quête:the sun

This 12' release is the fourth in the series in support of the Kuzoku film Bangkok Nites. Both songs here are covers of The Countryside is Great', a 70s luk thung classic originally sung by Runghpet Laemsing. The song, which plays a pivotal role in the film, is re-titled on the A side by Ozawa and the Babylon Band, who deliver a funky version with winsome vocals by Katsuya Tomita, one of the film's directors, who, as Ozawa, also plays the leading role in the film. The Babylon Band is led by Iwao Yamazaki, who has a long-running relationship with Kuzok films, he is the sound engineer of Bangkok Nites. The AA side is a version by the Tokyo-based synthesizer quartet Kufuki, with vocals by Rifu Otsu, a singer/voice performer and master of shigin. Cover art by Shinsuke Takagi of Soi48.

It's taken over two decades, but at last, the wait is over: Sevan Mater has unleashed the first- ever vinyl pressing of Live Damage , the iconic live performance by DARK TRANQUILLITY, captured during their "Damage Done" era. Pressed on Gold and Black swirl vinyl, limited to just 500 copies, and housed in a stunning gatefold cover, this reissue is nothing short of melodic death metal heaven. Originally released in 2003 as a DVD, Live Damage immortalized one of DT 's most intense and electric live shows - recorded in Krakow, Poland. Now, for the first time ever, that raw energy, that iconic Swedish aggression, and that perfectly balanced blend of melody and brutality has been etched into vinyl grooves for audiophiles and collectors alike. From the soaring leads of The Treason Wall to the punishing drive of Final Resistance, every track explodes with clarity and presence on wax.

The vinyl mastering brings new warmth and immediacy to the performance, giving fans the closest thing to being there, without the sweat and flying beer. And the packaging? Absolutely elite. Sevan Mater delivers a luxurious gatefold, featuring rare tour photos, liner notes, and an aesthetic drenched in cold, melancholic elegance. If you're a fan of At The Gates, In Flames, or if Damage Done was the soundtrack to your early 2000s fury, this release is a must-own. More than just a live album - it's a time capsule of melodic death metal at its peak.

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.

Le Corbeau, the brainchild of Oystein Sandsdalen (Serena Maneesh), has become a formidable collective. here with a trilogy of albums spanning eight years. Why such a productive group choses to release twenty-seven songs simultaneously may be a greater reflection on the myopic nature of record labels -The mystic deities of noir have returned. "The band"s sound bows to the vestiges of V.U., Sonic Youth, and Lynchian glamour- but each of the three albums show ambition to go beyond, by player freedom and improv, exploring textural layers, and nuancing each groove. Many songs remind us what we loved in 2009`s Evening Chill / Montreal of the Mind - surrealistic, seductive, draped in velvet. Some circle to the familiar with punk fuzz and playful themes, like "1000 eyed behemoth": about leaving Oslo"s night life behind. Other times, they are creators of their own classics. Opening track to VI: Sun Creeps Up the Wall, "Blossom with an Evil Light" recorded between 2017-2018, illuminates a a new path of change. The long anticipation is over- come enter the murky and magical waters of Le Corbeau." -Ann Sung-an Lee

Songs for Nothing was written upon Olan Monk’s return to the west coast of Ireland. The album is imbued with the influence of sean-nós singing, Irish language songs in the “old style” that often proclaim tales of love, loss and landscape; and also heavily indebted to the late Sinéad O’Connor’s confessional songwriting. Reconstructing these influences through their unique perspective has resulted in a fragmentary album veering between collaged pop, machinic rock and slow airs, “dedicated to Conamara and all who have called it home”. The western, Atlantic-facing edge of Ireland has a particular feeling and energy, one that permeates the release: the granite pulsates, the ocean and sky reflect intensities, seaweed rots on shingle shores, plants bloom, ancient trees come up for air from the drowned forest in Galway Bay, the sun splinters through the low clouds.

All songs written and arranged by Olan Monk
Vocals, guitars, piano and tin whistle performed by Olan Monk
Drum programming by Olan Monk featuring recordings of percussion performed by Michael Speers
Vocals on ‘Down 3’ and ‘Fate (Reprise)’ performed by Maria Somerville
Cello on ‘Blank Page’, ‘Oatmilk’, ‘Pomegranate’ and ‘Fate (Reprise)’ performed by Risteárd Ó’hAodha
Violin on ‘Corp’, ‘Down 3’ and ‘Drón Feadóige’ and accordion on ‘Amhrán Mhaínse’ performed by Peadar Tom Mercier
Bodhrán on ‘Corp’ and ‘Drón Feadóige’ performed by Aindriú De Buitléir
Harp on ‘10 Days’ performed by Róisín Berkeley
Flute on ‘10 Days’ performed by Dylan Kerr
Accordion on ‘Blank Page’ performed by Olan Monk

Recorded and mixed by Olan Monk
Additional mixing on ‘Can’t Wait’ by Patrick Burniston
Mastered by Noel Summerville
Photography by Charlie Joe Doherty
Artwork by Nicola Tirabasso
Thanks to Nic Tasker

With love to friends and family for their support in making this record
Dedicated to Conamara and all who have called it home

Le Corbeau, the brainchild of Oystein Sandsdalen (Serena Maneesh), has become a formidable collective. here with a trilogy of albums spanning eight years. Why such a productive group choses to release twenty-seven songs simultaneously may be a greater reflection on the myopic nature of record labels -The mystic deities of noir have returned. "The band"s sound bows to the vestiges of V.U., Sonic Youth, and Lynchian glamour- but each of the three albums show ambition to go beyond, by player freedom and improv, exploring textural layers, and nuancing each groove. Many songs remind us what we loved in 2009`s Evening Chill / Montreal of the Mind - surrealistic, seductive, draped in velvet. Some circle to the familiar with punk fuzz and playful themes, like "1000 eyed behemoth": about leaving Oslo"s night life behind. Other times, they are creators of their own classics. Opening track to VI: Sun Creeps Up the Wall, "Blossom with an Evil Light" recorded between 2017-2018, illuminates a a new path of change. The long anticipation is over- come enter the murky and magical waters of Le Corbeau." -Ann Sung-an Lee

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 3rd and final chapter in Cochemea's epic quest to explore and express the spiritual connection between his art and ancestry. For Vol 3: Ancestros Futuros, Cochemea entrusted his vision to a core group of longme collaborators-a powerful octet composed of New York-based percussionists and members of Daptone's famed rhythm section. Gabriel Roth (aka Bosco Mann) reprised his role as producer, recording and mixing the album live to 8-track analog tape. Cochemea continues to push the boundaries of his sound, blending past, present, and future into a ritual offering-an evolving sonic narrative where memory, survival and creativity converge.

Knob twisters Biesmans & Johannes Albert are back at it with another sun-drenched late summer weapon. This time they shine a "Tangerine Beam" straight onto the dancefloor. Expect a cheeky disco spark that might remind you of something at the core, bouncing rhythms, and a melody so infectious you'll catch yourself humming along after the first round. Both playful and relentless, "Tangerine Beam" connects the dots between timeless disco heat and modern club thunder. One spin and you'll know: this beam is unstoppable. For the vinyl fan, there will be an orange 12" even. When life gives you tangerines...

Evolving from a solo-project of Christian Wilson Larsen to a dynasty including members of Serena Maneesh, Le Corbeau, Mindy Misty, Burning Motherfuckers, Next Life, Far From Tellus and Deathcrush, - Izakaya Heartbeat is seemingly a constellation in flux - complimentary to their psychedelic soundscape. Three available albums in our catalog and more on the horizon. "They do a sort of driving early/mid 90s alt rock thing, mentioning Sonic Youth, MBV, Trumans Water, Unwound, Can, Mudhoney and 100 other bands you know as influences. Their guitar sound is definitely Thurston/Lee, but unlike SY, they have members who can headbang their impressively long locks when locating a locked noise-rock groove." - Stereogum

Liebe, Schmerz, das Tiefgründige, das Alltägliche: nyxy nyx ist für die Träumer und wahren Gläubigen. Tief im Kaninchenbau, gefangen in einer Schlinge, verwischen die zyklischen Riffs und Selbstreferenzen des Projekts die Grenzen zwischen Zeit und Realität und versetzen die Zuhörer in eine Déjà-vu-Falle aus unheimlichen Melodien und nebligen Blicken. Die für ihre Zeitlichkeit bekannte Band aus Philadelphia hat jahrelang an ihrer degenerativen Diskografie gearbeitet. Tracklisten werden geändert, Master ausgetauscht und Songs neu aufgenommen. In vielen Fällen ist eine Veröffentlichung nur für diejenigen zugänglich, die über einen Download oder eine physische Kopie verfügen. Zum ersten Mal überhaupt wird nyxy nyx sich zu einer vertraglich abgesicherten Unendlichkeit verpflichten. ,Cult Classics Vol. 1" erscheint bei Julia's War Records. Brian Reichert, Tim Jordan (Sun Organ), Benjamin Schurr (Luna Honey) und Alex Ha (ex-Knifeplay) werden von Madeline Johnston (Midwife) und Josh Meakim (A Sunny Day in Glasgow) für das erste Studioalbum von nyxy nyx in voller Besetzung unterstützt. Aufgenommen von Dan Angel, ist ,Cult Classics Vol. 1" die härteste Version von nyxy nyx und fängt ihre schlammige und transzendente Live-Energie ein - die perfekte (Wieder-)Einführung für Fans und Neulinge gleichermaßen. nyxy nyx startete 2014 als Performance-Kunstprojekt von Brian Riechert und Drew Saracco. Das Duo spielte Noise- und Underground-Punk-Shows und arbeitete mit vielen Freunden und Gastmusikern zusammen. Home-Aufnahmen, Kassetten und CDs von ,nyxy nyx" wurden von Labels vertrieben, aber die meisten sind DIY: handgemacht, mit Freunden geteilt und in kleinen Bibliotheken zu finden. Bis 2020 stellte nyxy nyx eine Live-Band zusammen, spielte regelmäßig, tourte an der Ostküste und nahm dann ,Cult Classics Vol. 1" auf. Jeder Song auf diesem Album wurde live gespielt, aber keiner zweimal gleich.

This vinyl features the music from the 4th film in the Saint Seiya saga. It also includes 2 tracks from the Asgard TV series (tracks 11 and 12), one piece from the soundtrack of the 3rd film Abel, and a variation of a track from the Poseidon arc (track 13). Finally, the last track is once again a variation combining two themes from both Asgard and Poseidon.

With ten original compositions (and one well-chosen cover) to record and a schedule window of just one day in New York City to record them, there was no margin for error. For the frontline Kerry picked a pair of legends - Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar and Jaleel Shaw on alto and soprano sax. In the rhythm section she selected NYC's busiest bassist Alex Claffy and, keeping it close to home, her partner George Colligan on drums. And in the face of delayed flights and traffic hold- ups, the album Alternate Route was created, hitting the highest standards of performance with the depth and warmth of Kerry's challenging but engaging compositions. It's a set of tough and tender tunes that combine sophisticated harmony with intricate but accessible melodies to inspire some fierce blowing from everyone, all delivered with a concise, timely precision.

The empathy and good feeling flowing between the players are audible from the first notes: "Kurt, Jaleel and Alex all have Philly roots so there's a really strong relationship there. Alex is incredibly gifted, and Jaleel is such a beautiful player with such a huge, recognizable sound. And it was such a thrill to have Kurt on the album - he's one of my favorite composers and I've been a fan for such a long time." Each player has a powerful personality and Kerry allows them free rein, yet such is the strength of her compositions, and her calmly stated but immensely powerful presence on piano, that no one player dominates the music: everyone finds their own alternate route to excellence.

Clear Red Vinyl. In den späten 1990er Jahren zog Peter ,Sleazy" Christopherson mit Jhonn Balance - seinem Lebens- und Coil-Partner - von London ins ländliche Weston-super-Mare, und schuf ein Umfeld für alles, was ,musick, musick, musick!" heißt, mit einer wechselnden Mitgliedern, darunter Thighpaulsandra. Coil's Coil verdoppelte sich fast, und inmitten dieser fruchtbaren Zeit stellte Thighpaulsandra die einfache Frage: Warum spielt Coil nicht live? Nach einer 16 Jahren Wartezeit, dank des rasanten technischen Fortschritts in Form von MacBooks, DAWs, VSTs und Plug-ins waren Coil in der Lage, ihre Musik auf die Bühne zu bringen, wie sie es sich immer vorgestellt hatten. Mit der Performance konnten sie die Risiken und Freiheiten der Echtzeit-Klangmanipulation, wie Sleazy anmerkt: ,Die Show wird Minute für Minute umgestaltet die Show Minute für Minute... die Richtung ist sehr spontan, nicht so sehr in Jazz-Improvisation, sondern in einer Art Bewusstseinsstrom - Thighpaulsandra brachte uns seine Weisheit, und er konnte uns überzeugen, dass wir es schaffen konnten." Wenn Coil live spielten, waren sie, wie eine Schlange, die sich häutet" alle sechs Monate in etwas völlig anderes; in der Vorbereitung auf das 2004er "Even an Evil Fatigue"-Liveserie vorbereiteten, begannen Coil mit der Arbeit an ihrem nächsten, die Zeit definierenden Meisterwerk Black Antlers. Black Antlers zeigt die späte Coil-Periode: reduzierter, straffer und schlanker. Die Musik wurde rhythmischer, mit einer größeren Betonung auf Beats: ,Die Songs, die wir gemacht haben, sind eher... nicht Rock im eigentlichen Sinne, aber du weißt schon, konventioneller in Bezug auf die Struktur, aber jetzt ist das, was wir tun, eine Art elektronischen' Genre." Der Sound von Black Antlers ist eine mitreißende Energie, die Thighpaulsandras fortschrittliche Synthese, Balances poetische Lyrik und Christophersons Flirten mit Jazz und Ableton-gestütztem PowerBook Maximalismus. Vervollständigt wurde das Trio durch den renommierten Drehleierspieler Cliff Stapleton auf einer ,speziell in Auftrag gegebenen" elektrischen Variante, die sich in die ,seltsame und weltfremde Musik" der Band zu integrieren; der an der Royal Academy of Music ausgebildete Perkussionist Tom Edwards (der auch mit Thighpaulsandra in der der Live-Band von Spiritualized auftrat); und der Spezialist für europäische und nahöstliche Blasinstrumente Mike York an Pfeifen, Bombarde, Duduk und Balalaika.

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.

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'.

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.

Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 2.


These albums are important because they are Sun Ra's first recordings before the Saturn sessions, made in 1956 when the Chicago musicians were searching for something more, something beyond.



In 1957, Transition Records gave us Volume 1, but before Volume 2 could be released, the label went bankrupt, and it took more than a decade for it to finally be released on the Delmark label. Today, for the first time, both volumes are available, as they were meant to be from the beginning.
Volume 2 is presented here for the first time with the silver cover originally planned by Transition!

Originally released in 2005, Supernature was Goldfrapp’s era-defining masterpiece, a multi-layered sonic-pop thriller that shattered the electronic rulebook, replacing it with a radical, high-gloss vision of pop music at its most seductive and strange.

Supernature catapulted Goldfrapp into the pop stratosphere, spawning now-classic singles like “Ooh La La”, “Number 1”, and “Ride A White Horse”. The album topped charts worldwide, earned multi-platinum sales, garnered multiple BRIT and GRAMMY nominations.

Now reissued for its 20th anniversary, the deluxe edition offers fans the classic original album alongside B-sides, classic & brand new remixes, unreleased live radio session recordings and an Audio Blu-ray 5.1 surround mix. The release is presented across 3 CDs (2CD + Audio Blu-Ray) in deluxe packaging, alongside a stunning peacock-coloured double vinyl edition (the second disc being a remix 12” single EP), with everything cut at half speed for enhanced sound quality.

The new edition includes two brand new Goldfrapp remixes by Alison Goldfrapp & Will Gregory, with exclusive reinterpretations from Richard X, Sun’s Signature (Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) & Damon Reece (Massive Attack, Spiritualized).

With the release of this deluxe edition, Goldfrapp don’t just revisit Supernature, they reaffirm its enduring influence in 2025’s musical landscape and beyond.

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.

"On the Huh" is taken from the deepest UK slang term 'on the huh' meaning: Not level, crooked or wonky. Comprised of singer Sloss (Braindance), guitarist Chris (Infa Riot), bassist Dave (Special Duties) and drummer Tom (Infa Riot), "ON THE HUH" from Norwich have taken the scene by storm with their first album "Bit on the side", which was sold out in a few weeks. Now it's time for their new album "Second Time Around"! The 12 new songs are a perfect match of glam, brickwall, and streetpunk with strong Oi! and rock and roll influences. "On the Huh" are "on our own way" and what really sets this record miles apart, however, is the sense for catchy songwriting and the fun and authenticity they convey with every chord. "Class of 65" is a melodic homage to the original Mods from the 1960s and the youth cult that like rock and roll, influenced rebels and subcultures from Punk, Oi to Brit-Pop and beyond. Society is changing, but good old British punk rock will never go out of style. Songs like "Generation apart" or "Spirit unbroken" hit the bullseye. When you sit at the bar in an English pub after work, watching the guys at the dartboard, 'On the Huh' could be sitting at the next table. From the jukebox, 'Sussed Out' and 'Don't Wanna Be Like You' are blasting. You take a big sip of your pint, smile quietly to yourself, and nod. Outside, the world keeps spinning rapidly and has forgotten what really matters. "'Second time around' is like an old friend to you_ `Is there a more beautiful compliment for a band and their music?

"On the Huh" is taken from the deepest UK slang term 'on the huh' meaning: Not level, crooked or wonky. Comprised of singer Sloss (Braindance), guitarist Chris (Infa Riot), bassist Dave (Special Duties) and drummer Tom (Infa Riot), "ON THE HUH" from Norwich have taken the scene by storm with their first album "Bit on the side", which was sold out in a few weeks. Now it's time for their new album "Second Time Around"! The 12 new songs are a perfect match of glam, brickwall, and streetpunk with strong Oi! and rock and roll influences. "On the Huh" are "on our own way" and what really sets this record miles apart, however, is the sense for catchy songwriting and the fun and authenticity they convey with every chord. "Class of 65" is a melodic homage to the original Mods from the 1960s and the youth cult that like rock and roll, influenced rebels and subcultures from Punk, Oi to Brit-Pop and beyond. Society is changing, but good old British punk rock will never go out of style. Songs like "Generation apart" or "Spirit unbroken" hit the bullseye. When you sit at the bar in an English pub after work, watching the guys at the dartboard, 'On the Huh' could be sitting at the next table. From the jukebox, 'Sussed Out' and 'Don't Wanna Be Like You' are blasting. You take a big sip of your pint, smile quietly to yourself, and nod. Outside, the world keeps spinning rapidly and has forgotten what really matters. "'Second time around' is like an old friend to you_ `Is there a more beautiful compliment for a band and their music?

Moving freely through time and space via experimental DIY recordings since 2009, Joasihno return with their fourth album "Spots".

“Find your spot in the shade,” a truly laid-back and incredibly soft-spoken MC once advised, yet in a world that seems to get shadier every day, it’s probably time to finally get out and face the sun. Southern German experimental pop duo Joasihno – initial solo founder Cico Beck (The Notwist, Aloa Input, Spirit Fest) and drummer/composer Nico Sierig (Instrument, Fehler Kuti) – seem to know exactly when it’s time to shine. Idiosyncratic genre tweakers since day one, they have been operating at their own pace, mostly staying in their own shady corner. Yet, almost a decade after their most recent “Meshes” (an album that came with a whole legion of tiny music robots), it’s high time for them to take over more corners, to reclaim even more spots between lo-fi and sci-fi, retro electronica and contemporary classic. Drawing upon influences as varied as Reich, Riley, and Ryuichi, múm, Meek, and Moondog, while also nodding to other experimental twosomes (e.g. The Books), the duo’s fourth full-length “Spots” is set to arrive via Alien Transistor in late 2025.

Leaving soulless automation and all things artificial to others, Joasihno launch the latest record on “2 Squares” that feel like a peaceful, almost bucolic version of retro space age: lights blink ever so softly as easy-going bass tones point at today’s introspective flight arc. Electronic shapes align and things lift off – with a majestic 8-bit sunrise soon appearing right in front of us. Whereas playful title song “Spots” is a miniature Rube Goldberg kind of device, with quirky plucked strings and glitches setting off more and more contraption layers, “Crackleboom” is uncharted energy, an open landscape, an expanding bonfire that leads to a long-forgotten piano, all dust-covered in some kind of saloon. Space might be only noise to others, here, it’s foreboding screeches (“Dizzle Whistle”) that make room for A-side center piece “Forest Lights”: a steady beat that lures us to a clearance in the woods. Things break and shatter in the distance, but this spot right here is for hypnosis, dancing, sylvan spirits. And yeah, it’s surprisingly hot down here in the undergrowth…

Opening side B with a fun banger that takes the unhinged dancing to the playground – “Characa Orb.” feels like French kids on swings going crazy, a tipsy, tongue-in-cheek electro blow-out between Oizo and Orbis Tertius –, things get even more cinematic throughout the second half. Even the cheapest, lo-fiest gear is sufficient to make “The Slow Hour” glow like true, timeless pop royalty. In fact, the very same pop spirits roam and celebrate freely in the chirpy coves of mesmerizing “Detune Lagoon” – more hand-crafted sci-fi/lo-fi loops you’ll only find after facing the ghosts of Lynch or Sakamoto on those night-time trails under the “Deep Moon”. It’s all DIY spots, spots that leave room to dream or dangle, drape yourself over or dive into. Returning to the leafy bower on a melancholy post rock tip, we eventually learn that “Death Is Real” – and so we’re left with a laterna magica that turns and turns and turns. It’s a beautiful spot where light and shadows keep on dancing, just like they’ve always done, ever since the dawn of this madcap universe.

The story begins with Kevin Morby absentmindedly flipping through a box of old family photos in the basement of his childhood home in Kansas City. Just hours before, at a family dinner, his father had collapsed in front of him and had to be rushed to the hospital. That night Morby still felt the shock and fear lodged in his bones. So he gazed at the images until one of the pictures jumped out at him: his father as a young man, proud and strong and filled with confidence, posing on a lawn with his shirt off. This was in January of 2020. As the months went on and the world dramatically changed around him, Morby felt an eerie similarity between his feelings of that night and the atmosphere of those spring days. Fear, anxiety, hope and resilience all churning together. The themes began twisting in his mind. History, trauma and the grand fight against time. Having the courage to dream, even while knowing the tragedy that often awaits those who dare to dream. While his father regained his strength, Morby meditated on these ideas. And then, he headed to Memphis. He moved into the Peabody Hotel and spent his days paying tribute and genuflecting to the dreamers he admired. In the evening, he would return to his room and document his ideas on a makeshift recording set-up, with just his guitar and a microphone. The songs, elegiac in nature, befitting all he had seen, poured out of him.Produced by Sam Cohen (who also worked on Morby’s Singing Saw and Oh My God), This Is A Photograph features musical contributions from longtime staples of Morby’s live band, as well as old friends and new collaborators alike. If Oh My God saw Morby getting celestial and in constant motion and Sundowner was a study in localized intent, This Is A Photograph finds Morby making an Americana paean, a visceral life and death, blood on the canvas outpouring. As Morby reminds us early on, time is undefeated. So what do we do while we’re still here? This is a photograph of that sense of yearning

A year on from Aura Safari and Jimi Tenor's Sensory Blending and DJs and dancers are still lost in its summer charms, but there have also been a series of standout remixes taken from the originals, which now get assembled on one vital 12": Sensory ReBlending features Willie Graff, Reverso 68 Dub, Jazz N Palms and Luminodisco.

First up is Ibiza favourite Willie Graff, who tackles the spellbinding original 'Bewitched By The Sea'. He brings a signature Balearic beat perfect for cruising around the island as the sun blazes with its dubby, swaying drums and more prominent vocal, all brought to life with delicate percussion and gentle synth pulses. Label regular Federico Costantini aka Luminodisco also returns with a mature post-Balearic touch that douses the track in an ocean of dubby echo. Gorgeous Spanish guitars and jumbled percussion form a life raft which floats out to sea under the sultry wind motifs.

Reverso 68 is the studio-based project of Pete Herbert and Phil Mison, and over the last decade-plus, they have mastered the art of making music for swimming pools. Their version of 'Your Magic Touch' is low-slung and deep with a mid-tempo four-four groove sprinkled with tropical percussion. The muted chords are gloriously dreamy and the whole thing is perfect for early evening warm-ups.

Jazz N Palms is Hell Yeah family and is currently riding a wave of acclaim for his See Rodes (Revisades) album on his own Jazz N Palms Recordings. He flips 'Lunar Wind' into poolside perfection with heart-melting sax notes and rippling keys, soothing female tones and dubby breaks. It's a perfect soundtrack to heavenly ascent.

These remixes perfectly extend the soul-soothing pleasures of Sensory Blending with plenty of fresh but sympathetic perspective.

The project is co-led by Copenhagen-born saxophonist Andreas Toftemark, a European Jazz Master and recipient of the Bent Jædig Prize, whose career has taken him from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam to The New School in New York. He is joined by Benny Benack III, the multi-award winning Emmy-nominated trumpeter and vocalist lauded for his charismatic performances with the likes of Christian McBride, Chad Lefkovitz-Brown, Peter Bernstein and more. Rasmus Sorensen adds a vital piano voice, fresh from winning a Danish Music Award in 2024 and releasing Balancing Act (2024) featuring modern drum icon Kendrick Scott. On bass, Finnish talent Kaisa Mäensivu - leader of her own project Kaisa"s Machine - brings international credentials shaped at the Sibelius Academy, Manhattan School of Music, and festivals including Pori Jazz. Completing the lineup is New York drummer Joe Peri, a Grammy-winning artist featured on Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga"s Love for Sale and a familiar face at Birdland, Mezzrow, and other NYC institutions. Together, they craft Roadmap - a set of originals born from tours around the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and honed on the road. Each member contributes compositions: from Toftemark"s modal-driven title track and brisk swinger What Gets You to Peri"s hard-hitting opener Icebreaker, Mäensivu"s funk-tinged The Lemur, and Sorensen"s harmonically dense New York Attitude. The quintet also delivers moments of intimacy, with Again - a co-write between Toftemark and Benack - adding lyrics penned on tour and sung with understated warmth. As Benack reflects: "When I play with Andreas, I"m thinking of Joe Henderson and Kenny Dorham, of Clifford Brown and Harold Land. But this isn"t just a revival of a classic hard bop record-the heart and soul of it is the Copenhagen-New York connection."

Toyah’s 1991 solo album Ophelia's Shadow is issued on limited edition picture disc vinyl for the first time ever.

The picture disc features colour images on each side of the vinyl and is housed in special die-cut vinyl outer sleeves containing previously unseen colour photography from the album shoot.

A personal favourite album of her catalogue, Toyah confirms: “Above all, this is the one album I have made that truly represents me. I’m fiercely proud of it. Ophelia’s Shadow is not just a record, it’s a reflection of who I was, who I am, and who I continue to become. It’s the sound of resilience, reinvention, and raw truth.”

The album features a band line-up including Trey Gunn on stick, Paul Beavis on drums and Tony Geballe on guitar. Two tracks, Brilliant Day and Lords Of The Never Known feature Robert Fripp on guitar and were originally played live by Sunday All Over The World, the band Toyah & Robert Fripp toured and recorded with in the late 1980s.

Anthology 4 - Triple LP. The new volume from The Beatles Anthology Collection.

Anthology 4, is newly curated by Giles Martin, including 13 previously unreleased demos, plus fascinating session and other rare recordings dating from 1963 to 1969. It also includes the band’s final single, ‘Now And Then’, released in 2023, and new mixes of The Beatles’ Anthology-associated hit singles: the GRAMMY-winning ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’, given new life by their original producer, Jeff Lynne, using de-mixed John Lennon vocals. Furthermore, Anthology 4 presents 26 tracks that have never previously been released on vinyl.

The track notes are written by Kevin Howlett with an introduction compiled from 1996 interviews recorded with The Beatles’ close friend and adviser Derek Taylor.

Pressed on 180g black vinyl, the triple LP is housed within poly-lined inner bags and a triple gatefold sleeve.

„Good things take time“; this saying fits perfect for the new and fifth studio album „High On Fire“ of the inernational Classic Hard Rock group SAINTED SINNERS, featuring vocalist Jack Meile (Tygers Of Pan Tang), founding member and guitar player Frank Pané (Bonfire), Ernesto Ghezzi (Gotthard) on Keyboards, Samy Saemann (ex-Fredom Call) on bass and Berci Hirleman on drums. With almost three years in the making, the band returns with their newest collection of songs under the bands own motto: The Essence of Rock’n’Roll. „High On Fire“ delivers a feeling of good time Rock’n’Roll vibes! Let‘s forget and escape from all the bad things in life and enjoy life to the fullest with freedom of expression and a overall positive attitude. With „High On Fire“ you should feel uplifted by music. The album features ten new tracks, including a surprise The Who cover-version, done in the SAINTED SINNERS style!

Beautifully packaged in a deluxe slipcase, this 4LP box set combines the red vinyl.

Volume 1 and blue vinyl Volume 2 2LP collections. The fully illustrated inner sleeves contain new liner notes with various band members and long-time producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley,

in conversation with renowned author and journalist Paul Sexton.

If people were unaware of the significance of Joan Baez to western culture, her portrayal in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (played by Monica Barbaro) underlines how central she was to the popularization of folk music in the early 1960s. And it is her decade- previous relationship with Dylan that hovers joyously over Diamonds & Rust. The title track is about a thinly disguised ex-lover who calls up out of the blue; it remains one of her most loved songs in a 65- year- career.

There's a playful cover of "Simple Twist Of Fate" from Dylan's then just released Blood On The Tracks, complete with impersonation in a later verse; and "Winds Of The Old Days", written in response to Dylan touring again after a lengthy hiatus. Diamonds & Rust is a perfect, sunshine- drenched album of west- coast folk- tinged rock, full of star session players. It could almost have been a signal to all the recent comers on her patch many of them friends and colleagues, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Maria Muldaur that Baez was here first and was sweetly reasserting her authority. Just listen to her mastery on "Children & All That Jazz", her cover of Stevie Wonder's "Never Thought You'd Leave In Summer" and the poignant closing medley of "I Dream Of Jeannie/Danny Boy".

Relive the early years of Madness with 'Hit Parade Vol. 1 1979-1986'. This 23-track 2LP set remembers the early years of Madness; containing a selection of their biggest hits and best loved tunes. It includes 23 UK Top 40 hits such as 'One Step Beyond', 'Embarrassment', 'My Girl', and 'Night Boat To Cairo'.

Beautifully packaged in a deluxe, gatefold sleeve, this 2LP collection is pressed on translucent red vinyl. The fully illustrated inner sleeves contain new liner notes with various band members and long-time producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, in conversation with renowned author and journalist Paul Sexton.

Firmly established as national treasures and as one of the UK’s most cherished and beloved bands, Madness are adored by their loyal and huge following. Their consistently sold-out shows illustrate their enduring qualities resulting in their popularity continuing to grow and grow.