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Der Mittlere Westen, insbesondere der Teil, aus dem Eric D. Johnson stammt, ist eine weitgehend flache Weite. Wenn man auf der Autobahn hindurchbraust, sieht man Städte und Ortschaften in der Ferne aufragen, doch wenn man blinzelt, verpasst man andere von Menschenhand geschaffene Gegenstücke zum Leben in der Ebene, die die Landschaft prägen: Hügel um Hügel, erbaut aus den Abfällen der Vergangenheit: Mülldeponien. Einige dieser Hügel eignen sich hervorragend als Schlittenhügel, Parks und Wanderwege. Andere verwandeln organische Abfälle in Kompost. ,The Landfill" ist etwas ganz anderes: ein Berg, der die Landschaft in Johnsons Herzen dominiert. Im Laufe seiner mittlerweile 25-jährigen Karriere unter dem Namen Fruit Bats war der Großteil von Eric D. Johnsons Schaffen das Ergebnis von Geduld und Feinschliff. Seine Songs sind, um einen Ausdruck zu verwenden, Langzeitprojekte, die auf Alben zum Leben erweckt werden, welche lange Zeiträume und Erinnerungen umfassen. "Baby Man" änderte das - er verbot sich, auf Material zurückzugreifen, an dem er vor der Aufnahme des Albums gearbeitet hatte. Es war sowohl ein atemberaubendes Dokument von Johnsons Können als Singer-Songwriter als auch ein ungeschönter Bericht über die zwei Wochen, in denen er das Album aufnahm. "Diese Session war vorbei", erklärt er, "aber es gab noch viel mehr zu erkunden. Mir gefiel die Unmittelbarkeit davon, und ich wollte sehen, wie sich das auf ein Fruit-Bats-Album mit voller Bandbesetzung übertragen lassen würde." Innerhalb weniger Wochen war er wieder im Studio, diesmal mit seiner Band: David Dawda (Bass), Josh Mease (Gitarren, Synthesizer), Frank LoCrasto (Klavier, Synthesizer) und Kosta Galanopoulos (Schlagzeug). Wenn man sich "The Landfill" anhört, stellt man fest: Diese Band rockt. Johnson produzierte die ersten Aufnahmesessions in den Bear Creek Studios in Washington und machte sich daran , "den Sound dieser Band einzufangen, die mich immer wieder in Staunen versetzt - das Gefühl, in einem Raum mit Musikern zu sein, die man liebt und denen man genug vertraut, um sie einfach machen zu lassen." Sie nahmen das meiste davon in einem Durchgang auf - ohne Click-Tracks, ohne zusammengestellte Gesangsparts und mit minimalen Overdubs, wobei der häufige Mitwirkende Thom Monahan zurückkehrte, um zusätzliche Produktionsarbeit zu leisten und den finalen Mix von ,The Landfill" zu erstellen. "So machen wir es auch mit meiner anderen Band, Bonny Light Horseman, und ich war neugierig, wie es bei den Fruit Bats funktionieren würde", bemerkt Johnson. "Es ist sowohl ein sehr persönliches Album als auch mein bisher kollaborativstes." Es ist zudem das live-orientierteste Album der Fruit Bats seit "The Ruminant Band" aus dem Jahr 2009, und durch die Reduzierung der Spuren, die einen Song einer kompletten Band normalerweise ausmachen, ist die psychedelische, technicolorartige Verträumtheit ihres Sounds lebendiger denn je. Die Songs auf "The Landfill" zeichnen sich sofort als einige der besten in Eric D. Johnsons Werk aus, Suchende und Hymnen gleichermaßen. Es ist der bisher gewaltigste Gipfel, den er erklommen hat.

Pluralone, das Soloprojekt des Songwriters und Multi-Instrumentalisten Josh Klinghoffer, kehrt mit ,A Drop In The Ocean" zurück - seinem vierten Album unter dem Namen Pluralone und dem ersten seit ,This Is The Show" aus dem Jahr 2022. Bekannt unter anderem für seine Arbeit mit den Red Hot Chili Peppers und Pearl Jam, bringt Klinghoffer dieselbe melodische Sensibilität und emotionale Direktheit, die seine Karriere geprägt haben, in ein eher akustisches, songwriterorientiertes Werk ein, bei dem Stimme, Texte und intime Arrangements im Mittelpunkt stehen. ,A Drop In The Ocean" setzt auf Wärme und Unmittelbarkeit statt auf dichte Produktion und unterstreicht seine Stärken als Komponist und Arrangeur - das Ergebnis ist eine fokussierte und persönliche Sammlung von Tracks.

On his new album, Micha Acher rearranged compositions for bands such as Tied & Tickled Trio and Ms. John Soda from previous years.

Why are we interested in ghosts? What fascinates us about the eerie? According to cultural theorist Mark Fisher, the allure that the eerie possesses is not captured by the idea that we „enjoy what scares us“. It has, rather, to do with a fascination for the outside. For that which lies beyond standard perception, cognition or experience, as he writes in his book „The Weird and the Eerie“.

In fact, also none of the 15 pieces from Henry and the Ghost is really scary. On the contrary, they all feel strangely familiar. Like revenants or doppelgängers, which in fact they are. They have all been released before. But in a different form. In different line-ups. With different band projects such as Tied & Tickled Trio, The Notwist or the Alien Ensemble.

With the „Songbook“, Micha Acher's aim was, as he says, to find out how the familiar pieces sound in a chamber music instrumentation. Therefore he met with Theresa Loibl (bass clarinet, piano), Timm Kornelius (bassoon), Markus Rom (guitar, banjo, electronics) and Simon Popp (drums, percussion) in his living room for a musical séance in the summer of 2022. The séance lasted two days. Afterwards, Markus Rom (Oh No Noh), added some haunting electronical ideas.

The mood of most of the pieces is melancholic. There are surprising twists and siren-like melodies. Just as ghost stories should be. However, most of the songs sound very light-footed. With their feet in pop, folk, jazz and classical music. Pieces such as „Johanna“ with its wheezing harmonium and spooky piano, or the dreamy „Modest Farewell“ on the other hand have a cinematic flair. Immediately faces and scenes arise in the mind. But at the beginning, there is „Hamlet“. It starts with ghostly electronics and merges into a calm, almost classical guitar piece. Could it be that the ghost of Hamlet's father is hiding between the strings?

„34E“ begins with a banjo. Then the deep humming of Micha Achers sousaphone and the other brass instruments kick in. In the slow, solemn „Aelita“, the sousaphone starts a dialogue with a children's piano. With the banjo and the other wind instruments acting as mediators. The title of „All Tomorrow's Past“ brings Velvet Undergrounds „All Tomorrow's Parties“ to mind. Another ghost from the past. What connects the two pieces is free-floating percussion, which accompanies the sumptuous melodies.

„Arc“ takes us on an exhilarating voyage at sea, with the sousaphone providing powerful propulsion. Towards the end, things get quite turbulent. With the clarinet stirring up the water, before the sea calms down again. „Henry and the Ghost“ is characterised by a ghostly mood change between major and minor. In „Radio Four“ the banjo with its stoic chords keeps the lively brass section in check. „Solid Ground“ is imbued with melancholy. „Space Minor“ takes us into outer space, with the power of sousaphone and percussion.

„Tomorrows“ is filled with cautious optimism. And the concluding „Nordlead“ turns out to be a revenant of the instrumental „N.L.“ from The Notwist's legendary album „Shrink“ from 1998. In the new version, the piece sounds like a distant echo. One that also brings to mind how Micha Acher's music has evolved. Which new worlds he explored and opened up since the nineties. And yet Acher's signature is recognisable in every single note of this fascinating „Songbook“.

Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders return with their best album yet, and a UK tour this August. Press by Silver PR
‘’On the alternate timeline where the Meat Puppets inherited the bulk of the Grateful Dead’s tourheads when Jerry Garcia died in 1995, none of this would be necessary, because Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders are a household name for evolving their own musical space that overlays dusty folk, cosmic jazz, deep psych, free improv, and even (gasp!) indie rock, building an audience that ranges from open-eared curiosity seekers to deep committed music weirdos that’s also yielded the Heavy Lidders, an infamous sub-cult of concert tapers that you’re already sick of hearing about. A lot of other things are better over on that timeline, too.
But in this consensus reality (and probably the other one, too), Liquid Donnon catches the Lidders at their heaviest, “heavy” in the Lidderverse being far from a monolithic musical idea. There’s heavy like the album-opening “From Loch Raven to Fells Point,” one of several tracks with elegant and gnarled conversational jams featuring the core Lidders lineup of Alexander alongside guitarist Drew Gardner and bassist Jesse Sheppard (both of Elkhorn) and drummer Scott Verrastro. But there’s heavy, too, like “Calliope Walker” and “Tightroping,” featuring Gardner shifted to dream-space vibraphone, the former with saxophonist Tacuma Bradley, the latter with Christina Carter of Texas noise-psych legends Charalambides on veil-crossing wordless vocals, her first collaboration with Alexander in some 20 years.
But then there’s also heavy like the cover photo of Alexander’s late friend and album namesake Donnon, taken at a Dead show at Rich Stadium in Buffalo in 1989, a spirit threading through the songs and weaving unexpectedly into Alexander’s life decades later, emerging especially when Alexander passed through a near-death experience of his own. But, taken together, the different heavies of Liquid Donnon add up into a state of musical grace, where all the Heavy Lidders from all the universes come together as one. Just, like, imagine.
Convened in 2019 on Alexander’s relocation back to his native east coast, the Heavy Lidders are the latest hard-touring expression for the guitarist’s music, joining a vast and tangled discography (and tape list) that includes the beloved long-running west coast Dire Wolves Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band and, before them, the Iditarod and Black Forest/Black Sea, as well as a bushel of solo play-all-the-instruments projects, a stint with Jackie-O Motherfucker, sessions with Kemialliset Ystävät and Avarus and others, and you’ll have to keep digging for the rest.
And while it’s not hard to find tapers at Lidders gigs (and they encourage you to be one), or to track themes and songs over Alexander’s many live releases, Liquid Donnon makes a new primary text, the original versions of six new pieces for the repertoire. The album closes with a devastating pairing of “Reservoir Drop” into “The Summer Song,” floating into a duo between Alexander’s guitar and Carter’s voice. Catch a half-dozen Lidders shows this summer, and you might not ever catch them playing it like that again, but you just might open the doorway back to that better place." - Jesse Jarnow (writer, WFMU DJ, producer and host of The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast)

In the evolving landscape of modern Southern hip-hop, the pairing of Starlito and Bandplay stands out as a unique bridge between street-level authenticity and refined, calculated musicality. Their collaborative project, Not The Country You Know, functions less like a standard release and more as a manifesto—a masterclass in the chemistry between a seasoned, introspective lyricist and a producer who possesses an intuitive grasp of the region's pulse. It is an exploration of legacy and adaptation, capturing the tension between where they came from and where the culture is currently headed.

Bandplay, long recognized for sculpting the sonic identity of Memphis icons, brings his signature, trunk-rattling 808s to the project, yet he manages to pivot here. The production feels remarkably expansive, masterfully blending the raw, stripped-back aesthetics of classic Tennessee rap with forward-thinking textures that refuse to be confined to a single sub-genre. Complementing this, Starlito operates with his trademark mix of cynical observation and genuine vulnerability. He navigates these beats with the weary grace of an artist who has weathered the music industry's relentless cycles, treating every bar like a necessary piece of a larger, ongoing story.

The album’s title serves as a direct commentary on these shifting tides. Across the tracklist, the duo investigates the growing disparity between the romanticized South and the cold realities of the streets, alongside the inevitable evolution of the music business itself. There is no frantic chasing of streaming-era trends or algorithmic bait here; instead, the project remains a stubborn, confident assertion of artistic identity. By weaving together Starlito’s "voice-of-reason" flow and Bandplay’s evolving, genre-bending sound, Not The Country You Know challenges the listener to abandon their preconceived notions of the region, offering instead a complex, urgent vision of a South that is as haunting as it is vibrant.

The Ron Trent Collection Vol. 1 launches the long-awaited return of the legendary Nite Grooves label, revisiting the deep house roots that helped define the sound of New York’s underground scene.

Kicking off the relaunch with house pioneer Ron Trent, this first volume brings together a selection of his productions and aliases from the label, including New African Orchestra, Lost Tymeez and USG.

With deep rhythms, rich percussion and hypnotic grooves, these tracks showcase the musical depth and spiritual house sound that has made Ron Trent one of the genre’s most respected producers.

As the first release in the relaunched Nite Grooves catalogue, this collection offers strong appeal for both deep house DJs and collectors of classic New York house.

A strong opening chapter for the return of Nite Grooves and an essential addition for stores supporting deep and soulful house.

After the last release ‘Innocence’ with Nathan Cable gaining support from John Digweed on his renowned Apple Music Compiled & Mix Series, we bring forth one of the remixers for his own single release ‘Snake Altar’.

Richie Blacker Northern Ireland’s progressive house & breaks prodigy who’s seen releases on Sasha’s Last Night On Earth, Scream’s Of Unsound Mind, Franky Wah’s Shen, Armada, Anjuna Deep and so many more including his own imprint Mess Express. We were super excited to sign the original breaks mix of ‘Snake Altar’, an amazing ethereal & euphoric progressive breaks track with its haunting ethnic vocals we just knew who could step up as the originator (this time) to remix the third Break-The-Future project.

Ray Keith delivered his signature sound system Jungle / Drum & Bass sound to which we think you’ll absolutely love, just oozing in class. The way it flows from euphoric to his heavy hitting signature darkness to deep jungle roots and back is exactly what we wanted from the big man himself and absolutely buzzing to have Ray on the label for our third release.

To finalise the package Richie Blacker delivered a 4x4 mix, now the lead track and to close off the release a beatless mix & acapella giving you some serious tools to work with… THIS IS ESSENTIAL!

"Recorded in Naples historic recording studio Auditorium Novecento ‘notes from the air’ is the second Ciro Vitiello full-lenght album, that turns around the ambiguous figure of the seagull, a coastal apparition both ridiculous and divine, foolish and sacred, graceful in flight yet uneasy on land, something that knows more than it shows, carrying both wonder and threat in its gaze.

The album breathes through that tension, the desire to fly and the fear of falling, the suspicion of having already crashed somewhere unseen.
Wind, creaking ropes, invisible currents: these become signals from another uncoding state, reminders that air can be both home and haunting. The record lingers in suspension. Each track feels like a fragment carried by wind, a message blurred, a memory misplaced, something approaching meaning but never arriving.

The record drifts between orchestral gestures and dream-pop/post-rock shadows, guided by Ciro Vitiello’s fascination with shoegaze textures and cinematic atmospheres, and features contributions by Heith, Renato Grieco, Stefano Costanzo, Caraluce and Daniel Kinzelman. Vocal features include Martyna Basta, Heith and Antonina Nowacka, alongside Ciro’s own voice."

* Vintage nuggets from the vaults of The Rootsman and Third Eye Studio
* `Pass The Chalice’ incorporates that heavy UK dub sound of the 1990's while `Tribal Dervish’ employs that middle eastern flavour of which The Rootsman's work became associated with.
* Dating from 1996, three of the tracks have been out of circulation on vinyl for some time while `Tribal Dervish – Dubplate Mix’ appears on vinyl for the very first time.

The first 5 lives of the cat.
5 lives of computer madness, taking cues from Chicago and the westcoast (NL).

This one is dedicated to Chip, Fritz & Max.

The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express ('Theme From The Watcher).

Everything released on ATA is written and guided by the label heads Neil Innes and Pete Williams, who frequently dip their toes in the Library pond while working on other projects. These occasional one-off tracks have accumulated over the past few years and have now found a home on the first volume of an ongoing series : The Library Archive

Recorded using the same techniques and equipment used to create the now legendary catalogues of music sold to the film and television industry of the 60's & 70's, The Library Archive could easily sit alongside the plain minimalist covers of KPM or Telesound.

The fierce Brass of 'Whack, Slap & Blow' and 'Kaye Okay' could both be a Keith Mansfield cut, acting as a theme tune to a glamorous saturday night tv show circa 1972. 'Duck Strut' is a cheeky slice of Bass driven Brit-funk, Muted horns and flute adding an element of Quincy Jones amongst the grooving drums and percussion. 'The Needle Nose', 'Midnight Heist' and 'Wiretap' are amongst the more cinematic tracks on the album. Moody and atmospheric, they conjure up images of dark alleys, shadowy figures and dead letter drops. 'Wigged out' channels the wonky organ weirdness of Italian library legends I Marc 4 while 'Nuclear Wind I & II' use Moog and Mellotron as electronic counterpoint to ethereal voices. 'Siren's sea's' acoustic interlude conjures up images of distant clifftops, gossamer vocals enticing you onto the rocks before album closer 'Planet Nine' traverses the cosmos.

Tapper Zukies 'Peace in the Ghetto' album would be the first release as part of his new deal with Virgin Records.This came about through a trip organised by the label to Jamaica in 1978 to sign up the cream of the crop of Reggae artists,for the new Virgin Front Line label.
Personnel on this trip included John Lydon (Rotten) of the Sex Pistols ,whose band had just split up.
The Peace in the Ghetto album deals with the political situation in at the time,the peace initiative between the gangs and Political Parties.
Paying tribute to some of the gang leaders Claudie Massop ,Buckie Thompson and Tony Welsh who helped make this process happen.
But whatever the subject matter Tapper Zukie chose to hang his songs on,you know he always does it in a fine style......Respect

(incl. Gaetano Parisio Remix) The Miller joins Backspin with a potent six-track EP that explores the sharper, groovier edges of techno. 'Loops & Tonic' is a no-frills, rhythm-forward toolkit. It's percussive, hypnotic and full of old-school motion.

The A-side opens with 'It Was Just A Knife', a tribal-driven looper layered with Detroit-reminiscent synths. The track is a subtle nod to the past, wrapped in tight modern production. Peak OG hardgroove. 'Tryck' dials up the tension with broken rhythms, tripped-out cymbals and bleeps, adding a leftfield touch without losing the percussive thread. The B-side brings out the funk. 'Snake Venom' and 'Sax' strip techno down to its rolling essentials: it's all about punchy drums, melodic accents and a steady forward drive. The vinyl closes with the 'Groove Cut' version of the digital-only track 'Bastard', a remix by legendary producer Gaetano Parisio that reimagines the original into a leaner, melodic trip with clean basslines and spaced-out synth work.

The fifth release of Regal's label Backspin Records is a versatile, groovy and characterful techno record. The Miller's 'Loops & Tonic' EP is a proof that the most effective techno doesn't shout - it rolls, hits and lingers. It's the perfect record for floors that never stop moving.

Max In The World & Kroba is a collaboration between producer Max In The World and saxophonist Kroba.

The project began with the release of 2023’s Excursions on Bliss Point, a record that explored the space between club and home listening and became a favorite at many an early morning afters.

On Structures Of Feeling 1, the duo have conjured three cuts of dubby and expansive downtempo: dance music for dreaming, deep house for liminal states, body music awash in the feeling of living now, in these times, in these bodies.

Cindytalk has remained a majestic proposition over the decades, one marked by a continued process of disintegration and regeneration. Change has been a constant for Cindytalk, as has been the presence of the Scottish musician Cinder, who has fronted the project since the early '80s. The first Cindytalk albums embraced a dark theatricality of post-punk dissonance and abject rock deconstruction that coupled industrial dirges with Cinder's beatific vocals, these same vocals that were once plied to the earliest This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins recordings,forever binding Cinder to the 4AD lore. But even on those albums, Camouflage Heart and In This World, Cinder was pushing the band to embrace the studio as a tool for further abstraction of sodden drones, cobwebbed dark elegance, and decayed textures.

By the early aughts, Cinder had reimagined Cindytalk through the granular processes of digitalia with a handful of equally celebrated works of glitch-born expressionism for Editions Mego. Cinder explains that "those elements were growing roots under our sound and had started to organically change the shape of what we were doing. The fucked-up rock music was in retreat and the electro-acoustic abstractions were becoming apparent. Fast forward to the early part of the 21st Century and my first laptop. It seemed natural where I needed to begin that part of my new sonic journey. To further explore those and new territories. Sunset and Forever is intrinsically connected to what came before."

Sunset and Forever is a labyrinthine opus, one that returns to the themes of the sacred and profane that have rippled through all of Cindytalk's recordings, albeit in various guises. The opening track "Embers of Last Leaves" is a haunted piece of undulated, cyclical tones that entwine into a sorrowful chorale with Cinder's own voice. Thumps of electronic drum kicks and bass drops dot the apocalyptic menace of "Tower of the Sun" but serve not as a rhythmic grid, but as painterly noises that further disrupt and disturb the machined dissonance. A cinematic radioluminescence blooms from the tempered electronics within "For Those Eyes, Shadows Of Flowers." The finale "I See Her in Everywhere" bookends the opening number with a seemingly human chorus build from electronic tones cast in cathedral reverence. Sounds throughout may appear adjacent to those of Fennesz, Holly Herndon, or even Lovesliescrushing from time to time, but Sunset and Forever remains purely Cindytalk.

Cover designed by Chris Bigg, known for his iconic design work for 4AD. Mastered by James Plotkin.

Andrew Weatherall never wakes up in the morning and decides to start a new album that day. Instead, recording music is a continuous process usually working with different collaborators and seeing where the muse takes him. Somewhere down the line the rewards of a collaboration will coalesce into a body of work between thirty minutes and an hour long and he will put a call into the Rotters' team to say he has a new release ready to go.

We were visiting the studio catching up on new tracks in various states of readiness when he offered up some remixes of tracks from his recent "Ruled by Passion…" he'd been sent by fellow musicians. Tim Fairplay, Andrew's partner in The Asphodells, Sean Johnston from A Love From Outer Space and Scott Fraser live and work in the area and all popped in at various points.

Andrew's black book reads like the who's who of contemporary music but rather than plunder it for remixers he'd let drop the idea of a remix with friends and neighbours. These plus a couple a swaps with musical friends who were new to the concept of remixing, gave Andrew an hour of music he thoroughly enjoyed listening to.

It goes without saying none of the tracks are duds but our ears always prick up when Justin Robertson's take on "Beglammered" ups the heart rate or Daniel Avery's own unscrewing of "… the Axis" ruffles the neck hairs. We've stopped arguing in the office about which is the best track. They all are.

Already in its title, Plume Girl’s debut thoroughly lets things go and takes them in – all at once. “In the End We Begin” is the first solo full-length from Sowmya Somanath, a Hindustani classical singer/composer and half of alt-pop duo Felt Out. Plume Girl’s music takes inspiration from the semi-regular musical form of the rāga (translated as ‘tinting’), invoking mood and atmosphere, each rāga thought to have its own distinct nature and personality, brought to life through improvisation. String swells and Somanath’s searching vocalisations envelop every track’s own blissful chamber. Exploring imagined binaries along the way — eastern vs. western, traditional vs. experimental, acoustic vs. electronic, Sowmya sees music as a curious dialogue between divine Self and an invisible reality. Beneath the illusion of a chromatic world, there remains a blissful oneness.

Plume Girl’s songs sit between ambient Hindustani music and emotionally-encumbered pop. In front of backdrops comprising sundrenched drones or glitches, sketched out beats, and criss-crossing glissandi or flutes, Somanath both murmurs intimately and spirals upwards into soaring choruses. The lyrics ponder innermost thoughts, never more literally than on the blissful emo folk closing track: ‘In my heart I know / what’s in my heart / I know what’s in my…’

“When I began writing this music, I was fresh off of an experience that completely twisted my reality,” explains Somanath. It was the end of a years-long relationship, and the blossoming of a long-buried love hidden in plain sight: “a best friend of a decade, my musical partner, someone who had always seen me completely…At once, I felt grief and loss. At once, excitement and love.”

Above The Clouds I Finally Found Peace, the latest work from French artist Quelza (Leo Naït Aïssa) on Ostgut Ton, feels like a homecoming.

A testament to introspection and self-awareness.
Rather than adhering strictly to a club-focused approach, the EP marks a step forward in freedom of expression, breaking away from a purely club-based format and instead leading into a broader listening territory. It unfolds as a personal musical journal shaped by perception, memory, and emotion.

As its title suggests, the record carries a spiritual undercurrent. It stands as a sincere sonic statement from a young artist, driven by a clear intention: to express vulnerability and honesty through sound.

The EP invites the listener to let go of expectations formed by previous releases, while preserving the emotional intensity and distinctive sonic identity that have come to define this work in recent years.

„Above The Clouds I Finally Found Peace“, das neueste Werk des französischen Künstlers Quelza (Leo Naït Aïssa) auf Ostgut Ton, fühlt sich wie eine Heimkehr an.

Ein Zeugnis der Selbstreflexion und Selbstwahrnehmung. Anstatt sich strikt an einen cluborientierten Ansatz zu halten, markiert die EP einen Schritt vorwärts in Richtung Ausdrucksfreiheit, bricht mit einem rein clubbasierten Format und führt stattdessen in ein breiteres Hörgebiet. Sie entfaltet sich wie ein persönliches musikalisches Tagebuch, geprägt von Wahrnehmung, Erinnerung und Emotion.

Wie der Titel schon andeutet, hat die Platte eine spirituelle Unterströmung. Sie ist ein aufrichtiges klangliches Statement eines jungen Künstlers, der von einer klaren Absicht getrieben ist: Verletzlichkeit und Ehrlichkeit durch Klang auszudrücken.

Die EP lädt den Hörer dazu ein, die Erwartungen, die durch frühere Veröffentlichungen entstanden sind, loszulassen, während sie gleichzeitig die emotionale Intensität und die unverwechselbare klangliche Identität bewahrt, die dieses Werk in den letzten Jahren geprägt haben.“

The Reflex has been busy of late and, though already a proven master of multi-track mixes and mash-ups, he keeps on reaching new heights with each new drop. This is one of several coming in quick succession and finds him dropping the final part of his label Discolidays' collaboration with the Zagora catalogue, which features tunes by Thomas Bangalter's pops, Daniel Vangarde. Here it is the Gibson Brothers' disco belter 'Heaven' that gets beefed up with bright strings and unrelenting drums, driving you to a place of sheer joy. A more obscure sound come son the flip with uptempo drums and sumptuous musicianship laid down by some of the best of the disco era in Paris.

BYAMM (pronounced 'bye-yam') is a retro soul studio project that was born during the 2021 lockdown. The focus is on soul music with strong themes, memorable melodies and catchy hooks layered with synthesizers, grooving bass lines and a hint of 1980s influences.
Central to BYAMM is a strong song-writing etiquette and a classic and timeless appeal to all ages.

BYAMM stands for Barima Yaw Asante Making Music. Barima is the songwriter, keyboard player and producer. Lead vocals are handled by the seasoned Ade Omotayo, whose credits including working with the late Amy Winehouse, the original members Amy Winehouse Band and the Gorillaz.

BYAMM is supported by a collective of professional session musicians recruited from around the world.

Shep is back on his People Pleaser's label with a fourth transmission of groovy tech house that blends drive, cosmic atmospheres and just the right amount of vocal and melodic hookiness. 'Reach For The Tongs' is warm and dubby, one to get the head down and lock into. 'Pulver Zimmer' has warped synths and glassy percussion, bringing the early Terry Francis style drums to life and 'Rave Gravel Drive' gets more unhinged. The synths are wonky, the sound designs more trippy and abstract and the groove is minimal and synthetic. 'Mutzki' closes with a subtle, warming rush of low-key joy thanks to the muted chords that ride a slick groove.

Whatever The Reflex is on at the moment, we want some - he's rolling out the jams left, right and centre across several different styles. For this drop, he has revisited his own revision: ten years after first dropping this and without countless plays from legends like Kerri Chandler, he retouches a disco-house fusion classic that rides big vocal hooks and smooth, breezy grooves. On the B-side he takes aim at another soulful gem and go-to DJ favourite with real invention. 'Nobody' has persuasive drum breaks and slithering synths that shimmer like heat waves and allow the acing, singalong vocal room to work its magic up top.

Since arriving at the back end of 2023, Chris Massey's Thief Of Time quickly evolved from a solo project into a live 3 piece alongside fellow electronic explorers; Lady Lady and Mike Grubert.
Where dark is light, light is dark and emotions are electronic, We Are Cosmic is a natural evolution of The Thief Of Time project, with elements of contemporaries like New Order, Pet Shop Boys, The Fuck Buttons, Chromatics and The Cocteau Twins being present alongside current inspirations such as Nabihah Iqbal and Night Tapes.

We can't resist the carefully fused and treated sounds of The Reflex who shows his class again here with more multitrack remixes that bring vintage grooves bang up top dates without stripping them of their seasoned charms. 'Cherry Dub' is packed with big riffs and well known vocal-hooks but is dubbed out top perfection with screeching guitar solos destined to send dancers wild. The flip side is a more warm and breezy roller for sunny days and cocktail sessions, again with an iconic vocal and top line adding that familiarity that always unites dancers.

The Reflex has been back remixing on his multitracks again and if you have been out anywhere decent in recent times you might already have heard this one as it has been a favourite of those DJs in his inner circle. Finally, the unrelated rework of a legendary disco diva arrives on wax and dazzles from front to back. 'Lolita' has it all - the deft hi hats sliding above funky bass, a rhythm driven by busy piano chords and lung-busting vocal full of burning soul. 'Camels' rides funky, chunky drums and has more expressive tones this time in unison with an off-balance chord sequence and fluttering sax. Lovely stuff.

St. David is back on CHIWAX with a monster house retro banger!
Higly recommended!

A rising artist of the French electronic scene, Naajet asserts her identity with The Night Starts Now, a four-track EP that celebrates the freedom and intensity of the night. Co-founder of the Bande de Filles collective and known for her explosive universe blending House, Hardgroove and Breaks, as well as for the unique energy inherited from her dance background, Naajet delivers here a sonic manifesto conceived as an ode to club culture and to the present moment.

“I imagined this EP as an anthem to the world of the night. The night offers us unparalleled freedom, an outlet that allows us to be ourselves, to create, to love. The Night Starts Now captures this celebration of the present moment and this declaration of independence.” Naajet Opening the EP, “Ready To Shine” unfolds radiant House nourished by Pop and 90’s sounds. With a clear and ascending rhythm, the track combines euphoria and introspection. “I composed this track as a joyful and introspective journey that prepares us to embrace the night. For me, it is a call to accept our wounds, to transform them into light and strength, so that we may shine brighter when we enter the club,” explains Naajet. Between ethereal vocal lines and shimmering pads, the track acts as a ritual of entering the night, inviting us to turn wounds into strength and to shine on the dancefloor. The second track of the EP, “Sugar”, embodies the effervescence of the club. Carried by a hypnotic voice and an effervescent rhythm, the track celebrates the communion of bodies and the liberating energy of dance. “It is an ode to dance and to bodies coming together. This track speaks of those moments when, on the dancefloor, boundaries fall: we sweat together, we free ourselves together, and energy flows from one body to another,” says Naajet. A true concentrate of intensity, “Sugar” captures the moment when sweat, rhythm and abandon merge into a collective movement towards freedom.

With “I Can Be Anything”, Naajet changes register and flirts with deeper, even techno textures. Built on a throbbing pulse and sharp synths, this track is meant as a manifesto of identity. “I really wanted to propose a track that claims our right to free and plural expression and sexuality. I Can Be Anything is about our multiple identities, our ability to reinvent ourselves and to refuse any form of formatting,” she says. Between club intensity and political resonance, “I Can Be Anything” questions our multiple facets and embodies the assertion of an elusive and free self. Closing the EP on an euphoric note, “May It Never End” stands out with its broken rhythms and powerful synths. The track conveys the transcendent energy of the end of the night, when dawn arrives but we refuse to leave the collective trance. “I wanted to put into music this feeling of infinite energy, when time is suspended and the party seems to never have to stop. It is this euphoric vertigo that connects us all in the same breath, this utopia of a night that would never end,” says Naajet. A true apotheosis, this track embodies the utopia of an eternal night.

DJ, producer and co-founder of the Bande de Filles collective, Naajet has established herself with a singular universe where House, Hardgroove and Breaks blend, nourished by her background as a dancer and an instinctive sense of groove. For the past three years, she has performed on French and European stages – from Berlin to Amsterdam, via Geneva and Oslo – and has made her mark in clubs such as Rex Club, Le Sucre and Badaboum, as well as festivals like Nuits Sonores and Kolorz. On the production side, she has released several acclaimed EPs on renowned labels such as Shall Not Fade and Monki & Friends. In 2025, she takes a new step with the launch of her label SWEAT Records and a residency at Le Sacré in Paris, affirming her role as an ambassador of a free and intense club culture. She also collaborates with the waacking company MADOKI, for which she composes and mixes projects at the crossroads of dance and music. With The Night Starts Now, Naajet confirms her status as an essential artist of the new electronic generation1

Tilaye Gebre is one of Ethiopia’s most soulful saxophone giants, with a musical legacy that’s hard to surpass. A founding member of the Equators, later renamed the Dahlak Band, he was a key figure in Ethiopia’s vibrant hotel music scene and a sought-after musician and arranger for artists like Aster Aweke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessesse, and Muluken Melesse.

Tilaye — still going strong — was at the epicenter of the Ethiopian music scene during one of the most turbulent periods in the country’s history. Tilaye’s musical trajectory, regardless of the forms it has taken over the decades, is simply ceaseless. The road to a musical career spanning six decades started out winding, and the first steps came almost as a fluke.

With the Dahlak Band, Tilaye had managed to secure a musical residency at the legendary Ghion Hotel, where they honed their skills and developed their musical expression to unparalleled levels. From the late sixties onwards, Dahlak Band lit up Addis Ababa with a mixture of James Brown and Wilson Pickett tunes, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, and the sound of the disco era — mixed with modern Ethiopian styles — serving up majestic concoctions with full-range instrumentation, featuring trumpet, keyboard, saxophone, bass, drums, and guitar. Through their hotel sessions, Tilaye developed further as an arranger, arranging fellow band member Muluken Melesse’s first solo album, Muluken Melesse with the Dahlak Band (Kaifa Records – LPKF 39), recorded during the turbulent years of 1975–1976, following the fall of Haile Selassie. Everything was in flux in this transitional period, but a constant was how Tilaye stood in the spotlight. On that record, there’s a loose vibe to the soundscape that lets Tilaye’s skills shine, while all the other musical contributions coalesce into a slowly cooking atmosphere where the groove at times fluctuates into psychedelic territory, making the music stand out from most contemporaries.

Most of their recorded output came from one-take live cassette recordings at the Ghion, or from music shops at that time — one microphone at the front, hit record: no EQ, no reverb, just some delay. Some of the Dahlak Band’s releases featured Tilaye as frontman, such as Tilaye’s Saxophone with the Dahlak Band from the late 1970s — typical of a rare groove on the Ethiopian scene — with excursions into reggae territory, including the band’s characteristic sound featuring Tilaye Gebre (tenor and alto saxophone), Dawit Yifru (organ), David Kassa (electric guitar), Shimelis Beyene (trumpet), Moges Habte (tenor saxophone), Abera Feyissa (bass guitar), Tesfaye Tessema (drums), and Muluken Melesse (cowbell). The Dahlak Band’s output was so prodigious that they simply couldn’t be pigeonholed.

No saxophonist in Ethiopia influenced the sound of popular music more than Tilaye in the 1970s, yet his recordings have been hard to come by for ages, which has meant that newcomers to the scene have gems to uncover in retrospect. Arguably, Tilaye shifted gears when he relocated to the U.S. to such an extent that his musicianship became even more renowned, accompanying the greatest of his contemporaries internationally. Tilaye is one of Ethiopia’s all-time greats, with a musical legacy — both as musician and arranger — that’s hard to surpass. It’s a wonder to be able to enjoy a recording like this half a century later.

THE PARTY is a celebration that has existed for nearly 10 years in Paris. A private event, off the radar of social media, THE PARTY is inspired by the New York Loft, and gathers between 150 and 400 people twice a year, under a church.
It was created by Serge Papo and his wife Maryvonne Beaune. Serge Papo organized the first rave parties in Paris in the early 1990s; he has been a DJ and party organizer for over 30 years.
On January 31, 2026, THE PARTY will celebrate its 10th anniversary, will invite the DJ of the New York Loft, Douglas Sherman, and will launch its label, THE PARTY RECORDS, along with a debut release — the double single Crystal Clear / Zeva — the result of a collaboration between Serge and Etibar Asadli, an exceptional jazz pianist from Azerbaijan who now lives in Paris.

Minor Notes continues to explore and open up the world of Russia's underground electronic scene. The new vinyl release is a collection of original works by the highly experienced Kaluga-based music producer Chivee Gres. The record perfectly showcases the sound of Deep House and Jackin, showcasing Nikita's subtle sampling, masterful arrangement, and deep knowledge of production techniques. This music is made for the dancefloor: Side A is the perfect companion to any warmap, while Side B will brighten up primetime with its bouncy sound.

The announcement of the single was covered by the BBC, NME, The Guardian, Resident Advisor, Beatportal, DJ Mag and many others!

Here's the link to view the video

LIMITED EDITION PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU PRE-SALE AS THIS WILL SELL OUT
After 25 years as a fan-favourite in his DJ sets, Fatboy Slim’s ‘Satisfaction Skank’ arrives with full approval from The Rolling Stones and access to the original stems.

Paula lay down, listened to her veins, felt her heart pumping. And as electrons rushed through her arteries, it suddenly dawned on her: It doesn’t need royal blood to be a queen. Just acid.