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"What Lies Beneath" ist das zweite Studioalbum der fi nnischen Künstlerin Tarja. Ursprünglich 2010 veröffentlicht, ist es mit Hits wie "Until My Last Breath", "I Feel Immortal" und "Falling Awake" ein echter Fanliebling und bis heute eines ihrer erfolgreichsten Alben. Die 2024 Re-Issue ist als "2CD Deluxe Digipak" und, zum ersten Mal, als "Heavyweight 2LP Vinyl" (Gatefold, 180g, schwarz) erhältlich. Beide Formate bieten ein wunderschön restauriertes Artwork, und alle Tracks wurden bei Sterling Sound remastered.

Das macht die 2024 Re-Issue zum ultimativen "What Lies Beneath"-Erlebnis. Das 2CD Deluxe Digipak enthält außerdem 15 weitere Songs, darunter alternative Versionen, Single-Edits und Remixe. Viele davon wurden bis heute noch nicht physisch veröffentlicht. Außerdem enthält es den Track "The Good Die Young" von The Scorpions & Tarja, welcher ursprünglich nur als Bonustrack auf dem 2010er Ltd. "Dreamers" Boxset enthalten war.

PHANTOM OF THE AFTERS is the 3rd album from Irish rapper Kojaque, out on his very own Soft Boy Records. With landmark projects Deli Daydreams and Town’s Dead, that saw him 2x nominated for Choice Music Prize, receive support from Radio 1, 1xtra, 6Music, support Loyle Carner & Lana Del Rey and headline festivals across Ireland, Kojaque changed the rap landscape (and Irish culture) for good. Collaborations on his latest project include Biig Piig, Wiki, Charlotte Dos Santos and Gotts Street Park. The album traces blurred outlines of childhood trauma, depression, grief and love, interweaving the physical and emotional journey of central character Jackie Dandelion with bigger questions about immigrant identity, homesickness, cultural stereotypes and ultimately the reconciliation of self. Kojaque has created a cinematic-universe that is bigger in scope but also more tender and intimate in approach than ever before. It’s this willingness to be vulnerable - grotesque, even - that’s captured in the album’s iconic artwork, which subverts the bigoted depictions of Irish caricatures in 19th and 20th century Punch Magazine cartoons and sees this particular Phantom of the Opera remove not just those distorted masks, but also his own.

With songs that are cocksure and contemplative, brutally honest but also refreshingly myth-making, PHANTOM OF THE AFTERS marks a new era from Kojaque: one of his generation’s most unique talents. In suitably audio-visual style, the album traces blurred outlines of childhood trauma, depression, grief and love. It interweaves the journey of central character Jackie Dandelion from Dublin to London with bigger questions about immigrant identity, homesickness, cultural stereotypes and ultimately the reconciliation of self. It’s this willingness to be vulnerable - grotesque, even - that’s captured in the iconic artwork, which subverts the bigoted depictions of Irish caricatures in 19th and 20th century Punch Magazine cartoons and sees this particular Phantom of the Opera remove not just those distorted masks, but also his own.

The record drops alongside one of its more brooding moments, ‘WHAT IF?’: a soulful ode to anxiety, and the crippling impact of fear in moving forward in life or your relationships. “I’ve been obsessed with Charlotte Dos Santos ever since I heard her project Cleo,” Kojaque comments. “She’s just got such a distinct voice and sound. I sent the track over hoping she’d be into it and she sent me back a near perfect hook.” A fully independent artist, Kojaque has brought a stellar lineup of guests together on his latest work: from Biig Piig, Charlotte Dos Santos and NY rapper Wiki (who featured on ‘JOHNNY MCENROE’) to Gotts Street Park (‘BAMBI’) plus production credits such as Calvin Valentine (Ryan Beaty), Tony Seltzer (Eartheater, Freddie Gibbs) and Karma Kid (Hak Baker, Shygirl).

PHANTOM OF THE AFTERS will see Kojaque continue to blaze a trail around the world. He first came to prominence with the genre-bending concept record Deli Daydreams: it became the first mixtape to ever be nominated for the Choice Music Prize, and demonstrated his prowess not only as a polymathic artist, but DIY label-head (co-founding Soft Boy Records, which was subject to a Boiler Room documentary) and visual artist (Kojaque has received a prestigious Royal Hibernian Academy Award for his film-making). Even as the rest of the world sat up and paid Irish Art some long-overdue attention, Kojaque’s creative output has remained thrillingly uncompromising. Tour-de-force debut album Town’s Dead examined everything from gentrification, masculinity and mental health to a gnarly love-triangle unfolding on New Year’s Eve, held together by a multi-hyphenate attitude. Once again nominated for the Choice Prize, Kojaque played a sold-out UK & European headline tour around the restrictive local lockdowns, with the album landing additional support across the likes of Radio 1, 1xtra, 6Music, plus shows with Lana Del Rey and Loyle Carner (who also sampled Kojaque on hugo). With his landmark projects to date, Kojaque changed the rap landscape (and Irish culture) for good. On PHANTOM OF THE AFTERS, you sense he’s just getting started.

The making of Congo Funk!, our long-awaited journey to the musical heart of the African continent, took the Analog Africa Team on two journeys to Kinshasa and one to Brazzaville. Selected meticulously from around 2000 songs and boiled down to 14, this compilation aims to showcase the many facets of the funky, hypnotic and schizophrenic tunes emanating from the two Congolese capitals nestled on the banks of the Congo River.

On its south shore, the city of Kinshasa – capital of Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country formerly known as Zaïre – is often seen as Africa’s musical Mecca, the city that spawned such immortal bands as African Jazz, O.K. Jazz and African Fiesta, and the place to which aspiring musicians from throughout the continent would go to make a name for themselves.

But the city of Brazzaville on the north shore of the river – capital of the Congo Republic – played an equally important role in spreading Congolese sounds continentally. In addition to producing legendary bands such as Les Bantous de la Capital, it was the powerful transmitters of Radio Brazzaville that allowed the unmistakable groove of Congolese Rumba to be heard as far away as Nairobi, Yaoundé, Luanda and Lusaka thus turning the electric guitar into the continent’s most important instrument!

Although the musical landscape of these cities had been defined by a core group of bands in the late 1950s, the modernisation of Congolese music has been steadily evolving until the events surrounding the Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman boxing match marked a turning point. The promoter of that event known as “Rumble In The Jungle” was none other than the notorious Don King who needed 10 millions dollars to get Ali and Foreman into a boxing ring. The only candidate willing to put this kind of cash on the table was Mobutu Sese Seko, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mobutu - the megalomaniac dictator who got to power with the support of the United States and Belgium in exchange for unlimited and affordable access to the riches of the country - had a soft spot for music and it doesn’t come as a surprise that he agreed to a three-day live music festival being organised prior to the “Rumble”. Zaïre 74 - as the festival was dubbed - was meant to hype the boxing match and many stars were invited.

Although a myriads of artists flocked in for the occasion, it was the performance of James Brown on Zairian soil that caused havoc among the younger generation, inspiring hundreds of would-be musicians to take up their electric guitars and reverbs cranked to the max in search of a new sound in which hyperactive Rumba was blended with elements of psych and funk. While the results were very different from the popular music of the three Musketeers - as Tabu Ley, Franco and Verckys were known - they weren’t a complete break with tradition.

These new sounds emerged at a time when the Congolese record industry – previously dominated by European major labels – was experiencing a period of decline due to rising production costs and needed a radical change. The void was filled by dozens of entrepreneurs willing to take chances on smaller scale releases. It was the beginning of a golden age for Congolese independent record labels, and the best of them – Cover N°1, Mondenge, Editions Moninga, Super Contact – preserved the work of some of the region’s finest artists, while launching a generation of younger musicians into the spotlight.

The movement was greatly helped by legendary radio shows but it was the dynamic productions of Télé-Zaïre that set the dynamite on fire. Legend has it that TV shows were so huge that president Mobutu himself ordered RTV du Zaïre to put on daily concerts since it halted criminal activities for the duration of the evening.

Congo Funk! is the story of these sounds and labels, but most of all it is the story of two cities, separated by water but united by an indestructible groove. The fourteen songs on this double LP showcase the many facets of the Congolese capitals, and highlight the bands and artists, famous and obscure, who pushed Rumba to new heights and ultimately influenced the musical landscape of the entire continent and beyond.

Early Moods’ sophomore album A Sinner’s Past is the ultimate dosage of classic early 70s proto-metal, 90s grunge riffing and timeless songwriting delivered with an explosive youthful energy. The Los Angeles area quartet burst onto the scene fully formed with a sound that somehow simultaneously merged gritty underground Street Doom with slick “big box” Heavy Metal melodies on their self-titled RidingEasy debut album in 2022. And it’s the band’s highly skilled musicianship paired with exquisite aesthetic taste — in addition to their killer live show — that has made them an immediate popular favorite. A Sinner’s Past takes those elements several steps higher with a nod to Soundgarden’s huge sonic depth, the low-mid fuzz drenched tones of Sabotage and classic 70s melodies and structures of Ulli Roth-era Scorpions. The latter in particular inspiring the album’s intricate tonal shifts and shimmering twin leads. “I’m very proud of these songs,” says guitarist Eddie Andrade. “We did a lot of different things, took a lot of chances and show a lot of growth, and I think people will pick up on it. I was trying to use more open chords, not the typical styles. We came off touring with Candlemass and Pentagram, sharing those shows with our heroes really pumped us up. We went into the studio just hungry to record.” The album was recorded near the band’s home base in Pico Rivera, CA by Allen Falcon of Birdcage Studios, who also mixed their debut album. “He’s a good friend of the band and we wanted to be more comfortable, in a relaxed environment for this,” Andrade says. “He had a lot of input and his ideas made a lot of impact on this recording.” The band started recording in May 2023, then worked on the album on and off for 3 months between tours, which also lends to its very refined sound. Early Moods was founded in 2015 by Andrade and vocalist/keyboardist Alberto Alcaraz after a few years of playing in thrash and death metal projects before the two realized that the classic doom that they’d grown up with was what they really wanted to explore. Going through a few lineup changes while delving deeper into the diverging influences that were calling, Early Moods arrived at the sound and lineup that grew their fanbase locally. The band released their debut EP Spellbound in 2020 on German label Dying Victim Productions, followed by their self-titled debut full length on RidingEasy Records in 2023. Early Moods is Oscar Hernandez on lead guitar, Chris Flores on drums, Elix Felciano on bass, Alcaraz on vocals/synth and Andrade on guitar.

Limited edition tri-color splatter vinyl. The vinyl edition of Daedelus' new LP "Xenopocene" features a die cut cover title album text which allows the viewer to see the multi color swirling vinyl beneath. Xenopocene means Alien Age. Some have theorized our current is the Anthropocene; however in an era where artificially generated and deep faked, what is terrestrial in origin vs u.f.o.? Daedelus’ latest LP ‘Xenopocene’, inspired by their artist-in-residency with S.E.T.I. follows a timeline from an extraterrestrial first contact thru to 10k days hence and spiraling towards the nearest exoplanet 6,000+ years away. Attempting to parse out science informed fiction from the fact that in an unfathomable universe life exists outside our confines. Actually there are guidelines in place for receiving such a communication. In S.E.T.I.'s Protocols for an ETI Signal Detection (which first line reads "Declaration of Principles Concerning the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence...") well measured steps from such an awesome event could almost be read as unexceptional. Hyperbole has little place in the sciences whereas music makes the most from. Daedelus across 11 tracks deftly deals with space inspired sounds pulling equally from Gustav Holst and Sun Ra as Alice Deejay and Amon Tobin. No techno-optimism here, ultimately this is Earth music made to dream upwards. Asking us to reckon with our humanity while daring us to envision a new epoch. Interlaced throughout are quavering violins by Vivek Menon. Featuring words from the singular R.A.P. Ferreira on "Starfire" and extra instrumentation from Eli Henry Goss of the Breathing Effect in "Float

Smudge All Stars is Richie Stevens' audio intelligence collective. Richie is the son of the late John Stevens, a pioneer of British free jazz, and a gifted drummer, percussionist and producer in his own right. His talents have found him in constant demand, working with everyone from Horace Andy and Joss Stone to Boy George and Damon Albarn. Now, with Smudge All Stars, Richie leads a funk/soul ensemble that draws on his friendships with many leading black British, Jamaican and US musicians.

Smudge All Stars is Richie’s musical vision writ large. This is a party album in the old school P-funk tradition, all instrumentation is recorded live with Stevens calling on the original Horny Horns Fred Wesley and Peewee Ellis to help build a fat brass groove for the authentic P-Funk vibe and George Clinton vocals for the ultimate seal of funk approval.

The 8-track musical extravaganza commences with ‘Brutal Funk’; a rousing psychedelic funk workout that encompasses a delicious groove cooked up by the famed Jamiroquai member DJ D-Zire and the powerful vocals of British soul singer Mary Pearce. ‘Up is Just a Place Feat. George Clinton’ continues the party vibes by bringing none other than the P-Funk master himself together with Mary Pearce, MWS, Derek 'Dr Mouthquake' Green and the decorated British soul singer-songwriter Omar for a full flavoured aural delight. Cue tight rapping, funky beats and scratching alongside slap bass and a slice of synth for good measure.

Other highlights include, ‘Freaky Toe’ which opts for a smoother groove than its predecessors with seductive vocals courtesy of Soul II Soul’s Charlotte Kelly. ‘B Side’ sees Mary Pearce join Derek 'Dr Mouthquake' Green for another upbeat affair, accompanied by the legendary American trombonist Fred Wesley (James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic) who adds a distinctive touch to the track.

Guests are Jessica Higgins and Matthew Walkerdine of Glasgow, UK, both formerly of the bands Vital Idles and Mordwaffe. They have been closely tied with DIY music, art and publishing for over a decade. Using (amateur) electronics, singing, speaking and field recording they make songs which blend the rhythms of popular music and contemporary approaches to collage, sampling, improvisation and repetition. As inspired by film and art as they are the legacies of twee underground and avant garde experimentalism, their loose, domestically twinged compositions explore feelings, atmospheres and moments which are hard to articulate and the quite literal notion of being a “guest”.

“I wish I was special” is their debut record, and with it a chance taken to explore terrain not previously covered by their other groups. The ideology of DIY practice appears integral to these eleven compositions, side-stepping virtuosity in favour of instinct and impression, unafraid to press unknown buttons and walk head first into mistake, finding inspiration where convention might not otherwise allow one to tread. The results are confoundingly fresh, sharp-of-mind, and unusually intimate. There’s an obvious intelligence at play here, and no little humour of course, but crucially there’s also a sense of the personal, a first-thought/best-thought (auto)didacticism that celebrates shared understanding and implicit trust. What, ultimately, we might view as the fearlessness in radically being yourself around another. It’s an approach that draws some comparison with the private musings of Flaming Tunes, Idea Fire Company’s domestic electronics, or perhaps even Annea Lockwood’s framing of emotional connection within avant garde structures. More so, Guests represent a compelling continuation of DIY post-punk experimentation that values intuition over prowess, and with it guides the listener into unexpected spaces that somehow comfort as much as they challenge.




d Arrangements, as in Making Them [VIDEO]

Merge Now in Friendship is about death and impermanence. It is a wilting flower beheld from a passing vehicle. It is neither lament nor declaration. The three songs that comprise this EP share a kindred thread - All arising events and phenomena; people, dreams, songs, even worlds, are all transitory in nature. We are all going to die. Someday there will be no record of any of this. It is this very truth that allows for beauty. The impermanent nature of all that arises is the apparent aspect of the essence of being. It is this essence that lends infinite openness to our experience. It is ultimately all we are about. Music is the language of this inscrutable, sublime essence. This record is a joyful attempt at music. Vulture Feather is an unconventional three-piece from the mountains of Northern California, featuring members of the Baltimore band, Wilderness and the early post-hardcore group, Don Martin Three. Merge Now In Friendship follows up the 2023 debut album, Liminal Fields.

Next on KI/KI's slash imprint is DINA. The Berlin-based DJ and producer and co-founder of Nachtcrew has been a very welcomed guest on KI/KI's all nighter party in Amsterdam's Lo-fi which resulted in a close friendship and ultimately an exciting label debut on slash.
Her sounds could be described as etheral trance, it's fast paced, yet emotive and very functional. And for slash007 she brings nothing less. Four tracks of dreamy escapism into the long nights. It's an impressive combination of immersive basslines transforming into huge amounts of dancefloor euphoria.

Discover the ultimate buzz scientifically crafted in One Drink Plus! Born from the revered Club der Visionaere party, this mix of tunes caters to the very fine tastes and preferences. Whether you savor it slowly or down it in one gulp, its mellow yet full-flavored beats and grooves promise an unforgettable listening experience. Join us for a sip or two, and you will instantly want +++

First in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record IS Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Malik,' originally released in 1974. Transparent blue colored LP

In 1971, an undocumented seven-member Afro-American ensemble known as the Bobby Boyd Congress made a transformative journey from the United States to France. Bandleader Frank Abel recollects, "We sensed that the soul and funk market was saturated back home, and our original plan was a brief 6-month stint in Paris. Surprisingly, we ended up staying for a decade." Upon lead singer Bobby Boyd's return to the U.S., the group rebranded as Ice and crossed paths with independent producer Pierre Jaubert, a seasoned studio professional with credits on groundbreaking recordings alongside Charles Mingus, John Lee Hooker, and Archie Shepp, among others.

Drawing inspiration from Motown's work ethic, Jaubert initiated regular rehearsals with Ice. He recalled, "I didn't want to mimic Berry, but with seven talented musicians collaborating daily, something unique emerged." The band, residing in Paris and immersed in the African-dominated Barbesse district, began infusing African elements into their music frequently performing with Paris-dwelling Camaroonian and legendary composer Manu Dibango.

Under the new moniker Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the group's music transitioned to predominantly instrumental compositions, featuring a denser Afro-funk sound. Their inaugural recording with the new name, 'Soul Makossa,' included a compelling rendition of Dibango's classic and the impactful break in 'Hihache.' The subsequent release a year later, 'Malik,' refined their sound with the percussive Afro party jam 'Conga,' the atmospheric vocoder and piano-led piece 'Djungi,' and the robust funk of 'Darkest Light.' Despite a limited impact upon its initial release, 'Malik' found appreciation as hip-hop culture flourished in the '80s, establishing itself as a rich source of samples and riffs. 'Conga' was featured in the 'Ultimate Breaks And Beats' series, while the opening horn line from 'Darkest Light' became a pivotal hip-hop motif, employed by Jay-Z, Public Enemy, Wreckx 'N' Effect, and many others

During the 1990s Shizuka self-released a series of four cassettes, barely heard by anyone outside of their inner circle. Culling together live recordings and home demos, these served as companions to the scant amount of proper Shizuka releases at the time (including the recently reissued Heavenly Persona). Concentric Circles is proud to present the third and most anomalous cassette from Shizuka, simply titled III, on vinyl for the first time in an edition of 500 copies. Formed by guitarist and singer Shizuka Miura, alongside husband Maki Miura, who’d previously played with both Les Rallizes Dénudés and Fushitsusha, the group known as Shizuka started in the early 90s with Jun Kosugi (also of Fushitsusha) on drums, and a revolving cast of bass players, including J.J. Junko, whose sole recorded appearance with the band is here on III. Devoid of any of their trademark noise and bombast, III feel distinct from their studio and live albums of the era, largely due to its fragility; haunted and spare, the songs revolve around Shizuka Miura’s gentle, unforced sighs, and Maki’s flickering, flinty guitar. The first side of the album features four songs – “For You,” “Lunatic Pearl,” “The Night When The Door Opens” and “To The Sky” – which will be well-known to Shizuka fans from previous recordings, but the drastically understated renditions here are particularly moving for their quietude and intimacy. The second half of III consists of a side-long duo session, just Shizuka and Maki Miura together at home, circling around the simplest two-chord motif for twenty minutes, Shizuka singing the most heavenly melody, strung through the sky of this lengthy improvisation. It’s an astonishingly beautiful performance, one that stills time through its becalmed repetition, pointing towards the endless forever. In this respect, it feels like an ultimate extension of Opal’s early recordings, Big Star’s 3rd or even Galaxie 500’s quietest moments. III lifts the darkness away, allowing for a softer, more gentle Shizuka to shine through, bringing with it a side to the band that most never knew existed. A lovely discovery if there ever was one.

Out of print as a stand-alone release for decades since its original 1974 issue. Produced by George Harrison, Shankar Family & Friends is an almost-forgotten masterwork – an emotional and sonic pact between two like-minded souls to both advance their spiritually minded bond and unite musical styles, cultures, and sounds in wondrous fashion Contributions from Ringo Starr, David Bromberg, Billy Preston, Nicky Hopkins, Jim Keltner, Klaus Voorman, and a host of virtuosic Indian musicians add to a diverse album that melds Eastern and Western traditions; encompasses jazz, funk, bhajan, Indian, and pop; and represents the spirit and breadth of Harrison's Dark Horse Records imprint.

Memorable contributions from an A-list of American and English musicians — Ringo Starr (drums), David Bromberg (electric guitar), Billy Preston (organ), Nicky Hopkins (piano), Jim Keltner (drums), Klaus Voorman (bass), Robert Margouleff (Moog), Malcolm Cecil (Moog), Tom Scott (saxophone) included — add to the richness of a set that melds Eastern and Western traditions. These “names” mesh with a host of Indian virtuosos — Alla Rakha, Ashish Khan, Kamala Chakravarty, Hariprasad Chaurasia included — who turn Shankar Family & Friends into a journey laced with percussive, string, and vocal components that aren’t soon forgotten.

Throughout, Shankar Family & Friends remains true to its title — a mesmerizing record named to reflect the group participation approach of its creators. The idea started when Shankar told Harrison about a ballet he wrote. The Beatle, who first met Shankar in June 1966 — roughly a year after Harrison became interested in Indian music after overhearing it in a restaurant while filming Help! — immediately was convinced they needed to record it. Harrison’s staunch admiration of Shankar and serious approach to Eastern styles are reflected throughout the album.

Indeed, for Harrison, Shankar Family & Friends marks the culmination of a years-long effort to master the sitar, study Hinduism, and incorporate elements such as drones, unusual chords, and expressive picking into his own songs. The seeds of this unique collaboration can be heard in Beatles works such as “Norwegian Wood,” “Love to You,” and “Within You Without You.” Both musicians were also fresh from performing at the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh shows. Yet Shankar Family & Friends remains entirely unique in each visionary artist’s history — and ultimately, led to a collaborative tour Harrison and Shankar staged across North America.

Encompassing jazz, funk, bhajan, Indian, and pop, Shankar Family & Friends is thematically split into halves. Side One reveals Shankar’s uncanny ear for melody — even when applied to Western forms. The lead-off “I Am Missing You,” the first single ever released by Dark Horse Records and reportedly the first pop composition Shankar completed, underscores his skills as a composer and global ambassador. Beautifully sung across three octaves by his sister-in-law, Lakshmi Shankar, the devotional song features multiple drummers and production that mirrors Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound approach. Harrison plays autoharp and guitar; Starr sits in on drums; Scott handles flute and soprano saxophone. It’s the inviting start of a musical adventure teeming with color, majesty, and mysticism.

A second version of the track — designated with a “(Reprise)” tag — appears minutes later. Unfolding in different ways, it follows a folk ballad structure stitched together with Indian instrumentation. Here, according to Shankar, the musicians “attempted to convey the sounds and atmosphere of Vrindavan, the ancient holy place where Krishna grew up.” Both renditions speak to the cross-continental fusion that came so naturally to Harrison and Shankar, whose oversight on the side’s other vocal tracks ensures listeners familiar with Western methods gain easy access to the hypnotic allure of his native country’s music.

Nowhere is this more evident than on Dream, Nightmare & Dawn (Music for a Ballet), the side-long piece that served as the genesis for Shankar Family & Friends. Launched with an airy overture and unfolding across three movements, the mostly wordless suite features everything from call-and-response interplay and classical lyricism to uptempo dance figures, stacked rhythms, and intoxicating grooves. Blurring the lines between contemporary and traditional, and Western and Eastern, the inspirational work is the exclamation point on a record that defined “world music” well before the term became co-opted as a catch-all genre.

Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album has few parallels. Viewed solely through the lens of sales numbers, Whitney Houston is a watershed statement on par with the most commercially successful and culturally dominant LPs ever released. Having sold more than 14 million copies in the U.S. and upwards of 25 million units worldwide, the 1985 LP became the equivalent of the television show or blockbuster film that everyone collectively experiences and discusses. Nearly four decades later, it’s lost none of its appeal or magnetism — and its artistic significance and historical import have only grown.


Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's 180g SuperVinyl LP of Whitney Houston presents the breakthrough in audiophile sound for the first time. The signature traits Houston exhibits on every song — her three-octave range, radiant warmth, personal conviction, impossibly controlled register — come across with exceptional clarity, focus, and presence. Free of artificial ceilings and constricted dynamics, this reissue plays with an openness, airiness, and balance that put the singer’s once-in-a-lifetime instrument and immortal artistry into proper perspective.

It does the same for the songs’ cascading melodies and captivating arrangements. Individually produced by one of four renowned industry veterans — Kashif, Micheal Masser, Jermaine Jackson, and Narada Michael Walden — each composition feels grander, closer, more genuine. A vocal spectacular, Whitney Houston benefits from the high-end characteristics of SuperVinyl, which include a nearly inaudible noise floor, superb groove definition, and dead-quiet surfaces. This is how an album that changed the direction of popular music — opening previously inaccessible doors for Black artists; bringing smooth-singing vocalists back into the mainstream; kickstarting a movement that soon included several “divas” who would command the charts through the early 21st century — should look and sound.

Though Houston’s seemingly effortless performances suggest otherwise, creating the record Rolling Stone ranks as the 257th Greatest Album of All Time wasn’t easy. Nearly 18 months were required to identify songs suitable for a still-unknown singer who did not fit into the conventional frameworks of the mid ‘80s. Confident, powerful, and prodigiously talented, Houston would forge her own parameters with Whitney Houston. In the process, she obliterated the stubborn lines between R&B and pop, Black and white radio. She dared to reimagine who could be a superstar and then went out and defined the role. Recorded for nearly $400,000 and released on Valentine’s Day, the LP exceeded the wildest expectations of those most closely associated with it — save for Houston and her family.

Having made her first public appearance at the age of 11 singing at a Baptist church, Houston understood pressure and knew her way around, inside, and through a song. The invaluable guidance and support she received from her mother, Cissy, an accomplished gospel vocalist who backed Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley, are on display throughout Whitney Houston. They arrive in the types of authoritativeness, discipline, and diction rare for even most seasoned veterans — and unheard-of for a 21-year-old newcomer. Houston brings a soulful elegance, understated glamour, and in-the-moment rapture to every note. Moving up, down, or staying in the middle of the vocal ladder; channelling softness or sweetness; showing restraint or increasing the volume, she is a marvel of emotionalism, a dynamo who can seamlessly transition from one mood to another within a verse.

Though the 10-track LP largely concerns itself with the ballad tradition, Houston covers the bases, getting into an R&B groove on the fleet “Thinking About You,” turning up the heat on the duet “Take Good Care of My Heart,” and investing the contagious dance-pop confection “How Will I Know” with all the anxiety, hope, energy, and enthusiasm its lyrics demand. Featuring her mom on background vocals and Houston’s pitch-perfect tone, uncanny precision, and skyscraper highs (no AutoTune here, friends), the synth-based anthem propelled Whitney Houston into the stratosphere, the vocalist into regular MTV rotation, and the term “crossover” into popular parlance. The double-platinum single reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, Hot R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts — a trifecta that foreshadowed accomplishments that would ultimately crown Houston as the most-awarded female artist of all time.

Whitney Houston became the first album by a Black female performer to top the Billboard charts. It remained there for 14 non-consecutive weeks en route to claiming the title of the best-selling LP of 1986. It stands as the first debut and first album by a solo female artist to spawn three No. Hits, as well as the first album by a Black female artist to top the year-end charts in Australia and Canada. These are just a handful of the accolades — along with four Grammy nominations — that surround a set that also contains the unforgettable ballad “Saving All My Love,” string-accompanied “Greatest Love of All,” and sensual “You Give Good Love.”

As TIME observed in an article written two years after the album took the world by storm: “This is infectious, can't-sit-down music, and her performance dares the listener not to smile right back.” We’re still smiling.

Mode_1 Reclaim EP by DIG Records

Cover // Augmented reality by Omer Avarkan


********************************AUGMENTED REALITY COVER ***********************************

After a stellar debut release in 2023, vinyl-only label Dust in Grooves, sees its anticipated second EP Reclaim, showcasing one of Dublin's gleaming underground talents Mode_1. Establishing DIG as a progressive sonic platform, founder Olivia Mendez is also curating a series of dynamic augmented reality covers for each EP. Adding more layers into the sound experience of the Reclaim vinyl is motion designer and visual artist Omer Avarkan.


Mode_1's dedication to uncovering layers of tough but rhythmic grooves, both as a DJ and a producer, has led him to make a mark on legendary techno imprints such as Knotweed, FiedelTwo, Truncate and Naked Lunch. Staying true to his advancing, dynamic sound laid with dexterous technique, Robert Kavanagh delivers a collection of four ominous tracks, pulsating with incandescent pads and pacey drums.


The EP opens with the relentless and driving Sigma, setting the tone for a swiftly moving ride across the record. With playful shifting of gears and jacking rhythms, the A2 flows into the next track Dusty Room, utilising the bleepy pitches in contrast to the expansive spheric tones, offering an energetic boost of a melodic techno work-out, with hints of sharp dub edges.


Reclaim on B1 highlights the versatility of Mode_1, comprising multi-layered scales, evolving spiral sounds and a build-up of reverberating tones that escalate with poise. As a closing track of the record, Platform 8 is one of those B2 sides that you keep reaching out to. This ultimate big-floor tool is loaded with advancing movement, keys with mystical undertones, and depth of texture that play with the infinite nature of the number eight.


Unlocking the animated cover of the EP and seeing it come to life virtually, adds a new dimension to the classic format of the vinyls. To unlock its motion, follow the riddle on the back.


All tracks mastered by Nihad Tule.


Words by Lora Mateeva, Orb Mag

Wiederveröffentlichte 2024er Pressung dieses unglaublichen Garagenrockwerkes! "The Ultimate Gospel Blues Trash experience recorded in 2001 London on the EMI Redd 17 desk (Abbey Road Studios) by Liam Watson this is pure Dirty ,your parents would not like it' Primitive Rock'n'Roll swearing and blood spiting preaching Raw Garage punk mixed up LO-FI Trash out of control Blues Trash at its best" - RBM, VVR Nach der Trennung vom Wrestling Rock'n'Roll Project Lightning Beat-Man musste der Beat-Man ins Krankenhaus und sah mit eigenen Augen den Tod. Jetzt, Jahre später, ist er zurück mit neuen Kumpels und einer neuen Mission: der Gospel Blues & Trash Mission. 1983 begann er als Ein-Mann-Band, für dieses Album heuerte er die Un-Believers an (Gery Mohr und Robert Butler von den Miracle Workers, Janosh von den Monsters und Gringo Starr, der auch bei den Never Heard Of'Ems, Lightning Beat-Mans Backing Band, spielte) und ging zusammen mit Liam Watson (Bristols, Masonics, Headoats_) in Londons berühmtes Toe Rag Studio, um diesen speziellen Swamp-Blues-Sound auf die Platte zu bekommen. Predigtlieder, Lieder über das Töten von Nachbarn, Predigten über das Abschneiden von Fingern, Lieder über den Gang ins Gefängnis, den Gang aus dem Gefängnis und sogar über das Verlieben und den Gang in die Hölle. Mach dich bereit für eine Menge Slide-Gitarren-Action und Mundharmonikagedröhne, Blues im Stil von Howling Wolf und Gun Club-ähnlichen Trash-Rock'n'Roll. Schwarze LP, Insert, Download Code

Circus of Desire is the much anticipated third studio album from Grammy-nominated folk singer-songwriter Olivia Chaney. Worked up over five eventful years, this collection of lovingly wrought songs was recorded in NYC with long-time collaborator, producer and musician Thomas Bartlett (David Byrne, the Magnetic Fields, Sufjan Stevens, The National, St. Vincent, Father John Misty)

Consisting of ten originals and one cover (a revoicing of Dory Previn’s haunting ballad ‘Lady with the Braid’), this album is Olivia set free. Taking their departure from real life experiences, these songs strain towards the universal. The title track blends the carnivalesque and meditations on ancient wisdom with an anthemic, dancy refrain. ‘Calliope’ is a tribute to Olivia’s daughter, named after the Greek muse of music and epic poetry, picturing this little life as part of the ever-revolving cosmos. ‘To the Lighthouse’ tells the story of her sister who left the capital to live on a remote island. Like ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and ‘Why’, a pair of tracks about erotic love, this song reflects upon our capacity to flee and transcend inherited trauma. ‘Zero Sum’ is a setting of a metaphysical number poem by Olivia’s grandfather, a mathematician and poet. ‘I Wish’ - the album closer, is the ultimate breakup song.

Whilst staying true to her folk roots, Olivia enters new musical territories with Circus of Desire, venturing into the realms of pop and dance. The record features cameos from a number of friends, including string arrangements by Nico Muhly and banjo and guitar from Sam Amidon. The result of this rich blend of musical influences is an album that looks honestly, sometimes despairingly, but primarily hopefully at the carnival that is life - ‘we’re in a dance with death, with fire…we’re all in a circus of desire’.

Circus Of Desire by olivia Chaney, released 22 March 2024, includes the following tracks: "Why", "Galop", "Bogeyman", "Mirror, Mirror" and more.

This version of Circus Of Desire comes as a 1xLP.

New solo album from Seth Avett of the Avett Brothers (his first in 5 years), featuring songs written by lauded folk singer Greg Brown, whose songs have also been performed and recorded by Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Carlos Santana, Ani DiFranco, Gillian Welch, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and more. For those who may need reminding, Greg Brown is the ultimate songwriter's songwriter. Over a forty-plus-year career, he's occupied the same rarefied air as Loudon Wainwright III and John Prine - a keen-eyed poet and diarist of the human condition. And he's done it mostly on his own. “This is a man who put forty records out because he had to,” Avett says. “He made his own record label. He played the coffee shops, the bars, the little theaters. He built it. He's a world-class artist who did it all under the radar, which is just mind-blowing to me.” As Avett's new solo record makes clear, this collection is an expression of admiration and gratitude for one of his heroes. But it's also a reflection of his own artistry and ability as an interpreter. Though Brown's songs have been a part of his listening diet for decades, Avett gained a more profound appreciation once he put his own voice behind them. And though on the surface it's a covers record, it dovetails seamlessly with the most recent Avett Brothers album The Third Gleam and Seth's solo outing IV, which find him in equally stripped-down settings exploring the light and shadows of his own personal stories.

Bob Sinclar"s first album is considered as a classic of the French Touch. "Paradise" was acclaimed by the press and launched the DJ / producer"s international career. It includes the massive club hits "Gym Tonic (Thomas Bangalter Remix)" and "Ultimate Funk"

This is a repress of Tycho's second release with Ghostly International to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of this masterpiece, while Ghostly International celebrates its 25th year anniversary. For nearly a decade, Tycho has been known as the musical alias of Scott Hansen, but with the release of Awake - his second LP for Ghostly International - the solo project evolved into a three-piece band. Relating closer to post-rock than ambient soundscapes, the record is situated in the present, sounding more like Hansen than drawing from his influences. This is, in many ways, the first true Tycho record. Following 2011's Dive LP, the San Francisco-based designer toured extensively, and with a full band on stage, his sound coalesced into a percussive, organic whole. Zac Brown (guitars, bass) rejoined Scott on the road for this tour, but it was the particular addition of Rory O'Connor's live drumming that ultimately sent Hansen back to the studio with a more precise vision. "After the tour, I decided that I wanted to capture the more energetic, driven sound of the live show on the next album," Hansen recalls. Bringing musicians into Tycho's creative process was a step towards expanding his own songwriting and advancing the project beyond its current sound. In a cabin near Tahoe last winter, Zac and Scott began fleshing out the structure of the new record, but it wasn't until they set up shop in the hills of Santa Cruz with Rory that it all fell into place. "It crystallized the vision of how the drums would come to the forefront on this record," says Hansen. The sound was much more stripped-down and concise with more organic instruments in the fold. Songs like "Montana" and "Awake" are a departure from Tycho's previous material - unique to the group effort poured into the songs on the new record - while "See" and "Dye" echo ideas from previous works, bridging a middle ground between the old and new. Working with Count Eldridge, who also engineered Dive, the team could fixate on the pulses that Tycho might previously layer under synthesizers and exhume them with distinct bass and guitar patterns. Also known for his design work as ISO50, Hansen's visual and sonic efforts have dovetailed throughout the course of his career. "This is the first time in my life I've dropped everything to focus on one artistic pursuit," notes Hansen. Previous Tycho releases came to fruition when an amalgam of songs were nearing completion, but Awake is where music becomes the focus and true expression becomes the result.

Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970-1979 is Time Capsule’s continuation of the deep dive into Japan’s rich history of folk and psychedelic soul music.

Vinyl LP with 4 page insert, original artwork and photos

The kaleidoscopic psychedelia of 1970s Japan captured a fragile and fertile moment as the country sought its future in funk grooves, heavy reverb and lyrical hallucinations.

The follow-up compilation to Time Capsule’s Nippon Acid Folk, Nippon Psychedelic Soul takes myriad pathways into the tripped-out undergrowth of 1970s Japan. Finding their feet at home and looking for inspiration abroad, the musicians featured here were engaged in the communal soul-searching that followed the breakdown of the 1960s protest movements. Some made it big, others drifted into oblivion. The music they left behind shimmers with intensity.

At the core was Happy End, the first project of YMO’s Haroumi Hosono, whose distortion-heavy guitar and crisp back-beat laid the foundations for Japanese lyrics that flipped the paradigm of Japanese rock music on its head. With it came a new found sonic ambition, such as in the bold Philly-soul style arrangements of producer Yuji Ohno, whose work with occult wandered Yoshiko Sai shares some of the bittersweet grandeur of Rotary Connection or David Axelrod.

Then there was Jun Fukamachi, a pioneer of Japanese synthesis, whose debut album was a carnival of orchestral funk, euphoric horn lines and rich production, complete with soaring guitar solos, psychedelic organ and a truly cinematic finale. The first and only time Fukamachi would sing on record, ‘Omae’ rips like the ultimate end-of-nighter.

Influenced by giants of the US soul scene, maverick composer Hiroshi “Monsieur” Kamayatsu (otherwise known as ‘the Brian Wilson of Japan’) went one step further, enlisting Tower of Power to play on ‘Have You Smoked Gauloises?’ The B-side to Monsieur’s biggest-selling single, it coasts with sophisticated cool - a liquid bassline and suave keys comping under a roaring trademark ToP sax solo. No surprise it found favour once more on the Acid Jazz dance floors of ‘90s London.

Such was the spirit of experimentation that big studio productions and private press releases sat side-by-side, with the likes of Momotaro Pink and Kazushi Inamura, taking their hopes of success into their own hands with the resources available to them. More reflective but no less robust, theirs was a heavy, fat-backed drum sound, soaked in dramatic, soulful psychedelia.

If some were dreamers and others space cadets, none were further out than sci-fi writer, musician, activist and self-made scientist Tadashi Goino, who transformed his own fantasy novel Messenger from the Seventh Dimension into an operatic prog odyssey with few discernible musical reference points – a majestic and completely bonkers outlier even among company as strange and brilliant as that which is collected here.

Less a compilation of a scene, as a compilation of a sentiment, Nippon Psychedelic Soul is a wild ride from start to finish, shattering the narratives of the Japanese folk and rock tradition into a million tiny pieces.

- Bananarama celebrate over 40 years at the top with the release of 'Glorious - The Ultimate Collection'. With 40 tracks selected by Sara and Keren themselves, the double CD album revisits every decade of the band's career, with hits including Cruel Summer, Venus, Love in the First Degree, Only Your Love, Preacher Man, Move in My Direction and more, along with two new singles, Feel The Love (released October 18) and Supernova.
- The 1LP edition features 16 tracks : singles + new remixes of classic hits and "Feel the Love" & "Supernova "for the first time on vinyl.
- Bananarama are THE original girl group. They're featured in Guinness World of Records for the most internationally charted hits by an all female band, with in excess of 30+ million sales worldwide.

VINYL (* versions on vinyl for the first time )

For a few years Leo Robinson was the sort of hidden secret you sometimes come across in local music scenes. First in Manchester and now in Glasgow, he’d pop up regularly on DIY bills or as local support to a touring act, quietly blowing them off stage with his rich baritone vocal and homespun lo-fi tales of folklore and animism. With The Temple – his debut on PRAH Recordings – he looks set to cross over from being a cult concern.

“There's a spectrum within the album between fully mythologising or symbolising my lived experience, and just stating it in very matter of fact terms - that push and pull between the need to abstract and the need to break through the abstraction and have an honest moment with oneself” he explains. “This is one of the themes of the album as well as part of the process. The aim was to take all these anecdotal or symbolic elements and merge them into one narrative and one world, in a way that you can find your way through the record as if it were a landscape or language with its own logic.”

The record takes on a pastoral, slightly baroque nature that Robinson partly attributes to a friend screening a lot of ‘70s BBC material in his book shop that they used to hang out at. There are also elements of jazz, flickering to life in “The Spring”’s piano-led finale and coda.

Thematically, Robinson likens it to a Jungian ‘Hero's Journey’, his voice possessing a character who goes through several defined stages of consciousness. From conception and the beginning of an earthly life, the first half of the album recognises the development of the protagonist’s narrative and identity, before “The Pink Light”’s freeform departure from the hitherto more song-based suite devastatingly shatters this. The second half of the album then sees the protagonist witness “the uncontainable” water; learning that true divinity lies not in the individual self or lofty notions of gods and temples, but in the unremarkable nettles, insects and dogs on the roadside riverbank - referenced on tracks “The Cormorant” and “The Spring”.

Although now residing north of the border, The Temple was written while Robinson was finding his feet in Manchester, having moved there to go to art school as a teenager (as a visual artist, he has exhibited at the Tiwani Contemporary in London and Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre). As a result, many of the tracks bear out the shadows of his experiences in the northern city – at their most visible and explicit on the beautifully fragile storytelling of “The Pavement”. Written the day after the Manchester Arena Bombings, it recalls Robinson waking up to go to work on a hot summer’s day to discover that his street had been blocked off for terrorism investigations; it then progresses through the rest of his day, amidst the grimly surreal aftermath of the previous night.

Having written the chords, melodies and lyrics to the album, Robinson fleshed out the tunes by scoring out parts for the additional instrumentation, but it was only when a friend sent a demo to PRAH that he was able to fund its full recording. Guitars, vocals, piano and French Horn (the latter recorded by Lauren Reeve-Rawlings) were put down at Green Door Studios in Glasgow. Microphones were placed around the room and the sound of the musicians stepping on creaky floorboards and opening creaky doors were left audible to further the record’s live feel. The harpsichord heard on “The Serpent”, meanwhile, came from University of Glasgow lecturer David McGuinness. Strings were then recorded at PRAH Studios by Francesca Ter-Berg and Raven Bush, the Social Singing Choir adding their choral vocals to “Temple II”.

The result is an album that feels both luscious and yet intimately raw; as grand as Richard Dawson at his most panoramic but containing the rough edges and skeletal looseness of a Calvin Johnson work. At times Robinson lyrically moves towards the surreal, but ultimately this is a record grounded in reality; a true showcase of Robinson’s skill as a lyricist and songwriter.

Of the countless accolades and analyses that surround Blue, no point is more significant than the fact that the 1971 Joni Mitchell album continues to become more popular, revered, referenced, and relevant with each passing day. Such vitality is not only extremely singular; it is the ultimate measure of great art and, in the context of Blue, indisputable proof of the record's accessibility, integrity, and timelessness. If the most brilliant and everlasting music seeks to find truths shared by all of humanity, Blue can be said to be universal doctrine.

Sourced from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and strictly limited to 12,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set presents the landmark album with reference-grade detail, tonality, and directness. Marking the first time the beloved LP has received audiophile-quality treatment, it's one of six iconic 1970s Mitchell records Mobile Fidelity is reissuing on definitive-sounding vinyl and SACD sets.

Everything about Blue sounds more intimate, involving, and inescapable on this transparent pressing, which benefits from a virtually non-existent noise floor and superior groove definition. Mitchell's voice, positioned front and center, and primarily accompanied by minimalist acoustic guitar, piano, and dulcimer playing, comes across clearly and prominently. Suspended notes and radiant chords double as question marks, commas, and phrases. The in-the-room presence and spatial dimensionality make absolute the full-range spectrum of introspective emotions — hurt and distress, self-awareness and joy, difficulty and uncertainty, warmth and desire — Mitchell navigates, queries, and contemplates throughout the record. The defencelessness the singer once spoke about is laid bare here like never before.

The packaging of the Blue UD1S set complements its distinguished status. Housed in a deluxe box, both LPs come in special foil-stamped jackets with faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. This UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artifact for listeners who prize sound quality and production, and who desire to engage themselves in everything involved with the album, including the unforgettable cover photograph of a ruminative Mitchell shot by Tim Considine.

Deemed the third Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone; universally celebrated by critics, fans, artists, and educators; and defined by a spell of disarmingly vulnerable songs that are at once confessional, intense, spare, honest, painful, hopeful, and exquisite, Blue charts love, spiritualism, independence, and loss like no record before or since. Widely considered the album that established the singer-songwriter template, the largely autobiographical LP changed everything shortly after its original release in June 1971. Amazingly, it continues to do so more than five decades later.

An incalculable influence on generations of artists, it stands as the through-line from Carole King, Elton John, James Taylor, Joan Armatrading, and Leonard Cohen to Patti Smith, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, and Rosanne Cash to 21st century contemporaries like Brandi Carlile, Taylor Swift, Sharon Van Etten, and Courtney Barnett. Teetering between agony and optimism, it is — to borrow a phrase from Mitchell's eternal "A Case of You" — a bottomless "box of paints."

The beauty of the stripped-down arrangements, intoxicating melodies, and Mitchell's wisdom on Blue didn't go unnoticed. Critical acclaim, coupled with the depth of the material and Mitchell's reputation, propelled the album into the Top 20 in the U.S. and Top 10 in the U.K. Yet while so much pop music diminishes with age, Blue has defied norms and headed in the opposite direction. Its 50th anniversary year witnessed an outpouring of tributes, reflections, and testimonials that helped frame the record's escalating importance and symbolism — apt in an age in which women have become the prominent trailblazers in rock, R&B, and hip-hop.

Perhaps most succinctly, in a 2021 article celebrating the LP, the Los Angeles Times declared: "In 1971, nothing sounded like Joni Mitchell's Blue. 50 years later, it's still a miracle." Nothing, indeed. Yet "miracle" suggests Blue partially owes to a divine agent or inexplicable circumstance. And though Mitchell's bracing conviction and forthright sincerity can appear otherworldly, her musical approach and lyrical storytelling is nothing if not personal and human. What we hear is pure truth — no matter how aching, complicated, or stark.

Much has been written about the circumstances that inspired the songs on Blue: Mitchell's romances; her time overseas; her disdain for celebrity; her lingering sense of loss at having given up her daughter for adoption; her treatment by the very same industry that her music made uncomfortable; her prolonged search for resolution. These situations and experiences pushed Mitchell to question everything — especially big-picture concepts that have always obsessed mankind: fulfilment, autonomy, love, honesty, being.

"I wanna make you feel free," Mitchell sings on the record-opening "All I Want." Mission accomplished. Blue is liberation — and the start of a freedom that continues to impact music, culture, and identity today.

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.

"For a long time, I'd come across these discs without really understanding what connected them, apart from a button and that famous logo designed by René Dessirier. Then, with a little more digging, I discovered the "self-production" link. For choirs, schools, folk singers, young pop groups, popular homes and even great composers who engraved unique copies of certain recording sessions...

The French equivalent of the English "Derby Service", the Kiosque d'Orphée, formerly at 7 Rue Grégoire de Tours in the 6th arrondissement, was taken over by Georges Batard in 1967 and moved to 20 Rue des Tournelles in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The adventure lasted until 1991. Georges Batard was a sound engineer who used a Neumann tube engraver to engrave acetates from the tapes he received, before printing the precious vinyls in the press factories of the day, where he was able to produce very small runs of between 50 and 500 copies.

Of course, there were other structures for releasing his records, such as Voxigrave or, later, FLVM, but none of them had so many records in their catalog. Le Kiosque d'Orphée was neither a label nor a publisher, but a structure that allowed you to press your own vinyl, at a time when it was quite an adventure to get your first 45 rpm or 33 rpm album released!

Georges Batard was described as passionate and conscientious. His son, bassist Didier Batard, wrote of him:
"Georges was passionate about recording and reproducing the stereo sound of his great passion, music. He paid close attention to distortion rates, signal-to-noise ratios, response curves, rise times and other damping factors in audio equipment. He was looking for the exact reproduction of concert hall sound in his living room (with the same sound level, if possible...). In the late '50s/early '60s, he found other sound enthusiasts in AFDERS (Association Française pour le Développement de l'Enregistrement et de la Reproduction Sonores). He became its honorary president. Every Saturday afternoon, its members met to test au- dio equipment. Their opinions were published in the monthly Revue du Son.

All you had to do was send in your tapes and choose the number of record copies you'd like to take home with you, so you could finally share your creations and, in a way, exist. You could opt for a generic sleeve, available in several colors, directly customizable with your name and credits, or you could design your dream sleeve yourself in your living room or at a printer's.

This "Do It Yourself" temple gave birth to some superb pouches. Stencilled, hand-written, illustrated with paintings, drawings, illustrations by friends or girlfriends of the time, photo prints hastily stuck in the middle of a blank, white sleeve, on which the traces of time would leave their imprints, so that collectors and the curious would come and buy them decades later, with the promise of a musical discovery, unfortunately not always fulfilled...

What most of these records have in common is the youth of their songwriters, whether or not they've had a career. Stories of buddies, of getting by and dreams of glory made up this catalog. Most of them were amateur productions, both in terms of the level of the musicians and the quality of the recordings, made on a two-track or, the ultimate luxury, a 4-track in a teenager's bedroom or parents' living room.

It was the beginning of the home studio, thanks to the advent of the Revox portable tape recorder. A bit of a shaky DIY system, but, in return, the luxury of setting no limits: one-sided tracks, no outside censorship, no artistic director, no manager, no Barclay or EMI/Pathé Marconi logos...

When you finally had your own record, you could give it away or sell it to friends, family or after concerts. You could also drop it off at the nearest record shop, with undisguised pride.

It was also a calling card that could be sent to radio stations or music labels, in the hope of launching a career...

Many of the protagonists in this story tried to sign with labels, but in those days, bridges were not so easy to build between one's hometown, or even one's village, and the major or more specialized label that might have released these records. At the time, the advertisements published in the press by the Kiosque d'Orphée opened up the field of possibilities for provincial composers. It was now possible to make their own record, without having to go through the process of signing with a label.

Some of the composers who have gone on to make a career have used this channel to release their first record or parallel projects (Claude Engel, Dominique A, Andy Emler, Michel Deneuve, Claude Mairet, Mick Piellard, Tristan Mu- rail...) and sometimes even single or very limited pressings of work or promotional copies (Bernard Parmegiani, Jef Gilson...).

This album is the conclusion of a long investigation, begun six years ago. It took a long time to find the records, scattered all over the place, in the homes of collectors and sometimes the musicians themselves, and then to listen to them, sometimes painstakingly, to unearth these moments of grace.

From this work, 23 tracks remain, but there are dozens of others that could have been included, so we had to choose, and the choice had to be as universal as possible. This selection is obviously not objective, but I hope you'll like it.

Today's music is raw, touching and powerful. "

Jean-Baptiste Guillot - Born Bad Records

Rock & Roll, indeed. Ruth Brown’s sizzling full-length debut — also known by its eponymous title — symbolizes what was exciting, fresh, invigorating, and raw about the burgeoning style in its halcyon days. Originally released in 1957, and reissued here in audiophile quality for the first time in partnership with Atlantic Records’ 75th anniversary, the set remains a testament to one of the most pioneering and talented vocalists to ever command a stage.

Mastered on Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's renowned mastering system in California, pressed at RTI, housed in a Stoughton jacket, and strictly limited to 2,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g mono LP of Rock & Roll plays with an immediacy, vibrancy, and fullness that showcase the reach, power, and emotionalism of Brown’s voice. The sound of her support musicians — brassy horns, swinging rhythm combos, echoing backing vocalists, rollicking pianists, jaunty guitarists — is made clear and vivid, helping the upbeat fare to jump, juke, and jive with newfound energy and exuberance. In a related manner, Brown’s slower, more understated material crackles with an intimacy and passion that let you know you're in the presence of a woman who has lived what she sings. The longtime Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member deserves nothing less.

In an era dominated by big-throated vocalists, few — if any — came grander than Brown. The singer, whose repeat million-selling ‘50s success with Atlantic Records led many to call the then-indie label “The House That Ruth Built,” charted two dozen R&B hits in the span of a decade for the fledgling imprint. Rightly coined “Miss Rhythm,” the extroverted Brown put Atlantic on the national map, became the best-selling female musician of the ‘50s, and established a precedent that would ultimately lead to Grammy and Tony Awards. Her early works have lost none of their fire or flair.

Akin to many full-length LPs of its era, Rock & Roll doubles as a collection. Its 14 tracks comprise some of the more famous sides Brown recorded for Atlantic, beginning in 1949 with the all-time-great rendition of the ballad “So Long,” and continuing through 1956. After the song caught the public’s ear, the Virginia native briefly became known for her smoldering style with lovelorn material and torch songs, approaching them (see “Oh What a Dream,” “Old Man River”) with a combination of pained sadness and hardened resilience that had no contemporary equal. Encouraged to pursue the style by Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmt Ertegun, her R&B-driven material soon made her a constant chart presence.

Demonstrating what fellow legend Bonnie Raitt deemed “sex with class and dignity,” Brown merges blues and jazz, swing and gospel in electrifying fashion. She dares you not to move, dance, and get on your feet. A majority of Rock & Roll explodes with uptempo runs and jaunty readings of hot-blooded R&B numbers. Sweaty and sultry, bawdy and bold, Brown eclipses the anthemic blare of the saxophones and joyful clatter of the 88s, singing with a slight catch in her voice and hurricane-gale force that threatens to blow the roof off whatever room her voice occupies.

Evidence abounds. Listen to her prod the band and encourage the band members to blow a fuse on a sizzling “Hello Little Boy,” complete with cries and wails; stretch her phrasing to the heavens on the swaying “Wild Wild Young Men,” laden with romp-and-stomp beats; plead and persuade on the snaking “5-10-15 Hours,” which flips the script on the age’s notions of dominance; use her raspy tones, high notes, and breath control to mesmerizing effect on the smash “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean,” recorded with a group led by Ray Charles; survey the scene and take charge on the steaming “As Long as I’m Moving”; and tap a classy albeit flirtatious vein on “Lucky Lips,” which dented the pop charts as her first crossover hit.

Throughout Rock & Roll, Brown knows the lyrical connotations and spirited architecture of the songs inside-out. Her assertive voice — never harsh, strident, or false — is the epitome of the passionate desires and sonic strains that turned into nascent rock ’n’ roll. Brown played a pivotal role in helping the style develop, the record a timeless reminder of a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten.

Celebrated new wave compilation from Japan reissued for the first time on Glossy Mistakes.

A much-cherished gem from the 1980s underground Japanese music scene returns as Soft Selection 84 is reissued by Glossy Mistakes for its 40th anniversary. Originally released on DIY label Soft, the compilation sees 13 tracks from nine acts spanning minimal, ambient, zolo and more for a beguiling listen.

The result is a charming time capsule of eclectic creativity in which nothing sounds dated. Take La Sellrose Can Can, whose two party jams predate Kero Kero Bonito's hyperpop by decades. In addition, an impeccable remastering from the original master tapes adds to the "could have been recorded yesterday" feel of the collection.

Soft Selection 84 also includes the eccentric Picky Picnic. One of the few featured artists with recordings beyond the anthology, the trio is an essential act for those curious about Japanese art pop of the era. There is also new wave introspection from Name, whose "Do We All Need Love" plays out as a sensual nod to John Lennon. In a similar vein is Clä-Sick, the recording name of Goro Some, the compilation's original producer and founder of Soft.

The record's rerelease comes with Some's blessing, along with his original artwork and photography. Ultimately, the listener is left tantalised by his selection and its bold excursions into no wave, synth pop, radioplay and bizzaro house. Most of the artists on this release would fade into obscurity, but the transient nature of the potential showcased has helped cement the compilation's reputation over the years.

Soft Selection will be released on vinyl LP by Glossy Mistakes on March 2024, with a remastering from the original master tapes.

John Coltrane's landmark 1961 jazz album My Favorite Things was born of the same recording sessions that yielded a majority of the albums Coltrane Plays the Blues (1962), Coltrane's Sound (1964), and Coltrane Legacy. That My Favorite Things was recorded in less than three days was in itself, remarkable. This record marked a significant turning point in Coltrane's career and showcased his distinctive playing style, which continues to inspire and influence musicians to this day. Coltrane's playing on My Favorite Things can be described as innovative, exploratory, and deeply emotive. The unforced, practically casual soloing styles of the assembled quartet — which includes Coltrane (soprano/tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Steve Davis (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums) — allow for tastefully executed passages à la the Miles Davis Quintet, a trait Coltrane no doubt honed during his tenure in that band, notes AllMusic. Coltrane was known for pushing the boundaries of jazz and expanding the possibilities of the saxophone as an instrument. Throughout the album, Coltrane's improvisations are characterized by their intensity, virtuosity, and sheer creativity. The title track is a modal rendition of the Rodgers and Hammerstein song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. Coltrane's use of modal playing made him a pioneer — modal jazz emphasizes improvisation over specific chord progressions. Coltrane's modal approach allowed him to explore a broader range of tonal colors and to create more open and expansive musical landscapes. Each track of this album is a joy to revisit. The ultimate listenability may reside in this quartet's capacity to not be overwhelmed by the soloist. As a soloist, the definitive soprano sax runs during the Cole Porter standard "Everytime We Say Goodbye" and tenor solos on "But Not for Me" easily establish Coltrane as a pioneer of both instruments. In 1998, My Favorite Things received the Grammy Hall of Fame award. The album attained gold record certified status in 2018, having sold 500,000 copies. We've given this definitive reissue of such a landmark album the presentation it deserves: Mastered directly from the original master tape by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and cut at 45 RPM. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

Limited to 300 Hand-Numbered Copies Pressed on White, Black and Red Splatter Vinyl OT The Real & araabMUZIKís new collaborative album Zombie is now available as a limited edition vinyl release. The 12-track project, released through Black Soprano Family records, was executive produced by Benny The Butcher and features appearances by several Black Soprano Family members. The BSF boss has been a fan of the Philadelphia based rapper since they met while recording “Coke & Guns” (off the album Broken Glass) and when he had the chance to put together a full project with OT and the MVP of the MPC, Benny seized the opportunity, bringing both OT and araabMIUZIK out to the BSF studio in Buffalo to record what would ultimately become “The Crown,” the first single off of Zombie featuring Benny The Butcher & ElCamino. The guest appearances on Zombie were carefully curated, purposefully tapping artists that hadn’t yet collaborated with OT (outside of Benny) and araabMUZIK in order to deliver something new to fans, including 38 Spesh, Conway The Machine, ElCamino, Rome Streetz, LIHTZ and Amir Ali.

On A Golden Shore arrives as The Hanging Stars reflect on a year of triumphs. With an Americana Music Association Bob Harris - sanctioned award and a Nashville sell-out in Third Man’s Blue Room with Jack White approvingly looking on, they’re a leading light in the UK Cosmic Americana cohort. Their standing has allowed them to pay less attention to any preconceptions of what they are ‘supposed to be’. On A Golden Shore - their fifth album and their second for the pioneering Loose Music, following 2022’s Hollow Heart - finds them definitively themselves and presents a set of disparate songs whose fundamental linkage is the band that made them. On A Golden Shore was recorded at Edwyn Collins’ Clashnarrow Studios with Sean Read producing. Singer/guitarist Richard Olson, drummer Paulie Cobra, multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ralla, plus freshman bassist Paul Milne – laid down the album’s backbone over eight days. Mostly recorded live, even the solos done as a piece. Much is first take because trying better, it never worked as well. Pedal-steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte created and added his parts at his London studio bringing ‘shimmery psychedelic goodness’. Smartly sequenced On A Golden Shore proceeds in clusters of songs; commencing with the free and easy choogle of ‘Let Me Dream Of You’, encompassing the sunny glam of ‘Sweet Light’, the baggy Balearic waft of ‘Happiness Is A Bird’, the pan pipes and bongos of the exotic ‘Golden Shore’, through to the rolling banjo of ‘No Way Spell’ and the celestial cascades of ‘Heart In A Box’. Fashioned instinctively On A Golden Shore is ultimately an album of sensation as much as thought, filled with fleeting moments of blissful excess, and stumbling, rushing flutters of sound; its evanescent psychedelia, divine choruses, and shards of strings combine into an infectious, compelling Cosmic Heartbreak Boogie.

Die verdammt allergrößte Band des Universums ist zurück mit ihrem zweiten Album, offenbar direkt aus der Andromeda-Galaxie reingeschlittert! Intergalaktischer Lo-Fi-Garagenpunk! Bone (The Anomalys, Gitarre) & Jackie (The Jackets, Gesang & Schlagzeug) aka Plush Stuffed Huge Penis & Hungry Oversized Vagina veranstalten dieses Super Lo-Fi Trash Rock'n'Roll Bad Taste B-Movie Horros-SciFi-Sex-Märchen! Seit zehn Jahren verbreiten THE SEX ORGANS mit Hilfe ihrer menschlichen Sklavenfirma VOODOO RHYTHM RECORDS gnadenlos ihre Weltraum-Botschaft! Diesmal sind sie zu dem Schluss gekommen, dass die ganze Erde am Abgrund steht und es keine Hoffnung mehr gibt ... außer sich den Machenschaften der 'Sex Organs' überhaupt zu unterwerfen. In den 12 Manifesten dieser einzigartigen Platte zeigen sie uns, wie es richtig geht: "The ultimate soundtrack to the downfall" - Sex ist unvermeidbar... Als tiefschwarze Vinyl-LP mit bedrucktem Insert und DLC oder Gatefold-Sleeve CD mit 12seitigem Booklet erhältlich! Geschichte: The Sex Organs wurden 2014 von Bone (NL/The Anomalys) und Jackie (CH/The Jackets) gegründet und wurden sofort zu einem Kult-Act, der in ganz Europa auf den besten Garagenfestivals und Clubs spielte und eine Welle von Rock'n'Roll "Sexcitement" auslöste - genau dann, wenn es nötig war! Sie spielten auch in etablierten Museen, auf Film- und Comicfestivals, gingen auf Tournee in Kanada und wurden (stolz) aus dem Schloss Dracula in Transsylvanien verbannt (wahre Geschichte)! Die Sex Organs zu sein, mag eine Herausforderung sein, aber niemals langweilig!Die Sex Organs spielen wilden, schweißtreibenden Trash and Roll, der den Zuhörer Song für Song zu einem explosiven Höhepunkt treibt! Das ist so primitiv wie es nur geht - ein Stehschlagzeug, eine Gitarre und Texte über den sexuellen Zustand der modernen Zeit, in der wir leben!

Prolific musician and visual artist NAH (US / BE) presents ‘Totally Recalled’, a new album set for release on March 15. The record will be available on Vinyl LP via VIERNULVIER Records and digital via NAH’s own Difficult Sounds.

Across 10 tracks of relentlessly pulsing yet highly reflective works, ‘Totally Recalled’ continues NAH’s never-ending exploration of the balance between acoustic and synthetic percussion and the noisy overlapping genre intersections they pass through.

It pulls upon years of NAH’s experiences in dark clubs and grimy basements across the globe to present the listener with an audio snapshot of the genre-less alternate reality that NAH continues to traverse.

‘Totally Recalled’ is a listening experience that serves well at home, submerged in headphones, but ultimately meant to be witnessed live in all its decibel meter breaking glory.

To enhance ‘Totally Recalled’ on a visual level, NAH has developed a new live AV show of the same title with dates at CTM Festival (Berlin), Melkweg (Amsterdam), Out The Frame (Ghent), We Are Open (Antwerp) and many more.

‘Totally Recalled is set for release on March 15 on vinyl LP via VIERNULVIER Records & digital via NAH’s own Difficult Sounds

ZYX Italo Disco: Best Of is the ultimate new vinyl compilation series for Italo Disco fans worldwide, now entering its 6th edition. Of course, this edition is once again available as a 2LP box set on colored vinyl. Discover 15 unforgettable hits and rarities from the 80s in impeccable sound quality. Den Harrow - Don‘t Break My Heart / Ranko - Happy World / Alan Ross - The Last Wall / Baby‘s Gang - Challenger and many more.

Nur wenige Wochen nach seinem Kollaborationsalbum mit der langjährigen Thievery Corporation-Sängerin Natalia Clavier liefert Thievery-Mitbegründer Eric Hilton mit dem neuen Solowerk 'Sound Vagabond' eine atemberaubende 14-Track-Klangreisereportage ab. Für Hilton, der Jahrzehnte damit verbracht hat, verschiedene globale Genres zu einer einzigartigen Musikvision zu verschmelzen, ist 'Sound Vagabond' die ultimative Umsetzung dieses Ethos, bei der jeder Titel eine Audio-Fotopostkarte eines realen oder imaginären Ortes ist.

Die schnellste Band der Welt – Die GRAMMY nominierten Extreme Power Metal Pioniere DRAGONFORCE sind Warp Speed Warriors!
Die Grammy-nominierten Extreme-Power-Metal-Pioniere DRAGONFORCE veröffentlichen ihr neues Album Warp Speed Warriors am 15. März 2024
via Napalm Records. Die ikonische Band um die Gitarrenvirtuosen und Gründungsmitglieder Herman Li und Sam Totman, Sänger Marc Hudson,
Bassistin Alicia Vigil und Schlagzeuger Gee Anzalone ist bekannt für ihre meisterhaften, unvergleichlichen und blitzschnellen Gitarrensoli, die ein
ganzes Genre beeinflusst haben. Dabei sind Inspirationen aus unterschiedlichsten Heavy-Metal-Stilen, Fantasy-Welten und Videospielen deutlich
hörbar.
Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 1999 haben DRAGONFORCE die Metal Szene weltweit mit ihren extrem erfolgreichen Alben und kultigen Singles in ihren
Bann gezogen, darunter der mit Platin ausgezeichnete Hit „Through the Fire and Flames" – die ultimative Herausforderung für Gamer im legendären
"Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock". Bekannt für ihre epischen Kompositionen lassen DRAGONFORCE auf ihrem mit Spannung erwarteten neuen Album
mehr Einflüsse aus unterschiedlichen Genres einfließen und entwickeln ihren Sound damit deutlich weiter.
Warp Speed Warriors, produziert von Damien Rainaud, Sam Totman an Herman Li– und von letzterem gemischt und gemastert – ist ein
unvergleichliches, innovatives Hörerlebnis, das sich als Highlight in die umfassende Diskographie der Band einfügt. Eine wahrhaft epische Reise!

Die Paradise Phantoms, führende Funkgruppe aus Madrid,
veröffentlichen im März 2024 „Ten“, ihr bis dato ultimatives
Album.

Nach den Singles „Tonight“, ein kraftvoller, super-funkiger
Track, „Una Y No Más“, die erste spanischsprachige Single der
Phantoms und dem nicht zuletzt in den USA besonders
erfolgreichen „Cannestereo“ folgt nun das Album mit 10
Songs zum 10jährigen Bandjubiläum. Musikalisch einen Bogen
spannend von Funk bis Electronica und 80er New Wave, mit
Einflüssen von Acts wie Chic, Chromeo, George Clinto, Daft
Punk, Duran Duran, Jamiroquai und Rick James.
Die Paradise Phantoms sind Marcos Miranda (Bass, Gesang)
und Iván Redondo (Gitarre, Keyboards, Programming), die im
Studio und auf der Bühne mit verschiedenen Musiker*innen
zusammenarbeiten. Sie werden das Album in 2024 in Spanien
und Deutschland live präsentieren

- Bananarama celebrate over 40 years at the top with the release of 'Glorious - The Ultimate Collection'. With 40 tracks selected by Sara and Keren themselves, the double CD album revisits every decade of the band's career, with hits including Cruel Summer, Venus, Love in the First Degree, Only Your Love, Preacher Man, Move in My Direction and more, along with two new singles, Feel The Love (released October 18) and Supernova.
- The 1LP edition features 16 tracks : singles + new remixes of classic hits and "Feel the Love" & "Supernova "for the first time on vinyl.
- Bananarama are THE original girl group. They're featured in Guinness World of Records for the most internationally charted hits by an all female band, with in excess of 30+ million sales worldwide.

VINYL (* versions on vinyl for the first time )

Tony West was raised in the Bronx on New York Dolls, Ramones, Bad Brains, and NYHC. Hearing the call of the wild west, Tony made his way to Los Angeles at 19 years old. He initially collaborated with guitarist Todd Youth (Murphy’s Law/Danzig) in Malfunkshun, which was kept active by Andy Wood’s brother Kevin Wood. Tony took a break from L.A. to try out Memphis in 1998. While he was there, he attended the first Saliva gig with Paul Crosby on drums. This historic event marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship between Paul and Tony, ultimately leading to a management collaboration and Paul joining Blacklist Union. In addition, Tony recorded with Saliva and Jon E. Love (Love/Hate) in 2014. Tony decided to go in his own direction in 2006. With a shamanistic blend of Stone Temple Pilots, G N’ R, Malfunkshun, and New York Dolls… Blacklist Union was born. Blacklist Union have released four albums to date and are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming release ‘Letters from the Psych Ward.’ The first two singles and videos for “The Queen of Everything” and “Letters from the Psych Ward” are out now. The next single and video, “Dirty Halo” will be out next, with an album release in September

Repress.

A timeless classic created and arranged by GLENN UNDERGROUND originally released in the mid-90s on a BOO WILLIAMS' EP. The track took Europe by storm and now on a special 1-sided 12" from STRICTLY JAZ UNIT MUZIC it's available again. CLOUD BURST' is the ultimate peak time Chicago warehouse sound from the innovator GLENN UNDERGROUND. Grab this low end heavy, snappn', uplifting groove. A Chicago jacking anthem. Mastering by the Gorilla Oven Studio.