Pop & Rock News

Since the 2015 release of Drab Majesty’s debut “Careless”, and the release of the acclaimed sophomore album “The Demonstration” the following year, artist Deb Demure and collaborator Mona D. have firmly established themselves amongst the pantheon of dark synth-pop greats, establishing a devoted fan base worldwide with their singular hypnotic sound and mysterious, constantly-evolving presence.

Following intense and extensive touring in support of the first two albums, Drab Majesty escaped to the inspirational landscapes of Athens, Greece to channel the songs for their most ambitious album creation yet: Modern Mirror.

Blowing the dust off the antiquarian myth of Ovid’s “Narcissus”, Drab Majesty uses its premise as groundwork for a modern reinterpretation. Each song tells a piece of the story, in which the listener’s own selfidentity has become warped and dissociated through rapidly expanding technology, losing touch with the origins of their own personalities. Setting the stage as a romantic saga of antiquity, “A Dialogue” asks the listener if they are truly in love amid a building wash of guitars and reverb. Elements of classic tragedy weigh heavily in the reflection of Modern Mirror in songs like “The Other Side”, possessing a fundamental sound that is energetic, luminous and hopeful. Fusing the sonic aesthetics of predecessors like New Order and The Cure within the cautious instruction of Greek mythology and modern science fiction, Drab Majesty has birthed a hybrid of dreamy malaise, captured for a future moment.

The first single, “Ellipsis”, romantically plays up the distorted concept of courting through modern technology in a world that has yet

Since the 2015 release of Drab Majesty’s debut “Careless”, and the release of the acclaimed sophomore album “The Demonstration” the following year, artist Deb Demure and collaborator Mona D. have firmly established themselves amongst the pantheon of dark synth-pop greats, establishing a devoted fan base worldwide with their singular hypnotic sound and mysterious, constantly-evolving presence.

Following intense and extensive touring in support of the first two albums, Drab Majesty escaped to the inspirational landscapes of Athens, Greece to channel the songs for their most ambitious album creation yet: Modern Mirror.

Blowing the dust off the antiquarian myth of Ovid’s “Narcissus”, Drab Majesty uses its premise as groundwork for a modern reinterpretation. Each song tells a piece of the story, in which the listener’s own selfidentity has become warped and dissociated through rapidly expanding technology, losing touch with the origins of their own personalities. Setting the stage as a romantic saga of antiquity, “A Dialogue” asks the listener if they are truly in love amid a building wash of guitars and reverb. Elements of classic tragedy weigh heavily in the reflection of Modern Mirror in songs like “The Other Side”, possessing a fundamental sound that is energetic, luminous and hopeful. Fusing the sonic aesthetics of predecessors like New Order and The Cure within the cautious instruction of Greek mythology and modern science fiction, Drab Majesty has birthed a hybrid of dreamy malaise, captured for a future moment.

The first single, “Ellipsis”, romantically plays up the distorted concept of courting through modern technology in a world that has yet

Der nächste große Wurf. DRAMAS veröffentlichen im April ihr zweites, selbstbetiteltes Album, auf dem das Artpop-Duo einmal mehr seine musikalischen Grenzen auslotet. Die Singles "Undercover Dreamer" und Bloodbath" sorgten bereits im Vorfeld europaweit für Furore. Von Beginn an machten sich Viktoria Winter und Mario Wienerroither - der u.a. mit "Musicless Musicvideos“ auf YouTube Millionen Menschen weltweit begeistert und damit sogar BBC-Preisträger wurde - auch als Live-Band einen Namen.

Driften is a room that you enter. It holds no space for distractions. It holds no riffs, nor melodies, nor choruses. You enter it.
You close the door behind you. You’re Blindfolded. You’re probably naked too. You’re alone, or with someone dear to you. You’re at your most perceptive (a state only you know how to achieve) You rely on us.
Jenny Wilson is a musician and producer.
Chris Ekvall is a translator of fiction and a singer/guitarist in Octopus Ride

'Two' ist das zweite Dubstar-Album seit der Reunion des Duos 2018 und das erste seit ihren bahnbrechenden 90er Alben 'Disgraceful' und 'Goodbye', das von Stephen Hague (New Order, Pet Shop Boys) produziert wurde. Diese Zusammenarbeit läutet ein Album voller Megapop, schwelgender Synth-Orchester, scharfsinnig beobachteter Spüldramen und absoluter Knaller ein. Es ist alles sofort wieder da: der eigentümliche Einblick in aus den Fugen geratene Welten, Sarahs trügerisch süsser Gesang, der nordische Akzent und diese unwiderstehliche Mischung aus elektronischer Euphorie und köstlicher Melancholie.

Featuring two tracks that come from Durand Jones & The Indications third LP, this 45 is a honeyed slice of retro-soul with pop leanings as the band continues to mine the 60's and 70's for inspiration. Front to back, this 45 keeps a healthy balance between inventing new sounds and sticking to the band's strengths. The A side "Ride or Die" casts the spotlight squarely on drummer Aaron Frazer, who also happens to have one of Earth's silkiest falsettos while Jones' vocals lead the way through the sultry "More Than Ever".

Since the release of her debut album Metalepsis in 2015, Alexandra Drewchin’s Eartheater project has evolved into new performance styles

and cycled through a diverse menu of genres, while she has introduced her music to scenes and new contexts all over the world over years of

international touring. With Hausu Mountain’s reissue of Metalepsis, appearing on vinyl for the first

time with updated artwork, we travel back five years to a period of her work where you would more likely find Drewchin’s three-octave voice swooping

through gorgeous cascading melodies as she fingerpicks through ornate chord progressions on her acoustic guitar, rather than pouring out lacerating noise

texture and technoid beat structures from a pair of CDJs. The idea that these two (of many) sides of her project are at odds with each

other, however, is a total fallacy, as Eartheater’s holistic practice remains in a state of constant recombination and willful juxtaposition. Her recent sets have

come to balance her heavier post-club material with a reincorporation of long passages of stripped down voice-and-guitar performance. With this in mind, a

reconsideration of Metalepsis could not come at a better time. Tracks like the majestic ‘Homonyms’ and the stripped-down finale ‘Infinity’

float the closest to legible structures in keeping with folk artists like Vashti Bunyan or Linda Perhacs. Drewchin’s songs latch into temporary cycles for a few

stanzas before jetting off into one-off flights of harmony that stand behind her soaring vocal lines. On ‘Homonyms,’ she winds her way through a labyrinth of

tumbling melodic figures that range from tongue-twisting, almost rapped midrange cadences to bursts of color in the highest of falsettos. Drewchin tries

on hard-effected belting closer to 90s alternative rock (‘Youniverse’), layered wordless coos and chirping vocalizations (‘Macro EV’), and pensive spokenword

whispers (‘The Internet is Handmade’). Her lyrics toy with themes of humanity’s increasing integration with technology, with our tiny role and self-perception

in a vast universe, and with the boundaries between the imagined dreamworld and the (u)(dys)topia expanding before us. For all of her mastery of voice

and traditional instrumentation, Eartheater’s omnivorous, collage-like approach to production pushes Metalepsis beyond the limits of singer-songwriting

and out into the deep end of modern electronic experimentation. Shorter sketches like ‘View Point Strata’ and ‘Youniverse’ stand as miniature

flights through contrasting sound sources and broken anti-structures. The chirps of Drewchin’s pet birds join with peals of atonal violin, while a jovial

verse by an anonymous Russian rapper arises out of a sea of garbled, heavily processed vocal fragments. Even the tracks that skirt closer to more conventional

forms play host to detailed electronic backdrops of percolating percussion patterns, sliced and looped synth formants, and swathes of pure synth texture.

Peat Bog’s Earthmonkey does it again with this psychedelic and macabre double record entitled “Underground Carousel”. Pete is best known for his contributions to Rock and Roll Station along with Steve Stapleton of Nurse With Wound

The Egyptian Lover is an American musician, vocalist, producer and DJ, and has been an important part of the Los Angeles dance music and rap scene since 1982 with Uncle Jams Army. The Egyptian Lover has been in the music game for over thirty years, and has never stopped touring. This 12" release of the single "Beyond the Galaxy" is from Egypt's instant classic album "1985". It features San Francisco turntablist DJ Qbert of Rock Steady Crew.

Reissue, 2 x 180 gram Vinyl

Reissue, 2 x 180 gram Vinyl











[k] D1 Segne Deinen Schmerz ([:SITD:] - Remix)

Reissue, 2 x 180 gram Vinyl

Reissue, 2 x 180 gram Vinyl

180 gram, On The Rocks One: Erstmals als eigenständige 8 Track Vinyl erhältlich mit u.a. dem Remix vom "Eisbär"

Da die Scheibe mit 20 Songs mehr cooles Material enthält, als auf eine einzelne CD passen würde, erscheint „Life Below Zero“ als Doppelalbum.
Zudem wird es eine streng limitierte Fanbox geben, die u.a. eine Bonus-CD mit 6 bisher unveröffentlichten Tracks enthält.
Allein in der Dunkelheit, 24/7 nicht das kleinste Licht, ein wenig Nähe oder den Hauch von Wärme. Nur erdrückende Stille, beklemmende Einsamkeit und klirrende Kälte. In „7even Days of Darkness“ bauen sich nach und nach treibende Beats auf und peitschen Dir eiskalt ins Gesicht. Doch Du
trotzt dem scheinbar aussichtslosen Schicksal und entgegnest: „Now I will gather power and bring it to an end.“ Du kämpfst, aber die Kälte und
das Eis scheinen Dich zu überwältigen und in die Knie zu zwingen...Doch dann tauchen plötzlich Dr. Schnee, Der Frost, °Celsius und von Fahrenheit
vor Dir auf und halten Dir den „Mirror“ vor Dein nahezu erstarrtes Gesicht. Mit melodiösen Synthie-Sounds, eindringlichem Gesang und Beats,
zu denen Du einfach tanzen MUSST, tauen sie Deine eingefrorenen Glieder auf und schenken Dir neue Hoffnung. Du erkennst, dass Musik, Liebe
und Freude stärker sind als Dunkelheit und Kälte.
20 Songs. 14 auf Englisch. 6 auf Deutsch. Auf „Life Below Zero“ finden sich so viele deutsche Tracks, wie auf keinem anderen Eisfabrik-Album
zuvor. Die Meister des Future-Pop zeigen mal wieder, wie man innerhalb von Sekunden das Eis bricht und ein wahres Feuerwerk an heißen Beats,
mitreißenden Synthie-Sounds und großartigen Texten auf die Tanzfläche und die Gehörgänge abfeuert.
Gänsehaut und Muskelkater vom Tanzen sind hier gleichermaßen vorprogrammiert und eins ist sicher: bei den ganzen fetten Dance-Tracks wird
so schnell niemandem kalt.

Bristol-based singer, songwriter and bandleader, who has powered her
way to the-forefront of the British blues and roots scene in recent years,
unveils her eagerly-awaited third album 'Shining in the Half Light'
Crammed with vibrant originals brought to life with her A-list touring band, it's yet
another significant step forward in a career already feted with awards and
acclaim.'Shining in the Half Light' is Bailey's first full length album recorded in the
UK & feature's Joe Wilkins on Guitar, Jonny Henderson on Ivories, Matthew Waer
on Bass duties and Matthew Jones on drums. It was recorded in deepest Devon
in December 2020 at Middle Farm Studios and produced by Dan Weller, best
known for his long working relationship with Enter Shikari. Elles wanted this
record to feature 'gospel style vocals' so in steps Izo Fitzroy, an incredible artist in
her own right, who arranged the stunning background vocals on 'Shining In The
Half Light', and performed them alongside Jade Elliot and Andrusilla Mosley.
An exciting team of co-writers feature with three credits for Ashton Tucker & Will
Edmunds, who both wrote with Elles for 'Road I Call Home', plus she teamed up
with longtime guitarist Joe Wilkins to write the slow-flowing, philosophical 'Riding
Out The Storm'. Other kindred spirits include guitar maestro Martin Harley, for the
gentle and romantic 'Different Kind Of Love' and Matt Owens, co-founder of the
hugely successful indie- folk outfit Noah and the Whale, on the aforementioned
'Sunshine City'. The album comes to a striking conclusion with its title track, cowritten with Nashville's Craig Lackey, written over Zoom in May 2020.
Front cover features in Blues in Britain (Jan) and MNPR (May) Features in Record
Collector, Rock and Reel, Blues Matters, HRH Magazine, Fireworks Mag,
Powerplay, and Maverick
Reviews in Record Collector, Maverick, Powerplay,Fireworks,Blues Matters,HRH
Mag
Online press in Music News, Maximum Volume, Rush On Rock, All About The
Rock, Vents, Bluesdoodles, Rock and Blues Muse,Blues Rock Review, Blazing
Minds, Decibal Report, Maverick Country
Radio- BBC Radio 2 Cerys Matthews and Johnnie Walker, Planet Rock A playlist.

'I Know Too Much' is Ellie Goulding's highly anticipated 6th studio album. The incredible 10 track album features the single 'Black Prada Dress’.

Pioneering space music duo Emerald Web, comprised of Bob Stohl and soulmate Kat Epple, made some of the most ethereal, divine and healing sounds between 1979 and 1990. Crafting
their debut album in a haunted mansion in northwest Connecticut, their second disc was created in a small log cabin. A subsequent move to the San Francisco Bay Area brought an
extended stay at an Indonesian martial arts ashram, which led to the Valley of the Birds, a remote avian haven in which the duo produced Sound Trek, an incredible space rock long
player drawing on their immersion in fantasy realms, sci-fi, martial arts and UFOs. Created mostly with monophonic synths and an Oberheim DS-2 sequencer, it also features
Shakahachi flutes, electronic flutes and more standard acoustic instruments.

This career-spanning 3CD & 4LP collection (1970-1998), showcases the immense musical talents of Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer.

The Anthology was produced in association with all three band members and the booklet contains extensive liner notes with new band interviews by legendary rock journalist Chris Welch.

The audio was mastered by world renowned rock studio engineer Andy Pearce.

Featuring tracks from all of their original albums: Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pictures At An Exhibition, Tarkus, Trilogy, Brain Salad Surgery, Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends, Works Volume 1, Works Volume 2, Works Live, Love Beach, Live At Nassau Coliseum ‘78, Black Moon, In The Hot Seat, Live At The Royal Albert Hall, Then & Now. Includes their global hit singles ‘Fanfare For The Common Man’ and ‘Lucky Man’.

Love in the Time of Science is the fourth album by the Icelandic singer/songwriter Emilíana Torrini. It was her first album to be released internationally (her earlier albums being released only in her native Iceland).

The album was recorded and released in 1999 and was produced by Roland Orzabal and Alan Griffiths of Tears For Fears, who also wrote two tracks for the album. It was recorded and mixed at Orzabal's own studio, Neptune's Kitchen, with additional recording done in Spain and Iceland. Orzabal also played and performed backing vocals on the album.

Other collaborators included Eg White, Siggi Baldursson and Mark Abis.

The title of the album is a variation of the 1985 Gabriel García Márquez novel Love in the Time of Cholera.

Zeit ist Geld - wir werden so reich geboren. Das allein ist schon ein Satz für die Ewigkeit. Für die Nachwelt. Als Erinnerung daran, wie häufig wir diesen wahren Reichtum achtlos verschwenden. Meistens bemerken wir das erst, wenn der Tod in unser Leben tritt und liebe Menschen dieses Reichtums viel zu früh beraubt. Eben glaubten sie sich noch wohlhabend, hatten ihr halbes Leben vor sich, mindestens... doch dann sind sie weg. All die Erlebnisse, die noch hätten sein können. All die Erinnerungen, die zu sammeln man aufgeschoben hat, während man stattdessen Quittungen sammelte für die Steuer oder verfluchte Kontakte für das berufliche Netzwerk. Wozu?

Wäre Enno Bunger bloß ein musikalischer Dienstleister, würde er seine persönlichen Erfahrungen mit dem Tod ignorieren. Den Menschen, den er tatsächlich verloren hat. Den Menschen, der gerettet werden konnte. Er würde die Spuren auf seiner Seele für sich behalten und in seinen Liedern einfach unverfängliche Phrasen collagieren, wie man es heute so macht. Aber Enno Bunger ist Künstler. Und als solcher lässt er uns teilhaben. An der Furcht vor dem Diebstahl der Lebenszeit und dem Zorn auf die Unverfrorenheit des Räubers. An der Innigkeit und Nähe, die im gemeinsamen Kampf entsteht. An der Trauer, wenn der Kampf verloren geht und an dem völlig neuen Blick auf das Leben, wenn man ihn gewinnt und seine Zeit nicht länger vergeuden möchte. Ich schieb nichts mehr auf meine Bucketlist / Ich leg jetzt los bevor alles im Eimer ist.

Enno Bungers viertes Album bietet den Soundtrack für ein besseres Leben. Eines, in dem man lieber gute Erinnerungen sammelt als Messenger-Verläufe. Eines, in dem die Qualität des Augenblicks größeren Wert hat als das imaginierte Ziel in der Ferne. Wir wollen nichts mehr werden / wir wollen nur noch sein. Die Konsequenz der Platte liegt darin, dass sie diese Qualität lyrisch wie musikalisch in jedem Ton umsetzt. Mutig öffnen sich Bunger und seine Musiker modernen stilistischen Formen und nutzen sie allesamt zu ihrem Vorteil. Bucketlist , Wolken aus Beton , One-Life-Stand und vor allem das sechsminütige Ponyhof erzählen ausschweifend und tanzbar entwaffnend emotionale Geschichten in der einzigen Form, die ein ganzes Leben in ein paar Dutzend Verse packen kann: Dem Sprechgesang. Enno Bunger rappt, und das besser und luzider als die meisten Hauptberufler dieser Gattung!

Ich hätte in dieser Phase eigentlich dringend einen Psychotherapeuten aufsuchen müssen , sagt Enno Bunger, aber ich wollte mich durch das Schreiben selbst therapieren. So können aus den traurigsten Anlässen die berührendsten Lieder entstehen. Die größte Scheiße, durch die man gehen muss, kann der beste Dünger für berührende Kunst sein. Nach Wir sind vorbei ist Was berührt, das bleibt. somit ein weiteres Konzeptalbum zur Verarbeitung einschneidender Erlebnisse aus der Feder eines Mannes, der seine ganze Kindheit am Klavier verbracht hat und schon im Alter von 13 Jahren als Barpianist in Ostfrieslands Kneipen spielte. Einer, dessen Wurzeln tief im klassischen Indie-Songwriting eines Bon Iver oder Elliot Smith stecken, dessen Triebe sich aber bis in luftige Höhen von alternativem Hiphop, ästhetischer Elektronik oder wolkenfeinem Trap recken. Nach dem Hören dieses Albums fragt sich jeder, ob er sein Leben wirklich lebt oder doch mal neu laden sollte. Oder, in den Worten Bungers: Niemand hier kann Dich retten / Niemand, außer Dir selbst.

Eric Gales is a blues frebrand
Over 30 years and 18 albums, his passion for the music and his boundless desire
to keep it vital has never waned, even when his own light dimmed due to his
substance struggles. Throughout it all, he continued to reinvigorate the art form
with personal revelation in his lyrics and bold stylistic twists in his guitar playing
and songwriting. Five years sober, creatively rejuvenated, and sagely insightful,
Eric is ready for the fght of his career. Aptly, he calls his masterful new album,
'Crown', out January 28th, 2022, on Provogue/ Mascot label Group. Here, Eric
opens like never before, sharing his struggles with substance abuse, his hopes
about a new era of sobriety and unbridled creativity, and his personal refections
on racism. The songs are delivered with clarity and feature Eric's personal
experiences and hope for positive change. In addition, the 16- track collection
boasts his fnest singing, songwriting, and his signature guitar playing that burns
throughout. Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, this is Eric at his most
boldly vulnerable, uncompromisingly political, and unfinchingly confdent.
The 'Crown' album journey is exhilarating, and, much like Eric's life, winds through
moments of victory and vulnera-bility. Along the way, Eric shares his story and his
feelings through the majesty of the blues. He says: "When I play, the core is
always the blues, and on this album, we go through a theme park of the blues,
exploring all kinds of blues. We visit the carousel, the bumper cars, the water
rides, the concession stands, and we all come out with smiles."
• 'Crown' was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, and features
contributions from ace songwriters Keb Mo, Tom Hambridge and James House •
Eric Gales' most recent album, 2019's 'The Bookends', debuted #1 on the
Billboard Blues Album chart and that year Eric won a Blues Music Award for Blues
Rock Artist Of The Year • Extensive social media and lifestyle campaigns on
Facebook, Google, YouTube, along with online adverts on key websites • Reviews,
consumer ads and interviews in a wide range of media including Blues, Rock,
Mainstream, Lifestyle and newspapers

Osaka-born and New York-based pianist Erika Dohi is a multi-faceted
artist with an eclectic musical background. From highly polished
raditional classical to bold improvisation, she is a dynamic performer
whose timeless style and unidiomatic technique sets her apart in
contemporary NYC avant-garde circles.
Dohi’s vast repertory is impressive but what makes her truly such a
barrier-defying artist is what lies ahead. ‘I, Castorpollux’, Dohi’s debut
solo album, is a profound personal excavation set to a gripping
andscape of wild, genre-fluid composition, a virtuosic but emotionally
generous convergence of the technical and the spiritual. With
understated piano and keyboards at its centre, ‘I, Castorpollux’ is
equal parts hazy nostalgia, science-fiction soundtrack and
electroacoustic experimentation.
The project features contributions from Channy Leaneagh (Polica),
Andy Akiho and Immanuel Wilkins, among others, and is produced by
William Brittelle.
The central theme to the album is the ‘split-self’ and variable
perceptions of time that Dohi has faced at formative moments in her
ife. She experienced the 1995 Kobe earthquake at age 7. Hiding
under a table during the worst of it, she later emerged to find the
world around her crumbled. In her immediate vicinity, a fixture of her
childhood remained standing. The Tower of the Sun, a type of three
aced time machine itself from Expo 70, designed by artist Taro
Okamoto, is a trail-marker on Erika’s journey, a stand-in sigil to
unlock the mysterious sounds of her work, with 70s synths and retro
sci-fi aesthetics permeating the album’s narratives.
Much of the album was written while living in Texas where the split
between her Asian self and the idea of being an American
necessitated a near mountain of self-discovery to reconcile how she
elt and who she was within the social backdrop of a strongly
conservative environment. It is no wonder that the character of the
Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux from Greek and Roman mythology
esonate so deeply with her, or Haruki Murakami’s Two Moons and
heir strange light.
From her contributions to various projects and her participation in the
Artist in Residency collaborations, Erika has become a staple of the
37d03d community.

The best musicians are masters of reinvention. Bob Dylan’s electric revolution at Newport Folk Festival. Radiohead’s bold rebirth with Kid A. Robert Plant’s fearless escape from the shadow of Led Zeppelin. To that list of trailblazers and rulebreakers, add Erja Lyytinen. For seventeen years, we’ve known her as the award-winning slide goddess whose heart-and-guts songs have shaken the blues-rock scene. But as the Finnish bandleader confirms with latest album Another World, we’ve only scratched the surface. “The album title is the idea of stepping into a new territory, musically and spiritually,” she explains. “Walking towards a new land of musical ideas, not being afraid to express myself. This album is open-minded, curious and empowering.”

In a cynical world where manufactured bands stick to the formula, Lyytinen has always broken through the boundaries of genre. This is an artist capable of flowing from the primal blues of international debut Pilgrimage (2005), to the orchestration of Voracious Love (2010) and the soulful Elmore James tributes of The Sky Is Crying (2014). But following the shattering breakup that fuelled Stolen Hearts (2017), Lyytinen found herself tearing out the page and writing a new chapter. “While Stolen Hearts was made during tough times,” she reflects, “Another World is like spring, bringing in new fresh life and hope. The whole album is rockier and funkier, with elements of blues, pop, hard-rock, prog-rock – one song even has an Irish vibe.”

Written, recorded, mixed and mastered across the planet by the greatest sonic architects on the modern scene, Another World feels like an album in motion. The songs passed through iconic locations including Gavin Lurssen’s Grammy-winning Lurssen Mastering in LA, while the thrilling mix was crafted by Austin, Texas legend Chris Bell, who recognised Lyytinen as a talent to match up to A-list clients like The Eagles, Erykah Badu and Eric Johnson. But Lyytinen’s soaring vocals and fire-in-fingers slide work mean these songs always feel like one vision, even with the tracklisting running the gamut of genres and moods. Snake In The Grass lays biting riffs on a stop-start groove, Lyytinen cutting heads with Michael Jackson’s favourite shredder, Jennifer Batten, on a harmony solo that “becomes a guitar battle”.

The trio of fiddle player Erlend Apneseth with guitarist Stephan Meidell and drummer Oyvind Hegg-Lunde follows up their Nordic Prize-nominated album of 2019, ‘Salika, Molika’, with a remarkable suite of tunes inspired by the rhythms and physicality of the human body in motion.
Originally commissioned by FRIKAR Dance Company to accompany the performance of a new work, ‘Skaut’, dealing with the covering of the body in different cultures, the music of ‘Lokk’ takes the trio further than ever before into completely fresh areas of electro-acoustic improvisation.
The sounds of their original instruments are integrated with electronic beats and treated textures to form a kind of enhanced digital-folk style whose influences stretch from traditional south Asian ragas to contemporary dance culture from around the globe.
The result is intense, and intensely rhythmic, music where the normally separate realms of the cerebral and the corporeal can appear to fuse into one irresistible groove.
As the trio rocks on - in a dream of perfect interplay between instruments and players, soloists and ensemble - deep, trembling sub-bass intersects with ethereal ambient soundscapes. Elsewhere, the twittering of birdsong - from both real bird-calls and the uncanny imitation of them by Apneseth’s Hardanger fiddle - meets archival recordings of Norwegian herdswomen.
“Our musical idea for this project was to unite different extremes, connections that felt “forbidden” in one form or another”, says Stephan Meidell. “For example, by using the sampled recording of traditional herd-calling, blended together with aesthetics from more contemporary music styles. This exploration has led us further into a rhythmic and danceable landscape than in previous releases. We also wanted to use this opportunity to deliberately make more dance-related music. As regards the original commission, were pretty free to do what we wanted, but there was one specific dance in mind, ‘Valdresspringar’, for which Erlend wrote the melody. It’s a traditional, asymmetrical dance and has a very particular form. The melody is on the track called ‘Springar’, which we then messed around with.”
This “messing around with” element is key to the sound of ‘Lokk’, whose playful experimentation over the nine separate tracks creates a beguiling, constantly surprising sense of adventure and intrigue that both draws the listener in, and then keeps them on their toes as to where the next stage of the journey will take them. It also becomes inescapably obvious that this is a group of three equals.
The contributions of Stephan Meidell and Oyvind Hegg-Lunde, as musicians, co-composers and producers, appear every bit as important as that of Erlend Apneseth, who performs superbly throughout. “Even though the trio carries Erlend’s name, it’s a band in every sense of the word”, says Stephan Meidell. “We make the music together, where everyone brings their ideas and we build on each other’s input and output. This is not our “coming out” as a band, but the group is sometimes interpreted as having a hierarchical structure, as a soloist and accompaniment.”
As is evident from the trio’s live performances, where each member seamlessly integrates the acoustic and the electronic elements in their respective sounds through constant monitoring and tweaking, Apneseth, Meidell and Hegg-Lunde are also pioneers,
creating real-time effects that in the past were only available through post-production or the intervention of a sympathetic engineer and a truck-load of kit. ‘Lokk’ translates this fleet-footed improvisational approach, and the players’ lightning-speed reaction times, back into the environment of the recording studio, where the music composed for the original FRIKAR dance piece was further embellished and adapted. Played live, it will continue to change again, as improvised music always does.

Esfand ist der letzte Monat des persischen Kalenders, der mit dem Nouruz-Frühlingsfest endet. Seit 2020 ist ESFAND auch eine Band - bestehend aus dem Iraner Rouzbeh Esfand und dem Neuseeländer Patrick Stewart. Ein Duo, das traditionelle iranische Folk-Elemente mit westlichen Beats und Vocal-Features bekannter exil-iranischer Künstler*innen zu etwas völlig Neuem verschmilzt. Ihr Debütalbum "Piltan" ist ein fulminant tanzbares Statement ohne Anflüge von Ethno-Kitsch. Pure Instinktmusik. "Wir haben die Samples ausschließlich aus musikalischen Gesichtspunkten ausgewählt. Das Folk-Element in unserer Musik ist groß, aber es ist nicht unsere Aufgabe, die Reinheit dieser Kultur zu wahren. Wir werfen iranische Traditionen nicht weg, wir behalten einfach die, die am besten passen. Am Ende des Tages sind alles nur Sounds." "Piltan" ist eine akustische Reise quer durch ein riesiges Land voller kultureller Eigenheiten: von den Zar-Ritualen aus dem Persischen Golf im Süden zum Reiter-Volk der Bachtiaren im Südwesten, bis hin zu den Qaschqai im Westen und zu den Kurden im nordwestlichen Iran mit ihren Derwisch-Ritualen. Die ersten beiden Songs haben ihren Ursprung in den repetitiven Rhythmen der Zar-Rituale, bei denen der Dämon Zar Personen in Form eines Windes befällt. Der Begleiter der zu behandelnden Person wiederholt bestimmte Phrasen immer wieder, um den Patienten in Ekstase zu versetzen. Auf die von Handtrommeln befeuerten Techno-Beats in "Bibi Saghi" folgen die düster-hektischen Synthie-Grooves von "O"seda". Ob der dunkle Dub von "Shawl" oder die maschinell stampfenden "Zar Bits" und "Without Foot, Without Head" - alle acht Songs sind raffinierte Produktionen auf höchstem technischem Niveau. Auf zwei Songs ist der Sänger und Perkussionist Habib Meftah vertreten (Rouzbeh: "Ich liebe seinen Instinkt für Songs!"). Auf "Shawl" gastiert Mohsen Namjoo, der sich ähnlich viel mit Folklore befasst hat und hier Texte der bekannten iranischen Dichter Daqiqi und Farrukhi Sistani singt. Aus einer jüngeren Generation stammt die Londoner Sängerin Misagh Moradi. Ihr "Without Foot, Without Head" basiert auf Texten des weltbekannten Dichters Rumi. Sich im Moment verlieren, sich dem Rhythmus hingeben, ganz unabhängig vom eigenen Hintergrund - das geht mit der jahrhundert- und grenzüberschreitenden Musik von ESFAND. Loslassen, abschalten, ohne Kopf und Füße zu kontrollieren. Darum geht es ESFAND. Übersetzt heißt es im Text von "Without Foot Without Head": "Oh du mit der anmutigen Taille, wirbele herum! Tanze weiter!"

Trapezoid: 4 sided geometrical figure, none of which is parallel to any other one.

This is the exoteric definition. But there is also an esoteric one which carries all the meaning of the symbol.


We are psychologically programmed to look for symmetry, to recognize harmonious forms in our environment. Mandalas comfort us. They give us a sense of wholeness. Even our own design as human beings is symmetrical. On the other hand, the deliberate search for non-symmetrical forms is the quest for heterodoxy, for the separation from the natural order to walk owns path, the way of the dissident. It means to inhabit a subjective universe whose laws do not emanate from an external command, natural or divine. It is, truly, the Will to be the Other.

In this sense this is a trapezoidal record. A deliberate act of magic. The music follows its own rules. There is a lot of crosslinked percussion, ethnic elements amputated from the tradition they were created for, synths which are not synths, trumpets that are really guitars, apparent confusion. Nothing is casual, everything has a purpose. Each track of every song is a necessary element of the ritual. And, as any ritual which expect to be effective, it's a subjective act that has to transform the practitioner first. And then, permeate the psyche of the listener and expand through the cosmos.

Comes with a biographical interview insert telling the fascinating story behind Fantasy Train and the creation of their unique 1984 album for the first time.

File together with: Donnie & Joe Emerson - Dreamin' Wild and Jr. & His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds albums.

"From a southern small town this after school project is hard to describe other than there's nothing else like it. Teens exploring soul, funk and rock and this album is their interpretation of all three. Catchy tunes, plenty of effects and earnest vocals. Fantasy Train is one of the freshest sounds I've heard in many years of digging." Rich Haupt (Rockadelic).

"Cool teen rock meets DIY modern soul laden with psyched guitars, weird sci-fi effects, and alternate male/female vocals. There's also cheesy synth-wave realms and dreamy late night gospel overtones." Taro Miyasugi (Vinyl Anaconda).

"Fantasy Train is a unique, genre-bending album cooked up in the sweltering Southern heat that impresses me with a special kind of style and panache. It is an amazing venture - their sound is clearly rooted in the soul of the '60s and the funk of the '70s but flourishes even further with the added electro-swagger of the '80s, and there is a certain genius to its fluidity. I don't really believe in genres anyway. The band's wild imagination and their excellent musical use of a laser pistol made clear to me that this album was one of a kind." Sam Swig (Mystery Brew).

Die Band, oder eher der Zusammenschluss “Far Corporation“ reiht sich in die Liste der viel zitierten Supergroups ein. Hat doch Erfolgsproduzent Frank Farian (Boney M., Milli Vanilli, No Mercy) hier einige klingende Namen im losen Verbund für eine kurze, lockere, aber intensive und vor allen überaus erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit versammeln können.

Herausragend und im kollektiven Gedächtnis eingebracht ist dabei sicher die Coverversion des "Stairway to Heaven" Klassikers. Die Single aus dem Album „Division One“ konnte weltweit die Charts erobern. Mit Bobby Kimballs Stimme und dem phrasierten Spiel von Keyboarder David Paich und Steve Lukater an der Gitarre, die Farian für dieses Projekt alle von Toto ausgeliehen hatte, bekam der Song ganz neues Pop Potential. Entgegen der öffentlichen Wahrnehmung war Far Corporation damit tatsächlich die erste Gruppe, die mit "Stairway to Heaven" einen echten Single-Hit in den Charts verbuchte, da die ursprünglichen Urheber Led Zeppelin nie eine Single Veröffentlichung mit dem Titel herausbrachten. So erfolgreich FAR Corporation mit Single und Album auch waren, wurde die Zusammenarbeit doch als Projekt und nicht als Band betrachtet. Die wechselnde Besetzung bestand dann neben den erwähnten Toto Musikern auch aus bekannten Mitgliedern anderer Bands wie etwa Barclay James Harvest oder Thin Lizzy. Auch die deutsche Schlagzeug-Legende Curt Cress und Multi Talent Leslie Mandoki hatten ihren Part. Während das 9 ½ Minuten Opus "Stairway to Heaven" der wichtigste Track und der Auftakt zu "Division One" Album ist, kann das Nachfolge-Album "Solitude" unter anderem mit einer Reihe selbst komponierter neuer Songs und einer fantastischen Version von Cockney Rebels "Sebastian" überzeugen.

Knappe 10 Jahre liegen zwischen den beiden Alben, weshalb „Division One“ in seinerzeit noch ein LP Erfolg war, während „Solitude“ nur auf CD erhältlich war. Vergriffen sind beide Alben seit langem und so freuen sich die Fans hier genauso über die LP Premiere von „Solitude“ wie über das Wiedererscheinen von „Division One“ auf Vinyl.
Rezensionen
»Clever auch der Mix aus eigenen Kompositionen mit bekannten Stücken aus der Rockgeschichte, so coverten sie Led Zeppelin (›Stairway To Heaven‹), Free (›Fire And Water‹), Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (›Sebastian‹) und Steely Dan (›Rikki Don’t Lose That Number‹).« (Good Times, Juni / Juli 2019)

Oiche, the debut album from Fears, available 7th Mayl 2021. Pieced
together over five years, Oiche chronicles growth through challenges,
instability, and relationship changes, both with one’s self and others.
The album reveals itself much like a coming of age novel about the breaking
apart of girlhood and rebuilding of a young woman. An intimate depiction of
discovery, Oiche unearths internal dialogue, and makes peace with uncertainty.
Oiche, meaning ‘night’ in Irish, was recorded in three bedrooms, hospital, and
the Domino Recordings studio in Brixton.
Fears is London-based Irish artist Constance Keane. Combining reflective electronics, acoustic samples, and haunting vocals with organic visuals, Fears invites the listener on an ethereal journey, blurring the boundaries between
music and visual art. Her minimalist approach centres on emotive subjects,
which are all-at-once deeply personal yet remarkably universal. Oiche is the
first release on TULLE, run by and for exceptional womxn.

Fenomenon are a trio hailing from Stavanger, on the west coast of Norway. Throughout their career they have released four full-length records, effortlessly moving between future jazz, downtempo, soul, and broken beat.

Their lush debut 12" Pacific Memories on Nuphonic made considerate waves and made the ears of many DJs perk up. As a result, the tracks "Pacific Memories" and "Solara" were featured on many big-name compilations and mix CDs such as Tom Middleton's The Sound Of The Cosmos, Hed Kandi, and MTV Summer Lounge. The latter was also featured in Michael Bay's sci-fi thriller The Island, featuring Scarlett Johansson. The follow-up single visjon.nord was only released as a white label promo due to the unfortunate demise of Nuphonic in 2002.

Pacific Memories: The Early Tapes collects tunes from both these EPs complemented by songs recorded around the same time. Originally released on CD only in 2006 by the Norwegian label Beatservice, it's now available on vinyl for the first time for its 20th anniversary. If you're a fan of Jazzanova, The Cinematic Orchestra, Kinobe, and Blue States, you can't miss this.

Pacific Memories: The Early Tapes is available as a 20th anniversary edition on black vinyl.

Fernando Gallego is not a music band which we can define as ’common’, on the contrary. This group from Burriana, successor of Funeraria Vergara, started its history back in the early 1984, (after Juan Luis Montoliu left), and it ended in 1986 with the emergence of the project "Decúbito Supino". Their usage of some synthesizers, amongst other gadgets, keyboards and large petrol cans, was the distinctive feature as regards to their predecessor band; such an echo defined a much more industrial and electronic sound, closer to early EBM. As it happened with Funeraria Vergara, the disconnection or isolation towards something which might be classified as ’local scene’ or similarity, which was the most common thing, given the circumstances... Castellón, in those times, did not have many ways to let people know his music, and even less that one made by other groups similar to FG, either in style or musically speaking. This fact helped to define a unique and original identity, even more if possible, taking into account the personality and character of each of its members. FG didn’t get to publish anything at all until 2012, when one of his songs (Almuerzo Desnudo) appeared in the compilation Non Plus Ultra 1980–1987 (Domestica Records, Ref.DOM03–L).

Fever Ray is the solo project of the Knife’s Karin Dreijer and ‘Plunge’ was the first release in eight years since her celebrated self-titled debut in 2009.

Fever Ray played a series of European and American live dates in 2018. They were Fever Ray’s first live shows since 2010: “behind the scenes on her current tour, her crew reveals a place of artistic freedom, open collaboration and natural kindness” - Laura Snapes (for Red Bull).

Plunge was largelyrecorded in Karin Dreijer’s Stockholm studio in collaboration with the producers Paula Temple, Deena Abdelwahed, NÍDIA, Tami T, Peder Mannerfelt and Johannes Berglund.

International psych explorers Flamingods are back with brand new album ‘Levitation’ coming out on via Moshi Moshi Records.

Inspired largely by the disco, funk and psychedelic sounds coming out of the Middle East and South Asia in the 70s, the album channels these influences through a vision soaked in mysticism, positivity and sun-drenched imagery.

During the process of writing and recording ‘Levitation’, Flamingods for the first time in four years found themselves living in the same continent, it’s this new unified feel that defines the confident and eclectic sound of the album.

‘Levitation’ is the follow-up to Flamingods’ breakthrough 2016 album ‘Majesty’ and follows their ‘Kewali’ EP release for Moshi Moshi in 2017 and a one-off release with Dan Carey for his Speedy Wunderground singles club. During this time they’ve performed live sessions at 6Music (with Gilles Peterson & Lauren Laverne), KEXP, Boiler Room and have been travelling the globe spreading their

International psych explorers Flamingods are back with brand new album ‘Levitation’ coming out on via Moshi Moshi Records.

Inspired largely by the disco, funk and psychedelic sounds coming out of the Middle East and South Asia in the 70s, the album channels these influences through a vision soaked in mysticism, positivity and sun-drenched imagery.

During the process of writing and recording ‘Levitation’, Flamingods for the first time in four years found themselves living in the same continent, it’s this new unified feel that defines the confident and eclectic sound of the album.

‘Levitation’ is the follow-up to Flamingods’ breakthrough 2016 album ‘Majesty’ and follows their ‘Kewali’ EP release for Moshi Moshi in 2017 and a one-off release with Dan Carey for his Speedy Wunderground singles club. During this time they’ve performed live sessions at 6Music (with Gilles Peterson & Lauren Laverne), KEXP, Boiler Room and have been travelling the globe spreading their