Buscar:one hand

Developed over three years across residencies, tours, and periods of deep listening, “Your Whistle Tells of Landscape” finds Australian sound artist Alexandra Spence continuing her investigations into the perceptual entanglements of sound, place, memory, and imagination. Like much of the artist’s work, it unfolds at the liminal edge between the real and the imagined — between what is heard and what is remembered.

Composed from a constellation of materials gathered across sites and seasons — snowscapes recorded in Vancouver, insect choruses from a Sydney backyard, ceramic fragments unearthed while mudlarking with tinysound — it renders an intimate cartography of experience: one shaped equally by ecological resonance and internal drift. Each piece traces a kind of imaginary geography, where sonic ephemera become proxies for topography, weather, or myth.

The album is informed by time spent at EMS (Stockholm) and MESS (Melbourne), where Spence deepened her engagement with microtonality and tuned feedback systems, and by dialogues with sympathetic artists such as Tashi Wada and Patrick Farmer. Sound materials were sourced from Serge Modular systems, a custom lyre built by Tim Wall, amplified objects, handmade electronics, and Spence’s own field recordings captured within rockpools, beneath sand, and among a flock of sheep in the French Pyrenees. On “Magenta,” a collaboration with Delphine Dora, the domestic and mythic intertwine, as layers of voice, environmental recordings, and Halldorophone feedback drift in and out of one another like overlapping weather systems.

Despite its diverse material palette, the album resists spectacle or accumulation. Instead, it moves with a quiet sense of continuity and a rich interiority — less a sequence of compositions than a set of situated attunements. Across its duration, sounds seem to murmur, glint, or hover right at the edge of presence, invoking a listening practice that is as much about orientation as it is about reception. These are pieces not simply about place, but of place — etched with the grains of time, vibration, and breath.

*Limited edition, hand stamped, one-sided 12" **
Smooth deep house cut with a French touch..

STANDFIRST Titanic, the project spearheaded by Mabe Fratti and Hector Tosta (aka I. la Católica), return with a sumptuous and life-affirming new album.



In her sensational 1929 biography Tiger Woman, dancer and socialite Betty May claimed her ‘coster’s eye’ meant she liked to wear as many colours as possible. “Colours to me are like children to a loving mother. Each is my favourite, yet I can never bring myself to deny the others by preferring one.” May’s bold and inclusive strategy is one that manages to transfer itself, almost a century later, to Hagen, the new record by Titanic.


Many will know Titanic as the Mexico City-based brainchild of cellist and singer Mabe Fratti and multiinstrumentalist Hector Tosta who is now operating under the pseudonym, I. la Católica, (taken, rather unusually, from the name of the street the pair live on). With Hagen, and their previous release, Vidrio, (2023), the pair are creating a distinctive signature sound in modern alternative pop music. Nobody else sounds quite like them. Both records have an open hearted nature and simple, winning melodies that play off against a taste for drama, spectacular orchestration and a feeling of otherworldly mystery. Hagen is the more ambitious, sometimes more mystical effort. From the opening handclaps of ‘Lágrima del Sol’, (a wonderfully uptempo playground chant translating as a tear from the sun but, surely, not referencing the brand of pineapple wine?), the record dances its way through various mid-to-late-eighties inspirations, lush and widescreen passages of melancholy and vertiginous contrasts.


Mystery is often found in the simple but slightly odd song titles. English translations of various track titles give, ‘you swallowed the gum’, ‘leak’, ‘a tear from the sun’, ‘raising the trophy’ ‘digging dimensions’, ‘the owner’, ‘the decapitated hen’ and ‘the trap is exposed’. All denote striking images, metaphysical hints and emotional cues or simple, even childlike actions. Though Fratti and Tosta don’t reveal its provenance, the album’s title could even be a crafty play on words: the listener would be forgiven in thinking the moments of brash contrast and eyebrow raising theatricalism in the music constitute a musical nod to German punk chanteuse, Nina Hagen.


On Hagen, singer and cellist Mabe Fratti once again displays her brilliant knack of speaking to us directly. There is never the suspicion of her playing to the gallery, and the directness of many of the lyrics don’t allow it. Parallel to this, Fratti has an almost magical ability to give Hector Tosta’s melodies, and her and Tosta’s lyrics ones imbued with an insight and meaning that feels otherworldly. Tosta admitted it was “pretty wild to hear Mabe take the interpretations to a different place” and the listener can pick up on the delight Fratti takes in (literally) adding a voice to the many narratives.


Two examples can be shown here: ‘Gotera’ (Leak) uses harsh slashes of cello and tough, gunfire-like guitars and drums and multiple vocal lines that could be acting as a Greek chorus. They play off brilliantly against Fratti’s soft, slightly baleful vocal take that delivers lyrics such as: ‘nobody knows where the leak is / but I know where it is / they fight in front of the door and / nobody can go in’. With ‘La Gallina Degollada’ the somewhat blithe melody melody line, sung with what could be sarcastic brio by Fratti, plays against an itchting rhythm and rasping guitar part. The punch comes when you see that the song is about a chicken that has been decapitated and read lyrics such as: ‘I already saw it, it moved, the decapitated chicken’ / ‘could it be that I'm broken’ and ‘Two people hurt each other by thinking that they no longer agree’/ ‘Hours pass and the chicken represents what scares me’.


There may be death and fights to deal with, but there is also a quality of chirpy self-reliance about Hagen that is a key part of its nature. Like Betty May and her colourful outfits, Hagen’s sound often revels in its own sense of richness. Throughout, the record delivers vaulting string sections or glutinous guitar squeals that could, like the powerful, driving ‘Escarbo Dimensiones’ (Digging Dimensions) have come directly from a glossy 1980s TV series. Fratti sees this “glam sound” developed by Tosta on the aforementioned track and ‘Te Tragaste el Chicle’ (You Swallowed The Gum), as moments that were truly “revealing” for the album as a whole during its making.


What else? The thud and thump of ‘La Trampa Sale’ (The Trap is Exposed), and its sudden change of tempo and mood betrays a monstrously ambitious piece of music, the players almost greedily creating the sounds. Other moments are heart wrenching: ‘Libra’ ends on a poppy chord switch that cleverly ramps up the emotion inherent in the music’s notation. You could almost imagine a teenager in a bedroom forty years ago, rewinding the track over and over on a small, cheap cassette player, unable to get enough of that sugarsweet switch. Elsewhere, Oneohtrix Point Never adds stardust and an unearthly sense of space on the changeable, slightly moody meditation, ‘Pájaro de Fuego’ (Firebird). The record ends with ‘Alzando el Trofeo’ (Lifting the Trophy), a track that could soundtrack a state wedding, what with its beautiful cascading piano parts, a sugary vocal and short triumphal guitar riffs that add a rich patina to the overall sound. Fratti: “When I doubled those vocals on ‘Alzando el Trofeo’ I felt there was an epiphany happening, right at that moment.”


Making a good record is a team game. Tosta and Fratti recall seeing Randall from Circular Ruin Studios in NYC “tweak the drums in ‘Libra’ to make that amazing effect of the gated reverb”, or the shaping of ‘Gotera’, “when (recording engineer) Nate Salon added some synths to the track.” Drummer Eli Keszler, “an amazing and versatile player” had the songs down pat in a couple of days” and, according to Tosta, Oneohtrix Point Never “just came to one of the sessions and we hung out, and after all the recordings he and Nate were together in some studio and out of nowhere they sent us some beautiful tracks for ‘Pájaro de Fuego’! Fratti concurs. “He decided that he wanted to record because he was listening to the record (Nate works closely with him) and he really liked it! It was a total honour, indeed!”


Bedazzled by the playing, the skyscraping ambition in the arrangements and the giddy moments of contrast thrown up by Hagen, we could allow ourselves a brief moment of flippancy and state that Titanic’s new record is Yacht Rock meets Aeschylus, full-on. It’s also worth speculating that, in this hyper-sensitive, intemperate age, Titanic’s music has the power, however fleetingly, to heal hurts. Hagen is a brilliant showcase for a fresh and enriching form of pop music: displaying a magpie eye for what glints and plundering what has gone before.


Like Vidrio, Hagen was partially and additionally recorded at Fratti and Tosta’s house, aka Tinho Studios in Mexico City, as well as Golden Girl Studios & Circular Ruin Studios in New York City. Mixing was done by Santiago Parra in Pedro y el Lobo Studios, Mexico City and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studios, New York City. The recording engineer was Nate Salon.


Hagen featured Mabe Fratti on cello, vocals & backing vocals, I. la Católica on guitar, keyboards, prepared piano, bass & backing vocals, drums by Eli Keszler and synths in ‘Pájaro de Fuego’ from Daniel Lopatin and Nate Salon.


All compositions on Hagen are written by I. la Católica, except ‘Escarbo Dimensiones’ & ‘Pájaro de Fuego’, which were composed by I. la Católica and Mabe Fratti. The record was produced by I. la Católica and co-produced by Nate Salon & Mabe Fratti. And all lyrics are by I. la Católica except ‘Escarbo Dimensiones’, ‘Gotera’, ‘Gallina degollada’ & ‘Pájaro de Fuego’, which were written by I. la Católica & Mabe Fratti.

STANDFIRST Titanic, the project spearheaded by Mabe Fratti and Hector Tosta (aka I. la Católica), return with a sumptuous and life-affirming new album.



In her sensational 1929 biography Tiger Woman, dancer and socialite Betty May claimed her ‘coster’s eye’ meant she liked to wear as many colours as possible. “Colours to me are like children to a loving mother. Each is my favourite, yet I can never bring myself to deny the others by preferring one.” May’s bold and inclusive strategy is one that manages to transfer itself, almost a century later, to Hagen, the new record by Titanic.


Many will know Titanic as the Mexico City-based brainchild of cellist and singer Mabe Fratti and multiinstrumentalist Hector Tosta who is now operating under the pseudonym, I. la Católica, (taken, rather unusually, from the name of the street the pair live on). With Hagen, and their previous release, Vidrio, (2023), the pair are creating a distinctive signature sound in modern alternative pop music. Nobody else sounds quite like them. Both records have an open hearted nature and simple, winning melodies that play off against a taste for drama, spectacular orchestration and a feeling of otherworldly mystery. Hagen is the more ambitious, sometimes more mystical effort. From the opening handclaps of ‘Lágrima del Sol’, (a wonderfully uptempo playground chant translating as a tear from the sun but, surely, not referencing the brand of pineapple wine?), the record dances its way through various mid-to-late-eighties inspirations, lush and widescreen passages of melancholy and vertiginous contrasts.


Mystery is often found in the simple but slightly odd song titles. English translations of various track titles give, ‘you swallowed the gum’, ‘leak’, ‘a tear from the sun’, ‘raising the trophy’ ‘digging dimensions’, ‘the owner’, ‘the decapitated hen’ and ‘the trap is exposed’. All denote striking images, metaphysical hints and emotional cues or simple, even childlike actions. Though Fratti and Tosta don’t reveal its provenance, the album’s title could even be a crafty play on words: the listener would be forgiven in thinking the moments of brash contrast and eyebrow raising theatricalism in the music constitute a musical nod to German punk chanteuse, Nina Hagen.


On Hagen, singer and cellist Mabe Fratti once again displays her brilliant knack of speaking to us directly. There is never the suspicion of her playing to the gallery, and the directness of many of the lyrics don’t allow it. Parallel to this, Fratti has an almost magical ability to give Hector Tosta’s melodies, and her and Tosta’s lyrics ones imbued with an insight and meaning that feels otherworldly. Tosta admitted it was “pretty wild to hear Mabe take the interpretations to a different place” and the listener can pick up on the delight Fratti takes in (literally) adding a voice to the many narratives.


Two examples can be shown here: ‘Gotera’ (Leak) uses harsh slashes of cello and tough, gunfire-like guitars and drums and multiple vocal lines that could be acting as a Greek chorus. They play off brilliantly against Fratti’s soft, slightly baleful vocal take that delivers lyrics such as: ‘nobody knows where the leak is / but I know where it is / they fight in front of the door and / nobody can go in’. With ‘La Gallina Degollada’ the somewhat blithe melody melody line, sung with what could be sarcastic brio by Fratti, plays against an itchting rhythm and rasping guitar part. The punch comes when you see that the song is about a chicken that has been decapitated and read lyrics such as: ‘I already saw it, it moved, the decapitated chicken’ / ‘could it be that I'm broken’ and ‘Two people hurt each other by thinking that they no longer agree’/ ‘Hours pass and the chicken represents what scares me’.


There may be death and fights to deal with, but there is also a quality of chirpy self-reliance about Hagen that is a key part of its nature. Like Betty May and her colourful outfits, Hagen’s sound often revels in its own sense of richness. Throughout, the record delivers vaulting string sections or glutinous guitar squeals that could, like the powerful, driving ‘Escarbo Dimensiones’ (Digging Dimensions) have come directly from a glossy 1980s TV series. Fratti sees this “glam sound” developed by Tosta on the aforementioned track and ‘Te Tragaste el Chicle’ (You Swallowed The Gum), as moments that were truly “revealing” for the album as a whole during its making.


What else? The thud and thump of ‘La Trampa Sale’ (The Trap is Exposed), and its sudden change of tempo and mood betrays a monstrously ambitious piece of music, the players almost greedily creating the sounds. Other moments are heart wrenching: ‘Libra’ ends on a poppy chord switch that cleverly ramps up the emotion inherent in the music’s notation. You could almost imagine a teenager in a bedroom forty years ago, rewinding the track over and over on a small, cheap cassette player, unable to get enough of that sugarsweet switch. Elsewhere, Oneohtrix Point Never adds stardust and an unearthly sense of space on the changeable, slightly moody meditation, ‘Pájaro de Fuego’ (Firebird). The record ends with ‘Alzando el Trofeo’ (Lifting the Trophy), a track that could soundtrack a state wedding, what with its beautiful cascading piano parts, a sugary vocal and short triumphal guitar riffs that add a rich patina to the overall sound. Fratti: “When I doubled those vocals on ‘Alzando el Trofeo’ I felt there was an epiphany happening, right at that moment.”


Making a good record is a team game. Tosta and Fratti recall seeing Randall from Circular Ruin Studios in NYC “tweak the drums in ‘Libra’ to make that amazing effect of the gated reverb”, or the shaping of ‘Gotera’, “when (recording engineer) Nate Salon added some synths to the track.” Drummer Eli Keszler, “an amazing and versatile player” had the songs down pat in a couple of days” and, according to Tosta, Oneohtrix Point Never “just came to one of the sessions and we hung out, and after all the recordings he and Nate were together in some studio and out of nowhere they sent us some beautiful tracks for ‘Pájaro de Fuego’! Fratti concurs. “He decided that he wanted to record because he was listening to the record (Nate works closely with him) and he really liked it! It was a total honour, indeed!”


Bedazzled by the playing, the skyscraping ambition in the arrangements and the giddy moments of contrast thrown up by Hagen, we could allow ourselves a brief moment of flippancy and state that Titanic’s new record is Yacht Rock meets Aeschylus, full-on. It’s also worth speculating that, in this hyper-sensitive, intemperate age, Titanic’s music has the power, however fleetingly, to heal hurts. Hagen is a brilliant showcase for a fresh and enriching form of pop music: displaying a magpie eye for what glints and plundering what has gone before.


Like Vidrio, Hagen was partially and additionally recorded at Fratti and Tosta’s house, aka Tinho Studios in Mexico City, as well as Golden Girl Studios & Circular Ruin Studios in New York City. Mixing was done by Santiago Parra in Pedro y el Lobo Studios, Mexico City and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studios, New York City. The recording engineer was Nate Salon.


Hagen featured Mabe Fratti on cello, vocals & backing vocals, I. la Católica on guitar, keyboards, prepared piano, bass & backing vocals, drums by Eli Keszler and synths in ‘Pájaro de Fuego’ from Daniel Lopatin and Nate Salon.


All compositions on Hagen are written by I. la Católica, except ‘Escarbo Dimensiones’ & ‘Pájaro de Fuego’, which were composed by I. la Católica and Mabe Fratti. The record was produced by I. la Católica and co-produced by Nate Salon & Mabe Fratti. And all lyrics are by I. la Católica except ‘Escarbo Dimensiones’, ‘Gotera’, ‘Gallina degollada’ & ‘Pájaro de Fuego’, which were written by I. la Católica & Mabe Fratti.

INTEMPORARY AND INDETRONABLE FRENCH COLD WAVE CLASSIC in a SPECIAL EDITION to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this mythical album.



This edition includes a 45T with 2 previously unreleased tracks, available nowhere else.



Thierry Müller, who initiated the RUTH project, is not at his first try when the album POLAROÏD/ROMAN/PHOTO including the eponymous track is released in 1985. His older brother Patrick along with one of their cousins make his musical education and he quickly becomes familiar with contemporary and experimental music. He starts quite early to tinker sounds on old tape recorders by himself but it is in 1977 that Thierry launches with some friends his first group, ARCANE, while studying at the School of Applied Arts. Their sound is weird, a mixture of saturated scratches and feedback tapes: there is no discographic or scenic testimony of this experience.



Alongside ARCANE, Thierry is already working solo on his ILITCH project / concept, an experimental and innovative work, whose first album Periodmindtrouble is released in 1978 on the Oxigène label. Despite insubstantial sales, this album brings Thierry recognition and success in the very elitist circles of experimental and underground music.



ILITCH’s musical bias was too narrow for Thierry’s ceaseless experimental curiosity, parallel to these activities, he therefore develops a Punk project called RUTH ELLYERI with the author, actress and photographer Murielle Huster. The title is an anagram of Thierry Müller (the complete name is Ruth M. Ellyeri). The character is meant to impersonate one of his schizophrenic facets and allows him to extend his field of expressions to musical styles differing from those in ILITCH.

From this work, the very cult punk piece Mescalito emerges, song that can be found on the mythical but unfortunately very rare compilation 125g de 33 1/3 tours (1979) of the Oxigène label (first “french punk” sampler). At the end of 1978, he meets Philippe Doray at the Oxigene office. Doray is another big name of French experimental music. Thierry moves to his home near Rouen, a remote farmhouse with a music studio made of odds and ends.



They work on their respective creations but meet from time to time on experimentations in common, including CRASH (a tribute to JG Ballard) As early as 1982, a first version of the track Polaroïd/Roman/Photo is out under the name of the project RUTH. “I wanted to write a piece to make the girls dance and make fun of the boys. I plugged a small handmade clock on my Farfisa organ as a sequencer. I had a small Roland synth-guitar, I put the organ in it and that’s how it started.” Philippe is quite amused by the idea of working on a more Pop project and offers to write the text. Thierry works on other tracks for the future LP and asks some friends to write other texts : Edouard Nono, visual artist, writes the lyrics of Mots, Frédérique Lapierre those of Misty Mouse and Tu m’ennuies . It is her voice you hear on these 2 tracks and on the first version of Polaroïd/Roman/Photo. Later, Thierry settles down in the Anagramme recording studio to carry out acoustic sound recordings. But when the sessions are over, the 2 musicians are not too happy with the results of Polaroïd/Roman/Photo: according to them, they lack “flamboyance”. They decide then to record a new female voice with a professional singer and the sound engeneer Patrick Chevalot offers to mix the track in the Synthesis studio “so that it blows out”.



With his tape ready and the help of Jacques Pasquier (S.C.O.P.A. / Invisible records where Ilitch’s second album, 10 Suicides, is released) he starts to contact record companies. “I visited almost all the major record companies and was thrown out every time. Only at RCA’s I found someone interested in my music. It was Francis Fottorino who had signed Kas Product but when it reached the the big boss, no way! Philippe Constantin from Virgin records raised some hope but in vain.



The album was finally released in 1985 with Paris Album, a small independant label.” The album barely sells 50 copies in 1985, despite the eponymous title as a potential success. « In 2004, 2 DJs Marc Colin and Ivan Smagghe discover the track Polaroïd/Roman/Photo and decide to exhume it from oblvion. They release it on a compilation called So Young but so cold (Tigersushi) and then with Born Bad records on the BIPPP compilation in 2008. Thanks to them, the track and the album start a new life.



Alongside his activity as graphic designer, Thierry Müller carries on producing music under his name, those of ILITCH and RUTH for his own creations and various collaborations.

Cloudy Gold Vinyl. This 10 Year Anniversary Edition features new, gatefold packaging with updated photos, lyrics and liner notes. Disc one incldues the originial album in full and the brand new second disc features rare b-side "Nail In Your Hand," a re-done version of "Heaviside" with artist Wisp performing vocals on the song, and seven never-before heard demo versions of songs from Citizen's second album. Ten years ago, Citizen released Everybody Is Going to Heaven _ a record that marked a bold turning point in their career. Following the breakout success of Youth, the band could have stayed the course. Instead, they doubled down on darker textures, heavier moods, and a fearless sense of experimentation. Released in 2015, Everybody Is Going to Heaven expanded Citizen's sound beyond their emo and post-hardcore roots, weaving in elements of grunge, and alternative rock. Tracks like "Cement" and "Stain" captured a raw, unsettled energy that explored mortality, depression, and identity with an honesty that still resonates today. It wasn't a record built for easy listens _ it was built to last. Now, a decade later, Everybody Is Going to Heaven stands as a defining moment in Citizen's evolution _ a record that challenged both the band and their audience, and helped shape the fearless, genre-blurring artists they've become. As they celebrate its 10th anniversary, Citizen remains a band deeply committed to growth, refusing to be tied to a single sound or era. Everybody Is Going to Heaven didn't just mark where they were; it lit the way for everything that came next.

A mythical tune for all serious digital reggae collectors, finally reissued. The obscure Junior Khadaffy (various spellings!) released only a handful of tunes in the mid-late '80s, but all are fantastic. This one was cut for E&F Studios in the Bronx, ran by the late artist I-Plee. Stereo Fletcher happens to be family to I-Plee, producing several records by the artist for his own labels. But the works went both ways, and Stereo produced this one for release on E&F's in-house label. Slick but killer digital reggae, this one has always reminded us of the production style of Little Kirk's "Weed Them Out", a fantastic arrangement, great vocals and a complex head-nodding rhythm. The original press is extremely rare and the tune is simply too good to remain that way, so here it is, top top top shelf '80s digital, now available for all.

Jessica93, prodigal bastard of our glorious french squat scene, relocated on Born Bad : this is no picnic. Geoffroy Laporte, alone against all odds, alternates bass and guitar to build harsh loops with a drum machine spitting pre-Gulf War patterns. That’s where it gets tricky : every musical posse claims him. Grunge, sure, but Jessica doesn’t indulge in necrophilia. His circuit is punk, he doesn’t dress the part though. Cold wave, the atmosphere fits somehow, but the gear does not. The self-confident rock horde saw him playing with hair in his eyes… but he never joined the Party. Metal had something to say but sadly, nobody listened. Maybe it's time to give it a rest and let Jessica93 cook his great misery broth on her own, called « 666 tours de périph’ » (666 laps on the beltway). Witnessing Jessica93 live makes you dread that he'll get up the next morning, drive 200 miles and one nap later kick it again, when it takes us a good week to recover from the bad half of that same evening. Like so many other unknown soldiers during our very own world war of music, he patrols small venues relentlessly.



At the heart of this cultural pentacle painted by french weirdos Bryan's Magic Tears, and Carine Krinator, Jessica93 has built a sound validated by years of chosen vagrancy, birthing bands with joyously stupid monikers, in the humid jungle of small labels. Jessica93's debut album had a track celebrating Omar Little, HBO’s gay bandit from Baltimore. This story begins on the beltway, where Florence Rey, accidental copkiller turned to political icon of the 90’s. Geoffroy offers his brilliant analysis : " C’est la police qui nous tire d’ssus / C’est mon trou d’balle qui leur chie d’ssus « (Police shoots us down / my dripping asshole gets the job done).



A previous album was haunted by bedbugs, this one is essentially about love, a delicious scourge just as hard to eradicate. Two black diamonds peek out of the LP : ’’La colline du crack’’, heartbreak song about the ultimate temptation of violent delights, located on crackhead central in Paris. The brilliant chorus, ‘Take my hand and come with me to Crack Hill’ will put an end to the rumours, almost everything was really false. And Bébé Requin, alternative obituary that’ll make you shiver, where our nice couple states ‘’on kiffe la drogue dure et les ptits chiens’ (‘we love hard drugs and little dogs’). And that is the reason we face the wall of sound jostled by unnecessary shoulder thrusts: those nice fat chunks of charcoal poetry, hidden under light sarcasm.



The rest of the record demonstrates the know-how acquired in loop-by-loop construction of ruins that are pleasant to squat in together. There’s your classic doom delicatessen, with bits of heavy metal inside, crafted with the manic care typical of hard wankers. Arthur Satàn, who produced and mixed the album at home in Bordeaux, helped him get his head out of the reverb safe house. And Jessica93 took the opportunity to switch to the dark side of the language : french at last. Worth the wait ! Sing along : « nique sa mère / nique sa grosse mère » (translate that yourself).

We are honoured to work with Neil, who’s been an intrinsic part of the UK techno scene, especially with his devotion to experimentation within the genre! Sorry for the typo on the centre label mate. This release came out of the thirst for something very much outside the box.. literally! Fun fact: Fang Man was inspired by a breakdown driver who Neil met the day before signing this EP with us. Maximum respect to all DJs who picked this one up for the club circuit or radio spins! Thanks to everyone who’s been supporting the label and bought the wax, we’ve got plenty more in the works.

Erik K Skodvin's feature-length score to Thomas Roth's thriller "Schächten" feels like the epitome of all his musical projects, conjuring a dark cinematic trip through 1960's post-WWII Vienna in a film that touches on topics such as law, justice & revenge.

Releasing a soundtrack as a stand-alone album can be challenging; and "Schächten" is by no means a typical listening experience. The record contains 24 more or less short pieces evolving through dramatic movements, underlaying menace and deep emotive scenes. One thing that stands out is the linear atmosphere throughout the story which creates a wholeness that keeps your attention to the very end. Set in wintery Austrian landscapes in dimly saturated colours, the film's dramatic events with dark political undertones feels like a perfect situation for Skodvin's atmospheric collages - perhaps sounding closer than ever to his early works as Svarte Greiner or Deaf Center. Cello, violin, piano, analogue synth and plenty of hardly recognizable instrumentation come together in a record that feels very organic in its subdued tones. The score also features percussion by Andrea Belfi as well as a Chopin piano interpretation by Kelly Wyse to the bizarrely schizophrenic piece "Judenfreund".

With the contemporary world sliding into darkness again, listening to the soundtrack feels like coming to terms with ones own anxieties - something that in the end comes through as a cleansing experience. As quoted in the film "Everyone is their own devil. And we make this world our hell".

Short synopsis : "Vienna 1960s - The young Jewish business man Victor has to witness how the prosecution of a Nazi crime against his family fails. The political and legal system is still virtually run by former Nazis with large parts of society being entangled in the past. When Victor also loses his grief ridden father and his girlfriend’s family opposes their relationship and his identity, Victor begins to loose faith in formal justice and takes matters in his own hands."

“Oh damn I got fired suddenly, replaced by a hydraulic pump with life long guarantee”.

The undefinable Kaboom Karavan returns to the dusty Belgian roads with a total Fiasko! - or a full blown disaster if you will (seen from a minimalist perspective), although one that might be the antidote to the sterilised and scattered world that increasingly surrounds us. Fiasko! represents a musical chaos that feels both ecstatic, fun, as well as deeply melancholic. Like an overwhelming moment where the world seems to touch you on all senses. This is music for a new underground of black tie workers raising up to the dullness of societal norms by connecting to their inner child. It’s protest music towards the new normal, where the rules are thrown out of the window and unpredictable sense of joy prevails. Shortly said, Fiasko! Is contemporary exotica made by a madman with too much time on his hands.

As usual, Kaboom Karavan releases contains a conglomerate of strange, mostly home made instrumentation, which will be too long to list here. To shorten it down… Bram Bosteels himself, the captain of the ship, plays all kinds of acoustic instruments, guitars, electronics and uses his voice. Additionally we have Bart Maris on trumpet, tuba and trombone. Stefaan Smagghe plays violin and sarangi. Lastly we have Raphael de Cock on such typical instruments as igir, jadagan and uillean pipes. All that remains to be said is: Bring your neighbour, let yourself loose and have some fun. Listen to Fiasko!

Italian producer, musician, DJ, and groove architect Sam Ruffillo drops his long-awaited debut album Tipo Così on Toy Tonics – a sun-drenched, genre-blurring statement that blends classic house with Mediterranean flair, romantic funk, and tongue-in-cheek Italo vibes. Over 11 expertly crafted tracks, Ruffillo delivers a dancefloor-ready, emotionally rich LP that connects deep musicality with irresistible rhythm and light-hearted elegance.

After three acclaimed EPs and collaborations with revered artists such as Barbara Boeing, Kapote, and Fimiani, Ruffillo has firmly cemented himself as a core artist on the Berlin-based label. Known for his unmistakable signature sound — a warm mix of vintage disco, 90s house, and Italian vocals — Sam’s music has garnered widespread DJ support from tastemakers like Gerd Janson, Palms Trax, Seth Troxler, and DJ Tennis, while becoming a staple on Italian airwaves. His infectious summer anthems like Danza Organica and Perfetta Così have soundtracked countless club nights and festivals, creating a loyal following that eagerly awaited this full-length debut.

Tipo Così is the natural culmination of a musical journey that’s both playful and profound — a travel diary written in grooves, synth stabs, and melodies that feel like postcards from a parallel Mediterranean universe. The album expands and deepens Ruffillo’s world into a fully immersive experience: lush emotional chords meet tight syncopated grooves, vintage synth textures collide with irresistibly catchy pop refrains, and the boundary between sincerity and playful irony is exquisitely blurred.

Entirely written, produced, and recorded in Italy, in his beloved hometown of Bologna, the album finds Ruffillo at the helm on keys, drum machines, and production, supported by a talented cast of musicians contributing live bass, guitar, and other organic elements — further enriching his trademark fusion of electronic grooves and natural instrumentation. There’s a tactile warmth in these tracks, a hands-on feel that adds soul and depth to every beat.

This album also marks Ruffillo’s heartfelt return to singing in Italian, with standout tracks like House Tipo Così, Mi Fa Volare, Ancora, and Dentro Di Me, where romantic naïveté meets pulsing club energy in a way that feels both timeless and refreshingly new. The vocal performances add an intimate, human touch to the music, reinforcing the personal stories woven into each song. There’s poetry in the casual, a bittersweet elegance in the way the lyrics float over groove-heavy production.

Having toured extensively across Europe, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Mexico — with sets at iconic venues like Panorama Bar and festivals such as Sónar Barcelona — Ruffillo has fine-tuned much of this album in front of live audiences. The real-world testing ground infused the record with a dynamic energy and immediacy that only comes from genuine crowd interaction. These songs weren’t just made in the studio — they were lived on dancefloors around the world.

Tipo Così is not just a collection of tracks. It’s a philosophy — playful, stylish and unmistakably personal. A modern club album bursting with heartfelt emotion and sophistication. Music for dancers with taste; for lovers of beauty, rhythm, and the little imperfections that make things feel real.

But what exactly is Tipo Così? More than just a phrase, it’s a way of being. It’s about embracing elegance without effort, mixing irony with sincerity, and letting nostalgia slip into the room without taking over the party. It’s Sam Ruffillo’s signature language: relaxed, confident, meticulous yet never rigid — where a chord progression can say as much as a lyric, and every beat carries intention.

The album’s visual identity complements this vision perfectly. The artwork and promotional materials lovingly reference Italian design from the ’80s and ’90s, combining bold graphic elements with playful pop culture nods. This aesthetic mirrors Ruffillo’s music — a fusion of vintage warmth and contemporary freshness, delivered with authenticity and charm.

Sam Ruffillo belongs to a new generation of European artists who are reshaping electronic music by blending past and present, analog and digital, groove and emotion — without nostalgia or pose. His artistic universe is coherent, vibrant, and alive; a rich tapestry of sound, images, and stories that coexist with lightness, precision, and a distinctive voice.

Reflecting on his artistic journey, Sam describes music as a vital, deeply human impulse — a tribal connection to rhythm and body that has driven him since he was a teenager. His creative process balances meticulous planning with room for spontaneity, usually sparked by clear melodic ideas that evolve naturally. Collaborations with close friends, especially vocalists like Ninfa, add warmth and authenticity, exemplified in tracks like “House Tipo Così.” For Sam, music is honest self-expression — crafted for listeners who crave memorable melodies and rhythms imbued with genuine feeling.

While technical perfection is tempting, Sam prioritizes emotion, knowing that what truly resonates is the soul behind the sounds. His long-standing partnership with Toy Tonics has been key in nurturing his vision, offering a blend of creative freedom and professional support. Looking ahead, Sam Ruffillo is excited to broaden his live performances, and release new projects that continue to blend electronic grooves with organic, heartfelt sounds — maintaining the delicate balance between playful irony and sincere emotion that defines Tipo Così.




Kurzversion:
Italian DJ, producer and musician Sam Ruffillo drops his debut album Tipo Così on Toy Tonics - a sunny blend of house, funk, Italo and pop, full of groove and emotion. Written and recorded in Bologna with live instruments and Italian vocals, it’s a playful, elegant journey shaped on dancefloors worldwide. A stylish, sincere club album where nostalgia, irony and rhythm meet in perfect harmony.

- Mi Fa Volare
Road-tested across continents and now finally released, “Mi Fa Volare” channels 90s uplifting euphoria with big breakbeats, lush chords, and Italian vocals built to stick. Somewhere between balearic bliss and piano house nostalgia, it’s a feel-good club weapon made for peak-time moments - already sung back by crowds after just one listen.


- Ancora
“Ancora” is a vibrant hi-NRG track inspired by 80s Italo disco, sung entirely in Italian. It blends driving rhythms with dreamy melodies, capturing the radiant spirit of the decade. This fresh yet nostalgic song delivers euphoric vibes and timeless energy, making it a perfect fit for both dancefloors and reflective listening moments worldwide.


- Dentro Di Me
“Dentro Di Me” channels ‘90s sensuality through a fast-paced, UK house-inspired lens. Entirely in Italian, it’s a bold and contemporary dance track where hypnotic vocals meet high-energy grooves. Blending nostalgic textures with forward-thinking production, the result is a seductive and euphoric trip - equal parts emotional and club-ready.


- Amigo
“Amigo” blends Latin groove, acoustic guitar-driven rhythm, and Mediterranean flair into a warm, magnetic, cross-cultural dance anthem. Sung in Spanish and Italian, it celebrates connection, inclusivity, and the joy of moving together - whether stranger or friend. With its unstoppable rhythm and vibrant energy, it’s a feel-good track with a unifying spirit.


- Ma Sei Fuori
“Ma Sei Fuori” is a tongue-in-cheek dancefloor bomb blending raw house energy with catchy vocal phrases and a nod to classic French touch. Driven by hypnotic vocal lines and a playful attitude, it doesn’t take itself too seriously - while still proving serious club impact. Built for late-night moments, it’s bold, bouncy, and impossible to ignore.

"Bandleader Lina Langendorf has been known in Sweden for a long time as one of the most skilled and forward thinking saxophone players. She has been staying in both Mali and Ethopia for longer periods and has performed in concerts with legendary artists like Alemayehu Eshete, Vieux Farka Touré and...Mulatu Astatke who, at his club African Jazz Village (in Addis Ababa/Ethiopia), introduced Lina to people in the audience with the words: 'Amazing saxophone player, big respect! We should play together some day'. Some minutes later they go on stage together. Joined by the legendary piano player Dawit Yifru and the bass player from Roha Band, Giovanni Rico Bonsignori. 'Fantastic. You're so strong. Everybody loves you, they say you are ethio-jazz' was Mulatu's words after the jam session.
Lina has also been invited to the live club Le Hogon in Bamako numerous times for jam sessions and concerts with Toumani Diabaté and his band. And for Lina, these jam sessions in Addis and Bamako has been a crucial part of shaping (and sharpening) her musical vision. Last year she was also touring the UK as part of James Yorkston, Nina Persson and the second hand orchestra.
But it wasn't until feb 2023 we got to hear her own music. The debut album with her newly formed band Langendorf United was co-released between Italian label Black Sweat records and Swedish label Sing A Song Fighter and it immediately resonated with music lovers around the world (Radiohead drummer Philip Selway called it 'as if Tinariwen and Fela Kuti had a Blue Note session').
But the band is not just the composer/Saxophone star and band leader Lina Langendorf. Oh, no. The other four musicians are all highly praised musicians in various jazz bands in Sweden and Norway and together they form this sacred thythmic unity with the pulsating bass at the centre.
Langendorf United's music is vibrant and spiritual and on fire!"

Lina Langendorf - saxophone
Daniel Bingert (son of legendary South American musician Hector Bingert) - keys, guitars
Martin Hederos (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Tonbruket) - keys, viola
Ole Morten Vågan (Trondheim Jazz Orchestra) - upright bass
Andreas Werliin (Fire!, Wildbirds & Peacedrums) - drums

Black Ice Vinyl. On her debut album One Sided, 20 year-old Georga-native Sydney Rose wrestles with growth: growing up, growing apart, growing within. While the singer/songwriter’s 2022 EPs You Never Met Me and This Kind of Thing Doesn’t Last showcased intimate lyricism with the help of understated synths, muted drum machines, and stacked harmonies, One Sided returns to her stripped-back roots, offering tenderhearted meditations on childhood, love, and the evolution of friendship, with a guitar in hand. After Feb 2025 single, We Hug Now, had huge viral success, Syndey Rose has sold out shows all over the US, UK, and Europe.

"Pop" is a tag that's been assigned to Minus The Bear throughout their career. It's been used to set a distinction between the unique brand of complex indie rock they introduced on their first EP and the more angular and aggravated sounds of their previous bands Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. It's also a tag that was thrown around frequently in the wake of their streamlined fourth album, OMNI. And it's a descriptor that immediately comes to mind within the first few seconds of their classic second formal EP, They Make Beer Commercials Like This. Now celebrating its 10-year anniversary and first time in print since 2011, Beer Commercials is the evolutionary step between Minus The Bear's first two landmark albums, Highly Refined Pirates and Menos El Oso. Opening track "Fine + 2 Points" remains one of the band's strongest opening tracks in their discography,charging out of the gates with a syncopated stomp that comes across as a more agitated take on Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Outta My Head". If Minus The Bear were looking to make pop music without any of its major-scale bubblegum trappings, they nailed it here. The band follows it with "Let's Play Clowns" and "Dog Park" - nods to Highly Refined Pirates' formula of frenetic clean guitar work, bombastic choruses, and Jake Snider's lyrics of detached romantic nostalgia. These tracks may represent Minus The Bear's original trademark version of pop, but on songs like "I'm Totally Not Down With Rob's Alien" the band eschews it's restless energy for atmosphere and dynamics, creating a sound that's inspired more than a handful of contemporary melodic post-rock bands. By the time the band belts out "Pony Up!" the listener has watched the three-year sonic transition between Minus The Bear's first two full-lengths transpire within under half-an-hour, with the their earlier math rock predilections yielding to the tightly wound club-banging pedalboard trickery that defined their sophomore album. Even if Beer Commercials doesn't fit within your definition of pop music, the unorthodox energetic charm of this relatively low-profile release serves as an exciting reminder of why Minus The Bear became one of the most important and influential indie rock bands of the new century.

"I stood on top of the mountain and looked out over the landscape. It was so beautiful that my chest hurt. The light vibrated, time stood still, and the contours dissolved for a moment. Everything had changed; I felt it then. I took their little hands so as not to lose contact with the ground. Then we ran down the mountain, scraping our knees. Still, we didn't make it. You had already put away all the nautical charts, loosened the moorings and steered out among the skerries. Mum stood waving from the jetty. You were alone, you wanted it that way. It was to be just you in the boat this time. I called out to you. I think you heard me and felt less lonely. We couldn't carry each other anymore, no matter how hard we tried. We washed our wounds on the shore and scattered tears and rose petals in the bay. The children laughed and searched for treasures under water. We called to them that it was time to come up. They were cold, and we hugged them to warmth. One ran ahead, the other up on our shoulders. Up the mountain, our mountain."

In 2020 Anna Högberg put her widely celebrated band Anna Högberg Attack on hold, retraining as a nurse whilst continuing a solo practice and playing in other groups. With Ensamseglaren she makes a spectacular return with her own ensemble — this time a double sextet — performing an album length suite of new music written in dedication to her late father — the titular ‘ensamseglaren’ pictured on the LP cover as a young boy.

 (ensam in Swedish can mean both alone and lonely, seglaren = the sailor).

Shot through with renewed energy and a brutally affective emotional punch, Högberg’s formal experimentation opens up vibrant possibilities for the assembled musicians to let loose with some of their wildest and most ecstatic playing on record.

Högberg’s contention with grief leans into collective joy as method of mourning — the big band as extended family; where bonds are made through a shared experience of being together. Where everyone gets to be themselves without expectations of who they should be or what they can do. It’s a radical commitment to care — of her self and others — that animates and unifies this suite of music’s radical dynamics and variations in colour: from whisper-quiet textural intensity to harrowing distortion and double drum chaos; raucous and solemn song.

"Throughout history, humans have had different images of the transition between life and death. Imagine standing on the seashore on a summer evening and seeing a beautiful vessel being prepared for departure. The sails are hoisted. The evening breeze comes, the sails fill and the boat glides out onto the open sea. You follow it with your eyes as it heads towards the sunset. It gets smaller and smaller, until it finally disappears as a tiny dot on the horizon. Then you hear someone next to you say, ‘Now they have left us.’ Left us for what? The fact that they got smaller and smaller and finally disappeared is only how we see it. In reality, they are just as big and beautiful as when they were here, lying on the beach by our side. Just as you hear that voice say ‘Now they have left us’, there may be someone on another beach who sees them appear on the horizon, someone waiting to welcome them when they reaches their new port."

DEADLETTER frontman Zac Lawrence’s latest solo venture hones in on the songwriter’s love of the contemporary folk scene of the 60s. Though not necessarily a conventional “Folk” sound, the acoustic guitar led songs intertwine the singer’s passion for lyricism and literacy with heart-string tugging melodies and arrangements. With the first single from this project expected in the summer of 2025, he brings a new band together made up of Misty Miller on vocal duties, Blossom Caldarone (English Teacher) on Cello, and Nathan Pigott (also of DEADLETTER) on clarinet. Antithetical to what we know from him as the frontman of the aforementioned, expect laid back, fingerpicked numbers that take you anywhere from Hamburg’s most gruesome hotel, to him imagining himself as a fifty something looking back on a life that he didn’t live in the way that was intended.

Limited edition on clear vinyl. Wie in het voorjaar van 2025 het voorrecht had om de theatertour van Het Zesde Metaal bij te wonen, kon daar op de koop toe genieten van een handvol gloednieuwe songs. En daarna vaststellen dat die helaas nergens te (her)beluisteren waren. Tot nu, want de goesting om de songs vast te leggen voor de eeuwigheid werd op den duur wel heel groot. En dus kampeerden Wannes Cappelle en co afgelopen zomer enkele dagen in Waimes (DAFT Music Studios), voor het eerst in de nieuwe bezetting met Kasper Cornelus op gitaar/toetsen en Sander Verstraete op bas.



Het resultaat is de EP Randgevallen: vijf songs, vijf vertellingen uit het persoonlijke en wereldse leven die andermaal bewijzen dat Het Zesde Metaal als geen ander kan beschrijven, beklijven en betoveren. Een staalkaart bovendien van de muzikale en tekstuele veelzijdigheid die de band al jaren kenmerkt. Opener Service is een opgewekte popsong waarin Cappelle sappig de drang naar reviews en hartjes in het dagelijkse en economische leven fileert: 'wa' vind je van onze service? / zou j'ons geen tiene willen geven? / asteblieft, want anders is den directeur vies.' In Traagskes Groeien verstilt het tempo en keert de blik naar binnen, het persoonlijke leven in, mijmerend over kinderen die stilaan het nest ontgroeien. 'ge moet u zo nie' spoeien / ge moet traagskes groeien / ge moe' laagske per laagske groeien', probeert Cappelle het loslaten nog even uit te stellen.



Wie dacht dat Oud En Nieuw daarna gaat over feestvieren in de donkerste dagen van december, is op het verkeerde feestje beland. Wiegend op hypnotiserende bas, drum en pedal steel passeert opnieuw de vergankelijkheid van het leven, dit keer met een bredere maatschappelijke blik. 'alles da' oud is, was ooit nieuw / en groot is ooit kleine begonnen / veel komt van weinig / glad was eerst ruw / zelfs de waarheid wierd ooit verzonnen'. Wanneer naar het einde toe pulserende synths het tempo opheffen en de song licht euforisch uitwaaiert in een instrumentale coda, kun je alleen maar de ogen sluiten en stilstaan bij wat was en nog komen zal.

Label is het enige nummer dat speciaal voor de EP werd geschreven en baadt net als Service in meer dartele klanken, terwijl Cappelle met trefzekere oneliners een beeld van zichzelf schetst. 'de meeste middens mijd ik, ik hore bie de randgevallen thuis / misschien verdiene 'kik ook een label'. Moeten we altijd proberen de ander in een vakje te duwen? Kan iedereen niet 'gewoon' anders zijn? En ironisch draait Cappelle de rollen om: 'atypisch is de norm / ge moogt buiten de lijntjes kleuren / gewoon is niet verboden / normaal zijn doet geen zeer / as ze mor hunder plekke kennen / de rare zijn met meer.'



Het slotakkoord is voor het beklijvende Duizend Soldaten van Willem Vermandere, dat Cappelle en Filip Wauters begin dit jaar brachten voor het tv-programma Ik Vraag Het Aan. Nu zet het een pakkend punt achter een EP die nogmaals de tijdloze klasse van de band onderstreept. Meeslepend, verhalend, herkenbaar, grappig, ontroerend, scherp. Het Zesde Metaal is het allemaal en heeft daar slechts vijf songs voor nodig.



Randgevallen werd opgenomen met Frederik Segers (productie) en Jasper Maekelberg (mix) aan de knoppen, en komt uit op 4 oktober. Met de plaat onder de arm én aan de merchandisetafel herneemt de band zijn theatertour, maar dan in het groot, langs fantastische zalen in onder meer Brugge (Concertgebouw), Gent (Capitole) en Nederland.

Die alternativen Brit-Pop-Punker Ash veröffentlichen ihr neuntes Studioalbum "Ad Astra" über Fierce Panda Records. Mit elf brandneuen Tracks, darunter die hervorragende Lead-Single "Give Me Back My World" und ihre mitreißende Interpretation des Harry Belafonte/"Beetlejuice"-Klassikers "Jump In The Line", ist auf ,Ad Astra" auch noch Blur-Gitarrist Graham Coxon auf zwei besonders kecken Songs zu hören, die die ewigen Power-Pop-Könige in besonders raketenartiger Form zeigen. "Ad Astra" folgt recht dicht auf "Race The Night" aus dem Jahr 2023 (das Album der Band mit der höchsten Platzierung in den britischen Charts seit 20 Jahren) und erscheint zwei Jahre und einen Monat später - und das ist kein Zufall. Als Band, die für Live-Musik lebt, schwor sich Ash, dass die durch die Pandemie verursachte fünfjährige Pause zwischen dem Alben "Islands" (2018) und "Race The Night" nie wieder vorkommen würde. Ash greifen auch 2025 noch nach den Sternen des Indieversums! Erhältlich als Gatefold-Jacket-Edition "Rocket Silver" LP, limitierte Spine-Sleeve-Edition "Transparent Martian Red" LP (Indie-Handel exklusiv) und Digi-Sleeve-CD (mit bedruckter Innenhülle bzw. Text-Booklet).

Perhaps it was a cold winter day or a warm summer night in Finland - but it was around 2010. Someone came up with an idea to combine bluegrass, Finnish folk and rock/metal music. The outcome was and has since been Steve 'n' Seagulls. The kind of band you've never heard before but you do want to hear again. Hailing from Finland in Northern Europe - this flock of musical energy keeps on going and flying faster than ever. In 2025, the sun will lay its rays on the long-awaited fifth Steve 'n' Seagulls album - The Dark Side of the Moo! Recorded and produced with the same crew as the previous one, Steve 'n' Seagulls have again found and torn down the limits of progressive bluegrass and newgrass. The album combines elements from genres that are hard to imagine together. Yet they meet and shake hands like old friends. Steve 'n' Seagulls' originals and some re-arranged classics form yet another interesting musical soup ready to be served on their The Dark Side of the Moo -tour around Europe in 2025.

Frank Zappas episches Album „One Size Fits All“ aus dem Jahr 1975 feiert sein 50-jähriges Jubiläum
mit einem weiteren vollgepackten Multi-Disc-Box-Set mit 75 % unveröffentlichtem Material. Die Box enthält vier CDs mit dem 2012 von der Legende Bob Ludwig neu gemasterten Hauptalbum sowie anderthalb
Discs mit Studio-Outtakes, Live-Konzerten, Work-Mixes und relevanten Vault-Tracks. Die Live-Besetzung
bestand aus der klassischen 6-köpfigen Band mit George Duke und Ruth Underwood.Ruth Underwood
steuerte auch neue Linernotes für das Paket bei, zusammen mit historischen Essays von David Fricke und
„Vaultmeister“ Joe Travers. Das Booklet zum 50. Jahrestag enthält außerdem neu veröffentlichte Fotos
von Sam Emerson.
Die Blu-Ray Disc enthält brandneue Dolby Atmos- und 5.1-Mischungen direkt von den 24-Spur-Masterbändern
des Albums, Hi-Res-Versionen des Hauptalbums und zwei Bonus-Surround-Tracks mit alten Mixes von
Zappa selbst. Außerdem sind zwei Bonusvideos von den klassischen KCET-TV-Dreharbeiten enthalten, die
zum ersten Mal neu bearbeitet wurden, seit FZ 1974 das Material in die Hände bekam.
Die 2LP „black glitter“ Jubiläumsedition enthält einen brandneuen analogen Schnitt des Albums, eine
Bonus-LP mit den Highlights des Box-Sets und das Booklet der 50th Anniversary Edition.

“New York’s Harlem River Drive is a dividing line, a highway where the rich zip past the poor,” says singer Jimmy Norman. Eddie Palmieri’s Latin-funk band of the same name tackled these hard truths, playing prisons and speaking to the common man. Ultimately, Norman and Palmieri made a powerful socio-political statement that continues to resonate to this day." Pablo Yglesias/Wax Poetics. When initially released in 1971, many critics panned Eddie Palmieri’s album Harlem River Drive. Those critics were wrong. Regardless of critical opinion, the release was not the crossover success Palmieri and Roulette Records had hoped for, at least in the immediate. Over the years the release has developed a following among listeners, DJs, and aficionados of rare-grooves. The record may have been recorded towards the end of the Latin soul era, yet it features that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. Palmieri worked with an incredibly talented crew of Latin and R&B session musicians to create this quintessential New York vibe, a synthesis of funk and Afro-Cuban sounds. Contributors include Victor Venegas from Mongo Santamaria’s band, Palmieri’s brother Charlie, an accomplished musician in his own right, Bruce Fowler who went on to join Frank Zappa’s band, Dick Meza who went on to great things with Tito Puente, Ray Barretto and Celia Cruz, as well as Andy Gonzalez who’s pedigree includes recordings with Barretto, Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon and even Chico O’Farrill. Also appearing Randy Brecker and one of the all-time greatest of the greats Bernard Purdy. An over-arching theme of Harlem River Drive is the thought that, as Palmieri puts it “The U.S. is richest country, all this immense wealth, side by side with the most intense poverty, racial prejudice; how is that possible?” A question that’s perhaps more even more relevant today than it was in 1971. A question that can be further explored with Get On Down’s reissue of this seminal recording.

Als Crushed machen die Musiker Bre Morell und Shaun Durkan maximalistische Dream-Pop-Musik für sich selbst. Sie nehmen in verschiedenen Wohnungen auf, ohne an einen bestimmten Ort gebunden zu sein (Morell aus Texas, jetzt in Los Angeles, und Durkan in Portland, Oregon), schreiben sie die Songs, die sie hören wollen, und stimmen sich dabei auf ihren gemeinsamen Geschmack (für Trip-Hop, Britpop, Electronica und den Kanon des alternativen Radios der 90er Jahre), ihr Verlangen nach Emotionalität und ihr Gespür dafür, wann es richtig und ehrlich klingt, ab; wann es für sie etwas Echtes bedeutet . Ihr Debütalbum verkörpert ihr Vertrauen zueinander und in ihr Handwerk. Ein ,No Scope"-Kill im Videospiel-Jargon wird erreicht, indem man aus nächster Nähe mit einem Scharfschützengewehr schießt, ohne das Ziel anzuvisieren - eine treffende Metapher für zwei Künstler, die ihren Pop-Impulsen folgen und aus der Hüfte schießen, aber mit Präzision. ,Es könnte auch bedeuten, keine Zukunft zu haben", scherzt Morell, ,vom Leben ohne Zielfernrohr getroffen zu werden." Die Realität des Scheiterns schwebt über den meisten kreativen Unternehmungen, vielleicht umso ausgeprägter, je weiter man in seinem Fachgebiet voranschreitet. Mehrere musikalische Leben und nächtliche Übertragungen haben Morell und Durkan zu diesem Projekt geführt. Und auf dem triumphalen ,no scope" nehmen sie die besten Schläge des Lebens mit ihrem stärksten Werk auf und setzen melodische, offenherzige Hooks in einem Labyrinth aus Breakbeats und gespleißtem Sounddesign mit beispielloser Unmittelbarkeit und Klarheit ein. Die nächste Stufe ist erreicht. no scope folgt auf ,extra life", die EP aus dem Jahr 2023, die eine Welle der Unterstützung auslöste und frühe Fans bei Pitchfork (,müheloser, großformatiger Dream Pop, der ruhig ist, ohne sentimental zu sein"), NPR (,...eine Gruppe, deren Musik, obwohl sie nur eine EP veröffentlicht hat, ein tiefes Gefühl für Ort und Zeit vermittelt") und Ghostly International, die die Band unter Vertrag nahmen und ,extra life" 2024 in einer erweiterten physischen Version zusammen mit Remixen der Bandfavoriten Real Lies und DJ Python veröffentlichten.

Never Turn Your Back on a Friend" is the third studio album by Welsh heavy metal band Budgie, released on 18 May 1973.
This was drummer Ray Phillips' final appearance on a Budgie recording to date.
The album shows the band continuing the successful heavy metal formula of their previous album Squawk,
adding a hint of speed metal in the single "Breadfan," one of the band's best known songs.

Following some best-selling 12's on Manchester's Sperchen label, Psychederek returns with his latest EP 'Thinkin' Bout U', a four-part musical journey that blurs the boundaries between disco, new age, and Balearic bliss.

Across shimmering synthscapes, sun-drenched pads, and euphoric saxophone lines from collaborator Lewis Foster, the journey begins with Part 1 (Mercury) - an ambient opener evoking the late 80's Ibiza sound.
Part 2 (Venus) dives into the baggy-psych realm of Psychederek's sound, merging effects-drenched guitars with motorik drums in a swirling fusion of Madchester and Krautrock.
The energy picks up with Part 3 (Mars), a cosmic disco banger driven by the punchy snap of the LinnDrum, layered with analog warmth from the Prophet 6 and Moog Grandmother.
Closing out with Part 4 (Jupiter/Reprise), the EP circles back to its ambient roots...

Drawing inspiration from Manuel Gottsching and 808 State, this finale leans into improvisation, letting the saxophone, synth, and guitar weave freely into one expansive, hypnotic soundscape.

This debut on Psychederek's brand new label and event series Via Jupiter, 'Thinkin' Bout U' is a vibrant, genre-blurring statement limited to only 250 vinyl copies. Housed in a white card sleeve (every sleeve sprayed by hand so each sleeve is one of a kind) designed by Ben Brumpton.

Pratts & Payne, the South London pub that sits around the corner from the famed home studio of producer Dan Carey, has an important place in the history of Royel Otis. When making their debut album with Carey in early 2023, the Australian duo - childhood friends Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell - would decamp to the pub to finish lyrics and make decisions on the direction of their first LP. "Dan would ask us to record vocals," Royel remembers, "and we'd say, 'Just give us half an hour, we're popping to Pratts & Payne', and we'd have a pint, a few shots, and get some lyrics down." Eventually, it made such a mark that they named the record PRATTS & PAIN. Across the debut album, Royel Otis swing between melodic, pop- inspired indie and woozy psych, but it never feels tied to one lane. As soon as one style or mood has outstayed its welcome, they handbrake turn into psychedelic weirdness or dissonant noise, keeping everybody on their toes. After the table was laid on the two EPs, PRATTS & PAIN brings everything from the band's history together on a record that's reverent towards their beginnings but unafraid to push forwards into new sounds. This loose, open formula for what makes a Royel Otis song is written all over PRATTS & PAIN, an album defined by its sense of fun and adventure. On the tracks 'Velvet' and 'Big Ciggie', Carey's 11-year-old nephew Archie appears on drums, and a spontaneous energy ran through the sessions, one which can be heard across the album. On first single 'Adored', they master the perfect indie-pop hit, while 'Sonic Blue' keeps this underlying energy but sets screeching guitars over the top. 'Velvet', meanwhile, has the stomping energy of Talking Heads, while 'Molly' is an unsettling and deeply atmospheric slow jam. Whatever sonic template the music might be based on though, the crux of Royel Otis comes back to a foundational DNA of mutual trust. Royel says: "We have fun together, and it's not difficult. I trust what Otis thinks and what he does, and I back it. If you back each other, something good comes from it."

Letters Home is the debut full-length on ambient powerhouse Pas tInside The Present from Tennessee-based Slow Blink aka Amanda Haswell. And a fine one it is too with mesmerising routes through hazy soundscapes she calls "tape loop weather patterns." Across two half-hour pieces, bowed guitar, piano, bells, and toy synths dissolve into dreamy loops and create symphonies of colour and memory. Side one, 'The Heart's Docent', feels like a love-struck dance unraveling in slow motion, while 'Laughter at Cascade Park' evokes bittersweet nostalgia for long-lost joys. Handmade, analogue and alive with imperfections, Letters Home is an intimate meditation on memory, nature and impermanence.

Blue House Rockin’ is the result of a unique collaboration between Soul Sugar and Dub Shepherds — two projects united by a shared love for roots reggae, vintage studio gear, and warm analog sound.

The album was recorded live over two intense days at Blue House Studio by Christophe “French kiss” Adam, using ribbon and tube microphones from the ’50s and ’60s from the ’50s and ’60s, a Hammond organ, upright piano, Fender bass and Gibson guitars, classic amps and preamps, along with drums, syndrums and percussion. The sessions were transferred to a 24-track tape machine, and final mixes were crafted the old-school way by the Dub Shepherds at their own Bat Records Studio, using analog consoles and hardware vintage effects.
The tracklist brings together deep cuts, timeless classics, and original compositions. Curtis Mayfield’s Give Me Your Love and Aaron Frazer’s My God Has a Telephone (Colemine Records) — two soul gems, one vintage, one modern — are reimagined in reggae style, both featuring the great Jolly Joseph on lead vocals, working wonders with his falsetto. He also shines on Hold My Hand, a sweet and mellow original composition with lovers rock flair, written on the spot during the session.
Other standout moments include the soulful fire of UK singer Shniece McMenamin, who lights up Family Affair (Mary J. Blige / Dr. Dre) — flipped into a fiery hip-hop-meets-reggae version packed with energy and attitude.

Instrumentals like Disco Jack, Choice of Music, and Drum Song — all originally composed by Jamaican organ legend Jackie Mittoo — bring Guillaume “Booker G” Metenier’s Hammond work to the front. The playful exchange between organ, guitar, and a rock-solid rhythm section is elevated by swirling spring reverb, dub echoes, and filter sweeps.
The album’s explosive title track — Blue House Rock — was composed and recorded on the spot at the end of the session. A raw, greasy groove that sounds like The Meters jamming at Studio One or a lost instrumental from a Beastie Boys B-side.
Blue House Rockin’ is a vibrant blend of soulful roots reggae and funk, wrapped in the deep, dusty tones of analog tape. A joyful and authentic studio experience, captured live — and played loud.

Infoline proudly presents a compilation of tracks by Deo Cadaver on double 12' inch vinyl LP! Active from 1987 to 1993, Geneva-based trio Deo Cadaver stood at the vanguard of Switzerland’s electronic body music scene. Formed at just 17 years old, the group drew early influence from the visceral intensity of acts like The Young Gods, Front 242, Laibach, and Skinny Puppy—but quickly forged a sound and performative presence entirely their own. Their live shows became infamous: loud, theatrical, and uncompromising. Covered in grey-green clay and fake blood, suspended from chains, or locked in cages wired with sensors, projections, and video monitors, Deo Cadaver unleashed chaotic storms of samples, distorted drum machines, live percussion, and seismic basslines. At the center stood a vocalist whose voice and energy pushed the limits of physical endurance. Despite their undeniable force, Deo Cadaver remained largely unknown beyond their immediate circles. “There was no support structure—barely any venues, press, or labels for what we were doing,” they reflect. “Apart from our parents and a few community associations, we were completely on our own.” The internet, still confined, offered no relief. Connections were built face-to-face, and tapes were copied by hand. Still, the band found kinship in the Swiss experimental collective MXP, alongside other likeminded outliers pushing electronics beyond the dancefloor. Their spirit was one of invention, defiance, and independence.
While Belgium reveled in its New Beat wave and the UK fell into euphoric ecstasy, Deo Cadaver raged in the shadows—loud, isolated, and ahead of their time. This compilation finally brings their work into the light: a long- overdue snapshot of an uncompromising force from the margins of EBM history

Strut Records proudly presents the official reissue of Hidden Fire Volumes 1 & 2, the final album released by Sun Ra on his El Saturn label in 1988.
Captured live over three nights at the Knitting Factory in New York City, these performances mark the closing chapter of a 33-year odyssey of radical, independent music-making. Originally issued in tiny quantities with minimal packaging and cryptic artwork—often featuring hand-written labels or Ra’s own handmade designs—Hidden Fire was among the most elusive entries in Sun Ra’s vast discography.
Musically, these recordings stand apart from Ra’s other '80s compositions. Here, Hidden Fire plunges into darker, more dissonant territory. Ra performs exclusively on the Yamaha DX7 synthesiser, pushing its digital sound palette into alien dimensions. The Arkestra lineup is uniquely configured, featuring a rare and heavy string section with three violins, including the legendary Billy Bang, and the singular space vocalist Art Jenkins, whose eerie textures and vocalisations had not been heard so prominently since the early 1960s Choreographers Workshop sessions. The music is raw, unsettled, and often overwhelming.
“Retrospect / This World Is Not My Home” opens with a palindromic riff that evokes Ellington before unraveling into a stark sermon from Ra, warning of death’s dominion over Earth-bound minds. “Hidden Fire Improvisation” is a furious explosion of tone science, with Marshall Allen, Billy Bang, and John Gilmore delivering fire-breathing solos over relentless drumming and Ra’s cascading synth clusters. “Hidden Fire Blues” offers a warped, electrified version of Ra’s familiar blues feature, led by Bruce Edwards on guitar and Rollo Radford on electric bass, transformed through the haze of DX7 textures. “My Brothers The Wind And Sun #9” evokes the experimental weight of The Heliocentric Worlds with its crashing percussion, pulsing synth-vocal duets, and string- driven chaos that seems to spiral into oblivion.
Even the quieter moments—such as “Hidden Fire II,” a duet between Ra and Art Jenkins—feel thick with unease and shadowy beauty. These performances represent a Sun Ra less concerned with cosmic joy or outer-space swing, and more focused on conjuring portals to the unknown.
Remastered from original sources and presented with archival photos, new liner notes by Paul Griffiths, and restored artwork inspired by the original Saturn editions, this reissue offers a definitive window into the last creative surge of one of music’s most visionary figures across two Vinyl LP’s.

John Calvin Abney rises again from the Oklahoman prairies with his latest album Transparent Towns. The ten songs focus on how we remember, and ultimately accept, though he is not always certain the memories we carry adequately mark the moments that make us. "This record is wrapped around the passage of time, whether or not we can trust the memories that we swear on, how we forgive ourselves and others as seasons turn, and how we define what is important as we roll the boulder back up the hill," Abney says of Transparent Towns. "We build these routines and live our stories, we rely on our histories and our memories - spoken and recorded. Now, we're relying on copies of copies, memories of memories, all packed like sardines into our phones, and we're losing the ability to tell our own stories. I have to constantly remind myself, as well as redefine what matters at the end of a day." Transparent Towns is the seventh studio album for Abney, and his first since 2022's Tourist, which he crafted after spending the pandemic as an itinerant writer. In contrast Abney penned most of the album's 10 tracks during a period of introspection and convalescence while recovering from vocal cord surgery in 2023. The time to himself - "I didn't sing for nearly a year, and after surgery, I couldn't talk for a month, and couldn't sing for over three months," he says, left him contemplating how to trace his experiences in the silence. The album's title track is Abney's take on the inaccessible past, witnessing loss and grief through the years, damning the "days we let go left unsaid", and accepting the uncontrollable circumstances we are sometimes placed in. "The troubles and the joys exist vibrantly in your memory, but you're wondering if you remember correctly," Abney remarks. "I've sometimes had this sort of confusion between memory and dreams - you crafted this ideal in your head of how things were or might be, in order to soften the blow of a harsher reality." The places we inhabit dictate how our memories form, and for Abney, there is one place to which he is constantly drawn: Oklahoma. Although he was born in the biggest little city in America, Reno, Nevada, he grew up learning guitar and piano in Tulsa, playing bars and DIY spaces from Norman to Stillwater. His affinity for the land that raised him is evident in the production of Transparent Towns. Abney self-produced the record, tracking most of it at Cardinal Song outside of Oklahoma City, with Michael Trepagnier handling mixing and engineering. The band was comprised mostly of Sooner State musicians too, along with Lydia Loveless and John Moreland contributing harmony vocals. His signature vulnerable voice and lyrical handiwork comes through in each of the songs, along with his penchant for alternative pop melodies set against colorful chords and subtle soundscapes. Having toured for years backing up artists like Moreland, Wild Child, Ben Kweller, and S.G. Goodman, Abney embraces a lead role again, as he presses forward with the loving lament and defiant joy throughout Transparent Towns, calling us to leave behind the pressures we place on our ourselves and recognize that just because there is an ending, it doesn't mean it's the end.

A new Toy Tonics artist! Brazilian DJ, vinyl collector, party promoter, and style aficionado Martha Pinel has joined the Toy Tonics family.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, where she is a well-established DJ and a prominent figure in the lifestyle scene, Martha also resides in Berlin, where she became friends with the Toy Tonics crew.

She is the creator of Assembleia, a celebrated party in Rio de Janeiro known for its laid-back and unpretentious atmosphere. Assembleia has also become a Carnival sensation, hosting unforgettable annual editions that are now a highlight of the season. In Brazil, she is also known as the co-founder of the Croma project, where fashion and music merged to revolutionize Rio de Janeiro's alternative scene. She has been featured on the cover of GQ Brazil, which named her one of the "13 artists giving voice to the generation that is changing the world."

Martha has been DJing worldwide at festivals such as KALA Festival, Paris Fashion Week, DGTL, and Boiler Room. She has made a name for herself in the diggers scene, sharing the stage with DJs such as Hunee, Antal, Yusu, Sam Ruffillo, Prins Thomas, and many others.

Martha is passionate about discovering music daily and crafts dynamic, non-linear sets that play with the audience's emotions. Known for her bold approach, her sets are always powerful and brimming with personality. They seamlessly blend ethnic musical influences with cutting-edge productions from Brazil and beyond, incorporating African and Middle Eastern sounds, space disco, Italo disco, Balearic beats, house, and its subgenres.

Martha Pinel's debut EP, Real Rio, was born during a moment of rediscovery in her hometown, Rio de Janeiro, after spending a long time abroad. This project is a celebration of that reconnection, capturing the city's most authentic and visceral aspects-a place where beauty and chaos coexist, with dramatic highs and lows.

In the track "Uber Moto," Martha reflects on the urban phenomenon of app-based motorcycles, which have become a symbol of the city.

"Espírito de Estado," on the other hand, is a track that embodies the spirit of the Carioca Carnival, the greatest party in the world.

Finally, "Assim" offers a personal reinterpretation of Marcos Valle's classic Estrelar. In this track, Martha and Gabto leave their mark on this Brazilian music icon, reflecting on the concept of Body Culture-it's often said that it's impossible to walk along Ipanema Beach without noticing the Carioca cult of the body.

Die HC-geneigten Punkrocker aus Schweden melden sich mit ihrem dritten Album zurück! "Liminal State" kann als Schwellenzustand beschrieben werden - der Übergang zwischen zwei verschiedenen Phasen, Orten oder Realitäten. Ein Dazwischen, in dem man nicht mehr der Mensch ist, der man einmal war, aber auch noch nicht der, der man werden wird. Genau in diesem Zustand befinden sich die Mitglieder von Death By Horse - oder sie haben ihn seit ihrem letzten Album "Reality Hits Hard" (2019) durchlebt. Dieses Album ist kein Hilferuf - es ist ein Schrei direkt ins Gesicht! Es ist ein Weg, die emotionale Achterbahnfahrt der letzten Jahre zu verarbeiten. Death By Horse stürzt sich kopfüber in diesen Sturm voller existenziellem Zorn, dem Kampf gegen toxische Muster, dem Tod von Familienmitgliedern und dem Tragen einer Maske aus falschem Selbstvertrauen, um Selbstzweifel und Selbsthass zu verbergen. Das ist Punkrock mit einer melodischen Hardcore-Kante - schnell, gnadenlos und mit Texten voller Widersprüche, unbequemer Wahrheiten, Ironie und der brutalen Selbstreflexion, für die Death By Horse bekannt ist. Keine geschönte Fassade, kein Filter - nur rohe, raue Energie und eine Ehrlichkeit, die weh tut. Gleichzeitig ist "Liminal State" eine Erinnerung daran, dass das alles nur eine Fahrt ist - nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Also: Genieß jede verdammte Sekunde davon! Wenn du dich jemals wie ein Freak, ein Geist oder wie eine Granate kurz vorm Explodieren gefühlt hast - willkommen zu Hause! Klassisch schwarze oder farbige Splatter Vinyl-LP, CD kommt im schmalen Cardboard.

Die HC-geneigten Punkrocker aus Schweden melden sich mit ihrem dritten Album zurück! "Liminal State" kann als Schwellenzustand beschrieben werden - der Übergang zwischen zwei verschiedenen Phasen, Orten oder Realitäten. Ein Dazwischen, in dem man nicht mehr der Mensch ist, der man einmal war, aber auch noch nicht der, der man werden wird. Genau in diesem Zustand befinden sich die Mitglieder von Death By Horse - oder sie haben ihn seit ihrem letzten Album "Reality Hits Hard" (2019) durchlebt. Dieses Album ist kein Hilferuf - es ist ein Schrei direkt ins Gesicht! Es ist ein Weg, die emotionale Achterbahnfahrt der letzten Jahre zu verarbeiten. Death By Horse stürzt sich kopfüber in diesen Sturm voller existenziellem Zorn, dem Kampf gegen toxische Muster, dem Tod von Familienmitgliedern und dem Tragen einer Maske aus falschem Selbstvertrauen, um Selbstzweifel und Selbsthass zu verbergen. Das ist Punkrock mit einer melodischen Hardcore-Kante - schnell, gnadenlos und mit Texten voller Widersprüche, unbequemer Wahrheiten, Ironie und der brutalen Selbstreflexion, für die Death By Horse bekannt ist. Keine geschönte Fassade, kein Filter - nur rohe, raue Energie und eine Ehrlichkeit, die weh tut. Gleichzeitig ist "Liminal State" eine Erinnerung daran, dass das alles nur eine Fahrt ist - nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Also: Genieß jede verdammte Sekunde davon! Wenn du dich jemals wie ein Freak, ein Geist oder wie eine Granate kurz vorm Explodieren gefühlt hast - willkommen zu Hause! Klassisch schwarze oder farbige Splatter Vinyl-LP, CD kommt im schmalen Cardboard.

François and Sylvain Rabbath have turned six years of touring into a joint album that patiently and intensely distills a variety of musical flavors gathered from around the world.

Since the early 1960s, François Rabbath's double bass has resonated through enough landmark recordings to fill several shelves in a record collection. As an arranger, composer, and musician, his imprint on music goes far beyond his collaborations with Barbara, Paco Ibáñez, Charles Aznavour, or Édith Piaf. Aspiring double bassists owe him a groundbreaking method for learning the instrument. Born into a lush musical universe that quickly became his own, his son Sylvain first accompanied him on his travels before settling at the piano and sharing stages around the world at his side.

Those years of accumulating visas in their passports were put to good use by father and son. The continents, countries, and cities they passed through became a rich source of inspiration for composing Amall, the album by the Rabbath Electric Orchestra.

Long hours spent in the air or on the road, watching passing landscapes that never stayed the same, were transformed into compositions imbued with the atmospheres of the places they crossed or visited. Inspiration sometimes struck with force, like a green oasis appearing in a desert of stone—unexpectedly, as glowing red rocks suddenly dominated an otherwise open landscape with an endless horizon, while the mind wandered into a state between meditation and introspection.
Born from these travels, the pieces took on their final colors once brought into the studio, refined, and finally arranged to welcome the guitars of Keziah Jones and Matthieu Chedid, the piano of Laurent de Wilde, the bass of Victor Wooten, the saxophone of Raphaël Imbert, and the percussion of Minino Garay. Enhanced by the scale of the jazz-soul orchestrations, by the richness of arrangements bursting from strings, brass, rhythms, or keyboards, the epic breath of vast plains became ingrained. The urban tension of funk, echoing their movements, found its place—alongside more electric expressions or the ambience of a darkened room.
Melancholic and melodious, expressive and edgy, the bowed double bass—played in the high register where few dare to go—emerged as the musical guide. One that draws a path between Seville and Minneapolis, connects François Rabbath's native Syria to France, and bridges South America to Europe. It sets the tone to follow—the emotion that will carry the piece, and if not filled with light, will carry it there nonetheless.
Musical visions packed in luggage, transported in cargo holds, or imprinted in their minds just long enough to cover the distances to the next stop—father and son deepened their bond, beyond family and art. And their hands have never held each other more tightly.

François et Sylvain Rabbath ont fait fructifier six ans de tournées pour un album commun distillant patiemment et intensément la variété de parfums musicaux récoltés autour du monde.
Depuis le début des 60’s, la contrebasse de François Rabbath résonne dans assez de références pour combler plusieurs étagères d’une collection de disques. Arrangeur, compositeur, musicien, l'empreinte laissée dans la musique va bien au-delà de ses collaborations avec Barbara, Paco Ibanez, Charles Aznavour, ou Edith Piaf. C’est à lui que les
apprentis contrebassistes doivent une méthode novatrice pour apprendre l’instrument.

Né dans un univers musical luxuriant qui est vite devenu aussi le sien, c’est d’abord dans ses voyages que son fils Sylvain l’a accompagné, avant de s’installer au piano, et parcourir les scènes du monde à ses côtés. Ces années où les visas se sont entassés sur leurs passeports, père et fils les ont mises à profit. Continents, pays, et villes qui se sont succédés sont devenues un gisement pour composer Amall, l’album du Rabbath Electric Orchestra.

Les longs moments passés dans les airs ou sur la route à contempler un paysage qui défile sans pour autant rester le même, se sont convertis en compositions habitées par les ambiances de ces endroits traversés ou visités. Là où l’inspiration s’est imposée parfois brutalement, sous
la forme d’un oasis de verdure surgissant au milieu d’un désert de pierres. Au hasard d’imposantes roches rougeoyantes s’invitant dans un paysage jusqu’alors dégagé sur un horizon sans fin, quand l’esprit se laisse aller à un mélange de méditation et d'introspection.

Nés de ces pérégrinations, les titres ont pris leurs couleurs définitives une fois ramenés en studio, peaufinés puis, enfin, pensés pour y inviter les guitares de Keziah Jones et de Matthieu Chedid, le piano de Laurent de Wilde, la basse de Victor Wooten, le saxophone de Raphaël Imbert, les percussions de Minino Garay. Sublimé par la dimension des orchestrations jazz-soul, par la richesse des arrangements jaillissant des cordes, des cuivres, des rythmiques ou des claviers, le souffle épique des plaines immenses s’est imprimé.
La nervosité citadine du funk rythmant les déplacements a trouvé sa place, non loin d’une expression plus électrique ou d’une atmosphère de salle obscure.

Mélancolique et mélodieuse, expressive et nerveuse, la contrebasse jouée à l’archet, dans les notes hautes du manche où peu s’aventurent, s’est érigée en guide musical. Celui qui trace le chemin entre Séville et Minneapolis, relie la Syrie natale de François Rabbath à la France,
réduit la distance entre l’Amérique du Sud et l’Europe. Donne la note à suivre, l’émotion qui traversera le morceau qui, s’il n’est pas habité par la lumière, le portera néanmoins jusque là.

Visions musicales mises dans le coffre, transportées en soute ou imprimées dans l’esprit le temps de couvrir les distances qui les mèneront aux prochaines, c’est côte à côte que père et fils ont prolongé leur lien par delà des seules limites familiales et artistiques. Et leurs mains ne se sont jamais serrées aussi fort.
credits

Candido Cameron was a Cuban percussion maestro who had played with luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich and Count Basie throughout his illustrious musical career which started in 1952. Fast forward to 1979 and Candido finds himself caught up in the Disco boom that had engulfed his adopted New York City. Feeling he could add his trademark quick-fire Conga and Bongo playing to Disco's straight 4 x 4 syncopated rhythm he cut some records with legendary NYC label Salsoul. The fruits of this partnership were 2 full length LP's and a handful of 12" singles that changed the face of underground Disco."Jingo" is an all-time classic dance record, sampled, edited, re-configured and coveted by too many names to mention! It's a killer funky Disco version of master Nigerian drummer Olatunji's 1969 percussion suite of the same name, Salsoul style, while over on the flip we have one of the deepest Disco records of all time; "Thousand Finger Man" a testament to Candido's percussion prowess and a spacey, beautiful voyage that has left more than an indelible mark on modern House music, often being cited as a huge influence by artists such as Masters At Work and more. Essential stuff basically, every collection should have a copy!

This 12" has got to be one of the toughest Salsoul records to find. Changing hands for up to £300 a time for a used copy. Now it has been re-mastered, re-pressed and made available again with all original label artwork intact with the permission of Salsoul Records, New York City.

Give It Up Or Turnit a Loose (Edit) by James Brown b/w Web (Edit) by Hampton Hughes / Give It Up or Turnit a Loose (Bonus Breaks) by James Brown| Galaxy Sound Company — GSC45-044, test pressing | The long-running @galaxy_sound_company imprint has been responsible for some superb re-edits over the years, most of which are pleasingly purist in tone — meaning they are pro rearrangements with no added effects but & needless new beats or cheap trickery like so many out there— making any of their releases cop-on-site. & as you can hear from the test pressing, the 44th in the stellar series delivers yet again.

Side A is a masterclass in breakbeat editing of a b-boy classic sample source. Yes, there are many killer JB edits out in the universe, but when you see that the legendary Black Cash & Theo AKA Thelonious Beats take a turn, you know you gotta cop this mutha on site. Here the edit master bravely returns to one of the main sources of the dawn of hip-hop — JB’s comp “In The Jungle Groove” which was released in 1986 to capitalize on it’s popularity in the genre at the time. The comp is named for a breakdown section that appears in “Give It Up Or Turnit a Loose” which is the workout we have here. JB quiets the band down to handclaps, footstomps & congas played by Johnny Griggs. After he raps a little, JB cues legendary drummer Clyde Stubblefield back in, followed by bassist Bootsy Collins & the rest of the band. JB wasn’t intentionally trying to create a perfect batch of hip-hop samples in the late 60s & early 70s, but he couldn’t have succeeded any better if he had been. This edit may enter well-worn territory but he uniquely delivers an edit that showcases why it inspired so many & still delivers the goods to help you get your party started off right & quickly.

Next up on the flipside we are treated to an edit of “Web” by Hampton Hughes, from his 1974 David Axelrod produced & arranged album “Northern Windows”. Heads will recall it as the core sample for “Off the Record” by Hieroglyphics, from the 1998 LP “3rd Eye Vision”. This jazz-funk burner features a stellar line-up:
Piano/keyboards = Hawes
Trumpet = Allen DeRienzo, Snooky Young
Trombone = George Bohanon
Sax/flute = Jackie Kelso, Jay Migliori, William Green
Electric Bass = Carol Kaye
Drums = Spider Webb

But wait, GSC ain’t done yet! We get some bonus beats from the A-side. Another reason why doubles are highly recommended when you need assistance in your set.