Buscar:mantis

Carving vast chasms of space with exacting sound design and deadly poise, Katatonic Silentio returns to the Mantis series for another round of highly detailed leftfield techno exploration. The Turin based sound artist continues to plot her own path through contemporary electronic music, taking cues from soundsystem pressure and dubwise minimalism as much as glitchy experimentation and the meditative repetition of techno. While her output across many different labels can reach to noisy extremes and beatless atmospheres, on her latest for Mantis the Italian artist zeroes in on a hypnotic, mysterious sound cast in the icy moods of late 90s tech step and early dubstep. At all times she finds space for surprise interference even in the most austere of situations, creating a palpable tension that amplifies the deep dancefloor potential of her music and moulding powerful physicality out of subtle elements.

Delsin's Mantis series welcomes Agonis with a heavy-hitting four-track workout geared towards adventurous dancefloors. As a leading figure in forward-thinking techno, Agonis has helped pioneer a scene that folds multiple tempos, styles and rhythms into a cohesive, dance-focused strain of psychedelic hypnotism. Co-running amenthia recordings from his base in Z?rich, Agonis has long explored the creative potential where elegant, immersive 4/4 and drum & bass intrigue intertwine. On Mantis 18, he carefully adjusts his sound palette to move beyond typical smoky atmospheres towards more forceful, sharply realised tones and textures. Bold synthesis striking out in brooding soundscapes, underpinned by a powerful low-end undercurrent and playful percussion: this recipe is a polite reminder you're engaged in a corner of club music that thrives on fresh approaches, served by one of the scene's key instigators.

Orchid Mantis, by Michelle Helene Mackenzie and Stefan Maier, is a work that draws its inspiration from the history of the Sanzhi Pod City, in northern Taiwan. Sanzhi Pod City was built from 1978 onwards, made up of buildings constructed from assemblages of `pods' inspired by the futuro houses of Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. The project was abandoned in 1980, following a number of accidents during construction and persistent rumours that the site was haunted. However, this wasteland of a city has allowed insects to proliferate, in particular five species of orchid mantis. It is this strange environment, made up of utopian buildings, proliferating insects and vegetation reclaiming the site, that serves as the imaginary space for Michelle Helene Mackenzie and Stefan Maier's music, a music of carefully designed pace and progression, drawing, through resonance and stridulation, subtle sonic materials that guide and accompany us into multiple worlds with admirable ease and grace. Breach, by American composer Olivia Block, engages in a dialogue between field recordings and synthesised sounds, creating a vibrant plea for wild spaces that face an ever-growing threat to their survival from human activities. The work is based on recordings collected in the San Ignacio lagoon in the Mexican part of Southern California. This lagoon is known as a breeding ground for eastern Pacific grey whales. With the help of precise electronics, the music unfolds like a drift, depicting the subjective soundscape of whales caught up in the noise of the Anthropocene. The composer uses otoacoustic emissions in particular, representing the sound saturation caused by humans in the habitat of these large marine mammals. Going beyond a merely descriptive dimension, Olivia Block manages to transcend her subject to offer a fascinating musical form that engages the listener in a constantly renewed way.

A second appearance of Tammo Hesselink on the Mantis series. Fusing the spatial effects treatments of dub with the metallic clang of industrial percussion and the stark negative space of minimal, Tammo Hesselink's sonic practice continues to create compelling, complex forms. His exacting style toys with atmospheric processing and mechanised motifs in place of traditional melodic elements, unearthing nuanced expression from timbre and rhythm while delivering firm structures for advanced soundsystem immersion.

Konsudd finds the hyperkinetic Konduku teaming up with close pal Aa Sudd as they match subtlety with intensity. Their high-definition production leads on these spacious works of art, with dynamic layers of atmospherics punctured by dense kick drums. They take care to address soundsystem physicality, loading their kicks with irresistible subs down low and finely chiselling the double-time rhythms up top for an extra boost of energy.

UK/NL reeds player, composer and producer Finn Peters presents his new 10", Red, Green and Blue; The three track EP of Nu Jazz/Broken Beats is being released on the artist's own Mantella Records imprint and sees a return to solo recording (after a decade hiatus) for the award winning Jazz maverick, beloved of Gilles Peterson and fans of cosmic jazz.

Influences include Compass Point Records, Africa Bambaata, Yusef Lateef and Walter Gibbons. It is heavy sounding with MPC3000 and SP 12 drum breaks, heavy African and Brazilian percussion, ethereal flute choirs and analogue synths a plenty.

Finnish deep techno maestro Kaspiann makes his Mantis debut with four densely packed depth charges of dancefloor meditation. The Helsinki-based artist has been entrenched in the city's underground scene for a long time, organising official and unofficial parties, DJing prolifically and performing live. Since establishing his VALA label in 2021 via a split release with regular collaborator Multicast Dynamics, his sound has refined towards an elegant, heads-down sound which is represented perfectly on this four-track excursion. From the even-tempered mantra of 'Satakieli' to the aqueous, lightly dubbed electro of 'Tuiskussa Langennut', the warm after hours synth bath of 'Havinavalssi' and the pensive percussive of 'Solina', Kaspiann demonstrates a keen balance between richly layered detail and an overall subtlety - heavyweight music that feels light on the ears.

Experimental Japanese operator Lemna returns to Mantis with another five intricately sculpted cuts that toy with tension, release and the mysterious atmosphere of the forest at dawn. Lemna adopts a considered, patient approach to her music practice, creating interlocking rhythms which take cues from Autonomic fragmentation as much as techno hypnosis, but it's the spatial pressure and textural sound design which makes her music truly fly. Taking predawn walks in woods at the foot of the mountain she calls home, she drew inspiration from five different organisms within the vibrant ecosystem around her to create a collection of tracks she aptly refers to as 'Nocturnal Assembly'.

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 200, cardboard cover with pms silver print, insert printed on uncoated paper, poster, A5 photo card, Mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY . Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels.

High Roller Records, silver vinyl, ltd 300, cardboard cover with pms silver print, insert printed on uncoated paper, poster, A5 photo card, Mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY . Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels...

Tape

Subterranean hip hop group Grand Mantis is a collaborative effort by lyricist/Producer Yikes The Zero, vocal baritone Osevere, DJ Skipmode, and guitarist Thaddeus Cole-Pepper. Dark distorted psychedelic strings, turntable wizardry, and sinister flows woven by two very distinct wordsmiths. The debut album "Fangs" lies somewhere in between a vivid hypnotic soundscape and a loud rebellious unapologetic warning of things to come.

Back after 40 years with a brand new soulful single

Vocal: Rocky Whitaker / Producer: Alvin Harrison

* Walton drops his third instalment on Tectonic in fine style, calling upon Japanese influences to create a truly unique sonic across both tracks in the release. Asian instrumentation meets directly head to head with the cutting edge sounds of a UK grime-techno axis to great effect.

* 'Praying Mantis' captures all the charm of a fine Japanese watercolour painting by means of some spectacular midi-harp programming. Hi-hats and detailed percussion set a shuffling pace, building the mood up before a beautiful harp section unfolds and takes over, expertly programmed by Walton to sound as if a master harpist had stepped into the room! As drums and bass join the party we have all the makings of a low-slung grimey masterpiece, both soothing and energising in a perfect zen balance.

* Flip then for 'Koto Riddim' which again brings Japanese influences to the forefront of the track. Walton programs classic sounding Japanese percussion sounds along with grunting vocal cuts and a charming flute-based melody. As the track drops, it switches into a more familiar, grime-based palette of sounds, deftly arranged for most dangerous impact.

Hailing from Dubstep's home town of Croydon, Wheel & Deal Records introduce Surge. With a signature deep and base driven sound you'll come to recognise instantly, trust us when we say, you'll be hearing a lot more from this guy.'Leech' starts us off with a hauntingly atmospheric vocal track featuring vocalist Phxis. Sub heavy with marching beats and harmonic tones, this is a perfect mix of angelic vocals, and hard metallic beats. With exclusive support from N-type & Walsh.'Swaying Mantis' sounds exactly as you'd imagine. Intelligent beats, heavyweight and dramatic, you may have heard N-type starting many of his sets over the summer with this one. Unapologetically bass driven with relentless sway this one will get in your head and stay, in a good way!

Repress!

Season of Mist is Dead Horse One's second album and the first collaboration with french indie label
Requiem Pour Un Twister (Triptides, Good Morning TV etc.). It's a promising alliance between two of
the best representatives of shoegaze in France. Haling from Valence, the boys managed to impress
Joe Foster of Creation Records who said about their first EP « their music, that spans multiple genres
including Shoegaze and psychedelia, is like an endless extended note, wistful and melancholic....macabre
and beautiful...from which will emerge pop songs ». Mark Gardner of Ride mixed their first effort,
the acclaimed Without Love We Perish and now they're back with Season of Mist produced by the
band helped by John Loring (Fleeting Joys). It's full of catchy hooks, shoegaze and psychedelic anthems
propelled by supersonic guitars that sound like a massive wall of joyful noise. Close your eyes and let
all theses great songs flow in your mind, from season of mist will emerge light.

"Taken from Drome 002 - Phuture Classical Supplement B (1992) Part 2 of a 3-Part Series released on Tabernacle Records (2018)"

aut drum science and steely atmospheres are the order of the day as Terrain deliver a moody, stripped-back four-track EP for Livity Sound. The partnership of Forest Drive West and Voytek has so far yielded sharply-focused releases for Delsin's Mantis series and Vargmal, finding the synergy between lean, intricate drum & bass and heads-down, experimental techno.

On 'Barossa Dub', the pair pitch down to a half-time, dancehall-angled groove to propel a heavily-dubbed soundscape and system-ready bass. 'Nica' maintains the low-slung swagger while steadily ratcheting up the dread. On the flip, 'Scatter' winds the pressure back up with a punchy broken techno workout that teeters on the edge of breakbeat. 'Hive' opts for a brooding, purring techno meditation that thrives on slow release and intricately crafted sound design, capping off a diverse trip through austere club modernism.

'The Endless Dance' is the first collaborative album from Northern Irish producer and composer Hannah Peel and Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang. The record is grounded in the strength of ancient concepts, but comes alive with the joy and freedom of play as together, Peel and Wang travel through the 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar with a cornucopia of sound in tow – synths and prepared piano alongside traditional and unconventional percussion.

The album is collaged together from recordings made over five days at legendary rural studio Real World, a setting which aligned with the duo’s inspiration from the natural world creating a permanent record of their shared musical landscape, informed by the flora and fauna that emerge and retreat through the seasons.

Both genre-defying, storied artists in their own right, Peel and Wang met while working on Manchester Collective’s 2023 album NEON and 'The Endless Dance' certainly represents a step-change from the duo’s shared classical backgrounds – but their knowledge and training is also the foundation of its freewheeling audacity, giving them the confidence to trust their instincts.

The album is produced by Mike Lindsay LUMP, Tunng, Guy Garvey, Jon Hopkins who, with free rein, brings added energy and creativity to the album, whilst Peel & Wang are also joined by Hyelim Kim on Daegeum, a Korean flute with “colourful overtones on every note”.

Track to track, 'The Endless Dance' is unpredictable and unexpected, which is in part due to the genuine curiosity and outside perspectives that each player brought to the sessions. “I am so familiar with Chinese heritage, but I don't see how it can present in electronics, for instance,” says Wang. “Hannah comes in with that direction, to imagine what the sounds could be together.” The characterful richness of the album stems from the commonalities they found in the sessions. “We both come from cultures where story is really important,” explains Peel. “The attention to detail comes from telling a story, and one note can set that off in a different direction.”

'The Endless Dance' is a major work from two accomplished, singular artists - but it’s also the sound of mutual curiosity and shared fun, or as Wang puts it: “Two women talking in totally different language that had a wonderful chat.”

The Knowledge Imprint 'Selected Reissues' series brings together handpicked tracks from the label's back catalogue to be pressed for the first time on high quality vinyl. Previously available only as digital and small-batch dubplate editions, these tracks will also be given new life with fresh remastering and simple repackaging.

This second release of the edition brings together a collection of standout tracks that have been highly requested on vinyl since their initial releases between 5 and 7 years ago. Yant & William Arist's tracks were the foundation of the 10th label release back in 2020, while label-owner Deano's track 'Tension' was largely responsible for putting the label on the radar in 2018. VIL's 'Golpe de Estado' taken from the label's first VA back in 2019 closes the package.

2025 Repress

Forest Drive West returns to Livity Sound with the 'Dualism' EP, a tour de force of stripped dub aesthetics and swirling psychedelic rhythms.

One of the finest breakthrough UK producers of recent years, in a short space of time Forest Drive West has created an enviable catalogue across labels such as Livity Sound, Rupture, Echocord, Whities and Mantis. This new EP marks some of his best work to date.

The final track on the EP, 'Scorpion', features Melbourne based percussionist Lucky Pereira whose frenetic but tightly locked drums add a fizzing energy to Forest Drive West's deep atmospheric rhythm track.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground electronic music.

Garth Erasmus is an artist and musician based in Cape Town, South Africa. 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' is his first album under his own name. Since 1985 his artistic interests have broadened to include music-making, designing and making his own instruments based on indigenous KhoiSan knowledge. From 1999 to 2012 he was a member of the South African First Nation activist group Khoi Khonnexion. In the past couple of years Garth Erasmus has also been a pivotal part of various international performance pieces and exhibition projects which brought him regularly to Europe. Most of these activities were developed and performed in collaboration with the Hamburg based band Kante and his band Khoi Khonnexion. In April 2024 Garth Erasmus will be part of the group exhibtion 'Oscillations' at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

His works in music are predominantly characterized by a restless quest for alternative forms of expression and materials including self build instruments, field recordings or various electronic music devices.

In this context the music on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' takes on a primal and metaphorical meaning. Rather than a formal, physical initiation, this process is more spiritually inclined, yet it is a spirituality which is consistently put into action.. “Ever since I was an art student I have experimented with alternative materials to release me from the Western education values I received. When I started to make these instruments in the 1980s, my intention was to create art objects but when I discovered the sound they made, it unlocked a door that transported me deeper in my quest in the realization that I was on the right path.

In fact all instruments which appear on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' are products of a process of discovery starting from square one. All this is based and founded on the beauty of simplicity and minimalism as symbolized by the single string Khoisan musical bow and arrow as trance musical instrument. In this sense it soon became manisfest for Garth Erasmus to combine the bow instruments with various electronic instruments. Besides developing his own unique language in music he also shared an expressed interested in experimental sound aesthecis, Avantgarde composition and Free Jazz. However, his non - academic approach towards sound and music was always fueled by the desire for a reconnection to the land and to the idegenious knowledge of the KhoiSan, whose struggle for First Nation status continues.

Song for Morenga
This song is dedicated to a guerilla leader, named Jacob Morenga, who was the leader of the nama/herero anti-german uprisings that occured between 1904 and 1907.

Amaseh Amen
This is a classic mouthbow piece that conjures the spiritual nature of Khoisan cultural praxis.

Gwaing Reverie
It was composed as a personal gift to the other members of newly formed electro-acoustic trio „Gwaing". „Gwaing" is an ancient Khoisan place name, meaning the mouth of the river.

Mcinci Song
A typical meditation on the traditional Mcinci flute. This flute was originally played by shepherds and was made of reed.

The Ascension of Milford Graves
This piece attends to capture the risen spirit of the legendary African American drummer Milford Graves. It was composed soon after his death in 2021.

Song for The Sisters of the Soil
A live improvisation dedicated to Lucelle and Melissa (The Sisters of the Soil) on the occasion of visiting them at their residence, known as „Oppieyaart" on the Cape Flats. On 10 September 2022 there is an online event with them at Kunsthaus Hamburg.

Marina Herlop is often described as a pianist, a lingering remnant of her classical training. But what strikes the listener on Herlop’s breakout track miu is the intricate trickery of her voice, tracing rhythmical clusters around the subtlest of musical beds, in a technique inspired by Carnatic music of Southern India.

miu, the opening track of Herlop’s new studio album Pripyat, was among the first songs that the young Catalan artist made on a computer, after two albums – 2016’s Nanook and 2018’s Babasha – that brought spectral elegance to the sound of piano and voice. This spirit of adventure continues into Pripyat, Herlop’s first full album produced on a computer, and her most intensely emotional work to date.

Listening to Pripyat you can feel the emotional toil and creative endeavour that went into the record. Fans of Nanook and Babasha will recognise the combination of melancholic piano and elegant vocal lines that is found on Pripyat tracks like abans abans. But Pripyat has a far fuller, almost chaotic sound when compared to Herlop’s previous work, with the addition of electronic drums, electric bass lines and a wealth of sublime production effects.

"Hare Brained Schemes" is the long-awaired follow-up to Daniel Son and Finn's critically acclaimed 2020 collaboration, "Dirty Dishes". The Canadian duo returns with a vengeance, delivering an album that’s as gritty, unpredictable and vicious as its title suggests. In "Hare Brained Schemes", Daniel Son's sharp, incisive lyrics cut through Finn's raw, hard-hitting production, creating a sonic landscape that's both chaotic and captivating.

The title, captures the wild, unpredictable nature of this offering, bold ideas and daring experimentation, where every track is a testament to the duo's commitment to pushing the boundaries of their craft.

Guest appearances by heavy hitters such as Pro Dillinger, Mooch, Lord Juco, and Family Gang Black add further depth and intensity to the project, each bringing their own unique flavor to the mix. The album cover, designed by Alejandro Torrecilla, perfectly encapsulates the anarchic energy and raw aesthetic that defines "Hare Brained Schemes".

Prepare for a journey through dark, uncompromising soundscapes and razor-sharp lyricism that leaves no stone unturned. Daniel Son and Finn have crafted an album that’s not just heard, but felt—a relentless exploration of the underbelly of hip-hop.

This vinyl features the music from the 4th film in the Saint Seiya saga. It also includes 2 tracks from the Asgard TV series (tracks 11 and 12), one piece from the soundtrack of the 3rd film Abel, and a variation of a track from the Poseidon arc (track 13). Finally, the last track is once again a variation combining two themes from both Asgard and Poseidon.

Hailing from the northern city of Oulu and featuring members of esteemed Finnish outfits such as Haapoja, Dart, and Renate/Cordate, TRYPANON have steadily emerged as one of the most compelling and unorthodox underground acts in recent memory. Their 2021 debut "Amentia" earned widespread acclaim for its suffocating intensity and bleak atmospheres, establishing the band as a vital force in the realms of extreme music. With "Through the Portal of Flesh to Achieve Divinity", TRYPANON push their vision even further into the void. The album is a nightmarish fusion of down-tuned sludge, chaotic death metal, and dissonant black metal, woven together with progressive flourishes and hypnotic melodic fragments. The result is a deeply immersive and punishing listening experience that recalls the extremity of bands like Lord Mantis, Coffinworm and Cobalt, while retaining a sonic and conceptual identity entirely its own. Where "Amentia" was a descent into psychological collapse, "Through the Portal..." drags the listener through a ritualistic transformation - an existential death trip that explores themes of corporeal transcendence, spiritual ruin and ecstatic suffering. The record was conceived not only as an artistic evolution, but as an act of purification through sound: hostile, enveloping and uncompromising. This release marks a significant step forward for TRYPANON, both in scope and execution. Expect a record steeped in raw emotion and relentless aggression, but also rich in nuance and disturbing beauty.

On the latest instalment of his VALA series, Finnish techno explorer Kaspiann tunnels into heads-down, mind-warping rhythm tracks of the highest order. Alongside his appearance on respected platforms such as Delsin Mantis and Optic Portal (alongside Spekki Webu), VALA affords Kaspiann the space to explore the depth and breadth of his sound with steely focus. The four tracks on VALA 4 are teeming with tactile textures and intricate detail that feel familiar and abstract all at once, perhaps best described by the titles that indulge in a little Finnish word play. ‘Sammalkämmen’, literally translated as ‘moss palm’, feels like a fitting reflection of the spongy mid-range matter on the opening track, while the humid, dense atmosphere of B1 cut ‘Suohunaja’ could indeed conjure a sense of ‘swamp honey’. From ‘Sienikieli’s tunnelling rhythmic intrigue to the intricately arranged, expressive percussion of ‘Niin Vain’, Kaspiann continues to broaden his vocabulary within the language of deep techno, triggering ineffable sensations from carefully sculpted sonic forms and strapping them to incisive rhythms.

Once again the Industrial Acid tribe HZD style strikes right in the middle of my heart !!

A real 3D sensation ! Vinyl rules !

!! Printed Sleeve anniversary edition !!

Das Debütalbum der britischen Rock-Band Wunderhorse rund um Leadsänger Jacob Slater als limitierte Clear Vinyl Neuauflage

Prayer Meeting' is an incredible early document from the dark space rock collective from North Carolina. Remastered by Ivan Pjevcevic in 2024. Psych to post metal to prog and folk and heavy weirdness unite under USX's unique approach.
"Prayer Meeting" was originally the very first unreleased record by the pastoral psychedelic congregation U.S. Christmas, hailing from Marion NC, in the middle of the Appalachian region. USX have a long career and several released on the mighty Neurot Recordings, published just after an ultra-limited demo batch of “Prayer Meeting” was around.
“Some bands make demos. We made a record. We didn't do this for a label, an agent, or anyone but ourselves. It was the first step toward what would become a series of connected works. This record marks a special time in my life, and I'm sure the other dudes agree. Those days in the little trailer in Marion, NC were electric and filled with building power. Listen up, these are the sounds of our foundation.”
Nate Hall

Wunderhorse is the alias of British musician Jacob Slater Jacob fronted The Dead Pretties, a London band who arrived in a haze of hedonism and hype, bowing out before the dust had time to settle. Blink and you'd have missed them. Time- stamped yet timeless. If there's any justice, he'll soon be played out live in sticky basement rooms up and down the country, limbs everywhere, sweat dripping from the walls. An absolute mess, but what a beautiful one.

Exquisitely compiled by Discrepant head honcho Gonçalo F. Cardoso from three tapes released earlier this year by the tireless mind-body of Spencer Clark through his own Pacific City Sound Visions, 'This Year In Coconuts Vol. 2' is another revelation into the deeply personal soundworld of this true voyager of both ancient, present and forthcoming times. Coming from a truly singular artist, capable of conveying multiple visions into a labyrinthine-esque mythology all of his own, these seven tracks feel as much part of their original setting as connected pieces from this never ending and puzzling netherworld.

Dedicated to the Temple of Isis in Pompei and opening sides A and B, the two tracks from 'Tempio d'Iside' set up a scenario not far from a dream version of the Temple itself, made from crystal clear synth-lines and levitating ambiences, like drifting into ancient memories from days to come. Making up about half of the compilation, the four tracks from 'Kowloon Spider Temple' drip into a feverish mosaic of Clark's by now trademarked cascading rhythms, unhinged alien-vocal samples, phantasmic textures and sparkling synth harmonies projecting a catchy hypnotic oblivion filled with intrigue. The sole title track from 'From the Caves and Jungles of Apulia' tangentially reports back to some lower-fi recordings of the past, with its murkier sound inducing the feeling of willing confinement within such caves and jungles. A brilliant Year in Coconuts, indeed.
Mastered by Rasha

Chicago's Black Diamond debuts on We Jazz Records with their new album Furniture Of the Mind Rearranging on 26th July. Co-led by Artie Black and Hunter Diamond (composers, saxophones, and other woodwinds), Black Diamond appears in both quartet and duo formations. The first three album sides present the quartet, complete with long standing band members Matt Ulery (double bass) and Neil Hemphill (drums), under the heading Furniture Of the Mind. The remaining two tracks on side D fall under the title The Mind Rearranging, with Black and Diamond presenting a meditative duo encounter of two tenor saxophones.

Furniture Of the Mind Rearranging is an assemblage of new compositions and improvisations that develop the band's established sound and exemplify the way in which this band folds into the Chicago creative music community. The quartet traverses their familiar aesthetic ranges between driving off-kilter groove, plaintive minimalism, and intimate chamber music, with the everpresent spirit of small-group jazz and a hovering influence of Chicago’s improvised music culture. And while this collection represents three previous

albums and more than a decade of close kinship and artistic evolution between co-leaders Black and Diamond, neither are too precious about any one element on the album. This is very simply the latest work in what continues to be an expanding body work founded on a guiding principle: cultivation without expectation.

The four sides with two formations flow together in a natural way, forming an idiosyncratic musical entity that is sure to grow with each new spin on the turntable.

An enormous production with musicians of the highest calibre combine to create a bombastic spectacle. The show's infrequencies make it evermore unique. In September 2023, Arjen Lucassen sold out five performances of '01011001 - Live Beneath the Waves' at the Poppodium 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Talking about the show Arjen Lucassen says: "When I wrote the 01011001 album back in 2007, it was never meant to be played live.

So I could make it as complicated as I wanted with countless instrumentalists and no less than 17 singers!" Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen and keyboardist Joost van den Broek managed to gather a large number of the original cast of the 01011001 album and many special guests, including Simone Simons (Epica), Damian Wilson (Threshold), Anneke van Giersbergen, Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Tom Englund (Evergrey), Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation), Marcela Bovio (MaYan), Brittney Slayes (Unleash the Archers), Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian), John Jaycee Cuijpers (Praying Mantis). Maggy Luyten (Beautiful Sin), Michael Mills (Toehider) and Wudstik are among other incredible musicians.

Garth Erasmus is an artist and musician based in Cape Town, South Africa. "Threnody for the KhoiSan" is his first album under his own name. Since 1985 his artistic interests have broadened to include music-making, designing and making his own instruments based on indigenous KhoiSan knowledge. From 1999 to 2012 he was a member of the South African First Nation activist group Khoi Khonnexion. In the past couple of years Garth Erasmus has also been a pivotal part of various international performance pieces and exhibition projects which brought him regularly to Europe. Most of these activities were developed and performed in collaboration with the Hamburg based band Kante and his band Khoi Khonnexion. In April 2024 Garth Erasmus will be part of the group exhibtion "Oscillations" at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.

Nach 'Another Night' (2011), 'You Are Here' (2014), 'Motivator' (2016) und 'Hard To Stop' (2020) legen High Spirits aus Chicago in Form von 'Safe On The Other Side' endlich ihr lang ersehntes fünftes Studioalbum vor.
Es könnte wohl keine passendere Platte geben, um das 20-jährige Jubiläum von High Roller Records zu feiern. 'Safe On The Other Side' trägt die Katalognummer HRR1000. Ein Umstand, der Chris "The Professor" Black, Multi-Instrumentalist, Sänger und Gründer von High Spirits, mit großem Stolz erfüllt.
Die Band spielt Hardrock mit Einflüssen aus diversen Rock- und Metal-Genres der 1970er- und 1980er-Jahre. Hervorheben muss man die gekonnt eingebetteten Thin-Lizzy-Double-Lead-Attacken, sowie die Kompaktheit und Eingängigkeit der Songs. Die Songs auf 'Another Night' wurden z.B. mit melodischen Bands der NWOBHM wie Tygers Of Pan Tang, Praying Mantis oder den frühen Iron Maiden verglichen.