Pop & Rock News

Stirred up from deep within, from an abstract spiral of sound and movement, from a sensation of time and space absolving and converging at once, the Black Flower musicians have molded a tangible matter: the album Artifacts. Their second full album sounds international and ageless. Eastern influences, Ethiodub and jazz effortlessly merge. Fantasy and reality seem to fuse. In a word: nourishment for body and soul.

"Psyche-delicious and accessible 20th century Ethiodubjazz. As if John Zorn put on Fela Kuti's shoes and imbibed Mulatu Astatke's whirls."

Piloted by saxophonist /flutist /composer Nathan Daems (Ragini Trio, Dijf Sanders, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra), this instrumental band aims for originality. Fellow musicians and 'brothers down the road' are Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico) on cornet, Simon Segers (Absynthe Minded, De Beren Gieren, Stadt) at the drums, Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra) at the bass and Wouter Haest (Los Callejeros, Voodoo Boogie) playing keys.

For many of us, the Ethiopian aspect once made known to the world by Mulatu Astatke will stand out. Still, Black Flower further adds oriental scales, Afrobeat à la Fela Kuti, jazz in a John Zorn way and varied western music traditions such as rock and dub. The resulting melting pot is undoubtedly inspired by Nathan's distant travels and the multifariously colorful city of Brussels.

...Pretty legit if you ask me - LeFto, Studio Brussel

After their well-received debut album Abyssinia Afterlife (2014, W.E.R.F. / Zephyrus Records) that created an atmosphere of mythical figures and psychedelia, Black Flower now reflects on ancient and modern cultures. The album title Artifacts refers to centuries-old fragile objects or tools that empowered the development of human culture. The world today would look entirely different without those artifacts. The seemingly brittle suddenly becomes a powerful welding cornerstone. Add the musicians' personal musical backgrounds and the result is an album with an ageless mystique. Artifacts is the synthesis of different cultures, of the past and present, and personal and collective memories. It is the soundtrack to modern reality, based on the elements that connect us.

Brilliant - Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 6

One of Belgium's Best Bands of these past years (...) Black Flower does not simply play a tune, they always groove! - Kurt Overbergh, Ancienne Belgique

Uncomplicated originality, plenty of space for fantasy and an organic tone: those are the ingredients for Black Flower to lay claim to an age-old human ritual: dancing! Still, Black Flower also stands out in various other settings. Their audience at a jazz club will have felt exalted, their audience at a late-night show will not have resisted dancing. The band wields influence over their surroundings in a way only heart-and-soul musicians can. This mastery has repeatedly taken them to United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

Mike Kitcher's Processed Snippets falls firmly into the category of new exotica, a music created from a very specific location that becomes placeless through abstraction.
Kitcher reworks moments recorded from the SWP Records re-mastered release of Congo
Traditional 1952 & 1957, a collection of recordings by Hugh Tracey. Tracey, a pioneering documenter of traditional music across the continent of Africa was notable for the extent of his travels and the breadth of his work, as well as his technique of live mixing multi-instrumental tracks with a hand-held microphone.
This method produces tracks that focus on specific instruments with a shifting of foreground and background. In his work he, aimed to reflect the listening experience in the field. Kitcher's album reflects on Tracey's process by limiting each track to a limited sample and using basic EQ-ing alongside only one software processor: IRCAM's 'the scrub'. He foreshortens the landscape, by zooming in onto moments of breath, the moment of the release of contact from the instrument, bursts of silence, or processed modifications that transform vocals into the echo of ivory horns.
Within this magnified view, the richness of the original material is turned over and seen from an array of angles.
Kitcher notes that 'inflections, harmony, expression, and pulsing modulations all grab my attention, frequently expressed through voice, conical drums, luma pipes or lamellaphones, among other instruments.'

One off German studio project with spoken word and electronics. More info to follow!

Alter is the new album from Belgium-based double bass player and electronic producer Otto Lindholm.
Divided into four colour-inspired, long-form movements, Alter takes off from Lindholm's previous work - a self-titled album released in 2015 on Icarus Records, and pushes the already abundant palette of sounds even further. This new work is more brooding and hypnotic. A deep, resonating bass is present - hinting at the likes of Greek, chamber-doom merchants Mohammad but perhaps with more attention placed upon textures and melody.
The record moves at a funereal pace and opener Fauve hits abyssal depths from the outset. A bowed melody is coaxed through the throbbing bass with dissonant harmonics drawing you in and holding you close. The ghostly beginnings of Alyscamps create an overwhelmingly tense atmosphere where acoustic and electronic elements collide and evolve into a heaving, ceremonious drone. Shafts of light emerge through the fog but the tone remains a haunted one. Closer, Heliotrope, strikes a more hopeful note. A lighter, more open feel emerges - bringing to mind early work of The Rachels or perhaps Deaf Center.
Alter is a triumphant record in its entirety. Seamlessly moving from light to shade and back again, experimenting in heavy atmosphere and ultimately drawing you into its deep and mysterious world.
Some words from Otto Lindhom on the album:
My original idea was to work on the melody and the play of the arco, looking for expressive music from this combination. To do it, I first decided to work on 'modes' and their specific color. With these modes I could work on tensions, frictions and color shading. Working on the melody aspect, I was looking to go beyond the romantic, easy listening or sentimentalizing, trying to suggest more than an expression of concrete emotions.
Naturally, a kind of impressionist, musical approach appeared to me where I could simply develop and enhance the music I was playing/writing. With my daughter about to born and my strong wish to record new music, this spurred me to work efficiently. I had no time or space for deviations, forcing me to sculpt the music as it came out, enjoying and contemplating a sort of rawness in my play and direction.'

With an especially deep, curled funk behind the ears, MK 32 directly controls an ocean of harmonic, resonating phenomena. At
the controls there is Ian Simmonds, the sail is raised by the Workshop steward Even Tuell, the free-spirited Dave Aju (Circus
Company) and the almost-label Namensgeber.

12 track Album from Various Artists released by Dub Store Records

Following the release of her much-lauded third album Arise, Zara McFarlane announces new single 'Peace Begins Within'. Exploring the musical possibilities of her British-Jamaican identity, it's seen her - backed by some of London's best and brightest musicians - bridging the lines between soulful roots reggae and inclusive, open-ended UK jazz.

The track is a cover of Nora Dean, a Jamaica-born vocalist who put her name to a spate of sweetly-sung roots and lovers rock in the '70s and '80s. With Zara putting her spin on the 1971 original, the format of the single nods to that heritage: with a dinked centre (requiring adapter), it also comes backed with a reggae version on the b-side. Tracing the musical heritage of the Caribbean, it's another side to her interconnected vision of the diaspora.

The album has been supported by Benji B on Radio One, David Rodigan on 1xtra and Zara has been interviewed on NTS, Worldwide FM and Soho Radio. The album has also received big support from magazines across the board (see press quotes below).

"Signals" is Hukkelberg's long awaited fifth studio album and will cement her position as one of the best writers of electronic pop music the Nordics has produced in the last decade. Her new album made of gorgeously fluttering electronics and Hannes' pitch-bent vocals is set to be something special.

Recorded in 1971 by a 27-year-old pastor and an after school program choir,

Like A Ship is a stirring and powerful meditation on the wayward aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Tracked with the help of Chess/Cadet maestros Gene Barge, Phil Upchurch, and Richard Evans, the album is a mix of euphoric gospel and Mayfield esque political soul, with sleigh bells, hand claps, and jazzy piano stabs. Sampled by T.I., Kanye, and Khaled, Barrett created a rapturous, crossover gospel classic that's still wildly relevant.

Maximum Joy is an aspiration, a claim to passion. To call a band 'Maximum Joy' is to ask a huge question - what is the very best you ever felt or hope to feel and more importantly how far can you take it' Silent Street is a new collaborative label from Chris Farrell (Idle Hands) and Kiran Sande (Blackest Ever Black). For their first release they're proud to present I Can't Stand It Here On Quiet Nights, a compilation of singles by one of our shared musical lodestars, Bristol's extraordinary Maximum Joy. The band was formed in 1980, by 18 year-old photography student and vocalist Janine Rainforth alongside Tony Wrafter, a trumpeter/saxophonist previously affiliated with Glaxo Babies. Wrafter's former accomplices, Charlie Llewellin (drums) and Dan Catsis (bass), completed the original line-up, alongside erstwhile Pop Group guitarist John Waddington. With a youthful confidence and energy that leaps out at you even now, they took their diverse influences - punk, modern jazz, disco, dub, funk, soul, early hip-hop, Afrobeat and chansons - and distilled them into some of the greatest, most intoxicating pop music ever made. Together they carved out a story which today stands as a sumptuous feast for anyone interested in the roots and evolution of "the Bristol sound". Along with prior associations with The Pop Group and Glaxo Babies, there are links, back and forth, with The Slits and Dennis Bovell, Adrian Sherwood and On-U Sound, the Berry Street hole in the ground' studios, and so on, through to the Wild Bunch, Massive Attack, Smith & Mighty, and Tricky's 'Aftermath'. Thirty-five years on its impossible not to be blown away by their combination of instrumental virtuosity and DIY pluck, and by their fearless application of disorientating dub FX. In terms of open-minded, progressive and life-affirming music made in the post-punk era, little else comes close. I Can't Stand It Here On Quiet Nights - the first ever official UK reissue of Max Joy material - is centred around the trio of singles the band released on Y Records between 1981-1982. Their first, 'Stretch', was licensed to seminal American label 99 Records and soon after became an anthem on the New York club underground, a cult staple at Danceteria and on late-night radio. This comp gives pride of place to their first B-side, 'Silent Street / Silent Dub': a languid, haunting tribute to long summer nights in St Pauls (where the Idle Hands shop presently resides) and specifically the Black & White Cafe, where dub-reggae reigned supreme, 24/7'. Llewellin's mesmerising one-drop kit and Catsis's outrageously heavy bassline anchor the track, allowing Rainforth's exquisite vocal and Wrafter's trumpet to soar within the intense, expressionistic dub mix. In both subject matter and execution it is the definitive Bristol tune. 'White And Green Place (Extraterrestrial Mix)', 'In The Air', and wistful instrumental 'Simmer Til Done' also feature, the non-Y bonus is the 12' version of 'Do It Today', Maximum Joy's contribution to the Fontana compilation Touchdown, which originally came out in '82 as a white label split with The Higsons. I Can't Stand It Here On Quiet Nights will be released on 2x12' vinyl, with sleevenotes by Janine Rainforth, Tony Wrafter and Kevin Pearce. Time to acquaint, or reacquaint, yourself with the eclectic, exhilarating work of Bristol's finest, brightest pop idealists.

Nubiyan Twist exploded onto the global stage with their 2015 debut album Nubiyan Twist', drawing on elements of jazz, afrobeat, hiphop, soul and dub to create their own trademark style, driven by powerful, arrangements, a driving rhythm section and the laidback, soulful delivery of female vocalist Nubiya Brandon. Encouraging artistic and social unity between different cultures and musical styles, notable influences include the likes of Fela Kuti, King Tubby, J Dilla, Herbie Hancock and Nat King Cole.

Since the debut album, they have gone on to release the 2016 Siren Song EP and 2017 Dance Inna London EP (with 80s dancehall legend Supercat), garnering a truly global fanbase, playing major stages across Europe including Glastonbury Festival, Fusion Festival and A Love Supreme) and selling out headline club shows from London to Berlin, Rotterdam to Paris.

Never before released on vinyl, and sold out on CD, this is a unique chance to get a limited edition, deluxe version of the classic release, including the bonus tracks Work House Mode (a tasteful reworking of the original Work House by pianist Oliver Cadman) and the acclaimed remix of Straight Lines by UK producer Werkha (Tru Thoughts).

Mustapha Skandrani, a luminary of Algerian music, possessed a unique musical sense, able to transcend the borders of musical cultures to create a distinctive fusion of Arabic-Andalusian and European styles.

"Istikhbars and Improvisations", recorded in 1965 in Paris, is a solo piano album presenting a trans-Mediterranean crossover based on traditional Algerian vocal pieces known as istikhbars. Playing these istikhbars (which have roots in the Islamic Arab-Andalusian culture which flourished in Spain) on the piano - that quintessentially European instrument - Skandrani was greeted with derision by some purists. His powerful musical vision, however, perceives the European element involved in Arabic-Andalusian musical culture, a world of exchange and co-existence.

Skandrani's modus operandi on this release is to present each istikhbar, modal in nature, then to play an improvisation based on it, and its attendant mode. This A/B alternation continues throughout. The pellucid clarity of Skandrani's playing on this album may remind the listener of a modal Goldberg Variations, Bach and Glenn Gould transplanted to Andalucia. Other ears will hear the Arabic/Maghreb elements more strongly. Skandrani's precise touch and clear, symmetrical rhythmic sense links both worlds, assuring us that the Mediterranean is not a barrier, but a unifier, and that the differences between the cultures are not so vast. This is an admirable achievement, resulting in beautiful music of a rare charm.

Mustapha Skandrani was born in Algiers in 1920, and died there in 2005. He mastered a number of instruments at an early age, and his musical prowess led him to work with the great singers and ensembles of his day, in live performances, recordings, and radio broadcasts. Later in his life, he devoted much energy to education.

Originally reissued by Em Records as a limited edition of 200 in 2012, now available once again, in offset printed sleeve, with insert of Japanese and English sleeve-notes and rare photosMustapha Skandrani, a luminary of Algerian music, possessed a unique musical sense, able to transcend the borders of musical cultures to create a distinctive fusion of Arabic-Andalusian and European styles.

"Istikhbars and Improvisations", recorded in 1965 in Paris, is a solo piano album presenting a trans-Mediterranean crossover based on traditional Algerian vocal pieces known as istikhbars. Playing these istikhbars (which have roots in the Islamic Arab-Andalusian culture which flourished in Spain) on the piano - that quintessentially European instrument - Skandrani was greeted with derision by some purists. His powerful musical vision, however, perceives the European element involved in Arabic-Andalusian musical culture, a world of exchange and co-existence.

Skandrani's modus operandi on this release is to present each istikhbar, modal in nature, then to play an improvisation based on it, and its attendant mode. This A/B alternation continues throughout. The pellucid clarity of Skandrani's playing on this album may remind the listener of a modal Goldberg Variations, Bach and Glenn Gould transplanted to Andalucia. Other ears will hear the Arabic/Maghreb elements more strongly. Skandrani's precise touch and clear, symmetrical rhythmic sense links both worlds, assuring us that the Mediterranean is not a barrier, but a unifier, and that the differences between the cultures are not so vast. This is an admirable achievement, resulting in beautiful music of a rare charm.

Mustapha Skandrani was born in Algiers in 1920, and died there in 2005. He mastered a number of instruments at an early age, and his musical prowess led him to work with the great singers and ensembles of his day, in live performances, recordings, and radio broadcasts. Later in his life, he devoted much energy to education.

Originally reissued by Em Records as a limited edition of 200 in 2012, now available once again, in offset printed sleeve, with insert of Japanese and English sleeve-notes and rare photos

From the mid to late 60’s Sonny Lester was at the helm of some of the period’s most significant jazz music (Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Chick Corea, Duke Ellington’s 70th birthday concert) and also some of the genre’s biggest hits (mostly from organist Jimmy Mcgriff). With the folding of the Solid State label in 1971 Sonny Lester formed the aptly named Groove Merchant label (named after the tune Jerome Richardson wrote for the Jones-Lewis Orchestra). He then produced some of the periods most notable soul/jazz, jazz/fusion from the likes of McGriff, Richard Groove Holmes, Reuben Wilson, Lonnie Smith to name but a few.

Sonor Music Editions proudly presents an absolute Italian mood music grail and one of the best Library Music recordings ever - A.ALESSANDRONI's RITMO DELL'INDUSTRIA n.2, a true legend in the field. This is the maestro most prized and sought-after album, produced in 1969 on the small Grand Prix label, part of the Leonardi publishing group. A mindmelting record featuring some of the most killer driven beats ever! - dark vibes and haunting atmospheres with constant and moody Industrial rhythms, filled with tons of drum breaks, trippy Scat vocals and eastern inspired obsessive grooves. Music has been remastered from the original stereo master tape and the back sleeve will feature deluxe liner notes written by Mr. Jonny Trunk. HOLY GRAIL ALERT!

We're proud to introduce the new Superfly reissue of the rarest LP at cult Strata East label! Reissued for the first time, John Gordon's 'Erotica Suite' is one of the holy grail for deep and spiritual jazz fans, check the superb 'Neleh'! As usual, beautiful quality repress with paste on covers made in Japan, Obi and 180grs vinyl, limited to 1000 copies only!

Following last year's interim track, the 25 minute opus 'Blackened Cities', Melanie De Biasio makes her return with news of a brand new album 'Lilies'. Classically trained and revered in her native Belgium De Biasio uncovered fans in the shape of Gilles Peterson - who heralded De Biasio as one of the most exciting artists in the jazz world and Radiohead's Phillip Selway with the release of her second album, 2014's 'No Deal'. Earlier this year also saw the Eels remix of 'I Feel You', featured in the trailer for Ridley Scott's 'Alien: Covenant', lifted from 'No Deal' - it once again cements the ever- growing and widespread regard from her peers.
The nine-track 'Lilies' continues to enthral, from openers 'Your Freedom Is The End Of Me', with its immersive narrative underpinned by piano. An up- tempo, entrancing collection of tracks that ventures to stimulate both lyrically and musically whilst enticing the listener into an expressive and atmospheric environment.
LP format includes a copy of the album on CD

Historical Italian Jazz session originally released on legendary vinyl LP from 1973. An outstanding and magnificent Jazz Funk jewel and the first album ever by this killer combo led by Dino Piana & Oscar Valdambrini. An original Jazz Library recording used for the soundtrack of Rai TV programme "SERATA AL GATTO NERO", 1973. Top Italian groovy Jazz and mental album, easily a grail of the genre featuring some terrific breaks, killer Wah Wah guitar and Funky Hammond job, with a solid backing studio orchestra. Loads of laden stylish grooves with brilliant Modal Jazz numbers, smooth vibes, and Cool Jazz influences with different musical themes. Every track is just heaven with several hot club tunes for DJs. Solid masterpiece!

A live performance of four early works by Steve Reich: Four Organs', My Name Is', Piano Phase' and Phase Patterns.' This performance marked an important moment in San Francisco bay area new music history with the triumphant return to the east bay by Reich, who studied at Mills College with Luciano Berio, and who performed the 1964 world premiere of Terry Riley's seminal work, In C', at the San Francisco Tape Music Center. The resonant acoustics of the University of California at Berkeley Museum's concrete interior were especially appropriate for Four Organs', with its long additive sustained chords over a maraca pulse. Repressed in a limited edition of 500 copies on transparent vinyl.

«... The Azmari are singers and musicians wandering through the territory of Ethiopia. They carry the stories of different worlds, the sagas of cold lands with wispering winds, of flying islands, of ancient dances on the top of red mountains, of the demoted Ethiopian Princes and their doubles ... " by chronicler Tekle - Ezana (1698)

Vespero, the southern Russian wonder band formed in Astrakhan, time and time again refining their means of expression from a intricate blend of space- and retro-progressive rock with various other inspirations. This time there is an exploding mixture of afro-beat and space-kraut that paves the way to new uncharted territory. For fans of Fela Kuti, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Gong and the Ozric Tentacles. "Azmari: Abyssanian Liventure" is a live album from the VESPERO`s "Liventure" series. Recorded live in different locations in 2015-16. Azmari' shows the power of live performances of the septet. This vinyl edition includes 3 extra track not available anywhere else.

Quality pressing by SONY Austria.