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'There is a sense of mirth rising within me as I riddle these notes down. I'm here at the Cube Cinema in Bristol with John Stevens from Qu Junktions in the garden talking music, while Rhodri Karim whizzes through setting up gear for Matana Roberts and Kelly Jayne Jones. They are in situ for three days for another playthecube.

All the while I lounge back and time-travel back to Dec '17, picturing the times we all shared with the musicians you hear in these
recordings. To slow things down a wee touch is such a powerful gesture, it feels. Ali and Jamie Lindsay (from the Cube) where so gentle in setting up the framework for Tartine de Clous and Neil to
join in and and spend five epic days and nights with us. Showing old and new films, talking, singing tight together around a table and then en masse with the Bristol Sacred Harp group, everything weaved around the Microplexian complex. The ad hoc series playthecube is inspired by olden-day folks stopping by settlements to sing, jest and make love for a hazy period, as well as urban fairytale jazz residencies and the desire to jig up the connections that frizzle between The Cube's curious volunteer workforce, visiting artists and our audiences when you have a little more time on your hands.

Over the two nights, Tartine de Clous, Alasdair Roberts and Neil McDermott entertained plenty. The computer capturing the music at the back of the auditorium and the exquisitely placed hanging mics, like flowers at a fête, all added to the recording angel ritual. On the first evening every breath, every track and each chair inch mattered; they shuffled things round and, on the second evening, the suite of song swept the crowd and the musicians together into a fine fettle.

To have this album and to hear these songs is to taste the stews we ate, the stories we swapped, the technology we manipulated and the people we touched. The cubic circles rippled and we all loosed a little, and the way I figure it, you can hear it.'

'My first deep exposure to LEONARD COHEN was the "Bird on a Wire" documentary by Tony Palmer, which was, against the odds, broadcast on public television in New Zealand around 1974 or 1975. At age 15 or 16 I thought it was too dark. A few years later, in the late '70s, I wanted things darker. The first Cohen LP was very clever but a little too "up." The second was too public and political for me. Songs of Love and Hate seemed more honest, more about personal failure. I liked it, although Cohen tended to disown it, especially 'Dress Rehearsal Rag' and 'Last Year's Man', neither of which he performed live later on. I like 'Last Year's Man' for the same reason I like Nick Drake's 'Poor Boy'. It wallows and parodies at the same time. I came across the Suzuki OMNICHORD OM-27 because it was mentioned in relation to another Canadian, Joni Mitchell. It looked like a mystery box of potentially very good or very bad sounds, like a Bontempi chord organ customized for space travel in a Stanley Kubrick film. Irresistible... I was fortunate to meet JESSICA MOSS because of the 12 hour Drone event at Le Guess Who Festival in Utrecht in November 2017. I thought it would be cool to jam with some of the other people scheduled to play their own pieces so I asked the organisers, Bob Helleur and Jacob Hagelaars, to sound out the other droners a few weeks before the festival. Jessica replied, I sent a sample piece, and we talked, more than rehearsed, a day before the performance. We did our piece live and then some months later I sent her a recorded piece to which she added her magical playing.'

Roy Montgomery

The third release on U-TRAX in 1993 was also a third debut, this time by Natasja Hagemeier and Jeroen Brandjes. Early in their career, they used several artist names, but became most commonly known as The Connection Machine. With their debut mini-album The Dream Tec Album they more or less described their style: dreamy techno. It became an instant Dutch techno classic and U-TRAX is proud and delighted to offer a fully remastered re-release, including three never before released bonus tracks (one of which is digital-only).

Natasja and Jeroen resided in Utrecht back in the 90s. In 1991 they assembled all their ideas and recorded the track "24 Hours" with DJ Paradize. Soon after this experience, they started to buy their own gear, all strictly MIDI (which wasn't too obvious in those days). In their early recording years, they had three producer-names (Syndrome, The Connection Machine and Bitch&Bites), that were all collected under the The Utroid Machine Missions umbrella, which was used for their debut on U-TRAX.

All tracks on The Dream Tec Album are The Connection Machine's earliest works, from the 1991/1992 years.

"An Overflow of the Mind" is a beautiful, dreamy track with almost divine sounds and strange voice-samples that serves perfectly as an introduction to their entire repertoire.

Their first production was "24 Hours", and what a brilliant one it is! A well-known jazz-musician talks about a "24 hour party going on", on top of a sinister and trancey rug, woven of sampled sounds from pioneers in electronic music and nailed down to the floor with a deep pounding bassdrum. At the time they made this track, 141 bpm was unbelievably fast...

"Evilish Cosmos" is all about a very sad and personal emotion, so everything we say about it will be absolutely wrong. Just listen to the meandering piano line, distorted voice samples - and feel it.

The first bonus track on this release is "Recognized Pain", which was intended to be part of the original The Dream Tec Album. It had appeared on the Phuture Classical Section C cassette in 1993, on the famous Drome Tapes label that formed the roots of U-TRAX. It truly is an amazing track: pure sonic terror with haunting rhythms, psychedelic synth lines and shards of voice samples that make the listener feel slightly uncomfortable.

"X_Manray" is many electronic music lover's favorite track. It is sooo deep that it is hard not to get hypnotized by it. Warm strings are coupled with deep beats that show up and disappear every now and then. Could serve perfectly to start off any DJ's set, as long as she or he has the guts.

Though "Braindrain" is probably the most danceable track on this album, it is carefully designed to tease the listener. Everything in this track drops in too late and every tone, melody or loop last exactly a few bars too long. Designed as a DJ-teaser and so it is.

The second bonus track, "Cafe d'Anvers", is another previously unreleased work, of which unfortunately no master recording was saved. All that is left, as far as we know, was an old VHS Hifi tape from the U-TRAX Archives. And that is where this bonus track was taken from. Mastering engineer Thee J Johanz managed to restore the quality of the recording somewhat, while at the same time maintaining its dark, clubby sound, a tribute to the famous club of the track's name in Antwerp, Belgium.

"Dream Affected Dream" is one of the most recent productions on this album. It was recorded with CNN playing live on top of it. At this exact moment, CNN was having an interview with David Koresh, the leader of the infamous Branch Davidians sect from Waco, Texas, while they were under siege by an armed police force. Natasja and Jeroen were just ready to record Dream Affected Dream, and spontaneously decided to mix in the audio from CNN. Not very long after that, the cult members set fire to themselves. A very strange and oddly funky track, that also serves as a time-document.

The final track is another bonus track. Like Cafe d'Anvers, "Voight-Kampff" is taken from on old U-TRAX VHS Hifi tape and masterfully mastered into a lovely relaxed dreamtech piece. Very suitable to start the Sunday after a long night of clubbing. This track is available for free to buyers of the complete digital album only.

Original release date: July 1993.

Utrecht label U-Trax welcomes 90s legend P.A. Presents for an enhanced re-release of his first two releases on this label, namely "Salicylic Acid" and "Flight Simulator".

Ironically P.A. Presents aka Peter Aarsman is the only artist on U-TRAX that actually is born and bred in the city of Utrecht. Even more irony lies in the fact that he hasn't lived in the city for 25 years and has only recently returned home. He was an early player in the hip hop and boogie scenes and long before house landed in Europe he was playing disco and Italo which helped establish him as a truly vital DJ talent. The two reissue EPs presented here marked his production debut back in 1993, both of which are hugely sought after and pricey techno records on second hand markets. In 2019 he returned to the music scene with two new EPs on U-Trax in the the form of Swirling Gas and Sax Madness and new releases are planned for 2020.

The release kicks off with 'Mesopmorph', an effervescent, nostalgic cut with a deeply buried techno rhythm that eventually takes over in tribal style. 'Pop' is a brilliantly tense and dense track wired up with fizzing synths, chattering claps and haunting effects as well as pending drums, then 'Theme' is cosmic industrial, with powerful hits and metallic sounds married to searching laser synths.

'Vera S' is classic 90s techno with mad vocal sounds and frantic synth lines darting about the mix, then things grow deeper and more heady on the stripped back intergalactic journey that is 'Flight Simulator.' The timelessness continues on the dancing analogue drums and hi hats of the classic Detroit styled 'Experiental' and 'A Gasp' before 'Vexillum' brings more warm solar winds and molten techno grooves whist 'Long Metal' closes out with pounding kicks, skewed synths and real sense of space travel.

These are essential early techno tracks that sound as fresh and relevant now as ever and come with remastering and restoration from Thee J Johanz.

Pressed on 2x12" 180 grams grey marbled vinyl.

London based label Right Angle Records returns for its second instalment, this time with its own Regan at the helm.

The A-side see's two super funky garage numbers in kickback, with a stellar remix from the French maestros Oden & Fatzo.

B1 sees a more atmospheric breaky number in The Big Beat Manifesto. B2 sees Leeds favourite Midge Thompson, adding a little more party to Regan's Other Side.

Pressed on 140 Gram Eco Vinyl

Hypersensitive horrors from outer space are back in John Krasinski’s A QUIET PLACE PART II. Returning from the first picture is Emily Blunt (SICARIO), with Cillian Murphy (28 DAYS LATER) and Djimon Hounsou (GLADIATOR) now along for the ride as the Abbott family look for further survivors in their post-apocalyptic nightmare, only to face a further ordeal as they band together with a survivalist desperate to avoid the gruesome fate that befell his family. Returning to score the second film is Marco Beltrami (SCREAM), who creates a similarly terrifying yet beautiful soundscape for the nightmarish experiences of the Abbotts. Beltrami elects

New Zealand dreampop luminaries French For Rabbits have dedicated nearly a decade to creaming warmly detailed and expansive music together. Their third, prophetic, LP The Overflow is set for release via Reckless Yes (UK), AAA Records (NZ/Aus), and A Modest Proposal (Italy) is described by the band as their most “immediate and honest” record to date. The Overflow draws on the influence of contemporary artists Laura Jean, Hannah Cohen and Hundred Waters alongside the storytelling of folk and rap music, and even references 90’s cultural touch points such as Moby, Enya and The Lion King. Whilst its inspirations are diverse-the result is a singular album that is confident in its delivery. The album follows on from their elegantly stated second LP The Weight of Melted Snow and their 2014 break-out Spirits, which received millions of streams, and song placements everywhere from the Vampire Diaries to Netflix’s Never Have I Ever TV series. On their new album, the group, led by Brooke Singer, sweeps forward with their most dazzling body of work to date-from the introverts’ anthem ‘The Outsider’ to the unfurling end-of-the-world statement piece “Nothing in my Hands”. Written and recorded mostly in 2020 in Wellington, the songs on The Overflow cover a wide range of topics, with the common threads of introversion and anxiety woven throughout. Yet, on first listen, you could be forgiven for mistaking the album’s subject matter for something lighter and more upbeat, resplendent with featherlight vocals and delicate layers

Psychic Graveyard return with 'Veins Feel Strange', their second album for Deathbomb Arc. Throbbing electronics, heavy percussion, and vocals like a riddle winding their around everything - but not a guitar in sight. Former members of Arab on Radar, Some Girls, All Leather, Chinese Stars and more come together to curse the land once again. Catch them on tour with METZ in Spring 2022.

For her second release on Now-Again, Eastside LA soul stirrer Trish Toledo stretches out, with help from Los Yesterdays and Tommy Brenneck (Budos Band/Menahan Street Band). “Sin Control” is a song as redolent of late 1960s Italian Library experimentation (think Morricone / Alessandroni / Nicolai, et al.) as the Latino soul of the great Los Angeles Negros. Recorded at Hollywood’s Sound Factory and produced by Brenneck and Los Yesterdays’ Gabe Rowland, Trish sings in Spanish, delving into the timeless themes of lost love and endless longing. The b-side’s instrumental features the greatest whistler recording today, Molly Lewis. You really couldn’t imagine a better combination, and it’s as predictably great as a pancho-wearing stranger taking down all of the baddies in a border town and riding off towards a dusty sunset

Butterbandz returns with another absolute BANGER of an EP ‘King Heroin’. This is his second EP on the 7 Days Entertainment imprint and he is serving up some DOPE tracks. From start to finish you’ll be sure to find a groove you’ll enjoy. ‘Prometheus’ starts off the EP with an energetic techno track. It’s got a punchy synth over a sub bass with dreamy synth chords and some rockin’ drum programming. The second track ‘Get Down’ is simple yet effective. It’s got that Detroit feel that we all love and enjoy. Not really structured, kind of just flowing. The drums are knocking and the hi- hats are keeping up that energy. It’s a got a rough rugged bass paired with a synth that carries feelings of deep rage and clarity. Tying it all together is the vocal sample. For the title track ‘King Heroin’ Butterbandz teams with his older brother Generation Next to create this gem. It’s got some deep emotion but it will make you move nonetheless. Excellent high energy drum programming, distance reverbed synth pad, catchy piano pattern, in your face lead synth, and a off putting sub bass. These two artists make a dynamic duo. Lastly is ‘OD Soundtrack’ tying together a hard hitting EP with a little laid back tune to take you to a higher more peaceful place. The synth pad carries that smooth calm sound and then the kick is in your face out the gate. It’s got some airy flutes and grooving lead synth. This EP is going to be a staple in the growing legend of Butterbandz.

Clear Vinyl

For our second anniversary, KR3 is excited to present the second installment of our Various Artists series with contributions from 8 artists.
Vortex Chronologies Evo.2 – will be available both 2×12” Double Transparent Vinyl and Digital.
The concept embodied in the label’s logo once again comes to life in this compilation;
Each artist involved was asked to represent their Sonic Idea of a Vortex, resulting in a selection of tracks different in sound but connected by the same concept.
Like different paths of the same labyrinth, all converging in a common end.

We first discovered this when Noir recieved the promo from Ten Ven.Noir then started spreading the word about his love for this new 'Ten Ven' act and shortly after we were generously offered to release it on Noir Music.
We did not hesitate for a second to sign this and we are delighted to be able to present such a great 4-tracker on the label from a new and exciting act. Not only do we believe that Ten Ven could be the next big thing but we also strongly believe that these solid house grooves might lead the way of the changes in the underground this year. Its a throw-back to french and filtered house as it started out more than 20 years ago melted into todays production techniques. It's super refreshing to hear this sound again and we promise there's more to come over the summer period.

Following the critical acclaim of the 2020 compilation Pyramid Pieces, The Roundtable return with a second offering of modernist jazz from Australia. Another vital document further examining the nation's jazz scene during the late 1960s and 70s. A fertile period that witnessed the birth of an independent movement and the development of a distinct Australian jazz sound. While continuing to focus on the modal forms explored in Volume 1, this second edition shifts direction slightly, this time also surveying other post-bop modes representative of the scene including soul jazz, avant-garde ballet music and Eric Dolphy-inspired free jazz.

Again featuring tracks from the esteemed independent imprints Jazznote and 44 Records, the collection also offers never before published pieces from less obvious Australian jazz groups. Compositions by internationally renowned musicians including Bob Bertles (Nucleus/Neil Ardley), Bruce Cale (The Spontaneous Music Ensemble/Prince Lasha) and Allan Zavod (Frank Zappa) alongside pillars of the local scene, Charlie Munro and Ted Vining plus the lesser-known yet formidable free jazz unit 'Out To Lunch'. Pyramid Pieces 2 is another timely insight into the evolution of the incredible yet obscured Australian modern jazz movement.

A compilation of Australian modern jazz. 1969-1980
Rare modal, soul-jazz and free jazz from artists including The Charlie Munro Trio, Bob Bertles Moontrane, The Bruce Cale Quintet and The Ted Vining Trio.
Tip-on sleeve featuring artwork from renowned Australian modernist painter James Meldrum.

Second release from Takashi Nakazato on Ten Lovers Music following last years amazing Clandestina album which had some incredible guest appearances from Luisito Quintero and Roberto Quintero amongst others. This time Takashi introduces his band Galavanters where he is joined by his fellow member: Soncho - Trombone and Shakuhachi, Toshitaka Shibata - Keyboards, Kenichi Fukushima - Tenor Saxophone, Ryozo Obayashi - Bass, Ippei Sawamura - Drums.

Takashi provides the percussion and also wrote, produced and mixed the whole EP which is an amazing journey through Japanese inspired modern jazz fusion. All four tracks showcase the wealth of talent in this sextet of musicians.

"Emotional Response celebrates its 50th release with a special limited-edition from label stalwart Roy Of The Ravers. Following 2019’s magnum opus White Sunrise II is the accompanying “Soliel”, where our nom dee plume delves further into his archives of recently rediscovered disks to present an 8-track double pack, cut loud for DJ play.

The music too is more expansive, with the ambient and techno signatures matched with touches of jazz keys, Balearic sampledelica and even acoustic outtakes, all with that Ravers humour included.

The opening cinematic symphonies of The Smell Of Orange Peel and Kliszewicz Klopcic Klim highlight again a side not seen on his more acid / club cuts found on various labels. However, it’s the B side that compounds expectations with the deep house meets techno melodics of City Limits, before the ever-expanding feel-good vibrations of center piece Feathers hooks all. Sometimes a simple groove and catchy vocal sample is all you need to create a classic.

The second half then glides with 14 minutes of house dramatics via Versace 101624, a master of arrangement and beats, preempting the interlude of Clock House’s return. To close, EL-9400’s intense scatter percussion melds with anthemic acid undertones before its 2nd half melts to a choral ambience, leading to the closing acoustic jam dub curiosity My Brother And His Mate and the curtain for another stage in the Roy sagas. "

Full side tune, The Truth, is a bloody roots acid tribe tune, with a true story, a hidden melody,sweet acid sounds, reminding me the acid belgium Bonzai sound. B-sdie stands 2 perls, the first one is Different World a total full-out acidcore tracks. Dancefloor killer. And second position Locked By The Acid : an experimental broken acid mental sound, very nostalgic and soulfull, at the frontier to be IDM acid, my fave tune here i recogn... nice little perl. Enjoy ! LIMITED 200 copies !

Limited edition coke bottle clear LP with download card.
Currently, there is a bleak outlook on global ecology. With glaciers melting at an alarming rate and wildfires decimating over 6 million acres of forest each year, it is clear; we as a species are running out of time to rectify our planet's destructive direction.
Italian ambient duo ILUITEQ has composed their second album, aptly titled The Loss of Wilderness, echoing our current ecological situation's sentiment. By way of meticulously crafted subterranean ambient utilizing guitars, piano, and a myriad of synthesis techniques, the duo of Sergio Calzoni and Andrea Bellucci create arcadian movements in memory of landscapes destroyed by humanity's negligence.
A strong yet bucolic statement from one of the newest additions to the n5MD roster

Dave Lee dons his Sunburst Band trousers and calls in the vocal talents of Wayne Hernandez with this slice of Brazilian flavoured Jazz Funk ‘Listen Love’ - yes the Jon Lucien jazz dance favourite. The sizzling drums & percussion blend perfectly with the pulsating bassline that allows Wayne to scat and weave his way into the blissed out yet uptempo jazzy keys. For those thinking this would be an even better track if it had a flute solo, we’ve got you covered! with Dave Lee’s ‘Flute Reboot’ for that maximum Latin edged jazz-funk feel.

On the flip two people who need not introducing, Louie Vega & Josh Milan get frenzied on the drums and piano, as they up the ante and deliver a jazz dance fusion clocking in at 9 minutes. Their mix really works up a sweat in the second half as the groove and scatting lock together for an intense rhythmic workout. All in all a very impressive outing.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce Live Hubris, documenting the hypnotic and electrifying live performance of Oren Ambarchi’s 2016 LP Hubris by a fifteen-strong band at London’s Café Oto. Over three days in May 2019, Oto toasted Oren Ambarchi at 50/Black Truffle at 10 with Ambarchi and a large group of close friends and collaborators in a series of performances that interspersed existing projects with new collective endeavours, culminating with this: fourteen members of the extended Black Truffle family together on stage, joined by one special virtual guest, to translate the intricately studio-constructed layers of Hubris into a muscular live band workout.

Operating with only the bare minimum of pre-gig preparation after the planned afternoon rehearsal had to be wrapped up prematurely due to noise complaints, the gargantuan group lurches into motion with a 21-minute rendition of ‘Hubris Part 1’, powered by the pulsating electronics of Konrad Sprenger (the ‘ringmaster’ at the ensemble’s core) and no less than seven electric guitars spinning a web of intricately interlocking palm-muted polyrhythms. The layers of closely related but metrically distinct lines create ripples of shifting accents, flickering changes in emphasis that ricochet along the endless central pulse. Gradually building in density, this motorik continuum becomes the backdrop for the haunting tones of Eiko Ishibashi’s processed flute and an extended feature from long-distance guest Jim O’Rourke on guitar synth.

After the brief interlude of the second part, where Albert Marcoeur-esque guitar arpeggios accompany a halting attempt at phone conversation, the full ensemble gears up for the epic side-long rendition of ‘Hubris Part 3’. Now joined by the astonishing triple drum line-up of Joe Talia, Will Guthrie and Andreas Werliin, the layered pulse of the opening piece becomes a burning funk-fusion groove. Beginning on a medium simmer, the ensemble initially stick to its pulsating one-note mantra, over which Ambarchi unfurls a beautiful example of his signature shimmering Leslie-toned guitar harmonics, eventually joined by Ishibashi’s flute and some brooding, distorted dissonance from Julia Reidy’s guitar. Building steadily for the first nine minutes, the heat then rises dramatically with a first, gloriously loose chord change: with the all drummers now rolling and tumbling like a twice-cloned Jack DeJohnette circa 1970, Mats Gustafsson enters on baritone, his tortured roars and shrieks driving the band to peaks of insane intensity. Finally, the exhausted ensemble drops out, leaving only the jagged, skittering fuzz of Ambarchi’s guitar, brought to an abrupt conclusion at the command of crys cole. Arriving on hot pink vinyl with artwork by Lasse Marhaug and an extensive selection of live photos by Ivan Weiss and Fabio Lugaro, Live Hubris brings this ambitious and outrageous evening of music to the safety of the home stereo.

Northern stars of the Time Is Now series, Soul Mass Transit System, are back for their fourth full-length outing on the popular garage imprint with All I Need. The duo, both established producers in their own right, bring infectious grooves and cheeky samples to shake off the winter blues to.

Sax-infused opener "Freak-ee" serves up shuffling two step and retro vocals - gentle diva intonations giving a housier edge to the sound. "Show U Love" criss-crosses between crooner samples and a classic, dirty dub-driven delight for late night punters.

Skippy snares and cleverly glitched up samples make an earworm melody in "All I Need (Deepa Inside)", before the tempo is pumped up speed garage style for the closing track "The Message". If the rumbling dubwise melody doesn't control the dancefloor, the tantalisingly elongated second drop will.

Yellow Vinyl

From his early years on the music scene in Edinburgh, Theo Kottis has built a buzz as one of the UK's most exciting DJs. He is also the curator of his own unique sound, crafted on his Beautiful Strangers series, and gained clout from star DJs the world over.

The Mirror EP is fronted by a euphoric party track inspired by Kottis' lockdown yearning for "the kind of party where you don't stop dancing" - and crafted perfectly for this purpose. The raw energy of breaks and rave piano stabs is permeated by Busola's pep talk, getting the listener and the dancer geared up for the summer of release after a year of restrictions.

On the B Side, "Onda" takes its name from the Spanish word for waves. This is a blissed out relaxation after the intensity of the A-Side, an ode to an Ibiza poolside which still maintains a strong groove. Playful
pads pop out under sublime strings for an instantly nostalgic vibe.

Theo Kottis words on the release "Earlier this year during peak winter lockdown, craving the kind of party where you don't stop dancing, I took matters into my own hands, producing this new single "The Mirror", featuring Busola - who is the life of the party - to bring euphoric sounds to my living room and now to yours.

The thought of the impending "Summer of Love" got me through lockdown and I wanted to create something energetic and fun to mirror that excitement. I'd seen Little Gay Brother, the LGBTQ+ party and community perform at many festivals and knew their vibe would be an ideal source for this raw energy - I was introduced to Busola who provided the ultimate summer of self-love pep talk, something we all needed to get back out there post lockdown!

The second track is a nod to my summer escape to Ibiza where I played Pikes poolside and spent time in the sea and watching waves - "ondas" in Spanish - to reset and relax.

Unforgotten is a British crime drama television series. The program follows a team of London detectives, led by DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar), as they solve cold cases of disappearance and murder. Each season deals with a new case, introducing seemingly unconnected characters who are gradually revealed to have some relationship with the victim. Seasons 1 to 4 were broadcasted between 2015 and 2021. A fifth series was announced, scheduled for release in 2022.

Unforgotten has received critical acclaim, with Tom Courtenay winning the 2016 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for the first series and Mark Bonnar winning the 2017 BAFTA Scotland for Best Actor in Television for the second series.

Michael Price is one of the UK’s most sought after composers. His debut album Entanglement (2015) was critically acclaimed by furthermore Rolling Stone, Uncut and Clash. His work for film and television has been widely recognized in general, winning an EMMY award in 2014, a BAFTA nomination and 2 further EMMY nominations for his score with David Arnold for the critically acclaimed BBC series Sherlock.

This is a limited edition contains of 1000 individually numbered copies on crystal clear vinyl. The LP package contains liner notes by Andrew Collins and Michael Price.

February 2021. During a stay in an isolated house in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, I returned to four compositions Renaud Bajeux had sent me a few months prior. I had listened intently and enjoyed them very much, but in this new setting, at this very moment, they took on another dimension. For several days, I went on long walks in the surrounding nature and this album, all in half-light, became an obsession. In sync with the perfection of this moment, with this place, it began to haunt me from dawn till long past dusk. At times calming and meditative, at times wild, rugged, and maybe even dangerous, the music seemed to mirror the mountain landscape encircling me. It became evident that Seeking a Vision would be released on Fragments.

Seeking a Vision follows Renaud Bajeux’s first album, Magnetic Voices from the Unseen (Nahal Recordings, 2019), an exploration of electromagnetic fields. In this second opus, Bajeux works with the sound palette of a Serge synthesizer, combining its polymorphic sounds with field recordings of nature. The album’s four parts can be seen as a continuous mental journey through multiple layers of consciousness. Carried by whispering winds and the cracklings of a campfire, they proceed toward meditative states and obscure inner landscapes.

Seeking a Vision was recorded during an INA GRM residency. Elevation was commissioned by the INA GRM.

Renaud Bajeux is a French composer and film sound designer. His work his primarily based on field recordings and modular synthesizers. It can be located at the crossroads of electroacoustic music, noise, and ambient. Renaud Bajeux’s most recent release is a duet with Antoine Gilloire titled Underwater Soil (Superpang, 2021).

All tracks performed and composed by Renaud Bajeux. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu. Artwork by Morgan Cuinet. Layout by Romain Barbot.

The Japanese-born duo Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda relocated to New York and christened themselves with the band name Cibo Matto, which is Italian for “crazy food”. The band teamed up with drummer Sean Lennon, percussionist Duma Love and drummer Timo Ellis for their second studio album Stereo Type A, which was originally released in 1999. It was the last album before the group disbanded a few years later, until their 2011 reunion. With this album Cibo Matto received praise for combining styles and genres such as heavy metal, pop and hip hop, while the album was also described by critics as “eclectic, hot and funky”. It was the band’s way of breaking down stereotypes.

On his second Blue Note album Love Bug, organist Reuben Wilson fronted an exceptional quintet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Grant Green on guitar, and Leo Morris (aka Idris Muhammad) on drums. The 1969 soul jazz date presented funky Wilson originals like “Hot Rod,” Back Out,” and the title track alongside R&B hits of the day like “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’” . This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal

On his second Blue Note album Love Bug, organist Reuben Wilson fronted an exceptional quintet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Grant Green on guitar, and Leo Morris (aka Idris Muhammad) on drums. The 1969 soul jazz date presented funky Wilson originals like “Hot Rod,” Back Out,” and the title track alongside R&B hits of the day like “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’” . This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal

Bleach Lab have shared details of their second EP, ‘Nothing Feels Real’. The South London band made their return in July with single ‘Real Thing’, hinting that more music was to come. Receiving similar acclaim as the band’s debut EP, which saw them rise to prominence, ‘Real Thing’ received support from 6Music as well as the likes of Line of Best Fit (Song of the Day), DIY, Gigwise and many more.

Bleach Lab have shared details of their second EP, ‘Nothing Feels Real’. The South London band made their return in July with single ‘Real Thing’, hinting that more music was to come. Receiving similar acclaim as the band’s debut EP, which saw them rise to prominence, ‘Real Thing’ received support from 6Music as well as the likes of Line of Best Fit (Song of the Day), DIY, Gigwise and many more.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. No one in particular is renowned for that cliched statement, but when something is so universal, who cares who said it? And is there anything more nostalgia inciting than a blurry film, bursting with colours but aged just perfectly so that you know, it's from a past which will never return. Het Jaarronde, a 1977 short film by Dutch amateur filmmaker Jan van Keulen is a picture perfect study of Dutch rural life. Filmed at an observer's distance it, as the title states, follows the Netherland's throughout the year. It's not bombastic and grand like 1967's John Fernhout film, Sky Over Holland. Instead it's modest, even shy, as if afraid to document too much because to document means to acknowledge change and loss.

For the second time, Nous'klaer and The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision's RE:VIVE initiative have teamed up for a split 12" featuring two new film scores of Nous'klaer staple, Mattheis and newcomer Ranie Ribeiro. Each artist was given half the film to compose for, resulting in two sonically disparate pieces that are emotionally twinned. Mattheis offers a lush, heart melting wave of pianos and synths and field recordings to appease his own inner-nostalgia, as the images struck an immediate chord with his childhood and youth in Goeree Overflakkee, South-Holland.

Ranie Ribeiro, known under his solo moniker for his slamming chopped beats and earlier club oriented releases as D-Ribeiro unveils his talents as a harpist for the first time. His work, is an encapsulation of a calm autumn day. A work in the present rather than a reflection on the past. But as the day fades into night, one can't wish for it to stay, just a little bit longer, because who knows what tomorrow is going to bring?

Blood On Satan’s Claw – AKA Satan’s Skin in the USA, is a cult British horror movie from 1971. It’s a film from the golden age of British horror, and one that ticks most of the horror connoisseur’s boxes - it stars the Devil, Olde England, it has nudity, strange ritualism, a fair smattering of blood and of course, sublime music. Produced by cult masters Tigon, this film was the perfect companion piece to their earlier Witchfinder General (1968). Set in rural 17th century England, it tells the fine story of a small village that quickly falls under the devil’s spell. It’s brilliantly told and quite beautifully shot with a very fine cast of superb character actors.
Over many years the film has slowly gained a cultish reputation, and there are rumours that good old Tim Burton is a very big fan and used the movie as an influence for his “Sleepy Hollow” production.
The score was never released. Written by Marc Wilkinson, former director of music for the National Theatre, this cult soundtrack takes its lead from “The Devil’s Interval”, but more about that in the next paragraph. Musical appearances from the Ondes Martenot (the earliest electronic instrument) and Cimbalom add to the overall spookiness of this recording. And in 38 years the music has lost none of its depth or addictive, evil hooks. The first pressing sold out many years ago and commands high prices. A repress has been requested for many years.
Here’s Marc Wilkinson’s thoughts…
“The descending chromatic scale which features throughout the music omits the perfect fifth (the only true consonant in the chromatic scale) and therefore highlights the diminished fifth, which ever since the middle ages in Europe has been known as the Devil's Interval!!”
BRIEF ARTIST INFO: Marc Wilkinson was musical director of the National Theatre throughout the 1960s. He scored a number of films in the late 1960s and 1970s including “If” for Lindsay Anderson. Wilkinson currently lives in France.

Repress

Second release on Nina Kraviz (pronounced 'trip') label is another double-EP compilation this time entitled 'De Niro Is Concerned'.

'The idea of this compiled album/concept compilation is about one of those moments when you suddenly realise that you can't continue as you did before and there is no way back. I was in a 4am facebook chat with Reynier (Deniro) and we both thought Robert De Niro might have had a moment like that. Most of the tracks in TRP002 are live recordings, which is a key part of the label's concept: to release music that is abstract and very specific in texture, yet very human, unplanned and organic, because I really believe in music that captures the emotional moment of when it was made." Nina Kraviz

Featuring a great introductory track from the Icelandic wunderkind Bjarki, a superb collaboration between Nina and the seminal Exos, the legendary Steve Stoll delivers a brilliant acid groover, two classic techno tracks from Amsterdam based Reiyner Hooft AKA Deniro, the wonderful trance induced 'L'Importance De Doute' by Parrish Smith, a slice of melancholic techno from Nikita Zabelin and a welcome re-release of the legendary, highly sought after secret weapon Barcode Population - Barcode Population (which will be on the vinyl only) . An eight-track no-holes barred barnstormer of a double-pack.. !!

‘Expressions of Interest’ is the debut album from Melbourne/Naarm post-punk group screensaver.

Sonically, the 10 track album is rich and detailed, and pays homage to its era of inspiration (late 70s-mid 80s post-punk and new wave) with gripping vocals, dissonant guitar, melodic basslines, washes of synths and motorik drumming. Engineered by Julian Cue alongside band member Chris Stephenson and recorded over multiple studio sessions between 2020-2021

The album opens with the ominously titled ‘Body Parts’, an immediately arresting song that showcases the bands penchant for blending classic post-punk elements, leaning into a sound somewhere between the Banshees and Protomartyr.

Maynard doubles down on these themes in the frenetic second track, ‘No Movement’. Guttural organ tones swim under overdriven guitar, jagged and intense. Additional textures and sound effects are used percussively to embellish the dynamics, creating a feverish atmosphere with some Martin Hannett like flourishes.

The album takes a surprising turn into electronic driven krautrock on track three with 'Buy, Sell, Trade' - a rollicking piece of danceable ephemera, dominated by swirling synth sounds and punctuated with electronics reminiscent of Sparks/Moroder collaborations. Chris Stephenson's masterful guitar work begins with Greg Sage-esque determination before a crescendo into a lush Frippertronics outro.

'MEDS' transports us back to the foundation established on 'Body Parts', a gothy piece, full of tribal toms and dirge-y synths. Industrial punk rock nearly swallowed whole by the keys in the middle and slowly building back to complimentary guitar and vocal hooks.

It's from this point in the album that the band let's their other influences rise to the surface, as they explore touches of EDM on 'Static State' - a brutal, death-disco style track, Krystal Maynard's lead synth and gloomy vocal complimenting the pounding drums and dub-esque bass line culminating in a track worthy of the dancefloor.


Opening side two we have 'Skin', beginning with a solid and simple backbeat, James Beck’s post-punk percussion provides a steady and minimal framework for the rest of the band to colour in with great depth and detail. Giles Fielke’s bass guitar wobbles brilliantly leading the verse melody, whilst Chris Stephenson’s guitar drives the chorus that folds neatly in on itself.

In ‘Attention Economy’, Krystal Maynard is flexible with her lyrical style, and knows how and when to lend her voice to the greater backdrop of the composition. ‘Attention Economy’ has an almost Kraftwerkian structure - repetitious, but engaging with its constant tom driven beat, lush synth lines and minimal bass tones.

Just when you thought things had slowed down, screensaver ramp things right back up again with ‘Overnight Low’ - a no holds barred thumper. Giles Fielke underpins the hard-edged sound with his bassline, keeping things smooth and tight. It brings to mind a hybrid of PiL’s ‘Annalisa’ and Wire’s ‘Two People In a Room.’

Before you can catch your breath, we have ‘Regular Hours’ - another industrial track, and perhaps the sister song to ‘Static State’ heard earlier on side one. Seething electronic drum samples cut through an abyss of growling synths, Giles Fielke hanging up the bass temporarily to accompany Krystal Maynard on synth duties.

The album closes with the fittingly titled ‘Soft Landing’, literally bringing the listener back down...softly. The song is heavy on atmos, and resembles the aesthetics previously encountered on ‘Attention Economy’ a few tracks earlier.

‘Expressions of Interest” was recorded at various locations across Melbourne, with a handful of songs being captured before the start of the Covid pandemic in January 2020. With the recording timeline being drastically altered, the band shifted focus to work on what would become their first single ‘Strange Anxiety’, throughout the first months of the Melbourne 2020 lockdown.

‘The Centre is Everywhere’ is our first album. We created it in rather extraordinary circumstances, at a time when we were all slowly sinking into the banal dystopia of a pandemic-stricken world. Our lives, it felt, had slowed to a crawl. Normally we’re fuelled by our audiences, but touring was off the menu. So, we made this record. For us, it was personal.

In such an uncertain time, we wanted to play music that we loved. We ended up with a set of work written over a 120-year period – weightless and transcendent new music alongside Schoenberg’s anguished fin de siècle storytelling.

Edmund Finnis’ work in particular (the titular ‘The Centre is Everywhere’) is important to us. He’s a friend and a colleague, and it’s been a profound experience for us to live with this piece, to tour it, and to make the first ever recording. Somehow in the writing of it, Edmund seems to have prefigured the lack of certainty that has been one of the defining characteristics of this period. His music spins freely through time and space, wraithlike and beautiful.

Whilst recording both ‘Company’ by Philip Glass and ‘Transfigured Night’ by Arnold Schoenberg, we found ourselves drawn to a pervading sense of wildness and nature. The hypnotic rise and fall of the rhythms and textures in Glass’ quartet (presented here in an arrangement for string orchestra) feel quite separate to industrial, man-made structures and forms. Like Edmund’s work, these short movements feel out of time and cyclical, like eternally repeating tides or moon-phases.

Schoenberg’s masterpiece for string sextet opens on a moonlit forest scene, two lovers venturing through a bare, cold grove. We’ve tried to create a recording that paints the violent contrasts of this piece as vividly as possible, from the claustrophobic confessions that open the work through to the gleaming sound world of the second half. As the piece closes, our wooden, earthbound instruments seem to have been transmuted by the glamour and glow of Schoenberg’s music. We finish amongst the stars.

Headline performance at this summer's BBC Proms at the royal Albert Hall

For a duo whose youthful energy rejuvenated the world of house music at the start of the 2010s, it seems incredible that Disclosure are now into their second decade of musical life. The incredible vigour of those early records, the spark of invention and ever-onward musical thrust, remains with the Disclosure brothers, Howard and Guy Lawrence, to this day. The emphasis throughout DJ-Kicks is on motion. After a brief ambient introduction from Pépe's Life Signs, Disclosure keep the energy high, in a mix that showcases the wonderful malleability of a house beat in the right hands. From sub bass to disco samples, African funk to 303 tweak, all is welcome in Disclosure's house, with the mix allowing individual songs space to breath even as the pace remains harefooted.

Son d’Étroit boss Boran Ece reveals label’s second release ‘Reprise’, backed by a remix from Mihai Popoviciu.
Following the label’s first release, founder Boran Ece returns to Son d’Étroit with the imprint’s second offering this December. First drop ‘Relance’ set the tone for the label, featuring in Spotify’s Lo-Fi House playlist, picking up support from John Digweed, Alexi Delano and Guy J, and selling out on vinyl within a few weeks.
Hot on its heels, the Basel-based DJ and producer now steps up to deliver his latest single, ‘Reprise’ - accompanied by a remix from Romanian favourite, Mihai Popoviciu.
Ece’s original showcases a vibrant medley of dynamic vocals amongst refined melodies, punchy kicks and subtle dubby chords throughout to offer a hypnotic and heady house cut. Next, Mihai Popoviciu’s slick take on the track introduces a skipping, snaking groove guided by swinging percussion, resonant stabs and tripped out vocal snippets.

The Mighty Soulmates is a towering early 90s project from the legitimate super group of André Cymone (bass player with Prince), St. Paul Peterson (guitarist with The Family and Prince), Mic Murphy (of Sass and The System fame) and Gardner Cole (writer, producer and musician probably best known for his work with Madonna). The sound is a majestic blend of sophisticated funk, emotional R&B, New Jack Swing flava and slick deep soul.

These should-be legendary sessions have been almost a secret since they were recorded back in 1993. The first Be With knew about the project was whilst working with Mic on some Sass re-issues and he told us he had something else we might be interested in hearing.

Mic explained, “In the summer of 1993, Gardner Cole asked if I’d be interested in coming out to work with him, André, and St. Paul. So we all headed out to what can best be described as a fantasy music summer camp at Gardner’s house in Woodland Hills, California. We had all worked together in the past in some form or another so everyone was energized and enthused and excited to see what we could create together. St Paul and Andre had already begun some songwriting at Gardner’s well equipped home garage studio. The songs and ideas progressed quickly and some additional recording was completed at André Cymone’s studio in downtown LA. We ended up working on the project for about 6 months, off and on, until Gardner's house fell victim to the Northridge Earthquake in January 1994.”

There were some vague ideas at the time about turning the sessions into a finished record, but everyone went back to their day jobs and as St. Paul puts it: “for nearly 30 years it just sat there, marinating like a fine funk masterpiece. Everything has its right time and now just be the time”.

From all the tracks Mic sent over, we’ve cherry picked the absolute cream for a tight four track EP. In an alternate history all four for these would’ve been radio smashes. No doubt. But these songs never even reached a plugger. A mixture of beat ballads and uptempo non-hits, coming on like Al B Sure! or Babyface take on Shalamar or, dare we say it, The Purple One - maybe not so surprising given who’s playing!

The feel-good dancefloor dynamite of “I Wanna Be The One” is the explosive opening track. A piano-driven, groove-laden blast of yearning deep-pop, with perfectly delivered soulful vocals and an unmistakable “early 90s” sound. Indeed, fans of Eddie Chacon’s old group will dig this for days. “Back In The Day” has a timeless swing and swagger, the lyrics reminiscing about the halcyon streetlife of the Soulmates’ youth, about Curtis, Superfly and innocent days gone by, about hustling with friends. Yet more spine-tingling vocals over yet another perfectly produced musical backdrop. Stunning.

Opening side B, “Blue Tuesday” is the thrilling pinnacle of the EP, at least for us. It’s absolute soulful-pop perfection, and the one we’ve been asked about most after teasing this collection on our NTS show. A soaring beat ballad full of chiming guitars, gorgeous harmonising, falsetto “doo-doo-doo-doo do-do-do-do” backing vocals and a real steppers’ groove. Glide to this with your loved one at the next roller rink party.

Dramatic, purple-hued closer “Private Time” seems to predict the Timbaland-dominated sound of the mid-to-late 90s, all synthetic strings and squelchy, acidic-drum-machine soul. There’s even room for funky piano breaks, vocoder bridges and more cowbell than you can shake a cowbell at. You could just as easily hear Aaliyah vibing over this as much as Mic.

This EP represents the sound of four incredibly soulful, talented, and influential (soul)mates jamming together over one long hot summer and weaving pure sonic magic. André Cymone loved the “kinda pop, experimental exploration of sound and music. I think these songs make a statement. Not just because of the collection of talented musicians involved but the idea of musically branching out and experimenting; which is what I loved about the project and for people to hear and hopefully appreciate the artistic adventure this music takes, I think it’s a much needed breath of fresh air.” As Mic recalls, “it had the feeling of recovery in a circle with my dudes making music sitting around catching up on life - it felt like living a second childhood. We just wrote what we felt. I don’t remember ‘aiming’ at anything but a great song, melding all our different influences from throughout our lives. We had no restraints. For me personally, it was a time to make music and regroup. I call it the ‘Soulmate Experience’ because in many ways we are kindred souls as a band. We did have an amazing time making the record and so much fun together. Probably my best summer ever”.

The Mighty Soulmates EP has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman at Finyl Tweek and pressed at Record Industry. That early 90s gloss sounds spectacular, if we do say so ourselves.

And such a special record needed some truly almighty artwork, so thanks go to DJ Ruby Savage for directing us to London-based illustrator and designer River Cousin. This music needed something elegant and indulgent yet soulful and striking and something as simultaneously tongue-in-check and deadly-serious as the group’s name. The end result is as modern yet timeless as the music itself.

And these are just our four picks. There’s plenty more where this came from and Mic tells us he’s even picked the album title: “Earthquake Summer”.

10Questions is a record label by Dam Swindle’s Lars Dales and graphic designer Bas Koopmans. After two prolific first releases, 10Questions drops another EP, this time by long time friend and synth wizard Lorenz Rhode. Lorenz finds himself exploring the depths of 80’s inspired Italo disco with a modern touch. Just how we like it.

The ‘Le Noir EP’ is spearheaded by two A sides of which title track ‘Le Noir’ is the first one. “Le Noir’ features the sensual vocals of ‘Margerita’ and is one of those tracks that we love instantly because of it’s strong theme and even stronger execution. Italo drama in optima forma. The chord progression on this track gets you hooked and never seems to end; a perfect example of why we call Lorenz the ‘synth wizard’.

The second A side ‘Yayoi’ is a track with a big nod to Lorenz’ memories of 8bit games and early days music programming. This track pulls you in from the start with an emotional theme but with the drop into bassline and percussion it’s clear this theme is not one to linger on. The addition of both claps and stabs add loads of energy on top making this track a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The full B side is reserved for ‘Pan Di Stelle’ and is the exact counterpart of ‘Yayoi’. It starts of with an Italo inspired bassline and with the percussion on top, it immediately dictates the energy. Only after the two minute mark the spacey theme comes lurking around the corner and fits perfectly in it’s own sonic pocket. This track is a another example of Lorenz’ expertise in utilising vintage synths and why he has been immensely popular for his production and playing skills.

10Questions is a label build on the concept that the record and record sleeve are an integral part of the full experience of an EP. The artist is given a questionnaire and depending on his/her answers the artwork is made. This way the music and art co-exist in the same creative universe, that of the artist and the label alike.