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After years PRAGER HANDGRIFF's landmark album "Taterschaft und Teilnahme" has finally been reborn - this time in a format worthy of its machine-hardened legacy. Courtesy of Assur Anshar, a daring sub-label of Rune Serpent Europa, this first-ever vinyl edition is more than a reissue: it's a full-scale industrial art object. Pressed in two limited color variants - 300 numbered copies each in Gold and Silver - and anchored by a super-limited wooden box edition (only 50 copies!), this is not just for fans - it's for collectors, archivists, and devotees of German industrial at its rawest. The sound? As sharp, provocative, and politically charged as ever. Tracks like "Traumsequen", "Durch Die Wuste", and "Taterschaft Und Teilnahme" still carry the pounding urgency of early 2000s EBM, yet feel chillingly relevant today.

The album is a powerful reaffirmation of human creativity: "My music has always been about connection, bringing enduring old stories into conversation with contemporary life," Portman says. "This album is a collective, entirely human-made effort, and it's richer because of it." Renowned for her luminous songwriting and distinctive voice in contemporary folk, Portman steps into bold new territory with an album that charts a heroine's midlife journey through dark woods in search of wonder. Drawing on ballads and folktales, Dominion of Spells explores themes of burnout, misogyny, motherhood, miscarriage and personal transformation, weaving lived experience with mythic imagery and traditional folk narratives. The title track, Dominion of Spells , reclaims a 17th- century phrase once used to diagnose women as "disordered", drawing on the myth of the wandering womb and the long history of medical misogyny. Portman transforms these ideas into a vision of a freer, fairer realm where women's bodies are understood rather than feared. The first single, Turn Again , is a tender meditation on parenthood, inspired by her young son's imaginative shapeshifting games and echoing the Tam Lin ballad, where steadfast love breaks a powerful spell. Elsewhere, the album explores women's right to move safely after dark, genderswapped retellings of heroic quests, miscarriage, phone addiction and the restorative power of creative practice.

Masterful composer- improviser DoYeon Kim is an unparalleled practitioner of the Korean gayageum (a silk-string zither), and is also in possession of a purposeful vocal intensity. This is her debut album as a bandleader, featuring fellow master musicians Tyshawn Sorey (drums), Mat Maneri (viola), Henry Fraser (bass). Armed with an unlikely traditional instrument, flanked by three extraordinary improvisers, radiating a brash, acoustic strategy that simultaneously invokes folk universalism and a No Wave battle- stance, the Brooklyn- based virtuoso will drop a volcanic sonic statement with grand humanist goals on May 1. Kim mingles Korean lullabies, fervent interactions between drums and strings, and pure instrumental expressions of musical self. At times, she sounds like she can halt armies. Wellspring is a call for society to come together.

How the Seoul, South Korea- born 34- year- old came to be the centuries- old zither's leading (only?) practitioner of contemporary improvised music, reflects an expansive embrace of her own culture, her place in modern society, and her ascending recognition of music's liberatory power. DoYeon Kim 's teachers at Seoul National University recognized that her roving musical mind - less interested in ancient repertoire than in speaking to the modern world - needed challenges. America beckoned, with the New England Conservatory offering a non- ethnomusicological pathway via its Contemporary Improvisation department. It set off a process of analysing, absorbing, digesting, and, most of all, listening. Under the guidance of NEC instructor and legendary guitarist Joe Morris, in came the methodologies of Ornette, Braxton and Derek Bailey, to name a few.

Newly remastered from the original tape transfers, the album now sounds more dynamic and detailed than ever, reaffirming its place as one of UFO's most accomplished works. This deluxe edition also includes a brand-new mix of the previously unreleased Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, recorded on 29th January 1981, by Brian Kehew, offering an electrifying snapshot of UFO's energy on stage. Original 7" edits of the two singles released with this album are included as well as an alternative mix of album standout "It's Killing Me". The set is rounded out with newly written liner notes by Michael Hann, featuring fresh interviews with Phil Mogg and Andy Parker, alongside a collection of previously unseen photographs from the era -- making it an essential addition for fans and collectors alike.

Repress 2026

DJ Support from Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison, DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, KC Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche

The next of Toolroom’s 4 track vinyl sampler series kicks off with a bang(er!). Welcoming CHANEY back onto the label with possible his finest release to date in the shape of ‘I Choose You’. On Toolroom alone he has amassed over 40m streams across leading streaming stores in just 3 years and can add massive imprints like Defected, Insomniac and Perfect Havoc to his list of musical successes. Everything in this record is 100% original and written by CHANEY himself from the self-played bass line, lush rhodes chords and distinctive, poignant vocals.

Next up is Gene Farris who has been a mainstay on Toolroom in recent years and is a regular artist at our label events all over the World. ‘In My Heart’ lands as an exciting collab with the Basura Boyz, a duo also hailing from Gene’s hometown of Chicago and the chemistry between the 3 of them is evident from the first beat! A super cool, stripped back vocal tech house track that sits in that sweet spot of club and specialist radio.

Kicking off the B-side is Deeper Purpose who returns to Toolroom alongside Jalja & Lazy Joe, after his debut club weapon ‘Stutter’ dropped on the label last year. He has had success across all the scene’s leading imprints over the past 12 months including Fisher’s Catch n Release, Experts Only and Repopulate Mars and this record is an anthem in the making! Jalja is on vocal duties, the vocalist that shot to fame after her huge ‘Hanging Tree’ record alongside Michael Bibi. She adds her trademark ethereal vibe to the record and delivers a typically killer hook - This is a real EAR WORM!!

Wrapping things up on Sampler 14 is a very exciting collaboration from 2 of the scene’s brightest shining new stars; Tony Romera and Crusy. Having been die-hard Toolroom fans for many years, this record came about during a conversation about old Toolroom records, and how they collectively wanted to emulate that slightly progressive tech house but bring it right up to date. And they have certainly done that! A real peak-time dance floor moment here with insane production and a unique, intense build up that is already causing maximum mayhem!

Countless radio plays on Radio 1 from Danny Howard, Sarah Storie, Pete Tong

Other notable radio plays – Kiss FM, Toolroom Radio, Sirius XM, Data Transmission Radio, Radio 1 Dance Anthems, Radio 1 Party Anthems, Rinse FM, Select Radio, Tomorrowland Radio

The Eagles’ 1975 studio album, One Of These Nights, was a milestone album for the band, earning them their first GRAMMY® Award and becoming the first of four consecutive #1 albums. Rhino will release a Deluxe Edition of the album on April 10 as the band returns for the final weekend of their historic Sphere residency in Las Vegas.
One Of These Nights (Deluxe Edition) will be available as a a 3LP version, released the same day, will include the new album mix and the full concert recording. The lacquers were cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
Produced by Don Henley, the CD and vinyl editions include a new mix of the album by Rob Jacobs. Originally produced by Bill Szymczyk and recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami and the Record Plant in Los Angeles, One Of These Nights achieved quadruple Platinum certification and the single “Lyin’ Eyes” won the GRAMMY® Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
The unreleased live recording captures the Eagles’ performance at the Sunshine Festival in Anaheim on September 28, 1975. Recorded at the end of the tour for One Of These Nights, it features Henley, Glenn Frey, Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon, and Don Felder. Their set blends songs from that album (“Lyin’ Eyes,” “Take It To The Limit”) with hits from the group’s first three albums: “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman,” “Already Gone,” and “The Best Of My Love.” Joe Walsh also joins the group for the encore, performing his song “Rocky Mountain Way,” a few months before becoming an official member of the band.
The penultimate song is a rosing cover of Chuck Berry’s “Carol,” a live staple of the band at the time, marking the first time a recording of the song has ever been included on an Eagles album.
The Blu-ray that accompanies the CD set presents the album and the live performance in Dolby Atmos and high-resolution stereo. One Of These Nights (Deluxe Edition) and the Atmos mix of the original album will also be available digitally.

Stick To Your Guns hold a mirror up to society’s ills without blurring its ugliness. In an attempt to unapologetically trumpet real change, the Southern California quintet—Jesse Barnett vocals,Andrew Rose bass,Adam Galindo[drums], Chris Rawson [guitar], and Josh James [guitar]—never shy away from speaking or screaming unpopular truths from the purest place. Founded in2003, Stick To Your Guns have always written and performed with a sense of urgency, their socially conscious message hitting as hard as their signature hybrid of hardcore, punk, and metal. Over the course of their career, they’ve amassed over 50 million total streams, performed on four continents, and shared stages with the likes of Parkway Drive, Architects, and Every Time I Die. Most recently, Alternative Press praised 2017’s True View as “the result of a long time spent on self-reflection and realization.” The band’s latest release ‘Invisible Rain’ incorporates two new songs that remain quintessentially Stick To Your Guns while incorporating fresh elements. The band’s relentless pursuit of a better world and their critique of societal injustices continues to drive their music and message. In 2024, Stick To Your Guns signed with SharpTone Records, marking a new chapter in their storied career. This partnership promises to bring their potent blend of activism and music to an even broader audience, amplifying their call for change and social justice.

The Official Vinyl Release from The Dreamworks Animated Feature Film
Deluxe 2xLP Crystal Clear with Blue Orb & Green, Mint, Blue, and Black Splatter
Heavyweight Gatefold Packaging with Matte Satin Coating
Exclusive Director and Composer Liner Notes
12 Page Booklet with Artwork from The Film

In partnership with Back Lot Music, Waxwork Records is thrilled to release THE WILD ROBOT Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music by Kris Bowers.
The soundtrack also features two songs performed by Maren Morris titled Kiss The Sky and Even When I'm Not.
Waxwork Records is ecstatic to release THE WILD ROBOT Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music by Kris Bowers as a deluxe double LP
featuring crystal clear vinyl with blue orb and green, mint, and black splatter housed in a heavyweight gatefold jacket with matte satin coating.
Also included is a 12-page booklet with exclusive liner notes by director Chris Sanders and composer Kris Bowers alongside artwork from the film.

Some words from Nat about the music – “For this recording I composed some songs using more “exotic” (for want of a better word) modes,
which I have always meant to explore in more depth but never really got around to very much. The first song for instance, Red, Gold & Green, uses an Ethiopian scale.
The title comes from the colours of the Ethiopian flag, which is also symbolic in Rastafari so has a kind of double meaning, like a lot of my songs.The title track, Path of Enlightenment, uses several modes,
starting in a major key then moving to the Phrygian mode, then to a minor key. The piano solo is in a 28 bar minor blues form. Menat is based on a mode of the Byzantine scale,
I’m not sure if it has a particular name or not. Amenhotep was the name of several Egyptian pharaohs,
Amenhotep IV being the original given name of Akhenaten.When I was writing this song it put me in mind of my song, Akhenaten, simply because they are both in 5/4 time,
so I decided to give this one a pharaonic name too. Spheshile is a Zulu word (and sometimes name) that means “beautiful gift”, the title was suggested by a friend from South Africa.
All this means nothing of course if the music doesn’t tell a story, I think the unfamiliar modes allowed us to speak of interesting things that may not have come to us otherwise.
Finally, I chose to use the quartet format for this recording because it occurred to me that it tends to make for a more cohesive group sound, and it had been a while since we recorded this way.”

On a class debut for Biscuit’s choice Good Morning Tapes label, Kyoto’s dub specialist G Version III runs signature fusions of digidub steppers, drill, and holographic, minor-key FM synths.

One up on her 12” for Riddim Chango last year (plus the »Scenery From Double Glazing« tape for Digital Sting in ’24), G Version III’s »Chapter II« most finely chisels her lucidly rugged definition of the late ’80s / early ’90s mystic steppers sound. The OG Caribbean spirit is heard filtered through UK dances and shored up in Japan, where G tessellates its salient points with a palette of glassy Japanese synth tones and chamber music to exquisite effect. If Wendy Carlos was a soundgyal?

Across six cuts she builds the dance around digidub x drill waltz »Livin 4« and a haunted dancehall special in the harpsichord/horn riff of »An Idyll«, impressing her prowess in the fusion of subcontinental scales with a drill-tipped skip in »Queen G Theme Chapter II«, and tucking right into an aerodynamic, flying steppers mode, shades away from Element, in »Motherearth Guidance«. At a slower, wider stride her »Higher Grade« goes eyes-down on massive subs, and »Voice of Mystique Warriyah« adapts the classic-schooled sound like TNT Roots in Tokyo.

WRWTFWW Records is very excited to announce the first release from its new City Pop Series with Japanese singer, actress, entertainer, scholar and all-around legend Momoko Kikuchi’s sun-drenched classic Ocean Side album, available now as a limited-edition transparent vinyl LP in a heavyweight sleeve with obi.

A cult classic among Japanese music collectors, Ocean Side was originally released in 1984 by mythical label VAP and features lush compositions and arrangements by J-Pop icon Tetsuji Hayashi (Mariya Takeuchi, Miki Matsubara, Omega Tribe, Junichi Inagaki, Urusei Yatsura anime, soundtrack…). Momoko Kikuchi’s city pop gem is a flawless mix of heartwarming beachside funk, breezy grooves, and silky-smooth vocals - the feel-good music we all need in our life right now.

The 9-track summer-is-forever adventure notably includes the ultra-funky megahit “Blind Curve”, the fan-favorite title song, and the insanely romantic ballad “Futari No Night Drive”. A vibrant reflection of summer in 1980s Japan, Ocean Side masterfully balances nostalgia and elegance, and provides part of the origin story for revered modern music genres such as chillwave, and future funk, and vaporwave.

The official reissue licensed from VAP, Inc. is sourced from the original masters with an audiophile-cut by Sidney Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios.

WRWTFWW’s City Pop Series and its Lopetz/Büro Destruct-designed logo also includes jazz-fusion-AOR-mellow-funk treasure Safari (1984), a limited capsule collection of merch, and much more to come in the near future.

On the day of Eid al-Fitr (Sugar Feast), Sonhouse Records released Grond, a brand new record, produced by Faisal Chatar and 'Yong' Yello Staelens.

Grond (soil) tells the tragicomic story of a Moroccan brother and sister who take over their father's funeral business and want to modernise it. Instead of repatriating Belgian Muslims to their country of origin and burying them there according to Muslim traditions, they decide to import the holy soil.

Western and Arabic sounds, combined with hip-hop beats are mixed in a refined way. Faisal and Yello produced twenty songs that immediately make you long for summer. In Brussels, Tangier or simply elsewhere.

Faisal Chatar and Yello Staelens:
"Grond is about the clash between traditional Moroccan values and Brussels city culture. We tried to translate that by combining Moroccan instruments like Krakebs and Qanuns with thick hip-hop beats. It sounds as if Timbaland is eating a merguez sandwich in a Molenbeek snack bar while Aznavour sounds through a distorted FM radio."

In this context Jeroen Swinnen and David Martijn needed to find a musical concept to go hand in hand with the story. They opted for a string quartet and an arsenal of old analogue synths (of the series’ era). Thé perfect match as it turned out. Emphasize the beauty, hope and respect on one hand. Translate the elusive, unjust feeling that is addressed in the series on the other. Apart from these 2 central instruments, an old muted upright piano, played by Jeroen, and a guitar, played by David, were also used to express emotion even more.

Rosita is a cheerful, well-liked woman with a fiery desire to have children. Those around her find it irresponsible because she can barely take care of herself. When Rosita does manage to become pregnant, she chooses to keep her pregnancy a secret.

David Martijn, guitarist and synth player in the electro-rock band GOOSE, wrote the music for the full-length album 'Holy Rosita'. His experience as a composer for projects such as 'De Dag', 'War of the Worlds', 'De Twaalf', and '1985' contributed to Martijn's desire to challenge himself again to come up with a fresh, distinctive sound, as he does with every project.

"My initial feeling was that I would have to step far out of my comfort zone to let the music tell this delicate story. I soon felt that the music needed to be light and open, in contrast to the uncertain and complex reality in which Rosita finds herself. Therefore, it seemed like a good plan to keep the score very close to Rosita and much less focused on her surroundings or reality. The music had to be, as it were, a reflection of the thoughts and feelings playing out in Rosita's mind. That is often hopeful, determined, lively, sometimes a bit naive, and at other times very lonely, sad, and uncertain." - David Martijn

“The music on this record is a reflection of journeys and travel. The real world kind and the metaphorical ones as well. Having experienced the arrival of my children, the decline and departure of my parents, and the many years of venturing out and returning home in my own life, travel feels like the perfect tropology to consider the mysteries we inhabit. Travel and its impressions, rituals, superstitions—the possibilities and risk-all open up onto the landscape of our biggest questions, fear and wonder.

“Two songs established the spine of this music. Songs I’ve always loved, it seems even before I’d heard them. The first one, and the source of the title is ‘You Belong to Me’ by Jo Stafford. Colonial overtones unmissable to our modern ears aside, it’s also a beautiful mid century romance—and an ode to the threat of a shrinking world. The song represents the loneliness and the mystery of being alone and left behind. The singer is not asking their loved one to shut down horizons, merely reminding them to return when the traveling is done. To set aside The Silver Plane of transition, change and the in-between for the intimacy of solid earth.

“The second song is ‘Promised Land’ by Chuck Berry. Also about a journey and another one that moves easily between allegory and narrative. The singer is on the move across segregated America trying to get to the promised land of California. The song is both a tall tale that evokes Mark Twain, and an American epic that can keep good company with Herman Melville. When the hero finally makes it to California, his first instinct is to call home and reassure the Old World that he’s safely arrived in the new one.

“The songs on Fly the Ocean in a Silver Plane were recorded at home over the last couple years. I played electric guitar, rubber bridge acoustic guitar, Ableton Live and an Electron Digitone synth. My friend Mallory Linnehan aka Chelsea Bridge contributed beautiful violin and vocals to a couple of the songs. We recorded those performances on a summer afternoon in Chicago at the Not Not space with the windows open.

“The cover is a photo of my mom—one I never saw when she was alive. With the headscarf and that excited, nervous expression, she looks about to embark on a journey. Ready, finally, to cross the tarmac and board the Silver Plane. “Wishing safe travels to all.” — Mark N / Pan•American



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Mantra is the first single from The Bluebeaters' upcoming album, due for release in 2026. It is an unusual track in the band's discography, reminiscent more of The Clash's Rock The Casbah than Jamaica. It is a track with a 4/4 beat without the classic Jamaican syncopation typical of The Bluebeaters.

"It's a challenge to the background that has always driven the band. The album will not be entirely in this direction, but we decided to release this single to broaden our range of expression."

Produced by singer Patrick Benifei, aka Pat Cosmo, together with the solid rhythm section of The Bluebeaters, Count Ferdi on drums, Cato Senatore on guitar, Danilo Scuccimarra on piano and organ, and Paolo Parpaglione on saxophone.

It is the first in a series of singles that will form the backbone of the album.

Sung in Italian, Mantra is an original song written by Pat Cosmo.

The B-side is a dub, an instrumental version mixed by Ezra, producer, artist and our co-producer for all the tracks that will be released on the new album.

He has collaborated on many productions that are part of the Caribb Roots world, including Casino Royale and The Uppertones, as well as his own Dub Pigeons.

His studio is the NoMad Studio, located in the San Salvario area of Turin.

SILENCER's merciless emotional firestorm "Death – Pierce Me" is one of the few albums truly deserving the designation ‘cult’. From humble beginnings in the extreme underground, it rose to become a widely acclaimed masterpiece with a massive following.

To celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary, Lupus Lounge reissues this pioneering depressive metal milestone in lavish editions worthy of its legacy. "Death – Pierce Me" will be available as a 48-page hardcover CD book edition including a bonus track, and as part of a complete box set featuring a gatefold vinyl edition, a 12" version of SILENCER’s 1998 demo, and additional bonus materials.

When SILENCER released their sole full-length album under the same title as their 1998 demo, the time seemed ripe for an emotionally devastating strain of black metal incorporating doom elements and expressing bleak emotions of bereavement, loneliness, and despair. This emerging subgenre became known as ‘depressive black metal’, sometimes more extremely labeled ‘depressive suicidal black metal’.

Around 1998, this movement coalesced around Swedish acts SILENCER and SHINING, alongside Quebec’s MALVERY and US band XASTHUR, drawing influence from earlier pioneers such as Norway’s STRID and Germany’s BETHLEHEM.

While SHINING gained notoriety, SILENCER faded into obscurity, surrounded by rumor and legend. With only one historical interview, no live performances, and no follow-up album, the band became mythic. Through word of mouth alone, "Death – Pierce Me" continued to grow in stature, culminating in an IMPALA Silver Award in 2021 for 20,000 verified European sales.

""Neverland", the fourteenth studio album by ULVER is the sound of an escape. A journey into undiscovered lands.

Following three albums – "The Assassination of Julius Caesar" (2017), "Flowers of Evil" (2020), and "Liminal Animals" (2024) – rooted in more traditional song and production structures, "Neverland" marks a new chapter in the revered Oslo band's history.

"With 'Neverland' we embraced a more 'punk' spirit – more dreaming, less discipline – freer, quite simply", the band comments on the creative process behind the album.

Bursts of daybreak synths and whooshes of sound set the atmosphere, before the wolves start digging into the dynamics of ambient calm and anarchic mysticism. Dreamy and transportive textures develop into trippy percussive energies, and as the album unfolds, a lush and vibrant, and at times exotic space opens.

Apart from a few recurring distant voices and vocal chops, "Neverland" is a largely instrumental record, reminiscent of the mood and structure of that place where late '90s IDM sounds met the meandering structures of post-rock.

The ghost of premillennial sample culture surely haunts "Neverland", and some might even hear echoes from earlier acclaimed works like "Perdition City" (2000), or the "Silence" EPs (2001), or more recently "ATGCLVLSSCAP" (2016).

Still, "Neverland" sounds and feels like something else, something fresh in ULVER's continuous journey of perennial reinvention. Pop music from in-between worlds? A sonic hallucination? Or better: a collage of dreams. It's up to you."

Norwegian entity Misotheist returns with its fourth full-length album De Pinte, released via Terratur Possessions. Expanding beyond the trio-format of previous works, the record unfolds across four compositions spanning just over forty minutes, culminating in a monumental twenty-plus-minute title track.

2026 Repress

Humanity from Japanese saxophonist and composer Kazuki Yamanaka contains both turbulence and tranquillity, freedom and discipline, an embracing of uncertainty with a deeply spiritual sense of resolution. The recordings were made in a single day in New York City with a team of extraordinary musicians. He"d already established a firm creative partnership with bass legend Cameron Brown and award-winning pianist Russ Lossing over the past year during their time as recording artists in NYC, and he renewed his fruitful association with outstanding drummer Billy Mintz (Lee Konitz, Charles Lloyd, Alan Broadbent) to complete the quartet. These three have been vital to Kazuki"s compositions that tell the story of his enforced absence from the scene during the pandemic and how he sought to centre himself in the midst of the disruption through contemplation and the development of an inward strength.

Âsan’s second EP Go Nuclear is an eruption. This four-track follow-up stands as the aftermath — the exhale after prolonged internal pressure.   

Side A unfolds inward. Two tracks built for the mind — hypnotic, immersive, almost dissociative in their pull. The opening piece, Picktooth, is a slow-burning ascent. It builds in increments — pressure accumulating in cycles.The impact feels intangible rather than physical. Gradual pressure and tension that keeps rising, rhythm locking you into a state that feels almost uncomfortable, but controlled.

AFTER DARK is the latest project from French producer Onra, conceived as the soundtrack to an imagined late-night film. Entirely self-produced, the album continues the sophisticated R&B and Modern Soul direction explored since his 2010 classic Long Distance and 2018's accomplished Nobody Has To Know, focusing on late 80's / early 90's inspirations.

Structured like a film unfolding between dusk and dawn, After Dark moves through themes of intimacy, urban solitude, distance, and quiet indulgence. Analog synthesizers, tight drum programming, understated basslines, and selective live saxophone textures shape a cohesive body of work that favors mood and narrative over excess. The sequencing reinforces its cinematic intent, opening and closing with intro and outro pieces that frame the record as a cohesive night-time narrative album.

Over 20 years since emerging in the mid-2000s from the beat scene, Onra has steadily evolved from sample-based Hip-Hop production toward polished, song-oriented projects rooted in contemporary R&B and Funk. With After Dark, he delivers one of his most focused and refined statements to date: a mature, immersive album built for late hours, and attentive listening.

Even in these most turbulent of times, dub musician and fatigued onlooker Elijah Minnelli remains an inexplicable stalwart on the lower rungs of the Breadminster County Council.

His latest record ‘Clams As A Main Meal’ continues his astute siphoning of council funds, this time with help from the Breadminster Board of Abstinence. As a further mark of respect, the original head of the Board, Dr. K'houldoux, graces the cover art in his infamous ‘Looming Moon of Desire’ guise.*

As fine a backdrop as any for Minneli’s off-brand dub experiments, and ‘Clams...’ is the truest representation of his varied wheelhouse yet...

We find vocal appearances from dub goliath Dennis Bovell and Welsh-language singer Carwyn Ellis. A pair of tracks which build on 2024’s acclaimed ‘Perpetual Musket’, a collection of folk songs reworked alongside reggae vocalists, released by FatCat Records. It garnered glowing reviews, with nods from The Guardian and The Quietus concluding with prominent appearances on their respective yearly round-up lists.

Elsewhere, the album finds Minnelli in a more experimental mode, all wheezing contraptions and cockeyed bass, creaking with the weight of creation, a satisfying tactility laid seam-side up.

As well as ‘Perpetual Musket’, the new album follows years of sold out 7" singles, handmade and self-released. Online, the tracks have amassed global streams numbering in the millions. His tracks have found play across an eclectic range of radio mixes and dance floors, most notably the likes of Andrew Weatherall, Batu, Optimo and Zakia Sewell (BBC6Music).

It is perhaps worth mentioning that this everbuilding interest in his work is at great odds with the growing suspicions amongst his fellow townsfolk, who see his Breadminster County Council Music Initiative as nothing more than an empty cash-grab.

Further Reading on the Breadminster Board of Abstinence

In the late 70s, Breadminster was awash with the last vestiges of the hippy era. Though the flared silhouette of the lower leg remained, the utopian ideals that had once flowed merrily around the youth's shaded ankles had begun to wane. LSD and free love had led to a sharp spike in population and a generation of children raised by air-headed psychonauts unprepared for the bleary-eyed strictures of parenthood.

Aware of the crisis, the County Council entrusted Dr. Paulinque K'houldoux to spearhead a pushback, and it was his pro-abstinence movement - a mixture of education initiatives and radical renutrition campaigns - that came to impact Breadminster's census deep into the new millennium.

Being a pseudo-archipelago Breadminster has fundamentally limited resources, however deep-seated ties to distant coastal villages meant that oysters were a regular part of the local diet. K'houldoux pinpointed this as a factor in the town's overpopulation, and believed that simply replacing these with clams (a “lesser mollusk”) would help lower the erotic urges of the people. It was his “anti-aphrodesia” movement that first championed the idea of “Clams As A Main Meal,” and the slogan “Consider Abstinence” carried the message yet further.

The Breadminster Board of Abstinence soon became involved in all cultural happenings in the area, with K'houldoux MCing at prominent festivals and performances, sometimes dressed as the “Looming Moon of Desire” - an idea of his relating to the tide, seafood, menstrual cycles, and his privately held celestial predilections.

It was in 1981 that it was revealed Dr. K'houldoux had never fully qualified as a doctor and was seeking exile in Breadminster due to a series of botched bracelet heists in which he had previously been involved. K'houldoux was subsequently extradited to Basingstoke, where he served 3 of a 12-year sentence, owing to the lunar-oriented prisoner health campaigns he helped implement.

It has been a strange twist of bureaucratic fate that the Breadminster Board of Abstinence has never stopped receiving public funding, despite its lack of clear utility. And while its roots are tied to a rose-tinted past, the Board continues to sponsor cultural events and projects to this day.

An extract from: Eugeniq Schooner's article in Sydney Parishioner: “Clams, Breadminster and Countercultural Abstinence Trends” (2008)

Good Kid ist keine typische Rockband; sie sind wahrscheinlich der größte Indie-Act, von dem du noch nie gehört hast. Was als Projekt von fünf kanadischen Informatikstudenten begann, die sich von ihren Aufgaben ablenkten – Nick Frosst (voc), Jon Kereliuk (drums), Michael Kozakov (bass), David Wood (git) und Jacob Tsafatinos (git) –, entwickelte sich rasant zu etwas viel Größerem und einer riesigen globalen Community, die Menschen willkommen heißt, sich so zu zeigen, wie sie sind. Mit vier erfolgreichen EPs im Gepäck liefert Good Kids Debütalbum "Can We Hang Out Sometime?" die energiegeladenen Hooks und innovativen Riffs, die zu ihrem Markenzeichen geworden sind, und wagt sich gleichzeitig mutig in neue Gefilde vor. Langjährige Fans finden hier die typischen Good-Kid-Kracher, die sie lieben, aber auch die Band, die in ihrem bisher rauesten Werk neue Soundfarben, Rhythmen und Wendungen erkundet. Produziert von Grammy-Preisträger John Congleton (St. Vincent, Wallows, Lana Del Rey) in Los Angeles.

Good Kid ist keine typische Rockband; sie sind wahrscheinlich der größte Indie-Act, von dem du noch nie gehört hast. Was als Projekt von fünf kanadischen Informatikstudenten begann, die sich von ihren Aufgaben ablenkten – Nick Frosst (voc), Jon Kereliuk (drums), Michael Kozakov (bass), David Wood (git) und Jacob Tsafatinos (git) –, entwickelte sich rasant zu etwas viel Größerem und einer riesigen globalen Community, die Menschen willkommen heißt, sich so zu zeigen, wie sie sind. Mit vier erfolgreichen EPs im Gepäck liefert Good Kids Debütalbum "Can We Hang Out Sometime?" die energiegeladenen Hooks und innovativen Riffs, die zu ihrem Markenzeichen geworden sind, und wagt sich gleichzeitig mutig in neue Gefilde vor. Langjährige Fans finden hier die typischen Good-Kid-Kracher, die sie lieben, aber auch die Band, die in ihrem bisher rauesten Werk neue Soundfarben, Rhythmen und Wendungen erkundet. Produziert von Grammy-Preisträger John Congleton (St. Vincent, Wallows, Lana Del Rey) in Los Angeles.

Announcing Maara’s new album Ultra Villain, a deeply personal, narrative-driven record that explores desire, heartbreak, obsession, and the freedom that comes with choosing yourself.

Written from a place of hard-won self-trust, the song marks a shift toward clarity. “I realized people can only meet you where they’ve met themselves.”

Written and Produced by Maara Louisa Dunbar
Additional Production and Mixing by Francis Latreille and Patrick Holland at Jump Source Studios
Mastered by Noel Summerville
Cover Art by Dodleyz
Design by Jesse Osborne-Lanthier

Fausto returns to the Carpet family, this time with three tweaked out jams perfect for the Circuits series. Spread across the A-side, the 9-minute ‘Moonland’ evokes its title with driving acid and cosmic Detroit atmospherics. On the B, ‘Nacho’ is a classic mood builder, tempering its own acid lead with expansive bass and a rolling groove. The EP closes with the stepping ‘Nirvana’, perfect for closed-eyes reverie at the afters.

Inner Balance kicks off a new series of split EPs under the rubric ‘Dialogues’, featuring two adept
producers from Italy and the UK. On the A, Emanuele Barilli brings summery house grooves on
‘Roots’ and ‘Unknown Na’, drawing on the tried and tested deep house templates of Charles
Webster and catapulting them into today’s dancefloor. Transverse Recordings founder Scott
Andrews takes care of the flip with classy jazzy house in the vein of vintage Larry Heard on
‘Willerminstral’, before the refined, loopy minimal house of ‘Renegade’ closes things out. It’s yet
another well-rounded EP in the superlative Inner Balance catalogue, ready to lift dancers to a higher
plane.

LA-based producer Real Bad Man and Detroit rapper Boldy James return with their third collaborative album, Conversational Pieces, out now via Real Bad Man Records. The project features the singles “Come Back Around” featuring DC polymath dreamcastmoe, and “It Factor” featuring El-P. Their creative chemistry has never been clearer: this new album sees the duo pushing into fresh sonic territory through an expanded production palette that Real Bad Man continues to evolve and experiment with.

Recorded immediately after their 2022 album Killing Nothing and revisited in 2023 following Boldy’s serious car accident, Conversational Pieces is a deliberate, reflective body of work. It captures two distinct periods in the artists’ lives—documenting their growth as musicians, fathers, and long-time collaborators. The album’s artwork, along with the accompanying single art, draws inspiration from Rorschach inkblot tests—abstract visuals that invite interpretation and spark conversation, mirroring the album’s introspective nature.

THE NAIF aka Nicola Facchineri creates ROAD TO MEDITATION EP, an instinctive project inspired by the historic Vibraphone Records label.

The mission of THE NAIF is to create primarily authentic music, in order to suggest differentiation from multiple perspectives both for DJs and for listeners.

Exclusively on this 12‘ release, the track “Huge Garden“ is also released in a clean mix.
Artwork by Vibraphone Records.

Call it soulful dream pop, proto-trip hop or downtempo jazz - "Tender Rain" is the follow-up LP to the successful "This Is" album and continues to deliver Ghia's unmistakable sonic magic. On this release, the band shares a selection of previously unreleased vocal songs alongside instrumental pieces, all carried by their trademark chilled and almost meditative atmosphere. Most of the recordings date from the early 1990s, while early demo versions of "New Love" and "Teardrops in Your Eyes" may reach back as far as the late 1980s.

The album opens with the title track "Tender Rain," where smooth vocal jazz harmonies merge effortlessly with soulful pop elements. The track originally appeared only on CD in 1993 on the small Mikado label run by renowned German guitarist Ulli Bögershausen. The band recalls that the piece was first pre-recorded using MIDI equipment and a Tascam 16-track recorder before being completed in the studio with drums by legendary drummer Mickie Stickdorn (Carsten Bohn's Bandstand, Cyklus, Elephant, Lake), percussion by Corinna Ludzuweit, and the final touch-Lisa Ohm's remarkable vocals.

At the time, Mikado was also looking for instrumental material for radio and synchronization use. They selected the track "Tropfstein" for a sampler CD and requested more pieces. In response, "und recken ihre schlanken Glieder" (roughly translated as "and stretching their slender limbs") was composed especially for the project, as Frank Simon remembers. Both tracks appeared on the now rare Mikado sampler CD under the alias z. Zt., short for "zur Zeit" ("at present" or "these days").

Several further pieces in a similar vein were created during this period, including the previously unissued "Auf unserm grünen Sofa," "Reise bei Nacht," and "Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte." These tracks are beautifully crafted downtempo pieces featuring smooth, jazzy piano lines combined with touches of ambient and New Age aesthetics. "Auf unserm grünen Sofa" stands out in particular and will likely resonate with all downtempo enthusiasts. Lutz Boberg recalls that many of these recordings were captured during a single afternoon in the studio, fueled by spontaneous ideas and creative momentum.

On tracks such as "Teardrops in Your Eyes," "New Love," and the haunting Dark Spirits Mix of Ghia's song "What's Your Voodoo?", singer Lisa Ohm delivers soulful pop performances with her clear and captivating voice. "Change Your Sex," the third track previously featured on the Mikado sampler, leans more toward late-1980s funk and was aimed at radio and DJs at the time. Its subject matter was relatively daring for the period, telling the story of someone contemplating a change of sex "to get rid of the troubles."

Together with "This Is" and "Curacao Blue", "Tender Rain" forms another essential chapter in the rediscovery of the band's work. More than thirty years after their creation, these recordings still sound strikingly fresh, reflecting a unique style that in many ways anticipated the rise of trip-hop in the early to mid-1990s.