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The original Wild Style soundtrack is such a landmark that it has spread its DNA throughout hip-hop ever since. So many artists found inspiration in it, so many producers fished for samples among its choppy waves. If you haven’t played it for a while, it still has the power to surprise – hook after hook that fed into hip-hop history. That countdown from Public Enemy’s ‘Louder than a Bomb’? The chorus from Cypress Hill’s ‘A to the K’, vocal samples that underpin MF Doom classics and A Tribe Called Quest gems? All here.

Phat Kev – aka Kev Luckhurst – teases out some of those notable moments in his superb cut-up from the 2007 reissue. The Brighton-born DJ subjects the Wild Style OST to a classic ‘Lesson-style’ cut and paste, teasing out some of the most classic moments, taking you on a whirlwind tour of the finest beats and most indelible rhymes. Here you’ll find ‘Stoop Rap’ interwoven with ‘Basketball Throwdown’ and ‘Fantastic Freaks at the Dixie’.

The temptation to overcomplicate matters is wisely resisted – Phat Kev lets the guitar of Chris Stein, the drums of Lenny Ferrari and the lyrics of legends such as Grand Master Caz, Busy Bee and Rammellzee shine in their own right.

Available for the first time on 7”, this is an outstanding tribute to one of the key records in hip-hop history.

Steve Vai has continually challenged notions of traditional guitar playing
and composition – and on more than one occasion even reimagined the
very instrument itself."I don't sit around and say, 'Okay, what can I do now
that pushes the boundaries?," Vai explains about his approach to the
guitar
"What I do say to myself is, 'Okay, Vai – what are you going to do now that's going
to interest you, that's going to fascinate you, and that's different than anything
you've done before?"The answer to that question comes in the form of Vai's
newest and 10th solo album, 'Inviolate', a nine-song opus that does indeed push
the boundaries of instrumental guitar music – this time out, Vai quite literally
invented not just a new guitar, but also a new guitar-playing technique. The Hydra,
the elaborate three- necked steampunk- inspired guitar that Steve holds on the
album cover, is actually played on the song 'Teeth of the Hydra'. On the other hand
(no pun intended), Steve recorded and played the song 'Knappsack' with just his
left hand, after his right arm was in a sling following shoulder surgery.
At the same time, 'Inviolate' presents his most focused, streamlined and perhaps
invigorating music in years. The album features a host of esteemed musicians,
including Billy Sheehan, Vinnie Colaiuta and Terry Bozzio.
Classic Rock - Album Review Classic Rock - Soundtrack To My Life feature
Fireworks – 2-page interview Fireworks - Album Review The Guitar Mag - 8-10
page Interview Guitar Techniques - Album Review GT332 9th Feb Guitar
Techniques - Q&A 9th Feb GT332. Guitar Interactive - Front cover & substantial
feature Guitarist - Front cover/Guest Editor/8-10 page feature Guitarist - Album
Review HRH - Album Review HRH - interview Powerplay - Interview Prog - My Prog
Hero feature on John Petrucci Rock Candy - 8-Page Interview Feb/Mar iss Total
Guitar - Interview

Limited to 500 copies worldwide* 1980’s Australia were a blistering inferno of totally great powerpop, garage- and punkrock bands. Hoodoo Gurus, Stems and Lime Spiders were on top of their game and labels like Waterfront and Citadel put out albums and 45’s that most music aficionados would die for.

The Spliffs formed in Townsville, a small city on the northeastern coast of Queensland in Australia. In 1986 they unleashed their debut
45. Recorded all by themselves and released DIY style they got some rave reviews and got to play Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane
opening for The Saints and Hoodoo Gurus. Their debut single is fab jangly 80’s powerpop right up there with Plimsouls or The Nerves.
Housed in a deluxe picture sleeve that comes with a printed inner sleeve filled with many rare and previously unpublished photos plus an interview with Spliffs main man and guitar-slinger Jamie Forsberg conducted by power pop guru Ric Menck. Orange color vinyl.
File under: ”beyond essential to any serious rock’n’roll, powerpop, garage and punk fan”.

Sweden’s One Way Ticket Records is a sister label to On The Dole Records who gave you “Jobcentre Rejects” (and more) and
to Sweet Mental Revenge Records who gave you Rodger Wilhoit. OWT is also a sub-division of Stora Skivmässan –
Scandinavia’s biggest record fairs

Raw Poetic produzierte sein neues Album 'Laminated Skies' mit seinem Buddy und häufigen Kollaborateur Damu The Fudgemunk und Gastmusikern wie Pat 'P' Fritz (git) und Luke Stewart (bass). Musikalisch schöpft das mehrdimensionale Werk aus den Genres, die Hip-Hop ausmachen, und Einflüssen aus allen Facetten des Spiritual Jazz. 'Laminated Skies' ist Raw Poetics sechstes Soloalbum und das erste offizielle auf einem Label. Qualität ist ein stetiges Synonym des Künstlers, der auf einen reichhaltigen Lebenslauf mit den Eltern in der Black Panther-Bewegung, mit seinem Onkel Jazzlegende Archie Shepp, als Lead-MC des Duos Panacea (Rawkus) und mit Kollabos mit K-Def, Blu und Kev Brown zurückschauen kann. Das gemeinsam mit Damu produzierte 'Ocean Bridges' (2020) mit dem Saxophonisten Archie Shepp wird als eines der besten Alben des Jahres gefeiert.

International musicgroup SexJudas feat.Ricky returns to Optimo Music this Winter with a new album: Night Songs. The eight track LP draws inspiration from the night and features Malian percussionist Sidiki Camara,jazz clarinetist Andreas Røysum and noise rocker Linn Nystadnes. Making their own blend of disco, post punk and African music.

“It’s the return of Sex Judas feat.Ricky, this time as a six piece in fully fledged band mode. We’re here to take you on a journey through suburban psychedelia, forming our own brew of postpunk, disco and electronic, as well as traditional music from Mali. Night Songs is a meditation on the night time. The excess, the dreams, the highs and lows of night time activity.”-Sex Judas feat. Ricky.

“Black Cat In A Black Room” begins proceedings, taking the form of a psychedelic six-minute offering packed full of tribal drums and desert-like percussion. “A Man Without Purpose” comes next with its African-inspired vocal, before “Hab Mich Lieb” soon arrives. The six-minute cut is hypnotic, trippy and relaxing all in one, as is “Slow Down” feat. Linn Nystadnes. Taking on more of a funk-rock feel, there’s plenty of groove in the guitar-laced bassline, whilst in “Cold Clementine”, Sex Judas tells the sad tale of rave casualty over a dark and funky groove.

We’re taken down a spiritual path on The Light You Saw Was Not For Real, as Andreas Røysum’s clarinet solos sit underneath shamanic vocal offerings that open neatly into The Night Within The Night. Aslow-burning cut, riffs and hats serenade us before When You Wake Up Everything Will Be Fine brings proceedings to a close. Dream-like chords wrap us in a warm and glowing hue, with the harp-like sounds from Sidiki’s Ngoni, leaving us in a starry-eyed state to finish.

The calming nature of the album is a nod to the band’s influences: they were inspired by the great meditative records of the past, setting off on a musical trip that saw them record the whole release at legendary Norwegian studio Athletic Sound. This happened during lockdown and whilst the LP was never meant to be comment on the pandemic, there remains a brooding intensity to each track because of it. Sex Judas feat. Ricky originally began life as the solo project of Tore Gjedrem (from electronic duo Ost & Kjex), but has since grown into a steady six piece involving the talents of Sidiki Camara (djembe/ngoni/balafon), Ivar Winther (guitar/keys), Tracee Meyn (vocals), Tore Brevik (drums/percussion) and Kristian Edvardsen (bass). Centre stage is also illustrator and comic artist Sindre Goksøyr, this time portraying each character as they paddle their way into the sunset and uncharted territories.

Malian-born, Norwegian-based percussionist Sidiki Camara has played a pivotal role in promoting “Night Songs” to world music circles. Having lived in Norway since 2006, he has helped bring WestAfrican rhythms into the country’s wider jazz scene.

10th anniversary reissue of this rhythmically churning one-man-band monster of an album, recorded in a single inspired studio session & originally released in 2012 on Editions Mego.

From the original Editions Mego press release:

“For anyone who still associates Oren Ambarchi exclusively with the clipped, bass-heavy tones of solo electric guitar works such as Suspension, this rhythmically churning one-man-band monster of an album-length piece might seem to come out of nowhere. However, listeners who have followed the breadth of his work for the last few years (solo and in projects with collaborators from Jim O’Rourke to Stephen O’Malley and Keith Rowe to Keiji Haino) will have noted how Ambarchi has allowed increasingly clear traces of his enthusiasms as a music listener (for classic rock, minimal techno and 70’s fusion, among other areas) to surface in his performances and recordings, all the time filtering them through his signature long-form structures and psychoacoustic sonics.

Recorded in a single inspired studio session, Sagittarian Domain displaces Ambarchi’s trademark guitar sound from the centre of the mix, its presence felt only as an occasional ghostly reverberated shimmer. Endlessly pulsating guitar and bass lines sit alongside electronic percussion and thundering motorik drumming (familiar from his work with Keiji Haino) at the core of the piece, locking into a voodoo groove like Faust covering a 70’s cop show theme. The work is founded on hypnotic almost-repetition, the accents of the drum hits and interlocking bass and guitar lines shifting almost imperceptibly back and forwards over the beat as they undergo gradual transformations of timbre. Cut-up and phase-shifted strings enter around the half-way mark like an abstracted memory of the eastern-tinged fusion of the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s classic Visions of the Emerald Beyond, before returning for an extended, stark yet affecting come-down coda, equal parts Gavin Bryars and Purple Rain.

While Sagittarian Domain contains traces of a diversity of influences, it mines all of them to uncover something that is clearly an extension of Ambarchi’s own investigations up to this point, exhibiting the same care for micro-detail and surrender to the physicality of sound that are present in all of his work, extending them in new ways to repetition, pulse and rhythm”.

Red Marbled Vinyl

Denise Rabe is back on her own imprint with its specific and unique gloomy witchy techno sound. Entering spheres of the unknown with a marvelous vocal chant on the A-side together with a fantastic built electro remix by Vil.

The B-side drives you one step further with an energetic and loopy track Icaro and a conspicuous deep hypnotic remix from Mary Yuzovskaya.

As always it is important to mention the exclusive hand screen printed sleeves and inserts by Rabe - this time in sumptuous gold ink on thick black card stock. Paired with the vinyl disc pressed in deep "Dracula red" makes this release a dark, elegant and exquisite package to add to your collection.

When we first heard from recent Kompakt signing Emma Kollmorgen, with 2021’s “You Are The”, she was hymning the complexity of romance: “Love is scary as fuck!”, she said. On her debut EP, “1243”, she’s built on that intensity and offered up a five-track suite of night-vision electronic pop, bristling with a stealthy sensuality. It’s a cinematic collection, building from the brooding “Escape”, through the drifting, tactile pulses of “Taciturn”, the gritty, bustling noises that run underneath the smoke-signal torch-song of “All The Wild Animals”, and the closing, tear-stained melancholy of “Home”. “You Are The” reappears here as well, settling in perfectly amongst new friends.

It’s a completely assured first EP from an artist who’s been slowly and steadily building her own sonic world. From her early days, when she busied herself by learning guitar and joining bands, Kollmorgen always had a vision of doing something “more independent”, to allow her to find her own sound and write her own songs. A brief creative alliance with the Berlin DJ duo Dole & Kom led to some recordings and live performances. All the while, Kollmorgen was carefully shaping her production and sound designing skills with Ableton Live, and exploring distinctive musical terrain in collaboration with co-producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Seidel (The Ocean Collective, Fern, Nightmarer). She joined the Kompakt family after a recommendation by Patrice Baumel, who also remixed her debut single with typical flair.

On “1243”, though, Kollmorgen fully inhabits her songs, gifting each of them with a sweet, subtle sway, her vocal and lyrical openheartedness balancing the bluer hues of her production. Each song is confident and poised, Kollmorgen relying on cross-thatched patterns of texture as a web to support her melodies: “I like patterns,” she says, “they give me something to hold onto, something stable in an unstable world.” The songs feel as though they’re grappling with moments of revelation and experience in Kollmorgen’s world, which makes sense, given her approach to music: “I never had a diary,” she reflects, “so writing songs is my way of expressing and dealing with life.” On 1243, you’ll catch some glimpses of life lived, made sonorous through songs beautifully sung.

Als wir das erste Mal von Emma Kollmorgen hörten, nachdem sie sich KOMPAKT angeschlossen hatte, besang sie mit "You Are The" (2021) die Komplexität von Romantik: "Liebe ist verdammt beängstigend!". Auf ihrer Debüt-EP "1243" baut sie auf dieser Intensität auf und präsentiert uns eine fünf Tracks umfassende Suite von elektronischem Pop mit ausgeprägtem Nachtsicht-Faktor, die vor verborgener Sinnlichkeit nur so strotzt. Ein geradezu cineastischer Spannungsbogen, der sich vom grüblerischen "Escape" über die treibenden, taktilen Impulse von "Taciturn", die düsteren, umtriebigen Geräusche, die den Rauchzeichen sendenden torch song "All The Wild Animals" untermalen, und die abschließende, tränenreiche Melancholie von "Home" aufbaut. Auch "You Are The" taucht hier wieder auf und fügt sich perfekt in die neue Gesellschaft ein.

Eine überzeugende erste EP von einer Künstlerin, die sich langsam und stetig ihre eigene Klangwelt aufgebaut hat. Seit ihren Anfängen, als sie Gitarre lernte und in Bands spielte, hatte Kollmorgen immer die Vision, etwas "Unabhängiges" zu machen, um ihren eigenen Sound zu finden und ihre eigenen Songs zu schreiben. Eine kurze kreative Allianz mit dem Berliner DJ-Duo Dole & Kom führte zu einigen Aufnahmen und Live-Auftritten. Währenddessen feilte Kollmorgen an ihren Produktions- und Sounddesign-Skills und erkundete gemeinsam mit dem Co-Produzenten und Multi-Instrumentalisten Paul Seidel (The Ocean Collective, Fern, Nightmarer) ihr eigenes musikalisches Terrain. Zur KOMPAKT Label-Familie kam sie auf Empfehlung von Patrice Baumel, der auch ihre Debütsingle remixte.

Auf "1243" lebt Kollmorgen ihre Songs voll und ganz aus und verleiht jedem von ihnen einen süßen, subtilen Twist, der ihre stimmliche und textliche Offenheit mit den melancholischen Tönen der Musik in Balance hält. Voller Selbstbewusstsein und Ausgeglichenheit verlässt sie sich auf durcheinander laufende Texturen und Pattern, die ihre Melodik unterstützen: "Ich mag Pattern", sagt sie, "sie geben mir etwas, woran ich mich festhalten kann, etwas Stabiles in einer instabilen Welt."

Die Songs fühlen sich an, als würden sie sich mit realen Momenten der Offenbarung und mit Erfahrungen aus Kollmorgens Lebenswelt auseinandersetzen, was angesichts ihrer Herangehensweise an Musik durchaus Sinn ergibt: "Ich hatte nie ein Tagebuch", erzählt sie, "also ist das Schreiben von Songs meine Art, mich auszudrücken und mit dem Leben umzugehen." Auf "1243" gibt sie uns einige Einblicke in dieses gelebte Leben, das durch wunderschön gesungene Lieder zum Klingen gebracht wird.

2001’s »Anima« was the third album released by Sasu Ripatti under his Vladislav Delay moniker and marked a turning point in the stylistic development of the prolific producer. Clocking in at roughly 62 minutes, the single piece draws on dub aesthetics while working with Musique concrète-like methods through the liberal use of samples to create a dreamlike logic. Muffled voices, lush chords, subtle rhythms and indefinable sound events are not so much integrated into a composition with a predetermined outcome but rather engage with each other freely in a constant sonic flow, forming constellations in one moment before moving on to connect with other elements in the next one. »Anima« marked the first time Ripatti was using a DAW in his working process, creating a piece constantly in motion that subtly evolves over time. This vinyl reissue on the German Keplar label follows up on the 20th anniversary edition of 2000’s »Multila« and will be complemented by a ten-minute long version of the original piece, previously only available on the CD version released by the artist on his own Huume label in 2008.

After the release of his »Ele« and »Entain« albums in 1999 and 2000, respectively, Ripatti took the 1998 independent movie »Hurlyburly« as a conceptual starting point to experiment with different gear and production methods. »Until then I had worked with an old MSQ-700 MIDI sequencer and an Ensonic EPS16 sampler/sequencer that had one or two MB of sampling memory and mixed the music live on a Mackie, which was very limiting arrangement-wise,« says Ripatti. Loading a slightly shortened version of the film into his DAW however allowed him to play along to it with the DrumKAT MIDI controller, triggering and playing all the sounds that can be heard on »Anima« while also contributing synths, bass and other sounds during repeated playthroughs before mixing a total of six stereo tracks together. »This way, after I had edited out most of the few parts that had music in them, I was in the movie; almost like an extra character playing music,« explains Ripatti. »This was certainly the most organic way in which I have ever made music, and I have never again approached another record like this.«

While »Anima« sounded like an unusual Vladislav Delay record at the time of its release, it also prefigured many of the developments Ripatti would go through in the course of his long career. Combining visceral immediacy with a sense of abstraction, it is far more than a mere missing link in his discography but rather a conceptually and musically outstanding piece of work that remains as engaging as it was 21 years ago.

All tracks composed and recorded by Vladislav Delay.
Originally released on Mille Plateaux in 2001.
Remaster and cut by Kassian Troyer @ D&M.
Art direction and design by Marc Hohmann.
Text by Kristoffer Cornils.

Forming at a Bristol club night in 2019 with a collective
appreciation for all things shoegaze, DAMEFRISØR bring bags
of driving rhythms and swirling guitars. They are Kazhi Jahfar
(vocals), Nyle Dowd (drums), Garin Curtis (guitar), Jamie Brown
(guitar) and Sam Nobbs (synth).
 Taking the typical band route, they spent their time in garages
finding a sound, until they outgrew that space and headed to
the studio. With only a handful of shows under their belts the
band enlisted Bristol producer Dom Mitchsion (Spectres, LICE,
Heavy Lungs) to record their first singles ‘Huile’ plus ‘And You
Know’.
 Taking influence from their admiration for Kevin Shield’s wall-ofsound and the dark undertones of post-punk, ‘Huile’ gave an
indication of what was to come from the band. Following a few
months later with ‘And You Know’, which gained plaudits from
So Young Magazine, DIY, Hard of Hearing and more. The track
became a key part of the energetic, captivating live set; one that
would see them invited to perform with the likes of Talk Show,
ALASKALASKA and Bull.
 Just as the band were gaining the momentum, fans and praise,
the world came to a grinding halt. Cancelled shows and
postponed studio time allowed the band to take a step back and
look for a fresh direction. With the addition of a synth in the mix
the band took on a more progressive sound, experimenting
more with their tones and techniques.
 In February the band finally got back to the basement studio of
The Louisiana with producer Will Carkeet (Robbie & Mona, Pet
Shimmers) to record their new singles. They are now proud to
present their debut 7” single, ‘Do You Think I’m Special?’,
released via Permanent Creeps Records.
 “The track is beautifully textured, drenched in trembling reverb
but basking in a bright, almost optimistic tone - as if finding a
sense of finality in the cacophonous noise washing over them.”
- So Young Magazine

Loss and hope, isolation and communion, the cessation and renewal of purpose. Timeless and
salient, these themes echo throughout the fifth album from Midlake, their first since ‘Antiphon’
in 2013.
 From the cover to the title and beyond, a longing to reconnect with that which seems lost and
seek purpose in its passing sits at the record’s core. The cover star is keyboardist/flautist Jesse
Chandler’s father, who, tragically, passed away in 2018. As singer Eric Pulido explains, “He
was a lovely human, and it was really heavy and sad, and he came to Jesse in a dream. I
reference it in a song. He said, ‘Hey, Jesse, you need to get the band back together.’ I didn’t
take that lightly.”
 A desire to commune with the past and connect with present, lived experience asserts itself
from the opening of the album. ‘Bethel Woods’ sustains and develops that reconnection,
evoking the steadfast and contemplative urgency of ‘The Trials of Van Occupanther’ to back a
lyric steeped in yearning for a paradisal time and place of hope and optimism. Soaring guitars
and atmospheric noise effects extend a sonic scope further developed by ‘Glistening,’ where
arpeggios dance like light glancing off a lake. In just three songs, Midlake reintroduce
themselves and reach out into fresh territory with a richly intuitive dynamism, honouring their
past as a seedbed of possibility.
 Elsewhere, the prog-enhanced funk-rock of ‘Gone’ seeks to find hope in relationships that
seem fragile. The ELO-esque ‘Meanwhile…’ draws inspiration from what happened when
Midlake paused after ‘Antiphon’, developing universal resonance as a song about the beautiful
growths that can emerge from the cracks and gaps between things. ‘Dawning’ draws on 1970s
soft-rock stylings for another song searching for hope, its keyboard line reaching out towards
an uncertain future while everything seems to collapse around it; ‘The End’ reflects on the
difficulties of partings.
 On-hand was new collaborator John Congleton, who produced, engineered and mixed the
album, marking Midlake’s first record with an outside producer. “I can’t say enough just how
much his influence brought our music to another sonic place than we would have,” says Pulido.
“I don’t want to record without a producer again. Part of that is the health of the band, because
as you get older you get more opinionated and you kind of need that person who says, ‘No, it’s
going to be this way!’ It’s hard to do that with your friends.”
 The result is a powerful, warming expression of resolve and renewal for Midlake, opening up
new futures for the band and honouring their storied history. Formed in the small town of
Denton, with roots in the University of North Texas College of Music, Midlake delivered an
auspicious debut with 2004’s ‘Bamnan and Slivercork’. For the follow-up, they looked further
afield and deeper within to deliver 2006’s wondrous ‘The Trials of Van Occupanther’, a modern
classic pitched between 1871, 1971 and somewhere out of time: between Henry David
Thoreau and Neil Young’s ‘After the Gold Rush’, between 1970s Laurel Canyon thinking and a
longing for something more mysterious.
 Confidence bolstered by a growing fanbase and a developed sense of their own far-reaching
abilities, Midlake - a band acutely attuned to seasonal shifts - then embraced change. In 2010,
they visited darker psych-folk thickets for ‘The Courage of Others’ and backed John Grant on
his lustrously spiky breakthrough album, ‘Queen of Denmark’. When singer Tim Smith departed
Midlake in 2012, Pulido stepped up to the lead vocal role for 2013’s freshly exploratory
‘Antiphon’, teasing out singular routes through vintage electric-folk pastures.
 In reuniting, the bandmates were adamant that Midlake needed their absolute focus. The result
is an album of tremendously engaged thematic and sonic reach with a warm, wise sense of
intimacy at its heart: an album to break bread and commune with, honour the past and travel
onwards with. In ‘Bethel Woods’, Pulido sings of gathering seeds. On ‘For the Sake of Bethel
Woods’, those seeds are lovingly nurtured, taking rich and spectacular bloom.
 LP pressed on 180g vinyl in a gatefold sleeve printed on matt card and printed inner sleeve
with lyrics and digital download card.

Die deutsche Dark Metal-Instanz AGATHODAIMON feiert nach vielen Jahren der Stille ihr Comeback
mit dem lang ersehnten, siebten Studioalbum The Seven, das am 18. März 2022 über Napalm Records
erscheint. Nach der Wiedervereinigung 2020 arbeiteten die Musiker im Stillen an ihrem Comeback. Nun ist
es endlich an der Zeit, die Dinge dort fortzusetzen, wo sie aufgehört hatten und den Schleier der Dunkelheit
erneut über die Welt zu werfen. AGATHODAIMON öffnen die Tore zu extremen Klangwelten, die zwischen schneidendem Dark Metal und heroischem Symphonic Black Metal wechseln, ganz im Stil von Bands
wie Cradle of Filth oder Carach Angren, jedoch mit eigenem Stil, großem Facettenreichtum und breitem
Klangspektrum.
AGATHODAIMONs siebter Streich folgt der Linie und dem Old-School-Geist des Vorgängers In Darkness (2013), lässt sich aber aufgrund seiner hohen Diversität nicht in eine Schublade stecken, sondern
beschwört eine düstere Atmosphäre herauf, die von scharfen Growls, epischem Klargesang sowie einer
packenden Soundwall ihres außergewöhnlichen Klanguniversums getragen wird. Thematisch dreht sich auf
dem neuen Album alles um die bedeutsame und symbolträchtige Zahl Sieben. Das Konzept befasst sich
auf insgesamt zehn Tracks mit den sieben Todsünden - Hochmut, Habgier, Wollust, Zorn, Völlerei, Neid
und Trägheit - die allesamt religiöse Themen behandeln und die im Kontrast zum Menschen und seiner
ursprünglichen Natur stehen.

„Canê“ heißt das vierte Studioalbum von Rapperin Ebow, ein kurdisches Wort für „Liebling“, oder auch
„Seele“. Mit ihrem neuen Album geht Ebow nicht nur back to the roots, representing München-Giesing
und Free Kurdistan – sie geht den widersprüchlichen Sehnsüchten auf den Grund, die unsere Zeit in sich
birgt. Schnelle Autos und politischer Kampf. Schüchterne Flirts und die ewige Suche nach Trouble. Prada
Bags und Protest. Ebow muss sich kein Alter Ego zulegen, um Ambivalenzen zu verbergen, sie hält sie aus.
Die Rapperin muss sich nicht ausgeben für etwas, das sie nicht. Ebow ist beides: Widerständig und hyped.
Straße und Softie. Hochpoetisch und not giving a fuck. Oder um es mit dem Opener-Track „Dersim62“
zu sagen: „Mein größter Flex ist, dass ich ich selbst bin“.
Die zwölf Songs sind dramaturgisch so gesetzt, dass sie sich zu zwei Grundstimmungen zusammensetzen,
aus denen das Album besteht, wie zweite Seiten eines Mixtapes: Der erste Teil ist härter und schneller, es
geht ums Flexen und um Fun. Der zweite Teil ist reflektierter und behutsamer, dreht sich um Nähe, um
Widerstand und Überzeugungen. Es sind die zwei Seiten, die für die Gegensätzlichkeiten der Seele stehen
auf„Canê“

A decade ago, the static signal of “Terminal” booting-up sounded and Galactic Melt launched into the atmosphere for the first time; Seth Haley’s Com Truise project arrived in full. A graphic designer based in New Jersey at the time, Haley found a sound on his synthesizers that sparked an immediate nostalgia response, tapping into classic sci-fi and proto-electro in a way that felt early ‘80s in scope, but also remarkably weird — stutter-step proggy and intoxicatingly psychedelic. Unknowingly he had stepped into a genre prism; suppose we know it now as synth-wave though the tag never landed squarely. To Haley, this was a space to explore and a story to tell, which he’d do across a saga of releases that would resonate with a legion of fans and send the producer touring the world in perpetual orbit. His full-length debut on Ghostly International, Galactic Melt delivered on the promise of Haley’s Cyanide Sisters EP as well as high-profile remixes for Twin Shadow, Neon Indian, and Daft Punk. Bold, imaginative, and unapologetically cosmic, the set occupies a beloved coordinate in the Com Truise catalog, considered the gateway for many. To celebrate its 10th

anniversary, Haley and Ghostly have repressed the long-sold out 2xLP and added five unreleased tracks to the expanded digital edition, giving this classic its due treatment as it passes the milestone.

From the keyed-up, skyscraping machine love of “VHS Sex” and “Cathode Girls” to pulsing cuts like “Air Cal” and “Ether Drift,” the music on Galactic Melt is mathy, forlorn, funky, and mighty in technical ambition. That they’re all noticeably cinematic is, of course, by design. Haley envisioned Galactic Melt as a “sort of film score...from the mind,” chronicling the life and death of Com Truise, the world’s first synthetic/robotic astronaut, from his creation and time on earth to his subsequent mission to a newly discovered galaxy called Wave 1 (released in 2014).

On the tribute album Songs for Tres, Psychic Ills band members come together to commemorate the late Tres Warren who passed away just as the world turned upside down in March of 2020. Isolated, feeling helpless and lost by the death of her musical soul mate and collaborator of 18 years, bassist Elizabeth Hart found making music to be her only outlet in a time where people were unable to be physically together to mourn. So, she reached out to Adam Amram, Jon Catfish DeLorme and Brent Cordero, the main players in the Ills line up since the release of their last full length album Inner Journey Out (2016), to ask if they would embark on this cathartic journey with her. This was a different kind of production endeavor for Hart driven solely by “the aching need and urgency” to do something to honor her friend.

Hart, Amram, DeLorme and Cordero reunited for the first time five months after losing Warren at Amram’s loft – the same spot where they’d rehearsed countless times before – although this time with a different objective. In an effort to share, support and create, the old friends joined in the painful and healing experience of making this tribute album to cope with their loss. The band members wrote, arranged, and rehearsed for months and the result of their work culminated in a weekend of recording in the southern Catskill mountains at the end of 2020. This isolated and intimate environment was a perfectly serene and fitting location to finalize their story.

Throughout the album, Hart, Amram and DeLorme take turns as the vocal lead on each of the songs while Cordero showcases his finger-picking guitar skills in addition to his piano and organ playing, which he is known for. Along with the core band members, a number of other musicians played on the album, many of whom had collaborated on prior Psychic Ills releases and wanted to be a part of this last collaboration in memory of Warren. Keeping the project in the Ills family, Hart produced the album alongside Iván Diaz Mathé, the long-time Psychic Ills sound engineer.

The album consists of five original tracks and four cover songs. Initially, learning the covers was just a method for the musicians to “break the ice” and play together again for the first time without their band leader. However, those tracks became just as important to include as the originals because of their essential role in the process of coming together to make the album. The cover songs were chosen because of their unique connections to the band’s memories of Warren. Dennis Wilson’s "Rainbows" and Fleetwood Mac’s "Station Man" come from two of Warren’s favorite albums, Pacific Ocean Blue and Kiln House. The band also recorded Blaze Foley’s "Clay Pigeons" and Powell St. John’s "Right Track Now." The idea for the latter was suggested by Amram. Warren once sent him a clip of Roky Erikson singing a moving rendition of that song in the film Demon Angel and it had stuck with him ever since.

Hart wrote "I’ll Walk With You" on the day of Warrens’ passing, at the time not knowing what it meant. When she got the call with the heartbreaking news, it became clear to her what the song was about. Relying on a gently lilting string arrangement to set the tone, this duet features Mazzy Star vocalist Hope Sandoval alongside Hart. Sandoval previously collaborated with Psychic Ills accompanying Warren on "I Don’t Mind" (2016). The ideas for "Home" and "Walk Around," two other songs on the album by Hart, started simply with an acoustic guitar and lyrics, a hopeful exercise to connect with her lost friend. Brent Cordero’s instrumental "Whole Lotta Piece of Mind" is nothing short of a transcendental experience. By running his pedal steel through a Leslie speaker, Jon Catfish DeLorme crafts the unique tone showcased on Wonderful Feeling, a moving example of studio experimentation combined with old school techniques. DeLorme describes it as “an attempt to highlight the musical experience I shared with Tres both sonically and thematically. What resulted is the unguarded exaltation I feel lucky to have shared with my fellow bandmates.” Adam Amram’s “Into the Sea” was composed spontaneously the week Warren passed. The melodic tune has a hopeful lightness and Amram describes it simply as “a song to my brother”. Their connection shines through.

In fact, the entire album is one that radiates the layers of friendship, love and music that will forever exist between this family of musicians. As the band themselves state: “This album was made out of love and a commitment to honor our dear friend and bandmate.” A portion of the proceeds from the album will be donated to RAICES, a charity who aids children who have been displaced at the Texas/Mexico border.

New Remastered edition of Keith Richards ‘ Main Offender’ available on Limited Edition Red Colour LP, Black LP and 1CD Digipak (also available as a Deluxe 2CD and Super Deluxe Boxset).

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones continues the restoration and reissuing of his storied solo catalogue with this set of Main Offender releases featuring remastered studio and live album recorded in 1992.

The Main Offender LP and CD is newly remastered under the supervision of original producer and X-Pensive wino Steve Jordan.

New Remastered edition of Keith Richards ‘ Main Offender’ available on Limited Edition Red Colour LP, Black LP and 1CD Digipak (also available as a Deluxe 2CD and Super Deluxe Boxset).

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones continues the restoration and reissuing of his storied solo catalogue with this set of Main Offender releases featuring remastered studio and live album recorded in 1992.

The Main Offender LP and CD is newly remastered under the supervision of original producer and X-Pensive wino Steve Jordan.

'Memory Box' - the new album by Rodney Cromwell - fuses a European synthpop sensibility with a world of magical realism. It was inspired as much by the literature of Alice in Wonderland, Franz Kafka and Anna Kavan, as by its musical influences of artists such as Kraftwerk, Neu!, The Cure, Silver Apples, Oppenheimer Analysis and Polyrock. The sonic pallet of 'Memory Box' is rich, colourful, often surprising and utterly unique. Since the release of his debut 'Age of Anxiety' album in 2015, Rodney Cromwell has been featured by the likes of NME, Electronic Sound Magazine, Huffington Post, Paste, BBC6 Music and national RNE3 in Spain for whom he recorded a live session. 'Age of Anxiety' was included in a wealth of Best of Lists, not least that of Electronic Sound. He has appeared on compilations alongside Cavern of Anti-Matter, John Foxx, Devo, OMD, Katy Perry and many more. Rodney Cromwell is the project of Adam Cresswell. The first band he founded was SALOON, who were John Peel darlings, who recorded three Peel Sessions and the Festive 50 number 1 of 2002. They released three acclaimed albums on Track & Field (UK) and Darla Records (US) and played with a host of alternative acts including Stereolab, Electrelane, Quickspace, Laika, Of Montreal & Movietone. He followed Saloon with ARTHUR & MARTHA the acclaimed tweetronica duo that released the sole album 'Navigation' before vanishing. In addition to performing as Rodney Cromwell, he runs the Happy Robots record label. The Rodney Cromwell live set is a joyful mixed-media extravaganza, incorporating analogue synths, video visuals and live instrumentation, interjected by Rodney's 'offbeat wit'. His debut festival appearance at Indietracks in 2015 was described as 'like a spiritual experience". He has shared stages with acts including Pram, Marsheaux, Death & Vanilla, Rowetta and Steve Davis. His sole performance in 2020 was as part of Damo Suzuki's backing band. He will be promoting the album with a series of live-dates in 2022. Cromwell's recent singles 'Memory Box' and 'Get Me To Prague' received play on BBC 6 Music as well as national play in Spain, Finland and Japan. 'Memory Box' featured in the Official Festive 50 on Dandelion Radio. To coincide with the album we have early confirmed reviews with Electronic Sound Magazine and interviews with ElectricityClub, Pennyback Music and You haven't heard this music vodcast.

Spaceship is Mark S. Williamson, a musician, sound artist and educator based in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. His work is often made in response to his environment, working on location, combining field recordings with electronic and acoustic instrumentation, usually recorded outside, amid the landscape and weather. Mark has recorded for wiaiwya, Apollolaan, the Dark Outside and his own Forged River Recordings. His work has been reviewed by The Wire, Electronic Sound, Shindig and The Quietus and he was recently one of the fourteen artists featured in Electronic Sound Magazine’s ‘field recording special’. His collaboration with Luke Turner on series of readings from Luke’s book ‘Out of the Woods’ has seen performances at Cecil Sharp House, Port Eliot Festival, The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge, Krankenhaus Festival and the Horse Hospital and he recently collaborated with the artist Michael Powell on his Calderfolk project. A direct sequel to 2019’s Outcrops (also on wiaiwya), Ravines moves its focus from the uplands above Todmorden to the narrow, steep sided ravines, known as cloughs, that contain the streams that flow down the valley sides to feed the River Calder. These valleys, formed over hundreds, if not thousands of years can be peaceful sanctuaries, their stepped pools and waterfalls a shelter from the windswept moors. In time of heavy rainfall though, they become the conduits for the rapidly descending overland flows which reach the Calder and, in extreme circumstances, cause the floods which remain a part of valley life. These cloughs also saw the beginnings of industry in the area. Colden Clough and Jumble Hole Clough contain the ruin of small water fed mills which would evolve into the much larger steam powered facilities in Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. Mostly recorded in the field using portable equipment, these pieces are intended to reflect all three of these aspects; the peace, the violence and the beginnings of humankind’s ultimate separation from the landscape brought on by the industrial revolution. The sleeve is by Maxim Peter Griffin, an artist, illustrator and writer based in Lincolnshire. A fine art graduate and former stonemason, over the past few years he has been building a body of work that echo his experiences on foot between the North Sea and the hills. "...a luminous soundtrack to the passage of geological time." Shindig // "Williamson is building desire tunnels, churning through the layers of rock and soil to find his conclusions." The Wire // "These rumbling synth drifts and ominous drones transport you to entirely different places-like being cast adrift in a cosmic void" Electronic Sound // "...the droning synthesizer waves conjure up something spectral and eerie, stretching out like the wide horizon..." The Quietus // "Beautiful." Hannah Peel

Another new colour pressing we have 200 only white vinyl coming in Mrch. Single LPs w/ printed inner sleeve + lyric insert and Download card. The Armed return with their first new album in over three years and Sargent House debut, ULTRAPOP. The album reaches the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise, and otherwise "heavy" counterculture music subgenres but finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. As is always The Armed's mission, it seeks only to create the most intense experience possible, a magnification of all culture, beauty, and things. The band goes on to explain, "crafting vital art means presenting the audience with new and intriguing tensions sonically, visually, conceptually. Over time and through use, those tensions become less novel and effective and they become expectations. The concept of "subgenre" becomes almost the antithesis of vitality in art itself a fetishization of expectation. ULTRAPOP seeks, in earnest, to create a truly new listener experience. It is an open rebellion against the culture of expectation in "heavy" music. It is a joyous, genderless, post-nihilist, anti-punk, razor-focused take on creating the most intense listener experience possible. It's the harshest, most beautiful, most hideous thing we could make." ULTRAPOP follows their recent contribution to the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack “Night City Aliens” and 2018’s critically acclaimed album Only Love, which landed on ‘Album of the Year’ lists from The Atlantic, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Vice, Stereogum, and many more. The album was co-produced by the band's own Dan Greene in collaboration with Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe) and features contributions from Mark Lanegan, Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle), Ben Koller (Converge, Killer Be Killed, Mutoid Man) and many more. Kurt Ballou (Converge, High on Fire, Russian Circles) remains at the helm as executive producer. An interactive ARG campaign with numerous stages of engagement is underway and will continue through release. A website, media mailings and various social media interactions are leading fans to find easter eggs including songs, album info, videos and much more. A livestream performance confirmed for same day. Videos for all three focus tracks (“All Futures”, “Average Death” + “An Iteration” are completed and will be released along with each song.

Transparent frosted clear vinyl, no downlode code. Their third album 'WILDLIFE. The Eggs returned with an album that encapsulates the isolation of extensive touring and brief time back in their home town Lancaster. The two piece raucous noise pop duo combine their gritty British northern surreal lyrics with thunderous guitars and crashing drums on this their third self-recorded gem. Working alongside Gruff Rhys who produced Allergies and Cornershop's Tjinder Singh who has remixed Food for a special digital download, Wildlife is yet another wonderful and unique album from a band who continue to cement their reputation as one of the most genuinely exciting and essential bands around today. Already lead track Allergies, the first single taken from Wildlife, released on the Too Pure Singles Club, has won the BBC 6 Music Rebel Playlist - with 82% of the public vote and declared winner of Steve Lamacq's 6 Music Round Table as well as Artrocker's single of the month. For The Lovely Eggs being in a band is a way of life. True to this, they live the way they play. Fiercely, constantly in search of the good times. With this their third album in three years The Lovely Eggs explore further into their own world and the bizarreness of reality and invite you to come inside to join the party, strange as it is!

Halloween has been and gone for another year, but darkwave-inflected hardcore punk never goes out of fashion, right? And frankly, who gives a solitary fuck if it does? Nag’s sinister second album is too busy being an ear-bleeding good time to care about shit like that. It’s too wrapped up asking questions like ‘is this real reality?’ - too caught up in pushing Bernard Sumner minimalism into furiously energetic bruisers and ever-darker corners. It’s the record you’ve been waiting for throughout 2021, whether you knew it or not. This RIPS. Formed in Atlanta, GA, Nag have already dropped an LP (last year’s ‘Dead Deer’, on Die Slaughterhaus) and a handful of 7”s - all must-haves - but they’ve never quite cut loose like this. Vocalist Brannon Greene pitches his delivery somewhere between a caustic holler and a dead-eyed sneer, taking the blank generation for a midnight drive and hurtling straight into a brick wall. Meanwhile, the band nab ideas from no-wave, the wilder ends of Goner Records’ almighty roster, and the best (and sometimes synthiest) aspects of gothed-out post-punk - the resulting concoction may be composed of familiar elements, but it feels like no one else other than Nag. A more hyperbolic and verbose hack than me might say this is the moment that signals the band have ‘arrived’, but not me. I’d just say this is a damn fine record - one of the very best things to have emerged from the wider punk rock mess in the last 12 months. Oh, and I’d add that if you don’t buy it, you may as well sever those things called ears, toss ‘em into the woods and let any of their redeeming qualities seep out into the soil, ‘cause that’s the only way you could continue to argue that they’re serving any useful purpose. But you know, that’s just me. You do you, friend. Actually, scratch that. Buy this record, you idiot.

Back on vinyl for the first time in 5 years on translucent orange with green splatter. Download code included. Beyond the 4th Door, delivered an album not unlike Eternal Tapestry's epic live shows. Containing stretches of melodic guitar improvisations, dark brooding songs slowly build and expand to allow in layers of light. The album was created by recording more that two hours of material in their home studio, mostly live, and hand picking the elements that became these 5 tracks. There is a free and open nature to their structure creating a spacious environment for the listener to explore. Harkening back to the early 70's experimental rock that inspired them, such as Popol Vuh, Cluster and Träd Gräs och Stenar, Beyond the 4th Door is an album meant to be listened to in its entirety. Available on limited edition vinyl again, after the original 2011 release and 2016 re-press sold out within months of their respective releases. Eternal Tapestry are in every way musicians of the now. Extremely active in the new underground of cassettes and CD-Rs, releasing limited edition carefully designed albums on the premier purveyors of the counterculture.

A guitarist, a composer, a sought-after musical enabler and sideman? Of course, he's all of those things and more, but none of those descriptions really do the seven-time Juno Award-winning musician justice.

Like all of Steve's albums, 'Gone, Long Gone' features brilliant instrumental performances from some of the finest players in roots music. Jeremy Holmes holds everything together on bass with drumming split between Gary Craig and Jay Bellerose (both drummers play together on 'Six Skeletons'), while Kevin McKendree and Chris Gestrin laid down the piano, organ and other keyboards.
Keri Latimer joins in on vocals on two songs, and Steve's old 'Birds of Chicago' band- mate, Allison Russell joined in to sing on a few as did Steve's daughter Casey Dawson. John Prine alumnus Fats Kaplin also dropped in to add some sweet fiddle and mandolin.
'Gone, Long Gone' is just the first of three new albums that Steve created during the lockdown. The next two will come to light over three month intervals throughout 2022. Be on the lookout for a moody, psychedelic pedal steel excursion coming up next!

Available for the first time on vinyl, celebrated blues, R&B and Americana vocal powerhouse blazes an exhilarating roots music trail, with many of the songs reflecting the spirit of our turbulent times
Produced by Will Kimbrough, it features guest performances and/or songwriting by Kimbrough, Jason Isbell, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Orphan Brigade, Steve Cropper, Duane Eddy and Shawn Mullins.

Nominated for 2022 Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.Winner of Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year.

New West Records is proud to present the reissue of two classic Antone's Records blues titles.

These two titles have been remastered for vinyl. Each LP is displayed in a beautiful, one of a kind package (leather texture, die- cut, embossed logo) and pressed onto 180- gram vinyl that is manufactured in the USA. These limited edition pressings are now available on color vinyl for the first time. Pressed on 180 gram Cherry Red Color Vinyl.

With the world in chaos, exhilarating new music has become more
important than ever before.

As a re-sult, the emergence of French tech-metal mavericks Stengah could hardly be better timed. One of the most exciting new bands on the planet, the French quintet have spent the last few years in a state of per-petual evolution, armed with some of the most visceral and forward- thinking riffs and refrains in recent memory. Now, the band are ready to introduce themselves to the world. Founded by drummer Eliott Williame in 2013, Stengah have the sound, the smarts and the
ambition to push heavy music ever further into the future. After years of steady evolution and meticulous attention to detail, the band – completed by bassist Benoit Creteur, lead guitarist Maxime Delassus, rhythm guitarist Alex Orta and powerhouse frontman Nicolas Queste - have honed their sound to a state of cutting- edge perfection, as showcased on their formidable, forthcoming debut album SOMA SEMA."The music is about (re)connecting with yourself," says Eliott.
"It's about people, their fears, their faiths and their philosophies. How sometimes those things can guide them, and how sometimes they can blind them. It asks, with no judgement, about how odd and how strange the social and emotional behaviors of human beings are. It's all about the power to believe, in creativity, and in consciousness. Our music is technical but fun to play," adds Eliott. "People often become surprisingly transfixed by our energy, espe-cially when they haven't
seen us before. We love being on stage, we are truly passionate and that is what you see and feel during our live performances, from the first to the last song."

The history of metal is littered with the burnt-out shells of bands that lacked the vision and the vivacity to make things happen. For Stengah, the sheer power and fury of their music drives them forward. Mean- while, the sheer quality and ingenuity of Soma/ Sema looks certain to propel the band swiftly up the heavy music ladder and into the spotlight. Newly signed to Mascot Label Group, they're just getting start-ed and the sky's the limit!

Born from ten-hour jam sessions in peeling Brighton bedsits, the
technical parameters of a bootstrap recording process and the osmotic, multi-genre influence of internet music archives, quintet Ebi Soda have been steady-cultivating a unique sound amidst the exploding UK jazz scene.

Despite their steep rise – the Brighton outfit have preserved as much as possible of their unique recording process, originating from their very first sessions. With just a two- track recorder around, the band would lay down whole takes, one instrument at a time, then immediately transform the overdub, digitally reshaping the sound with the same mischievous, adderall energy as the musical performance.‘Honk If You’re Sad’, their sophomore full-length album, stays true to these foundations, while bringing more ambitious experimentation, technical mastery and a stellar lineup of guest players to the studio including Yazz Ahmed, Deji Ijishakin and Dan Gray.In typical Ebi style, while recalling jazz pioneers in playing style, ‘Honk If You’re Sad’ draws from a vast neural network of influences:
the Ebi Brain has been marinating in a digital soup of trap, drill, dub, post-punk and no wave to name but a few. The result is a mercurial record that beams in psychedelia, dissonance, serene ambient passages, tough, neck-snapping beats and lush textures, all underscored by the intersection of jazz, hip hop and electronic music.

“Coffee & Clouds” EP is the latest release from Sam Hutton and Al
Wreaves AKA South-London soul duo fika, collaborating with songwriter, vocalist and artist Bambie.

Co- produced by Berlin- based producer Fabich, the EP features previous singles “How Can I Love? (When I Can’t Get Away From You)” and “Love Like Mine” which have seen the duo garner support from the likes of Jack Saunders (BBC Radio 1), Jamz Supernova (BBC Radio 1Xtra), Jess Iszatt (BBC London Introducing), Nabihah Iqbal, El Train, Rob Da Bank (Worldwide FM), Stereofox, Mystic Sons and
IGGY Magazine. Stemming from a two-day session between fika and Bambie, the “Coffee & Clouds” EP was co-produced by Berlin-based producer Fabich. The EP expertly balances nuanced musicality with generously open song writing. fika’s ever-growing community of collaborators and irresistible releases has seen them perform at the legendary Ronnie Scott’sand garner support from BBC presenters
Phil Taggart (BBC Radio 1), Jess Iszatt and Abbie Mac (BBC Radio Kent) and from the wider radio community including Jyoty (Rinse FM) and El Train (Soho Radio).

At the end of 2021, they will be appearing at The Jazz Café alongside BBC Radio 1’s Victoria Jane, Raquel Martins, Ruby Francisand Kara Marni. The duo have also seen press and online support from the likes of TRENCH, Indie Shuffle, Notion, Acid Stag, Beautiful Buzz, Somewhere Soul and Discobelle. A project born out of collaborative joy and mutual admiration; the “Coffee & Clouds” EP is set to further
cement fika’s place as a one- to- watch in the realms of Neo- Soul, Hip Hop and Contemporary RnB.

NEW LIVE ALBUM RECORDED DURING GONG'S 2019 TOUR - DUE FOR RELEASE ON KSCOPE - 2LP 140Gram Gatefold Sleeve

Formed in 1969 by Daevid Allen, one of the founding members of Soft
Machine, classic albums such as 'Camembert Electrique', 'Flying Teapot' & 'You' established Gong as one of the most unique, innovative & experimental rock groups of the Seventies. Before he sadly passed away in 2015, founding Gong member, Daevid Allen, laid
out his hopes for a future Gong, that it should be uplifting, exploratory & a positive force. Kavus Torabi, Fabio Golfetti, Ian East, Dave Sturt & Cheb Nettles, chosen by him, continue his vision.

'Pulsing Signals', recorded live at The Wardrobe in Leeds, The Cluny in Newcastle & Rescue Rooms in Nottingham in 2019 during 'The Universe Also Collapses' tour finds the group in spirited form, unbeknownst to them, it being their final tour before the global pandemic took charge.

Owing to Gong being an international band, lockdown & restrictions on travel made it impossible to convene & work on new music. The band received many requests by fans to release a live album & fortunately enough, the band had multitrack recordings of several shows from the 2019 tour. Bassist Dave Sturt went through all the master tapes & selected the best performances which
became 'Pulsing Signals'.

The album was recorded by Pete Wibrew & mixed by Frank Byng, while mastering was handled by Andy Jackson. The stylish artwork was designed by Steve Mitchell, who has worked closely with the band since 2016's 'Rejoice I'm Dead'.

With touring now set to recommence & bookings going long into 2022 & beyond, Daevid Allen's vision for the future looks set to be fulfilled. 'Pulsing Signals' will be released as a 9-track gatefold double LP on 140g black vinyl.

Limited exclusive red vinyl.Tim Armstrong, guitarist and frontman of
Rancid, took a different path on his 2007 solo debut, with able backing
from L.A

Reggae revivalists The Aggrolites, Armstrong crafted a grooving, fun-filled modern reggae album, influenced by ska, rock steady, roots reggae, and dancehall and filtered through a modern pop- punk attitude.The sound of the record (nimble, jumped- up, and retro but fully modern) impresses instantly, but as the record goes on, Armstrong's voice emerges as the star. His raspy croon, staccato
toasting, and ragged shout fit the reggae sound surprisingly well.

ANATHEMA'S 'WEATHER SYSTEMS' NOW AVAILABLE ON 2LP GATEFOLD VINYL

'Weather Systems' is the ninth studio album from Anathema. Lead vocalist & guitarist, Daniel Cavanagh, discussed the album, "it feels like we are at a creative peak right now & this album reflects that. Everything from the production to the writing to the performances are a step up from our last album."

He continues, "This is not background music for parties. The music is written to deeply move the listener, to uplift or take the listener to the coldest depths of the soul."
The intertwining melodic structures, the profoundly beautiful & intensely powerful - yet simple - songs transports the listener closer to the heart of life, that is to say, to the heart of themselves.
Previous album, 2010's 'We're Here Because We're Here' was described by Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) as, "definitely among the best albums I've ever had the pleasure to work on."

''Weather Systems' was recorded in Liverpool, North Wales & Oslo, each place significant to Anathema. The record was produced & mixed by 5-time Norwegian Grammy nominated Christer- André Cederberg (Animal Alpha, In the Woods...), who Daniel described as "a revelation. His calmness & brilliance helped to bring about the greatest inter- band chemistry that Anathema have experienced
together in their career."

This career stretches back to 1990 when the band formed in Liverpool. Since then, they have embarked on a remarkable musical journey, initially emerging as pioneers of melodic heavy music & continually evolving over the ensuing years, always remaining true to their original goal of creating forward thinking, meaningful, passionate & honest music.
"Absolute World Class" 'Detlef Dengler' Metal Hammer

Loss and hope, isolation and communion, the cessation and renewal of purpose. Timeless and
salient, these themes echo throughout the fifth album from Midlake, their first since ‘Antiphon’
in 2013.
 From the cover to the title and beyond, a longing to reconnect with that which seems lost and
seek purpose in its passing sits at the record’s core. The cover star is keyboardist/flautist Jesse
Chandler’s father, who, tragically, passed away in 2018. As singer Eric Pulido explains, “He
was a lovely human, and it was really heavy and sad, and he came to Jesse in a dream. I
reference it in a song. He said, ‘Hey, Jesse, you need to get the band back together.’ I didn’t
take that lightly.”
 A desire to commune with the past and connect with present, lived experience asserts itself
from the opening of the album. ‘Bethel Woods’ sustains and develops that reconnection,
evoking the steadfast and contemplative urgency of ‘The Trials of Van Occupanther’ to back a
lyric steeped in yearning for a paradisal time and place of hope and optimism. Soaring guitars
and atmospheric noise effects extend a sonic scope further developed by ‘Glistening,’ where
arpeggios dance like light glancing off a lake. In just three songs, Midlake reintroduce
themselves and reach out into fresh territory with a richly intuitive dynamism, honouring their
past as a seedbed of possibility.
 Elsewhere, the prog-enhanced funk-rock of ‘Gone’ seeks to find hope in relationships that
seem fragile. The ELO-esque ‘Meanwhile…’ draws inspiration from what happened when
Midlake paused after ‘Antiphon’, developing universal resonance as a song about the beautiful
growths that can emerge from the cracks and gaps between things. ‘Dawning’ draws on 1970s
soft-rock stylings for another song searching for hope, its keyboard line reaching out towards
an uncertain future while everything seems to collapse around it; ‘The End’ reflects on the
difficulties of partings.
 On-hand was new collaborator John Congleton, who produced, engineered and mixed the
album, marking Midlake’s first record with an outside producer. “I can’t say enough just how
much his influence brought our music to another sonic place than we would have,” says Pulido.
“I don’t want to record without a producer again. Part of that is the health of the band, because
as you get older you get more opinionated and you kind of need that person who says, ‘No, it’s
going to be this way!’ It’s hard to do that with your friends.”
 The result is a powerful, warming expression of resolve and renewal for Midlake, opening up
new futures for the band and honouring their storied history. Formed in the small town of
Denton, with roots in the University of North Texas College of Music, Midlake delivered an
auspicious debut with 2004’s ‘Bamnan and Slivercork’. For the follow-up, they looked further
afield and deeper within to deliver 2006’s wondrous ‘The Trials of Van Occupanther’, a modern
classic pitched between 1871, 1971 and somewhere out of time: between Henry David
Thoreau and Neil Young’s ‘After the Gold Rush’, between 1970s Laurel Canyon thinking and a
longing for something more mysterious.
 Confidence bolstered by a growing fanbase and a developed sense of their own far-reaching
abilities, Midlake - a band acutely attuned to seasonal shifts - then embraced change. In 2010,
they visited darker psych-folk thickets for ‘The Courage of Others’ and backed John Grant on
his lustrously spiky breakthrough album, ‘Queen of Denmark’. When singer Tim Smith departed
Midlake in 2012, Pulido stepped up to the lead vocal role for 2013’s freshly exploratory
‘Antiphon’, teasing out singular routes through vintage electric-folk pastures.
 In reuniting, the bandmates were adamant that Midlake needed their absolute focus. The result
is an album of tremendously engaged thematic and sonic reach with a warm, wise sense of
intimacy at its heart: an album to break bread and commune with, honour the past and travel
onwards with. In ‘Bethel Woods’, Pulido sings of gathering seeds. On ‘For the Sake of Bethel
Woods’, those seeds are lovingly nurtured, taking rich and spectacular bloom.
 LP pressed on 180g vinyl in a gatefold sleeve printed on matt card and printed inner sleeve
with lyrics and digital download card.

A 4 track EP of modern takes on rave and jungle with cascading subs on Acroplane from Corporeal Face, following his excellent 2020 EP on Further Electronix. Some help with the final mix of the EP from LMajor (Astrophonica).

Just 300 copies of the record available in total on heavyweight fluoro green transparent vinyl and featuring suitably loud artwork by Alec Jagodzinski.

Lempuyang's third offering is an outstanding split release between Steve O'Sullivan & Hydergine, label bosses for Mosaic/Bluetrain & Ranges. In 'Binary Riddim' Steve delivers a two-part dub track spanning >13 minutes, seriously heavy in the low end; melancholy strings in the first half, progressing to outright menacing chord stabs in the latter. A versatile track offering something for both warm-up and the dancefloor. Complimenting on the flip are 'Mystic Light' and 'Lunar Eclipse' from Hydergine. Deep, dubby atmospherics meander over a weighty 909 kick on B1. Subtle minimalism a la Terrence Dixon, pitched down on B2. Essential release!

Magma is one of the most influential bands from France. Their music defies any of the standard and convenient classifications of rock, instead they operate in a realm of their own creation. Their third studio album Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh was originally released in 1973 and showcased in particular the range of singer Klaus Blasquiz and introduced the ground-moving work of bassist Jannick Top. The French edition of Rolling Stone magazine named the album the 33rd greatest French rock album and ranked the album 24th on their list of the ’50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time’.

Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh is available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on copper coloured vinyl. The album is housed in a gatefold sleeve with a copper foil finish on the front of the sleeve.

Faitiche presents Beispiel (German for "example", also suggests playing together), a joint project by Frank Bretschneider and Jan Jelinek. Muster is their first album.

Free electronic music, the result of spontaneous improvisations.

“Meaning” is a concept that is overused in connection with music. Muster does not call for the same kind of air quotes. With its title, German for patterns/exemplars, Beispiel’s album frees itself from the ballast of teleological semantics. There is no overarching theme, no preparation, no reading list, no reason for this music. Just two facts: Frank Bretschneider and Jan Jelinek have known each other a long time and appreciate each other’s work; and they share a love of modular synthesizers and of experimental set-ups designed to capture surprise.

Bretschneider and Jelinek got together for their first joint session in 2016 and the years that followed brought more such meetings at Jelinek’s studio for open-ended musical dialog – at irregular intervals and with no clear objective. The improvisations were recorded in two stereo tracks: one track for Bretschneider’s audio, one for Jelinek’s. After each session, the recordings were processed separately, the options essentially limited to cutting and altering the frequency range. The nine pieces for Muster were selected from the resulting material.

This approach reflects an ideal: music is when you play your first note without knowing what the third or fourth will sound like. When your 290th note still sees you leaving the beaten track, and when curiosity grows as the piece unfolds. Duping is part of Beispiel’s practice. Improvisation is about disagreement. It’s a matter of addressing the right issues. What’s happening here? What’s mine, what’s yours? Are “why” and “where next” legitimate questions?

Muster is an exemplary work. Nine suggestions for what can be. Nine ideas for possibilities of listening.

Arno Raffeiner