quête:liv e

As three souls plunge down from the heavens, death and destruction can be felt hanging in the air like a foul stench. Red clouds swirl around a black sun that never sets and an erratic clock ticks off-tempo, moving faster and slower before rewinding and starting anew.

“Let me paint you a picture…” vocalist Mikey Arthur sings, welcoming listeners with a dramatic opening scene. It takes a skillful guide to navigate the darkest depths of hell. And, as The Gloom In The Corner depict in their second full-length album Trinity, death is merely the beginning of the series of chilling adventures

Purposefully aligning their song count with unlucky number thirteen – a reoccurring symbol in the ever-unfolding Gloom Cinematic Universe or GCU – it comes as little surprise to longtime fans that each of the Australian quartet’s enticing tracks intertwine to form an interlocking tale; this time centered around the appropriately labeled unholy trinity.

Comprised of previously deceased characters Rachel Barker, Ethan Hardy, and Clara Carne, the group’s bloody battle is woven throughout the album as the anti-heroes determinedly claw their way back to Earth from the Rabbit Hole dimension, slashing, shooting, and extinguishing anyone who dares to oppose their quest. Yet, for the Girl of Glass, Ronin, and Queen of Misanthropy, there is clearly more to the story than what can be contained within a single package.

Projecting a wide and complex web of lore, plot twists, and tongue and cheek humor, frontman Mikey Arthur, guitarist Matt Stevens, bassist Paul Musolino, and drummer Nic Haberle, have been producing highly detailed concept releases since their formation. And, consistently filling in more missing pieces of the puzzle with every body of work, the band equate each new record to a fresh season of The Umbrella Academy dropping on the streaming service of your choice. Because, just as a great TV series captivates viewers with its music and storytelling, the quartet’s work provides a complete experience designed to allow fans to check in with their favorite characters, all the while enjoying a cinematic new soundtrack.

For those just joining the GCU, as well as those looking for a quick refresh, 2016 debut album Fear Me introduced listeners to main protagonists Julian “Jay” Hardy, a Section 13 agent consumed by anger over his girlfriend Rachel’s death, and Jay’s gloom (later known as Sherlock Adaliah Bones), a demonic entity who at times takes over Jay’s body as a host vessel. 2017 EP Homecoming tells the tale of Jay’s brother Ethan, a war veteran suffering from PTSD, who upon discovering his brother’s struggle, kills himself as part of a Dante-style rescue mission to bring Rachel back to life. In 2019 EP Flesh and Bones, we’re introduced to Clara Carne, a past witness to one of Jay and Sherlock’s crimes, who instead of taking revenge, began a twisted love story with Sherlock, only to be murdered by his forced hand. And 2020’s Ultima Pluvia EP where we finally learn of Sherlock’s past as an ancient warlord under the tyrannical King Baphicho, and see Sherlock and Jay’s deaths ushered in by Section 13 opponent and New Order leader Elias DeGraver and his gloom Atticus Encey.

After 2016’s Fear Me, the band admit that their original intention was to jump straight into the events of Trinity before pivoting to create Homecoming, Flesh and Bones, and Ultima Pluvia. However, upon reflection, primary storywriter Mikey Arthur believes that pushing the timeline back actually provided greater opportunity for the group to properly flesh out the songs and plotlines for their sophomore studio record.

Indeed, while Trinity re-introduces the three central “heroes” of this new arc, it’s important to understand that while familiar, the characters are not carbon copies of who they were earlier in the story. And neither is the band who brought them to life.

Fully embracing the weird and whacky has never been a struggle for The Gloom In The Corner. Rather, it’s together with this attitude that the group come away with special moments such as the fascinating old and new dynamic between neighboring tracks “Red Clouds” – a song whose initial version predates the formation of The Gloom In The Corner as an official band – and “Gravity” in which a demo intended for future material was adjusted to fit the sonic drop.

Mirroring this evolution in the band’s musical approach, a sense of growth can also be seen projected in the characters and story that the quartet chronicle across the thirteen tracks.

Classifying their individual sound as an intricate form of “cinema or theater-core” due to the depth and breadth of their musical approach, features, samples, symphonic elements, and conceptual nature, The Gloom In The Corner continue to prove that they’re more than just a simple concept band.

In fact, similar to character theme music in movies and video games, the group seamlessly play off their diverse sonic story in a variety of ways. Continuing to breathe new life into older staples from their catalog, the quartet reworked their infamous “Oxymøron” breakdown from Fear Me into an impactful moment in Trinity’s “Nor Hell A Fury” and sprinkled audio easter eggs of this sort all throughout their new music for fans to discover.

Listeners are also brought further into the world of the GCU with the help of what The Gloom In The Corner call their “casting process.” Like picking actors for a musical, the band meticulously selected eleven different vocal features and several additional voice actors to bring the album and characters to life. Described as a 50/50 split between notable talents such as Ryo Kinoshita (Crystal Lake), Joe Badolato (Fit For An Autopsy), and Lauren Babic (Red Handed Denial), as well as talented friends and family like Elijah Witt (Cane Hill) and Mikey’s sister Amelia Duffield, each featured artist brought their own touch and realistic spark to the characters they portrayed.

For in the end, as much as Trinity and it’s cast live within the confines of their own supernatural worlds, themes such as falling out of love (Gatekeeper), battling depression (Obliteration Imminent), and standing behind women’s empowerment (Nor Hell A Fury), are ones that many can relate to or understand. And, while most individuals may avoid drowning their woes by way of transforming into full-on egotistical murderers like the Queen and King of Misanthropy and the gang, The Gloom In The Corner have illustrated that time and time again, life’s a little more fun when you can crack a smile. Taking a page from the trinity’s playbook: try to avoid the end of the world. But if you can’t…at least spend it with a killer soundtrack.

New album from the acclaimed singer and songwriter Nerina Pallot. Written and produced by Pallot, the album was recorded over a three-year period, due in part to the pandemic but mainly as a result of her painstaking production process. If her previous album was more live in sound and feeling, I Don't Know What I'm Doing involves a large cast of supporting musicians, intricate orchestrations and
dedicated attention to detail.

The result is expansive and lush, with her trademark classic song- writing front and centre.

A unique longplayer by Germany's Funk champions The Mighty Mocambos: 'Scénarios' is a wild journey through iconic performances captured on 8-track tape, including celebrated versions of breakdance favourites like 'Axel F.' And 'Let The Music Play' as well as brand new original material composed especially for recordings in unusual settings.

Hamburg's deep funk chefs are known for their intuitive recordings that capture the energy of a live performance, and with this record they go all the way.

Just before the pandemic, the group recorded an in-store live session at legendary Hamburg record shop Groove City and taped an impromptu performance at JAM PDM! breakdance battle in Potsdam. Both were released on vinyl 45s, quickly sold out and became secret weapons for DJs. While most bands shifted their stage to the studio in 2020, producing an abundance of isolated lockdown-inspired material, the Mighty Mocambos – never shy of an antidote - took the mobile version of their recording studio on the road.

With no audience allowed at the Pitt Hopkins Music Session charity concert, the group used the occasion to compose meditative folk-soul instrumentals to be performed exclusively on stringed instruments. Sweaty funk does not work via video stream, but the format provided a welcome opportunity to create something entirely different. Even without electricity and drums, the cinematic "Four Two Three" and "Silent Heroes" are unmistakably recognizable as Mocambo themes.

When you follow Nina Simone's credo that an "artist's duty is to reflect the times", it became evident that once the world slowly started opening up again, further concerts would be captured on the group's portable Fostex R-8 tape machine. Luckily, restrictions fell on the very evening that the band hit the open air stage at the Import Export in Munich on September 11th 2021. The extended afrobeat-inspired jam on J.J. Cale's "Carry On" witnesses people celebrating and dancing together again for the first time after a year and the manic "Munich Psycholympics" unleashes all bottled-up energies that had being lying dormant.

The slightly kafka-esque "Ghost Walk" was taped during a soundcheck for a concert that was eventually called off for safety reasons, reflecting once more the uncertainty of the time. The last scénario sees the Mighty Mocambos returning to a packed indoor venue, playing "Let The Music Play" to a audience of b-boys and -girls – a testament to the sheer power of music. Featured as an encore here, an acoustic version of "Where Do We Go From Here?" (originally recorded with Lee Fields) closes the record and its restless voyage through unusual recording situations.

"Scénarios" differs drastically from other live albums as it does not seek to replicate existing material from studio albums. All songs were written or arranged especially for the live recordings in order to combine the group's DJ-friendly trademark sound with added vibes and momentum from the audience. Most of them were recorded while they were performed in public for the first time ever.

Comes in gatefold sleeve & includes download voucher.




d 04: Theme from Beverly Hills Cop (Axel F) Live

A Breath of Fresh Air is the triumphant, inspiring new album from Bread of Kaliwild, a longtime staple of the underground rap scene who continues to grow and shine as an emcee. And while he certainly made waves with the release of his solo debut, Daily Bread in 2019, Bread is on another level with the ten tracks on this project. It’s all part of his plan to capture the sound he loves and holds so dearly, all while pushing himself as a lyricist.

Specifically, the L.A. rap staple calls out “What Love Is” as one of his favorite lyrical moments, and it’s easy to see why when you hear it. During the third verse, he shows love to his children in a creative and heartfelt way like only he can. “What Love Is” is also one of several collaborations between Bread and living producer legend Nottz, one of the emcee’s go-to producers. The two linked for Daily Bread and kept creating magic for their tracks together on this record. Whether it’s on the politically charged “Eye 4 Eye” or on the moving Guru tribute “Nice Like That” (feat. Big Shug), Bread and Nottz are a force.

The Kaliwild rapper’s ear for production doesn’t stop there, either. His two other collaborators—beatsmiths Noah Ayala and Therealasethic—provide a wealth of warm, head-nodding instrumentals for Bread and his guests. Just listen to “Godz Return,” a funky West Coast banger produced by Ayala that also features Planet Asia. Or head to the Bay Area on “Feels So Good,” which boasts Therealasethic’s shimmering production and guest vocals from Keak da Sneak, URG7, and Gemini.

There’s so much to love about A Breath of Fresh Air, though the most remarkable aspect may just be Bread’s passion.

a 1 Let Us Begin (Intro) feat. DJ Romes

Lee Fields is arguably the greatest soul singer alive today. In an age when the shelf life of an artist largely depends on posturing and trends, he has proven to be an unassailable force of nature. His prolific, decade-spanning career continues to reign supreme on the modern soul scene.

In early 2022, Lee reunited with Daptone Records and producer Gabriel Roth to record Sentimental Fool, a deep, blues-tinged, whollyconceived soul album. From his first line to his final plaintive lyric, the beauty, power, and raw humanity of Lee' s voice is on full display here; the culmination of an astounding career that has seemed to defy gravity, rising to only greater and greater heights.

Growing up in Chicago, later Detroit-based music producer, Theo Parrish is internationally well known for his own inimitable downtempo house music style. The approach Parrish took to compiling DJ-Kicks was very ambitious, inviting his Detroit peers to produce a collection of brand new material, and in turn creating the first ever all exclusive entry to the esteemed series.

"Detroit creates. But rarely imitates. Why? We hear and see many from other places do that with what we originate. No need to follow. Get it straight. In the Great Lakes there are always more under the surface than those that appear to penetrate the top layer of attention and recognition. What about them that defy tradition? Those that side step the inaccurate definitions often given from outside positions? This is that evidence. Enjoy."


First official compilation by Theo Parrish
All exclusive unreleased material
Includes new music from Theo Parrish
Triple LP sampler containing 15 full length tracks

After the release of their critically acclaimed first album « Bluestaeb & S. Fidelity Present Underground Canopy » (MENACE - 2020), Underground Canopy (UC) was able to take time, due to the unforeseen period of doubt in 2020, to craft new compositions with a fresh approach. Throughout this forced period of introspection, the Parisian band experimented with more refined musical codes and colorful sounds.

Following the new additions of Raphaël Henry on drums and Christopher Johnson on electric guitar, UC was able to record and film a live rendition of four original pieces at the end of 2020, thanks to an invitation by the Centre des Arts d’Enghien-les-Bains’s artistic program and SENSE. These music videos, each filmed in one shot by Romain Lalire, capture UC’s musical digressions away from their mainly hip-hop and groove-infused jams and into new territory.

The resulting new EP «Séquences : Live Session» celebrates cinematic aesthetics and the suspension of time. It stands as an audiovisual testimonial to the band’s continued progression. In this era marked by uncertainty but full of hope, what will come next?

The 21st Attack The Dancefloor is brimming with Class-A disco boogie action.

Heading things up is the brand new Jimpster remix of Mistura featuring a tongue in cheek monologue from Canadian poet Jemini. Jimpster’s Jazz'd Up mix starts off stripped right back, based around a 303 bassline, it builds and builds and builds ending with a deep powerful version that satisfies both the soul and dance floor.

Backing this side up is Birdee’s euphoric, piano stomping, hands in the air remix of the ZR classic ‘Do What You Feel’ from 1991.

On the flip is Lakeshore Commission's latest floor burner ‘In 2 The Light’ featuring Bluey from Incognito. Shuffling Philly drums, soaring strings and a phunked out bass guitar make for a late night dancefloor heater.

Finishing off the 12” is the appearance of Destiny II’s ‘Play 2 Win’ on wax for the first time. It’s a serious menagerie of driving live bass, Prelude style boogie synths & the occasional vocoder. Add in anthemic vocals courtesy of Angela Johnson and you have one of the years most played new disco songs.

The phrase ‘Holy Grail’ is much overused when it comes to record collecting, so we tend to use it sparingly. When we do though, you know it’s serious!

Well, here is a genuine holy grail which lives up to its title. Originally released on the tiny Wizard label in Australia in 1976, Marcia Hine’s effervescent 'You Gotta Let Go' achieved a few local plays in Sydney at the time before disappearing for almost three decades before it was re-discovered by Modern Soul cratediggers in the early '00s.

Since then, the record has exploded in popularity across a number of scenes and the price for an original 45 has now reached a staggering £700 and that’s if you can even locate a copy! The song was available on Marcia’s ‘Marcia Shines’ album which helped its spread in popularity, but most collectors really needed the 7”. Well, wait no longer.

Selector Series is proud to finally re-release the original 7'' version of 'You Gotta Let Go' with the original ‘B’ side 'Don’t Let The Grass Grow'.

This release will appeal to buyers all across the board – Soul, Modern Soul, Northern Soul, Disco and Rare Disco audiences so expect heavy demand the minute this hits the shelves. This is a multi-crossover record which will be played everywhere upon release and will be equally as popular internationally. Don’t say we didn’t warn ya.

JARV IS... have written & performed the original soundtrack for the critically acclaimed BBC TV series "This is Going to Hurt" based on Adam Kay"s award-winning international multi-million selling memoir of the same name. The soundtrack was recorded at Narcissus Studios, London by Drew Dungate-Smith during various sessions throughout 2021. Most of the performances are live takes featuring the entire band - often recorded whilst they watched the playback of key sequences from the series. Each episode features at least one song with lyrics by Cocker, who had access to the scripts (adapted by Adam Kay from his own book) from an early stage in the production process. JARV IS... is a band comprising Jarvis Cocker, Serafina Steer, Emma Smith, Andrew McKinney, Adam Betts & Jason Buckle. The soundtrack consists of a mixture of songs & instrumental pieces, with Cocker & Steer being the main composers. Cocker is quoted as saying "It"s our love song to the NHS".

"We Will Live On" by Deru was made with a Disklavier (an acoustic piano outfitted with solenoids that allowed it to be digitally controlled) and custom made software to sequence it. This made the piano appear to play itself. Technology seemingly embedded with humanity.

Oliver Johnson alias Dorian Concept veröffentlicht am 28. Oktober 2022 sein neues Album, „What We Do For Others“, auf Brainfeeder. Es ist das dritte Studioalbum des österreichischen Produzenten und Synthesizer-Experten, der für seine einzigartigen, wunderschön detaillierten Klangteppiche und wilden, gar euphorisierenden Live-Keyboard-Jam-Videos bekannt ist.
„What We Do For Others“ ist ein entspanntes, ruhiges, selbstbewusstes und intimes Album, das auf herrlich lockeren Arrangements und rückgekoppelten Klanglandschaften basiert und mit Fetzen seines eigenen verfremdeten Gesangs unterlegt ist, der eher als zusätzliche Instrumentierung denn als lyrische Phrasen präsentiert wird. Alle Elemente und Schichten wurden ohne Unterbrechungen aufgenommen und absichtlich nicht bearbeitet. „Ich glaube, deshalb hat diese Platte so etwas wie einen ‚Bandsound‘.“, erklärt Johnson. „Ich spiele alle Arten von Tasteninstrumenten, singe und benutze Effektgeräte, um diese freien Kompositionen zu schaffen.“ Der in Wien lebende Johnson ist ein fester Bestandteil der experimentellen Jazz-/ Elektronik-Szene, die im Umfeld von Brainfeeders Aushängeschild Flying Lotus floriert und sich diversifiziert hat. Mit frühen Veröffentlichungen auf dem Kindred Spirits-Label Nod Navigators und Affine Records spielte Johnson bei den ersten internationalen Label-Nächten von Brainfeeder im Jahr 2009 (Off-Sónar in Barcelona und die berüchtigte Hearn Street Car Park-Session in London) und bildete eine starke familiäre Bindung mit der Brainfeeder-Crew, die auf der gemeinsamen Liebe zu freaky Elektronik-Jazz-Fusion beruht. Johnson war an der Produktion von Thundercats „The Golden Age Of Apocalypse“ beteiligt, spielte die Tasten auf Flying Lotus' bahnbrechendem Album, „Cosmogramma“, und tourte mit den Live-Bands von FlyLo und The Cinematic Orchestra. Außerdem steuerte er die Tasten auf MF DOOMs „Lunchbreak“ bei, das von FlyLo und Thundercat produziert wurde. Kürzlich arbeitete er mit Kenny Beats an dessen Debütalbum, „Louie“, zusammen, wobei er bei drei Stücken die Tasten beisteuerte, und tat sich mit einem weiteren Pionier zukunftsorientierter Elektronik - Mark Pritchard - zusammen, um Musik für Damien Jalets zeitgenössische Tanzperformance, „Kites“, an der Göteborger Oper zu komponieren. Im Jahr 2020 arbeitete Oliver mit einem der weltweit führenden Ensembles für zeitgenössische Musik zusammen, dem Klangforum Wien, und komponierte ein Stück namens „Hyperopia“, das beim TRANSART Festival in Österreich aufgeführt wurde. Johnson veröffentlichte sein Debütalbum, „Joined Ends“, 2014 auf Ninja Tune, bevor er 2018 auf Brainfeeder landete, um „The Nature Of Imitation“ zu veröffentlichen: ein Album mit schwindelerregenden Partituren, kakophonischen Breakdowns und formidablen Rhythmen, von denen Pitchfork schwärmte: „Dorian Concept schafft etwas, das Elektro-Funk-Autoren der 70er und 80er Jahre wie Kraftwerk, George Clinton und Roger Troutman angedeutet haben: Computermusik, die den Funk unverhohlen imitiert, anstatt ihn nur zu faken.“.

Like a rediscovered Viking burial ship, Electro Nova compiles near-mythical drone recordings produced in 1998 and described by Helge Sten aka Deathprod as some of the most important music to ever come out of Norway. It's the work of Kåre Dehlie Thorstad and compiles two of the earliest releases on Smalltown Supersound, back when it was basically no more than a bedroom operation. It’s taken over two decades, but finally the label have given the material a first ever proper release on vinyl, complete with mixing and mastering by Deathprod. If you’re into the ice cold swells of anyone from Thomas Köner to Harley Gaber, Biosphere, Kali Malone or, of course, Deathprod - this one's as essential as they come.

Kaare Dehlie Thorstad's Elektro Nova produced just two releases during the late ‘90s that have since slipped into drone lore - Trans-Inter-Ference and Elektro Nova/Electro Nova. Admired not only by Deathprod and Joakim Haugland of Smalltown, but also by his contemporaries Lasse Marhaug and Biosphere, his work has evaded pretty much any attention outside of Norway these last two decades. Following a chance meeting with Thorstad at Oslo airport a few years back, Smalltown were prompted to give the recordings a second wind, presenting what is essentially a captivating new release, and crucial addition to the Norsk drone canon.

As the story goes, Thorstad was studying photography in the late 90’s in Scotland, but instead of delivering a photo for his final exam he made a record - a double album (2CDs) and a 10” to be precise. That should provide some idea of the textural synaesthetic and landscaping qualities evoked by his music, which he ended up sending to a then-young Smalltown label, who were mostly issuing tapes at the time. With no proper distribution the records largely bypassed wider attention, and become a personal favourite of Smalltown’s Joakim Haugland, as well as avowed fan Helge Sten (Deathprod), who helped render its diaphanous scale in mix down, and Lasse Marhaug who describes them as "two perfect records that deserved much bigger attention”.

Between its jaw-dropping opener; the post-apocalyptic vision of its untitled part; and the cinematic white-out of the 10” tracks; Thorstad comes as close as we’ve ever heard to evoking the inhospitable nature and stark beauty of the wild far north. We can hear those landscapes palpably internalised and alchemically transmuted into its coarse grained textural swells and a reverberating multi-dimensionality, variously sustained to extents that evoke an abandonment of the senses, or likewise squashed and isolated to imply the relative anxiety relief of atmospheric flux, where a few degrees temperature rise or a drop in the wind speed can make the difference between life and death.

Impressively, Thorstad realised after the release of Elektro Nova and just two live shows that he couldn’t really follow up the work and instead pursued a career as professional cyclist, eventually combining his visual skills to become a pro cycling photographer. In that sense, he’s a bit like composer-turned-tennis coach Harley Gaber, whose almighty ‘The Winds Rise In The North’ (1976) is in some ways richly prescient of this work. Like Gaber, Thorstad can remain safe in the knowledge that his contribution to the drone sphere will endure for the ages, especially with this important, impressive new edition.

Es zirkulieren wenige LPs, die über die gesamte Albumlänge die Schönheit und Wärme des „Balearic Sound“ widerspiegeln. Man kann das auch dem Genre “Cosmic“ zuordnen. Arno E. Mathieu aus Südfrankreich schafft auf “Contemplation” das einzigartige flimmernde Licht des „Mediterranen“ einzufangen, und in einem modernen Sound die Stimmungen der Natur des Mittemeerraumes rüber zu bringen. Die Songtitel und das Cover Image ergänzen das abgerundete Stimmungsbild.

Es kommt nicht von Ungefähr, dass DJ Harvey großer Fan von Arno E Mathieu ist und viele seiner Tunes spielt. Wer auch in diesen Kosmos passt, ist Joe Claussell, der neben Franck Roger, I:Cube, Beanfield, Julien Jabre, Mark E, Simoncino, Woolfy, DJ Deep, Gigi Testa, Next Evidence, Max Essa jeder für sich einen tollen Remix abliefert. Fast jeder Track des Albums wurde geremixt.

TNT is the third full length studio album released by Tortoise in 1998 1998 : Tortoise"s third studio album TNT is released. In and out of print over the past decade we are happy to finally give everyone what they have been asking for - TNT on vinyl again! Pressed on high quality virgin vinyl, the two LPs are packaged in a deluxe old-style tip?on gatefold jacket fully replicating the original artwork and includes a download coupon for the first time! Tortoise"s third full-length release, TNT, was written and recorded during a 10-month interval in 1997. This longer-than-usual writing/production schedule was purposefully undertaken by the group in the hopes of crafting an expansive, diverse, yet thematically coherent offering. TNT builds upon the spare, instrumental framework of the group"s first, self-titled album, and the extended edits, melodic adventures, and klangfarben of the subsequent full-length release, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Further to this, Tortoise"s interest in the possibilities offered by the remixing of tracks was realized within the actual production of TNT; individual elements, sections, or sometimes whole compositions mutate within the album"s shifting framework. These techniques were suitably realized thanks in part to the use of non-linear digital recording and editing methods, the first example of such work for the group

More solid UK boogie & brit-funk courtesy of Freestyle Records - this time giving the 12" reissue treatment to short-lived group Cool Runners' 1982 single Checking Out, backed up with sought-after High on a Feeling.

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As Cool Runners' Paul Tattersall recalls, "this single was a follow-up to the "Play The Game (So You Think It Funny) / Hawaiian Dream" 12" which we believe got to around number 60 in the national charts, and was at the time heavily played on the radio by DJ Greg Edwards who sadly passed away earlier this year..." Recorded mixed and mastered then licensed for release to MCA, this initial single also relased in 1982 was voiced by Tony Jackson, then part of Paul Young's backing band as his career took off in the charts. Tony formed part of a string of funk groups throughout the 70s and early 80s - Sweet Dreams, Midnight, Ritz & Indigo - and later went on to be successful as lead singer in Rage.

These tracks "Checking Out" and "High on a Feeling" on the other hand features the vocal talents of Rush Winters, who would go on to record with the likes of Carmel, Yello, D.C.Lee and others. "It received little in the way of promotion by the record company at the time", Tattersall continues "so it has produced a cult following and has become rather sought-after, as few copies were actually released at that time."

After release, Cool Runners' Paul Tattersall and Chris Rodel then played with several different bands, with Chris moving onto double bass. He still plays professionally today as an accomplished jazz bass player. Paul has run a successful musical hire company in North London, with a specialism on synths and keyboards, since the eighties - and continues to this day.

Ekkehard Ehlers' seminal plays series was originally released on three 12inches (Staubgold) and two 7inches (Bottrop-Boy) in very limited runs. The entire series was previously only available as a CD compilation or digitally. Keplar finally presents it on double vinyl for the first time, featuring a new cover artwork.

Domestic ethnology: Ekkehard Ehlers plays.

‘Play’ is a word in English with many meanings attached. Each one sends you down a different cognitive pathway. When I think of ‘playing’, in the sense of a game, I think of an activity involving more than one person. When Ekkehard Ehlers plays, he is very much on his own. Or, at least, alone but at the same time keeping intimate company with the artistic innovators named in his titles. Robert Johnson. John Cassavetes. Albert Ayler. Cornelius Cardew. Hubert Fichte. Is he playing with them, against them, about them, for them, to them? This can never be known.

It is certainly a mistake to try to hear the ‘work’ of these originals in the sounds played by Ekkehard. They’re not cover versions. They’re hardly tributes in the conventional sense. Cassavetes and Fichte are not even musicians, although music played an important part in both their careers. Sure, there are little nods and flashes of recognition – tiny guitar licks among the minimal beats of ‘Robert Johnson 2’; rich bowed instruments in ‘Albert Ayler’, recalling the violin, cello and double bass arrangements on Ayler’s 1967 Live in Greenwich Village LP; the elongated organ lines of ‘Cornelius Cardew 1’ gesturing towards passages in Paragraph 1 of the British composer’s 1971 Marxist monolith, The Great Learning. Ekkehard is not so much playing these figures as allowing himself to be played by them.

Playing as an activity also suggests freedom. Maybe the only thing all five named persons have in common is that they were all quiet radicals. In music, literature and cinema, they all stepped, without self-promotion or fanfare, into unmapped territories. Once there they found it necessary to invent new languages in order to survive. Necessity was the mother of their inventiveness. They were also uncomfortable avant gardists. Lonely types, fighting their corners out on the margins, with little reward, often misunderstood, ridiculed or ignored.

All died unfairly young. Fichte a victim of HIV/AIDS, Cassavetes of cirrhosis of the liver. (‘Cassavetes 2’ sounds like a tender farewell played across the 59 year old alcoholic director’s death bed.) The deaths of Johnson, Ayler and Cardew have never been satisfactorily explained, and remain shrouded in myths and conspiracy theories. The pioneering expeditions of all five began in that spirit of playful freedom, but inexorably drew them towards the heart of darkness.

So these ‘plays’ are micro-dramas, sonic soliloquies, monolog-ins to the private accounts of various geniuses in Ekkehard’s ‘follow’ list. Hacked sensibilities. Artistic manifestos boiled down and distilled, skinned and dried in the digital smokehouse. (Ekkehard Ehlers Flays.) Each of these plays was originally floated out into the world alone on its own disc. The collected works play well as a team – a tranquil, introspective experience where each artist has his own identifiably unique sound character. As an album, Plays is a ‘Plattenragout’ – a ‘record stew’ – which was the title of Hubert Fichte’s LP review column in the leftist culture magazine konkret in the 1960s. The novelist’s work investigating the cultures of South America and the Caribbean islands has been called ‘domestic ethnology’. The writer himself referred to his ‘ethnopoesie’. Ekkehard Ehlers’s intuitive electronic portraits are a form of domestic ethnology in themselves. Invoking another of Ekkehard’s musical aliases, they are portraits of cultural ‘autopoiesies’ – creators whose works were strong enough to have their own self-regenerating life force. (by Rob Young)

All tracks written and produced by Ekkehard Ehlers.
Featuring Stephan Mathieu, Joseph Suchy, Anka Hirsch.
Tracks A1 to C2 originally released on three 12inches via Staubgold.
Tracks D1 to D4 originally released on two 7inches via Bottrop-Boy.
Plays originally released as CD compilation in 2002 by Staubgold.
Mastered by Rashad Becker.
Cut to vinyl by Lupo, Berlin, 2022.
Redesigned by Sandra Kastl, 2022.
Photos by Ludger Blanke

With both sides as vibrant and colourful as a hot and sweaty street party, this latest 45 is the perfect afrobeat soundtrack to end your summer.

A side, Blue G. opens explosively and delivers all that it promises in the opening bars: beautifully orchestrated twists and turn that chug along instrumentally for half the track. South African singer Nongoma unexpectedly adds a vocal spin in English and Xhosa, and with the catchy lyrics of "all the children need love, peace and harmony", it's a delight to be swept up in this swirling, festive, solar energy.

The B side, That Good Thing, follows on at exactly the same tempo, weaving horns, guitars, keys and numerous percussions in and out of an equally infectious groove. A highly polished track, full of rises and falls in all the right places.

The Konkolo Orchestra is, for now, a Zürich studio project led by multi-instrumentalist Alexis Malefakis, but let's hope that changes soon because it feels rather criminal not to have these rich sounds live and in your face. Dexterous musicianship meets fine production and execution.

As a duo they embrace both sides of the coin, drums and guitar, chaos and order, male and female, ying and yang, the angel and the devil. They are more than the sum of both counterparts though, making for a maximalist auditory experience. PIKA brings her skills of mystifying performance to the table, all free-drum bluster and vocals veering between shrine maiden and wild spirit. Kawabata's guitar-work moves from a roar to a whisper, a yell to a sob, he's working on the same canvas of extremes. The aim of their unity is to write truly celestial hymns for the outer world and odes of love for the inner cosmic context.
 
No strangers to one another, the pair have not only gigged together with their respective bands but also recorded together, when these two outfits temporarily fused in 2005 to become Acid Mothers Afrirampo (releasing an album of the same name). Two years later they distilled their collaboration, all other players being stripped away to leave the core of Pikacyu's manic drums and pop vocal, and Makoto's schizoid guitar conjurings. In 2011 they spent five weeks touring the US and their first album, 'OM Sweet Home: We Are Shining Stars From Darkside', which was released by the esteemed UK label of all things heavy and brilliant, Riot Season. Last year they spent two weeks touring through Europe whilst writing a new album suffused with the outreaching sound and message of their impulsive live performances. This new album is entitled 'Galaxilympics' and will be released by Upset The Rhythm on August 4th on LP and CD.
'Galaxilympics' is an album of contrasts, so much colour, so much shade! 'Space Sumo' kicks off the record in explosive style. Pikacyu's drums jitter, crash and stumble, but steadfastly refuse to groove. Makoto attacks his guitar, cloaking himself in reverb to produce a wall-of-sound, alternating between melody and noise. 'Funifunikonefuni' follows with it's frenzied take on pop music, bubbling with energy and PIKA's multiple vocal layers. 'I'll Forgive' is chant-like in its devotion to following the tumbling melody line of the song even to absurd and unpredictable dimensions. 'Pika Mako Hall' is a more serene affair, with whispered echoes and guitar drones swirling amongst bursts of rapid sequencer ambience. 'Castle Of Sand' picks up on this more spacious approach with slowly developing programmed electronics, before the title track erupts with gurgling synths, soaring guitar trails and PIKA's most searching vocal yet.
 
The album concludes in reflective manner with the suitably titled 'Sayonownara', a song as much in the present as it is in the act of saying farewell. It's positively elegiac with washes of cymbal and deep acres of guitar drone for the first five minutes before PIKA's drums take things up a gear and into more psychedelic out-rock terrain. This insurgence eventually peaks and the album melts away to silence. PIKACYU-MAKOTO have made an album that takes you on a trip into your very soul before emerging once more at the edge of another galaxy. 'Galaxilympics' is a triumph of opposites united, it enjoys walking out into the unknown, but it's also a portal into the very real world of two musicians who find peace and semblance through their interaction. Hymns and odes to one side, this is a giant album of future-facing song and noise, where better to find harmony enthroned

AI-32 signals the arrival of ‘The Fifth World Recordings’, by Son of Chi (Hanyo van Oosterom) and long-term collaborator Arthur Flink. A tribute to the late Jon Hassell, who passed away in 2021, the album connects a deep running thread that goes back to the source of Chi project. Carrying on from where Hassell left off, the album takes inspiration and references from his Fourth World music concept and the ancient Hopi tradition of Native America. Illuminating the subliminal space of the arising Fifth World, Son of Chi pays respects to an inimitable force in contemporary music. 

Hassell’s ‘Dream Theory in Malaya’ forms a touchstone to Hanyo van Oosterom’s musical journey, which soundtracked long, deep and reflective periods living in the cave of the Kallikatsou (Patmos, Greece) back in the early 80s. This period resulted in Hanyo’s track as Chi - ‘Hopi’ - in 1984. Hanyo met Hassell shortly after in 1987 at his “The Surgeon in the Nightsky” concert in Rotterdam - it wasn’t until twenty years later that Hanyo invited him for two magic nights of “Instant Composing Sessions” with the Numoonlab Orchestra (with a host of other artists) at the LantarenVenster, the very same stage where Hassell had performed in 1987 and also where Chi did their first live performance. 

Dreamful, mysterious, prophetic, the Fifth World Recordings features the quiet yet elaborate sound of Chi awash with rich instrumentation, field recordings, and old stories by the firelight. Sketches were created with drones, loops, and soundscapes, with which Arthur Flink (also a member of the Numoonlab Orchestra) jammed on trumpet. Channelling Hassell’s idiosyncratic style, floating melodies and lyrical improvisations are parsed into the mix, where Hanyo has processed and manipulated the recordings, also referencing Hassell’s exotic scales and unique harmonics.

Additionally, the wah Bamboo flute at the closing piece is an homage to the works of Chi co-founder Jacobus Derwort (1952-2019). For this piece Hanyo used his first bamboo flute he made at the cave of the Kallikatsou in 1984. Arthur Flink answers in counterpoint with the wah trumpet, almost like the intuitive communication of the nightbirds..

"While focusing on the current conditions we find ourselves in and bracing for what seems like the collapse of humanity, I made this collection of music in an attempt to ignite the essential remnants of my inner euphoria, and perhaps yours too" - Feldermelder

Euphoric Attempts is a finespun, voluminous manifestation of euphoria, a testimony to creativity, produced at a time when the outside world seems to be slowly disintegrating. The musical language is pure, vast, resilient, and vulnerable. The compositions of Feldermelder have a tonality both strange and familiar, intensified and influenced by classical music, yet distinguished by the coalescence of contrasting styles.

Euphoric Attempts relates to the state of our external surroundings but also refers to our inner life: it passes through our memories — through our organism — through our stories, and intends to elude the cold grip of analytical listening, instead retrieving intrinsic truths. The track titles signify a form of homage to our inner individuality, existing in parallel with the severities of the tangible, the external.

For this album, Feldermelder draws together compositions from his extensive archives, focussing on material that reflects the simple joy of making music. As a counterpoint to the abstract complexities and intricate rhythms of his live performances, here Feldermelder creates candid compositions of purity and minimalism, finding a sense of elegance in the details. Euphoric Attempts discovers the prospect of liberation and vitality in concealed intimacies, capturing their resemblance in gentle, elaborate, and prodigious movements of sound.

Feldermelder is a Swiss musician, sound designer, producer, and installation artist. He is co-founder of -OUS and part of the audio-visual collective Encor.studio. He has previously released several releases on -OUS, both as a solo artist, and in collaboration with Sara Oswald and Julian Sartorius. Feldermelder's influences range from pioneering early electronic music to contemporary analogue electronics to classic jazz and beyond. The diversity of the music that inspires him is mirrored in his own work, which illustrates an ever-evolving sound, and indicates that influence is seen as both map and compass, guiding divergent inclinations.

A showcase of Monty Alexander’s iconic Montreux Jazz Festival live performances between 1993 to 2016.

The audio has Expertly restored and remastered in superlative HD audio; The Montreux Years is released on superior audiophile heavy weight vinyl, MQA quality CD and in HD digital. Brand new liner notes based on an interview with Monty has been created for this release, which also includes rare photos from his Montreux shows.

Daft Punk's 'ALIVE 2007' set, which won 2 Grammy Awards in 2009 (Best Electronic Album and Best Electronic Single categories) and was previously only available on CD and digital, will be released for the first time as a double vinyl with a triple gatefold sleeve.

Derived from their live performance at Bercy on 14 June 2007, this album was originally published the same year on November 19th. Through this amazing live experience, Daft Punk manipulated and reworked their established material, transposing and deconstructing the structures of their studio tracks.

A limited edition of 'ALIVE 2007' will be released at the same time, in a special box including the album on 2 solid white vinyls, plus a vinyl bonus (Side A: the show's encore (human after all / together / one more time (reprise) / music sounds better with you) /Side B : 'ALIVE 2007' pyramid logo etched), a 52 pages book (pictures taken during the shows), a slipmat and a download card.

'ALIVE 1997' is also being reissued separately. Recorded in 1997 in Birmingham during their first European tour, a few months after the release of 'Homework', this first live testimony was released in 2001. 45 minutes of non-stop live mixing, featuring the band's first standard tracks (Da Funk, Rollin' & Scratchin'...) along with those techno-electronic explosions unique to Daft Punk!

Stellar Legions is four experienced space cadets from the Antwerp interstellar legion, led by Captain Andrew Claes (STUFF., BRZZVLL, Internal Sun). With a sound rooted in jazz, improv, hip-hop, dub and electronic music, brace yourself for an intergalactic trip through colourful musical worlds and allow yourself to be carried away to indefinable, otherworldly but always hospitable beacons.

Alongside Claes, the delegates on duty are all heroes from the Allied star: Bram Weijters (Raymond Van Het Groenewoud, Crazy Men), Klaas De Somer (Tourist Lemc, Selah Sue) and Fre Madou (ex-DAAU, Namid). With them, come stories and artifacts from the multidimensional cosmos to our beloved mother planet Earth and this autumn, they passionately present their first omnibus 'Stellar Legions', released 21st October via the groove-obssessed Sdban Ultra label.

The album consists of eight tracks recorded in the studio and live, resulting in one big cosmic experience that exhilarates down to every last arrangement. From Claes' twisted sax on the semi-electronic ecstatic dream world that is an 'An Arp in Tunisia' to the jazzy snatches of 'Wessel' where De Somer's hurried drum patterns and Weijters frenzied keyboard solos catch light, Stellar Legions unites the adventure and improvisation of jazz with contemporary sounds.

At the core of the Stellar Legions sound is a rhythm section Sly & Robbie would have approved of: loose and sticky, grinding and unwinding: De Somer's drums fizz with expectation while the relentless bass strokes from Madou provide the beating pulse. It's fresh, it's raw and it keeps us listening, grooving and wanting more. Elsewhere, 'Odyssey' is a cataclysmic mix of feverish sounds and melodies that take you to an extra-terrestrial place, while the live recording of 'Alcyone', basks in a spatial mix of futuristic grooves and ethereal soundscapes before album closer 'Covix', results in a spacious and wonderfully atmospheric affair.

Electronics wizard Andrew Claes has recorded music in a wide range of styles ranging from free jazz outfit Chaos of the Haunted Spire (duo with Teun Verbruggen) to techno icon Marco Bailey and New Wave hero, Marcel Vanthilt. In addition, he has collaborated with Zach Danziger, Zap Mama, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Hermes Ensemble, Mauro Pawlowski, Josse De Pauw and many others and released music with the electro-jazz collective AAN/EOP and his solo project, Internal Sun.

Claes is also a teacher of 'Live Electronics' at the Conservatory of Antwerp and a doctorate in the arts, where he is currently investigating the possibilities of an electro-acoustic saxophone. He also regularly gives workshops on the Belgian synthesizer microcontroller platform, Axoloti. His latest achievement is AI-driven robot-jazz project 'BotBop' with Dago Sondervan and Kasper Jordaens, which explores the possibilities and limits of 'computer aided music performance'. Their latest project 'Integers & Strings' premiered at the Sònar festival in Barcelona in November 2021.

Das siebte Studioalbum der ehrwürdigen Rock-Institution Titus Andronicus wurde produziert von Titus Andronicus Singer-Songwriter Patrick Stickles und dem preisgekrönten kanadischen Produzenten Howard Bilerman (ARCADE FIRE, LEONARD COHEN, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS) in dessen hotel2tango Aufnahmestudio in Montreal. Mit "The Will To Live" laden Titus Andronicus den Hörer auf eine Reise von der Angst zum Glauben, von der Wut zur Akzeptanz, von der Trauer zur Dankbarkeit ein, immer auf der Suche nach dem mythischen Ideal des ultimativen Rock. In Anlehnung an maximalistische Rock-Epen von "Who's Next" bis "Hysteria" hat die Band ihr bisher reichhaltigstes, dichtestes und härtestes Album geschaffen, das die Weite und den Umfang ihres meist gefeierten Werks erreicht und gleichzeitig ihren ehrgeizigen Angriff effektiver als je zuvor gestaltet. "It may strike some as ironic we had to go to Canada to record our equivalent to "Born In The USA," sagt Stickles, "but the pursuit of Ultimate Rock knows no borders." Titus Andronicus kehrten im November 2021 auf die Bühne zurück, um den Jahrestag ihres bahnbrechenden zweiten Albums "The Monitor" von 2010 zu feiern. Die Tatsache, dass sie dieses Material vor einem ekstatischen Publikum spielten, ließ Stickles entschlossen zurück, ein Album abzuliefern, das dieselben Höhen erreichen würde, wobei sie sich diesmal weniger auf das unbekümmerte Feuer der Jugend verließen, sondern mehr auf die Erfahrung und die Perspektive, zu der eine Band erst mit tausend Shows im Gepäck gelangt. Um diesen Grad an Konzentration und Klarheit zu erreichen, musste Stickles an der Schnittstelle zwischen Triumph und Tragödie stehen. Er schreibt seine neu gefundene häusliche Glückseligkeit und seine unerschütterliche mentale Gesundheit für seine persönliche Stabilität in letzter Zeit ebenso zu wie die Ausdauer der mittlerweile am längsten bestehenden Besetzung von Titus Andronicus - Liam Betson an der Gitarre, R.J. Gordon am Bass und Chris Wilson am Schlagzeug - die alle auf dem 2018er Album "A Productive Cough" und dem 2019er Album "An Obelisk" vertreten sind. Auf der grausameren Seite der Medaille entstand "The Will To Live" zum großen Teil als Versuch, den vorzeitigen Tod von Matt "Money" Miller, dem Gründungs-Keyboarder der Band und Stickles' engstem Cousin, im Jahr 2021 zu verarbeiten. Das Ergebnis erweist sich als Meilenstein für Titus Andronicus, ein ehrgeiziges, nach vorne gerichtetes Werk, das an der Schnittstelle von Triumph und Tragödie steht, angetrieben von neu gefundenem Fokus und Klarheit, und das eine einzigartig begabte Rock'n'Roll-Band auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer kreativen Kräfte zeigt.

Das siebte Studioalbum der ehrwürdigen Rock-Institution Titus Andronicus wurde produziert von Titus Andronicus Singer-Songwriter Patrick Stickles und dem preisgekrönten kanadischen Produzenten Howard Bilerman (ARCADE FIRE, LEONARD COHEN, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS) in dessen hotel2tango Aufnahmestudio in Montreal. Mit "The Will To Live" laden Titus Andronicus den Hörer auf eine Reise von der Angst zum Glauben, von der Wut zur Akzeptanz, von der Trauer zur Dankbarkeit ein, immer auf der Suche nach dem mythischen Ideal des ultimativen Rock. In Anlehnung an maximalistische Rock-Epen von "Who's Next" bis "Hysteria" hat die Band ihr bisher reichhaltigstes, dichtestes und härtestes Album geschaffen, das die Weite und den Umfang ihres meist gefeierten Werks erreicht und gleichzeitig ihren ehrgeizigen Angriff effektiver als je zuvor gestaltet. "It may strike some as ironic we had to go to Canada to record our equivalent to "Born In The USA," sagt Stickles, "but the pursuit of Ultimate Rock knows no borders." Titus Andronicus kehrten im November 2021 auf die Bühne zurück, um den Jahrestag ihres bahnbrechenden zweiten Albums "The Monitor" von 2010 zu feiern. Die Tatsache, dass sie dieses Material vor einem ekstatischen Publikum spielten, ließ Stickles entschlossen zurück, ein Album abzuliefern, das dieselben Höhen erreichen würde, wobei sie sich diesmal weniger auf das unbekümmerte Feuer der Jugend verließen, sondern mehr auf die Erfahrung und die Perspektive, zu der eine Band erst mit tausend Shows im Gepäck gelangt. Um diesen Grad an Konzentration und Klarheit zu erreichen, musste Stickles an der Schnittstelle zwischen Triumph und Tragödie stehen. Er schreibt seine neu gefundene häusliche Glückseligkeit und seine unerschütterliche mentale Gesundheit für seine persönliche Stabilität in letzter Zeit ebenso zu wie die Ausdauer der mittlerweile am längsten bestehenden Besetzung von Titus Andronicus - Liam Betson an der Gitarre, R.J. Gordon am Bass und Chris Wilson am Schlagzeug - die alle auf dem 2018er Album "A Productive Cough" und dem 2019er Album "An Obelisk" vertreten sind. Auf der grausameren Seite der Medaille entstand "The Will To Live" zum großen Teil als Versuch, den vorzeitigen Tod von Matt "Money" Miller, dem Gründungs-Keyboarder der Band und Stickles' engstem Cousin, im Jahr 2021 zu verarbeiten. Das Ergebnis erweist sich als Meilenstein für Titus Andronicus, ein ehrgeiziges, nach vorne gerichtetes Werk, das an der Schnittstelle von Triumph und Tragödie steht, angetrieben von neu gefundenem Fokus und Klarheit, und das eine einzigartig begabte Rock'n'Roll-Band auf dem Höhepunkt ihrer kreativen Kräfte zeigt.

The second release in My Morning Jacket’s ‘MMJ
Live’ series.
Recorded live at the Auditorium Theatre in
Chicago, IL on November 11, 2021 and featuring a
setlist of career highlights from recent tracks: ‘Love
Love Love’, ‘Complex’ and ‘Never In The Real
World’ from the recent self-titled album, plus
classics ‘Dondante’, ‘Mahgeetah’ and ‘Phone Went
West’.
Three LPs pressed on limited-edition translucent
orange vinyl and packaged in a triple gatefold
sleeve.

Blue Vinyl

Das GRAMMY-nominierte Trio PVA veröffentlicht ihr mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum, „BLUSH“ Mitte Oktober auf Ninja Tune. Das Album der Südlondoner Band, das kurz nach ihrer 2020 beim Ninja Tune-Sublabel Big Dada (u.a. Yaya Bey, Young Fathers oder Diplo) veröffentlichten EP, „Toner“, erscheint, verbindet den Pulsschlag elektronischer Musik mit der rohen Energie eines lebensbejahenden Konzerts und offenbart mehr über das Trio, als sie bisher je preisgegeben haben. Die elf mitreißenden Tracks der Gruppe, bestehend aus Ella Harris und Josh Baxter (die sich Leadgesang sowie Synthesizer-, Gitarren- und Produktionsarbeit teilen) sowie Schlagzeuger und Perkussionist Louis Satchell, basieren auf einer Formel aus Acid, Disco, knallenden Synthesizern, der Befreiung des Dancefloors und kathartischem Spoken Word-Post-Punk.

PVA begann, als Harris und Baxter 2018 begannen, gemeinsam etwas zu machen, das sie als „Country-Friend-Techno“ bezeichneten. Ihre erste Show, eine Nacht namens „Narcissistic Exhibitionism“ im The Five Bells Pub in New Cross, fand nur zwei Wochen nach ihrem Kennenlernen statt. Der Abend wurde von Harris kuratiert und bot im Obergeschoss Malerei, Bildhauerei und Fotografie, während im Erdgeschoss Bands auftraten. Sie buchte PVA als Headliner. Einer ihrer ersten Songs, „Divine Intervention“, entstand, als Harris ihrer neuen Bandkollegin ihre Träume diktierte. Auf ihrem Debütalbum nehmen PVA die gleiche Energie aus der Live-Szene mit, während sie gleichzeitig eine ganzheitliche Welt voller Textur und Herz aufbauen. „BLUSH“ ist reich an schwergewichtigen Industrial-Beats, zerklüftetem Punk-Spirit und Momenten stiller Kontemplation durch Harris' poetische Lyrics. Das Album rennt unermüdlich vorwärts und verbindet Einflüsse wie Portishead, PC Music, Laurie Anderson und das kultige Rave-Pop-Duo The Pom-Poms mit Leichtigkeit. „BLUSH“ wurde während der verschiedenen Lockdowns geschrieben, eine Leidenszeit für eine Band, die es eigentlich gewohnt ist, die Grenzen ihres Sounds live auf der Bühne auszuloten. Diese Einschränkungen machten PVA aber nicht zu schaffen. Wenn überhaupt, fühlten sie sich durch die erzwungene Distanz in ihrem Songwriting gestärkt. Harris schrieb Gedichte und lernte, Musik zu produzieren, Baxter arbeitete mit anderen Künstler*innen als Produzent, und Satchell setzte sein Musikstudium an der City University fort und studierte unter anderem alte afrikanische Polyrhythmen.

"Rad Wings of Destiny" ist das erste neue Album der kalifornischen Band Ugly Kid Joe seit dem 2015 erschienenen "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be". Für dieses Album haben sich Ugly Kid Joe mit dem Produzenten Mark Dodson zusammengetan, der bereits für das 1992 erschienene Multiplatin-Debütalbum "America's Least Wanted" verantwortlich zeichnete.

"Rad Wings of Destiny" ist das lang erwartete, brandneue Album der kalifornischen Band Ugly Kid Joe. Es wird ihr erstes neues Album seit dem 2015 erschienenen "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" sein.
Für "Rad Wings of Destiny" arbeitet die Band mit dem Produzenten Mark Dodson zusammen, der bereits für Ugly Kid Joes Multiplatin-Debütalbum "Americas Least Wanted" aus dem Jahr 1992 verantwortlich zeichnete. Ein Album, das dieses Jahr sein 30-jähriges Bestehen feiert.
Das 10 Titel umfassende Album enthält die Singles "That Ain't Livin'", "Kill The Pain" und "Long Road".
Auf dem Album sind Whitfield Crane am Gesang, Klaus Eichstadt und Dave Fortman an der Gitarre, Cordell Crockett am Bass und Zac Morris und Shannon Larkin am Schlagzeug zu hören.
Ugly Kid Joe kehren im November für eine Albumtournee nach Großbritannien und Europa zurück.

Reissue! Before the acclaimed albums "Legends Never Die" and "All My Heroes Are Dead" brought his career to new heights, R.A. The Rugged Man spent years as an underrated rap enigma, with a slew of storied records to his name that had never received a proper release.

With the 2009 compilation "Legendary Classics Vol. 1, R.A. finally unleashed many of the lost gems that earned him a reputation as one of hip-hop's most feared lyricists, showcasing his undeniable history.

An essential collection from a true hip-hop original, the album features appearances by The Notorious B.I.G., Havoc of Mobb Deep, Jedi Mind Tricks, Kool G Rap, J-Live, Hell Razah, Tragedy Khadafi, Akinyele, and Sadat X, along with track-by-track commentary from the Rugged Man himself. This "Legendary Classics Vol. 1" reissue also includes the new bonus track “The Greatest” featuring famed Italian singer Marcella Puppini, which has never before been available on vinyl.

Having already played to 40,000 fans this year in their native Ireland, The Coronas release their new single If You Let Me, and their highly anticipated new album Time Stopped, the follow-up to 2020’s intl breakthrough and critically acclaimed True Love Waits. Prior to the release of the Time Stopped album on the 7th October, the band will embark on a 25 date European, North American and Australian tour. The tour culminates in a 4 night run at the Olympia Theatre with the final show expected to be the band’s 60th consecutive sell-out show at the prestigious Dublin venue. Known for high energy live performances and audience singalongs, it’s not surprising that The Coronas were named #1 Live Act of the Year in Ireland’s Hot Press 2022 Readers' Poll.

Lead singer Danny O’Reilly explains the origins of the new single:

“If You Let Me” is a subtle declaration of support - lyrically it’s our answer to the Jackson 5’s ‘I’ll Be There’. When you see that someone you care about is going through a tough time and even though you know that you should wait until they ask for your advice or help, you can’t stop yourself from telling them how you feel about their situation.

Produced by long-time collaborator George Murphy (Mumford & Sons, The Specials, Ellie Goulding) and mixed by Grammy award winning Peter Katis (The National), sonically If You Let Me is a joyous, catchy, indie-rock jaunt that really shows The Coronas at their radio friendly, foot-tapping best.

Award-winning British vocalist and songwriter, Rumer is to release a new album B Sides and Rarities Vol. 2 via Cooking Vinyl. The long-awaited follow-up to 2015's B Sides and Rarities Vol. 1, Vol. 2 is a treasure trove of rarities. As well as two Rumer originals, Vol. 2 features unique cover versions of songs by an eclectic cast of writers including: Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Carly Simon, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Van Morrison, The Bee Gees, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein, Simon Aldred, Donald Henry and Jonathan Vezner and Hugh Prestwood, a collection of whose compositions Rumer covered on her highly-praised 2021 album Nashville Tears.

Solo project of Nathan Van Brande (TUKAN, Saudade), Bleu Mustang navigates between Lone, ClapClap and Floating Point. The young Brussels producer signs his first EP "NOCTUELLE" on the MAGMA label (Umbra, ECHT!, TUKAN). Between powerful and jerky rhythms and melancholic chords, Bleu Mustang's music can be listened to both in the back of a Berlin hangar and while contemplating a landscape. Currently in residence in Volta for the creation of his live album, he is preparing a duo with a drummer.

Massimiliano Pagliara returns to Permanent Vacation with his fourth studio album "See You In Paradise". After the highly acclaimed "Nothing Stays In One Place For Long" EP from 2020, this is the first full-length from the Italian-raised and Berlin-based producer for the label. Albums in the dance music genre can often be a challenge in terms of finding the right balance between the dancefloor and listening at home. Massimiliano, however, mastered this craftmanship perfectly while reviving the art of the album format.
Mostly written and produced in the lockdown period of spring 2020 these 10 tracks offer the whole sonic spectrum from the "Massi universe". The hardware enthusiast blends analogue-heavy and bright synthesizer melodies, pop hooks, Chicago house groove with more technoid tracks and atmospheric soundscapes. Taking you on a journey through his mind, body and soul: From his underground disco passion and pulsating dancefloor moments to ethereal and meditative ambience.

Inspired, both musically and aesthetically - one of his favourite carnal catchphrases titles the album - by Disco hero Patrick Cowley, Massimiliano channelled past, present and future in searching for new adventures within his music. For the first time working with live musicians (saxophone and piano) to bring a new facet on the table, that flows with the production seamlessly.

Communication and getting into a dialogue is a crucial part for Massimiliano as an artist. Whether it used to be as a ballet dancer, as a DJ, most prominently as a resident of the legendary Berghain / Panorama Bar, a producer and in collaboration with other artists and musicians: Maestro Massi has gathered an illustrious group of friends and like minded artist such as Snax, Fort Romeau and Init (with whom he has worked before), as well as new collaborators including Curses, Coloray and Vanessa. Under the artistic direction of Massimiliano each artist was able to bring his own unique talent into the album's coherent production and together with Massimiliano they created something that is more than the sum of its parts: A refuge full of beauty and harmony and free from worries in an upside down world. In other words: "See You In Paradise”

A prehistoric tribe dances around the fire. Young revelers lose themselves on a packed dancefloor. Explorers fly a rocket toward another galaxy. In the TIMEBEING universe, these things are all connected. From the earliest days of humanity, people have strived to expand their reality beyond the limitations of the here and now_and have used technology to make it happen. Their methods and machines may have changed across the centuries, but the drive remains constant, vibrating through history and occupying a space where time loses all meaning. "The art of making music is the art of manipulating time," says Uji. "I have had experiences where time shifts dramatically; sometimes it slows down to a halt, while moments seemingly become infinite. This is where the magic happens. This is when the fabric of what we call reality begins to show its seams." An Argentintian electronic producer and ethnomusicologist, Uji has been navigating those seams for more than two decades, initially as one half of the pioneering duo Lulacruza, but more recently with his own solo work. TIMEBEING continues that lineage, but also elevates it, taking shape as a interdisciplinary multimedia journey that includes a new album, an accompanying short film, an immersive live show and the birth of a new decentralized community of like-minded artists, creators, seekers, and dreamers. Mesmerizing and deeply psychedelic, the TIMEBEING LP certainly reflects the rich sound palette of Latin America_and its intersection with various strains of electronic music_but Uji taps into traditions_both musical and spiritual_that can't be hemmed in by borders and boundaries. Transcendence is the goal, and the album moves through fantastical spaces that may or may not exist: a metallic jungle, a Balkan spaceship, a cloud that morphs into a tumultuous whirlpool. All the while, Uji criss-crosses history, consulting elders and futurists alike as he throws open the doors of perception and pens a new mythology about what it means to be human. FOR FANS OF: Floating Points, Four Tet, Oneohtrix Point Never, Actress, Nicola Cruz, Dengue Dengue Dengue, Nicolas Jaar, Mount Kimbie, Mucho Indio.

As the always-man-behind and mainly jack-of-all-trades he influenced a lot of art and style. For many of us he is like one of the greatest hidden icons on the spot. Scandinavian man of mystery, Jasper Frederik, is now doing it again musically.

After his acclaimed debut 'Beautiful' on A CLEAN CUT (e.g. #40 in Deutsche Club Charts DCC), he shows his prowess on his next song outing 'Universe', a kind of eclectic hypnosis as a never-ending track.

Years ago by leaving the causal circuit of Scandinavia after uncountable art & acting projects, collaborations, affections and residencies he started to reach his real destiny via stops in Germany, United Kingdom and the Bahamas: New York City.

The universe could be a better place, but, hey, there are a lot of things to do here on this planet, our world. Universe is here. Art is here. Love is here.

'Universe' is spotlighted with stunning and killer remixes by two highly influential artists and producers: Man-of-the-moment Captain Mustache (Bedrock, Permanent Vacation, Kompakt, Return To Disorder) and living legend DMX Krew (Rephlex, Breakin' Records). What a blast.

And directed by Clemens Wittkowski/bauhouse with I AM JOHANNES a touching video about inner feelings, the human universe, completes this really powerful package.

Several things happened before a warm day when I met the four members of Frankie Cosmos in a Brooklyn studio to begin making their album. Greta Kline spent a few years living with her family and writing a mere 100 songs, turning her empathy anywhere from the navel to the moon, rendering it all warm, close and reflexively humorous. In music, everyone loves a teen sensation, but Kline has never been more fascinating than now, a decade into being one of the most prolific songwriters of her generation. She's lodged in my mind amongst authors, other observational alchemists like Rachel Cusk or Sheila Heti, but she's funnier, which is a charm endemic to musicians. Meanwhile Frankie Cosmos, a rare, dwindling democratic entity called a band, had been on pandemic hiatus with no idea if they'd continue. In the openness of that uncertainty they met up, planning to hang out and play music together for the first time in nearly 500 days. There, whittling down the multitude of music to work with, they created Inner World Peace, a collection of Greta's songs changed and sculpted by their time together. While Kline's musical taste at the time was leaning toward aughts indie rock she'd loved as a teenager, keyboardist Lauren Martin and drummer Luke Pyenson cite "droning, meditation, repetition, clarity and intentionality," as well as "'70s folk and pop" as a reference for how they approached their parts. Bassist/guitarist Alex Bailey says that at the time he referred to it as their "ambient" or "psych" album. Somewhere between those textural elements and Kline's penchant for concise pop, Inner World Peace finds its balance. The first order of business upon setting up camp in Brooklyn's Figure 8 studios was to project giant colorful slides the band had made for each track. Co-producing with Nate Mendelsohn, my Shitty Hits Recording partner, we aimed for FC's aesthetic idiosyncrasies to shine. The mood board for "Magnetic Personality" has a neon green and black checkerboard, a screen capture of the game Street Fighter with "K.O." in fat red letters, and a cover of Mad Magazine that says "Spy Vs. Spy! The Top Secret Files." On tracks like "F.O.O.F." (Freak Out On Friday), "Fragments" and "Aftershook," the group are at their most psychedelic and playful, interjecting fuzz solos, bits of percussion, and other sonically adventurous ear candy. An internal logic strengthens everything, and in their proggiest moments, Frankie Cosmos are simply a one-take band who don't miss. When on Inner World Peace they sound wildly, freshly different, it may just be that they're coming deeper into their own. Inner World Peace excels in passing on the emotions it holds. When in the towering "Empty Head" Kline sings of wanting to let thoughts slide away, her voice is buoyed on a bed of synths and harmonium as tranquility abounds. When her thoughts become hurried and full of desire, so does the band, and she leaps from word to word as if unable to contain them all. As a group, they carry it all deftly, and with constant regard for Kline's point of view. Says Greta, "To me, the album is about perception. It's about the question of "who am I?" and whether or not the answer matters. It's about quantum time, the possibilities of invisible worlds. The album is about finding myself floating in a new context. A teenager again, living with my parents. An adult, choosing to live with my family in an act of love. Time propelled us forward, aged us, and also froze. If you don't leave the house, who are you to the world? Can you take the person you discover there out with you?" - Katie Von Schleicher

Several things happened before a warm day when I met the four members of Frankie Cosmos in a Brooklyn studio to begin making their album. Greta Kline spent a few years living with her family and writing a mere 100 songs, turning her empathy anywhere from the navel to the moon, rendering it all warm, close and reflexively humorous. In music, everyone loves a teen sensation, but Kline has never been more fascinating than now, a decade into being one of the most prolific songwriters of her generation. She's lodged in my mind amongst authors, other observational alchemists like Rachel Cusk or Sheila Heti, but she's funnier, which is a charm endemic to musicians. Meanwhile Frankie Cosmos, a rare, dwindling democratic entity called a band, had been on pandemic hiatus with no idea if they'd continue. In the openness of that uncertainty they met up, planning to hang out and play music together for the first time in nearly 500 days. There, whittling down the multitude of music to work with, they created Inner World Peace, a collection of Greta's songs changed and sculpted by their time together. While Kline's musical taste at the time was leaning toward aughts indie rock she'd loved as a teenager, keyboardist Lauren Martin and drummer Luke Pyenson cite "droning, meditation, repetition, clarity and intentionality," as well as "'70s folk and pop" as a reference for how they approached their parts. Bassist/guitarist Alex Bailey says that at the time he referred to it as their "ambient" or "psych" album. Somewhere between those textural elements and Kline's penchant for concise pop, Inner World Peace finds its balance. The first order of business upon setting up camp in Brooklyn's Figure 8 studios was to project giant colorful slides the band had made for each track. Co-producing with Nate Mendelsohn, my Shitty Hits Recording partner, we aimed for FC's aesthetic idiosyncrasies to shine. The mood board for "Magnetic Personality" has a neon green and black checkerboard, a screen capture of the game Street Fighter with "K.O." in fat red letters, and a cover of Mad Magazine that says "Spy Vs. Spy! The Top Secret Files." On tracks like "F.O.O.F." (Freak Out On Friday), "Fragments" and "Aftershook," the group are at their most psychedelic and playful, interjecting fuzz solos, bits of percussion, and other sonically adventurous ear candy. An internal logic strengthens everything, and in their proggiest moments, Frankie Cosmos are simply a one-take band who don't miss. When on Inner World Peace they sound wildly, freshly different, it may just be that they're coming deeper into their own. Inner World Peace excels in passing on the emotions it holds. When in the towering "Empty Head" Kline sings of wanting to let thoughts slide away, her voice is buoyed on a bed of synths and harmonium as tranquility abounds. When her thoughts become hurried and full of desire, so does the band, and she leaps from word to word as if unable to contain them all. As a group, they carry it all deftly, and with constant regard for Kline's point of view. Says Greta, "To me, the album is about perception. It's about the question of "who am I?" and whether or not the answer matters. It's about quantum time, the possibilities of invisible worlds. The album is about finding myself floating in a new context. A teenager again, living with my parents. An adult, choosing to live with my family in an act of love. Time propelled us forward, aged us, and also froze. If you don't leave the house, who are you to the world? Can you take the person you discover there out with you?" - Katie Von Schleicher

The end of the Doc Pavlonium's trilogy has come. Third and final chapter of the series.

"Is 2333 dc and humanity decided to leave planet earth as they don't need it anymore. The Earth is only but a limit to the inescapable human evolution: from simple terrestrial to new outer space inhabitants who are able to live without a planet, nature, art or music. In this robotic, hi-tech, and perfectly controlled future, somebody will be wondering if they can discover another moon, another sun, another galaxy..."

What Are People For? make the perfect kind of dystopic dance music for our times. Born from a collaboration between artist Anna McCarthy and musician/producer Manuela Rzytki, the band could be the illicit lovechild of Tom Tom Club and Throbbing Gristle, displaying the ideal balance of hip shaking vibes and dark provocative content.

On their collaborative debut, McCarthy and Rzytki share songwriting duties. The album was produced by Rzytki herself. They are joined by Paulina Nolte on backing vocals and Tom Wu on drums, while Keith Tenniswood mastered the record.

The whole project stems from a publication and exhibition by McCarthy laying the foundations for the content and lyrics of the album, which is humorous, poetic and political. As a lyricist, McCarthy uses her storytelling ability to explore anxieties and desires, digging into free surreal word associations reminiscent of Su Tissues’ tongue in cheek experiments with Suburban Lawns, but also explosive and gripping like a Kae Tempest rap.
Rzytki’s precise sonic palette and talent at penning structured bangers perfectly complement McCarthy’s playful and subversive language manipulations. Rzytki's beats are rooted in old school Hiphop loop principles and an authentic love for the analog. Her use of an array of synthesizers and other "real" instruments adds to WAPF's depth, soul and sincerity.

The album opens with a joyful anthem, full of energy and melodic hooks. The audience is confronted with the quintessential titular question What Are People For? and told that they are just a mere disposable commodity. Throughout the album, lyrical themes revolve around underground aspects of society, violence, political ideologies, sexuality and mysticism. The content is deep but the album is as danceable as it is biting.

73, with its drum machine hysteria and hypnotic synth basses is a a text collage written on the 73 bus through London, consisting of situations and conversation snippets encountered along the way. Drones indulges in the narrator’s paranoia as they feel they are being watched by cigarette machines, whilst the haunting choir is half spoken, half sung, ending on the orgasmic chanting of the word “mummy”. Nursery Rhyme brings more soothing incantations. There is definitely an affinity for fairytales, albeit adult ones and especially the anarchistic ones such as The Moomins, who were a consistent influence on the band. The artwork for the record, created by McCarthy, is a beautiful children's book-style painting of the group in a forest, seemingly about to engage in a magical encounter to which we are invited.

WAPF? have absorbed and digested a variety of influences. Trip hop, Punk and Techno are rubbing shoulders on Party Time. 1977 was coined “Summer of Hate” in the UK and unsurprisingly in WAPF?’s Summer of War, ethereal singing alternates with a powerful marching Garage/Grime chorus reminiscent of street protests and UK culture.

Mz. Lazy starts like an invitation to meditation and references Gertrude Stein’s book Ida in which she develops the idea that publicity is a new religion and people are now famous for being famous. Repressed anger explodes into violence and freedom at the end of the song as our heroine eventually grabs an axe to destroy her oppressors.
Fantasize, on its part, is raw, sexual and liberating while the closing track Bring Back the Dirt is a welcome hymn into a world that is becoming more and more sanitised.

While exploring deep subject matters throughout their album, WAPF? manage to remain satirical, exciting and funny. Each and everyone of their songs have a cathartic quality.

The visual identity of the band is intrinsic to their appeal. Live, they are eccentric, wild and unapologetic, wearing see-through costumes, bright miniskirts and intricate headpieces while delivering their songs with sharp intensity. Their performances radiate queer sexiness and transcend B52's thrift store aesthetics, creating a space for collective dreaming.

WAPF? is a rare combination of contemporary punk energy, irresistible groove, absurdist dry humour and astounding depth of field. They have the mighty power to create a party with their music and soon you will find yourself lifting your arms as if controlled by an external force, to chant: WAPF? WAPF? WAPF?

– Marie Merlet (Malphino, Little Trouble Girls, London)