Pop & Rock News

Christopher, Henning & Severin sind AnnenMayKantereit. Sie leben in Köln, sind zusammen aufgewachsen und schreiben heute Songs darüber, wie sie das Leben und die Liebe zerreißt, ratlos macht und beflügelt. AnnenMayKantereit haben sich mit ihren Konzerten von der Straße in ausverkaufte Clubs gespielt.Ihre Videos drehen sie selbst und das erste Album haben sie im Alleingang live eingespielt. Die Fangemeinde ist im letzten Jahr beeindruckend gewachsen,die Videos werden tausendfach aufgerufen und ihre Shows sind immer öfter ausverkauft.Viel Aufmerksamkeit für eine so junge Band, die gar nicht versucht hat, jeden Blick auf sich zu ziehen. Schlagzeug, Gitarre, Bass, Gesang, Klavier,Mundharmonika - das ist das Besteck - und mit guten Songs, viel Blues und Hennings unverwechselbarer Stimme treffen AnnenMayKantereit die Herzen ihrer
Generation, der davor und der danach.

f you've been wondering what's been keeping Lee Southall busy all this time, you're about to find out. On Iron In The Fire, the former The Coral guitarist brings the outside world in through quality songmanship - showing that whichever paths our lives may take, our exposure to the elements will remain the same.

Taking an alternative path to each of his Coral cohorts, when the group disbanded in 2012, Lee left behind his native seaside town of Hoylake on the Wirral, and moved 75 miles inland to the 'tops' of Hebden Bridge. In search of a fresh start, the dramatic wind-beaten and changeable landscape gave Lee time and space to craft Iron In The Fire but equally, it lingers like the taste of the salty air hanging above the coast. 'I've lived by the sea and watched weather roll in, but it's the same in Hebden, watching storms roll over the moors,' Lee says. 'The place is changing all the time and sometimes looks a bit chocolate box, village of the year, but when the tourists are gone it can feel like the set of a 1970s BBC folk horror - a bit Wicker Man.'

Written in his new hilltop dwellings between spending time with his daughter ('Spread Your Wings' and 'Yesterday Morning' were inspired by her) Iron In The Fire's initial demos were home recorded in Lee's conservatory and the kitchen of good friend John Heron. Emerging from demos where birdsong interrupts the fret-squeaks, the album's warmth recalls the classically 70s West Coast America sounds of James Taylor and The Byrds, alongside Brit folk outsiders John Martyn, Bert Jansch, and Davey Graham. 'Recording in the conservatory was interesting,' Lee recalls. 'In some of the demos you can hear the rain battering on the roof. It has a natural quality I love. Some of that is in the album... the sound of fingers on strings. I wanted it to sound human, not too smooth or polished.'

In a sad turn of events, his friend Heron passed away having never heard the final record, but from those initial recordings Iron In The Fire evolved and just like the interchangeable weather of West Yorkshire itself, moves confidently from the beautiful to the mysterious. From the simplistic title-track which introduces a wave of erudite guitar with just a few lines of lyrics, to the heady textures of frenzied 'In Accordance,' or 'Misty Mae's reference to two worlds, we're given a full and varied picture of Lee's musical and personal journey so far.

'When I play the songs live it's fluid; they can and do change. I don't like things too structured. Some are like soundtracks, there's a lot of weird stuff going on around them,' he emphasises. Riding the elements, 'Under The Weather' and 'Above The Storm' incorporate Lee's love of films and classic TV series by bringing their own atmospheric tales into the fore whilst 'Sleep's pedal steel twang and the cello on 'Blue Skies' channels his inner Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons.

Self-financed, the album was recorded over just a few days at Manchester's Airtight studios with Lee's own league of melody makers; producer Seadna McPhaill, guitarist Ant Davey, and Mark 'Horse' Phillips on pedal steel with Al Lowles from Airtight on mastering duties. However the album is very much the sound of Southall standing alone on his own two feet. 'Music's in my blood, it's all I know how to do. The decision to work on my own album felt obvious, natural. Iron In The Fire feels like something I've been waiting for.'

'A tonic for those who fret that everything sounds the same' Fiona Shepherd, The Scotsman
'Harris is a one off' The Herald

Dominic Waxing Lyrical is Edinburgh-based poet and musician Dominic Harris and an ever-
changing line up of musical collaborators. One of the most unsung lyrical talents of the past
twenty years, Dominic's new album, Rural Tonic, will be released on the 21st of April
by Tenement Records, and features both his regular band (whose backbone remains Edinburgh band Aberfeldy) and idiosyncratic chamber group 'Mr. McFall's Chamber' (featuring members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra).

Dominic first started performing in the 90s, becoming a celebrated artist in both the squat/punk
and low-fi folk scenes. From Berlin to Amsterdam and then Edinburgh, Dominic has betrayed
the sickly-sweet world of alibi lyrics with declamatory zeal. Nudity, destruction, cross-dressing
and poetry have trailed in his wake since his debut single 'Victoria' on Bosque Records in
'95; the following year 'Change' was played repeatedly by John Peel and his first album was
released - complete with a show choreographed by performance artist/dancer Ruby Worth.

His first eponymous LP was released by Neptunes in 1996 (described as 'DIY-baroque-
folk' by the Melody Maker) as well as further singles on the Bosque label. He was
championed at the time by John Peel and Jonathan Richman, amongst others. DWL
toured extensively through Germany, Holland, France, the UK and the States. After a long
absence from music Dominic returned with a new band and LP in 2014 entitled Woodland
Casual featuring Edinburgh musicians Riley and Murray Briggs (Aberfeldy/Oi Polloi) and
George McFall (Clean George IV) who were all long-term fans of Dominic. The album and
gigs were well received. The band undertook a tour of the Union Canal in central Scotland to
promote the album, travelling on a barge and performing at places like the Antonine Wall and
the Falkirk Wheel.

Dominic quickly commenced recording more material both with his live band (now bassist Ken Macintosh, also of Aberfeldy) and with ensemble Mr McFall's Chamber featuring new arrangements of Dominic songs, new, by Robert McFall who had recently collaborated in a similar fashion with (great) Dundonian singer/songwriter Michael Marra. Including classical old and the late 'For the past twenty years, the imaginative unorthodoxy of Mr McFall's Chamber has singled
it out as a flamboyant presence on the Scottish music scene' - Ken Walton, The Scotsman
Rural Tonic is a combination of these two separate recording sessions and is therefore very
varied stylistically. As always with Dominic's records the lyrical themes and narrative threads
are the main feature and run in all directions. Notable highlights on this record include Susan
Sontag ('tis hard to tell if greater want of skill, appear in writing or in judging ill')
and La Giostra ('Earth's tilt, moon's traction, the stars are punctures in a bicycle tyre, hissing at
the dark').

Dominic will be doing an album launch in Edinburgh at La Belle Angele on February
25th featuring both his full band and Mr McFall's Chamber. This will be followed by an
acoustic tour headlining with the Lone Pigeon (The Aliens/Beta Band) throughout April
playing in a variety of venues, galleries and living rooms.

'McNiff's quiet, intimate, fragile-sounding vocals draw you into his world - an almost timeless place, through which he drifts, a romantic loner, a dreamer, at home with the blues.' Time Out

Rain Dries Your Eyes is a new double CD retrospective anthology of the best of singer-songwriter Jason McNiff. Spanning more than 15 years and including brand new tracks, previously unreleased material and songs from his six studio albums, the collection showcases his fragile, wistful and timeless blend of blues and folk. A modern day troubadour, McNiff started recording in the early 00s, but he has a sound that harks back to the great folk rock pioneers of the late 60s/early 70s.

Jason McNiff is a London based Yorkshireman of Irish and Polish descent. With nods to Bob Dylan and the Band, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Wizz Jones, McNiff is often touted as one of the UK's most precious musical treasures - a great songwriter and top-notch finger-style guitarist. His 2011 album, April Cruel (Fledg'ling Records) was nominated for best album in the alt-country category at the Independent Music Awards in the US.

Off The Rails was McNiff's 2000 debut, which was produced by Andy Allen of the Hank Dogs (who was one time bass player with the Sex Pistols for their 'Silly Thing' single). The album was recorded in a closing down tape studio in Wandsworth and engineered by Alun Lane, and also featured Geoff Spence on drums, who McNiff met whilst studying at Nottingham University; 'Nearly 30 years my senior, he'd lived through an era I could only imagine through records... We did many gigs together, but it was the endless hours spent talking and thinking about music that was the most valuable time.'

The 2003 follow-up, Nobody's Son, maintained McNiff's signature sound but included contributions from members of both the Hank Dogs and South London country rockers Grand Drive. The title track has been reworked for this collection and features guest vocals from London-based Italian folk singer Emma Tricca, with whom Jason as collaborated as the duo Tricca McNiff (whose album Southern Star was released in 2016).

For his third album Another Man (Wonky Atlas in 2006), McNiff wanted to have a band so he put together a crack team of Steve Brooks (Ahab, Danny & the Champs) on drums, Graham Knight (Simple Kid, Ahab, Orphan Colours) on bass, and Andy Drummond on Organ. It was recorded live in the room of another soon-to-be-closed studio, this time in Bath, Somerset.

In 2008, McNiff was anthologised on In My Time, which featured material from all three of his previous albums, along with a few newly recorded tracks. The album also featured Simon J Alpin of Willard Grant Conspiracy on lap steel on 'Pilgrim Soul'.

April Cruel, his 2011 album, was McNiff's first to be recorded at Bark Studios in Walthamstow by Brian O'Shaughnessey - he has since returned many times. The track 'Kissing the Wind' features Fryda, an instrumental duo from Italy.

His 2014 album God Knows Why We Dream features the song 'Heart of A Poet' on which he plays a hand-made Vicente Sanchis A 2 Spanish guitar, which he used in his job as resident flamenco guitarist at a Spanish restaurant in Waterloo.

The new songs on the album include 'Cairo' (which is a new song from an old idea using a Rob Armstrong guitar in open D tuning), 'Sun Comes Up', 'Marry Him' (featuring Garry Smith on Dobro) and 'Sicily' (written after touring round Sicily with his Dad as the tour manager).

For all his talent for lyricism and effortlessness as a songwriter, McNiff has also shown his adeptness as a musician by way of cover versions, as demonstrated by the exclusive download-only version of Jackson C Frank's 'Blues Run the Game' with the digital release. Weaving inspiration from classic American songsmiths with strong roots in English folk, McNiff serves up astutely arranged ballads imbued with warmth and beautifully crafted imagery.

CD1:
1) Off The Rails 2) Woody's Annie Hall 3) Southbound Train 4) I remember You 5) Another Man 6) Blow Up The Bridge 7) Hang On To Your Woman 8) Kissing In The Wind 9) Summertime In Soho 10) Marry Him 11) Nobody's Son *featuring Emma Tricca 12) Adieu To Lausanne 13) Students Of Love 14) New York 15) Hat 16) Journey Home

CD2:
1) In Our Time 2) Hills Of Rome 3) Green 4) A Different Word 5) All Around America 6) Tombola 7) Delia 8) Sun Comes Up 9) Coming Back To Life 10) Game Over 11) Heart Of A Poet 12) Bus Of Tears 13) Pilgrim Soul 14) The Picture 15) Sicily 16) Weeping Willows Weep 17) Cairo (Stuck In The Past)

Tropical Odds is the second album by White Sea, the solo alias adopted by gifted American singer, songwriter and producer Morgan Kibby of M83
Born in Alaska, and now a resident of Los Angeles, Morgan fronted The Romanovs before joining acclaimed electronic music group M83 in 2007, co-writing, arranging and playing keyboards on the albums Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, as well as completing several world tours.
As White Sea, her first solo album In Cold Blood arrived in 2014, a dramatic debut praised by Billboard for its 'canyon-sized hooks, knowingly grandiose melodies and succulent vocals' and judged 'pop's newest break-up classic' by Flavourwire.  
Outside of M83 Morgan has also collaborated with artists such as Greg Kurstin, Panic! at the Disco, Mark Ronson and School of Seven Bells, remixed Ellie Goulding and Britney Spears, and composed the award winning soundtrack to Eva Husson's provocative 2016 movie Bang Gang (une histoire d'amour moderne).
New album Tropical Odds stems from an interactive project launched via White Sea's website featuring digital singles and videos released at regular intervals throughout 2015 and 2016. Explains Morgan: 'Generally being able to create and mix and master my solo material within days has given me the direct freedom to share songs I want people to hear. In short, if I write something that I like, I put it out!'
Now gathered together in album form, the musical moods on Tropical Odds range from the sombre reflections of Gangster No. 1 and Yesterday to the hedonistic rush of Stay Young, Get Stoned and Never a Woman, high drama on Bloodline and Arcadia, and heartbreaking balladry on Secret, One Bad Eye and Lessons.

Tropical Odds is the second album by White Sea, the solo alias adopted by gifted American singer, songwriter and producer Morgan Kibby of M83
Born in Alaska, and now a resident of Los Angeles, Morgan fronted The Romanovs before joining acclaimed electronic music group M83 in 2007, co-writing, arranging and playing keyboards on the albums Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, as well as completing several world tours.
As White Sea, her first solo album In Cold Blood arrived in 2014, a dramatic debut praised by Billboard for its 'canyon-sized hooks, knowingly grandiose melodies and succulent vocals' and judged 'pop's newest break-up classic' by Flavourwire.  
Outside of M83 Morgan has also collaborated with artists such as Greg Kurstin, Panic! at the Disco, Mark Ronson and School of Seven Bells, remixed Ellie Goulding and Britney Spears, and composed the award winning soundtrack to Eva Husson's provocative 2016 movie Bang Gang (une histoire d'amour moderne).
New album Tropical Odds stems from an interactive project launched via White Sea's website featuring digital singles and videos released at regular intervals throughout 2015 and 2016. Explains Morgan: 'Generally being able to create and mix and master my solo material within days has given me the direct freedom to share songs I want people to hear. In short, if I write something that I like, I put it out!'
Now gathered together in album form, the musical moods on Tropical Odds range from the sombre reflections of Gangster No. 1 and Yesterday to the hedonistic rush of Stay Young, Get Stoned and Never a Woman, high drama on Bloodline and Arcadia, and heartbreaking balladry on Secret, One Bad Eye and Lessons.

Kate & Anna McGarrigle, live at the University of Toronto, Canada on 29th May 1982

On this May 29, 1982 CBC broadcast of a Toronto concert, Kate and Anna McGarrigle presented highlights of their first two critically acclaimed albums, as well six songs from their most recent LP, Love Over and Over. The eclectic folk duo also performed a couple of traditional folk songs, Johnny's Gone to Hilo' and Dig My Grave,' that would not appear on one of their albums for another fifteen years.

SUBTITLE: ONE OF THE MOST INSANE, ADDICTIVE, CREATIVE AND UNPREDICTABLE LIBRARY LPS EVER MADE

OVERVIEW:
This hectic mix of dark drums with plugged-in, way-out, funked-up studio gear has been high on library geek's wants list for years. Made by Niagara drummer / library Overlord Klaus Weiss, and including the monster that is 'Survivor', originals are super rare, £250+ if you can ever get near one.

TIME SIGNALS: SOME TRUNK HISTORY...
It was way back in the mid 1990s when fellow record collector and library music head Gareth Godard (AKA Cherrystones) first played me Selected Sound library LP 67, Time Signals. At the time - and I think it's still the case, Gareth was into Klaus Weiss. Weiss was the drummer for Munich supergroup Niagara, he could be found on library LPs we were digging up on the Conroy and Golden Ring labels, and his name would appear across early 1960s jazz LPs from Germany. His drumming sound was mechanical, peculiar, unpredictable and distinctive. But nothing he'd done that I'd heard sounded quite like Time Signals. It was more manic and experimental, and the sounds and slightly offensive rhythms burrowed into my brain almost instantly. It probably took about another three years to recover and find myself a copy, and even then I'd found the sounds completely at odds to anything else I knew about. A few years later Gareth also pointed out to me that this LP was all over Rockin' With Seka, a jet set hardcore movie from 1980 starring Swedish sensation Seka and Big John Holmes. Obviously the sound department on the film got busy with Selected Sound as another cue from the LP Nymphe (Selected Sound 9077) is also on the soundtrack. But that is exactly what library music is for; Selected Sound produced these amazing library LPs, all beautifully recorded, sent them out in their shiny bronze sleeves around the world with rough guides to what they might be good for and waited for the royalties to roll in.

Time Signals is probably the most desirable LP in the 9000 series catalogue. It sounds like nothing else and there are many high points, certainly something for everyone. And as musical tastes change and develop, Time Signals just seems to move along and fit. What seemed like otherworldly music to me two decades ago now seems like the norm. So here is Time Signals in all it's odd glory, offering you a futuristic musical trip like no other.

Jonny Trunk 2016

King Ayisoba, etwas über 40, ist ein ghanaischer Musikstar. Er stammt aus Bolgatanga im Norden Ghanas,
lebt aber in Accra, der Kapitale des Landes. Aus der Provinz in die Metropole - diese Bewegung
kennzeichnet auch Ayisobas Werk. Für dieses ist die zunehmende Verbindung traditioneller Musik mit den
modernen Beats des Hiplife charakteristisch. Hiplife kombiniert Highlife und Hip-Hop und stellt das populärste
Genre Ghanas dar. Ayisobas Instrument ist die Kologo, eine einsaitige Laute, die gewöhnlich bei Hochzeiten
und Beerdigungen gespielt wird. Dazu trägt er, mehr gerufen als gesungen, in den landesüblichen Idiomen
Frafra und Twi sowie Pidgin-Englisch seine unverstellten Botschaften vor. Seit "Wicked Leaders" von 2014
produziert der King seine Songs mit Band, was diesen einen funky Einschlag gibt. Diesen Weg setzt "1000
Can Die" fort. Auf dem Album wird Ayisoba von vier festen Bandmitgliedern an Dorgo, Sinyaka, Guluku,
Dundun, Djembe und Bemne sowie diversen Gastmusikern, darunter Lee "Scratch" Perry und der
nigerianische Saxofonist Orlando Julius, begleitet. "1000 Can Die" wurde von Arnold de Boer, bekannt als
ZEA und Sänger von The Ex!, produziert. Zum Instrumentarium bemerkte dieser: "King Ayisoba and his band
know that traditional instruments are stronger than anything modern. Playing them is a gift from God."

For fans of: Patrick Watson, Joanna Newsom, Devandra Banhardt. A visit to his Plateau apartment in Montreal reveals an endless collection of records from Bob Dylan to Ray Charles. An avid fan of vinyl, Leif wrote half the songs for his own, "Inland", while studying Icelandic and Philosophy in Reykjavik, Iceland. The other half were written upon his return home to Montreal, Canada, where he recorded and self-produced the debut album a short time later at Montreal's Breakglass studio (Wolf Parade, Patrick Watson, Besnard Lakes). Arranged and orchestrated entirely by Leif, "Inland" is primarily centred around Leif's acoustic guitar and story-telling, featuring string quartets on occasion, piano at times, and splashes of harmonica and drums. Vollebekk, a multi-instrumentalist, is often seen performing solo, playing the violin on stage, using loop-samplers for accompaniment and then switching to electric or acoustic guitars to create a sound similar to the album, but an entirely different experience

Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, Leif Vollebekk is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter known for his somber, melancholy pop songs that capture the themes of yearning, long-lost love, and adventure. During his childhood and teens, he discovered the music of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Lou Reed whilst also discovering a connection with the writings and works of Beat Generation authors Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski. Having tried his hand at a multitude of instruments, he was initially interested in composition and shaping a song, rather than the lyrics, that is, until he heard Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate." With a newfound obsession for illustrating stories and images with words, he sought to expand upon his creative abilities and headed to Iceland to discover his Nordic roots

Ored Recordings is an ethnographic record label based in the North Caucasus. Carrying no specialist training or experience in sound recording, the group of friends began travelling around the villages and towns of the Caucasus looking for the traditional music of the different peoples of the region. Since 2014, the label has released 14 digital releases featuring folk music of Circassians, Abkhazians, Pontic Greeks, Kalmyks, Chechens and amongst others.

Ored Recordings isn't searching for a romanticised spirit of a 'fading tradition', nor trying to 'modernize' authentic material. On the contrary, the label records different forms of local folk music and supports local musical cultures. It pays as much attention to songs from the Soviet era as to archaic ritualistic music and religious melodies.

Death Is Not The End now present these two cassettes (Pt. 1, Song & Pt. 2, Dance), released in collaboration with Ored Recordings. We hope you like them.

Ored Recordings is an ethnographic record label based in the North Caucasus. Carrying no specialist training or experience in sound recording, the group of friends began travelling around the villages and towns of the Caucasus looking for the traditional music of the different peoples of the region. Since 2014, the label has released 14 digital releases featuring folk music of Circassians, Abkhazians, Pontic Greeks, Kalmyks, Chechens and amongst others.

Ored Recordings isn't searching for a romanticised spirit of a 'fading tradition', nor trying to 'modernize' authentic material. On the contrary, the label records different forms of local folk music and supports local musical cultures. It pays as much attention to songs from the Soviet era as to archaic ritualistic music and religious melodies.

Death Is Not The End now present these two cassettes (Pt. 1, Song & Pt. 2, Dance), released in collaboration with Ored Recordings. We hope you like them.

A classic and seldom heard LP from Bamako! Not just your average Malian LP, Ampsa features has to be heard to be believed organ, hypnotic guitar and amazing sweet vocals. A truly great LP and must have for fans of Malian music. A faithful reproduction of the original with the addition of liner notes by Florent Mazzoleni and archival photos.

A full LP of the legendary Palm wine guitarist SE Rogie's early work. Truly beautiful songs from the 1960's ranging from sweet acoustic solo numbers to blazing full band electric music. SE Rogie had a very long & pioneering career in Sierra Leone. His songs are some of the most beautiful ever - gentle & lilting timeless melodies. One of the greats. A co-release with our friends at the Domino Sound label.

A full LP of the legendary Palm wine guitarist SE Rogie's early work. Truly beautiful songs from the 1960's ranging from sweet acoustic solo numbers to blazing full band electric music. SE Rogie had a very long & pioneering career in Sierra Leone. His songs are some of the most beautiful ever - gentle & lilting timeless melodies. One of the greats. A co-release with our friends at the Domino Sound label.

12" with HQ Printed Sleeve

Charlotte is a friend of DEEWEE's. She sings in both English & French. This E.P was written in collaboration between Charlotte and Bolis Pupul then produced by the Dewaele brothers (Soulwax / 2manydjs) at DEEWEE in Ghent. Cont...

A brief rundown on the tracks... '1,618' arrives somewhere between a futurist song and a cosmic disco sound. It twists and turns. 'Senegal Seduction' is a slow melodic ride. 'Je m'appelle Charlotte'. 'Le Froid' is a percussive vocal dub piece. Charlotte's vocals turned inside then out again. 'Celle' is a song addressed to a father and a heartbeat to finish.
Sleeve design by Ill Studio, Paris.

Combo Los Yogas was a short-lived early Colombian salsa band from Medellín directed and arranged by Aníbal José Ángel Echeverri, the famous antioqueño keyboardist known as Aníbal Ángel or simply Anán. Employing Barranquilla native Johnny Moré as his lead vocalist and a full combo with trumpet, trombone, congas and timbales, Los Yogas recorded a fantastic collection of cover tunes in the guaguancó, son, guajira, descarga, and cha-cha-chá rhythms. The sound is very raw and hard, something that makes this obscure 1968 Discos Fuentes record a sought-after collector's item. Thanks to the inherent quality and execution of its repertoire, "Cañabrava" provides a wonderful snapshot of the influences and early development of the genre of salsa in 1960s Colombia.
Over the past few years we have been fortunate to work with Discos Fuentes on several projects compiled from their rich catalogue, and we are continuing our collaboration with the legendary Colombian label with a series of facsimile reissues of classic Fuentes LPs. Starting with "Cañabrava" by Combo Los Yogas, the upcoming months will bring new pressings of albums by Fruko y sus Tesos, Lisandro Meza y su Conjunto, Peregoyo y su Combo Vacaná, Pedro Laza y sus Pelayeros and many more... Presented in facsimile artwork and pressed on 180g vinyl.

West Africa's most iconic dance-band are back. A decade on from their last album and almost half a century since their formation, Senegal's Orchestra Baobab return with a timeless set of classic, swaying tunes fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms and African tradition in the group's trademark style.

Recorded locally in Moussa X's Dakar studio, the new recordings sound fresh and yet reassuringly familiar, retaining the ripeness of the sound that made Orchestra Baobab a legend but interpreted with a vigour and vibrancy, and with a few twists, that are vital and captivating.

As enduring as the mighty African Baobab tree from which the group derives its name, the veteran core of the band remains as strong and sturdy as ever. Vocalists Balla Sidibe and Rudy Gomis, saxophonists Issa Sissoko and Thierno Koite and the long-serving, rock steady rhythm section of Balla Sidibe, timbales, Charlie Ndiaye bass and Mountaga Koite on congas.

Alongside this impressive continuity there have been changes in the ten years since Baobab's last World Circuit album, 'Made in Dakar' - but they have been executed seamlessly. Guitarist Barthelemy Attisso, now a lawyer in Togo, is absent due to the demands of his day job but kora player Abdouleye Cissoko from the Cassamance region in southern Senegal is a welcome addition. It's the first time Baobab has numbered a kora player in its permanent ranks but Cissoko's rippling strings have blended seamlessly into the sound and lent a fresh dynamic. Elsewhere Baobab's distinctive two saxophone attack - which combines the vibrato laden declamatory style of Issa Cissoko with the softer more lyrical playing of Thierno Koite has been bolstered by trombonist Wilfried Zinzou and the young virtuosic guitarist Rene Sowatche, both from the fertile musical pastures of Benin.

Veteran vocalist Balla Sidibe is a commanding presence on the album with his triple threat of musical influences - Manding from Guinea/Mali, creole from Cassamance and Afro-Cuban. Two special guests memorably add their voices to the mix. Cheikh Lo dropped by the studio to add his soulful tones to 'Magno Kouto' and Thione Seck - who left Babobab in 1979 for a career as one of West Africa's biggest solo stars reunites with his old band mates for the first time in over 35 years to reprise his first hit 'Sey'.

'Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng' is dedicated to one of the bands original vocalists who sadly died in November 2016. His songs will continue to be sung with the band by his son Alpha. It represents the latest chapter in a long and storied career that started in 1970 when the newly-formed Orchestra Baobab helped forge Dakar into one of the world's most vital musical cities. Over the next decade the group dominated the local scene and produced countless hits before disbanding in the early eighties.

A huge groundswell of international interest in their original recordings - and in particular the acclaim that greeted World's Circuit's reissue of their legendary 1982 album 'Pirate's Choice' - led to the triumphant reformation of the band in 2001 and their award winning comeback album 'Specialist In All Styles'.

Since then they've toured the world to international acclaim and have now been back together as long as they were in the belle epoque of the group's first incarnation. This, their third album since their felicitous comeback produced by Nick Gold, Lamine Faye and Jerry Boys - is an irresistible mix of velvet harmonies, warm and heartfelt vocals, smoky sax and sweetly shimmering kora and guitar lines, expertly crafted and masterfully delivered with a poise and virtuosity built up over a lifetime.

We give you Orchestra Baobab: specialist in all styles, still going strong and still growing.

Here we get a welcome reissue, FIRST TIME ON VINYL, of Erkin's 1989 album Hay Yam Yam'. Obviously not his typical 70s sound but still quite connected to it, a recommended album for any Erkin's fan. Comes in nice gatefold cover.

Originally released in 1996 only on CD and cassette formats, here's a vinyl reissue where we still find some good psych-rocking action by Turkish guitar guru.

First time on vinyl, 1990 album by Turkish psych guitar master. No care dates of the albums, you always find interesting stuff on them. Comes in new, nice artwork.

Gareth Dickson is ghost like. From the dark outskirts of Glasgow he has sent three studio studio albums in to the world - Collected Recordings (2009), The Dance (2010) and Quite A Way Away (2012). These albums have bewitched a growing inner circle, including some of the most innovative musicians around today - Juana Molina and Vashti Bunyan to name just two. Gareth has been the only constant member of Vashti's touring outfit over the past ten years and latterly they have stripped down to a duet on their worldwide travels. Vashti indeed makes a spectral apparition on the first track of Gareth's new album Orwell Court.

Gareth Dickson's music is both beautiful and dark. A quiet Scottish melancholy underpinned by a grace and ethereal purity paired with a unique impression where the delicacy of Nick Drake mixes with the openness and space Brian Eno. Gareth's music is often stripped down to the spare elements of voice and acoustic guitar, but a complex and mysterious music hides beneath the surface, demanding but generous and surprising. Clearly picking up where his previous albums left off, Gareth throws in a few surprises. Gleaned from his time spent touring and experimenting between albums the addition of a drum kit, some keyboards and guest vocalists enrich the palette. But fear not, these elements, while previously unheard of in his music, are approached with the subtlety that his listeners expect. They are a texture that adds dimension throughout the album. The hush is still there in its most genuine form.
In the image of it's author, on the brink of falling in to juvenile delinquency, Gareth took a straighter path and ended up on the university trampoline team while studying aerospace engineering. Now he spends his days eating vegan barbecue, knows how to choose a good lawyer, and sports his normcore t-shirts on the tennis courts of Glasgow's Southside. At night he presses his red Doc Martens a little harder on the accelerator of his Rover 75 on highways where they drive on the left. Everything is only a pretext to fuel his visceral need of creation, as attested by his superglued nails cared for as extensions of his guitar. Accuracy and uniqueness are at the heart of his artistic process. He establishes a relationship to time outwith the current mad and superficial pace of our own. His music is a form of modern classicism, by a man constantly aware that perfection lies shrouded in mists of uncertainty and ambiguity. It is above all a question of obsession and atmosphere. And it is a waveringly sublime cover of this Joy Division title that closes Orwell Court. Past revisited, and behind that, transcendence.

Gareth Dickson is ghost like. From the dark outskirts of Glasgow he has sent three studio studio albums in to the world - Collected Recordings (2009), The Dance (2010) and Quite A Way Away (2012). These albums have bewitched a growing inner circle, including some of the most innovative musicians around today - Juana Molina and Vashti Bunyan to name just two. Gareth has been the only constant member of Vashti's touring outfit over the past ten years and latterly they have stripped down to a duet on their worldwide travels. Vashti indeed makes a spectral apparition on the first track of Gareth's new album Orwell Court.

Gareth Dickson's music is both beautiful and dark. A quiet Scottish melancholy underpinned by a grace and ethereal purity paired with a unique impression where the delicacy of Nick Drake mixes with the openness and space Brian Eno. Gareth's music is often stripped down to the spare elements of voice and acoustic guitar, but a complex and mysterious music hides beneath the surface, demanding but generous and surprising. Clearly picking up where his previous albums left off, Gareth throws in a few surprises. Gleaned from his time spent touring and experimenting between albums the addition of a drum kit, some keyboards and guest vocalists enrich the palette. But fear not, these elements, while previously unheard of in his music, are approached with the subtlety that his listeners expect. They are a texture that adds dimension throughout the album. The hush is still there in its most genuine form.
In the image of it's author, on the brink of falling in to juvenile delinquency, Gareth took a straighter path and ended up on the university trampoline team while studying aerospace engineering. Now he spends his days eating vegan barbecue, knows how to choose a good lawyer, and sports his normcore t-shirts on the tennis courts of Glasgow's Southside. At night he presses his red Doc Martens a little harder on the accelerator of his Rover 75 on highways where they drive on the left. Everything is only a pretext to fuel his visceral need of creation, as attested by his superglued nails cared for as extensions of his guitar. Accuracy and uniqueness are at the heart of his artistic process. He establishes a relationship to time outwith the current mad and superficial pace of our own. His music is a form of modern classicism, by a man constantly aware that perfection lies shrouded in mists of uncertainty and ambiguity. It is above all a question of obsession and atmosphere. And it is a waveringly sublime cover of this Joy Division title that closes Orwell Court. Past revisited, and behind that, transcendence.

In this single you have the alternative version of SUN 283 for the first time in 7" format, Ballad Of A Teenage Queen with the overdubs, as it was recorded originally only with Johnny Cash' voice shack up with two acoustic guitars and double bass, resulting thereof in a good country bopper, more attractive than the version that was edited those days.
On the B Side we have included an alternative recording of Big Rive, less crafted tan the original but with some changes in the orchestration that make it as interesting as the one we are used to.

REPRESSED !!

Faithful to his ever-frenzied rhythm, el Vidocq never ceases to delve into his treasure trove of 45 rpm vinyls. And the nuggets, they keep a-comin'! For this 4th volume, Exotic-o-rama', the tropical heat warms your ears and sends you travelling without you ever having to leave the fireplace.

A groovy journey through Africa, Latin America and the Middle East of the 1950s, whose singular exoticism seduced listeners. As you'll see, this period was already open to mixings of all sorts: RnB is easily blended with African flavors by Guitar Gablé, Doo-Wop is cooked up Cuban-style by the Sultans, a Big Band is given a Voodoo makeover by Les Elgart, a Mexican twist is belted out by Chuck Rio... (Much) less expensive than a budget flight and a hell of a lot faster. Climb aboard for a mini world tour in 40 melodious minutes!!!

2018 REPRESS! Steve Monite's album, Only You, is a prime slab of Nigerian boogie. It's sinewy, compact and sexy, a little bit of disco mixed with a big dose of funk. Loose and groovy, it's a sonic seduction from another dimension. With legendary producer Tony Okoroji at the desk, and influential musician and sound engineer, Nkono Teles, creating magic on the synth, the title track is raw and melodic, dark and sweet at the same time. Steve sings about putting out a fire, but the music, and Stella Monye's sultry backing vocals, stoke it with aural gasoline. You've never heard a song less likely to lower the temperature and let cooler heads prevail. While never quite reaching the heights of 'Only You', 'Welcome My Love' and 'Things Fall Apart' keep the groove going, the later with a distinctly Latin swing. A couple of extended 'Disco Jams' and an obligatory, romantic ballad ('I Had A Dream') round out the record. In all honesty, however, it is 'Only You' that you'll keep going back to. It's a killer track, an Afro Boogie classic that would hold its own on any dance floor in the world, whether in the 80s or today.

- Peter Moore

Ibibio Sound Machine is a clash of African and electronic elements inspired in equal measure by the golden era of West African funk, disco, modern post-punk, and electro. Since their self-titled debut in 2014, the band has forged a reputation as a high-energy live act appearing on stages such as Later with Jools Holland, Glastonbury, Roskilde, and the BBC 6 Music Festival, as well as at iconic venues such as Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London as part of Lauren Laverne's Wonder Women' series. The album title Uyai (pronounced 'you eye') means beauty' in Ibibio language and refers to the strength and free spirit of women in general and in particular, the courage of the women in lead singer Eno Williams' family, to whom she often refers in her writing.. The songs are based more around themes of empowerment, freedom, and the liberation of dance for women, and people in general.' The album opens with Give Me a Reason,' a song about the 276 Chibok girls who were abducted in northern Nigeria in 2014 and remain missing to this day. Eno challenges, Why should girls be denied the right to education, and why should people in general not be free to be who they want to be in their life' The Pot Is On Fire' is a food dance celebrating the happy place' when the food will be ready soon. It's also metaphorical,' Eno writes. Something is brewing which will soon bear fruit.' Folk stories, recounted to Eno by her family as a child in her mother's Ibibio tongue, form the creative fabric from which the band's unique musical tapestry is woven. Evocative poetic imagery and empowering messages set against an edgy, Afro-Electro soundscape give the band a unique space within the current wave of modern Afrocentric sounds sweeping across the globe.

'Semper Femina' is Laura Marling's sixth album — an intimate, devoted exploration of femininity and female relationships, and among her finest work to date.

Also available as a Limited Deluxe 2LP Edition including Bonus Material Live tracks and digital download card.

Written largely on the tour that followed 2015's Short Movie and recorded in Los Angeles with production from Blake Mills, it is at once a distinctive and musically compelling collection of songs, run through with Marling's fierce intelligence, a keen, beautiful and unparalleled take on womanhood.