Search:the young uns

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson lebt in seiner Heimatstadt Los Angeles und ist einer der herausragenden Musiker, Orchestratoren, Arrangeure und Komponisten unserer Zeit. „Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1“ ist sein lang erwartetes Debütalbum. Es präsentiert uns eine leidenschaftliche Liebeserklärung und ein Reich der schönen Möglichkeiten.

Es gibt eine Fülle von Möglichkeiten, sich Miguel Atwood-Fergusons Musik zu nähern - und es gibt keine Grenzen, wohin sie jemanden führen könnte. Als Komponist, Arrangeur, Multiinstrumentalist und Produzent hat er an mehr als 600 Alben und Soundtracks für genreübergreifende Künstler:innen gearbeitet, darunter Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Anderson .Paak, Mary J. Blige oder Seu Jorge. Seine Klangpalette umfasst Jazz, Klassik, Hiphop, Electronica, Avantgarde, Pop und vieles mehr. Zu seinen gefeierten Live- und Aufnahmeprojekten gehören die innovative orchestrale Neuinterpretation des Repertoires von J Dilla, „Suite For Ma Dukes“ (2009), seine produktiven Werke mit seinem langjährigen Freund und Kollaborateur Carlos Niño, darunter das improvisierte Album, „Chicago Waves“ (2020), auf International Anthem, und seine Gruppen wie das Quartetto Fantastico und das Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble. „Les Jardins Mystiques“ ist ein Projekt, das Miguel Atwood-Fergusons musikalisches Universum offenlegt und mit anderen teilt. Es hat sich über ein Dutzend Jahre hinweg entwickelt, wurde größtenteils von ihm selbst finanziert und zeigt seine ausgesprochen elegante Musikalität (u. a. auf Geige, Bratsche, Cello und Keyboards) sowie seine freigeistigen Dialoge mit mehr als 50 Instrumentalist:innen. ‚Volume 1‘ ist hierbei bloß der erste Teil eines geplanten Triptychons, das insgesamt ganze zehneinhalb Stunden origineller und erfrischend ausladender Musik umfassen wird. Atwood-Ferguson verband sich mit seinen Gastmusiker:innen auf vielfältige Weise: durch gesellige Studiodialoge, durch Fernkommunikation während der Pandemie und durch die Energie von Live-Auftritten in seiner Heimatstadt, darunter im Del Monte Speakeasy (das herrlich belebende, von einem Klavier begleitete „Dream Dance“) und im Bluewhale (u. a. „Ano Yo“ mit dem temperamentvollen Alt-Saxophon von Devin Daniels und den kosmischen Harmonien von „Cho Oyu“). Bennie Maupin, der legendäre US-Multi-Blasinstrumentalist, zu dessen Repertoire auch Miles Davis' Fusion-Opus „Bitches Brew“ gehört, spielt Bassklarinette auf der hinreißenden Eröffnungsnummer „Kiseki“. Im Laufe seiner illustren Karriere hat Miguel Atwood-Ferguson mit Künstler:innen wie Rihanna, Ray Charles, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Anderson .Paak, Dr. Dre, Kamasi Washington, Mary J. Blige, will.i. am, Big Boi, Arthur Verocai, Bonobo, Lianne La Havas, Kaytranada, Moses Sumney, Seu Jorge, Common, The Roots, The Cinematic Orchestra, Jamael Dean, Shafiq Husayn, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Carlos Niño, Bilal und viele mehr zusammengearbeitet.

It's been a little over ten years since Hailu Mergia reemerged on the international music scene. Following the first in a series of his classic recordings reissued in collaboration with Awesome Tapes From Africa, Mergia assembled a band and began performing live again after many years driving a cab in Washington, DC. His first show back appeared on the front page of the New York Times along with a stellar review and he took off from there performing his flavor of Ethiopian jazz all over the world in the years since, including Radio City Music Hall and Montreal Jazz Festival. Finally, we have a recorded document of the keyboard player's powerful DC-based trio _ which practices each weekend in his basement _ featuring Kenneth Joseph on drums and Alemseged Kebede on bass. Beautifully captured at one of their fiery live shows at the venerable Brooklyn non-profit cultural center Pioneer Works on July 1, 2016, the concert was recorded by PW staff and mixed by Ted Young with mastering by ATFA's expert audio extraction collaborator Jessica Thompson. The performance clarifies what many people across the globe already know: in his fifth decade of music-making Hailu Mergia continues to push the boundaries of his remarkable abilities. Mergia and his veteran band energetically and playfully unpeel layer after layer of harmonic and rhythmic interest out of a spectrum of Ethiopian repertoire. Modern jazz demands constant reinvention and improvisation, night after night creating new works out of known modes and classic standards. This band is unstoppable when it comes to turning age-old melodies (like "Tizita" or "Anchihoye Lene") upside down and inside out until they emerge as molten new works, often spontaneously. Mergia's original compositions (like "Yegle Nesh") shine brighter than ever here as well. Moving from keyboard to organ to accordion to melodica, he deftly switches instruments _ often during the same song. Mergia at 77 years old seems to be working harder than musicians half his age. "Pioneer Works Swing (Live)" brings into focus the kind of onstage group improvisation and deadly solo passages that reach for places Mergia and the band have never gone, on festival and club stages across four continents. Now that Mergia has released two new recordings along with four classic reissues, he is eager to let everyone hear what he's been doing on the road since he re-took the global stage for his victory laps. So much more than an old act from yesteryear, Mergia balances his legendary Ethiopian recordings with good old fashioned sweat-soaked live concert triumphs such as the one we have here.

It's been a little over ten years since Hailu Mergia reemerged on the international music scene. Following the first in a series of his classic recordings reissued in collaboration with Awesome Tapes From Africa, Mergia assembled a band and began performing live again after many years driving a cab in Washington, DC. His first show back appeared on the front page of the New York Times along with a stellar review and he took off from there performing his flavor of Ethiopian jazz all over the world in the years since, including Radio City Music Hall and Montreal Jazz Festival. Finally, we have a recorded document of the keyboard player's powerful DC-based trio _ which practices each weekend in his basement _ featuring Kenneth Joseph on drums and Alemseged Kebede on bass. Beautifully captured at one of their fiery live shows at the venerable Brooklyn non-profit cultural center Pioneer Works on July 1, 2016, the concert was recorded by PW staff and mixed by Ted Young with mastering by ATFA's expert audio extraction collaborator Jessica Thompson. The performance clarifies what many people across the globe already know: in his fifth decade of music-making Hailu Mergia continues to push the boundaries of his remarkable abilities. Mergia and his veteran band energetically and playfully unpeel layer after layer of harmonic and rhythmic interest out of a spectrum of Ethiopian repertoire. Modern jazz demands constant reinvention and improvisation, night after night creating new works out of known modes and classic standards. This band is unstoppable when it comes to turning age-old melodies (like "Tizita" or "Anchihoye Lene") upside down and inside out until they emerge as molten new works, often spontaneously. Mergia's original compositions (like "Yegle Nesh") shine brighter than ever here as well. Moving from keyboard to organ to accordion to melodica, he deftly switches instruments _ often during the same song. Mergia at 77 years old seems to be working harder than musicians half his age. "Pioneer Works Swing (Live)" brings into focus the kind of onstage group improvisation and deadly solo passages that reach for places Mergia and the band have never gone, on festival and club stages across four continents. Now that Mergia has released two new recordings along with four classic reissues, he is eager to let everyone hear what he's been doing on the road since he re-took the global stage for his victory laps. So much more than an old act from yesteryear, Mergia balances his legendary Ethiopian recordings with good old fashioned sweat-soaked live concert triumphs such as the one we have here.

It’s been a little over ten years since Hailu Mergia re- emerged on the international music scene. Following the first in a series of his classic recordings reissued in collaboration with Awesome Tapes From Africa, Mergia assembled a band and began performing live again after many years driving a cab in Washington, DC. His first show back appeared on the front page of the

New York Times along with a stellar review and he took off from there performing his flavor of Ethiopian jazz all over the world in the years since, including Radio City Music Hall and Montreal Jazz Festival.

Finally, we have a recorded document of the keyboard player’s powerful DC-based trio—which practices each weekend in his basement—featuring Kenneth Joseph on drums and Alemseged Kebede on bass. Beautifully captured at one of their fiery live shows at the venerable Brooklyn non-profit cultural center Pioneer Works on July 1, 2016, the concert was recorded by PW staff and mixed by Ted Young with mastering by ATFA’s expert audio extraction collaborator Jessica Thompson. The performance clarifies what many people across the globe already know: in his fifth decade of music-making Hailu Mergia continues to push the boundaries of his remarkable abilities.

Mergia and his veteran band energetically and playfully unpeel layer after layer of harmonic and rhythmic interest out of a spectrum of Ethiopian repertoire. Modern jazz demands constant reinvention and improvisation, night after night creating new works out of known modes and classic standards. This band is unstoppable when it comes to turning age-old melodies (like “Tizita” or “Anchihoye Lene”) upside down and inside out until they emerge as molten new works, often spontaneously. Mergia’s original compositions (like “Yegle Nesh”) shine brighter than ever here as well. Moving from keyboard to organ to accordion to melodica, he deftly switches instruments—often during the same song. Mergia at 77 years old seems to be working harder than musicians half his age.

Pioneer Works Swing (Live) brings into focus the kind of onstage group improvisation and deadly solo passages that reach for places Mergia and the band have never gone, on festival and club stages across four continents.

Now that Mergia has released two new recordings along with four classic reissues, he is eager to let everyone hear what he’s been doing on the road since he re-took the global stage for his victory laps. So much more than an old act from yesteryear, Mergia balances his legendary Ethiopian recordings with good old fashioned sweat-soaked live concert triumphs such as the one we have here.

Dropped Balls is the debut 12” vinyl release for Galway’s Belacqua. After previous releases on Unscene Music and Wherethetimegoes, Dropped Balls sees the Galweigan channelling his inner Sound Hack and travelling back in time to early 80’s NYC for a riotous collage of off kilter sampling, propellent drums, weeping acid and a general air of barely-controlled chaos.

Gunnish kicks things off with jagged piano riffs before charging full steam ahead into the wall of a dank basement in the Meatpacking District before Davish jumps into life with its supercharged, rolling drums. The A-side then slowly but surely descends into the washes of distorted synths and booming kicks of Youngish

On the flipside Marshall Applewhite (Yo Sucka! Detroit) drowns the stuttering funk of Gunnish in his trademark sludged out techno before the 12” takes a turn to the emotive with the transcending, slo-mo acid of release closer, Tennish.

Jerry Leger ist ein Künstler, der von Uncut Magazine und Rolling Stone Germany gefeiert
wird und auch Lob von Kollegen wie Ron Sexsmith und Doug Paisley erhalten hat.
Auf seinem neuen Album 'Donlands' hat Leger einen anderen Ansatz gewählt und sich mit
dem legendären kanadischen Produzenten/ Toningenieur Mark Howard (Lucinda
Williams, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young) zusammengetan, dessen markanter
atmosphärischer Sound Leger's Herangehensweise völlig verändert hat. Das Album,
benannt nach der Straße im Osten von Toronto, in der es aufgenommen wurde, im
ehemaligen Donlands Theatre, präsentiert Jerry Leger, wie man ihn noch nie zuvor gehört
hat.
"Längst nicht mehr viele Leute machen Aufnahmen wie Mark Howard", sagt Leger.
"Nachdem ich ihm erzählt hatte, wie viel mir Tom Waits' 'Real Gone' bedeutet, bin ich
direkt in die Erfahrung eingetaucht. Wie bei all meinen Alben haben wir 'Donlands'
größtenteils live im Studio mit meiner Band The Situation Dan Mock, Kyle Sullivan, Alan
Zemaitis aufgenommen, im Kreis - ohne Kopfhörer, einfach nur Zuhören und Existieren,
Atmen als Ganzes. Für mich ist es ein Album, das in seiner eigenen Welt lebt."
'Donlands' schließt passend mit "Slow Night In Nowhere Town", in dem der Film endet und
wir aus dem Theater in einen gleichmäßigen Regen hinaustreten, unsicher, ob wir nach
Hause gehen oder einfach weitergehen sollen. Mit 'Donlands' hat er ein Album geschaffen,
das als einer der Höhepunkte in einem ohnehin schon beeindruckenden Werk steht.
Digitalwerbung auf Facebook, Instagram und YouTube.

Mr. K’s series of edits on Most Excellent Unlimited is nothing if not eclectic, and utilitarian — as befits a veteran DJ of Danny Krivit’s stature. For our latest, Krivit pulls two disparate gems out of his bag of tricks and fits them neatly on a single 7-inch piece of vinyl.

In 1972 Ralph Bakshi’s landmark underground animated film Fritz the Cat was released, featuring a soundtrack performed by an all-star cast of San Francisco area musicians associated with the Berkeley-based Fantasy label. Perhaps Fantasy’s biggest artist was the vibes player Cal Tjader, who debuted in 1955 and was still going strong when songs were gathered for the movie’s soundtrack nearly twenty years later. Rather than simply using one of his older, already-recorded tunes, Tjader laid down a completely new version of his earlier hit record “Mamblues.” This time however, he swapped his standard latin percussion accompaniment for a can’t-miss rhythm section of Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, and Arthur Adams. The result was a searing funk workout that took the latin jazz classic to new heights. Mr. K subtly warms this one up by adding a hint of reverb and bringing the tempo down a notch, pushing things from frenetic to funky, and firmly into friendly mixing territory for the DJs.

For our flip side, we turn to an unsung jewel amongst Philadelphia’s many contributions to disco music. Executive Suite released a series of singles in ’74 and ’75 that were recorded at the famed Sigma Sound Studios and had ties to a number of better known disco luminaries, among them the holy trinity of Baker-Harris-Young and, on “You Believed In Me,” the mighty Patrick Adams. Along with his longtime associate Stan Lucas, Adams garnished the vocal quartet’s composition with a driving arrangement and epic, soaring strings. The combined effect produced a vibrant, uplifting club cut that echoes the positive spirit of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” while being altogether its own thing. For our latest release Mr. K focuses solely on Adams’s instrumental section, returning repeatedly to that addictive string riff and creating a propulsive rhythm track that just doesn’t quit. And we don’t want it to!

As always, these connoisseur’s choice cuts have been remastered and pressed to Most Excellent Unlimited’s standards, and are primed and ready on 7-inch for DJs and home listeners alike.

Demon Records is proud to present ‘Produced by Tony Visconti’, a new definitive retrospective compilation assembled with the assistance of legendary record producer Tony Visconti.
“This boxset covers five and a half decades of my efforts in the art of making iconic recordings. Some of it is familiar and some will have a eureka moment, ‘I didn’t know Visconti produced that one!’
I am honoured that Demon Records took on this enormous task.”
– Tony Visconti

Often described as one of the most important
producers in rock, Tony Visconti has helped create
countless classic musical moments. His work can be
heard on celebrated albums by artists such as T. Rex,
Procol Harum, The Moody Blues and Thin Lizzy to
name but a few.
• This new collection features 30 tracks personally
curated by Visconti, gathering together some of his
favourite production work from across his career.
• Includes tracks by T. Rex, Sparks, Thin Lizzy, U2,
Dexys Midnight Runners, Gentle Giant, The
Boomtown Rats, Manic Street Preachers, The Good,
The Bad & The Queen, and many more.
• Pressed on 2 x 140g LPs, mastered by Phil Kinrade at
AIR Mastering, approved by Tony Visconti. Artwork
designed by Grammy-winning creative studio
Barnbrook.
• Includes a 12-page booklet with previously unseen
photographs, and extensive track-by-track liner
notes by Mojo writer Mark Paytress based on new
interviews with Tony Visconti.

























x 5. U2 – A Sort Of Homecoming Live

Channeling the speed of youth and the heaviness of a fleshy, lived life in equal proportion, Upchuck’s second LP, Bite the Hand That Feeds, is a Trojan Horse par excellence, craftily smuggling in waves of sentimental emotion and clever pop songwriting under a veil of pulsing rhythms and scorching riffs. What binds Upchuck together is a purity of intention, an organic loyalty to a thick knot of uncalculated friendships, struggles, and desires. These are songs about the joy of continuing to live, songs that find each other in the rush of a crushing reality, propelling the listener onward towards a collective release, however brief it may last. Themes of surviving through the night, youth-blinded love, cheap champagne soaked back-alley parties, and chaotic street protests are subsumed under a single unifying thread: the needs we have for one another, our shared hunger for connection. In a world saturated with arbitrary rules and paper-thin moralism, Upchuck offer free¬dom through sensation, a type of unserious transcendence found through the swirl of bodies melting into one another in the passion of dance. With Bite the Hand That Feeds, Upchuck isn’t trying to tell anyone how to live. Rather, they are simply trying to find a way to make life more worth living for both themselves and their friends—if the music compels you to move, you might as well consider yourself their friend too. Shortly after the release of their debut album Sense Yourself, Upchuck absconded to Southern California to record Bite the Hand That Feeds, enlisting the production talents of Ty Segall and the airy reprieve of his secluded Topanga Canyon home studio. Upchuck credits Segall, who recorded the entire record live to tape over the span of five days, with helping to elevate the arrangements of their second record to bold new heights—fans of Segall’s extensive catalog will undoubtedly recognize the shadow of his creative touch in Bite the Hand That Feeds’ commanding, layered drum polyrhythms, tasteful use of oddball effects, and fuzzed out, every-guitar-pushed-into-the-red ethos. All the same, final credit for Upchuck’s evolution from Sense Yourself to Bite the Hand That Feeds must be paid to the band itself. Following the release of their debut LP, Upchuck embarked upon a break-neck string of live shows, touring alongside the likes of Segall’s Fuzz, Amyl and the Sniffers, Negative Approach, OFF!, and Sub¬humans. The razor tight focus of Bite the Hand That Feeds was forged in the fire of these live shows, speaking directly to the power of their in-person presence—these are songs meant to be heard pressed up against a barricade, blasted through dimed guitar amps placed so close to your ears that you can practically reach out and touch them. In its totality, Bite the Hand That Feeds offers a sonic portrait of what it feels like to be young and caught up in the thrill of it all, coursing between ripping dance grooves and thundering dirges, anti-self-serious crowd anthems and charming pop hooks.

"Mid Air" ist ein Album über das Feiern, die Zuflucht und die Erlösung auf der Tanzfläche. Es ist ein Album, das sich mit Liebe, Trauer, Beziehungen, Identität und Sexualität beschäftigt. Es ist Romys Liebesbrief an die queeren Clubs, in denen sie Gemeinschaft und Anschluss gefunden hat. Die Entstehung des Albums, ihres ersten Soloprojekts, war ein Prozess, bei dem sie sich selbst außerhalb von The xx kennengelernt hat und in dem sie auch noch die Zeit hatte, sich zu verlieben. Es gibt einen Moment, ein Zwischenspiel, ein paar Tracks in "Mid Air", als Romys Stimme leise den Text "it hit me in mid air" singt. Diese Erkenntnis führt uns direkt in den Song "Enjoy Your Life", die zweite Single des Albums, die wie eine Offenbarung klingt. "Meine Mutter sagte zu mir "genieße dein Leben"", singt Musiker Beverly Glenn-Copeland im Refrain - ein Sample aus seiner Platte "La Vita". Als Romy den Satz zum ersten Mal hörte, hat er sie umgehauen - eine Erinnerung in den Tiefen der Trauer, dass das Leben kurz ist und man es in vollen Zügen genießen sollte. Freude, Verbundenheit, Liebe zu suchen. Während die Strophen die härteste Zeit nach dem Verlust ihrer Eltern zum Ausdruck bringen, ist der Refrain eine Art feierliche Ruhe. Schmerz und Freude tanzen zusammen. Die Art von Liedern, die Romy am liebsten mag - das, was sie "emotionale Musik zum Tanzen" nennt - Lieder wie "Smalltown Boy" von Bronski Beat oder "Dancing On My Own" von Robyn. Das ist die Art von Musik, die "Mid Air" inspiriert hat, die Art von Musik, die Menschen in Clubs zusammenbringt, insbesondere in queeren Clubs. Romy begann als Teenager in Londoner Queer-Clubs aufzulegen und sieht "Mid Air" als eine Rückkehr in diese Zeit, ein Pop-Dance-Album, das die Orte beschwört, an denen sie sich zum ersten Mal in das Genre und seine Kraft, Menschen zu bewegen, verliebt hat. Die Tatsache, dass das Album größtenteils unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit entstand, als Romy die Clubs vermisste, machte diesen Impuls, ein Album zu schaffen, das in einem Club ein Zuhause finden könnte, umso wichtiger. Die Zusammenarbeit mit Fred Again.. und Stuart Price (der eines von Romys Lieblingsalben, Madonnas "Confessions on a Dancefloor", produziert hat) sowie mit Jamie xx, einem ganz engen Freund, Mitglied von The xx und Kollaborateur des Tracks "Enjoy Your Life", sorgte für die perfekte Balance zwischen Emotion und Tanzbarkeit. Auch wenn Romy nicht damit gerechnet hätte, dass ein solches Album jemals zustande kommen würde, als sie 2018 begann, mit Fred zu schreiben "Mid Air" führt uns durch die Höhen und Tiefen - einer Nacht, einer Beziehung, von Trauer und Heilung - und endet schließlich an einem Ort des Optimismus. Der letzte Track "She"s on My Mind" ist eine bewusste Anspielung auf den Disco-Song, der am Ende der Nacht in angesagten Queer-Clubs wie der Paradise Garage gespielt wurde und bei dem die getrennt tanzenden Körper zueinander fanden. Es ist das Ende eines Albums, das die besonderen, aber flüchtigen Momente der Ekstase feiert, die man nur in der Tanzmusik finden kann. Oder wie Romy es ausdrückt: "Das Gefühl der Gemeinschaft in den Clubs ermöglicht eine Flucht vor der Realität der Welt. Ich bin vielleicht nicht das Leben und die Seele einer Party, aber in der Atmosphäre eines Clubs zu sein, zu beobachten und sich zu verbinden - dadurch fühle ich mich weniger allein und lebendiger"

"Mid Air" ist ein Album über das Feiern, die Zuflucht und die Erlösung auf der Tanzfläche. Es ist ein Album, das sich mit Liebe, Trauer, Beziehungen, Identität und Sexualität beschäftigt. Es ist Romys Liebesbrief an die queeren Clubs, in denen sie Gemeinschaft und Anschluss gefunden hat. Die Entstehung des Albums, ihres ersten Soloprojekts, war ein Prozess, bei dem sie sich selbst außerhalb von The xx kennengelernt hat und in dem sie auch noch die Zeit hatte, sich zu verlieben. Es gibt einen Moment, ein Zwischenspiel, ein paar Tracks in "Mid Air", als Romys Stimme leise den Text "it hit me in mid air" singt. Diese Erkenntnis führt uns direkt in den Song "Enjoy Your Life", die zweite Single des Albums, die wie eine Offenbarung klingt. "Meine Mutter sagte zu mir "genieße dein Leben"", singt Musiker Beverly Glenn-Copeland im Refrain - ein Sample aus seiner Platte "La Vita". Als Romy den Satz zum ersten Mal hörte, hat er sie umgehauen - eine Erinnerung in den Tiefen der Trauer, dass das Leben kurz ist und man es in vollen Zügen genießen sollte. Freude, Verbundenheit, Liebe zu suchen. Während die Strophen die härteste Zeit nach dem Verlust ihrer Eltern zum Ausdruck bringen, ist der Refrain eine Art feierliche Ruhe. Schmerz und Freude tanzen zusammen. Die Art von Liedern, die Romy am liebsten mag - das, was sie "emotionale Musik zum Tanzen" nennt - Lieder wie "Smalltown Boy" von Bronski Beat oder "Dancing On My Own" von Robyn. Das ist die Art von Musik, die "Mid Air" inspiriert hat, die Art von Musik, die Menschen in Clubs zusammenbringt, insbesondere in queeren Clubs. Romy begann als Teenager in Londoner Queer-Clubs aufzulegen und sieht "Mid Air" als eine Rückkehr in diese Zeit, ein Pop-Dance-Album, das die Orte beschwört, an denen sie sich zum ersten Mal in das Genre und seine Kraft, Menschen zu bewegen, verliebt hat. Die Tatsache, dass das Album größtenteils unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit entstand, als Romy die Clubs vermisste, machte diesen Impuls, ein Album zu schaffen, das in einem Club ein Zuhause finden könnte, umso wichtiger. Die Zusammenarbeit mit Fred Again.. und Stuart Price (der eines von Romys Lieblingsalben, Madonnas "Confessions on a Dancefloor", produziert hat) sowie mit Jamie xx, einem ganz engen Freund, Mitglied von The xx und Kollaborateur des Tracks "Enjoy Your Life", sorgte für die perfekte Balance zwischen Emotion und Tanzbarkeit. Auch wenn Romy nicht damit gerechnet hätte, dass ein solches Album jemals zustande kommen würde, als sie 2018 begann, mit Fred zu schreiben "Mid Air" führt uns durch die Höhen und Tiefen - einer Nacht, einer Beziehung, von Trauer und Heilung - und endet schließlich an einem Ort des Optimismus. Der letzte Track "She"s on My Mind" ist eine bewusste Anspielung auf den Disco-Song, der am Ende der Nacht in angesagten Queer-Clubs wie der Paradise Garage gespielt wurde und bei dem die getrennt tanzenden Körper zueinander fanden. Es ist das Ende eines Albums, das die besonderen, aber flüchtigen Momente der Ekstase feiert, die man nur in der Tanzmusik finden kann. Oder wie Romy es ausdrückt: "Das Gefühl der Gemeinschaft in den Clubs ermöglicht eine Flucht vor der Realität der Welt. Ich bin vielleicht nicht das Leben und die Seele einer Party, aber in der Atmosphäre eines Clubs zu sein, zu beobachten und sich zu verbinden - dadurch fühle ich mich weniger allein und lebendiger"

Gym Class Heroes
2005-11 Studioalben werden auf Vinyl neu aufgelegt. LOS ANGELES - Diesen Sommer veröffentlicht Rhino Vinyl-Versionen aller vier Studioalben Gym Class Heroes, die zwischen 2005 und 2011 aufgenommen wurden, sowie McCoys Solodebüt Lazarus. As Cruel as School Children (2006), Lazarus (2010) und The Papercut Chronicles II (2011) werden als Einzel-LPs für jeweils erhältlich sein. The Papercut Chronicles (2005) und The Quilt (2008) werden als Doppel-LPs veröffentlicht. Alle fünf Alben können ab sofort vorbestellt werden.
Für Gym Class Heroes braut sich dieses Jahr etwas zusammen. Die Band wird beim When We Were Young Fest zum ersten Mal seit 2018 wieder auf der Bühne stehen.

"Ich könnte nicht enthusiastischer sein für dieses nächste Kapitel im Buch der Gym Class Heroes. Wenn ihr uns so sehr vermisst habt wie wir euch, dann könnt ihr euch auf eine gute Lektüre freuen, ruhig in der Bibliothek, aber verdammt wild in der Gym Class" - Travie McCoy.

"Bastian Epple makes an eagerly anticipated return to marionette under his elusive MinaeMinae guise that imagines rich sonic architectures for the journeying spirit to voyage to. Räumlichkeit is Epple’s debut album and third release to date following Gestrüpp from 2020, venturing further into melodic electronic nostalgia and percussive beat oriented soundscapes.

Growing up in a small village in southern Germany, Bastian Epple was never interested in kitschy folk sounds, rather he took solace in the time he would spend meditating to repetitive and hypnotic patterns. His guitar strumming and what sounded to his mother like a young Philip Glass on a cheap Casio keyboard encouraged little Epple to tread on this self-taught path of developing his own musical language. This led him to start experimenting with a tape recorder and layering sounds with non-musical samples to eventually working with a DAW.

Bastian went on to study Media Art at the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe and graduated with a diploma in film and documentary media - where he now works as a freelance filmmaker and lecturer at Stuttgart Media University. However, this never stopped him from creating and playing with wide-eyed sounds, eventually amassing a vast collection of tunes and finally emerging from this anonymity.

Utilizing modular synth, self made tape echos, synthetic sounds, recordings of ethnic percussion and guitar, MinaeMinae understands musical material similar to documentary footage which he would splice, repitch, and rearrange intuitively into captivating worlds."

Hailing from the seaside communities surrounding Enoshima, a small island located 50 km southwest of Tokyo, Maya Ongaku is a ragtag collective of local musicians whose brand of earthy psychedelia transcends widely beyond the roots of their inner souls. The name derives not from any kind of ancient civilization, but rather a neologism defined as the imagined view outside one’s field of vision. The band—currently a trio of Tsutomu Sonoda, Ryota Takano, and Shoei Ikeda—finds sanctuary at the Ace General Store, a beachy vintage shop and salon-like space just hidden from sight from the bustling, touristy riverside Subana Street. Between discussions on music and art, curating the vinyl section and manning the register, and chatting up with locals young and old, the members find time to jam and record their spontaneous ideas in the studio tucked away in the back. It’s in this unlikely setting where Maya Ongaku finds its origins, the culmination of what Sonoda describes as 自然発生 (shizen hassei), meaning spontaneous generation, or the supposed production of living organisms from nonliving matter.

Approach to Anima, the group’s debut album released on Guruguru Brain, finds Maya Ongaku building a foundational groove while tapping into their innermost psyche. Sonoda’s malleable guitar and vocals, Takano’s sinuous bass lines, Ikeda’s floating woodwinds, and a sprinkling of delicate percussion—all coalesce into an aural experience that’s assertive yet abstract, calm but unsettling. The slow building, sax-laden “Approach” serves as an introduction to Maya Ongaku’s world, while the appropriately-named “Water Dream” floats its way toward the gentle finale of “Pillow Song.” It’s a concise distillation of their many interests and influences, from Neo-Dada and Fluxus, to where contemporary art intersects with the development of modern recording technology in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

As the title suggests, Approach to Anima is not intended to be a terminus; it’s merely the beginning of an exploration. The three childhood friends that comprise Maya Ongaku are always looking beyond the confines of the idyllic but rapidly gentrifying enclave of their beloved Enoshima. Feeding off of the energy that still radiates from the triumphant, decade-long journey of their label bosses’ band Kikagaku Moyo, who rose to global prominence from scrappy beginnings busking on the streets of Takadanobaba, they hope to go wherever inspiration takes them, to anywhere around the globe where their music can find a home.

Ultimately, Maya Ongaku’s uninhibited world-building will make it possible for us to see the unseen, expand the possibilities of the naked eye—all through the unbridled vibrancy of their music.

2011 kam das schwedische Hard Rock Quintett Bullet zu Nuklear Blast. 2012 dann mit "Full Pull" der ersehnte Nachfolger zum gefeierten "Highway Pirates" Album. "Full Pull" schickt uns mit Vollgas in die Hölle und macht seinem Namen alle Ehre. Bullet packen einfach noch mal mehr von allem in ihre Songs, und rüsten mit mehr Riffs, mehr Energie, mehr Diesel, mehr AC/DC, mehr Accept und mehr Heavy Metal auf.. Mit 'Midnight Oil', dem superlässigen Titel-Track, 'Running Away' inklusive sexy Handclaps, 'All Fired Up' aus der alten Young/Young-Schule, 'Freeriding' mit dem ultimativen Mitmach-Basslauf sowie dem finalen, cool auf der Judas Priest-Welle surfenden Riff von 'Warriors', macht das album einfach tierisch Spaß. Ein Fest für jeden Liebhaber des rauen AC/DC-meets-Accept-Stils der Schweden. ROAR veröffentlicht 2 super limitierte, auf 150 Stück weltweit,
Black & Gold Vinyl Versionen.

2011 kam das schwedische Hard Rock Quintett Bullet zu Nuklear Blast. 2012 dann mit "Full Pull" der ersehnte Nachfolger zum gefeierten "Highway Pirates" Album. "Full Pull" schickt uns mit Vollgas in die Hölle und macht seinem Namen alle Ehre. Bullet packen einfach noch mal mehr von allem in ihre Songs, und rüsten mit mehr Riffs, mehr Energie, mehr Diesel, mehr AC/DC, mehr Accept und mehr Heavy Metal auf.. Mit 'Midnight Oil', dem superlässigen Titel-Track, 'Running Away' inklusive sexy Handclaps, 'All Fired Up' aus der alten Young/Young-Schule, 'Freeriding' mit dem ultimativen Mitmach-Basslauf sowie dem finalen, cool auf der Judas Priest-Welle surfenden Riff von 'Warriors', macht das album einfach tierisch Spaß. Ein Fest für jeden Liebhaber des rauen AC/DC-meets-Accept-Stils der Schweden. ROAR veröffentlicht 2 super limitierte, auf 150 Stück weltweit,
Black & Gold Vinyl Versionen.

Young South Coast UK producer Lyra’s ‘Give It Up 2 Me’ has been a very 2023 entity so far, racking up 170k + streams as an unofficial Soundcloud upload, starting to make an impact on Tik Tok (especially via the L Major remix) whilst being, in 4/4 terms, on the nippier side of things.

Rocking along at an unapologetic 160bpm, ‘Give It…’ goes big on energy, and low on musical frills, as the song (a faithful cover of Ojerime’s original) and driving bass/drums combo do all the work for what is a minimal, avant - donk workout.

On the remix front, Limoux slows things down with a 135bpm 4/4 mix that feels like it has roots in LDN 2015 style foot shuffling, but with added sense of contemporary punch and reach.

Stepping up on an old school / new school junglist front, L Major’s mix takes no prisoners, with his rolling, cut up breaks and big Reese b-line set to cause damage to unsuspecting systems everywhere.

Closing proceedings, the Jag Limbo mix doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be Overmono or Giorgio Moroder, is in reality neither, and arguably none the worse for it.

Top-Kollektion mit 16 Klassikern des unsterblichen Frank Sinatra aus den 4 Alben, die er Mitte der 1950er Jahre mit dem Arrangeur Nelson Riddle aufnahm und die den Höhepunkt seiner Karriere darstellen: Songs For Young Lovers, Swing Easy!, In the Wee Small Hours, Songs For Swingin' Lovers. Erhältlich als illustrierter Bildband.

Taavi Suisalu is an Estonian media artist particularly interested into complex and adventurous sounds, field recordings and harsh audio emergencies, organized under the form of symphony or as a result of performative interactions.

In 2014 Suisalu received the Young Estonian Artist Prize as curator of Project of In-existent Villages, an articulate exhibition full of installations and site-specific sound performances. The use of peripheral spaces and the crossovers, sometimes extremely creative, of human interactions, data, sounds and technologies, are recurring in the works of Suisalu, whose subjective perspective unconventionally investigates different social and cultural phenomena. He is always attracted by the different forms of technologies. It can be an old seismograph he reconstructs to record the underground vibrations of a volcano, or, it can be some 3D models he uses to analyze a grain of soil coming from the ancient Pompei. The results of the researches would lead to the installations. The whole set of data is often the premise of a narration, a datafiction, as in the case of the signals recorded from some abandoned satellites, who are later presented with a speed set by the position of other satellites gravitating above the gallery hosting the event.

“Noisephony of Lawn Mowers" was originally composed in 2013, but it was unreleased until now, when Staalplaat, a fundamental label for its unusual experimental connections and for the sound events performed in unconventional spaces, decided to publish it. It's a score for lawnmowers, whose making is given to a conductor and executed by a group of artists. Suisalu reminds us that historically, lawn has been a symbol of power and wealth as it required substantial upkeep and unused land. Today, it still indicates wealth, but is mainly maintained by the owners themselves. This puts us in a schizophrenic situation where we strive to be privileged by taking the role of the servants.

“Silver Meets Ted” is the other track included in the selection. It's a recording of over ten minutes, whose trend cryptically moves on and with some unsettling minimal tolls, always more metallic. Some deaf beats follow, and then we have a splash of water and some slightly hinted neighs, chirps, different spills of liquid, more intense and measured, clackings and vibrations, some hardly identifiable frequencies and again a series of punctuated metal bells. The work by Taavi Suisalu stands out as a calibrated combination of mathematical coherence and elements of surprise, automatized and causal processes, some small oblique utopias, that work well together by improving highly subjective resources and create some slightly unsettling final results.

Tom Trago returns to Rush Hour after 10 years with a wonderfully accomplished mini-album, tip!

During the years he spent living in Amsterdam, when his DJ career seemed to become an unstoppable juggernaut, Tom Trago was a regular visitor to Deco Sauna, a local institution that helped him “decompress” and de-toxify his body. Eventually, a more extended period of “decompression” was needed, with Trago moving to the coast to reassess his priorities and spend more time with his young family.

‘Deco’, his sixth album and first for Rush Hour in a decade, was recorded following an extended absence from club dancefloors, as Trago cut back on DJ commitments to prioritise family life. When he returned to the studio, often with his daughter by his side, Trago initially struggled to get back into the groove. The desire to make dancefloor-focused music had – temporarily, at least – deserted him; instead, he found himself drawn towards a desire to create “electronic lullabies” and music that reflected his more pastoral environment (his home backs on to a patch of woodland in which he would walk every day).

Returning to his most familiar synthesisers – and specifically the first synthesiser he bought, on credit, as a young DJ and wannabe producer – Trago set about navigating different musical routes without the straight-jacket of club-focused dancefloors. Occasionally, old friends from Amsterdam would join him in the studio – Tracey and Maxi Mill, both of whom are part of his Voyage Direct label roster, contributed to tracks on the album – but for the most part the production process was a solo endeavour: musical therapy for an artist determined to do things differently after years spent making club hits and sweat-soaked peak-time workouts.

The results are rarely less than spellbinding. Trago sets his stall out with opener ‘Dark Oak’, a gorgeous, colourful, sun-bright scene-setter co-produced by Tracey that layers tumbling lead lines, chiming melodic motifs and kaleidoscopic chords atop the gentlest of bubbly beat patterns. Maxi Mill lends a hand on ‘Central Park’, a deep and hypnotic excursion marked out by rhythmic bleeps, minimalistic beats and layered melodies, and the summer sun-down rush of ‘Never Peace a Puzzle’, where kaleidoscopic synth sounds, meandering solos and looped electronic stabs rush towards a dancefloor of the mind.

Trago’s desire to create “electronic lullabies” for his young daughter comes to the fore on ‘To Be Left Unlocked’, a hypnotising fusion of spacey electronic motifs, Steve Reich style (synth) marimba melodies and slowly building musical intensity, while the echoing Fender Rhodes riffs, squelchy synth-bass, glistening guitar notes and sparse, snappy post hip-hop beats of ‘When The Sky Is Watching Us’ doff a cap to the producer’s roots as a bedroom beat-maker.

Given the project’s genesis, it’s perhaps fitting that Trago chose to conclude proceedings with ‘It Might Be Forever’ and the digital only ‘Blue Dope’, the album’s most rejuvenating, immersive, and vibrant moments. Both feature sustained chords painted with vivid aural brush strokes and come blessed with the merest hint of a rhythmic pulse – a thread that subtly runs throughout Trago’s most mature and musically rich album to date.

Matt Anniss

Received a 7.5 rating from Pitchfork. The debut full length from Melbourne, Australia’s Romero is a burst of hard hitting, punk-laced powerpop. Well informed by the classics and every bit as relevant-as-it-is timeless, Turn It On! is a memorable party. An album that captures the vitality of a young band hitting their stride and doing it on their own terms without a single note of indecision. Much in the way that The Undertones, Blondie, and even Big Star debuted with a sense of purpose, Romero invite us to eleven tracks of soulful powerpop gold. Sharp production across Turn It On! catapults the impressive guitar work of both Adam Johnstone and Fergus Sinclair to the front of the mix alongside Alanna Oliver’s heart-pounding energy and show-stealing vocal prowess. Anchored by the smooth rhythm pocket of Justin “Murry” Tawil and Dave Johnstone, Romero waste no time in showing their hand on the quick-paced album opener ‘Talk About It’—recalling '80s powerpop rhapsodies. The title track beckons bodies to the dancefloor with a rich Runaways-like temper that naturally explodes into a fiery guitar solo. Meanwhile ‘Halfway Out The Door’ and ’White Dress’ show off the band’s adept ballad-writing, boasting truly emotional highs, lows and soaring choruses. Those hip to the incredible debut Romero single—‘Honey’ b/w ‘Neapolitan’ (Cool Death, 2020) will be overjoyed to see these relatable anthems recast in the album’s tracklisting. Turn It On! reveals stories of personal striving, restarting, mulling-over the unsaid, resisting control, deteriorating relationships, the emotional throes of uncertainty and celebrating growth through all such experiences. The rollercoaster of life is mirrored by the sonic and lyrical turns Romero have crafted into their debut album—a hopeful tonic for whatever you’re going through, and a dose of excitement for what’s to come. Includes lyric insert and 11"x17" poster.

Italian producer duo 'Crossroads' are back 10 years after their first release.
Inspired by classic R&B, Disco and Neo-Soul they have had the knack of finding talented unsigned vocalists from all over the globe to feature on their tracks. This time around, the Italian singer Raffaella Zago covers a super soulful track originally composed in the 70's by the disco-soul duo Grey & Hanks.
'If You're In Need' is the perfect link between original 70's disco to contemporary soulful nu-disco, mixing live instruments with modern rhythms and synths. The b-side starts with a more uptempo remix by French DJ and producer Young Pulse, who is set to establish himself as one of the best remixers in the contemporary disco scene. Last but not least 'Call Me Dub' pays more attention to the instrumental parts of the track taking you on a deeper journey into the whole song.

‘’Ace Todmorden label makes a significant discovery on its own doorstep: a superb cache of ‘loner folk’ songs recorded in the early-70s by Hebden Bridge’s answer to Nick Drake’’ UNCUT PLAYLIST

"This is music that can confidently hold its own with pioneers such as Davey Graham, Michael Chapman, Bert Jansch and Jackson C Frank, as influenced by jazz, blues and steel guitar as any of the old songbook classics from ancient Albion.” Benjamin Myers
"Defiantly Northern and out of this world" Folk Radio

Anti-counter culture loner folk from a teenage attic in the heart of rural Northern hippiedom.
Today the valley town of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire is world-renowned as something of a bohemian backwater. It wasn’t like this back in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, when a disparate selection of radicals, drop-outs, heads, musicians, artists and writers started to be attracted to the Calder Valley. Local lad and future poet laureate Ted Hughes called the area “the fouled nest of industrialisation”.
Over time, those seeds of radicalism and collectivism ensured Hebden Bridge evolved into a place where people could be themselves and all shades of individual oddness not only tolerated but actively encouraged. But back at the turn of the dreary 1970s it remained a monochrome world defined by its unforgiving surrounding landscapes, where the old gritstone over-dwellings were stained with soot and rain lashed down for weeks.
It was here that Trevor Beales, who was born in 1953, grew up, and from where he drew musical and lyrical inspiration.
Perhaps it was this dual nationality heritage, unusual in the valley’s largely white working class population at the time, that gave the teenager Trevor Beale’s music an outsider’s perspective. The discovery of Bob Dylan, Django Reinhardt, The Byrds and James Taylor at a young age, lead to him picking up a guitar at the age of ten, and he was soon writing his own originals and performing them at local (though often remote) folk clubs and pubs.
Recorded in the attic of the family home at Ivy Bank in Charlestown on the verdant wooded slopes at the edge of Hebden Bridge between 1971 and 1974, these early recordings are collected here for the first time and mark Trevor Beales long-overdue solo debut.
In these songs is a suffer-no-fools sense of realism that is defiantly Northern, yet also expresses a worldliness that belies Beales’ young years, whilst also showcasing an inherent storyteller’s ear for narrative. Here is a postcard from the past at that crucial musical period of transition, when the idealistic exponents of the 1960s emerged into an austere new decade that was to be shaped by strikes, rising unemployment and economic upheaval.
Two aspects of this music make it remarkable: Beales’ natural ability showcases a sophisticated guitar-picking style that was leagues ahead of many of his (older, more recognised) contemporaries. This is music that can confidently hold its own with pioneers such as Davey Graham, Michael Chapman, Dave Evans, Bert Jansch and Jackson C Frank, as influenced by jazz, blues and steel guitar as any of the old songbook classics from ancient Albion.
Secondly, his lyrics are a far cry from either the naïve bedroom scribblings of a teenager who has barely left his upland home, nor do they fall foul of the type of lazy cliches and sub-Tolkien imagery that was still in abundance in the early 1970s. Most remarkably the earliest songs here were laid down less than a year after he left school (an unearthed report written by his headteacher on July 3rd 1970 noted he had “a considerable ability and interest in music”, though his education ended abruptly when he simply walked out of a science lesson one sunny day while at sixth form, never to return).
Trevor’s music is grounded in reality – his reality. ‘Then I’ll Take You Home’, for example, considers the Guru Marajai, who encouraged his acolytes to give over their worldly possessions, yet who drove a Rolls Royce and lived like a playboy. Unsurprisingly, this latest in a long line of spiritual charlatans found several followers in Hebden Bridge, and Beales casts a disdainful eye over the growing popularity for such false prophets.
With its ancient narratives and propensity for myth-making, folk has certainly produced it’s fair share of cult figures who have enjoyed rediscovery or career resurgence and with this debut compilation of home recordings, rescued from cassette tapes, Trevor Beales might just be the latest addition. Certainly he was the real deal.
Crucially, Beales' music is never jaded or cynical, but instead possesses a poet’s ear, a strong sense of self and some sound critical faculties. And much of it recorded at an age when he could neither vote nor order a pint of heavy.
Trevor Beales died suddenly and unexpectedly on March 29th 1987, aged 33. He left behind Christine and their young child Lydia.

DIE MITGLIEDER VON CRAZY HORSE KÜNDIGEN "ALL ROADS LEAD HOME" AN, EINE MUSIKALISCHE REISE FÜR DIE HEUTIGE ZEIT

Mitwirkende: Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot, Nils Lofgren
& Neil Young

ALL ROADS LEAD HOME ist ein Album, das gleichermaßen aus purer Inspiration und der veränderten gesellschaftlichen Situation heraus
entstanden ist: Während der Pandemie nahmen Molina, Talbot und Lofgren in regelmäßigen Abständen neue Songs auf, jeweils mit anderen Musikern und an wechselnden Orten - so, wie es die
pandemischen Bedingungen zuließen. Anders als sonst, konnten sie nicht im Trio mit Neil Young arbeiten, was Herausforderung und Chance zugleich war, denn so mussten die Musiker zwangsläufig
schauen, wohin die neuen individuellen Konfigurationen führen würden. Sie führten, wie so vieles in der Zeit, zunächst einmal: nach Hause.

Dort, wo sich für uns alle das soziale Leben der Zeit abspielte. Die drei Crazy-Horse-Mitglieder nahmen jeweils drei Songs getrennt voneinander und mit unterschiedlichen Musikern auf. Und schauten dann, wie sie all das zu einem wundersamen Konsens unvergesslicher Musik zusammenfügen konnten. Das Kunststück gelang. Ein Album wie dieses hat man von der Band noch nie gehört.

Nach der Veröffentlichung der 2CD-Version des Albums Moonage Daydream im letzten Jahr, wird der Soundtrack nun am 31. März als 3LP Vinyl veröffentlicht.

"Moonage Daydream" beleuchtet das Leben und Genie von David Bowie, einem der produktivsten und einflussreichsten Künstler der jüngeren Musikgeschichte.
Auf Spielfilmlänge nimmt uns Brett Morgen mit in die Welt Bowies, erforscht anhand von großartigem, vielfältigem und nie zuvor gesehenem Filmmaterial, Live-Auftritten und Musik (Morgen sichtete vier Jahre die Archive des David Bowie Estates) seine kreative, musikalische und spirituelle Reise.
Durch den Film führt uns dabei die Erzählerstimme von David Bowie selbst.
Das Begleitalbum zu "Moonage Dream" enthält Songs aus Bowies gesamter Karriere, darunter bisher ungehörtes Material, speziell für den Film und dieses Album angefertigte Mixe und Gesprächspassagen Bowies.

Zu den Highlights des Tracklistings zählen ein bisher unveröffentlichtes Live-Medley von "The Jean Genie / Love Me Do / The Jean Genie", aufgenommen beim berühmt-berüchtigten letzten Ziggy-Stardust-Konzert im Londoner Hammersmith Odeon 1973 und mit Jeff Beck an der Gitarre. Weitere Raritäten sind eine frühe Version
des Hunky-Dory-Favoriten "Quicksand" und eine bisher unveröffentlichte Live-Version von "Rock 'n' Roll With Me", mitgeschnitten bei der legendären "Soul Tour" 1974.

Doppelalbum mit den ersten 4 Singles samt B-Seiten sowie der selbstbetitelten, nordamerikanischen Debüt-EP (1983) der legendären, britischen Alternative-Rock-Band The Alarm. Remastered von den Original Tapes unter Aufsicht des Sängers Mike Peters. Ausführliche Sleevenotes mit Beiträgen sämtlicher Bandmitglieder, Original-Artwork und bislang unveröffentlichtem Fotomaterial. Beide Formate wurden jeweils mit unterschiedlichen, exklusiven Bonus-Live- oder Live-Versions ihrer Klassiker erweitert.

The Schnitzelbeat goes on ..... und wir finden uns am Übergang zweier Jahrzehnte wieder. Woodstock hat gerade das offizielle Ende des Summer Of Love besiegelt, die Beatles befinden sich im Stadium des Zerfalls und The Stooges läuten mit unbarmherzigem Lärm ein neues Zeitalter ein. Zurück in Österreich ... die Stadt Wien dämmert weiterhin selig im bornierten Mief der Nachkriegszeit. Gelegentlich weht der Wind den Klang einer Ziehharmonika und eines Jodlers vom Land in Richtung Stephansdom. Die eingeweihten Hörer der Schnitzelbeat-Serie ahnen es allerdings bereits: da war noch etwas Anderes, etwas Wildes, Ungutes, ein dröhnender Faustschlag in die hornbebrillten Gesichter der Spießbürger. Doch wer hätte gedacht, dass die gelungenste Annäherung an den Proto-Punk der Blue Cheer oder MC5 ausgerechnet auf dem Volksmusiklabel Alpenton erscheint? (Albatross, "I am dead"). Da fährt schon ein Aufschrei des Entsetzens aus der Lederhose. Und ein Lächeln puren Glücks in die Gesichter aufgeklärter Fans obskurer Rockmusik. Auch The Seals erweisen sich 1969 als würdige Kämpfer im Krieg der Generationen: "You know nothing about the new generation / because you live in the U-Bahn-Station" stellen die Psychedelic-Punks aus Wien interessanterweise in ihrer Nummer "Stop this War" fest. Und auch sonst ist der Krieg ein geläufiges Thema: der 2. Weltkrieg (The Cop Stigh, "War History"); der Vietnamkrieg (Maybe Hair, "War"); der Krieg der Geschlechter (Young Society, "It's War"). Doch was wäre die Zeit der Hippies und Kommunarden ohne freie Liebe, Blumenarrangements und von allerlei Substanzen unterstützte Ausnahmezustände? "Nicht auf die Blumen in dem Haar, auf euer Herz kommt es an / denn Liebe nur allein alles ändern kann" singt die Casting-Boyband The Wallflowers, aufs trefflichste begleitet von einem Kinderchor, der leider nicht immer ganz textsicher ist. Die Aussage an sich würden aber sicher auch The V-Rangers unterschreiben ("Make Love"). Oder Hannes, Erich, Peter und Arno von der Salzburger Beatband Les Marquis, die einen Westcoast-Liebestraum an den Stränden des Salzkammerguts lebendig werden lassen ("Sand on the Shore"). Zur Halbzeit von Schnitzelbeat Vol. 3 wird ein unvergesslicher Höhepunkt gereicht. 1973 veröffentlicht Rocky F. Holicke die ultimative psychedelische Hymne aus heimischer Produktion: "Ready for Take Off" ist ein unbeschreibliches Monument eines Songs, eine wahrhaft überirdische Erfahrung musikalischer Transzendenz. Wenn es schon über die Wolken geht, dann bitte so, Herr Reinhard Mey. Und natürlich auf Holickes eigenem Label, Aero-Sound. Wo sonst? Während Hide & Seek auf den Spuren von Cream wandeln und ebenfalls von jeder Flugangst befreit durch den Orbit segeln ("I can fly"), blasen aus den Triebwerken von Karl Ratzers Gitarre längst sengend heiße "White Flames". Der legendäre Musiker und Frontmann der Charles Ryders Corporation ist nicht nur einer der besten Jazzgitarristen die Österreich je hatte - er nimmt es auch mit James Marshall Hendrix auf, wenn alle Effektpedale bis zum Bühnenboden durchgedrückt sind. Etwa zur selben Zeit findet sich eine oberösterreichische Ministrantenband - heimlich, nächtens - am Wochenende im Musikzimmer einer Mühlviertler Volksschule ein. Und nimmt dort eine brandgefährliche Granate hochexplosiven, psychedelischen Garagenpunks auf. Mit mehr Fuzz, Wah-Wah, Echo und Farfisa-Orgel als selbst der Leibhaftige persönlich erlaubt hat (The Hush, "Giny"). Und dies ist nicht die einzige weithin unbekannte Super-Rarität, die der Archivar, Subkulturforscher und Rare-Track-DJ Al Bird Sputnik und sein Team von den Trash Rock Archives zusammengetragen haben: die verschollene erste Single von Novaks Kapelle erscheint hier erstmals in einer komplett restaurierten Version, ohne Nadelhüpfen und mit relativ wenigen lästigen Nebengeräuschen ("Garbage Man"). Von den lediglich 10 angefertigten Exemplaren der einzigen Platte der Austrian Brothers ("Brother") konnte die einzige Kopie ohne Pressfehler aufgetrieben werden. Und um endlich der 7" von The Cop Stigh habhaft zu werden, musste sogar jemand sein letztes Hemd verkaufen und die Hose bis zu den Knöcheln runterlassen. Aber "All right", um es mit den Worten der steirischen Acid-Rocker Generation 2000 zu sagen: es hat sich ausgezahlt. Schnitzelbeat Vol. 3 fügt der vergessenen Frühgeschichte der österreichischen Rockmusik wieder zahlreiche faszinierende Kapitel hinzu. Begeben Sie sich mit Al Bird Sputnik und den Labels Konkord und Digatone auf eine weitere Reise in die Tiefen wohlsortierter Plattenkisten und pilgern Sie vor einem Himmel voller Schwedenbomben und Mannerschnitten über Gebirge verzerrter Gitarren in die entlegensten Regionen der österreichischen Popkultur. NOVAK

ALEXANDER SKANCKE´s exciting debut ep for SLICES OF LIFE, including a collaboration track with FOEHN & JEROME.

Alexander Skancke is a Berlin-based DJ, producer and rising talent within Europe´s underground house scene. The young Norwegian has made a sizeable impact on the electronic music scene, dating from way back to his early releases on Neostrictly, to the internationally respected releases on his own label Quirk. Entrenched in his love for vinyl and analog productions, Skancke is imbued with a passion for the very roots of house music, but has also kept his ears open far beyond the boundaries of electronic music.

Skancke’s excitement for analogue is reflected in all aspects of his life: from his work at Bikini Waxx (a record shop in Berlin specializing in second-hand vinyl), to his fascination with vintage studio gear, all culminating in his music having a wonderfully raw and organic feeling.

The 3 tracks that make up his “Public Trouble” ep showcase Alexander Skancke´s knowledge of the history of dance music without copying the originals, but instead creating his own unique signature:

The A side - “This Go This Way” sends you on a crazy acid dream, driven by a hypnotic unstoppable beat with Alexander Skancke´s voice appearing out of the ether, before vanishing away.

For the B1 track “Wind Sync” Alex teamed up with his label mates and renowned DJ- and Producer-Duo Foehn & Jerome at their studio in Berlin. Together they've masterfully crafted a light footed minimal house track with a slightly melancholic touch.

The EP´s title track “Public Trouble” truly shows off Alexander Skancke´s love for deep minimal funk: An ultra groovy piece of music based around tight beats and warm basslines, topped off with a funky stripped back synth line.

Originally released in 1979 on Mistlur Records in Sweden, Nyanser is widely considered Thomas Almvqvist’s masterpiece.

It's almost unspeakably beautiful.

With his adventurous, virtuoso guitar technique to the fore, the album explores a unique path through world music, folk, jazz and acoustic experimentation, whilst retaining a very personal vision.

It’s aged very, very well indeed and is now rare and immensely sought-after, coveted for many years by collectors of all musical genres. This Be With re-issue, remastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.

The majority of the album is a solo exercise with Thomas playing Rhodes, flute, synthesizer and percussion as well as his idiosyncratic guitar on all tracks. Alongside Thomas in the studio were an array of young, experimental Swedish musicians in the nascent stages of their careers including the much lauded Swedish composer Ann-Sofi Söderqvist, vocalist Turid Lundqvist and perhaps the key contributor to the album, Hans Peter Andersson, whose alto, tenor and baritone saxophone contributions shift the album from into the realms of jazz, most notably on “Horisont” and “E.M.”

The whole ensemble comes together on the centrepiece of the album, the joyous aquatic harmony of “Coral Reef”, one we've been playing out for the past 5 years to dropped jaws. The album presents a very visual aesthetic, each track evoking images of landscapes and far-flung corners of the earth. Almvqvist himself considered the visual aspect of his sound very important, describing his approach as “picture music.”

Nyanser is considered one of the earliest examples of a fusion of world music, jazz and folk traditions, certainly from a Scandinavian artist. Despite its impact on release being minimal outside of those aficionados tuned into such sounds, over the years the album has become something of a "lost" cult classic and a fine example of the experimentalism going on in Scandinavian music at the time. The English translation of nyanser - ‘shades’ - is a particularly apt description of the sounds contained within.

Thomas very sadly passed away in 2008 at the age of 55. We hope this reissue will go some way to bringing his unique output to a wider audience and secure the legacy he deserves as one of Sweden’s great guitarists and musical visionaries. It sounds sensational, if we do say so ourselves. Working with audio from the original analogue tapes, the vinyl mastering chops of Simon Francis are on full show here in what he considers to be some of his best ever work for Be With. Pete Norman’s cutting skills have made sure nothing is lost whilst the beautiful artwork has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to helping this revered work find a rightful place in every record collection.

Renaldo Domino
Chicago Soul Legend
Born March 27th 1950) from “The Valley” around 49th & Forestville.
He was nicknamed Domino because his voice was sweet as sugar, Domino being an American sugar brand name.
Renaldo Domino blasted onto the fertile Chicago soul scene of the late 60's with a voice as sweet as sugar and deep grooves that sound just as fresh five decades later. Releasing singles on Mercury subsidiaries Smash and Blue Rock, and later Twinight records, Renaldo’s all-too-brief career has still managed to leave an impact to all those lucky enough to hear it.
He had a relatively short recording career releasing only 7 singles between 1967-1971. His first 45 was recorded whilst he was still attending high school on a tiny label Arnell on a low budget.
The Arnell 45 did well enough for him to get signed to Smash (a Mercury subsidiary) where he released two 45s, re-recording 'I'm Hip To Your Game' for his second Smash single, as it's a different version to the one released on Arnell. His third 45 was released on another Mercury subsidiary, the now revived Blue Rock which had been 'suspended' since 1966 and reacivated in 1968. The records sold reasonably well locally but Dominio left to join Twinight, feeling that his material wasn't being promoted by Mercury, where he released a further three singles between 1969-71. Twinight released him in 1971 and despite trying to get another recording contract he was unsuccessful and left the music business to pursue another career.
He was managed by William Sandy Johnson who also managed LaShawn Collins and Wendy Woods who recorded on Johnson's Sincere label, the only 2 releases on the label. He also wrote Renaldo Domino's first 4 A sides: 'I'm Getting Nearer To Your Love', 'Just Say The Word', 'Not Too Cool To Cry', 'Let Me Come Within'. In addition he wrote 'Do It Now' for Wendy Woods and the flip to LaShawn Collin's classic 'What You Gonna Do Now', 'Girl Chooses The Boy'.
Renaldo returned to the spotlight in 2007 when the Chicago reissue powerhouse Numero Group put him on the cover of their deluxe box set Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation (which included other greats Syl Johnson, The Notations, and many more). Renaldo’s performing career began to flourish once again with shows around country.
In early 2019 Renaldo teamed up with producer Jeremy Kay and arranger JB Flatt and set out to record new tracks that would live up to Renaldo’s great early records. Assembling a crack team of Brooklyn’s best they pulled out all the stops, creating a mix between the lush arrangements of Chicago’s early soul style and the hard-hitting beat of current Brooklyn soul. The new single “No Laggin’ & Draggin’” / “Give Up The Love”, released Feb 2020, is now available on Colemine Records.
Backed by The Heavy Sounds, Renaldo’s live performances continue to deliver with passion and precision, making new fans young and old.

​

For nearly 60 years, John Cale has been reimagining how his music is made, sounds, and even works. MERCY, Cale’s first full album in a decade, moves through true dark-night-of-the-soul electronic torment toward vulnerable love songs and hopeful considerations for the future with the help of some of music’s most curious young minds. Cale has always searched for new ways to explore old ideas of alienation, hurt, and joy; MERCY is the latest transfixing find of this unsatisfied mind.

John Cale announces MERCY, his first new album of original songs in a decade, out January 20th via Double Six / Domino. For nearly 60 years, or at least since he was a young Welshman who moved to New York and formed The Velvet Underground, Cale has been reinventing his music with dazzling and inspiring regularity. There was the bewitching chamber folk of Paris 1919 followed instantly by the gnarled rock of Fear, the provocative and spare song cycle Music for a New Society followed more than 30 years later by mighty and unabashed electronic updates. Once again, here is Cale, reimagining how his music is made, sounds, and even works. His engrossing 12-track MERCY moves through true dark-night-of-the-soul electronics toward vulnerable love songs and hopeful considerations for the future.

On MERCY, Cale enlists some of music’s most curious young minds: Animal Collective, Sylvan Esso, Laurel Halo, Tei Shi, Actress. They’re only some of the astounding cast here, brilliant musicians who climb inside Cale’s consummate vision of the world and help him redecorate there. Cale turned 80 in March, and he’s watched as many peers have passed away, particularly during the last decade. MERCY is the continuation of a long career’s work with wonder. Cale has always searched for new ways to explore old ideas of alienation, hurt, and joy; MERCY is the latest transfixing find of this unsatisfied mind.



The writings and recordings that shaped MERCY piled up for years, as Cale watched society totter at the brink of dystopia. Trump and Brexit, Covid and climate change, civil rights and right-wing extremism—Cale let the bad news of the day filter into his lines, whether that meant contemplating the sovereignty and legal status of sea ice melting near the poles or the unhinged arming of Americans. Lessons from a life (still being) richly lived floated to the fore, too, nodded to on the previously released “NIGHT CRAWLING.” If we’re always regretting our past, aren’t we conscripting ourselves to permanent disappointment?

During “STORY OF BLOOD,” after the piano prelude gives way to a frame-rattling beat and synthesizers that feel like sunshine splashed across a snowfield, the voices of Cale and Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering slide past one another, two phantoms trying to find a partner amid the modern din. “Swing your soul,” they both sing in aspiration. In the final verse, Cale remembers this existence is not just about himself. “I’m going back to get them, my friends in the morning. Bring them with me into the light.” The accompanying video by Emmy-winning director Jethro Waters is a mix of disturbing and serene featuring both Cale and Weyes Blood. Its deep tones and religious images emphasize the track’s dark, spiritual mood.

Cale elaborates: “I’d been listening to Weyes Blood’s latest record and remembered Natalie’s puritanical vocals. I thought if I could get her to come and sing with me on the ‘Swing your soul’ section, and a few other harmonies, it would be beautiful. What I got from her was something else! Once I understood the versatility in her voice, it was as if I’d written the song with her in mind all along. Her range and fearless approach to tonality was an unexpected surprise. There’s even a little passage in there where she’s a dead-ringer for Nico.”

'Xaybu: The Unseen' is the sophomore release from Sélébéyone, the
international avant-rap collective led by saxophonist and composer Steve
Lehman, who has been hailed by The New York Times for his "sure-footed
futurism" in the realms of modern jazz and contemporary classical music
Comprised of MCs HPrizm and Gaston Bandimic, saxophonists Lehman and
Maciek Lasserre, and drummer Damion Reid, their eponymous 2016 debut was
hailed as a game-changing synthesis of underground hip-hop, modern jazz and
live electronic music that was described by Pitchfork as "legitimately new" and a
"revelation."
On 'Xaybu', Sélébéyone - which means "intersection" in Wolof - continues to build
on its groundbreaking work with shifting rhythms and state- of- the art sound
design, now with a newfound sense of effortless fluidity. The word "xaybu" in
Wolof refers to the concept in Islamic mysticism of al- Ghaib - that which is
unknowable and unseeable. HPrizm (a.k.a. High Priest, legend of New York's
underground hip- hop scene and a founding member of Antipop Consortium),
Bandimic (one of Senegal's most distinctive young rap stars), and Lasserre are all
Sufi Muslims, and that spiritual connection and sense of abandon and giving in to
the unknown has been a cornerstone of the group since its inception.
The result is a profound musical statement filled with otherworldly sonorities,
intricate compositional structures, and cutting- edge improvisation that deftly
explores spirituality and mysticism through the lens of experimental music.

LP including booklet with extended liner notes. Channeling wild seventies Impulse vibes, even resonating the guts of early Art Ensemble of Chicago and the tempering spirit of Max Roach's 'We Insist' era: BRAHJA is soul searching their spirit on 'Watermelancholia'.

Devin Brahja Waldman is a New York saxophonist, drummer, synthesizer player and composer who leads the group BRAHJA. Waldman has accompanied his aunt, poet Anne Waldman, since the age of ten. Waldman is a co-founding member of Radical Reversal, Diva of Deva Loka, and Notable Deaths. He has performed with Patti Smith, William Parker, Nadah El Shazly, Malcolm Mooney, Thurston Moore, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Charles Hayward, Luke Stewart and Yoshiko Chuma. Waldman is also a member of NYC's Heroes Are Gang Leaders (led by poet Thomas Sayers Ellis and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis), of Sam Shalabi's Land of Kush, and of the Norwegian hardcore group MoE.

As a youngster, Waldman was taken under the wing of avant-garde giant Paul Bley. Along with Anne Waldman and cousin Ambrose Bye, Waldman is a co-producer for Fast Speaking Music -a NYC poetry and music label which has released recordings with Amiri Baraka, Meredith Monk, William Parker, Laurie Anderson, Eileen Myles, CAConrad, Fred Moten, Daniel Carter, Clark Coolidge, Thurston Moore, Joanne Kyger and many others.

Ancient to the future 2.0

Watermelancholia is about the law of Karma:
a law so obvious that it often goes unspecified and ignored.
Neglecting this law invites a world of chaos.
It's been articulated in endless ways.
Some have called it Cosmic Law or Natural Law.
Others translate it as Do No Harm.

(liner notes excerpt)

The moment the first bass note of Luke Stewart kicks in on 'Watermelancholia', followed by the swelling drum roll of Malick Koly and the lush leading voice of Janice Lowe you feel Devin Brahja will take you on a deep mind-blowing spiritual journey.


Channeling wild seventies Impulse vibes on 'O.P.K' or, could we say, even resonating the guts of early Art Ensemble of Chicago and the tempering spirit of Max Roach's 'We Insist' era: BRAHJA is soul searching their spirit on 'Watermelancholia'.


A poetic stream of consciousness, backboned by top-notch musicians, transcending the cosmic universe, trying to find answers and musically connecting.


Watermelancholia is a meditation on healing the inner schism between the sense of self - the ego - and the inner being. It is about bringing the ego to justice; putting it on trial, as it were.

Seit der Bandgründung Mitte der 90er, haben Good Charlotte fünf Alben veröffentlicht und mit zahlreichen Künstlern kollaboriert. Die Band hat einen maßgeblichen Teil dazu beigetragen, das Pop Punk Genre weltweit zu etablieren. Dafür legten sie mit ihrem selbstbetitelten Debütalbum und den Singles 'Little Things' und 'Festival Songs' im Jahr 2000 das Fundament.
'The Young and the Hopeless', mit dem Good Charlotte 2002 riesige Erfolge feiern konnten, katapultierte die Band schließlich in den Pop Punk Olymp und machte sie zu weltweiten Superstars. Es folgten 'The Chronicles of Life and Death' (2004) und 'Good Morning Revival' (2007), die in ihrer Heimat ebenfalls mit Platin ausgezeichnet wurden. Nach ihrem letzten Album 'Cardiology' (2010), wurde es Zeit für eine Pause, man musste dringend durchatmen. Die Madden-Brüder konzentrierten sich auf ihr Recording Studio im Herzen Hollywoods, wo sie für andere Künstler vieler Genres schreiben, aufnehmen und produzieren. Außerdem sitzen die beiden in der Jury der australischen Version von The Voice.
Dass die beiden überhaupt wieder anfingen, ihre eigene Musik zu schreiben, ist laut Benji und Joel wohl den australischen Pop Punk Newcomern 5 Seconds of Summer zuzuschreiben. Die Zusammenarbeit mit der jungen, aufstrebenden Band, erinnerte die Brüder an den Spaß, den sie mit ihrer eigenen Band hatten und inspirierte die Beiden 2015 schließlich dazu, einen Neuanfang zu starten. "Es packte uns und das Schreiben kam wie von selbst," erklärt Joel. "Während wir an ein paar Platten für andere Künstler arbeiteten, wurde uns klar, dass es großen Spaß machen würde, wieder eine Good Charlotte Platte zu machen. Und eine Good Charlotte Platte können eben nur wir machen. Wir wurden ein bißchen nostalgisch und folgten unseren Instinkten."

Hailing out of Marl, Germany, this four piece Post-Hardcore group really
hits you deep in your emotions
From the ambient music to the emotional lyrics that really strike a nerve, Our
Mirage offers a vast variety of elements that many of us can relate to. This young
group is becoming known for the emotion that they pour into their music and
their latest release Unseen Relations takes that line even deeper. The group
largely focuses on the problems that our youth deal with internally but their music
doesn't just speak to them, it is very intuitive of the problems and struggles that
we all deal with on a common basis.

solid white vinyl

After 11 long years Pohjola reignites it's furnace to bring a new release by a (let's pretend he's) young Serbian producer Lag. Finding a common language in pursuing the unsaid parts of techno, labelboss Rivet aka Grovskopa and Lag turned their long, meme-and-trolling-fueled friendship into a gorgeous-looking record (art by Trudy Creen, additional design work by Dejan Ilic). The music it bears is as offset as it is functional: offering a palette of both straight and broken beats driven by vocal snippets, genre-defying arrangements and, most importantly, scream-inducing club moments. Trust us, we tried them in the wild.

Neil Young und Crazy Horse haben ein Album für und über die Welt gemacht: World Record lautet der Titel des neuen Werkes, das in Zusammenarbeit mit einer weiteren Ikone entstand, Rick Rubin, der zusammen mit Young produzierte. Die Aufnahmen fanden in Rubins Shangri-La-Studio in Malibu statt. Das Album erscheint am 18.11.2022 und kann bereits jetzt vorbestellt werden.

Die 10 lebhaften Songs des Albums befassen sich mit der Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft unseres Planeten und was es heißt, darauf zu leben. Der Ton ist dabei vorsichtig optimistisch. Es besteht noch Hoffnung, vermittelt uns Neil Young - und wenn er es sagt, muss es stimmen! World Record ist ein Quell der Weisheit und beruht auf Beobachtungen, wie sie nur in einem langen und ereignisreichen Leben gesammelt werden können. Young, einer der kritischsten Geister unserer Zeit, erinnert sich hier voller Dankbarkeit an die reichhaltigen Erfahrungen, die er im Laufe seines Lebens an so zahlreichen Orten dieser Welt machen durfte. Er richtet seinen Blick hoffnungsvoll auf eine ungewisse Zukunft, ob wir diesen wunderbaren Planeten, als Grundlage allen Lebens, doch noch erhalten können - herausgekommen dabei ist ein Album voller unbeugsamer Kraft. Musikalisch bewegen sich die Songs zwischen ergreifendem Folk - „This Old Planet (Changing Days)“ und „Love Earth“- sowie kernigem Rock - „Break The Chain“ und „The World (Is In Trouble Now)“. Mit „Chevrolet“ liefern Crazy Horse einen für sie typischen, monumentalen Roadtrip durch die Gitarren-Universen und gleichzeitig reflektiert Neil Young in dem Track seine Liebe zu Autos angesichts der Notwendigkeit einer Zukunft ohne fossile Brennstoffe. World Record steht für eine konsequent zukunftsweisende Vision voller positiver Energie, ohne dabei die aktuelle Umweltsituation schönfärben zu wollen. Neil Young sagt in seinen eigenen Worten in einer Nachricht im Times-Contrarian über die Arbeit an World Record: „Wahre Wunder sind für die Ewigkeit geschaffen und ich glaube, wir kommen dem Ziel der Nachhaltigkeit näher“.