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Rivet’s new album for Editions Mego is an uplifting and joyous affair coming in the wake of tragedy and disenchantment. It is yet another rebirth from an artist willing to take a step back and reprise the current situation he is in. Mika Hallbäck has a long credible history in the Swedish underground. First recognised for his industrial techno works under the Grovskopa moniker he worked privately on more experimental works that eventually came out as On Feather and Wire, an album released on Editions Mego in 2020. After much acclaim for this bold new direction that blended electronic abstraction, pop and industrial forms into a heavy synthetic trip two tragedies struck. One was the passing of label boss Peter Rehberg and then the passing of his dog Lilo, who was as close as a companion one could have. These events led to the release of the more unsettling follow up L+P-2 (Lilo and Pita minus two) on Midnight Shift Records in 2023. Peck Glamour sees Rivet return to the reawakened Editions Mego with an album of optimism inspired by reconciliation with loss and further explorations of new mental/sonic realms.

Hallbäck defines his approach as not being married to any particular machine, instrument, process or genre. However he holds a particular affinity to sampling, of which, he says, provides the dirt and grit amongst what would otherwise be pristine, generic machine music. The contemporary crate digging method of scouring obscure download music bogs for unique sounds was his preferred research practice.

Peck Glamour is an album full of tracks brimming with the excitement of exploration. It's the results of a mind informed by punk, industrial, techno, dancefloor, disappointment, trauma and rebirth. Here the synthetic and authentic is viewed simply as the same means of human rationale and expression.

The opening, ‘Catch Up to Light’, sets the scene with ecstatic and odd fluorescent vocals sliding amongst crystalline likembe whilst synths swirl amongst the external festivities. ‘Orbiting Empty Cocoon’ is somewhat a homage to the alien sound worlds of The Orb, one which takes the listener deeper into a mind melting array of teased potential as visual elements are executed in a mask of audio wizardry and euphoric staccato rhythms, the later being a nod to Singeli music. ‘Patitur Butcher’ is more dance frontal utilising the Ghatam drum and a YouTube rip of a Chinese language lesson. ‘Plastic Bag Putain’ was made during the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and should be clear of its intent. ‘All that Heaven Allows’ is a marimba cover of an imaginary Love Parade anthem. 'Kyrie Geire’ potentially briefly fills the void left by the demise of Coil. The entire trip of Peck Glamour is sewn up with ‘We left before we came’ whereby extraneous recordings of double bass player Gregory Vartian-Foss (tuning/strumming/moving the bass) are superimposed with local field recordings to create a gorgeous bed of sounds acting as an exciting exit music to this sharp collection of cinematic ear excursions.

Colombia's finest purveyor of all things jazzy and musical, Felipe Gordon is back on Local Talk with a double album, but this time around he's going all live.

Together with his 8 piece band, Felipe has recorded a "Live Session" that perfectly explains how live played jazz, funk and fusion work so well with electronic dance music.
Over eight compositions, Felipe and his band explore everything from downtempo jazz-funk (example, check 'Wes'), jazz-fusion (example, check 'Socorro Y Jupiter'), jazz-house (example, check 'Strings Of The Afterlife').

There's even a great disco-funk cover of Gypsy Woman for added dance floor effect.

All together, this is a beautiful session where Felipe and his friends showcase what you can expect when you experience this band live on stage...Bogota style!

Back on their own imprint for the first time since 2017, Gauss returns with Latent Space EP--three tracks of smoldering electro and dub-infused techno. The title track opens with a fresh take on the duo's signature sound: weighty low-end, kinetic rhythms, and slowly shifting pads that add both introspection and scale. Subtle yet immersive, it echoes earlier explorations while carving out a more refined and spacious terrain. Backprop shifts gears into floor-focused territory--percussive and punchy, with explosive chord stabs and tight drum programming. It's raw, relentless, and engineered for full-body impact. Closing the EP is Z-1, a tense electro workout driven by syncopated drums and morphing melodic sequences. Its constantly evolving structure gives the sense of forward motion without ever breaking its glide--a hypnotic, high-velocity closer in true Gauss form.

A multidisciplinary artist, and avant-garde icon in her own right, Little Annie leaves little room for an introduction that is worthy of her prolific career. She has remained relevant for over four decades through her innate spirit of experimentation and the multiplicity of her genre-bending collaborations with artists traversing the globe such as Adrian Sherwood, Swans, The Wolfgang Press, Kid Congo, Current 93—the list goes on!

For this release, Noir Age is proud to present a 7” single of new material from Little Annie in collaboration with South Florida-based producer and label owner Richard Vergez, recording here under the moniker of Night Foundation. Annie and Richard met back in 2016 after a gig at the ICA in Miami through their mutual friend: Drew McDowall of Coil.

Sharing a requited spirit for visual art and music, they became fast friends and began collaborating, conjuring what you hear on this release: Inertia.

Edition of 300 records, each housed in a silkscreened, custom black 7" envelope jacket with newsprint insert.

Reviewed in The Wire magazine:

"Night Foundation is one of the current electronic projects envisioned by Florida's Richard Vergez. In this instance, his work is smooth and bassoid enough to have a vague dancefloor-friendly feel without being overtly prancy. This notion is enhanced by the presence of a dub B side, so things are not as dark as with most of Verge's projects. But they're still not sunny. Of course, Little Annie's lyrics and casual vocals have more in common with urban menace than sunshine pop, so the pairing works quite well."

Saxophonist, flautist and producer Chip Wickham casts a formidable shadow across the worldwide jazz landscape. Originally from Brighton, but now dividing his time between the UK, Spain and the Middle-East, he has made a name for himself with a series of beautifully crafted solo albums that draw equally on the hard swinging spiritual jazz of Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef and Sahih Shihab, alongside the music of British jazz legends such as Tubby Hayes and Harold McNair and the more contemporary sounds of Jazzanova, Kyoto Jazz Massive and Robert Glasper. His close working relationship with Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana Records has spanned close to two decades (since he played on Halsall’s 2008 debut ‘Sending My Love’) and has since released three standout releases on the label (the ‘Cloud 10’ LP, and the ‘Astral Travelling’ and ‘Love & Life’ EP’s). Once again returning to the heralded label, he now prepares to release his elegant fifth studio album ‘The Eternal Now’. Further exploring his penchant for hard-hitting soulful, spiritual jazz and modal hard-bop, it denotes an exciting new chapter in his much- revered discography, once which sees his unbridled artist flourish into new and fruitful pastures.

A beautifully crafted record, ‘The Eternal Now’ is a heartfelt ode to submitting oneself to the practice of creating art, and the freedom that’s derived from letting go. Speaking on his journey to bringing it into the world, Chip explains “The Eternal Now is a creative place where time has no purpose. A place where the past and the future don’t exist. A place where an artist can create something that is timeless and relevant. Writing this album has been a deliberate journey of exploration and drive into the furthest reaches of creativity. An attempt to push myself artistically into new spaces using new colours and new energy”. On how he approached this record in comparison to his previous offerings, he divulges ‘I had to be playful and take risks. It has taken longer than any other album to make and it has been so worth it. I have been drifting and taking the road less travelled as well as not looking back. I’ve enjoyed being on the outside and the freedom it has brought me to create something new and fresh and relevant and timeless.’

In the smoggy orange light of a new millennium, the young Deb Demure would take the bus, once a week, from his home in crumbling Hollywood to his grandmother's apartment, nestled in the pastel pristineness of Beverly Hills. During these visits, Deb couldn't help but notice the disconnect between the glow of his grandmother's temple, and the downtrodden, alienated figures that populated the seats of the mass transit that took him there. Week after week, he would observe these characters: fading B-movie starlets, leisure-suited alcoholics and forgotten civil servants. But one fateful commute home, as the twilight waned to the purple Los Angeles night, he realized these figures were not as lost as they appeared - there was a nobility in their failure, reflective of the dignity of the city's vanishing golden era. They were survivors, in need of a voice: a spokesperson for every color of hope and hopelessness, transcendent of gender and time; Drab Majesty became Deb's musical podium for this undertaking. Raised in a music-centric household, Deb would find the time to teach himself to play his father's right-handed guitar upside down and left-handed; an unorthodox fashion from where his earliest understanding of chords and harmony were conceived. Exploring the bins of discarded vinyl in his neighborhood thrift stores, his toolkit expanded with the subterranean sonic gems of the recent past. Influences range from the virtuosic arpeggiated guitar work of Felt's Maurice Deebank and the grittier pop progressions of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's Chris Reed as well as Steve Severin from Siouxsie and The Banshees. He also studied the harmonic oscillations and utilization of the occult power of vibratory frequency present in New Age sounds of Greek artist, IASOS. In terms of orchestration, he consciously culls from the seaside maximalism of Martin Dupont and mechanized grooves of early Depeche Mode. Like a dualistic pendulum, his vocals swing from a preistly baritone to a choir boy's falsetto reflecting the sepulchral ambiance of church visits with his grandmother. Currently the drummer for Los Angeles lo-fi rock ensemble Marriages and having honed an unorthodox home recording style, Deb sources his sounds from a repository of "mid-fi" synthesizers and other lesser-quality instruments. Following the release of his debut cassette EP, "Unarian Dances", he also shared a split 12" with synth pop forefathers, Eleven Pond. During the Spring of 2015, Drab Majesty signed with Dais Records and released his first single, Unknown to the I, as a introduction for his first initial foray into the album format, romantically titled Careless. Written over the course of 2 years, "Careless" is a compendium of songs that have outlasted a malicious burglary of his studio, his struggles with substance addiction, and most recently, the death of his beloved grandmother.

Ruben Rada played a pivotal role in the development of Uruguayan music. By blending Afro-Uruguayan traditions with rock, soul, jazz, and funk, he paved a new musical path that began in the 1960s and continues to evolve today. Throughout his career, he has consistently been surrounded by talented musicians who have been integral to his sound. This was especially true with Daniel "Lobito" Lagarde, bassist and founding member of the iconic band Totem in the early 1970s; Ricardo Nolé, keyboardist, arranger, and musical director of Rada's band in Argentina during the 1980s; and Nelson Cedréz, the drummer who has been by Rada's side since the 1990s. In 2016, these three musicians reunited to form Rada's Old Boys, releasing an album of jazz-infused reinterpretations of Rada's songs that earned rave reviews. Now, they return with Manos, a bold new album that reimagines Rada's works from every phase of his career, featuring deeply personal renditions and a special guest appearance from Rada himself on one track.

System is a retro futuristic album that is inspired by that iconic sound of the 80s. It seamlessly merges deep machine-like tracks alternated with surprisingly humanised pop songs.

With an extended palette of pianos and synthesizers Shook’s work will take you along those vintage funk and synth-pop sounds, while keeping you connected with touchy vocals from both Jasper and his partner Juliet.

‘Two taches intertwine. An EP born out of Demi’s visit to Melbourne during his AU tour, and Luke’s easily accessible studio based above an inviting pub, naturally the vibes were high after a couple of schooners in the summer sun.’
Life & Death welcomes a standout collaboration from Demi Riquísimo and Luke Alessi with the release of their new EP ‘Yes Bby’ landing 29 August 2025. Setting themselves the brief of, “upbeat rollers and a little bit of naughtiness,” the two producers blend their sonic identities on this club-ready two tracker, formed of ‘Basement Trash’ and title track ‘Yes Bby’.
“Basement Trash was actually the first track we wrote. A funky, fun, hypnotic groover thatlocks you in on the d floor, made for those late nights (or early mornings) in the “basement” of a grungy club. For ‘Yes Bby’ we wanted something that worked on a bigger scale. We dialled up the French rave synths, bigger builds, more drive in the groove and added a cheeky classic vocal chop for the hook.”
– Demi Riquísimo & Luke Alessi

Known for his genre-blending productions and distinctive edits, Semi Delicious head honcho Demi has steadily carved out his space in the scene, a respected tastemaker and Ibiza mainstay, while Luke Alessi has continued to establish a global profile over the last 12 months with major European and US gigs, plus releases on Shall Not Fade, SMiiLE records and of course Life & Death, making this pairing a natural fit.
Already receiving support from the likes of Chloé Caillet, Call Super, Moxie and more, ‘Yes Bby’ marks an exciting moment in both artists’ trajectories. For Demi, this EP also serves as the first in a new chapter, one that places him at the centre of a more collaborative space, setting the tone for landmark projects to follow on his own imprint later this year.
As one of dance music’s most respected tastemakers, Life & Death continues to shape the global underground through its diverse output, with ‘Yes Bby’ slotting seamlessly into the label’s catalogue of playful, sexy and forward-thinking club music.

Wishbone Ash reigned supreme through the 1970s — centered on inspired musicianship, joyful spirit and inventive songs. Their concerts were uplifting and their recorded work sublime. Argus remains a stunning high point in the band's startling repertoire. Argus was a 1972 tour de force, a hard-rocking masterpiece that has gone on to have a huge impact on rock bands moving forward. If you've never heard Argus, you've surely heard music that it inspired.

The British quartet's trademark harmony guitars became a touchstone for many: Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Opeth, and Lynyrd Skynyrd have all acknowledged an Ash influence, and tracks such as Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town," Maiden's "The Trooper," and even Steely Dan's "Reeling in the Years" all have twin-guitar moments that hark back to Argus. But Wishbone Ash were different from the start. They were never strictly a hard rock band; their soaring vocal harmonies and musical grandeur placed them close to progressive rock.

But they weren't strictly prog either: They had no keyboards, no real classical influence and weren't into side-long suites. Their roots were in the blues, and their calling card was twin lead guitars in harmony (played in the original lineup by Ted Turner and Andy Powell). Even the hardest Ash rockers — like "Blowin' Free," the most famous track from Argus — had an ethereal touch. They could rock the big stages, but they did it with subtlety and grace. This is reflected perfectly in the classic album sleeve by prog-associated designers Hipgnosis: The front cover shows a Greek sentry — the "argus" of the title — staring off into the distance. It's a mythic, old-world kind of image until you look closely at the back cover, and see that he's heralding the arrival (or perhaps watching the departure) of a spaceship.

Two worlds colliding. Exactly what the band and album were all about. By the time of Argus, Wishbone Ash were stars in England and cult heroes among Anglophiles in the US. What made Argus a step forward was its flow of moods. The songs don't run together, but there's an emotional connecting thread from the album's somber beginning to its heroic end. The band insisted at the time that lyrics were something of an afterthought: Shortly after its release, main lyricist Martin Turner told NME that he wrote them mainly to fit the mood of the music: "The music that was coming out was very English, very medieval, and the lyrics had to reflect that." Added Powell at the time, "The expression comes out in the guitars. We wouldn't play it if it didn't express something." Now, Analogue Productions has applied all of its vaunted craft and technical expertise to make this epic album shine! Two 45 RPM LPs pressed on virtually silent 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings make the remastered audio sparkle. Quieter lyrical sentiments and softer musical passages are rendered precisely, while majestic riffs and fist-waving anthems fully reveal the energy of the music! Argus isn't just another rock record — it's a journey through a sonic landscape rich with depth, emotion and technical prowess. It's the album that solidified Wishbone Ash as masters of twin guitar harmony. Discerning audiophiles will find Argus an essential addition to their record collection. It's a masterclass in sound engineering that fully captures the intricate interplay of dual guitars with pristine clarity and a warmth that only analog recordings can provide.

Miles Davis' Final Collaboration with Arranger Gil Evans Yields Watershed Innovations: Flamenco-Themed Sketches of Spain Spins Graceful Webs of Sound and Emotion Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP Set Brings Out the Record's Full Spectrum of Color: 65th Anniversary Edition Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing and Strictly Limited to 5,000 Numbered Copies 1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 64 to analogue console to lathe Miles Davis and Gil Evans bridged styles and collaborated on high-concept projects three different times during their celebrated careers. For their final act, they created Sketches of Spain, a peak moment in each luminary's legacy.

The transformative album weds Spanish themes, lush orchestrations, romantic timbres, and Davis' lyrical methods in a tender ceremony that resonates more than six decades after its original release. Part of Mobile Fidelity's Miles Davis restoration series, this 1960 landmark has been afforded the ultimate white-gloves treatment for its 65th anniversary. Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, this UltraDisc One-Step 33RPM 180g LP set dramatically expands the soundstages and eradicates a dryness that many critics found inhibitive to the record's enjoyment. You can now hear the full-range responsiveness of the woodwinds, strings, and percussion, all of which come alive with superior definition and detail.

The beautiful presentation of this UD1S set befits the record's historical importance. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features a special foil-stamped jacket and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the 1960 LP. This reissue is made for discerning listeners who desire to fully immerse themselves with the album. And who wouldn't want to go deep with Sketches of Spain? Whether it is the somber mood piece "Concierto de Aranjuez," renowned for Davis' flugelhorn performance, or the folktale-based "Solea," Sketches of Spain transfixes with playing, ideas, and innovations exclusive to this incomparable effort. It's one reason why Mobile Fidelity's engineers took all available measures to insert listeners into the space originally occupied by Davis, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb, percussionist Elvin Jones, and an 18-piece orchestra. The results are as breathtaking as the music.

Multi-note motifs, brief improvisational solos, fanfare sweeps, and contrapuntal exchanges inform flamenco-spiced pieces. Davis' famous Harmon-muted trumpet is complemented by an assortment of bassoons and French horns. Heard together, they create pleasing contrasts and sounds (pp, mf, ppp) that get to what resides at the heart of Sketches of Spain: color. Seldom, if ever, did Davis ever so expressively and liberally paint with color. And in Evans, he has a likewise-minded partner to help draw out tones, shades, layers, and textures. What they achieved continues to draw praise from the global music community in the 21st century. Ranked #358 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, deemed "a work of unparalleled grace and lyricism" by noted scribe J.D. Considine, bestowed a five-star review from DownBeat, and noted by Q to have taken "jazz in a new direction," the Grammy Award-winning effort has never been better.Miles Davis' Final Collaboration with Arranger Gil Evans Yields Watershed Innovations: Flamenco-Themed Sketches of Spain Spins Graceful Webs of Sound and Emotion Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP Set Brings Out the Record's Full Spectrum of Color: 65th Anniversary Edition Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing and Strictly Limited to 5,000 Numbered Copies 1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 64 to analogue console to lathe Miles Davis and Gil Evans bridged styles and collaborated on high-concept projects three different times during their celebrated careers.

For their final act, they created Sketches of Spain, a peak moment in each luminary's legacy. The transformative album weds Spanish themes, lush orchestrations, romantic timbres, and Davis' lyrical methods in a tender ceremony that resonates more than six decades after its original release. Part of Mobile Fidelity's Miles Davis restoration series, this 1960 landmark has been afforded the ultimate white-gloves treatment for its 65th anniversary. Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, this UltraDisc One-Step 33RPM 180g LP set dramatically expands the soundstages and eradicates a dryness that many critics found inhibitive to the record's enjoyment. You can now hear the full-range responsiveness of the woodwinds, strings, and percussion, all of which come alive with superior definition and detail. The beautiful presentation of this UD1S set befits the record's historical importance. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features a special foil-stamped jacket and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the 1960 LP.

This reissue is made for discerning listeners who desire to fully immerse themselves with the album. And who wouldn't want to go deep with Sketches of Spain? Whether it is the somber mood piece "Concierto de Aranjuez," renowned for Davis' flugelhorn performance, or the folktale-based "Solea," Sketches of Spain transfixes with playing, ideas, and innovations exclusive to this incomparable effort. It's one reason why Mobile Fidelity's engineers took all available measures to insert listeners into the space originally occupied by Davis, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb, percussionist Elvin Jones, and an 18-piece orchestra. The results are as breathtaking as the music. Multi-note motifs, brief improvisational solos, fanfare sweeps, and contrapuntal exchanges inform flamenco-spiced pieces. Davis' famous Harmon-muted trumpet is complemented by an assortment of bassoons and French horns. Heard together, they create pleasing contrasts and sounds (pp, mf, ppp) that get to what resides at the heart of Sketches of Spain: color. Seldom, if ever, did Davis ever so expressively and liberally paint with color. And in Evans, he has a likewise-minded partner to help draw out tones, shades, layers, and textures. What they achieved continues to draw praise from the global music community in the 21st century. Ranked #358 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, deemed "a work of unparalleled grace and lyricism" by noted scribe J.D. Considine, bestowed a five-star review from DownBeat, and noted by Q to have taken "jazz in a new direction," the Grammy Award-winning effort has never been better.

Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, played a part in the development of jazz rock in Japan. This work, "Memory Lane" recorded in 1980, was the final work under the same name. Inagaki said about this work, "We tried to create this work while predicting the fate of fusion music" and it is true that the sound is completely different from ordinary fusion. The mellow and emotional "Memory Lane" the stormy and refreshing "I Will Give You Samba" and the groovy and edgy "Take My Hand". The sound that was created with his ally Norio Maeda, which looks , is of an extraordinary level of perfection in the songs, arrangements, and performances. It is a masterpiece that is still vivid and fresh when listened to today.

text by Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUNDS/DEEP JAZZ REALITY)

'it’s his loosest, dreamiest dispatch yet, an enveloping and atmospheric collection that constantly comes together and breaks apart.'

Maxo releases his new album Mars Is Electric. Earlier this week, Maxo released a third haunting video, directed by Vincent Haycock, from the visual world of ‘Mars’ for the title track. Maxo previewed the album with the release of singles “Human?” and “Donahoo’s Chicken” this spring, which arrived with equally raw, inventive, and unnerving music videos.

Mars Is Electric is Maxo’s first official release since he dropped two critically acclaimed albums in 2023 with Even God Has A Sense of Humor and Debbie’s Son. His fifth full-length album finds the Southern Californian artist self-aware and mature. Having lived the last decade of his musical life intentionally creating specific bodies of work rooted in imagery, observation, and capturing moments, Maxo spent this previous year freely creating without a specific plan, relieved from all obligations and restrictions.

“This is the first time that I really didn’t care, I didn’t approach things so seriously,” the artist shrugs off, meaning that without expectations or specific goals, his creativity flourished. This opening finds the artist having conversations he’s been avoiding, having lived silently in the pain of those topics for the past few years. Exploring uncomfortable themes about personal life, relationships, and family fractures, life before and after the loss of innocence, and an abundance of existential spirals.

The exploration was not only thematic but also musical in nature. During the creation process, Maxo was immersed in a wide array of music from past to present - France Joli, $amaad, Steve Spacek, Cherelle, DJ Quik, Lisha G - influences that seeped their way into these songs. The album opens in a loose, dreamlike state—experimental and searching, mirroring the emotional fog of someone looking for something real to hold onto. But as it progresses, so does Maxo’s energy as he fiercely rides and weaves on songs with a contagious confidence, producing some of his most kinetic and lyrically impressive music to date.

As the work and vision coalesced into a body of work, Maxo found that he was unlocking a creative language with his collaborators that felt wholly new - a new understanding of why and how he was making art for this world. What emerged from this year-long process was a new musical journey and a future where Maxo refuses to be another bad example of what could be, refusing to mind the blueprint set down. Maxo is the sole voice on the album featuring production by lastnamedavid, Quelle Chris, Baird, Groove, and more.

Listen to Mars Is Electric above, see full album details below, and stay tuned for more from Maxo very soon.

The third album by Popol Vuh, a collective of musicians founded in Germany by Florian Fricke in 1969. 'Hosianna Mantra’ was a departure from the band’s first two records. Leader Florian Fricke abandoned the use of the Moog synthesiser and instead employed acoustic instrumentation such as piano, oboe and tambura. The record also featured evocative vocals by Korean singer Djong Yun and guitar contributions from Conny Veit.

The resulting album was one of the most inspiring, evocative and beautiful works to emerge in Germany in the 1970s and its fusion of ethnic, classical and ambient influences remains unique.

It is little wonder that 'Hosianna Mantra’ remains regarded as one of the finest works by Popol Vuh and continues to be held in high regard by both critics and aficionados alike.

This Esoteric Recordings edition has been cut at Abbey Road studios and replicates the original album artwork.

Lard’s Pure Chewing Satisfaction is the second landmark album of the industrial-hardcore collision between vocals of Jello Biafra with the patented wall of noise assault and studio wizardry of Ministry founders Paul Barker and Al Jourgensen!
Originally released in 1997, Pure Chewing Satisfaction is a dark, frightening look at everything wrong in America, and it rings as true now as it ever has. Lyrically its pessimistic and apocalyptic, tackling topics like looking for work, the legacy of the Me Generation and their failures, to environmental disasters. Sonically, the album is an avalanche of both real and electronic drums, menacing effects galore, and layers of machine gun guitars. Not quite punk rock, nor completely industrial—this is Lardcore for the people!

A must have for fans of Jello Biafra’s work and of Ministry, the result remains another classic release from this legendary collaboration. This long awaited repress now features in addition to the wide release on black vinyl, a limited solid-pink vinyl edition!
Praise The Lard!

“Great Doubt” is the third full length LP by Danish composer Astrid Sonne. Throughout her acclaimed discography, Astrid Sonne has been carefully crafting different moods through electronic and acoustic instrumental endeavours. On “Great Doubt” this skill is refined, now with the distinct addition of the composer's own vocal in front. The tone of each track is unmistakably Sonne’s, structured around contrasts through an impeccable sense of timing. Lyrics on the album are sparse, merely highlighting different scenes or emotional states of being, leaving the music to fill in the blanks. Yet they also form a pattern of ambiguity, consolidated through the album title, searching for answers through looking at how and what you are asking, questions for the world, questions of love. The viola, a trusted companion since Astrid Sonne’s youth, appears effortlessly throughout the album, fully integrated into the sonic universe; through a pizzicato driven arrangement in the poignant track “Almost” or along with booms and claps in mutated cinematic stabs during “Give my all”, paraphrasing Mariah Carey's 1997 ballad. Yet the string section also gives way to explorations of woodwinds, counterbalancing the bowed movements with digital brass and airy flutes. Finally, beats and detuned piano are fresh additions to the soundscape, cementing how Sonne’s practice is always evolving into new territories. In fall 2022, Astrid Sonne relocated from Copenhagen with its peers of artists such as ML Buch, Erika de Casier and Smerz, to live in London, where musicians of the South-East London scene like Coby Sey, Lolina, Still House Plants and Mica Levi provide a new inspirational framework. “Great Doubt” bears witness to both of those geographical locations, yet finds itself in its own unique space, in many ways due to the presence of Sonne's voice throughout. A voice that has always been present in her work, but never fully explored as a solo instrument before now. Astrid Sonne elaborates on the wish to work more in depth with the voice: “I come from a tradition of choir singing where I’ve used my voice as a way of creating unity with other voices. I’ve disciplined my voice in a certain way and this album is an exploration of me trying to find my own voice as an instrument, as a communicator, as a new way of being honest.” Questions take up a central role throughout the album. The doubt is both a blessing and a curse, always lying in-between, acting as both what holds back and drives forward. A metamorphosis not going anywhere. The great doubt takes place in a space of courage, chances, love, loss, gifts and surprises. Genre: Electronic / Experimental

*Re-press of first-time 7″ release / limited 300 copies red vinyl / Shipping from 11 August* If you were part of a clubbing tribe in 1994 – any clubbing tribe – you will have danced to the Ballistic Brothers astounding ‘Blacker’. A track on a mysterious 12-inch that no-one could quite work out if it was a 12-inch single of a cheaply packaged album (it was in effect a 12 inch EP), but in the end it didn’t matter. It provided any DJ with a guaranteed dancefloor winner. A sly mix of beats and samples, it is nothing short of an anthem, and with the full cooperation of the group, we are making it available for the first time as a 7-inch single. The Ballistics – Ashley Beedle, Rocky, Diesel and David Hill – went on to record a further 12-inch EP and two full-length albums, making them one of the cult names of 1990s music. On the flip of this seven is one of their most popular cuts, what at the time was an LP-only track ‘Cubafro Con Amigos’, which has been specially edited for this release. Following the sellout of the first-time 7″ in 2023, we are excited to offer a repress. Limited to 300 copies and pressed on transparent red vinyl in a black disco bag!

The rediscovery of Terry Callier is of the high points of in the history of Acid Jazz Records, who present the reissue of the 7” version of the song that started it all - ‘I Don’t Want To See Myself (Without You)’. A true classic of the modern soul scene.

‘I Don’t Want To See Myself…’ was the final release from Callier, whose career encompassed recording for Prestige, Chess’s Cadet label and Elektra, before this one- off single on the independent Erect label.

Despite the record fetching huge sums by the 1990s, his career had been largely unexplored, until Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller decided to track him down. After several attempts, Eddie finally found him working as a computer programmer, and in July 1990 Acid Jazz reissued the single.

Over the next decade Terry resumed his recording and performing career, releasing new music, and was finally recognised for his brilliance as an artist. In 2006 Eddie found himself once more in conversation with Terry and they agreed on releasing a 7-inch version of the single, with an edit created by Andy Lewis.

This single is long since deleted, and now sells for upwards of £30, so with the full co-operation of his daughter Sundiata and licensed from Terry Callier Music, it is set for reissue in March 2025, backed with ‘If I Could Make You’.

"Roll With The Punches"" ist das mit Spannung erwartete 17. Studioalbum des gefeierten Singer-Songwriters und weltweiten Rock-Ikone Bryan Adams. Es ist Adams" erstes Album mit neuem Material, dass er auf seinem eigenen, unabhängigen Label Bad Records veröffentlicht. Das von Adams mitgeschriebene und produzierte Album enthält 10 neu aufgenommene Titel, darunter "Roll With The Punches", "Make Up Your Mind" und "Never Ever Let You Go". Zu den Co-Autoren gehören Mutt Lange, Eliot Kennedy und sein langjähriger Mitstreiter Jim Vallance.

"Roll With The Punches"" ist das mit Spannung erwartete 17. Studioalbum des gefeierten Singer-Songwriters und weltweiten Rock-Ikone Bryan Adams. Es ist Adams" erstes Album mit neuem Material, dass er auf seinem eigenen, unabhängigen Label Bad Records veröffentlicht. Das von Adams mitgeschriebene und produzierte Album enthält 10 neu aufgenommene Titel, darunter "Roll With The Punches", "Make Up Your Mind" und "Never Ever Let You Go". Zu den Co-Autoren gehören Mutt Lange, Eliot Kennedy und sein langjähriger Mitstreiter Jim Vallance.

Norman Connors' Mr. C is a masterclass in sophisticated modern funk and boogie-infused soul that was way ahead of its time. Originally released in 1981, the album finds the renowned jazz drummer/producer at a creative crossroads, boldly diving deep into street-level boogie-funk without losing his soulful, jazzy touch. What once might have puzzled jazz purists now delights soul/funk aficionados; it has quietly become a cult favourite and now, nearly 45 years later, Mr. C sounds fresher than ever. Brimming with infectious heavy funk, lush arrangements and soul-stirring performances, it's an album that flirts with perfection, ensuring its enduring significance in the boogie/jazz-funk-soul canon.

From its opening moments, Mr. C makes one thing clear: this is Norman Connors at his funkiest. The majority of the album is a straight-up party: think dancefloor-ready beats complemented by punchy horn riffs and slick early-80s boogie vibes. There’s heavy use of synths and drum-machines, demonstrating Connors' gleeful embrace of contemporary funk trends. Each track shines in uniquely thrilling fashion, showcasing Connors’ versatility and happy knack for blending genres whilst crafting unforgettable melodies.

Irresistible thumper “She’s Gone” opens the album with a dyno-Rhodes electric piano groove and a seriously thick boogie-funk rhythm. Lush string accents and horn stabs weave through the funky bassline, while the vocals (handled by a young Beau Williams) soar with gospel-tinged emotion. Over four decades later, it endures as a masterpiece. Living up to its name, the shimmering “Party Town” brings deep Electro-Funk Energy by layering bubbling synth bass and shiny lead synth lines. The groove is downright addictive, a brisk, brass-kissed jam that implores you to move. Up next, the sophisticated funk of “Keep Doin’ It” is a low-slung post-disco glider, propelled by a sleek vibe, leaning into the late-night boogie sound. Funky guitar, tight drumming (with Connors’ jazz-honed chops in the pocket) and smooth vocals urge you to “keep doin'” whatever it is that's working. “Stay with Me” works a bit of island flavour into the mix, riding a thick Caribbean groove complete with tropical percussion and an upbeat tempo that could almost be calypsoul. The fusion of Caribbean rhythm elements into an R&B context demonstrates Connors’ willingness to experiment with global sounds while keeping things soulful and danceable.

Side B opens with the sassy funk-deluxe workout, "Anyway You Want" dripping with that soulful strut. Bringing a real quiet storm swagger, “Sing a Love Song” slows the tempo ever so slightly into a sexy, swaying jazz-funk gem, featuring a young Glenn Jones on lead vocals. The arrangement is elegant, built on warm keys and an undeniable groove. The celestial “Love’s In Your Corner” is all about soulful uplift. Featuring the legendary Jean Carn's powerhouse vocals soaring over a brass-kissed driving funk, it's an R&B burner. The refined, jazzy instrumental “Mr. C” is a slinky, smooth, funk-filled mid-tempo groove, with sax and warm keys gliding effortlessly. Connors combines jazzy arrangements into the post-disco/boogie framework one last time, and the result is sublime. It’s sophisticated and cool and, as a finale, “Mr. C” wraps up the album in classy style.

On release, Mr. C flew under the radar but time has been exceptionally kind to this record. DJs, collectors and soul connoisseurs alike have since rediscovered its magic. As ever, this crucial reissue has been lovingly remastered by Simon Francis, cut by engineer of the year Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios and pressed to perfection by Record Industry in Holland. Norman Connors was something truly extra. He was a visionary. And Mr. C is proof.

Students of Decay presents The Dip, a new full-length recording by Berlin-based artist and composer Thomas Ankersmit, marking his debut with the label and sixth album to date. Comprised of two expansive, sidelong pieces composed entirely on the Serge Modular synthesizer, it signals a subtle yet significant shift in Ankersmit’s trajectory, imbuing the hyper-physical, psychoacoustic intensities of his live performances with introspective, atmospheric, and even melodic elements.

Primarily known for a site-responsive approach to sound, often realized in the moment of performance, Ankersmit’s turn toward the studio in the last few years has opened up a new dimension within his practice. It is in this quiet rupture that The Dip emerged, a study in internality and suspended states, rich with cinematic undercurrents and ghostly spatial suggestion. Here, electricity itself feels transfigured – becoming supple, even organic – within an environment shaped entirely by analog signals.

Over the past two decades, Ankersmit has established himself as one of the foremost practitioners of the Serge, the notoriously idiosyncratic and expressive instrument that has remained central to his work. On The Dip, he harnesses its potential not for brute force or disorientation, but for spaciousness, resonance, and lyrical abstraction. Without resorting to additional processing or effects, he draws out tones that feel simultaneously raw and refined, articulated and blurred – intricate structures that seem to breathe and evolve of their own volition.

The result is a kind of auditory hallucination, a “cinema for the ears,” wherein impressions, emotional arcs, and imagined topographies unfold. Each side of The Dip plays like a single gesture unfolding in time – a spatial narrative constructed through vibration, density, and the movement of air.

The Dip follows acclaimed works on PAN, Touch, and Shelter Press, and reaffirms Thomas Ankersmit’s position as one of the most focused and probing voices in contemporary experimental music. Quietly radical and meticulously constructed, it is less a departure than a deepening – a descent into a more private sonic world, where the boundaries between perception, memory, and pure signal dissolve.

"Roll With The Punches"" ist das mit Spannung erwartete 17. Studioalbum des gefeierten Singer-Songwriters und weltweiten Rock-Ikone Bryan Adams. Es ist Adams" erstes Album mit neuem Material, dass er auf seinem eigenen, unabhängigen Label Bad Records veröffentlicht. Das von Adams mitgeschriebene und produzierte Album enthält 10 neu aufgenommene Titel, darunter "Roll With The Punches", "Make Up Your Mind" und "Never Ever Let You Go". Zu den Co-Autoren gehören Mutt Lange, Eliot Kennedy und sein langjähriger Mitstreiter Jim Vallance.

Mutant, in partnership with Howe Records, is proud to present Howard Shore's incredible score and 17th collaboration with legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg: THE SHROUDS. Over the course of four decades, Howard Shore and David Cronenberg have collaborated on countless masterpieces (Crash, Videodrome, Dead Ringers, History of Violence... the list goes on and on). The Shrouds continues in the mold of Crimes of the Future, with a delicate but deceptive score. In a film about burial, decay, and the search for meaning—marred by conspiracy theories and an overreliance on technology—the film and score find a space that balances the ethereal and the dreadful. The sacred and profane. It's a profoundly beautiful work of art from a maestro who has made some of the best film music of our lifetimes. "Howard Shore’s score, a mix of hymns and organs, beautifully layers the film’s imagery.”

Cody Currie with a new EP! Jamiroquai in the studio with Masters at Work and Todd Terje and u got the vibe!

The London super soul talent did 5 more tracks for his label Toy Tonics. Being part of the Toy Tonics crew since day one almost.. he has been sharing studio, stages and free time with the Berlin label bunch for more than 5 years now. The new EP shows his talent as a musician who plays bass, guitar and keyboard on the highest level again as well his skills as a superb electronic producer. The new sound for the edgy dancefloor of 2025. It's not dancefloor tools, it's real music for dancers. Taste & quality.

Hailing from the depths of Istanbul's ancient shadows, ASH MAGICK is a raw and unfiltered black metal project founded in 2022 by Necrosanctus and Graveyard Slut. Born from firsthand occult experience, the band channels themes of spiritual decay, cursed devotion, and forbidden knowledge into ritualistic sonic expressions. Drawing on Eastern mysticism, ancestral lore, and demonic narratives, Ash Magick conjures haunting atmospheres steeped in esotericism and ancient rites. Black metal in its most feral, feminine, and arcane form. Ash Magick are returning with their most spiritually charged and meticulously crafted work to date.

Released in 1972, Blue Öyster Cult’s eponymous debut failed to garner initial interest from the music-loving public upon release, but is now considered a must-have classic. The exceptional psychedelic hard rock album with stunning cover art, features songs such as "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll", "Stairway to the Stars", and "Then Came the Last Days of May", all of which the band still plays regularly during its concerts. The band toured with artists such as The Byrds, Alice Cooper and the Mahavishnu Orchestra to support the album, which received a positive reaction from critics. The Village Voice called it "the tightest and most musical hard rock record since - dare I say it - Who's Next".

WYRD, the third full-length album by Crawling Chaos, is an anthology-based work built around a series of archetypes tied to the concept of destiny, fate, and becoming. In the Northern European culture these ideas are encapsulated in the term wyrd, as opposed to notions of free will and self-determination. The main theme is expanded and explored across the album's ten tracks following a narrative thread which unites some of the most fascinating female figures of classical mythology, European folklore, and history-from the Norse Norns to Macbeth's witches serving Hecate, from the Greco-Roman Furies to the fearsome Thessalian necromancers. As with Crawling Chaos' previous works, WYRD is full of literary quotes and easter eggs, offering subtle nods to the most curious among the listeners. Musically speaking, the album is uncompromising, heavy, and very dark.

Limited marbled vinyl. WYRD, the third full-length album by Crawling Chaos, is an anthology-based work built around a series of archetypes tied to the concept of destiny, fate, and becoming. In the Northern European culture these ideas are encapsulated in the term wyrd, as opposed to notions of free will and self-determination. The main theme is expanded and explored across the album's ten tracks following a narrative thread which unites some of the most fascinating female figures of classical mythology, European folklore, and history-from the Norse Norns to Macbeth's witches serving Hecate, from the Greco-Roman Furies to the fearsome Thessalian necromancers. As with Crawling Chaos' previous works, WYRD is full of literary quotes and easter eggs, offering subtle nods to the most curious among the listeners. Musically speaking, the album is uncompromising, heavy, and very dark.

Mutant is proud to present Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s latest installment of his Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen series - Featuring more iconic scores from Giacchino’s career that have been exclusively rearranged and re-recorded for this series in the retro lounge style of the 1950s. Volume 2 spans the period of 2012 to 2022 and features not only his work with Marvel Studios (including their iconic Marvel Studios Fanfare, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and more!) but also more career defining music for Disney Pixar (Inside Out, Coco and Lightyear) as well as smaller, cult classics like John Carter, and Tomorrowland, more personal films such as Jojo Rabbit and The Book of Henry. He has taken these iconic themes and transformed them into soothing, beautiful 60’s lounge-inspired reworks.

Black Vinyl LP with insert (including the story behind the album and lyrics with English translation)

After their first LP, in 1987, Pedro gathered his usual band, Carlos Sousa on keyboard, Bulimundo on drums, Nuno Santos and Zézé on lead and rhythm guitars, Augusto Rasta on bass, Daló on sax and finally Dalú on percussions, for yet another project, one that carried both their names: Jacinta Sanches - Pedro Ramos. Eight days, no more, that’s all Pedro Ramos and Jacinta Sanches needed inside the Estúdios Musicorde. The process was natural, as with all their music, memories recollected and arranged by Pedro on café napkins, rehearsed and perfected at home with Jacinta. Together they imagined music where Cape Verdean saudade could dance together with Kingston’s skank, two island hearts beating inside European concrete.

His name is Pedro Correia Ramos Varela, born in Praia, Santiago, Cabo Verde on April 6th 1954; her name is Jacinta Lopes Veiga Varela, born in Cidade Velha, Santiago, Cabo Verde on January 22nd 1959. The two met in Praia, where a few exchanged words turned into long evening conversations; conversations into friendship; friendship into love; and love into six wonderful children. After the independence of Cabo Verde, they got married in 1978 and moved to Portugal, where Pedro started working as a welder for Lisnave and playing the guitar in a band in Ramada. Trading shipyard sparks by day for the after-hours pulse of Cova da Moura, his love for music proved harder than steel. And in 1982, after seeing Bob Marley and Peter Tosh in Rotterdam, he opened his own Dancing Bar just below their house, a pioneering space for the promotion of reggae music in Portugal.

Their Dancing Bar kept its doors open from 1982 to 1994, seeing the release of two albums and more singles. To this day, Pedro and Jacinta are still making music, one the inspiration of the other. They define themselves as simple people, living happy without prejudice, friends with the world.

"Ben Harper has unveiled his new album Winter Is For Lovers, and in many ways his entire musical life has culminated in this moment. The solo recording, which features just Harper and his Monteleone lap steel guitar, is a 15-song work of original instrumental compositions imagined as a symphony. Harper has pushed musical boundaries since his 1994 debut and his lap steel guitar has played a tremendous role in his distinct sound throughout his career. But he"s never made an album that so purely distills his reverence for the instrument, and his mastery of it. Meditative and affecting, the music featured on Winter Is For Lovers is deeply ingrained in Harper"s DNA and leads directly back to The Folk Music Store, the influential California instrument shop his grandparents opened in the 1950s. The store hosted luminaries of all stripes, including Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, the Rev. Gary Davis, Doc Watson and John Fahey. While Harper worked in the shop throughout his childhood, he met and even strung guitars for iconic players like Ry Cooder, Leonard Cohen, Taj Mahal, David Lindley and Jackson Browne.

180g
Repress

Supported by Deepbass, Svreca, Pris, A Sacred Geometry, Amandra, Etapp Kyle, Takaaki Itoh and Abstract Division to name a few.

The Hypnus clergy is proud to present the 6th solo record by Feral. 'Ultraviolet Radiation' throws us head first into a sound that's been brooding for a time and now finally started to blossom, revealing the massive potential of this gifted producer. Those who heard his contribution to our latest Various Adepts record or have managed to catch one of his mind-bending live performances will recognize his uniquely psychedelic deep techno sound.

Marked by an awakened sense of depth, Feral consistently carries a thread of spirituality throughout his work. Embodying the sound of deep techno through his passion for audio engineering, hardware experimentation and fascination for percussive instruments, as well as an affinity for the shamanic becomes apparent when we swirl in tribal timbres and rhythms.

Finding comfort in the solitude of his studio; the sounds of Feral unearth the path of his multidimensional world, transporting the listener to a haunting, yet grounding refuge within.

I have been playing Eternal a lot in my DJ sets & it all started with Dev/Null posting a video clip of a tune he was working on, in a Skype group chat we're both a part of. It was probably the best thing I'd ever heard from him and I hassled him relentlessly to finish this track so I could start playing it and then potentially signing it for Future Retro London. That tune he was working on ended up being Eternal & I had no hesitation towards taking the tune for the label. I asked him who he would like to remix Eternal for the release and he picked DJ B (who's had tunes out on Demolition Squad & Brazen) and he did a nice 4x4 version, taking the track down a stompier path (I don't know if stompier is a word but can't think of a better word to use).

Watch The Spin is a tune I first heard when I was in Helsinki, playing at a night called 20hz, organised by DJ Sofa & ODJ Pirkka. Pirkka played after me and during his set, I heard him play this track which had a wicked 90s Bristol jump-up flavour, but with new twists & style to it. I went into the booth and asked him who it was by, and he told me it was by him & another guy called Onni and that they'd recently started making music together under the alias of Unlimited Vibes. When I got back to London the next day, I asked him to send the tune and he did and I really liked the track, so decided to sign it for Future Retro London, to fit alongside Eternal on this release. And to complete the release, Ricky Force has done an exceptional remix of Watch The Spin, bringing his modern jungle sound to the table.

Mocambo is proud to welcome Peki Momés, a Turkish artist who has always expressed herself creatively, but accidentally began recording music in 2023. With no pre-education in music, Peki Momés brings a stylish, fresh perspective to groove music, blending her vocals with a unique mix of intuition and uncompromising authenticity.

Her first two songs showcase her versatility, offering distinct sounds that work as both dancefloor hits and listening gems.
Göç Mevisimi transports listeners to a secret place between Japanese City Pop and outernational/tropical boogie sound. Dirty disco grooves, soothing Fender Rhodes, jazzy flute and charming lyrics in Turkish language about our constant search and movement that makes us all passagers of life create a bonafide piece of global underground.

Rüya, on the flip side, is a heavy psych joint that embodies the gritty sound of psychedelic Anatolia. With wobbling grooves, fuzzy guitars and contemporary vocals, it brings a raw, yet hypnotic energy.

Now collaborating with Mocambo Records, Peki Momés is working on an album that promises to offer a fresh approach to Turkish alternative music, ready to captivate music lovers around the world.

Just a year after the last compilation stood out as one of the best of 2024, Pete Herbert is back with a another brilliant collection of poolside sounds that again explore leftfield Balearica. These are delightfully horizontal grooves that transport you to sunny climes and starry skies in an instant. His own reworks feature, including a version of Sidirum's blissful and astral trip 'Ex Plane', a more tropical and propulsive dub of Lulla's 'Love Comes Quickly' and a quietly epic ambient daydream rework of Bill Mango's 'Inflight Sample.' These are grown-up sounds for cathartic moments lost in your own thoughts.

DJ Feedback

Don Letts/BBC6:
"Good to go on my show!"

Phil Mison/Cantoma:
"Another great MFSP release . Very summery, full support."

Leo Mas/Amnesia:
"Great Stuff."

Sean Johnston/ALFOS:
"PH on fire once again."

Trepanado/Selvagem/Brazil:
"Makes me wanna set sails and just go."

Ruf Dug/Pikes:
"Yeah this ticks loads of my boxes. Mega work."

Bill Brewster/DJ History/Lowlife:
"Some nice cuts on here especially Marius, Fernando etc."

Marco Gallerani/Hell Yeah:
"Beautiful compilation overall."

Sally Rogers/A Man Called Adam:
"Loads of lovely tracks here."

Feel Fly/International Feel:
"Definitely the compilation of the summer! thank you for this fresh breath of summer!"

Max Essa/Jansen Jardin,Tokyo:
"A beautifully curated collection providing a sublime listening experience!"

Indonesian duo Kuntari make music that's so distinctive, they had to devise their own genre: primal-core. On Mutu Beton, multiinstrumentalist Tesla Manaf and percussionist Rio Abror dialog with both history and their tropical surroundings in Bandung, West Java's mountainous capital. Using the cornet and hulusi, a free reed instrument made from a bottle gourd and bamboo pipes, Manaf echoes the bellows of local elephants, orangutans and rhinos, grazing Abror's ancestral Indonesian rhythms with potent overdriven riffs and evocative microtonal chimes.

It's music that's profoundly atmospheric and simultaneously raw, recorded live to fully encapsulate the dynamic and deeply human interaction between the two seasoned players. There are elements of sludge metal, noise and post-hardcore, references to traditional folk music and jazz, and gestures towards sound art, 20th century minimalism and dark ambient, but what Kuntari do is completely idiosyncratic -- it's hardly surprising it needed a similarly unique categorization.

Manaf started Kuntari as a solo project, debuting in 2020 with Black Shirt Attracts More Feather and animating his nimble instrumental improvisations with bold electronic processes and booming synthetic drums. And by the time he recorded 2022's acclaimed Last Boy Picked, his approach had evolved significantly; prioritizing organic sounds, he played prepared cornet and piano, bringing in additional percussionists to help devise a ritualistic rhythm section. Abror was one of those performers, and ended up sticking around, playing on 2023's furious LARYNX/STRIDULA, the stylistic precursor for Mutu Beton. At this stage, the duo have racked up a litany of accolades and collaborated with a spectrum of like-minded artists, from noise deity Keiji Haino to fellow Indonesian free-thinker Rully Shabara, who's best known for his work with Senyawa and avant-garde supergroup Osmium. Mutu Beton plays like a lap of honor, showcasing their most kinetic and most feral recordings to date. Kuntari surpass their own high standards, folding history and geography in on itself and suggesting a trailblazing Indonesian cultural movement that's not restricted by highbrow Western conventions. It's not just automation and technology that drives progression, it's interaction and observation. And there's nothing more primal, or revolutionary, than that.

Ranil is undoubtedly the most unconventional figure among the greats of Amazonian cumbia, earning a well-deserved place alongside iconic bands like Los Mirlos, Los Wembler's, and Juaneco y su Combo. This compilation offers a glimpse into the vast musical output Ranil created in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Psychedelia, rock fusion, cumbia, salsa, mambo, Amazonian folk_ you'll find all these flavors blended into the vibrant, jungle-rich sound Ranil crafted. DESCRIPTION Ranil is undoubtedly the most unconventional figure among the greats of Amazonian cumbia, earning a well-deserved place alongside all the better-known iconic bands. He worked as a teacher, criollo guitarist, radio host, TV entrepreneur, and politician, but gained lasting fame as the founder of Ranil y Su Conjunto Tropical in the 1970s. By 1968, around the same time Los Destellos were making waves in Lima, groups like Los Wembler's de Iquitos and Juaneco y su Combo began electrifying cumbia in Iquitos. This new genre, dubbed Amazonian cumbia, exploded nationwide in 1973, thanks to hits by Juaneco y su Combo, Los Mirlos, and Los Wembler's. The success these bands achieved spawned dozens of other groups from the Amazon. Ranil, always a visionary, recognized the movement's potential and joined forces through his first single recorded on the Dinsa label in 1974. Unhappy with the contractual terms, he went on to found Producciones Llerena, the label on which he would release the rest of his discography. Over the years, Ranil y su Conjunto Tropical featured guitarists like Límber Zumba and Luis Nigro, while Ranil remained the lead vocalist and bassist for group. Zumba and Nigro had already played with other regional bands and written songs for groups like Los Destellos and Los Mirlos. This compilation offers a glimpse into the vast musical output Ranil created in the late 1970s and early 1980s, bringing together 14 tracks from the band's 10 LPs. These records have always been hard to come by as, despite being recorded in Lima, they were distributed by Ranil from Iquitos. Psychedelia, rock fusion, cumbia, salsa, mambo, Amazonian folk_ you'll find all these flavors blended into the vibrant, jungle-rich sound Ranil crafted.