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Born from a childhood friendship, the five members of Ciao Kennedy have crafted their own sound and feeling after exploring a variety of different musical horizons. Following the release of EPs 'Keldercave' (2021) and 'the problem is' (2022), as well as being featured on the compilation Lefto presents Jazz Cats Vol. 3 in the spring of 2024, it was only a matter of time for the Brussels-based band to reappear on the music circuit.

As part of the Magma collective, alongside groups like TUKAN and ECHT!, they started to stand out with their instrumental music merging the playfulness of jazz,the repetitive facets of post-rock, and the overtly grand electronic sound evident in what is nowadays described through the grapevine as the 'Brussels sound'.

With Solarium, their debut album set to be released under the Sdban Ultra label, they have found a course and common denominator in guitars drenched with post-rock effects, steered by hypnotic electronic beats, creating an atmosphere of rare, dense melancholy, peppered with a sound that belongs in a blockbuster sci-fi movie.

Ciao Kennedy and its debut album are a tangy candy bursting in your mouth, the thrill of an afternoon at the fair, modernity meeting up with the nostalgia of childhood. Or standing beneath the shimmering neon lights of a rainy night, like colourful poetry, blending tenderness with electric intensity. Many of these musical descriptions would be completely off the mark, but after a few listens, they don't seem to miss the mark either. There's something for everyone to discover on this album, oscillating between the familiar and the unexpected, melancholy and cheer, and while everyone keeps on talking about something being a 'vibe', we can only conclude that Ciao Kennedy is the only one putting this into action.

To celebrate the release of Solarium, the band will host a release party at the Brussels venue Botanique on April 17, 2025. A must-attend event for everyone who wants to see if the live reputation which precedes Ciao Kennedy is actually true. Whatever happens, make sure to keep that date free.

Release show: 17/04 Botanique, Brussels.

When saxophonist Lou Donaldson hooked up with the funky drummer Idris Muhammad on Alligator Bogaloo it began a run of great groove-oriented albums including Say It Loud with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, organist Charles Earland, and guitarist Jimmy Ponder for a deeply soulful set opening with a cover of James Brown’s ‘Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)’. This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

BusCrates is a Producer / Synthesist / DJ hailing from the Steel City -Pittsburgh, PA
BusCrates blurs the lines between boogie funk and boom bap hip hop beats
Returning to Bastard Jazz following two well loved albumsBlasting Off(2020) andControl Center(2023)
BusCrates' increasingly popular Twitch channel streams live every Thursday and Friday night to over 13,500 followers
A noteworthy resume production credits including Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, and Phonte & Eric Roberson
He's toured throughout the US playing with artists like RJD2, DJ Epik, J Rawls, Tall Black Guy and more
BusCrates counts big names such as Jazzy Jeff, Francois K, Dâm Funk, Rich Medina and Spinna as fans

"Black & White Movie" ist das bemerkenswert souveräne Debütalbum von Gustaffson, produziert von Craig Potter (Elbow). Die Platte enthält mitreissende Streicharrangements des preisgekrönten Filmkomponisten Bear McCreary (Outlander, The Walking Dead) und einen Cameo-Auftritt des legendären Schauspielers Sir Ben Kingsley. Die 13 Albumsongs sind individuelle Kinoerlebnisse. Die ergreifenden Texte des Leadsängers und Songwriters Andrew Gower, die er in 15 Jahren als Schauspieler perfektioniert hat, werfen Licht und Schatten auf die Dualität der menschlichen Existenz und erzählen aussergewöhnliche Geschichten aus gewöhnlichen Leben. Das Album vermischt nahtlos die klassischen Klänge der Musik- und Filmwelt und lädt die Zuhörer auf eine Reise ein, bei der jeder Titel ein Film für sich ist.

"Mein Leben als Teenager hat sich für immer verändert, als ich das 'White Album' der Beatles entdeckte. Es war die erste Platte, die es mir als Zuhörer ermöglichte, nuancierte Texte und Musik in ihrer besten Form zu entdecken", erklärt Gower. "Im Studio konzentrierten wir uns alle auf die Bedeutung und Verantwortung, die wir haben, die Geschichten zu erzählen, ohne das Publikum mit dem Löffel zu füttern."

Geniusz, Minor Talent, Generational Talent. Let the old folks fight it out. Sharp Pins are too busy staying up late watching vampire movies. Fathers and Children of the Revolution. Finally cartographed and designed by the actual Youth in Revolt "Nothing Stands in their way, they ARE the face of today". How can you tell you've been in the presence of the Sharp Pins? You see their sticker on yr phone, yr car, yr guitar, yr drums, yr bass, yr clarinet, yr flugelhorn, yr tuba, yr dog - its a MOD MOD WORLD, we're just living in it. 14 tracks 33RPM. Sharp Pins is the super solid lo-fi noise pop project of talented Chicago musician Kai Slater of Lifeguard and Dwaal Troupe."Radio DDR" originally released at home as a Hallogallo tape. "Youth Revolution Now".

Basse Brevis der kanadischen Komponistin Sarah Davachi wurde im Rahmen des Festivals Présences 2024 uraufgeführt, das Steve Reich gewidmet war und von Radio France und INA grm gemeinsam in Auftrag gegeben wurde. Ausgehend von ihrem eigenen minimalistischen Ansatz erkundet Sarah Davachi mit äußerster Sorgfalt die Verflechtungen und komplexen Beziehungen zwischen den klanglichen, räumlichen und zeitlichen Komponenten der Musik. Mit Hilfe von Entwicklungen, die im Laufe der Zeit nachvollziehbar sind, gelingt es der Komponistin, eine äußerst präzise, subtile und lebendige Musik zu schaffen. Was jedoch auffällt und in Basse Brevis besonders deutlich wird, ist die Tatsache, dass ein derartiger Ansatz, der sowohl abstrakt als auch zurückhaltend ist, dennoch zuweilen äußerst ergreifend ist. Das Werk verbindet Momente der formalen Erkundung mit Momenten reiner Emotion auf perfekt beherrschte Weise und erzeugt eine sanfte Spannung, während es zwischen zwei Arten des Hörens schwankt, die sich unentschlossen zwischen instrumentalen und konkreten Ansätzen bewegen und parallel dazu eine Diagonale des Klangs nachzeichnen, die sich um Wahrnehmung, Empfindung und Gefühl herum entfaltet.

Im Herbst 2022 lebte Phil Cook allein in einem kleinen Haus am Rande von Feld und Wald in North Carolinas Piedmont. Die meiste Zeit seines Leben lang lebte er in der Nähe der Herzen der Städte, die er sein Zuhause nannte, in der Nähe des ächzenden Verkehrs und des Trubels in den Coffee Shops. Diese Nähe Nähe trug dazu bei, dass der gesellige Cook ein produktiver Mitarbeiter wurde, als Mitbegründer von Megafaun bis zur Zusammenarbeit mit The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger und unzähligen anderen. Aber Cooks nächster war ein Wanderweg, und so ging er hin und lauschte, hingerissen erst von der Stille und dann von den vielen Vögeln. Er begann, sein Fensterbrett jede Nacht einen Spalt offen zu lassen, damit der Chor der Vögel im Morgengrauen ihn begrüßte. Cook begann, diese verworrenen Vogelstimmen aufzunehmen, und er schloss sich ihnen an. Wenn die Sonne schließlich hoch stand, hörte Cook sich die Aufnahmen des Tages an und improvisierte in Echtzeit auf dem Instrument, das seine erste und unerschütterlichste Liebe seines musikalischen Lebens geblieben ist: das Klavier. Als Cook diese Hütte nach einem Jahr verließ, zog er in ein eigenes Haus in Durham, mit viel Platz für seine beiden Jungs zum Spielen und für etwas, das er noch nie besessen hatte: ein richtiges Klavier. In den nächsten Monaten verbrachte Cook unzählige Stunden damit, an diesen Stücken zu feilen. Während des Unterrichts beim großen Südstaaten-Gospelpianisten Chuckey Robinson hatte dieser Cook aufgefordert, weniger Noten zu halten und seine Melodien nicht mehr durch die Verwendung der Pedale des Instruments als Krücken zu benutzen. Seine Musik hatte plötzlich mehr Klarheit, und die Klänge und Gefühle, die sie transportierten, hatten mehr Raum zum Funktionieren. Cook grub sich in die Gefahr und Freude, in die Idee, dass wir unsere Körper zu Knoten verdrehen um zu verstehen, was das Beste für unsere Herzen ist. Im April 2024 kehrte Cook in das Chippewa Valley in Wisconsin zurück, wo er aufgewachsen war. Sein lebenslanger Freund und Bandkollege, Justin Vernon, hatte gerade die Renovierung von April Base abgeschlossen, dem Studio, in dem Cook in den letzten 15 Jahren an mehr als einem Dutzend Platten gearbeitet hat. Cook bat Vernon, Appalachia Borealis so einfach wie möglich zu produzieren, nur zuzuhören und in zwei ausgedehnten Nachmittagssitzungen Feedback zu geben, um die richtigen Takes auszuwählen, die, die das Herz erfasst haben. Natürlich wurde das Ganze komplizierter, als sie anfingen in dem Prozess zu experimentierten. Vernon fügte die Vogelstimmen zu Cooks Kopfhörern hinzu oder entfernte sie, um zu sehen, wie sie sich auf sein Spiel auswirkten. Oder sie leiteten seine Noten durch eine massive Hallkammer und Cook reagierte darauf mit hauchzarten Improvisationen. Appalachia Borealis ist eine zutiefst ergreifende und persönliche Sammlung von 11 Klavier Meditationen, die die emotionale Bandbreite einer vollen und offenen Existenz abbilden. Inspiriert von diesen Improvisationen auf der Fensterbank, spiegelt es nicht nur die Aufruhr und die Traurigkeit einer schwierigen Zeit für Cook, sondern auch die Hoffnung, das Licht und die Freude, nach der anderen Seite zu schauen. Manchmal kann man noch die Vögel hören, deren Melodie und Zeit so viele dieser Lieder inspiriert haben. Selbst wenn sie nicht in Hörweite sind, bleibt ihre Essenz bestehen.

The Austin, TX-based singer-songwriter—whose decades-long career has seen six full-length studio albums, three EPs, countless collaborations, and an illustrious supergroup project in Glorietta—spent a season of rest away from his focus on writing songs. In the wake of the end of a long relationship, he wanted to prioritize processing his grief as a human, not as an artist bleeding on the page. “I love all the records I’ve made in the past. But in making them, there was always the thought in the back of my mind of where and what it could get me. I made both creative and business decisions with a goal in mind... a goal that often never came. This time it was all about just the joy of making it, about having fun with it.”

Four years since her last dancefloor 12", upsammy returns with a four-track exploration of gleaming, sprightly drum and bass with a restorative centre. Thessa Torsing's moves in upper tempo zones have been defined by her light touch, finding power and presence in finely chiseled sounds and sculpting space between intricate, interwoven rhythms.

The dynamic movement of her pristinely moulded percussion is absolutely geared up for the club, but it's also matched with an uplifting, meditative sound palette which tempers the busy energy of the drums. Pushing and pulling on her arrangements with ever-increasing expressiveness and revelling in the subtlest of modulations to her kinetic beat systems, upsammy proves once again that moving in time to fast music can be an incredibly restorative experience.

LOS TRES PUNTOS : the enthusiasm of ska and the rage of punk rock inherited from the 80s french alternative movement, combined for an explosive cocktail to wake the dead! Unbridled rhythm, relentless brass section, unifying songs in French and Spanish ; the band has scoured concert halls in France and abroad.

This "live in Mexico" was recorded in November 2023 in front of 60,000 people at the Skatex Festival in Mexico City, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the group.

14 Tracks taken from the best of their discography, played with the energy and experience of the Los Tres Puntos gang.

High Roller Records, reissue 2025, 180g black vinyl, ltd 500, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, new 2-sided poster, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony, original 1987 sound

‘Ora che non ho più te’ by Cesare Cremonini is one of the most successful Italian electro pop singles of 2024 with 100 million streams.

Many DJs have remixed it and included it in their electronic DJ sets; Mondo Groove decided to put 4 of them on vinyl.

– Benny Benassi is an internationally renowned Deejay and record producer, pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit “Satisfaction”.
He received the Grammy Award for best remix in 2008.

– Deborah De Luca, born under the shade of the sails of Scampia, a difficult neighborhood at the periphery of Naples, over the years has refined her style, which is reflected in this remix: a solid techno base skillfully mixing melodic and minimalist elements.

– DJ Ralf, the most underground of the ranks, tries his hand at a lengthy Future Acid House remix.

– Samuele Sartini and Nicola Zucchi, respecting the soul of the song, project it into a more club-like dimension, enriched by a magical riff that enhances its intensity.

Limited edition hand numbered copies on white colored vinyl

Two Times Juno awards listed and 2 times Polaris price listed, Canadian Soul Star Tanika Charles unleash the new album "Reason To Stay that drops on May 16 via independent soul label Record Kicks. Reasons To Stay is Tanika Charles' fourth full-length album, and her most introspective to date. Where her songs have typically touched on romantic love and heartache, the core love and loss of this record is family focused. It has taken years for Tanika to be able to publicly reflect on the childhood trauma and family breakup that occurred during her teens. The majority of the album was composed by Tanika with the tight knit team of Scott McCannell (Lydia Persaud, Henry Nozuka), Kyla Charter (Aysanabee) and Chino de Villa (Jessie Reyez). Kelly Finnigan of the Monophonics joined in to mix the bulk of the project and apply some trademark analogue grit to Tanika's sheen. Guests include Quebec-based Soulful singer/songwriter Clerel on the last track "Win", as well as Toronto soul artists Aphrose and Claire Davis providing additional vocals. "I love this album. I love singing these songs. I love that it's made me step outside of my comfort zone. It's forced me to face the root causes of my own insecurities that I carry to this day. Why am I striving so hard to seek validation, and why take it so personally when it doesn't come? That distortion has prevented me from celebrating my own successes at times. This album is me trying to change that." "I love the conversations that have begun with these songs. It's about childhood trauma, but it's not a victim story. I'm doing well, despite the baggage I carry. I want others to be able to carry theirs too." In the last few years, Canadian Soul/R&B powerhouse Tanika Charles has transformed from an emerging solo artist to a commanding performer and bandleader, cementing her status as a staple in the Canadian soul scene. Her previous studio albums - "Soul Run" (2017), "The Gumption" (2019), and "Papillon De Nuit" (2022) - have propelled her to international acclaim, earning her two JUNO nominations, two Polaris Prize listings, and a growing global fanbase. Extensive touring across North America and Europe has further solidified her reputation, with standout performances at festivals such as Trans Musicales in France, Fusion Festival in Germany, Mostly Funk & Soul Festival and Jazz Festival in the UK, Holy Groove Festival in Switzerland, and Canarias Jazz Festival in Spain. She has also shared the stage Estelle, Mayer Hawthorne, Haitus Kayote, Lauryn Hill, Bedouin Soundclash and Macy Gray. Tanika's meteoric rise and undeniable artistry have been widely championed by outlets such as KCRW, KEXP, BBC6 Music, Exclaim!, CBC Music, Uncut Mag, PopMatters, Albumism .. further solidifying her position as a global soul sensation.

Sagacious reggae lyricist Vaughn Benjamin’s words are particularly cutting during Sow And The Reap, the final recording of Vaughns immense catalog of works with I Grade Records. Produced by Zion I Kings, and taken from 2021’s album Polarities, Sow And The Reap folds topics of political dominance, mass migration, and injustice into a thought provokingly coherent whole. The song brims with Vaughn’s characteristic dual-meaning word-play, using evocative metaphors of nature and agriculture to illuminate global policy. Sow And The Reap’s timeless lyrical principles are matched by its inexorable reggae rhythm, featuring hefty programmed drums by Romain “Teflon Zincfence” Arnett, and sombre trombone and space age synth, both supplied by much missed multi-instrumentalist Drew Keys. Backed by its correspondingly haunting dub.

This series honours both the vocal and version culture of the reggae sound system and the profound lyricism of Vaughn Benjamin. We have consistently received two requests in relation to releasing the LPs: "Can we have dub versions?" and "Where can we read the lyrics?" Our response is the 'Akae Beka - vocal, version and word-sound collection.' Before Zero Records worked with Tippy I Grade to mix a series of dub mixes from a carefully curated selection of his extensive works with Vaughn Benjamin. The vocal and corresponding dub mixes were then cut to wax by Lewis Hopkin of Star Delta and wrapped in a collage made of Ras Marcus's artworks, which he crafted for various LP covers of Vaughn's works throughout the years with the lyrics transcribed and printed on the rear of each sleeve.

"“It clicked for me one day, that the album was going to be about hornets,” explains Sputnik, the mononymous songwriter behind the noise-pop project Weatherday.

“It just made sense to me.” Hornet Disaster, Weatherday’s follow-up to their 2019 debut Come in, and spiritual successor to 2022’s collab release Weatherglow, is their most expansive work to date. In Weatherday’s initial bout of inspired writing and recording, they produced over 70 songs for the record, but not before they had a complete, overarching narrative that was coherently tied back to Sputnik’s previous work.

It’s a bustling record with disparate songs each vying for space like wasps in a swarm. It can inspire caution and chaos, but there’s wonder, purpose, and a certain familiarity there, too. Weatherday has extended the knotted, thrashing maximalism of Come in by doubling down with the uncompromised, no-stone-unturned nature of Hornet Disaster. Where Come in was the product of an artist searching for their voice, Hornet Disaster represents the joyful abandon that comes from having found it."

"“It clicked for me one day, that the album was going to be about hornets,” explains Sputnik, the mononymous songwriter behind the noise-pop project Weatherday.

“It just made sense to me.” Hornet Disaster, Weatherday’s follow-up to their 2019 debut Come in, and spiritual successor to 2022’s collab release Weatherglow, is their most expansive work to date. In Weatherday’s initial bout of inspired writing and recording, they produced over 70 songs for the record, but not before they had a complete, overarching narrative that was coherently tied back to Sputnik’s previous work.

It’s a bustling record with disparate songs each vying for space like wasps in a swarm. It can inspire caution and chaos, but there’s wonder, purpose, and a certain familiarity there, too. Weatherday has extended the knotted, thrashing maximalism of Come in by doubling down with the uncompromised, no-stone-unturned nature of Hornet Disaster. Where Come in was the product of an artist searching for their voice, Hornet Disaster represents the joyful abandon that comes from having found it."

No names, no faces-just sound and vision, stripped of ego, free from expectation. Concept Werkstatt is not an identity but an experiment. A space where music exists for itself, where art breathes without explanation.

This first transmission unfolds in raw textures and hypnotic movement-an EP crafted for those who listen beyond the surface. A dialogue between sound and silence, between rhythm and abstraction.

No fame, no persona-only what remains when everything else is removed.

Welcome to Concept Werkstatt.

Based in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital city of Canada, The Riptides have been cranking out high-energy blasts of melodic, poppy punk rock for over 25 years. With their new LP Burn After Listening, the band makes the move to Pirates Press Records, and are ready to bring their sound to an all new worldwide audience! Originally formed in 1998, the band wasted no time assembling their own studio and label, putting out their own records as well as their fellow Ottawa bands. Word spread quickly, and the band's notoriety grew, particularly in the US, and soon the band found that they enjoyed rising to the challenge of leaving home and recording at noted US studios, with Burn After Listening being no exception. This album was recorded at the legendary Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO, with Andrew Berlin at the helm for tracking and Jason Livermore in charge of the final master. These studio sessions included a cavalcade of friends & guest musicians, including members of Teenage Bottlerocket, All American Rejects, Screeching Weasel, and The Queers. A number of songs on the record also bear co-writing credits from fellow Pirates Press Records artist Matt DeeCRACK. Blending attitude-driven downstroke riffs with irresistible hooks and harmonies, combined with an aesthetic informed by everything from nerdy pop culture and surfing, they've already amassed quite the following across the decades, but this record stands poised to introduce them to many new fans.

Benefits kehren mit ihrem mit Spannung erwarteten zweiten Album "Constant Noise" zurück. "Constant Noise" erscheint am 21. März über Invada Records und folgt auf das Debütalbum "NAILS". Nach einer Reihe verschiedener Besetzungen haben sich Benefits nun als Zwei-Mann-Band etabliert, bestehend aus Frontmann Kingsley Hall und dem Elektronik-Virtuosen Robbie Major. "Wir sind immer noch wütend", sagt Hall, "nur auf eine andere Art als früher. Wenn die vorherige Platte schwarz-weiß war, wollten wir, dass diese Platte in Technicolor erstrahl". Der erste Vorgeschmack auf diese neue musikalische Richtung kam in Form von "Land Of The Tyrants", bei dem die Band in basslastige, tanzbare Rhythmen und subtile Industrial-Unterströmungen eintauchte. Bei der Nachfolgesingle "Relentless" wirkte Peter Doherty von den Libertines mit, und die Band bewegte sich weiter in Richtung elektronischer Ambient-Atmosphären. Doherty ist nur einer der Mitstreiter auf dem neuen Album. Zera Tonin, der Sänger des Queerpop-Elektro-Duos Arch Femmesis, Neil Cooper von Therapy? und der Rapper Shakk aus Middlesborough haben alle einen Gastauftritt. Zusätzlich zu den Gastmusikern wurde das Album von James Welsh (Phantasy Sound) und James Adrian Brown (ex-Pulled Apart By Horses) produziert, die die neue Richtung mitbestimmten. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das von Underworld und Leftfield ebenso viel hat wie von The Streets oder den Beastie Boys in ihrer Blütezeit oder sogar von der Indie-Sleaze-Ära der 90er und frühen 00er Jahre.

Here is an expanded edition of one of Nurse With Wound's most intense and unique albums, so much so that for long-time fans, it was a strange, chaotic lounge oddity upon its release. For the first time, all four audio sides are complete (originally, there were only three sides).

To top it off, there is a stunning new cover by the great and talented Babs Santini, who is none other than Steven Stapleton using his artist pseudonym, continuing in the luxurious tradition of the "silver collection" at Rotorelief Records.

The album Huffin' Rag Blues by Nurse With Wound is unique in the NWW discography. Stapleton teams up with composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Liles, his co-creator of musical terrorism, to tackle the genres of exotica and lounge, crushed into a joyful cacophonic mess. Longtime NWW friends Colin Potter and Matt Waldron also join in.

Blues, jazz, cop movies, bachelor pads, and TV show music are treated, discarded, then chopped up and recycled into a mix that contains tons of space but also overflows with dynamic tension, hilarious asides, sexually suggestive poetry, and a certain rock & roll abandon. It's a very surprising album for long-time fans, like a soundtrack that could accompany a David Lynch film.

It's brilliant, exasperating, hilarious, and dark enough to earn a spot in any collection that appreciates a bit of weirdness and eccentricity.

Huffin' Rag Blues incorporates more familiar musical elements—including live-played instruments, rhythm, and vocals—than nearly any other Nurse With Wound album to date. As always, the album's main focus is to create environments for lucid dreaming rather than music per se.

Cross Record's new album, Crush Me, is steeped in the pressures and wonders of existence—a profound statement, especially coming from artist and death doula Emily Cross. A two-and-a-half-year gestation period offered challenges, disappointments, and joys reflected in the cramped space of the album, which explores how we handle the weights we carry. Emily Cross had held hundreds of Living Funerals and was as many episodes deep into her podcast, What I’m Looking At. She was five years into serving clients as a death doula and fresh off a tour with Loma, her band with Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater) and Dan Duszynski, when she began work on her fourth album. After moving from Austin, TX to Dorset, UK, she established the Steady Waves Center for Contemplation (named after a track from her second record, Wabi-Sabi ), where she hosted Living Funerals, met clients, scheduled mindful tea sessions, and showcased experimental music nights. All the while, she was scribbling down song ideas. Cross’s Tascam four-track demos finally reached readiness, and she sent them to an interested major independent label. She was encouraged to push her imagination to the limits of what a record could be. So, unlike her usual process of recording as inexpensively as possible, she prepared a two-week recording session in Germany with a group of skilled musicians from around the world. True to her previous work, Cross left plenty of room in her demos for experimentation, collaboration, chance, improvisation, and complete obliteration, then resurrection when necessary. Comfort and traditional structure were eschewed in favor of unaccountable magic, prayers whispered into The Void. Cross is comfortable with the chaotic and unpredictable, a perspective demanded by her work and writing style. The Berlin Airbnb was packed with people, instruments and luggage. During a ride down in a tiny elevator to the studio, Cross realized how central the sense of being crushed was to the album. “I thought of it later and it dawned on me that ‘Crush Me’ perfectly embodied the record,” says Cross. Yes, the weight of a body laying limply atop yours, or the tight squeeze of a hug, can be pleasant. Go too far, and you’re in the hands of a cruel, adolescent god. Upon leaving Germany, the record was unfinished, and without a roadmap. As passages were recorded as isolated parts, Cross and musician Marcin Sulewski collaborated, facing a haphazard brick pile, waiting to be assembled. Work dipped in and out of view like a buoy bobbing in a violent sea over many months. During that time, the aforementioned interested label went radio silent, suddenly not seeming so sure of a thing. Collaborators disappeared, continuing the themes of abandonment, surrender, and disarray that followed the project. Cross physically felt her entire body go numb: In a twist of fate, the record was rescued by long-time friend and supporter Ben Goldberg at Ba Da Bing Records who was eager to help realize the project. Cross worked for months on the album, all the while nursing a pregnancy and continuing her full-time funeral work. The last minute participation of Seth Manchester of Machines with Magnets, who mixed and mastered, was an essential liferaft. He gave true final form to the abstracted songs. Crush Me has the effect of a spell being cast, with songs balancing heaviness and levity. Vocals, guitars, and keyboards float above, as drums and upright bass (often bowed) lurch beneath. On “Rolling Backwards” percussion wanders about while feedback squeals and persists in the distance. “Dorset Area Of Natural Beauty” starts with a thick, unhinged church organ progression punctuated by the disquieting sounds of laughter reaching the point of hysteria. “God Fax” is a slow-moving panic attack, with shallow breaths in and out framing a guttural cacophony like a wooden freighter encountering increasingly turbulent waters and vocals struck emotionless by autotune. The album ends with “Twisted Up Fence,” a reflection on life from outside the wall--wistful, warm, and comforting. Cross, likely with a smile on her face, sings: “You say it’s an endless abyss” “And I say the abyss is the best”

Saxon are an English heavy metal band formed in Barnsley in 1975. As leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM), they had eight UK Top 40 albums during the 1980s. They established themselves among Europe's most successful metal acts. The band tours regularly and have sold more than 23 million records worldwide The Eagle Has Landed - part II was recorded during their European tour in support of their Dogs of War album (MOVLP3570). It delves deeply into the band's latter-day catalog and offers excellent sound quality to boot. It's packed with fan favourites and features guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen as a guest on the track "Denim and Leather". The Eagle Has Landed - part II is available a limited numbered edition of 1000 copies on translucent red vinyl and contains a 4 page booklet and additional cover print.

Mord sublabel: Kazerne

Reissue of Israel Vibration’s 1991 album ‘Forever’.
Israel Vibration are a legendary Jamaican reggae band, formed in the 1970s and renowned for their influence on the international reggae scene. Originally made up of Cecil Skelly Spence, Albert ‘’Apple Gabriel‘’ Craig and Lascelle ‘’Wiss‘’ Bulgin, the group is known for its unique vocal harmonies and conscious lyrics addressing social, spiritual and political themes.

For the first time on vinyl, J Rawls 1999 beat series offers scenes 1-3 and 6 never before heard tracks. All these beats are from the archives of Rawls in his early years (1996-1999) as a young producer in Cincinnati, OHIO. These beats are the essence of that Rawls sound and embody his entire style. According to Rawls, “I did this album because I have had so requests for my music from that underground hip-hop era. This record took me back to a time when making music was just for fun.”

A heavyweight lineup of dub techno talent comes together for a deep and textured journey. Krystian Shek and Milly James join forces on Promise, delivering two original productions alongside with reworks from Yagya and grad_u. As a bonus, this collection expands even further with digital-exclusive remixes from Raytek and Noosa Sound System that come with the original purchase.

'Glow & Shine' locks into a hypnotic groove from the outset, its analog warmth and weighty percussion forming a solid foundation. A crisp snare and hi-hat pattern provide an irresistible swing, while chords and vocals land together in perfect sync, draped in a rich layer of delay. Spacey breakdowns allow the ride cymbal to subtly emerge, giving the track an evolving energy. The closing moments strip things back, with the chords guiding everything to a natural finish. 'Better That Way' shifts into a more melodic space, balancing intricate drum programming with an emotive vocal delivery. The initial rhythmic stutter adds a unique touch before settling into a flowing beat. As layers build, the chords and voice intertwine seamlessly, evoking a deep, contemplative feel. The breakdown smooths everything out, allowing the track to breathe before a striking bassline shift in the final section brings fresh momentum. The last ambient passage is particularly stunning, offering a moment of reflection.

The legendary Icelandic producer Yagya creates his interpretation of 'Glow & Shine' sees it drifting into dreamlike territory, wrapping the original's elements in a lush, aquatic atmosphere. More of a song than a club tool, it glides effortlessly, capturing a serene, almost weightless mood. On the flip side, grad_u reshapes 'Better That Way' into a crisp, rolling dub excursion. Airy chords swirl above a commanding groove, with well-placed melodic flourishes adding an elegant touch. The arrangement continuously morphs, deepening its hypnotic pull.

Raytek's remix of 'Glow & Shine' injects a sharper rhythmic intensity, pushing the track into darker, more driving territory. The vocal treatment becomes a focal point, cleverly reshaped to make the singing the true hook. Meanwhile, Noosa Sound System takes 'Better That Way' into stripped-down, immersive terrain. The off-kilter drum work and layered percussion create a mesmerizing flow, while the winding structure makes it a DJ-friendly tool.

This well-rounded collection that explores multiple shades of dub techno, this release has both dancefloor energy and introspective depth. With a strong roster of contributors, it delivers a blend of classic textures and fresh perspectives.

Formed in Oakland just before the pandemic's onset in late 2019, SPY has built on the foundation of bands like Bad Brains and Poison Idea rather than following the current wave of metallic hardcore. They’re set to unleash their latest EP, Seen Enough, on Closed Casket Activities, out February 21. No song on Seen Enough ever overstays its welcome, instead embodying what makes hardcore frenetic. Burning through six songs in under ten minutes, every track is a testament to the energy the band has built up through relentless touring. SPY worked with Jack Shirley at Oakland's Atomic Garden to record the EP. Shirley captured their essence by recording live to tape, eschewing the modern practice of individual tracking in favor of a more immediate, visceral approach that better represents their explosive live show. That in-room chemistry is immediately apparent – songs like "Stay In Your Lane" maintain the texture and grit you'd get at a show in between every huge riff. Seen Enough doesn't hide what it's about: society's continued descent with diminishing hope for course correction. From the jump, SPY has followed in the lineage of Bay Area punks like Dead Kennedys and Ceremony in both attitude and awareness. Their latest offering maintains the critical edge of their earlier material while expanding their lyrical scope, delivering a streamlined punch that hits hard through its runtime. By staying true to themselves, SPY has carved out their own niche in the modern hardcore landscape. After touring with legends and contemporaries alike including Gel, Full of Hell, Ceremony, Municipal Waste, Sunami and playing basically every fest worth caring about including Sound and Fury, Outbreak, Sick New World and LDB, 2025 is set to be a monstrous year for SPY.

With "KALI", Ditty once again showcases her unique blend of indie-folk and poetic songwriting with a clear message. Born in New Delhi and now splitting her time between India and Berlin, Ditty’s music combines personal reflection with social themes—particularly her commitment to environmental and climate advocacy.
Süddeutsche Zeitung aptly describes her music as "gentle, poetic protest songs addressing environmental issues." Ditty has already made a name for herself in the indie scene. Following a successful tour in India, where she captivated audiences with her intimate live performances, she is now set to embark on her first major solo tour across Germany, starting in end of March. Her inclusion in Spotify’s prestigious Fresh Finds Indie playlist confirms her status as an “Artist to Watch,” and her song "Mamma" is currently on rotation on MTV’s Alternative Nation and Collection. The LP will be release as a limited run of 500 copies, pressed on re-cycled colored vinyl. Each LP a unique piece with its very own coloring.

Fourteen records in eight years. Side-projects records, experimental EPs, a double album of B-sides, splits and collections of demos: in just a few years, Bordeaux-born Thoineau Palis has built up a discography as fascinating as it is plethoric, in which he pays tribute in his own way to the heroes of a rock pantheon all his own, populated by lofi geeks and beautiful losers of all kinds.

Negative Freaks, TH da Freak's fifteenth album, sets the record straight in a way, since it's the first album by TH da Freak "the band", a collective incarnation hitherto reserved for the stage. This first album, composed entirely by the five of them, breaks a pattern established several years ago, with Thoineau contributing finished compositions that were then reworked collectively for live performance. The 5 Bordelais impose on themselves the use of what they call the "negative scale", dissonant and disturbing sonorities that they apply to compositions initially structured as pop tracks. This approach, combined with the casual, surreal lyrics written by Palis (influenced by intensive listening to the likes of Oingo Boingo, Devo and P-Model), lends an unprecedented coherence to the tracks on the album. Negative Freaks sounds like a massive grunge monolith, driven by a collective, radical vision that is assertive from start to finish. Impressive for a debut album

7FO: pronounced "nana f o" in English, "nana" being seven.Ryuno Nukegara: "dragon's husk". These are the only difficulties you'llencounter here. This is warm, friendly, very relaxed music, very"understandable" and yet intriguing, sure to appeal to fans ofelectronic ambient, dub and chill-out music, as well as artists likeHaruomi Hosono, Captain Ganja, La Monte Young, Equiknoxx andTapes.The Osaka-based 7FO combines groovily sparseelectronic percussion with similarly sparse dub-feel synth bass, aswell as pentatonic synth and steel pan melodies, the latter with anintriguing Okinawa/Sunda/Malay feel. Sparkling dub-influencedprocessing and thoughtful mixing gives us a music which istrans-oceanic, warm, and enveloping. Following releases onRVNG, Bokeh Versions and Metron,Ryu no Nukegarais availableon digital, CD and 12" LP, featuring a suite of four tracks and the20-minute title track, whose titular dragon is Asian: a potentsymbol of water, strength and good luck.

As the leader of new outfit Sarter Kit, saxophonist Tara Sarter is creating a unique form of minimal, experimental jazz drawing on humanist principles and shared experiences. Her uncluttered and emotionally heavy debut album 'What I am and What I'm Not' creates an open, instrumental soundworld, where breaks and silences command equal gravitas as the notes and beats.
The masterful drumming of Lukas Akintaya dances between oblique patterns in odd meters, into rolling grooves and afrobeat inspired rhythms. On keys and synth, Elias Stemeseder creates tension and releases, with lingering chords and fragile melodies. Stemeseder's synthesizer work throughout the album is subtle yet masterful. Stalking the silence between the sax, drums and piano, creating a haze of digital textures within the margins of the music. Much of the album was recorded live, preserving the raw, unedited energy of their performances.
Beyond its musical qualities, 'What I am and What I'm Not' is a reflection of Sarter's belief in the power of music as a form of human connection. For Sarter, music is not about proving technical prowess but about creating something meaningful, something that transcends barriers and speaks to the shared experience of being human.

Armagedda’s “Ond spiritism” (2004) is held in the same regard as the iconic releases by black metal contemporaries such as Funeral Mist, Watain, and Deathspell Omega. Boasting one of the best productions ever to emerge from Necromorbus Studio, the unique tonal quality of the guitars casts a hollow, haunting resonance – impeccably conveying the wistful, folk-infused dissonance. Creative basslines weave through sinister melodies, seamlessly integrated with the minimalist yet masterful percussion.

Artwork by E. Danielsson (Watain)

Limited double 180g gatefold vinyl.

Good block say:

"Presenting our debut album ‘Window'. A collection of works recorded between 2017 - 2024.

Self released - mix, art direction, design and photography by ourselves. This collection of tracks, varied in style and emotion, offers an insight into the wide variety of inspirations that have shaped our sound over the last 15 years. These tracks weave together an unexpected blend of influences such as acid, synth, world and electro bound by our signature sound.

The album is our fourth release on our own Good Block imprint following, 4 Corners EP, Aquaculture EP and Naiad

Divergence and Declaration is the second album by San Francisco Bay Area Darkwave duo Vague Lanes. The album features their signature two-bass configuration, with Mike Cadoo (Gridlock) handling the melodic six-string duties. At the same time, Badger McInnes (Here We Burn) propels the music forward with his low-end four-string.
The album opener, "Heptahedron", also features drums by Martin Atkins (P.I.L., Ministry, Killing Joke). The album's title eludes to the refinement and solidification of Vague Lane's manifesto, and by utilizing a more expanded pallet than their debut album Foundation and Divergence, the duo displays confidence in their creative trajectory and the overall substance of their musical voice.

More a declaration of war than a collection of songs, Traitors burns w/ a desperate roar. Grinding metal powerhouse Misery Index has unleashed the soundtrack to a world gone mad and one of finest platters of extreme metal this year!

International metal giants Misery Index have returned! The brand new full-length Discordia brings the bands punishing and articulate assault to a deadly new level. Commanding vocals roar incisive lyrics and spearhead a vicious swarm of forward-thinking metal. A crossroads where blasting metal, stark passion, and raw fury collide, Discordia is a compelling statement of intent from a band shaping the face of extremity-to-come. As seen on tour with Mastodon, Nile, Suffocation, The Red Chord, Dying Fetus and more!

Neon pink vinyl, limited to 500 copies. Who were the first punks? Do The Damned have more of a shout than The Sex Pistols? The Stooges or Ramones? Gregg Deal, the acclaimed visual and performance artist behind his new project Dead Pioneers, is making a claim that Indigenous Americans were the first real punks. Deal suggests that the overarching theme of the album is "an introduction to the band itself". Created with a DIY disposition and the "love of a scene that saves lives", they reel off a roll call of marginalised groups and protected characteristics: "Indigenous rights, Black rights, Brown rights, Asian rights, Gay rights, Trans rights, Workers rights and beyond_". This is central to their identity and focus, saying that "with a North American Indigenous person as the vocalist, being unapologetically upfront on the social, political and cultural side of things doesn't seem necessary, but paramount to the overall tone of the band." This self-titled debut, coming in at a lithe 22 minutes with only one of the twelve tracks exceeding three minutes, is almost over before it begins, but covers a huge amount of ground in that time. Blistering opener 'Tired' sets out their stall; as with the whole album, it is passionate, but never preaching. Capitalised 'Political Music' can be hard to land without coming across as hectoring or earnest, but Deal's literary, humorous lyrics effortlessly cut through complex issues of marginalisation and colonialism.