Cerca:parker

Arriving on transparent blue vinyl, the fourth installation of Figure’s Hardspace series brings six new re-interpretations of Len Faki’s favorites via his Hardspace alias.

Starting with a true classic, the gem that is Josh Wink’s Sixth Sense picks up on the original’s tight plastic groove and creates some serious low end rumble.
A less obvious choice, Aoki Takamasa’s minimalist dub from Japan, gets a complete makeover in the Hardspace edit, using driving percussion to morph the pensive blueprint into an upbeat peaktime slammer.
One of the most iconic basslines of the last decade, DJ Yoav B’s Energize is a standout on its own but paired with the relentless groove of the high-energy Hardspace remix it unlocks new levels of rave potential.
Huxley’s Weapon 3 was maybe one of the darkest tunes ever released on the otherwise house-centric catalogue of UK label Aus, which Len Faki already played back when it was first released. The Hardspace Mix merges a feeling explosive force with the originals sultry ambiance, catapulting the track back onto today’s dancefloors.
Colourful, dubby synth stabs are what keeps the momentum on peak time roller Funktion by French producer Tuttle, which in its Hardspace version packs even more heat, as Faki employs his signature claps and tunes up the original’s enervating siren sound, squeezing out every last drop of energy.
Originally released in the 90ies, Mike Parker’s Shakuhachi Two is as techno as it gets. Only now sounding even more powerful and dynamic, as the Harspace Mix keeps all of the original goodness while stacking additional propulsive percussion for a sweaty floor workout.

Dark Entries again shines a spotlight on bathhouse disco don Patrick Cowley with a newly remastered release of Kickin’ In. Although Cowley tragically passed from AIDS-related illness in 1982, he left an extensive archive of unreleased tapes, many of which Dark Entries has had the honor of releasing. While working as a lighting technician at The City, SF’s disco cabaret, Cowley saw rising star Frank Loverde perform. Cowley asked Loverde to contribute vocals to some material in progress, and Frank, Linda Imperial, and Peggy Gibbons joined Cowley in the studio. The resulting songs included “Kickin’ In,” a 9-minute cybernetic disco stormer that taps into the essence of Cowley’s hi-NRG sound: equal parts spaced out and zoned in on the dancefloor. In May 1978 Cowley joined Loverde on stage at The City to perform “Kickin’ In” as they opened for disco diva Sylvester.

“Kickin’ In” was initially released in 2015 via Honey Soundsystem who found the tapes in the basement of Megatone Records owner John Hedges. This newly remastered version was made possible due to the discovery of the original multi-track recordings of "Kickin’ In," allowing for a fresh mixdown by Jim Hopkins as well as the creation of a new instrumental version. Also included are two impeccably sleazy Cowley jams recorded in 1980, “Thief of Love” and “Make It Come Loose.” Cowley narrates excerpts from his erotic journals on these raunchy slow-burners, capturing the vibe of SF’s leather bars and backrooms. “Thief of Love” features frequent Cowley collaborator Paul Parker on background vocals. This reissue of Kickin’ In includes features an illustration by Gwenaël Rattke that originally appeared Cowley’s erotic journal, Mechanical Fantasy Box, as well as a postcard with lyrics. “Patrick parted the veil and entered a dark world of forbidden vices, wondrous musical panoramas and bold, strident, hopeful possibilities. Patrick brought the future to us and laid it at our feet.” – David Diebold, Tribal Rites

2024 Repress

top 3 charts in the new groove!

Amotik returns with 3 tracks of raw/heavy/atmospheric techno on the vinyl only label.

Support from: Pfirter, Markus Suckut, Truncate, Ben Sims, DJ Pete, Boris, Oliver Deutschmann, Cleric, Jeroen Search, Francois X, Norman Nodge, Spencer Parker, Slam, Dustin Zahn, Tommy Four Seven, Kwartz, and more.

James Curd’s Pronto label returns on vinyl once again with four heavy weight remixes by some of the best producers in the game. Do not miss!

Welcome back to Demon’s ‘Disco Discharge’ series, originally issued in a series of 2CD collections between 2009 and
2012. The themed compilations of full-length, extended Disco originals, lovingly curated by the mysterious “MrPinks”
and with detailed sleeve notes by author and Disco aficionado Alan Jones, have remained in-demand among collectors
and the club cognoscenti. This time around, the series kicks off with ‘Classic Disco’ and ‘Disco Fever USA’, both issued
in new-formatted 2CD Deluxe gatefold sleeves and, for the first time, as 2LP coloured 140-gram vinyl editions.
While Disco happened the whole world over, ‘Disco Fever USA’ cherry-picks 12 milestones hailing from its American
birthplace on 140g White vinyl. Alongside lesser-known cuts from the likes of Fern Kinney, Gloria Gaynor and Boys
Town Gang there’s also another wealth of treasures including a rare instrumental version of Earth, Wind & Fire’s
‘Boogie Wonderland’, the sublime ‘Like An Eagle’ by sometime gay porn actor Dennis Parker and Bionic Boogie’s ‘Risky
Changes’, a track you could say predicted Chicago House sound a full ten years before the fact.

A year on from the release of his critically acclaimed album ‘Billy Valentine And The Universal Truth’ released in collaboration between Flying Dutchman and Acid Jazz Records, Billy returns with a brand new take on a classic of conscious soul. Returning to the studio with Bob Thiele Jr and the band that is made up Larry Goldings, Pino Paladino, Jeff Parker, James Gadson and John Philip Shenale, he has recorded three new numbers for release on the deluxe version of the album. The first to be released is his take on Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Lady Day & John Coltrane’ which held audiences in rapt attention when performed live over the last year.

Mekanika Recordings from Sofia, Bulgaria is a techno label ran by Stevo Kurt aka DJ Steven the main resident of Metropolis events that have featured the likes of Sven Vath, Ben Klock, Len Faki and Ellen Allien amongst others and and Svilen Dzhonev - Ziggy - A & R of the label.

MKNK002V is the second of a limited vinyl series consisting of 100 copies.

Spas Tzvetkov aka Asymmetrik is a fellow Bulgarian who returns to the label for a four-track EP following remixes of Stevo Kurt on MKNK002. As a producer, Asymmetrik has an album on Steve Parker's MUTED rec in Portugal, Bulgaria's Hivemind, and Spain's Subsist, among others.

Asymmetrik is unbalanced. Asymmetrik is unconventional.
Asymmetrik is unsettlin

Jazz music has more than its fair share of overshadowed figures that whilst contributing much to the music have little presence in its collective conscious. One such musician is the talented multi-reedist, Sahib Shihab. Born Edmond Gregory, as he was known before he adopted the Muslim faith in 1946, Sahib Shihab's music background shows a deep and significant evolution, influenced by Thelonious Monk, Dizzie Gillespie (his experience in Dizzie's band marked Sahib's switch to Baritone, the instrument he became most readily associated with), and above all by Charlie Parker's Bop. Had it not been for the post-war migration of many top American jazz musicians to Europe, it is quite likely that the legendary Clarke-Boland Big Band might never come into existence. Sahib, one of this musicians disillusioned with the politics and racism of the United States, accepted to join the band of Quincy Jones for an European tour in 1959. When the tour ended, Shihab he remained in Europe where he joined, in 1961, the Clarke-Boland Big Band. The collection 'Companionship', whose line up consists of seven elements which derives from this original band, spotlights the consummate musicianship and individuality of Sahib Shihab and is testimony to his special musical gifts - not only as a top-rank flautist and baritone saxophone but also as a composer. Furthermore, it provides a welcome reminder of the high quality of the Clarke-Boland Big Band's rhythm section, the lively style of vibraphonist Fats Sadi and the power and personality of two of the C-BBB's horn-playing stalwarts, Benny Bailey and Ake Persson. Here's a real rarity, surely a desert island disc. This double album has it all from frantic banging percussive workouts to modal numbers to beautiful ballads. It's a staggeringly good piece of music and worth every penny of the price tag it commands. Let's have a look to the most significant pieces. Francy Boland's "Om Mani Padme Hum", taken from a Tibetan prayer, shows Shihab in exuberant mood, playing against a vigorous percussion background and making dramatic use of his special technique of combining voice and flute. Boland contributes an incisive, effervescent solo. "Bohemia After Dark", a classic original by bassist Oscar Pettiford which he first recorded back in August 1955, finds Shihab in exultant form on baritone. "Companionship" has a Bossa Nova beat and features Bailey on flugelhorn and Shihab on flute, playing with a limpid, floating sound. Bailey's minor-key original, "Stoned Ghosts" was, he says, inspired by listening to some music written by Bela Bartok before he emigrated to the United States. The piece has an infectious back-beat pulse and showcases the superb walking technique of Jimmy Woode. In "Con Alma" Shihab's mellow flute set against a churning 12/8 beat in this stylish Boland arrangement. Woode's performance of the superb Mei Torme ballad, "Born To Be Blue", reveals his great affection for the song. "lt is the perfect combination," he says, "a beautiful melody married to a great lyric. I really love that tune." It is a song of rueful resignation, putting a brave face on the blues. "Balafon" is an up-tempo Francy Boland original written for the French mime artist, Marcel Marceau. The rhythm section really cooks on this track with Kenny Clarke's cymbal work outstanding. Boland's solo here is notable for its neat, left hand punctuations. "Calypso Blues" has been written by Nat King Cole and Don George. lt tells the wry and wistful tale of a Trinidadian in New York desperately homesick for the land where everything 5 so much cheaper (in New York "a dollar buy, a cup of coffee and a ham on rye") and the girls more natural than the artificial, painted beauties of New York. Woode's composition, "Sconsolato" is a haunting theme in A minor and it brings to a close a truly fascinating album. This is dynamic music played with vigour, verve and vitality - and it is an enormous pleasure to rediscover it. A shadowy fugitive from his home in the land of jazz, Sahib Shihab remains a true unsung figure, worthy of more attention. With his equally expert technique on Baritone, Flute, Alto and Soprano saxophones and his capacity to adapt easily to a variety of musical settings. His warm, individual, singsong sound in improvisation and his unusual and interesting compositions mark him out as a hidden treasure in the dusty corners of jazz archive.

Mr. K takes on two different disco moods in the latest in his long-running series of edits on 45.

Danny Krivit’s edit of Tony Orlando’s “Don’t Let Go” was released in Japan in 2012 and immediately became a sought-after, impossible to find rarity. Orlando’s version of “Don’t Let Go” was released at the height of the disco era, but the song itself was already a well-worn pop standard, having been covered by numerous artists before the pop singer tried his hand at it, switching things up with a percolating disco groove. “I never expected to rave about a Tony Orlando record,” wrote Vince Aletti in his Record World column in June of 1978, “but this one’s really terrific… My pick for a summer refresher.” The Jimmy Simpson mix on the original 12-inch follows the vocals with a long instrumental section that teases the various elements provided by the Muscle Shoals band (guitar, vibes, strings, and above all a sinuous synth) back in over the relentless bass and drums. Danny’s edit, which he’s trimmed down for its debut on 7-inch, works with this instrumental break and more than lives up to Aletti’s description as an addictive warm weather jam.

From the moody instrumental sound of “Don’t Let Go” we move to the bright uptempo vocal track "I Fall In Love Everyday." In spite of the relative obscurity of this fabulous but lesser-known cut, it comes with a sparkling pedigree. “I Fall In Love Everyday” was written by Jay Graydon (whose credits also include “Turn Your Love Around” for George Benson and “Breakin’ Away” for Al Jarreau), produced by Motown ace Mickey Stevenson (who wrote “Dancing In the Street”) and arranged by David Foster, who was just making the transition from session keyboardist to the superstar songwriter/arranger he’d become. The backing track was first used for singer/TV personality Jaye P. Morgan’s version of the song a year earlier, but you certainly can’t blame the team for reusing the music when the band included studio heavyweights like Harvey Mason, Lee Ritenour, Ray Parker Jr., and Kenny Loggins. Danny’s creative edit fashions a clean, DJ-friendly instrumental intro where none existed on the original, and gives new life to a track that’s sure to bring some sunshine to dancefloors.

As always, these unique selections from Mr. K’s personal stash are cut on a loud, club-ready 7-inch pressing.

Berlin-based, Dutch-born Steffi possesses near-boundless prowess. As a DJ, she’s proved her effortless mastery of disco, house, electro, and techno; as helm of labels Klakson and Dolly, she’s long maintained her status as tastemaker; as a producer, she has graced us with three solo LPs and numerous 12”s. Dark Entries is now honored to unveil the debut of her project Crushed Soul, a moniker she had used only once in 2013 for an Ostgut Ton compilation track. The mutual esteem of Steffi and DE has been previously fruitful, with Steffi providing a remix for Cute Heels’ 2016 EP on DE, but this is their first full-length collaboration.

The Family of Waves EP represents both familiar and novel pastures for Steffi. While her love of electro and classic Detroit techno have been oft-evident, here we witness the darker shades of new wave and industrial creep to the forefront. This turn for the twisted feels not just natural, but predestined, an inevitable succumbing to morbid forces. But Steffi also views Family as “a playful association...a mix of my past and new modern waves". There is a kernel of whimsy, even joy, lurking within the record’s temporal jumblings. The A-side opens with “Gravitational Field”, which juxtaposes its gnarled bassline with unearthly percussives and a recurrent resonant gong. The wild sonic palette speaks Steffi’s singular voice. “Scalar Property” continues the paranoid propulsion with an unhealthy dose of what can only be described as Metroid-funk, its staccato bass jabs interlaced with ghastly vocal pads. The B-side contains a diptych of slower tracks that juggle reference points both retro and futurist. In “Family of Waves”, a churning EBM-esque bassline battles acerbic yelps. On this track, the collision of past and present is most pronounced, as if A Split Second were covering Mike Parker. “Diffusion of Heat” closes the EP with what feels like a perfect synthesis of Steffi’s musical passions: funky, warbling chord stabs; intricate rhythmic diversions; the ecstasy of repetition. Here, disco, new wave, and techno marry harmoniously, if only to inform us of the disharmony of our present.

All songs have been mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve and accompanying postcard were designed by Eloise Leigh using video art stills by Goldenliustra.

2026 Repress

Four standout remixes to celebrate the 20th anniversary of iconic Australian duo Madison Avenue’s classic, ‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ from Patrick Topping, Spencer Parker, Mousse T and Super Disco Club. Be prepared as one of the world’s most prominent vocal tracks just got bigger.

Australia’s Madison Avenue continue to celebrate their 20th anniversary of ‘Don’t Call Me Baby’ a certified UK, European and US Billboard hit that returned late 2019 to cement no.1 positions across Aria Charts, Beatport and Traxsource. Now Patrick Topping, Spencer Parker, Mousse T and Super Disco Club take it to a higher level that’ll see it dominating clubs for many years to come!

A tale of two halves the A side see’s man of the moment Patrick Topping and veteran of the scene Spencer Parker provide two tech-y interpretations, the former an acid tweaked destructive whirlwind and the later a looped-up dub stomper. On the flip it’s nu disco at its best with a pair of remixes from Mousse T and Super Disco Club.

On Patrick Topping / Spencer Parker remixes:

Ben UFO - Very Nice Acid Mix
Danny Howard (BBC Radio 1) - Absolutely ripped it to shreds and turned into an absolute club weapon for 2020 (Patrick Topping’s Remix)
Annie Nightingale BBC R1 - Great reworks!
Black Madonna - Nice! | Change Underground - Premiere
Hannah Wants - Both bangaaaaaaaas. nice packageeeeeee

Repress!

Intangible Records and Soundworks presents another great re-issue!
This time it's the the Master Terrence Parker himself alias Seven Grand Housing Authority with "Love Speading". This record came originally out in 1999 and it will be now re-released with a bonus track. Terrence Parker found an unreleased version which will be included - a must have for all Detroit House lovers!

Percussionist Jamie Muir was a member of King Crimson during the recording of Larks' Tongues In Aspic, in 1973. Staying less than a year with Robert Fripp, the Scot had already cut his teeth with another master guitarist, Derek Bailey, as part of the Music Improvisation Company, along with Evan Parker, Hugh Davies and Christine Jeffrey, whose eponymous 1970 album was one of the first releases on ECM. Muir and Bailey recorded Dart Drug eleven years later, in 1981.There's no shortage of great percussionists in the brief history of free improvised music but on the strength of Dart Drug alone Jamie Muir deserves a place at High Table. Unlike for example Han Bennink and John Stevens, though, you can't hear echoes of any particular jazz drummer in Muir's playing, even if he has expressed appreciation for Milford Graves (who himself sounded like nobody else who'd come before him).What on earth did Muir's kit consist of Some instruments are clearly identifiable (bells, gongs, chimes, woodblocks); others could be... well, anything. Old suitcases thwacked with rolled up newspapers Tin cans and hubcaps inside a washing machine Who cares It sounds terrific - but if you're the kind of person who faints at the sound of nails scraping a blackboard, you might want to nip out and put the kettle on towards the end of the title track.Dart Drug is consistently thrilling, and often very amusing - but it's certainly not easy listening. In music we talk about playing with other musicians, whereas in sport you play against another opponent (or with your team against another team). Why not play against in music, too That's precisely what happens very often in improvised music, and Bailey was particularly good at it. How can a humble acoustic guitar hope to compete with a Muir in full flight Sometimes Bailey's content to sit on those open strings, teasing out yet another exquisite Webernian constellation of ringing harmonics and wait for the dust to settle in Muir's junkyard, but elsewhere he sets off into uncharted territory himself.'The way to discover the undiscovered in performing terms is to immediately reject all situations as you identify them (the cloud of unknowing) - which is to give music a future.' Bailey evidently concurred with this spoken statement by Muir, including it in his book Improvisation.Derek Bailey is no longer with us, of course, and Muir gave up performing music back in 1989. All the more reason for seeking out this magnificent, wild album.

This iconic LP was originally released by Incus in 1974. Recorded at a private house in West London, the side-long title track is a masterwork: a twenty-two-minute, starkly personal, freely expressive, itchily searching re-casting of orders of rhythm and sound into a new, quicksilver kind of affective and musical polyphony. Never mind the guitarist's championing of 'non-idiomatic improvisation', the poet Peter Riley gets the ball rolling in his identification of the various hauntings of Bailey's playing at this time: 'mandolins & balalaikas strumming in the distance, George Forby's banjo, Leadbelly's steel 12-string, koto, lute, classical guitar... and others quite outside the field of the plucked string.'The five pieces on side two were recorded back home in Hackney around the same time — with the exception of Improvisation 104(b), from the year before (and issued by Incus in its TAPS series of mini reel-to-reel tapes) — opening with ventriloquised guitar feedback, and taking in some cod banter about colleagues like Mervyn Parker, Siegfried Brotzmann and Harry Bentink. Crucial.

Nina Nastasia nahm mit Steve Albini bei Electrical Audio in Chicago auf und engagierte den Instrumentalisten und Arrangeur Paul Bryan aus Los Angeles, um ihre Songs für ein kleines Orchester zu arrangieren. Mit dem Schlagzeuger Jay Bellerose und dem Gitarristen Jeff Parker aus Chicago wird Outlaster von einer absoluten Traumband unterstützt. Dieses Album ist ein Werk von üppiger Raffinesse, das ohne Verlust an Charakter oder Wirtschaftlichkeit über Nastasias berühmte Sparsamkeit hinausgeht. Das Orchester geht mit Bryans kraftvoller, bewegender Partitur - die an Gil Evans und den verstorbenen Phil Ochs erinnert - eher formell vor und veredelt die Platte mit glänzenden Bläsern und einem dynamischen Streichensemble. Nachdem Outlaster mehr als ein Jahrzehnt lang vergriffen war, ist es nun endlich wieder auf Vinyl erhältlich. Die Neuauflage von Outlaster wurde 2025 von Josh Bonati für Vinyl remastert und ist auf limitiertem burgunderfarbenem Vinyl gepresst.

After a gap of over ten years, the Grammy nominated Jazz Funk band Down To The Bone are back with their groove laden, Acid Jazz tinged new album “This Way Forward”– here on an ultra-limited, special release of a doublepack vinyl album. Bringing together a good groove fueled album of ten original tracks with a diversity of flavours – from Jazz Funk to Soul to Brazilian tinged delights that are sure to get the musical juices flowing. Packed full of the band’s trademark grooves and bringing together multi talented musicians from the past and the present all culminating into a melting-pot of sounds that together represent Down To The Bone’s essential sounds.

The new album also brings together multi-talented vocalists on no less than seven tracks From the exquisite soul talents of Hil Street Soul, who co-wrote the opening soul infused groove track “Get Up And Dance”, to the equally soulful tones of Natasha Watts and then the Brazillian sounds of Guida De Palma. The pulsing horn section of Tim Smart, Ryan Jacob (Bonobo/Alice Russell) and James Arben (Vibration Black Finger/Mulatu Astatke), together with Piers Green on sax solos, along with the driving bass of both Julian Crampton and Jo Phillpotts to the pumping beats of drummer Davide Giovannini (Snowboy/Jazztronic/Da Lata and Pucho/Lisa Stansfield), to the melodic chords of Neil Angilley (Snowboy/Jazzhino/Maceo Parker) and Anders Olinder (PeeWee Ellis/Courtney Pine), to the chugging guitar of Tony Remy( Dave Lee/The Sunburst Band/Incognito/Omar) and Mark Jaimes (Simply Red) plus Gianni Chiarello – and the icing on the cake with percussion from Joe “Bongo” Becket.

All working together to bring a stellar performance on this cracking new release to show that DTTB are a force to be reckoned with both on stage and on the wheels of steel.

‘Black Butterfly’ is Brooklyn Funk Essentials eighth studio album and includes the bands recent hits ‘Never Give Up’, ‘Bust The Bus Stop’ and ‘Life During Wartime’. Playlisted on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM and supported by Craig Charles and Cerys Matthews at 6 Music as well as many stations across Europe and the Americas. The album was produced and co-written by bassist Lati Kronlund and features Alison Limerick, Ebba Åsman and Desmond Foster on vocals.

Kronlund and Limerick have been enjoying the recent renewed interest in ‘Where Love Lives’. Kronlund wrote and produced it for Limerick in 1990, it was remixed by Frankie Knuckles and David Morales and became a club classic and was featured in this year’s John Lewis Christmas TV Ad. Arthur Baker heard the original in a club in 1991 that he contacted Kronlund about working together and they then formed Brooklyn Funk Essentials.

Since then, Brooklyn Funk Essentials have built a devoted international following and notched up over 100 million streams. Fusing Soul, Hip Hop, Spoken Word, Jazz, Latin, and, of course,
Funk, the band’s journey began experimenting with drum machines and loops in Baker’s Shakedown Sound Studio in Jersey City—hunting for that perfect beat. The early recordings featured greats such as Maceo Parker, Lenny Pickett, Tower of Power Horns, Michigan & Smiley, and Dizzy Gillespie, leading to the acclaimed debut ‘Cool & Steady & Easy’ (1994). Fast-forward to April 2024, when Kronlund reunited with Baker in Miami, rediscovering recordings featuring percussion prodigy Bashiri Johnson, which inspired new creative sparks for the next chapter of Brooklyn Funk Essentials.

Matt Gold and Dustin Laurenzi present Devotional Fade, a collaborative record of electroacoustic rhythmic improvisations – equal parts meditation and dance, released on We Jazz Records, 24th April. Laurenzi and Gold, key collaborators in the Chicago creative scene and with genre spanning artists such as Bill Callahan and Makaya McCraven, step forward here with a major artistic statement, a product of extended improv sessions capturing the duo's hypnotic interplay. This is the sound of two of Chicago's most vibrant instrumental voices listening deeply, communing in sound.

Recorded in Laurenzi's attic studio, Devotional Fade emerged from a series of weekly sessions over the course of a single month. The duo kept the tape rolling continuously each day and selected a number of immersive sonic worlds to present, oscillating between patient, sacred minimalism and wild, dancefloor-worthy combustion.

The pair set two parameters to heighten the sessions' stakes: editing would be kept to a minimum, and a rule of "no pitched overdubs" was put in place – ensuring that all melodic and harmonic gestures would have to be committed in real time. Laurenzi and Gold held true, only sparingly adding a stray shaker or brush to these already largely complete improvisations. Devotional Fade is imbued with quiet propulsion and ecstatic repetition.

Matt Gold is a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer based in Chicago, IL. His work pulls from diverse traditions of electric and acoustic music. Matt has performed across six continents and contributed to over fifty recordings as a collaborator and instrumentalist, garnering critical praise from Pitchfork for playing "one of the most exhilarating guitar solos of recent memory, in any genre." Gold has several long-running collaborative bands spanning jazz, folk, experimental, and chamber music including Sun Speak, Storm Jameson, and Tin. He performs and records with an array of creative artists including Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Jamila Woods, Natalie Merchant, and Greg Ward. Gold co-curates the record label and concert series Flood Music.

Chicago saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Dustin Laurenzi has developed a personal approach to improvisation and composition that has garnered the attention of the city's creative music community. Laurenzi's music is inspired and informed by jazz, folk, and improvised music. His inventive improvisational sensibilities have made him a sought-after musician in many circles of Chicago's vibrant music scene and beyond. Laurenzi has toured extensively with songwriter Bill Callahan and is featured on Callahan's 2024 release Resuscitate! He has toured with Grammy award-winning artist Bon Iver and appears on the band's critically lauded 2016 release 22, A Million. Laurenzi has also performed with Jeff Parker & The New Breed, Marquis Hill, Makaya McCraven, Matt Ulery, Japanese Breakfast, and This Is The Kit.

With his self-titled new album—out May 8 on Candid Records—Grammy-winning guitarist, producer, and songwriter Matthew Stevens delivers a definitive midcareer mission statement. Long recognized as one of the most thrilling and thoughtful guitarists of his generation, Stevens has built an elite reputation in music, touring and recording with a "who’s who" of modern icons, including Esperanza Spalding, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, Harvey Mason, and Walter Smith III.

On this new release, Stevens steps fully into the spotlight, performing at the absolute peak of his powers. The music seamlessly melds acoustic and electric sonics through a mix of genre-blurring originals and deeply personal covers. The album features a multigenerational cast of musicians, including mentors like Terri Lyne Carrington, personal guitar heroes like Jeff Parker, and rising visionaries such as vibraphonist Joel Ross and vocalists Anna B Savage and Corey King. Co-produced by Stevens alongside Josh Johnson and Eric Doob, the record is the culmination of 20 years of craft. It reflects a period of profound personal and artistic change, ultimately bringing Stevens to "a place of optimism, excitement, and confidence" that signals a bold new chapter for one of jazz’s most essential voices.

Die Traumstimme von Joshua Redmans Album „where are we“ mit ihrem Blue-Note-Solo-Debüt!
Als Saxofonist Joshua Redman 2023 sein Album „where are we“ veröffentlichte, ließ nicht nur er damit
aufhorchen, sondern auch die Sängerin auf allen Tracks: Gabrielle Cavassa. Das weltweite Echo war imposant, in Deutschland hieß es “Top-Sängerin“ (Stereoplay) und “bringen die Luft im Studio zum Flirren“
(Süddeutsche Zeitung). Bei der darauffolgenden Welttournee des Redman Quartet begeisterte die Sängerin
erneut das Publikum auch in Deutschland.
Mit ”Diavola“ gibt Gabrielle Cavassa jetzt ihren Einstand bei Blue Note. Dort kann sie erstmals auf
großer Bühne ihr Können als Sängerin und Songwriterin zeigen, sowie als Interpretin von Jazz-Standards
(z.B. “Prisoner of Love“) und klassischem Pop (“Could It Be Magic“) bis hin zu brasilianischen Songs (“To
Say Goodbye“ von Edu Lobo). Cavassas Stimme ist sinnlich und intensiv, obwohl sie mit den Melodien
und Tempi spielt, bleiben Seele und Aussage der Songs intakt.
“Diavola“ wurde koproduziert von Joshua Redman und Don Was und überzeugt auch durch brillante
Arrangements und exquisite Musiker: Jeff Parker an der Gitarre, Paul Cornish am Klavier, Larry Grenadier
am Bass, Brian Blade am Schlagzeug und Joshua Redman bei zwei Titeln am Tenorsaxofon.

Mit "We Were Made For These Times" feiern die Klezmatics ihr 40-jähriges Bandjubiläum - und veröffentlichen zugleich ein Album, das die Gegenwart direkt anspricht.

Die Grammy-ausgezeichnete Formation verbindet seit vier Jahrzehnten jiddische Musiktradition mit politischem Bewusstsein, kultureller Verantwortung und einem unverwechselbaren Klang, der Klezmer mit Punk-Energie, Jazz-Improvisation, Gospel und globalen Rhythmen verschmilzt. Das neue Album versteht Klezmer nicht als nostalgisches Archiv, sondern als lebendige Ausdrucksform, die Kraft, Verbundenheit und Widerstandsfähigkeit stiftet. In Zeiten gesellschaftlicher Spannungen, globaler Migrationsbewegungen und öffentlicher Debatten über Zugehörigkeit richten die Klezmatics ihren Blick auf die historische Aufgabe jüdischer Musik: Menschlichkeit einfordern, Gemeinschaft stärken und Hoffnung formulieren. Die Songs reichen von Protest- und Arbeiterliedern bis zu spirituellen Stücken und feiern gleichzeitig Lebensfreude, Glauben und kulturelles Gedächtnis. Texte von Woody Guthrie, Holly Near, Dovid Edelstadt oder Chaim Zhitlovsky treffen auf neue Interpretationen und internationale Gäste - darunter Sofía Rei, Janis Siegel, Joshua Nelson, La Manga, William Parker, James Brandon Lewis und Enver Izmaylov. Im Zentrum steht der Titelsong, inspiriert von Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés" Botschaft: Wir sind für diese Zeiten gemacht. Das Album bekräftigt, wofür die Klezmatics seit 40 Jahren stehen: Musik als Werkzeug für Mut, Würde und gemeinschaftliche Zukunft.

Blue Colored Vinyl LP Repress. Panamá-born, Chicago-based drummer Daniel Villarreal is known to many for his work in Dos Santos, Wild Belle, The Los Sundowns, Valebol Rudy de Anda, and many more. For his lead artist debut Panamá 77 he engages a diverse array of friends and collaborators - including Bardo Martinez (Chicano Batman), Jeff Parker (Tortoise), Marta Sofia Honer (Adrian Younge), Anna Butterss (Jenny Lewis), and Aquiles Navarro (Irreversible Entanglements) - to create a vibrant and verdant suite of multi-textural psychedelic instrumental folk-funk.

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

The rap duo By Storm, made up of Injury Reserve emcee RiTchie and producer Parker Corey debut their first album “My Ghosts Go Ghost”.

"Weejuns is all about interplay,"erklärt Gitarristin Mollestad. ,Bitches Blues besteht aus sechs Instrumentalstücken oder Musikabschnitten mit einer extremen Bandbreite an Dynamik. Einige basieren auf kräftigen Beats, während andere Stücke weitaus lyrischer und rubato sind. Die Bandbreite reicht von riffbasierten rockigen Stücken über lautes Chaos bis hin zu melancholischen Balladen und sogar völlig freien Improvisationen." Mit einem kultivierten und dennoch erfrischend instinktiven Ansatz, Instrumente und Einflüsse miteinander zu verflechten, wechselt Bitches Blues (ein ironischer Verweis auf Miles Davis' Album Bitches Brew) unvorhersehbar zwischen langsamen und sanften, klar gegliederten Songs mit disziplinierten Akkordfolgen und explosiven Ausbrüchen kathartischer und komplexer Strukturen. Weejuns (eine Slang-Abkürzung für ,Norwegians") stellten sich 2023 mit einem selbstbetitelten Doppel-Live-Album vor. Ursprünglich von Mollestad für das Kongsberg Jazz Festival zusammengestellt, wo sie mit dem renommierten Musicians Prize ausgezeichnet wurde, hat sich die Chemie innerhalb von Weejuns als dauerhaft und verlockend erwiesen, auch als Gegenpol zum bisher härtesten Album des Hedvig Mollestad Trios, Bees in the Bonnet aus dem Jahr 2025. Mollestad hat mit ihrem gleichnamigen Trio acht gefeierte Alben veröffentlicht. Das Markenzeichen ihrer 15-jährigen Karriere ist die Verschmelzung von ernsthaftem Können mit einem offensichtlichen Fokus darauf, Spaß am Klang zu finden. Als Tochter eines Jazzmusikers vertiefte sie sich in dessen Plattensammlung und studierte klassische Werke von Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Joe Pass und Jim Hall, bevor sie in ihren 20ern Riff-gewaltige Titanen wie Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath und Mahavishnu Orchestra entdeckte. Dies führte zur Gründung des Hedvig Mollestad Trios, dessen unermüdlicher Aufnahme- und Tourneeplan seit Anfang der 2010er Jahre der Gitarristin eine Reihe von Auszeichnungen einbrachte, darunter zwei norwegische Grammys (Spellemannprisen) und die Ernennung durch das DownBeat-Magazin zu einer der 25 Künstlerinnen, die ,den Jazz für Jahrzehnte prägen könnten". Ståle Storlokken (Bass, Synths) ist Gründer und langjähriges Mitglied von Supersilent und Elephant9, seit Mitte der 90er Jahre die ,rechte Hand" von Terje Rypdal und hat mit Motorpsycho auf Platte und auf der Bühne sowie mit unzähligen anderen zusammengearbeitet. Ole Mofjell (Drums) ist das jüngste Mitglied und spielt bei Krokofant, Signe Emmeluths Amoeba und seinem eigenen Free-Jazz-Trio 3 Days Of Maceration.

"Weejuns is all about interplay,"erklärt Gitarristin Mollestad. ,Bitches Blues besteht aus sechs Instrumentalstücken oder Musikabschnitten mit einer extremen Bandbreite an Dynamik. Einige basieren auf kräftigen Beats, während andere Stücke weitaus lyrischer und rubato sind. Die Bandbreite reicht von riffbasierten rockigen Stücken über lautes Chaos bis hin zu melancholischen Balladen und sogar völlig freien Improvisationen." Mit einem kultivierten und dennoch erfrischend instinktiven Ansatz, Instrumente und Einflüsse miteinander zu verflechten, wechselt Bitches Blues (ein ironischer Verweis auf Miles Davis' Album Bitches Brew) unvorhersehbar zwischen langsamen und sanften, klar gegliederten Songs mit disziplinierten Akkordfolgen und explosiven Ausbrüchen kathartischer und komplexer Strukturen. Weejuns (eine Slang-Abkürzung für ,Norwegians") stellten sich 2023 mit einem selbstbetitelten Doppel-Live-Album vor. Ursprünglich von Mollestad für das Kongsberg Jazz Festival zusammengestellt, wo sie mit dem renommierten Musicians Prize ausgezeichnet wurde, hat sich die Chemie innerhalb von Weejuns als dauerhaft und verlockend erwiesen, auch als Gegenpol zum bisher härtesten Album des Hedvig Mollestad Trios, Bees in the Bonnet aus dem Jahr 2025. Mollestad hat mit ihrem gleichnamigen Trio acht gefeierte Alben veröffentlicht. Das Markenzeichen ihrer 15-jährigen Karriere ist die Verschmelzung von ernsthaftem Können mit einem offensichtlichen Fokus darauf, Spaß am Klang zu finden. Als Tochter eines Jazzmusikers vertiefte sie sich in dessen Plattensammlung und studierte klassische Werke von Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Joe Pass und Jim Hall, bevor sie in ihren 20ern Riff-gewaltige Titanen wie Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath und Mahavishnu Orchestra entdeckte. Dies führte zur Gründung des Hedvig Mollestad Trios, dessen unermüdlicher Aufnahme- und Tourneeplan seit Anfang der 2010er Jahre der Gitarristin eine Reihe von Auszeichnungen einbrachte, darunter zwei norwegische Grammys (Spellemannprisen) und die Ernennung durch das DownBeat-Magazin zu einer der 25 Künstlerinnen, die ,den Jazz für Jahrzehnte prägen könnten". Ståle Storlokken (Bass, Synths) ist Gründer und langjähriges Mitglied von Supersilent und Elephant9, seit Mitte der 90er Jahre die ,rechte Hand" von Terje Rypdal und hat mit Motorpsycho auf Platte und auf der Bühne sowie mit unzähligen anderen zusammengearbeitet. Ole Mofjell (Drums) ist das jüngste Mitglied und spielt bei Krokofant, Signe Emmeluths Amoeba und seinem eigenen Free-Jazz-Trio 3 Days Of Maceration.

First time reissue of JP free jazz rarity, pre-Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai group.

The single album self-released by the quartet Shūdan Sokai in 1977 is one of the most vital documents of mid-seventies Japanese free jazz, documenting Tokyo’s free scene at the precise moment when it began to shift to a handful of tiny venues on the western fringes of the city. In Free Jazz in Japan, Teruto Soejima identifies the extant venue Aketa no Mise in Nishi-Ogikubo as the pioneer of this decamping from the centre: a cramped basement beneath a rice shop, seating just 20 people. Musician-run, operated on a shoestring, these spaces offered a vital site for community, creativity, and a small measure of financial independence — “even though it was in a basement, in spirit it was a loft.”

Among the most active of the new venues was Alone in Hachiōji, nearly an hour from Shinjuku, in a district shaped by universities, lower rents, and a thriving counterculture. Originally opened in 1973 as a jazu kissa, Alone was unusually spacious and equipped with a stage, grand piano, and drum kit. Around 1974, Junji Mori and Yasuhiro Sakakibara began working there, booking free jazz players on weekends and establishing the venue as a crucial hub. Mori recalls early appearances by figures including Kazutoki Umezu, Toshinori Kondo, and others who would define the scene.

In early 1976, Umezu and pianist Yoriyuki Harada — recently returned from New York’s loft jazz environment, where they had played with musicians such as David Murray and William Parker — formed Shūdan Sokai with Mori and drummer Takashi Kikuchi. The name, meaning “mass evacuation,” pointed to their self-chosen exile in Hachiōji. With Alone as their home base, the quartet developed a music characterized by an infectious sense of enjoyment and a willingness to integrate free jazz with elements of song structure. Harada switched between piano and bass; the group experimented with rap-like vocal pieces, jabbering nursery rhymes over bass rhythms.

They returned to Alone on December 24 to record Sono zen’ya (Eve), releasing it on their own Des Chonboo Records, partially funded by advertisements from local businesses printed on the rear cover. The closing “Ballad for Seshiru,” dedicated to Harada’s newborn son, unfolds over a delicate piano melody that moves into emphatic chords as intertwining alto lines rise and spiral.

Alone closed in September 1977, and Shūdan Sokai soon dissolved, later morphing into the expanded Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai Orchestra. What remains is a recording rooted in a specific place and moment: a fiercely independent scene sustained by small rooms, close listening, and collective commitment.

Gregory Hutchinsons "Kind of Now - The Pulse of Miles Davis" ist eine innovative wie neue All-Star-Hommage an Miles und seine Musik entstand unter der Leitung von Gregory Hutchinson, „dem Schlagzeuger seiner Generation“ laut Jazz Magazine. Jetzt erscheint das Album pünktlich zum 100. Geburtstag der Ikone.
Es ist ein faszinierendes und äußerst lohnendes Album, das einigen unsterblichen Klassikern aus Miles Davis’ Repertoire neues Leben einhaucht, wie etwa Charlie Parkers „Ah-Leu-Cha“ oder Miles’ eigenem „Seven Steps To Heaven“, wobei stets das Offensichtliche außer Acht gelassen und stattdessen die „deep cuts“ hervorgehoben werden. Die Schlagzeug-Interludes des Bandleaders verweben dieses über einstündige Programm eng und verleihen ihm eine futuristische Neuheit, ganz in Hutchs Sinn von Zeit. Kind of Now.
Mit Ambrose Akinmusire, Ron Blake, Jakub Bro, Emmanuel Michael, Gerald Clayton & Joe Sanders

Scorsese Sounds - A Tribute To Martin Scorsese - The Finest Selection of Martin Scorsese"s Soundtracks Martin Scorsese ist nicht nur ein Meister des Films, sondern auch ein Virtuose der Musikauswahl. Mit "Scorsese Sounds" erleben Sie die unverwechselbare Klangwelt seiner größten Werke - von epischen Gangster-Sagas bis hin zu psychologischen Dramen und zeitlosen Klassikern. Diese exklusive Doppel-Vinyl vereint die Essenz der Soundtracks, die Scorseses Filme zu Kult gemacht haben. Jeder Track ist sorgfältig ausgewählt, um die Atmosphäre und Emotionen der legendären Szenen einzufangen - von der rauen Energie des New Yorker Untergrunds bis zur eleganten Nostalgie vergangener Zeiten. Ein Muss für Cineasten, Vinyl-Liebhaber und alle, die die Magie von Bild und Ton schätzen. Tauchen Sie ein in die musikalische DNA eines der größten Regisseure unserer Zeit.

Welcome to the world of Edward Blankman, a retired dentist who wrote elegant, minimalist jazz in obscurity circa 1970. At least that’s the story.

In truth, Edward Blankman’s Cape Cod Cottage is the 2021 concept album from Echo Park composer Brendan Eder.

A tender, wistful follow up to 2020’s To Mix With Time, the Cape Cod Cottage sound evokes the spirit of Erik Satie, Miles Davis with Gil Evans, and Stevie Wonder, balanced with the accessibility of 1960s lounge-exotica. Eder’s characteristic arrangements are crafted to reflect the past, without losing the innovative quality of his modern ear.

Eder created Blankman’s story to channel his own grief, with bittersweet tenderness. Read the liner notes, and you’ll be transported to the quiet shores of Cape Cod, where a lonely retiree mourns his late wife, Natalie, with walks in nature and evenings at his Wurlitzer.

The story is brought to life with a meticulously crafted package sporting classic liner notes, faux 1970s photographs documenting Edward with the musicians (taken during the actual session), a make-believe jazz label, and a commissioned oil painting of Edward’s cottage. Eder spent over a year rendering the compositions and charts according to his vision.

Eder brought together a dream line up with a ton of chemistry for the project; drummer Christian Euman (Jacob Collier), saxophonist Josh Johnson (Jeff Parker, Leon Bridges), and bassist Alex Boneham (Billy Childs), who all studied together at the Hancock Institute of Jazz. Rounding out the group is flutist Sarah Robinson, a recurring player in Eder’s ensemble, and Edward Blankman (Brendan) on the Wurlitzer.

The cast was booked for a single date with coveted engineer Michael Harris (Kamasi Washington, Angel Olsen, Fleet Foxes) at famed Electro-Vox Recording Studios. To create realism for Edward’s story, the charts were purposefully withheld from the musicians until they arrived at the studio. The result is an authentic and natural performance delivered by players at the top of their game, captured on pristine vintage equipment including the legendary Neve-8028 console.

Here comes the first appearance on vinyl of Elf Bagatellen, a 1990 FMP classic from the legendary Schlippenbach Trio where the group achieved fever-dream beauty through self-imposed temporal limitations. The trio deliberately shaped the music, opting for more concise pieces rather than concert-length performances that had become standard practice. Those durational limitations clearly inspired them, bringing a jewel-like, compositional flow to many of the works, although even when the trio seems to be playing a tune in a piece like "Analogue: Scaled" the performance moves so rapidly into the next event any such notion is banished. And yet some of Schlippenbach's older themes resurface in abstracted ways, whether it's Pakistani Pomade's "Sun-Luck Night-Rain" appearing as quicksilver line in "Sun-Luck: Revisited" or Globe Unity's "The Forge" sneaking into "The Forge: Rebellowed." The concision of shorter pieces, including several solo works, arrive as a kind of fever dream in the usual context of free jazz. Schlippenbach Trio soon snapped back into its working methodology on its follow up album, Physics, in 1993, which further elevates the singularity of Elf Bagatellen. The album captured a different side of the trio and helped inform the modern classical tilt in European improvised music. Cien Fuegos is delighted to reissue this undeniable classic, making it available on vinyl for the first time ever, freshly remastered by Martin Siewert. Evan Parker - soprano & tenor saxophone - Alexander von Schlippenbach - piano - Paul Lovens - selected drums and cymbals This album was released as a cd on FMP 1990, remastering for vinyl by Martin Siewert 2025

The long-awaited reissue of Another Song by Music Service, one of the finest Italo-Disco tracks goes to Antony Soumas, the amazing Greek DJ owner of Disco Time Records in Athens. Tony's passion for Italo-Disco style is known worldwide and is worth further amplifying. Among the spin-offs conceived by Amin-Peck (editor's note: in strict Bolognese dialect means "I hang myself!"), Another Song turns out to be the favorite of the "purists" of Italo. The synthesizers of George Fyron and Leonard Parker are excellent as always, but here we also find awesome sauce male voices! In a certain sense you have the sensation of listening to Big In Japan, but perhaps it is just a suggestion of the dee-jays who push one record after another. One last curiosity dictated by the sagacious dj-writer Antonio Stanzani, better known as Ciancio DJ: the Music Service band proposed to Luca Zanarini to sing Another Song, but the lyrics of the song did not yet existed His friend Gianni Ruberti made himself available and by isolating in a room for two hours he made the lyrics that all of us after more than 40 years enjoy.

Mizery aus San Diego sind ein rebellisches Kraftpaket, das mit seinem Crossover-Hardcore-Sound für Aufsehen sorgen will. Mizery wurden 2014 mit ihrer EP ,Survive The Vibe" bekannt, gefolgt von ihrem 2016 erschienenen Album ,Absolute Light" (Flatspot Records). Mit ihren groovigen Rhythmen und dynamischen Live-Auftritten erregten sie schnell Aufmerksamkeit. Die Idee zu Mizery hatten die Kindheitsfreunde Jose Luna (Gesang) und Taylor Parker (Leadgitarre). Als die beiden den Schlagzeuger Cayle Sain trafen, wurde aus der Idee echt was. Bald darauf holten sie Miguel ,Mikey" Salazar am Bass dazu und begannen als Vierergruppe zu komponieren. Nach der Veröffentlichung des Albums tourten Mizery mit Genre-Größen wie Power Trip, Terror und Backtrack und nahmen Ahmad Ali am Bass auf, wodurch Mikey zur Rhythmusgitarre wechselte. Wie der Rest der Welt kam auch die Band während der Pandemie zum Stillstand, schrieb aber weiter Songs und war bereit, mit voller Kraft zurückzukommen. Im Dezember 2023 erschütterte der unerwartete Tod des Schlagzeugers Cayle Sain, der auch mit Twitching Tongues, God's Hate und GhosteMane auftrat, die Musikszene und brachte Mizery verständlicherweise zum Stillstand. Während sie ihre Trauer verarbeiteten und nachdachten, wussten die Mitglieder von Mizery, dass sie weitermachen mussten, und eine gefundene Aufnahme gab ihnen ein neues Ziel. Jose und Taylor entdeckten, dass Cayle die Vorproduktions-Demos, die sie ihm geschickt hatten, genommen und in einem professionellen Studio Schlagzeugspuren dafür aufgenommen hatte. Mit der Hilfe des Produzenten Taylor Young (The Pit) konnte die Band diese Schlagzeugspuren bekommen und sie für ihre selbstbetitelte EP verwenden. Die Mizery-EP, die am 20. März 2026 bei Flatspot Records erscheinen soll, ist ein offen politisches Album, das sich um Erneuerung und Reflexion dreht. In den sechs Tracks werden die Texte als Waffe eingesetzt, wie Jose erklärt: ,Es ist eine Reflexion einer Welt, die einige von uns sehen und andere ignorieren. Die Gewalttaten, die Angst vor Gewalt und die Auswirkungen von Gewalt." Die Songs weichen von einem geradlinigen Kurs ab und mischen mitreißende Rap-Gesangspassagen mit metallischen Riffs, einfallsreichen Grooves und einigen Überraschungen. Die Einflüsse stammen von Leeways ,Adult Crash", Merauders ,5 Deadly Venoms" und Only Living Witness' ,Innocents", kombiniert mit den Werken von Rage Against The Machine und P.O.D., die die Bandmitglieder in ihrer Jugend geprägt haben. Schon beim Opener ,Renegade Rhythm" wird klar, dass Mizery es ernst meint, wenn sie sich mit dem Zustand der Welt auseinandersetzen und dabei Musik machen, die im Kopf bleibt. ,The Weapon PT.II" ist der lauteste Track auf der EP und setzt auf Worte, um Veränderungen zu bewirken, statt auf physische Gewalt. Den Abschluss der EP bildet der selbstgerechte Song ,Eulogy" mit Gastgesang von Sammy Ciaramitaro von DRAIN. Der Song entstand als frühe Demo und war der einzige Track, für den Cayle programmierte Drums anstelle von Studioaufnahmen verwendet hatte. Um die Single zu vervollständigen, sprang Schlagzeuger David Stalsworth (Militarie Gun, Torena) bei den Aufnahmen ein und ist nun Mitglied von Mizery. Während manche die Veröffentlichung der EP als Triumph betrachten mögen, ist sie für Mizery ein Beweis für ihre Beharrlichkeit und zeigt, dass die Band bereit ist, in eine neue Ära einzutreten.

Mizery aus San Diego sind ein rebellisches Kraftpaket, das mit seinem Crossover-Hardcore-Sound für Aufsehen sorgen will. Mizery wurden 2014 mit ihrer EP ,Survive The Vibe" bekannt, gefolgt von ihrem 2016 erschienenen Album ,Absolute Light" (Flatspot Records). Mit ihren groovigen Rhythmen und dynamischen Live-Auftritten erregten sie schnell Aufmerksamkeit. Die Idee zu Mizery hatten die Kindheitsfreunde Jose Luna (Gesang) und Taylor Parker (Leadgitarre). Als die beiden den Schlagzeuger Cayle Sain trafen, wurde aus der Idee echt was. Bald darauf holten sie Miguel ,Mikey" Salazar am Bass dazu und begannen als Vierergruppe zu komponieren. Nach der Veröffentlichung des Albums tourten Mizery mit Genre-Größen wie Power Trip, Terror und Backtrack und nahmen Ahmad Ali am Bass auf, wodurch Mikey zur Rhythmusgitarre wechselte. Wie der Rest der Welt kam auch die Band während der Pandemie zum Stillstand, schrieb aber weiter Songs und war bereit, mit voller Kraft zurückzukommen. Im Dezember 2023 erschütterte der unerwartete Tod des Schlagzeugers Cayle Sain, der auch mit Twitching Tongues, God's Hate und GhosteMane auftrat, die Musikszene und brachte Mizery verständlicherweise zum Stillstand. Während sie ihre Trauer verarbeiteten und nachdachten, wussten die Mitglieder von Mizery, dass sie weitermachen mussten, und eine gefundene Aufnahme gab ihnen ein neues Ziel. Jose und Taylor entdeckten, dass Cayle die Vorproduktions-Demos, die sie ihm geschickt hatten, genommen und in einem professionellen Studio Schlagzeugspuren dafür aufgenommen hatte. Mit der Hilfe des Produzenten Taylor Young (The Pit) konnte die Band diese Schlagzeugspuren bekommen und sie für ihre selbstbetitelte EP verwenden. Die Mizery-EP, die am 20. März 2026 bei Flatspot Records erscheinen soll, ist ein offen politisches Album, das sich um Erneuerung und Reflexion dreht. In den sechs Tracks werden die Texte als Waffe eingesetzt, wie Jose erklärt: ,Es ist eine Reflexion einer Welt, die einige von uns sehen und andere ignorieren. Die Gewalttaten, die Angst vor Gewalt und die Auswirkungen von Gewalt." Die Songs weichen von einem geradlinigen Kurs ab und mischen mitreißende Rap-Gesangspassagen mit metallischen Riffs, einfallsreichen Grooves und einigen Überraschungen. Die Einflüsse stammen von Leeways ,Adult Crash", Merauders ,5 Deadly Venoms" und Only Living Witness' ,Innocents", kombiniert mit den Werken von Rage Against The Machine und P.O.D., die die Bandmitglieder in ihrer Jugend geprägt haben. Schon beim Opener ,Renegade Rhythm" wird klar, dass Mizery es ernst meint, wenn sie sich mit dem Zustand der Welt auseinandersetzen und dabei Musik machen, die im Kopf bleibt. ,The Weapon PT.II" ist der lauteste Track auf der EP und setzt auf Worte, um Veränderungen zu bewirken, statt auf physische Gewalt. Den Abschluss der EP bildet der selbstgerechte Song ,Eulogy" mit Gastgesang von Sammy Ciaramitaro von DRAIN. Der Song entstand als frühe Demo und war der einzige Track, für den Cayle programmierte Drums anstelle von Studioaufnahmen verwendet hatte. Um die Single zu vervollständigen, sprang Schlagzeuger David Stalsworth (Militarie Gun, Torena) bei den Aufnahmen ein und ist nun Mitglied von Mizery. Während manche die Veröffentlichung der EP als Triumph betrachten mögen, ist sie für Mizery ein Beweis für ihre Beharrlichkeit und zeigt, dass die Band bereit ist, in eine neue Ära einzutreten.

The Golden Age of southern soul lasted from about 1962 to 1975, when disco ripped the heart out of it. And although it may seem as though the blend of country, gospel and R & B that emerged from the great studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals in that decade was entirely fresh and new, like any other genre classic, southern soul picked up musical cues and absorbed influences from a whole variety of sources: horn lines from Louisiana's swamp pop, lyrical themes from the blues, songs from country music, and of course so, so much from the black churches. Part of the 'History of Soul' series, this LP reveals the musical antecedents that gave southern soul its inspiration. The music here will tell you the real story - and it will knock your socks off too! Notes by John Ridley.

"The Sophs sind quasi aus dem Nichts aufgetaucht", sagen Rough-Trade-Mitgründer Geoff Travis und Jeannette Lee über ihr neuestes Signing: eine sechsköpfige Band aus L.A. mit dem feinsinnigen Namen The Sophs. Die kompromisslose Ehrlichkeit und der weite Soundkosmos der Band überzeugten sofort. Als Sänger Ethan Ramon ein Demo an seine Lieblingslabels schickte, rechnete er nicht mit einer Reaktion - doch schon am nächsten Tag meldete sich Rough Trade mit der Bitte um ein Gespräch. In den frühen Songs hörte das Label genau jene Kreativität, Vielseitigkeit und den draufgängerischen "Don"t expect me to act pretty"-Spirit, den The Sophs auf jede Bühne bringen: Ethan Ramon (Gesang), Sam Yuh (Keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (E-Gitarre), Seth Smades (Akustikgitarre), Devin Russ (Drums) und Cole Bobbitt (Bass). Die fünf Demo-Tracks bildeten die Blaupause für ihr Debütalbum "GOLDSTAR". Musikalisch bewegen sich The Sophs im Zickzack: Pop-Punk trifft auf Funk, Delta Blues auf ZZ Top. Ramons warme, kraftvolle Stimme wandert dabei wie ein vokales Chamäleon durch die Genres. "Wir versuchen nie, so vielseitig zu sein, wie wir am Ende klingen", sagt Ramon. Songwriting verstehen sie als Pop Art - ein spielerisches Zitieren, Verformen und Neuerschaffen. Oft entstehen Songs aus spontanen Ideen, die im Bandprozess eine völlig neue Richtung nehmen. Der Track "THE DOG DIES IN THE END" erinnert an 2000er-Pop-Punk, getragen von düsteren Gedankenspiralen und Akkordeon. "DEATH IN THE FAMILY" kombiniert sonnigen Rock mit bitterem Humor und der Sehnsucht nach Mitleid als Schutz vor Verantwortung. "GOLDSTAR" stellt dabei einfache, aber unbequeme Fragen nach Anerkennung und Moral. Weitere Highlights wie "SWEETIEPIE" und "BLITZED AGAIN" zeigen die Band zwischen Selbstentlarvung und euphorischer Energie - roh, lebendig und kompromisslos kreativ.

"The Sophs sind quasi aus dem Nichts aufgetaucht", sagen Rough-Trade-Mitgründer Geoff Travis und Jeannette Lee über ihr neuestes Signing: eine sechsköpfige Band aus L.A. mit dem feinsinnigen Namen The Sophs. Die kompromisslose Ehrlichkeit und der weite Soundkosmos der Band überzeugten sofort. Als Sänger Ethan Ramon ein Demo an seine Lieblingslabels schickte, rechnete er nicht mit einer Reaktion - doch schon am nächsten Tag meldete sich Rough Trade mit der Bitte um ein Gespräch. In den frühen Songs hörte das Label genau jene Kreativität, Vielseitigkeit und den draufgängerischen "Don"t expect me to act pretty"-Spirit, den The Sophs auf jede Bühne bringen: Ethan Ramon (Gesang), Sam Yuh (Keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (E-Gitarre), Seth Smades (Akustikgitarre), Devin Russ (Drums) und Cole Bobbitt (Bass). Die fünf Demo-Tracks bildeten die Blaupause für ihr Debütalbum "GOLDSTAR". Musikalisch bewegen sich The Sophs im Zickzack: Pop-Punk trifft auf Funk, Delta Blues auf ZZ Top. Ramons warme, kraftvolle Stimme wandert dabei wie ein vokales Chamäleon durch die Genres. "Wir versuchen nie, so vielseitig zu sein, wie wir am Ende klingen", sagt Ramon. Songwriting verstehen sie als Pop Art - ein spielerisches Zitieren, Verformen und Neuerschaffen. Oft entstehen Songs aus spontanen Ideen, die im Bandprozess eine völlig neue Richtung nehmen. Der Track "THE DOG DIES IN THE END" erinnert an 2000er-Pop-Punk, getragen von düsteren Gedankenspiralen und Akkordeon. "DEATH IN THE FAMILY" kombiniert sonnigen Rock mit bitterem Humor und der Sehnsucht nach Mitleid als Schutz vor Verantwortung. "GOLDSTAR" stellt dabei einfache, aber unbequeme Fragen nach Anerkennung und Moral. Weitere Highlights wie "SWEETIEPIE" und "BLITZED AGAIN" zeigen die Band zwischen Selbstentlarvung und euphorischer Energie - roh, lebendig und kompromisslos kreativ.

This is that absolute stank-face filth: hard, espionage drama-soul and tough, jazzy street-funk. Hogan, The Hawk & Dirty John Crown sounds like the soundtrack of a blaxploitation movie from the early 70s and, packed with funky fusion and smoother orchestral numbers, it is basically that.

Featuring a veritable who's who of killer library break snakes - Alan Parker, Alan Hawkshaw (under sneaky alias William Parrish), Simon Haseley, Reg Tilsley and Gordon Grant - it's not hard to see how this commands over £350 on secondary markets.

This beautifully presented reissue, part of Be With's fresh campaign with the legendary library label Music De Wolfe, is well overdue.

Recorded for De Wolfe in 1972, Hogan, The Hawk, Dirty John Crown is a fantastic start-to-finish listen. The flute-funk of Hawkshaw and Parker's opener "The Hawk" comprises driving, fuzzy, wah-wah-drizzled bell-laced breaks with synths and basslines to murder for. Up next, Haseley's "The Happening" is a carefree, rhythmic builder with strings and horns. Let's face it, it doesn't prepare us for the monster that follows...

Hawkshaw and Parker's amazing "Main Chance" is likely the reason you're here; it's a moody, beaty proto-hip-hop banger; all rolling drums and flute-laced, organ-drenched, synth-funk breaks. Just sensational - you'll want to play it again and again and again.

The cool AF "Hogan Baby" has a soft, rounded, bluesy feel - it's a lighter number and Haseley's work here sounds more than a little indebted to Burt Bacharach. It's melancholic, reflective and contains ace breaks with beautiful flutes and wistful horns. It's just gorgeous. Grant's pounding "Dirty John Crown" brilliantly conjures swirling string-swept serenity atop driving, incisive drama-funk breaks. Sublime. Hawkshaw and Parker come roaring back with the murky, creeping crime-funk of "Swarf" with killer basslines underpinning slow-mo high-class flute-funk.

Reg Tilsley enters the fray with the bright, snappy, carefree "Turnover". It's lightweight but still retains some nice orchestral movements. The brief “Tarantula” gets us back on track - from the pen and chops of Hawkshaw and Parker, are we surprised? - with the driving crime funk breaks, super clean yet brooding. Synths, sax and 'nuff guitars. YES.

Side 2 opens with the car chase swag of Haseley's dramatic, driving "Precinct". Jazzy, instrumental flute funk over great percussive breaks. We love this. Haseley's rolling "Sidewinder Version 1" is robust and exuberant with bouncy horns before a cracking Parker-Hawkshaw one-two featuring the tense "Pressure" and the deeply soulful "Call Me", a relaxed, medium-tempo organ feature. With building piano and strings Gordon Grant's excellently titled "Scorch" is as aggressive and dramatic as you'd hope. Hawkshaw and Parker's furtive flute-funk of "Digger" precede the light, melodic and romantic themes of Tilsley's "Marianne" whilst "Sidewinder Version 2", a faster iteration of Track B2 sees Haseley close out this remarkable set in bouncy, bright fashion.

The audio for Hogan, The Hawk, Dirty John Crown has been meticulously remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Pioen is the second album by Elisabeth Klinck & Nils Vermeulen, released on blickwinkel. It was recorded in a small chapel of a monastery in the city center of Ghent. A chapel by nature is a place of contemplation and meditation, which automatically had influence on the music. Movements slow down, attention is sharpened and the overwhelming silence of the space becomes part of the music. Sound and silence are meticulously woven into each other. Even when the music grows at times dense and heavy, there is an ever-present sense of closeness and intimacy. This is reinforced by the use of the voice, which naturally appears throughout the album, not as a separate layer but as an extension of the instruments.

The pieces – this time more curated than on their previous album Pair, Paire – arose from hours-long improvisations where sound became space and space became sound. Bringing together violin, double bass and voice, Pioen unfolds as a serene and honest journey, inviting the listener into a state of contemplation.

Elisabeth Klinck is a contemporary violinist, composer and performer based in Brussels, known or her timeless, deep-listening sound worlds. Her album Picture a Frame (2023) and Chronotopia - selected by The Quietus as one of the best albums of 2025 - were released on the Swiss label Hallow Ground. A big part of her work revolves around tactility, fragility, and a very physical approaches to sound.

Nils Vermeulen is a Belgian double bass player active in all varieties of adventurous music. He has played with Paul Lytton, Martin Küchen, Seppe Gebruers, William Parker, John Dikeman, Luis Vicente, among others. He works across many scenes, from free improv to jazz to contemporary classical music, and in many distinct constellations, such as his own groups Kabas and Jukwaa, a Norwegian free jazz trio with Tollef Østvang and Heidi Kvelvane, a string duo with Elisabeth Klinck, and as the double bassplayer of Nemo ensemble. In 2023, he released his debut solo album on Aspen Edities.