Suche:we in music

Cathartic avant-rock, literate DIY folk & experimental composition exploring displacement, love, climate change, belonging & the places we call home - RIYL Jim O’Rourke, Richard Youngs, This Heat, Richard Dawson, Flying Nun. ‘Real Home’ is the new album by the Manchester-born, London-based artist Kiran Leonard. His sixth album proper (not including innumerable tour-only CD-Rs and short-run cassettes), since his precocious debut in 2013, ‘Real Home’ finds Leonard invigorated by inspiration and experience, making passionate, literate, and mercurial music that explores displacement, love, memory, climate change, connections to home and more. Encompassing songs recorded after moving to South London, ‘Real Home’ reflects on ideas of belonging and domesticity through folkloric, stream-of-consciousness songwriting. Across nine tracks, Leonard traces lived impressions of the household and the city, expressing sentiments of dislocation, alienation and stasis, but contentment too. Infusing the avant-rock effervescence, terraced dynamics and visionary lyricism of his music with what he defines as a greater sense of openness, Leonard is as versatile, fervent and imaginative as ever on ‘Real Home’, yet his music is somehow more intimate, affecting, and acutely expressive. Shaped by dual considerations of simplicity and formalism, ‘Real Home’ is by turns beautiful, allusive, and ruminative, an album on which Leonard considers what his songs have resembled in the past and what they mean now. In recent years, Leonard has crafted eloquent chamber music inspired by the likes of James Joyce and Clarice Lispector (‘Derevaun Seraun’), responded to contemporary politics and communication breakdown in the digital age (‘Western Culture’), and compiled solo works and ensemble recordings for a longform ode to Jonas Mekas and to one of Leonard’s enduring themes; home (‘Trespass On Foot’). On ‘Real Home’, Leonard reiterates this abiding thematic focus yet ascends to new, different heights, in music of cathartic delicacy and dissonance where all the myriad dimensions of his work to date seem to crystallize. There are sinuous songs about struggle and defying the pace of city life through drift and diversion (‘Pass Between Houses’), stirring songs of intense feeling and crescendo, described as a form of speculative detective fiction (‘Theatre for Change’). There are touching solo piano ballads (the title track), symbolic contentions with carbon capture and climate change (‘Utopia of Bog’), modes of experimental minimalism (‘Void Attentive’), and other profuse feats of compositional range, embroidered with wild tendrils of narrative and lyrical depth. A record to pore over, and get lost in. Exemplifying the vast aesthetic scope of Leonard’s music, lead single ‘My Love, Let’s Take The Stage Tonight’ is inspired by country lodestar Hank Williams, Russian poetry and a late period love poem by William Carlos Williams. Yet for Leonard, the song signals a sense of accessible materiality, and is the product of a more linear approach to writing songs: “My imitation of the great Hank Williams, in spirit if not in substance…This is one of the best efforts on Real Home at a song-as-object. Looking at it now I realise I was trying to write a song that made itself known as a song to the listener, and I wonder whether that’s crucial if you want a song to transcend its context. And that this is either accomplished through a total openness – by being inviting, by laying the tricks of the song out plain to see, as Williams and his many ghostwriters did so well – or by adopting a knowing aloofness, positioning oneself against the listener but letting it be known that that’s what it’s doing. In this song I try both, but mostly the former: as in, I wanted to write a song where every line follows on from the next.” Imbuing the endlessly elaborate and inventive qualities of his music with a newfound streak of candid, clear-cut melodicism, Leonard has reached a special place in his artistry, on a record that feels familial, and expresses closeness. Assembled with affiliates including Lauren Auder, Otto Willberg, Jasper Llewellyn (caroline), Tom Hardwick-Allan (Shovel Dance Collective), Magda McLean (caroline, The Umlauts), Alex Mckenzie (caroline, Shovel Dance Collective), Isabelle Thorn (Dear Laika) & more, the recording process had a significant influence on the subject matter of ‘Real Home’, in sessions defined by close-knit camaraderie and artistic eccentricity: “The theme of the home obviously recurs throughout the record; the album was mostly recorded in domestic spaces with friends, and the name of the album is Real Home. I like the qualifier ‘real’, like you’re getting past the cloak of the word and towards the thing-itself…also nearly all the percussion in this record was recorded on items from my dad’s shed (jam jars, sandpaper, blocks of wood, etc). Real home record!” ‘Real Home’, like anything by Kiran Leonard, is a record of dazzling multiplicity. Yet it’s a companionable prospect with a central premise; a collection of songs where listeners old and new can find a home. An album led by a scene; of Leonard standing at the threshold, ready to welcome you inside. “Exceptional songs that linger” - The Guardian // “An autodidact of amazing talent & energy” – Pitchfork // “A ridiculous amount of talent…confrontational, celebratory, provocative or perverse – he manages all of these emotions & more” - The Quietus /

Purple Haze started out in Linköping in 1981. When singer Christer Göransson joined them towards the end of the year, they soon changed their moniker to Genocide (after the Judas Priest song of the same name) and supported local metal heroes Axewitch. A final name change was to follow: In August 1983, the band, now called Mindless Sinner, recorded a four-track demo entitled »Master Of Evil«, consisting of the title track, “Broken Freedom”, “Key Of Fortune” and “Screaming For Mercy”. This attracted Swedish label Fingerprint Records, and they in turn released the NWOBHM-inspired material as a mini-album with an awful cover and getting the band’s name wrong (spelling it Mindless Sinners). By then, the line-up of the band was Anders Karlsson (bass), Magnus Danneblad (guitar), Jerker Edman (guitar), Tommy Johansson (drums) and vocalist Christer Göransson. »Master Of Evil« originally saw the light of day on Fingerprint in January 1984. Christer Göransson takes us back to the early days of Mindless Sinner saying: “We wanted to record an album, but we couldn’t afford the studio cost. We were lucky to win a music contest, and the price money paid for the studio. I remember walking into the studio, and we thought it was like a spaceship in there, with all the buttons and flashing lights everywhere. We recorded the four songs that would become »Master Of Evil«. We then gave the tape to the Axewitch guys, and they played it to their record label at the time Fingerprint/Web Records and they liked it so much that they signed us as well.” Over the years, the music of Mindless Sinner has often been compared to the Tygers Of Pan Tang from England but Christer Göransson doesn’t see too many similarities: “We really love Tygers Of Pan Tang but I don’t think they were a big influence. It was more Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Dio etcetera. That kinda stuff.” In addition to the four tracks of the original edition of »Master Of Evil«, the current High Roller Records pressing also contains the five songs of the band’s first demo tape from early 1983 (including “Mindless Sinner”, “Higher And Higher”, “We All Go Back”, “Heavy Metal Will Never Die” and “City Games”). All nine tracks were mastered by Patrick W. Engel at his Temple Of Disharmony in November 2025. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for maximum quality on all levels ... The ultimate audiophile re-issue of this Swedish metal classic!

XKatedral Anthology I is the first in a series of archival releases dedicated to presenting music by XKatedral affiliated composers working within the realm of slowly evolving harmonic and timbral music. This double-vinyl set contains an array of pieces dating from 2010 - 2020. Four of the works included here were originally released on cassette tape early on in the label's history, while the two remaining pieces are presented by the label for the first time.

"The works Ir Himinn, Grooenn by Kristoffer Svensson, Disquiet (Heart) by Marta Forsberg and Lamé by Isak Edberg were first released on the compilation XKatedral Volume II in 2016. Svenssons piece from 2014 combines justly tuned gamelan percussion and prepared piano intricately interwoven in a way that obscures the boundaries between the two instrument groups. Forsberg and Edbergs pieces both use a monolithic form to explore the timbral and harmonic spaces provided by the Düben Baroque organ situated in Tyska Kyrkan in the oldest part of Stockholm. While similar in terms of instrumentation the two works differ formally - Edbergs Lamé composed in 2010 uses the registers of the organ to articulate a seamless spectral transformation while Forsbergs Disquiet (Heart) from 2014 deals in blocks of sound with a varying degree of opacity, saturation and intensity.

Glory for two electric guitars by Caterina Barbieri and Kali Malone was composed and recorded in Tempo Reale in Florence, Italy, and was originally released on the cassette compilation XKatedral Volume III in 2016. This music takes the form of an ever-evolving hypnotic pattern shared by the two instruments articulated through an additive and subtractive canon. Dissolving Ceremony, composed in 2012 by Edberg/Erlandsson/Lisinski, was first presented publicly on the self-released record Stratum. The music contained in that release was formed from a collection of gamelan percussion instruments augmented by two sets of live-electronic instruments tuned to the harmonic framework formed by the partials of the metal percussion. Originally positioned in the center of the record running order between two long monolithic process-based pieces, Dissolving Ceremony now stands on its own as a memory of a time and methodology from the not so distant past.

The newest piece in this set is Shipwrecks by Daniel M Karlsson. While this work is a recent one Karlsson should be considered one of the forerunners of the musical expression contained within this record set. Active within new music for two decades his strongly articulated musical ideas and constantly evolving craftsmanship has resulted in an enormous body of work, and has served as an inspiration for many of his fellow composers. This piece is a celebration of transposition and its immense capacity for timbral transformation using a vast array of instruments performed, recorded and electronically treated by the composer to form a liquid uncanny topography where a deeply personal harmonic language constantly shifts, slides and shivers."

‘Since the 16th century, the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas has been home to a unique Afro-Indigenous culture originating in the integration of the Indigenous Chachi and Nigua peoples with African Maroon communities. Juyungo documents significant Esmeraldan artists and bands playing the Afro-Ecuadorian folklore of the province, as well as including some older field recordings. Based mostly on the marimba, whose origins lie partly in the African balafon, partly in Indigenous percussion instruments, the music is laced with call and response chants, ambient insect and bird noise, the filigree finger-styles of the Andean guitar tradition and the panpipes of the mountains. This is resonant insider roots music at its headiest — the mystic revelation of Esmeraldas, gully deep and lustral.’
- Francis Gooding, The Wire.


The fifth in our series of LPs compiling classic music from Ecuador. Customary Honest Jons runnings: a beautiful gatefold sleeve; superior pressing, with vivid, intimate sound; full-size, sixteen-page booklet, in colour throughout, with detailed, fascinating, bi-lingual notes, and stunning photographs.

The music is transfixing, magical; not like anything else. From start to finish, this album is continuously, profoundly immersive; a kind of journeying, trippy meditation about slavery and cultural resistance, identity and mix, places and spaces, futures and pasts. It’s inscrutable to net-surfing, algorithms, Shuffle. But for a taste try the insurgent marimba roller Agua Largo, jet-propelled by Rosa Huila’s rapturous blend of African spiritualist and Christian chant. ‘Healing music,’ Zakia called it on Gilles Peterson’s BBC show recently. And the ravishing pasillo Kasilla Shungulla — ‘calm your heart’ in the Quichua language — a duet between the Peruvian master-guitarist Raúl García Zárate and viola da gamba by Juan Luis Restrepo from Medellin, recorded in a baroque church in Buzbanza, Colombia.

Purple Haze started out in Linköping in 1981. When singer Christer Göransson joined them towards the end of the year, they soon changed their moniker to Genocide (after the Judas Priest song of the same name) and supported local metal heroes Axewitch. A final name change was to follow: In August 1983, the band, now called Mindless Sinner, recorded a four-track demo entitled »Master Of Evil«, consisting of the title track, “Broken Freedom”, “Key Of Fortune” and “Screaming For Mercy”. This attracted Swedish label Fingerprint Records, and they in turn released the NWOBHM-inspired material as a mini-album with an awful cover and getting the band’s name wrong (spelling it Mindless Sinners). By then, the line-up of the band was Anders Karlsson (bass), Magnus Danneblad (guitar), Jerker Edman (guitar), Tommy Johansson (drums) and vocalist Christer Göransson. »Master Of Evil« originally saw the light of day on Fingerprint in January 1984. This was followed by the second album »Turn On The Power« in 1986 as Christer Göransson explains: “Well, »Turn On The Power« was actually recorded in October 1984, the same year as »Master Of Evil« was released. But the record label was almost out of business by 1985, so as a result »Turn On The Power« didn’t come out until January 1986, and shortly after the label went bust.” Just like on the debut, the cover was once again pretty weird. “Same story,” says the singer. “Blame the label again. We wanted a band photo for the cover but once more Fingerprint didn’t listen. We didn’t know who this girl was at all. And once again we saw the cover for the first time when we visited our local record store.” “I guess »Turn On The Power« was more of a straight heavy metal album compared to »Master Of Evil«,” describes Christer Göransson the band’s follow-up record, “better playing and better songs on »Turn On The Power«. Even though we love »Master Of Evil«. I guess it didn’t sell that much as the label went bankrupt, but the reactions were great.” Mindless Sinner played as much as they could in Sweden at the time but didn’t venture outside their home country. Over the years, their music has often been compared to the Tygers Of Pan Tang from England but Christer Göransson doesn’t see too many similarities: “We really love Tygers Of Pan Tang but I don’t think they were a big influence. It was more Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and Dio.” Shortly after the release of »Turn On The Power«, the band cut their name short to Mindless. According to Christer Göransson, this is why: “It was the sign of the times really. We wanted a more melodic kinda style and we just thought it was better to change the name to Mindless. But looking back now we should have stuck to our guns.”

妖精の通る道 (The Path Where Fairies Pass) is the debut vinyl release by Reimaki, the duo of Rei Yokoyama (Triggers Flowers, Stakaidan, Lapiz Trio, 新井薬師自警団, and Fujio, Chiko Hige and Rei), and Maki Miura (Tsubamegami, Les Rallizes Dénudés, Shizuka, Fushitsusha, Ohkami No Jikan and Katsurei). The duo has been an understated presence in Tokyo, playing occasional under-the-radar shows and self- releasing a few CD-Rs, but they’ve recently started to break cover, with a recent cassette on UFO Creations, released in support of a late 2024 tour of China. It’s also a welcome reappearance on the scene for both musicians; Miura’s musical history, in particular, is being reevaluated thanks to a recent string of welcome Shizuka reissues.

But the music Reimaki make together is a different thing entirely, much as it shares some psychological and aesthetic interests with both Miura’s and Nokoyama’s other projects. Their sound is split between two main interests – an extension of glacial, deoxygenating psychedelic improvisations, and a deep interest in medieval European music. They’ve also been known to cover compositions by English prog/improv musician Fred Frith. These various elements of the Reimaki aesthetic are all present through 妖精の通る道, from the fragility of the opening “Novel Amor” through to the smeared, hazy textures of the three extended pieces that comprise the album’s flipside.

There’s a beautiful sympathy in these performances, and a generous simplicity, too; you can sense that this music is informed by decades of finding just the right way to say the right thing in the clearest manner possible. Yokoyama and Miura never overstate things; make the statement, play the song, let it hang in the air for a while, and then move on to the next essential expression. The music is unburdened by self- consciousness. Their take on medieval music cuts to the core of melody and melancholy; their psych- improv side is blurred and drifting without ever lapsing into rote generic gestures.

There’s some shared space with other artists who suspend the timeless within the kaleidoscopic possibilities of the psychedelic – Kendra Smith & The Guild of Temporal Adventurers; Emmanuelle Parrenin; Rosina de Peira – and a tangled folksiness that might put listeners in mind of Jan Dukes De Grey, Comus, Current 93, and Tower Recordings. Accompanied by beautiful photography from street photographer Takehiko Nakafuji, who was also personally chosen by Mizutani to document Les Rallizes Dénudés, 妖精の通る道 is a most unique and necessary trip.

A century-old grand piano, a secluded house surrounded by the greenery of Brittany, no internet connection, and a reel-to-reel recorder.L'Écho de Bretagne, the new EP by Niklas Paschburg, set for release from fall 2025 via Nettwerk Music Group, is a solo piano record as essential as it is intense. An album made of silences, space, slowness. A music that doesn't chase impact, but truth.

the album release is march 26th - 2026.

If his previous work, Mexican Alps (2025), marked the first time the German composer and producer created an ambient-electronic album without his instrument of choice, the piano, L'Écho de Bretagne emerges as a direct response to that absence. "It was exactly the lack of piano that brought about the need for this new record, which instead puts that instrument, so vital to me, at the very center, stripping everything else away," Niklas explains.

Born in 1994, Paschburg has shaped over the years a musical path deeply connected to travel, nature, and introspection. From his debutTuur Mang Welten(2016) toOceanic(2018),Svalbard(2020),Panta Rhei(2023), and the aforementionedMexican Alps— alongside soundtracks, remixes, and collaborations with artists like RY X, Hania Rani, Ásgeir, and Bryan Senti — his sound bridges neoclassical, electronic, ambient, and pop-driven composition.

WithL'Écho de Bretagne, the Hamburg-born, Berlin-based musician continues his exploration by seeking solitude in nature, much like he did onSvalbard, but this time with an even more radical choice: disconnecting completely from the internet, and switching off both computer and smartphone for a while, in order to fully immerse himself in his new music. "I rented an old cottage in Paimpol, Brittany, where I knew there was a grand piano," he recounts. "When I got there, I discovered that not only was the piano more than a hundred years old, but it was also of an unknown brand, never restored, and quite difficult to play. But that gave it a unique character, and I didn't give up. Sure, it was an instrument left to its own fate, I couldn't play anything too fast. But how fascinating was that? I'm convinced that setting limits, instead of giving yourself total freedom when composing, can become an extraordinary source of inspiration."

As for the decision to temporarily detach from a life that demands we stay constantly connected, Niklas describes it as both a creative and human experiment. "I had my laptop and phone with me, just in case, but I kept them turned off. That choice made me wantL'Écho de Bretagneto be a fully analog work, even in how it was recorded." A way of clearing the mind. "I don't think I've ever been as calm as I was during those days in Paimpol. Even though I was working on a very specific project and didn't have much time, that period was more relaxing than any vacation."

Not that it was free of hiccups. "I'd borrowed a reel-to-reel recorder small enough to travel with me, but after recording a session on the piano, I realized it wasn't working properly, the sound was distorted, full of crackles. I got worried, because I wasn't near any big city where I could find a technician. Luckily, I figured out the problem was the old tape reels I had brought along. That was the only time I had to go online, to order new ones. But it was just for a moment. I shut everything off again right after." At that point, Niklas was waiting for the new tapes to arrive. He found out, completely by chance, from a local UPS courier that they had been delivered to a nearby village. "Since my phone was off, I couldn't track the shipment. So one day I asked this delivery guy, who didn't know anything about it. But from that point on, we'd see each other daily and talk… That's what being disconnected also means: reconnecting with people around you, even strangers. It was thanks to that courier that I found out where the tapes had ended up. And he even helped me get them back, writing directions for me on a scrap of paper."

But there's another element that makes this new EP unique.L'Écho de Bretagnewas recorded entirely live; its tracks are all improvised, complete with their imperfections. This approach leads to a sound that is pure, profoundly organic, and deeply authentic, intentionally preserved to give the listener the feeling of a live performance happening in their own living room. The touch of fingers on the keys, the breath of the wood, the tension of the vibrating string, all become part of the music. There is no construction, only expression. "Even now, when I listen back to it, I feel that moment I gave myself to step away from everything: from reality, from words, from noise." The result is a collection of suspended melodies and atmospheres, reflecting a state of the soul. A refuge from the rush of time. A pause from the world.

After their recent LP Mirages (Kraak Records, 2025) with French turntablist Guilhem’All, the group continues to explore collaborations with artists and instruments from diverse musical traditions. Building on decades of uncompromising acoustic exploration, Razen delves deeper into their practice with five improvisational pieces that unfold slowly in time and space. The duo’s radical core - Brecht Ameel and Kim Delcour - finds in Van der Harst a longtime kindred spirit, united by the impact of sound, intonation, and the sheer joy of playing.

To be released on April 24 via VIERNULVIER Records, the artwork for Stained Glass Starling was created by American visual artist Robert Beatty (Oneohtrix Point Never, Christina Vantzou, The Weeknd, Tame Impala). The physical release comes with a 16-page booklet including artwork and an interview.

A long-standing artistic kinship lies at the heart of this project, with first encounters dating back to the early 2000s in Belgian musical improv theatre. Van der Harst’s lifelong experience in improvised music and music theatre, spanning back to the 1980s, combined with a vast arsenal of rare and historical instruments, opens new tonal territories within the Razen universe.

These explorations are not incidental: his family roots in the former Dutch East Indies — through his great-grandfather — provide a quiet backdrop to his enduring affinity for Asian musical traditions. Instruments such as erhu, Javanese kacapi, and others introduce timbres
that bring the music its most pronounced Asian inflections to date.

Yet despite this shift in colour, the underlying ethos remains unmistakably Razen. Working from sound rather than form, the ensemble approaches music as painters approach a canvas: adding layers, contrasts and shades with care. There is no soloist’s ego here; all voices are equal, echoing principles found in gamelan traditions.

Over the decades, Razen and Dick Van der Harst have crossed paths repeatedly, notably through cult theatre productions by Belgian theatre maker Eric De Volder, including Zwarte vogels in de bomen (2002) and Huis der Verborgen Muziekjes I–II (2000–2006). Recording an albumtogether had long been a shared aspiration — a wish that crystallised after a 2024 concert at Concertzaal Miry in Ghent, part of the Ruiskamer series by VIERNULVIER Art Centre.

Manchmal hörst du eine Band, die sich gleichzeitig neu und vertraut anfühlt, und das lässt dich innehalten. TV Star ist so eine Band. In den letzten Jahren hat die fünfköpfige Band aus Seattle-Tacoma, Washington, still und leise an ihrer Stärke gearbeitet - EP für EP, Show für Show -, bis ihr lang erwartetes Debütalbum ,Music For Heads" rauskam und klar machte: Sie haben sich zu etwas Besonderem entwickelt. Eine Mischung aus jangly-psych, Garage-Grit und Soft-Focus-Tiefe; diese Songs leuchten von innen heraus mit einer beeindruckenden Originalität. In einer Zeit, in der so viel Musik in algorithmischer Gleichförmigkeit verschwindet, klingt TV Star trotzig menschlich. Auf den zehn Tracks der LP schärft die Band ihre Instinkte, die sie über die Jahre verfeinert hat - sie kombiniert zeitlose Pop-Sensibilität, psychedelisch angehauchten Jangle in der Tradition von The Brian Jonestown Massacre, punkige Rhythmussektionen und Vocals, die mit der Wärme von Mojave 3 dahinschweben, um etwas ganz Eigenes zu schaffen. Mit Music For Heads greifen sie nicht nur auf die Musik der Vergangenheit zurück, sondern treiben eine neue Welle voran. Die Band wurde 2020 aus der gemeinsamen Bewunderung für den Psych-Rock der 90er Jahre, klassischen Shoegaze und Alt-Country-Underdogs gegründet. Der Startschuss fiel, als jemand die Kassette ,Electriclarryland" der Butthole Surfers aus dem Jahr 1996 von der Wand nahm und auf den Track ,TV Star" zeigte. Was folgte, war weniger die Gründung einer Band als vielmehr die Entstehung eines kleinen Ökosystems. Ashlyn Nagel (Gesang, Keyboard), Bryan Coats (Gitarre), Che Hise-Gattone (Gitarre), Mark Palm (Bass) und Tucker Devault (Schlagzeug) brachten ihre eigenen Instinkte, Eigenheiten und musikalischen Hintergründe mit ein, bis die Songs schließlich nach allen gleichzeitig klangen. Aufgenommen in einer Reihe gemütlicher Studios im Nordwesten - The Unknown in Anacortes und ein paar Verstecken in Seattle - ist ihr Debütalbum ,Music For Heads" eine Mischung aus klirrender Gitarrenmusik, psychedelischem Pop und authentischem Indie-Rock, ohne sich ganz auf einen Stil festzulegen.

'Matsuli Music is proud to announce the first vinyl reissue of Philip Tabane’s Sangoma ("Spiritual Healer") since its 1978 release. Remastered from the original tapes with lacquers cut by Frank Merrit and pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl at Pallas in Germany, this definitive edition re-asserts the power of one of South Africa’s landmark recordings. Featuring new liner notes by cultural critic Kwanele Sosibo and artwork restoration by Siemon Allen, Sangoma returns in full force through an extended Malombo line-up, fronted by Tabane's spellbinding guitar - ancestral, timeless, and unbound.
'Philip Tabane (1934–2018), the mercurial guitar genius of South African music, forged a sound that was as rooted in the spirit world as it was in daily life. With the Malombo Jazzmen of the 1960s, Tabane disrupted Western notions of “jazz,” bringing the resonant rhythm of cowhide malombo drums into the foreground. While outsiders and the uninitiated often reached for labels like “primitive yet sophisticated,” Tabane and his collaborators named it more truthfully: “music of the spirit.”
'By the time of Sangoma, Tabane stood at a crossroads. Fresh from a period of three years’ touring in the United States where he graced the Newport Jazz Festival, and played alongside Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders and others, he brushed off comparisons with characteristic self-assurance: “No, I don’t play like Miles. Miles plays like me.” Back home in South Africa, and with a newly signed international distribution deal with WEA Records, he harnessed this momentum into a larger band setting, capturing a rare intensity.
'The result was Sangoma—an album that bridges contradictions: expansive yet intimate, celebratory yet haunted by exile and return. Tracks such as “Sangoma,” “Hi Congo,” and “Keya Bereka” are not simply performances but living testaments, songs that would remain in his repertoire for decades. Unlike the moody, immersive character of much of his work, here Tabane is on the move—urgent, restless, uncontainable. As he announces on the second track, “Maskanta wa tsamaya” (“something that kicks ass”).
More than four decades on, Sangoma is both an historical document and a timeless invocation. From his home in Mamelodi to the world and back again, Tabane’s spiritual healing endures—raw, electric, and unbowed.'

Hatchback is the alias of Samuel Milton Grawe. Sam creates music that sings of the Cosmos, full of deep resonant tones, glistening arpeggios, lush pads and harmonic motifs. ‘Phaser For The Ocean, Chorus For The Moon’ is his magnum opus, a sprawling masterwork that encompasses ambient, new age and environmental music to wondrous effect. Soaked in Californian consciousness, the album is a balm like no other for these troubled times.

When I first was getting into the creative side of music making in my teens, I was heavily influenced by concept albums like ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’, as well as epic pieces that took up an entire side of a record: Pink Floyd’s ‘Echoes’, Yes’ ‘Close To The Edge’, Klaus Schulze’s ‘Nowhere Now Here’, Miles Davis' ‘Shhh/Peaceful’ and ‘He Loved Him Madly’. In the extreme, these ideas coalesced in double albums where each side of each record is occupied by a single title - Yes’ ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’, and Tangerine Dream’s ‘Zeit’ being primary examples. When I returned to making music after moving back to Northern California in 2020, the first piece I recorded landed around the 20-minute mark, and the idea of creating three other long pieces to realize a full album felt like a natural - if indulgent - goal. From there, each new piece followed sequentially. Four songs. My fourth album. - Sam Grawe

‘Phaser For The Ocean Chorus For The Moon’ is a pure expression, informed by a lifetime of deep listening unbound by algorithms or AI.
These are songs for the sunrise and the sunset - and every colour in between.

[a] 01. And The Walls Became The World All Around [18:53]
[b] 02. Phaser For The Ocean, Chorus For The Moon [21:48]
[c] 03. Other Desert Cities [20:19]
[d] 04. Friendship Fountain [18.33]

Skull Snaps 1973 album on GSF is iconic because of the huge number of times tracks on it have been sampled by the Hip-Hop community.

The album, produced by genius George Kerr, and featuring the talented Ervan Walters and Sam Culley, was released with a flourish and in a classic gatefold sleeve but GSF floundered and the album flopped. It’s discovery by Rap music makers has been well documented but before that happened it was discovered by UK Soul detectives in the 70s.

As the Northern Soul scene shapeshifted on from 60’s Motown sound alikes into contemporary black music a whole new music rosta took over the dancefloors. And just as Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s “The Bottle” got its debut British spins in the North, so did a whole slew of other acts - includung the Skull Snaps.

“My Hang Up Is You” became a single from the album and an underground anthem. One venue that became synonymous with the track was the Ritz in Manchester where the legendary Soul and Jazz -Funk All-Dayers helped shape UK dance music culture. Paul Mooney has created two 2026 remixes - one vocal and one instrumental - that pay homage to that 1970s golden era when Soul and Disco gelled into an unstoppable force. Fittingly both remixes have been dedicated to those Ritz All-Dayers.

Late Bush presents “Hoarses” on the label Vlek Records, an original repertoire in which he blends electronic music - power ambient, IDM, avant-pop - and early music, which share the same affective intensity, a taste for ornamentation and a form of sonic excess.

At the heart of this material, AI-cloned voices, both human and spectral, extend the idea that any baroque interpretation is a reconstruction of the unknown. They contrast with organic strings recorded with Echo Collective, in a temporal and radical hybridization, creating a fluid and unstable material, between memory and simulation.

One of the conceptual starting points is essential: we have no sonic trace of baroque music as it was played. Only scores remain, and sometimes contradictory indications, a sensitive archaeology, even an imaginary projection.

Everything that is played today is therefore, in fact, a reconstruction, an interpretation of a vanished material. According to this logic and to pursue this reflection, the cloned voices, transformed by AI, are not a rupture but propose a natural continuation of this chain of reinvention, of this relationship to the invisible, to the indefinite. They do not aim to replace a human voice, but rather to embody the fact that any baroque restitution is already a fiction.

The project does not seek to imitate the real, but to play with the thresholds of the plausible, of the spectral. The music then becomes a fluid material, manipulable, alterable, and the performers, musicians or machines, are its vehicles.

The strings, carried by the sensitive and expressive interpretation of Echo Collective, breathe into the project a vibrant authenticity. Their presence brings an organic and tactile dimension that contrasts with the fluid and intangible aspect of the voices and the electronics.

On "Enduring Sonance," saxophonist and flutist Steve Wilson reflects on a lifetime of lyrical, deeply felt songs drawn from jazz, pop, and film—brought to life by an all-star ensemble featuring Renee Rosnes, Joe Locke, Jay Anderson, and Kendrick Scott. *** Certain songs have a way of lingering in the imagination—resonating long after we’ve last heard them, sometimes for a lifetime. On his breathtaking new album "Enduring Sonance," veteran saxophonist and flutist Steve Wilson celebrates the music that has left the deepest imprint on his musical life. “Some of the tunes on this record have stayed with me for, in some cases, over 50 years from the time that I first heard them,” Wilson says. “I wanted to put some music out there that people can connect with, no matter what kind of music they like.” Originally conceived as a ballads project, Enduring Sonance evolved into something broader and more personal. Rather than focusing on tempo or style, Wilson gravitated toward a sense of lyricism—music whose emotional clarity and melodic resonance endure across genres, decades, and listening habits.

To realize this vision, Wilson assembled a deeply intuitive ensemble featuring pianist and arranger Renee Rosnes, vibraphonist Joe Locke, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Kendrick Scott, with special guest Kevin Newton (French horn, Imani Winds) appearing on two tracks. Each musician brings a rare sensitivity to melody, texture, and space, allowing the material to unfold with warmth, restraint, and quiet authority. The repertoire draws from a wide musical landscape, including works by close collaborators and modern jazz masters Billy Childs and George Cables, alongside enduring songs by Michel Legrand, Quincy Jones, Milton Nascimento, Gino Vannelli, Bill Lee, and Eliane Elias. These are not standards in the traditional sense, but deeply personal selections—songs that have accompanied Wilson through different chapters of his life. The album opens with Childs’ “Quiet Girl,” its subtle rhythmic motion enhanced by Newton’s luminous French horn, and travels through cinematic ballads, soulful grooves, and reflective lyricism. The title Enduring Sonance speaks both to the lasting resonance of these songs and to Wilson’s enduring musical relationships—most notably with Rosnes, whom he has known for nearly four decades and whose sensitive arrangements help unify the album’s diverse repertoire. “These songs are the soundtrack of my life,” Wilson says. “I’d love it if listeners came away from this album with the same kind of enduring sound and feeling.”

Niemand hätte jemals die Entwicklung voraussehen können, die Hardcore nehmen würde, als diese Bewegung entstand. Und Anfang der 2000er Jahre hätte niemand vermutet, dass eine Band wie TERROR auch 24 Jahre nach ihrer Gründung noch immer eine der einflussreichsten Bands des Subgenres sein würde. Ihre Aggressivität, gepaart mit ihrer Liebe und Wertschätzung für die Szene, die so viele gekommen und gegangen sind oder sogar ganz vergessen haben, hat ihnen Erfolg beschert - nun veröffentlichen sie ihr zehntes Album, STILL SUFFER, das am 24. April bei Flatspot Records erscheint. TERROR stammt aus Los Angeles, Kalifornien, aus einer Zeit, als Hardcore eine Band brauchte, um wieder auf Kurs zu kommen, da das Genre aus der Bahn geraten war. TERROR stürmte herein, machte sich sofort einen Namen und ließ nicht mehr locker. Die Band hat ihren Ursprung in der kalifornischen Hardcore-Szene, die sich in den späten 1980er und frühen 1990er Jahren von der Punk-Szene abspaltete. TERROR stammt aus Los Angeles, Kalifornien, und entstand zu einer Zeit, als Hardcore eine Band brauchte, um die Dinge wieder ins Lot zu bringen, da das Genre aus der Bahn geraten war. TERROR stürzte sich in die Szene, hinterließ sofort seine Spuren und gab sie nie wieder auf. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Produzenten (und ehemaligen Gitarristen) Todd Jones schuf die Band zehn schnelle, aggressive, provokative Tracks, die die Themen aufgreifen, die TERROR überhaupt erst so einflussreich gemacht haben. Songs über Selbstermächtigung, Überleben und den unerbittlichen Willen, sich Herausforderungen mit den Werten und der Unterstützung zu stellen, die innerhalb dieser Mauern zu finden sind. STILL SUFFER wurde durch die Technik und zusätzliche Produktion von Taylor Young im The Pit Recording Studio, das Mixing von Jon Markson und das Mastering von Brad Boatright bei Audiosiege vervollständigt, mit zusätzlicher Vocal-Technik von Jay Zubricky bei GCR Audio und Drum-Technik im Studio 606 von Taylor Young und Oliver Roman. Die Gastvocals auf dem Album stammen von Jay Peta von Mindforce bei ,Beauty in the Losses", Brody King von God's Hate und Dan Seely von King Nine bei ,Deconstruct It", zusammen mit Hot Water Music's und Drum-Technik im Studio 606 von Taylor Young und Oliver Roman. Die Gastvocals auf dem Album stammen von Jay Peta von Mindforce bei ,Beauty in the Losses", Brody King von God's Hate und Dan Seely von King Nine bei ,Deconstruct It", zusammen mit Hot Water Music's Als Gastsänger auf dem Album sind Jay Peta von Mindforce in ,Beauty in the Losses", Brody King von God's Hate und Dan Seely von King Nine in ,Deconstruct It" sowie Chuck Ragan von Hot Water Music zu hören, der in ,Fear The Panic" eine selbstbewusste Performance liefert. Dieser Song wurde auch von Chad Gilbert von New Found Glory co-produziert. Von Anfang an hat TERROR nie den Dingen den Rücken gekehrt, die diese Band seit ihrer Gründung so wichtig gemacht haben. Mit der Veröffentlichung von STILL SUFFER wird deutlich, dass die Band keine Anzeichen einer Schwäche zeigt und weiterhin mit den Werten und der Unterstützung, die sie innerhalb dieser Mauern findet, Herausforderungen direkt angeht. Die Songs handeln von Selbstermächtigung, Überleben und dem unerbittlichen Willen, sich Herausforderungen mit den Werten und der Unterstützung, die innerhalb dieser Mauern zu finden sind, direkt zu stellen. Von Anfang an hat TERROR nie den Dingen den Rücken gekehrt, die diese Band seit ihrer Gründung so lebendig gemacht haben. Mit der Veröffentlichung von STILL SUFFER wird deutlich, dass die Band keine Anzeichen einer Schwäche zeigt und weiterhin erfolgreich ihre Mission verfolgt, authentischen Hardcore zu liefern und der Welt zu zeigen, dass dies viel mehr als nur Musik ist. Diese Gemeinschaft und Bewegung, die niemand wirklich in Worte fassen kann, ist genau der Ort, aus dem die Energie stammt, die TERROR antreibt, mit STILL SUFFER weiter zu wachsen und sich weiterzuentwickeln. ,Die Ewigkeit ändert sich nicht, du bist genauso beschädigt wie ich."

Niemand hätte jemals die Entwicklung voraussehen können, die Hardcore nehmen würde, als diese Bewegung entstand. Und Anfang der 2000er Jahre hätte niemand vermutet, dass eine Band wie TERROR auch 24 Jahre nach ihrer Gründung noch immer eine der einflussreichsten Bands des Subgenres sein würde. Ihre Aggressivität, gepaart mit ihrer Liebe und Wertschätzung für die Szene, die so viele gekommen und gegangen sind oder sogar ganz vergessen haben, hat ihnen Erfolg beschert - nun veröffentlichen sie ihr zehntes Album, STILL SUFFER, das am 24. April bei Flatspot Records erscheint. TERROR stammt aus Los Angeles, Kalifornien, aus einer Zeit, als Hardcore eine Band brauchte, um wieder auf Kurs zu kommen, da das Genre aus der Bahn geraten war. TERROR stürmte herein, machte sich sofort einen Namen und ließ nicht mehr locker. Die Band hat ihren Ursprung in der kalifornischen Hardcore-Szene, die sich in den späten 1980er und frühen 1990er Jahren von der Punk-Szene abspaltete. TERROR stammt aus Los Angeles, Kalifornien, und entstand zu einer Zeit, als Hardcore eine Band brauchte, um die Dinge wieder ins Lot zu bringen, da das Genre aus der Bahn geraten war. TERROR stürzte sich in die Szene, hinterließ sofort seine Spuren und gab sie nie wieder auf. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Produzenten (und ehemaligen Gitarristen) Todd Jones schuf die Band zehn schnelle, aggressive, provokative Tracks, die die Themen aufgreifen, die TERROR überhaupt erst so einflussreich gemacht haben. Songs über Selbstermächtigung, Überleben und den unerbittlichen Willen, sich Herausforderungen mit den Werten und der Unterstützung zu stellen, die innerhalb dieser Mauern zu finden sind. STILL SUFFER wurde durch die Technik und zusätzliche Produktion von Taylor Young im The Pit Recording Studio, das Mixing von Jon Markson und das Mastering von Brad Boatright bei Audiosiege vervollständigt, mit zusätzlicher Vocal-Technik von Jay Zubricky bei GCR Audio und Drum-Technik im Studio 606 von Taylor Young und Oliver Roman. Die Gastvocals auf dem Album stammen von Jay Peta von Mindforce bei ,Beauty in the Losses", Brody King von God's Hate und Dan Seely von King Nine bei ,Deconstruct It", zusammen mit Hot Water Music's und Drum-Technik im Studio 606 von Taylor Young und Oliver Roman. Die Gastvocals auf dem Album stammen von Jay Peta von Mindforce bei ,Beauty in the Losses", Brody King von God's Hate und Dan Seely von King Nine bei ,Deconstruct It", zusammen mit Hot Water Music's Als Gastsänger auf dem Album sind Jay Peta von Mindforce in ,Beauty in the Losses", Brody King von God's Hate und Dan Seely von King Nine in ,Deconstruct It" sowie Chuck Ragan von Hot Water Music zu hören, der in ,Fear The Panic" eine selbstbewusste Performance liefert. Dieser Song wurde auch von Chad Gilbert von New Found Glory co-produziert. Von Anfang an hat TERROR nie den Dingen den Rücken gekehrt, die diese Band seit ihrer Gründung so wichtig gemacht haben. Mit der Veröffentlichung von STILL SUFFER wird deutlich, dass die Band keine Anzeichen einer Schwäche zeigt und weiterhin mit den Werten und der Unterstützung, die sie innerhalb dieser Mauern findet, Herausforderungen direkt angeht. Die Songs handeln von Selbstermächtigung, Überleben und dem unerbittlichen Willen, sich Herausforderungen mit den Werten und der Unterstützung, die innerhalb dieser Mauern zu finden sind, direkt zu stellen. Von Anfang an hat TERROR nie den Dingen den Rücken gekehrt, die diese Band seit ihrer Gründung so lebendig gemacht haben. Mit der Veröffentlichung von STILL SUFFER wird deutlich, dass die Band keine Anzeichen einer Schwäche zeigt und weiterhin erfolgreich ihre Mission verfolgt, authentischen Hardcore zu liefern und der Welt zu zeigen, dass dies viel mehr als nur Musik ist. Diese Gemeinschaft und Bewegung, die niemand wirklich in Worte fassen kann, ist genau der Ort, aus dem die Energie stammt, die TERROR antreibt, mit STILL SUFFER weiter zu wachsen und sich weiterzuentwickeln. ,Die Ewigkeit ändert sich nicht, du bist genauso beschädigt wie ich."

Artist and multi-instrumentalist Flaer looks to the landscape to explore pastoral melancholy on debut release, Preludes. It is released in a second edition black vinyl, with an alternate cover artwork.

Ensconced in his family home in rural Leicestershire in the early months of 2020, painter and musician Realf Heygate (b. 1994) picked up his childhood cello for the first time in several years and began to play. Setting himself parameters to only record onto 4-track tape with acoustic instruments – cello, piano and acoustic guitar – he assembled a suite of instrumental compositions that form the basis of Preludes, his debut album as Flaer and the inaugural release on Odda Recordings.

Channelling the tension and unease between the pastoral idyll of the English countryside and the darkness which lurks beneath the surface, the mini-album draws inspiration from the analogue aesthetic of 1970s folk horror films, weaving field recordings of birdsong, church bells and the natural environment into chimerical melodies that reflect on Heygate’s childhood experiences of rural England.

“It was really important not to isolate the sound from its environment,” he explains, describing the compositional and recording process as “site-specific”. Developed over a series of intuitive musical enquiries, the mini-album’s uncanny quality emerges from combining raw demo takes with overdubs of almost orchestral grandeur.

Heygate points to the final track as indicative of the work as a whole: “‘Follow’ really is the mantra for the release and embodies the practical approach I was taking to music making: not to force the music but see where it takes you.”

As a painter, Heygate’s practice takes artefacts through sequences of reproduction that embrace the fluctuating materiality of the copy. Since obtaining a degree in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in 2017, he has exhibited solo at Peter von Kant and Springseason galleries in London, and has participated in group shows at Saatchi Gallery, Cob Gallery and Senesi Contemporanea.

Describing his artistic practice as one of self-erasure, music instead provides Heygate with a more personal and autobiographical outlet. Where the two worlds combine is on Preludes’ striking artwork, which features paintings of 13th century stone carvings from the font of the church in the town where he grew up.

Speaking to a time where people were connected to the land in a more profound way, each symbol is assigned to a track on the album, which Heygate likens to giving them a title.

“To add that one juxtaposition might open a whole new interpretation or language that might be hard to find otherwise,” he explains.“Over time it might reveal itself to you, which is why I'm excited about it being released. To throw them out there and see what comes of it.”

Preceded by Piazza Centrale and the subsequent Seia the album of the singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, new promise of the Italian music scene, moves along the traces of memories to tell a timeless story, using a very personal language in which singer-songwriter music, pop, and electronic experimentation naturally coexist. Hypnotic and magnetic, her music is a subtle, elusive seduction, an emotion that delicately insinuates itself into the mind, an invitation to get lost in its beauty. A passion that touches the deepest chords of the soul, without the overwhelming rush of the senses, but with the intensity of a pure and profound feeling. Gaia Banfi was born in Milan, has been living in Bologna for years, but in her album, it is Genoa that resonates, the place of her childhood, which here becomes an imaginary setting for a symbolic dimension in which everyone can recognize themselves, through seven tracks in which all those melancholies that swell as we grow up, the lacks, the turbulent and dark loves, the unrequited ones, but also the vitality, the discovery, the absence of judgment, and finally the awareness, the inner conquests, the clemency, and the love for oneself, take voice.

Fog On Mirror Glass introduces a new aesthetic amongst Donald Beaman albums. After four albums of varied full-band arrangements, this album emerged as an idea to present solo performances in conversation with full-band work. The bulk of the songs were recorded in the same place they were written: Beaman’s living room. Long time bandmate and producer Kirt Lind set up a makeshift studio at Beaman’s house to record the guitar parts in the same room where they were written, using the same guitars on which they were first played.

Unfurling with a measured pace, the resulting album combines elegiac lyrics with elemental arrangements played with an almost jazz-like reverential expressiveness, calling to mind the works of Cass McCombs, Will Oldham, and Jake Xerxes Fussell. Album opener “Glass Bottom Boat” sets the tone for the album with just Beaman and his guitar – written during the final months of a decade-long stay in New York City, the song was finished upon his arrival back in California. Meanwhile the title track, long a staple in live sets, lands near the middle of the album to recalibrate the mood, featuring the ghostly guitar work of longtime collaborator Ken Lovgren. “Old Universe” lifts things up a bit, propelled by the brushwork of drummer Michael Nalin and the jaunty bass playing of Kirt Lind. Finally, the album ends much the way it began, with Beaman and his guitar on album closer “Bamboo”.

“The dictionary definition of less is more.” - ---- Mojo
“His ability to carve universal empathy from mundane domesticity is remarkable.” - ---- RNR Magazine
“...a collection of evocative scenes and vivid emotions sung to sparse musical arrangements in Beaman’s distinctive sonorous tones” - Americana UK
“...pure and simmering, like a tattoo dedicated to a long lost friend, slightly fading from years in the sun, a memory that will always bring a tear in those quiet reflective moments.” - Psychedelic Baby Magazine

Fifteen years after their first album "Time for a Change", and drawing on the experience of two others ("Elephanz" 2017, and "Rien de personnel" 2023), ELEPHANZ now returns with a fourth album that carries the scent of first loves, the kind you sing from the heart with your hands gripping a guitar.

"Love. Hurt. Repeat." tells, across ten songs, the story of a return to oneself, like coming home after years spent roaming the world, only to realize that everything you needed to understand yourself was already there at the starting line.

To help you understand what this new album makes me feel, I'd like to tell you about my first meeting with Jon and Max in 2009, when I became the band's bassist. Sixteen years ago, I discovered these two young men and set off in their family Kangoo van on my very first tour.

Through our early rehearsals around the piano of their childhood, I discovered their love for pop music in all its breadth, always in search of harmonies and melodies that touch the heart in the simplest way and gently ease your sorrows along the way. With them, I learned to appreciate the mainstream hits I had previously dismissed on principle, and I discovered the demanding art of melody as I listened to them sing about love and friendship through unforgettable catchphrases.

Listening today to some of the songs from their new album, I think back to those two young men with a big-city rock look, shut away in the living room of their family home, talking only about leaving that dull countryside behind to live the big life in the capital (Streets of Rage). What I once took for a kind of revenge against the hostile environment of their adolescence was in fact an almost vital need to find their place among others, to feel understood in order to feel at ease in their own skin.

Today, I find them again with the same guitar and the same inexpensive Juno as back then, but with the confidence shaped by years of concerts, writing, studio encounters, and all kinds of experimentation. The music of this fourth album has never been so close to that of their earliest days, but their voices have been set free. They no longer sing about who they dreamed of becoming, but about who they have always been, their most distant concerns, sometimes even their darkest ones, yet always in search of the light.

It is as if ELEPHANZ had to travel all the way around the world to come face to face with themselves again. There is no longer any shame in being who you are, and it is even the best way to understand yourself, to exist and to heal. To heal from grief and heartbreak, to understand the child you once were and the one who carried them (Mother), to forgive yourself and finally learn to love yourself.

That is what makes this record as sensitive as it is powerful and strikingly truthful. It was written and recorded like a cry, live, in just a few weeks, using the instruments of their beginnings: sharp bass and drums, powerful guitars, and synthesizers that are at times soaring, at times carriers of liberating melodies. The art of ballads remains, as does that of universal pop songs.

There is a beautiful urgency here, the urgency of finding oneself again in order to understand oneself through both pain and beauty, and "Love. Hurt. Repeat." is its most perfect expression.

Fresh from releasing projects on Method 808 and Future Classic, landing a huge collaboration with Chloé Caillet, and delivering an official remix for Fatboy Slim, PPJ are entering a new chapter in full force. Their expansive take on global street sounds, ranging from neoperreo to Miami bass, gets a cool re-coating.

Led by the magnetic vocalist Páula, with production from Povoa (individually supported by Four Tet, Ben UFO, and Barry Can't Swim, with recent releases on Live From Earth), the duo operates in maximalist mode: playful, sensual, and slightly unhinged.PPJ’s new era, JOKER, embraces a figure that appears everywhere from card decks to carnival culture as a symbol that mirrors their own DNA: funny, eerie, seductive, unpredictable. The EP leans further into club territory, but rather than polishing their edges, PPJ amplify them.

At the emotional core of the record sits “Coeur,” co-produced with Chloé Caillet. It begins with an MPB-tinged foundation flirting with bossa nova. It’s unmistakably Brazilian, bathed in sunset hues before being sped up and twisted into a dance-floor-ready electronic form. The groove shimmers with tension: warm percussion, elastic basslines, and Páula’s voice hovering between intimacy and tease. It feels like a remix of itself, romantic, but slightly untrustworthy.

If “Coeur” glows, “To Nem Ai” is a slow burner. A very deep and downtempo house cut, it unfolds slowly, almost luxuriously, guided by sensual vocals that feel whispered directly into the ear of the listener. A hypnotizing piano sample that feels like a late-night confession. It’s the kind of record that transforms a dancefloor into something tactile.

Elsewhere, “Me Pega” is a high-energy reinterpretation of the tech-house sounds from Santa Catarina, one of southern Brazil’s most feverish party states, twisted and accelerated for ferocious impact. Drawing direct inspiration from Sarro, a raw and vibrant Brazilian street dance, the track captures physical intensity in its purest form: sweat, bass pressure, collective release.

Its counterpart, “Tem Carnaval” channels Páula’s vivid storytelling into a thunderous ode to Rio’s carnival spirit, euphoric, chaotic, cinematic landed just in time for this year’s celebrations.

On “Sexy Doce,” rugged electroclash melodies collide with unexpected references. “It was inspired by Budots, which is dance music from the streets in the Philippines,” Povoa explains. “Then we mixed it with Páula’s Brazilian vocals. Baile funk is similarly from the streets, so there is a connection.” The result is raw yet futuristic, a cross-continental flirtation that feels both underground and explosive.

With this new EP, PPJ make music like they’re tuning into a dozen pirate frequencies at once. Pirate radio from Rio to Berlin to Manila intercepting fragments of street culture, sensuality, and chaos, and stitching them into something deliriously cohesive.
JOKER doesn’t just nod to club culture. It challenges it, twists expectation and leaves a lasting impression.

What is Tentacletek? Don't you know? Then listen to the new album by those fellow underwater friendos LOS PULPITOS. The two legendary music producers Felipe Salmon (Dengue Dengue Dengue) and Dirk Leyers (one half of Closer Musik and A08 formerly known as Africaine 808) have spent the last two years in seclusion deep down in their hidden diving station creating a bigger than life wave breaker album! From the very first track, gently gyrating, digitally processed, electro-acoustic sound tentacles spiral into your techno ears. These seducing limbs will suck you directly to all the festival dancefloors of the seven seas. Caribbean 3/4 disco polyrhythms meet state of the art techno UK dubby bass music.

"Mola Mola" floods your body as if you had fallen into the Mississippi and been dragged back to Atlantis by Drexciyans. While the wonderfully deep, monstrous dancehall-like bass of "Lab Lab" describes the metallic burst of a sinking spaceship. The cumbia-dancehall-drum&bass "ii ii ii" effortlessly equalises that pressure. In the Bermuda Triangle, a well-camouflaged "Antennariidae" fishes for its diving listeners with endless deep dub, giving them ice-cold shivers down their spine until all their legs and teeth are rattling voodooesque. "Sirens" sings of West London broken-beat strings while "Squidler" gallops fluidly on a seahorse down the Aquabahn straight to Detroit. "Catfishy"! rides in the wildest water bull in reverse-cowboy rodeo style. "Pannetronica" overflows like an Abyssopelagial pool?

LOS PULPITOS debut album is a wonderfully playful and stringent, excellently produced electronic concept album. The 10 tracks are unrivalled in their merciless yet extremely balanced bassiness.

(Mirko Hecktor)

Nevertheless, the latest album from Hammock, exists in a state of awakening. Across 11 ambient guitar string, and piano works, ethereal light crests and contrasts with darkness, giving shape to physical forms and feelings. Amidst sorrow and grief, melodic motifs and refrains echo from the past to reanimate dreams and faded memories. As Nevertheless asks questions of permanence and purpose, beauty takes shape in the intangible_the traceless connections that gave, and give, meaning. "Nevertheless has been one of those words that has outlasted my upbringing," says Hammock's Marc Byrd. "Being from the deep South, I most often heard it said or read at funeral services. It's meant to imply a type of sacred pause . . . a space of in between. Between the grief of being broken by the world and the impossibility of moving into a future that feels more like empty space and less like solid ground. This album is for a friend who lost a daughter and a son to addiction within a couple of years of each other. Requiem for Johan sets up the context for what is to follow throughout the rest of the album. . . a passage through the aftermath of devastation. Unfortunately, and fortunately, these seasons of loss are what we all share in common. Nevertheless . . . we limp on."

Saxophonist, producer and composer Brian Allen Simon explores darker hues, transposing waking and altered states under his studio veil Anenon. On the deeply evocative new album 'Dream Temperature', he shifts electronic processing to the foreground, introducing digitized wind instruments and unworldly atmospherics, not heard since his innovating mid-late 2010s output.

A longtime Los Angeles resident, born and raised, Brian Allen Simon has expressively operated under the moniker Anenon, releasing the highly revered 'Petrol' (2016), 'Tongue' (2018) and the viscerally beautiful 'Moons Melt Milk Light' (2023), in a line of unwavering musical dialogues. While the penultimate album was a deliberate, reductive, entirely acoustic detour that was born out of a want to unplug, 'Dream Temperature' sees Brian primed with a newly discovered wind synthesizer as his central compositional tool, alongside acoustic piano and tenor saxophone. The entirety of the album's electronics are triggered by Brian's lungs, generating otherworldly synths modulated by expressive breath control, channelled through the laptop as the core processing chamber for added textural components and field recordings.

A free floating and heavy emotional resonance marks 'Dream Temperature' from beginning to end, invoking the feeling of waking up, still heavy from a night of half-remembered dreams, and continuing one's day in this state. Simon maps out the album's spatial voice early on the statement title track, a deep, yet compact cut, generated from digital saxophone rasps that whistle by in close proximity, along with haze filled textures and sub bass. There is a sonic oscillation of urban grit and pastoral drift throughout as tracks pass by like introspective thoughts, fueling both a tense and ethereal quality that underpins the album. Interluding solo and part-solo piano improvisations 'Last Sun 1' and '2' are positioned adjacent to the buffering digital soundscapes. Their softer, still processed timbres pierce the melancholic exterior, offering a contrasting tenderness that could echo the grace of Ry?ichi Sakamoto, the spiritualist rigor of ECM's Keith Jarrett and a touch akin to Aphex Twin's piano miniatures. 'Nulle Part 1+2' signals the first appearance of an acoustic wind instrument, as tenor saxophone flourishes are juxtaposed against noisy drones, all shouting at the void, with notes resurfacing like lost digital data.

The album was recorded at home during either sunset or nocturnal hours between September of 2024 and October of 2025, a period in which Brian found himself craving more lengthy and intimate studio time as he searched for more pronounced textural qualities amidst his new sonic ambitions. 'When The Light Appears, Boy' shows further evidence of this deeper universe, revealing a grittier edge as the album's essential blueprint is sonically inked. A sprawling expanse of wind synths rhythmically encircle the listener before a dreamy, ghostly ambience blankets 'Toyama'. The sound is evocative of the productions of post dubstep era luminaries such as Burial or the productions of HTRK's Nigel Yang. More isolating and enveloping than the previous all acoustic record, this is music both disorienting and yet warmly inviting all at once. A sonic diarist at heart, personal field recordings were also taken from Sardinia, Japan, Big Sur and LA which intersect at unexpected moments throughout the album's 31-minute play time.

'Dream Temperature' is a vital coalescence of both Simon's electronic and acoustic practices with repositioned electronics akin to earlier works, both haunting and elegant, yet still profoundly personal. Simon continuously resonates as an experimental outlier treading an enthralling, non-linear musical path. This music resolutely glows with an unknowing aura, like an untapped energy source waiting to be discharged.

Der Film "The Moment" ist eine Mockumentary über Charli xcx mit Charli xcx und über die Höhen und Tiefen des Erfolgs. Charli xcx kämpft mit immensen Erwartungen - mit denen von außen, aber auch mit ihren eigenen. Regisseur Aidan Zamiri präsentiert die Musikerin in ihrer bisher persönlichsten Rolle, basierend auf einem Drehbuch nach einer Idee von Charli xcx. Die Hauptrollen spielen Charli xcx, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Isaac Powell und Alexander Skarsgård. Am 23. Januar 2026 feierte "The Moment" beim Sundance Film Festival 2026 seine Weltpremiere. Die internationale Premiere findet ab dem 12.02.2026 im Rahmen der Sektion "Panorama" der 76. Internationalen Filmfestspiele Berlin statt. Der Film ist ab dem 19 Februar in deutschen Kinos zu sehen. A. G. Cook, der schon zuvor mit Charli XCX zusammengearbeitet hat, hat die Musik für den Film gemacht. Am 12. Dezember 2025 wurde "Dread" als erste Single aus dem Soundtrack veröffentlicht. Der Song enthält viele Samples aus Charli XCXs Single "I Love It" von 2012. Die zweite Single, "Offscreen", kam am 15. Januar 2026 raus. Die dritte Single, "Residue", erschien am 27. Januar 2026 mit einem Musikvideo, in dem Charli XCX, Kylie Jenner und "Legionen von Charli's Klonen" mitspielen. Der komplette Soundtrack wurde am 30. Januar 2026 über A24 Music digital veröffentlicht.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER: THE LONG-LOST RECORDINGS OF BIRMINGHAM ROOTS REGGAE PIONEERS NATRUS Mastered from the original tapes by Guy Davie at Electric Needle Mythology, the label founded by music writer, author and broadcaster Pete Paphides, is thrilled to announce the archival release of newly-discovered recordings by Birmingham reggae band Natrus. Comprising members of the same family – seven in total – Natrus were a ubiquitous presence of the live circuit within and beyond the West Midlands in the late 1970s. Used as an ad hoc “Wrecking Crew” by local producer and promoter Toney Owens, NATRUS frequently provided live accompaniment to visiting Jamaican artists such as Sugar Minott, Johnny Osbourne and Freddie McKay. With an age span ranging from 9 to 25, NATRUS’S live work had to be structured around the educational obligations of their younger members. But when they weren’t playing live, they would frequently hone their own compositions at Owens’ studio in Saltley, Birmingham.

During their collective lifetime, NATRUS released one very limited edition single Mash It, with a stellar guest vocal from deejay Ranking Glad(Stone). Featured alongside Mash It on this release are a selection of recordings previously thought lost by the group who laid them down. They were only discovered after Toney Owens’ alerted Needle Mythology’s Pete Paphides to the existence of some 60 quarter-inch reels featuring all the music recorded by Owens over a period of ten years or so. When Paphides finally tracked down NATRUS rhythm guitarist Owen Taylor, he was stunned to hear of their existence. After a meeting with Taylor and his siblings, Needle Mythology collaborated with NATRUS on the restoration and remastering of the tracks featured on this, their very belated debut album. As well as Mash It and its original flipside Come From Africa, highlights on ‘NATRUS’ include a superb version of Slim Smith’s The Time Has Come and the deep roots entreaties of Freedom Inna Babylon, both showcasing the soulful vocal of lead singer Fitzdonald “Fitz” English and the almost psychic sense of musical attunement that percolates right down the the formidable rhythm section of Beverley Stewart (bass) and Clinton Gordon (drums).

- 2026 repress / hot foil printed sleeve -

Limited Edition: Box with holographic hot foil logo print and five printed inner sleeves - No Repress

SHDW's label, Mutual Rytm hits a notable milestone at the start of 2024 as it turns two years old and hits its 20th release. To mark the occasion, the carefully curated compilation 'Federation Of Rytm III' arrives on February 2nd with a 30-track 5 x 12" boxset vinyl release and a further 6 digital bonus tracks.

Mutual Rytm is synonymous with serious, no-frills techno. It is a go-to for the world's most influential DJs and a home to some of the scene's most innovative producers. Over the last two years, it has explored several shades of sound, always with high-quality production and forward-thinking styles. A fine balance has always been struck between new and emerging talents and established names with plenty more to say, and that is the case on this collection which features the legendary likes of Blawan, Gary Beck, Colin Benders, The Advent and Dax J next to ANNE, Alarico, JakoJako, Chlar, LDS and many more.

Founder SHDW says, "I've poured my heart into curating a compilation of 36 tracks, a reflection of my deepest musical passions. The lineup is stacked with incredible artists, and it captures the label's essence - a fusion of artists spanning generations, united by a shared spirit and aesthetic, creating a seamless 'mutual rhythm'."

Although all 36 tracks stand alone as high-grade and club-ready dynamite, they also collectively form a versatile listening experience thanks to how they've been carefully assembled into a perfectly sequenced journey.

Each one dives into a different nuance within the world of techno and there is a range of moods from dark and driving to more energising and uplifting. The collection not only shows how far Mutual Rytm has come in a short space of time but also that it remains in a constant state of evolution and has a bright future ahead in 2024 and beyond.

SHDW's vision at Mutual Rytm was always to present a cohesive yet varied musical experience, and Federation Of Rytm III does exactly that.

Acknowledge Kindness expands San Francisco based The Reds, Pinks And Purples' distinctive brand of emotional pop, music built for the quiet hours and the restless mind. Evolving naturally from the heavier, melancholic indie rock of previous releases, the mood here feels more exposed and reflective, blossoming into lush dreamscapes that recall the bittersweet sorrow of The Cure or the tenderly gloomy transcendence of California by American Music Club. Created from a new headspace, the album finds main man Glenn Donaldson observing both the present and the weight of what came before it. Songs lean into a deeper sense of nostalgia, allowing him to look back with intent and revisit moments that once carried a sting. Donaldson's vocals are captured in high fidelity, raw and immediate, with lyrical abstraction underpinned by chiming acoustic guitars and achingly beautiful piano. Across its 11 tracks, Acknowledge Kindness expands The Reds, Pinks And Purples' emotional and sonic panorama, with Donaldson's ongoing world-building remaining both warmly nostalgic and strikingly original. "Donaldson's best work hides allure within a bigger picture, like a jangle-pop egg hunt" Pitchfork FFO The Smiths, Guided By Voices, The Chills, Leonard Cohen, The Go-Betweens, Robert Wyatt, Twee-, Jangle- & Sophisticated Guitar Pop. Coloured vinyl LP versions and digisleeve CD available

VISOLUX is back and excited with a very special release.

This one was crafted in Lille by our homegrown artist and dear friend, Dyswalter, in the very garage where all the Kepler-129 adventures started, where generators and equipment were stored, after-parties went on and special music was made.

Dyswalter has been performing live with Kepler for years, bringing his special energy and obvious UK influence to the dancefloor. Finally printing his music feels as a most satisfying outcome for the label.

Expect sophisticated rhythms, expert craftsmanship, trippy breaks and nerdy videogame references.

Enjoy!”

Powerful lyrics are voiced by Jah Rueben Mystic, with the inspirational Ital Horns brass section.

Jah Rueben Mystic vocal evokes the fighting spirit and hopefulness of a message sent out to defeat the arrogance and greed of the capitalistic leaders of the world.

Lock up riddim, composed by Kieko De Stefanis is an original Roots Dub tune.

The Dub -produced by Gaudi- is a musical journey through the sound of 70's roots, Gaudi here adds his own analogue trademark creativity and psychedelic-dub mastery effects to the track.

In the times when the known world order and relations between men and their surroundings are getting literally & figuratively suffocated we need to remind ourselves and our capable & wealthy ones that we can only breathe air.
Here’s a DIY air purifier music and vibes from the Osogovo mountain range.

From the maniacal opening notes and carnival barker howl that launch the album, The Ugly Organ wasted no time searing itself into a listener's ears and quickly established Cursive as a musical force with which to be reckoned. A self aware examination of artistic constraints (or lack thereof), relationships, sex, and the intersection of all three, The Ugly Organ wowed critics and audiences alike with its cerebral, cathartic blend of songs. Fiercely intelligent and cohesive - the liner notes laid the songs out like a play, complete with stage directions - across its diverse sonic landscape, the album landed Cursive on the Sunday Arts & Leisure section cover of The New York Times (which also called it "a marvelous collection of riddles and left turns, conceived as a single piece of musical theater") and earned accolades from Rolling Stone ("a brilliant leap forward"), Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, Alternative Press, MAGNET ("The best punk record you'll hear all year"), Esquire, and SPIN, among many others, as well as a place on numerous year-end best lists.The Ugly Organ feels as vibrant and vital today as it did upon release more than 20 years ago. A landmark album, it not only catapulted Cursive from the simmering indie underground to the forefront of a genre, but also served to inspire a host of young bands in its wake.

For the last few years Acid Jazz has been the proud custodian of the Albarika Store legacy. Hailing from the small but culturally-significant state of Benin, the label was operational from the late-‘60s until the early ‘80s, and was home to some of the finest, deepest, rawest West African cuts ever. A font of local and regional music, infused with contemporary Western influences, the beating heart of the Albarika sound was the mighty T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, who in various guises released dozens of recordings for the label, under the leadership of Mêlomé Clément. The intoxicating originality of their sound stems from their combination of folkloric and sacred rhythms of the region, with the modernist sound of soukous, afrobeat, soul and funk. Recorded at EMI Studios in Lagos, these recordings have a unique high fidelity and have been a target for grail-hunting record collectors for decades. For this incredible 2LP collection, Dean Rudland and David Hill compile the Poly-Rythmo 45 releases; 7” single and EP sides lost to the seeds of time. Until now. Brought together for the first time, presented in a beautiful wide spine layout, the 2 LPs present a snapshot of some of the group’s finest work from the ‘70s, their distinctive beat already honed. The printed inner sleeves include images of the rare and collectable original labels and sleeves, along with sleeve notes by Francis Gooding

Der Wiener SALAMIRECORDER präsentiert mit seinem aktuellen Album "Inside The Cage" wieder einmal stilsicheren 60s-Garage Sound. Nach seiner letzten LP auf Bachelor Records, die er noch mit seiner Band "The Hi-Fi Phonos" eingespielt hat, hat er für "Inside The Cage" zehn Songs zur Gänze allein mit 4-track Taperecorder aufgenommen. "If you have to describe the music, its probably like a weird slightly annoyed outsider but with a melting heart for love songs. A perfect shake between 60s Back from the Grave Garage punk and a little breeze of early trash mixtape Powerpop. or something... ...weird, loud, rocknroll noise!!!" (Elmar, Bachelor Rec.) Natürlich ist der 23-jährige SALAMIRECORDER viel zu jung, um selbst die weltverändernden Zeiten des Rock'n'Roll erlebt zu haben. Doch seine Persona als trägt dessen historisch aufsässiges Programm in sich. Stilprägend war dabei seine beim Skateboard-Fahren entwickelte frühe Leidenschaft für Genre-Größen der 2010er wie Ty Segall oder Bass Drum of Death. Dieser Tage ist Salamirecorder bestens vernetzt, aber weniger per Sozialen Medien als im echten Leben. Er genießt Respekt, sowohl bei Beat-begeisterten jungen Kids als auch bei ergrauten Szene-Altvorderen wie Wild Evil & The Trashbones oder den Jaybirds, spielt bejubelte Gigs mit seiner perfekt eingespielten Begleit-Combo The Hi-Fi Phonos und gehört als Schlagzeuger, Gitarrist und Sänger Bands wie Laundromat Chicks, Sux Sux Sux und Telebrains an. Als Produzent hat er neulich das Solo-Debüt von Vic Velvet auf Band gebannt. Das Analoge ist ihm dabei nicht bloß puristisches Glaubensprinzip, sondern eine ebenso praktische künstlerische wie - ja doch! - politische Entscheidung. In einer Welt endloser digitaler Möglichkeiten findet der Salamirecorder eine paradoxe Freiheit, indem er sich selber auch ein bisschen limitiert.

180g Vinyl

The album features the group playing Gary McFarland arrangements of Kuhn's compositions, accompanied by a string section on several tracks, with Kuhn delivering stream of consciousness lyrics in an unplanned and largely improvised fashion in the studio. However, that wasn't the only surprising aspect to the session. Airto Moreira's appearance was more by chance than design, he having just popped by the studio, again, unplanned. The 'Steve Kuhn' album is all the stronger for these extemporaneous and serendipitous elements and showcases a band at the top of their game; tight and funky yet relaxed and flowing like molten gold, with stabs and washes of keyboard from Kuhn. Splashes of free playing enter the session, but the band never stray too far from a melodic and harmonious centre of gravity. Kuhn's deft keyboard skills provide melodic embroidery to the impressive rhythmic textures and tonal colours of Carter, Cobham and Moreira. As if the music wasn't enough, the album is given extra significance by the fact that, within a few months of the recording, McFarland would die after being mysteriously poisoned by methadone in a New York bar. In a sense, it is a valedictory album from McFarland, channeled by Kuhn and the band. It's among the hardest of Kuhn's albums to find so this reissue is most welcome. Luxuriate in the glow of Kuhn's Fender Rhodes and the pliant funky bass of Ron Carter; immerse yourself in the percussive interplay of Moreira and Cobham, a pairing that has rarely sounded so good. This is such an exquisite album; you will lose yourself in its delicate power and find yourself coming back to it again and again. "It's a beautiful picture, and it helped me to comprehend things, life a bit, you know. And as I'm thinking about it, I hope it does that for whoever listens to it too." - Thundercat, Musician Details: Heavyweight Vinyl 45 RPM Cut / Original glued prints on Thick Cardboard 700 gram / 2 Separated parts hand-glued / Glossy lamination / PVC outer / 30x60 cm insert printed on 300 gram DNS paper with interview to Steve Kuhn by Tony Higgins.

Angelo De Augustine kehrt mit ,Angel in Plainclothes" zurück, seinem fünften Album und bisher inspiriertesten Werk - eine tief empfundene Darstellung seiner mehrjährigen Reise der Heilung und Erneuerung. Das Album präsentiert De Augustines kraftvolle Melodien und ergreifende Texte in Titeln wie der eindringlichen Elegie ,Empty Shell", dem hoffnungsvollen ,Spirit of the Unknown" und dem herausragenden psychedelischen Country-Stück ,Mirror Mirror". Die Themen befassen sich mit der Zerbrechlichkeit des Lebens, zweiten Chancen und dem Wiederaufbauen seines Lebens, nachdem eine nicht diagnostizierte Krankheit ihn zwang, grundlegende Fähigkeiten neu zu erlernen: ,Ich versuche herauszufinden, wer ich jetzt bin", sagt De Augustine. ,Ich habe das Gefühl, dass mir eine zweite Chance im Leben gegeben wurde, und ich möchte sie leben." Das Album wurde vom Künstler in seinem Aufnahmestudio ,A Secret Place" in Südkalifornien geschrieben, aufgenommen, arrangiert, produziert und gemischt. Es ist das erste Mal seit Jahren, dass er wieder mit anderen Künstlern zusammengearbeitet hat, darunter der Streicharrangeur Oliver Hill (Kevin Morby, Helado Negro), den Harfenisten Leng Bian, die Backgroundsängerin/Percussionistin Wendy Fraser, den Produzenten Thomas Bartlett (der De Augustines ,Tomb" sowie St. Vincent und Bebel Gilberto produziert hat) und den Co-Produzenten Jonathan Wilson (Angel Oisen, Father John Misty) bei ,The Cure". Das Ergebnis ist ein kraftvolles Statement der Hoffnung: ,Eine der größten Hilfen, die mich am Leben gehalten haben, waren die Menschen in meinem Leben, die mir gesagt haben, dass letztendlich alles gut werden würde. Ich hoffe, dass diese Songs die gleiche Wirkung auf die Menschen da draußen haben und ihnen helfen zu erkennen, dass Wunder möglich sind."

Dompe Delivers Peak-Time House Energy on New Reload EP.
Definitive Recordings welcomes a brand-new three-track EP from Dompe, showcasing his unmistakable blend of classic house foundations, driving grooves, and modern club attitude.

Dompe aka Dominic Wagner is a DJ and producer driven by relentless passion and an instinctive feel for the dancefloor.
Known for pairing distinctive vocals with finely crafted basslines and arrangements, his sound is always moving forward while staying rooted in house tradition. Based in Berlin since 2011, Dompe founded Jackfruit Recordings in 2017 as his personal creative playground, releasing a steady stream of music that has earned both national and international attention. His doublevinyl album ‘Hippie Crack’ sold out quickly and charted strongly on Beatport, followed by ‘French Collection’. In 2025, Dompe made his debut on Definitive Recordings with a standout remix of the label classic ‘Let It Go’ by John Acquaviva, Olivier Giacomotto and Dan Diamond further cementing his connection to the imprint.
Now returning with a full EP, Dompe opens with ‘Reload’, a classic house groover built around a tight rhythm, a looping piano motif, and a chopped, repeated male spoken-word vocal that locks into the groove. It’s raw, hypnotic, and instantly effective on the floor. ‘Wave’ shifts into more percussive territory, drawing on classic tech house energy. Built almost entirely around drums, the track evolves through rolling percussion, catchy vocal snippets, and sharp house synth work before snapping back into a full percussive drive designed for late-night momentum. Closing the EP, ‘Sundown’ delivers a no-nonsense house stomper. Big 909 drums, a 90s-inspired piano theme, and a vocal sample declaring ‘ecstasy’ capture the peak-time feeling of a packed club
in full flow: direct, euphoric, and unapologetically house.

In den letzten zehn Jahren haben sich Portrayal of Guilt als feste Größe in der extremen Underground-Musikszene etabliert. Mit unerbittlich konsequenten Veröffentlichungen wie dem orchestralen Albtraum ,Devil Music" aus dem Jahr 2023 und ganzjährigen Welttourneen mit Bands wie Deafheaven, Uniform und Pg. 99 haben POG zweifellos ihren eigenen Weg eingeschlagen. Seit ihrer Gründung lassen sie sich nicht in eine bestimmte Kategorie stecken. Das Trio mischt Elemente aus Black, Death und Nu Metal mit Crust, Screamo, Powerviolence und Hardcore, wobei ,The Beginning of The End" die Genregrenzen weiter verwischt. Die Band hebt die verstörende Disharmonie in den Album-Highlights ,Ecstasy" und ,Human Terror" auf die nächste Stufe, mit KoRn-ähnlichen Gitarrendissonanzen, gnadenlosen Death-Metal-Tiefen und eindringlichen gesprochenen Passagen, die selbstbewusst die Grenze zwischen ,Life is Peachy" und ,Scum" überschreiten.

In den letzten zehn Jahren haben sich Portrayal of Guilt als feste Größe in der extremen Underground-Musikszene etabliert. Mit unerbittlich konsequenten Veröffentlichungen wie dem orchestralen Albtraum ,Devil Music" aus dem Jahr 2023 und ganzjährigen Welttourneen mit Bands wie Deafheaven, Uniform und Pg. 99 haben POG zweifellos ihren eigenen Weg eingeschlagen. Seit ihrer Gründung lassen sie sich nicht in eine bestimmte Kategorie stecken. Das Trio mischt Elemente aus Black, Death und Nu Metal mit Crust, Screamo, Powerviolence und Hardcore, wobei ,The Beginning of The End" die Genregrenzen weiter verwischt. Die Band hebt die verstörende Disharmonie in den Album-Highlights ,Ecstasy" und ,Human Terror" auf die nächste Stufe, mit KoRn-ähnlichen Gitarrendissonanzen, gnadenlosen Death-Metal-Tiefen und eindringlichen gesprochenen Passagen, die selbstbewusst die Grenze zwischen ,Life is Peachy" und ,Scum" überschreiten.

Endlich ist es da, das lang erwartete zweite Album von GREEN DESERT TREE. Mit dem ersten Album "Progressive Worlds" hatte Green Desert Tree bereits 2019 bleibende Spuren in der Progwelt hinterlassen. Die Berliner Band um Mastermind Tim Sund (u.a. Keyboarder bei der Krautrock Legende Agitation Free) hatte bewiesen, dass sich aktueller Neoprog aus Deutschland in Sachen musikalischer Qualität und Originalität nicht hinter der internationalen Konkurrenz verstecken muss. Die Fachwelt hatte einen neuen Stern am Proghimmel wahrgenommen. Doch genau in dem Augenblick, als GDT im Begriff war die internationalen Festivalbühnen zu betreten, wurde der Band ein Strich durch die Rechnung gemacht: Corona. Diese unfreiwillige Unterbrechung aller Aktivitäten brachte dann auch ein paar personelle Veränderungen mit sich, so dass der bisherige Bassist Sascha Giebel zum Frontsänger avancierte und der italienische Bassist Francesco Beccaro neu zur Band hinzustieß. Das neue Album FIGHTING DRAGONS knüpft genau da an, wofür schon das Debüt so gefeiert wurde und besticht mit verpielt proggigen Keyboardintros, vertrackten Melodien, harten Gitarren, fantasievollem Storytelling, Satzgesang, symphonischer Größe, mikroskopischer Detailverliebtheit, klassisch anmutenden Passagen im Rockgewand und mitunter sehr druckvollen Parts. So handelt es sich bei den Songs des neuen Albums um eine Sammlung von Geschichten, die vom "Storyteller" erzählt werden. Dabei geht es zum Beispiel um eine Frau, die um ihren Bräutigam trauert, der am Vorabend der Hochzeit plötzlich spurlos verschwindet. Ein anderer Song handelt von einem computerspielsüchtigen Jugendlichen, der glaubt ein Ritter zu sein, der sein Königreich vor gefährlichen Drachen schützen muss. Was all diese Musik von GDT vereint, ist eine Qualität von Storytelling, die beispielsweise an Bands wie die frühen Genesis, Yes und Saga sowie an aktuelle Künstler wie Neal Morse und Steven Wilson erinnert, vereint mit einem Riesenspektrum an musikalischen Einflüssen und großer instrumentaler Virtuosität. Green Desert Tree wird nun zur Veröffentlichung des zweiten Albums "Fighting Dragons" endlich nachholen, was hätte schon längst passieren sollen, und zwar die deutschen Bühnen erobern und sich den Progfans in die Herzen spielen.