Cerca:old fire

This LP repress is on black vinyl, includes A3 Theatrical Poster, Booklet + DL Card. Following the huge recent success of ‘King Rocker’, spotlighting The Nightingales as one of the best band’s in Britain, comes the soundtrack. Comedian Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast Of London) investigate a missing piece of punk history. Robert Lloyd, best known for fronting cult Birmingham bands The Prefects and The Nightingales, has survived under the radar for over four decades. But how, if at all, does Robert want to be remembered? The anti-rockumentary ‘King Rocker’ weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art. All of the highlights from the film are here, along with rarities which won’t appear on any of the deluxe reissues of the Nightingales’ catalogue, among them 7″ versions of “Use Your Loaf”, the Bob Luman hit “Let’s Think About Living” and “Black Country”, a glam remix of crowd favourite “Thick And Thin” and a version of Christy & Emily’s “Ghost” which rivals the Nightingales’ take on TLC’s “Unpretty” for sheer beauty. The only act with roots in the punk era that have gone on to make records more captivating, cutting and entertaining today than at any point in their past; 2022 will be a busy year for the Nightingales, with months of live dates planned, a limited edition remix 12″, deluxe reissues of both ‘Hysterics’ and ‘In The Good Old Country Way’, and a hardcover book collecting Robert’s lyrics. “An inspiring comeback story that feels profoundly necessary” The Quietus // “Lee tells Lloyd’s story with skill, passion and verve” The Times // Track listing: A1 Use Your Loaf

This LP repress is on black vinyl, includes A3 Theatrical Poster, Booklet + DL Card. Following the huge recent success of ‘King Rocker’, spotlighting The Nightingales as one of the best band’s in Britain, comes the soundtrack. Comedian Stewart Lee and director Michael Cumming (Brass Eye, Toast Of London) investigate a missing piece of punk history. Robert Lloyd, best known for fronting cult Birmingham bands The Prefects and The Nightingales, has survived under the radar for over four decades. But how, if at all, does Robert want to be remembered? The anti-rockumentary ‘King Rocker’ weaves the story of Birmingham’s undervalued underdog autodidact into that of the city’s forgotten public sculpture of King Kong, eschewing the celebrity interview and archive-raid approach for a free-associating bricolage of Indian food, bewildered chefs, vegetable gardening, prescription medicines, pop stardom and pop art. All of the highlights from the film are here, along with rarities which won’t appear on any of the deluxe reissues of the Nightingales’ catalogue, among them 7″ versions of “Use Your Loaf”, the Bob Luman hit “Let’s Think About Living” and “Black Country”, a glam remix of crowd favourite “Thick And Thin” and a version of Christy & Emily’s “Ghost” which rivals the Nightingales’ take on TLC’s “Unpretty” for sheer beauty. The only act with roots in the punk era that have gone on to make records more captivating, cutting and entertaining today than at any point in their past; 2022 will be a busy year for the Nightingales, with months of live dates planned, a limited edition remix 12″, deluxe reissues of both ‘Hysterics’ and ‘In The Good Old Country Way’, and a hardcover book collecting Robert’s lyrics. “An inspiring comeback story that feels profoundly necessary” The Quietus // “Lee tells Lloyd’s story with skill, passion and verve” The Times // Track listing: A1 Use Your Loaf

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Jon Schaffer's Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) is a bold new mix that fuses the raw essence of the "Brush-fires of the Mind" LP (2009) and the "Spirit of the Times" EP (2011), breathing fresh life into a message that has proven eerily prophetic in an era of escalating world challenges. " Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) " is out now on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners everywhere, old or new, to discover its urgency. For collectors, a special physical rollout will arrive via The Circle Music on July 4, 2026 , marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. At its core, Sons of Liberty's music exposed the machinations of a fraudulent financial system and the insidious creep of authoritarianism, serving as a stark warning to humanity. Today, with those shadows cast longer than ever, this music stands as a timeless testament to truth, unfiltered and unapologetic.

What sets Sons of Liberty - Thought Crimes (Volumes 1 & 2) apart is its transcendence of partisan divides. This is not an echo chamber of political agendas; it's a universal wake- up call, championing freedom as the bedrock of peace and prosperity for every person on the planet. In a world fractured by division, Schaffer's lyrics rally for pro-freedom/pro-humanity ideals: anti-authoritarian, non-partisan, and rooted in the unyielding principles of liberty. It's a reminder that true empowerment comes from questioning and resisting systems that promote aggression and erode our shared dignity, fostering unity through principles of liberty, individual sovereignty, and collective resilience. Elevating the original material to new heights, this release features thunderous, newly recorded drums by longtime friend Mark Prator , whose precision and groove has powered classics from Iced Earth ( The Dark Saga , Something Wicked This Way Comes ), Demons & Wizards (Self- Titled Debut), and Jon Schaffer's Purgatory (EP 2018).

Paired with a cutting- edge modern mix by Jim Morris , the result is a sonic powerhouse that has matured like a fine wine - delivering an intensity and honesty that's all too rare in today's pop culture landscape. In an age where ideas can be silenced, this stands as the most censored and cancelled heavy metal music in history. It begs the question: Why? Are thought crimes an inevitable reality in a world that fears unbridled truth? Dive in, reflect, and educate yourself-- because freedom isn't a spectator sport; it is difficult, it requires action, and it's the only path to a better world for all of us

Following his recent appearance on Blueprint, Mark Broom returns to the label with a unique project, revisiting the work of techno pioneer Regis. Entitled "Power Is Neutral", the release sees Broom rework a selection of seminal Regis recordings originally released on Downwards Records across the albums Gymnastics (1996), Delivered Into The Hands Of Indifference (1998) and Penetration (2001).

Known as one of the key architects of the Birmingham techno sound, Regis (Karl O'Connor) helped shape British techno through his work as co-founder of Downwards Records and a catalogue that continues to influence generations of artists.

For Mark Broom, few artists embody British rave culture quite like Regis. Drawing on source material that has long stood as a cornerstone of UK techno, Broom approaches these edits with both respect and imagination. As Regis puts it, "Mark Broom is like some modern day Bagpuss... he has fired up his techno mouseorgan and polished old relics to make them all shiny and new."

Power Is Neutral delivers six expertly crafted reinterpretations that bridge the raw energy of Regis' original works with Broom's unmistakable contemporary dancefloor sensibility, bringing these timeless tracks to a new generation of listeners.

These days – on the new, ninth Fink album – Greenall is operating within a lineage of authentic, quietly revolutionary artists from England’s verdant southwestern toe. Artists like Michael Chapman. In 1970, the elusive acoustic guitar wizard released an album called Fully Qualified Survivor. The cult-classic served as a lodestar for Greenall – along with bandmates Tim Thornton and Guy Whittaker – as he began jigsawing together The City Is Coming to Erase it All, the follow-up to 2024’s Beauty In Your Wake. He even considered covering a song from it, but in the process, inadvertently stumbled into what became the album’s opener. ‘Wishing For Blue Sky’ circles a universal teenage ache: waiting for life to start. “No point dying of patience” goes the first lyric as crunching footsteps cue a resonant, open-tuned acoustic swaying into view. By 18, Greenall was fed up with waiting, so he left suburban Bristol and saw the world, sending postcards from the edge, waiting tables, squirreling away tips for the next flight. Thornton had similar experiences when the guitarist/drummer busked across Eur

This is nowstalgia more than nostalgia, though; there’s a parallel between these 18-year-olds and Fink’s autumn-aged family men. “You’re expected to be boring and settling down at this age,” Thornton says. “But we’ve still got this tremendous wanderlust. We want to go and discover, and also achieve things. It’s a nice life – home and family – but fuck, I can’t wait to get back out there.” City is a product of this hunger for discovery, and idolatry of the album as a form – like we had in 1974. City’s cover mirrors its interior, the first song is the greeting, the instrumental closer the conclusion. It’s a story. It’s a record for people who, like its creators, are curious. People who happily face a little cold for music, who light a crackling fire back home, who sit with these songs until they’re ready to chase after their own blue sky

Get ready for Macem Ly"s debut album "Honda Date" - a neologism and a homage to all the hopeful Vietnamese couples he watched as they"d rather hopped on to a Honda moped rushing into nature for a romantic date than facing the rush of urban life. So the multi-instrumentalist and producer artist naturally created the perfect album for all those who travel and observe while enjoying long rides on busses or mopeds - not least for knowers of high-quality instrumental productions with a special place for hiphop tradition in their hearts. With "Honda Date" he showcases his musical prowess rooted in HipHop, Funk and Soul all the while proving a certain versatileness in creating new sounds - that are also born out of his training in classical music. Unconventional drums, alternative 808 beats, delicate soul samples and those of modern Jazz guitarists non unambiguously carry Macems Ly"s handwriting as he pays tribute to the old while non the less creating something new.

These days – on the new, ninth Fink album – Greenall is operating within a lineage of authentic, quietly revolutionary artists from England’s verdant southwestern toe. Artists like Michael Chapman. In 1970, the elusive acoustic guitar wizard released an album called Fully Qualified Survivor. The cult-classic served as a lodestar for Greenall – along with bandmates Tim Thornton and Guy Whittaker – as he began jigsawing together The City Is Coming to Erase it All, the follow-up to 2024’s Beauty In Your Wake. He even considered covering a song from it, but in the process, inadvertently stumbled into what became the album’s opener. ‘Wishing For Blue Sky’ circles a universal teenage ache: waiting for life to start. “No point dying of patience” goes the first lyric as crunching footsteps cue a resonant, open-tuned acoustic swaying into view. By 18, Greenall was fed up with waiting, so he left suburban Bristol and saw the world, sending postcards from the edge, waiting tables, squirreling away tips for the next flight. Thornton had similar experiences when the guitarist/drummer busked across Eur

This is nowstalgia more than nostalgia, though; there’s a parallel between these 18-year-olds and Fink’s autumn-aged family men. “You’re expected to be boring and settling down at this age,” Thornton says. “But we’ve still got this tremendous wanderlust. We want to go and discover, and also achieve things. It’s a nice life – home and family – but fuck, I can’t wait to get back out there.” City is a product of this hunger for discovery, and idolatry of the album as a form – like we had in 1974. City’s cover mirrors its interior, the first song is the greeting, the instrumental closer the conclusion. It’s a story. It’s a record for people who, like its creators, are curious. People who happily face a little cold for music, who light a crackling fire back home, who sit with these songs until they’re ready to chase after their own blue sky

As Brice shares, "Anybody can see a sunset, but a sunrise, you gotta earn. Whether you're waking up or just pulled an all-nighter, I tip my hat to you, sunriser." Brice's sixth studio album delivers hopeful and resilient reflections on love, faith, and heartbreak for all sunrisers - from firefighters, nurses, and truck drivers, to blue- collar workers clocking out of graveyard shifts, to tired parents waking up to take care of little ones. Through the lens of what defines who he is -- God, country, and family -- the awardwinning Country star encourages listeners to keep rising.

Based in Manchester but individually from all over the UK, the five piece's debut is intelligent, political and acutely aware of what it means to be in a band in 2026. Built around driving guitars and wiry rhythms, tracks like 'Too Much Fun' and 'The Seeds' brim with the tangible energy of their live shows. These are songs written with the energy of a packed room in mind. Having built their reputation the old fashioned way; relentless rehearsals, constant gigging and self releasing music wherever they could afford to, Martial Arts' dedication has shaped both the band's identity and their sound. Across the Craig Silvey-produced (Arctic Monkeys, R.E.M., Florence & The Machine) EP, Martial Arts balance personal reflection with broader political ideas, often turning the lens back on themselves as much as the world around them. The result is a band that combines the urgency of the UK's current guitar underground with a selfawareness and critical thought that feels increasingly rare.

For the 4th release in this Electro Acid VA series, we present 303 craftsmanship, seamlessly blended into an electrifying electro setting.
Johnfaustus returns with two raw, otherworldly musical tales, staying true to the signature style we know and this time, he takes it to an even greater level. Akkaelle channels old-school vibes with a bass-driven, slow-burning groove, and Axis3340 closes the EP by plunging you into uncharted freaky depths with their dark and haunting track "Ashes." This track set you in fire, leaving smoldering embers in its wake.

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present MEGATON SWORD’s highly anticipated debut album, Blood Hails Steel – Steel Hails Fire, on CD, cassette and vinyl LP formats. It was but November of last year when MEGATON SWORD unleashed their glorious debut EP, Niralet, via DYING VICTIMS. Arriving fully formed, virtually without warning – no prior demo recordings existed, at least not publicly – this Swiss quartet evinced an ages-old sound that was wise (and wizened) well beyond their young years. Already, MEGATON SWORD knew the mystery of steel…and wielded it with a startling confidence. And no one knew just how high they could fly, only that they were just getting started. Now, with the arrival of their imminent debut album, Blood Hails Steel – Steel Hails Fire, MEGATON SWORD are marching into the halls of greatness, with no one to stop them. Retaining the same, well-named lineup – vocalist Uzzy Unchained, guitarist Chris the Axe, bassist Simon the Sorcerer, and drummer Dan Thundersteel – MEGATON SWORD maximize the strengths of the EP and then some, revealing new twists to that mystery of steel whilst retaining the charisma and crunch that endeared them to the true-metal underground the first time around. Indeed, Blood Hails Steel – Steel Hails Fire is aptly titled, almost ridiculously so: this is true-as-steel HEAVY METAL drunk on high fantasy and the enduring themes of conquest and valor, triumph and tragedy, but rendered in a form even bloodier and possessing more bravado. It’s also more dynamic, maximizing drama between notes and from one passage to the next, each movement a narrative crucial to their conquest.

Chins For Lefty is the debut album and first recording by Gichard, a new duo chronicling the absurdities of end-stage capitalism and mouldering social rituals from their vantage point in Glasgow, Scotland. Recorded primarily in the band’s home studio straight to tape, Chins For Lefty combines gorgeous, ramshackle melody, DIY kosmische punk, drum machine + synth and, in vocalist/lyricist Lisa Jones, an absurdist commentator on the human condition as it navigates the anxieties of the modern world. Instrumentalist Chas Lalli’s swirling music accompaniment stitches an evocative mix of musical styles, the ragged wind beneath the lyrics’ wings.

Although the duo first collaborated in their previous group Dragged Up, their disparate musical and artistic backgrounds make for an alluring mix in Gichard. Lalli has spent the last 20 years in the Glasgow underground, most notably in the noise rock group VOM, while Lisa Jones’s practice was in poetry and spoken word. Beginning as co vocalist in her previous band, in Gichard her lyrics are centre stage; the vision concocted alongside Lalli amounts to a total world-build.

Chins For Lefty scans almost like a novel, with each track elucidating a skewed universe that bears only some resemblance to the one you and I partake in. Like all works of fiction Gichard’s songs are rooted in reality and the lived experiences of its authors, but here characters are exaggerated, social mores and habits are pulled apart to reveal their inherent alienness. Universal emotions are laid bare, the bright light of anxious examination searching out every hairline fracture in our relationships. Distorted and cracked, the mirror that Gichard hold up to our world is also pretty damn funny.

Opener Cholesterol Test launches an expansive, cosmic guitar and synth intro that belies the Tascam-tape recorder it was recorded onto, like a Chromatics cut substituting anxiety for overt sexuality. Here Jones intones an apology to a non-responsive recipient, in the medium of a long voice note forensically deconstructing an interaction from the night before. Over punk guitars and shuffling, lo-fi drum machine splutters, the narrator in Asking The Apes “prefers things to people” before being taken hostage in the city zoo to confess an obsession which consumes the protagonist, ending with the immortal two liner “I sleep in a cocoon of old newspapers at the end of your street / And I think I have been fired from my job,” On album standout Posthumous Hologram, the narrator is faced with a human simulacra, in this case an undead pop star; the face of the encroaching technological singularity. Yes, it does requests, it can do My Way in 200 different language options. But what are the implications? While you’re left pondering, the alternating deadpan verse delivery and undeniably catchy chorus keep you company.

By the time Break Up With Johnny Dogbirth rattles into view, the band are satirising a suburban inanity blown up to cartoon proportions, soundtracked with a drawled musicality that recalls Rowland S. Howard’s post-Birthday Party balladeering. This approach is furthered on Human Resources: over an angular guitar+bass track, Jones’s short story recalls Dry Cleaning’s erudite lyrical post punk. On Soft Face, Lalli’s guitar and drum machine are swathed in echo and delay, as Jones dissects dating rituals with a west of Scotland drollness. Hamming It Up brings a porcine perspective in a short story that begins with the line “I was breastfeeding discreetly in the service station. She didn’t mind.” What follows is a passage punctured with canned laughter and a narrative involving tribute acts, modern farming techniques.

Brilliant first single Your Private Hell closes the album, the closest the group get to earnest perhaps, filtered through a surreal central Scottishness. While Your Private Hell might seem like a sardonic take down of romance, perhaps it’s the very distillation of love in all its awkwardness, selflessness and weirdness. Here there’s a distinctive Glasgow-ness to this doomed romance: the protagonist falls for an outsider, offers them cheap jarred hot dogs and carbolic soap (the infamous, excoriating soap dished out in schools and government buildings throughout Scotland), offers to cover up a murder, stalks them in the all-night Spar. It’s a short story of intrigue, murder and the irresistible pull of self-sacrifice to share in someone else’s suffering. If that’s not love, what is it? You can see this vision mapped out in black and white on their video for 'Your Private Hell'.

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the striking debut EP of Spain’s FABLE, Long Hath the Night Dwelt, on CD and 12” vinyl formats. FABLE started as a solo-project by Jose Soler (Phantom Spell, Chantrice) influenced by ‘70s and ‘80s hard rock and heavy metal – a list as varied and idiosyncratic as Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Pagan Altar, Ashbury, and Hällas – along with hints of old US metal. Duly girded, the band bring forth their public debut, Long Hath the Night Dwelt. An actually-narrated prelude sets the stage for a cautionary tale about class struggle and revolution, FABLE indeed using fables and stories as a medium to tell an expansive story of the woodsfolk dominated under the iron claw of “The Owl.” Despite that, the band’s debut EP is exceptionally compact at five tracks in 22 minutes, moving with a simmering patience that’s heavy on mood and dynamic in its restraint. Never overdriven nor busy, warm and intimate but with a psychic distance that seems impossibly ancient, FABLE very much evoke the perhaps-centuries-old folklore that seems so central to their rustic rock; the wise-sage vocals almost seem an afterthought when the narrative flow of the music starts winding and wending like smoke from a tavern fireplace, so illustrative is its hushed power. However, each element here is equally important, and all work together to form a totality that’s unfussy but hewn with class and care. And this is just the start of this FABLE: discover for yourself how Long Hath the Night Dwelt!

Originally released in 1975 on Montilla Records, Fire & Sugar is a rare Afro-Latin jazz-funk gem by Cuban multi-instrumentalist Jesús "La Grulla" Caunedo. A respected yet often uncredited figure who worked alongside artists such as Tito Puente, Machito, Celia Cruz and Chico O'Farrill, Caunedo delivered here his most forward-thinking statement.

Recorded in Puerto Rico, the album blends Afro-Cuban rhythms, heavy Latin percussion, tight brass arrangements, fuzz guitar and jazz-fusion elements moving from explosive dancefloor cuts to deeper, atmospheric moments.

Long prized by DJs and collectors across Latin, funk and rare groove circles, this official reissue restores the full warmth and punch of the original recordings.

An essential 1975 Latin jazz-funk title, back in print.

Transferred from the original reel-to-reel master tapes

Includes previously unreleased track

Audiophile 180g vinyl pressing + Gatefold cover

Liner notes by DJ Bongohead

Long sought-after Afro-Latin jazz-funk

Douglas Robinson and Sal Mignano (both of The Sleeping) and Josh Eppard (co-founding member of Coheed And Cambria) share passions for authentic expression and genuine creativity. Held. isn’t so much a beginning as it is a culmination. The post-hardcore trio’s debut album, GREY, arrives fully realized, not as the tentative first step of newcomers, but as the collective fire of seasoned lifers discovering a new language together. It’s the sound of raw instinct coalescing with earned wisdom. GREY doesn’t announce itself so much as it emerges, inevitable and undeniable, like thunder rolling across a dark horizon.

It’s a force that feels eternal. Held.’s music feels elemental, evoking storms crashing against jagged cliffs or burning embers kindling, ready to reignite at any moment. It’s urgent and relentless, yet also spacious, textured, and deeply human. There’s gravity in every note, the kind that comes from survival turned into strength. Their sound is born of paradox: fiercely old-school in its emphasis on live performance and feel, but modern in its production and scope. Each song sounds both timeless and timely. Held. is less a band than a force: fierce yet vulnerable, raw yet refined. They play as if the walls themselves are trembling, channeling a purity that feels rare in an age of algorithmic noise. Listening isn’t consumption—it’s recognition, like rediscovering something thats always been within you. Held. carve out a place that feels both unshakably grounded and dangerously alive. Its more than music—its an invocation, a reminder of the raw pulse that connects struggle to transcendence. For those who find themselves in the storm, Held. offer not escape, but resonance: proof that inevitability can sound like liberation.

SACRIVERSUM were formed in 1992 in Łódź (Poland), playing old school Death Metal with progressive elements and atmospheric sounds, making their complex mixture special and unique. Their debut album „The Shadow Of The Golden Fire“ was released in 1994, at a time when a lot of Death Metal bands started to push their boundaries and became more experimental. Their music was a perfect fit along with legendary bands like PESTILENCE, DEATH, GOREFEST & ATHEIST. And this counts for SACRIVERSUM and their upcoming new album „Before The Birth Of Light“ even more. „Before The Birth Of Light“ will be released on May 8th, by their new label FIREFLASH RECORDS (HOLY MOSES, WOLF, RUTHLESS a.o.) and is available on CD, limited vinyl and digital. The album stands for raw Death Metal, with those incomparable Hammond organs. Death meets Deep Purple. Their sound is a mixture of the above mentioned acts and is not too far apart from the latest BLOOD INCANTATION album. Both combine tradition with fiction. You have to hear and experience this Death Metal gem. Since 2022, SACRIVERSUM are back and continue, where they ended up with their debut album. Those nine new tracks on „Before The Birth Of Light“ are possibly the best songs SACRIVERSUM ever composed – once you got into it, they don’t let you go. It is a dark ride into another dimension, another time and another space. You are captured in their own world, in a time before the birth of light.

Myth? Legend? No need to pump this up, the music is self evident. As is the crew of Marfox, NK, Nervoso, Fofuxo, Pausas and Jesse, who shaped the universe as we know it. The simplest of elements for maximum (minimal) impact, an imperative burst of energy that perfectly echoes the title of Marfox's first EP: I Know Who I Am.

These are statements of personality directly stamped on the dancefloor. "Hard Tecno" (without the H, yes) embodies the crystal clear intention of the set: to light a fire wherever the beats fall. To make people smile and move. And this was (and is) achieved without the need for obvious smiley culture signposts. The music just came through with fierce enthusiasm. All were youngsters (Nervoso being the elder) in 2007, and youth is definitely a factor in the fearless display of bare bones dance music production. Raw, is it?

A second volume of DJs di Guetto on Príncipe was always going to happen. The tough part was deciding how to organize the bangers on the tracklist without ending up with a quadruple vinyl set. Thus separate volumes 1&2. Volume 1 (2023) was culled from the actual DJs di Guetto compilation (self released in 2006), whereas Volume 2 comes straight from the crew's archives, nearly 100% unreleased tracks produced in 2007.

The crew disbanded as such a long time ago, but the legacy stands as sacred scriptures stand. FL Studio and standard laptop and tower desktop PCs combined as raw materials; a no-fuss approach added by these DJs and producers who sound unequivocally rootsy and primeval, drinking from the source. Also punishingly minimal, dry and alien. Happy-sad, sweet-sour, nice-angry, soft-aggressive. Words fail us. It's 2026, new humans seem to beon the rise but some old ways are still enthralling.

Studio One Sound is the classic Studio One collection from Soul Jazz Records. Described as ‘The University of Reggae’ by Chris Blackwell, Studio One, and founder Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd are by far the most-important names in the history of reggae music. Originally released in 2012 this album has been out of print for many years, making it one of the most-collectible of Soul Jazz Records’ Studio One Series. This is the first ever colour vinyl edition of this classic album.

The album features some of the most in-demand and collectible Studio One tracks from over its fifty-year history and includes incredible legendary reggae artists such as The Heptones, Ken Boothe, The Skatalites, Johnny Osbourne and Wailing Souls. All these artists (and hundreds more) launched their careers at Studio One under the guidance of Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd. The Studio One Sound collection features everything from classic ska and rocksteady to the deepest roots, heaviest dub and dancehall roots. Sleevenotes are by Rob Chapman, author of the celebrated books about Studio One Records, 'Never Grow Old' and 'Downbeat the Ruler'. The exact reproduction of the original artwork features the classic image of Dennis Brown on the cover. This album is newly fully remastered for vinyl by Jason Goz at Transition. Exclusive one-off pressing on heavyweight double transparent green vinyl.

Bristol experimental band SUGAR HORSE are delighted to announce that their third album, Not A Sound In Heaven, will be released on 10th April 2026 via Fat Dracula Records.

To celebrate the news, the band are sharing the bruising lead single ‘Secret Speech’, available to stream on all good digital service providers from 12th February 2026.

Also announced today are a run of April 2026 UK album headline tour dates and an appearance at StrangeForms Festival 2026, with tickets on sale now (see below for full listings).

“We are fortunate enough to live in what is generally known as ‘The West’,” says front man Ash Tubb of the lyrical themes behind the new track. “I say fortunate with gritted teeth, because I know—as I’m sure the reader knows—that living in the West isn’t always rosy. The vast majority of people struggle everyday to feed, clothe and house themselves. Let alone receive adequate healthcare, schooling and workers’ rights.”

“We are, however, where all the world’s wealth is hoarded. We are at the centre of Empire. The people outside of this empire—those of the Global South—have had their resources extracted and their populations exploited by our own governments, with very little given back in return. This won’t go on forever. It will inevitably end, as all great empires do.”

“We in The West have a choice to make in the meantime; either help create a new, fairer world, or let the greed of our ruling classes become the undoing of all of us.”

The first glimpse of new material from the quartet, ‘Secret Speech’ starts as Not A Sound In Heaven means to go on—a politically-charged wrecking ball of a song that smashes its way through the often unbelievable chaos and brutality of the 21st century with vitriolic malice.

How do you capture the machinations of the geo-political industrial war machine—and all the horrors that go with it—in the studio, without seeming trite or crass? That’s the question that Sugar Horse have posed themselves on their forthcoming third album Not A Sound In Heaven, and they must surely be one of the only bands in existence capable of delivering on just that premise with both musical substance and cutting philosophical insight.

“Ever since I was born I can remember visions of war, famine, and death being beamed directly into my living room via the magic of television,” says Tubb of the record. “These visions were accompanied by newsreader narratives designed to either humanise or dehumanise the people involved. We humanise our government’s allies and dehumanise their enemies. This is taken as common sense, or even wisdom to some degree. People watch the news and accept it as fact, simple and true.”

“As a person gets older they move in one of three different directions with this acceptance of reality; They embrace what they’re being told, they fall into a kind of trust free nihilism or they learn that there are deeper narratives at play.”

“Not A Sound In Heaven is an aged acceptance of the latter. An acceptance of sitting at the centre of a global empire of both military and economic dimensions. An acceptance that the stories we’re told as a nation, or what’s generally in the zeitgeist, isn’t necessarily reality itself.”

“How does a person cope with the weight—and, frankly, the guilt—of a society that perpetuates such distinct inequalities? A society that thinks a bit of killing abroad is fine, as long as it improves the lives of people at home. You can see why so many choose to embrace it. Hell, nihilism seems pretty sensible. Once a person decides upon pursuing a degree of truth however, things get a bit depressing. Beyond depressing...maddening.”

“This album explores this kind of breezy, frivolous subject matter in a manner that will no doubt be uplifting to the listener and massively financially rewarding for the artist.”

The new album follows on from their standalone AA single ‘What’s Your ETA? Let’s Have A Tear Up’/‘Would You Like Me To Be The Cat?’ which was released late last year as a surprise double drop.

"Invaders Must Die" is The Prodigy"s 5th album, and is 40 minutes of having your head battered by future nostalgia, serotonin levels twisted by feel-good horrorcore and your synapses snapped by whiplash attitude. It"s the sound of The Prodigy mixing up genres, contorting the past and rewiring the future, ram-raiding through the tranquility of music"s status quo like a blot on the landscape of England"s dreaming. The first thing you notice about "Invaders Must Die" is how complete it sounds, a consistent collection of bangers all firing from the same cannon. The next thing you notice about "Invaders Must Die" is just how melodic it is. Not just melody in the vocal sense but in the heyday-of-hardcore keyboard-hookline sense. Yes, if The Prodigy have learned anything from the hugely successful live shows it was that those old skool rave anthems still rock hard - and are every bit as iconic to their generation as punk was to the nation"s forty-somethings. So "Invaders Must Die" is awash with references to the free party generation, thundering along like the mother of all E-rushes, all hairs tingling, spine jumping and lips buzzing. But not a retroactive arms-in-the-air, water-sharing nostalgia trip, but a set fuelled by punk"s saliva-dripping rabid snarl. "Invaders" also features Dave Grohl drumming on "Run With The Wolves".

The album opens with the ominous guitar-driven Hollow Sky, accompanied by its haunting music video's verdant vistas. The song, with Iceglass ghostly vocals, shimmers with that sounds like an Omnichord flittering like sonic firefly lights and brooding bass. This perfectly scores the less traveled wanderings through the dark wooden path of Dante's perdition, leading to the titular well that graces the album cover. The Crater opens with an unsettling riff and bass, with low, repetitive frequencies on the synth create a sense of unease. Here, Iceglass recounts a fatalistic requiem for the king of romance that is cataclysmic and leaves a scar upon the earth. With Fall Industrial Wall, once again, Iceglass channels a silky and Nico-like emotive deadpan; against a dirgelike melody backed by minimal synth, bass, and drum. Almost medieval and plaintive, with its folk droning horns, deep and shallow in their resonance. This song is anachronistic, setting the scene of ruins centuries-old with crumbling edifices strewn about like memories lost in time. With the poetic lyrics of The Chamber do we find the eponymous abyss. Here, dualities are laid bare; besides love, there is heartbreak, and without this sorrow, what meaning would there be to love if one knows not what it is to lose? This song encapsulates the idea that love is heartbreak, and love lost is reaching the deepest chamber of the heart. This is carried through a sombre horn, minimalist drum machine, and deliberate bassline overlaid with Iceglass german and english lyrics. The Well is led in with a softly distorted bassline overlaid with eerie banshee howls give way to Iceglass otherworld vocal refrain, echoing through time as if emanating from a hole in the ground, and encircling that hole is a garden of woe and despair. The sinfully seductive song The Moor features a captivating SAX SOLO courtesy of Perseas; a welcome shift in tone, juxtaposed well with the intensity of Iceglass tenebrous vocal purr. This hitherto unexplored foray into dark sensuality takes the song into sordid mid 80s territory, bringing to mind a dusky drive along a serpentine road, with equally haunting instrumentations straddling time with icy fire. Broken Characters is an acoustic folk interlude featuring Selofan's Dimitris Pavlidis on guitar. Here we find a more gentle approach with its earnest and romantic lyrics. The song's melodic hook is a soft caress along with the forlorn horn elements highlighting Iceglass at her most Nico-sounding vocal yet, singing the sorrowful truth that most artists are indeed broken characters. Chimerical opens with dirgelike synth organs. The chill of winter has befallen the lamentations sung by Iceglass carried by haunting chord progressions and minimal percussion, plaintively beseeching the song's subject to remain elusive, idealistic, and a dreamer. After an album highlighting more Jill than Jack, our male protagonist finally makes his ascent in the sonorous and breathtaking Dark Hill, a masterful march of sweeping synth horns, and trepidatious drum machine with William Maybelline's bellowing voice cracking like thunder, rattling the atmosphere like his heart against his ribs. Spirals swirls in a cautionary knell of cathedral-esque droning synth dirge, with Icarian lyrics shining like a sombre ray of hope; like the sun's rays creeping into the darkest of places. The song, minimalist in its tight percussion, echoes with the solace of Larissa Iceglass vocal litany; invoking elements of the supernatural, almost like a Casio preset sequenced to the beating of an angel's wings.

The London based singer and keyboard player Dominic Appleton, known since the early eighties for his musical activity in the post punk/dream pop band Breathless, and perhaps even more for his vocal contributions to the legendary This Mortal Coil project on 4AD, joins forces with the Milanese producer and sound artist Matteo Uggeri, active from 1993 behind several projects spanning from industrial to post-rock and ambient soundscapes, known for collaborating with artists such as Maurizio Bianchi, Nocturnal Emissions, Controlled Bleeding, De Fabriek, OvO, Giuseppe Ielasi, Lau Nau, Giulio Aldinucci and many more.

Starlight Assembly’s first album, “Starlight and Still Air”, was released in 2021 by the American label Beacon Sound. In Italy the album received amazing reviews in all four of the main music monthlies. It was album of the month in Blow Up and Rockerilla ran a four page interview. Several articles and reviews were made, including a special issue on Foxy Digitalis by Brad Rose.

A remix project was launched afterwards, including old and new friends and fans of the two S.A. members: among the others, Robin Rimbaud/Scanner, Auscultation, Gabriel Saloman (Yellow Swans), Patricia Wolf, Insides, Julia Sabra with Fadi Tabbal, Sawako and Pan American.

The new album, “There Will Be Fireworks”, continues the duo’s complex cross-genres approach to music by melding Uggeri’s intricate musical textures with Appleton’s sweet and melancholic melodies, in this case even supported by the haunting guitars of Gary Mundy (in Breathless as well but also in Ramleh and Broken Flag’s label manager). The tracks on this album are more songlike, the journey more cohesive, with the artists playing more to one another’s strengths. The mastering will be done by Martin Bowes/Attrition, making it even more powerful and clean for its publication on Silentes (ex-Amplexus), historic italian label well known for releases by Rod Modell, Gigi Masin, Dirk Serries, Eraldo Bernocchi, Merzbow, Fabio Orsi and the latest releases by AUBE and much more.

1) WAIT FOR THE WORLD
2) TIME
3) THIS DESERT
4) ALL THE LOVE THE STANDS BESIDE US
5) MOTH TO THE FLAME
6) FRICTION
7) SYMPHONY IN MELANCHOLY
8) THE NOT DEAD
9) RELIEF
+
10) THERE WILL BE FIREWORKS (ghost track)

A Profound Non-Event, the debut album by Sydney-based three piece Daily Toll, comprises 11 songs traversing three years of forged friendships, collaborative experimentation and a shared love of growing through words and song.

Those attuned to the ever-vibrant Australian underground may already be well familiar with Daily Toll, their consistent live presence since their inception in 2021 embroidered by a handful of (mostly) home-recorded, (mostly) digital self-releases that have steadily accumulated an appreciative following. Initially the project of self taught musician, poet & artist Kata Szász-Komlós(they/them) and Jasper Craig-Adams(he/him), and expended to a three piece with the more recent addition of friend Tom Stephens(he/him), Daily Toll represents the union of three unique creative dispositions, of relationships blooming through the push and pull of creative practice. Mapping the band’s existence through their recorded output is to bear witness to the flux of three people learning to respond to one another and gently ossify into a collective vision that at once calls to mind folk song intimacy, post-punk dynamics and the artful poeticism of an adjacent Flying Nun legacy.

If those earlier recordings reflect a band imagining themselves into being in real time, A Profound Non-Event observes a clear shift in both conviction and approach. Recorded in just three days with Alex Bennett at the purely analogue Sound Recordings studio in Castlemaine and holing up at night in the century old cottage situated beside the studio, sheltering from the late-June wind and rain within walls littered with instruments and microphones, lighting fires to stay warm. Kata describes the experience as defined by “candle light and creative camaraderie”, an idyllic account of a collection of songs that glide with an undeniably warm, easy charm, evidenced in particular in the record’s second half as the tone turns increasingly introspective, the very sound of a cold evening’s drift into night. When contrasted with the moody swirl and sing-song bounce of the opening trio of tracks, there’s clear evidence of a band not simply in the process of becoming, but committed to finding their truth in that process.
Still, if Daily Toll display a reluctance to be wholly defined, then album centerpiece ‘Killincs‘ (positioned in the middle for a reason) might just be their Rosetta Stone. A verbose rumination on unsettled feelings of isolation and longing, exploring the challenges in making peace with one's decisions amidst the uncertainty of an often harsh world and the realisation that some things remain best unresolved - “I have the keys still, but I’ve buried the path”.

On this 8 track EP every song has UK and USA lyricists side by side as equals. It includes older icons of Hip-Hop, established talent from the current underground rap scene, and young emerging rappers who haven't been given a platform until now. This project is a collaboration between producer Sam Seed, a dozen rappers, 4 record labels,

the 05:21 music platform and a DJ night. No filler, all killer.


Introducing Sam Seed

A rising name on the underground rap scene. North London producer Sam Seed has a list of top tier production credits to his name with artists including Vinnie Paz, Billy woods,

Mickey Diamond, Conway the Machine. The Unaligned Vol.1 is his eagerly awaited debut EP.

Rotating Irish/international collective United Bible Studies (UBS) releases its 28th album, Strange is the Coastline, this Autumn (CD on Talking Elephant Records / LP on Hobby- Horse).
The album is preceded by the single ‘In The Arms of Lewes’ which was available on all digital platforms from 14th August.
'Strange Is The Coastline' is a collection of original folk-rock songs written by current core members David Colohan (co-founder of UBS) and Alison O’Donnell (Mellow Candle) in the company of multi-instrumentalist Steven Collins (The Owl Service). Melding and meshing classic folk, contemporary pop, and passionate tune-smithery in an inspiringly complementary way; disparate, yet delightfully cohesive, with themes of Albion myth and legend to Victorian-era murder ballads via tales of chilling contemporary stalkerss, and climate chaos.
United Bible Studies was formed in 2001 and over the last couple of decades has been home to a head-spinning array of performers in an ever-evolving merry-go-round of studio and live personnel. Drawing on the broadest community of musicians, the band have created an impressive catalogue of 28 albums of studio and live recordings.
Standard weight black vinyl LP in picture sleeve with lyric booklet. 300 copies for the World.

“...teems with bushy-tailed folk-rock about Albion and Ireland, as well as brutal, bracing songs about singer Alison O’Donnell’s experiences with a former stalker, such as the startling You Often Hid”. (THE GUARDIAN)

Long Ryder guitarist/mandolinist Sid Griffin states 'High Noon Hymns' is “two thirds the distilled altcountry genre we helped found back in the 1980s, one third Paisley Underground adventurism yet with a dash of our own crazed soulfulness thrown in." Due to the unexpected passing of Long Ryders' bassist Tom Stevens, bass duties on the new album were shared by Murry Hammond of Americana stalwarts The Old 97s and The Long Ryders’ own Stephen McCarthy. McCarthy also performs live with The Jayhawks and occasionally records with the Dream Syndicate. Guests appearing in the album include DJ Bonebrake of X on vibes and young bluegrass wunderkind Wyatt Ellis on mandolin. The album was recorded at Kozy Tone Studios in sunny Poway, California.

Death Is Not The End present a compilation gathering a cross-section of early gospel choirs and vocal harmony groups recorded between late 1920s and the mid-1950s - a period when spirituals & jubilee traditions merged with blues, jazz and early rhythm and blues, providing the musical routes for the coalescence of the civil rights movement born out of the black church. In the modern world these perennially vital recordings provide a fitting tonic for the near-dystopia we find ourselves living through.

Rick James Blends Brazen Attitude, Fearless Sexuality, and Shrewd Charisma on Street Songs:

Punk-Funk Album Aims for the Hips and Head, Includes the Timeless Hit “Super Freak”
Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies:

Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Presents 1981 Smash in Audiophile Sound for the First Time
1/4” / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe


“Punk funk” was a relatively unknown concept before 1981. But once Street Songs took the charts by storm that year, the world soon knew about what became Rick James’ signature style. And how. True to its name, Street Songs blends outspoken sexuality, brazen attitude, and edgy commentary amid contagious R&B-fueled arrangements that simultaneously aim for the hips, head, and various nether regions. And it’s never sounded better.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents James’ platinum-certified effort in audiophile quality for the first time. Playing with crisp dynamics, lively textures, airy headroom, and revealing clarity, this collectible edition of the record that stayed at the No. 1 spot on the R&B Album Charts for 20 weeks invites you to get closer to music that beckons you to turn your space into a private dance floor.

Then again, you’ll likely be so taken by how the taut bass lines, snappy rhythms, and four-on-the-floor beats — all rendered in stunning detail and with full-bodied architecture — come across with such accuracy and presence, you might stay pinned to your seat. On this pressing, the soundstaging, imaging, and lit-fuse energy of Street Songs reach new heights. Everything from the rubbery feel of the guitar lines to the depth of James’ temperature-raising vocals to the scale of the horn charts emerges as if James and his ace session crew set up in your room.

The Buffalo native and his ensemble waste no time getting their message across. On the album-opening “Give It to Me Baby,” James and company lay down a mix of sleek funk and pulsing disco that practically activates the bright lights of a discotheque and stimulates the libido of anyone within earshot. Having reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul charts, the song is pure sex — and just one of the carnal delights on a record that embraces the subject as fearlessly as James does his identity.

Of course, the most famous of James’ erotic excursions — the timeless “Super Freak” — hit No. 1 on Hot Dance Club Play charts, No. 16 on the Hot 100, and, later, No. 153 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time. Bolstered by a quavering keyboard theme and electro riffs, the much-sampled track worms itself inside your muscles with smile-inducing subject matter, gliding vocals, nimble movements, a hot tenor-saxophone solo, and backing vocals by the Temptations.

The iconic Motown group isn’t the only celebrated guest artist on the Grammy-nominated Street Songs. James’ then-labelmate, Stevie Wonder, lends harmonica to the frank sociopolitical narrative on “Mr. Policeman,” a protest tune that also manages to stroll ’n’ strut via simmering organ, staggering brass accents, and James’ gritty vocal performance. In addition to contributing backing vocals on several cuts, Teena Marie turns in one of the album’s signature moments on “Fire and Desire,” a romantic old-school duet with James that impresses with smoothness, sensitivity, and smokiness.

High-profile colleagues aside, James remains the undisputed star, a figure whose leather-and-latex attire, braided hair, and natural swagger made him misunderstood by some in the mainstream and embraced by everyone in the know as a true original. As a testament to his magnetism and skills, his charisma and rawness seemingly seep through every note, whether on the balladic sweep of the risqué “Make Love to Me” or strident, poke-and-prod persuasion of the moonwalking “Call Me Up.”

On the closing “Below the Funk (Pass the J),” an uptempo autobiographical tale that addresses the visionary musician’s second-favorite love, the singer acknowledges his upbringing and inseparable connection with his roots — an homage to where he began and a toast to where he’s gone.

Rick James, keepin’ it real on Street Songs, still as real as it gets.

French artist Trypheme debuts on Impatience with “Odd Balade”, a darkly-hued collection of songs drawn from human delicacy and dreamworld mythology.

“Odd Balade” is Trypheme’s most ambitious and boldest record to date - both lyrically and musically. The album’s thirteen tracks resist rigid genre boundaries and flutter from medieval folk realms, sprawling synths, gothic 80s wave, leftfield pop, haunted vocals, mutant electronica to reverbed guitars - all reflected through her own shadowy prism. Especially album closer “A Walk In The Vercors” evokes a soothing serenity that echoes the sonic balm of Julee Cruise.

Trypheme’s musical repertoire trends heavily electronic and somewhat abstracted, but on “Odd Balade”, the artist slips into the role of the modern troubadour with a shift to a more poetically and personal songwriting that is infused with symbolism and dreamlike fantasies. The connective tissue of the album is the audacity to love and the vulnerability that ensues. As intimate and introspective as the lyrics are, the themes remain universal and human to the core: the fear of losing a loved one, the melancholia of leaving places and t“the fear of losing a loved one, the melancholia of leaving places and the cycles of life. The record was largely composed in Chars, stirred by the French village’s eerie atmosphere and frequent trips to the seaside in Brittany, where Trypheme resides. Drawing inspiration from the rugged terrain of the seaside landscapes, the writings of Allen Ginsberg and Mark Fisher and the hyperrealist art of Scott Prior, Trypheme uses her songs to depict life with broad strokes of rhythm.

On “Odd Balade” Trypheme consolidates herself as a gifted, nimble songwriter, masterly producer and subtly powerful vocalist. The record combines her skill for crafting lush, alien sound worlds and efficient, alluring arrangements with stealthily devastating songs. Belin’s voice becomes a key ingredient, appearing on eleven of Odd Balade’s thirteen tracks, by turns heavily manipulated, sampled and replayed as a form of percussion, or basically bare.

“Odd Balade” is the manifestation of Trypheme’s roving artistic practice, a ceremonial-grade sacrament cast in a rich nocturnal glow. Pairing the mundane with the mythic, the album stays true to its core: odd and strangely familiar.

RIYL - Riding off into the sunset to an unknown destination, hauntology, present, tales told by the fireside, hot summer rain, adventures, to feel a warm presence when you are walking in the forest or in the mountain, coastal landscapes, sailor’s stories, slow motion, vitesse, heavy blossoms, colors, the warmth of the sun, the tenderness of the moon, getting lost in unfamiliar streets, city’s lights, motorway rest area by night, magic numbers, rendez-vous, picnic, serendipity, poetry, the smell of old records and old books.

Tiphaine Belin has been releasing music as Trypheme since 2016. Odd Balade was written and produced by Belin, and mixed by Belin and Abel Roux. It was mastered by Amir Shoat. Cover art photography is by Ariane Kiks, with art direction by Ariane Kiks in collaboration with Mathilde Chaize.

Named after his grandfather's pool hall cafe in Alert Bay, British Columbia, the record connects small-town grit with the bright lights of Nashville, where Willie recorded with Grammy- winning producer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Kingfish, Susan Tedeschi). From roadhouse stompers to backseat ballads, Garret T. Willie sings of love, loss, addiction, and resilience with a voice that cuts like hi- beam headlights on a dark backroad. Bill's Cafe is alive wire of energy and soul, carrying old-soul traditions into the future with fire and truth.

Death Is Not The End present a compilation gathering a cross-section of early gospel choirs and vocal harmony groups recorded between late 1920s and the mid-1950s - a period when spirituals & jubilee traditions merged with blues, jazz and early rhythm and blues, providing the musical routes for the coalescence of the civil rights movement born out of the black church. In the modern world these perennially vital recordings provide a fitting tonic for the near-dystopia we find ourselves living through.

The late pedal-steel guitarist Susan Alcorn leaves a final surprise hinting at new directions left underexplored on her collaboration with Nomad War Machine, the improvising metal duo of drummer Julius Masri and guitarist James Reichard. Their death-metal-influenced pummel adds new fire to her molten flow across a suite of improvised tracks that show off the vast range and simpatico of the trio. Julius Masri and James Reichard of Nomad War Machine: “An unexpected opportunity arose out of a catching-up conversation where Susan had revealed a recent fascination with death metal, confessing, ‘I’m 70 years old—I think about death!’ She had learned a couple of Arch Enemy songs on her pedal steel, particularly compelled by their frontwoman’s intensity and vigor as a performer. Voicing an appreciation for the hook-oriented sound of Swedish death metal made sense for a melodic thinker whose roots as veteran pedal steel player reached into the Texan Western swing circuit in the ’60s and ’70s. For her, ever the explorer, metal was a new, appealing point of departure into fresh musical territory. When she expressed an interest in playing with Nomad War Machine, it felt like there was a whole world of shared or complementary interests to explore.” Though known for her fluency in jazz, country, and free improvisation, Alcorn had also studied Arabic, the oud, and maqam, with all holding a deep curiosity for her. Pre-’70s country & western music had also been a lifelong presence for both members Nomad War Machine. Masri, a Lebanese free-jazz and metal drummer, and devoted fan of Texas swing legends like Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant, Leon Rhodes, and Joe Maphis, was also steeped in Arabic music traditions. James Reichard, before coming to “freely” improvised metal, xenharmonic music, and non-Western tuning systems, had grown up being subjected to countless singalongs to numerous pre-’70s country records, entranced by the pedal steel.

A rising and genre-defying figure in the French electronic scene, Goldie B continues her ascent with Who Says Night’s For Sleeping?, a five-track EP that asserts her distinctive signature: an instinctive blend of club energy, cinematic storytelling and UK rave influences. Conceived as the soundtrack to a night lived in full intensity, the record moves through the fire of the dancefloor, the collective trance, and those suspended moments where one floats between dream and wakefulness.

“I imagined this EP as the soundtrack to a night experienced in its entirety. From the first rush of adrenaline on the dancefloor to that floating walk home, still carried by the music. My influences range from Moby and Air to Floating Points and Joy Orbison, artists who know how to combine power and emotion. I love connecting the raw energy of the club with more dreamlike textures, because you can absolutely dream while dancing. Each track is an instinctive snapshot of my inner world.” Goldie B The EP’s opening act, “The Space Between” blends ethereal pads, organic strings and a steady crescendo, recalling the elegance of Air or Moby. It opens a suspended space, equally suited to inner drift or physical release. “I wanted it to feel like a threshold, a gentle hand pulling you into a trance state.”

On “U Make Me Feel So Good”, a sensual and narrative breakbeat track, a flowing bassline gradually tightens into trancier energy. Seductive female vocals weave through broken rhythms, creating a piece that is as tactile as it is hypnotic. “It’s about contrast, the softness and caress at the start, then a tension that rises and electrifies.”
Instagram | Youtube | TikTok | SoundCloudAt the heart of the project, “Rêve de Rave” channels 90’s breakbeat spirit with old-school samples, an euphoric central break and voices urging to move your feet. Urgent and liberating, it embodies the dreamlike essence of the rave. “It’s how I imagine the rave: a lucid dream where joy and collective energy feel almost unreal.”

Next comes the most incisive cut of the EP, “Purple FX”, driven by a grating central bassline that evolves relentlessly until its explosive drop. Minimalist yet implacable, it captures the sheer force of a peak-time track. “I wanted a track purely designed for the club, where the tension just keeps rising until it explodes.”

Closing in chiaroscuro, “Snake Waves” shifts from breakbeat into a half-house, half-techno 4/4 groove, carried by a sinuous, hypnotic bassline. The track plays on tension and release, with a rich harmonic break before fading like a suspended farewell, where the party recedes but the energy lingers. “It’s a farewell piece that keeps the intoxication alive, like a final vertigo before slipping back into the night.”

Goldie B is a multifaceted force on the French electronic scene. A producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, MC, DJ, and co-founder of the label Omakase Recordings, her sets blend bass, jungle, UKG, and breakbeat, captivating audiences with their contagious energy. Based in Marseille, she has released music on renowned labels such as D.KO, Banoffee Pies, and YUKU, and has performed on some of the biggest French stages and festivals: Peacock Society, Astropolis, NDK, Marsatac, Delta, Le Bon Air, and even the Festival d’Avignon. In 2024, she was selected by Apple Music for its Women In Electronic series. Her new Who Says Night’s For Sleeping? EP confirms her status as an instinctive and distinctive artist to watch on the French electronic scene.

2xLP gatefold jacket (recorded in Side A, B, C, and no music recorded in back side of Side D)

Soundtracks including the scores used in the film, including the main theme “The Promise of the World” sung by Chieko Baisho who is a voice actress of the main character, Sophie.

Purple vinyl. With Abyss Calls to Abyss, their third full-length album, Skulld bring to completion a path that began in 2019, a journey through old-school death metal, esoteric mysticism, and radical punk-rooted activism. Written and recorded in 2025, the album unfolds as an eight-track odyssey exploring the furthest edges of human and spiritual experience through a feminist, pagan, and anti-authoritarian lens. The abyss evoked by the album is not only an external, cosmic void, but also an inner, personal, and collective chasm, the place where death and rebirth collide, where wounds and healing, desire and destruction intertwine. Each song delves deep into the essence of being, merging ancestral ritualism, female mythology, social critique, and archetypal symbolism into a single, cohesive vision.

First Word Records are proud to bring you 'Penny Ballads', a 5-track EP from Royce Wood Junior. Royce Wood Junior is a Grammy & Mercury Award-nominated musician, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Brighton. As a multi-instrumentalist, he's collaborated with a litany of brilliant artists over the years, such as Jamie Woon, Nao, Disclosure, Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Joy Crookes, Jamie Lidell and Jordan Rakei, additionally to touring with the likes of the legendary Thomas Dolby. He's released two acclaimed solo albums to date ('The Ashen Tang' in 2015, and 'No Two Blue Ticks' in 2021). 'Penny Ballads' demonstrates RWJ's varied talents, with a collection of alternative soul compositions, each one as unique as the next. It includes the first two singles, the Poplife-Prince era flavoured 'Go Get Your Money', and the double-time future funk adrenaline shot, 'Clean Up', along with three previously-unreleased tracks. 'Beretta' is low-slung soul funk, beginning with quirky squelchy synths, before the soulful lead vocal of feature artist Lucey Way breezes in to melt everyone's hearts. 'Things' sweeps in next, an infectiously soulful midtempo heavy soul bop, with an instant earwork of a hook, like a modern-day Steely Dan / Doobie Brothers, complete with a head-nodding string section to end the track. The collection concludes on a more melancholy downtempo tip with 'Rolling'; an almost-folktronic anthem, with a key refrain that wouldn't be out of place on a 70's Stevie piece. RWJ (aka Jim Wood) says of this project… "Back in the 17 and 1800's Troubadours and minstrels would go from Tavern to Tavern selling Penny Ballads, single sheets of music and lyrics written quickly and frivolously to make a quick buck.. It strikes me that we're in a similar phase in the way we value music in 2025. An old Penny Ballad was cheap and dog-eared, ink-smudged, sung aloud by firelight, Now songs live in the digital ether, dissolved in the air, a ghostly breath paid in micro cents. The new era of Penny Balladry is here, and weird. This EP is a snapshot of my writing over a two year period. Focussed on minimal recording styles, one mic on the drums, generally first or second takes on parts and vocals, I wanted the music to feel like small moments with lyrics that talk about the weird nuances of being alive as a latter stage human on the cusp of the Ai revolution. Culturally so evolved, but physiologically still just a bunch of mammals walking about with primitive fears and needs. Just trying to reconcile it all moment to moment…" Previous support for Royce's music has included Radio 1's Future Sounds, BBC 6 Music's New Music Fix, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova, Tom Robinson, Huw Stephens (BBC 6 Music), Zane Lowe and MistaJam. There have been sessions previously for the likes of Red Bull and press from Huck, Line of Best Fit, Clash, Aesthetica & DIY magazine. Entirely self-written and self-produced, this EP gives a solid taste of RWJ's talents. A deeply funky diverse set of music from an immensely talented individual. 'Penny Ballads' is due to be released on vinyl & digital, 24th October 2025. The vinyl version also includes an exclusive additional mix of the first single 'Go Get Your Money'. TRACKLIST: 01: Clean Up (EP Mix) 02: Go Get Your Money 03: Beretta (feat. Lucey Way) 04: Things 05: Rolling 06: Go Get Your Money (B-Sharp Mix) Deconstructed Mixes