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Vier Jahrzehnte nach ihrer Gründung schreiben Ian Astbury und Billy Duffy ein neues Kapitel in der Geschichte von The Cult. Gemeinsam mit John Tempesta (Bass) und Charlie Jones (Schlagzeug) ließen sie 2023 ihre legendäre Frühphase Death Cult für eine exklusive Konzertreihe wieder aufleben - eine Hommage an die Ursprünge einer der einflussreichsten britischen Rockbands der 1980er-Jahre. Das Ergebnis dieser intensiven Rückkehr erscheint am 16. Januar 2026 unter dem Titel "PARADISE LIVE" - ein 16 Songs starkes Live-Album, aufgenommen am 18. November 2023 in der ehrwürdigen Albert Hall in Duffys Heimatstadt Manchester. "PARADISE LIVE" erscheint als Doppel-LP im exklusiven "Black on White"-Splatter-Design, auf CD sowie digital. Das edle Artwork zeigt ein schwarz auf schwarz geprägtes Schmetterlingsmotiv - entworfen von Ian Astbury und kunstvoll neu interpretiert von Carter O"Sullivan (Beggars Art Department). Die Black-Splatter-Edition ist ausschließlich über den Band-Webshop erhältlich, während die White-Splatter-Edition im regulären Handel erscheint. Der Weg von The Cult begann 1981 mit Southern Death Cult, deren gleichnamiges Album posthum 1983 erschien. Noch im selben Jahr gründeten Astbury und Duffy Death Cult - der Beginn einer kreativen Partnerschaft, die seit über 40 Jahren Bestand hat. Bereits 1984 entwickelte sich daraus The Cult, die im selben Jahr ihr gefeiertes Debüt "Dreamtime" veröffentlichten. Mit "PARADISE LIVE" schließen Astbury und Duffy den Kreis - ein intensives, authentisches Live-Dokument, das Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft einer außergewöhnlichen Band miteinander verbindet.

Mit Framing Reality veröffentlichen The Livelines aus Osnabrück ihre neue EP - ein musikalisches Coming-of-Age-Tagebuch zwischen Selbstzweifel, Selbstbehauptung und dem Versuch, Kontrolle in einer sich ständig verändernden Welt zu finden. Die sechs Songs zeigen eine junge Band, die ihre Realität selbst in die Hand nimmt: ehrlich, direkt und mit einem Sound, der Pop-Melancholie mit tanzbarer Rock-Energie verbindet.
Nach über 60 Shows, zahlreichen Festivalauftritten, Supporttouren für Acts wie KAFFKIEZ, DAMONA und Hi! Spencer sowie ausverkauften Headline-Shows machen The Livelines klar, dass sie gekommen sind, um gehört zu werden. Framing Reality steht für den Versuch, das eigene Leben zu rahmen - zu entscheiden, wie man gesehen wird, wie man sich selbst sieht und was man aus den Dingen macht, die man nicht ändern kann.

Barry Adamsons Original-Soundtrack versetzt uns in die Unterwelt des nächtlichen Londons – ein lebhafter Soundtrack zum Underground-Kino und zur kulturellen Rebellion.



Barry Adamson, Gründungsmitglied von Magazine und Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds sowie gefeierter Solokünstler und Komponist, kehrt mit dem Soundtrack zu „SCALA!!!“ zurück, dem vielgelobten Dokumentarfilm über die Geschichte des berüchtigtsten Independent-Kinos Londons. Adamson, bekannt für seine Filmarbeiten, darunter Kooperationen mit David Lynch, bringt seine charakteristische Mischung aus Noir, Jazz, Funk und Atmosphäre in eine Filmmusik ein, die ebenso bewegend ist wie das Scala selbst.



Das Album fängt den Geist des Kinos ein: lange Nächte, klebrige Böden, schäbige Underground-Vorführungen und die berauschende Welt subversiver Kunst. In den 22 Titeln zaubert Adamson Stimmungen, die von grüblerisch und cineastisch bis verspielt und chaotisch reichen und die wilde Programmgestaltung und kulturelle Rebellion widerspiegeln, für die das Scala stand.



Der Film unter der Regie von Jane Giles und Ali Catterall erzählt die Geschichte des legendären Repertoirekinos King's Cross (1978–1993). Mit Interviews mit Mitarbeitern, Stammgästen und Ikonen wie John Waters, Mark Moore, Mary Harron, Isaac Julien und Ben Wheatley sowie seltenem Archivmaterial feiert er einen Ort, der zu einem Schmelztiegel für Gegenkultur, Sexploitation, Horror, Kung-Fu, LGBTQ+-Kino, Live-Musik und Kult-Doppelvorstellungen wurde.




Barry Adamson’s original score plunges us into the underworld of late-night London - a vivid soundtrack to underground cinema and cultural rebellion, available on vinyl and CD via Mute.



Barry Adamson, original member of Magazine and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and a celebrated solo artist and composer, returns with the soundtrack to SCALA!!!, the acclaimed documentary chronicling the history of London’s most infamous independent cinema. Known for his film work, including collaborations with David Lynch, Adamson brings his trademark blend of noir, jazz, funk and atmosphere to a score that’s as evocative as the Scala itself.



The album captures the cinema’s spirit: late nights, sticky floors, sleazy underground screenings, and the intoxicating world of subversive art. Across its 22 tracks, Adamson conjures moods that shift from brooding and cinematic to playful and chaotic, echoing the wild programming and cultural rebellion the Scala embodied.



The film, directed by Jane Giles and Ali Catterall, tells the story of the legendary King’s Cross repertory cinema (1978–1993). Featuring interviews with staff, regulars and icons including John Waters, Mark Moore, Mary Harron, Isaac Julien and Ben Wheatley, alongside rare archival footage it celebrates a venue that became a crucible for counterculture, sexploitation, horror, kung-fu, LGBTQ+ cinema, live music, and cult double bills.

Peter Beyls (1950) works on the intersection of computer science and the arts. He develops generative systems in music, the visual arts and hybrid formats. Beyls studied music and computer science at EMS, Stockholm, the Royal Music Conservatory, Brussels and the Slade School of Art, UC London. Initially he was active in electronic music, as a composer of tape music. Later on, he developed various analog live electronic music systems. In close partnership with Michel Waisvisz, he designed and built the early prototypes of the crackle box synthesizer at STEIM, Amsterdam (1973-1975). Around the same time, Belgian composers Karel Goeyvaerts and Lucien Goethals were his mentors at the IPEM Studio. Over the years, Beyls’ work has primarily centered on generative systems, including extensive series of machine drawings, human-machine interactive music systems using machine-learning and interactive audiovisual installations on which he has also given worldwide lectures. His work has been widely performed and exhibited at various universities and art institutions. The four previously unreleased tracks on this LP are amongst his first electronic music compositions using the Crackle Box, the Synthi 100 and the VCS3, a combination of live improvised electronics with precise tape editing and effects.

Gil Tamazyan Unveils a Timeless Downtempo Journey with His Latest Album
Los Angeles-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Gil Tamazyan returns with his latest release—an evocative fusion of live and electronic soundscapes that transports listeners through a lush, jazzy journey. Featuring authentic compositions performed with live analog instrumentation, the album delivers a warm, organic depth rarely heard in today’s electronic music scene.
The project features an impressive lineup of vocal collaborators, including Dave Aju, Dina Moursi, Syndee Winters, B. Valentine, Jeremiah Jae, and more. Together, they bring life and emotion to 11 handcrafted tracks that flow seamlessly between genres—bridging jazz, downtempo, and electronic textures into a cohesive, immersive experience.
Designed as a soundtrack for calm, everyday moments, Tamazyan’s latest work invites listeners to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with the beauty of the present. With its timeless tone and meticulous attention to detail, this release stands as a testament to the power of real musicianship in modern electronic music.

Mandrake Handshake announce new remix version of lead single Hypersonic SuperAsterid from W.H.Lung's Tom Sharkett released 24th November and the Special Limited Eco- Green Vinyl Edition of their critically acclaimed debut LP 'Earth- Sized Worlds', set for release 12th December via cult indie label Tip Top Recordings The concept tying together every last note and lyric of 'Earth- Sized Worlds' - the debut album from the London/ Oxford self- dubbed 'Flowerkraut' collective Mandrake Handshake - is an awfully simple one: 'Welcome to Space Beach' .Varying anywhere between 7-10 members - including a dedicated, flamboyant tambourine shaker - their pristine, multi-limbed spectacle of a live show has journeyed up and down the UK and EU in recent times. With multiple headline tours to their name, including a sold- out show at London's iconic 100 Club earlier this year, the group have already ticked off slots at the likes of Wide Awake, Green Man and Manchester Psych Fest, as well as shows with psych-figureheads W.H Lung, Pale Blue Eyes, Triptides and Sugar Candy Mountain, and Del Amitri as their profile soars.

2026 Repress

Flickering in ultraviolet, there is an elusive place where blue pill meets red, ups become downs, and day merges with night. Those liminal spaces where anything is possible is where you’ll find Nightbus and their hypnotic debut album Passenger. Doom, uncertainty, and opportunity lurk in the shadowy corners of their murky existence with stops at disassociation, co-dependency, and addiction before reaching its final destination - a glimmer of hope.

The in-between of Nightbus’ own Gotham lies where Manchester’s city pulse meets Stockport’s outer realm. An audio-visual entity formed among a musical family of friends, freaks, and foes in messy mills and after hours on dancefloors alike, their sound bleeds from tension where collective creative forces are bound together and collide with the fallout of being torn apart. Before even playing a show, their So Young released single ‘Mirrors’ – a knowing nod of respect to some well-known gloomy Northerners - may have made old school indie heads shimmy at shows in Salford’s The White Hotel but also signalled the duo’s knack for offering listeners a Bandersnatch approach to hitchhiking their own personal Nightbus in whatever direction they choose to take. “Everyone can have their moment with our songs; the music is our response to who we are as young people, living in the city full of this energy right now,” they say.

Whilst reverb hefty melodies and dread-filled loops embody isolation from writing at each of their home studio set-ups, magic happens in the ether across 90s trip-hop, indie sleaze and electronica; Jake’s production layers Olive’s pop sentimentality with drums and samples whilst tales of a cast of faceless characters place Olive as puppet master; her severed self’s perspective manipulating their stringed limbs at arm’s length to see how their stories play out when scenes reflecting her own lie close to the bone. “It’s a bit fucked; like having this out of body experience with a made-up movie running through my head,” she says. “As I write I can see they’re all from a similar world, but they allow me to explore different feelings without giving away part of myself.”

Recorded at The Nave in Leeds with producer-engineer Alex Greaves (Heavy Lungs, Working Men’s Club), surprise and danger lies in every crevice. Brooding whispers turn to chants on 6-minute opus ‘Host.’ Improvised when performed live, its immersive shift in tempo leads to hefty dub courtesy of Jake’s pedals. Even then, you won’t know shit’s hit the fan until its mid-point reveal when ominous bass blasts a thunderous soundtrack as its protagonist defiantly walks away after committing the perfect crime. “It makes you wait, and more songs should have sirens,” Olive grins.

Leaning deeper into alter-egos via the video game-psychological horror of a Silent Hill dystopia, the band’s Fight Club moment ‘Angles Mortz’ turns its literal translation of death angles on its head as it reflects upon kink and internalised shame reincarnated as pride. Elsewhere the ice cool ‘Landslide’ is a Requiem for a Dream about the addiction of being in a band; ‘The Void’ explores co-dependency and estranged relationships; and carefully selected samples revive house track ‘Just A Kid’ from the band’s early incarnation. Passenger’s every direction is to face challenges head on. “That is what’s so great about horror; you can see through predictable patterns so when the unexpected occurs it's more realistic and uncomfortable… I want to own the dark stuff!”

As for Passenger’s first single, the pulsating ‘Ascension’ is a spiralling deep dive into death, suicide, and legacy around who or what we leave behind. A noughties club banger by way of NYC beats - ergonomically designed for those who like to stay out a little too often and too late - it throbs like a house party’s partition wall as the literal levelling up undergoes a neon transformation; blue glitching to pink, diffusing the white construct of the Nightbus Matrix. “It really does feel like the end of something and was purposely written that way,” they say, “the ascension is like a firework going off!”

With wheels in motion, Nightbus has become a movement surpassing sonic realms. Between shows from Porto to Brighton taking in The Great Escape, Rotterdam’s Left Of The Dial and Paris’ Supersonic; DJing; remixing; guesting (BDRMM’s Microtonic album); and even enlisting talented like-minds to craft a 3-part queer coming-of-age music video series which ties in with a new ‘hyperpop’ phase in the evolution of their popular Nightbus Soundsystem club night, heads are now being turned from sports brands to high-end fashion designers. “There are things we can’t reveal just yet,” tells Olive, “but we’re excited about the direction this beast we’ve created is heading.” As the album philosophises and asks one ultimate question; what does it truly mean to be ‘Passenger’? Nightbus may not claim to offer a definitive answer, but it might make you feel a bit better about those demons.

‘Pilot’ is the debut album from London quintet Miniseries. Channelling the epic sweep of TV themes and movie soundtracks into resplendent space rock they explore themes of youth and ageing, heartbreak and paranoia, euphoria and existential dread.

Songwriter Doug Morch (Longview) had been working on largely acoustic folk songs when he met Angela Gannon (The Magic Numbers) at Glastonbury 2017. Romance and musical collaboration ensued. The band coalesced in the hallowed environs of Farringdon's The Betsey Trotwood pub – a musical nexus where burgeoning indie and Americana scenes collide – where they met fellow songwriter and guitarist Dermot Watson (from Brighton's The Dials) and drummer Danny Abbasi and were joined by Doug's former bandmate Aidan Banks on bass. When they came together, their indie folk mutated into motorik art rock, with their first single being an eight-minute jam called "Road".

When it came to capturing their sound, the band reached for maverick musician and producer Sean Read. They recorded tracks at Read's Famous Times studio in Clapton, London, as well as at Edwyn Collins' Clashnarrow in Helmsdale, Scotland – one of the world's most breathtaking and idiosyncratic studio locations, adding unquantifiable magic to the proceedings.

For the closing track "May You Always", they headed to another studio imbued with tangible inspiration: Blueprint Studio in Salford with producer Craig Potter (Elbow) at the helm. For the song, Dermot drew cinematic inspiration from the Withnail & I line "I'll never play The Dane", the song is about realising that the things you aspired to in youth will never come to pass and being at peace with that realisation.

The recurring themes of youth and ageing are apparent in the resplendent lead track ‘You're Gold’ – a heartfelt call for young people to reject materialism and exploitative influencer culture in search of life's deeper meaning, with stylistic nods to The Pixies and early Stereolab.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, "Sepia" explores old age and fading memories through dementia, where the ending descends into chaos like a fragmenting mind. Elements of "Sepia" are foreshadowed in the album's opening track, the instrumental "Pilot Theme", which pays homage to TV theme music, invoking spy thrillers or perhaps something otherworldly from science fiction.

“Offcumdens” is a Calder Valley, Yorkshire term for people who live in the area but come from somewhere else. Hailing from Bury, Lancashire, Morch wrote the song while living in Hebden Bridge (and watching too much Happy Valley) and found himself being an offcumden. It’s a pop at the kind of local nativism which breeds intolerance and an illustration of the sinister rise of wider political populism.

Miniseries' Pilot is just the beginning of the story. Enthralling and atmospheric, the London quintet have created something familiar yet timeless. As singer Doug Morch says, "It's the Miniseries Pilot episode. Like the TV episode a studio makes to test whether it's viable.” In the age of streaming and box-sets, this is an album to truly binge on. We can’t wait to hear what happens next.

Graues Vinyl, limitiert auf 200 Exemplare. Huntdown ist eine Hardcore-Band aus Paris, gegründet im Jahr 2022. Die Mitglieder sind erfahrene Musiker der französischen Szene und bringen Einflüsse von Metallic Hardcore bis Thrash ein. Ihr Sound ist roh, direkt und kompromisslos - Hardcore ohne Schnörkel. 2023 erschien das Demo First Strike, kurz darauf folgte die EP Chasing Demons, aufgenommen im UFO Studio und gemastert von Chris "Zeuss" Harris. Mit wuchtigen Riffs, Breakdowns und intensiver Live-Energie verkörpert Huntdown die Kraft des Hardcore in seiner reinsten Form.

Jeder, der mit dem zähneknirschenden, blutigen Punk-Knurren von Kid Kapichi vertraut ist, kennt ihre „Fearless Nature“, daher sollte es auf den ersten Blick keine Überraschung sein, dass das vierte Album der Band aus Hastings diesen Titel trägt. Der erste veröffentlichte Track, „Stainless Steel“, wird von Frontmann Jack Wilson als Brücke zwischen dem alten und dem neuen Kid Kapichi beschrieben. Mit seiner tödlichen, straffen und kraftvollen Effizienz trägt er zwar eindeutig die Handschrift des klassischen Sounds der Band, aber die Reife seiner Sichtweise und der Mut in seiner Verletzlichkeit sind etwas Neues. Das hört man auf dem gesamten Album „Fearless Nature“, das von Momenten der Selbstzweifel durchzogen ist und von einer Band stammt, die nach Jahren an vorderster Front mutig genug geworden ist, die Einschusslöcher in ihrer Rüstung zu zeigen. „Fearless Nature“ ist auch im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes eine Brücke zu einem neuen Kid Kapichi.

Im Mai 2025 gaben Gitarrist Ben Beetham und Schlagzeuger George Macdonald bekannt, dass sie die Band verlassen würden – eine Entscheidung, die sie bereits etwa sechs Monate zuvor intern getroffen hatten. Die Entscheidung fiel einvernehmlich, und „Fearless Nature“ steht an der Schnittstelle zwischen zwei Generationen: Die Songs wurden mit der alten Besetzung geschrieben, aufgenommen und produziert (Co-Produktion: Beetham und Mike Horner), werden nun aber mit der neuen Besetzung auf Tournee gehen. Gitarrist Lee Martin und Schlagzeuger Miles Gill sind beide langjährige Freunde von Wilson und Bassist Eddie Lewis und Veteranen unzähliger hart spielender Bands auf der Live-Szene im Süden Englands.

Die politische Botschaft der Band mag unverändert geblieben sein, aber mit „Fearless Nature”, das ihr Repertoire erweitert, hat sie nun Gesellschaft bekommen. Ihre Entscheidung, emotionale Komplexität in ihre lyrische Perspektive einfließen zu lassen, ist ein großer Schritt nach vorne, und die Vorteile liegen auf der Hand, aus denen alle Kraft schöpfen können.

Für Fans von: Fontaines DC / Gorillaz / Blur / Yard Act / Soft Play / Demob Happy / Queens of The Stone Age

Jeder, der mit dem zähneknirschenden, blutigen Punk-Knurren von Kid Kapichi vertraut ist, kennt ihre „Fearless Nature“, daher sollte es auf den ersten Blick keine Überraschung sein, dass das vierte Album der Band aus Hastings diesen Titel trägt. Der erste veröffentlichte Track, „Stainless Steel“, wird von Frontmann Jack Wilson als Brücke zwischen dem alten und dem neuen Kid Kapichi beschrieben. Mit seiner tödlichen, straffen und kraftvollen Effizienz trägt er zwar eindeutig die Handschrift des klassischen Sounds der Band, aber die Reife seiner Sichtweise und der Mut in seiner Verletzlichkeit sind etwas Neues. Das hört man auf dem gesamten Album „Fearless Nature“, das von Momenten der Selbstzweifel durchzogen ist und von einer Band stammt, die nach Jahren an vorderster Front mutig genug geworden ist, die Einschusslöcher in ihrer Rüstung zu zeigen. „Fearless Nature“ ist auch im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes eine Brücke zu einem neuen Kid Kapichi.

Im Mai 2025 gaben Gitarrist Ben Beetham und Schlagzeuger George Macdonald bekannt, dass sie die Band verlassen würden – eine Entscheidung, die sie bereits etwa sechs Monate zuvor intern getroffen hatten. Die Entscheidung fiel einvernehmlich, und „Fearless Nature“ steht an der Schnittstelle zwischen zwei Generationen: Die Songs wurden mit der alten Besetzung geschrieben, aufgenommen und produziert (Co-Produktion: Beetham und Mike Horner), werden nun aber mit der neuen Besetzung auf Tournee gehen. Gitarrist Lee Martin und Schlagzeuger Miles Gill sind beide langjährige Freunde von Wilson und Bassist Eddie Lewis und Veteranen unzähliger hart spielender Bands auf der Live-Szene im Süden Englands.

Die politische Botschaft der Band mag unverändert geblieben sein, aber mit „Fearless Nature”, das ihr Repertoire erweitert, hat sie nun Gesellschaft bekommen. Ihre Entscheidung, emotionale Komplexität in ihre lyrische Perspektive einfließen zu lassen, ist ein großer Schritt nach vorne, und die Vorteile liegen auf der Hand, aus denen alle Kraft schöpfen können.

Für Fans von: Fontaines DC / Gorillaz / Blur / Yard Act / Soft Play / Demob Happy / Queens of The Stone Age

Known for their exhilarating live-to-record albums such as last year's critically acclaimed Wood Blues and Giant Beauty, سماع Sama'a (Audition) is the first of two releases that will surface after أحمدAhmed’s first studio recording sessions at North London’s The Fish Factory in early 2025.

Since 2014, Ahmed أحمد have excavated and re-imagined the music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik, in an ever ongoing search for future music. Over a decade on, the group were given the opportunity to set up in the studio for the first time and, with the aid of meticulous engineer Benedic Lamdin, سماع Sama'a (Audition) is the quartet's most detailed work to date.

Fastidious fans may recognise the album's tracklisting as that of Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s Jazz Sahara. After his success collaborating with the pianists Thelonious Monk and Randy Weston, Jazz Sahara was the first record Abdul-Malik made as a leader and was released in 1958. It used the flame of late Fifties jazz to light the wick of North African folk music and acted as a reminder of the Arabic origins of jazz, creating a distinct, unique sound that was far beyond its time. In Malik’s Jazz Sahara, there is no piano. The ongoing work of each member of [Ahmed] then is to think differently, to wonder how the music will work and to take a risk on trying it out - an extraordinarily compelling feat of imagination. Using group improvisation strategies and recording in single takes, سماع [Sama'a] (Audition) tackled the full suite of Jazz Sahara in just one session, with ‘Ya Annas [Oh, People’] and ‘Isma'a [Listen’] being previously unrecorded. 'Farah 'Alaiyna’, also released on 2019’s Super Majnoon, sounds unrecognisable - the slow, heady stomp and repeated phrasing of 2019’s embryonic [Ahmed] having been blast furnaced and sped up four-fold. The result is four kaleidoscopic, relative miniatures that move, unfold and re-imagine at a very different scale and proportion than [Ahmed]’s previous records. It’s a dizzying, euphoric music and an extraordinary record of a group moving through space-time like no other.




[b] Isma'a [Listen]
[c] El Haris [Anxious]
[d] Farah 'Alaiyna [Joy Upon Us]


[b] b1 Isma'a [Listen]
[c] c1 El Haris [Anxious]
[d] d1 Farah 'Alaiyna [Joy Upon Us]


[b] b1 | Isma'a [Listen]
[c] c1 | El Haris [Anxious]
[d] d1 | Farah 'Alaiyna [Joy Upon Us]

MidnightRoba is the solo project of vocalist, songwriter and producer Roba El-Essawy. The voice of Attica Blues (Mo Wax 1997, Sony 2000), Raise A Symphony is MidnightRoba's second solo album. Her first album, Golden Seams, very much rooted in jazz, received support, airplay and features from DJs such as Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 6), Tony Minvielle and China Moses (Jazz FM), Robert Elms (BBC London Live) and Kevin Le Gendre on J to Z (BBC Radio 3). Single releases from this second album have been played by Gilles Peterson (WorldWideFM & BBC Radio 6), Kate Hutchinson (Soho Radio), Marshmello (NTS), Rob Luis (Tru Thoughts), Kev Beadle, Patrick Steele, DJ Amazon, and more.

'Raise A Symphony' is music of our time. A 15-track electronic offering, it comments on topics ranging from colonialism to complicity of silence; from compromised politicians to the power of protest and gratitude to those on the frontlines of change; from displacement and sea migration to the desire to protect our loved ones and the need for kindness; to have faith in the future and the importance of searching for joy in the meantime. The self-produced album 'Raise A Symphony' sees contributions from Saul Williams, Deschanel Gordon, Michael King and Tony Kofi, amongst others. The album title takes it's name from Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech where King calls for the nation to rise to gather together and form a 'beautiful symphony of brotherhood'.

"..in Raise A Symphony, Midnight Roba has transmuted talent into something more powerful, where bridges built from her exquisite, unique harmonies, soaring songs and percussive productions allow competing emotions to co-exist and feed into each other. This album itself is a form of community; voices in unison, reaching outwards and offering restoration and upliftment throughout this remarkable work of love and fury." Emma Warren



a 01: Joy (Reprise) [feat. Deschanel Gordon]

Motor city royalty Floorplan, aka Detroit techno pioneer and creator of minimal techno Robert Hood and his DJ/producer daughter Lyric Hood, announce their forthcoming inclusion in the deeply respected ‘fabric presents’ mix series with the release of their new single ‘You’re A Shining Star’, out now. The full mix drops on digital/vinyl/CD via fabric records on 28th November.

Robert has been a long-standing fabric favourite since the institution's earliest years, clocking up over 20 sets in Room 2, including a live session on New Year's Eve, 2012. In 2008, he'd turn in Fabric 39 which is among the most revered contributions to the fabric mix canon. Now, with the forthcoming ‘fabric presents Floorplan’ mix, the story comes full circle - marking both the duo’s debut on the iconic mix series and a monumental moment for the family project.

About Floorplan: Emerging from a musically rich Detroit upbringing steeped in Motown and vinyl culture, Robert Hood became an early member of the seminal ’90s collective Underground Resistance, helping to spearhead the rise of techno. Going solo, Hood created minimal techno with his Minimal Nation LP. Groundbreaking productions, acclaimed performances, and his own M-plant label followed, until in ’96 he formed Floorplan - an alter ego to expand beyond minimal techno into gospel, soul and house-infused techno. Immersed in music from an early age, Lyric eventually caught the same electronic spark that’s driven her father for decades. In 2014, after the release of Hood’s debut Floorplan album Paradise, the project evolved as the then-16-year-old Lyric joined him to perform as Floorplan, including a supreme closing set at Dekmantel’s Boiler Room stage. Two years later, Lyric officially became a full member of Floorplan, cementing their father–daughter collaboration, and they’d release their co-produced album Victorious on M-Plant that same year.

After the release of her highest charting album to date in 2024, Elles Bailey is back with brand new album "Can"t Take My Story Away". Fiercely independent, the British singer-songwriter has been steadily honing her craft for the better part of a decade. Her magnificent voice - instantly recognisable, full of grit - weaves stories of resilience and survival, of hope and new beginnings. In her music, we find liberation as she picks at the threads of human connection, carefully unravelling the truths we might not have realised about ourselves. Produced by Luke Potashnick and recorded with a stellar lineup of musicians separate from her live band, the eleven tracks of "Can"t Take My Story Away" tie together to form the album Elles has been destined to make. An honest and vulnerable glimpse into Elles" story, the record was created over a three year period, using songswhose origins can be traced back almost 10 years, "Can"t Take My Story Away" is Elles" life placed carefully together to form a dazzling, kaleidoscopic story.

After the release of her highest charting album to date in 2024, Elles Bailey is back with brand new album "Can"t Take My Story Away". Fiercely independent, the British singer-songwriter has been steadily honing her craft for the better part of a decade. Her magnificent voice - instantly recognisable, full of grit - weaves stories of resilience and survival, of hope and new beginnings. In her music, we find liberation as she picks at the threads of human connection, carefully unravelling the truths we might not have realised about ourselves. Produced by Luke Potashnick and recorded with a stellar lineup of musicians separate from her live band, the eleven tracks of "Can"t Take My Story Away" tie together to form the album Elles has been destined to make. An honest and vulnerable glimpse into Elles" story, the record was created over a three year period, using songswhose origins can be traced back almost 10 years, "Can"t Take My Story Away" is Elles" life placed carefully together to form a dazzling, kaleidoscopic story.

Ltd. Orange Vinyl Finnish powerhouse Bloodred Hourglass (BRHG) return with their seventh studio album “We Should Be Buried Like This”, a bold and unrelenting statement from a band that has steadily evolved into one of the most commanding forces in modern death metal. Hailing from Mikkeli, BRHG have long stood out for their ability to merge the ferocity of thrash and groove metal with the immersive soundscapes of metalcore, alternative metal, and melodic death. Their music is as dynamic and emotionally resonant as it is heavy and entertaining - a mix that has earned them critical acclaim, a devoted international fanbase, and a reputation for explosive live performances. On “We Should Be Buried Like This”, the band takes their darkest, most unfiltered turn yet. Described as “a work of end-time songs,” this album does not aim to comfort or explain. It’s a raw, confrontational piece built around the slow erosion of hope, the fading of love, the repetition of generational mistakes, and a world defined by self-obsession, disconnection, and indifference. “There’s no pleading, no sugarcoating,” the band explains. “We’re not here to prove anything. This is an album born from an urgent drive to rip things open and say them as they are.” Musically, “We Should Be Buried Like This” is the most aggressive and straightforward album BRHG have ever crafted, yet it never loses sight of the unmistakable melodic power that defines their sound. With searing riffs, explosive energy, and sweeping emotional depth, the album pulses with intensity from start to finish. Guest appearances and fresh sonic elements are woven throughout, yet the band remains firmly rooted in the signature style they’ve spent years perfecting.

Die Jimi Barbiani Band ist das aktuelle Projekt des italienischen Blues-Rock-Slide-Gitarristen Jimi Barbiani, der zu den besten seines Fachs in Europa zählt. Sein Stil ist geprägt von den Einflüssen Jimi Hendrix", Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck, Free und Gov"t Mule. Die einzigartige Soundmischung der Band entsteht in der Wechselwirkung der unterschiedlichen Persönlichkeiten ihrer Mitglieder. Eine treibende Rhythmus-Sektion legt den Teppich für das fulminante und beeindruckende Gitarrenspiel des Maestros. Die drei Alben der Band ("Back On The Tracks", "Blue Side" und "Boogie Down The Road - Live!") verkauften sich nicht nur in seiner Heimat sehr gut, sondern fanden auch in den USA ihre Liebhaber. Videos von Jimi Barbiani erreichen mitunter Klickzahlen von über 500.000 Views. Bevor es im Winter/Frühjahr 2026 wieder auf Tournee durch Europa geht - es stehen auch einige Festivals an - erscheint mit "Still In Love" der neue Longplayer auf CD, Vinyl und natürlich digital. Kernstück des Albums ist die fast achtminütige Version von Prince" "Purple Rain". Hier zieht Barbiani alle Register - das Genie aus Minnesota hätte seine Freude daran gehabt. Der JBB beherrscht aber auch durchaus leisere und sanftere Töne, wie der verträumte akustische Instrumentaltrack "Little Martha" zeigt. Das anfänglich leicht schleppende "Spend Me Your Light" hingegen versprüht reichlich Southern-Feeling, während bei "We Must Dream" dem Boogie gehuldigt wird - irgendwo zwischen Canned Heat und ZZ Top. Wer auf bodenständigen, eingängigen Bluesrock steht, ist hier richtig.

ugne&maria is a collaboration between Marija Rasa Kudabaite and Ugnė Vyliaudaite, both residing in Belgium. Their musical style is characterised by a multilayered, down-tempo, yet danceable approach, incorporating violin, synthesizers and sampling techniques.

We were completely blown away by the duo’s live performance at Meakusma Festival in August 2024. It was one of those rare moments when time seemed to stand still: the music, the atmosphere and the audience merged into a single warm, smooth and radiant aura of positive energy and vibes. This experience made us want to share such exceptional talent on Hands in the Dark and we are over the moon to announce the release of ugne&maria’s new album ‘Zotasphere’, dropping on 16th January 2026.

The 8 songs featured on the record came together slowly, bit by bit. Diary-like, each track reflects on different moments and life events that have followed ugne&maria over the past couple of years. Layers of sound and layers of memory are interlaced into the album, an embodiment of all that feels distant, yet still present. Most of the tracks move around a steady, unhurried pulse, never faster than 120 bpm. Some tracks even ended up being intentionally slowed down, as if the music itself wished to breathe more, mirroring life’s natural pace, with elements stretching, shifting and decelerating. Focused on bass and rhythm, influenced by the depth and warmth of classic house and low-end music, ugne&maria let the sounds drift elsewhere. The violin became a voice, the voice became a texture.

Selbst in einer Karriere voller krasser Wendungen war ,Joggers & Smoggers" (1989) echt überraschend. Während ,Aural Guerilla" (1988) ein Versuch war, die verrückte Live-Energie der Band im Studio einzufangen, was echt gut geklappt hat, war der Nachfolger ,Joggers & Smoggers" ein Versuch, fast alle Grenzen zu ignorieren. Diese 34 Songs strotzen vor grenzenlosem Eklektizismus und verbinden die legendäre Intensität der Band mit spielerischen Umwegen, literarischen Erfindungen und Referenzen sowie erfolgreichen Kollaborationen (von den Noise-Rockern Thurston Moore und Lee Ranaldo bis hin zu den in Amsterdam ansässigen Improvisatoren Ab Baars und Wolter Wierbos und einer Reihe bereits bekannter Freunde und Verbündeter). Das Ergebnis ist nicht mehr eine streng ausgeführte Reihe von Songs, sondern ein großzügiger Ausbruch von Kreativität. Auf diesem Doppelalbum kombiniert The Ex Unruhe, Verspieltheit, ethnische Einflüsse und improvisatorische Ideen, wie sie bereits auf Veröffentlichungen wie ,Dignity Of Labour" (1983) und ,Blueprints For a Blackout" (1984) angedeutet wurden. Das Ergebnis ist ihr bis dahin umfangreichstes und einzigartigstes Album, vielleicht eine ihrer wirklich ,wichtigsten Veröffentlichungen", die die Grundlage für ihre bevorstehende Zusammenarbeit mit Tom Cora bildete.

Westside Cowboy return with their new EP ‘So Much Country Till’ We Get There”, released January 16th via their new label home Adventure Recordings. With their particular blend of self-titled ‘Britainicana’ the Manchester-based four piece have been heralded as one of the best live bands in the country, winning Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition, and appearing as a regular fixture on the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist.

Crypt of the Wizard is proud to present Ginger Wizard - The Curious Flora and Fauna of the Ancient World on vinyl and digital formats.
About ten years ago in a record store in Prague, the Ginger Wizard discovered a copy of Bo Hansson’s Lord of the Rings LP. Although initially unfamiliar with the record, the reference to Tolkien’s masterwork and the incredible cover art drew him in and, rather fittingly, sent him off on a journey of discovery that would reshape his creative trajectory.
Years later while working in cassette tape manufacturing, Ginger Wizard noticed that most fantasy-inspired music fell into two camps: metal and dungeon synth. With little interest in the former, but intrigued by the latter, he began writing a few songs imagining a beautifully packaged and tactile cassette tape. However, dungeon synth he soon realized was “the most boring music to make”.
So began the Ginger Wizard’s own mythological discography. In 2022 came The Feast for the Dead King and Other Musical Themes recorded at home in a cold kitchen, is conversely an album full of warmth drawn from sheer exploration. A year later Can I Choose My Own Psychopompos? was recorded for the legendary Stoned to Death label - a 7” séance of semi-improvised noise and melody featuring allies from the Ginger Wizard’s live backing band The Peter Jacksons. The following year with Bathysburg Tales, a new approach was needed in order to keep the project interesting. Drawing inspiration from Popol Vuh and the inclusion of vocals lent by Protomartyr’s Joe Casey and Jakob Battick, a new more cinematic sound began to emerge.
Now, we present The Curious Flora and Fauna of the Ancient World marking a step into something stranger while still channeling the spirit of Bo Hansson. The new album rejects swords and sorcery for the mythology of the natural world “the ancient stuff,” he explains in the record’s insert, “has a similar taste for me as fantasy.” These songs bloom, creep, and shimmer like forgotten plants under distant suns while rooted in something real and organic. Inspired by the myths of nature rather than heroic quests, it’s an album that feels alive, equal parts archaeological dig and psychedelic garden.
Currently at work on a soundtrack for an imagined 1970s fantasy film in collaboration with The Peter Jacksons, the Ginger Wizard continues to expand his strange universe while The Curious Flora and Fauna of the Ancient World serves as a new map to somewhere ancient, beautiful, and unknown.

The Sha La Das are Bill Schalda and his talented sons Paul, Will and Carmine, originating from Staten Island, NY.
Your Picture, the Sha La Das’ second album and the first release on producer Tom Brenneck's own label, Diamond West Records, is yet another singular testament to the stirring power of blood harmony and a celebration of the enduring love story between Bill and the family matriarch, Linda.
Traces of old memories flicker through Your Picture. Bill’s classic songwriting and lush vocal arrangements get whirled into new territory, updating doo-wop with the bottom-heavy groove and swirling pop of Brenneck’s lean, spacious production. “We brought in some psychedelic sounds and drew inspiration from deep soul records to the Beatles and Beach Boys alike,” Brenneck says.
Love radiates throughout Your Picture, flowing out from the shimmering melodies Bill and his sons produce. Bill Schalda and sons are living their musical dream—Your Picture is the proof.

The record captures the raw electricity of their live performances while revealing surprising moments of melody and restraint. Tracks like "Bastard," "Reptilian Brain" and "Professionalism Debunked" showcase the band's volatile edge, while "Holy Building Tourist" offers a brief but memorable shift in tone. The result is a cohesive and unpredictable debut that positions Volk Soup as one of the most inventive underground bands emerging from Leeds

Their sound was sharp, tense and emotionally immediate, and though short-lived, the band remained a memorable part of the Midwest DIY scene. The original self-titled CD was released on the underground label Ed Walters Records in 2003 , circulating primarily through shows and the regional emo/ math- rock community. Dipterid Records now brings the material to vinyl for the first time with the self-titled 10". The updated 10" artwork pays homage to the original CD design while being rebuilt to better suit the new format. After MRB ended, members went on to form Denude and later Thyone , continuing the same lineage of heavy, math- leaning Midwest underground music

Its members have deep roots in 90s and 2000s mixed-bill shows, basement gigs, and tours that crossed paths with the broader Midwest DIY network. Collectively they've played in projects like Towers, Stillwell, Engines, Ghost Towns, Sore History and others, giving The Feat a seasoned musical identity that blends melodic punk, indie rock and emo without fitting cleanly into any single lane. Their songwriting leans heavily into emotional grit, sharp guitar work and the kind of lived-in perspective that comes from decades in the community

THE ART GRAY NOIZZ QUINTET is spearheaded by twisted Australian guitar legend STU-ART GRAY, most notoriously known as STU SPASM of LUBRICATED GOAT, CRUNT, SALAMANDER JIM, and THE BEASTS OF BOURBON. Adding another crazed chapter to an already solidly sordid musical history, THE ART GRAY NOIZZ QUINTET stars some of the finest scoundrels of the New York City underground scene - SKELETON BOY of WOMAN on two-string bass, NIKKI D'AGOSTINO on sax, and veteran drummer RICH HUTCHINS of LIVE SKULL providing the savage, swinging beat. A rotating roulette of characters swagger into the second guitar slot as needed, each showcasing their particular specialty - twang, treble, or atmosphere. Stuart Gray's wayward path through the flashpoints of noise, grunge, and swamp-rock history is well-represented in the Quintet's sound - chaos with a cinematic edge. Sharing stages with kindred spirits such as THE SCIENTISTS and MUDHONEY got the attention of audiences early on. Their recordings and incendiary gigs throughout the New York scene and beyond soon caught the eye of the infamous LYDIA LUNCH, and it was only a matter of time before a new collaboration was born . . . Now, THE ART GRAY NOIZZ QUINTET collide with the queen of no wave LYDIA LUNCH on a new two-fisted ten-inch single . . . Melting the MAGAZINE classic "PERMAFROST", and grinding out an apocalyptic version of IGGY POP's "MASS PRODUCTION". Only on IN THE RED RECORDS! "Speaking of noise, that’s kind of Stu Spasm’s thing — from LUBRICATED GOAT in the late 1980s, to his current project, THE ART GRAY NOIZZ QUINTET. This elder statesman of clamor hasn’t lost his touch." - THE NEW YORK TIMES

Beautifully remastered and presented 3LP set of exceptional Kanzai psych. Truly classic and very essential business. This stuff melts your heart, brain and face simultaneously..

Temporal Drift presents the first-ever officially sanctioned reissue of celebrated Japanese cult band Les Rallizes Dénudés’ three albums, originally compiled and released in limited quantities on CD in 1991. Led by the enigmatic Takashi Mizutani, Les Rallizes Dénudés has gained an almost mythical status the world over with their delicate balancing act between transcendent psychedelia and pure sonic assault, maintaining its status as an underground phenomenon throughout their three decade existence and beyond.

‘67-’69 STUDIO et LIVE, MIZUTANI / Les Rallizes Dénudés, and ‘77 LIVE are the only albums released during Les Rallizes Dénudés’ lifetime, between its formation in 1967 at Doshisha University in Kyoto to its last-ever show in 1996 at Club Citta in Kawasaki. Produced by Mizutani, the three discs collectively provide a window into the (in)famously impenetrable band’s first decade of existence.

‘77 LIVE is an explosive live set from Tokyo that captures the glorious noise of the Rallizes at their full potential. Recorded on March 12, 1977 at Tachikawa Social Education Hall in Tachikawa, Tokyo, ‘77 LIVE showcases Mizutani’s unmistakable, overdriven, feedback-drenched guitar, played on a newly purchased Gibson SG, soon to become his signature ax. Includes wholly transformed versions of “Memory is Far Away” and “The Last One” reaching the kind of highs that no unsuspecting listener could have imagined coming from Mizutani or the Rallizes just a few years prior, as heard on ‘67-’69 STUDIO et LIVE and MIZUTANI / Les Rallizes Dénudés.

Produced in collaboration with The Last One Musique, the new label set up by former members and associates of Les Rallizes Dénudés, ‘77 LIVE features newly remastered audio by former Rallizes member Makoto Kubota and new liner notes by Yuasa Manabu.

Pioneering experimental electronic record receives first-ever complete vinyl pressing, featuring expanded content and exclusive liner notes.

Editions Mego release the highly anticipated vinyl reissue of Get Out, the groundbreaking second album by Peter Rehberg under his influential PITA moniker. Originally released in 1999, this seminal work stands as a landmark achievement in experimental electronic music, praised for its revolutionary fusion of ear-splitting noise and melancholic melodies. Moving beyond the era's trend of pure abstraction, Get Out represents a pivotal moment when experimental electronic music began exploring new territories laying forth a path which many artists would subsequently follow.

This expansive reissue marks a significant milestone for collectors and enthusiasts, presenting all 12 tracks from the 2008 eMego CD version on vinyl for the first time. The inclusion of the rare Detroit live recording (remastered by Jim O’Rourke) provides invaluable insight into PITA's performance practice during the album's original touring cycle, whilst new liner notes from Jim O'Rourke and Chris Clepper provide further personal and anecdotal insight.

Since its original release, Get Out has been recognized as essential listening for understanding the evolution of experimental electronic music in the late 20th century. This authoritative reissue ensures that Rehberg's visionary work remains accessible to new audiences while providing longtime admirers with the definitive version of this crucial album.

The vinyl comes with a DL code which contains a 20 minute live performance in Kyoto, Metro, 25.01.1999.

This new chapter marks Gordon’s first solo release as Leaving Laurel - a deeply personal and instinctive body of work born from a period of rediscovery. The record began as an open exploration of whatever music naturally came through, a process that became both freeing and revealing to Gordon. The album is a wordless love story told through sound. An emotional arc that mirrors the stages of falling for someone: the spark, the curiosity, the vulnerability, and the quiet realisation that your heart has opened without you even noticing. The album carries an uplifting, hopeful energy, reflecting both personal growth and newfound love - ‘our lives entwined' is a tribute to Gordon’s journey of finding “the one.” Following the loss that inspired ‘when the quiet comes’, Gordon’s eulogy to his late friend and musical partner Pierce, this album finds light emerging from grief. Where the previous record lingered in somber reflection, this album begins in that same emotional landscape but quickly blooms into something more vibrant and full of life. The opening track transitions from the cold, atmospheric tones of mourning into a more radiant energy - a sonic awakening symbolising the shift that came after meeting someone who changed everything. Sonically, the record expands Leaving Laurel's signature sound while embracing new textures. Gordon moved away from the lo-fi experimentation of earlier works, leaning instead into a more expressive palette driven by synths and fresh instrumentation, while still preserving the nostalgic warmth that defines Leaving Laurel. The result is a collection that feels both renewed and rooted - a reflection of growth, optimism, and the timeless beauty of connection.

Brussels-based accordionist Suzan Peeters releases her debut album Cassotto on the Belgian label blickwinkel. With Cassotto, she opens a door into a hidden chamber of sound. The title refers to the “cassotto” — a small resonating chamber inside the accordion that warms, softens, and deepens its tone. Listening to this record feels as if you’ve stepped into that room yourself, enveloped in a world where intimacy and grandeur collide.

Although this is her first release, Peeters is already recognised as one of the most promising names in Belgium’s experimental music scene. Her distinctive live shows — from leading venues across Belgium to a packed Café Oto in London — have earned her a reputation for combining accordion, electronics and unconventional objects such as a massage board into a compelling whole where contrasts come together in an unexpected way. Cassotto captures this approach in recorded form, giving listeners the same sense of immediacy as her concerts, but framed within the intimate space suggested by the album’s title.

While the cassotto chamber naturally gives the accordion a soft and velvety voice, Peeters harnesses that warmth to explore extremes — from hushed detail to bold, expansive gestures that fill the room. As such, the album moves between the acoustic and the electronic, the tender and the abrasive, the static and the dynamic, the traditional and the experimental.

With Cassotto, Suzan Peeters presents a debut that places the accordion at the centre of an adventurous and contemporary sound world — one that invites to discover how far an accordion can reach when tradition and imagination intertwine.

Suzan Peeters (*1999) is a Belgian accordionist, composer, and experimentalist. She is constantly looking for new timbres and sound textures within the accordion, pushing its acoustic spectrum to its limits by manipulating the interplay between her body and the body of her instrument.
Suzan studied classical accordion at KASK & Conservatorium in Ghent and at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. She is currently studying Live Electronics at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

‘No Fixed Point In Space’, the third full-length album by Jack Cooper’s Modern Nature, takes the palette of sound and themes that were honed on 2021’s ‘Island Of Noise’ and launches them into an expansive world of openness and vivid technicolour.

It’s a music that hasn’t been heard before; as melodic as anything Cooper has produced but framed by rhythms and instrumentation that reflect the chaos, unpredictability and colour of the natural world.

Certain moorings - woodwind, percussion, strings and Cooper’s lambent voice - are still present and recognisable from No Fixed Point In Space’s predecessor, ‘Island Of Noise’, but the new record marks a shift to utilising musical notation as a point of departure, from which the group explore the space around suggested notes and rhythms to create a semiimprovised, semi-composed ensemble performance.

These explorations of partly organised chance were recorded live and directly to tape.

This approach gives the music a remarkably fresh feel; songs pulse and evolve. The changes between movements, verse and choruses are almost all ambiguous. During the album’s opener, ‘Tonic’, a verse of hushed brevity washes away into a passage of overwhelmingly vibrant orchestration.

CD in four-panel digisleeve with 10-panel booklet with lyrics. LP pressed on 140g black vinyl with printed inner
sleeve and stamped postcard.

Reissue of the 3rd full length by Thomas Bücker aka Bersarin Quartett.

Melancholia. Longing. It is difficult to speak about these moods or states of the mind without invoking stereotypes. In ancient medicine, melancholia was considered to be one of the four temperaments, matching the four humours. In fact, melancholia, meaning "black bile" in Ancient Greek, was thought to be caused by an excess of this very body substance. By contrast, in more modern interpretations, literates and Freudians relate many variations of longing to the one primordial longing, the desire to return to one's mother's womb. In this context, the womb is considered to be the place of absolute comfort and cosiness, of total bliss. Thus it should not be surprising that to many of us melancholia is a mood which we like to invoke and to maintain, we like to envelop ourselves in it like in a warm blanket. Our brain and our sensory systems appear to be made for perceiving and emotionally responding to music in a very immediate fashion. Consequently music is the obvious drug for all of us melancholia-addicts. However, there is a thin line between melancholia and sadness, and music which is meant to be melancholic too often crosses this line by far. Only very few artists succeed in avoiding this crossing, and in creating music which is melancholia in its most pure form. It is safe to say that BERSARIN QUARTETT - the electronic music project of Thomas Bücker - is one of them.

After his debut in 2008 and the sophomore "II" in 2012 - album of the month in many magazines and in numerous "Best of the year" lists - Bücker in 2015 returned with his third BERSARIN QUARTETT album "III". Much like his two predecessors, III is a pure paradox. It is the creation of a perfectionist, an adamant control freak. Every element, be it a note, an ambience layer, a string arrangement, a field recording, a baseline, a vocal (Clara Hill on Track 11) or a beat, is meticulously modified and then assigned its place in Bücker's vast but still minimalistic arrangements. Thus, superficially Bücker's pieces seem to radiate a certain mechanical bleakness. However, there is a unique reduced warmth and liveliness emerging from these stainless compositions and transcending them. This transcendence is precisely the point where Bücker ironically looses control over his creations. In contrast to the first two BERSARIN QUARTETT albums, III offers a few darker shades and succeeds even further in narrowing down the arrangements to the absolute essentials without loosing the characteristic grandeur of Bücker's sound. Whereas BERSARIN QUARTETT's debut was merely a description of melancholia in its most pure form, III maybe even goes as far a defining what melancholia really is. It is the only emotion in the vast spectrum of human states of mind which one can bear forever.

NPVR is the avant garde duo made up of the late Peter Rehberg and Nik Void. Editions Mego is proud to present their second and final release. No this is not some kind of Beatles synthetic AI that raises the dead reconstructed recordings but rather a new album made by the humans and their machines.

The initial meeting of Rehberg and Void was in London in 2016 and despite or due to their mutual awkwardness found solace and compatibility in the fact that they both had a similar electronic modular set up, along with matching cases to transport all. The idea to collaborate was an obvious and organic process as a means to connect their individual gear together and observe the outcome. The fruits of these initial experiments, recorded in London, resulted in the playful experimentation of their acclaimed 2017 release 33 33 (eMego 251).

Now in 2024 Editions Mego presents the logically titled follow up, 33 34. These sessions were recorded six months after the initial recordings at Peter’s home in Vienna. This was planned out as a mirror city release to the original London recordings. With Peter having access to his full studio set up this time around we encounter a rich audio landscape which organically folds together a variety of musical genres blurring any distinction between these forms so the resulting music hovers as a new cloud of sound. Any musical form, be it industrial, electro-acoustic, ambient, drone and techno all coexist and melt into the other as the ensuing result unveils a hypnotic swarm of divergent sounds (music). When active there were no lines or contexts with NPVR, either between sound or genre within these recordings or live where NPVR were at home playing at a techno club one night and an avant garde venue the next.

The initial session of these recordings was edited by Rehberg and sent to Void to further develop. Over time the final versions were agreed on and then shelved as other outside projects took over. The awkwardness had been surmounted and the two had become close friends. NPVR performed at a range of venues such as Tresor, Sutton House, Corsica, Blitz, Paris GRM #Focus2, LEV Festival and Rigas Skanumezs Festival. Following Rehberg’s untimely passing Void had difficulty listening back to the sessions but eventually thought it fit to complete and release this album, of which even the artwork (like 33 33, an image from Zurich photographer, Georg Gatsas) had been decided upon prior to Rehberg parting ways.

There is an unmistakable joy to these recordings. One encounters an enthralling exploration of their chosen machines which conveys the excitement of what can be randomly conjured when people speak through such devices. There is no grand statement or argument here, just the sheer thrill of creation and the recorded results of random encounters. The art of collaboration was always a mainstay of Rehberg’s practice from the advent of the MEGO adventure. Rehberg & Bauer was an initial collaboration with former business partner Ramon Bauer. Even at this stage one can hear a relaxed sense of delight in the sheer discovery of sound.

A mix made for the Wire magazine following the release of 33 33 hints at the freedom that comes with endless urge for exploration and discovery. Abstract tracks from Z'EV. Jérôme Noetinger and Jung An Tagen are included alongside British stalwarts The Fall and New Order. There were no lines between pop / academic / underground or mainstream in Rehberg’s world. All of it sat at the same table. It is just matter in the atmosphere, like the diverse exploration found in these recordings that comprise 33 34.

Towards the end of his life Rehberg was obsessing over the immense output of the German ambient musician Pete Namlook. An artist renowned for not only his sprawling catalogue of ambient masterpieces but one who often said his main inspiration was nature. This is apt with regards to the work of NPVR which also aligns with such thought as the intertwining of the two individual artists and their machines results in a natural symbiotic flow, as it happens, just like in the world around us.

blickwinkel welcomes composer and multi-instrumentalist Francis Plagne to the label with a reissue of Asleep in a beached boat, an album that was initially released on his own Mould/Mouse Museum label in 2021 on cassette. The album was mostly given away to friends but now gets a wider release through a limited vinyl and digital edition.

Gentle melodies set an airy atmosphere and are intertwined with tensive dialogs between rhythms and textures coming from a wide array of acoustic and electronic instruments. Stylistically somewhere in between his Rural Objects (Black Truffle) and Udge (Horn of Plenty), on the eleven tracks on this album we hear Plagne in his most playful way to date.

Francis Plagne is a musician from Melbourne, Australia whose work swings between songwriting and a variety of other approaches, including group improvisation, instrumental abstraction, and domestic musique concrète. He performed live regularly since 2005 and has released recordings on labels such as Black Truffle, Horn of Plenty, Kye Records, Penultimate Press and his own Mould/Mouse Museum micro-label. In addition to performing his own work either solo or with a band, he has performed and recorded in improvised and other arrangements with Tetuzi Akiyama, Oren Ambarchi, Andrew Chalk, Crys Cole, James Rushford, and Joe Talia, among others.

Peter Rehberg is known for his pioneering electronic work with computer software which over time evolved into a modular set up alongside running MEGO and then Editions Mego labels.

Rehberg was a prolific collaborator, with other musicians and with contemporary dance and theatre productions, most notably with French artist and choreographer, Gisèle Vienne with whom he created a series of soundtracks from Showroomdummies, released under the name DACM in 2002 (Showroomdummies MEGO 056), to Crowd in 2017. A collection of Rehberg’s solo works for Vienne was released in 2008 (Work for GV 2004-2008 EMEGO 092). The outfit KTL, with Stephen O’Malley, was initiated by Gisèle Vienne for her work Kindertotenlieder and subsequently made a series of soundtracks for Vienne’s works branching off into a prolific series of live shows. The work Rehberg did for theatre and performance teased out aspects of his practice one may not have encountered in his own solo work as PITA or that of collaborations with other musicians.

Editions Mego is proud to present a previously unreleased theatre soundtrack made for Icelandic choreographer Margrét Sara Guðjónsdóttir, whom Rehberg had a decade long collaboration with until his untimely passing in 2021. The original composition for Liminal States was created by Rehberg for the performance Pervasive Magnetic Stimuli in 2018 and then revisited as a catalyst for the concepts behind Liminal States. This work is based on an ongoing artistic research conducted by the choreographer into altered states of perception through phenomenological embodiment. It is the last in a trilogy dealing with the notion of larger forces that act on us beyond our conscious mind. The trilogy consists of Pervasive Magnetic Stimuli (2018), Boundless Ominous Fields (2024) and now Liminal States (2024).

Rehberg's score for Liminal States is a vast canvas of spectral ambience at once tangible and unfathomable in its constantly shapeshifting lysergic dread. The results are a psychological journey through the mental effects of sound on space and subsequently the mind. The first part presents cascading waves of shimmering electronics laying the groundwork for the second part where the psychological illusion splinters into all manner of sonic effects taking the listener on a deep mental voyage. If references are witnessed the late period long form hallucinatory works of Coil, such as Time Machines and Constant shallowness leads to evil, are amongst a similar mind message delivered here. Unlike any other release in Rehberg’s output Liminal States is a single long form work which, despite the form, retains Rehberg’s idiosyncratic sound vision.

Guðjónsdóttir and Rehberg’s collaboration blurs that relationship into a greater force which truly enables the theme of liminal states to unfold in a brave new fashion. Rich in timbre and sonic invention this is powerful work easily holding its own outside of the intended performance whilst still complimenting the missions statement entirely. This profound collaboration has the cumulative effect where the concept and soundtrack are one and may be one of the strongest works in the entire Rehberg canon.