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The new album from Lebanese-American musician Solpara, Melancholy Sabotage, marks his full length debut and return to Nicolas Jaar's Other People label. While it was recorded over Covid lockdowns, Jaar had been talking about wanting to back a Solpara full-length since he put out Swing. The album came to life while Solpara was living alone in a Brooklyn loft, collecting unemployment checks and viewing ample free time as the artist residency he'd dreamed of; he'd previously been forced to make music in odd windows between numerous jobs and the unmerciful pace of city life. Free from obligations, he would wake up early to take Arabic lessons online, read Tracey Thorn's autobiography, and skateboard the deserted streets, then come home and design sounds until he had a track that felt like it needed to be released. While this easy going lifestyle was peaceful in many ways, Solpara found more complex inspiration in the emotion that stemmed from participation in Black Lives Matter protests and the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, which rocked all of his extended family members in Lebanon.

Melancholy Sabotage explores the theme of sabotaging melancholy. Echoing sounds from the post-punk, trip-hop, and ambient genres, it is about sabotaging the cycle of melancholy and looking at this process without ignoring the sources that put it into motion. It may be compared to a rattling breaking free from retention, reaching states of dreamy euphoria while simultaneously acknowledging the sources of retention, viewed from above. The sources can be personal, political, or socio-economic. They are to be apprehended post-melancholy, after the sabotaging of the initial cycle of melancholy. In other words, it is about transcending melancholy and understanding where it came from with some distance. It may be beautiful and healthy to feel for a while, but how may one sabotage this cycle when it becomes paralyzing? Ultimately, this album is about feeling melancholy but also resisting it and naming the sources that initiated it.

"Time To Hold Better" points to neglect on both personal and group levels. "This Time Last Year" is a personal time capsule. "We Keep Us Safe" is about solidarity, autonomy, and care witnessed within protest groups. "Melancholy Sabotage" is a sonic exploration of the album concept illustrating anger and sadness, but finally, resistance and liberation from these feelings. "Measures" is a more fluid exploration of the latter after the initial storm has passed. "We Don't Owe" points to bigger bodies inflicting harm on populations that we owe nothing to. "Breaking Points" harkens the times that we may lose focus while pushing to transcend melancholy. "Eviction" is about being pushed out of a space unwillingly while simultaneously being forced to move forward.

Melancholy Sabotage pulls from a range of genres, uniting electronic sounds under the same post-punky glow. It pulls from complex, heavy themes including damage and injustice, presenting Solpara's most moving body of work to date. It highlights the poignance that has always been at the heart of his fluid sound, which caters to dancefloors and avant-garde spaces in equal measure. Working with a mix of dissonant guitars, distorted drum machines, and distant, reverb-washed vocals, Melancholy Sabotage is Solpara's uneasiest outing to date. The record pinpoints the duality at the heart of Solpara's sound, which is as plaintive as it is searing.

Cleveland death metal legends-in-waiting 200 Stab Wounds have returned with Manual Manic Procedures, a superlative sophomore effort that follows 2021’s Slave to the Scalpel, their tour de force debut. The new album is a brutal slab of old school death metal with a contemporary edge. Not for the faint-hearted, Manual Manic Procedures may well be the album that puts classic gore-themed ferocity back into the metal community’s collective consciousness. The band's debut, "Slave to the Scalpel" saw 200 Stab Wounds insinuate themselves into the minds of extreme metal fans, leading to praise from Pitchfork for their “unpretentious brilliance, pitch-black sense of humor” and an “aesthetic that’s built around a chugging, groovy riff that stomps down a path of destruction.” Manual Manic Procedures sees the band upping the ante both musically and lyrically. Ultimately, for 200 Stab Wounds, it’s all about creating art that they enjoy. “I know that if we like it, our fans will like it,” says Buhl. “That's really all that matters to us. And if we keep touring, it's just gonna get bigger and bigger. Then everyone's happy, far as I'm concerned.” The songs on Manual Manic Procedures are not safe for work – perhaps unsafe most anywhere. But that’s its dark charm in a world where even heavy music can play it too safely. 200 Stab Wounds have crafted Manual Manic Procedures for themselves and like-minded brethren: thrill-seekers, carnage cravers, horror fans, and aficionados of the most extreme metal. Above all, 200SW created a future death metal classic.

Cleveland death metal legends-in-waiting 200 Stab Wounds have returned with Manual Manic Procedures, a superlative sophomore effort that follows 2021’s Slave to the Scalpel, their tour de force debut. The new album is a brutal slab of old school death metal with a contemporary edge. Not for the faint-hearted, Manual Manic Procedures may well be the album that puts classic gore-themed ferocity back into the metal community’s collective consciousness. The band's debut, "Slave to the Scalpel" saw 200 Stab Wounds insinuate themselves into the minds of extreme metal fans, leading to praise from Pitchfork for their “unpretentious brilliance, pitch-black sense of humor” and an “aesthetic that’s built around a chugging, groovy riff that stomps down a path of destruction.” Manual Manic Procedures sees the band upping the ante both musically and lyrically. Ultimately, for 200 Stab Wounds, it’s all about creating art that they enjoy. “I know that if we like it, our fans will like it,” says Buhl. “That's really all that matters to us. And if we keep touring, it's just gonna get bigger and bigger. Then everyone's happy, far as I'm concerned.” The songs on Manual Manic Procedures are not safe for work – perhaps unsafe most anywhere. But that’s its dark charm in a world where even heavy music can play it too safely. 200 Stab Wounds have crafted Manual Manic Procedures for themselves and like-minded brethren: thrill-seekers, carnage cravers, horror fans, and aficionados of the most extreme metal. Above all, 200SW created a future death metal classic.

The hugo toolbox - A lasting place.

Just as my dad with words unspoken gave the tools to me, I’m passing these down to you.

A place to keep ideas safe, to hold the music, to give you space away from your phone.



Contents:

• 1x Toolbox

• 1x Chess Board with Custom chess pieces (Made by Sunny)

• 1x Incense (Made by Cremate)

• 1x Incense Burner

• 1x hugo car key with keychain

• 1x Pin Badge

• 1x Certificate of authenticity

• 1x Notebook

• 1x hugo Process Book

• 1x Georgetown Flexidisc

• 1x Plastic Flexidisc

• 1x hugo: reimagined (Live at the Royal Albert Hall) Vinyl LP

• 1x hugo Picture Disc Vinyl LP

• 1x Hidden Message

Music From Memory is pleased to announce the upcoming release of ‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’, a collaborative album from Tim Koh and Sun An.

Tim Koh is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist born and raised in Los Angeles. He has been touring, releasing music and showing art works internationally for nearly two decades. Sun An is a Southern California-based graphic designer, art director, and sound designer who has self-released music since 2012.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ plays somewhat like a dreamlike collage; across 18 short compositions, finger-picked guitars melt with electronics and warped samples to create a form of American Primitivism bent and refracted through Tim and Sun’s unique lens.

Their collaborative journey unfolded gradually, exchanging snippets via email over the span of a year or so, Sun in LA and Tim in Berlin. Amidst personal struggles and uncertainties, the act of recording and composing became a refuge, a safe space where they could navigate life's complexities together. Though they didn't converse much, mostly just sending music, their musical dialogue spoke volumes, shaping a narrative that evolved naturally over time. As they shared their musical ideas, they discovered a profound sense of connection and understanding with one another. The music became a conduit for healing, bridging the gaps between them and offering comfort in times of need.

Their musical influences and backgrounds anchored them. From reminiscing about past scenes to exploring cultural intricacies of being Korean American in Los Angeles, infused with a natural sense of shared identity, their collaboration reflected a mergence of old and new memories into a hallucinatory, dream-like experience. Across the 18 compositions that make up the album, incense emerges as a poignant motif, symbolizing the passage of time. Each incense stick becomes a vessel carrying the essence of moments gone by, while the holder becomes the custodian of these ephemeral memories.

‘Salt And Sugar Look The Same’ invites the listener on a boundary-transcending journey of introspection, joy, and pain, creating an experience that lingers long after the last note fades.

Sleeve art by Brian DeGraw, design by David McFarline.

NIGHTINGALEs begehrte "Nightfall Overture"-Veröffentlichung, die neu interpretierte und neu aufgenommene Versionen von Songs der ersten vier Alben der Band versammelt, wurde nun von Songwriter/Frontmann/Produzent Dan Swanö (Opeth, Katatonia, Edge Of Sanity, etc.) remastert. Erstmals 2005 zum 10-jährigen Bandjubiläum veröffentlicht, wird diese überfällige Wiederveröffentlichung als Limited Deluxe 2CD Jewelcase mit O-Card inkl. einer 16-Track / 73 min. Bonus-Disc mit karriereübergreifenden Live-Aufnahmen von 2004 bis 2016 ("Rock Hard Live"-Veröffentlichung) und als 180g Vinyl-Edition erhältlich sein. "Nightfall Overture" bietet in seiner aufgewerteten Form eine perfekte Einstiegsmöglichkeit, das frühe und äußerst vielseitige Werk von NIGHTINGALE (wieder) zu entdecken. Der Schatten atmet noch einmal...

AC/DC feiern mit Limited GOLD NUGGET Vinyls ihr 50-jähriges Jubiläum! Die LP kam 2000 auf den Markt und bei ihrer Entstehung kam es zu einer Familienzusammenführung: Seit über zehn Jahren war Angus' und Malcolms jüngerer Bruder George wieder als Produzent am Start. Das Albumcover zeigt eine Bronzestatue von Angus. Diese Figur ging auch mit auf Tour - in einer 12 Meter hohen Version!

Auf ihrem neuen Album "The Light" folgt die isländische Pianistin und Komponistin Eydís Evensen ihrem inneren Licht und eröffnet verträumte musikalische Räume voller Hoffnung. Dabei verbindet sie ihre minimalistischen Piano-Melodien und emotionalen, teilweise um Bläser erweiterten Streicherarrangements erstmals mit subtilen Vokalpassagen. So ist nicht nur ein Chor zu hören, sondern auch meditativ übereinander geschichtete Gesangspassagen von Eydís Evensen selbst. Thematisch reflektiert die aus dem rauen Norden Islands stammende Musikerin auf "The Light" wie die kargen und zerklüfteten Landschaften ihres Heimatlandes ihre Persönlichkeit geformt haben. Für Eydís Evensen ist diese Erfahrung von dem Aufeinandertreffen zweier Pole gekennzeichnet: dem "inneren Licht", das uns leitet, und dem natürlichen Licht, das in den dunklen isländischen Wintern so selten zu sehen ist. Das "innere Licht" beschreibt für sie ein Gefühl von Hoffnung und Zuversicht. Einen persönlichen Safe-Space, den sie bereits als Kind mit der Musik nach Außen getragen und in der realen Welt eröffnet hat; in die Dunkelheit und Einsamkeit im Norden Islands. Mit "The Light" möchte Eydís Evensen diesen musikalischen Safe-Space mit ihren Zuhörer*innen teilen und eine Botschaft der persönlichen und kollektiven Hoffnung und Widerstandsfähigkeit an sie weiter geben. Mit den Titeln ihrer Kompositionen stellt Eydís Evensen immer wieder den Zusammenhang von der inneren Prägung mit der äußeren Erfahrung entlang der spektakulären Landschaftsbilder Islands her. So bezieht sich "Tephra Horizon" auf den Abdruck, den die Asche eines einzigen Vulkanausbruchs in der Landschaft hinterlassen kann. Die Inspiration für dieses kraftvolle Stück mit Klavier, Bläsern und Streichern liefert der Vulkanausbruch des Fagradalsfjall im Jahr 2021 mit seiner zerstörerischen Kraft und seinem dramatischen Ausgang. Im dazugehörigen Musikvideo von Einar Egilsson ist zu sehen, wie Eydís Evensen in der Nähe des ursprünglichen Ausbruchsorts auf der Tephra-Schicht - der erkalteten Lava - tanzt, als würde sie das Gebiet für sich beanspruchen. Darüber hinaus hat Eydís Evensen Einflüsse aus der isländischen Chor- und Erzähltradition mit ihren vielen Sagen, die bis auf die frühesten Tagen der Besiedlung zurückgehen, auf ihrem Album verarbeitet. Ihr Chorstück "The Light II" basiert auf einem ihrer eigenen Gedichte und wurde mit dem isländischen Chor Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis aufgenommen. Ihre eigene Gesangsstimme ist im Lied "Dreaming of Light" zu hören, für das Evensen auch den Text geschrieben hat.

This is the second album recorded about a year after "Scenery". The delicate yet emotionally rich playing is still there, but this time it has more power, and the world that Fukui has depicted comes to life with clearer contours and a greater sense of depth. The sweet and sad melody of "Mellow Dream" and the dynamic and fast-paced "Horizon" are among the dazzling performances. In addition, the album features three original songs, compared to only one on the previous album, which allows the listener to enjoy Fukui's musicality even more. Considering its maturity and rich content, it is safe to say that this is a masterpiece that surpasses the first album. Regrettably, Ryo Fukui passed away in 2016. His delicate touch, rich tone, and beautiful compositions. We are deeply grateful to him for the "pleasant dream" he showed us.

Plasma Color Vinyl. 'The way Bloomsday's Iris James Garrison writes songs feels like somewhere between a mirror and a memory. Spacious, full-bodied folk songs, they are an ode to things that are good no matter how small; they sometimes feel like the ghost of a Mary Oliver poem. Bloomsday's new record, 'Heart of the Artichoke', is a relic of unfettered creativity and community. They recount the miracles of the mundane, the memories that become sacred, an ode to all that is holy: nightswimming, songs plucked from the ether, the ways friendship can endure. Like earlier Bloomsday songs, the work here is threaded with warmth; it's simmering, crisp and deeply human, an encapsulation of the present moment. Recorded across 10 days in June 2023 in upstate New York at duo Babehoven's studio and co-produced by Babehoven's Ryan Albert, with mixing by Henry Stoehr of Slow Pulp. The record was built out with a wideranging group of collaborators, including inventive drumming from Andrew Stevens (Lomelda, Hovvdy), Alex Harwood, Richard Orofino, Babehoven's Maya Bon, Hannah Pruzinsky (h.pruz, Sister.), and Chris Daley. It was an insulated and collaborative experience: all family dinners on the back porch, bonfires, feeling a full sense of joy, of friendship, of purity in the artistic self. Collaboration is an integral part of Bloomsday's musical process. Garrison is malleable in the studio, their songwriting generous and spacious. But in listening to the record, there's a sense that Garrison leaves room for the players, for the listener; for songs to find the shapes they're meant to take. Garrison's role as maestro is crucial, singular - it's a collaborative, exploratory spirit harnessed by Garrison's intuition, and by an honest commitment to carve out creative space for play, to delve into what's known - or pushing past that, into unknown. "The ghosts of the past still come up and haunt me," Garrison says, "but I sit in what I have and see it. All of these songs are about loved ones, about personal struggles with getting out of my head and being present." Heart of the Artichoke was written from a healed, matured place - written in a moment of safety from chaos. It's a prayer for the present, an appreciation of tenderness and what happens once we give ourselves the space to really see, and really feel - becoming free and whole - an ode to the way healing allows us to bloom.

'The way Bloomsday's Iris James Garrison writes songs feels like somewhere between a mirror and a memory. Spacious, full-bodied folk songs, they are an ode to things that are good no matter how small; they sometimes feel like the ghost of a Mary Oliver poem. Bloomsday's new record, 'Heart of the Artichoke', is a relic of unfettered creativity and community. They recount the miracles of the mundane, the memories that become sacred, an ode to all that is holy: nightswimming, songs plucked from the ether, the ways friendship can endure. Like earlier Bloomsday songs, the work here is threaded with warmth; it's simmering, crisp and deeply human, an encapsulation of the present moment. Recorded across 10 days in June 2023 in upstate New York at duo Babehoven's studio and co-produced by Babehoven's Ryan Albert, with mixing by Henry Stoehr of Slow Pulp. The record was built out with a wideranging group of collaborators, including inventive drumming from Andrew Stevens (Lomelda, Hovvdy), Alex Harwood, Richard Orofino, Babehoven's Maya Bon, Hannah Pruzinsky (h.pruz, Sister.), and Chris Daley. It was an insulated and collaborative experience: all family dinners on the back porch, bonfires, feeling a full sense of joy, of friendship, of purity in the artistic self. Collaboration is an integral part of Bloomsday's musical process. Garrison is malleable in the studio, their songwriting generous and spacious. But in listening to the record, there's a sense that Garrison leaves room for the players, for the listener; for songs to find the shapes they're meant to take. Garrison's role as maestro is crucial, singular - it's a collaborative, exploratory spirit harnessed by Garrison's intuition, and by an honest commitment to carve out creative space for play, to delve into what's known - or pushing past that, into unknown. "The ghosts of the past still come up and haunt me," Garrison says, "but I sit in what I have and see it. All of these songs are about loved ones, about personal struggles with getting out of my head and being present." Heart of the Artichoke was written from a healed, matured place - written in a moment of safety from chaos. It's a prayer for the present, an appreciation of tenderness and what happens once we give ourselves the space to really see, and really feel - becoming free and whole - an ode to the way healing allows us to bloom.

PARTY CANNON are BACK with their HEAVIEST, SLAMMINGEST and DUMBEST album yet; an overwhelming helping of the henchest and most nauseating Party Slam. The band have doubled down on their signature Party Slam style to bring you an experience so IQ lowering, so soul crushing, so life expectancy reducing that we recommend you wear a helmet while listening for your own safety.

A product of the not-so-underground, genre-bending melting pot that is Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Don Glori (AKA Gordon Li) prepares to unleash his forthcoming album ‘Don’t Forget To Have Fun’ via DeepMatter Records.

Following the release of his much-heralded 2022 LP ‘Welcome’, and a relocation to London, Don managed to tap into a potent creative current, by taking himself to a place of discomfort, and taking his creative back to basics for ‘Don’t Forget To Have Fun’. This invigorating approach helped distill the initial album sketches into a compelling and intoxicating listening experience across the record, creating a true work of art, traversing jazz, funk, soul, RnB, samba and beyond. Whilst the record itself is hard to describe, but even harder to forget.

Album opener ‘Pause’ pairs psychedelic influences with a cyclic loping groove and focuses on recognising a safe space that can act as a refuge. Taking inspiration from Steely Dan, Brian Bennett & Azymuth, ‘Emerald’ channels Jazz rock, 70's LA studio energy, with the faster funk sections featuring an unruly amount of mouth percussion, synth lead lines, and vocal melodies that weave in and around the tight horn arrangements. ‘All Seeds’ is a heady blend of samba and Brazilian street soul, with field recordings of Don’s old house in Melbourne providing additional seasoning. ‘First Touch’ is a downtempo 80’s boogie-infused gem, keeping proceedings nice and sleazy. The final three movements move through one fluid composition, charting the disorientating course of a fever dream, through beguiling astral travels, unexplainable occurrences, and transcendent moments.

A product of the not-so-underground, genre-bending melting pot that is Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Don Glori (AKA Gordon Li) prepares to unleash his forthcoming album ‘Don’t Forget To Have Fun’ via DeepMatter Records.

Following the release of his much-heralded 2022 LP ‘Welcome’, and a relocation to London, Don managed to tap into a potent creative current, by taking himself to a place of discomfort, and taking his creative back to basics for ‘Don’t Forget To Have Fun’. This invigorating approach helped distill the initial album sketches into a compelling and intoxicating listening experience across the record, creating a true work of art, traversing jazz, funk, soul, RnB, samba and beyond. Whilst the record itself is hard to describe, but even harder to forget.

Album opener ‘Pause’ pairs psychedelic influences with a cyclic loping groove and focuses on recognising a safe space that can act as a refuge. Taking inspiration from Steely Dan, Brian Bennett & Azymuth, ‘Emerald’ channels Jazz rock, 70's LA studio energy, with the faster funk sections featuring an unruly amount of mouth percussion, synth lead lines, and vocal melodies that weave in and around the tight horn arrangements. ‘All Seeds’ is a heady blend of samba and Brazilian street soul, with field recordings of Don’s old house in Melbourne providing additional seasoning. ‘First Touch’ is a downtempo 80’s boogie-infused gem, keeping proceedings nice and sleazy. The final three movements move through one fluid composition, charting the disorientating course of a fever dream, through beguiling astral travels, unexplainable occurrences, and transcendent moments.

Karriere Höhepunkt! Auf ihrem 7. Album 'Interplay' führen die britischen Shoegaze-Pioniere Ride alle musikalischen Fäden ihrer Karriere zusammen, die typischen rasenden Gitarrenwellen und hypnotischen Grooves treffen auf die träumerisch-melodischen Hooks ihrer Frühwerke. So bildet sich ein umfangreiches Sound-Geflecht, das auch Synthesizer-Verzierungen, psychedelischen Folk, elektronische Beats und Noir-Pop-Soundscapes mit einbezieht.

Das neue Album folgt auf 'Weather Diaries' (2017) und 'This Is Not A Safe Place' (2019), die den Funken von Ride neu entfachten und sowohl alte Hasen erfreuten als auch ganz neue Fans erreichten. Gerade auch dank des schnellen Shoegaze-Wachstums durch TikTok, die der Band eine neue Welle von Gen-Z-Anhängern einbrachte.

When I arrived in Geneva, Claude picked me up in his Aston Martin. He had a tape deck playing Lowell Fulsom – a guy who used to come to Memphis a lot and I knew some of his musicians. I grew up around the Blues, so this was a natural sound for me. Claude didn’t tell me until much, much later that he played Blues harmonica. He took us to the hotel where we had a warm and cordial welcome. Montreux was a quaint and sleepy town in 1967. However, there was a palpable excitement in the air and we could feel it. Everyone seemed to know that they were about to launch something great – the Montreux Jazz Festival - and there was no turning back. I was their first international artist to perform there with my quartet with Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette and Ron McClure.

We played two concerts at the Casino one in the afternoon and one at night. That was the start of three great and lasting friendships; Claude Nobs, Montreux Jazz Festival co-founder, Rene Langel, and the engineer of the recording, Pierre Grandjean, from Radio Suisse. And - a fourth person, who was 6 at the time, Yvan Ischer. We did not meet until many years later and have become good friends. It is thanks to Yvan’s persistent belief in this music and Pierre Grandjean’s safe keeping of the tapes, that we hear them now, more than fifty years later. live at Montreux Jazz Festival, June 18, 1967. Featuring Charles Lloyd, Keith Jarrett, Ron McClure, and Jack DeJohnette.

To address the weight of the world without speaking of weariness. To march the song to breathlessness but loosen your grip when the band wanders. To tell all your secrets but shield your loved ones from vulnerability. To dress up in the charm and temptation of the pop song but maintain a core of peculiarity, of a single voice trying to navigate this world. This is the project of the Spatulas. Think of the few songwriters who know they're the only ones in the world who could write their songs. The ones who sing in the confidence that the song couldn't exist without them: Peter Jefferies, Jenny Mae, Ron House, Heather Lewis. Jonathan Richman? Put Miranda Soileau-Pratt and the Spatulas on this list. All eleven songs on `Beehive Mind' share a percussive, unshadowed presence, a steady, clear-voiced clop. Every note on the record is a little bit sad on its own but then they're organized in a way that you don't actually notice. Credit this to the band's skill_Jon Grothman, Lila Jarzombek, Kyle Raquipiso and Miranda Soileau-Pratt all play with no limits and they all play with profound ease. The songs breathe in warmth and patience, they are immediate and sweet. And then they start to meander. The guitar skitters with the deliberate unpredictability of a wild animal. Parts repeat and reset with the obsessiveness of an anxious mind. The lyrics open doors to unexpected scenes of lovers, family, and violence. This is all intentional: "I need to play music and listen to music as a form of therapy," explains Soileau. This means safety, this means encouragement, this means trauma, this means hard questions. Only a band so comfortable at the margins, only a band so capable, only a band so trusting can achieve all this. Miranda Solileau-Pratt wrote the first Spatulas song in 2020, while living in Oregon. Since that time, the band has released two cassettes and toured the United States. Members of the Spatulas have also played in The Blimp, Honey Bucket, Hot Gum, and Meerkaz. The band has shared stages with Helen, Lavender Flu, Debt Rag, Pink Reason, Blues Ambush, and Kath Bloom. `Beehive Mind' is their debut LP.

Long unavailable warehouse find. Double LP for £7.50 Munster Records proudly presents a collection of Patrik Fitzgerald's Small Wonder and Polydor releases. A combination of punk's outrage with a streak of optimism, rare for its time and place, collected for the very first time on a double LP package. Patrik Fitzgerald was one of the oddities that punk rock threw up in 1977. A lone singer with an acoustic guitar regaling punk audiences with lyrical songs and interspersing them with chats, stories and poems. He is the great forgotten songwriter from the Class of '77. Patrik Fitzgerald never became a household name or punk icon like Rotten, Strummer or Weller, but to his loyal followers he is just as important and as inspirational. Same goes for Mark Perry, Vic Godard and Robert Lloyd.

In a flurry of madcap sampling pitched towards the heat of the night, Pedro Zopelar builds on the premise of his 2022 electro- funk love letter Charme, shifting his approach towards a particular

90s flair and a method with a specific end result. Ritmo Freak took root in studio experiments for a momentous — and rare — live set at São Paulo festival Não Existe in 2023, where Zopelar was caught up in one of those right-place, right- time moments we carry with us through life. As he explains himself: “This album is dedicated to freaky club culture. While I was playing at the festival there was a crazy tropical storm outside and the room was packed with the freakiest crowd. I’ve tried hard to immortalize that feeling on this record.” With the intended energy in mind, Zopelar focused on a particular mode of production centred around 12-bit sampling from his ample record collection. Considering his background as a trained pianist, here his musical instincts are forced to work within the limitations of short, snappy cuts from dusty 12”s. The lo-fi sound sources and the resourceful ways Zopelar works them gives the record an unmistakable old-skool flavour which he applies to forthright house, techno and electro funk rhythms, always taking care to draw out the soul of the music.

The stylistic touchstones flow past thick and fast on Ritmo Freak. From the amped up fierceness of the title track with its gaudy, cut n’ paste, vintage techno flavour to the effervescent electro funk of ‘Gabriellinha’s Boogie’ on to the surreal Balearic inversion of ‘Distraction’, this is a high-velocity, endlessly charming record bursting with the musicality Zopelar has made his name on. As the driving force behind many warehouse parties in São Paulo,

Zopelar has been immersed in club culture for a long time, and his distinctive catalogue of jazz, funk, acid and techno has graced highly respected labels like Apron, Selva Discos and Mother Tongue. Throughout, he’s displayed an affinity for the tangled roots of the groove with an open-eared, big-hearted sound. That’s what comes through on Ritmo Freak

"I was in a dream, but now I can see that change is the only law." With a credo adapted from science fiction author Octavia E. Butler, an album title from a collection of metaphysical poetry, and an expansion in consciousness brought on by personal crisis, guitarist and songwriter Shana Cleveland learns to embrace a changing world with unconditional love on News of the Universe, the new full-length from California rock band La Luz. News of the Universe is a record born of calamity, a work of dark, beautiful psychedelia reflecting Cleveland's experience of having her world blown apart by a breast cancer diagnosis just two years after the birth of her son. It's also a portrait of a band in flux, marking the first appearance for drummer Audrey Johnson and the final ones from longtime members bassist Lena Simon and keyboardist Alice Sandahl, whose contributions add a bittersweet edge to a record that is both elegy for an old world and cosmic road map to a strange new one. But is there any band in the world more suited to capturing the chaos of change in all its messy beauty than La Luz? Formed by Cleveland in 2012, La Luz is beloved for their ability to balance bedlam and bliss, each new record another fine-tuning of the band's mix of swaggering riffs with angelic vocals borrowed from doo-wop and folk; a band so reliably great that it makes the huge step forward in confidence and sheer musicality that is News of the Universe all the more formidable. Cleveland, also a writer and painter, has developed into a truly original songwriter with her own canon of haunted psychedelia. Yet if Cleveland has spent years writing songs about ghosts, what lurks in the shadows of News of the Universe is nothing less than death itself. "There are moments on this album that sound to me like the last frantic confession before an asteroid destroys the earth," says Cleveland. The powerful sense of openness that permeates News of the Universe is at least partially due to the fact that it is a record made entirely by women-from the performing, writing, and producing all the way through to the recording, engineering, and mastering. Working with producer Maryam Qudos (Spacemoth), the all-female environment allowed Cleveland to feel safe tapping into difficult places and expressing hard emotions women are socialized to suppress. Unashamedly vulnerable, unabashedly feminine, and undeniably triumphant, News of the Universe is another knockout record from a band so reliably great that it has perhaps led people to overlook how pioneering La Luz really are: women of color in indie music forging their own path by following their own artistic star into galaxies beyond current musical trends, always led by an earnest belief in the cosmic power of love and a great riff. Never is that more true than on News of the Universe, which might be La Luz's most brutal record to date but also their most blissful.

The current lineup of New Haven's long running Mountain Movers (guitarist/vocalist Dan Greene, bassist Rick Omonte, guitarist Kr yssi Battalene, & drummer Ross Menze) have been playing together for over a decade now, making their recorded debut on a slew of singles released from 2011-2013, but it wasn't until 2015's "Death Magic" (released on New Haven label Safety Meeting) that the potential of that iteration of the group became clear; Mountain Movers are a force of nature. The camaraderie & sensitivity to each others playing has only grown over time, cr ystallizing on the group's trio of albums for Trouble In Mind; 2017's eponymous "Mountain Movers" served as a reintroduction of the group to a larger audience, while 2018's "Pink Skies" raged like a group confident in its strengths, and 2020's prescient "World What World" - written & recorded before the world shut down - slightly shifted focus away from the jams & back toward the weight of guitarist/songwriter Dan Greene's poetic tales of magical realism. The band's ninth album "Walking After Dark" finds a happy medium between both aspects of the band's strengths; Greene's lyrical compositions and the group's long-form improvised jams. To those that are tuned in, that feeling of communion is evident in the Movers' playing. The members swap & cycle effortlessly through instruments without missing a beat, utilizing the downtime of lockdown to write & record every jam in their practice space. Those piles of tapes would eventually get edited & sequenced into "Walking After Dark", a tour-de-force double-album that balances fried, stony brilliance with outré excursions of experimental serenity. Consider the opening track "Bodega On My Mind" that ambles in like a road-worn traveller, its lysergic folk strums peppered with acidic lead lines from Battalene's Telecaster, eventually giving way to "The Sun Shines On The Moon, where the group's sizzling guitars are buoyed by Omonte's pillowy bass & Menze's percussion. From there on out, tracks like "Factory Dream" give the listener a taste of The Movers' modus operandi here; a mixture of (more) traditional song craft interspersed between long-form, improvised pieces of modern psychedelia. The group shuffles through instruments; synths, drum machines, auto-harp, various forms of percussion (and whatever else was laying around) as well as the trad guitar/bass/drums configuration to craft a suite of songs that - while not necessarily similar in composition - feel unified in their overall sonic scope. Tracks like the 14-minute "Reclamation Yard", whose deep-space electronic pulse is juxtaposed against side C opener "See The City "s persistent acoustic strum that showcase similar ideas of the `spirituality ' of losing ones self in repetition, but executed differently. In many ways "Walking After Dark"s duality feels like a merger of "On The Beach"-era Neil Young & the collective freak-outs of Amon Düül, taking inspiration in the `incorporeality ' of free music and lacing it with Greene's hazy, haunting lyricism and is an exciting step forward for a band that's already a few steps ahead. "Walking After Dark" is released on black double-vinyl in a full color gatefold jacket & includes an insert with artwork & lyrics by member Dan Greene.

Contemporary classical composer Sophia Jani and violinist Teresa Allgaier announce their new collaborative work Six Pieces for Solo Violin on Squama Recordings. Characterized by its calmness and poise, each movement focuses on a particular technical aspect, bending the boundaries of the instrument while maintaining the illusion of simplicity.

Sometimes the most complicated thing anyone can do is to try to create something that feels uncomplicated. Arvo Pärt, ballet, a delicious meal we didn’t cook ourselves, Ella Fitzgerald, a safe place to lay our heads at night, a quiet pine forest – … In all these things, it takes a lot of effort to make us feel as if something is effortless.
– David Lang (from the liner notes)

The Flying Dagger is Cressida's first release on Shaw Cuts, which deals with themes of greed, revenge, honor, chivalry and the internal struggle between good and evil that exists within all of us.
Yu Ying happens upon the scene of an atrocity and double murder. She outrageously kills the perpetrator, who is the son of the infamous Green Dragon Clan boss Jiao Lei. The broken rhythm and heavy hitting drums of "Cat's Claw" shine a light on the shocking act of violence.
Upon learning the surprising news, Jiao Lei proclaims war on her and attacks Yu Yingo's father Yu Yuan who manages to escape with his children although he gets severely injured. The pounding drums of "Radiate" and its thrilling ambiance boosts up the families energy and keeps everybody safe.
The pursuit is on and Jian Lei is hell-bent on killing them all, preferentially with his throwing knifes. However, he is thwarted in his plans by the emergence of the mysterious stranger Yang Qing whose ability to throw projectiles rivals that of Jiao Lei.

"Medusa" and its percussive lunacy paired with unexpected groove twists guide our hero through times of many tough challenges and evil encounters.
Chief Jiao tries to tempt Yang Qing with money to join his Green Dragon Clan, but our hero cannot be bought. With the help of the furious "Do I Stay" and its steamroll drum pattern, pushing bassline and raw atmosphere, he comes to the rescue of several victims of the Green Dragon Clan instead.
Yang Qing uses his martial proficiency to fight on the side of society, but is he strong enough for the rousing finale? The bass-heavy vibe of "Let the Devil In" and its swirling vocal cuts blended with funky breaks and warm pads, send out one more energy before everything is heated up to the max. Step further!

Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes’ groundbreaking albums for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman label don’t get the attention from jazz fans that they should. In fact, among the many distinguished alumni of Miles Davis’ fusion bands, keyboardist Smith and his cohorts arguably ran with Davis’ stylistic breakthrough the farthest. In five albums stretching over four years, Smith and the Cosmic Echoes stretched the fusion aesthetic to embrace post-bop modal and spiritual jazz, funk, rock, pop, and even the smooth jazz, quiet storm, and crossover genres. And if those latter styles raise your traditionalist hackles, Smith imbued all of his records with integrity, vision, and his unique spacy sensibiity; instead of playing it safe or commercial, he fearlessly paved a path for modern jazz musicians to follow (Kamasi Washington, for one, no doubt listened to these records at length). Real Gone Music is proud to present Lonnie Liston Smith’s first two records as a bandleader inside their respective original gatefold jacket artwork… soulful, spiritual, life-enhancing music!

It's the one all the massive have been waiting for! Part 2 of the Salford sage - DJ Absolutely Shit's 'Memoirs Of A Crust Monster'. More hyped up tear outs, soundsystem ruffage, and bass 'n breaks love songs from our Hell's Angel-dodging beat freak.

Kicking things off with glowing neons and super-charged subs is 'Higher', a modern jungle monster decorated with classic hip-hop samples and a well known diva vox squealing through the melee.
A serious 'watch your bassbins' track - RL HQ have safety tested this on the most robust car stereo systems and so far have yet to avoid any cabinet damage - proceed with caution!

'Lost In Space' rolls outta the speaker stacks with a b-boy swagger and loose breaks. A tribute to classic breakdance electro galvanized with Ab Shit's intricate trademark production chops. You'll want to crack out your finest red Puma classics and a slick tracksuit for this one.

Onto 'Out On Love' and between you and me, someone needs to call the social service for samples - as it's unlikely you'll ever witness a more blatant case of sample molestation. Squeezing every last drop out of a catchy piano lick, TV snippet and drum break; the track really does highlight the unrivaled programming prowess of our Irlam renegade who's taken SP1000 trickery to its absolute zenith.

'Money Talks' sees our cheeky ragamuffin dictate a life affirming sunrise over Pomona - pre-gentrification of course; a thousand smiles and memories of old Mancunia shimmering in the early morning industrial haze. And an abject slight at those who put profits above people - another poignant ode to our changing cityscape driven by the most addictive boogie-based groove and clattering Linn drums.

Spine-tingles and fanny flutters guaranteed ALL DAY on this one cru!
Look out for the full 16 track album due on C90 cassette and digi download coming very soon...

RL x

Nach ihrem von der Kritik gefeierten UK-Top-20-Album 'As Days Get Dark' kehren Arab Strap mit ihrem zweiten Album für Mogwais Rock Action Records zurück, das den treffenden Titel 'I'm totally fine with it don't give a fuck anymore' trägt. Fast 28 Jahre nach ihrem Debüt klangen Arab Strap noch nie so essentiell, so unentbehrlich wie jetzt, und dieses neue Album ist ein glühender Beweis für ihren Laserfokus auf breitere Horizonte. Das Album, das ausschließlich von Malcolm Middleton und Aidan Moffat geschrieben und eingespielt wurde und an dem auch Paul Savage, ein langjähriges Mitglied der Band, mitgewirkt hat, unterstreicht die Wandlung der Band von melancholischen Slow-Core-Romantikern zu wütenden Alt-Pop-Chronisten.

Nach ihrem von der Kritik gefeierten UK-Top-20-Album 'As Days Get Dark' kehren Arab Strap mit ihrem zweiten Album für Mogwais Rock Action Records zurück, das den treffenden Titel 'I'm totally fine with it don't give a fuck anymore' trägt. Fast 28 Jahre nach ihrem Debüt klangen Arab Strap noch nie so essentiell, so unentbehrlich wie jetzt, und dieses neue Album ist ein glühender Beweis für ihren Laserfokus auf breitere Horizonte. Das Album, das ausschließlich von Malcolm Middleton und Aidan Moffat geschrieben und eingespielt wurde und an dem auch Paul Savage, ein langjähriges Mitglied der Band, mitgewirkt hat, unterstreicht die Wandlung der Band von melancholischen Slow-Core-Romantikern zu wütenden Alt-Pop-Chronisten.

After a killer streak of releases with the likes of Real Bad Man, Nicholas Craven and Futurewave, extremely prolific Detroit legend on the rise Boldy James is closing up 2022 with "Be That As It May", collaboration full-length with Roman beat maker Cuns. Featuring guest appearances by Lord Apex, Bo Skeet, Taj Mahal and Darnell Williams, the two crafted a gorgeous album, with Boldy tapping into his Mary Poppins bag of lyricism for yet another full-length album of captivating bars.

Originally released on tape by SicSic in 2014, Aprilnacht commemorates a decade of music from Brannten Schnüre and marked the spring in a tetralogy of albums about the four seasons when it came out. Back then the Würzburg-based project consisted solely of Christian Schoppik, who later welcomed Katie Rich to take over the vocals. He used to perform as Agnes Beil, but dropped the name when, while making this album realized his music was becoming "much gentler and more fragile". Aprilnacht already captured the particular musical ideas that Schoppik would thoroughly keep exploring, delving deeper and deeper into the use and manipulation of samplers from sources so diverging as to wander between the five continents to post-war German family television and cult cinema. Heir of the ritualistic intensity of Coil, of the intricate sampler assemblies of Ghédalia Tazartès', and of the dusty, dismal old ballads from around the world, Brannten Schnüre manages to make these paths cross in a territory that is as inherent as it is uncanny; sieged by the past and intimate as a hearth. An organic approach to folk, ambient, and sound collage, where ethereal yet thoroughly textured pieces coalesce in enthralling, delicate, and innermost musical rituals.

The album cover paintings reveal the temper: dreary old towns where shadows come to dim the slow passage of crepuscular colors, a soft area of reanimation where wind and light come close and foresee the night of spring. Aprilnacht was inspired by the stories of German philosopher and writer Friedrich Alfred Schmid Noerr, whose work exhaustively examines the conflict between paganism and Christianity, safeguarding myth in a way that Schoppik describes as boldly modern, humorous and unpredictable in its variations of the Germanic folklore motifs. "I wanted to do the same with the music," he states, and the music here could as well be suitable for a night when household deities welcome wandering will-o'-the-wisps, water nymphs, and gyrovagues to discuss Perchta's leadership of The Wild Hunt, but this album is not a folk tale, it's not an elegy to worlds already gone, hidden in years; it's an intersection of routes that open mysteriously before our ears like a congregation of vapors. Aprilnacht is a gathering of voices; "There are too many children, and none of them keeps quiet," reads the last verse of «Requiem für eine Ringelnatter.»

Sensuality drips over the music to celebrate both the voluptuousness and tragic quality of nature; "It's raining on me, urine from your flowers," Schoppik sings in «Urin deiner Blüten» and later on, faced with a snake's erotic features, as if he wanted to be embraced by it: "Your quick, sharp tongue and your warm venom; that's what the pond is missing." Orality is where this profusion of contents thrives. When the voices get closer and condense, the words reveal the saliva employed to pronounce them; we feel the mouth and the tongue, but when breath envelops them in sorrow and softens their edges, they sound distant, diffused in the atmosphere, letting go of the body that held them. These two vocal facets oscillate permanently and interact naturally with the fertile assembly of samplers and instruments that develop throughout the album, which condense and disperse impersonating each other, interweaving to search for a specific syntax. Tangled whisperings of enigmatic phrases, timid voices that stick out to check the scene but hide away quickly, shivering trance chants and monastic ambiances, distant screams and clamors in between chaos and warfare swirl until bursting into subtle songs where even Mother Mary comes forth softly. Soothed by foggy atmospheres and crackling punctuations, these voices shape a vulnerable crowd, an occasion of fragility. Along this swarm of songs thrown into thin air, accordions sound like heavy-breathing lungs; clarinets sigh like curtains shaking; violin solos wander around like bees; Gjallarhorns cries distend like fleeing cattle; glockenspiels evoke remote music boxes and inherited toys; backward emanations emerge like slender waves retreating. On the banks of stretching loops and ember textures is where the songs slowly nest, collecting the words to find their tone.

A poem by Jorge Teillier says, "To talk with the dead you have to choose words that they recognize as easily as their hands recognized the fur of their dogs in the dark. To talk with the dead you have to know how to wait: they are fearful like the first steps of a child. But if we are patient one day they will answer us with a flame that suddenly revives in the fireplace." This may be Brannten Schnüre's main purpose: To find the voice to speak to those of whom we were a vision. Not in mourning, but acknowledging the obscure and volatile nature of spring's regenerative force, searching for the treasure of balance, as evidenced in the lyrics of «Requiem für ein Schwalbennest,» "Its nest was destroyed so many times before it was finished, and despite that, the shallow builds as if it is infatuated." The same idea is here in the words of Schmid Noerr, who made poetry an act of resistance to the horror of Nazism; "Since having seen the ability of a brilliant spirit to die, with a calm mouth that everyone saw, health is true again and we affirm it, even if rivers of blood flow." And as we call for the dusk's kindness, waiting to return home and eat with our kin by the stove, our ears become used to the games of the night. We feel like we're rowing on wetlands, while the "moon musick" keeps us vigilant against the slightest movement of water or sweet moan because eeriness here is imperative for survival. Do not succumb to the insipid howl of death, for nothing may last but mutability. You see, the rock has moved a little during the night; the rest is just wind fleeing from the void.

‘Står op med solen’ (Rising with the sun) is the second album by Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie. With this album, the band continues the exploration of their collective sound. We hear influences from both old school free jazz, and contemporary Scandinavian jazz like Fire! Orchestra and Christian Wallumrød Ensemble, as well as clear connection to the Trondheim milieu, where the group was founded in 2020.

The energetic and expressive band explores their more subtle side with this record. ‘Står op med solen’ is an album longing for humans to be one with nature. The music comments on the world’s ultra-capitalistic power structures of today. The band navigates like one organism through parts of organic free jazz, strict structures and composed cells.

They start out where their first record ended, in the familiar free jazz sound with riffs and melodies, and take us safely on their onward journey. Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie brings together five well-known names from the Norwegian jazz scene, also known from other projects like Kongle Trio, Bliss Quintet, I like to sleep, Veslemøy Narvesen, Galumphing Duo, Treen and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, among others.

The band has already been touring in Scandinavia, Poland and Germany during the past 3 years, and is well known for their playful and close chemistry. Their first record ‘Dafnie’ (Sonic Transmissions Records, 2022) received excellent reviews in The Wire, The Quietus among others. To celebrate the new album Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie will do 11 concerts in Europe between April 22nd and May 5th.

Whether you’re on a journey towards self acceptance, or locking yourself away for days, it’s safe to say the human experience can be an emotional rollercoaster; GAMI GANG explores the highs and lows, and all the twists and turns in between. In similar fashion, joyous and anthemic tunes find themselves winding their way into their somber and soft spoken counterparts, swerving through explosive bridges along the journey. Throughout manic momentum shifts, the ride slows down to make way for moments of clarity. Happiness and innocence are sprinkled in with displays of darkness or arrogance, and most of the time we exist in the middle. However, those unexpected jumps of adrenaline are what make this ride enticing. It’s human nature to get back on, and feel that rush one more time.













[m] 13. [spoons rattling]

Warehouse Find!

It always gives us an extra little buzz to bring you a debut release from a new artist, especially when you know it’s going to be the launch pad for someone that is going to grow to become a heavyweight player. Parisian Larry Quest has been slowly but surely paying his dues, promoting, DJing and generally immersing himself in the underground House Music scenes of Paris and then London after moving to Hackney eight years ago. Growing up playing in punk bands, then studying Jazz at music college has given him the attitude as well as the skillset to create music which is both intensely raw and rugged whilst still being musical and deep. For his debut EP he delivers four drumheavy cuts which bring together elements of Detroit techno and house to form a forward-looking sound which will make an impact wherever you play them.

Opener Conun Drums packs a serious punch with simple synth line sitting on top of a lo-slung bumpy groove. Perfectly timed synth stabs bring a touch of light to the thumping bass and metallic percussion and already we get a sense that we’re in safe hands with Larry Quest at the controls.

Red C Mellow D follows, treading similar water with live drums laying the foundation and touches of colour coming from echoing synth lines and an acidic bassline.

Flip over for the curiously titled A Frog Rovin’, which is about as quirky and off-kilter as the name suggests. The major tonality brings an optimistic vibe which sits in contrast to the thundering saturated 909 drums and speakerwobbling low-end.

Closing out this brilliant release we have Solar Assailer which plays with our sense of time as drums and filtering stabs dance around the beat completely throwing us off the scent of where the one is. Finally the elements fall into place and lock into the groove which is underpinned by the pulsing throb of the bassline. Larry’s jazz background rears it’s head now and then, coming out in the little flourishes of fusion-era chord sequences and moogy lead lines. What a debut, we hope you agree!

Die irische Pop-Rockband Picture This kündigt ihr lang erwartetes viertes Studioalbum "Parked Car Conversations" an, das am 26. April 2024 (via Hansa Records, Deutschland) erscheinen wird. "Parked Car Conversations" wird als Picture This' ehrgeizigstes Werk bezeichnet, das bisher veröffentlicht wurde. Das Album besteht aus 15 Tracks, die die Band in den letzten drei Jahren geschrieben hat. Viele von ihnen, wie z.B. "Song To Myself", beleuchten eine emotionale Tiefe, die auf früheren Alben unberührt blieb, und zeigen die Band - insbesondere Texter und Sänger Ryan Hennessy - von ihrer verletzlichsten Seite. Das Album ist ein Einblick in Hennessys persönliche Hürden, die damals unüberwindbar schienen. Die Stärke, solche Situationen zu überwinden, und das daraus resultierende Wachstum stehen im Mittelpunkt von "Parked Car Conversations". "Parked Car Conversations" wird als CD, LP und limitierte Fotobuch Edition erhältlich sein. Letzteres bietet einen ebenso intimen wie einzigartigen Einblick in den Alltag der Band. Vom ersten kleinen Gig bis zur Headline-Show beim Electric Picnic, Irlands größtem Musikevent mit über 70.000 Besuchern. Aber auch durch die Studioaufnahmen und Videodrehs entsteht hier zum ersten Mal ein komplettes Bild der Band und zeigt die Band persönlicher denn je.