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2026 Repress

Initially conceived as a short-run cassette for Altered States Tapes, YL Hooi's nameless collection of textural apparitions oscillate between icy DIY minimalism, FX-drenched atmospherics and nang chamber dub. A ghost-like transmission, Hooi's voice serves to anchor an array of sonic abstractions and impressionistic melodic motifs as a sense of purgatorial ambience dominates throughout. Co-produced with alleged fellow Kallista Kult member Tarquin Manek (LST, M. Quake), Untitled's ultimate sensation is its halfway state, as if caught between worlds.

The album's final form speaks of its origins, recorded intermittently over a two year period (2017-2019). The extended time passage seeps into the song structures, spiralling and mutating from the same centre - the elegiac pulse of opener 'Title' presages the hymnal lilt of 'Straight Thru', before birthing the inverted bossa nova of 'W/O Love'. The result is a constantly shifting tableaux of shared liminal spaces. These songs seemingly emerge in plumes of smoke, magician's tricks conjured from the ether. It's a vision that ossifies at Untitled's midpoint with a cover of Love Joys' 'Stranger', the lovers rock original morphed into the transportive intimacy of Hooi's own hazy inner space, a totem of the LP's amorphous and ultimately sensuous qualities.

The sound from both down under and way out there in subspace, Untitled is an inspired masterstroke of experimental mystics. This 2021 Efficient Space edition is remastered and robed in new artwork that honours the Melbourne-based earth dragon's Chinese and Russian heritage.

Original Sufferhead beginnt mit einer minimalen Improvisation mit Felas neuer Band Egypt 80 und steigert sich dann zu einer kühnen, komplex strukturierten Afrobeat-Hymne, die die Situation der Massen in Nigeria anprangert. "Lasst uns zusammen ein schönes Lied singen", schlägt Fela vor, während der Refrain parallel zu der lebhaften Melodie seines Saxophons erklingt. Mit Hilfe des Refrains zählt er dann die Probleme auf, die das Volk plagen: keine Wasserversorgung, exorbitante Lebenshaltungskosten, keine Gesundheitsversorgung, zweistellige Inflationsraten. Die "großen, großen Leute" haben das Volk zum Sarg des Staatschefs gemacht: Nach der Plünderung und Verbrennung von Felas Kalakuta Republic 1977 schrieb Fela mehrere musikalische Antworten, in denen er die schuldige nigerianische Regierung direkt angriff, darunter diese traurige Hommage an seine Mutter, Coffin for Head of State. Nachdem seine Mutter an den Komplikationen der Verletzungen gestorben war, die sie erlitten hatte, nachdem sie während des Überfalls auf Kalakuta aus einem Fenster geworfen worden war, trugen Fela, seine Frauen und seine Anhänger den Sarg seiner Mutter zum Eingangstor der Armeekaserne: ein mutiger Akt des Trotzes.

"Coffin For Head of State" ist Felas düstere Anklage gegen diejenigen, die "durch Jesus Christus, unseren Herrn" das afrikanische Volk korrumpieren, bestehlen und berauben. Der wummernde, gleichmäßige Beat und die sich wiederholende Struktur des Liedes ahmen den Marsch zur Kaserne nach, während der Text Felas überwältigende Trauer über den Verlust seiner Mutter und den Zustand seines geliebten Nigerias direkt anspricht: eine Nation von ewig Leidenden. Seid nicht passiv, fordert er: Steht auf für eure Rechte.

Die B-Seite, Power Show, baut auf dem gleichen Thema auf und hebt die Unterdrückung der Massen durch die herrschende Klasse hervor. Der Text handelt von einem reichen Mann in einem schicken Auto, der an den Straßenrand ranfährt, um einen armen, allein reisenden Mann zu beschimpfen. Fela nennt dies die "Power Show" und prangert das Verhalten an. So verhält man sich nicht gegenüber seinen Mitmenschen.

Original Sufferhead war im Box Set #5 enthalten, das von Chris Martin und Femi Kuti kuratiert wurde. Das Album wurde auf opakem, hellgrünem Vinyl neu gepresst und ist untergebracht in einer bedruckten Innen- und single sleeve Außenhülle.

After years in the shadows, THE GOAT returns. LA CHEVRE is back with CHE007 - three powerful edits by MOOGLY, already making serious noise in clubs and underground after-hours, supported by key figures such as Chez Damier, Dawidu, and many more.

Raving Molecules, a record label and events collective focused on promoting the underground electronic music scene from Iasi, Romania, make their debut on wax with Creeptoid EP, signed by the resident artist and label curator Jo Creep.

The tracks featured on Creeptoid EP evokes the oldskool Tech House sound of the early 2000s and could be wrapped up and mixed between a maniac eclectic melancholy and a frantic unsettling ensemble of emotions carrying you effortlessly from one sound trip to another.

Just play it and enjoy

Błoto has never cared much for dominant aesthetics. Instead, the band has consistently chosen paths less travelled, unexplored territories and uncharted routes where experimentation is not so much a conscious decision as a natural state of being. After years of a rather hermetic approach to recording their albums, the time for change has come. A trip to Bucharest and the opportunity to collaborate with the community of musicians associated with the underground label Future Nuggets, led by Ion D, resulted in many hours of recordings, which will be presented by Astigmatic Records in a series of releases across 2026. It opens with a 7-inch vinyl titled Zmiany / Schimbări, recorded in collaboration with Ion D and Plevna.

Frisch gekrönt mit ihrem ersten GRAMMY Award in der Kategorie ,Bestes R&B-Album" für ihren Beitrag zu Leon Thomas' MUTT kehrt die unverwechselbare Sängerin/Altistin mit "Yearnalism" zurück, ihrem dritten Studioalbum, das von Selbstbewusstsein, Fürsorge und befreiender Liebe durchdrungen ist. Die Singer-Songwriterin und Produzentin definiert ,Yearnalism" als den Prozess und die Dokumentation von Sehnsucht in ihren vielen Formen: ,Sehnsucht nach Freiheit, Sehnsucht nach Liebe, Sehnsucht nach dem, was man nicht haben kann, Sehnsucht nach Erweiterung." Diese kompakte LP mit 12 Songs, die bald zu Klassikern werden, zeichnet eine holprige Roadmap der Sehnsucht, frei von Ego. Baby Rose hat fast ein Jahrzehnt lang auf diesen Moment hingearbeitet. Aufgewachsen zwischen Washington D.C. und Fayetteville, N.C., geprägt von Künstlern wie Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway und Janis Joplin, ist die als Jasmine Rose Wilson geborene Musikerin seit ihrem Debüt ,To Myself" aus dem Jahr 2019 eine feste Größe im Alternative R&B. Damals waren es der rauchige Klang ihrer Stimme und eine für ihr Alter ungewöhnlich reife Ausstrahlung, die die Zuhörer zum ersten Mal in ihren Bann zogen. Seitdem hat sie sich auf Alben mit Ari Lennox, Big K.R.I.T., Q, BADBADNOTGOOD und J. Cole behauptet. Sie lieferte den Abspann-Song zum Hollywood-Blockbuster ,Creed III" und brachte ihr Talent sowohl vor als auch hinter der Kamera in A24s ,Materialists" ein, indem sie dem Soundtrack des Films zwei Songs von eindringlicher Textur schenkte und in einem Cameo-Auftritt als Hochzeitssängerin auftrat. Zu ihren Bewunderern in der Branche zählen Schwergewichte wie SZA, Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, H.E.R., Kehlani, James Blake und Olivia Dean.

In their third collaboration, the shared project between Merzbow and Pedro Vian shifts towards less confrontational and more introspective terrain. Bardo Thödol, released as an LP, draws on The Tibetan Book of the Dead not so much as an explicit narrative framework but as a conceptual resonance: a passage, a suspension between states.
Where Inside Richard Serra Sculptures and The Wheel of Mani foregrounded a relatively defined dialectic between Vian’s environmental restraint and Masami Akita’s impulsive, textural excess, that friction here appears to dissolve in favour of a more homogeneous mass. Noise, far from its most abrasive edge, is reconfigured as a continuous field — dense yet permeable.
Within this flow, melodic structures emerge without assertion, surfacing almost incidentally as by-products of the accumulation of frequencies itself. The result is less a reconciliation of languages than a blurring of their boundaries: a space in which intensity is internalised and the radical gesture folds into a more sustained, contemplative mode of listening.

Die Musik von Panda Bear und Sonic Boom war schon immer ein Spielplatz: ein Ort, an dem Klangexperimente, Loops und unerwartete Ideen aufeinandertreffen. Während Sonic Boom einst mit Spacemen 3 die Balance zwischen Drone und Pop neu dachte und später mit modularen Synths experimentierte, erschafft Panda Bear, solo oder mit Animal Collective, schillernde Klangwelten zwischen Noise, Folk und Elektronik. Ihr gemeinsames Debüt Reset (2022) wirkte wie ein kreativer Befreiungsschlag im Pandemie-Nebel.

Mit A ? of WHEN setzen sie diese Spielfreude fort, gehen aber noch weiter. Harfen-Loops, Steel Drums, Pedal Steel, sogar Jodeln: Das Duo greift bewusst auf vermeintlich „uncooles“ Material zurück und macht daraus etwas Eigenes. Songs wie „Something Like Dreaming“ oder „Like a Moth to a Flame“ verbinden verspielte Psychedelik mit eingängigen Melodien, als würde man von Station zu Station durch einen musikalischen Abenteuerspielplatz springen.

Gleichzeitig wird der Ton ernster. Die zehn Stücke verhandeln digitale Erschöpfung, politische Verwerfungen und ökologische Fragen, ohne dabei die Leichtigkeit zu verlieren. Inspiriert von einer Welt aus „AI slop“, algorithmischem Dauerrauschen und permanenter Vernetzung, suchen Panda Bear und Sonic Boom bewusst nach anderen Formen der Verbindung: weniger Scrollen, mehr echtes Erleben, mehr Radio, Live-Shows, Listening-Partys und reale Begegnungen. Statt Zynismus setzen sie auf Empathie, Glück und gegenseitige Unterstützung.

Im Kern bleibt das Album jedoch ein Akt der Aneignung: Klänge aus unterschiedlichen Kontexten werden neu zusammengesetzt, getragen von ungewöhnlicher Percussion wie Harfe und Steel Drums. So entsteht Musik, die zugleich verspielt und reflektiert ist. A ? of WHEN blickt auf eine widersprüchliche Welt und verwandelt sie in etwas Verbindendes. Kein großes Heilsversprechen, sondern die Einladung, gemeinsam offline darin aufzugehen.

Konsequenterweise wird das Album nicht auf Streaming-Plattformen verfügbar sein: Panda Bear und Sonic Boom setzen stattdessen auf reale Begegnungen, Listening Sessions und direkten Austausch jenseits algorithmischer Dauerbeschallung.

Die Musik von Panda Bear und Sonic Boom war schon immer ein Spielplatz: ein Ort, an dem Klangexperimente, Loops und unerwartete Ideen aufeinandertreffen. Während Sonic Boom einst mit Spacemen 3 die Balance zwischen Drone und Pop neu dachte und später mit modularen Synths experimentierte, erschafft Panda Bear, solo oder mit Animal Collective, schillernde Klangwelten zwischen Noise, Folk und Elektronik. Ihr gemeinsames Debüt Reset (2022) wirkte wie ein kreativer Befreiungsschlag im Pandemie-Nebel.

Mit A ? of WHEN setzen sie diese Spielfreude fort, gehen aber noch weiter. Harfen-Loops, Steel Drums, Pedal Steel, sogar Jodeln: Das Duo greift bewusst auf vermeintlich „uncooles“ Material zurück und macht daraus etwas Eigenes. Songs wie „Something Like Dreaming“ oder „Like a Moth to a Flame“ verbinden verspielte Psychedelik mit eingängigen Melodien, als würde man von Station zu Station durch einen musikalischen Abenteuerspielplatz springen.

Gleichzeitig wird der Ton ernster. Die zehn Stücke verhandeln digitale Erschöpfung, politische Verwerfungen und ökologische Fragen, ohne dabei die Leichtigkeit zu verlieren. Inspiriert von einer Welt aus „AI slop“, algorithmischem Dauerrauschen und permanenter Vernetzung, suchen Panda Bear und Sonic Boom bewusst nach anderen Formen der Verbindung: weniger Scrollen, mehr echtes Erleben, mehr Radio, Live-Shows, Listening-Partys und reale Begegnungen. Statt Zynismus setzen sie auf Empathie, Glück und gegenseitige Unterstützung.

Im Kern bleibt das Album jedoch ein Akt der Aneignung: Klänge aus unterschiedlichen Kontexten werden neu zusammengesetzt, getragen von ungewöhnlicher Percussion wie Harfe und Steel Drums. So entsteht Musik, die zugleich verspielt und reflektiert ist. A ? of WHEN blickt auf eine widersprüchliche Welt und verwandelt sie in etwas Verbindendes. Kein großes Heilsversprechen, sondern die Einladung, gemeinsam offline darin aufzugehen.

Konsequenterweise wird das Album nicht auf Streaming-Plattformen verfügbar sein: Panda Bear und Sonic Boom setzen stattdessen auf reale Begegnungen, Listening Sessions und direkten Austausch jenseits algorithmischer Dauerbeschallung.

In Ensenada, Mexiko, wo der Horizont des Pazifiks eine klare, unveränderliche Linie zieht, nahmen HOLY WAVE ihr neues Album "i'm DADA" auf - ein Werk, das für die Band weitläufig und neu fokussiert wirkt. Der Schritt außerhalb ihrer Heimat USA war weniger ein Rückzug als vielmehr ein Perspektivwechsel, der Abstand schuf, um einen neuen Sound zu erkennen, der sich langsam unter ihnen herausgebildet hatte. "i'm DADA" offenbarte schnell seinen Charakter: treibender, offener Underground-Lofi-Rock und ihr bisher strukturell durchdachtestes Werk. Durch die Zusammenarbeit mit dem experimentellen Duo Lorelle Meets the Obsolete in deren Studio floss das Gemeinschaftsgefühl in das Album ein, obwohl dessen emotionaler Kern bereits in den monatelangen Vorbereitungen entstanden war. Die Hälfte von HOLY WAVE ist mexikanischer Herkunft und hat ihre Wurzeln in der Grenzregion um El Paso, sodass sich die Aufnahmen in Ensenada intuitiv und entspannt anfühlten. Die Songs spiegelten Gespräche über Vaterschaft und Partnerschaft, Trennungen und Entfremdung, die beunruhigende Beschleunigung der KI und darüber wider, was es bedeutet, präsent und prinzipientreu zu bleiben, während die Welt unvorhersehbar voranschreitet. Diese Spannung wird nicht explizit hervorgehoben, sondern geht in der Musik auf. Die Band dehnt ihr bekanntes Gespür für eine schwindelerregende Atmosphäre zu etwas Schlankerem und Direkterem aus. Es sind mehr Loops und Samples eingewoben als zuvor, Grooves, die konstruiert, zyklisch und hypnotisch wirken. Manche Tracks driften in Richtung der elastischen Weite des Dub; andere pulsieren mit filmischer Downtempo-Schwere. Das gesamte Album ist von einem frischen Schwung geprägt, von Rhythmen, die vorantreiben, von traumgetränkten Texturen, Fuzz-Gitarren und sanft schwebenden Vocals. "dewey's dirge" entfaltet sich geduldig: Verschwommene Gitarrenklänge erblühen, während darunter ein gmotorischer Puls stetig voranschreitet. Der Gesang bleibt im Hintergrund, breitet sich eher aus, als dass er explodiert. Es wirkt weitläufig und nachdenklich, eine Hymne des Abklingens, die Drama gegen Eintauchen eintauscht. "i'm DADA" hingegen findet seinen Rhythmus in einem schlanken, kreisenden Groove. Eine straffe Drum-Figur, eine Basslinie und eine abgehackte Gitarrenphrase wiederholen sich, bis sie lebendig wirken. Textlich kreist der Song um die komplizierte Hingabe ein Eltern-Teil zu sein. "s33.u.in/HAL" klingt wie eine Übertragung, die mitten in der Luft abgefangen wurde, leicht mechanisch, immersiv, ohne sich jemals vollständig aufzulösen, und fängt das zentrale Gefühl des Albums ein: den Versuch, trotz Störgeräuschen klar zu kommunizieren. Während frühere Alben von HOLY WAVE oft durch ein Gefühl des Dahintreibens geprägt waren, wirkt diese Platte nun neu geerdet. Das Album verzichtet nicht auf das Eintauchen in die Musik, sondern zügelt es. Die Grooves setzen sich fest, Wiederholungen gewinnen an Gewicht, und die Musik bleibt trotz ihrer schwereren Themen gefasst und unerschütterlich. Was dabei entsteht, ist keine Neuerfindung, sondern eine Schärfung: Holy Wave klingen weniger wie eine Band, die durch die Atmosphäre treibt, sondern eher wie eine, die diese inmitten des Chaos bewusst gestaltet.

Kassel Jaeger (alias François J. Bonnet) kehrt nach ,Swamps / Things" (SP119), ,Shifted in Dreams" (SP144) und der jüngsten Neuauflage des Klassikers ,Zauberberg" (SP068) - einem gemeinsam mit Akira Rabelais und Stephan Mathieu komponierten Werk - zu Shelter Press zurück. Mit diesem bedeutenden neuen Album mit dem Titel ,Sub Re" setzt Bonnet seine langjährige Erforschung der musikalischen Möglichkeiten von Klang fort. Dabei erweitert er den konkreten Ansatz, den er bei der Groupe de Recherches Musicales (dem historischen und bedeutenden Pariser Studio, das Bonnet seit 2018 leitet) entwickelt hat, und belebt ihn neu durch eine Herangehensweise, die sich weniger auf die klare Manifestation von Klangmaterial als vielmehr auf dessen mehrdeutige Evokation konzentriert. ,Sub re" kann im Lateinischen ,unter dem Ding, unter der Substanz, unter der Materie" bedeuten. Genau dieser direkte Zugang zur Musik, der sich auf die Gewinnung von rohem Klangmaterial stützt, bildet die Grundlage dieses Albums. ,Under the matter" verweist somit auf den konkreten Aspekt der Musik, jedoch nicht auf das Konkrete, das verklärt wird und zu Dampf und Form wird, zum Substrat einer Idee. Vielmehr verweist es auf das Konkrete unter dem Konkreten, in der Immanenz der Klänge, in ihrem Werden, als treibende Kraft, wie eine Flut, wie ein Gewölbe aus gebieterischer und mächtiger Materie. Um dies zu erreichen, greift Bonnet auf eine Vielzahl von Klangquellen (akustisch, elektronisch, natürlich oder künstlich, absichtlich geschaffen oder zufällig gefunden) und eine Vielzahl von Kontexten und Anlässen zurück, um ihnen Gestalt zu verleihen. Der Satz ,a shell, a bell, a spell" (etwa: eine Muschel, eine Glocke, ein Zauber) war beispielsweise erstmals während eines Konzerts in Venedig zu hören, das im Zusammenhang mit Latifa Echakhchs Beitrag zum Schweizer Pavillon auf der Kunstbiennale 2022 organisiert wurde, während der letzte Satz auf der Platte, ,signalmirror", ein Stück abschloss, das 2023 auf der ersten Sound-Biennale in Sion (Schweiz) präsentiert wurde. Diese Elemente, geformt und losgelöst von ihrem ursprünglichen Kontext des Erscheinens, von den Orten und Menschen, die sie ermöglichten und ihnen lauschten, tragen zu einer komplexen Schichtung von Stimmungen und Klangwelten bei und helfen, ein kontrastreiches Album zu schaffen, in dem Dichte und Zartheit in einer Abfolge bewegter Wellen koexistieren, mal voller Erinnerungen, mal voller Bedauern, stets in Bewegung gesetzt durch ihre eigene Morphologie. Sub Re bezieht sich auch auf ein Kapitel in Victor Hugos ,Die Arbeiter des Meeres", eine Schlüsselstelle, in der sich die Hauptfigur angesichts einer kolossalen Aufgabe allein mitten auf dem Meer wiederfindet, unter einem gigantischen Schiffswrack, das in den Klauen eines isolierten Riffs gefangen ist, umgeben von Wasser, Strömungen und Winden, allein, um sich dem Unmöglichen zu stellen. Denn tatsächlich ist es unter der Oberfläche, wo Handlungen entstehen, Entscheidungen getroffen werden und die Intuition uns leitet.

After appearing on Kulture Galerie Volume 4 alongise Uncanny Valley and fellow North Marcedonian Herzel, L.O.V.D joins the Digital Artefacts series with 'Dive'.

L.O.V.D is a doctor by day, synth geek by night, set between North Macedonia and Berlin. The title track of this new EP on Kulture Galerie was being picked for a mixed comp by Voltage Lab and his sound is started to being recognised internationally with appearances at many music festivals with his live set as well as international hotspots like Kiosk Radio.

This brand new 4 tracker is a personal journey that Ljuben describes like this:

'Dive is a collection of songs that embody my perception of the complex emotions experienced between two people in love. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes sad, always heavily emotionally charged, never perfect.'

repressed !

New Berlin based vinyl only label from Amotik. The debut EP features 3 heavy techno cuts.. Not much else to say, but hit play, and enjoy.

Supported by: Pfirter, Truncate, Kwartz, Eric Cloutier, Norman Nodge, Tommy Four Seven, Cari Lekebush, Cleric and many more!

Caterina Barbieri & Bendik Giske's At Source resounds music as wellspring, that which is essential and unknowable, and yet utterly primary. It finds two acclaimed composer-musicians building a world together in self-contained collaboration between analogue synthesis and an extended approach to the saxophone that conjures its own universe of sound. It is at once intimate and cosmic, drawing on the challenges and possibilities of their artistic exchange, tearing down technique to access all the expansive possibilities of their sonic meeting point.



At Source is a document of the world of sound to be conjured when two artists strive for something together, discovering the expansions and limitations of performance by bodies and machines. It is not an exercise in assimilation, but in productive exchange and creative confrontation. It does not draw on outside energies or influences, but grapples with what there is to find in their respective playing. "It also reflects how natural the collaboration was," says Barbieri, "a meeting at the source which was spontaneous, graceful and natural".



Barbieri and Giske first met and were enthralled by one another's performances at Kunsthaus Glarus in 2019, a meeting that spurred conversations on the power of transitions as a compositional force. Giske later contributed a rework of Fantas for Fantas Variations (Editions Mego, 2021), an ambitious undertaking to rescore Barbieri’s work for his saxophone and voice, a challenge Giske had started undertaking two years prior as an ongoing practice of transcription. “The request came as a proof of aligned ideas”, says Giske.



Their new collaborative project then started during an artistic residency in Milan’s ICA in 2021, by invitation of swiss artist and curator Jan Vorisek, as the world was emerging from lockdown. This meeting, and the preceding closure of sites for cultural exchange, made their work together 'feel like springtime' says Barbieri. Giske, who was on the brink of releasing his sophomore album, Cracks, then joined Barbieri's light-years tour, which functioned as an inaugural incarnation of her newborn label and platform through a series of multi-artist curated shows with appearances of Lyra Pramuk, Nkisi, MFO, among other artists.



Through the tour, they continued to develop material live, and this release, laid down in the studio, is true to that ever-evolving process of creation, where live feedback stays essential to the vitality of this collaborative effort. The tracks are each named with two evocative words that contain the two poles of their sound. Theirs is both abstract and cosmic, in the synth as machine undermined by Barbieri's naturalistic playing, and in Giske's continuous exploration of the symbiosis between his instrument, voice, and body. These binaries, of body and machine, posed various challenges, notably in how the stepped patterns Barbieri uses were near-impossible to translate for Giske's body to perform, and other times where mathematical resolutions were needed to sync their playing. Explains Giske: "It forced me to go to the core of what I am and what I have to offer”. Barbieri says that it "explores the liminality between the machine and the human, and the vulnerability in this process".



At Source is testament to two divergent practices finding a whole cosmos in which to convene; music is crystalised and made utterly enveloping through the focused and critical work of two musicians working at their peak. The versions here are, temptingly, "just one of many versions" of this abundant source material Giske explains. Like the best collaborations, At Source is more than the sum of its parts – bringing more to the feast than the simple combination of two musicians, promising versions upon versions of the exquisite material captured here.

With Black Koyo, Mattias De Craene enters a sound world at once intimate and vast. Born from journeys in Morocco and Brussels, the project traces the rhythms, chants, and spirits of the Gnawa tradition, revealing a quiet resonance that echoes De Craene's own search for depth and presence. Guibri, qraqueb, call-and-response chants, saxophone, loops, and electronics come together in a trance-induced dialogue - ritualistic, elemental, and dreamlike - creating a space where listening becomes immersion, tradition meets imagination, and music unfolds as a shared act of reflection and wonder.

About Mattias De Craene
Mattias De Craene's artistic path is marked by rare coherence. As a central voice in Nordmann and MDC III, he developed a physical, rock-inflected jazz language driven by propulsion, volume, and trance-like collective energy. Over time, a period of personal rupture - burnout, tinnitus, depression - shifted his focus inward. The saxophone became a breathing, textural presence, and in his solo work, he weaves saxophone, electronics, loops, and minimal forms into a cinematic, hushed world where repetition, resonance, and silence slow perception. Rooted in ambient and introspection, his music prizes attention over impact, precision over excess - a quiet intensity recognized with a nomination as Musician for the Music Industry Awards (MIA's).

About Black Koyo
Black Koyo is a Brussels-based ensemble and one of the most compelling voices of the Gnawa tradition outside Morocco. Led by maalem Hicham Bilali, the group brings guibri, qrraqueb, and call-and-response chants to life with trance-like intensity and ritual precision. Their music is both rooted and contemporary, weaving earthbound rhythms and vocal invocations into ecstatic, immersive soundscapes, creating a space where ancestral resonance meets present-day imagination.

About Jan Bang
Jan Bang is a pioneering Norwegian producer and musician, celebrated for his mastery of live sampling and his ability to merge electronics with improvisation, rhythm, and texture in real time. He mixed the album and occasionally joins live performances, bringing his signature approach to sound as co-founder of the influential Punkt Festivaland collaborator with artists such as Jon Hassell, David Sylvian, Arve Henriksen, and ECM Records' roster. As a performer and sound architect, Bang creates immersive, trance-like sonic textures where silence and sound carry equal weight. Within Mattias De Craene ftBlack Koyo, his live sampling becomes an organic instrument, weaving saxophone, electronics, and Gnawa rhythms into hypnotic, physically charged soundscapes.

Line-up & credits
Mattias De Craene - sax, electronics | Hicham Bilali - guibri, vocals, qraqueb |Ismael Akhraz - vocals, qraqueb | Marwan Abantor - vocals, qraqueb
All tracks are original gnawa traditionals played by Black Koyo and arranged by Mattias De Craene.
Album produced & recorded by Mattias De Craene in Essaouira, Morocco and hometown Ghent, Belgium 2025.
Text by Hicham Bilali.
Mixed by Jan Bang at Punkt Studio
Mastered by Lieven Van Pee
Artwork by Marina Sviridova
Design by Benoit Van Geel
Manufactured and distributed by N.E.W.S.
Executive production by W.E.R.F. records
Supported by Flemish Government, Jazzlab, nona, HA Concerts, Aubergine artist Management,
KAAP, La Bestia (Wout Van Putten) & mdcmu.sic vzw.
2026 (c) W.E.R.F. records

Kerrie makes a welcome return to Sync 24's CE camp, with "Waves of Reverie PT1" dropping in March on Cultivated Electronics. It follows her two part "We Continue" vinyl 12"s, on sister-label Cultivated Electronics Ltd back in 2021. Irish-born, Manchester-based Kerrie is a multidisciplinary artist and resident DJ at Tresor Berlin. She performs live sets, produces music, DJs and runs her own label, Dark Machine Funk, as well as an extensive discography on the likes of Tresor, Blueprint Records, Don't Be Afraid, Cultivated Electronics, I Love Acid and Symbolism. On her new EP, "Waves of Reverie PT1" Kerrie once again channels a distinctive electro aesthetic rooted in acid and electro traditions but filtered through her own raw, industrial-leaning production style. A staple for fans of analogue hardware-driven electro and forward-thinking electronic music.

Over the last year a new generation of young and ambitious house producers from Frankfurt to Mannheim have caused quite a stir. Vera Heindel is part of the scene in the Rhine Main area, which is the new centre for innovative and modern house and techno tracks, and "People's House", her first release on Cargo Edition at the end of 2008 received huge attention from critics and fans alike

Rythm Of Paradise launches his brand new label “Ritmo Adriatico” with "Divina EP", a sonic manifesto of Italian house music. This four-track journey blends the power of main stages with the warm intimacy of clubs, always driven by a profoundly Mediterranean soul. A first release that doesn't just present a sound, but tells a story.

The EP opens with main track "Divina" , powerful and immediate groove built for the dance floor, wrapped in warm atmospheres and bright pads that create a sense of high energy, with emotional breaks that reminds French Kiss sound.

Followed by its remixed version of Divina by St. David where he reimagined and elevate the impact on main stages. The bass becomes more prominent, the groove expands, and the voice became more hypnotice, without ever falling into cliché.

B1. Italia Novanta is where, Ritmo Adriatico reveals its beating heart. "Italia novanta " is a respectful and modern tribute to the golden era of Italo House, diving into the Mediterranean soul of the 90s, reinterpreted with today's power.

Closing with B2. Te Quiero where takes the dreamy atmospheres and immerses them in a deep, meditative dub treatment of spacious bass lines and captivating Italo house piano licks.

Written and Produced by Michele Lamacchia.
Mixed & Mastered by St. David

Double 12" release

The Story — From the Streets of Rome to the Male Productions Label
In the early 1990s, Rome lived in a kind of suspended moment. The city was still tied to its historic clubs, yet in the outskirts—inside abandoned warehouses, quarries along the coastline, and the wooded parks north of the capital—something new was beginning to stir. A nocturnal, constantly shifting movement fuelled by a hunger for freedom and a sonic curiosity that reached far beyond the mainstream.

Moving through this ferment was Francesco “Chicco” Furlotti. First an organizer of unconventional parties and underground nights, he soon became one of the driving forces behind Rome’s itinerant rave scene. Furlotti sensed that a wave of change was about to sweep across the city. It wasn’t just about parties: it was the rise of a culture, a new way of thinking about music, community, and belonging.

It was within those nights—later held with official permits, properly built sound systems, and an ever-growing crowd—that Furlotti recognized the existence of a distinctly Roman sound, and the need to capture it, preserve it, and give it tangible form.
So, in 1991, he decided to take a bolder step: to found an independent record label—small, determined, and far removed from the commercial logic that dominated at the time.
That was the birth of Male Productions.

Male was not a label like any other: it was a workshop, a gathering point, a creative hub where DJs, producers, friends, and wanderers converged. Within that environment, an artistic core took shape—Stefano Di Carlo, Leo Young, and Mauro Tannino, along with other collaborators orbiting around Furlotti. From their synergy emerged a project whose very name declared its mission:

The True Underground Sound of Rome.

The collective did not simply aim to release music; it sought to tell a story of Rome through sounds that defied categorization: house, techno, ambient, electronic mysticism, psychedelic visions… a unique blend, instantly recognizable, emotional, and experimental. The sessions unfolded using essential yet razor-sharp gear: Roland drum machines, analogue synthesizers, Akai samplers, stripped-down mixers. Few tools, endless imagination.
The first result of this work was the 12” Secret Doctrine, released in 1991 in an extremely limited run—around 500 promotional copies, according to accounts. The record captured something that until then had floated only in the air of Roman raves: enveloping atmospheres, deep rhythms, melodies built to make the mind travel far beyond the dancefloor. A sound that did not imitate what was happening in Detroit, London, or Berlin, but absorbed those influences and re-sculpted them with a distinctly Roman sensibility.
Yet, precisely because it was independent and detached from commercial circuits, Male’s output remained sparse: few EPs, few copies, irregular distribution. Over time, those records became rare artifacts—almost mythical objects within the Italian electronic scene. The legacy of Male Productions seemed destined to survive only in the memories of those early years, in the stories told after raves, and in the private archives of a handful of collectors.
Many years later, thanks to the almost accidental rediscovery of a few original copies of the first two releases issued by Male Productions, it became possible to undertake a meticulous process of recovery and restoration of the audio etched into those grooves, with the aim of preserving as fully as possible the quality and character of that unrepeatable sound.

We are therefore able today to present — at last in a complete and faithful form — the first two mixes created for Male Productions, now released on a double vinyl that brings back into the present the exact moment when it all began: the nomadic nights of the raves, Furlotti’s vision, the creativity of Di Carlo, Young and Tannino, and the sonic identity of a Rome in the midst of transformation.

This is not merely a reissue.
It is a historical document.
A fragment of a culture that changed the city.
The authentic sound of the Roman underground, finally returned to the world.

Following on from his debut album, Miles Spilsbury returns to New Dawn with Spirit Level. A new project in collaboration with close friend Gorse Panshawe (formerly known as Slugabed - who also produced Miles Spilsbury's first album Light Manoeuvres).

Recorded over one weekend in a weaving shed in Frome, in the English countryside. Surrounded by reels of yarn, they explored saxophones, flutes, dusty old keyboards & drum machines. The resulting record conjures the murk and moss of Forestland and grounds with grooves from the Bongo setting on a Casio keyboard. Jake Long added mallet drums from his London studio to round off the album.

In 2023, when Stately Records was playing in Berlin, we connected with Philipp Priebe, the man behind one of the most unique sounds in the world of everything that’s deep & dub. After a long and inspiring night at Golden Gate, the Stately Crew spent the after-hours listening to tracks Philipp had prepared, ultimately selecting four. Two of these tracks were previously released on the digital 'Oh, Why EP', and the remaining two are now coming to life on this very special 10” record.

These beautiful cuts are intrinsically linked to that memorable Berlin weekend and are now permanently etched onto two very special 10” editions in our STLR10 series. The A-side features our signature Stately Records logo stamp. The flipside is stamped with an image of a chair, a subtle nod to Philipp’s label, Stólar, which holds a special place in our hearts.

This black DJ version is vinyl only and limited to a 100 copies and.

We hope you enjoy STLR10.2 by Philipp Priebe.

Some grooves don’t rush to the dancefloor — they crawl there, slow and heavy, like smoke wrapping around a bassline. With Fragments of Reality, The Balek Band sculpt an electronic funk that lives between shadow and light — an end-of-the-world fever dream, a Barjavel-style Ravage where chaos turns nihilistic.

No sequencer grid here — just four musicians sharing the same room, shaping air and tension together: drums locked tight with a slap bass, a guitar dripping with echo and heat, and a one-man orchestra behind his machines, weaving acid lines and synth arpeggios while mixing the band live — drenching it in delay, reverb, and saturation, like a dub producer in a Kingston studio, Lee Scratch Perry or King Tubby conjuring ghosts through smoke.

This isn’t fusion — it’s friction. A living ritual where the TB-303 hums, and machines don’t dominate but converse with the human pulse. Each track feels like a night that refuses to end — that humid in-between where trance slips into languor, and the body starts to think for itself.

The record recalls the cosmic jazz of Alain Mion or Eddy Louiss meeting the fiery energy of West African afrobeat musicians freshly arrived in a smoky Belleville basement in the mid-’80s. When The Balek Band summon ghosts, it’s only to reshape them — bending the past into something futuristic, alive, and strangely refreshing. Both disciplined and delirious, Fragments of Reality feels like a promise at dawn: dark funk for the late hours, slow acid for warm blood.

This EP isn’t nostalgic, though it remembers. It’s a transmission from a parallel past — a moment when jazz players met drum machines and decided never to stop playing. Each note sweats, each rhythm breathes. You can almost see the light cutting through the haze, faces half-awake, half-possessed.

The Balek Band aren’t recreating a moment — they’re keeping it alive.
Flesh and cables. Impulse and patience.
A band, not a loop.
A trip, not a format.

Four cuts of grimey, creepshow, noir tech and jackin Chicago House by Fugitive Artifact, NYC-via-Atlanta artist behind the Headcrack party. Not a rehash or revival, but still full of respect for the founders of jack (also John Carpenter!). At times on the A-side, these tracks are psychedelic…driving bass lines over syncopated claps and rimshots with building, atmospheric swells inviting you to tumble down the manhole into a world of insomniac crime bosses and bleary eyed pleasures. The B side opens with a more techno tempo, but keeps the swirling percussion cooking. The record ends with an ominous daybreaker. You can hear the arrival of a grey dawn. An invitation to join the freaks in the gutter. Will you heed the call and join the ranks?!

You can always rely on Burnski and his many labels to keep DJs and dancers well-oiled with plenty of fresh house and garage tackle in various different guises. Constant Black keeps it stripped back with this new one from Rotterdam resident Fabio Santos. 'Midnight Protocol' is an ice-cold stepper, and 'Duster' gets more sleazy and raw with a heavy house foundation. There's wub-wub filth underpinning the garage shuffler 'Breather', old school ragga vibes on 'Request To All Junglist' and 'Conspiracy' is a light-footed hot-stepper with mutant energy. An absolute no-brainer that will become a go-to for months to come.

More unknown artist business from the Only Music Matters crew and it's a case of more essential minimal across three fresh cuts. The first manages to pair the sort of drive you need to keep you locked with some swirling, heady pads that encourage letting your mind wander. After that full-sided odyssey, 'BBB001B' stars the flip with tighter, more rubbery drums and bass and alien sounds weaving in and out. 'BBB002B' shuts down with some tech-y loops and a little more menace and mischief in the clipped vocals and wispy synth modulations.

While brothers Simon and Robin Lee have kept themselves busy, both with EPs as Faze Action and numerous offshoot and solo projects, it's been almost 12 years since we last heard a fresh, full-length excursion from the long-serving duo - at least under their most famous moniker. Predictably, Distant Dreams was worth the wait, with the Lee siblings continuing their richly organic approach - think live bass, guitars, strings, keys, flute and percussion alongside synth sounds and drum machine beats. Musically, it draws on their now well-known influences - warming disco, jazz-funk and Balearica with nods to other musical cultures - and delivers eight impeccable tracks that undoubtedly sit amongst their classiest work to date. It's good to have them back.

West Hill Music is a new sub-label from Periodica Records dedicated exclusively to productions curated by Mystic Jungle and conceived at West Hill Studio in Napoli, a longstanding creative hub active for more than a decade.
The project aims to reclaim and reimagine the language of mid-1980s music, drawing from both American and European New Wave through a personal filter that freely and instinctively blends elements of Italo Disco, Rock and Funk. The two tracks, moving within a dance-not-dance dimension, stand as a manifesto of this sonic synthesis and a further step in defining the aesthetic vision of the producer. On "Chasing Light", the collaboration with Igor Sekulovic continues, with the guitarist also appearing here as co-writer of the track, weaving together tense guitars, driving disco-rock bass-lines and slapback reggae-style vocals. "Under Pressure", on the other side, unfolds as a late-night electronic suite: minimal, aseptic and hypnotically repetitive.

Cosmo Dance is the artistic alias of Cosimo Mandorino, an Italian producer and DJ who has been active in the electronic music scene for more than twenty years, as well as the founder of the label Mirella. Produced and finalized in Napoli during a series of short stays, and developed with the contribution of Raffaele Arcella and Dario di Pace, "Cosmo-logic" unfolds within a parallel, plausible, and dystopian universe where humans and machines coexist in constant tension and perpetual conflict. A musical narrative shaped by rebellious computers, wars between binary systems, and universal unified languages, the record stands as a manifesto to the early era of Italo-Disco, while remaining deeply infused with influences from cosmic disco and stripped-down electronic funk. The tracks make extensive use of mechanical rhythms, voice modulators, vocoders, and analog effects, exploring sonic territories forged through iconic instruments such as the Korg MS-20.

Harry McCanna is a DJ and producer who might be known to you for his role in running NorthSouth records for nine years with Sam Bangura and Dale Mussington, as well as staffing the decks across the capital for at least a decade and half and taking up a residency at fabric when we came out of lockdown in 2021. Here, he launches a new label, focussed on "the hypnotic, trippy, steady side of things," with his first release under his own name, having released his productions under the Henry Hyde moniker since 2015. Hypnotic it may be, but it's not lacking either in sonic imagination - check the shimmering guitar trimmings, frothy pecussion and vocal flashes of 'A Temporarily Happy Man' - or funkiness, with the basslines to 'Stand & Deliver' and 'Red Moon' the very essence of prodding urgency. Add some sparing but very effective use of neatly edited breakbeats - see the economic propulsion of 'Hard To Leave' - and you've got four track that will slip into the mix very smoothly but come with their own distinctive personality.

This has been a very personal project and a mammoth undertaking for us folks here PACE HQ: 12 tracks unearthed from the cult Scottish figure’s completely overlooked back catalogue. Collected archive material from the past 25 years, originally composed as an OST for the feature length film The Flesher (1992) which was also written, shot and directed by Rae. No copies remain. Deep cuts that span G-funk, hip-hop, house, synth-pop, electro, dub, downtempo, funk/soul, R’n’B with appearances from Rae’s heavyweight list of frequent collaborators… Bernie Worrell, Adrian Sherwood and Jimmy Douglass.

"In 1991, the Scottish Rugby Union & the Royal Bank of Scotland, commissioned me tae make the world's first Scotland World Cup music video... they didn’t pay me so I fought back. It took 18 years tae win, and I nearly lost everything. I turned to audio visual art: under the pseudonym Jock Pleasure - I wrote and directed a feature length film called The Flesher as well as creating 100s of full length DVDs and tracks” (Jesse Rae).

One man took on the banks and won, but it took its toll and in this totemic corpus of work Jesse Rae counts the cost. The Flesher is art as pure defiance: “this stuff is very dark and deep, it is such a vast body o’ work, but when I won my battle against the bank, I secretly returned tae Hodge Close (in the Scottish borders) and dropped the entire work sealed in stone intae the deep deep murky depths of that water, where it has remained since 2009. There are no mair copies."

What we have here then is the salvaged remains. A hopeful dunt of Scottish erotica that gets you right in the pits.

Splice DJ Screw with Dean Blunt, Moodymann, Prince, Cocteau Twins, MF DOOM, Luther Van fuckin’ Dross, Barry fuckin’ White; run that through the B-movie videotape static meets Harmony Korine, Les Blank & early Grand Theft Auto. Empty boulevards. Small-town strip joints. Late-night dial-up. Sacrifice and solace. Outside of the OST, there’s a cast of forgotten characters: primary school kids making house jams, teenage popstars from the Scottish Borders, and the rhapsodic Ayrshire soprano NIKA laying down haunting vocals in Miami.

Celebrated as a cult figure in the USA, Jesse’s work has never fully had the appreciation it deserves at home. Not really. Aye, we know Inside Out and The Thistle. But he’s too easily fobbed off as an eccentric outsider: a helmet-wearing, claymore-wielding gimmick. But do we really know the extent of what this man has done - and gone through - for the sake of art?

Brooklyn-based DJ and producer Son of Lee is a native New Yorker who's been active in the local underground for over a decade. He launched this label back in August with a doozy of an EP that soon sold out, and so we're glad he's back. These are four more flame-hot disco edits marbled with references to many classic sounds and artists. 'Stop Making Cents' is jangling disco-pop, while 'Different Places' slows down to an 80s synth chug and 'Louis-Dreyfus Dance Face' brings some erotically charged disco sophistication and 'Nichols In May' is a mid-tempo and dubbed out delight with funky guitars for days. Classy and effective.

The Synewave label has legendary status amongst those who know and now boss man Damon Wild is back on it with a quartet of deep techno treasures. 'Avoidant' is a roaming, cavernous sound with gentle synth notes rising and falling over hefty kicks. 'Invincible' is more sci-fi in style with icy modulations and roaming pads over slinky, kinetic drum patterns and 'Organica' is a jumbled mix of feather hi-hats and more bleeping pulses with kicks pulled far apart. After the Detroit stylings of 'Coronas,' Sonic Mind records boss Donnel Knox aka D-Knox remixes it into something more direct and rhythmically rugged.

Ein aufmerksamer Zuhörer der Welt zu sein, bedeutet, von Sprache umgeben zu sein. Sprache hallt durch fast jeden Raum, in dem sich Menschen aufhalten, ob unerwünscht oder erwünscht, banal oder tiefgründig. Worte stehen auf der Seite und klingen im Ohr nach, vermehren sich endlos. Diese Überfülle fasziniert den Komponisten und Musiker Ben Vida schon lange, aber in den letzten Jahren hat sie zu einer neuen Art des Musikmachens geführt, die die Vorrangstellung der Sprache in unserer Klang- und Kulturwelt gleichzeitig hervorhebt und hinterfragt. Sanft und spielerisch bricht Vida die Hierarchie von Bedeutung und Klang der Sprache auf, bis sie in egalitärer Harmonie existieren. Oblivion Seekers ist Vidas neuestes Album in diesem Kompositionsstil, nach der Zusammenarbeit mit dem New-Music-Ensemble Yarn/Wire The Beat My Head Hit aus dem Jahr 2023. Wie bei seinem Vorgänger liegt der Fokus der Musik auf koordinierten Duetten aus gesprochenem Wort in neutralem Ton, wobei die variablen Rhythmen der bewegten Worte komplexe interne rhythmische Strukturen schaffen. Er wird von den Stimmen von Nina Dante, Christina Vantzou, John Also Bennett und Félicia Atkinson, die einen einzigartigen Klang erzeugen, der weder ihrer noch seiner ist und in seiner Geschlechtsdarstellung, seinem Akzent und seiner Aussprache fließend ist. Die instrumentalen Kompositionen, die den Hintergrund des Albums bilden, haben den ungezwungenen Fluss eines Dialogs, gesprächig, aber zurückhaltend, selten als Motor der Veränderung. Es herrscht eine ruhige, konzentrierte Stimmung, die durch den zurückhaltenden Rhythmus der Stimmen noch verstärkt wird, sodass man das Gefühl hat, die Musik sei ein langes Mantra, das nie ganz zu seinem Ausgangspunkt zurückkehrt. Der Effekt ist bezaubernd, gleichermaßen einschläfernd und fesselnd, und suggeriert Wiederholung, ohne sich jemals genau gleich zu bewegen. Die Instrumentierung der vier Stücke des Albums variiert; ,Be Yr Own Abyss" wird durch den wellenartigen Kontrapunkt der Saxophone geprägt, während der mehrdeutige Klang des Vibraphons über ,Oblivion Seekers" schwebt und Frasers anschwellender Bass den einzigen dramatischen Auftritt des Albums liefert. Die Musik verändert sich im Ohr, während der Text die Form und Bewegung der Komposition ständig neu definiert und in einen neuen Kontext stellt, auch wenn sie in ihrem jenseitigen Glanz konsistent bleibt. Der Text besteht oft aus Sprachfetzen, denen Vida während seines Lebens beim Komponieren begegnet ist: zufällig mitgehörtes Gemurmel in der Schlange im Supermarkt, eindrucksvolle Sätze aus einem Roman, den er gerade las, Eindrücke von Musik, die er immer wieder auf seinem Plattenspieler hörte. Kleine, ansonsten unbedeutende Details sammeln sich an, nicht um eine Erzählung zu bilden, sondern um einen Eindruck vom komplexen Prozess der Bedeutungsfindung zu vermitteln, der im täglichen Leben stattfindet. Charaktere und Szenen tauchen im Bild auf und verschwinden wieder, und Sätze, die nach einer Erklärung verlangen, dürfen einfach vorbeiziehen. Vidas Liebe zu Robert Ashley ist gut dokumentiert, aber vielleicht noch bedeutender sind Mark E. Smith und The Fall, Neil Tennant und die gesprochenen Verse der Pet Shop Boys, die gesamte Geschichte des Hip-Hop und Meredith Monk. Die Art und Weise, wie die Worte dargeboten werden, ist genauso wichtig wie die Worte selbst und offenbart eine Intentionalität und Direktheit, die Vida mit den abstrakten Konstruktionsmustern des Textes hervorhebt und untergräbt. Auf Oblivion Seekers ist der omnidirektionale Lärm der Marmor, den Vida abträgt, um zu beleuchten, wie wir die unermessliche Fremdheit der Welt verarbeiten. Der Triumph des Albums besteht darin, dass wir nichts von dem schönen Geheimnis verlieren, wie diese Zeichen unsere äußere und innere Welt miteinander verbinden.

"After being praised as one of the best releases of 2025 by multiple platforms, the highly praised debut album from Obeka lands on vinyl via YUKU.

The rhythmic dynamics and emotive attitudes of A World No More captures the density of soundsystem culture in Obeka's ancestral roots. YUKU presents the Bermudians debut album capturing a Neo-Colonial dystopia, protest and Afro-Futurism hyperextended through decaying sonic structures of a dark past and its grievances which very much exist today.

Growing into adulthood within the walls of British and European Colonial systems meant the disconnection and lostness in a new country hid me from the world at a young age. Unlike London's vast and culturally engaging migrant communities, the industrial milling town of Stockport introduced a coldness towards people from other countries I experienced in my first year after relocating from Bermuda. I couldn't understand why. Whether cold words thrown towards me or actions upon other people who look like me, it has shown to be a dooming societal virus with no cure. The most comfort was found through what was familiar - drums and rhythmic spirituality of my homeland. It was a safe-haven, a place to empty the anger and confusion. It's been 15 years since relocating and as my sound evolved, it seems classism, racism, oppression and civil control of ethnic peoples has become worse - even now more legalised and normalised. Ogun (a powerful Yoruba deity associated with anger, justice and war) acts as the opening sequence of the record and its symbolism. Using distorted bass frequencies and dissected Regga-Dub immersed in live-sampled ghostly voices of the lost ones. This sonic exercising is also applied in Drillaman - a stampede of industrial framework and metallic instruments wielded over moody Dancehall MC'ing, magnifying two parallel worlds in cocooned evolution. The resurrection of Transatlantic African cultures and identity have never been silenced, rather carried elsewhere through trade routes of enslavement, which was pivotal when composing and completing the album upon returning home to the Caribbean for the first time ever. After reconnecting with my heritage my blurred vision of what's wrong in the world became so clear. Guidance in empty plains seek truth throughout the pain - A statement of finding oneself expressed on the poetic closing track A World No More.

On Fawohodie (A West African Adinkra symbol that represents independence, freedom, and emancipation stamped on the album cover) the motive and atmosphere begins to change. Afro-Caribbean idealism which refers to the philosophical concept that emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and the importance of community, often contrasting with Western individualism, begins to take shape in a new universe. We can co-exist. The track framework uses machine-led software forming frequencies we have no control over, then manipulated through decomposing soundscapes, scattered hand-drums and human-made weapons of control - exposing the hidden disparity that's been carried over generations whilst balancing hopeful and musical foundations towards equality and peace. On Pressure and Kuduro! the writing direction attempts to wake people up. Not settling for a composed approach like in past projects, quite the opposite. A call for native sonic awareness, dismantled vocals of protests, eroded percussion using chains, gears and motorised harmonies sculpted in challenging abstract behaviors far outside my comfort zone. A direct abrasiveness and weight I want people to feel, whilst finding hope and solace through enchanting choirs and hypnotic basslines in complete synchrony.

"Purity in sound manifests when you least expect it. The smallest memory or feeling grows from a seed into a sonic language that you, and only you can interpret and release back into the world." "

OOZ proudly presents the sixth instalment on the label with Nate Oldfield’s inaugural solo EP. Informed by minimalist techno and intuitive modes of machine music – made predominantly with hardware – Nate puts forth a record that feels as though it’s dancing out of the shadows and into the light. Eery chords and vocals are paired with sharp percussive rhythms by a producer that seems to revel in the play of music-making. At points stark and almost plaintive, the depth of feeling throughout the record is contrasted by the playful nature of how sound is manipulated. Grooves plod along to cold, melodic chimes, guitar plucks and a discussion about walking through Danson Park near Nate’s hometown of Abbey Wood, South-east London.

A new 12” on Studio Barnhus from Sexy Lazer and Kaktus Einarsson, carrying dis4nguished Icelandic bloodlines into decidedly humid club territory. Across two tracks, the pair favor reduc4on over spectacle: taut beats, disciplined arrangements, and a strong sense of space, with the kind of detail that makes simple ideas hit with pure geyser force. While one side draws on 4ghtly coiled rhythms and freaky nocturnal tension, the flip sees the formula in its straightest, driest and most relentless form. Both sides moving with the calm confidence of a track that knows its DJ is expertly handling their task.

How do losers dance? According to Helmut, almost weightlessly, with soft feet, warm gestures, sometimes alone, sometimes together. Content Creatures, Helmut's fourth album, evokes the pop archetype of the "beautiful loser", who had almost disappeared from view in so-called late capitalism. In a present in which even suffering is often similarly instrumentalised and tailored to clicks like a competitive sport, this album sets a counterpoint: those who listen to it suddenly want to be enchanting losers again, useless and joyfully messing up, losing something beloved, having their hearts broken, giving up a dream, sinking into beauty.
You don't sink alone. Comforting harmonies envelop you, the voices of friends appear, accompany you for a while and then disappear again. Warm grooves, floating synths and delicate guitar lines characterise an indie sound that remains open and breathes.
Self-produced for the first time in his home studio in Neukölln, 'Content Creatures' sounds thoughtful and light at the same time. The album will be released digitally and on vinyl on 10 April 2026 on Berlin-based label St.Vladimir. There are four songs on one side and four songs on the other. The cover is adorned with an exceptionally pretty guinea pig. Helmut shows the special in the seemingly ordinary: a child's pet, the most ordinary of all, is his cover star and headstrong protagonist.

Wie tanzen Verlierer? Wenn man nach Helmut geht, dann fast schwerelos, mit weichen Füßen, warmen Gesten, manchmal allein, manchmal gemeinsam. Content Creatures, Helmuts viertes Album, evoziert den Pop-Archetypus des "beautiful loser", der im sogenannten Spätkapitalismus fast aus dem Blick geraten war. In einer Gegenwart, in der sogar das Leid oft ähnlich durchinstrumentalisiert und auf Klicks getrimmt ist wie ein Leistungssport, setzt dieses Album einen Kontrapunkt: Wer es hört, möchte auf einmal gern wieder ein bezaubernder Verlierer sein, nutzlos und freudvoll abkacken, etwas Geliebtes verlieren, das Herz gebrochen bekommen, einen Traum aufgeben, in Schönheit versinken.
Man versinkt nicht allein. Tröstende Harmonien legen sich um einen, die Stimmen von Freundinnen tauchen auf, begleiten einen ein Stück weit und verschwinden wieder. Warme Grooves, schwebende Synths und feine Gitarrenlinien prägen einen Indie-Sound, der offen bleibt, atmet. Erstmals in seinem Neuköllner Homestudio selbst produziert, klingt "Content Creatures" bedacht und leicht zugleich.
Das Album erscheint digital und auf Vinyl am 10.04.2026 auf dem Berliner Label St.Vladimir. Es hat vier Songs auf der einen und vier Songs auf der anderen Seite. Das Cover ziert ein außergewöhnlich hübsches Meerschweinchen. Helmut zeigt das Besondere im scheinbar Gewöhnlichen: Ein Kinderhaustier, das normalste von allen, ist bei ihm Coverstar und eigensinnige Protagonistin.

Gap Mangione's monumentally influential Diana In The Autumn Wind. AKA BEWITH200LP. And, without question, Be With's White Whale.

They said it could never be done. And with good reason.

We've spent the past 12 years trying to license this legendary 1968 recording from Gap and, after much work, it's finally here. Remarkably, this is the first ever vinyl reissue of Gap Mangione's Diana In The Autumn Wind, produced with the full and extensive participation of Gap. An exceedingly rare album, it's been coveted by funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop sample fiends for decades.

It's unarguably *the* most sought after album for J Dilla / Madlib sample collectors. It has also been brilliantly sampled by A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Ghostface Killah, Kendrick Lamar and Talib Kweli.

But this record is so much more than a sample-spotters curio. It's solid gold throughout. Bursting with killer funky-jazz grooves and tracks adorned with warm electric piano, the release is notable for featuring some extremely significant players at the very outset of their careers; Tony Levin, at 21, whose superb playing on both acoustic and electric bass was the harmonic mainstay of the trio and Steve Gadd, at 23, one of the greatest drummers of his generation.

With acceptable copies of this holy grail changing hands for $400, to call this reissue "much-needed" underplays just how vital it is. Gap's story is told in his words alongside rare photos across a sumptuously designed 2-page insert and, to augment this deluxe edition further, its all wrapped up in a beautiful, no-expense-spared luxury tip-on sleeve, as per the original hens-teeth release. And, while we're talking packaging, just take a look at that cover - a work of art in and of itself.

The tracks are short but complex, with that extraordinary rhythm section backing the beautiful piano, organ and electric piano work of Gap. It's like the best ever library funk breaks record you never heard - but all your favourite golden age rap producers were all over it, long ago. It's a stunning blend of the vibrant, driving music of the Gap Mangione Trio coupled with the sensitive composition and superb orchestration of Gap's legendary brother, Chuck Mangione, who helmed an amalgam of seemingly disparate elements – rock, big band jazz, solo improvisation and "classical" music - into a spectacularly cohesive whole that has aged wonderfully well. As Gap himself notes in the liners, "with this group I was able to explore and add new and exciting elements from rock, Brazilian and then-current pop music."

Opener "Boy With Toys" triumphantly swaggers out the gate, all big band horns, flutes and dextrous organ work. The synthesis of everything going on is nothing short of stunning. When one wise YouTube commentator called this tune "old school superhero music", Gap agreed. Rap luminaries did, too, amongst them Talib Kweli, who rapped over DJ Scratch's chopped up intro for "Shock Body" on his Quality album back in 2002.

You've barely recovered from that incredibly affecting opener when you get hit over the head with the exquisite title-track. And now you see how two of the greatest beats of all time emerged from one single track produced nearly 50 years earlier. Unforgettably utilised by Dilla for Slum Village's heartbreakingly good "Fall In Love" and then Madlib for his "Official" beat for Dilla to rap over, on the Jaylib record. Regardless of the records it went on to spawn, this is just a staggering tune in its own right. Be beguiled by the flutes and the flutter tonguing, the counter-melody from the trombones, the soprano sax solo. All of it. Simply beautiful.

The questing organ and horn workout "Long Hair Soulful" deserves a lot more attention, overshadowed somewhat by the opening two monsters but no less fantastic. It swings, it grooves and Gadd and Levin truly cook. Up next, Gap's wonderfully percussive, mellifluously piano-heavy cover of "Yesterday" by some fellas called The Beatles. It's a subtly arresting gem. "The XIth Commandment" is damn fine, with thick, gorgeous electric piano and snappy drum work underpinning chaotic soundtracky horns. To close out the side, "St. Thomas" showcases the "fourth" member of the Gap Mangione Trio, conga drummer Dhui Mandingo. Having performed with the Trio since 1965, Dhui‘s African-based and jazz-latin-influenced style amazed listeners and its way to hear why.

Opening the B-Side, standard "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" breezes along in the late-night jazz club fashion before things get super deep with the outstanding and - up to now - un-sampled "Pond With Swans". It's simply heavenly, and how its moody, melancholic intro has yet to be pilfered is anybody's guess. It oscillates between gentle, sombre movements and bombastic grooves, equally hypnotic and joyous. The rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" is yet another showcase for Gap's virtuoso playing and Gadd's mastery of the pocket. Indeed Gadd's drumming on "Free Again" is nothing short of neck-SNAPPING! Ghostface took it for not one but two "Iron's Theme" tracks across his seminal Supreme Clientele. It's got that Galt MacDermot "Coffee Cold" feel. Suuuuuper cool. The frantic "Dream On Little Dreamer" hurtles along and must've surely had the whole room absolutely swinging from the chandeliers back in Rochester in the late 60s. The album closes with the magnificent Graduate Medley, featuring memorable renditions of "Scarborough Fair", "The Sounds of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson". The warm electric piano lines of the former were sampled by The Ummah (Dilla again!) for Tribe's "Pad & Pen" from their reappraised final album, The Love Movement, as well as by Large Professor on his much-loved "The LP (For My People)".

Under the watchful eye - and extremely attentive ears - of Gap Mangione himself, the audio for Diana In The Autumn Wind has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, with a few much needed tweaks here and there, according to the artist's wishes. At the prestigious Abbey Road Studios, Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at the always stellar Record Industry in Holland. The artwork restoration has taken place here at Be With HQ and has that drop-dead gorgeous cover artwork popping like new. Buy on sight!

Am 21. November erscheint das neue Album "Una Storia Importante" von Eros Ramazzotti. Es wird in verschiedenen Sonderausgaben auf CD und Vinyl erhältlich sein. Ramazzottis neues Album enthält einige der bekanntesten Hits seiner Karriere, die in einem neuen Soundgewand neu arrangiert wurden, sowie unveröffentlichte Titel und prestigeträchtige italienische und internationale Kollaborationen. Zu den schon veröffentlichten Titeln des neuen Albums gehört die Single "Il mio giorno preferito", mit der er einen absoluten Rekord aufstellte: Er war der erste Künstler im Jahr 2025, der in der Woche seiner Veröffentlichung direkt Platz 1 der italienischen EarOne Airplay erreichte, und der Song "Buona Stella" (feat. ELISA) wurde in Amsterdam uraufgeführt.