazz Records’ boutique Sounds of the Universe shop in Soho, London.

The second CD features a fantastic set of all brand new exclusive tracks from the likes of Seven Davis Jr, Drexciya collaborator DJ Stingray, deep house virtuoso Mike Huckaby, Glaswegian noise-punk six-piece Golden Teacher, and lots more – all created and commissioned especially for this release. These songs are not available anywhere else in the world.

Together these 2CDs comprise an amazing selection of new progressive electronic music.

This album is released as double CD pack with slipcase and booklet. It is also available as two separate limited edition double vinyl editions in heavyweight vinyl and gatefold sleeves with full artwork + free download codes, and as a worldwide digital release.

This album is Acid Jazz’s tribute to an eccentric, a charmer, an unsung Sixties hero who still has soul. The character that is Graham Dee has lived one heck of a life, from surviving the blitzing of East London during WW2 to playing with Pink Floyd and Jimmy Page - Graham has done it all and this compilation hopes to look back at the story of his life through music.

Dee was the A&R at Atlantic Records, signing artists and producing their songs plus playing on sessions that included pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. One of his tracks, ‘A Love I Believe In’, narrowly missed being a Number 1 after Tony Blackburn proclaimed the single as his Record Of The Week, only for Blackburn to be playing the flip side, ‘The Bitter With The Sweet’.

Around this period Graham was working with the likes of Georgie Fame, Elkie Brooks and Mike Berry to name just a few and even filled in for the absent Syd Barrett on some Pink Floyd shows.

He eventually parted company with Atlantic after he damaged studio equipment whilst practising pistol fast draws and purchasing a hunting bow and accidentally firing it, flooding the office and terrifying the staff.

A lot of the tracks signal specific moments in Graham’s life that involve a lot of these stories. The stories provide the context for the tracks and this spreads a certain spirit throughout the compilation. Now in his seventies, Graham Dee is still writing, recording, performing and releasing solo records.

Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The music of Johnny Jewel, Glass Candy, Chromatics, Mirage, & Symmetry all articulate different visions for different moments — the pure ecstasy of a Saturday night out; unrestrained romantic devotion between vulnerable people; walks on wet streets on foggy nights; isolated twilight meditations. They make music for all moments, all feelings, all stories — in films & in life. Theirs is natural soundtrack music. Bruce Thierry Cheung brings their cinematic music to celluloid to tell the story of a family’s struggles in Don’t Come Back from the Moon, starring James Franco, Rashida Jones, & Jeffrey Wahlberg. The soundtrack mixes new & beloved work from the Italians family. Classic cuts such as Chromatics’ revered “Cherry” & “The River” (alongside the newer “Magazine”) & the disco-bliss of Mirage’s “Lady Operator” are alongside cues from Johnny’s instrumental solo album Digital Rain, all remastered to articulate the resonance of the visuals. Joining them is new music from Johnny & Symmetry. “Bicycle” finds Symmetry taking their Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter vibes into a haunting modern R&B space. Cues like “Street Lights” & “Dusk” use twinkling piano keys & glassy, minimal synthesizers to craft ambient electronic bliss. “Death Valley” is a foreboding & atmosphere track, laced with spectres of fading memories. Once you go to the moon with these songs, you’ll never want to come back.

Produced & Mixed By Johnny Jewel
Mastered By Mike Bozzi At Bernie Grundman Mastering
Cut By Bernie Grundman In Hollywood

“…Voices Heard From The Year Of Thirteen Moons…”
Beyond the decay of ruins hums the subtle sound of Vapor, a suite of dystopian instrumentals by Italians Do It Better visionary Johnny Jewel. His trademark analog synthesizers have never sounded more crystalline, their landscape never more evocatively barren. Chiming bells slowly twirl like the rusted music box of a child’s nightmare, a pitch-black bleak that is utterly frightful — Jewel channels the beauty & horror of a world that long ago abandoned its own destiny. This is a fever dream flashback. The kind that strikes you in the blur of night & refuses to weaken its grip until the sheets are drenched in sweat. This soundtrack is as elegant as it is violent, conjured in the deepest blacks & most vivid reds. These 21 celestial tracks clock in at just over an hour. Warping wind from a spiraling pinwheel…The sound of dust in the Garden of Hera, walking the tightrope between Life & Hades. The thin line that divides the Heavens from the Earth. Breathe Deep.

Produced & Mixed By Johnny Jewel
Mastered By Mike Bozzi At Bernie Grundman Mastering
Cut By Bernie Grundman In Hollywood
Artwork By Johnny Jewel

Cynosure returns with OHMS, a playfully uplifting collaboration from Mike Shannon and Ohm Hourani. The three-track EP features two originals laced with twisted drums and slippery synths, equally fitting for intergalactic exploration or a beachside sunrise. The original tracks’ intimately minimal production is complimented by a remix from Akufen of elegant deep house, making for a record that is both contemporary and classic. “Hightower PSA" slips out the gate with a carefree ambling baseline over a slow, swelling tide-like pad. Breezy, pulsing synth stabs pull the groove together while precise, quick hats and snares weave around buzzing tones like alien chatter. “Nova In The Sun” moves into steadier and darker territory: the bass hops between a stark kick-snare, with hats tastefully drizzled on top.

But when singer Ilhem’s sultry voice cues subtle hand drums and squiggly echoes, the track transforms from a slick minimal affair into a soulful throwback. “Nova In The Sun (Akufen’s Aldo Nova In The Sun mix)” takes the female voice of the original and jumps right in with an upbeat staccato piano and swirling violins. A full-blown house arrangement ushers in lush strings, electric piano chords, and loosely fitting open hats and snares, all conspiring to bring a splash of joy to any peak-time crowd. On the whole, OHMS deliver a versatile EP that swaggers with a smile.

Michael Edgehill aka Mikey Melody was born in the parish of Portland, Jamaica. As a youth he constantly raised his voice in song and performing with sound system in the neighborhood community. Known by his sweet voice, his friends gave him the nickname «Mikey Melody».

Mikey Melody was influenced by 60’s and 70’s US R&B icons and Jamaican singers like Bob Marley, Sugar Minott, Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Bob Andy and Half Pint. In the 1980’s he went to Kingston and was identified early by Lord Sassafrass, who gave him his first recording single “Under Mi Fat Thing” that was covered by many reggae artists. He was then signed by Black Scorpio Corporation which he was a singer on the sound system and recording label. He did songs like “World Is A Disaster”, “Jumbo Mi Jumbo”, “Romance For The Moment”, “Ragga Muffin”, “Unemployment”.

He then moved on to Dennis Star Label which he did songs like “Mona Lisa”, “Maranda” and the hit song “Soldier In Town”. Released in 1988 on Dennis Star International records, ‘’Soldier In Town’’ by Mikey Melody is a pure late 80’s dancehall vocal over heavy digital rhythm by Firehouse Crew.

Following on from his Mud EP, one of this year’s most distinctive, body- and mind-contorting dancefloor 12”s, Haunter Records boss Heith fires up his Saucers private press for a KILLER collaboration with longtime sparring partner Weightausend. Seriously, this is the biz - broken, bionic, 4D dancehall / tekno battle-droids that carve out disruptive new geometries in the dance without once dropping the ball or getting on your tits. Feels like there’s a million different going things on in each track, and yet H&W build air-flow into their creations - there is room for reflection and bliss-out amid the tangles of twisted metal and reptile blood spatter! Massive tip for anyone into that recent Pharmakustik record, Mike Dred & Peter Green's Virtual Farmer...but this is totally it’s own thing. With suitably stomach-turning artwork by the great Tim Ryan.

Italian cult cinematic funk combo Calibro 35 are back! "Stan Lee" is the new single that anticipates "Momentum" new studio album that will be released on Record Kicks next January 24th 2020. The first single "Stan Lee" sees a collaboration with rapper, producer and songwriter Illa J. Former member of super group Slum Village, Illa J is the younger brother of the late legendary hip hop producer and rapper J Dilla and on his solo carrier he has released 4 studio albums for labels such as Delicious Vinyl, Stones Throw, Bastard Jazz and Jakarta Records.

Active since 2008 Milan based combo CALIBRO 35 enjoys a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent band around. During their ten years career, they have been sampled by Dr. Dre on his Compton album, Jay-Z Love Child & Damon Albarn, they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat and as unique musicians they've collaborated with, amongst others PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish, Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (The Jet). Described by Rolling Stone magazine's 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 which includes VIP's fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) among others.

As we head towards the end of 2019, the CoOp Presents crew unleash a heater for the cold months, and a very warm welcome to the label for Danvers, with an EP entitled 'Light Movements'.

Joe Danvers has been building a diverse catalogue of dance music over the past several years, including releases on FINA Records, Boogie Cafe and Wotnot (his debut release also featured mixes from the likes of Joe Armon-Jones & Warren Xcince). Aside from his solo efforts, Danvers makes up 50% of Kassian, who in turn have dropped releases on Phonica White & Heist Recordings, as well as a series of highly-acclaimed remixes. Their debut track 'The Premise' was nominated as "Track of the Year" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards.

These various projects have been shown support far and wide from selectors such as Bradley Zero and Detroit Swindle, whilst Danvers & Kassian have been booked for parties across Europe this past Summer. Danvers is also co-founder of Curve Records, along with Luke Campion & Mike Wilkin of Fact / Vinyl Factory.

So to the EP - 4-tracks demonstrating Danvers' flair for eclectic bruk boogie. 'Devotional' kicks off the set, featuring the soulful vocals of Natalie May atop a rhode-laden bubbler. The EP's title track 'Light Movements' follows and is a more stripped-down affair, with big kicks and synth stabs. Next comes 'The Flex', inspired by Selectors Assemble runnings - a tasty stepper with a huuuuge b-line. Finally closing out the EP on a deeper jazzy vibe we have 'Calmer' featuring the don T. Williams.

Expect more big things from Danvers and from the CoOp Presents crew in 2020. In the meantime, get this one on your speakers and watch for the movements. Standardly essential business.

It might sound far fetched but here goes: Circadian Rhythms aka Dj Deg brought techno to Belgium before anyone was ready for it. The 1990s collective “Bad Woofers Posse” formed with lifelong friend Mike DMA and their “PK” warehouse parties served as fertile ground for the young producer.
Steeped in this new atmosphere, Deg locked himself up in his bedroom studio at his parents’ place and started developing his interpretation of the freshly imported techno/house sound. In the Belgian way. Combining emotional synth play with neck-breaking drum patterns, sequenced like dreams forever chasing the climax.

BM11 collects six unreleased takes from this almost forgotten period (1989 – 1994).

Influential Spanish artist Coyu is stepping out on his own Suara label with a long overdue debut album entitled ‘You Don’t Know’ that is going to shatter all conceptions about him. Due for release this September 23rd, the 16 track affair showcases his broad range and takes in collaborators like Moby, Lazarusman, The Horrorist, Thomas Gandey and many more.

Coyu quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the most prominent names in underground dance music. The Spanish man famous for his love of cats has established his Suara label as a go-to outlet for the most essential house and tech tracks, as well as releasing his own expressive grooves on Cocoon Recordings, Diynamic, Bedrock Records, Turbo Recordings and MORE. Now he really stretches his legs across a fantastic full length album that goes way beyond the dance floor and shows many new sides to his sound. The artist has been working on it since 2012 and aims to show people that whatever they think about him is wrong.

Says the artist himself, “the album is named ‘You Don't Know’ because many people have a preconceived idea of who I am. Until now, maybe I wasn't smart enough to show them my roots, what I love and what I can offer to the music. I'm not just a DJ or a producer who can play or make grooves – I love many different genres and many different kinds of music. With this album I want to change that preconception.”

The album kicks off with a dramatic spoken word from legendary vocalist Lazarusman before exploring low slung and sleazy grooves on ‘The Three Chimney’, floaty light melodic and dreamy house on ‘Out of The Pain’ and more club focussed but just as dreamy fair on ‘We All Try’ with Mike Leary.

Proving he can do everything from poolside gems to peak time techno, ‘Fear Is Gunna Be A Player In Your Life’ is one to get you in a trance with its sonar like synths and rolling deep space drums. Thomas Gandey aka Cagedbaby then steps up to guest on ‘1+1’ which is a hands in the air piano anthem to pump the party, and ‘Wanna Do Right, Wanna Do Wrong’ is a techno cut with brilliantly energetic drum programming and a big, perfectly placed vocal sample.

Switching up the vibe is ‘I May Be Dead, But One Day The World Will Be Beautiful Again’ with none other than dance legend Moby. It is a heavenly track with break beats, angelic melodies and a celestial feel that leaves you refreshed. The second half touches on raved-up drum & bass, gurgling minimal techno and harder techno with mind melting acid synths. The Horrorist contributes to the banging ‘My First Pill’, while the techno journey continues with ‘Unite’ featuring Gabriella Vergilov before the album finishes on the fluttering ambient track ‘Insania’, with mad church bells and manic percussion all bringing things to a close in style.

This is a broad, adventurous album that covers plenty of music ground and takes you on a true electronic trip from one of dance music’s most accomplished names.

It seems KPM have long been fans of Smith and Mudd and, after being introduced to each other by mutual friend Andy Allday, the peerless Balearic maestros were invited to contribute to the library label’s digital-only “Album Shorts” project. The results are predictably wonderful.

With past projects under our belt working with everyone involved so far it made perfect sense for Be With to take on the vinyl release of this instant library classic. But why is it called “Tea With Holger”?

“Holger” is of course Holger Czukay and the whole LP is dedicated to Smith and Mudd’s time spent with him and Ursa Major at Can’s famous Inner Space Studio in Weilerswist, near Cologne.

When not recording it seems they spent a great deal of time sat around being entertained by Holger’s stories and drinking many cups of different sorts of tea from all over the world. These moments provide some their fondest memories of their visits:

“Looking back, it was pretty incredible that we spent part of our lives with Holger in one of the most magical places we’ve ever known, Inner Space Studio. We have our memories and, of course, the Bison album we made with him. But to honour the time we spent with him, we wanted to dedicate an album to him called ‘Tea With Holger’. The names of the tracks are about that time.”

The album was recorded over several years in London, Margate and Gorthleck, a small hamlet in the Scottish Highlands. Mike Piggott, who played with Bert Jansch, handled the strings and played violin whilst Sam Creer lent his virtuoso cello work to the proceedings. The sessions employed a key recording technique from their time with Holger: hit record and play. They wanted to capture magical improvisational moments live and not do the work later on in editing.

In their own words (and in classic library record sleeve style) these tracks are collectively described as “Balearic themes including breezy soul, sun-dappled melodies, warm pianos and sweeping strings”. You want to hear this, right?

The album is vintage Smith and Mudd. The gentle piano ushering in opening track “The Gardener” is soon joined by low, bubbling drums. When the time is just right, lush guitars glisten above a Welsh language vocal that floats like silk. Easy as a sea breeze. “Innerspace” is of course a nod to Can’s aforementioned studio. Dark, heavy piano meets rolling drums before warm chords and luscious strings take over, gliding over moody grooves to drive you home. Closing out side A, “Weilerswist” delivers more beautifully rolling piano and guitars over thumping cellos and building drums.

Side B opens with the full, string-enhanced version of “Away From Me”. This is Smith and Mudd’s prefered version and it’s only available here on this vinyl issue. For us it’s the standout on this all-highlight album. Tribal tones, piano and cello set a melodic staccato for violin to soar over while rolling piano lines and gospel organ chords descend into a drum drop that leads to a glorious vocal lead finale.

Distant synths introduce sun-drenched guitars and uplifting strings in “Kölner Street”, before a spacey Moog solo leads to a spellbinding, sci-fi drop. The sunshine returns before the track ends. The album closes with “Tea With Holger”. Airy vocal swells are punctuated by plucked cellos and picked guitars, all wonderfully warmed by a soulful piano.

Cut by Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry, “Tea With Holger” comes in a classic KPM green sleeve complete with track descriptions from Smith and Mudd themselves. The finishing visual touches come courtesy of Richard Robinson. We’ve given this record the same care and attention as we give to each our KPM re-issues, and it’s just as essential.

The second edition of Dekmantel’s foray into the era-defining, trans-Atlantic, cult techno label that is Djax-Up-Beats, comes another re-issue of classic 90s cuts.

The label say "The Dutch label was responsible for releasing some of underground’s most foundational dance music, mixing together Chicago and European artists alike, and acting as the launchpad for some of today’s biggest producers. Featuring offerings from luminaries such as Felix Da Housecat, and Glenn Underground, alongside veterans such as Steve Poindexter, and DJ Skull, this second EP highlights the classic label’s old-school’s sound, while showcasing its diverse range, from dubbier, ambient moments, to wall-thumping, body crushing house force. Timeless music, repressed, and re-released for a new generation of DJs who covet the classic machine music.

The second re-issue EPs, offer a more introspective look at the label’s earlier releases. Leading Volume 2 is Terrace’s 'Bewitched', to which DJ Richard has described as being the defining track of the label’s beginnings with its "dreamy, Detroit-style techno mixed with the harder rave elements of Northern Europe”. Glenn Underground’s bass-roller 'Real Space' weaves together soulful passion and Chicago prime beats, while Felix Da Housecat’s Temptation — originally from 1993 — gets a well earned re-release, reminding us of the soulful, deep and lustful energy the producer once had. China White, whose name doesn’t get banded around as much as it should nowadays, see their ethereal hit 'Theme from the Underground' get another opportunity to bliss out the more upbeat rave community.

The energy turns darker with Frank de Groodt’s The Operator, breaking the outer-most barriers of electro-techno, with 'The Mind Strike'. Chicago and Dance Mania’s Steve Poindexter turns out rolling, dance-energy bomb 'Body Jam', while Mike Dearborn’s deliverance of unreal, dry techno in 'Deviant Behaviour' runs aplomb with classic drum-machine pulses, claps, and uncomfortable, yet punishing melodies. DJ Skull’s 'Don’t stop the beat' rides the EP with gushings of hand claps, and gentle, early 90s warm techno color, that transport you back to a time of more informed, and conscious electronic musings, a feeling that embodies Djax’s heyday.

Founded in Eindhoven at the turn of the 90s, Djax-Up-Beats quickly earned an international reputation for being a key source of Chicago house, acid techno, and floor-filling, heavy-hitting, straight up underground 12”s. It’s a sound that spawned the sonic aesthetics of today, and can be heard in the left field techno productions of the likes of Bjarki, Salon des Amateurs and other erstwhile analog junkies."

repressed !

Justin @Cudmore's 'Are You Ready' is the track that's making you stay at the party long after you started saying you should really get home. Justin tells us that 'Are You Ready' is the result of some early experimentation with the studio setup in his old apartment and one of the first white label acid tracks he began playing out, even before his popular debut for The Bunker NY, 'Forget It' was released. 'The elements came together quickly in an afternoon session -- I had been recently inspired by a trove of acapellas I'd come across. I would say this is when arranging the track really clicked and I started truly assembling it with the dance floor in mind.' Over the next two years, the track became a secret weapon that made its way into the hands of DJs like Craig Richards, Mike Servito, Jackmaster, Derek Plaslaiko and Gerd Janson, becoming something of a sleeper hit.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- PVC PROTECTIVE SLEEVE
- MIKE OLDFIELD'S TUBULAR BELLS IS INSPIRED
BY THIS ALBUM
- FEATURED IN GRAND THEFT AUTO IV ON THE
RADIO STATION 'THE JOURNEY.'
- 50TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION OF 500 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON TRANSPARENT VINYL

Keyboard virtuoso Terry Riley started experimenting with different instruments in the '50s. One of his electronic music landmarks is his third album A Rainbow in Curved Air. Through the use of overdubbing, he recorded all the instruments to feature on the title track. The composition consists of three movements, each representing another part of his musical influences. As the song progresses, its structure goes through frequent changes. It's an colorful, psychedelic, atmospheric and revolutionary song. The second track consists of a loop of saxophones and is the dreamy and calm opposite of the title track. Fans of electronic music, such as Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, would love this record. Taking inspiration from Hindustani classical music and jazz techniques, Riley's masterpiece influenced many musicians, from the likes of Brian Eno to Emeralds.

A Rainbow in Curved Air 50th anniversary limited edition is available as 500 individually numbered copies on transparent vinyl.

Napolitan Techno DJ and heavyweight producer Davide Carbone releases on the French Rave Or Die Records for the very first time! Multiplying records and collaborations just like Mike Tyson was multiplying uppercuts, the co-owner of Repitch Recordings, Cosmo Rhythmatic and 3TH Records and owner of Carbone Records starts with "Dive Or Die" on the A-side: a speedy yet straight to the dancefloor tune based upon trancey acid lines a la Steve Stoll or Leo Anibaldi and aerial melodies. Combined with dark effects, this nostalgic song Made in Italy appears as an authentic Rave anthem from back in the glorious days!

On the flip side, ROD mastermind and dancefloor veteran Umwelt (Voitax, Return To Disorder) delivers a shaking, hefty and tremendous cut. Named with suitability "Tremblements", the jam signs a fascinating ode to smoking warehouses and illegal parties. Metallic pads over no mercy beats fused into industrialized synths and screaming atmospheres characterize this this dark as hell cut interspersed with counter breaks a la The Mover.

Dark, groovy and noisy at the same, two massive absolute bangers with old school roots on ROD twelve release! By the way, if you wonder the significance of the signs on the Rave Or Die logo in the labels, they are taken from the Hobo Code and mean "Keep away, Cops Active, Unsafe Area". You'll be warned.

DJ Shadow has shared the artwork for his anticipated live album and film, Live In Manchester: The Mountain Has Fallen Tour.  Recorded at a sold out Albert Hall in Manchester, England, the release (out 13th July on Mass Appeal Records) is now on vinyl, CD, and digitally.  

Live In Manchester: The Mountain Has Fallen Tour, documents DJ Shadow's most ambitious, extensive worldwide tour yet - surrounded by stunning visuals, he blasts through classics and more obscure cuts from his discography.  Watch the trailer here.    

The release will be available on gatefold 12' vinyl, CD / DVD double pack, digital audio and digital video formats.  

The news follows the recent announcement of DJ Shadow's podcast, DJ Shadow Presents Find, Share, Rewind, broadcast on Manchester-based radio station and music platform, MCR Live. Episodes are online here, and the first instalment hit number 1 in Apple's music podcasts chart. 

Bay Area producer DJ Shadow (Josh Davis) was catapulted to prominence thanks to his landmark debut album, Endtroducing, acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the first LP created entirely from samples.  Since then, Shadow has continually moved forward releasing innovative albums and collaborating with the likes of Thom Yorke, Massive Attack, Jason Newsted (Metallica), Mike D (Beastie Boys), Zack de la Rocha and several others.  Live In Manchester: The Mountain Has Fallen Tour continues an exceptional couple of years for the producer: in 2016 he unleashed innovate new album The Mountain Will Fall, which birthed his biggest single yet, Nobody Speak featuring Run The Jewels; a massive worldwide tour followed - The Mountain Has Fallen Tour - plus an EP featuring collaborations with Oscar-winning film composer Steven Price, rap maverick Danny Brown and hip-hop hero Nas. 

Unprofessional's Debut Featuring Four Unrelenting Tracks That Echo The Golden Years Of Italy's, Everything Goes, Rave Heyday. Her Tracks In This Release Are Characterized By Epic Synths, Jacking Hi-hats, And Lo-fi Hip-hop Style Sampling. Beyond Musical Characteristics, A Fantastical Sense Of Humor Pervades The Release With Self-conscious Samples Embedded In Many Of The Tracks And Overtly In Titles Like civilization At The Bio Store' Or grand Unified Theory.' Before This Release, She Has Been Performing Live The Darker Corners Of Europe's Electronic Music Scene. In The Last Year She Has Been Featured In The Mixes Of Alienata (killekill), Bill Kouligas (pan) Or Pure (praxis Records, Aufnahme + Wiedergabe).
Unprofessional Herself Comes From A Small Town On The East-coast Of Italy. She Began Producing In Her Early 20s In Milan Before She Moved To Berlin And Began Organizing Small Uncompromising Local Parties, Which Featured A Pretty Disparate Group Of Musicians.-
Mastered By Mike Grinser (d&m)
Artwork: Bartosz Zaskorski
Design: Teo Schifferli

AFAS Records follows up some head turning early EPs with another fantastic offering, this time in the form of the Treating Patient B EP by label founder Mike Chetcuti aka People Places & Things with Gabe Gurnsey on the remix.

Over the last 12 months, People Places & Things has released on the likes of the legendary R&S Records, as well as here on Art For Arts Sake (AFAS) with two releases that soundtracked the Adidas Spezial campaign

Here, two more terrific journeying tracks, inspired by a recent trip to LA get served up, to further cement his reputation.

PR at press radio & DJ will be handled by Justin at Dispersion.

The Conspiracy Hailed From Mount Pleasant, A College Town In The Center Of Michigan. Originally Formed As The Allusions, They Became Nino & The Nomads Before Changing Their Name To The Conspiracy In 1966. For The Next Few Years The Group Stayed Busy On The Live Circuit. "we Were Booked All Over The State," Remembers Singer Aquilino Soriano. "every Weekend We'd Be Somewhere. We Were About Two And A Half Hours From Detroit, So We'd Go Down South, We'd Go Up North, We'd Go Everywhere. There Was This Network Of Teen Clubs Where Kids Didn't Have To Be 21 And Everybody Could Go. It Was Fantastic." In 1967 The Group Had What Aquilino Describes As "probably Our Apex Moment". Kustom Amplifiers Sponsored A Statewide Battle Of The Bands Tournament, And The Conspiracy Battled Through Several Rounds Of Competition To Make It All The Way To The Finals In Saginaw. "it Was A Statewide Thing That Culminated There," Remembers Aquilino. "question Mark & The Mysterians And A Couple Of Others That Were Notables Were Also In It - And We Won It! We Got Our Award From Bob Seger." The Prize Was Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Gigs And A Tuck And Roll Kustom Pa System, Which The Band Put To Use As They Moved Forward Into 1968, Brimming With Confidence. A Roving Capitol A&r Man Caught Their Show In Cadillac, Michigan, And Encouraged Them To Write Some Original Songs And Go Into The Studio. So In 1968 That's What They Did. `dream World' And `with You' Were Recorded At A Studio In Grand Rapids And The Session Turned Out Exceptionally Well. "it Just Floored Me That We Didn't Sit Down And Write Some More Songs," Says Aquilino, "because I Thought We Did A Pretty Good Job." `dream World' Is Particularly Great With A Soulful Lead Vocal, An Insistent Fuzz Guitar Line, Waves Of Hammond Organ, A Catchy, Harmonized Chorus And An Insistent Dance Groove. Shades Of The Doors, The Young Rascals, The Blues Magoos And Src. A Mixdown Of The Tape Was Forwarded To Their Contact At Capitol Records, But Ultimately No Deal Was Signed. "we Were Just Starting To Separate From High School," Remembers Aquilino. "it Was The Start Of That Transition. I Was Class Of '67, They Were Class Of `68. There Was The War In Vietnam. You Could Go To College To Avoid The Draft. It Was A Lot Of Decisions And I Guess What Happened Is Nothing Really Happened From Us Recording. I Mean They Liked It, They Made Us An Offer, But I Think That The Parents Weren't Really Happy With That. I Think That There Was Some Dissent In The Band Too." The Conspiracy Broke Up In Early 1969 And The Tape Of The Only Original Songs They Ever Played Remained Unreleased And Unheard Until 2018, When Soriano Brought The Original 1" 8-track Session Tape Into Earthling Studios In El Cajon, California, Where It Was Mixed And Mastered By Mike Kamoo For This Release. "getting This Out On Vinyl - It's What We Dreamed Of!" Aquilino Grins. "even If It Took Fifty Years To Happen!" Mike Stax

Alt. folker Will Oldham - better known as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - is set to drop a joint record with gently psychedelic crew Trembling Bells

Just four years after their debut album Carbeth, Trembling Bells are amassing a formidable body of work at a startling velocity. Just twelve months after the release of their critically acclaimed third album The Constant Pageant, the Glasgow quartet return to share the billing with a similarly restless creative spirit. A few thousand miles separate Will Oldham and Trembling Bells' drummer and principal songwriter Alex Neilson, but their stories intersect as far back as 2005, when the young Leeds-raised Neilson found himself playing drums on Alasdair Roberts' No Earthly Man, with Oldham producing. In time, a friendship between mentor and student became one between two kindred musicians. Neilson augmented his work with free-psych-drone practitioners Directing Hand by playing with the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy band. The drummer's eagerness to experience new epiphanies yielded unforgettable memories. In Big Sur, he recalls, 'we took mushrooms at midnight, then visited a natural hot spring built into the dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The stars were as vivid as frozen fireworks.' All of which is worth dwelling on, because without that background of mutual openness and empathy, it's hard to imagine The Marble Downs existing.

Neilson recalls a conversation about a 'collaboration' in the summer of 2010, though stresses that it 'was nothing too formal at first'. By the end of that year, a limited-edition seven-inch New Year's Eve Is The Loneliest Night of the Year showed what an inspired match the vocals of Trembling Bells singer Lavinia Blackwall and Will Oldham made. The cut-glass precision of the classically-trained student of medieval music and the worldly, careworn tones of Oldham created an unlikely chemistry. It must have seemed that way to Neilson too. He set about assembling a cache of songs with the purpose of further harnessing that chemistry. The result is an album that has, once again, redrafted the boundaries of what Trembling Bells can achieve together. Indeed, genre-lines aren't terribly helpful this time around. Yes, Trembling Bells' love affair with traditional music remains a constant — most emphatically so on the unaccompanied Blackwall/Oldham two-hander, My Husband's Got No Courage In Him. Then there is Blackwall's musical setting of Dorothy Parker's poem Excursion Into Assonance — and the thorough-going new-found classicism of Neilson's increasingly assured songwriting. Albeit delivered with Trembling Bells' rain-lashed sense of abandon, Love Is A Velvet Noose sounds like a standard of sorts — a warped consequence of Neilson's increasing fascination with the songbooks of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael. 'I'm not saying I stand any chance of emulating them,' he adds, 'but the appreciation is definitely there.'

The knowledge that Oldham and Blackwall would be sharing centre-stage on The Marble Downs gave Neilson extra impetus to flex his songwriting muscles. I Can Tell You're Leaving finds both vocalists on irresistible form, dissecting their dying relationship with no heed to the other's feelings. 'You treat me like a child,' sings Oldham. 'I need a man,' she responds, barely catching breath. 'Now like Merle Haggard, you'll see the fighting side of me,' he later promises. 'I guess that's one of the lighter moments on the album,' ponders Neilson, 'I was trying to get a Planet Waves-era Bob Dylan feel there, with the piano and walking bassline.'

Here and elsewhere, the band — Blackwall, Neilson, bassist Simon Shaw and guitarist Mike Hastings — has never sounded more psychically attuned to one-other. On the slow-reveal sonic establishing shot of I Made A Date (With An Open Vein), two minutes of manic modal chaos elapses before Oldham takes the narrative reins of a majestic call-and-response folk-rock epic. The electrifying free-folk portent of Riding — a revival of the Palace Brothers classic — is no less compelling, calling to mind the words of broadcaster Stuart Maconie when he praised Trembling Bells for their ability to invoke simultaneously 'the charm of folk music and the power of rock.' Ditto Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Little Longing, in which Neilson slams down a four-to-the-floor beat over a synergy of demonic krautrock keys and a dialogue between Oldham and Blackwall that scales Nancy & Lee levels of romantic intrigue.

With nine songs gone and one remaining, the album's sonic undulations find an arresting denouement in the form of an inspired cover. Adapted from Robin Gibb's 1970 solo masterpiece Robin's Reign, Lord Bless All sees Trembling Bells tease out the hymnal qualities of Gibb's original with a slow volcanic upswell which — on four minutes — explodes into heavy psychedelic technicolour. What pleases Alex Neilson when he listens back is 'a sense of a common vocabulary and identity being forged.' If, by that, he means that there isn't another band on the planet that quite sounds like Trembling Bells, it would be hard to disagree. The evidence is right here.

'I didn't know anything about Trembling Bells. I just heard them and was knocked out. I instantly became a fan.' Paul Weller

'Trembling Bells are my kind of band.' Joe Boyd

"Jesus fucking shit! These jamz claw so hard at the tatties below methinks the Lord misnamed them, having intended to say Trembling BALLS." Will Oldham

'A poetic incantation of British identity far brighter than Michael Gove's GCSE syllabus.' Stewart Lee

'This time, I'm attempting to reclaim the art of songwriting from the charity shop bargain bin.' Alex Neilson

Lyra is DeWaltas fourth large solo-project and third full-length solo-album following Wander in 2012 (on Haunt), llumination in 2014 (on Meander) and Dark Matter in 2017 (on Amphia) besides - Residual' a collaboration-album with Mike Shannon.

The album consists of two individually available parts: a double LP (Lyra) with 6 tracks on Meander as well as a single LP (Lyra Pi) with 5 synth and ambient works. The Ambient-Part launches a new Meander Horizon Pi series-- a departure from Meander's well known dancefloor releases.

Lyra is by far DeWaltas most extensive and refined project to date. With 11 exclusive songs, a total running time of over 100 minutes - plus a collaboration with long time friend and Meander co-owner Fabian Geimer-Lorusso aka. Jupiter - it marks a new beginning of ambient and score-like modern electronic music works as well as the continuation of his inspired intellectual-emotional approach to dance music.

Lyra is a star-constellation in the northern hemisphere which is highest in the midnight sky in the early summer months. It contains one of the brightest stars in the sky - Vega. Many of the songs on this album were produced in these warm and gentle months during an inspirational creative time in Portugal.

In Greek mythology, Lyra represents the Lyre of Orpheus, Apollo's son. Made by Hermes from a tortoise-shell, it was given to Apollo who then passed it along to Orpheus. It is said to be the first music instrument ever made

White Shadows In The South Seas is the title of a book written in 1919 by Frederick O'Brien as part of a trilogy he wrote based on his experiences living in the Pacific islands in the early part of the 20th century. His book was taken as the starting point for a film to be directed, initially, by Robert Flaherty (famous at the time for his groundbreaking documentary / fiction film Nanook Of The North) with W.S.Van Dyke as his support. The film, ultimately, apart from the title, had little to do with O'Brien's book and Flaherty left the film after a few months leaving Van Dyke to finish it.

I purchased O'Brien's book, along with many others, from Basement Books, a secondhand bookstore in Melbourne/Australia. Part of my 'Islomania' and on going fascination with all things Pacific. When I discovered there was a 1929 silent film based on the book I sought it out and started to present it as part of my 'Live Music/Silent films' repertoire. Tabu by Frederick Murnau, which coincidently also had Flaherty as co-director originally, was the first film I ever wrote / improvised a score for and presented as a live film/music performance. My repertoire extends to over 23 films now.

My eclectic and diverse musical and artistic interests extend into 'Hawaiian', 'Exotica', 'Ambient' and 'Electronic' Music. I have produced several volumes of so called 'Electronic, Ambient, Exotica' on CD and Vinyl, including Kiribati, Globe Notes, Rayon Hula ( on Vinyl, CD and digital format ) and most recently, New Globe Note on Vinyl and White Shadows In The South Seas on CD.
White Shadows In The South Seas features some of the music presented in my live screenings of the 1929 silent film.

The film is the story of Dr. Matthew Lloyd, an alcoholic doctor who is disgusted by the exploitation by white people of the natives on a Polynesian island. The natives dive for pearls, however, numerous accidents occur and one diver dies. In anger, Dr. Lloyd punches Sebastian, the employer. As revenge and to prevent further interruption of his activities, he tricks Dr. Lloyd onto a ship with a diseased crew (thinking they are ill) and his men rough him up and send the ship off into a storm. Dr. Lloyd survives and is washed ashore on an island where none of the natives have ever seen a white man before. Lloyd is rescued and ultimately falls in love with the chief's daughter, who is Taboo, hence Lloyd is prevented from pursuing his love for her. An incident occurs and a young boy is thought to have drowned but Lloyd is able to revive him, earning him points and permission with the chief's daughter. Lloyd begins to realise that the local islanders have no sense of the value of the black pearls which grow in abundance around their island and he starts to dive for them and collect them. One morning the white man Sebastian unexpectedly turns up on a scooner and starts to offer the islanders trade for their pearls. Llloyd tries to interrupt the encounter and is shot and dies. His wife and the islanders morn for his dead body and, symbolically, the passing of a way of life.

Mike Cooper plays - Electric and acoustic lap steel guitars / electronics / Zoom Sampletrack / Kaos Pad / Casio SK1 / Korg Drum Machine / Self Made Instruments.

It also features field recordings made on Pulau Ubin by Mike Cooper during a month as Artist In Residence for The Artist Village / Singapore.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Lawrence English (Room40 Records) for his assistance and encouragement with the original recordings and the CD version of White Shadows In The South Seas.

All music written and played by Mike Cooper PRS/MCPS - except Po Mahina (trad. Arr. Cooper) and Hilo Hanakahi (trad. Arr. Cooper)

Recorded and Mixed at the Steelworks in Rome 2012/2013.

A White Shadow In The South Seas
In February 2014 'A White Shadow In The South Seas' was the title of an audio-visual installation I made at the Teatro In Scatola in Rome, Italy, presented as part of a series of sound installations titled 'Visitazioni' produced by Proposte Sonore.

The essay below, as well as our collection of Hawaiian shirts, Exotica and Hawaiian vinyl records, was an inspiration for this installation.

'..the transformation and reconstitution of the souvenir commodity as an indigenous ethnic art form and a scarce relic of Hawai'i's romanticized past...' from - Clothing and Textile Reasearch Journal - From Kitsch to Chic by Marcia A. Morgado.

And....
Michael Thompson's Rubbish Theory (1979)
' ...a critical aspect of Western culture is the pre-disposition to see objects in terms of two overt categories: the transient and the durable. Objects identified as transient have finite life spans and lose value over time, whereas those identified as durable have infinite lives and over time increae in value....category assignments are arbitrary, but once assigned a category membership determines relative value. Fashion apparel-by defenition-is assigned to the transient category; paintings commonly are designated durables....how is it that transient objects.. ( e.g. Hawaiian shirts and vinyl records ) ..sometimes become durables.

Objects assigned to the rubbish category are largely invisible, have no value and, ideally, no life span. Fashion for example, no longer worn and relegated to the back of the wardrobe has fallen into the covert rubbish category. But rubbish can be rescued and transformed. Thompson says ' What I believe happens is a transient object gradually declining in value and in expected life span may slide across into rubbish. Here it exists in a timeless and valueless limbo where it has a chance to be re-discovered and be successfully transformed to a durable. Such transferes are radical: objects gradually slide from transcience to rubbish, but the transformation from rubbish to durable involves an all-or-nothing leap across two boundaries, that separating the worthless from the valuable and that between the covert and the overt. Things drift into obscurity but they leap into prominence.

The delightful consequence of this hypothesis is that in order to study the social control of value we must study rubbish.

The rubbish-to-durable transformation is accompanied by the development of highly specialized knowledge derived from the discovery of subtle variations and complex details that went unnoticed in the objects transient stage. The discoveries initiate renewed interest in the object and its market value begins to climb. As prices soar beyond the reach of ordinary people, the object becomes available only in high priced collectors' markets. Furthermore, as market values rise, the aesthetic value of the object undergoes a reassessment as well, and it becomes increasingly apparent that the objects intrinsic beauty has been overlooked. Ultimately the object is re -assigned as a durable and becomes recognized as a timeless classic.

Exotica, Ambience and Pacificism - A dialogue with Mike Cooper & Professor Philip Hayward Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor of Research Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.

Limited Lenticular 10y Anniversary Edition w/ heavyweight vinyl, printed inner sleeve + digital companion album of unreleased demoes and outtakes from the album

Late of the Pier announce a special 10th anniversary edition of their cult debut album Fantasy Black Channel, produced by Erol Alkan and released in 2008 to great acclaim. Fittingly, the reissue - released on a limited lenticular sleeve, pressed on to heavyweight vinyl and accompanied by a digital companion album of unreleased demoes and outtakes from the album recording sessions. It's set for release through Alkan's Phantasy Sound label, landing in stores on January 18th, 2019.

LOTP (Sam Eastgate, Andrew Faley, Ross Dawson and Sam Potter) were a band of inter-dimensional musicians who landed in the late noughts, whose wild journey took them from the quiet North West Leicestershire countryside to the stages of Coachella, Tokyo and beyond, touring with the likes of Soulwax and Justice. Their music was a mutant take on pop that described the chaos of being a teenager by looking forwards and backwards over and over again until the present moment started to make sense. Following the release of Fantasy Black Channel they put out singles 'Blueberry' and 'Best In The Class' in 2010, picking up fans from Mike Skinner to Dave Grohl along the way. Talking in a 2014 interview, Grohl exclaimed, 'They blew my fucking mind. They're called Late of the Pier. They made one record and disappeared. They use crazy computers and then they rock and it sounds like dubstep for one minute, then it's a crazy prog thing, and it's like, 'Wow'.'

Georgia Anne Muldrow returns with a modern soul classic in the
making - 'Overload', via Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder record label.
An incredibly talented vocalist, songwriter and producer,
Georgia Anne Muldrow effortlessly spans jazz, soul and hip hop
and, during her 12 year career, has collaborated with Madlib,
Erykah Badu, Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange, Bilal and Robert
Glasper.
'Overload' was executively produced by Flying Lotus, Aloe Blacc
and Dudley Perkins.
For fans of NxWorries, Erykah Badu, The Internet, Madlib.
Notable collaborations on 'Overload' include Dudley Perkins,
Shana Jenson, Moods, Lustbass and Mike & Keys (50 Cent,
Nipsey Hussle, Snoop Dogg, G-Eazy), who contribute
production to four tracks including the sleek, anthemic title
track alongside Khalil (Dr Dre).
CD digipack. LP pressed on 180g heavyweight black vinyl in an
artworked innersleeve housed in a 3mm spined outer sleeve
with digital download card included.
Artwork by Martin Norwood (Nice Dreams Studio). Layout by
Adam Stover.
'No one sings a heavy love song like Georgia Anne Muldrow' -
Pitchfork Best New Track
'Beautifully poised between classic 90s R&B and something
strange, disorientating and psychedelic.' - The Guardian

Record Kicks Pres. "travelers, Exlplorers" The Brand New Single By Legendary Italian Cinematic Funk Combo Calibro 35, Out 9th Of November On A Ltd Edition Vinyl 45.

"travelers, Explorers" Is A New Epic Journey Into Calibro 35's World, A Sung Revisitation Of The Morricone-inspired Tune "travelers" That Closes Calibro 35's Latest Lp "decade". In "travelers, Explores", The Italian Combo Gets Lost In Deep Space With Thewhispered Voice Of Elisa Zoot, Who Guides The Band Into This Journeymade Ofstrings, Brass, Synth Textures And Vibraphone. On The Flip Side, Two Heavy-brass Dirty-groover Versions Of "stingray", Barry Gray's Opening Theme Of The Iconichomonymatv Series: Instrumental Version And With The Italian Singer Serena Altavilla. This 45 Vinyl Is Limited To 500 Copies Worldwide Andall Calibro 35's Previous 45s Went Sold Out In A Few Days, Be Fast!

Calibro 35 Enjoys A Worldwide Reputation As One Of The Coolest Independent Band Around. They Have Been Sampled By Dr. Dre On His Compton Album, Jay-z Love Child & Damon Albarn, They Shared Stages With The Likes Of Roy Ayers, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat, Headhunters And As Unique Musicians They've Collaborated With, Amongst Others Pj Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish And Stewart Copeland And Nic Cester (the Jet). Described By Rolling Stone Magazine's 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 Which Includes Vip's Fans Such As Dj Food (ninja Tune), Mr Scruff And Huey Morgan (fun Lovin' Criminals) Among Others.

Solipsism is an archival release of music from Mike Simonetti's
tenure as owner of Italians Do It Better Records, spanning from
2006-2013. During that time Mike wrote a lot of music. Some of it
was used for films, some for TV commercials, some for fashion
shows and he even released a record or two.
Influenced by the intersection of 80's arena rock bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest, glam rock/dance bands like Rockets and Supermax, and especially the underground Italian producer Piero Umiliani - the album is chock-full of atmospheric rock-inspired arpeggiated riffs. The mixture of metal and chugging dance music makes for a unique listening experience. Every song has a riff, every song is heavy and dense. Only one song goes above 118 BPM. These are heavy chuggers that make for a tense emotional experience that exceeds your standard, easy-to-write-off 'soundtrack' fare, mainly because it was never written with that in mind. It was meant to be a fist-pumping arena rock inspired thumper! You can hear that in the one two punch of 'A Prayer For War' into 'Illusions", which is an outtake from his "The Magician"
sessions. Other songs like 'Solipsism' showcase the airy melodies
of that were to come with his other project Pale Blue, but that is
not typical on this album. If you listen closely, you can hear how
Simonetti's music and dark vibes inspired his then label partner
Johnny Jewel to take his own bands Chromatics and Glass Candy in a different, more cinematic direction.
This was written and recorded years before the Drive soundtrack and all the hoopla around the sudden soundtrack resurgence. In
2011 Mike was asked to submit some songs for a soon to be
released Hollywood remake. He submitted most of the songs from this album, and they were slated for release on the soundtrack,
but the project fell apart, and the film went in a different direction
and changed producers. Soon after, because of all the drama and foolishness, he left Italians Do It Better to start over with 2MR and Pale Blue. This is the nail in the coffin. Godspeed.

Solipsism is an archival release of music from Mike Simonetti's
tenure as owner of Italians Do It Better Records, spanning from
2006-2013. During that time Mike wrote a lot of music. Some of it
was used for films, some for TV commercials, some for fashion
shows and he even released a record or two.
Influenced by the intersection of 80's arena rock bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest, glam rock/dance bands like Rockets and Supermax, and especially the underground Italian producer Piero Umiliani - the album is chock-full of atmospheric rock-inspired arpeggiated riffs. The mixture of metal and chugging dance music makes for a unique listening experience. Every song has a riff, every song is heavy and dense. Only one song goes above 118 BPM. These are heavy chuggers that make for a tense emotional experience that exceeds your standard, easy-to-write-off 'soundtrack' fare, mainly because it was never written with that in mind. It was meant to be a fist-pumping arena rock inspired thumper! You can hear that in the one two punch of 'A Prayer For War' into 'Illusions", which is an outtake from his "The Magician"
sessions. Other songs like 'Solipsism' showcase the airy melodies
of that were to come with his other project Pale Blue, but that is
not typical on this album. If you listen closely, you can hear how
Simonetti's music and dark vibes inspired his then label partner
Johnny Jewel to take his own bands Chromatics and Glass Candy in a different, more cinematic direction.
This was written and recorded years before the Drive soundtrack and all the hoopla around the sudden soundtrack resurgence. In
2011 Mike was asked to submit some songs for a soon to be
released Hollywood remake. He submitted most of the songs from this album, and they were slated for release on the soundtrack,
but the project fell apart, and the film went in a different direction
and changed producers. Soon after, because of all the drama and foolishness, he left Italians Do It Better to start over with 2MR and Pale Blue. This is the nail in the coffin. Godspeed.

DJ Dan has been a pinnacle of the dance music scene in America since the early 90s and has toured around the world with the likes of Carl Cox, DJ Sneak and Pete Tong to name a few. Dan's label imprint InStereo is played by many top DJs around the world and Dan has chosen some of his strongest releases for Vol. 2 of the Slammin Trax series.

The music contained in this album invokes the vibes and spirit that were so crucial to much of the music recorded during the 1960's & 70's in Jamaica. If you talk to the musicians and singers of this era, they will tell you that the driving force behind the songs they created was the sheer love of music. This is one of the reasons these recordings are so powerful and move listeners to this day. Music like this can only be made by those who were schooled in the studios and yards around Kingston and is not something that can be easily reproduced outside Jamaica. The Kingston All Stars represent some of the most legendary musicians to ever grace the little island & it is thanks to their passion and dedication that we have a lifetime of music to enjoy.

The members of KAS have been working & recording with each other in some of Jamaica's most legendary studios for over 50 years. The vibes and music that are created when they get together is nothing short of magic. This is the 3rd KAS LP showcasing the talents of Jamaica's top session musicians from the golden era of Jamaican music. These are the artists who laid the foundation for Rocksteady, Reggae, Roots and beyond in countless recording sessions around Jamaica & without them the music we love would not exist.

The album's intro piece 'Boo Rock', is a tribute to the legendary drummer Mikey 'Boo' Richards. Mikey has recorded with many of the Kingston All Stars in some of Jamaica's most fabled studios. It is obvious that Mikey is revered by all of the Kingston All Stars and it is fitting that this is the 1st track on the album.

Singer Allen Jahsana who is known for his work with Mikey Chung in the early 70's brings two amazing songs to the project. The first 'Jungle Justice' is a commentary on the lack of justice in the tough streets of Kingston, one which Alan knows firsthand as a longtime Kingstonian. The second vocal 'Rising from the Ghetto' is a call to the youth to rise up out of sufferation with some seriously heavy basslines courtesy Jackie Jackson.

New to the KAS family Carol Brown's 'Only Jah Knows' on a sweet dubbed out Rocksteady riddim shines that much brighter with the help of her daughter, Krystal Mittoo. Carl was married to Jackie Mittoo before his untimely passing.

Greenwich Farm rasta and legendary roots vocalist Prince Alla adds a real classic vibe to a new he wrote titled 'My Vision". The deep and powerful style Alla is known for was voiced on a riddim built by keyboard legend Ansel "Stagalag" Collins.

'Guns & Pulpit', the companion vocal for 'Clappers Dub' which saw release on the KAS Dub LP, finally sees the light of day. A proper roots anthem from singer RZee Jackson with conscious lyrics and RZee's unique vocal style.

The Kingston All Stars include Sly Dunbar, Hux Brown, Mikey 'Mao' Chung, Ansel Collins, Jackie Jackson, Robbie Lyn, Everton & Everald Gayle with the guidance of musician, writer & engineer Moss ' Mossman ' Raxlen. Members of the Kingston All Stars have been part of / or recorded with The Revolutionaries, Lynn Taitt & The Jets, Studio One's Sound Dimension and Soul Vendors Band, Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Upsetters, Peter Tosh's Word Sound and Power Band, Toots and the Maytals, Now Generation, In Crowd, Wailers Band and countless others.

The music contained in this album invokes the vibes and spirit that were so crucial to much of the music recorded during the 1960's & 70's in Jamaica. If you talk to the musicians and singers of this era, they will tell you that the driving force behind the songs they created was the sheer love of music. This is one of the reasons these recordings are so powerful and move listeners to this day. Music like this can only be made by those who were schooled in the studios and yards around Kingston and is not something that can be easily reproduced outside Jamaica. The Kingston All Stars represent some of the most legendary musicians to ever grace the little island & it is thanks to their passion and dedication that we have a lifetime of music to enjoy.

The members of KAS have been working & recording with each other in some of Jamaica's most legendary studios for over 50 years. The vibes and music that are created when they get together is nothing short of magic. This is the 3rd KAS LP showcasing the talents of Jamaica's top session musicians from the golden era of Jamaican music. These are the artists who laid the foundation for Rocksteady, Reggae, Roots and beyond in countless recording sessions around Jamaica & without them the music we love would not exist.

The album's intro piece 'Boo Rock', is a tribute to the legendary drummer Mikey 'Boo' Richards. Mikey has recorded with many of the Kingston All Stars in some of Jamaica's most fabled studios. It is obvious that Mikey is revered by all of the Kingston All Stars and it is fitting that this is the 1st track on the album.

Singer Allen Jahsana who is known for his work with Mikey Chung in the early 70's brings two amazing songs to the project. The first 'Jungle Justice' is a commentary on the lack of justice in the tough streets of Kingston, one which Alan knows firsthand as a longtime Kingstonian. The second vocal 'Rising from the Ghetto' is a call to the youth to rise up out of sufferation with some seriously heavy basslines courtesy Jackie Jackson.

New to the KAS family Carol Brown's 'Only Jah Knows' on a sweet dubbed out Rocksteady riddim shines that much brighter with the help of her daughter, Krystal Mittoo. Carl was married to Jackie Mittoo before his untimely passing.

Greenwich Farm rasta and legendary roots vocalist Prince Alla adds a real classic vibe to a new he wrote titled 'My Vision". The deep and powerful style Alla is known for was voiced on a riddim built by keyboard legend Ansel "Stagalag" Collins.

'Guns & Pulpit', the companion vocal for 'Clappers Dub' which saw release on the KAS Dub LP, finally sees the light of day. A proper roots anthem from singer RZee Jackson with conscious lyrics and RZee's unique vocal style.

The Kingston All Stars include Sly Dunbar, Hux Brown, Mikey 'Mao' Chung, Ansel Collins, Jackie Jackson, Robbie Lyn, Everton & Everald Gayle with the guidance of musician, writer & engineer Moss ' Mossman ' Raxlen. Members of the Kingston All Stars have been part of / or recorded with The Revolutionaries, Lynn Taitt & The Jets, Studio One's Sound Dimension and Soul Vendors Band, Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Upsetters, Peter Tosh's Word Sound and Power Band, Toots and the Maytals, Now Generation, In Crowd, Wailers Band and countless others

Portuguese multi-instrumentalist SAIR and American vocalist and boogie producer Adam Chini are known for their respected releases on the most go-to boogie labels of the moment, like Omega Supreme, Star Creature Universal and Hobo Camp.

They've now teamed up to deliver 2 stunning slices of modern Synthy Soul on Boogie Café's Neon sister label. With Adam's dope vocals on the A and the SAIRs jazzy instrumental on the flip... this is already getting early support from headz worldwide.

DJ Support:

Liquid Pegasus, Razor'n'Tape, Danny Spence / Austin Boogie Crew (ABC Records), Andrew Morgan (PPU Recordings / Ear Cave), Boogie80, Marcia Carr (Mi-Soul Radio), Dennis Probert (Ghetto Disco/ Liverpool Disco Festival), Natasha Kitty Katt Probert (Suncenbeat/Ghetto Disco/ Liverpool Disco Festival), E.Live (Elivity), Pepe Hausius (Born To Shine), Paul Conroy (Soul Train Radio), Mike Vitti (Mi-Soul Radio), Deli Gee (The Touch), Vex Kiddy (Royale Athlete, Germany), Yam Who (ISM/Midnight Riot), Gwizski (Omega Supreme Records), Dave Jarvis (Love Vinyl), Teddy Mike (Neon Finger), Feel The Real Soundsystem.

Planet Mu Are Very Happy To Be Releasing 'vicious Circles', The Debut Ep By Sinjin Hawke And Zora Jones, Who Aside From Producing Music Also Run The Audio-visual Production Unit 'fractal Fantasy'. Zora Released Several Collaborations On Last Year's 'visceral Minds 2' Including 'dark Matter' With Planet Mu's Jlin, While Sinjin Has Collaborated With Dj Rashad, Just Blaze And Mikeq, And Also Produced Music For Monoliths Like Kanye West And Frank Ocean. Remarkably, Given The Breadth Of Their Work, 'vicious Circles' Is Their First Collaborative Ep, And The First Time Either Have Released A Vinyl Record Too. The Ep Is A Great Showcase For The Duo's Emotional, Maximalist Chimeras Of Abstract Pounding Beats. From The Punchy, Circular, Grandiose Build-ups Of Opener 'vicious Circles', To The Unyielding Melancholy Of 'god' With Its Sinister Bulgarian Choir Sample Against A Peak Timbaland-era Rhythm, The Record's Potent Synths And Manipulated Vocals Are Both Simultaneously Fierce And Friendly. 'source Of Conflict' Is A Poised Dance Between Pulsing Ambient Textures And Drilling Beats, While 'lurk 101' Pits A Volley Of Abstracted Juke Toms Up Against A Hammering Drumline. 'babyboysosa' Feels Like Drum-less Drill, Manipulating Vocals Into Strange Alien Shapes Over A Bassline Before Spiraling Toms And Hi-hats Start To Form A Forceful March. The Ep Concludes On The Love Anthem 'and You Were One' With A Chipmunked Vocal Running Through Its Wonky Chorus Of Bent Notes And Chords.

Fresh from touring with Hugh Masekela ( The Boy's Doin' It'), Gboyega Adelaja goes into the lab to drop heavy keyboard science on his Moog and Fender Rhodes. Its Joe Sample meets the Afro Funk of BLO. With names like Jake Sollo on guitars, Mike Odumusu (BLO, Osibisa) on bass guitar and Gasper Lawal on percussion. This is a top quality, Afro-Funk, all-stars affair that shines from the inspired interventions, masterly arrangements to the sublime production.
.
Additional Notes:

I was already following Hugh Masekela when I met him, he was an outstanding musician and I knew of his collaboration with
Hedzoleh, that band brought him nearer to many of us, because he was playing authentic African melodies with the Hedzoleh
sound which was mostly percussion oriented. Yes I knew about Hugh's music before I met him. Infact when we started playing
together, he insisted that I stay with him in our three bedroom apartment, other members of the band had their own apartments,
but Hugh and myself shared the same 3 bedroom apartment'.

We were touring, under Casablanca owned by Neil Boggart, we toured as professional musicians, flying to our gigs. There was
a time when we were touring with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic we had two luxury buses deployed for our use.
We made many friends where ever we went to play, we met many big and popular musicians who came to watch our shows, the
Spinners came to see us in Detroit, we met Wayne Shorter of Weather Report, Freddie Hubbard, we played a gig with Herbie
Hancock at the Carnegie Hall New York City, we toured almost all the 50 States of the US.'