Search:tune up

Johannes Schebler's musical output is all about establishing a dreamlike territory where sonic settlements can spread at ease. While Grykë Pyje (Johannes Schebler's duo with Jani Hirvonen) presents musical landscapes as open and clear spaces, Baldruin's miniature pieces tend to narrow them down, zooming into domestic sceneries that shift like malleable rooms inside a magic building. These are the quarters where the inhabitants of Schebler's musical world are configured.

Rendered in a tender manner, the tunes in Kleine Freuden (in English: small joys) unfold like a collection of fairy tales and bedtime stories. Fables and lullabies performed in whispering tones seem to carry us through a child's dream where images blend into each other. Compact, yet gauzy and free flowing melodies gather up revealing an ensemble of households where fanciful entities play care freely, leading us along their musical maze. The music is placid, childlike and playful. It wanders around in unwavering estrangement, organizing an unprecedented and intimate space as seen from a bird's eye view.

In the landscape of a bedroom where the night lamp is the sun, we take part in a lively journey, as wonder is warrant and keeper of a warm and pristine environment. Perspective shifts as we rise from bed sheet folds that turn into fragile mountain ranges. We crawl behind furniture and take shelter in secret hideouts while dust falls upon us like a blizzard. Transfiguring notions of scale and time, we are left wondering how long have we been here, wondering if music is the only true measurement of time.

LP is black vinyl + LP3 insert for full album Download. Check out the first 18 or so seconds of “Can I Ride”, the title track on the first release by Polvo, the two-guitar juggernaut that represented the other side of Chapel Hill indie rock (more on that in a moment). That two-note riff, and the guitar twang that follows, recalls the opening notes on another monster song: “The Sprawl”, a key track on Sonic Youth's epochal Daydream Nation, an album released in October 1988, less than two years before Polvo formed. This compilation's nine tunes—the first seven from the Can I Ride double 7” EP (1990), the last two from the “Vibracobra” b/w “The Drill” 7” (1991) are not quite the sound of a torch being passed, but they were a sign that Sonic Youth's weird tunings, the hardcore punk and proto-indie rock on SST Records, and R.E.M.'s hazy rock (three big influences on this era of Polvo) were changing lives. Even back then, the impossibly catchy roar from Merge’s flagship act Superchunk was known to outsiders as the sound of Chapel Hill. But Polvo was something different from the same region. While the band never cottoned to the “math rock” tag (and it’s hard to disagree with them), there is no question that there was a distinct “how can we make guitar rock sound different from all the other guitar rock” vibe going on in the mid-Atlantic, from Richmond (math rock’s true home, don’t @ me) to the North Carolina Triangle over to Louisville and down almost to Atlanta. (If the Mastodon dudes aren’t down with Polvo, I’ll eat your shoe.) No, Polvo were their own brand of squall, not afraid of big hooks (“Leaf ”), odd tempos and textures (“Lull”) and rolling thunder (“Totemic”), and answers to the musical question, “What if the Feelies grew up on Dinosaur Jr.?” (“Tread on Me”). Indie rock? Not the 2022 kind. Math rock? Eh, not really. This was the sound of a new Southern rock, of a pre-internet guitar storm that looked at what came before and said, “What's next?” Track listing: Side A 1. Can I Ride 2. Leaf 3. Lull 4. Totemic 5. Tread on Me. Side B. 6. Teen Dream 7. Snake Fist Fighter 8. Vibracobra 9. The Drill

A true Cherrymoon classic from Twister with Metamorphosis Of Narcotics, but with a twitch. The release comes with a brand new bonus remix by Danny Corten and the B-side is blessed with Dave Angel’s rework of the follow-up single Sequence 23. Original released in the UK but became a techno bomb in the mid 90s on the Belgian Nitric label. A true underground tune that made waves in the Belgian techno clubs and is still a hot tune at events.

Having previously graced the label with IFSDIGI002 and as part of the IFSDIGIV001 record which landed earlier this year, Kodama marks his return to Infernal Sounds with a 4 track solo EP on their main catalogue. As to be expected from the producer he showcases his musical and melodic prowess throughout, touching on darker tones whilst displaying the lighter, nibble notes we've all come to expect to hear from him.

'Gekko' opens up the EP, beautifully constructing a kaleidoscope of emotion and spanning textures, whilst 'Fijit' hits a little differently, layering daunting droplets of reverb, revealing a sinister underbelly to the overall vibe.

The B-side opener, 'Sneakers' leads with drawing melodies, before breaking into a bass-infused medley. 'Wiretap' finishes the EP with accurate precision, again providing an example of Kodama's use of melodic structures, whilst drawing you down a spectrum of sound and feeling.

It's one of those EP's which isn't particularly packed with out-right bangers for the dancefloor, but more of a display of the newer 140 sound, and a selection of tunes which cohesively gel into a neat little package. For the DJ's who love to build, these are dying to be part of your collection and are perfect to get the crowd on the correct vibe.

URBAN WARFARE

Music has always been a common means to deal with global events – so does this new release on Snork Enterprises by Lee Holman. Having actually performed in Ukraine shortly before the war, Lee Holman clearly has chosen the title of his new release by purpose. “Urban Warfare” dedicates for titles, all of them bearing names with military connotation, to the recent events in Ukraine and beyond.
The musical means of his choice to process the happenings are raw, straight forward electronic sounds echoing from the underground. His combination of beeping, roaring and crooked tunes creates a dystopian atmosphere in each track – yet, each in its unique way. This makes the release a diverse collection of four tracks of unadorned urban club sounds dashing through present day history.

LEE HOLMAN

An uncompromising underground ethos, Lee Holman has garnered support from a host of Techno's brightest names.
Performing in clubs since the late nineties, he has travelled throughout Europe, North America, South America, Asia and everywhere inbetween, compounding a reputation for his unique vision on Techno. Playing a fusion of deep, raw and energetic electronics, his sound creates a myriad of tension, constructing the perfect combination of musicality for club appearances.
Performances both as a live act and as a DJ have unlocked opportunities to share hallowed ground with Techno’s elite, appearing in prestigious underground venues such as TRESOR Berlin, Corsica Studios London, 8Bahn Arnhem, Sub-Scape Antwerp, Move Medellin, Tag Chengdu, Arkham Shanghai, Nechto events Kyiv + many more.
Production has earned him international recognition, leaving his mark at the forefront, building a reputation for consistency, originality and delivering his dynamic sound on both cutting edge and classic Techno Labels. Generating consistent support, he has remixed for high profile artists such as Aubrey and Gary Beck and has himself been remixed by leading Techno mainstays ranging from Orlando Voorn to Mike Dehnert.
Founding the Kawl Imprint, the label’s aim was to provide diversity in Techno and this formula was immediately picked up on and amounted to rave reviews and impressive charts and plays by leading connoisseurs of the underground.
This year, his releases have been frequent and in demand, with his production skills confirmed for Knotweed Records, Science Cult, Shaded Music, Nechto and more, adding to an already excellent discography.
With an ever expanding release schedule, combining remixes and a new label project called Demarcation, Lee Holman promises to be unrelenting in his definition of essential timeless Techno.

The Isley Brothers “Knowledge is power. I’m a witness to that. Our parents wanted us to have a complete musical education. They exposed us to everything, classical to country, standards, show tunes.” Ronald Isley, Mojo Magazine, 2000 The Isley Brothers have delighted audiences since the 1950’s and are celebrating their eighth decade in show business. Morphing from their roots in gospel and doo-wop through funk, rock and then, finally, into slow-jam R&B, the Isley Brothers remain one of the most fascinating groups of all time.
This album contains some of the most life-affirming music ever recorded: Ronald Isley’s keening yelp offering strength and sensitivity as it is supported by brothers Rudolph and O’Kelly. Our collection picks up their story in 1969. By this time, they had been recording for 12 years for many legendary labels, from RCA, to Atlantic, to Motown.
The brothers decided to go it alone on their own label, T-Neck. The repurposed Isleys broke onto the scene with the US R&B No.1/Hot 100 No. 2, ‘It’s Your Thing’. The album of the same name was a Top 30 smash and the group’s decision was vindicated. ‘It’s Your Thing’ marked a meeting point of influences: Sly Stone, James Brown, gospel and one-time group member Jimi Hendrix, laying the template for the Isleys’ next decade, from the gritty rock covers of Givin’ It Back to the era-defining ‘3 + 3’ (with the formal addition of the two younger Isleys, Ernie and Marvin, plus brother-in-law Chris Jasper).
After the 1972 release of ‘Brother, Brother, Brother’ (featuring the classic ‘Work To Do’) T-Neck moved to CBS leading to their first Platinum-selling album (1973’s ‘3+3’). Produced with Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, ‘3+3’ was practically prescribed to every soul boy in the UK (witness Wham’s cover of ‘If You Were There’). For the Isleys to take their old R&B hit, ‘Who’s That Lady’ and turn it into hard-rocking psychedelic soul was a blazing statement of their
intent. Their version of Seals and Croft’s pretty ‘Summer Breeze’ became one of their biggest hits, with Ronald and Ernie stamping their authority on the ballad. A period of phenomenal success followed. For every standout ballad (‘For The Love Of You’, or ‘The Highways Of My Life’), there was strident, take-no-prisoners political funk - as typified by ‘Fight The Power’, a US R&B No. 1 in 1975.
It was written by Ernie on the same day as another of their greatest moments, ‘Harvest For The World’.
This collection is a beautiful overview to the group, a most fabulous re-introduction to old friends. This era is affectionately known by the Isleys as the ‘gold and platinum years’ - one listen and you will understand why.

It’s almost four years since their last opus - two years since the most-recent run
of live shows. Now, Bitchin Bajas return from whatever kind of rare ether they
occupy when they’re at home, bearing the riches of the whole cosmos in their
hands. And strictly OG as well - on cassette only.
 ‘Switched On Ra’ is the outcome of a typical Bajas exercise: pouring some out
for the pioneers that came before (as they’ve done with Bitchitronics and their
participation in the annual Chicago performance of ‘In C’ over the years). It’s a
nice way to get a flow - they play a little of themselves, then some for the
pioneers, then a little more for the band. Before long, they’re playing with the
inspirations twined, as they can only come from within.
 For ‘Switched On Ra’, this meant a deep delve into the song-book of one of their
soul-predecessors, Sun Ra, whose music is literally written in the Bajas DNA.
Digging into this music sounded wild on paper: the drone synth group taking on
the Arkestra harmonies and Ra’s loose grooves? The trick was to get that sense
of rhythm to translate across the spectrum from Ra to Bajas, in a way that
worked for them both.
 Their rearrangements of the tunes went good - up and down the EQ band, they
were finding the round sounds and jagged edges that brought Ra’s music into
their own thing. Then at the last minute, there was another twist - why not pay
tribute to the Queen herself, and think of the arrangements with a Wendy Carlos
vibe? A little side homage? After all, ‘Switched on Bach’ was visionary, bringing
analogue synths from the outside all the way into the mainstream in the late 60s -
and this take on Ra is meant to take him to new ears everywhere.
 Sun Ra of course was his own kind of original keyboard visionary, using electric
keyboards in the late 40s and 50s to fill a role in jazz that had traditionally been
played on acoustic piano only. Once he’d done so, he took his writing in
directions inspired by the electricity, places no one had thought to go before
then.
 Bitchin Bajas have been content to dominate in a microtonal world, usually
without a single chord to be found anywhere. But here, they step up righteously,
their vibe triangulated as they bring Ra’s music forward with some Wendy C
style, making an unexpected space for all to thrive. There’s a real feeling of joy
as these collected signals bounce off the tape and through the speakers into
your space.
 To get this unique colloid exactly right, Bitchin Bajas used nineteen different
keyboards. They abstained from deploying their arsenal of reed and woodwind
instruments: everything had to be on the keys. This meant Yamahas, Rolands,
Korgs, Casios, a MicroMoog and of course their trusty Ace Tone organ. They
even broke out the Crumar DS-2, to have some of Ra’s chosen tone in the mix.
Then Jayve Montgomery added an EWI as a solo voice on a few tunes, just to
get some air-blown signal (and a natural shout out to EWI master Marshall Allen)
in there, after all. It felt like somewhere in the universe, Ra was decreeing it.

"M4 is a tune that I wrote back in 2017 when I was living in Bristol. At the time I was really into writing melodic pieces and messing around with as many synths as possible. I decided to add some heavy bass to this one cinematic organ progression and laid down some basic drums over the top and called it a day really. I think I sent it out to a couple people (one being Mala) and forgot about it.

Another few years went by and the tune has changed a bit to stay in line with my current production style arriving at the version that's set to be released. Abacus was just an all out bass experiment that I never thought would see the light of day and Dusty really shows off the more melodic style of my productions. After hearing these tunes played on big systems for so long I'm really happy that everyone can now finally get their hands on a copy."

ALXZNDR 2022
Order MEDI124 now
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Essentia is not only the latin word for – you guessed that right – essential, but also the name of Krystal Klear’s return to Running Back. While trance might be a state of mind (according to DJ Dag), it’s also a tone theory with a very specific tool kit. Here you get the version that makes sense in the aural universe of a producer that got raised on a diet of hip hop, boogie and the foundation tunes in house music. Moderate in tempo, the result is still euphoric to say the least: melted brains, stimulated spinal cords and rave rampage included. Essentia balances the euphoric rush of its topical genre perfectly with the happy-sad moments after the rave. If that is not musical or emotional enough for your taste, you will find content in the Sunrise version. Excessive use of the well-beloved choir, breakbeats and - downs make it equally irresistible for sun-ups and love-ups.

Flip the coin for Winnies Karaoke. Stemming from the same source and session as Essentia. Named after the interactive entertainment bar in Chinatown NYC and made sometime in the early morning hours, its the quintessential Krystal Klear. Sawtooth boogie, if you will. It’s counterpoint is the Sundown mix. Techno prog for the tilted generation.
Sometimes, in the permanent search of happiness, the world of tomorrow needs the sound of yesterday made with the means and minds of today. Essential bliss.

The Jive Aces are the UK's top jive and swing band and are renowned for their high-energy jump jive and spectacular stage show in their hallmark yellow suits. The band’s repertoire stretches from the timeless tunes of the swing era to the glitz of the Rat Pack, with a dash of rhythm & blues, swinging jazz and the roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Elvis.
Originally forming in London the band gained steady success year by year and are the first live band to reach the semi-finals of "Britain’s Got Talent" famously putting grumpy Simon Cowell “in a good mood”. This was followed by a performance to the late Her Majesty The Queen as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. They are unquestionably the UK’s finest band in their genre.
They performed at hundreds of festivals including Glastonbury, Montreux Jazz Festival and The Hop Farm Festival to name a few. They also headlined and sold out the first ever swing dance at the Royal Albert Hall. By popular demand the band will be featuring in their own show in London’s West End at the Aldwych Theatre this December.
During the pandemic, the band performed consecutively for over 500 days with free concerts on line to cheer people up and help get through the tough times.The band has a one month US tour scheduled for 2023 and diary full of shows throughout UK and Europe. They are in constant demand.

FIRST VINYL (VOL. 1)
SIDE 1:
1. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
2. On A Slow Boat To China
3. Sweet Sue, Just You
4. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
5. Jeepers Creepers
6. It’s Been A Long, Long Time
SIDE 2:
7. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
8. It Had To Be You
9. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
10. Ain’t She Sweet
11. I’m Confessin’ That I Love You/ It’s Only A Paper Moon
12. Ain’t Misbehavin’

SECOND VINYL (VOL. 2)
SIDE 3:
1. Rock ’n’ Roll Movie Star
2. Feeling Happy
3. Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean
4. No. 13 (Fruit Boots)
5. Choo Choo Ch’Boogie
6. Giddy Up A Ding Dong
SIDE 4:
7. Bad News
8. Alright, OK, You Win
9. I Want You to Be My Baby
10. Rock ’n’ Roll Boogie
11. Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens
12. Jump, Jive and Wail

Quirky as fuck!' is the term to describe the latest killer 45 from Paul Elliott & Shawn Lee.

Since they crossed paths over a decade ago, Paul (Eleven76/Hot Border Special/The Mighty Mocambos) & Shawn (Ping Pong
Orchestra/Young Gun Silver Fox) have collaborated on many impressive projects including the critically acclaimed documentary The Library Music Film. The pair share a love of weird, exotic, otherworldly sounds that can usually only be found in classic library music.

However, with their latest release on Farfalla Records, they take the listener on a deep dive into the strange, percussive and unusual
world they inhabit!

'Bass Sick Bitch' begins with a glitchy toy rhythm and leads into a voice memo of a wooden 'Jank tone' instrument that Shawn had
played and recorded for Paul to hear. Paul's low slung drums and percussion take off and the pair exchange phrases on some of their
unusual instruments. This one has a head nod groove and a breakbeat that poppers, lockers and bboys can get down to...

'Honey Roast Nuts' is introduced with a rhythm Paul literally played on an old tin of Honey Roast Nuts, hence the name....Shawn creates
the vibe with Polynesian Ukulele, guitar and retro futuristic synthesized sounds, all the while a 70s inspired bass guitar keeps the mood up. The middle of the tune is stopped in its tracks when a voicemail recording from Paul's phone pops up and Shawn's fried brain takes us out with a modulated guitar!

Take a trip with Paul Elliott & Shawn Lee, It's all good in the motherfucking hood yo!

Orange Street, Kingston, Jamaica the epicentre of the Reggae world.
Where all the record shops, studios, pressing plants were based.
The new cut 45’s would be taken to the shops after a testing on various Sound Systems around the people and passed to the record shop proprietors to sell.
Bunny Lee as a former record plugger and now a leading producer knew what the people wanted and a great ear for a hit tune.
This collection carries some of the stand out tracks from this period, when music was finding a new beat as Rocksteady rolled into the late 60’s early 70’s Reggae Sound.
The Ravers ‘Mati and Fulli’ telling the story that the ‘Rent too High’ to The Twinkle Brothers ‘Miss Laba Laba’ …you see and blind you must hear and deaf…clean up your own backyard before talking about others.
All stories of daily life and love songs told over a cracking rhythm played by finest musicians on the island.
So yes ‘Some A Holla Some A Bawl’ as Max Romeo would say but it can’t be denied that all the tunes on this selection are of a fine pedigree….
So sit back and Enjoy the Ride…………..

The sound company operating under the project name "Noiseshaper" is poised to release a very special vinyl album into record shops worldwide. The band received great acclaim for their first albums, which were released on the legendary and famous Rockers Hifi label Different Drummer. They later became celebrated for their musical contribution to the US television series CSI - Miami ! The Viennese coffeetable boys Axel Hirn und Florian Fleischmann achieved cult status with their 12-inch single "The Only Redeemer", which was later released in the US by Quango (Island Records /Palm Pictures) and fast became a permanent fixture on the playlists of the best and most popular DJs in Berlin, Vienna, Tokyo, Paris, London and New York. The next dancefloor filler followed with "All A Dem A Do", sung by Juggla, which was the band"s first release to get heavy rotation on many European and US radio stations. Next up were remixes by and for heavyweights such as Sly & Robbie, Outkast, Seven Dub and Carl Douglas. Noiseshaper"s defining sound has been distilled and condensed an utterly distinctive blend of "housey downbeats with a fat reggae flavour" has brought the Noiseshapers international acclaim and popularity. The very special VINYL release is the essential of what NOISESHAPER has ever done all over the years with a special focus on HEAVY bass remixes by Adrian Sherwood & Paolo Baldini. It is another very impressive display of how a musical style has progressed. Dub as a style with all its reference points between commerce and innovation ! 8 pounding dub flavour tunes all are best for bringing the dancefloors of the dub universe to boiling point. Heavy bass for heavy dancing!

Tape

Welcome to Carsharing Tapes. Welcome to the future.

With "DIURNAL TIDES: First Wave" we're proud to present not only the first release of our new imprint for classic electronic music mixtape culture but also the first ever official gathering of two long standing figures which both have been relentlessly and continuously contributing to the German underground scene for more than two decades now.

And these two are: baze.djunkiii and THE D3VI7.

baze.djunkiii, Hamburg-born and based, officially entered the electronic music scene as a DJ back in 1997 from an angle of being an enthusiastic raver, launched his very own label Intrauterin Recordings in 1999 and - apart from becoming an 24/7 networker, knowledge hub, music blogger etc. - evolved into one of the most versatile underground DJs and purveyor of original DJ culture around whose journey on the decks has taken him all over Germany as well as to Greece and the United States and to countless hours of air time on a plethora of underground radio stations as well.

THE D3VI7, on the other hand, remains an elusive figure. Deeply rooted in electronic music production and the hell'ish jungle of circuit board wiring as well as DAW madness THE D3VI7 is a moniker created by one of the most active, yet probably most underrated figures on the release circuit, a nom de guerre which serves the sole purpose of being able to operate anonymously without any confirmation bias being attached to other musical guises which might, or might have not, been used previously and in earlier stages of a long lasting involvement in music. And btw - this is the first time ever THE D3VI7 agreed to provide an official DJ mix for a mixtape release.

With baze.djunkiii's mix opening the roughly hour long journey of "DIURNAL TIDES: First Wave" on the A-side we're getting a prime example of what original DJ culture is all about as he's taking us on a fascinating journey from deepest underground Electro to screaming, spiralling Acid madness and beyond, digging up most underground vinyl cuts and making proper use of his extensive collection of rare 7" releases - a format that has been criminally overlooked by many DJs but provides a treasure trove of goodness as this mix easily proves.

Turning the tape THE D3VI7 does what THE D3VI7 does best on the flip: Being a force. A dark one. Forging a pounding, most relentless stream of hammering Techno tunes to take out unsuspecting punters on heaving dancefloors one by one THE D3VI7 provides a high octane selection of peak time excess that either thrills or kills - an ode to the power of raw and unpolished Techno madness in its purest form. A power that cannot be contested. Ever.

Having first met in 1991, music photographer STEVE GULLICK and JAMES JOHNSTON, founder of Gallon Drunk, began blurring the boundaries between audio and visual in 2004 when they formed their own band, '...bender'. They’ve maintained the habit ever since, with Gullick subsequently founding Tenebrous Liar and Johnston pursuing a career, alongside his work with PJ Harvey and a tenure in Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, as an acclaimed visual artist and painter.After working together on an art show in late 2019, the idea of making music again immediately resurfaced. Without any firm strategy, Johnston and Gullick began recording, unprompted, drawing upon a shared love of noise, folk, and classical. This became the album ‘We Travel Time’, a compelling and mysterious record that bravely embraced beautiful piano, voice, violin, and guitar to create a drifting haze, forging an imagined soundtrack which offers echoes of Big Star, Nico, Lee Hazlewood and Palace Brothers alongside the haunting influence of contemporary minimal classical. Due for release this coming November 18th via God Unknown Records, Johnston and Gullick have returned to their craft to create a stunning new selection of songs and moods, brought together for the album ‘Everybody’s Sunset’. Recorded at their homes throughout 2021 and 2022, the ten songs on this new album take the fragile intimacy and agenda-free approach of its predecessor and go out even further into the fringes of tone and feeling. Utilising a vast selection of instruments between them (violin, organ, guitar, banjo, autoharp, harmonica, piano, synthesisers….), ‘Everybody’s Sunset’ ebbs and flows, bringing different instruments and signals to the fore as the album progresses. a bold, adventurous musical trip that finds Johnston and Gullick’s musical bond grow ever deeper and closer. Tune in and watch the Sunset glow. All songs written, arranged and recorded by James Johnston and Steve Gullick James Johnston: Violin, voice, organ, piano, guitar, banjo, autoharp. Steve Gullick: Voice, guitar, piano, organ, harmonica, harmonium. 1. The Moon & The Stars 2. Shimmer 3. Fear of Everything 4. Save Our Souls 5. Ice Moon 6. The Town That Couldn't Sleep 7. Medieval Death Song 8. Greater Silence 9. Who I Who 10. Everybody's Sunset

Dancefloor clear sounds, rising up and up and up... Neither happy or dark... pure tekno !
4 of them kick at regular 170 BPM.

BIG trippy tunes super cool in the mix... Bass-kicks are clear and pumpin.

Good !

White Vinyl
Dancefloor clear sounds, rising up and up and up... Neither happy or dark... pure tekno !
4 of them kick at regular 170 BPM.

BIG trippy tunes super cool in the mix... Bass-kicks are clear and pumpin.

Good !

** INITIAL 400 LPs CONTAIN A BONUS 7" OF A RARE XMAS SOUL 45! **

** THE 4th VOLUME OF RARE & HIP-SHAKING SEASONAL GROOVES!! **

Dear Santa, we just loved "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party," Volumes 1-3 TRLP-9013, TRLP-9027, TRLP-9050, and we have really tried to be good this year! Please bring us a whole 'nother album's worth of rare and obscure Christmas-themed funk and soul!

When the third volume of "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party" was released in 2015, everybody involved was certain that it would be the final one. For years, the curators had been looking for "Christmas Rare Grooves" until they finally realized there was nothing left to discover that would justify a fourth volume. Sure, it would have been an easy task to dig through the catalogues of major labels to come up with 40 minutes of more-or-less trivial Christmas soul music. But who on earth would want that kind of album? Since the foundation of Tramp Records in 2003, the label has gained a high reputation as one of the very few German reissue labels of obscure funk, soul, and jazz music. 99% of the songs originate from 7" singles, the small and handy standard-format of the 1960s, which, like Santa's sleigh magically circling the planet on Christmas Eve, spins at forty-five revolutions per minute on the turntable.

So, what can you expect from this, the fourth volume of a series which had ostensibly been completed with only three volumes? After some seven years of digging across the world wide web with open ears and eyes, never tiring of the hundreds of (mainly) shitty songs, hoping to find that kind of monster soul or funk track that constituted the hallmark of the previous volumes, the compilers slowly and surprisingly began to see a fourth volume taking shape. Finally, after more than two thousand days, a complete album's worth of quality tunes had been discovered and secured for release.

"Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 4" contains a highly diverse selection of obscure Christmas songs. For example, take Bey Ireland's garage-mod-rocker "All I Want For Christmas Is A Go-Go Girl," is something to get you go-going around the tree! Do you prefer mirror-balls to tinsel? Check out Bill Deal with Pure Pleasure. Too fast? How about the dazzling-melancholic "I Won't Be Home For Christmas"? Do you prefer rap music while you wrap presents? Then your choice is going to be Hot & Sassy. Old-School-Hip Hop at its best. Every single song has a compelling reason to be included in this extraordinary selection. Not least is the opening track by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. Their contribution represents the soul sound of the 21st century. Charming soul music with sociocritical lyrics, something you rarely find in the current musical landscape.

Even though the selected tracks that the two compilers and their worker elves proudly present on "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 4" are unbelievable, they are very real and will be the surprise gift from Santa this season that can be enjoyed year-round! It took seven years to complete, but believe us when we say it was well worth the wait. Merry Christmas, everybody!

Key selling points:

- initial 400 LPs contain a BONUS 7" of a ULTRA-RARE Christmas soul 45

- ALL but one song appear on CD, Vinyl LP and digital for the very first-time

- the vinyl LP comes with a full album download code

- fold-out CD-booklet and gatefold LP come with liner notes and label scans

Twisted and irreverent, The Rabbits combined ear-splitting guitar shrapnel with one of punk’s greatest-ever snot-nosed vocalists. With hints of PIL or Chrome, but beamed in from a parallel dimension and filtered through the warped lens of visionary loner Syoichi Miyazawa. First-ever vinyl release, fully remastered from the band’s original early ’80s cassette releases, and housed in a sturdy tip-on sleeve. Includes a double-sided, printed insert. Edition of 500

Singer-songwriter Syoichi Miyazawa’s tale is a confounding one.

He grew up in a small town in Yamagata Prefecture (in northern Japan), loved Dylan and The Beatles, and had very little exposure to, or interest in, underground music. And yet, shortly after 24-year-old Miyazawa arrived in Tokyo in 1978, he began performing solo shows at tiny clubs in the city, singing and playing guitar. His performances quicky devolved from brisk acoustic jaunts to lengthy, heavy dirges sung in a snot-nosed wail over a blown-out electric guitar detuned to produce a kind of sonic sludge.

At one of his earliest gigs, a mutual friend introduced him to Endo Michiro, who would soon become the legendary front man of Japanese punk icons The Stalin. It turned out Miyazawa and Endo had attended Yamagata University at the same time just a few years earlier, but hadn’t known each other at school. In Tokyo, they became fast friends, moved into the same apartment building, and for years were inseparable. Endo played guitar and drums on Miyazawa’s debut release, the “Christ Was Born in a Stable” flexi disc. But while Endo was social and outgoing, Miyazawa preferred to be alone, avoiding concerts unless he was performing.

Despite these antisocial tendencies, Miyazawa came to despise playing solo. In 1982, an eccentric high school student named Chika introduced herself at one of Miyazawa’s gigs, and Miyazawa asked if she’d play bass. She agreed and drafted two of her friends to play second guitar and drums. The Rabbits were born.

Miyazawa wrote the tunes, and had a clear vision for the group, but struggled to get the sound he wanted from the other members. His second guitarist was more of a fusion player, and Miyazawa took great pains to get him to tone down the shredding. The group quickly went through multiple line-up changes. Frustrated with the sound of their first proper recording (self-released as the “X1(x)” cassette), Miyazawa spent a full year mixing their second cassette, “Winter Songs,” on his own.

The hard work paid off — the sound of “Winter Songs” is striking, and unlike anything the band’s peers produced. There’s liberal use of delay on the vocals, giving the music a psychedelic feel, but the guitars are caustic, cutting through the mix like metal shrapnel. The rhythm section seems on the verge of teetering out of control throughout, an overdriven and pummeling current below abrasive slabs of guitar and vocals. Even at their most aggressive, though, The Rabbits had strong pop sensibilities, complete with cooing backing vocals and the occasional harmonica solo. Miyazawa delivers his borderline nonsensical lyrics with equal amounts of menace and gaiety, consistently riding that fine line as only a natural oddball can. At times, the band sounds like a distant cousin of PiL, Chrome or The Homosexuals, but beamed in from a parallel dimension and filtered through Miyazawa’s warped lens.

Although The Rabbits briskly sold all 500 copies of the "Winter Songs" tape, live audiences at the time seemed dumbfounded by the group, and would stare at them in silence. After two years together, The Rabbits called it quits in 1984.

When asked if any of the many legendary groups (Les Rallizes Desnudes, G.I.S.M., etc.) he shared stages with left an impression, Miyazawa recently revealed that he always left the venue as soon as he finished performing, so he never caught any of the other bands…

All of which is to say —

The Rabbits are one of the great punk bands of the early ’80s, but their leader had no interest in the punk scene and always thought he was making “normal” music. They rubbed shoulders with a slew of notable groups of the era, and their singer was best friends with arguably the most famous Japanese punk of all time, but Miyazawa shunned fraternization and purposefully distanced himself from his peers.

Could this be why so few underground music fans are familiar with the group, even in Japan? Why they seem to have been written out of the official history of Japanese punk? One can never know for sure, but Mesh-Key hopes to remedy this travesty by offering this compilation, the first-ever official LP by The Rabbits, to a new generation of punk and psychedelic music connoisseurs.
credits

The 6th release in the 'Foundations' series of classic House curated by DJ Spinna and Kai Alce, Sandee's 1988 masterpiece Notice Me joins seminal tunes from Ralph Rosario, Dreamer G, Cajmere, Chip E & K-Joy and Tyree Cooper to complement this amazing selection of hugely significant and killer heritage tracks. Written by Robert Clivilles and co-produced with David Cole (C+C Music Factory), the pedigree of Notice Me is seriously enhanced by the vocals of Latina singer and original member of the vocal group Exposè, Sandeé (Sandra Casañas) and the sound editing of long time Clivilles & Coles collaborator, the producer and percussionist Luis Rivera. Bass heavy and featuring a drum break that inspired so many great House cuts Notice Me was picked up by DJs of the calibre of Frankie Knuckles and Roman Ricardo on release in 1988. Notice Me became a dancefloor favourite at legendary clubs such as Tunnel and Palladium in New York City and the Riviera in Chicago , subsequently reaching number 9 in the Billboard Dance Charts in 1989. Tragically both Sandeé and David Cole died at far too early ages (46 and 32 respectively) but their places in the pantheon of House music history are assured as the vocalist and the co-producer of Notice Me. Indeed it is an era defining track and definitely a must have in your vinyl collection. A word about the Foundation Series from its curators: Kai:“Well my interest in 7”s is new. I have been a collector of 12”s all my life, House & Disco. Being inspired by JRocc after playing one of Discogs’ Crate Diggers events, my initial focus was on finding House 7”s which proved to be harder than I thought… Most were not available in 7” format & the popular ones that existed were quite rare. So now me and Spinna are trying to fill some of those empty spaces.” Spinna:“45 DJing has become a new excitement among vinyl DJs, but although endlessly repressed on other formats, a few classic house titles have simply never been pressed on 7” vinyl. We ran our ’45 wish list past BBE and the rest is history. When creating the edits we tried to imagine we worked for the original record label and were cutting the ‘radio edit’. The aim: to keep the heart of the track intact while reducing the length to fit the format.”

Over the last ten years, The Lone Bellow have cast an indelible spell with their finespun songs of hard truth and redemptive beauty, faithfully delivered in hypnotic three-part harmony In a departure from their past work with elite producers like Aaron Dessner of The
National and eight- time Grammy- winner Dave Cobb, the Nashville- based trio
struck out on their own for their new album 'Love Songs for Losers', dreaming up
a singular sound encompassing everything from arena-ready rock anthems to the
gorgeously sprawling Americana tunes the band refers to as “little redneck
symphonies.” Recorded at the possibly haunted former home of the legendary
Roy Orbison, the result is an intimate meditation on the pain and joy and ineffable
wonder of being human, at turns profoundly heartbreaking and sublimely
transcendent.

Eric Matthews "It's Heavy In Here" reissued by Past (Last) Night From
Glasgow
It's Heavy in Here hearkens back to the days when pop music was heavily
orchestrated with string arrangements, brass ensemble - the whole nine yards.
Matthews takes that style and revamps it for the '90s, and creates some great
tunes. All of the melodies are precise, all of the hooks are dead- on. Matthews
doesn't pull any punches and the album starts off with the simply grandiose
"Fanfare." "Fanfare" marches in and plops itself down in all of its triumphant glory.
Matthews' raison d'etre seems to be summed up in the opening lines

Eric Matthews "It's Heavy In Here" reissued by Past (Last) Night From
Glasgow
It's Heavy in Here hearkens back to the days when pop music was heavily
orchestrated with string arrangements, brass ensemble - the whole nine yards.
Matthews takes that style and revamps it for the '90s, and creates some great
tunes. All of the melodies are precise, all of the hooks are dead- on. Matthews
doesn't pull any punches and the album starts off with the simply grandiose
"Fanfare." "Fanfare" marches in and plops itself down in all of its triumphant glory.
Matthews' raison d'etre seems to be summed up in the opening lines

HEAVENLY ALBUMS TO BE RE-ISSUED ON VINYL - STARTING WITH ‘HEAVENLY vs SATAN’. Heavenly released four albums in the early 1990s. Skep Wax Records are going to re-issue all four of them over a two year period. Classic black vinyl. The albums will include a 7” booklet with lyrics and new sleeve notes by the members of the band. Heavenly were one of the pioneers of indiepop. Formed from the smouldering ashes of Talulah Gosh, they took all that energy and attitude and used it to fuel catchy, infectious pop melodies. The influence of 60s girl groups was never far from the surface. This was girl-pop, but with the girls in control. Loved by many but derided as ‘twee’ by some, Heavenly ignored the increasingly macho environment of the contemporary UK scene and forged a separate path, along with other bands on the Sarah Records label. Later, having co-released their albums on K Records in Olympia, Heavenly toured the US, hooking up with bands in the embryonic riot grrrl scene. Heavenly’s quiet feminism became louder and more articulate, and the hostility of the UK music press became irrelevant. Heavenly came to an abrupt and tragic end when drummer Mathew Fletcher took his own life in 1996. After a year’s hiatus, the group reformed as the short-lived Marine Research, before going their separate ways musically. Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey currently play in The Catenary Wires and Swansea Sound. Peter Momtchiloff plays in Would-Be-Goods and Tufthunter. HEAVENLY vs SATAN – THE FIRST LP. Recorded in the Oxfordshire countryside, the first Heavenly album was a bid to make a pure pop record. The punk noise of Talulah Gosh had exploded and expired. Amelia had had a go at making a disco hit (‘Can You Keep A Secret’, subsequently released on Fierce Recordings), which was fun, but wasn’t going to trouble the charts. Unbothered by critical or popular reactions, the new band decided to immerse themselves in the creation of a sweet, tuneful pop record. It’s true that the punk influences aren’t hard to discern (Mathew’s favourite band was The Ramones), but it’s Pete’s elegant guitar and Amelia’s melodies and multi-layered harmonies that win out on these recordings. The eight-track album was released as CD, LP and cassette by Sarah Records. Subsequent versions included a Danceteria LP and cassette (France), a Quattro CD (Japan) and a CD by K Records (US). These versions included various additional tracks from early 7” releases. The Skep Wax re-issue of ‘Heavenly vs Satan’ includes Heavenly’s first two Sarah Records singles – ‘I Fell In Love Last Night/Over And Over’ and ‘Our Love Is Heavenly/Wrap My Arms Around Him’. The vinyl reissue of second album ‘Le Jardin de Heavenly’ will follow in early summer 2023. ‘The Decline and Fall of Heavenly’ and ‘Operation Heavenly’ will arrive in 2024. Tracklisting 1 Cool Guitar Boy 2 Boyfriend Stays The Same 3 Lemonhead Boy 4 Shallow 5 Wish Me Gone 6 Don’t Be Fooled 7 It’s You 8 Stop Before You Say It 9 I Fell In Love Last Night 10 Over And Over 11 Our Love Is Heavenly 12 Wrap My Arms Around Him

"Jazz'n'Beats" is a new mini-compilation selected by Oonops and it's named as the eponymous "Oonops Drops"-series on Brooklyn Radio.

In the mix are renowned beatproducer DJ Mitsu The Beats from Japan who joined forces with 1Co.INR for a laid back instrumental tune with a well known core melody. Next up label-graphic design head honcho is back with a new'n'sweet mini beat called "Parakeets" before we get to the flipside. This gets started with German underground rap & producer duo 4Trackboy & Echomann a.k.a. Retrogott & Twit One who drop a sharp and jazzy dope tune for this release which gets rounded down with a beautiful jazzy hip-hop instrumental by Japanese jazz musician and composer Kazumi Kaneda.

Get your hands on these limited pieces of recycled vinyl.

We would like to present Paloma's seventh release: Tom feat. Rose - Lose Yourself EP
Throughout club music history, the combination of vocals and groove remains a vital element. Countless anthems have prompted singing on the floor, and have raised arms in the air. There might have been times where vocals mattered less, but right now they are probably more needed than ever.
Tom & Rose are well aware of all that, and they were willing to place themselves and their music in a tradition of dancefloor euphoria, universal messages and also a bit of bittersweetness.
Tom is a DJ, producer and mix engineer, and also a booker and resident at Paloma. Rose is an Irish singer and producer. Together they created these tunes, a testament to better times gone and ahead."How Wrong" is the sound of heartbreak, albeit locked in a UKG tinged sureshot that swings back and forth with ease between jubilant piano bliss and monolithic bass weight, and it kicks like a mule. "Lose Yourself" is both an ageless acid slam and a joyful paean dedicated to all nights that should never end. There is a pumping dub too,
equally designed to be the soundtrack to blowing a nocturnal kiss to everyday sorrows.
Also included: complementary remixes by Eluize and Massimiliano Pagliara that come up with a different take, but a similar vision.
Enjoy the music, and stay safe!

Clear Vinyl

New Nordic jazz duo Svaneborg Kardyb sign to Gondwana Records and announce NPR Tiny Desk session and captivating third album Over Tage

Svaneborg Kardyb are Nikolaj Svaneborg - Wurlitzer, Juno, piano and Jonas Kardyb - drums, percussion a multi award winning duo from Denmark, where they won two "grammys" at the Danish Music Awards Jazz 2019: New artist of the year and Composer of the year. ?Drawing on Danish folk music and Scandinavian jazz influences, including Nils Frahm, Esbjörn Svennson and Jan Johansson's landmark recording Jazz På Svenska, their music is an exquisite and joyful melding of beautiful melodies, delicate minimalism, catchy grooves, subtle electronica vibes, Nordic atmospheres and organic interplay, all underwritten by the sheer joy of playing together. "We started in the earliest of mornings over the blackest of coffee, sometimes even without talking, just music.

Immediately we felt a connection between our personal style of playing and the compositions emerged like out of nowhere. The vibe from these early sessions is still the backbone of our little band".

Svaneborg Kardyb hail from Aalborg, in Jutland, in the north of Denmark where they first met in 2013 and discussed the possibility of creating a duo over late night talks. Six years went by as they both explored other projects before they eventually realised the idea of making music together. Like their new label mates, Vega Trails, Svaneborg Kardyb are a duo, a format that gives them a lot of space to occupy - or leave blank. "We enjoy the simplicity and focus it gives to the interplay. We come from very different musical backgrounds; Nikolaj from Scandinavian jazz, and Jonas from Roots, blues and folk, so the music is a sum of our personal contributions and doesn't thrive to be anything else than that. It's quite unique for us to have this shared musical tongue and friendship".

Their music is intentionally simple at first glance, but evolves and unfolds through listening over time, with plenty of room for exploration, reflection and improvisation. Their aim is to create music that is as honest and intimate as possible "with melodies and rhythms so strong that we are left as only the messengers". And their fast-developing music chemistry allowed them to give little thought to what their musical influences were. Giving their music a captivating charm. "We explored whatever sounds and musical structures our duality gave birth to and through long jam-sessions we found small seeds of ideas that turned into tunes. Danish traditional songs, community singing and hymns are a big inspiration too. Both the tonal language, the lyrical melodies and the way generations can gather around the music, is something that is close to our hearts".

Over Tage (over roofs) is their third album, following Knob (2019) and Haven (2020) and marks their debut for Gondwana Records a label noted for working with artists such as Mammal Hands, Portico Quartet and GoGo Penguin whose music, like that of Svaneborg Kardyb delights in exploring the fertile spaces between genres. For the duo it is their most serious and thoughtful record to date. "It may be our strongest and most honest record so far. Doubts and uncertainty were kind of the foundation for the sounds of the album but there is also hope and lots of uplifting moments and we're very pleased with how it came out." And it is that mixture of elevation and thoughtfulness, honesty and intimacy that makes the music of Svaneborg Kardyb so special and Over Tage such a joy to listen to. The world awaits.

Local Dub present their next offering on You&Me Records with a superb 3 tracker. They serve up a selection of retro vibes whilst keeping that signature You&Me energy amongst the EP. The tasteful vocal hooks, killer basslines and groovy drums across all of the tunes make for a mainstay in anyone's record bag.

Lucrecia Dalt is a Colombian recording artist, songwriter, and producer currently based in Berlin, Germany. Dalt channels sensory echoes of growing up in Colombia on her eighth studio album ¡Ay!, where the sound and syncopation of Tropical Music encounter adventurous impulse, lush instrumentation, and metaphysical sci-fi meditations in an exclamation of liminal delight. Dalt's introspective approach to composition, last surfaced on her entrancing 2020 album No era sólida, refracts across ¡Ay! in a subconscious spectrum of the music genres she absorbed as a child. Treasured sounds and syncopations of bolero, mambo, salsa, and merengue rooted in Dalt's early surroundings awaken on ¡Ay! and give glow to the album's contours. The intuitive melodic structures of this music, processed by memory and modular synths, led Dalt to a mirage of her creative origins and the album she has always wanted to make. ¡Ay! is a tincture of rich acoustic textures filtered through the warmth of Dalt's signature machinic distortion, diffused of easily-defined edges as previously explored on No era sólida and her 2018 album Anticlines. Here, vivid incantations of upright bass, wind ensembles and brass form shimmers of harmonic motif, distilled across radiant rhythms. Dalt worked closely with friend and collaborator Alex Lázaro to cultivate new shapes and colors for slowed down tumbaos and bolero percussion patterns. Together they deconstructed the traditional drum kit into serpentine expansions of congas, bongos, temple blocks and timbales, all of which they tuned to dance among Lucrecia's lucid vocal processions. For Fans of David Sylvian, Rosalía, Robert Wyatt, Rita Indiana, Matías Aguayo, Tom Waits, Meridian Brothers.

Lucrecia Dalt is a Colombian recording artist, songwriter, and producer currently based in Berlin, Germany. Dalt channels sensory echoes of growing up in Colombia on her eighth studio album ¡Ay!, where the sound and syncopation of Tropical Music encounter adventurous impulse, lush instrumentation, and metaphysical sci-fi meditations in an exclamation of liminal delight. Dalt's introspective approach to composition, last surfaced on her entrancing 2020 album No era sólida, refracts across ¡Ay! in a subconscious spectrum of the music genres she absorbed as a child. Treasured sounds and syncopations of bolero, mambo, salsa, and merengue rooted in Dalt's early surroundings awaken on ¡Ay! and give glow to the album's contours. The intuitive melodic structures of this music, processed by memory and modular synths, led Dalt to a mirage of her creative origins and the album she has always wanted to make. ¡Ay! is a tincture of rich acoustic textures filtered through the warmth of Dalt's signature machinic distortion, diffused of easily-defined edges as previously explored on No era sólida and her 2018 album Anticlines. Here, vivid incantations of upright bass, wind ensembles and brass form shimmers of harmonic motif, distilled across radiant rhythms. Dalt worked closely with friend and collaborator Alex Lázaro to cultivate new shapes and colors for slowed down tumbaos and bolero percussion patterns. Together they deconstructed the traditional drum kit into serpentine expansions of congas, bongos, temple blocks and timbales, all of which they tuned to dance among Lucrecia's lucid vocal processions. For Fans of David Sylvian, Rosalía, Robert Wyatt, Rita Indiana, Matías Aguayo, Tom Waits, Meridian Brothers.

repress

Levon Vincent returns with his fourth full-length studio album Silent Cities a striking departure from his previous records. This, his first release experimenting with the cassette format, Silent Cities is a kind of mixtape through more private moods and personal pitches (literally given Levon’s non-standard tunings).

While Levon has always pro
duced dance floor jams with the intention of raising people’s heart rates, Silent Cities began with 72 bpm: his average resting heart rate, and the concept of tuning the music he was making to his own body rather than increasing anything. This brought the tempos down to 72 bpm or even half of that, at 36bpm. Programming the record during the empty cityscape of Berlin lockdowns, this is the first time Levon’s created an album for the home stereo or for headphone listening whilst navigating through a city. A mixtape specialist in his youth; he was always wanted to play with the cassette format. The results are sure to delight any listener, with the ever-present ambient, krautrock, shoegaze, hip-hop and electro influences coming to the foreground on this work.

“I was expanding further along the lines of a surprise favourite from my previous LP, a song called She Likes To Wave To Passing Boats which was not a 4 on-the-floor piece to play in clubs but a more impressionistic piece of music that I wrote to expound some emotions one day” says Levon. “It was a song written using just intonation. I really love how warm the pure 4ths sound, so when working on the new LP Silent Cities I decided to use my own tunings”.

Historically, the use of just intonation has meant that such instruments could sound "in tune" in one key but at the expense of more dissonance in the other keys. None of the songs on Silent Cities use standard Western equal temperament, Levon created his own scale designs coupled with the ancient ratios found in just intonation.

Born in Houston in 1975, Levon’s life changed dramatically when his parents moved their family to New York in 1981, uprooted from what he knew, the shock, the change from Houston to New York at 6 years old, is referred to constantly in Levon’s Musical output over the years. Levon's family moved houses in and around NYC from 1981 -2010, never more than a mile or two from the WTC. He lived on the Lower East Side during his teenage years and early 20s. This time period and this locale are also a big theme recurrent in his music as he tries to convey how the "downtown" lifestyle and culture-melding affected him so much at a tender age. He cut his teeth working in record shops around lower Manhattan, and while working at the Halcyon Record shop in Brooklyn he (alongside DJ Jus-Ed) was instrumental in creating the wave that came to be known as the "NYC House Renaissance" circa 2010. During the Y2K years he studied 20th C post-minimalism at Purchase college of New York under James McElwaine (who tangentially produced Man Parrish’s Self-Titled proto-hip-hop debt LP). Levon was fortunate to study theory with avant-garde composer Dary John Mizelle and orchestration under conductor Joel Thome. He undertook masterclasses with Philip Glass and also served as intern for John Kilgore, engineer for Steve Reich, where he was present for notable mix sessions such as “Violin Phase.”

Post-minimalism clearly remains an influence not to mention the early sampler stars of 80s freestyle and synth pop. Mixing such far-reaching influences is something Levon executes tremendously well. The first track Everlasting Joy moves at a head nodding 96 BPM tempo, reflecting formative influences like Paul Hardcastle’s Rainforest or Art Of Noise’s Moments in Love. “Those types of songs were a big eye opener for me as a youth, because it was where I realised songs in popular culture didn’t have to be kept to just 3 minutes, and they didn’t require vocals either. So, Everlasting Joy is a song with that intention, one that might be radio-friendly, despite the long arrangement and without vocals. You could say it was inspired by 107.5 in NY because that was a station I listened to a lot in the 1980’s.”

The majority of demos on Silent Cities were recorded before Covid-19 hit the world - when Levon had found a studio space outside of home in his adopted city of Berlin. It was a career first - working on music outside the bedroom. This riding the train or bicycling ‘going to work’ in Berlin opened up a new mood in his music, using the time back and forth to be inspired - commuting as an NYC transplant who still feels as a tourist in Berlin, with a pair of headphones, looking out the window on the train, or stopping on bridges and parking his bike to enjoy Berlin's skyline and horizon. Then, the pandemic struck and “work” came to a halt. Levon had recorded so much material during that year in the studio out of house it seemed like an inflection point for him to lighten the burden of the possessions he was carrying.

“People close to me have watched me give away synths and hardware regularly and I have given away my record collection every few years for my whole life. As a struggling artist in my 20s who had worked in record stores that whole time, I learned that moving constantly with 12k records just wasn't the way to live. So, in light of the pandemic, I set up a shop online, and sold all my music equipment. I also created a separate shop for all my sneakers and clothes. Easy come, Easy go. This provided me with a slow drip type of income that carried me quite well through the pandemic and it allowed me to focus on my own art and music. Getting rid of all my possessions felt like a weight being lifted from my shoulders and I was able to stay the course and remain committed to the music. I needed a further 2 years to mix and arrange the LP. If it weren’t for the pandemic, I would not been able to make this type of LP, so in light of everything, I was able to turn a depressing time in to something lasting and musically very positive.”

You can hear how his approach to a cassette release retains the "Medium is the Message." ethos. Silent Cities is a spooling, warm piece about life memories and embodiment.

A top value for money opportunity here, as Moiss Music deliver the latest in their sweet and sticky Jam series of various artist 12" line ups, bringing you no less than six bubbling, vivacious disco triumphs from six artists. Khemir's 'Disco Bandit' kicks off proceedings, a production that sounds like it was made by a band of around 45 musicians, a proper cavalcade of strings, brass, brazen disco thump and beautifully bold vocals. Wurzelholz's 'Prince' goes for a bit more economy but with a slinky funk bassline like that - not to mention the occasional exclamation from the purple overlord himself - it's equally devastating in dancefloor terms. Among the other highlights, 'Golden' by I Gemin has the feel of a lost Daft Punk flip tune and Cosmocomics' 'Glamorous Garcon', boasting 70s-style synth bubbles that are as cute as they are retro. Tasty as ever.

After two successful 7’ releases, Eastside Edits is back once again! Continuing their mission to deliver dance floor filling, DJ friendly edits to the 45 community worldwide, Eastside Edits 003 will have every DJ lining up to put copies in their collection!

Side A) LeBaron James brings their magic to a disco boogie classic by the Jones Girls. Keep It Coming was filling dance floors in the 80’s, and this sure shot edit brings a modern groove, pounding drums, and ear grabbing synths. LeBaron James are currently blowing up, releasing music on countless labels and booking DJ gigs worldwide. These guys are at the top of their game and continue to take giant leaps forward in their music careers!

Side B) Baller is no stranger to the 45 community. He co-founded Eastside Edits in 2021 and established himself on Twitch with his personal brand of high energy, open format DJ sets. The 7’ Candi Flip is an upbeat remix of an 80s gem by The Source featuring vocals by Candi Staton. This tune’s energy is sure to make the dance floor move, and its super catchy vocal hook will have the whole crowd singing along!

Red vinyl LP. Lars Finberg, confirmed genius guy and poet laureate of sunken 21st century Rock, acts as manager in perpetuity of THE INTELLIGENCE, primary vehicle for his prolific creative swirl and a project that has taken on new shapes across myriad trials and shifts. The project began in his Seattle bedroom – a lad and his Tascam cassette 8 track – with the classic Boredom & Terror and has now landed in his Los Angeles studio apartment – an urchin and his Tascam digital 12 track – with Lil’ Peril, a new album that finds Finberg 1000% back at the controls. Over the course of 11 albums (!), The Intelligence has established a backbone that boogies through revolutions, allowing each jam-crammed dispatch to feel and sound admirably unique. The angular sharp shocks heard in earlier years have steadily evolved into the ballooning grooves heard on more recent releases (including Finberg’s recent solo work). Lil’ Peril is a dreamy gamble that captures this current bubbling penchant in The Intelligence’s inaugural homemade mode. With inspirational templates as far-flung as LES PAUL, THE SPECIALS, LEE PERRY and MARY FORD, Lil’ Peril pulls off the absurd shift “from ‘No-Wave SANTANA’ to ‘SCREAMERS recorded by JON BRION’”. Playing shoulder parrot to studio engineers has no doubt informed Finberg’s approach to home recording, specifically in how much further he can go without wincing budget-minded eyes staring him down. This is immediately sensed on the opener “Maudlin Agency,” which begins with canned minimal bleep and closes with a full recreation of the “Brass Monkey” hook. These surprise-attack conclusions are a running current throughout the Lil’ Peril’s program and demonstrates that the main lesson Finberg has learned in The Intelligence is to never reel it in. Centerpiece banger “My Work Here Is Dumb” ranks among the finest Intelligence moments existent and an apex in Finberg’s songcraft, boasting a bonkers arrangement and a thematic gnaw that is both brutal and playful. The collection closes with the epic “Soundguys,” a suite cut-up that fuses CAN and STEELY DAN into one of the most dastardly tunes available for consumption in the plague age. As Finberg himself states, “They may say this is ‘lo-fi’, but I say it’s ‘no-CGI’”. “The band disintegrated, so it devolved back to the core idea: if I do every aspect, it’s indestructible.” 20 years on and Finberg has finally let everyone know what The Intelligence actually means! All those wily experiments and warm flubs have come back full circle and the shit’s pure goddamn gold. Proof positive that there is always some sort of cute trouble, farcical tragedy and Lil’ Peril at play with The Intelligence. - Mitch Cardwell, 2022. Tracklisting: 01 Maudlin Agency 02 70's 03 Keyed Beamers 04 Purification 05 My Work Here Is Dumb 06 Lil Peril 07 Frog Prints In Preset City 08 Portfolio Woes 09 Soundguys

After a 2 year hiatus, Madam X's KAIZEN imprint comes back full force, with an upgraded aesthetic and brand new wave of leftfield, off-kilter club music. KZN009 sees one of Manchester's most exciting up & coming producers, Cartridge, mark his debut with a fierce 2 tracker, loaded with soundsystem pressure and gully 130 artillery in the Banada EP. Melodic Grime, moody Dubstep, and sub-heavy textures sprinkle this wobby release, designed for dark rooms, splintered basements and heavy soundsystems. With an impressive back catalogue on Deep Dark & Dangerous, Albion Collective & one half of Regents alongside Manchester kingpin Strategy (Broke'n'£nglish), Cartridge is no stranger to the UK's burgeoning bass music scene.

On the A side, we have Banada, a melodic eastern-flavoured instrumental, with elements of Grime and Dubstep carrying the tune to its arpeggiated crescendo.

A singing voice and raspy melody build the tension before a heavily distorted switch up catches you off guard, leading you further down a Dubstep rabbit hole, and into a world of shady and sinister drops, sitting perfectly alongside the label's strictly hoods-up, heads-down tip.

Teaming up with KAIZEN heavyweight and local scene hero Biome on the B-Side, Ricky Rosé has proved a firm favourite for those peak-time, no-holds-barred, bass-in-your-face, power hour moments. Relentless in its metallic bassline and thumping 808 drums, this explosive club tool comes with a solid side-serving of gunfingers and screwfaces.

Collapso Calypso is the long-awaited third album from dreampop artist Chorusgirl. Initially planned for release in 2020, but the pandemic and a nervous breakdown brought everything to a screeching halt. It took Silvi Wersing - aka Chorusgirl - the rest of 2020 and 2021 to rebuild her life and reconsider everything, including her music and the band. She decided to relocate from London to her small hometown in Germany, to become a carer for her increasingly ill father and to take Chorusgirl back to its roots as a solo project, just like in 2014. She revisited old demos and wrote a few more songs, and steadily worked to complete the album as an anchor at a time of turmoil. With the album charting her progress back to health, she decided to call it Collapso Calypso, a riff on taking her despair for a dance. The album includes a multitude of references from music and film and features Silvi's trademark self-reflective lyrics on the themes of coming through a crisis, grief, resilience, and ultimately letting go, or the inability thereof, all set to the sounds of 60s girl groups and her favourite bands from the 80s. The release follows on from 2018 album Shimmer and Spin (Reckless Yes) and the self-titled 2015 debut (Fortuna Pop). “Chorusgirl pertain to a certain kind of cold, detached dreaminess you’d associate with a label like 4AD in its prime: their overall sound being seemingly informed by Lush’s successful hybrid of classic pop, fiery punk and shimmering soundscapes. … Yet, rather than reliving a sound there’s a sense here that Chorusgirl are more intent on reinventing it. Look no further than their debut self-titled LP for conviction.” (8/10) Line of Best Fit “Chorusgirl’s sound is distinctly London (although, more the London of the 80s than of now) but it’s also the sound of escaping London. (…) It’s the feeling of sleeping with the bedroom window open for the first time in months and waking up with a fresh wafting across your face.” Noisey “Chorusgirl explore universal themes with the catchiest of tunes, thundering rhythms, a wry sense of self and fascinating multi-meaning lyrics.” (8/10) Louder Than War “There’s no slack on the album – from the starting gate to the finish line, Chorusgirl bristle with static and nerves.” … Chorusgirl are simple, until they’re not. You might recognise the distant spirits, the razor chords, the surfy snarls. But where other bands coast on borrowed sound, Wersing bends it to her own life, creating a space that resonates with insight and empathy. Ever felt separate from the human race? Be comforted, for here is your kind.” (7/10) Drowned In Sound This is a record with teeth… one of the most impressive first albums of a year rich in strong debuts.” (5/5) NARC Magazine “Sparkling with bright rhythms and jangling pop…with hints of something shadier, bittersweet and more potent.” London In Stereo “Lovingly smudged guitars” (7/10) Loud & Quiet

Alex Chilton’s Feudalist Tarts (1985) found the Big Star/The Box Tops front man re-making himself as a southern fried hipster offering up original tunes like “Stuff” and sly soulful covers “B-A-B’Y” and “Thank You John” while adding a horn section to his road tested rhythm section. Side Two features a number of rare Chilton tracks including “Rubber Room” and “Wild Kingdom.” Chilton had hit rock bottom in his home town of Memphis after 15 years of substance abuse and hard partying. He chose New Orleans as the city where he would re-make himself. One of the benefits was exposure to all the music he would hear down there. He immediately immersed himself in the city’s laid back, stretched out grooves. The covers he chose for this record were songs he heard being played by older musicians around New Orleans. Expanded version includes a side of rare tracks. Out of print on vinyl since 1986. Includes seven original Chilton compositions. Original album release coincided with his most prolific touring schedule since his days in The Box Tops.

While she might be best known as an improviser (most notably in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, the Feminist Improvising Group and more recently with the likes of Les Diaboliques), Maggie Nicols’ talents stretch into song, dance, poetry, performance and composition. When Cafe OTO was shut over lockdown we invited her to follow up the wonderful solo ‘Creative Contradiction’ with some time spent singing alone at the piano. ‘Are You Ready?’ comprises an LP of songs and a 2CD edition which includes a companion disk of freely improvised meditations entitled, ‘Whatever Arises.’ Songs - seemingly contradictory to the practices of free improvisation - have been a vital part in Nicols’ relationship to music. It was singing bebop with pianist Dennis Rose which nurtured and challenged Nicols, allowing her to develop her own skills and sound amongst a repertoire of standards sung in clubs and pubs. Singing alongside Julie Tippetts in Centipede showed her how heady experimentation could be woven into composition, and a more recent gig with pianist Steve Lodder played out ‘The Maggie Nicols Songbook.’ Are You Ready? recalls Nicols’ own compositions from memory, working out tunes and turning them over. New routes down old paths form in moments of improvisation and all wrong turns are played out with joyous discovery. What John Stevens dubbed Maggie's “ability to find the ‘rhythmelodic’” meets a willingness to be understood and to understand. Solo at the piano, Nicols is still firmly rooted in the collective however - “Sans Papiers” sets the words of poet Vicky Scrivener to tune; a story of migration and struggle which is as important to Nicols as the songs her mother wrote. Such an intimate recording of her own compositions came with a certain amount of reflection and anxiety - best confronted with time spent freely improvising. ‘Whatever Arises’ - a companion disk to the ‘Songs’ - is a meditation of sorts, a process of ‘following the energy’ which has its roots in John Stevens’ work. “Improvisation gives the confidence to compose,” Nicols told us in an interview about some of her archival tapes, and here the two are as important as each other. Beginning with breath and repetition, ‘Whatever Arises’ allows Nicols’ to find new voices, accompanied by the piano and over dubbings of her tap shoes on the concrete floor. Brilliantly she is able to share her moments of discovery with the listener, finding comfort in vulnerability. Whilst rooted in Stevens’ work, Nicols’ improvisational techniques also remind us of Pauline Oliveros’ Sonic Meditations. They are what has allowed Nicols to find her own sound, to ‘teach herself to fly.’ They have allowed Nicols to grow and share and to be able to keep close the songs that mean so much to her, now shared with us. Recorded at Cafe OTO on July 15th, 16th and 17th 2021 by Shaun Crook. Mixed by Shaun Crook. Mastered by Sean McCann. Artwork by Annalisa Colombara. Lettering by Rosella Garavaglia. Layout by Maja Larrson. ‘Slow Within The Urgency’ inspired by mindfulness teacher Jeff Warren. Original poem ‘Sans Papiers’ by Vicky Scrivener. Original poem ‘You Darkness’ by Rainer Maria Rilke. Music and lyrics to ‘Music Is The Healing Force of The Universe’ by Mary Maria Parks.

Longtime underground star Francesca Lombardo steps up to Ovum with a trio of superb new signature sounds. Italian Lombardo has been crisscrossing the globe and headlining all its most tasteful clubs and festivals for many years. Her powerful, heartfelt grooves have come on the most influential labels of the day and her critically acclaimed debut album 'Life of Leaf' showed that she can do all sounds and styles from downtempo to pop with equal skills. Her mix of innovation and compelling grooves continues on this latest EP. The vocals on the opener 'Magic Moment' are a poem Francesca's friend Victoria sent to her. She kept them for four years before ?nding the special inspiration that encouraged her to use them in these writing sessions. They lend the tune an intimate feel and draw you in deep to the elegant house drums and warming synths. It's an uplifting and classy tune with a standout Moog bassline that will lock in the floor. After the dub version is 'Sea,' a much more twisted and peak time techno tune. The synths are spangled over jacked-up drums, with edgy textures and late-night menace all making it a sure-?re winner This is another tasteful take on techno from Francesca Lombardo.