Pop & Rock News

Funky Dark Electro Pop... Superb Album opening on a real maturity and aesthetic choice : New Wave background ina Dies Puppe style maybe ??

In 2009, The Knife were commissioned by the
Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma to
provide music for an opera set to mark the 150th
Anniversary of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of
Species. Joining Karin and Olof as collaborators
were Mt. Sims and Planningtorock. The studio
recorded versions of the compositions were
released as ‘Tomorrow, In A Year’ in 2010 by Rabid
Records.
The Knife continue their 20th Anniversary
celebrations as the duo of Karin and Olof Dreijer
announce the first-ever vinyl pressing of
‘Tomorrow, In A Year’, available on numbered 180g
double vinyl.

Soundway Records delivers a beautifully remastered reissue
of Brazilian duo Grupo Controle Digital's only album, 'A Festa
É Nossa'. First released in 1988, the album is now housed in a
tip-on heavyweight sleeve and restored artwork.
With the title track 'A Festa É Nossa' having circulated the
last few years in the DJ sets of influential tastemakers, the
album has become highly sought after by electronic fans
and collectors alike. Lo-f synths and cruising bass lines
permeate the record, influenced by the group's Brazilian
contemporaries at the time such as Tim Maia, Cláudio Zoli,
Secos E Molhados, and rock outft Made In Brazil.
Band members Billy Jaguar and Gel Valiery regularly
performed in various groups in São Paulo throughout the
80s and 90s, but after Gel passed away, Grupo Controle
Digital was no more - the band and the album faded into
obscurity and Billy became a priest, working with gospel
music. It remained that way until Brazilian DJ Millos Kaiser
(from label Selva Discos, and one half of Brazilian street party
organisers Selvagem) tracked down the remaining member
of the group to be able to include one of their tracks on the
highly anticipated Soundway compilation 'Onda De Amor:
Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were (1984-94)',
released in July 2018.
Audio restored by Neal Birnie and re-mastered by Frank
Merritt at The Carvery, London. Artwork restored by Lewis
Heriz.
FOR FANS OF:
Soundway 'Onda De Amor' compilation, Music From Memory
'Outro Tempo' Brazil compilation, Spacetalk compilations,
Sabor Do Brasil

Journeyman, DJ, radio presenter, beat raconteur - it's been hard to keep up with all of iZem's movements lately. The innovatve Lisbon-based French producer has been hard at work on his debut LP Hafa, exploring the sounds of Latn America and North Africa in a vivid analogue-digital, genre-defying soundscape that is sure to leave your head spinning. Inspired by cultural greats like Jack Kerouac, Paul Bowles, Tahar Ben Jelloun and Matsse, iZem spent tme soaking up the atmosphere at the inspiring Café Hafa, an idyllic clif-top joint overlooking the strait of Gibraltar, in Tangier, Morocco, which has formed a golden backdrop to his debut LP. Brimming with soulful exotcism, personal narratves and adven-turous collaborators, Hafa has been an experiment in taking on the afro-centric sounds of his journey to-date by incorporatng modern, introspectve songwritng and hybrid beats.
Ofen writng music whilst crossing contnents, the only place iZem allows dust to setle is in the heart, heat and rhythms of his local-global future sounds. A decade of nomadism between Spain, Brazil, Argentna, Ireland and Portugal made way for a series of critcally acclaimed EP's and remixes for Soundway, GAMM, Far Out, Agogo, ZZK records, Wah Wah 45s, and Mais Um Discos. Arrival on the global, forward-thinking, artstcally leffeld scene was predicted by Gilles Peterson, XLR8R, Okay Player and fellow tropical hed Quantc. iZem is an acronym for In Ze Early Morning' and his debut album Hafa' evokes new days
dawning in far-of lands and strring horizons of the present. So if you aren't hearing iZem's pastche of future tropical rhythms and organic grooves on statons such as BBC, KCRW or
Funkhaus Europa, then make sure you you catch him raising the dance foor temperature on one contnent or another.

New Album of chilled Beats- and Electronica!

Leo Anibaldi, Heroin In Tahiti, Laura Betti, Riccardo Schirò, Gabber Eleganza, Alvin Curran, Nico Vascellari

Remastered tracks by Leo Anibaldi (Rephlex) and legendary actress Laura Betti, new tracks by Heroin in Tahiti and Riccardo Schirò, an interview excerpt (Gabber Eleganza) and a live recording of Nico Vascellari and Thomas Baldischwyler working on / remixing a track by Italo-American sound artist Alvin Curran.

Extensive liner notes about Baldischwyler's stay at the German Academy / Rome included. LP with black and white printed inner sleeve and four colour cover in silk screened PVC sleeve.

Chris Imler, who alternates between eternal street boy and dubious magician, has succeeded in upgrading to a prophet with his third record. This 12"completed in January & released on May 22nd on Vinyl, is exaggeratedly up to date. Though it would never occured to him in his wildest nightmares while doing it, Chris Imler produced the soundtrack for the state of emergency.

"I measure time in catastrophes / The scale is open ended / The house collapses, the city burns / A laser beam leads me to the Country Club" says the chorus of "Country Club". The music itself sounds like an emergency from the first second on. Synths like deeply pitched sirens, a beat like ground troops. And also the second song with the again ridiculously contemporary title "Protect Myself" provides appropriate voodoo vibrations.

Imler couldn't have found better remixers than INIT (Benedikt Frey & Nadia D'Alò / two thirds of the R.i.O. label) and Debmaster (Julien Deblois / Nyege Nyege label), who consistently drive the sound into dark rotations.

With the best of intentions, the worldwide public sitting in their rooms cannot expect more than the cathartic distraction gathered in these four songs.

Bordello A Parigi presents a compilation of demo tracks from the legendary Italo Disco icon: Federico di Bonaventura, better known as Fred Ventura. These demo tracks were supposed to remain secret until Fred started to digitalize them from tape a few years ago. Most of these tracks were part of the transitional period between the exit from his early 80's band State Of Art and start of his first solo project Actor's Studio and career as Fred Ventura. A versatile treasure of lost music recorded from 1982 until 1984 in Milan, Italy.

Comes with double front sleeve and printed inner sleeve.

Crammed Discs present the debut album by innovative, exciting French/ Chilean band Nova Materia. Avaialble as a CD and as a double LP version is housed in a gatefold jacket, plus colour innersleeves and includes a download card. Nova Materia's powerful, hypnotic music incorporates eerie sounds generated by raw and mineral materials (metal, rocks etc.) to create tracks that are in turn hyper-rhythmic and dreamy, poised between postpunk rock and electronic dance music. Nova Materia is a duet consisting of Caroline Chaspoul from France and Eduardo Henriquez from Chile. The band was born three years ago from the ashes of Panico, the Chilean alternative rock group with which Caroline and Eduardo toured around the globe and released several albums. After two Eps produced a.o. in collaboration with French producer Chloé and her Kill The
DJ label, Nova Materia now joins the likes of Acid Arab, Konono N°1, Juana Molina, Yasmine Hamdan and Matias Aguayo on the Crammed Discs roster.

"Global superstar Lana Del Rey releases her 4th album 'Lust For Life' releasing July 21st via Polydor Records. 'Lust For Life' features collaborations with A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Sean Ono Lennon, The Weeknd and Stevie Nicks. The body of work is created by Lana and her longtime producer and collaborator Rick Nowels. Includes the already-released singles 'Love' and 'Lust For Life', Format Description: LP Record Heavyweight 180g Gatefold Double Vinyl and Compact Disc CD - Jewel Case, 16 page Booklet. Tube campaign and statement outdoorComprehensive digital marketing campaign to include socials, banners, retargeting etc. TV & VOD advertising campaign - £35k across appropriate channels. "

"Medieval Femme", Fatima Al Qadiris neue zehn Stücke umfassende Suite, die von den klassischen Gedichten arabischer Frauen inspiriert ist, beschwört durch die Metapher eines islamischen Gartens einen Tagtraum herauf, an der Grenze zwischen Depression und Sehnsucht, wo sich die Gegenwart vorübergehend auflöst und nur Vergangenheit und Zukunft übrig bleiben. Mit einer Mischung aus Neon-Drones und den schwachen Umrissen einer arabesken Melodie offenbart "Medieval Femme" eine vollendete, traumhafte Szenerie, schattiert mit Farben und subtilen Reibungen. Fatima versucht, den Hörer in einen Zustand melancholischer Sehnsucht zu versetzen und ihn an einen Ort der Träumerei und Trostlosigkeit zu entführen, um die Grenze zwischen zwei scheinbar gegensätzlichen Zuständen zu hinterfragen und sich an himmlischer Trauer zu erfreuen. "Medieval Femme" verwendet Instrumente aus der Musik des Mittelalters, die in einer futuristischen Umgebung neu arrangiert wurden; sanfte Synthesizer-Laute, Orgeln und Pfeifen hallen im Raum, während hauchdünne Pulse als Antwort kräuseln. Fatimas Gesang aus wiederholten, mantraähnlichen Phrasen wird manchmal gepitcht und verändert, um immer intensivere Spitzen, engelsgleiche Refrains und sehnsüchtige Beschwörungen hervorzubringen. Bei "Tasakuba", Kaltham Jassims Rezitation eines Verspaares des Dichters Al-Khansa aus dem 7. Jahrhundert, erhält die Trauer ihrer Worte einen turbulenten, halluzinatorischen Rahmen, bevor sich das Album im letzten Song, dem klaren, luftigen "Zandaq", auflöst.

The 10th anniversary of a milestone in the history of LCD Soundsystem will arrive August 6, when DFA Records partners with Parlophone / Warner Music to celebrate The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live At Madison Square Garden; a 5-LP vinyl unabridged recording of LCD Soundsystem’s near four-hour April 2, 2011 show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and released on 3CD for the very first time.

Produced and mixed by LCD founder and frontman James Murphy, The Long Goodbye is the ultimate audio document of LCD Soundsystem’s legendary — if not quite final — sold-out Madison Square Garden performance.

The Long Goodbye show was the lengthiest, most career-spanning LCD Soundsystem has played to date. The album finds the LCD core live band of Murphy, Pat Mahoney, Nancy Whang, Al Doyle, Gavilán Rayna Russom and Tyler Pope joined by a choir, string and horn sections — plus special guest performances including Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, Reggie Watts, the Juan MacLean, Shit Robot, Planningtorock, and Shannon Funchess of Light Asylum.

Reissued on vinyl almost 20 years after its release I Love Serge (subtitled electronica Gainsbourg) is released on July 9. The album tribute from the electro scene to Serge Gainsbourg originally released in 2001. This pearl is composed of remixes of emblematic titles by Serge Gainsbourg produced by the flower of the electro movement of the time. Reviews and Ads – L’Echo and London Macadam

Heavyweight vinyl, gatefold sleeve, colour, download card etc.
After captivating the scene with different singles and EPs released on labels such as Crosstown Rebels, Clown & Sunset and All Day I Dream, Be Svendsen presents his first full-length album entitled 'Between a Smile and Tear'

Be Svendsen - Dancefloor heavy hitter and pioneer of the desert-tech sound, releases his first full length album on Copenhagen's Music For Dreams label. Here he reaches beyond the dusty dance floors that brought him recognition, and connects with nostalgic roots of music from his childhood. After a series of very well received singles and ep's on labels like Crosstown Rebels and All Day I Dream, we now get a deeper peep into what it's like Be'ing Svendsen.

Between A Smile a Tear is a wide spanning album in terms of mood, instrumentation, tempi and style, with clear references that reach back to a time where experimental innocence met the futuristic and forward thinking. Be Svendsens describes his music as 'Tarantino Techno'. He brings in emotional guitar melodies and dry strings, and adds it to his club universe where moods can change in an instant. With many talented musicians featured on the album, Be Svendsen shows us his diversity that spans from innovative deep new-disco cuts, galactic journey melodies, analogue ambient atmosphere to classic song writing, soundtrack'esque epicness, and a deep-tech organic collaboration with Henri Texier. We even get a taste of Be Svendsens own vocals.

Thinking of dreamy, melancholic electronic music with an organic approach Parra for Cuva is one of the names which come to mind immediately. After Nicolas Demuth´s previous highly acclaimed album, Paspatou, the busy producer from Germany kicked off the journey to his new album Juno (out July 16th) with the single ‚Ordel‘ that already accumulated 2Mio+ streams and "Dream Reverb" showing off just how much Nicolas is an explorer of sound who cherishes collaborations and a multi-cultural approach. Her Entrance (Innellea Remix): For a remix of “Her Entrance” Parra for Cuva teamed up with Innellea who was named best newcomer by Groove Magazine in 2017 and took the scene by storm with releases on Innervisions and a recent Cercle set at Jaisalmer Fort. Innellea´s interpretation of "Her Entrance" was shaped by his desire for extensive and intense club nights. He adapted the mysterious mood from the original and added dynamic hihats and driving basslines to create a remix suitable for any dancefloor. Cuiva: Cuiva is the latest single from Parra for Cuva’s album, Juno. The uplifting tune features drum and bass and soft vocal samples as well as Parra for Cuva’s own gentle piano melodies that weave themselves making up the fast-paced but dreamy track. Inspired by the euphoria of outdoor summer festivals, Cuiva is a hopeful mood-booster after a stalled year. "I imagine playing it in the sun and sharing Cuiva with people (whenever that's possible again). The drums are sampled from an old drum and bass record and I have added a chord structure from one of my solo piano pieces," says Parra for Cuva.

For the Modern Funk Fest in Los Angeles on 7/8/17, we went ahead and pressed a 7" of Brian Ellis, XL Middleton and Moniquea's "So Quick" and BOYDUDE feat. Zackey Force Funk's "Money Weighs A Ton". We only produced 100 copies, firstly sold at the show, the rest of which are now available here on a first come first serve basis ...

Inspired by the otherworldly Sounds of Horror Sci-fi Soundtracks, Filippo Diana is able to merge vintage, experimental- and library music into sth. contemporary & soul-shifting.
After his debut Release Nemesi, he's now joins Slow Motion for his first Mini-Album Musica per "Commenti Sonori". Slow, earthly rhythms churn from the inside, expelling a complex, abstract sound that is still very tangible to a dancers ear.

Stahlschrank sind Sun Ray (Fred und Luna) und Brain Emo (Ufo Hawaii).

Nach ihrer Erfolgssingle „Egal ist sehr gut“ peitschen Stahlschrank mit ihrer zweiten Veröffenlichung „Karin / Inge“ ihr Konzept des Elektrodadakraut weiter nach vorne. Ein Musikstil, der noch nicht vollständig erforscht und entwickelt ist.

„Karin“ ist eine Reflexion über die Vergänglichkeit des Daseins und eine moderne Parabel über Kontrolle und Unterwerfung.

Die Single-B-Seite „Inge“ ist die zweite Exkursion in das Stahlschrank-Konzept des „Electronic Irritainment“.

„Inge“ ist eine Reflexion über das Ringen des Individuums vor dem Hintergrund zeitgenössischer Clubkultur, die sowohl die Grenzen der Studioumgebung als auch die Geduld der Nachbarn ausreizt.

Stahlschrank arbeiten derzeit an ihrem ersten Longplayer, möglicherweise ein Vierfach-Album.

Als unbestrittener Einfluss innerhalb der Elektro-Indie Musikgemeinde, entwickelten sich Depeche Mode vom Status eines Kult-Acts zu Stadion Megastars, was ungewöhnlich für eine Band ist, die immer danach gestrebt hat ihre eigene Identität zu bewahren. Sie gehörten zu den ersten Acts die einen Sound
etablierten, der komplett aus dem Gebrauch von Synthesizern resultierte, und obwohl sie ihr Dasein als eine Dance-Pop Formation begannen, entwickelten sie schrittweise einen düsteren, dramatischeren Sound, der sie letztendlich als eine der erfolgreichsten Alternative Bands aller Zeiten positionierte.
Auf The Many Faces of Depeche Mode werden andere, weniger bekannte Seiten der Band erforscht, darunter Kollaborationen, Nebenprojekte, Einflüsse, plus Bearbeitungen ihres fantastischen Katalogs.
Mit fantastischem Artwork und remastertem Sound ist The Many Faces of Depeche Mode eine ultimative Ergänzung der Many Faces Kollektion, die es so auf keiner Streaming Plattform gibt!!!



Remix Daniel Miller, Gareth Jones


Remix Martin Gore*


Remix Vince Clarke

Depeche Mode - A Broken Frame

Faizal Mostrixx hails from Kampala, Uganda, and this EP sees him melding samples from the continent and beyond with a whirlwind of beats and synths. He’s generating attention far beyond his native Kampala, with The Quietus singling him out for praise - “his electronic production focuses on traditional African instruments, with the intent of preserving and developing his cultural heritage”.

Following Altkat’s Lakerda LP, Banlieue Records is proud to announce Dupla Rítmica EP, a 7” release with a 12” center label, hand stamped and limited to 200 copies.

On the A-side, Banlieue’s own Benoit B delivers a track entitled 100%. It’s a 107 bpm affair, between pristine drum programming, a bassline at the forefront, oldschool textures a-plenty, stabs galore and some digital pan-pipes added for good measure. Here’s a compelling tune with a constant and tireless groove, like one of those obscure B-sides created several decades ago that still sounds forward-thinking.

On the flipside, a track by Buenos Aires-based producer Cándido, who is here joining the dots between the sounds of classic European EBM and of US freestyle under a common latinx thread. With hard hitting percussion, pitched and gated drums, triggered samples, slapped FM bass and Spanish spoken word, this 115 bpm tune is a skilful and dance-inducing nod to oldschool vibes that haven’t lost their dance-inducing power.

Clear Vinyl

Three years ago Danish guitar player and highly acclaimed session musician Jacob Gurevitsch made his solo debut with 'Lovers In Paris', a sweetly melancholic single which conquered sunsets worldwide and earned a place in many quality compilations and has over 10 million views on Youtube. Roll forward to 2018 and this stunning track now heads up the Danish guitarist's first vinyl album, on Kenneth Bager's renowned Music For Dreams label. The original album of 'Lovers In Paris' album entered the iTunes chart at #1 position in Denmark and was (back then) being hailed as one of the Records of the Year by the Balearic Community. And the success story continues. With over 2 million monthly streams Jacob Gurevitsch is a name to watch.

This vinyl debut album 'An Introduction' consists of selected works from the 'Lovers In Paris album, a few from his 'Cinematica' Ep and some from his forthcoming album 'In Search Of Lost Time.'

One could say A kind of Greatest Hits.!

10 melodic and beautiful originals.

'Mexican Margarita' is a truly impressive piece of guitar work with superb bongos and bass - already an essential tune for any Balearic collector - and the recently released single 'Spanish Inquisition' a current DJ Harvey fave, shows his technical and compositional ante into the world of Flamenco. 'Mapa De Soledad' and 'Poesia Del Mar' both gorgeous and moving Mediterranean-flavoured ballads full of emotional keyboards, soulful strings and accordions. The indelible upbeat of 'Motive Loco' and elegiac cinematic 'In Search Of Lost Time' remains memorable long after listening and this hits the nail on the head.

Jacob Gurevitsch the guitar player and composer has a unique sensibility to write themes and melodies that transcend time and sound like divine interventions.

(Transparent yellow coloured vinyl, 300gr mat cover, 150gr glossy under-cover, outer deluxe plastic printed sleeve with flap and a sticker to close). On the cult star’s sixth studio album, his first in five years, Tellier explores this topic in typically dreamy, lo-fi fashion. An airy, electronic adventure full of eclecticism and eccentricism, Domesticated is the French national treasure at his delightful best.

Composed as a disco soundtrack for condemned night clubs and empty venues, "I Can See You Outside" is the latest single from Dubstar, a further collaboration with Stephen Hague, who produced their earliest hits.

Recorded at the end of the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown, it forms a companion piece with their previous single Hygiene Strip. While the previous song, “Hygiene Strip”, revealed an ordinary human predicament set within the extraordinary context of the pandemic, I Can See You Outside is a defiant expression of optimism, and the resolution to transcend an existential threat. The EP features brand new Extended and Dub remixes, and will be promoted heavily to the band's highly active fanbase via social networks

"Gaspard Auge is releasing his Debut Album “Escapades”, out in June 25th
He is best known as one half of Justice, the duo that united rock and rave and whose dancefloor smashes defined a generation.
Gaspard made an instrumental album whose sound will be familiar to Justice ’s fanbase , echoing some previous works & inspirations of the cult duet.
Escapades sounds like a UFO landing from another galaxy, or time, a baroque masterpiece that reimagines European classical music for this century. OFFICIAL BBC THEME FOR THEIR COVERAGE OF THE EUROS."

The debut album of contemporary British band LINEA ASPERA. Linea Aspera is the London duo of RYAN AMBRIDGE (Synths/Programming) and ALISON LEWIS (Vocals/Synths). They began the project in November 2011, technically drawing inspiration from electronic music from the early 1980s. Within the duo, Alison writes and performs all vocal elements, while Ryan is responsible for the writing and performing of the electronics, as well as recording and mixing of the final recordings. For their debut album they utilized small, simple analog synthesizer set up: Roland SH-09, Roland Juno 6, Vermona DRM MKiii, Korg Poly 800 and Analogue Solutions Semblance. Linea Aspera's sound includes clear influences from early electronic body music, classic synth-pop and, in some instances, industrial and noise. Lyrically the band incorporates the sciences of osteology, neuroscience, and anthropology weaving a new medical language around themes of desire, despair and renewal. Linea Aspera serve up an icebox of dark doom riding on Alison's powerful vocals with a soft but sharp touch. All songs have been mastered for vinyl by GEORGE HORN at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in a specially designed jacket by DOVILE SHURPO and includes a full sized insert of all lyrics.

San-kofa Rhythm Records is an independent Antwerp based record label, created by DTM Funk in order to release Leftfield Electronic and “Afrocentric” Rhythm-and Percussive music. 'SKRR' wants to return back to the root element and link this to the essence within the contemporary music scene.

Susubrino’s EP is dedicated to his guitar teacher in Castilla La Mancha, as he opened Pandor’s Box and introduced Susubrino to a new world of classica land traditional guitar music.

His Spanish teacher always motivated young Susubrino in pursuing and never stop writing. One of his beloved and most cherished artists that he discovered at that time was Juanjo Dominguez. This really sparled his interest and persevered him to play like this.

Recent discovery and inspiration is the Bolivian musician & painter Alfredo Dominguez, his sincere compositions are definitely influencing Susobrino’s guitar plays and motivates him to proceed writing classica land traditional guitar pieces.

Spirit Tamer’ is the debut album from Mia Joy available on limited edition
Bright Pink and Classic Black vinyl and compact disc on Fire Talk.
A member of the Chicago Children’s Choir at a young age, the record sees Joy’s
dual backgrounds in music and poetry evolve into a juxtaposition between
soaring emotional synthpop and introspective devotional harmonies.
Past press has referred to Mia’s music as ‘warm, ethereal, endlessly layered,
and beautifully expanding’.
Filled with heady atmospherics and vulnerability that abounds through the
shapeshifting sonic palette, fans of Ana Roxanne or Hand Habits will find much
to love in this painstakingly crafted, endearingly intimate universe.

For their third instalment, San-Kofa presents a Latin-American inspired EP by Ão. The eight-track debut is a soothing, yet fascinating story about their search for connection, intimacy and the absurdity of life. With their combination of English and Portuguese lyrics as a critical element, and additional elements of contemporary pop and electronica, they have created a fresh and diverse range of sounds.

Nach der EP-Reihe "The Bells" und der Single "Don't Feel Like" erscheint nun JATAs Albumdebüt "Mexico". JATA ist das Soloprojekt des Berliner Multi-Instrumentalisten, Produzenten, Remixer und Songschreibers Jacob Vetter. Der Vorab-Track "Monster" ist ein pulsierender Slow-Beat mit verwehtem Saxofon an der Schnittstelle von Soul und R&B, bei dem man nicht zuletzt an den späten Marvin Gaye denkt. Geschrieben und aufgenommen hat JATA "Mexico" im Wesentlichen in Frankreich, wo er seit anderthalb Jahren wohnt. Hier, in einem kleinen Dorf in der Nähe von Genf, fand er die Ruhe für seinen bislang größten musikalischen Wurf. Aber letztlich ist natürlich auch das wieder nur eine Zwischenstation für den suchenden Reisenden JATA. Abgemischt hat er "Mexico" gemeinsam mit Ash Workman in London.

"This deliberate blurring of high and low culture is part of the appeal, their songs juxtaposing simplicity with free-ranging experimentation. But even more key is their ability to seamlessly meld genres – krautrock, post-punk and synthpop, most prominently – to create songs that are fresh and exciting yet familiar-sounding and accessible." The Observer

“We were raring to go,” says W. H. Lung’s Tom Sharkett of the band’s desire to keep the momentum going after the huge success of their debut album.
However, it quickly became apparent that a repeat performance was of no interest to the band. “At the beginning it felt like every new idea could’ve just been on Incidental Music,” remembers Tom. “They weren’t bad ideas, but they didn’t feel new. I don’t think we knew where we wanted to go but we were 100% sure on it not being Incidental Music part 2.”
Things soon burst to life however and a period of profound creativity, musical intuition, bold innovation and near total musical rebirth came forth. “I was in the best place of my life,” says Joe Evans. “I was like a slot machine putting in wellbeing currency and jackpotting this album. Words and melodies were coming so quick and easy. Tom was sending tunes across and I was having a lot of fun playing around with a new way of singing which was freer, more expressive, more instant and more melodic.”
The result is a record that is direct, punchy and potent. Merging silky vocals, strutting grooves, enveloping textures, and a sparkling blend of electronic and pop music. “We thought: okay we’ve done the long sprawling introductions and instrumentals,” says Tom. “So let’s see if we can get the same intensity, energy and layers whilst getting straight to the point.” Joe echoes this. “We wanted to move away from easing people in and grab them by the heart straight away. I reflected on how we played live shows and romanticised about launching onto the stage in a bundle of energy and starting the party, no messing. The directness comes from making music more intuitively, and more from a place of fun. We were writing music that affirmed how much we missed dancing in sweaty rooms, enjoying the company of a collection of beautiful friendly strangers.”
The album documents a period of change for the group. They lost a member in Tom Derbyshire, moved from Manchester to Todmorden and fell in love more with dance music and the shifting sense of community and inclusivity that came with these changes. “We have moved forward from the change with a new energy,” says Joe of Tom Derbyshire’s amicable exit to focus on filmmaking. “It was a challenge shifting the dynamic but we truly found our stride and Tom Sharkett and I have an absolutely beautiful working relationship.”
Tom also feels this forced sense of change has brought about something fresh. “We didn’t have many spare ideas let alone spare tunes for the first album,” he recalls. “Whereas for Vanities we had loads that we binned. That needed to happen for us to get somewhere new and I think before the change in line-up we were in limbo a bit.” The album was written with a process of passing ideas back and forth, in a spirit of playfulness and exploration. The songs were then further refined in the studio of band member Chris Mulligan (guitar, bass, keys), a producer in his own right, who helped to further refine the arrangement and directness of the songs. ‘We are blessed to have brilliant musicians in W. H. Lung. It is very comforting, creatively, to know that initial ideas will always be further developed and expanded when played by Alex (drums), Chris and Hannah (keys, vocals.)’ says Joe. ‘And we got loads of magic out of (producer) Matt (Peel) for this record. He infuses all the tracks with such an infectious, wonky energy.’
This positivity, and incandescent dance floor giddiness that the pair espouses can be felt all over the record too. Despite being written in isolation and remoteness the album is rooted in very real physical spaces. “Manchester is a very important part of this record,” says Tom Sharkett, “The White Hotel, nights like Wet Play, seeing Gerd Janson DJ at the End of Year Riot (Electric Chair) and then discovering all the amazing stuff on his label Running Back. Then when we moved to Todmorden it was the same. Seeing Andrew Weatherall down the road from our flat at The Golden Lion - it just felt like an exciting time for us and I wanted to consume as much new music as possible.” Joe shares his bandmates’ enthusiasm for their dance floor experiences that have fed into this record. “Vanities is a musical representation of what Tom and I crave the most now that it’s been taken away from us,” he says. “In simple terms, we love to dance and have both fallen deeper in love with the music that facilitates that. Because of this voracious appetite for new music and the experiences that come with that hunger, influences on the album are vast: the aforementioned Weatherall, Robyn, Todd Terje, Grauzone, Kelly Lee Owens, Helena Hauff and countless others. But the end result is something distinctly the band’s own.”
‘Pearl in the Palm’ was the track that kicked it all off. “A transition from the old W. H. Lung to new,” says Tom. It marries pulsing synths, galloping drums and a vocal take that is both caramel smooth but also fervently intense. ‘Show Stopper’ allows the drums and bass to carry a subtle funk strut and is one of the album’s moments that highlight the band’s deft touch for layering and texture. ‘Somebody Like’ is an absolute stomper, marrying filthy electronics with a pop hook that is as irresistible as it is anthemic. ‘Gd Tym’ nicely captures the transition from a more archetypal band sound to dance floor fodder, as spiralling guitar lines intersperse with heavy lashings of electronics and deep hooks.
Despite the album’s exploration of the dizziness of dance floors and their maximalist appeal, it’s also one that plunges deep lyrically and comes from a place of profound introspection. Taking influence from the searching at the heart of the plays of Anton Chekov, as well as the novels of Shusaku Endo and Iris Murdoch, Joe also went deep into self-observation books like Red Hawk and The Fourth Way by Pyotr Ouspenskii. “It talks about stepping back from your mind and waking up to the patterns and conditionings of your thoughts,” he says. “This is like a constant meditation and so when I sat down to write lyrics, the different behaviours that I recognised in myself were really clear and poured out.” This meditative state also extended to another physical connection, this time out in the open rather than under the strobes. “A source of inspiration was getting out into nature,” he says. “We would often go out onto the tops of Todmorden and walk and swim. Sitting with and walking in the abundance of the natural world has fed into some of the playfulness and light spirit of the album.”
Perhaps most remarkable thing about the album - aside from the unflinching new sonic leaps it takes - is that the band have taken a dormant year void of live experiences, sweaty clubs, or anything resembling fun times, and have made an album that makes that world feel palpable – that you can crawl inside it. “Lockdown gave me the time to pour work into myself and out came this wonderful album,” reflects Joe. “It was strange at first and I missed seeing my mates and having a laugh and dancing but this album is a direct reflection of creative flow brought on by the space given by lockdown.”
Vanities is a very rare beast of a record: a lockdown album that feels bursting with vitality and the love, promise and transcendence of shared dance floor experiences. Just in time for when we crave those the most.

Cindytalk is the mercurial, expressionist outlet of Scottish artist Cinder. An evolution of her early 1980's Edinburgh-based punk band The Freeze, she launched the project upon moving to London, inspired by the crossroads of exploratory UK post-punk and early European industrial. Her work thrives on chance and transformation, collaging elements of noise, balladry, soundtrack, catharsis, and improvisation. After a series of celebrated albums for the Midnight Music label as well as collaborations with This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins, Cinder migrated to the United States, becoming involved with various underground techno collectives around the Midwest and West Coast. Subsequent relocations to Hong Kong and Japan further expanded Cindytalk's horizons, resulting in a fruitful partnership with Viennese experimental institution Editions Mego, for whom she released five full-lengths of swooning, granular atmosphere. 2021 finds her as engaged as ever, at the precipice of long-awaited back catalog reissues alongside multiple new works, guided by her lasting love of discovery and deviation: “new pathways always being uncovered.”

The 3rd album by Scottish industrial enigma Cinder aka Cindytalk began life as the soundtrack to an experimental film by English director Ivan Unnwin entitled Eclipse (The Amateur Enthusiast's Guide To Virus Deployment), and was originally slated for release via Factory Records' video division, Ikon. Inspired heavily by Alan Splet's eerily disembodied sound design in David Lynch's Eraserhead, the collection's 15 pieces seethe between field recordings, wistful piano vignettes, and lurking metallic haze – a hybrid palette Cinder characterized at the time as “ambi-dustrial.” Unfortunately Ikon collapsed on the eve of the project's completion so the film was never distributed, but the Midnight Music imprint repackaged Cindytalk's score as an LP in 1990 under the name The Wind Is Strong... (full title: The Wind Is Strong - A Sparrow Dances, Piercing Holes in Our Sky).

Cindytalk is the mercurial, expressionist outlet of Scottish artist Cinder. An evolution of her early 1980's Edinburgh-based punk band The Freeze, she launched the project upon moving to London, inspired by the crossroads of exploratory UK post-punk and early European industrial. Her work thrives on chance and transformation, collaging elements of noise, balladry, soundtrack, catharsis, and improvisation. After a series of celebrated albums for the Midnight Music label as well as collaborations with This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins, Cinder migrated to the United States, becoming involved with various underground techno collectives around the Midwest and West Coast. Subsequent relocations to Hong Kong and Japan further expanded Cindytalk's horizons, resulting in a fruitful partnership with Viennese experimental institution Editions Mego, for whom she released five albums of swooning, granular atmosphere. 2021 finds her as engaged as ever, at the precipice of long-awaited back catalog reissues alongside multiple new works, guided by her lasting love of discovery and deviation: “new pathways always being uncovered.”

Across decades of activity Cinder’s body of work has forever followed its own elusive muse but nowhere is this restless spirit more apparent and ambitious than the 4th Cindytalk LP, Wappinschaw. Conceived as “a call to arms” inspired by Scotland and its struggle for independence, the title refers to an archaic Scottish battle inspection during which clan chieftains surveyed their group's weapons to ensure they were combat ready. A mindset of reflective preparation threads throughout the record, manifested in forms both naked and noisy, ancient and anguished.

Opening with an aching solo vocal rendition of the British folk standard “The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face),” the album then surges into the Cindytalk classic, “A Song Of Changes,” sparkling and spiraling in strange waves of sorrow and joy. From there the mood fragments, tracing asymmetrical paths of feverish dirge, pensive spirituals, noir abstraction, spoken word (landmark Glaswegian writer Alasdair Gray guests on “Wheesht”), bagpipe drone, and apocalyptic post-punk. Given its aggressive eclecticism, it's not surprising that Cinder describes the creation of Wappinschaw as a “precarious” process, composed from “scraps” with abruptly shifting personnel – a situation only compounded by the impending dissolution of their label at the time, Midnight Music.

Letzter Teil der Trilogie mit frühen Aufnahmen des Detroiter Ambient/Shoegaze/Dreampop-Musikers Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive). Während Ambientskizzen und rückwärts drehende Loops präsent bleiben, erkennt man erstmals Songstrukturen, die Ivo Watts-Russell dazu bewogen, den Künstler auf 4AD zu signen. Überarbeitete Elemente erschienen auf dem His Name Is Alive 4AD-Debütalbum "Livonia" (1990), das zur damaligen Dreampop-Phase des Labels (Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil) passte, die gleichzeitig die satten Strukturen des späteren Shoegaze-Sounds vorwegnahm. Die 13 Tracks auf "Hope Is A Candle - Home Recordings 1985-1990 Volume 3" laufen auf jeder Seite des Clear Vinyl ununterbrochen durch und sind per Download-Code einzeln zugänglich.

Double 180gm LP set featuring 18 songs, all the hits from '83 to '89!

Vladimir Tarasov (b 1947) has been an active free jazz figure and multidiciplinary artist since late 60's, first in Soviet Union, Lithuania and later Worldwide.

Atto is one of Tarasov's long evolving experimental music projects.Atto IV from late 80's is my personal favorite. It was first released by Soviet Melodija label in 1990. Tarasov*ss percussion merges with the hypnotically repetative synth sequence into one long piece. All instruments are played by Tarasov himself.