Suche:the dig

Anfang 1996 veröffentlichte The Wedding Present "Mini" über Cooking Vinyl Records, eine EP mit sechs Titeln, deren Songs alle einen Bezug zum motorisierten Fahren hatten. Fast dreißig Jahre später hat David Gedge dieses Konzept wieder aufgegriffen! "Maxi" enthält sechs weitere Stücke, deren Titel/Inhalte sich alle auf diese Thema beziehen. Maxi erscheint über Clue Records und folgt kurz nach der Veröffentlichung von 40 - der Zusammenstellung, die den komplexen und faszinierenden Katalog von The Wedding Present in einem Box-Set mit vier Vinyl- und/oder vier CDs widerspiegelt. Der letzte Titel der Compilation ist "Hot Wheels" - ein Song, der nun auch auf Maxi zu finden ist, zusammen mit fünf weiteren Stücken. Obwohl Maxi dem gleichen Konzept wie Mini (1996) folgt, klingt The Wedding Present 2025 deutlich größer. Dies ist wirklich eine Band in ihrer kreativsten Phase, die sowohl die Grenzen ihres eigenen Stils/Sounds als auch die Erwartungen der Zuhörer erweitert, während die Texte auf provokative Weise Bilder zeichnen, wie es nur David Gedge kann. "Wie ich in meinen Sleeve Notes zu 40 gesagt habe, wurden die Songs, die wir für Maxi aufgenommen haben, relativ schnell geschrieben, weil ich mich besonders inspiriert fühlte, sowohl textlich - durch Situationen in meinem Leben - als auch musikalisch - durch das Schreiben mit der damals neu hinzugekommenen Rachael. Die daraus resultierenden Tracks wirken größer angelegt und stimmungsvoller als alles, was wir seit langem gemacht haben ... und sie sind dank der neuen Rockqueen von The Wedding Present und ihrem Arsenal an Gitarren und Pedalen auf jeden Fall temperamentvoller!" (David Gedge). Transparente Vinyl-10" oder CD im Digipak.

"700 Miles of Desert" is the second album by White Rose Transmission, the project of Adrian Borland and Carlo van Putten. The record weaves dark, poetic rock with atmospheric melodies and introspective lyrics, capturing a haunting beauty that became a poignant farewell to Borland's musical journey.

Inner City Sound Archives is the work of a small crew of obsessive DJs, diggers, and archivists. For years, they hunted lost reels — digging through basements, flea markets, forgotten storage rooms — until they uncovered a batch of mysterious acetate tapes. No credits, no labels. Just cryptic handwriting and the hiss of time. What they found were raw, extended disco cuts — played once or twice at underground NYC loft parties in the late '70s, passed hand to hand among a tight circle of selectors, then lost to history. Now, after painstaking transfers and full analog remastering, these tracks are back. Unpolished, hypnotic, physical. Restored with love. Cut loud. Pressed right. For our debut release: six unreleased NYC disco bombs, presented in their original long versions across Sides A & B. Once championed behind closed doors by the likes of Larry Levan, Francis Grasso, Steve D’Acquisto, Walter Gibbons, and Richie Kaczor.

Soul diamonds featuring Millie Jackson, Gloria Ann Taylor, The New Establishment and Ruby Andrews

Funk collection featuring gems from Blowfly, Patrice Rushen, Tommy Stewart and Clarence Reid.

4 megatracks by some surprising names on Michel de Hey's In the Future imprint.

Die LP wird mit einem 48-seitigen Hochglanz- Booklet geliefert. Das Kunsthaus Bregenz freut sich, ,Wish You Were Gay" von Anne Imhof anzukündigen. ,Wish You Were Gay" ist eine sehr persönliche Ausstellung, die mehrere neue Werkgruppen präsentiert, die eine Reihe von Kernelementen reflektieren und weiterentwickeln, die seit Beginn an das Repertoire von Imhof geprägt haben. In der Ausstellung untersucht Imhof Vorstellungen von Endlichkeit, Realität und Künstlichkeit, Zufall und Schicksal, Abwesenheit und Anwesenheit vor dem Hintergrund einer postapokalyptischen Isolation. ,Wish You Were Gay" umfasst brandneue Skulpturen, Gemälde, Klangarbeiten und eine Serie von sechs bisher unveröffentlichten Videoarbeiten, in denen die Künstlerin auf frühes Material aus den Jahren 2001-03 zurückgreift, einer entscheidenden Übergangsphase im Leben und Werk der Künstlerin. Zu dieser Zeit waren Imhofs Leben und Werk eng miteinander verbunden und manchmal nicht zu unterscheiden, was der aktuellen Ausstellung einen deutlich biografischen Charakter verleiht und Themen wie die Wahlfamilie anspricht, eine Realität für viele queere Menschen. Mit dem Aufkommen von handlichen digitalen Camcordern, bei denen der Bildschirm zum ersten Mal gedreht werden konnte und die Vorläufer der heute allgegenwärtigen Frontkameras sind, nutzte Imhof diese neue Technologie als Spiegelaufnahmegerät, vor dem sie Bewegungen und Gesten ausführte, um die Szene zu beleben und zu gestalten. Mit ihrem Körper als Medium, zusammen mit anderen provisorischen Mitteln wie geliehenen Gitarren und Verstärkern, und der Aufnahme von Liedern und ihrer Stimme als Mittel, diese zu finden, schuf sie Kunst mit ihrer Gemeinschaft Freunden, Liebhabern, Mitarbeitern - und nutzte dabei die Rohstoffe des Lebens, wie es sich gerade entfaltete. Diese Videoarbeiten vermitteln ein unterschwelliges Gefühl der Dringlichkeit, verkörpern Kraft durch Beharrlichkeit und Präsenz, die sich in kontinuierlichen Proben und Improvisationen manifestiert. In den folgenden zwei Jahrzehnten verwebte Imhof diese Elemente - durch unzählige Spiegelungen, Verdopplungen und Variationen der Motive aus dieser prägenden Zeit - zu einer tiefgründigenPraxis der Bewegung, die den Körper in den Mittelpunkt stellt. Rohe Momente werden manchmal auf surreale Weise verlangsamt, in eine Stille versetzt, die voller Spannung und Potenzial für explosive Handlungen ist, etwas, das in ihren eigenwilligen Performance-Stücken, die von anderen aufgeführt werden, wiederkehrt und ihre skulpturale und malerische Praxis prägt.

Following her impactful debut on Element of Impact, Michelle returns with a new chapter that deepens her sonic exploration. Her next EP pushes further into the shadows between rhythm and emotion, where hypnotic synth work and precise percussion converge with her unmistakable sense of atmosphere.

For our next physical release, FERMA welcomes back home one of the individuals running the project, Romphea. As a co-founder, he has long shaped the label’s uncompromising DIY ethos—placing experimentation, raw energy, and community at the heart of its vision. After releasing in a series of acclaimed platforms, the forward-thinking DJ and producer from Vyronas, Athens returns to vinyl with a genre-defying release. Building on the experimental pulse and reshaping the edge between electro, breaks and techno, Romphea continues that trajectory, weaving together tense polyrhythms, warped melodic fragments, and cavernous spaces.

This release features four, plus three digital bonus original tracks, aiming to provide a clear sound identity for the artist. The A-side opens with “Calls from Salem”, a dystopian slow burner that sets the tone with broken-beat percussion and dissonant synth stabs. “Steel Chair” surges forward with unrelenting force, propelled by serrated arpeggios and a barrage of fragmented vocals that rise and fall within the space, crafted for peak-time eruption.

Flipping to the B-side, “Paid Dividends” reaches full intensity, layering hammering kicks and percussion, while the low end rumbles with tectonic weight, amplifying the energy to fever pitch. Closing the record on a more contemplative note, “We Are The Universe” slows the pace, easing the tension and drifting into deeper territory. Echoing chords drift into space, layered with fragile percussive details and low, throbbing pulses. It’s a meditation on collapse and renewal, offering a moment of breath after the storm.

Straight from the source, defying the norms, devoted to the art. Do not sleep.

Markus Mattern, a.k.a. Kapillarkraft, lands on Slow Process with ‘Transdermal Patches’, a left-field exploration of vintage electronica.

Mattern, a Bavarian experimental electronic musician and professional drummer, builds this album around a plethora of interesting rhythmic elements. Aquatic timbres ebb and flow around almost-beats from analog drum boxes and Moog synthesizers.

Channeling inspiration from the likes of Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Morton Subotnik and even early hip hop and electro-funk, some of it could be described as left-field electro, while some is just outright off the wall. An ever-present Roland Space Echo assists in the creation of rattling rhythm patterns and pitch dives, two of the album’s prominent sonic signatures. Atonal droplets and washes of simulated industrial noise yield an abiding sense of foreboding and tension, sitting in contrast to a few brief harmonious moments.

It may not be one for the clubs exactly, but it’s a deftly shaped piece of work, brimming with inventive sounds.

Released November 28th on limited edition “pharmaceutical” boxed cassette and digital formats.

Straight out of the local mud of the city of Antwerp comes dancing this next Souvenirs from Imaginary Cities slab of free-flowing bits of electronic wonder : Schönen Abend by Simon B. Just in time to ease you out of this endless winter and right into springtime. Like the previous hit by Purple Uncle, this flower takes some time to bloom and fill up your head and body with it's ear wormy fragrance.

It's hazy and cinematic, makes you think of Italian electronic pioneers and their library magic, Patrick Cowley's School Daze and Haruomi Hosono in some kind of gothic manner. It's quite stripped and lush at the same time, rhythms like minimal mechanics make you fly above the river and land just outside reality. It's a nice place where soft jazz tingles right around the dark corner, and that particular mix of exotica and melancholia — the trademark of this port city's best electronic auteurs is definitely in the air. The river still shines, but she’s deeply poisoned. The old town has lost every bit of fresh air but keeps on digging for old gold. This bitter pill is served with delicacy and lightness, the wound is dressed up seductively — feet in the mud, head in the air. Stuff is sensuous, with quiet places reminding of the good side of those times when the big wheel stopped turning ever so madly. A strange quietness whistles through the leaves. Some things take time to unfold. In or out of C.

Four years in the making, this is the solo debut LP of Simon B, a longtime contributor to Antwerp's improvised music scene (Groovecats Deluxe, Wij Blij Trio ). Primarily a double bass player, he also has a deep-felt passion for offbeat electronica and the rainbowy side of American minimalism, which takes front here. The smoky voice on the last track belongs to Nina-Joy Thielemans, Nina-Joy is part of Particals, a trio working with live electronics and field recordings, releasing an lp on Ultra Eczema later this year. Furthermore, you can hear the tenor and soprano saxophone of Adia Van Heerentals on 4 tracks, deepening out Simon's naturally flowing compositions and playing around with his melodies. You may know her from Bodem and her strong presence in the Belgian jazz scene lately.

Simon's electroacoustic experiments — using a clarinet and some outboard effects — were important tools in finding the very specific colour of this record. There's this airy character, like wind blowing through old layers of bricks and over the river, anchored with a deep sense of bass, gathering ages of dust and memories in these eight elegantly wobbling tracks, forming a perfect whole that’s really coming together in one deep listening from A to Z.

The centrepiece is perhaps Come to Me, instrumental and reprise with vocals, but no fillers on this one. Every part of the mystery is needed to come to its end and back again. It's a record that works in the morning, to open up a day and in the quiet corners of the night, with it's sleazy quirkiness, smiling towards you from the right corner of the eye. A perfect compagnon for your long-form wandering habits, light reflections on a wet surface obsessions, coffee slurping in the morning and the forgotten art of beachcombing. Quite essential these days, witnessing a world going apeshit.

For SEVEN's first anniversary, we've brought together a roster of talented artists, each with a distinct style, to reimagine CRYME's hit "London Boy" originally released on The Backroom EP in 2024. This 5-track remix EP features a remastered version of the original alongside fresh interpretations by none other than Ghettotech heavyweight MCR-T, Prog House queen Roza Terenzi, modular wizard JakoJako, and Amsterdam's legendary Stef de Haan as a digital bonus. The vinyl will be limited to 500 copies.
With full marketing and PR support around the anniversary SEVEN7000LTD is set to be SEVEN's biggest release of the year.
A1 - CRYME - London Boy (MCR-T Remix)
CRYME's 808-driven electro, ghetto house hybrid "London Boy" gets the MCR-T treatment, spiced up with a dose of Garage. The Berlin-based artist reshaped the bassline into a gritty reese bass and put in the iconic UK hardcore vocal "your name is not down, you not coming in," perfectly amplifying the track's original UK flair.
A2 - CRYME - London Boy (Roza Terenzi Remix)
Roza Terenzi joins the "London Boy" Remix EP with a sleek, modern tech house cut. Flipping the distinct 808 cowbells into heavily processed percussive elements that bounce through the mix while carrying a melodic line. Her remix is packed with her quirky yet precise sound design and kinetic frequencies. The original vocal phrases are creatively chopped up into fragments and reassembled so they become part of the rhythmic backbone.

B1 - CRYME - London Boy (JakoJako Remix)
JakoJako shows off her genre diversity with a steezy Tech House flip of "London Boy." The talented Berlin-based live act lays down a solid drum foundation and a bouncing bassline - no frills, just a steady groove built for the dancefloor. The composition stays laidback, leaving space for a raw synth melody and her reworked, chopped-up vocal layers that add just the right touch of playful silliness to the track.

B2 - CRYME - London Boy (Original Mix)
On the B-side you will find CRYME's remastered original "London Boy", first released in 2024 and featuring ANTICALM, a British rapper, vocalist, and songwriter whose "You Don't Want This" vocal sample takes center stage. Merging 808-driven Electro and Grime with a touch of Ghetto House, the track reimagines a genre-bending battery of block-party energy in the club setting. With its driving rhythm and unmistakable vocal hook, it remains a powerful tool for DJs and a highlight on any dancefloor.

GOSPEL GREATEST HITS - Die Seele der Musik Mit Gospel Greatest Hits präsentiert Wagram eine außergewöhnliche Sammlung der kraftvollsten Stimmen und bewegendsten Songs der Gospelgeschichte - als Doppel-CD und Doppel-Vinyl. Diese Zusammenstellung vereint emotionale Tiefe, spirituelle Kraft und musikalische Exzellenz in einem einzigartigen Hörerlebnis. Zu hören sind Legenden wie Mahalia Jackson, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sam Cooke, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong und das Golden Gate Quartet - Künstler:innen, die Gospel nicht nur geprägt, sondern weit über die Kirchenmauern hinausgetragen haben. Gospel war schon immer mehr als nur Musik: In den USA war er Stimme der Hoffnung, Ausdruck von Widerstand und Quelle spiritueller Kraft - und ist bis heute ein Fundament für Soul, R&B und Pop. Diese Sammlung bringt die Ursprünge zurück ins Rampenlicht - mit Songs, die unter die Haut gehen.

With the grace of an ancient oracle speaking through a veil of mist, the album unfurls in movements both haunting and divine, carrying the listener into a realm where sorrow and splendor waltz as one. Orchestrated with exquisite precision and opulent depth, the ensemble breathes life into every measure. Strings sweep like celestial tides, choirs rise like prayers from cloistered ruins, and woodwinds whisper secrets from lost mythologies. The multimember orchestra does not merely accompany the compositions, it becomes the very vessel through which Autumn Tears channels their clairvoyant vision.

Rooted in the neoclassical tradition yet unbound by its walls, the album weaves baroque intricacies with cinematic grandeur, crafting soundscapes that feel both sacred and boundless. Every track is a portal: to forgotten dreams, to veiled futures, to the silent poetry that lingers in the spaces between. Crown of the Clairvoyant will be available as a digital download,a limited Leather CD Box, a limited CD jewel case package with a CD exclusive bonus track as well as a limited vinyl package with a 12 page illustrated lyric book and vinyl exclusive bonus track.

It has been said of Hiroshi Suzuki, one of Japan's leading trombonists, "If you want to sound good, you need to have him as a member of your group”. Suzuki moved to the U.S. in 1971 when he was invited to play with the Buddy Rich Orchestra, and had been living in Las Vegas ever since. The album Cat was recorded when he returned to Japan for the first time in about four years, and released on Nippon Columbia in 1976. The musicians are the same as in Freedom Unity, the group Suzuki had been a member of until his 1971 departure – consisting of pianist Hiromasa Suzuki, drummer Akira Ishikawa, bassist Kunimitsu Inaba, and saxophonist Takeru Muraoka.

Cat is a kind of second chance for that group, which once had a promising future but came to a premature demise. Based on the synergy that they had cultivated together in the past, the players brought their individual technical and musical growth to the album and collectively refined their efforts even further. Each of them had been active on the front lines of the jazz scene, and the quality of their compositions, arrangements, and performances here are extremely high. Cat is one of the most revered albums in the extraordinary Japanese Jazz discography and an essential piece of any music collection.

(Text by Yusuke Ogawa - Universounds)

Following last year’s CD release that generated tremendous response, Days of Delight is proud to present the analog edition of a long-hidden treasure from Three Blind Mice.
Motohiko Hino Quartet + 2 – Flying Clouds (recorded in 1976).
Just three months after the legendary album Ryuhyo (Drift Ice) was captured in Nemuro, Hokkaido, this fiery performance was recorded with the addition of Yuji Imamura, expanding the group into a sextet.
The source is a newly digitized transfer from the original 2-inch master tape. Supervised by TBM founder Takeshi Fujii and track-downed by Yoshihiko Kannari—the “guardian of the TBM sound” who also engineered the original live recording—this release faithfully revives the sound of Three Blind Mice nearly half a century later.
A rare document that vividly conveys the intensity of Japanese jazz at its peak in the 1970s.

For the first time ever, Marcal's "Thought Control" is available on vinyl to commemorate Enemy Records' 20th anniversary. Previously only available digitally, the EP figures some of Marcal's biggest tracks such as "Seroto"and "Manta Ray." This ep is part of a limited series of reissues and first pressings from the label's back catalog, headed by Dustin Zahn.



"Thought Control" takes on a slightly deeper and heady direction than his previous output for Rekids or Uncage. However, the drums are still slammin' and every detail is crystal-clear. Marcal's natural progression shows he is more in control of his sound than ever before.



Manta Ray starts the EP with swinging drums and shots in the dark that will keep people marching through the night. Nevoa is the most melodic cut on the record. It's moody, wandering, and tripped out enough to disassociate you from reality. Robotic Thinking is as rigged as it is funky. The strong, pedaling, unified groove is laced with vowel formants and pulsing sinewaves. Closing out the EP is Seroto, a steady headsdown tribal workout for those trying to find their way through the late-night fog

Das letzte von Chris Bailey mit The Saints eingespielte Material! "Long March Through the Jazz Age" ist das letzte Album von Chris Bailey und The Saints. Es ist ein bewegender Abschied - ein Zeugnis eines rastlosen, kompromisslosen Künstlers, der immer vorwärts ging, einer der großen Texter und doch unglücklicher Musiker. Aufgenommen Ende 2018 in den Church Street Studios in Sydney, flogen Bailey und der langjährige Saints-Schlagzeuger Pete Wilkinson aus Europa ein, um sich mit Gitarrist/Toningenieur Sean Carey, der zuvor mit der Band getourt und aufgenommen hatte, gemeinsam an dieses letzte Kapitel von Bailey's Saints zu begegeben . Zu ihnen gesellten sich Davey Lane (You Am I) an der Gitarre sowie ein handverlesenes Ensemble junger Musiker*innen Sydneys. Aus Baileys groben Demos entwickelte sich "Long March Through the Jazz Age" zu einer zutiefst menschlichen Momentaufnahme mit Strahlkraft."Empires (Sometimes We Fall)" ist der hymnische Opener des Albums, getragen von Gitarren und untermalt von Baileys schmerzhaften Texten: ,Sometimes we rise, sometimes we fall". Es ist der perfekte Auftakt für ein Album, das Baileys angeborenen Punk-Spirit versprüht und gleichzeitig frei in einer großzügigen Produktion fließt. Eine 12-saitige Gitarre verleiht dem streicherlastigen "Judas" Harmonie und Wärme, es ist ein herrlich melancholisches Stück, "Gasoline" erinnert an den Country-Sound der Stones auf Exile On Main Street, während "Bruises" eine ehrliche Erinnerung daran ist, wie dieser gefeierte Troubadour dorthin gekommen ist, wo er heute steht. Es gibt Momente von Dylan-artiger Erhabenheit, wenn klangvolle Gitarren und Streicher das Panorama erweitern, während der Titelsong eine eindringliche, poetische Intensität vermittelt, dessen trauriger Trompetenbreak so erschauern lässt wie kaum etwas anderes. Long March Through the Jazz Age markiert das Ende der bemerkenswerten Reise von Chris Bailey und The Saints - die üblichen Wege ignorierend, über vier Jahrzehnte Musik gelebt. Limitiertes blaues Vinyl mit Glanzlack-Cover, Linernotes & DLC oder Digisleeve CD. "One of the most sporadically brilliant, frustratingly uneven and most undeniably important bands Australia has ever produced" - The Guardian

Isao Suzuki Quartet + 1 – Blue Road (recorded in 1975).
A month after the recording of his masterpiece Orang-Utan, Suzuki and his fellow musicians delivered this powerful performance at the “5 Days in Jazz 1975” festival—a rare document of the group in its prime.
The source comes from a newly digitized transfer of the original 2-inch master tape. Supervised by TBM founder Takeshi Fujii and track-downed by Yoshihiko Kannari—the “guardian of the TBM sound” who also engineered the original live recording—this release faithfully revives the sound of Three Blind Mice nearly half a century later.
An invaluable record that vividly captures the raw energy of Japanese jazz at its peak in the 1970s.

A heretical masterpiece with an overwhelming presence in the history of Japanese jazz. Jiro Inagaki was one of the central figures in the development of jazz rock in Japan. Inagaki, who had doubts about the existing jazz music, turned the helm to jazz-rock at once with this album recorded in 1970. From the opening track "The Vamp" to the closing "Head Rock," Inagaki poured all his ideas and passion into this jazz-rock album that leaves no time to exhale.

Jiro Inagaki(Tenor Sax)
Tetsuo Fushimi(Trumpet)
Ryo Kawasaki(Guitar)
Masaru Imada(Organ)
Yasuo Arakawa(Bass)
Sadakazu Tabata(Drums)

Bebel Gilberto took the world by surprise with the release of ‘Tanto Tempo’ in 2000, a soulful blend of Brazilian and electronic music.


· Twenty-five years on, the album - widely regarded as one of the most accomplished works in contemporary Brazilian music - returns in a newly remastered edition from the original master tapes.
· The reissue celebrates Bebel’s international breakthrough and lasting influence, marking a milestone for an album that sold nearly a million copies and remains a touchstone in the global downtempo and bossa nova scene.
· The reissue will be available on digisleeve CD and double vinyl, both including previously unpublished texts and photos, plus a previously unreleased track only available on the CD, ‘No Return’.

MJ Lenderman is a songwriter born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. The anatomy of an MJ record might go something like this: warped pedal steels and skuzzed out guitar; a voice reminiscent of the high-lonesome warble of a choirboy; the keen observations and reflections of a front stoop philosopher. Songs snake their way from a lo-fi home recording to something glossier made with longtime friends at Asheville's Drop of Sun studios, but the recording setting
doesn't seem to matter much - at its core, a Lenderman song rings true.

MJ Lenderman was recorded, mixed and mastered for digital in 2019 by Colin Miller in Asheville NC, and was self-released online to quiet but firm acclaim. Now available as a Double LP and remastered for vinyl by Heather Jones, it offers a glimpse into the formative steps of a style; focused and precise, yet expansive and rough around the edges, that remains consistent across MJ's catalogue to date.

Looking as firmly to the legacy of 90s slowcore as it does to the tenor of Magnolia Electric Co. and sound wall of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, these 9 songs clock in at just over an hour and offer warm, patient worlds of heavy colour that blow by breezily. These are songs that wrap mysterious and urgent feeling in layers of patience and clarity that unfold anew with each timeless listen.

"The Word II," which gained instant worldwide recognition after being sampled by Mac DeMarco in "Chamber of Reflection" and by Travis Scott and Quavo's unit HUNCHO JACK in "How U Feel." Shigeo Seikito's seminal work, which includes that track, will be reissued on colored vinyl. It's the most widely listened-to electone piece in the world, drawing attention from a diverse range of audiences including hip-hop, Balearic, and dream pop enthusiasts.

Reissue of the very first album ever released by Sly & Robbie’s iconic TAXI label back in 1979.



"Having saved enough money during a tour with Peter Tosh to buy 4 multitrack recording tapes, Sly & Robbie asked Gregory to voice a few songs for them. Because they had played on so many of his hits, Gregory generously agreed to do it for free to help bootstrap the new TAXI label.

In 1979, Gregory Isaacs was by far Jamaica’s most popular artist, earning his "Cool Ruler" nickname many times over releasing hit after hit, most of which were produced with Sly & Robbie, who at 25 years of age were already the hottest backing band. Out of these sessions came hits like "Soon Forward", a fabulous cover of Bob Marley’s "Slave Driver" and 4 other potent tracks. There were no flimsy soul or pop covers: Gregory Isaacs, whose voice and range were at their peak, sang with clarity, depth, verve and confidence, with no unnecessary mannerisms.

A must have for any serious music fan, this crucial album features extended so-called "Discomix" versions of all the songs, providing listeners with a generous serving of the Riddim Twins drum and bass extravaganza. In addition to the original album, we have added 3 dub versions that were only released in Jamaica, as B Sides of singles, in 1979. These have never been reissued until now and provide a fascinating glimpse into Sly & Robbie's drum and bass sound, which revolutionized Reggae music at the time."

The Fearless Flyers V markiert die Rückkehr von Cory Wong, Mark Lettieri, Joe Dart und Nate Smith mit einer dichten Mischung aus instrumentellem Funk, der sowohl energiegeladen als auch raffiniert ist. Auf acht Tracks und rund dreißig Minuten liefert das Album präzise, strahlende Grooves, die den Wurzeln der Band treu bleiben und gleichzeitig neue Farben hinzufügen: Disco-Einflüsse in „Exotic“, ein Hauch von Blues und Soul in „SKOM“, eine fast rockige Progression in „Autobahn“ und eher kontemplative Stimmungen in „Ventura“ und „Anaheim“, wobei letzteres das Album mit strahlender Sanftheit abschließt. Die knackige, sorgfältig ausgearbeitete Produktion unterstreicht die zurückhaltende Virtuosität der Musiker und ihre subtile Balance zwischen rhythmischer Präzision und kreativer Freiheit. Weder eine Wiederholung noch ein Bruch, bekräftigt dieses fünfte Kapitel die Reife der Flyers und ihre Fähigkeit, ihr Universum zu erweitern, ohne ihre Identität zu verlieren. Das Ergebnis ist ein kurzes, aber intensives Album, das sowohl Funk-Puristen als auch Liebhaber instrumentaler Abenteuer ansprechen wird.

Composer and arranger of Hiroshi Suzuki's "Romance" and Jiro Inagaki's "Breeze," Hiromasa Suzuki is a musician who had worked extensively in the Japanese entertainment industry, not only in jazz, but also in pops, cinema, television, and animation music production. This album is a pre-fusion/crossover masterpiece produced by Jiro Inagaki and recorded with talented players such as Shuichi Murakami, Akira Okazawa, and Masayoshi Takanaka.

First Word Records are proud to bring you 'Penny Ballads', a 5-track EP from Royce Wood Junior.

Royce Wood Junior is a Grammy & Mercury Award-nominated musician, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Brighton. As a multi-instrumentalist, he's collaborated with a litany of brilliant artists over the years, such as Jamie Woon, Nao, Disclosure, Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Joy Crookes, Jamie Lidell and Jordan Rakei, additionally to touring with the likes of the legendary Thomas Dolby. He's released two acclaimed solo albums to date ('The Ashen Tang' in 2015, and 'No Two Blue Ticks' in 2021).

'Penny Ballads' demonstrates RWJ's varied talents, with a collection of alternative soul compositions, each one as unique as the next. It includes the first two singles, the Poplife-Prince era flavoured 'Go Get Your Money', and the double-time future funk adrenaline shot, 'Clean Up', along with three previously-unreleased tracks. 'Beretta' is low-slung soul funk, beginning with quirky squelchy synths, before the soulful lead vocal of feature artist Lucey Way breezes in to melt everyone's hearts. 'Things' sweeps in next, an infectiously soulful midtempo heavy soul bop, with an instant earwork of a hook, like a modern-day Steely Dan / Doobie Brothers, complete with a head-nodding string section to end the track. The collection concludes on a more melancholy downtempo tip with 'Rolling'; an almost-folktronic anthem, with a key refrain that wouldn't be out of place on a 70's Stevie piece.

RWJ (aka Jim Wood) says of this project… "Back in the 17 and 1800's Troubadours and minstrels would go from Tavern to Tavern selling Penny Ballads, single sheets of music and lyrics written quickly and frivolously to make a quick buck.. It strikes me that we're in a similar phase in the way we value music in 2025. An old Penny Ballad was cheap and dog-eared, ink-smudged, sung aloud by firelight, Now songs live in the digital ether, dissolved in the air, a ghostly breath paid in micro cents. The new era of Penny Balladry is here, and weird.

This EP is a snapshot of my writing over a two year period. Focussed on minimal recording styles, one mic on the drums, generally first or second takes on parts and vocals, I wanted the music to feel like small moments with lyrics that talk about the weird nuances of being alive as a latter stage human on the cusp of the Ai revolution. Culturally so evolved, but physiologically still just a bunch of mammals walking about with primitive fears and needs. Just trying to reconcile it all moment to moment…"

Previous support for Royce's music has included Radio 1's Future Sounds, BBC 6 Music's New Music Fix, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova, Tom Robinson, Huw Stephens (BBC 6 Music), Zane Lowe and MistaJam. There have been sessions previously for the likes of Red Bull and press from Huck, Line of Best Fit, Clash, Aesthetica & DIY magazine.

Entirely self-written and self-produced, this EP gives a solid taste of RWJ's talents. A deeply funky diverse set of music from an immensely talented individual.

'Penny Ballads' is due to be released on vinyl & digital, 24th October 2025.

The vinyl version also includes an exclusive additional mix of the first single 'Go Get Your Money'.

When Chuck D proclaimed "Bass, how low can you go?" on Public Enemy's anthemic 'Bring the Noise,' maybe he was pre-empting or inciting the 10,000 fathoms-deep, spine-bending basslines and sub-quake tremors of 'Implosion.'

Implosion is a crushing split album, appropriately released on The Bug's own PRESSURE label. Mapping out a new form of spectral dub, the sound is deliberately immersive, introverted, and yes, definitely implosive. In pursuit of heavy lids, blurred vision, and merciless bass bin punishment, it’s one part meditation, two parts low-end theory, and essentially a confession of devoted sound system addiction.

As expected from a tag team featuring British soundlab explorer and 'London Zoo' composer Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz—a long-time graduate of Germany's new school of sound system reggae culture—the duo approaches their target differently yet share the goal of keeping their sound "raw" (Fiedler) and "brutally minimal" (Martin). This proves that opposites can attract, even if their tools are different and their methods sometimes diverge.

From such a disparate combo, hailing from different geographical and aesthetic backgrounds, contrasts are certainly on display, even within each artist's own contributions. From the melancholia and transcendence of 'Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds),' to the duality of ascension and descension on 'Hope,' or the Sunn 0))) in dub, visceral drone of 'Dread (The End, London),' to the tripped-out repetitions of 'Midnight,' which reinvents Chain Reaction for post-millennials, the result is both sacred and narcotic. Each track illuminates the emotional impact and atmospheric pressure being explored across this deceptively sparse album—a mastery of tone and texture.

This collection might be as reduced, minimal, and deep as The Bug has ever gone, perhaps echoing the solemnity of his recent Kevin Richard Martin Black release and invoking the futurist steppas self-pioneered on his previous Pressure album. Alternatively, Fiedler‘s Ghost Dubs project ventures into his most heavyweight direction yet, which is no mean feat considering his previous, the critically acclaimed album Damaged, was a monstrously massive triumph of analogue weight and enviable sound design.

Implosion is ice-cool, a stark contrast to the warmth and sociability of traditional Jamaican roots and the current trends in digi-dub. Instead, the mood is soaked in tension and intense dread, finding an unexpected melting point where classic dub's stark rhythm attack, isolationist ambience's eerie drift, dub techno's floatation strategies, and even the relentless riffs of doom metal collide. As the bass-obsessed pair drop what is arguably the heaviest ambient dub album to emerge from any electronic sector—a moody counterpoint to The Orb's fluffy clouds, etc, Martin has cited The Roots Radics, Black Jade, and On U Sound's Pounding System as heavily influencing his approach to the album, while Fiedler has expressed his admiration for Adrian Sherwood's productions and Rhythm & Sound's enchanting soundscape. Yet, the super heavyweight pulsations, emotive resonances, and bone-rattling vibrations detonated here effortlessly go far beyond these influences.

Shadowy and elusive, there’s a mysteriousness at this record's core. A haunting moodiness oscillating between nostalgia and future shock. Despite the deadly fixation with SLOW and HEAVY, the album maintains a totally hypnotic swing throughout. Implosion and its lead single 'Imploded Versions' are testaments to being enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass, and utterly crushed by bass, as The Bug and Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of dub for zonal headz and Babylon seekers.

Mastered by Stefan Betke (a.k.a. POLE) at Scape Mastering studio, this record is heavy as f-ck without resorting to continuous distortion. It’s low-end worship taken to an absolute extreme, yet remains highly listenable and definitely danceable, albeit at the slowest of paces. Sacred and narcotic, this is low-end worship amplified to the max. Dive in if you dare.

Clear Vinyl. Luxurious jacket with embossed logo and details plus cut-out on the side. Explore an emotional sci-fi game with a unique blend of survival, adventure, and base-building elements. Help the sole survivor of an ill-fated space expedition create alternative versions of himself to escape a hostile planet and tackle personal turmoils with this unconventional crew. 11 bit studios, the creators of the award-winning games This War of Mine and Frostpunk, present The Alters, an ambitious sci-fi survival game with a unique twist. You play as Jan Dolski, the lone survivor of a crash-landed expedition on a hostile planet. To survive, you must form a new crew for your mobile base. Using a substance called Rapidium, you create alternative versions of Jan -The Alters- each one shaped by a different crucial decision from the protagonist's past. The one-of-a-kind soundtrack for The Alters was created by Piotr Musial best known for his compositions for games like The Witcher, Frostpunk and This War of Mine. For The Alters, Musial chose to stray from the obvious path when it comes to this genre of games and head for something more original: "While many sci-fi soundtracks these days favor the sound of analog synths, the idea behind the music of The Alters was a bit different. We wanted the music to feel more untraditional and mix digital, glitchy elements, unstable reverb with organic sounds, all of which together could support this unique story." With this approach, Musial dove deep into the world of The Alters to turn abstract ideas and atmospheres in very concrete music: "We aimed for the planet to feel overwhelmingly strange and hostile at first. The music starts as more abstract and based on dense atmospheric sound design. Our circular base, a place of safety and comfort inspired to create a theme that 'goes round' by a repeating leitfmotif. You will always feel at home there, unless there's something bad happening, and that's where the theme will get changed, broken." Musial further explains: "One of the key elements we get to discover in the game is the Rapidium crystal. A strange mineral, with yet unexplored properties. We felt like it could have its own theme too, and therefore, wherever you find it, it 'sings' to you with it's strange, bassy voice, supported by a trace of live recorded strings, that were digitally destroyed to create this translucent texture, that sound unlike the real thing. A glitch crystal, is what they call it after all. But the more we explore the planet, the more the story we uncover. We wanted the music to gradually gain momentum and show the leitfmotifs more often, guiding you through emotional moments, fun moments, tough ones, reaching a grand finale. I hope you'll enjoy this ride." Enjoy playing and listening to The Alters!

Schema Records proudly presents PRELUDE, Stefano “S-Tone Inc.” Tirone’s tenth album in his 30-year career. It is available from October 10th, 2025, in the usual digital/streaming formats, as well as LP (10 tracks) and CD (15 tracks); the latter contains, in addition to the tracks on the vinyl, the singles already released on 7” (“In the Sand”, “Tudo Pra Ela”) and remixes of “Pressure”, “Vento Doce” and “Longe De Voce”.

Various different styles harmoniously coexist in “Prelude”: the soul, funk, disco and house tracks embellished by Julia St. Louis’s black voice and Laura Fedele’s jazz-blues timbre alternate with Latin and Brazilian atmospheres in the tracks that host the precious collaboration with Toco, up to a stunning reinterpretation of Santana’s “Guajira” performed by Manuela Ravaglioli, a long-time S-Tone Inc.’s guest vocalist, and German Leguizamon, an Argentine artist with a brilliant career in the 90s dance music.

The title “Prelude” is a double homage: to the legendary homonymous American record label that defined the New York disco sound between 70s and 80s, and to Eumir Deodato’s masterpiece released on CTI in 1973, a sublime example of cross-genre fusion that has always been a source of inspiration for the refined and cosmopolitan blend of music styles that has made S-Tone Inc.’s sound unique and that is firmly reaffirmed in this new record.

Jeder, der sich ein wenig mit aktueller elektronischer Musik auskennt, hat den Namen Mechatok, alias Emir Timur Tokdemir, schon einmal gehört. Er machte sich einen Namen durch weltweite Tourneen und eine Reihe von Veröffentlichungen und Kooperationen mit einigen der innovativsten Künstler*innen des letzten Jahrzehnts - darunter Drain Gang (Bladee, Ecco2k, Whitearmor, Thaiboy Digital), Charli XCX und Lorenzo Senni. Oft zurückhaltend im Ausdruck, verbreiteten sich diese Arbeiten sowohl in der Underground-Szene als auch im angrenzenden Mainstream und prägten dabei subtil die Entwicklung von experimentellem Pop und Clubmusik. Tokdemir versteht Mechatok als eine Art Avatar, der es ihm ermöglicht, neue Facetten seiner selbst zu erforschen und dem kreativen Prozess Offenheit und Freiheit zu verleihen. Als Inspirationsquellen nennt er Künstler wie Daft Punk und Gorillaz: zeitlose Figuren, die das Konzept des künstlerischen Projekts selbst zu einem Kunstwerk erhoben. Nach Jahren der Klangforschung als Mechatok präsentiert er nun "Wide Awake" - sein fast schon kaleidoskopisches Debüt-Soloalbum. Die Platte kristallisiert eine sehr persönliche Reise heraus und etabliert Mechatok nicht nur als herausragenden Kollaborateur, sondern als unbestreitbaren Solo-Künstler, der seine Vision voll im Griff hat. Durch die Mechatok-Persona findet er Ausdrucksformen, die paradoxerweise intimer - und zeitloser - wirken. Alles auf "Wide Awake" wird durch eine verspielte, aber zutiefst intuitive Klangwelt und eine Reihe haikuartiger, zentraler lyrischer Themen zusammengehalten. Das Album stellt Fragen nach der Möglichkeit von Authentizität und dem Status von Selbstausdruck im Zeitalter algorithmischer Vereinheitlichung. Mechatok vermeidet utopische Lösungen und entscheidet sich stattdessen dafür, mit seltsamen Mehrdeutigkeiten zu leben und deren schöpferisches Potenzial zu nutzen. Mit Features von Bladee, Ecco2k, Isabella Lovestory, Tohji und anderen deckt "Wide Awake" ein breites emotionales und stilistisches Spektrum ab, bleibt dabei aber stets durch Tokdemirs präzise Vision gefiltert. Das Ergebnis ist ein sorgfältig komponiertes elektronisches Pop-Opus - eine Sammlung süchtig machender, persönlicher Mantras; Fragmente, die gleichzeitig flüchtig und dauerhaft erscheinen.

Slip is Paul Abbott’s response to his 3 day residency at OTO in 2023. It’s a continued exploration of the acoustic-digital hybrid drum setup Abbott has been developing for some time, which involves drum kit and synthetic sounds combined closely—through an entanglement of limbs and cables—in an intimate but strange relationship with each other.

Paul Abbott hasn’t had any formal musical training, but has a long history of making music, having collaborated for years with Seymour Wright, Pat Thomas, Michael Speers, Cara Tolmie, Anne Gillis and many others. Eventually, led by a profound suspicion of what is fixed or limited, Abbott began finding other ways to organise sound - or what he calls ‘material’:

“I wanted a way to 'persuade' or guide the possibility of something happening - my activity or the events of an algorithmic composition - for example, but without certainty or formalism. It felt to me, during playing, that certain ideas had a particular sort of shape, but more than the form of a line. I began to write alongside (before/after) playing the drums, and ‘characters’ began to enter the scene as a more wobbly, and therefore appropriate option to notation. Working with these characters allowed me to simultaneously approach body, imagination, language and music: without dividing things up or separating these aspects from each other. It allowed me to leave things messy and entangled, whilst trying to deal with form and specificity: wanting to have some things feel or respond differently to other things at other times.”

In approaching his residency, Abbott developed a fixed cast of characters - crystal, lleaf, reiy.F, reiy.C, strike, nee, qosel, sphu and aahn. They each communicate using different kinds of movement and drum kit/s, and Abbott choreographed them as ‘dances’ based on different feelings, or outlines of behaviours suggestive of ways of moving (body, drums, sounds). He then arranged these characters into ‘compositions’: one for each performance day, with each composition featuring multi-layered activity - options for behaviours, ways to move around the rooms, play drums, develop synthetic sounds, change the lights or re-distribute the sound in the space.

After the performances, Abbott took home 9 hours of recordings split into up to 28 multitrack channels for each day, and re-organised his cast once more into a performance for 2LP, CD and digital. It’s an enormous amount of work - but Abbott is activated by the process. For him, the pleasure of unstable edges, possibilities, slippages, is the vital attraction. Like all living organisms, Abbott’s characters have malleability and responsivity. They stimulate a bundle of possible behaviours, a tendency to act a certain way, a temperament, a boundary of respective limits or affordances.

It’s an affective way of working, inclusive of Roscoe Mitchell, Sun Ra, Nathaniel Mackey and Milford Graves. In ‘Pulseology’(2022), Milford Graves reminds us, ‘Breath varies, so cardiac rhythm never has that (metronomic) tempo. It’s always changing. All the alignments of the heart are determined based on the needs of the cells, specifically tissues and organs. The heart knows if it needs to speed up.’ In Slip, to slip, in a heartbeat, is to descend not into the grid of the even metre accorded to the heartbeat, but into a play of mutability and modality. To change is the condition of the heart.

'Songs and Bodies' is best described as hypnagogic post-rock, an impressionistic blur of dissociated riffs, jazzy rhythms and half-heard voices that casts a beguiling digital silhouette of '90s indie music. The album began as a personal experiment, a question that emerged as Piotr Kurek cast his mind back to the era that birthed bands like Gastr del Sol, Bark Psychosis, Labradford and The Sea and Cake. Curious how this music might sound in today’s cultural climate, he started recording sketches at home on guitar and keyboard, applying the same advanced processing, editing and manipulation techniques that had nourished his last run of albums. Early on, he brought in drummer Mateusz Rychlicki and bassist Wojciech Traczyk, layering their performances into the evolving material. These ideas might have remained in that unvarnished state had Unsound not suggested a live performance of the work in October 2024. Spurred by the invitation, Kurek hardened his resolve, finishing a crumpled, uncanny set of half-songs that extend the chimerical sonic universe of the jazz-inspired 'Smartwoods' and its baroque predecessor 'Peach Blossom'.

Not an exercise in nostalgia, 'Songs and Bodies' is an examination of the '90s and '00s experimental rock canon that isolates its humanity as the world stares down a new technological dawn. At a glance, Kurek's songs are remarkably organic, diaphanous guitar-led meditations embellished with era-specific organ and electric piano vamps, cryptic vocal utterances and dusty drums, but it's all an illusion. Listen a little closer and the wrinkles appear—the robotic, garbled articulations, awkward tempo fluctuations and charming hiccups.

Kurek distills these vulnerabilities and blemishes to present a deeply personal but relatable abstraction of familiar sounds and gestures. It's the closest the composer has come to old-fashioned songwriting, but the end result is the same: an invitation to look beyond the frosted glass of an increasingly digital existence.

Tooflie's shadowy crate-diggers return for their sixth expedition, this time unearthingmelodic relics from the sands and stone of the SWANA region. The A-side opens with acharismatic locally-well-known Boris Timur from Azerbaijan, reshaping his half-crimechanson half folk music into a slinky, percussion-driven anthem that sways betweenmysticism and dancefloor intent. A2 dives deeper into the vaults: a cryptic cut built onearly hip-hop and electro intonations, stitched together from dusty Middle Easterngroove samples, looping like a mirage between past and future.
Turn to the B-side and the spotlight falls on a modern folk icon turned global cult heroOmar Souleyman. The first interpretation is a peak-time techno weapon, packed withfrenetic energy and built for ecstatic release. The closing track shifts gears in a slower,contemplative breakbeat journey that delves more deeply into the dabke tradition,stretching its spiraling melodies and communal pulse into a pre-dawn dreamstate.Once again, Tooflie fuses archival echoes and electronic invention into a spellbindingvinyl-only dispatch for dancers and diggers alike.

NAIVE020 epitomizes what the Lisbon-based label, run by Violet, has become cherished for: imaginative yet timeless, soothing yet moody, melodic yet sonic music. Entitled 'Computer Hermetics', this new record is an EP by Berlin-based UrbnMowgli.

The opening track, 'Fast Love Life', is a 145 bpm electro-bred, breakbeat-driven emotive dancefloor banger. It features menacing stabs juxtaposed with beautiful pads and acid-drenched arpeggio motifs that lend it a oneiric quality. 'Oracle Algorithm' picks up the 303 spirit and delves into trippier territories, densening the dreamlike, expansive atmosphere while infusing the record with electro-driven grit. Closing side A is 'Warschauer Rush-Hour', a futuristik, high-tempo twisted electro banger that's both tough and playful.

'Immaterial Desires' inaugurates side B—an ode to adventurous drum programming and intricate sound design in the form of a percussion-punctuated curveball belter. 'Digital Dawn' brings it all back home to the heart and closes the record with its deepest, most immersive moment, giving us big bass lines that alchemically converse with angelic bleepy melodies as if soundtracking a soulful sci fi movie that doesn't exist yet.

D'ar gad ataw! (Always in Combat!) is the fifth album from Ramoneurs de Menhirs, these tireless punk bards who, for almost 20 years, have been making Brittany echoes in every town of France. They came back with 13 new tracks that give pride of place to compositions from an enraged "zone mondiale", often in Breton ("Marion ar Fawed", "Louise A-Dak"...) but also sometimes in French (No Pasarán...) or english (cover of Patty Smith "Rock'n Roll Diggers") relentlessly denouncing the forces that crush us ("Lacri-Moged" or the cover of Angelic Upstarts "Police Oppression"), the dictatorships in place as well as those that threaten ("Dirann").

For his last solo record ‘Through a Room’, Bill Nace shifted his usual saturated guitar sound and added tapes, hurdy gurdy, doughnut pipe, bird calls and the mysterious Japanese taishōgoto. Setting up for the final night of his three day residency at OTO with only the taishōgoto soundchecked, Nace hoped that Parker would arrive with his small soprano as its opposite. “I’ve been interested in state change, you know, playing until there’s a shift in time.” Known for his development of multiphonics to produce a constantly shifting pattern, Evan Parker has evolved an instantly recognizable sound - his work the soprano most distinct. Happily, it was the soprano Evan brought with him and as soon as the two start to play they entwine - taking off in a double helix of keys and reed primed for endless reconfiguration. Space warps under the velocity of playing, the pitch rising unrelentingly. It felt like unending lift off in the room, sheer energy until the last note makes remember your feet have been on the floor the whole time. Total time bending shredding.

–

"They had never played together before. They had never even met each other before this springtime 2024 concert at London’s Café Oto.

Evan Parker, circular breathing maestro of the saxophone, a legend in the universe that is Free Improvisation since the late 1960s and Bill Nace, one of the most intriguing experimental “noise” guitarists of the 1990s/2000s underground scene.

For those of us who have been enamored by the live and documented work of both these gents, this Café Oto duo was a must-hear event. It could have gone anywhere musically and that would have been totally fine. Particularly with Evan having a history of being thrown into a variety of challenging collaborations throughout his career, employing the learned elegance of trust in his own sensitivity to listening, responding, leading, following, sparring, intertwining, dialoguing, creating in the instant and, essentially, dignifying the non-hierarchical grace of chance.

The aesthetics of socialist consideration in Evan Parker’s playing, in his community of expanded and personal technique, for a younger player such as Bill Nace, strikes an exemplary model. This notion of respect would be entirely the reason Nace, when offered a residency at the most critical “new music” room in England, would request to play in duo with Parker.

Bill Nace came to prominence mostly during the apex of experimental music activity in and around Western Massachusetts in the early days of the aughts, with a focus on visual art and free improvisation guitar action. He could be found in the daytime hours, his head hanging down over a notepad, penning fine-tuned illustrations and abstract line drawings, while in the evenings he’d be attending any number of basement noise gigs, many of which he’d be participating in. His guitar style came across as being informed as much as by the physicality of his writing utensils in friction to the page as it was to his hearing and redefining of radical recordings ranging anywhere from the Black Unity Group to Black Flag.

Utilizing various metal files and other small cylindrical objects Bill would allow his guitar and amplifier to be in tandem with the improvisatory movements of his body as the instrument balanced, intentionally and, at times, precariously, upon his lap. The performances came across thrilling and daring and they would be mostly in the context of venues nothing more than a low-ceilinged damp and dank New England basement, a clutch of people hanging onto rusty pipes or sitting up on dilapidated washer/dryer machines, the shards of Bill’s “file guitar” sounds ringing out like the most alive music on Earth.

By the time Bill reached Café Oto in early 2024 he had relocated to Philadelphia all the while releasing a succession of collaborative LPs on his Open Mouth label to present his developing progression of solo and collaborative work. He also would find himself considerably engaged with playing the electric taishōgoto, a keyboard-activated string instrument from Japan which can exist as a one, two, four, five, or six string oblong sound object. Bill’s approach to the taishōgoto would not be too unlike his approach to the traditional electric guitar, though no outboard implements such as files, sticks, and rocks are utilized. The similarity would lie wholly with Bill’s full immersion of high velocity action-playing where, with the taishōgoto, an electric drone beauty occurs. The flurry of sonics and resultant harmonics emanating from the amplifier (which Bill opts to dial into with borderline loud-as fuck volume settings) furthers the meta-mantra properties of the instrument in an astounding display of drone dynamism.

This sound world of Bill’s two-stringed taishōgoto on this Café Oto night worked beautifully with Evan Parker’s improvisatory saxophone conceptions. The duology achieved instant lift off at ground zero only to find it’s eventual finale as if it were organically ordained. Time seemingly morphed from its ancient human construct of control, rendered inconsequential to the torrential transcendence of the room wildly activated by the magic resonance of the multi-directional pan-spatial sonance of the music as if it were some beatific blessing. It was one of those nights where art as a liberating force of spirit gifted the listeners with an offering of exaltation and joy. It was entirely mystical and mind blowing. A night of Total Music."

Thurston Moore, London, 2025

AOKI takamasa and Tujiko Noriko’s 2005 album »28« has become a cornerstone in the artists’ respective discographies. 20 years after its initial release, Keplar issues it on vinyl for the very first time. Three years in the making, »28« saw the sound artist and the avant-pop singer-songwriter combine their distinct aesthetics for an album that defied categorisation. Their combination of advanced electronic experimentation and pop appeal paved the way for a new generation of artists and turned »28« into an enduring fan favourite. Remastered by Stephan Mathieu, the reissue comes with a brand-new artwork by Joji Koyama and a changed track listing—authorised by Takamasa and Tujiko—for the vinyl version to fit it on a single LP, while the digital version remains identical to the original release.

Tujiko and Takamasa first shared the stage together after the turn of the millennium. Both were emerging solo artists, with Takamasa a mainstay on the Progressive Form label and Tujiko forging a connection with Mego in Vienna, Austria. »I simply liked Noriko’s voice and music, and since we often performed at the same events, it felt like a natural progression for us to start working together,« remembers Takamasa. They first collaborated in 2002 for two shows at the Fondation Cartier in Paris and at SonarLab in Barcelona, respectively. The first joint piece was a rework of Tujiko’s »Fly« from »Hard Ni Sasete (Make Me Hard)« by Takamasa, appearing as the album opener »Fly2« on »28.«

After that, the Paris-based Tujiko and Takamasa, still based in Osaka, worked sporadically and remotely on new material. For the first two years of their collaboration, the two met in the context of live events or Takamasa’s visits to the French capital to discuss their process and exchange hard drives while also occasionally sending each other CDrs in the mail. »Aoki made beats and sounds that complemented my music perfectly, building the foundation on which my voice could float,« Tujiko says today. Takamasa used hardware such as the Nord Modular, the Korg Z1, and the Korg ER-1, while also working with different kinds of software and plug-ins as well as Logic. Tujiko was using Cubase, her preferred piece of gear at the time being an AKAI MPC.

After Takamasa moved to Paris in 2004, this enabled the duo to finish the album together in person. Starting with its subtle use of glitches to the almost-anarchic way in which it deals with the structures of a song, »28« came to be an incomparably intricate album. 20 years on, it remains timeless because of its flawless synthesis of the cutting-edge avant-garde ideas of early 2000s electronica with an idiosyncratic but accessible pop sentiment. Both artists look back fondly—though not uncritically, with Takamasa noting a certain »youthfulness« in his contributions—to the album that was titled after their respective age at that time. »Maybe we should make ›51‹ now?,« quips Tujiko. See you in three years, perhaps.

Scuba channels timeless, euphoric energy on his Crosstown Rebels debut, ‘GetUppp’. The Hotflush boss delivers two tracks crafted for the later hours, set for release on 21st November 2025.

Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels welcomes electronic pioneer Scuba for his first appearance on the label with ‘GetUppp’, a two-track release that fuses the UK artist’s trademark low-end pressure with the euphoric pulse of house. The title track glides on slinking percussion, interwoven with subtle soulful vocal nuances, building an irresistible groove that climbs steadily toward full dance-floor release. On the flip, ‘406 Dub’ dives deeper, a stripped, head-down workout that channels the tension and space of dub techno into something hypnotic, trippy, and captivating.
A producer who has continually defied convention, Paul Rose, aka Scuba, has shaped the direction of underground music for over two decades. From his formative role in the UK’s dubstep movement to his era-defining SUB:STANCE residency at Berghain, he’s evolved through techno, house, and beyond while steering his influential Hotflush Recordings imprint - the launchpad for artists like Mount Kimbie and Joy Orbison. He has also delivered critically acclaimed mixes for DJ Kicks, Fabric, and Ostgut Ton, cementing his reputation as one of electronic music’s most astute tastemakers.
Following his acclaimed Digital Underground live tour across 2024, and his latest headline run across Asia with shows in Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo, Koh Phangan, Singapore, Danang, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing, Scuba returns with fresh energy on ‘GetUppp’ - a record that captures the forward-thinking sound that has made him one of underground electronic music’s most influential figures.