quête:tru tru song

Originally released on Argo Record in 1963 this was Etta James's fourth studio album. Produced by Chicago master Leonard Chess, the man who first saw the potential for James to go into a more pop-oriented direction, this essential album release consisted of her ten top record hits in the past three years. An incredible array of songs in various moods such as the "Something got a hold on me", "All I could do was cry" and "At Last", all hits that would literally make the R&B sound of the 60's

If it wasn't for the global lockdown, we might never have had the chance to hear one of this year's most intriguing and inventive albums. Lonely Guest was conceived and put together over the last 18 months by one of British music's true innovators: Tricky. Bu tas he's keen to make clear: this ain't noTricky album. Rather it's a thrilling meeting of musical mavericks, with the likes Idles' JoeTalbot pitting his unique approaches to songwriting against Tricky's otherworldly production. From an unsettling tale of isolation courtesy of Maxïmo Park's Paul Smith ('Christmas Trees') to the grunge stylings of Marta's 'Move Me', via the tense storytelling of London rapper Kway's 'On A Move', these diverse statements come together as a bold artistic statement of their own. The late artistic visionary and legend Lee "Scratch" Perry features vocals on 'Atmosphere' with Tricky and Marta. It is with great sadness that Tricky and the False Idols team acknowledge and honour Lee "Scratch"Perry's passing.

Hot on the heels of their landmark remix of ‘Lost My Love’ by Kenny Cox, DJ Amir and Re.decay return to BBE Music with a rework of Maulawi’s ‘Street Rap’, plus a new version of Fito Foster’s ‘Salsa’ by DJ Dez (aka Andrés) featuring Amp Fiddler. Originally issued as the opening track on Maulawi’s self-titled 1974 album by Detroit’s Strata Records, ‘Street Rap’ is a slept-on jazz/funk classic. As part of his role as curator and archivist of the Strata catalogue, DJ Amir discovered the original stems for the track and was happy to discover they had survived the years well. “I thought we could really do something different with this song” say Amir. “Like making it more of a mid-tempo ‘four to the floor’ groover. Also, I wanted us to play with the original vocals a bit for the updated version. This is by far our favourite remix!” Previously serving as DJ for Slum Village and releasing on Moodymann’s Mahogani Music simply as Andrés, DJ Dez Andrez is part of the fabric of Detroit’s unique and eclectic music scene. But few people know that Dez’s father is Cuban music hero Humberto “Nengue” Hernandez, a highly respected percussionist and vocalist who starred in the 1988 motion picture ‘Salsa’. “So I reached out to Dez because I knew his father sang and played on the Fito Foster song “Salsa’” says Amir. “I have had the stems of the song since the beginning of my license deal with Strata. I thought it would be a great homage to have Dez remix his father’s music. Plus, Dez was definitely excited to do so!” For his remix, Dez called upon Detroit legend Amp Fiddler to play additional keys and piano on the remix, while Dez also added additional percussion to compliment his father’s, like a time-travelling jam session going back almost 50 years. Staying true to his Cuban roots, Dez’s remix brings a contemporary twist to this timeless track.

Baltimore, Maryland’s Angel Du$t have announced details of their new album ‘YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs’, which will be released on CD on 10th December on Roadrunner Records and the band have also shared the new song ‘Big Bite’, which is joined by a music video directed by Ian Shelton.

Vocalist / guitarist Justice Tripp commented, “People get really married to the idea of making a record that sounds like the same band. If one song to the next doesn’t sound like it’s coming from the same band, I’m ok with that.”

Put simply, Angel Du$t are the guys who do whatever you don't expect.

Produced by Rob Schnapf (Kurt Vile, Elliott Smith), ‘YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs’ follows Angel Du$t’s 2019’s album ‘Pretty Buff’, and sees the group channelling an anything-goes philosophy into their tightest, most forward-thinking material yet. Recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles last year, the album is a rotating smorgasbord of percussion, guitar tones, effects, genres, and influences, fashioned in the spirit of a playlist as opposed to a capital-R ‘Record.’ The album’s 12 tracks span jangle-rock gems (‘Big Bite’), piano-spiked power pop (‘No Fun’), and a breezy duet with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong (‘Dancing On The Radio’).

‘YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs’ also features ‘Love Is The Greatest’, ‘All The Way Dumb’, ‘Turn Off The Guitar’ and ‘Never Ending Game’, all of which appeared on Angel Du$t’s 2021 EP ‘Bigger House’,

Breezy but determined as they imbue their laid-back acoustics with sharpness, Angel Du$t continue to prove they are band averse to boundaries. The band’s Roadrunner Records debut ‘Pretty Buff’ was produced by Will Yip and earned the band critical acclaim. Widespread international attention included UK praise from Kerrang! (“13 super-accessible, honest and artfully crafted songs… there’s lots to love about them”), NME (“the fun-first hardcore group bringing ‘90s pop-rock to the pit”) and The Line of Best Fit (“a cacophony of good times and soul”).

Deutsche Grammophon launch a Gold Vinyl Edition of Benny Andersson’s phenomenal global hit album PIANO (from 2017). Legendary ABBA songwriter and co-founder to release career spanning 21-track solo piano album via Deutsche Grammophon The concept is an instrumental piano album, featuring Benny playing songs spanning his entire career, including those from ABBA, songs from his musicals and beautiful, emotional solo work. ‘Piano’ takes listeners on a 21-track journey through his acclaimed and celebrated career as songs from ABBA, his musicals and other solo-compositions are re-interpreted as you have never heard them before, performed unaccompanied by just Benny himself, on his trusted grand piano. The album was recorded with Linn Fijal, engineer and studio manager at his own RMV Studios, on the island of Skeppsholmen, in the heart of his hometown Stockholm.

 The seven-headed Aussie rock beast King Gizzard & The Lizard
Wizard return with a new vinyl edition of ‘Fishing For Fishies’,
perhaps their most perfectly-realised album to date.
 The Eco Edition has been pressed on Eco-Mix vinyl and is housed
in a brown paper bag after previous pressings quickly sold out.
 Released on the band’s own Flightless Records, here is a world
where the organic meets the automated; where the rustic meets
the robotic. Where the past and future collide in the beautiful
present.
 ‘Fishing For Fishies’ is a blues-infused blast of sonic boogie that
struts and shimmies through several moods and terrains. From the
soft shuffle Outback country of the opening title track through the
sunny easy listening of ‘The Bird Song’ (think a lysergically-soaked
Laurel Canyon circa 1973) and on through the party funk of
‘Plastic Boogie’ (which somehow summons the spirit of Stevie
Wonder’s ‘Innervisions’) the road-trucking, Doors-like highway
rock of ‘The Cruel Millennial’ and ‘Real’s Not Real’ - what
Carpenters might have sounded like had they existed entirely on
vegemite and weed - it’s a dizzying, dazzling display which
addresses a number of pertinent environmental issues along the
way.
 “We tried to make a blues record,” says frontman Stu Mackenzie.
“A blues-boogie-shuffle-kinda-thing, but the songs kept fighting it -
or maybe it was us fighting them. Ultimately though we let the
songs guide us this time; we let them have their own personalities
and forge their own path. Paths of light, paths of darkness. This is
a collection of songs that went on wild journeys of transformation.”
 Quiet though it was on the record front, 2018 was hardly a year of
rest for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. In almost perpetual
motion, the band continued their unstoppable rise as their
juggernaut of a live show grew and grew and grew, with a mindblowing headline slot at Green Man Festival, a massive sold-out
US tour in the summer which saw them play their biggest venues
to date, a brain-frying sold out Brixton Academy show, two gigs in
Russia and Istanbul where they played in front of over 15,000
people and putting on the fourth edition of their annual Gizzfest in
Melbourne amongst the highlights.

 In 2011, Toronto’s Fucked Up delivered an album
that chafed the edges of punk rock’s conceptual
boundaries - a set of songs that splayed freely into
unexpected instrumentation, psychedelic drift, and
situationist philosophy. Its ambition was limitless
and its run time opulent. Which is to say, they
made a concept album.
 Matador Records celebrate the 10th Anniversary of
Fucked Up’s titanic 78-minute early ‘10s
masterpiece, ‘David Comes to Life’, with a special
edition double LP reissue on lightbulb-yellow vinyl.
 ‘David Comes to Life’ is a story of lost love, global
meltdown, depression, bombs, guilt and madness.
Or is it? A modern-day morality tale set amid the
dour backdrop of a British industrial town in the
late ’70s, it’s a four-part play that follows the dark
moods and inner psyche of the titular hero. At the
same time, the reliability of the narrator gets called
into question. The tables are turned, responsibility
shifts, and the story goes meta. Of course, you
could always ignore the backstory and just listen to
a fiercely imaginative double album of blistering,
melodic rock ‘n’ roll shot through with all manner of
psychic weirdness.

The Mighty Soulmates is a towering early 90s project from the legitimate super group of André Cymone (bass player with Prince), St. Paul Peterson (guitarist with The Family and Prince), Mic Murphy (of Sass and The System fame) and Gardner Cole (writer, producer and musician probably best known for his work with Madonna). The sound is a majestic blend of sophisticated funk, emotional R&B, New Jack Swing flava and slick deep soul.

These should-be legendary sessions have been almost a secret since they were recorded back in 1993. The first Be With knew about the project was whilst working with Mic on some Sass re-issues and he told us he had something else we might be interested in hearing.

Mic explained, “In the summer of 1993, Gardner Cole asked if I’d be interested in coming out to work with him, André, and St. Paul. So we all headed out to what can best be described as a fantasy music summer camp at Gardner’s house in Woodland Hills, California. We had all worked together in the past in some form or another so everyone was energized and enthused and excited to see what we could create together. St Paul and Andre had already begun some songwriting at Gardner’s well equipped home garage studio. The songs and ideas progressed quickly and some additional recording was completed at André Cymone’s studio in downtown LA. We ended up working on the project for about 6 months, off and on, until Gardner's house fell victim to the Northridge Earthquake in January 1994.”

There were some vague ideas at the time about turning the sessions into a finished record, but everyone went back to their day jobs and as St. Paul puts it: “for nearly 30 years it just sat there, marinating like a fine funk masterpiece. Everything has its right time and now just be the time”.

From all the tracks Mic sent over, we’ve cherry picked the absolute cream for a tight four track EP. In an alternate history all four for these would’ve been radio smashes. No doubt. But these songs never even reached a plugger. A mixture of beat ballads and uptempo non-hits, coming on like Al B Sure! or Babyface take on Shalamar or, dare we say it, The Purple One - maybe not so surprising given who’s playing!

The feel-good dancefloor dynamite of “I Wanna Be The One” is the explosive opening track. A piano-driven, groove-laden blast of yearning deep-pop, with perfectly delivered soulful vocals and an unmistakable “early 90s” sound. Indeed, fans of Eddie Chacon’s old group will dig this for days. “Back In The Day” has a timeless swing and swagger, the lyrics reminiscing about the halcyon streetlife of the Soulmates’ youth, about Curtis, Superfly and innocent days gone by, about hustling with friends. Yet more spine-tingling vocals over yet another perfectly produced musical backdrop. Stunning.

Opening side B, “Blue Tuesday” is the thrilling pinnacle of the EP, at least for us. It’s absolute soulful-pop perfection, and the one we’ve been asked about most after teasing this collection on our NTS show. A soaring beat ballad full of chiming guitars, gorgeous harmonising, falsetto “doo-doo-doo-doo do-do-do-do” backing vocals and a real steppers’ groove. Glide to this with your loved one at the next roller rink party.

Dramatic, purple-hued closer “Private Time” seems to predict the Timbaland-dominated sound of the mid-to-late 90s, all synthetic strings and squelchy, acidic-drum-machine soul. There’s even room for funky piano breaks, vocoder bridges and more cowbell than you can shake a cowbell at. You could just as easily hear Aaliyah vibing over this as much as Mic.

This EP represents the sound of four incredibly soulful, talented, and influential (soul)mates jamming together over one long hot summer and weaving pure sonic magic. André Cymone loved the “kinda pop, experimental exploration of sound and music. I think these songs make a statement. Not just because of the collection of talented musicians involved but the idea of musically branching out and experimenting; which is what I loved about the project and for people to hear and hopefully appreciate the artistic adventure this music takes, I think it’s a much needed breath of fresh air.” As Mic recalls, “it had the feeling of recovery in a circle with my dudes making music sitting around catching up on life - it felt like living a second childhood. We just wrote what we felt. I don’t remember ‘aiming’ at anything but a great song, melding all our different influences from throughout our lives. We had no restraints. For me personally, it was a time to make music and regroup. I call it the ‘Soulmate Experience’ because in many ways we are kindred souls as a band. We did have an amazing time making the record and so much fun together. Probably my best summer ever”.

The Mighty Soulmates EP has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman at Finyl Tweek and pressed at Record Industry. That early 90s gloss sounds spectacular, if we do say so ourselves.

And such a special record needed some truly almighty artwork, so thanks go to DJ Ruby Savage for directing us to London-based illustrator and designer River Cousin. This music needed something elegant and indulgent yet soulful and striking and something as simultaneously tongue-in-check and deadly-serious as the group’s name. The end result is as modern yet timeless as the music itself.

And these are just our four picks. There’s plenty more where this came from and Mic tells us he’s even picked the album title: “Earthquake Summer”.

Gene Jackson's rich soulful character along with his emotional range make him one of the finest local vocalists. His debut album “1963" came out in 2017 to critical acclaim, including a Blues Blast nomination (new artist debut). His new album “The Jungle”, out of which this 7” release is taken, has plenty of songs with the subjects you’d expect a soul singer to tackle: falling in love, the heartbreak from love and the evergreen “right now you can’t trust anybody,” as he puts it. A St. Louis native, Gene grew up singing. His mother, Mary Coleman, sang with Ike and Tina Turner, the Shirelles and others. She encouraged her son’s gift, and he gained experience singing in the Mt. Gideon Missionary Baptist Church.

After the worldwide success of their first album Puzzle (1999), which sold over 200,000 copies and went gold in Japan, Xavier Boyer (vocals, guitars), Pedro Resende (bass), Médéric Gontier (guitars) & Sylvain Marchand (drums) reunited with producer Andy Chase to record the follow-up, Wallpaper for the Soul, in New York City. Starting in November 2001 at Stratosphere Sound, the prolific sessions gave birth to twenty tracks, twelve of which appeared on the original tracklist. The eight outtakes were compiled on the mini albums A Piece of Sunshine (2003) & Extra Pieces of Sunshine (2004). This new vinyl edition will be the first time all these songs appear together.

Almost 20 years on, WFTS is a tour de force of contemporary songwriting with obvious nods to the past somehow revisited in a timeless fashion. Tahiti 80’s second effort can also be seen as an alternative and more sophisticated snapshot of an era often associated with the rebirth of rock (The White Stripes, The Strokes…). This set of songs also established them as stalwarts of the Post French Touch cannon, showcasing both their ability to write catchy songs and their knack for mélanges & experimentation. 1,000 Times or The Train are unique examples of blue-eyed soul augmented with French flair (« Prefab Sprout as produced by Thomas Bangalter » suggested Uncut which listed WFTS in their Top Ten’s albums of 2003). Listen to Don’t Look Below today, and ask yourself who was mixing Destiny’s Child with My Bloody Valentine in 2001? Delicate numbers like Open Book or live favorite Better Days Will Come both demonstrate T80’s songwriting skills and their innate sense of melancholia.

Listening back to WFTS today, one cannot help but think of it as an album recorded in a state-of-the-art fashion. All four members would typically perform together in the same room. Basic takes were printed on a 24-track analog tape machine and then bounced onto a computer for editing. A fine example of this method is the title track itself. Originally written on acoustic guitar, Wallpaper … is the result of three eight minutes synthesizer jams pieced together. The Frenchmen were keen to try out multitude of ideas and had developed a taste for experimentation. The sessions also coincide with a rich outburst of creativity from a band on top of their game after several months of touring around the world.

Another typical WFTS characteristic is Richard Hewson’s orchestration. Veteran string arranger, famous for arranging The Beatles’ The Long And Winding Road or writing RAH Band’s ‘80s classic Clouds Across The Moon Hewson gave the songs a sweeping orchestral touch. Strings, Horns & woodwinds were all performed at the now defunct Olympic Studios in London. Urban Soul Orchestra, a 24-piece ensemble who played on Oasis’ or Spice Girls’ hits can be heard on five songs: the opening trilogy Wallpaper…, 1,000 Times and The Other Side, then on the Northern Soul revival Soul Deep and lastly on the album’s closer Memories Of The Past.

Rouen’s most famous four-piece, now relocated in a house on France’s North West Coast, in the quiet seaside town of Étretat, added more bells & whistles and resumed production on the songs. With one last transatlantic leap during the summer of 2002, the boys flew to Portland, Oregon to attend the mixing sessions held by sound wizard Tony Lash (Elliott Smith, The Dandy Warhols…). Suggested by Sub Pop’s craftsman Eric Matthews, also a guest on trumpet and keyboards, Lash would later become a major collaborator on Tahiti 80’s subsequent albums.

In the meantime, Laurent Fétis, the designer behind Puzzle’s iconic artwork, had started working with artist Elisabeth Arkhipoff on a set of nostalgic photographs transfigured with a soft air-bush technique. Those visuals, like their predecessors, have since become an inseparable companion to Tahiti 80’s music.

Many musical fashions and flavors of the month have come and gone, but twenty years after its release, WFTS still sounds fresh and relevant. And always forward-looking, Tahiti 80 is currently wrapping up the recording of their eighth album, to be released in early 2022.

Westbound 1976 Funk classic - Featuring an all-star Parliament/Funkadelic line-up - Limited 180g TANGERINE COLOR Vinyl Edition (400 copies) - Comes in Deluxe Gatefold Jacket with Obi Strip - Comes with liner notes // A co-founder of the P-Funk movement, Clarence Eugene "Fuzzy" Haskins was born in West Virginia in 1941 and started as a singer in the doo-wop vocal group The Parliaments, led by George Clinton in the late 1950s. He was a founding member of the groundbreaking and influential 1970s funk bands PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC. Fuzzy Haskins toured and appeared on P-Funk albums as a singer, and occasionally as a guitarist, throughout the 1970s. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997. Despite the success of Mothership Connection, Fuzzy Haskins was growing frustrated that his songs were no longer being featured on albums by Funkadelic and Parliament. He also watched as Bootsy Collins, a relative newcomer to the family, embarked upon a solo career. This added to Haskins' frustration and at the height of P-Funk's popularity, Fuzzy left the ensemble to pursue a solo career. Fuzzy Haskins released his first solo album, A WHOLE NOTHER THANG, in 1976. The album features funk `all-stars' from the likes of Bernie Worrell, Donald Austin and Bootsy Collins. Haskins wrote eight of the nine songs and served as producer, singer, songwriter, guitarist and even drummer. The result was an album that oozed quality. With his brand of earthy and heavyweight funk, Fuzzy Haskins' solo work fits right in with many of the other great P-Funk side projects. Also featured on the album is the track "Cookie Jar", which was later recorded by Prince. Despite the quality of music, the album didn't sell in vast quantities and didn't find the audience it deserved. `A Whole Nother Thang' is a true gem to funk fans, mint vinyl copies are hard to find and pricey these days. If you are a Funkateer_this one's for you. Originally released on Westbound Records in 1976, now back available as a limited deluxe 180g TANGERINE COLORED vinyl edition packaged in a gatefold jacket featuring the original artwork and liner notes.

 Nils Landgren was born in 1956 and grew up with the music of his
father, a jazz cornetist, and the church music of his grandfather, a
pastor. He never lost his strong affinity for his own musical heritage.
 Esbjörn Svensson, born in 1964, didn’t want to play folk music at first.
At home with the music of Chopin, Ellington, or disco-pop groups
such as The Sweet, the pianist had first found his place in the
competitive music scene in Sweden. His trio was a success and in his
homeland, he was voted Jazz Musician Of The Year in 1995 and
1996. The first sprinkling of jobs became a steady flow. Svensson
proved himself in the bands of his friend Nils Landgren. The music
was about funk and soul, occasionally pop and, in the main, classic
jazz. But not folklore.
 It was through the influence of Landgren and Svensson’s former
teacher Bengt-Arne Wallin, who recorded the landmark album ‘Old
Folklore In Swedish Modern’ back in 1962, that Svensson and
Landgren were inspired to make a duo album centred around folk
songs. In August 1997, both went into the studio and, with only
trombone and piano, recorded ‘Swedish Folk Modern’. Their
improvised treatments of the classic songs of the folk culture not only
impressed the public; it brought praise from the press. Svensson and
Landgren had created more than just a few impressions in duo.
Discarding any sort of large conceptual superstructure, they had
continued what Jan Johansson’s Jazz på Svenska and Bengt-Arne
Wallin had begun in the early Sixties and what has since become a
major force within the inner workings of European jazz.
 The time after ‘Swedish Folk Modern’ was hectic and exciting. Nils
Landgren’s Funk Unit advanced to the position of a celebrated festival
act. Svensson’s own trio, E.S.T., expanded beyond Scandinavia’s
borders, where the band’s fortunes skyrocketed. Inundated with jobs,
the musicians finally found the time to once again get together, in
December 1999 in Oslo’s Rainbow Studio. It would be a meeting full
of exceptional jazz energy. Even more than the first time, they would
rely on the force of reduction. Moods would be suggested, left open.
Melodies worked out in simple clarity. Delicate variations
supplemented and amplified both the original and traditional motifs of
the central musical im- pressions. ‘Layers Of Light’ is an affair of the
hearts of two artists who went back to their roots. That makes their
music truthful, direct and authentic in a wondrous way.

On Wayfinder, the follow-up to the acclaimed 2019 album Free Company, Oakland-based songwriter Taylor Vick, under her songwriting moniker Boy Scouts, chases down life's queries to the very edge of the horizon. This is an album that's not afraid to track down what it all means -- how life unspools around the monoliths of love and death, the heavy knots of even quotidian conflict, the task of carrying your own suffering with you day after day, the challenge of meeting other people out here in the tangled expanse of living. In a warm, expansive style that recalls the raw punctures of Lucinda Williams and Alex G, Vick once again shows herself to be a fearless seeker shedding light on the unanswerable. Vick's true superpower is her voice. Strands of slide guitar, organ, and strings ring under her affable, ex?pressive voice, bolstering layers and layers of harmony. There is something so honest about her songs, they feel like a late-night therapy session with your best friend.

In 2012 Claus Fovea self released a cassette containing 10 tracks, he was at his Swedish beginnings. 9 years later Lux Rec re-discovered his tape and it still sounded so true and relevant to them that they decided to release it on vinyl. Claus then reworked some tracks, scrap some, and made few new. Florin Buchel mixed them down and Andrea Merlini mastered them. The result is a picture frozen in time, in between now and then, the struggle, and sadness, that fragile construction of hope shattered as time goes by, like nothing ever change. It is indeed, as he sings, just the same song playing all the time. Over and over.

During the course of quarantine, while doing multiple live streams to support Blue Note Tokyo and New York, Hiromi composed the 'Silver Lining Suite'. It is a piece for piano, two violins, viola, and cello which is separated into four movements: 1. Isolation 2. The Unknown 3. Drifters 4. Fortitude. In the past Hiromi has recorded all of her studio records in the US but given the pandemic and nature of this work, the 'Silver Lining Suite' is her first album recorded in Japan. The album was recorded by Mick M. Sawaguchi of Mick Sound Lab, mixed and mastered by Robert Friedrich at Five/Four Productions. In addition to the 'Silver Lining Suite' the album includes five other songs all composed by Hiromi, two of which are completed versions that originally where part of Hiromi's 'One Minute Portrait' video series that showcased one minute duets with artists such as: Avishai Cohen, Steve Smith, Simon Phillips, Robert Trujillo, and more.

Whoop whoop, it’s the sound of the inimitable KRS One’s ‘Sound of da Police’ and the mind bogglingly clever ‘Hip Hop vs Rap’, reissued here for the first time ever on 7 inch vinyl, housed in an original artwork picture sleeve this is a must have for anyone in the know.

First up ‘Sound of da Police’. A song that spoke out against the long running history of the Black community experiencing police brutality, violence and racism at the hands of those that were meant to be protecting them. The hard-hitting words from KRS touch on the history of slavery and it’s manifestation into systemic racism throughout the ages since.

“Change your attitude, change your plan
There could never really be justice on stolen land”

Couple that with a rough breakbeat, chopped through the MPC alongside choice funk samples and that legendary police siren ‘Whoop, Whoop’ and you had a certified golden era rap classic that ignited the fire in the belly of many across the globe.

On the flip, ‘Hip Hop Vs Rap’. A bumping hip hop loop lays the foundation for KRS to work his genius melding all manner of classic hip hop lines that are the perfect ammunition to cut up on the decks and results in a flow that certifies that hip hop is the culture that you live and breathe.

“Rap is something you do,
Hip-Hop is something you live!”

It’s a true, headsy b-boy gem which deserves a place in every collection.

LP+Buch

Limited Edition Deluxe Version comes with 50 page children's book inspired by the album. Written by Francine Prose and illustrated by Omar "El Oms" Juarez. The colored vinyl is red. Fresh off of their 2020 offering Adult Themes, El Michels Affair is back with a new full-length release. Titled Yeti Season, this newest album has everything we've come to expect from EMA's patented cinematic style of instrumental soul music. Where Adult Themes inspired a soundtrack to an imaginary film, Yeti Season brings us to a different place in time_with new inspirations. Taken with Turkish-styled funk and an almost Mumbai-esque take on soul, El Michels Affair offers us a different kind of drama and imagination with Yeti Season. If you've been following along, this shouldn't be viewed as too far a departure for El Michels Affair. The first single off of Yeti Season showed their hand back in 2018. A double-sided banger, that release brought the musical textures to the fore that dominate this record. The first song, titled "Unathi," is fully realized with the beautifully haunting-yet-hopeful vocals of Piya Malik, formally of 79.5_another Big Crown artist. Singing in Hindi, Piya's ethereal voice is telling us to work and strive together toward progress. Even if you don't understand her language, you can still hear the urgency of purpose, creating a lasting vibe that sits on top of it all. Leon Michels explains that Piya had a vital influence on this record: "When Piya started singing in Hindi, she had a different voice, a different tone. I knew we had to do something together." And so Piya appears on three other songs on Yeti Season: "Zaharila," "Murkit Gem," and "Dhuaan." Each providing particular signatures to the album. "Zaharila" is a building and changing love song punctuated by blaring trumpets, driving drums, and Piya's pleading lyrics. While the more upbeat "Murkit Gem" opens with a fuzzed out, Wu-Tang-esque baseline that buoys Piya's stylings. The psychedelic guitar and Piya's changing tones and textures singing about an all-consuming love are what pushed "Dhuaan" on to the second single from Yeti Season. There is also a vocal appearance from Shannon Wise of The Shacks, yet another Big Crown artist. Her song called "Sha Na Na," lies more in the familiar EMA vein: melodic, hypnotic, soulfully visual. But between Shannon's airy singing, the jumpy baseline, moody vibes, the active drum lines, it sounds like a pensive walk home after a strangely dramatic night. So what is Yeti Season? It could be more of a feeling than an actual place or time of year. It's a heavy album_as evidenced by the signature musicianship and dramatic vocal expressions. But it's also a hopeful record, with phrasings, textures, and chord changes that hint at something better_or fuller_coming our way. You hear it in songs like "Ala Vida," with its stabby, pulsing chords laying a bedrock for EMA's bright, atmospheric horn lines. Or even in "Fazed Out," which leaves you with a feeling of determination, a striving for resolution even though the driving, march-like song structure should accompany some conquering army. This persistence has to come from the fact that Leon Michels and company finished this record during the lockdown. It was a tough and troublesome time. But look at what has come of it: Yeti Season_a record of high and heavy drama, but also one of hope and promise. It may take a year like 2020 behind us to find hope in a winter big footed creature like a Yeti, but that's where we are.

Comes with 10'' booklet and download code. Limited 500. - "Those awaiting", the name chosen by the musicians of Sabreen, still rings true forty years after the foundation of this group in Jerusalem. Voice of the hopes as well as the anger of the Palestinian youth, this group has recorded four self-produced albums. With the weapons of poetry, they will embody the voices of resistance against the occupation but also the desire for emancipation from tradition.Emblematic of this state of mind, their second album Death Of The Prophet was released on cassette at the beginning of the first intifada. It will be the soundtrack, while providing the tuning fork of the future generations. Whether meditative beaches or collective outbursts, joyful outbursts or more serious moments, the band goes through the range of feelings, drawing its inspiration from the sources of classical Arabic music and popular folklore. The result is a unique style, irreducible to any category. All that makes that forty years later, this cult album, never released on vinyl, remains very current. Including booklet with extended liner notes by Jacques Denis and rare photos.

Long Awaited Double Gatefold Release!

Omar Lyefook MBE is without doubt, one of the greatest soul music talents the United Kingdom has produced in the last 40 years. If anyone has doubts about that, then they might want to consider the list of legendary artists who happily line up to collaborate with him musically, or simply sing his praises - from Stevie Wonder, the late Leon Ware, Erykah Badu, Common, through to Carleen Anderson, D'Angelo, and Soul II Soul's Caron Wheeler, Angie Stone and U.K. artists Courtney Pine, Rodney P, Kele LeRoc, Natasha Watts and Estelle, all appreciate his truly original and unique voice, musicianship and songwriting talent.

When asked to reflect on his long, successful, critically acclaimed and deeply influential career that shows no signs of slowing up, Omar said "I feel blessed. I try to keep things moving and evolving, and when I finish an album, I always put my heart and soul into it. I'm looking at it from an outsider's point of view, because I never really see myself making the music. It's like I'm the vessel and somebody's controlling what I do, I just happen to be the one that gets the praise for it".

That modest statement just re-enforces the fact that Omar is simply a one off, a genuinely unique artist. That is a bold claim, but his sound is so immediately identifiable, that you will know you are hearing an Omar track within seconds - and that is the stamp of true originality.

This collection features many of his classic collaborations, from his evergreen worldwide anthem There's Nothing Like This, It's So, the dancefloor destroying banger inspired by the amalgam of sounds Omar heard at The Notting Hill Carnival.

Me Da A Onnda by K. Frimpong and his Cubanos Fiesta isclassic and essential Hi-Life & Afro
Funk album from one of the greatest Ghanaian singer and composer, finally reissued for the first time!
This legendary K Fimpong's fantastic rare album was recorded in 1980.
K . Frimpong was born on July 22nd, 1939 at Ofoase in the Ashanti - Akim district and entered right
into music after elementary school by joining "Star de Republic" and later "Oko's band" after which he left
to K. Gyasy's band where he worked for more than 6 years. As a prolific songwriter and singer, here's
the reissue of his amazing album, a modern fusion of Hi- life and Soul.The excellent background is given
by the famous Cubanos Fiesta with members of Vis-A-Vis band.
Originally produced on the major Polydor, this four songs recording is a blend of danceable and
spiritual Soul and straight Hi-Life. A must-have vinyl of percussive Afro Funk for all the music
connoisseurs, K. Frimpong backed by Cubanos Fiesta LP is a true masterpiece, so hard to find and
reaching crazy skills for a decent copy affordable.
Remastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Pressed on Replika format. Fully licensed by the Alhadji
Kwame Frimpong Family

Time fortifies the bonds between us. Since emerging in 2018, Light The Torch have grown stronger in lockstep together as a band and as friends. Through this growth, the Los Angeles, CA trio—Howard Jones vocals, Francesco Artusato [guitar], and Ryan Wombacher [bass]—only enhanced every aspect of their signature sound. Upheld by head-spinning seven-string virtuosity, yet also anchored to skyscraping melodies, the group crafted twelve no-nonsense and no-holds-barred metallic anthems on their 2021 second full-length album, You Will Be The Death of Me [Nuclear Blast].
“The past few years have helped me to become much more personal in my writing,” explains Howard. “Even though I’m kind of a loner, this band became real family. My experiences with Ryan and Fran inside and outside of the band truly bonded us. I think it shows in this album, it truly represents who we are as a group.”

“Every second on this record was thought-out,” adds Fran. “Howard’s performance gives me chills, because it feels so alive. There’s so much emotion in it. I know the guy very well at this point, and our friendship is a big part of Light The Torch.”That friendship cemented over the course of the past three years. The group shot out of the gate as a contender on their full-length debut, Revival. It bowed at #4 on the Billboard US Independent Albums Chart and at #10 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart in addition to receiving acclaim from Revolver, Outburn, and many more. “Calm Before the Storm” racked up a staggering 14.5 million Spotify streams, while “The Safety of Disbelief” remains one of SiriusXM Octane’s all-time most requested songs. They also crisscrossed North America and Europe on tour with the likes of Trivium, Avatar, In Flames, Ice Nine Kills, Killswitch Engage and August Burns Red to name a few.

In late 2019, an idea for the title track “Death of Me” kickstarted the creative process. The guys returned to Sparrow Sound in Glendale, CA to once again work with the production team of Josh Gilbert and Joseph McQueen [Bullet for My Valentine, As I Lay Dying, Suicide Silence].This time around, they also welcomed Whitechapel’s Alex Rudinger on drums. “He’s incredible,” says Fran. “He was exactly what we needed.”Now, they kick down the door for You Will Be The Death of Me with the single “Wilting In The Light.” Howard’s instantly recognizable vocals soar over a sweeping riff and rolling beat before culminating on a massive luminous hook, “Over and over again we struggle. We’re wilting in the light, and we stumble in the dark.”“It has a different vibe and a very interesting riff,” observes Howard. “I love it when listeners can take what they want from a song. This was a special one for us.”

“More Than Dreaming” opens up the record with gut-punching guitar and another knockout hook. Elsewhere, airy keys wrap around chugging distortion on the title track “Death Of Me.” Regarding the latter, the frontman goes on, “Most people have some source of grief in their lives. It’s relatable, and it was appropriate for the song.”After the melodic melancholia of “Come Back To The Quicksand,” Light The Torch recharge the 1987 Terence Trent D’Arby classic “Sign Your Name” as the record’s climax. Shimmering keys bleed into an overpowering verse before it snaps into the immortal chorus beefed up with thick distortion. “Howard stayed at my house with me and my wife for the entire recording of the album,” recalls Fran. “I like to cook, and one night during the first week of pre-production I made everyone dinner. A compilation with ‘Sign Your Name’ started playing, and I thought, ‘I can do a version that would sound awesome!’ Howard knew and loved the song too. For as crazy as it sounded, it worked so well.”
In the end, the bond between Light The Torch burns brighter than ever in the music as they deliver a definitive statement with You Will Be The Death Of Me.

“We wanted to make a fully listenable and fun album that doesn’t let up,” Howard leaves off. “At the same time, we’re showing some heart, passion, and connection. It’s what we’ve always intended to do with this band.”

Truly adventurous and life enhancing music that invigorates your soul. TIP!

Press Release:

Gordan join traditional Serbian singing with abstraction, energy and minimalism. Their music is marked by radical reduction, seemingly endless ascension and a passion for experiments.

The Serbian singer Svetlana Spajić is an internationally recognized and acclaimed artist. She, like almost no other contemporary singer, is a master of all the complex local stylistic variations of singing from Balkan music. Guido Möbius plays bass and various electronic sound generators. Additionally he uses guitar amps, microphones and effects to provoke feedback which either harmonize or are juxtaposed with the song. It is a dialogue between sound and noise which is accentuated or fragmented by means of Andi Stecher’s expressive drumming. With a rich pool of ideas the percussionist drives the sound forward breathlessly and grounds it. Together the trio form a dynamic body of sound.

Gordan recorded their debut during the first wave of the Covid19 pandemic in Europe in March 2020. Due to the lockdown in Berlin at that time the city didn’t have many distractions to offer, so the trio just concentrated on work. The atmosphere of being isolated in a recording studio had a big impact on the musical results. All three band members came up with ideas for new pieces, which were immediately tested, worked out and recorded. On abstract instrumentals provided by Stecher and Möbius, Svetlana Spajic sometimes reacted with personal interpretations of serbian traditionals, and the other way around. Most of the time it was as if the music just happend to the band; playing together felt natural from the first moment on.

Some of the old serbian traditional songs that Spajic sang are extinct forms with a specific local melodic mode. The skillful improvisation of their lyrics and ornaments was of great importance and very estimated among village singers. The title song Down In The Meadow for instance originally is a love song from the village of Odevce in eastern Kosovo, Serbia. The singing manner is of a great intensity and sonority, with lots of specific local ornaments. It disappeared along with the village communities from the area. Oh, my Rose flowers is from the region of Kopaonik mountain (southwest Serbia) and the mode, scale is known as ”kopaonički glas” (Kopaonik mountain air). Svetlana adopted the style from the late singer Veličko Veličković from the village of Ostraće. It is an old mountain solo chant, rich in fast ornamentation movements and microtonal intervals. Don’t ask how I live is Svetlana’s homage to the new popular folk music movement from the 80ies known as Južni Vetar (Southern Wind) led by a musician and composer Mile Ilić, known as Mile Bas (“Mile the Bass”) which revolutionized popular music introducing tabooed oriental music and original arrangements.

All music by Spajic Stecher Möbius except ‘Don’t Ask How I Live’ by Miodrag M. Ilić, original title Što me pitaš
All lyrics are traditional, except ‘Don’t Ask How I Live’

Svetlana Spajic — vocals
Andi Stecher — drums & percussion
Guido Möbius — bass, feedback, electronics

Recorded by Alberto Lucendo at UFO sound studios Berlin in March 2020 mixed by Morphosis
Mastering by Neel at Enisslab, Rome
Artwork by Lorenzo Mason Studio

Right from the start, it was not meant to be a one-off side project but the beginning of something truly unique and exciting. Their first live album “Gizmodrome Live”, to be released on November 19th, 2021, builds on the foundation laid by the band’s debut album and allows for even more unpredictable outbursts of creative energy. It perfectly captures their commitment to this band and the pioneering collaboration. The fervent genius of Stewart Copeland on drums, guitars and vocals, the incredible bass and vocals of Mark King as well as the incisive guitar work and vocal parts by Adrian Belew, brilliantly rounded off by Vittorio Cosma on keys – it all comes together in a one-of-a-kind high voltage combination on “Gizmodrome Live”. In many ways the live show even manages to surpass the recorded versions of their songs, with Stewart Copeland sharing lead vocal duties with the unmistakable voices of Adrian Belew and Mark King. Powering through a setlist comprised of their debut album as well as a fantastic selection of songs from The Police and King Crimson, Copeland, King, Cosma & Belew truly delivered a live show to be remembered.

Perhaps best known as the frontman of South London indie pop / power pop outfit Bromide or being the worst salesman in Cargo Records…, Simon Bromide (aka Simon Berridge) has announced he will be releasing a solo album 'Following The Moon' in late autumn via Scratchy Records with distribution by Cargo Records. Ahead of this, he presents the lead track 'The Waiting Room'. ‘Following The Moon’ is essentially a solo album - with a lot of help. It was recorded at Bark Studios in Walthamstow by Brian O’Shaughnessy (Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Beth Orton), who had worked with Berridge on the last two Bromide albums. The album features drummer Fells Guilherme (Children of The Pope), bassist Ed ‘Cosmo’ Wright, multi-instrumentalists Dave Hale, Dimitri Ntontis and Stephen Elwell as well as folk-pop chanteuse Katy Carr on piano and Terry Edwards (Nick Cave, Tom Waits, P.J.Harvey) on trumpet. Scottish singer Julie Anne McCambridge joins Simon on the closing track, the William Blake penned ‘Earth’s Answer’. This is Berridge's first output since Bromide's 'Ancient Rome' and 'I'll Never Learn' singles, both released in 2020. Their most recent album 'I Woke Up', with singles 'Magic Coins' and 'Two Song Slot', was met with popular acclaim, receiving positive reviews and airplay in dozens of countries. Influenced equally by The Beatles, Neil Young, Mark Eitzel and Bob Mould, Simon Berridge creates ultra-catchy, jangly acoustic pop / electric rock. Album track ‘The Skehans Song’ pays homage to the club and features the ‘Easycome choir’ with Andy Hankdog, Scarlett Woolfe and Vincent Davies. “A febrile soul who can do pop in many voices” ~ Melody Maker "Simon Berridge's voice is as strong as ever, with the songwriter only gaining in sound and fury” ~ Clash Magazine “Romping, indie-pop blast“ ~ The Times "This is catchy, upbeat, well-structured and impeccably delivered – with a winner of a debut release, Simon Bromide has our attention" ~ The Spill Magazine “Memorable slices of acoustic whimsy” ~ Q magazine “Berridge has an ear for a canny tune and a keen lyrical eye for detail... Ray-Davies-meets-Lloyd-Cole crooning” ~ The Big Issue

If The Fall truly is a cult band, then Slates both benefits from and reinforces such shrouded obsessions. In presenting these six particular songs as a 10-inch EP, the inherent and attractive difficulty of The Fall's sound is made physical, framing the urgency of their singles from this period (notably How I Wrote 'Elastic Man' and Lie Dream of a Casino Soul) alongside lengthy rumblings normally restricted to long players.

The tumbling and phased "Middle Mass" begins on an incredible high note, segueing into the snake-charm hypnotism of "An Older Lover Etc." "Slates, Slags, Etc." is built on stretched VU-inspired riffing, complete with ace feedback bleed that doubtlessly went on long after fade-out. Ultimately, it's the piercing chimes of guitar and marching drum grind of "Prole Art Threat" that elevates Slates beyond oddity. Truly one of Mark E. Smith's finest, busiest and most enigmatic performances, equally matched by a band at the peak of their powers.

Superior Viaduct's edition is the first time that Slates has been available on vinyl since its initial release in 1981. Liner notes by Brian Turner.

The 20th milestone release in the Generation Series lineup, this 5-LP abridged set features 82 tracks that play in the first half of Shenmue III, which takes place in Bailu Village. Comes in a top lid box (similar to recent Generation Series releases from Brave Wave) with liner notes, archival artwork and a digital download code for all 196 tracks.

You Should Be Here, the 2015 follow-up to debut mixtape Cloud 19 from Bay Area-born two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated multiplatinum songstress Kehlani, is out on vinyl on November 26th.

The 15-track mixtape, available as a physical vinyl, includes the hugely popular tracks “The Way”, “You Should Be Here” and “Jealous”, with appearances on the album from Chance the Rapper, BJ The Chicago Kid, Lexii Alijai & Coucheron. After bowing at #5 on the Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and at #1 on the iTunes Top R&B Albums Chart, the mixtape garnered a 2016 Grammy Award nod for “Best Urban Contemporary Album”. Upon release, Pitchfork praised how, “You Should Be Here’s dynamism and generosity is something to be amazed by,” while Billboard proclaimed it, “The year’s first great R&B album.” It landed on Complex’s “Best Albums of 2015,” Noisey’s “50 Best Albums of 2015,” and Rolling Stone’s “20 Best R&B Albums of 2015.”
Critically acclaimed R&B pop songstress Kehlani is praised by Complex as “a special talent, making the kind of personal music that speaks to her fans as much as it functions as a therapeutic release for her”. It doesn’t really need an explanation – you know exactly what Kehlani means when she sings. Without sugarcoating or softening a word, she will drop a hard truth in one breath and flip a middle finger in the next. She may extend a seductive invitation or an empathetic plea before leaving you in your thoughts and feelings. Either way, she finds a way to consistently relate without filter and with each move she strengthens this connection to listeners everywhere.

Originally released as a limited yellow vinyl LP in April 2021, this debut from Taiwan’s psych-heads Dope Purple quickly sold out and gained immediate cult appreciation. Now recut and reissued on swanky transparent lavender coloured vinyl. For fans of Acid Mothers Temple, Les Rallizes Denudes, Asian psych etc

'Grateful End’ in their own words ...

"Grateful End" is our album release in 2019 in the form of CD and cassette.

The title "Grateful End" clearly shows that this is our album with the theme of "End", such as "The Last Day of Humanity" and “Good Night, Good Death" are two of our songs with the theme of "End". However, this album also has another theme of " Live", in fact most of the songs on this album are based on our imagination of "Live". “End" is not the antonym of “Live”, "End" is just one of the stages of “Live”, in other words “End" is also our “Live”. “Grateful End" is a meaningful “End" for people struggling to “Live”. It is only when the “End" comes together with “Live” that we can find significance in it and pay attention to how people face the “End" of “Live”. The End of something enables us to understand “Live”.

Most of the tracks for Grateful End was recorded in 2018, before the epidemic, so our music doesn't reflect the situation of epidemic, but there was a time in 2020 when I thought about the reality that humanity was facing the last day of humanity. Thanks to the efforts of many people, humanity is not yet extinct, and thanks to the help of many people, we can now release this vinyl. We are very grateful to all of you.

But at the same time, the plight of the epidemic has re-emerged many humanity and morality issues that we have avoided looking at. Maybe we won't die out, but if we don't face our humanity squarely, we will lose our humanity in the future and will no longer be human. I don't know what our music can do about humanity, but it is true that music is one of the creations of humanity, and music cannot leave humanity. As music music lovers, our creations will always face humanity. I hope that in the future, after the epidemic is over, we can understand and inspire each other through our live and music.

Lady Wray releases an instant classic two-sider with two certified bangers from her forthcoming album 'Piece Of Me'. Side A is the in your face, head nodding, "Through It All". A tune that rips out of the speaker from the first snare crack with Nicole's pitched up and infectious chorus. The tried and true chemistry of Lady Wray and producer Leon Michels is on full display here as they push the envelope of current R&B and Soul making a stark declaration of why they are out in front of the pack of any of their peers. Nicole sings a song about dedication through the ups and downs on a track that has so much energy it is sure to move crowds around the globe. Side B, "Under The Sun" is a feel good homage to the sun and summertime. Lady Wray encapsulates all things good and lovely about warm weather and where it puts our minds. The infectious good vibes of the tune will change your attitude and have you turning the volume knob up while the earworm choruses will stay on the tip of your tongue long after the song ends. Also Available From Lady Wray: Piece Of Me 7”, Guilty 7”, Queen Alone (Instrumentals)

The Levellers have been a gang on the road for over thirty years and, unable to tour since early 2020 due to COVID, they were bored.

As the band started to arrive at their home for the last quarter of a century - Metway Studios - to film and record a ‘live in the studio’ set, a second nationwide lockdown was announced, making it impossible for Simon to make the trip down from Scotland…what to do?.

With everyone eager to play, there was no turning back. The band sent Simon their final takes, while he recorded his parts at home.

What you can see and hear on The Lockdown Sessions is the Levellers few people get to witness.

Old friends doing what they do best - having a riot. Of their own. The excitement of being back together is palpable.

The Lockdown Sessions is available on three limited edition coloured vinyl LPs or CD, with each format including a DVD of the full film of the Levellers, live in the studio running through songs from the last album, Peace and some of their greatest hits.

5th anniversary 14 song double black vinyl LP of James Arthur’s #1 album 'Back From The Edge' which includes the hits “Say You Won’t Let Go” and “Train Wreck". Alongside the original album this pressing will also include an acoustic version of 'Train Wreck' which was not on the initial release.

In January 2017 Rufus Wainwright toured with the prestigious all string ensemble Amsterdam Sinfonietta through the Netherlands. Critics and audiences of the ten concerts were enraptured by the intimacy and intensity of the program curated by Wainwright. The concerts reflected the immense bandwidth of Wainwright’s musical influences and interests from Verdi Arias to Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, from Rameau pieces to the American songbook and French chanson and from Wainwright’s beloved Berlioz to his family’s and his own songs, some of them written for this program. Emotional center piece of the album is Wainwright’s almost 9 minute version of late Canadian singer songwriter Lhasa de Sela;s harrowing “I’m going in”, a song she wrote about her own death from cancer at the age of 37. All arrangements were created specifically for the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and around Wainwright’s voice that is truly at the peak of its power. The artistic kinship between Wainwright and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta lead by Candida Thompson is astounding and make these live recordings into something utterly unique and breathtaking. “Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta Live 2017” will be released on BMG’s Modern Music Label as vinyl, CD and digital releases with two bonus tracks on the digital formats.
The album was mixed by multiple Grammy winner Ryan Freeland and mastered by Ruairi O’Flaherty both in Los Angeles and is comprised of live recordings from five of the ten concerts.

Los Romeros transport the listener to the Andalusian region of Spain for an album of Flamenco improvisations and songs. Noted Mexican singer/actress Maria Victoria provides vocals. Recorded at United Recording Studio, Hollywood, December 27–30, 1966. Prior releases have included heavy-handed dynamics processing and added echo. For this issue, the first-generation master tapes are presented as they were recorded, transporting the listener into the room and into a true Flamenco performance by the Royal Family of Spanish Guitar, and Ms. Victoria.

Los Romeros transport the listener to the Andalusian region of Spain for an album of Flamenco improvisations and songs. Noted Mexican singer/actress Maria Victoria provides vocals. Recorded at United Recording Studio, Hollywood, December 27–30, 1966. Prior releases have included heavy-handed dynamics processing and added echo. For this issue, the first-generation master tapes are presented as they were recorded, transporting the listener into the room and into a true Flamenco performance by the Royal Family of Spanish Guitar, and Ms. Victoria.

GRAMMY® Award winning duo Twenty One Pilots released their new album, Scaled And Icy, earlier this year and it reached #3 in the UK Official Album Chart. They are now releasing the album on vinyl for the first time, set for release on 19th November. Scaled And Icy is Twenty One Pilots’ first studio album in three years and follows their RIAA Platinum certified LP, Trench.

Written and largely produced by Joseph in isolation over the course of the past year at his home studio, with Dun engineering the album’s drums from across the country, Scaled And Icy is the product of long-distance virtual sessions and finds the duo processing their upended routines along with the prevailing emotions of 2020 - anxiety, loneliness, boredom, and doubt. The duo had to forgo their normal studio sessions but reached a new of level of introspection in the process, adopting a more imaginative and bold approach to their songwriting. The result is a collection of songs that push forward through setbacks and focus on the possibilities worth remembering.

In 2020, Twenty One Pilots surprised fans with standalone singles “Level of Concern” and “Christmas Saves The Year.” “Christmas Saves The Year” arrived at the tail end of 2020 and debuted on Billboard’s “Alternative Airplay” chart becoming the first holiday-themed song to make the list since 2012.

Furthermore, Twenty One Pilots scored one final accolade in the final moments of 2020, officially breaking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ for the longest music video with their history-making regenerative visual for “Level of Concern.” Besting the previous record holder, Pharrell and his 24-hour long video for “Happy,” Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Never-Ending Music Video’ for “Level of Concern” broadcasted for 177 days straight with a total run time of 4,264 hours, 10 mins, 25 seconds.

Twenty One Pilots’ 2018 LP Trench ushered in a new era for the duo from Ohio. A true global phenomenon having surpassed two billion streams worldwide, Trench is highlighted by the alternative hits “The Hype,” “Chlorine,” and “Jumpsuit.” “Jumpsuit” stands as the decade’s fastest rising song to reach #1 on Billboard’s “Alternative Songs” chart and earned the duo their fourth GRAMMY® nomination (Best Rock Song).

Does returning to a place have a sound? Can the ear have a memory? And what if places which we return to are just empty shells? Choreographed rooms which we need to play, fill from scratch each time with fragments from the past and present, layer upon layer, familiar and still somehow always new and differently assembled. Paula Schopf’s Espacios en Soledad are acoustic walks around present day Santiago de Chile, the city where she was born - which she always left, had to leave and to which she always returns - but more than anything also through her own memories which resonate throughout the public places, squares, streets though still in their own way remain strange.

„Every immigrant in the world has a piece like this - a kind of missing link, something which is incomplete. And every time one returns to the home country you are looking for it. For me it was a matter of sound.“ (Paula 2019).

In the mid 70s leaving Santiago was a flight of exile as a child with her family. Leaving in 1990 was an autonomous decision to head for Europe, Berlin, where the wall fell, where the heavens opened up all at once and electronic music became a kind of new home to so many. Paula Schopf belonged there. For her the Ocean Club at Tresor club was a central place where friends and mentors like Gudrun Gut and Thomas Fehlmann made it possible for her to get really into it. Dancing, being and feeling your body, forgetting oneself in the bass and beats, who one is and where one’s from, to becoming the DJ Chica Paula. Chile was very far away during this time, Latin America was more just a code, a musical and habitual cliche to be cautious of. This was especially true for the culture of the Chilean exile, the pathos of the “Canto Nuevo”, the sound and ideologically charged instruments of the „música andina“, for example the Zampoña, Quena or Charango. Techno was the greatest thinkable alternative to this even if or perhaps because so many kids exiled from Chile became key figures in the German and European scene: Ricardo Villalobos, Dandy Jack, Cristian Vogel, Matias Aguayo and many more.

How does returning to a place sound? Does the ear have its own memory? The field recordings which were recorded in Santiago de Chile in 2016 and form the central sonic material for Espacios en Soledad represent the paradox for Schopf’s return to her home country after emigrating: the inevitable drifting apart of her own lived time from that of her former home. Already the Venezuelan and Colombian hawkers are unmistakable signs of the deep change in Chilean society which has happened in recent years due to immigration. Which is in contrast to the old lady who sits on the floor in a pedestrian zone and without break sings the same three songs by Violeta Parra and then keeps falling asleep while doing so. The fragile presence of her voice is joined with a repertoire which is almost mythologically timeless in Chile in a particularly moving way.

By layering, ordering and conjoining such found sounds from modern day Santiago this piece become about the urban sound of Chile’s present. But more than anything by doing this Paula Schopf becomes an arranger of her own sonic memory or sound-triggered memories of returning to this city. Just as techno and Berlin helped her for such a long time to get away from too strong of an identification as a Chilean in exil, now with Espacios en Soledad she has found a way to bring these two seemingly disparate lives and remembered worlds together.

Matthias Pasdzierny

Red Vinyl

nown for her delicate compositions, soaked in dream-like surrealism, Icelandic musician Sóley has attracted a huge following since launching her solo career back in 2010. Her 2012 single ‘Pretty Face’ went on to generate an enormous amount of buzz, and quickly became a viral sensation. Now, with three solo LPs under her belt, Sóley is preparing to debut a completely new sound via the release of her new concept album, Mother Melancholia, on October 22nd.

Described by the artist as "Nosferatu meets Thelma and Louise in a vampire church under the watchful eye of David Lynch", Mother Melancholia is the soundtrack to the end of the world as we know it. As a self-confessed news addict, Sóley became obsessed with the idea that the world is ending. Having surrounded herself with real-life stories of global warming and patriarchal politics she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was going to die. This feeling was so all encompassing that it sparked the idea for a new project. Could there be a soundtrack for the last days of humans on earth? How would that sound?

“I read books about possible dystopian worlds and started writing poems about irrational and in love characters who live in gray and cold imaginary loneliness. In each other’s burning arms. Walking in circles with no way out” she explains. “After all, the album reflects our life here and now. Our life and reality is a kind of dystopian world.”

Whilst writing the album, which serves as a tongue-in-cheek eulogy to our planet, Sóley began reading about ecofeminism, a branch of feminism which uses the concept of gender to analyse the relationship between humans and the natural world. Ecofeminism emphasizes that both women and nature must be respected but also separated. Since the beginning of time, the natural world has been synonymous with female identity, phrases like Mother Nature are commonplace. “The patriarchy views women as volatile and hysterical. Earth and women are either our saviours or our destroyers,” explains Sóley. “It’s so easy to abuse the earth, like the patriarchy has abused women since the dawn of time, then ask for forgiveness afterwards and promise they´ll never do it again”.

The new album sees Sóley move away from the indie-pop of her previous releases. She began by experimenting with writing songs on the accordion, allowing her a new sense of freedom in her writing. The process allowed her to broaden her horizons even further and experiment with a whole range of new and exciting sounds. “I bought myself a theremin as I was really excited about the unpitched sound and there is no perfect pitch during the end of days,” she laughs. “I also bought a mellotron, my first moog and a cello and taught myself how to play each of them. All of these new instruments are particularly suitable for the kinds of aesthetic inconveniences which I have learned to embrace.”

Album opener ‘Sunrise Skulls’, one of the most cinematic moments on the album, was inspired by the Me Too and SlutWalk movements and tells the story of a group of women who rise up and fight the patriarchy. ‘Blows Up’, a track that would be at home on any horror soundtrack, is a sarcastic love letter from the Earth to humans. Standout track ‘Desert’ is an incredibly moving song dedicated to the next generation. “It’s about the guilt you feel, as a mother, for having children and leaving them on the frontline. My daughter, for example, will take over this inevitable war” explains Sóley.

In true soundtrack style, the album flows through the end of the world in chronological order, closing with the Earth’s final moments. ‘Sundown’ is a dark piano ballad detailing human kind’s final day on Earth. “And everyday, I dig my own grave, and as I dive in you´ll hold my hand” she sings, over twinkling piano and swirling synths. We then hear the world end on ‘XXX’, a dark and swirling soundscape that swells before fading to silence. On ‘Elegía’ the silence then turns to the sound of the ocean, as we hear the Earth, like a woman finally free from a violent relationship, healing on her own.

Mother Melancholia is the mark of an artist confidently striding into more experimental territory. With a lengthy and successful career behind her, Sóley felt compelled to try something new and express the real her. The music might be shrouded in darkness but it’s a move that fills her with joy and freedom. “I hope that people not only enjoy the new sound, but also that Mother Melancholia might raise some questions in people, particularly women,” she says. “I’m under no illusions that this album will change the world but I hope that people can connect with the idea”.

THERION have always been a band that have challenged themselves to explore new paths, while remaining true to their musical core values. For their 17th studio album, mastermind Christofer Johnsson and his collaborator Thomas Vikström have created something that has been previously unthinkable to the guitarist and the singer. "We have done the only thing that was left of all the different angles to explore", explains Christofer. "We have decided to give the people what they kept asking for. 'Leviathan' is the first album that we have deliberately packed with THERION hit songs."

True to the Swede's words, the album opens with the catchy and swift tune 'The Leaf Of The Oak Of Far' featuring female and male antiphonal singing as well as a choir that seems to have evolved straight out of THERION's breakthrough full-length "Theli" (1996). This is immediately followed by the obvious highlight 'Tuonela', in which Christofer cleverly underscores this hit-track's Finnish vibe by employing NIGHTWISH’s "metal voice" Marko Hietala. Next up in this parade of future fan-favourites is the title track 'Leviathan' that offers classic THERION material with operatic female vocals and a massive choir.

Christofer Johnsson's passion for classic voices, choirs, and orchestral elements as well as his penchant for epic melodies in combination with rock and metal shines clearly through the following sing-along ballad 'Die Wellen Der Zeit', which indicates another nod to German romantic composer Richard Wagner. "Ever since 'Theli', Wagner has been and will always be at the core of THERION", emphasises Christofer. "When we started to combine metal and opera, it was something new and original. Today, symphonic metal has long been a firmly established genre." When THERION came into being in 1988 by changing name from the already existing band BLITZKRIEG, which was founded a year earlier, Christofer had rather taken inspiration from SLAYER's "Reign In Blood" among other classic metal albums.

At the beginning, the Swedes were firmly rooted in death metal, a genre which they helped to define, as witnessed by their debut album "Of Darkness...." (1991). Yet even back then, there were hints of "something else" lurking beneath the rough surface. The use of female vocals is another core ingredient of THERION today, which developed gradually. CELTIC FROST had basically introduced the female element to extreme metal on "To Mega Therion" in 1985. THERION began with both a female and male vocalist emulating a church like choir already in their sophomore full-length 'Beyond Sanctorum' (1992). With Symphony "Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas" (1993) and "Lepaca Kliffoth" (1995), Christofer continued to developed his trademark sound by gradually drifting towards cleaner vocals and more keyboards.

With "Theli", the Swedes had firmly established a reputation of pushing the boundaries of metal in the 90s –among such acts as their compatriots TIAMAT, THE GATHERING, and MOONSPELL that were often referred to as "gothic metal" at the time. THERION continued to break new ground leaving inspiration for others to follow in their wake: On "A'arab Zaraq -Lucid Dreaming" (1997), Christofer further explored the use of Near Eastern music in metal which he had already begun in 1992, while "Secret Of The Runes" (2001) dared to have Swedish lyrics in some songs.

While critics were left confused and fans challenged, THERION were often ahead of their times and vindicated in hindsight. Even the band's 25th anniversary excursion "Les Fleurs Du Mal" has by now overcome the initial shock the album caused and is only beaten in terms of streaming by the classic "Vovin" (1998). When Christofer faced the question of where to go next after the dramatic "Beloved Antichrist" (2018) had finally fulfilled his musical mission, his answer is "Leviathan" named after a giant sea monster from Judeo-Christian myth that has roots in Babylonic lore: THERION have created a giant hit album –and for the first time in the history of the Swedes, their fans are not asked to explore something new, but simply to lean back and enjoy the best from their band!

Ten years after its release, the reissue of this fabulous Matt Elliott record seemed essential to us since it was eagerly expected! It is undoubtedly the most dramatic sequel to the songs trilogy being outstanding for its darkness, from which he has progressively turned away. The Songs Trilogy is over, A new chapter entitled 'The Broken Man' is about to open and is the most delicate of Elliott's albums to date. The angry noise has all but abated, making way for more fragile melodies and a more subtle approach to intensity to immerse the listener. Ideally listened to in total darkness to discover the hope hidden deep within the guitars, voice, choirs, bells, ethereal trumpets, the howl of the dog beneath the skin, in the sincerity of the music. Inspired by the ghosts of European folk music, the voice often resigned but always expressive. Always finding new ways of working, Elliott collaborated with Katia Labeque who interpreted an improvisation of his that became the backbone of one of the central epic pieces on this album 'If Anyone Ever Tells Me That it is Better to Have Loved and Lost Than to Have Never Loved At All I Will Stab Them in the Face'. 'Dust Flesh and Bones', another of the epic pieces on this album, is perhaps Elliott's most beautiful and moving work to date, simple in it's form but emotionally profound. 'The Pain that's Yet to Come' hints at a new almost psychedelic era to come. 'The Broken Man' is an album to be discovered gradually over many listens, and with each one a new depth is surrendered until one can appreciate the panorama in it's entirety. Each track is an invitation to explore one mans analysis of his own descent reflecting the frustrations and sadness that touch us all at some point. Mixed by Yann Tiersen this album is a bridge between the more acoustic work of 'Songs' and the more electronic, ethereal work of Third Eye Foundation. It is finely balanced in the centre of Matt's musical universe.

Shkema's debut EP 'Kronikos' is a double release with four originals and four remixes. The author describes it as 'world news show, where each song represents a different story'. Some of them he has experienced himself, some are hearsay from TV news programs, and some are actually imaginary. Stories are not really related - just like in the news. 'Ispanija' was created during a friend's band rehearsal. Psychedelic vocals sounded interesting in Shkema's headphones while he was watching soundless singers and the muted musicians. The true reason why this track is called 'Ispanija' is still unknown to this day. According to Shkema, 'Ola' is an allegory of Plato's cave. It's a story about prisoners, chained in the cave and the only moving thing they could see was a passing shadow - quite deep, uh? Justin Strauss and Max Pask recently have joined up to form new project Each Other. True dance floor legends delivered bass-busy remix of 'Ispanija'. It could probably be best described as 'juicy distorted badboy from New York you don't want to mess with'. Moscow's finest - Simple Symmetry - joined the pack and went back to the roots. Their remix for 'Ola' is future clubbing classic, four to the floor banger with a drop perfect for pogo.