News & Events

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: RANDB 111LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

By 1972, Family was at their commercial and artistic peak after the success of the albums Fearless (1971) and Bandstand (1972). This LP was recorded in Boston for FM radio during their Autumn tour and features the hit singles "Burlesque", "My Friend The Sun", and "The Weaver's Answer". In addition to selected album tracks there is also a bonus recording of "A Song For Me", made for French TV at Olympic Studios. Comes with full credits and sleeve notes. Very good sound quality throughout. Recorded live at The Music Hall, Boston September 28th, 1972, except the third track on side two recorded for Rockenstock French TV, January 11th, 1972.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: AFFIN 006LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Reshape contains musical interpretations by Alva Noto, ASC, bvdub, Warmth, Markus Guentner, Simone Giudice, zakè, and G?ós. The works are related to original pieces from Joachim Spieth's past creative phase and thus form a musical conclusion to the 15th label anniversary of Affin.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: AF 1004LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Reissue, originally released in 1978. A little masterpiece of soul Afrofunk with carpets of dreamy keyboards on their swirling, seductive sound and their really cool voices. The second album of Black Children Sledge Funk Band released in 1978 is a delight. Repressed for the first time.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: AF 1005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1974. An aura of mystery is hidden on this magnificent album released on EMI Nigeria in 1974 and today a collector's cult object was the only one named Moonrakers Band. Steve Black tells: "We were the original members of The Moonrakers and were based in Zaria, then in 1972 we left band management and started The Elcados. The original management of The Moonrakers sold the name to his elder brother who had a club in Kano and they brought Prince Bola Agbana to get other musicians to continue The Moonrakers while we moved in as The Elcados." Moonrakers Band and the Elcados were the two bands that inflamed northern Nigeria in the early '70s with a more rocking and virtuoso sound, and especially with tons of rare grooves, then everything else around it. Coming to the album content tracks like "Wait For Me", "Cut Your Coat According To You Size", "Yara Manyan Gobe", but also "Enia Sa Pele" and "Move On", will make floating camels appear on the dancefloor, or in your house.

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: AI 031LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

The debut release from a new collaboration between Samuel van Dijk (Netherlands) and Rasmus Hedlund (Finland). Both key proponents to the scene in Northern Europe, they come together with mutual understanding and a common vision to sound. Dialog acts as a conversational exchange that sees the interplay of dynamic frequencies, evocative imagery and contemporary sonic art. Spread across four sides, the album as a whole exists as a kind of metaphysical process, eternally growing and contracting -- change is the only constant, marked by a continuous progression of sound and space. Expansive, deep, and at moments arresting, Dialog unfolds with sweeping soundscapes and shimmers with tactile sonic details. A chasmic rift of scintillating drone structures, each layer exposes a series of ever-deeper shades. In a play of dynamic dualities, the pair harnesses both earthly materials as well as access to more ethereal dimensions in the music. Side A begins with sub-terrestrial ruptures, gestating in a process of constant elemental changes. Rattling hits sputter amongst a state of nascent chaos, yet continues to be maintained in self-regulating stasis. Side B sets a more introspective tone, whispering with ghostly artifacts and bubbling synth lines, before building into a driving energy of layered field recordings and mechanistic timbres. The essence of form continues to be contested, until it subsides into momentary calm on side C. A cleansing period of soft drones float into the space and the pace slows, washing away remnants of past. The journey continues with side D's conclusion -- a solemn contour that reaches its internal extent, to then finally return to its source.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: AVE66 015LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"After a year and a half writing and recording rock music, I needed to clear my head. I listened to and made music where things generally happen gradually rather than suddenly. I would set up patches on a Monomachine or Analog Four and listen to them, hearing one sound morph into others, making changes to a patch only after having listened for quite a while, gradually adding elements, and finally manipulating the sounds on the fly. All tracks were recorded live to CD burner, with no overdubs, and executed on one or two machines. While I was almost exclusively listening to artists such as Chris Watson, Peter Rehberg, Bernard Parmegiani, CM Von Hausswolff, Jana Winderen, Oren Ambarchi, Hazard, Bruce Gilbert, Klara Lewis, Ryoji Ikeda, and so on, I was also inspired by my mental image of John Lennon's tape and mellotron experiments he made at home during his time in the Beatles, as well as events like the first minute of Bowie's Station To Station, '...And The Gods Made Love' by Jimi Hendrix, the synths in the song 'Mass Production' by Iggy Pop, and the general idea of Eno's initial concept of ambient music. Music being a solitary sculpture in sonic space was the main motivating thought. I was looking at pictures of sculptures and trying to make music that simultaneously conveyed both movement and stillness. I refrained from sudden musical changes, especially avoiding sequences of notes and rhythms. In fact, this music was made from sequences which never exceed a single note, many of these pieces being made on a single pattern. The movement which a good sculptor conveys when the shape of his medium meets the eyes of the viewer who walks around the piece, or the sun changes its position, are the kinds of movement which it was the role of the synth patches to communicate . . . I also cannot overstate the role that being in my band played. I had previously spent 12 years programming and engineering my own music, and then spent a year and a half making music where my role was basically to write songs and play guitar. When the band's recording phase was completed, I needed to go back to my adopted language. I had done enough with chords, rhythms, notes, defined sections, sharp transitions, etc. What I needed was to create music from the ground up with nothing but sound, and have that music reflect 'being' rather than 'doing'. It was a therapeutic way of re-balancing myself, before and during my band's mixing process..." --John Frusciante

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: AVE66 016CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"After a year and a half writing and recording rock music, I needed to clear my head. I listened to and made music where things generally happen gradually rather than suddenly. I would set up patches on a Monomachine or Analog Four and listen to them, hearing one sound morph into others, making changes to a patch only after having listened for quite a while, gradually adding elements, and finally manipulating the sounds on the fly. All tracks were recorded live to CD burner, with no overdubs, and executed on one or two machines. While I was almost exclusively listening to artists such as Chris Watson, Peter Rehberg, Bernard Parmegiani, CM Von Hausswolff, Jana Winderen, Oren Ambarchi, Hazard, Bruce Gilbert, Klara Lewis, Ryoji Ikeda, and so on, I was also inspired by my mental image of John Lennon's tape and mellotron experiments he made at home during his time in the Beatles, as well as events like the first minute of Bowie's Station To Station, '...And The Gods Made Love' by Jimi Hendrix, the synths in the song 'Mass Production' by Iggy Pop, and the general idea of Eno's initial concept of ambient music. Music being a solitary sculpture in sonic space was the main motivating thought. I was looking at pictures of sculptures and trying to make music that simultaneously conveyed both movement and stillness. I refrained from sudden musical changes, especially avoiding sequences of notes and rhythms. In fact, this music was made from sequences which never exceed a single note, many of these pieces being made on a single pattern. The movement which a good sculptor conveys when the shape of his medium meets the eyes of the viewer who walks around the piece, or the sun changes its position, are the kinds of movement which it was the role of the synth patches to communicate . . . I also cannot overstate the role that being in my band played. I had previously spent 12 years programming and engineering my own music, and then spent a year and a half making music where my role was basically to write songs and play guitar. When the band's recording phase was completed, I needed to go back to my adopted language. I had done enough with chords, rhythms, notes, defined sections, sharp transitions, etc. What I needed was to create music from the ground up with nothing but sound, and have that music reflect 'being' rather than 'doing'. It was a therapeutic way of re-balancing myself, before and during my band's mixing process..." --John Frusciante

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: AX 109EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

An attempt to bring forth the notion that the future could provide more than what we are doing now. A series from Growth (1994) and Expanded (2004) under the same concept.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: BEWITH 115LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1971. Blue Butterfly, one of the absolute stunners on the revered Selected Sound, is finally available for all the beat-heads. Heavyweight library funk with a psychedelic touch, the super in-demand Blue Butterfly features Hardy's Jet Band, Orchestra Klaus Wuesthoff, Jan Troysen Band, and Orchestra Gary Pacific. For many aficionados, this is the best Selected Sound release. Loaded with fuzzy wah-wah guitar, deep flute-lines atop soulful psych-rock breakbeats, and huge organ action, its uncompromising funk will blow you away. Sampled for many hip-hop beats and dropped by well-known rare groove DJs around the world, one jewel in particular from this glorious German vault needs little introduction. The intro to Orchestra Gary Pacific's mesmeric "Soft Wind" rides the crispest drum break you've perhaps never heard alongside a smooth, deep bass line from the heavens. It featured notoriously on the beloved Dusty Fingers comps of the '90s and was brilliantly sampled by Pacewon for his eternal "Sunroof Top". Beyond this mini-masterpiece, the other killer tracks offer brilliance in abundance. Hardy's Jet Band take control of the full A side, and it's full of dynamic psych-funk bombs. Hard, "big city" industrial groovers. In particular, the initial one-two of "Sorry, Doc!" and "Wind It Up" provide thrilling funky-blues rock instrumentals showcasing relentless guitars, flutes, sax, and organ, the latter containing gorgeous, hypnotic breakdowns. The title track, "Blue Butterfly" is a real deep strut of a track with fantastic soloing from guitar and flute over crisp drums whilst the highway banger "What You Call To Be Free" certainly sounds a lot like unbridled, rhythmical liberty. On the flip, the ghost-riding "Lady In Space" is a string-drenched acid-western foxtrot. "Pop Happening" by Jan Troysen Band is a heavy, druggy psych-fuzz organ groover whilst their slow beat-organ-flute gem "A Blue Message" is a gorgeous psych floater conjuring deeply strange frontier lands. Preceding their monster "Soft Wind", the soulful, up-tempo groover "Ghetto Gap" by Orchestra Gary Pacific contains solo piano and flute whilst closing out the set is the free-and-easy samba beat of "So Far". Founded in the late '60s by German composer and musician Klaus Netzle (who recorded under the alias Claude Larson for Sonoton) Selected Sound began as a production music company specializing in jazz, orchestral and electronic recordings. You can't miss those early LPs in their iconic glossy metallic copper sleeves with minimal German typography. Remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis. Richard Robinson reproduced the glossy metallic (iconic) original Selected Sound sleeve.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: BCM 9608CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Beat Records release on CD the brilliant music by Ennio Morricone for La vita, a volte, è molto dura, vero Provvidenza? directed in 1972 by Giulio Petroni and by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai for Ci risiamo, vero Provvidenza? directed in 1973 by Alberto De Martino, two comic westerns starring the legendary Tomas Milian. For Provvidenza's first adventure, Ennio Morricone composed a cheerful and brilliant score in which a recurring piece of religious/folk flavor emerges for female choir, with pop rhythms and tubular bells. A truly varied OST with suspense music, saloon pieces for piano, a romantic orchestral love theme, Indian music with sitar and a piece that winks at Rossini's Figaro. For the sequel, the varied soundtrack bears the signature of both Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai (who'd previously worked with director De Martino on the films Dalle Ardenne all'inferno, OK Connery, Roma come Chicago, and L'anticristo. The prestigious duo composed a comic main theme with pop rhythms and choir alternating with square dance music, the delicate love theme "Bocca a bocca", saloon pieces, baroque pop music, Asian atmospheres and a great orchestral Can-Can. This long-running CD, derived from the stereo masters of the original sessions, will transport the listener to the torrid lands of the West in the company of Provvidenza, the funny, kind-hearted character who mocks Charlot with pleasant background music by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai. Includes 12-page booklet.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: BCM 9609CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Beat Records present the original soundtracks for Commissariato Di Notturna and La Supplente on CD for the first time. Commissariato Di Notturna is a comedy directed in 1973 by Guido Leoni and starring Gastone Moschin, Rosanna Schiaffino, Maurice Ronet, Luciano Salce, Carlo Giuffré, Giorgio Ardisson, Antonio Casagrande, Emma Danieli, Giacomo Furia, and Gisela Hahn. La Supplente is an erotic comedy directed by Guido Leoni and starring Carmen Villani, Eligio Zamara, Carlo Giuffré, Dayle Haddon, Alvaro Brunetti, Gisela Hahn, Gastone Pescucci, Giusi Raspani Dandolo, and Giacomo Furia. For Commissariato Di Notturna, Renato Rascel wrote a score based on a recurring main theme, with a pop flavor, sung by the choir of Nora Orlandi, which returns during the soundtrack in a tango version, with Moog, then reprised by the choir. To note the romantic love theme called "Addio Sera", in an instrumental version for guitar, piano and orchestra, played both by a female voice and, in the end credits, by Rascel himself. For La Supplente, on the other hand, Renato Rascel has composed a pleasant score with Latin rhythms, which alternates happy moments with other tender and romantic ones, but there is no shortage of suspense pieces and Baroque music for choir and rhythms that keep you to listening to a full 74+ minutes. An archival CD dedicated to high quality film music. Mastering by Claudio Fuiano. Liner notes by Elisabetta Castiglioni. Graphic layout by Daniele De Gemini. Jewel case with 12-page booklet.

 

PRICE: $40.00

CAT #: DDJ 015DLX-LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

LP version. 180 gram, marbled yellow vinyl. Beat Records present the long-awaited release of Guido & Maurizio De Angelis's original soundtrack for and Bud Spencer's Banana Joe. After forty years since it's theatrical debut, one of the greatest voids in the two maestros' discography is finally filled. Thanks to the finding of the original master tapes in Cabum archives, the label of the two musician brothers, it has been possible to prepare this issue. Mastering by Enrico De Gemini. Graphic layout by Daniele De Gemini featuring the iconic original artwork painted by Renato Casaro.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: DDJ 028DLX-CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Beat Records present the long-awaited release of Guido & Maurizio De Angelis's original soundtrack for and Bud Spencer's Banana Joe. After forty years since it's theatrical debut, one of the greatest voids in the two maestros' discography is finally filled. Thanks to the finding of the original master tapes in Cabum archives, the label of the two musician brothers, it has been possible to prepare this issue. Mastering by Enrico De Gemini. Graphic layout by Daniele De Gemini featuring the iconic original artwork painted by Renato Casaro. CD version comes in jewel case; includes 16-page booklet.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: DDJ 029DLX-CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Beat Records and West Edizioni Musicali announce the CD release of the original motion picture soundtrack of Più forte ragazzi!, featuring the music composed by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, in occasion of the 50th anniversary of that memorable movie directed by Giuseppe Colizzi and produced by Italo Zingarelli in 1972. One of the first movies by the popular acting duo set far from far West, the two actors interpreting Plata and Salud, ramshackle airplanes pilots that fly on Brazil, trying to earn a living between gold seekers and fighting the turn villain, evil Mr. Ears. The score by the two brothers, based on the cue flying through the air, as usual various and skillfully arranged, shows us its first 50th years of life, in all its splendor, immortal melodies destined to the future too. Includes 16-page illustrated booklet.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: DDJ 030DLX-CD

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

The 50th anniversary of the theatrical debut of ...Continuavano A Chiamarlo Trinita' with the deluxe release on CD of the original soundtrack composed by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis. Available in the DDJDLX series in all its splendor, with unreleased artworks and a bonus track featuring a slight variation of "Trinity E Bambino In Citta'". On the cover, you have a wonderful alternate drawing painted by Renato Casaro. Mastering by Enrico De Gemini. Graphic layout and liner notes by Daniele De Gemini. Jewel case; 16-page booklet.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BS 120052V-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1981. An outstanding yet obscure release by two Art Ensemble of Chicago members, multi reeds player Joseph Jarman and drummer Don Moye, along with legendary bassist Rafael Garret (mostly remembered for his presence on Coltrane's masterpiece Kulu Se Mama) and young lion Craig Harris on trombone. Four great individuals digging deep between ancient African rituals and modern urban multidimensional grooves. A tribal ecstatic sound based on a multitude of instruments: reeds, bamboo flutes, didgeridoo, trombone, conch shell, panpipes, and a sea of percussion. A beautiful example of AACM "Ancient to the Future" aesthetic. A magic mixture of elements from the African American music continuum.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: BFR 109C-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Blue vinyl. First physical release, only released digitally in 2020. Black vinyl with new artwork. Pete Molinari is a country blues singer, songwriter from the Medway Delta. He was born into a large Maltese/Italian/Egyptian family in Chatham-Kent, where he was discovered by Billy Childish. He's got five critically-acclaimed albums' worth of timeless folk, blues, rock, and alt-country songs to his credit, plus a bunch more EPs. He's often described as a songwriter's songwriter. Bruce Springsteen once publicly proffered: "Pete Molinari -- if you don't know anything about him, he's great!" Just Like Achilles is the distillation of everything Pete has learned since those years on the road as a travelling troubadour, playing tiny theatres and coffee houses everywhere from London, to New York, Paris to Nashville and around the world, eventually taking him to the most celebrated venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Radio City Music Hall. Just Like Achilles brims with big songs and huge choruses. After a first listen, it's like you've known and loved this record forever. Although surprising for some who think he is the lone songwriter with his guitar, Pete is a big fan of pop. Yes, somewhat of a dirty word today, but it is that timeless and well-crafted pop that created so many hit songs in the past that everyone still adores today. Pete's songs always cut straight to the heart of the matter. No fat, no artifice, no histrionics. The sound is real. Live. Real people playing real instruments. Front and center are Pete's own majestic guitar chops and unique, soulful voice. Even on Achilles' sadder songs, there's a buoyancy and potency to them, an infectious effervescence that imbues life is for living, and it is that loving of life that is celebrated in every song, arrangement and composition.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BFR 109LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

First physical release, only released digitally in 2020. Black vinyl with new artwork. Pete Molinari is a country blues singer, songwriter from the Medway Delta. He was born into a large Maltese/Italian/Egyptian family in Chatham-Kent, where he was discovered by Billy Childish. He's got five critically-acclaimed albums' worth of timeless folk, blues, rock, and alt-country songs to his credit, plus a bunch more EPs. He's often described as a songwriter's songwriter. Bruce Springsteen once publicly proffered: "Pete Molinari -- if you don't know anything about him, he's great!" Just Like Achilles is the distillation of everything Pete has learned since those years on the road as a travelling troubadour, playing tiny theatres and coffee houses everywhere from London, to New York, Paris to Nashville and around the world, eventually taking him to the most celebrated venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Radio City Music Hall. Just Like Achilles brims with big songs and huge choruses. After a first listen, it's like you've known and loved this record forever. Although surprising for some who think he is the lone songwriter with his guitar, Pete is a big fan of pop. Yes, somewhat of a dirty word today, but it is that timeless and well-crafted pop that created so many hit songs in the past that everyone still adores today. Pete's songs always cut straight to the heart of the matter. No fat, no artifice, no histrionics. The sound is real. Live. Real people playing real instruments. Front and center are Pete's own majestic guitar chops and unique, soulful voice. Even on Achilles' sadder songs, there's a buoyancy and potency to them, an infectious effervescence that imbues life is for living, and it is that loving of life that is celebrated in every song, arrangement and composition.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BONF 020LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1971. The sole self-titled album by English progsters Chillum was in fact an offshoot project of famous psychedelic icon Second Hand. They shared three members -- George Hart, Ken Elliott, Kieran O'Connor -- with the former band, giving birth to a more experimental act. The record originally saw the light of day in 1971. The LP was supposed to be the third Second Hand album, but apparently the members decided to change the band's name. Their heavy swinging approach was in the end similar to such contemporary luminaries like Atomic Rooster, Leaf Hound, and Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come. A jam album with lots of roaring percussion and an impressive organ to make big sound. Personnel: Ken Elliott (keyboards, mellotron, organ, vocals); Kieran O'Connor (drums); Tony McGill (guitar); George Hart (bass). Fully licensed; edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: BORNBAD 164CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Self-proclaimed studio rat, Forever Pavot knows exactly how to teleport elsewhere in a few chords. In L'Idiophone ("The Idiophone"), the art of storytelling takes about only three minutes to unfold. Each composition features the full soundtrack of a carefully dehydrated movie, restored to its initial volume in our stereo. The album opens with a car chase, starring a scholarly gangster, and indulging in some engineering eccentricities, such as keeping a cop's siren in harmony throughout the song -- despite the Doppler effect. Perhaps it's the bad lockdown speaking, but Emile Sornin's place is a battlefield: he's having a go at every object like family members. A clock is seemingly taking the piss at him, and it becomes the pretext for a fast-paced lesson in music theory and the effects of time on people. The album was produced in close collaboration with Vincent Taeger (drums), Maxime Daoud (bass), and Sami Osta (production and mixing), who miraculously found room for every keyboard, and then some more, for a brass and string section. Arnaud Sèche came to lay down some flutes. Voices have been mixed forward, signing the end of the mutation of Forever Pavot. Since Rhapsode (BORNBAD 066CD/LP 2014) and La Pantoufle (BB 099CD/LP, 2017), his fling with the song format has become a rather serious relationship. One after the other, Emile Sornin is writing all the volumes of his ideal library music, and it appears he's reaching the oddities section. "La main dans le sac" starts with a weird trash-metal drum burst, then sets up a slimy upside-down world climate. Cue-in the cavalry: staccato strings reveal a harmonic canvas of the purest pop, then a brass squad comes to finish the job, recalling the best moments of Bernard Estardy, baron of all sound wizards. "Au Diable" stages him playing the piano on his knees, ripped off by bailiffs. Two verses in, and the lawmen turn to demons straight out of a giallo, and burn. Nestled in a few crafty instrumentals, "Les informations", clueless vocoded banger written like TV news credits, haïku-sized showcase for Emile's taste for the daft. From the bottom of the ocean, "La mer à boire" makes him drinking buddies with François De Roubaix, national treasure that Forever Pavot comes to visit regularly to borrow gear. Notably idiophones, these humble percussion instruments whose sound is produced only by their material -- triangle, claves, bells. Emile Sornin, like these self-sufficient instruments, manages very well to produce an idiosyncratic but familiar music, colored by his proverbial spring reverb. No need to source his music in his elders': like them, Forever Pavot can write, full stop. CD version includes 12-page poster booklet.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: BORNBAD 164LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Gatefold sleeve; includes download code. Self-proclaimed studio rat, Forever Pavot knows exactly how to teleport elsewhere in a few chords. In L'Idiophone ("The Idiophone"), the art of storytelling takes about only three minutes to unfold. Each composition features the full soundtrack of a carefully dehydrated movie, restored to its initial volume in our stereo. The album opens with a car chase, starring a scholarly gangster, and indulging in some engineering eccentricities, such as keeping a cop's siren in harmony throughout the song -- despite the Doppler effect. Perhaps it's the bad lockdown speaking, but Emile Sornin's place is a battlefield: he's having a go at every object like family members. A clock is seemingly taking the piss at him, and it becomes the pretext for a fast-paced lesson in music theory and the effects of time on people. The album was produced in close collaboration with Vincent Taeger (drums), Maxime Daoud (bass), and Sami Osta (production and mixing), who miraculously found room for every keyboard, and then some more, for a brass and string section. Arnaud Sèche came to lay down some flutes. Voices have been mixed forward, signing the end of the mutation of Forever Pavot. Since Rhapsode (BORNBAD 066CD/LP 2014) and La Pantoufle (BB 099CD/LP, 2017), his fling with the song format has become a rather serious relationship. One after the other, Emile Sornin is writing all the volumes of his ideal library music, and it appears he's reaching the oddities section. "La main dans le sac" starts with a weird trash-metal drum burst, then sets up a slimy upside-down world climate. Cue-in the cavalry: staccato strings reveal a harmonic canvas of the purest pop, then a brass squad comes to finish the job, recalling the best moments of Bernard Estardy, baron of all sound wizards. "Au Diable" stages him playing the piano on his knees, ripped off by bailiffs. Two verses in, and the lawmen turn to demons straight out of a giallo, and burn. Nestled in a few crafty instrumentals, "Les informations", clueless vocoded banger written like TV news credits, haïku-sized showcase for Emile's taste for the daft. From the bottom of the ocean, "La mer à boire" makes him drinking buddies with François De Roubaix, national treasure that Forever Pavot comes to visit regularly to borrow gear. Notably idiophones, these humble percussion instruments whose sound is produced only by their material -- triangle, claves, bells. Emile Sornin, like these self-sufficient instruments, manages very well to produce an idiosyncratic but familiar music, colored by his proverbial spring reverb. No need to source his music in his elders': like them, Forever Pavot can write, full stop.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: BNR 193EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Russian duo Locked Club joins Boysnoize Records for the release of IRAK, an EP of dark and utterly kinetic electro and techno with a punk edge. The legacy of Detroit and The Hague get roughed up on the streets of Moscow with overdriven percussion, booming bass and aggressive acid elements keeping one foot firmly planted in the past while the other kicks the future in the face. This is absolutely banging stuff for dangerous dancefloors, and it crackles with visceral energy. The title track "Irak" is the most restrained, with slowed vocal loops and a delirious mijwiz sample that make the 130bpm tempo of the straight 4/4 feel much faster. "Doschitai" puts frantic chops and distorted bass over a start-stop rhythm with some very hot claps. When the "Nautilus" sample creeps in, so do the chills -- this is truly a massive tune. "Two Girls" brings back the 4/4 but with maximum jack. Ominous voices continue the dark mood of the EP, but the syncopated cowbells and stuttering bassline make this the stand out track for your body. Locked Club end with "999999999", where a melancholy ambient introduction is quickly betrayed by metallic breakbeats, neuro-funk sonics, and haunting Eastern vocal samples. It's a track you'd play towards the end of the night (morning?) to give everyone a moment of calm before plunging them back into hysteria. Locked Club's IRAK EP never hesitates and it does not care if you can keep up. But for those looking for the adrenaline of a fight on the dancefloor, the IRAK EP provides it -- no violence necessary.

 

PRICE: $50.00

CAT #: BNR 200LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In 2021, BOYS NOIZE's fascination with traversing dualities hits a new apex on his fifth studio album +/- (pronounced "Polarity"). Berlin's BOYS NOIZE turned principled dedication into an outsize presence among 21st century DJs and electronic musicians. A career punctuated by audacious cross-genre exploration has earned him an enviable fluidity of practice across borders and scenes, yet his definitive fingerprints are present on every creation. The German-Iraqi producer and DJ (born Alex Ridha) never thought much of rules or restraints. BOYS NOIZE's +/- encapsulates a distillation of his career-to-date in waveform shape, where valleys of subterranean techno, industrial and jacking house transition into peaks of star-driven collaborations. Backed by the club adept's battering beats and cloaked in deep, immersive textures, the songs, while rich, possess a mean bite -- even +/-'s most melodic moments bare the sharpened teeth of Ridha's modular synthesis and processing; a new breakthrough for the gear lover. The +/- album exhibits BOYS NOIZE's evolutionary blueprint for bridging diametrical musical positions, while testing the limits through self-discovered modular workflows. A sense of otherworldliness and a suspension of time is shared on "Affection", an ethereal, trance-gated Atlanta bass singalong featuring alt-R&B singer ABRA. One also finds this feeling in the monumental, metallic atmosphere of "Act 9," a brooding ballad featuring Vinson. "Ride or Die" with Kelsey Lu and Chilly Gonzales has BOYS NOIZE juxtaposing the beautiful with the delirious. A tapestry of blissfully affective moods is woven through a pummeling tribal backbone, as if Lu's lush melancholy arrives to heal all the synapses seared by 140bpm excess. The essence of +/- is found in such paradoxical worldbuilding and the undeniable attraction it elicits through the unfamiliar, a rare accomplishment in an era of algorithmic refinement. Collaboration does not necessarily come at the cost of having to compromise. BOYS NOIZE's lifelong commitment to the throbbing, dark energy of the underground makes its presence known throughout +/-. Each single, whether "Girl Crush" with Rico Nasty or "Nude" with Tommy Cash, comes paired with a b-side that would challenge any of the aforementioned performers' fans but revs the engines of the die-hard ravers awaiting their next hit of BOYS NOIZE at his hardest. Through both image and sound, +/- surveys the anything-is-possible output of a distinguished techno producer exploring a newly opened world of distinct collaborations, freed from all confines, in a state of evolution of both genre and self. Also features Ghost Culture, Jake Shears, and Corbin. Gatefold sleeve with CMYK, silver, gold print; jacket interior print and obi.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: BPC 125LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress . Double LP version; originally released 2006. Are you ready? Two of the brightest stars in the dance universe are about to collide, the gamma-ray burst is already being felt in the future: Ellen Allien and Apparat are releasing an album together. Allien, the head of the BPitch Control aesthetic steamroller, teams with Apparat, partner in the Shitkatapult brand empire to develop a remarkable sonic salvo. Orchestra of Bubbles is what it's called -- 11 tracks of the most delightful, uplifting electronic music you have ever heard. "Turbo Dreams" introduces you to the partnership with guitar licks and metronomic precision. In "Way Out," Allien's vocals coast atop muted acid breakdowns. On "Retina," contrabasso parries with string pulses. Circuitry splits open, beautifully as a time-lapse tulip, on "Jet." "Floating Points" levitates the ears towards the second movement in the orchestra where "Under" begins the dubstep-style transformation. "Edison" is a kind of Asian filament-funk. "Leave Me Alone" finds Apparat on vocals, crooning in a shoegaze style. "Do Not Break" will give you the chills - a manifesto of neu beat-scratching technique and syncopated splendor, while "Metric" is grime with a string section. And Ellen's final vocal contribution, "Bubbles," is a perfectly lovely epilogue. The orchestra is warming, draw the bubble bath. Are you ready? Sure you are.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: BRED 859LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Originally conceived as a simple label sampler by Cherry Red A&R man Mike Alway, Pillows & Prayers quickly became both an iconic compilation and a must-have artifact of early '80s Thatcherite Britain."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: CDMRED 189CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Two albums on one CD from iconic cult trio The Marine Girls repressed especially for National Album Day. Including their debut album Beach Party which was originally released on Dan Treacy's (Television Personalities) Whaam! Records in 1981. Plus, their follow up for Cherry Red in 1983, Lazy Ways."

 

PRICE: $99.00

CAT #: CRCDBOX 121CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The Fall's 12 CD '70s box set combines all of the band's work in that decade. Featuring the albums Live At The Witch Trials and Dragnet plus all of the singles from the time and eight live shows -- many have been unreleased. Including a recording of what is thought to be the band's first ever gig -- these shows showcase the very earliest version of the Fall in full effect, raw and uncompromising." Clamshell box.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: COMP 470LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; Gatefold double LP version. Includes download. "Deaf Safari is an audio collage of subjects that interest me and speak of the world I live in. It is an album composed of sampled recordings from the media landscape that has been the soundtrack to my life over the last ten years. The most important development in my current music, as can be heard on Deaf Safari, has been my understanding of the beauty and power of the spoken word. I have experienced severe indifference to contemporary pop and electronic music as a whole over the last many years, as I have felt that social comment of any relevance has been ignored by music in general. Deaf Safari attempts to bring sociopolitical comment into my music without taking any specific stand. Sampled outside of musical influence directly from the news; from preacher sermons or from contemporary African documentaries. I have finally created a story with sound that I feel accurately conveys my personal experience with the African world I live in. My musical influences on this album lie mostly with local Kwaito house. Deaf Safari is an experiment within certain boundaries of the 4/4 genre, to create my own South African 'house' album. I am proud and inspired about the South African Kwaito house scene. However, as with my first three albums, Thin Shoes in June (2001), 4/4 Down the Stairs (2002), and Dark Days Exit (COMP 185LP, 2005), I am still interested in making strange and evocative music. American roots music from the earlier periods of the 20th century has deeply resonated with me during the making of this album. The incredible field recordings by Alan Lomax of Negro prison and chain gang work songs, and the beautiful early recordings of artists such as Leadbelly have had a major influence on Deaf Safari. I am truly excited to release this album and to start performing in the music world again. It has been ten years since I released Dark Days Exit, and although I have been purposefully absent from the music world, I have nonetheless never stopped making music. I feel that I have finally arrived at a mature and challenging stage in my pursuit of making emotional music of relevance." --Felix Laband, February 13, 2015

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: COMP 536EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. African Paradigm EP 1 is the first prelude to Mr Raoul K's forthcoming African Paradigm. The A-side kicks off with "Tamale", darker and gloomier than usual. Whirling pads and driving beats take twists and turns while diggin' deep into the dark. Sona Diabate's vocals kick in, and her powerful delivery provides some light in the shadows; elegance and energy. On the flipside Kaito remixes "African Paradigm" into twelve minutes of floating bliss. Mr Raoul K's trademark organic sounds and traditional Ivorian instruments deliver glistening soundscapes emblazoned with mysterious vocals.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: CORTIZONA 017LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

On Upon This Fleeting Dream Clive Bell's Twinkle3 embraces medieval and 16th century Japanese poems and haiku about death and saying farewell. Twinkle3, consisting of Dave Ross and Richard Scott besides Clive Bell, expand their sonic borders to unknown territory: bringing these pithy epigrams to a new Fourth World where electro-acoustic sounds glitches into a hypnagogic, if not unconscious level of fragile beauty. The distinctive voice of David Sylvian, who reads the English version of the poems and created field recordings and the artwork for this album, blends in the most organic way with the shakuhachi, Thai reed flutes, and mouth organs played by Clive Bell. The narrative voices of David Sylvian and Kazuko Hohki's (Frank Chickens, Kahondo Style) velvet timbre are the cornerstones of this compelling journey while the tangling and abstract rhythms transcending from Dave Ross's modular synths and Richard Scott's sampler and analogue electronics, unravel and unfold a mesmerizing universe with unknown dimensions and frequencies of a fleeting dream. Vinyl edition with printed inlay and extra insert Recommended if you like: David Sylvian, Japanese poems, Jon Hassell, Pan Sonic, Laraaji, Brian Eno. Personnel: Clive Bell- Shakuhachi flute, pi saw, khene mouth organ; Dave Ross - Droscillator, modular synths, various wind and string instruments; Richard Scott - sampler, modular synths, analog electronics; David Sylvian - vocals, field recordings; Kazuko Hohki - Japanese voice.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: CORTIZONA 018LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Devin Brahja Waldman is a New York saxophonist, drummer, synthesizer player, and composer who leads the group Brahja. Waldman has accompanied his aunt, poet Anne Waldman, since the age of ten. Waldman is a co-founding member of Radical Reversal, Diva of Deva Loka, and Notable Deaths. He has performed with Patti Smith, William Parker, Nadah El Shazly, Malcolm Mooney, Thurston Moore, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Charles Hayward, Luke Stewart, and Yoshiko Chuma. Waldman is also a member of NYC's Heroes Are Gang Leaders (led by poet Thomas Sayers Ellis and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis), of Sam Shalabi's Land of Kush, and of the Norwegian hardcore group MoE. As a youngster, Waldman was taken under the wing of avant-garde giant Paul Bley. Along with Anne Waldman and cousin Ambrose Bye, Waldman is a co-producer for Fast Speaking Music, a NYC poetry and music label which has released recordings with Amiri Baraka, Meredith Monk, William Parker, Laurie Anderson, Eileen Myles, CAConrad, Fred Moten, Daniel Carter, Clark Coolidge, Thurston Moore, Joanne Kyger, and many others.The moment the first bass note of Luke Stewart kicks in on Watermelancholia, followed by the swelling drum roll of Malick Koly and the lush leading voice of Janice Lowe you feel Devin Brahja will take you on a deep mind-blowing spiritual journey. Channeling wild seventies Impulse vibes on "O.P.K" or, could you say, even resonating the guts of early Art Ensemble of Chicago and the tempering spirit of Max Roach's We Insist era: Brahja is soul searching their spirit on Watermelancholia. A poetic stream of consciousness, backboned by top-notch musicians, transcending the cosmic universe, trying to find answers and musically connecting. Watermelancholia is a meditation on healing the inner schism between the sense of self -- the ego -- and the inner being. It is about bringing the ego to justice; putting it on trial, as it were. Includes booklet with extended liner notes."Ancient to the future 2.0. Watermelancholia is about the law of Karma: a law so obvious that it often goes unspecified and ignored. Neglecting this law invites a world of chaos. It's been articulated in endless ways. Some have called it Cosmic Law or Natural Law. Others translate it as Do No Harm." --liner notes excerpt

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: COSMR 017LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1968. Orphan Egg were a short-lived group who were formed in 1967 in San Jose, California. Their sole self-titled album was released in 1968 on the small independent company Carole Records. Essentially a garage-psych album -- in the tradition of future iconic compilation like Nuggets or Pebbles -- Orphan Egg was recorded by a bunch of students at Saratoga High School in Saratoga. Occasionally they won the Vox Battle of the Bands, a nationwide competition. They also appeared on the soundtrack of the classic bike-movie Cycle Savages with three tracks.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: CNT 101LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2021 release. "I Stand Corrected is the debut of a new talent and the debut of a new label, Country Thyme. Yes -- a label was formed to release this artist, which means something special is in the air. Upon dropping the needle, you'll hear exactly what it is, too: an honest-to-god song cycle, riches-to-rags style, rising and falling on the songs of E.R. Jurken and his spectral tenor, refracted via multiple overdubs across an oft-deserted soundscape, like haunted incandescent orchestral pop music with the orchestra mostly erased. I Stand Corrected took some time to stand up . . . Ed bought a guitar off a stranger and Gene referred Ed to longtime Drag City A&R man Rian Murphy, who was indeed interested in the sound of the album Ed had in mind. With wounds just beneath the surface of his skin for so long, Ed began demoing songs on his mobile phone, turning out one a week featuring guitar and extensive vocal arrangements. After a few months, it was clear the cycle was complete. Sessions at The Loft with Murphy and Mark Greenberg (engineer/secret weapon of hundreds of sessions, including Wilco, Andrew Bird, Edith Frost, Mavis Staples, Eleventh Dream Day and Richard Thompson), slowly drew the album into full-fleshed form. The sound of I Stand Corrected is often just acoustic guitar, offset by a lush tableau of vocal arrangements. Ed's voice works the register, sliding easily into falsetto and adapting equitably to lower octaves as well, while populating the landscape with choruses of vocal color. These voices cover a wide swath of 20th-century popular music sensibilities, tipping the hat to everything from Paul McCartney, Beach Boys and The Mamas and the Papas to the Boswell Sisters and the Brothers Gibb. Murphy and Greenberg added just a touch of rhythm in places and Paul Mertens (Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Stereolab, The Sea and Cake, Poi Dog Pondering, Brian Wilson) provided several exquisite horn arrangements that complement the play of Ed's guitars, keyboards and vocals. Side one of the album dashes by in suite form, its eight tunes forming a travelogue that, while initially bright and cheerful, eventually descends into melancholic depths that are fully plumbed on the flip side. Ed's lyrics are obliquely coded -- beautiful and surreal, referencing something horribly wrong behind the curtain. The sweet sadness of a life spent waiting to be informs the music with comings and goings, drawing us into confusion and yearning, showing a heart that resembles our own..."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: CNT 102LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"80 degrees in the midnight shade. Just another breezeless night. The crickets and the sirens and the humming of fluorescents and neon all melting down in the groove. An emptiness it'd be a shame to lose. Except -- is that the wind kicking up? Coming round the bend / like a ghost in the road / just off the beaten path / rubbing shoulders with the ditch / Glyders! Formed in 2014 in Chicago by partners Joshua Condon and Eliza Weber, Glyders have kept busy, lighting up shows around town and country ever since then with their mystery sound, on the road when and where they could from here to Europe, taking time also to self-release a couple of EPs (DIM and Lend a Hand) whose high lonesome wack promised that a full length would be a real trip. Whether you knew it or not, here it comes now -- you're right in the path of Maria's Hunt. Fueled by Josh's spectral vocals and the liquidity created by his guitar and Eliza's bass, Glyders' mazy spacecraft takes to the air from the empty parking lot out back of the roadhouse and finds in its arc an anodyne of the trippy and the wiggy / ghostly places lost and found. Glyders have it both ways, rocking the white line with fervor but also stopping to soak up the fragrance of the purple sage and the queen of the night by the side of the road. They've cut their records at home, with Josh delving deep in the pleasures of analogue recording, finding the embodiment of their subterranean fascinations with twists and turns of the dial in a space they've dubbed the Juicy Lagoon. Steeped in the pop and psychedelic enigmas of rock and roll yore, the buzzing of tubes and transients and uncontainable rumble, Glyders make it shake and live in front of the tape machine and real audiences alike with a flexible, expansive palette of sounds and a tight bunch of songs. For their first vinyl full-length, the watchword, as ever, is 'maximal minimal.' And it WORKS. These kids are up around the bend and in it for the long haul. After a few line-up shifts over the years, they're settled down with drummer Joe Seger and are fixing their sights on the far horizons. If you see Glyders choogling down the track, pull up and get set for Maria's Hunt."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: COS 034LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"In the late '70s Wild Fire was one of the more popular groups in Trinidad. Formed by Oliver 'Stompy' Chapman back in 1962 the group was originally named the Sparks. By the disco era Wild Fire were the house band at night clubs like Disco Tracks and the Upper Level. The group was very influenced by disco, especially the famous British group, Hot Chocolate known for the classic disco hit 'You Sexy Thing.' Hot Chocolate's chief songwriter, Tony Wilson was originally a Trinidadian native and also great friends with Oliver Chapman. The opening track on this compilation is 'Try Making Love', a floor-filling track written by Tony Wilson in 1977 and recorded at Coral Sound Studio in Port of Spain. It was there that Oliver Chapman laid down the unforgettable bass line, solidifying its status as a surefire hit. The infectious tune held steady at the number one slot for six weeks in Trinidad and eventually climbed to the top of the charts in Barbados. Recorded at KH Studios, 'Living On A String' with its unique disco synth sound by keyboard player Calvin Duncan was about the hard living of one trying to survive as a musician and hoping to one day partake in the material strappings of fame. 'The Rebels' was more about the political struggle for the young in the country at the time. There was a lot of corruption in the government and a lot of young people out of work. The song called to stand up and rebel against the regime. And years later in 1990 it did happen when the Muslim group Jamaat al Muslimeen stormed the Red House (Trinidad's Parliament House) and took cabinet members hostage. Wild Fire would go on to tour the Caribbean extensively including stops in Barbados, Antigua, St. Thomas and Guadeloupe. The group had a massive local hit with their track 'Say A Little Prayer.' The group would disband in 1985 and Oliver Chapman would move to America. Dance Hits is a collection of Wild Fire's more dance friendly material."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JACK 021CV-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Yellow vinyl. It's live and loud. It's urgent and proud. Hot, crowded, amped venues scattered across L.A. It's big hair, little hair, guys, girlz. It's catchy, it's topical, it's angry, it's playful, it's live. And it lives on in a rocking, throbbing, sights-and-sounds showcase. Turn it on, turn it up, this means war: The Cramps live at Urgh! A Music War.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: JACK 021LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

It's live and loud. It's urgent and proud. Hot, crowded, amped venues scattered across L.A. It's big hair, little hair, guys, girlz. It's catchy, it's topical, it's angry, it's playful, it's live. And it lives on in a rocking, throbbing, sights-and-sounds showcase. Turn it on, turn it up, this means war: The Cramps live at Urgh! A Music War. Black vinyl.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: DEEP 013LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Having established himself as one of the most energetic and exciting jazz musicians within the already thriving worldwide scene, New Zealand born, London based drummer and producer Myele Manzanza has made a major impact upon the global music landscape. A founding member of Electric Wire Hustle, Myele has released five solo albums, and racked up tours and collaborations with Jordan Rakei, Theo Parrish, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Recloose, and Amp Fiddler, amongst others. Myele has developed a strong live presence in his new London base; his quartet has shared stages with the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote, The Bad Plus, and Alfa Mist. In 2021, the first two instalments of his Crisis & Opportunity record series saw him garner high praise. Following the release of his last offering, a chance conversation between Myele and a young barista at a local coffee shop occurred -- their topic (centered around the trials and tribulations of following your musical passions) sent Myele down a spiraling path of internal reflection, spawning a new lease of creative energy and examination of new ways to approach his craft. The third addition to the heralded series, Crisis & Opportunity Vol.3 - Unfold sees Myele change his approach from drummer/improviser, altering his sonic output to a more electronic dance music output, opting for a more producer/beatmaker focused role. Sharing production duties with Lewis Moody (Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange) and taking a more producer/beatmaker focused role. His initial instinct was to create music that could be played in a club, but also incorporate elements music of the jazz and technical musicianship he's renown for. First single "Silencing The Sun" features the vocal talents of fast-rising fellow Kiwi artist Wallace, whose spectral tones glide gracefully over the pulsating rhythm section and twinkling keys. On second single "Therapy" UK soul royalty Omar weaves his trademark magic over a solid 4/4 beat, soulful key stabs and lush synths, bottling lightning into dancefloor alchemy. Final single "Unfold" sees Rachel Fraser deliver a delicate and introspective vocal performance over stripped back instrumentation as cold, angular electronics juxtapose the warmth of piano keys and sweeping strings. With a wealth of additional incredible talent (such as China Moses and Rosie Frater Taylor) enlisted to further complement the record's grainy synth textures, emotive chord changes, driving low end sonics, and expressive percussion, the scene is set for a beautiful, shifting and engaging listening experience.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: DEEP 014LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Following its initial release in 2018, which resulted in his most prolific album to date, vbnd returns with a limited edition four-year anniversary release of his landmark album Daughter of the Sun on white vinyl. The record features the Saskatoon-based bassist and producer's most popular songs; "Smoke" and the album title "Daughter of the Sun", which features the delicate smoky vocals and unrivaled songwriter of Katie Tupper, accompanied by the effortless instrumentation of Justice Der, Connor Newton, and Simon Jasieniuk. On its original release, the album aimed to cultivate and encourage the growth of the jazz and soul sound in his hometown, Saskatoon, which vbnd showcases from beginning to end, with clear inspirations of the likes of D'Angelo, Jaco Pastorius, Snarky Puppy, and more throughout. White vinyl.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: RCRD 442001LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Condition is the 2019 debut, full-length album from Natty Reeves. 11 tracks painting internal monologues and complex feelings across mesmerizing groove-driven melodies and brightly colored guitar soundscapes. "I wanted to create an honest musical reflection of my past year. Condition is an attempt to balance my perfectionist approach and the imperfections in day-to-day life. The album was made in my bedroom with some help from close friends." All music throughout is written, performed, mixed, and mastered by Natty, with the exception of "Living Lonely" and "Living Lonely (Reprise)" in which he brought in his good friend and long-time collaborator, Simon Jefferis. As well as being an expression of himself as a musician, it was also an opportunity for Natty to show off his artistic side with a paintbrush -- Using paintings he has created himself as the artworks throughout. Also features Alice Auer. Gatefold; translucent black ice vinyl.Natty Reeves is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer-songwriter currently residing in Brighton, UK. Taking inspiration from the likes of Chet Baker, Blake Mills, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, Natty produces music riddled with charm and honesty that blurs the lines between soul, jazz, and hip-hop. Drawing from real-life events and human interactions, Natty's song-writing is simple but potent, often cutting straight to the core of an emotion with a single turn of phrase.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: DC 782CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Meg Baird's songs are rarely made up of tidy stories. In fact, for Meg, mystery itself is often the medium. With Furling, Meg's fourth album under her own name, she explores the breadth of her musical fascinations and the environments around them -- the edges of memory, daydreams spanning years, loose ends, loss, divergent paths, and secret conversations under stars. Furling moves through these varied spaces with the slippery, misty cohesiveness of a dream -- guided by an ageless, stirring voice that remains singular and unmistakable. Since co-founding the beguiling and beautiful Espers in the mid-aughts amid Philadelphia's fertile underground music community, Meg's solo recordings have constituted just a fraction of her work. Her first solo LP, the disarmingly out-of-time Dear Companion (2007), saw her carve a quiet, sunlit space away from the flickering swirl of Espers. Since her last solo releases, Seasons on Earth (2011) and Don't Weigh Down the Light (2015) Meg has lent thunderous drumming, lead vocal, and poetry to Heron Oblivion (Sub Pop) . . . She collaborated with harpist Mary Lattimore on the mesmerizingly hazy Ghost Forests (2018). She's played drums with Philadelphia scuzz-punks Watery Love (In The Red, Richie Records) and explored her deep familial folk roots in the Baird Sisters (Grapefruit Records). She also contributed her vocal arrangements to albums from Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Will Oldham, and Steve Gunn, and toured with Angel Olson, Dinosaur Jr., Bill Callahan, Thurston Moore, and Bert Jansch, among others. Yet Furling is the album that most irreverently explores the span of her work and musical touchstones. It showcases her natural tether to '60s English folk traditions. But it also reveals her deep love for soul balladry, the dubby Bristol atmospherics of Flying Saucer Attack, the solitary musings of Neil Young shackled to his piano deep in the foggy pre-dawn, the melancholy memory collage of DJ Shadow's Endtroducing, and the delicious, Saturday-night promise of St. Etienne. Furling was primarily recorded at Louder Studios by Tim Green (Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses, Melvins, Wooden Shjips). Additional piano and vocal recording were captured at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach, CA with Jason Quever (Papercuts). It was mastered in Brooklyn by Heba Kadry, who mixed Bjork's Utopia and mastered LPs for Slowdive, Cass McCombs, and Beach House. For all its adornments, Furling remains deeply intimate. The entire album was performed by Meg and her longtime collaborator, partner, and Heron Oblivion bandmate Charlie Saufley. While her prior solo work hinted at more expansive horizons, Furling explores the idea of Meg Baird as a band much more freely. Venturing beyond the musical confines of fingerstyle guitar, she plays drums, mellotron, organs, synths, and vibraphone over her piano and guitar foundations. Her distinctive, simultaneously elegiac and uplifting vocals, meanwhile, connect surreal dream montages, graft sunshine sonics to swooning meditations on romantic solidarity in trying times, and weave odes to the simple gestures of friendship -- and the loss of family and friends..."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DC 782LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Meg Baird's songs are rarely made up of tidy stories. In fact, for Meg, mystery itself is often the medium. With Furling, Meg's fourth album under her own name, she explores the breadth of her musical fascinations and the environments around them -- the edges of memory, daydreams spanning years, loose ends, loss, divergent paths, and secret conversations under stars. Furling moves through these varied spaces with the slippery, misty cohesiveness of a dream -- guided by an ageless, stirring voice that remains singular and unmistakable. Since co-founding the beguiling and beautiful Espers in the mid-aughts amid Philadelphia's fertile underground music community, Meg's solo recordings have constituted just a fraction of her work. Her first solo LP, the disarmingly out-of-time Dear Companion (2007), saw her carve a quiet, sunlit space away from the flickering swirl of Espers. Since her last solo releases, Seasons on Earth (2011) and Don't Weigh Down the Light (2015) Meg has lent thunderous drumming, lead vocal, and poetry to Heron Oblivion (Sub Pop) . . . She collaborated with harpist Mary Lattimore on the mesmerizingly hazy Ghost Forests (2018). She's played drums with Philadelphia scuzz-punks Watery Love (In The Red, Richie Records) and explored her deep familial folk roots in the Baird Sisters (Grapefruit Records). She also contributed her vocal arrangements to albums from Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Will Oldham, and Steve Gunn, and toured with Angel Olson, Dinosaur Jr., Bill Callahan, Thurston Moore, and Bert Jansch, among others. Yet Furling is the album that most irreverently explores the span of her work and musical touchstones. It showcases her natural tether to '60s English folk traditions. But it also reveals her deep love for soul balladry, the dubby Bristol atmospherics of Flying Saucer Attack, the solitary musings of Neil Young shackled to his piano deep in the foggy pre-dawn, the melancholy memory collage of DJ Shadow's Endtroducing, and the delicious, Saturday-night promise of St. Etienne. Furling was primarily recorded at Louder Studios by Tim Green (Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses, Melvins, Wooden Shjips). Additional piano and vocal recording were captured at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach, CA with Jason Quever (Papercuts). It was mastered in Brooklyn by Heba Kadry, who mixed Bjork's Utopia and mastered LPs for Slowdive, Cass McCombs, and Beach House. For all its adornments, Furling remains deeply intimate. The entire album was performed by Meg and her longtime collaborator, partner, and Heron Oblivion bandmate Charlie Saufley. While her prior solo work hinted at more expansive horizons, Furling explores the idea of Meg Baird as a band much more freely. Venturing beyond the musical confines of fingerstyle guitar, she plays drums, mellotron, organs, synths, and vibraphone over her piano and guitar foundations. Her distinctive, simultaneously elegiac and uplifting vocals, meanwhile, connect surreal dream montages, graft sunshine sonics to swooning meditations on romantic solidarity in trying times, and weave odes to the simple gestures of friendship -- and the loss of family and friends..."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: EHAW 005EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Edition Hawara's fifth release is a raw funk gem by a little-known Austrian pop band called Magic Sound. Edition Hawara's second 7" release features one of the more obscure Austrian bands from the 1980s. Little is known about Magic Sound. The cover suggests that their label wanted them to be Austria's Village People, though their sound is much rawer and funkier. One thing that is known is that the group included Andy Töfferl, who was also a member of the famous Austrian pop ensemble EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung). And it's known that they went to the studio to record a whole album after touring Sweden in 1980. Only these two songs survived, and they are worth listening to over and over again. Enjoy in fancy dress, or dressed down. With or without a moustache.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: EHAW 006EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Edition Hawara's third 7" release is a slow-moving synth gem from 1983. Its producer, Chris Duchatschek or just Chris, is hardly a household name in Austrian pop music. But Duchatschek was not only an early member of Drahdiwaberl, the legendary anarchist band that was headed by Falco before his global breakthrough. He also produced a string of almost-forgotten hits, not least José Feliciano's "The Sound of Vienna". "San Francisco Night" is one of Duchatschek's few solo productions. It's the soundtrack for a party in a dark, smoke-filled basement in early 1980s Vienna, but it should work just fine in today's smoke-free basements too. Or in your living room, as long as you turn the lights off.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: ENV 042EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Duper, the new release from Morgan Geist, is a not-so-subtle callback to his 2001 EP, Super. "I was working most days with Kelley Polar on our new vocal project, Au Suisse, which isn't really dance music at all," he explains. "I started fooling around with these instrumental tracks at night for fun. Each track was in a different style, but they seemed to work nicely as a group. By the time I asked Kelley to contribute strings to the A-side, the record really started feeling like the sequel to Super." Super Duper -- get it? Indeed, the playful synth riffs and sweeping disco strings of "Twilight Express" echo the palette of Geist's cult classic "24K" and early Metro Area. "Black Test Car" is a unique collision of minimal, almost krautrock-style drums, sound library textures and spacy electro percussion. Meanwhile, "Feeling Is Mutual" is a rare acid outing that pushes beyond the usual comfort zone, the 303 acting more as feather than hammer on top of major-key modulations. "I love a lot of Aphex Twin and I love sweet, 'quiet storm'-style R&B," says Geist. "I figured, why not?"

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: ECLEC 2819CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A newly remastered edition of Sunset Glow, the classic album by Julie Tippetts."

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: FAVELA 064LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Dies Lexic is a duo by Inês Tartaruga Água and Xavier Paes. Part of Favela Discos collective and label, they explore the channeling potentialities of sound, wandering between spectrums, ethereal soundscapes, and zones of sonic subduction through means of DIY electro-acoustic instruments, amplified objects, electronics, and composition processes based on repetition, language, chaosmosis, and error. Lexicon Hall, the long overdue debut album by the Portuguese duo of intrepid sound explorers, is a sort of digital ayahuasca, an intense psychedelic journey guided by drums and harshly bowed strings, channeling voices from other planes and fusing them with Dies Lexic's very own distinctive voice. If you close your eyes hard enough you can probably see Tony Conrad waving hello in the middle of a dark jungle that is inhabited by tribes of our ancestors. Includes printed inner sleeve.Inês Tartaruga Água is a multidisciplinary artist, focused on the issues of deep ecology and radical regeneration, sound explorer and practitioner of DIY philosophy as well as collaborative and participatory practices in public space. Participates in collective exhibitions since 2013, highlighting the "XIII International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics" (Aveiro, 2017), "??????? / Suoja / Shelter Festival - Laboratory" (Helsinki, 2019), "48 ????? ???????????" (Siberia, 2019), or "Soundscapes" (Bahrain, 2019), and has her first individual artistic residency "Méht?r: Matter, Form and Transformation" at Júlio Dinis Museum in Ovar (2018). Recently, Água has debuted sound pieces in Casa de Serralves (Porto, 2021) and in Casa das Conchas (Spain, 2021).Xavier Paes is a transdisciplinary artist based in Porto. He divides his practice between visual arts, sound, performance, gleaning improvisation and multi-instrumentalism, focusing on ideas such as acoustic phenomena, repetition, resonant and sympathetic bodies, echo and ecology. He has presented his work at institutions, galleries, festivals, kiosks, raves, and after-parties, highlighting places such as Serralves Museum, Oliva Arts Center, Porto Municipal Gallery, Stichting Centrum (The Hague), OCCII and Vondelbunker (Amsterdam), La Pointe Lafayette and L'international (Paris), STUK (Louven), Overtoon (Brussels), and Villa Arson (Nice).

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: FTR 707LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A long time in the making but good things always come to astral travelers as transatlantic soul mates Dead Sea Apes and The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol are joined together on black vinyl for the first time. Two artists that for over the last ten years (and longer) have spent their lives creating music that defies easy categorizations -- psych rock/kraut rock/minimal/maximal/avant/free are phrases that only give you fleeting glimpses of what each artist represents. What we do know is that via a sprawling range of sound that is always uncompromising these two artists have pushed each other into a stunning realm of alchemy. The Dead Sea Apes create a hypnotic pulsing sound that weaves an ecstatic line starting from a raw minimal buzz and hum that takes in eastern modes and entrancing minimalism. The music is at once dissonant and hypnotic, rich with unfurling drones that dynamically ebb and flow as a searching interplay between instruments slowly emerges from a sparse open field and builds with the tension of a looming thunder storm. The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol recording is a live recording from the farmland in Richmond 2022 when Mr Cardinal Fuzz journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean to have his brain well and truly fried by these Ottawa Acid Punks. For this show TBWNIS was expanded to a nine-piece with the addition of Saskatoon's Christopher Laramee (Shooting Guns, Wasted Cathedral, The Switching Yard) and Mrs. Carol Lane (Resin Scraper/Beld). TBWNIS emerged to play as the sun set over the never-ending horizon and the Mozzies came out to play -- And proceeded to lay down a barrage of high energy, free flowing ecstatic blues -- like an endorphin spike into your cortex that felt like your head was sandwiched between the amplifiers as wave after wave of unrelenting free flowing orgasmic energy exploded within. Take note I was on some homemade cookies that had me well and truly blasted as I merged with the universe and the vibrations emitting from the stage -- it was a good place."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: FLIES 027EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Franco Esse is the moniker of Francesco Semproni, who in the late '60s began working as a music and recording assistant in major recording studios in Rome, Italy. He started out at Dirmaphone (then located in Via Pola) under sound engineer Gianni Fornari, before following him to the Emmequattro studios in Viale Mazzini, which at the time were the headquarters of Edipan, the record label founded by composer and conductor Bruno Nicolai after parting ways with friend and fellow composer Ennio Morricone. Semproni tried to become a singer-songwriter in the early '80s, when he recorded a number of demos with the session musicians who gravitated around the studios. None of these demos was ever released though, for reasons that are still unclear today. The unsuccessful efforts to launch his solo artist career led to a personal crisis, and Franco Esse eventually quit music to go to work as a sales assistant in a toyshop in Rome's Prati neighborhood. Today he seems to have vanished without a trace, but after extensive research, we managed to dig some of his demos out of an abandoned archive and miraculously bring back to life two semi-instrumental tracks he recorded in 1983. Both of them reveal Franco Esse as a refined musician with a reserved personality, an almost minimalist approach to lyric-writing, and a strongly cinematic synth-pop style that is in line with the musical trends of the time and gives a nod to the soundtracks of Fabio Liberatori, falling somewhere in between slow-wave and new-romantic. These two ballads would have been the perfect soundtrack to cold winter nights in the early '80s, with snowflakes floating down on ski slopes, people clad in puffy down jackets, and music pouring into headphones from Walkmans kept in back jean pockets."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: CRSEG 004CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Arguably the most valuable UK album in record collecting history, with copies known to have sold for £2,000! An LP manufactured by Decca in 1969 but never issued. Reissue the first-ever official CD of Tinkerbell's Fairydust's recordings originally released on Grapefruit in 2009. Adding numerous bonus tracks from singles and also from pre-Tinkerbell's acts The Rush and Tommy Bishop's Ricochets."

 

PRICE: $51.00

CAT #: CRSEGBOX 120CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Career anthology of Los Angeles-based musician Merrell Fankhauser described by one pundit as 'the cult artist's cult artist'. Includes his work as a solo performer and fronting such collectable garage rock/psychedelic acts as The Exiles, Fapardokly, HMS Bounty and Mu."

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HG 2302LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mt. Hadamard National Park is the Hallow Ground debut by composer, programmer, and instrument designer Matthias Puech. Informed by mathematical and artistic approaches that aim to both contemplate on and control complexity, the eponymous five-part composition explores natural and mystical forces through what he calls "audio-naturalist noise". The composition is complemented by two further pieces that follow similar concepts: "Suspension" emulates the chemical phenomenon of the same name, while "Imperceptible Life" hinges on the musical possibilities of stridulation. Over the course of the entire album, Puech's singular take on electro-acoustic and electronic music creates unique sonic spaces as much as it pays its dues to the unpredictability of the world that we inhabit. Jacques Hadamard was a pioneer among physicists and mathematicians who, in the early 20th century, were puzzled by processes that are deterministic but hard to predict. The sounds, arranged in sweeping and tense dynamics, serve as multiple agents within a complex system. The synthetic flora and fauna created through the use of the composer-performer's instruments feels uncannily familiar or even disturbingly hostile at times... This process is mirrored in aquatic yet tangible sounds as well as dynamics that slowly converge towards density before the composition ends on a quiet note. The 14-minute-long "Imperceptible Life" is based on a 2019 live performance first conceived as a full-scale test drive of some new electronic equipment Puech was designing at that time. It explores the musical potential of stridulation, the act of creating sounds by rubbing together certain body parts -- in the insect world, a common means of communication. Again, Puech's approach is neither purely naturalistic nor only mimetic. Rather, "Imperceptible Life" offers yet another artistic reflection on the theme of chaos and order, and how human perception and emotion relate to it. As a whole, Mt. Hadamard National Park thus not merely mirrors natural phenomena but transforms them in ways that are emotionally evocative: the complexity and apparent arbitrariness of Puech's compositions reveal an underlying beauty that is equal parts haunting and comforting.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: HSRSS 019EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"The Maytones, aka The Mighty Maytones, was a duo comprising Vernon Buckley and Gladstone Grant from May Pen, Jamaica, hence the group name Maytones. They started recording with Alvin Ranglin in 1968, with their first single on Ranglin's GG's Records imprint becoming a hit -- 'Cold Up' on the A side and the cult anthem 'Loving Reggae' on the flip. Presented here -- on the A Side, 'Call You Up', first released in 1968 on GG's Records (as 'Cold Up'). This is the first reissue of this rare and gorgeous song. On the B-side, the wicked boss reggae instrumental 'Barrabus' previously issued only on the British label Explosion in 1970, making it extremely rare and sought after."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: HSRSS 020EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"The Paragons were originally called The Binders, a band that comprised Keith Anderson (better known as Bob Andy), Garth Evans (aka Tyrone Evans), Junior Menz, and Leroy Stamp. In 1964 John Holt and Howard Barrett replaced Menz, and Stamp and the name was changed to The Paragons. Anderson left in 1965, and The Paragons continued as a trio. After John Holt left to pursue a solo career, Vic Taylor took Holt's place. The trio initially recorded two outstanding albums, including the legendary On The Beach. In 1980 Blondie covered their song 'The Tide Is High' with great international success. Today, On The Beach is considered to be the definitive rocksteady LP. Presented here, two selections from the On The Beach full-length, the gorgeous and haunting 'When The Lights Are Low' on the A-side. A Rocksteady masterpiece that totally deserves being released as a single at last. On the B-side, a cover of a lesser known but fine Beatles song 'I'll Be Back' featured on the Beatles '65 album. Though this gem sounds 100% like a Paragons song through and through, with gorgeous harmonies being served on an upbeat Rocksteady rhythm, complete with thumping bass and powerful horns. Brilliant."

 

PRICE: $92.50

CAT #: HERZ 056-3LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Six-LP box set; 180 gram vinyl; 4c print + glossy varnish. Features Stephan Bodzin, Luna Semara, Solomun, Adriatique, Mind Against, Jupiter Jazz, Maceo Plex, AVNU, Fideles, Denis Horvat, Kevin de Vries, Ben Böhmer, Boris Brejcha, Roman Flügel, Agents Of Time, Patrice Baumel, Echonomist, Hernan Cattaneo, Soundexile, Dubfire, Anfisa Letyago, ANNA, Wehbba, Reinier Zonneveld, Ameloar, Christopher Coe, ANII, Hannes Bieger, MEUTE, Innellea.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: HOL 133LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1974. Blending Native American references into a body of sonority that draws on free improvisation, experimental electronic music, and spiritual jazz, Pygmy Unit's Signals From Earth -- originally self-released by the band in 1974 -- forges a singular and almost entirely unknown path, and stands almost entirely on its own in the history of west coast American jazz. First appearing on the San Francisco scene sometime during the early 1970s, almost nothing is known about the Pygmy Unit, a seven-piece band steered by Darrel De Vore, who contributed flute, bass, percussion, piano, and vocals to the band's lone LP, first appeared with percussionist Terry Wilson within the psychedelic folk rock band, The Charlatans, who belonged to the legendary Family Dog scene. Jim Pepper, a Native American tenor saxophonist known for being a member of the Mal Waldron Quartet, played with Charlie Haden, Don Cherry, and numerous others, and produced the cult favorite, Pepper's Pow Wow, for Embryo Records in 1971. John Celona, who contributes parts on sax, synthesizer, and percussion, would later go on to be regarded as an electronic composer of some note. Of the remaining members, saxophonist Frank Albright, bassoonist Ron Grunn, and percussionist Marvin Kirkland, very little else is known. It seems this LP is more or less all they recorded. While undeniably jazz -- riding a remarkable line between avant-garde electronic music, spiritual jazz, and free improvisation -- the band was very much a product of the diverse creative ferment that developed in their hometown of San Francisco during the 1960s. Embodying the raw spirit of DIY (many of the instruments used in the recordings were made by DeVore himself, self-described as an "itinerant flute-maker") the ensemble channels references -- via passages of chanting and percussion, as well as conceptual underpinnings -- from Jim Pepper's Native American roots, intuiting them with the soulfulness of spiritual jazz, wild moments of avant-gardism centered around synths and electronic effects, and explosions of wild free improvisation. "Development of new music is a continuous path that grows directionally according to psychoacoustical phenomena available for unification. This record is evidence of that development, containing 12 performance pieces, at 12 separate times in different acoustical spaces with various combinations of musicians and instrumentation. The music is shaped by signals, received and sent by life forms on this planet. It is unwritten, unrehearsed, utilizing new and traditional approaches to energy, motion, and form. Eventually, music develops as a natural extension of the environment in which it exists. It is the aim of the traditions... to signal the universe from the Earth." Includes two booklets/replicas of original DeVore's publications; edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: IRON 011EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

The long-awaited re-press of the Alvin Davis, "My Homeland", track is now available again. "Sax/Hornz" instrumental track and features top Jamaican hornzman, Alvin Davis. The B side has a heavyweight dub version from Alien Dread. Alvin is also well-known ref jazz and other musical areas, as well as reggae and has worked with many jazz, soul, and mainstream artists including: Andy Hamilton, Rose Royce, Prince, Edwin Starr, The Foundations, Neville Staples (Specials & Fun Boy Three), Jackie Graham, Nigel Kennedy, and Reggae-wise, Alton Ellis, Macka B, Maxi Priest, David Hinds (Steel Pulse), and many others.

 

PRICE: $46.00

CAT #: 9783037645970

FILE UNDER: Misc

"Blending Fluxus, pop and performance art, Marclay has tested and reinvented the relationship between art and sound over the past four decade. Published on the occasion of Christian Marclay's major survey at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, this volume explores in depth his popular and influential multimedia art. From his early performances in the 1970s to his iconic Guitar Drag (2000) and large-scale video installations such as All Together (2018), Marclay has ranged freely across mediums -- photography, modified musical instruments, videos, prints and paintings, objects and graphic scores -- exploring auditory existence through strategies of sampling, shuffling and montage. Designed by Zak Group and extensively illustrated, the publication gathers together new essays by writers Polly Barton and Nathalie Quintane, art historians Michel Gauthier and Marcella Lista, and design specialist Catherine de Smet. It also features a conversation with Marclay by the exhibition's curator, Jean-Pierre Criqui, an anthology of texts from an international array of writers and art historians -- Clément Chéroux, Dennis Cooper, Jean-Pierre Criqui, Wayne Koestenbaum and David Toop -- and a comprehensive chronology by Annalisa Rimmaudo. London- and New York-based visual artist and composer Christian Marclay (born 1955) was born in California, raised in Geneva, Switzerland, and studied sculpture at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. He won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the 54th Venice Biennale for his video The Clock and has had solo shows at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC (1990); the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2001); the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2002); and the Whitney Museum, New York (2010)." Contributor(s): Christian Marclay (artist) , Jean-Pierre Criqui (editor) , Laurent Le Bon (foreword by) , Xavier Rey (foreword by) , Polly Barton (text by - art/photo books), Dennis Cooper (text by - art/photo books), Catherine De Smet (text by - art/photo books), Michel Gauthier (text by - art/photo books), Marcella Lista (text by - art/photo books), Nathalie Quintane (text by - art/photo books), Clément Theroux (text by - art/photo books), David Toop (text by - art/photo books), Wayne Koestenbaum (text by - art/photo books), Annalisa Rimmaudo (contribution by). Hardcover. 256 pages. 1.0" H x 8.8" L x 11.1" W (2.47 lbs)

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: K7 417EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

As one of the three co-founders of Washington DC production and DJ trio Black Rave Culture, James Bangura is no stranger to situating electronic music within its most purposeful and potent contexts. With this new duo of tracks, however, Bangura taps into a deep, personal internality, metabolizing visceral experiences and personal transitions into unexplored phases of his musical life. The bass-forward "Harrar" is a complex organism which operates on two planes: a sweat-drenched 150pm symphony of synth pulses, fidgety percussion, shimmies and distorted vocals, that falls into lockstep with a meditative, dubby bass tone that calmly swells and recedes. Emerging out of Bangura's high intensity hardware jam sessions with friends and collaborators, both the depth and energetic fizz of "Harrar" are signified by its name, borrowed from Harrar Coffee & Roastery -- a beloved Ethiopian coffee house and community meeting place in Washington DC that radiates warmth and familiarity. "Witness Dub" occupies less of the senses, exploring a state of liminality through a contemplative deep house signature. Having emerged from an extended period of active duty in the military, Bangura had to navigate civilian life for the first time, causing him to process multiple culture shocks that stretched across culture, language, communication, and identity. "Witness Dub" finds Bangura at this crossroad, juxtaposing the steady propulsion of kicks and drums with pensive minor key chords, as he begins to explore the other side of the self, letting the energy guide the music. 45RPM.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: KALITA 7002EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Kalita Records announce the first ever official 7" single release of Carrie Cleveland's highly sought-after soulful disco masterpiece "Love Will Set You Free", backed by her equally elusive promotional version of "Make Love To Me". At long last, Kalita collates Carrie's two most in-demand recordings on one 7" single, housed in a picture sleeve limited to just 500 copies. Originally written, produced and performed by Carrie and her husband Bill in their home garage studio and privately released over a space of three years between 1978 and 1980, the two recordings showcase both Carrie's captivating vocals and Bill's musical prowess. Although Carrie's album and singles were originally soon lost to memory without the promotional tools of the major labels at the time, her music has since become highly sought-after on the soul and disco scene, with original copies of her album and singles reaching £300+ on the rare occasion that they come up for sale. Now, in follow up to their 2018 discography retrospective on Carrie's life and music, Kalita showcase her two greatest songs on this limited 7" picture sleeve single.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: KRXN 025LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2022 repress of 2010's GAF & The Love Supreme Arkestra's debut album -- another tour de force from this multi-faceted band, showcasing its surprising chameleonic ease of play with multi references to space rock, free jazz, and the raw German sound of the early '70s. Electric mantras meet hazy synthesizers and gaseous guitar drones float weightlessly into the cosmos. If Carl Sagan had a chance to listen to pieces such as "Shine" or the sublime "Decata Na Sunceto", he would surely turn into their unconditional fan. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jorge Lozano in 2009 at Gallinero Studio (Los Realejos, Tenerife). Artwork by Felipe González Cabezas. Originally released by Foehn Records in 2010. Personnel: Mladen Kurajica - voice, synths, drum machines; Felipe González Cabezas - drums; Ce?ar Chinarro - guitar; Eduardo Villalobos - bass; Olivier Dubois - saxophones, flutes.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: KRXN 029LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Presenting the third volume of Keroxen's annual series of Radar compilations, joining the musical dots between restless and free-spirited artists working across the Canary archipelago. With volume 1 loosely based around the indie and shoegazing art rock sounds made in the Islands, and a second volume exploring the experimental electronic music of Tenerife (KRXN 021LP, 2022), the label now welcomes Vol. 3, with a special showcase of Canary artists working from the diaspora. Meet the hallucinatory acid folk from Tarragona based artist Transistor Eye, Amsterdam's trio Halli Crigi raw, jazz/noise guitar improvisation, the glitchy and abstract piano minimalism by Sweden based Hara Alonso, and the custom-made MIDI-based electronic orchestral compositions by Berlin based visual artist Arístides García aka Anisotrópico. Each artist delivers approximately ten minutes of unique music which mixed together creates a weird and surprisingly fluid psychedelic journey, wrapped up as it's always the case with these series in the pastoral retro-futurist collage artwork by Canary artist Pura Márquez. Another document showcasing the other side of this holiday destination, it's not just hotel resorts and poolside lounging here, enter the wonderful and weird world of Keroxen. Features Anisotrópico, Halli Crigi, Transitor Eye, and Hara Alonso.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: KK 2258001CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Four CD version. Includes two remastered versions, each on two CDs. Four-CD version includes two remastered versions, each on two CDs; first remaster by Dierks/Flüchter and then a completely different mastering by Dieter Wegner, who has already remastered many albums of the krautrock catalog, including the albums of the Cosmic Jokers. Remastered by Dieter Dierks and Dennis Flüchter. Walter Wegmüller (1937-2020) was a Swiss-Jenish artist who grew up in difficult circumstances in Bern. After training in Basel, Bern, Paris, and London, he began his artistic career. In addition to painting and sculptural works, Walter Wegmüller occupied himself with the entire spectrum of art. He gained widespread international attention, especially from 1974 onwards, with the publication of his Zigeuner Tarot. He was successful at countless exhibitions in Europe and overseas and was repeatedly awarded prizes and distinctions. However, he never forgot his origins as a Verding child and "Rome child from the Kalderasch tribe." In 1973, he released the album Tarot with an all-star band. Successful musicians such as Klaus Schulze, Manuel Göttsching, Harald Grosskopf, Dieter Dierks, Hartmut Enke, Jürgen Dollase, and Walter Westrupp played in the band. It remained Walter Wegmüller's only foray into the world of music. The album was last released on vinyl in 1976, the CD in 2000. This version here is the first remaster ever.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: KM 580112CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The compilations Planeten Sit-In and Sci Fi Party, both originally released in 1974, are a contemporary document of the legendary jam sessions of the Cosmic Jokers. Under a conceptual mantle, the recordings were brought to a young audience. Among the musicians the elite of the krautrockers of that time, like Manuel Göttsching, Klaus Schulze, Jürgen Dollase, and Harald Grosskopf. Plus, Dieter Dierks, who was responsible for the recordings, arrangement, and mixing, but also participated as a musician. Newly transferred from the original analog tapes and carefully remastered for the first time.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: KM 580132CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The compilations Planeten Sit-In and Sci Fi Party, both originally released in 1974, are a contemporary document of the legendary jam sessions of the Cosmic Jokers. Under a conceptual mantle, the recordings were brought to a young audience. Among the musicians the elite of the krautrockers of that time, like Manuel Göttsching, Klaus Schulze, Jürgen Dollase, and Harald Grosskopf. Plus, Dieter Dierks, who was responsible for the recordings, arrangement, and mixing, but also participated as a musician. Newly transferred from the original analog tapes and carefully remastered for the first time.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: KRANK 236CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The union of composers Lawrence English and loscil aka Scott Morgan is seamless, sublime, and long overdue. Born of a conversation centered on the notion of "rich sources" as a forge for electronic music, Colours Of Air is a collection of recordings of a century old pipe organ housed at the historic Old Museum in Brisbane, Australia, which were then processed, transformed, and elevated into eight majestic electro-acoustic threshold devotionals. The timbre of the instrument and spatial fluctuations of room tone infuse the music with a subdued, sacred feel, like vaulted light in a nave of stained glass. They describe the album as 'an iterative project, a reduction and eventual expansion,' sifting the swells and drones of the organ for every shivering shade of radiance. The tracks are named for the hue each piece suggests -- from the gauzy levitational miasma of 'Yellow' to the pulsing melancholic mirage of 'Violet' to the seething twilit sandstorm of 'Magenta.' Morgan and English are both adept at conjuring moods of muted grandeur, like landscapes veiled in dusk, still looming and luminous. Here their combined powers open pathways to heightened realms of deep listening and bewitching restraint, finding flickering infinities in ancient configurations of wind, brass, stone, and dust."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: KYN 019EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Unmistakably Cio D'Or, Polar Q's eight tracks explore ambient and cinematic techno, before dissolving into broken-beat, aquatic compositions from the outer reaches.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: LANRH 004LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1972. Released on cultish London based label Mushroom, this album brought together the anarchic genius of saxophone player Lol Coxhill, with the pure magic of a Dutch rhythm section: Pierre Curbois on the drums and keyboard player Jasper Van't Hof. A clash of the titans as a matter of fact, with the more classical and impro sounding lines of Coxhill and the straight -- almost jazz-rock -- harmonies of the other two players. A fascinating record comparable to Keith Tippett small groups and the rise of the most peculiar impro-jazz scene. Fully licensed. Edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: LANR 019LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Reissue, originally released in 1980. Welcome to the realm of creator and mentor Michael Wadada, the man behind the exotic maneuvers of Suns of Arqa, one of the most sought-after world beat fusion project of the early eighties. His main goal was to increase the vibrations of classical Indian raga with the rhythms of Niyabinghi drumming, epitomized in England by contemporary dub producers. Released in 1980 on Manchester's own Rock Steady Records, Revenge Of The Mozabites is an essential masterpiece paving the way for future over the border contamination. Deeply informed by cosmic mysticism the album still reverberates with the hidden sounds of earth and soul. Fully remastered and licensed; edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: LIFE 030LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1960. Recorded in May 1960 this is probably one of Yusef Lateef's more straight jazz releases with almost no trace of his famous Eastern sound experiments. This is a beautiful and dynamic album based on a balanced mix of originals and standards including great numbers by Dvorak, Ellington, and Zawinul and with Lateef who's literally shining on both tenor sax, oboe, and flute. A fine document from a master musician caught during one of the peaks of his career.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: MPM 035EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following on from Lyric Hood's solo release, Everything / Social Distance, M-Plant takes you into the first new release of 2021 from Robert Hood and Floorplan. Opening the proceedings is a solo mission from Robert Hood. "The Struggle" opens with acidic-funk that's highlighted by Tamika Mallory's stirring speech following the murder of George Floyd, before launching into powerful stripped-back techno. This is protest music, Hood-style. The rest of the EP is devoted to Robert and Lyric Hood's collaborative Floorplan project. The original version of "Save The Children" brings tough house with blazing horns and vocal refrains to continue the themes of social change. While the "Detroit Mix" goes deep and bassy, overlaid with poignant vocal samples including the words of Dick Gregory. Black Lives Matter.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: MPM 044EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following a series of remastered gems from M-Plant's back catalog for the Perpetual Masters series, Robert Hood now delivers his first new release since his 2021 Monobox album. The release features two peak-time heavy hitters, starting out with "Hectic" and its siren-like stabs calling out for people to join the dancefloor, while building the tension throughout; a skill for which Hood has become well known for. Meanwhile "Amazon Dust" takes things deeper and is somewhat reminiscent of the work on his Monobox Regenerate album (MPM 040LP).

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: MIND 773LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Limited 2023 repress. The second to last gig of Joy Division's history and probably one of the best live recordings from them.

 

PRICE: $62.00

CAT #: MOV 3054COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Orange vinyl. "The Jamaican dub pioneer Lee 'Scratch' Perry had the ability to attract some of the best musicians around to indulge in their fantasies. He knew how to draw the best out of those who wandered by their studios. The 1989 compilation album Open The Gate is a collection of the 12" versions Lee Perry did in the late Black Ark period. For the recordings, he gathered some of the best singers of the island, including Anthony 'Sangie' Davis, The Heptones, Leroy Sibbles, The Diamonds, The Congos, Junior Murvin and of course Perry's studio band The Upsetters amongst others. The 3LP Open The Gate is available as a limited edition of 2500 individually numbered copies on orange colored vinyl and includes three printed innersleeves."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: NSD 808LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Keyboardist and composer Weldon Irvine is among the most celebrated jazz-funk artists of all time. A longtime bandleader for Nina Simone, he wrote the lyrics for Simone's iconic civil rights anthem 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black'. Throughout the 1970s, Irvine released a series of seminal albums full of deep, soulful, funky grooves, many of which were later mined for samples. The Sisters is a collection of lost tracks and demos from his late-1970s studio sessions with fellow jazz-funk luminary, Don Blackman. Featuring the hit single 'Morning Sunrise' (later famously sampled on Jay-Z's 'Dear Summer'), the album contains a potent mix of instrumental and vocal tracks that stand up with the best work in Irvine's impressive catalog."

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: O0 005LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Astonishing smoldering R&B flex from Brooklyn's Dawuna, making strong debut moves on the ace O___o? label that gave you LA Timpa's first record. If u like it slow x dripping in a Prince/D'Angelo style with intricate. Almost concrète production -- this is as good as it gets. The debut of the decade? Aye, v possibly. Slow baked for a gooey core and crispy texture, and laced with sonic THC, Dawuna's Glass Lit Dream settles on the soul like the time delayed release of a good edible. It's a hugely accomplished first effort, drawing comparisons with everyone from Tricky to Prince at his wooziest and most downbeat, to the timeless frayed intimacies of Leila's Like Weather, or the asymmetric pop skew of Mica & Tirzah, yet patently possessed of its own worries. The magick lies in how Dawuna works them out, channeling a quiet stream of consciousness thru velvet vocals, ranging from aching croon to ASMR whispers, and most nimbly stitched to crunchy drums and nagging licks that feel like Burial and Timbaland productions re-imagined by Bernard Parmegiani. Occupying a shadowy fidelity that's too meticulous to be called lo-fi, but clearly not oozing typical R&B gloss, the ten songs hold a huge amount of broad appeal while boldly reserving the right to fuck with you and switch track at right angles without notice. They play out in mixtape form, crucially bridged with crafty transitions that make it feel like we're sleepwalking around Dawuna's dreams between the mechanical knocks, domestic rustle and close miked vox of "The Ape Prince" and bruised blooz of "The Lethe, The Sea." You'll be totally snagged on the stranger Afro-goth R&B lilt of "The General" (that ends with a remarkable ASMR/concrète spell), and the Timba-tight drums and sore vocal motif of "Bad Karma" lay a proper earworm, while "Moon, I Already Know" is an unmissable piece of gently curdled, alien gospel recalling a tempered, less flamboyant fusion of Arca and Autre Ne Veut to the lugs. Aqua vinyl; edition of 1000.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: NOG 007LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

From the artists: "Nothing untoward happened. Actually, that's not true, many unexpected things happened that can't really be described, not in words at least. Maybe communicated in a look, through touch or some kind of psychic pulse. Nobody got hurt though, quite the opposite. If you'd passed us by you wouldn't have noticed anything. We keep a low profile. We might have seen you. We might have see you in your entirety or perhaps a silhouette, a glimpse of an essence. On the other hand, at that point we might not have understood what existence means. Or we might have understood all of it at the same time. Your passing by being merely a brief glimmer in a torrent, a miniscule fluctuation. For all intents and purposes imperceptible. That's OK. We lost some details, we left soft debris in our heads, to be arranged and processed later on. We knew what we saw and felt and we'll know it again when we return. None more real. We were pinned to the earth and free to go anywhere we wanted. Anywhere, if we dared. We walked through lands suddenly divined, then everything faded away."New double album from Anthony Child (Surgeon) and Daniel Bean, aka The Transcendence Orchestra. RIYL: classic Namlook/Fax, the spectralism of Iancu Dumitrescu, Jóhann Jóhannsson's Englabörn, Roedelius x Cluster. Cover print by Trudy Green. Mastered by Rashad Becker. Edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: OUTS 020LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Live in Soest, Germany, in Winter 1970, WDR-TV. Right before the definitive incarnation of the man-machine and all along the ocean of sound also known as krautrock. An early line-up of the Düsseldorf legend consisting of the two original members Ralf Hütter (organ) and Florian Schneider-Esleban (flute, violin, vibraphone, electronics) augmented by future Neu! drummer and motorik engineer, Klaus Dinger. From here to eternity!

 

PRICE: $18.50

CAT #: PAL 053LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. Brace Up! is the first ever studio release from the duo of Chris Corsano (drums) and Bill Orcutt (guitar). Recorded in Brussels at Les Ateliers Claus by Christophe Albertijn on March 19th and 20th, 2018. Stage dive photograph by Jason Penner. "Over the past six years or so, drummer Chris Corsano has proven to be one of Bill Orcutt's most reliably flexible collusionists. Regardless of whether Bill is cluster-busting electric guitar strings, weaseling around with cracked electronics, or playing relatively spacious free-rock, Corsano is able to provide the proper base for his aural sculpting. A lot of Orcutt's instrumental work has traditionally felt hermetic even though he's exploring caverns of explosive ecstasy. One often got the impression Bill was operating in the way John Travolta did in the classic 1976 ABC television drama, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Orcutt's actual interaction with collaborators emerged not from communication so much as pure observation. While he was fully cognizant of his musical surroundings, his reactions to it were walled off. This approach did not encourage sonic dialogue so much as parallel streams of discourse. These streams could interact with each other, but not in particularly standard ways. On Brace Up! , their first ever studio release, this precept has changed considerably. Whether it's a function of emotional familiarity or an intellectual choice I dunno, but there's a whole new kind of duo exchange going down on this record. Bill and Chris are clearly playing off each other's moves throughout the album. And it really raises the level of the music to an all-time high. From the cop car see-saw of 'Poundland Frenzy' to the mutual pummeling of 'Paranoid Time' (possibly a Minutemen tribute?) to the lazychicken- gets-stung-prog of 'She Punched a Hole in the Moon for Me,' the sounds on Brace Up! display a constant flow of ideas and instantaneous conjugation of newly forged verbs. As great as Bill and Chris's previous duo records have been, this one's greater." -- Byron Coley

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: PD 038CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Coming eight years after Volume 2 and 23 years after the first installment, Volume 3 of Music And Words is the fourth solo release by Adam Bohman on Paradigm Discs. All four releases have focused on his earliest recordings, mostly from the '80s, mostly domestic and all using cassette recorders. There are four principle styles that are employed in this early phase of Adam's work -- most unexpectedly there are songs, often constructed with trumpet as the lead instrument, then more typically there are improvised experimental pieces using homemade stringed instruments. Thirdly, you have "pause pieces" -- consisting of rapid edit collages using found media (typically radio and bargain bin LPs), and the fourth element is Adam's spoken word recordings. Anyone who has met Adam will have seen him recording his observations and thoughts onto a small tape recorder, documenting his way through life. In fact, the Music And Words CD series is roughly 50% composed from these peripatetic "talking tapes". On Music And Words 3, you hear him at the seaside in both Brighton and Clacton-On-Sea. Overall, the CD ranges widely over these various styles, and bursts with ideas and humor. In addition to the four solo releases on Paradigm Discs there is also a compilation track plus his contribution as a member of Morphogenesis on three further CDs. Six-panel card wallet with a four-page insert; Edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: PRTL 014LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Partial Records present a reissue of Jah Warrior's 1998 album Dub From The Heart Part 2. A venture into raw dub-wise territory with samples galore and weighty bass-lines built for a sound system and annoying the neighbors. Produced by Jah Warrior and mixed by Dougie Wardrop from Conscious Sounds studio. Edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: PRTL 10020W-EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Originally surfacing on a white label 12" in the mid-90s. West of England-based Rhythm-ites with two instrumentals that were designed for sound system play. With two cuts of "Dub of Independence" backed with "Paranormal Dubwise" which borrows the hook from a popular '90s sci-fi TV show. Limited stamped white label; edition of 250.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: PRTL 12014EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Got To Be Conscious" was a massive underground hit back in 2002 and is well worthy of a reissue presented here by Partial Records. Backed with "Long Way to Go", both tracks were featured on King General's 2009 CD set Broke Again. Mixed and produced in fine style by The Bush Chemists. Featuring three previously unreleased mixes, including the original cuts, with two additional dub mixes following each vocal.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: PRTL 12015EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Fresh heavyweight speaker-distressing business from The Disciples with a vocal track from the legendary Dixie Peach (Jah Tubbys, Fashion). "Divide and Conquer" is complimented by no less than three dub versions mixed by Russ D.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PCMHYDCD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Internationally acclaimed interdisciplinary artist Hyd, nee Hayden Dunham, announces her first solo musical project, along with the announcement of her self-titled EP via PC Music. More disclosure than debut, Hyd's four-track offering lets us feel the heat that's been building underneath, calling you back down to earth. Written on an island formed from underground volcanic eruptions 15 million years ago, the EP is produced by A. G. Cook, Caroline Polachek, and umru. The EP follows Hyd's robust career as a sculptor and conceptual artist. Deeply enmeshed in the art world and music communities, she has dedicated her practice to reinventing systems -- systems of communicating, systems of sexuality, systems of interacting with our environments. Her large-scale sculptural practice, where she creates fluid, transformative art installations, has been exhibited in museums and galleries across America, Asia and Europe. Past works include "GEL", a vapor that travelled through the air vents of Andrea Rosen Gallery in NYC, and "7 Sisters", a seven-act performance at MoMA PS1 that incorporated dance, music, poetry, video, and scents, with additional exhibitions and performances at Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, etc. Apart from appearances on A. G. Cook's recent Apple LP, "No Shadow" marks the first time Hayden has stepped out musically since Hey QT, the enigmatic and controversial project she created in collaboration with A. G. Cook and SOPHIE. The EP cover and singles' artworks were photographed by renowned artist, Torbjørn Rødland, whose images are saturated with symbolism, lyricism and eroticism. The graphic design identity is by Bureau Borsche, celebrated for their work with clients including Balenciaga, Supreme, and The Face, among others. Creative direction by Hyd and Jordan Richman.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: PGM 163LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Dina Ögon is like a bumblebee -- big and fluffy and it should be impossible for it to fly, but it does it anyway -- quite simply as well. Anna Ahnlund, Christopher Cantillo, Daniel Ögren, and Love Örsan have had forty fingers involved in an unnumerable amount of Swedish rock, jazz, soul, and pop projects, recordings and tours and all kinds of hush hush. Between themselves they've played in different constellations and played back up for each other, assisted even more in one form or another for more than a decade. But now they've formed a more remarkable quartet than what transpired from any of all the shenanigans they've previously been involved with. When such seasoned musicians themselves get a shot at it, it's not supposed to be able to fly or cause sensation according to conventional ways of marketing scheming, but this, well for one thing it's so self-evidently great; secondly, the new album Oas sounds exactly like the sum of what's lacking in Sweden musically in the 2020s. And for too many decades before that as well one could add, at least in this natural form. Oas is bubbling in a way few albums do, but without bursting. It's held together by their curiosity, they're searching through so many musical corners without going astray and the skillful playing welds it together. Dina Ögon are checking all the nutrients from black music and pop but it's no pretentious show off, only a hella rewarding listen. 180 gram vinyl; printed inner sleeve.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RRS 181LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1984. Includes two bonus tracks. Yellow vinyl. Formed in the wealthy coastal town of Darien, Connecticut in the early 1980, hardcore punk band Vatican Commandos released their debut EP, Hit Squad For God, in 1983, followed swiftly by the Just A Frisbee EP. Recorded in the summer of 1984, shortly before their ultimate demise, the blistering EP Point Me To The End captures the band at their most competent, bolstered by high production values, with a one-off poem by beat-punk poet Earl broadening the boundaries; this edition is made complete by the inclusion of crucial bonus tracks "Your World Is Flat" and "Morality," from the ultra-rare compilation, Make It Work (1985).

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: RRS 189LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1985. Formed from Sunderland in England's formerly industrial northeast, the Toy Dolls put working-class humor at the forefront of their take on punk, the three-chord format a launching pad for witty originals and clever covers. Sophomore set, A Far Out Disc, released in 1985, saw the shifting line-up tackle the theme song of kiddies' TV show Razzamataz and deliver a blistering take of surf-rock standard "Wipe Out"; on originals like "My Girlfriend's Dad's A Vicar", the hilarious "Commercial Break" and "Bless You My Son", and the "She Goes To Fino's" recut, Olga's shrill shrieking leads the way. Another great Toy Dolls album.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: RRS 192LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1989. By the time Sunderland's punk humorists the Toy Dolls released 1989's Wakey Wakey!, bassist John "K'Cee" Casey had joined founding member Olga and longstanding drummer Martin Yule for another great episode of their musical madness. Now with a metal edge underpinning their punk/Oi! hybrid, their versions of Armenian folk song "The Sabre Dance" and Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go" are riveting and "Cloughy Is A Bootboy" and "Lester Fiddled The Tax Man" leave Olga's humor intact. Many hail this is among the best Toy Dolls albums of all time -- get it and understand why. Best played loud and often!

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: RANDB 112LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Recorded for BBC TV and radio between 1971 and 1972, these eight tracks present the Faces in their prime. Sound quality is excellent throughout and the performances demonstrate the band's versatility, moving from delicate ballads such as "Sweet Lady Mary" and "Tell Everyone" through to a riotous cover of The Temptations' "(I Know I'm) Losing You". Comes with full credits and extensive sleeve notes.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: PSALM 23112CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"30 songs in 69 minutes featuring gang romps, underwater frolics, the liberal use of thigh bones, a snifter of pepper, frogs, drug advice and a wholesome introduction to Arkansas. With The Isley Brothers, Betty Lavett, Marie Knight, Bobby Lee Trammell, Big Jack Reynolds, April Stevens, Titus Turner, (Cousin) Herbert Henson, Wee Willie & The Soulettes and Douglas 'Jocko' Henderson."

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: SCAT 070LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress. "The cover art by the band's Chris Marec tells nearly everything one needs to know about this album: a misshapen, CHUD-like figure wanders in a graveyard bearing a cross, while a mutated fish flops in a polluted ditch and a clutch of factories belch their smoke above it all. The message of the illustration is not to frighten or warn, but to celebrate and admire. Originally released in January of 1984, Disease Is Relative is an unapologetic and wholesale embrace of death, disease, and dystopia, with liberal doses of absurdism and an unrelenting devotion to anything unexpected, chromatic, or evil sounding. Sporting influences as diverse as no wave, death rock, funk, post-punk, hardcore, metal, and prog rock, this music somehow happened in the midst of a first wave hardcore scene, before there was a 'post-' to be 'post' of. Less surprising is that this happened in Cleveland, which also inspired a desire to recreate the feeling of the city's post-industrial desolation in sound. There's also some epic screaming and crazy guitar playing. The album features three songwriters (brothers Andrew & Chris Marec, Robert Griffin), who also divide guitar, bass, and vocals equally between themselves here. Drummer Bruce Allen is the secret weapon, and provides a clue to what a young Bill Bruford might have done in a band like this. And yet, beyond all odds, the end result is cohesive, cathartic, and utterly idiomatic. The distinct vibe of the album, and its sheer quantity of killer riffs, songs and performances have made it an album that people have championed over time, while others have come to know it through the interwebs as a result."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: SDBANU 021RE-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; released in 2021. ECHT! -- an instrumental, futuristic four-piece inspired by the concepts absorbed in electronic music and musical production. Taking inspiration from artists including Jonwayne, DJ Rashad, Deantoni Parks, J Dilla, Dorian Concept, and Aphex Twin, ECHT! combine electro, hip-hop, trap, funk and futuristic jazz, resulting in a distinct and unique sound. ECHT! release their highly anticipated debut album INWANE via the groove-obsessed, Ghent-based label Sdban Ultra. Releasing their debut EP DOUF in 2019, the Brussels quartet has not stopped working, recently releasing three sublime live studio sessions titled the BREWmixes which received support from tastemakers including LEFTO, Worldwide FM, and Belgian national radio station Studio Brussel (StuBru). Echt means "vrai de vrai" -- "true" or "real" in brusseleir (Brabantian dialect of Brussels). The name is a direct reference to the fact that their sound transmission is "real", performed with conventional musical instruments as oppose to computer music which the production might suggest. It also relates to the fact that none of the members of the band are originally from Brussels -- bassist Federico Pecoraro is from Italy, keyboardist Dorian Dumont is from France and drummer Martin Méreau and guitarist Florent Jeunieaux are both from the Mons region on Belgium. "For our first album, we wanted to go into deeper beats. We were listening a lot to trap, gritty hip-hop and bass music, and we tried to emulate those kinds of beats on our instruments. The darkish mood of those music genres was fitting for us with this strangest year of 2020. But we also wanted to give a contrast with some brighter parts, where the human feeling is more present. This duality continued in the mixing process by pushing or destroying some sounds, adding electronic textures and effects, but also keeping some sounds really acoustic and organic. The result is for us a mature album: the feeling of electronic music emulated on instruments is confirmed but the human vibe stays central." From the abstract patterns of "Permanent" and melodic atmospherics of "Dunes" to the futuristic funk of "Charlier", ECHT! look to emulate the producer's off-beats, the compressor's swell, the repeating samples or the DJ's transitions. Elsewhere, the trap-heavy sounds of "500 gr." and subby bass stylings of "Champi" push things forward, before the scatter rhythms of "Kiekebiche" and weighty rumblings of "Drache" integrate the inhuman heritage of electronic music and "re-humanize" it.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SDBANU 026LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Gulliver, the latest Condor Gruppe album, is a nod to yet another spiritual journey in the band's ever-evolving saga. Released via the groove-obsessed Sdban Ultra, the Antwerp-based nine-piece ensemble take you on a hypnotic trip, paying tribute to obscure Italian '70s film soundtracks, krautrock and psychedelic grooves. Fuse the melancholy of Pink Floyd, the heroism of Ennio Morricone and the world grooves of Goat and you get an idea of what Condor Gruppe is. Always looking to push musical boundaries, Condor Gruppe rely on the adventurous use of their instruments and their intriguing musical patter. Melancholic, exotic, surreal, the band's sound is enriched by instruments including the handpan, Jew's harp, darbouka, and tanpura. Diverse sounds, rhythms and melodies build, exciting the listener whilst always remaining familiar. From the thunderous, spacious prog rock sounds of "What Could Have Been", to the loose, laidback grooves of the mystical "Farid" and groovy "Rhymes On Our Mind", Gulliver is a soundtrack for visits to far-flung places and a mesmerizing trip through the band's own record shelves. Condor Gruppe released their debut album Latituds del Cavall in 2014 with nine exotica fueled songs that echo the sound of an intoxicated ride through the desert. This was followed up in 2016 with FROG BOG - A Tribute to Moondog -- an adaptation of the work of the legendary composer and outsider. Containing six Moondog interpretations, trumpet player Dirk Timmermans, saxophonist Matti Willems, and baritone saxophonist Hanne De Backer joined the five original members of Condor Gruppe, with the results a spectacular mix between Moondog's jazzy compositions and Condor Gruppe's dreamy instrumental sound. Second album proper Interplanetary Travels (2018) -- a nostalgic, melancholic soundtrack -- saw the introduction of the Anoushka Shankar-trained Nicolas Mortelmans on sitar. The title hinting at Sun Ra is no coincidence. Condor Gruppe recorded eight songs that give you the creepy feel of a horror scene, the heroism of the best film scores and the hypnotizing grooves of jungle tribes. At this year's Ghent Film Festival, Condor Gruppe performed a live version of the score for the dark, hypnotic, surreal, erotic vampire film Daughters of Darkness (1971), directed by Belgian cult director Harry Kümel. The score was originally recorded by François de Roubaix, famous soundtrack composer. De Roubaix has always been a great source of inspiration for Condor Gruppe.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SDBANU 027LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. Following the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut EP in 2021, Antwerp's Lucid Lucia release their debut album Ever-Changing Light via the groove-obsessed Belgian tastemaker label, Sdban Ultra. Searching to unwrap the mystery that is a human life, across nine tracks of jazz and space funk-infused grooves, Lucid Lucia look to the sound of Herbie's Head Hunters and Miles's acid funk of the mid-70s for inspiration. Ever-Changing Light is a mind-expanding celebration centered on freedom and rhythm. Free-spirited saxes, futuristic-sounding keys, monstrous bass lines and shifting drum beats unite, resulting in an uplifting and joyous celebration of jazz, funk, and groove. From the loose, laidback stylings of "Mumpsimus" and the jazz-funk odyssey that is "Pigeons" to the sonic wonders of "Reminiscence" and urgent flow of "Quanked", Lucid Lucia is a marvelous journey of luminous sounds and vibrant rhythms. Elsewhere, the warped aesthetics of "Oneironauts" and improv "Pukti part 1" showcase a tight rhythm section, inventive horns, funky keys and guitar while the spiritual magnum opus "Voor Pieter A." is a magical example of the virtuosity of Lucid Lucia. Born from the ashes of fusion outfit BRZZVLL, Lucid Lucia were founded by saxophonist Vincent Brijs, a household name in Antwerp and the Belgian jazz scene. Former winners of the Jong Jazztalent Gent, BRZZVLL released their debut album Days of Thunder, Days of Grace in 2008 and would go on to release five more albums including teaming up with Trinidad-born poet, novelist and musician Anthony Joseph on the 2014 critically acclaimed album Engines and with hip-hop MC, writer, and producer Amir Sulaiman on the 2016 album First Let's Dance. The 2017 album Waiho (SDBANU 005CD/LP), the band's first instrumental album and final album received glowing praise. To the present day and Lucid Lucia marks a brighter, clearer sound for the sextet. Consisting of Vincent Brijs: (saxophones, EWI), Bart Borremans (saxophones), Stijn Cools (drums), Dries Laheye (bass), Dries Verhulst (guitar), Jan Willems (keys), and James Williams (drums, percussion), they have honed their skills performing with numerous artists from home and around the world including Ursula Rucker, Joseph Bowie (Defunkt), Amir Sulaiman, Anthony Joseph, Zena Edwards, Ayanna Witter Johnson, Baloji, Mo & Grazz, Kain the Poet (The Last Poets), Marie Daulne, Dizzy Madjeku, Ida Nielsen, and many others.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SDBANU 028LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. Stellar Legions is four experienced space cadets from the Antwerp interstellar legion, led by Captain Andrew Claes (STUFF., BRZZVLL, Internal Sun). With a sound rooted in jazz, improv, hip-hop, dub, and electronic music, brace yourself for an intergalactic trip through colorful musical worlds and allow yourself to be carried away to indefinable, otherworldly but always hospitable beacons. Alongside Claes, the delegates on duty are all heroes from the Allied star: Bram Weijters (Raymond Van Het Groenewoud, Crazy Men), Klaas De Somer (Tourist Lemc, Selah Sue), and Fre Madou (ex-DAAU, Namid). With them, come stories and artifacts from the multidimensional cosmos to our beloved mother planet Earth and they passionately present their first omnibus Stellar Legions via the groove-obsessed Sdban Ultra label. The album consists of eight tracks recorded in the studio and live, resulting in one big cosmic experience that exhilarates down to every last arrangement. From Claes's twisted sax on the semi-electronic ecstatic dream world that is an "An Arp in Tunisia" to the jazzy snatches of "Wessel" where De Somer's hurried drum patterns and Weijters's frenzied keyboard solos catch light, Stellar Legions unites the adventure and improvisation of jazz with contemporary sounds. At the core of the Stellar Legions sound is a rhythm section Sly & Robbie would have approved of: loose and sticky, grinding and unwinding: De Somer's drums fizz with expectation while the relentless bass strokes from Madou provide the beating pulse. It's fresh, it's raw and it keeps us listening, grooving and wanting more. Elsewhere, "Odyssey" is a cataclysmic mix of feverish sounds and melodies that take you to an extra-terrestrial place, while the live recording of "Alcyone", basks in a spatial mix of futuristic grooves and ethereal soundscapes before album closer "Covix", results in a spacious and wonderfully atmospheric affair. Electronics wizard Andrew Claes has recorded music in a wide range of styles ranging from free jazz outfit Chaos of the Haunted Spire (duo with Teun Verbruggen) to techno icon Marco Bailey and new wave hero, Marcel Vanthilt. In addition, he has collaborated with Zach Danziger, Zap Mama, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Hermes Ensemble, Mauro Pawlowski, Josse De Pauw, and many others and released music with the electro-jazz collective AAN/EOP and his solo project, Internal Sun. Claes is also a teacher of "Live Electronics" at the Conservatory of Antwerp and a doctorate in the arts, where he is currently investigating the possibilities of an electro-acoustic saxophone. He also regularly gives workshops on the Belgian synthesizer microcontroller platform, Axoloti.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: SDBANU 029CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

On the isle of Crete, the ancient practice of dipping your bread in different sauces and dips is called "papara". True to its music-as-sauce philosophy, Brussels-based groove formation M.CHUZI invites you to dip your ear into the sonic sauces that are on offer in its versatile menu. Released via Sdban Ultra, the collective's debut album Papara is an inviting mouthful of Afro rhythms, funk, and prog jazz, combined with the spacey soundscapes of the Brussels metropole, as they look to Fela Kuti's Afrobeat style for inspiration. Winner of the prestigious Sound Track contest held at Ancienne Belgique back in December 2019, the octet has gone from strength to strength, including having album track "Tzatzìki" feature on the critically acclaimed various artist's compilation Lefto Presents Jazz Cats Volume 2 (SDBANU 025CD/LP). The track was arguably the highlight of the album and received radio support from leading radio DJs including Gilles Peterson of BBC Radio 6 Music and Worldwide FM fame. It's the tasty "Tzatzìki" that launches Papara, an exotica-spawned, merry bombardment of fizzing percussion and a subsequent brass freakout. Next up is the heavy acid rock of "Mammoet" featuring rising trombonist Nabou Claerhout, which soon breaks out into a groove-laden mix of Egyptian-inspired horns and Fela-style rhythms, before poetic warrior Joy Slam, adds her vocals to the dub-centric rhythms of the sweet "Carbonade". Elsewhere, "Intermetsauce" fuses skittish horns with funky drums while the spicy "Tahini Miso" bursts into life with trance-inducing beats and mystical, Middle-Eastern seasoning. The album closes with the multi-rhythms of the burning "Sambal", before we dive-dip into the funky "Pickles", featuring Mixmaster Menno's (STUFF.) wildstyle scratching skills. With each track named after a band member or featured artists' favorite sauce, M.CHUZI serves you a diverse and flavorful plate of unique compositions, taking Afro-groove and its descendants to a new level of eclectic dynamism.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SDBANU 029LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. On the isle of Crete, the ancient practice of dipping your bread in different sauces and dips is called "papara". True to its music-as-sauce philosophy, Brussels-based groove formation M.CHUZI invites you to dip your ear into the sonic sauces that are on offer in its versatile menu. Released via Sdban Ultra, the collective's debut album Papara is an inviting mouthful of Afro rhythms, funk, and prog jazz, combined with the spacey soundscapes of the Brussels metropole, as they look to Fela Kuti's Afrobeat style for inspiration. Winner of the prestigious Sound Track contest held at Ancienne Belgique back in December 2019, the octet has gone from strength to strength, including having album track "Tzatzìki" feature on the critically acclaimed various artist's compilation Lefto Presents Jazz Cats Volume 2 (SDBANU 025CD/LP). The track was arguably the highlight of the album and received radio support from leading radio DJs including Gilles Peterson of BBC Radio 6 Music and Worldwide FM fame. It's the tasty "Tzatzìki" that launches Papara, an exotica-spawned, merry bombardment of fizzing percussion and a subsequent brass freakout. Next up is the heavy acid rock of "Mammoet" featuring rising trombonist Nabou Claerhout, which soon breaks out into a groove-laden mix of Egyptian-inspired horns and Fela-style rhythms, before poetic warrior Joy Slam, adds her vocals to the dub-centric rhythms of the sweet "Carbonade". Elsewhere, "Intermetsauce" fuses skittish horns with funky drums while the spicy "Tahini Miso" bursts into life with trance-inducing beats and mystical, Middle-Eastern seasoning. The album closes with the multi-rhythms of the burning "Sambal", before we dive-dip into the funky "Pickles", featuring Mixmaster Menno's (STUFF.) wildstyle scratching skills. With each track named after a band member or featured artists' favorite sauce, M.CHUZI serves you a diverse and flavorful plate of unique compositions, taking Afro-groove and its descendants to a new level of eclectic dynamism.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: SDBANU 030LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. Hailing from Brussels, Bandler Ching is a creation of musical ideas from composer and saxophonist Ambroos De Schepper (Kosmo Sound, Azmari, Mos Ensemble). Flawlessly blending contemporary jazz, electronics, trap, hip-hop, and global beats, the sound is based around the freedom of expression and improvisation and performed with astounding conviction. With the help of Alan Van Rompuy (Azertyklavierwerke), Federico Pecoraro (ECHT!), and Olivier Penu (Kel Assouf), the four idiosyncratic artists come together to express their musical identity to dazzling effect. After a period of exploration, the quartet release their debut album Coaxial via the groove-obsessed Sdban Ultra label. A hypnotic trip through each band members' musical fantasies, the band have their roots in jazz. "We start from jazz and we give it our own attitude with improvisation and a lot of freedom and eventually mix it with influences such as electronics, beats, hip-hop etc.," says De Schepper. From the free-spirited beauty of "You Call It" and pulsating, loose beats of "Awpril" to the luminous "Dag na Naamdag" inspired by warm winter memories and wild summer dreams, De Schepper gives the sax a new place in its musical sphere. The album title refers to the band members' various musical influences that coalesce around one artistic center. That center is Coaxial -- a distinct sound with a clear identity, yet versatile and difficult to categorize. Elsewhere, the bass-heavy "RoodGroen" features Vieze Meisje (singer Maya Mertens) while the sonoric mayhem of "Smooch" mutates without border -- mischievous, dynamic and unpredictable at the same time. "Rave Fever" is rich cataclysm of sound and rhythm while the intriguing "You Have Got Me" and album closer "Kitsune" showcase the magnetic soundings of Bandler Ching.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: SELE 8513LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Hazardous is the debut album of New York independent MC and producer Godfather Don, and was originally released in 1991 on Select Records. Don went on to achieve legendary status due to his extensive solo material and collaborative work with Kool Keith, Screwball and UltraMagnetic MCs, but was relatively unknown at the time this dropped. Entirely produced by GFD himself, the album has been long sought after as a collector's item. This limited issue single-LP version give fans a chance to own this album, which has aged well over the years as a fine example of New York/East coast rap styles from the era."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: SOULG 008LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A proper reissue of this stone-cold, soul-reggae classic, originally released in 1993. Although published in 1993, the first session dates back to 1979. It was around this time that Earl "Chinna" Smith (of The Wailers and Soul Syndicate fame) approached the singer with the idea of re-making some Curtis Mayfield songs. "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue" was the first track generated during the meeting, followed after a couple of years by "Move On Up". Devon Russell's birthplace and date are as much a mystery as the gaping holes in his recording career. He began with the Tartans, a mid-60s rock steady vocal group comprised of himself, Prince Lincoln Thompson, Linbergh "Preps" Lewis, and Cedric Myton; they disbanded after their 1967 hit "Dance All Night" (Federal Records). It is no mystery Jamaicans loved Motown soul, but this tribute was an epiphany on its own. With a crew comprised of eclectic master drummer Sly Dunbar, the album was completed at the Leggo Studios in Kingston, Jamaica with The Firehouse Crew on board. A mission accomplished ten years after the first foundation stone was laid. Devon Russell's "Move On Up" and "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue" appeared on the Soul jazz compilation Disco Reggae Rockers (2022), now the whole package is here. Fully licensed.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: SOW 038LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1963. Lou Blackburn's debut Imperial session has to be considered mostly a bop album, even though traces of contemporary pop culture and soul are clearly an influence. The trombone player is joined by Freddie Hill (trumpet), Horace Tapscott (piano), John Duke (bass), and Leroy Henderson (drums). Blackburn was born in Rankin, Pennsylvania, during the 1950s, he played swing music with Lionel Hampton. In the early 1960s, he began performing with musicians like Cat Anderson, among others. He also appears on the album Mingus at Monterey (1965). He also did crossover work with The Beach Boys and The Turtles, among others. From 1970, he lived in Germany, where he formed the amazing and highly influential ethno jazz band, Mombasa. Jazz Frontier was his second -- and last -- album for the US independent company Imperial and was released in 1963. Clear vinyl.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: SOW 039LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1959. Clear vinyl. "We Three, recorded in a single session on November 14, 1958, was the first American studio date as a bandleader for the diminutive and legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes, although with pianist Phineas Newborn on board (along with bassist Paul Chambers), it really is a set dominated by Newborn, whose busy, two-handed technique here works in tandem balance with Haynes's cool refinement. Newborn was all about amazing and dazzling piano runs that on some dates created simply too much flash and clutter to allow pieces to flow and breathe properly, but Haynes has always been about grace and flow throughout his career (if a drummer's style can be said to be elegant, Haynes fits the bill), and here he rubs off on Newborn, who exercises just enough restraint to keep him in the proper orbit, resulting in a fine album. Highlights include the easy, pure swing of the opener, a version of Ray Bryant's 'Reflection,' a wonderful and bluesy rendition of Avery Parrish's 'After Hours' (which finds Newborn in perfect balance between explosive ornamentation and smooth functionality), and a jaunty, fun spin through Newborn's own 'Sugar Ray,' a tribute to boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. This trio had a brief recording career together, but as this solid set shows, they made the best of it." --Steve Leggett, AllMusic.

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: SOW 040LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Reissue, originally released in 1963. A legendary album by one of the masters of modern jazz drumming. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1963, Cymbalism is among the albums Roy Haynes provided for Prestige's New Jazz series. This session features the drummer leading an acoustic quartet with Frank Strozier (alto sax, flute), Ronnie Mathews (piano), and Larry Ridley (bass). An unpredictable hard bop-post bop transitional album with different colors and moods. From the primary influence of Charlie Parker through a kind of expanded sound inspired by coeval Coltrane. Clear vinyl.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: SPITTLE 132LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Lo Spirito Continua is where Negazione reached their peak! Their frantic hardcore became more technical, leading to the future crossover turning point. A debut album made out of ten unforgettable tracks, each an emotional and political manifesto. The original Dutch artwork on Konkurrel (1986).

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: SPITTLE 142LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Reissue on TVOR from 1989. Lo Spirito Continua is where Negazione reached their peak! Their frantic hardcore became more technical, leading to the future crossover turning point. A debut album made out of ten unforgettable tracks, each an emotional and political manifesto.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SPITTLE 143LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

First time on vinyl. Originally released on cassette in the winter of 1984, together with the seventh issue of Komakino fanzine -- included here in its original format. Eight groups and 14 tracks revealing the whole meaning of the Afterglow operation. Bands who already had record deals and enjoyed some popularity, others that will do so shortly, others that will fade in the mists of that decade. Afterglow is a document from an era when small gestures and uncomfortable choices were true stances. Features Mono, Weimar Gesang, Faded Image, Dark Tales, Pedago Party, Bitch Boys, Aidons La Norvege, and Res Gesta.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SPITTLE 144LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

First time on vinyl. Originally released on cassette in the spring of 1985, together with the eigth issue of Komakino fanzine -- included here in its original format. Relatively well-known names coexist with bands that lasted only a season. Still Life was and remains a half hour of pure abstraction. An intense and precious post-punk overdose! Features Karnak, Limbo, Janitor Of Lunacy, Panoramics, and De Stijl.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SPITTLE 145LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

First time on vinyl. Originally released on cassette in the spring of 1984 together with the fifth issue of Tribal Cabaret fanzine -- included here in its original format. This is an invaluable document focusing on the obscure side of the '80s Italian post-punk scene. A composite picture drawn by a bunch of different and often under recorded groups from various Italian regions and cities. All together they contribute to defining a prominently dark yet vivid soundscape based on different approaches and styles. All these aspects are perfectly translated through the black-and-white art and graphics of the beautiful Tribal Cabaret fanzine. If you want to dive deep into the fringes of the '80s this is one of the places to start. Features Videozona, Nocteau, Cloudy Doll, Qfwfq, A.T.R.O.X., D.Ciullini, Detonazione, Illogico, Die Form, and F:A.R.-Prosthesis.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: ST 1040CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The story of Hen Ogledd (Welsh for Old North), one of Britain's more colorful and unusually unpredictable contemporary bands, begins with this duo recording of Richard Dawson and Rhodri Davies, first released in 2013 on an LP in an edition of 250 copies by the Alt.vinyl imprint. This Streamline edition is its first-ever CD release. Hailing from Newcastle, Richard Dawson should not need any introduction, as he has made his name with numerous solo and collaborative outings, while Welshman Rhodri Davies, known for his involvement with the British school of reductionist free improvisation, has collaborated with and performed for a great number of improvisers and composers. Guitar playing singer/songwriter Dawson met with Davies (who is featured here on pedal harp, amplified lap harp, electric harp, percussion and electronics) to produce these five pieces of heavily distorted improvisation that veer refreshingly away from any academic background one might expect at such an encounter. Instead, we find a highly energetic blend of lo-fi rock, improvisation and imaginary folklore that suggests jam sessions between Captain Beefheart's legendary Magic Band and Northern English noise champions The New Blockaders. While this analogy does not seem fully satisfactory and one struggles for words for an appropriate reference, the uniqueness of Hen Ogledd becomes apparent once again. The fact that Hen Ogledd has already become its own best reference here should speak for itself. Hen Ogledd has been remastered for CD from the original source recordings by Jim O'Rourke and is presented in mini-LP sleeves replicating the original LP artwork."

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: ST 1041CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"In combination with the Dawson-Davies Hen Ogledd CD release, Streamline is glad to present the first-ever CD issue of Bronze, the second Hen Ogledd album, originally released in 2016 as a small edition LP pressing on the Alt.vinyl label. At first considered an unlikely meeting of the minds of singer/painter/guitarist Richard Dawson and reductionist, free improvising Welsh harpist Rhodri Davies, Hen Ogledd reappear as a trio this time including the talent of Dawn Bothwell (voice and electronics). As unusual as the sounds contained in these recordings is the development the band has taken, from the abrasive amped directness of the first album to this avant-folk excursion evoking both ancient and contemporary qualities. These six hypnotic pieces of distorted improvised folklore -- ranging from archaic, electrified stomping pulses to the floaty sounds of echoed harp and guitar strings and fragile, ghostly vocal choruses -- represent an important step in the development of one of Britain's most unusual and unpredictable outfits as well as a singular completely unique musical expression. Hen Ogledd's Bronze has been remastered for CD from the original source recordings by Jim O'Rourke and is presented in mini-LP sleeves replicating the original LP artwork."

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: TR 525CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Robert Forster releases his eighth solo album, The Candle And The Flame. It's an album for Forster that has taken a very different path in creating than his previous works. The first single is titled "She's A Fighter". It reveals only part of what became a journey of creating music with family and friends with a need to find joy and solace in the face of adversity. Robert explains: "'She's A Fighter' is the last song I wrote for The Candle And The Flame album. I wrote the music for it in June 2021. I liked the tune and the quick energy of the song, but I didn't know yet what it was going to be about. In early July, Karin Bäumler, my wife and musical companion for thirty-two years, received a cancer diagnosis. In late July, with a series of chemotherapy sessions about to begin, Karin talked of fighting for her health and a path through chemotherapy to recovery. The phrase, 'She's A Fighter' came to me. I liked it. And I knew immediately that it would work with my new melody. I needed just one other line for the lyric. 'Fighting for good.' The song was finished. I had written my first two-line song. I had just out-Ramoned The Ramones! Because the song has so much meaning to us, we decided to record it as a family. The only time this happens on the album. Karin sings and plays xylophone. Our daughter Loretta plays electric guitar. Our son Louis plays guitar, bass and percussion. And I strum an acoustic guitar fiercely and sing. And that's 'She's a Fighter'." That coming together musically as a family is captured in the video for "She's A Fighter". The Candle And The Flame consists of nine songs written by Robert. Produced by Robert, Karin Bäumler, and Louis Forster (The Goon Sax), the album was mixed by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey) and features former Go-Betweens and Warm Nights bass player Adele Pickvance as well as Scott Bromiley and Luke McDonald (The John Steele Singers), who worked on Robert's Inferno (TR 429CD/LP, 2019) and Songs To Play (TR 324CD/LP, 2015) albums. "The recording sessions for the album were done sporadically over six months. Sometimes just one or two days a month. As that was all Karin's strength and condition allowed her to do. So we had to record 'live', catching magical moments and going for 'feel'. And that became the sound of the album." says Robert.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TR 525LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Robert Forster releases his eighth solo album, The Candle And The Flame. It's an album for Forster that has taken a very different path in creating than his previous works. The first single is titled "She's A Fighter". It reveals only part of what became a journey of creating music with family and friends with a need to find joy and solace in the face of adversity. Robert explains: "'She's A Fighter' is the last song I wrote for The Candle And The Flame album. I wrote the music for it in June 2021. I liked the tune and the quick energy of the song, but I didn't know yet what it was going to be about. In early July, Karin Bäumler, my wife and musical companion for thirty-two years, received a cancer diagnosis. In late July, with a series of chemotherapy sessions about to begin, Karin talked of fighting for her health and a path through chemotherapy to recovery. The phrase, 'She's A Fighter' came to me. I liked it. And I knew immediately that it would work with my new melody. I needed just one other line for the lyric. 'Fighting for good.' The song was finished. I had written my first two-line song. I had just out-Ramoned The Ramones! Because the song has so much meaning to us, we decided to record it as a family. The only time this happens on the album. Karin sings and plays xylophone. Our daughter Loretta plays electric guitar. Our son Louis plays guitar, bass and percussion. And I strum an acoustic guitar fiercely and sing. And that's 'She's a Fighter'." That coming together musically as a family is captured in the video for "She's A Fighter". The Candle And The Flame consists of nine songs written by Robert. Produced by Robert, Karin Bäumler, and Louis Forster (The Goon Sax), the album was mixed by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey) and features former Go-Betweens and Warm Nights bass player Adele Pickvance as well as Scott Bromiley and Luke McDonald (The John Steele Singers), who worked on Robert's Inferno (TR 429CD/LP, 2019) and Songs To Play (TR 324CD/LP, 2015) albums. "The recording sessions for the album were done sporadically over six months. Sometimes just one or two days a month. As that was all Karin's strength and condition allowed her to do. So we had to record 'live', catching magical moments and going for 'feel'. And that became the sound of the album." says Robert.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TARTALB 018LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Zopelar arrives on Tartelet with Charme -- an album of effervescent machine funk harking back to a golden era of Brazilian party music. The era of interest for Sao Paulo's Pedro Zopelar begins in the 1980s in Rio de Janeiro, when a particular phenomenon caught on at suburban parties which became known as "Charme". "Charme was like a mix of slow boogie, RnB and new jack swing," explains Zopelar. "DJ Corello started calling 'charme' the moment of the party when he played slow grooves and felt that the people started dancing differently, with sexier synchronized moves. Some years later, charme evolved from an awaited moment of a night to a whole movement of parties just playing that kind of music. On this record I tried to make something that brings this emotional feeling to my music in a modern way." Much like the original genre-not-genre he drew inspiration from, Zopelar's approach across his latest LP spans different moods and tempos. There's blissful, sultry mystery lingering around "Clara" and "Do You Feel?" while Osagie lends some chops to the exquisite, Rompler-powered synth funk of "Chain Net". The lead singles "Shibuya", "Charme", and "Passado" all tap into varying shades of deep house, from slinky city pop-tinted loungers to peak-time dance pop and Larry Heard-influenced flavors, with the constant being Zopelar's immaculate production and the unbridled warmth of his compositions. Continuing the Latin-rooted theme of the album, the artwork conception of Charme was realized by multidisciplinary artist and curator Ode, showcasing a popular style of street paintings made by anonymous artists throughout Latin America. It's not about graffiti-culture but a popular solution utilized by small restaurants, bars and other establishments to use their own walls for commercial purposes, hiring artists to paint food and drink menus or other information about their products. With an emotional sincerity stemming from his move to reconnect with the Brazilian dimension of his creative background, Charme arrives as Zopelar's heartfelt celebration of life and music, of sentimental moments shared and good times enjoyed. Zopelar has previous releases on Apron, Connaisseur, and D-Edge. For fans of: Space Ghost, Dam Funk, Larry Heard, Soichi Terada, DJ Python.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: TPV 004EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Techno Parade Vinyl is saddened and honored to release their beloved friend Tim Baker. Tim was this good-hearted and cheerful person who lighted our souls and this white vinyl, Last Dance, is meant to perpetuate his light. His music will be played for generations to come. Tim was a friend and a mentor to Van. They created sounds and crafted ideas which will forever remain in their hearts and their timeless music. Techno Parade Vinyl also have a special guest CUBR1K who is the aka created in 2006 by well-known techno artist Cristian Varela, focused on curated melodic sounds which can be listened on his very own weekly radio show on Ibiza Global Radio of the same name. Remixes by Samuel L Session, Waffensupermarkt, Van Czar, and Sebastian B.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: TPV 005EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Reissue of this techno classic from 1991, remastered for 2022. Techno Parade Vinyl presents Robert Armani's "Ambulance" with outstanding remixes by label boss Van Czar, Waffensupermarkt, Miss Mana, and Tom DM. Legendary Robert Armani is back on board with his super-hit "Ambulance" which is a real collector's piece. This red transparent vinyl has been carefully designed and it's ready to add to your collection. You don't want to miss out this fabulous work. Techno Parade for techno lovers.

 

PRICE: $10.00

CAT #: WIRE 468

FILE UNDER: Misc

"On the Cover, Meredith Monk: Over the last 60 years the New York composer, vocalist, film maker and choreographer has redefined the boundaries of live performance and vocal experimentation with her ambitious compositions and happenings. She talks to Emily Bick about a box set of her ECM recordings released to mark her 80th birthday, and her science fiction-influenced new touring program Memory Game. Inside the issue... Ocen James: The Kampala based acholi fiddle player has made waves in experimental dance music as part of the Nyege Nyege collective and now with a new record Saccades with UK electronic music producer Rian Treanor; Barbara Dane: The venerable US folk musician and activist has been trying to smash the capitalist system for more than half a century. She talks to Emily Pothast about her new book This Bell Still Rings: My Life Of Defiance And Song; Invisible Jukebox: aya The London based club music producer and Hyperdub label artist takes our mystery music test. Global Ear: The Kansai region of Japan has become home to a new wave of DJ experimentalists crafting new templates of hyperpop and queer club sounds. By Miranda Remington; Unlimited Editions: The Croatian label Fox & His Friends explores the Yugoslav history of the region rediscovering lost electronic and soundtrack pioneers. By Antonio Poscic; Unofficial Channels: The Bristol Germ; Epiphanies: The Raincoats' Gina Birch is empowered by a live encounter with The Slit; Plus full, page interviews with Mark Jenkin, Territorial Gobbing, Jacqueline Nova and Zaliva-D."

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: TTP 108LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Sound Wonders: A Series of Epics is the second compilation from Touchtheplants, the imprint and multidisciplinary creative environment founded by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Sean Hellfritsch (aka Cool Maritime). Following 2020's Breathing Instruments (TTP 107LP), the new collection features sonic responses to a new prompt. Like its predecessor -- which explored music as an extension of the human body and the natural world -- the medium of focus here dates back to ancient civilizations. Smith invited artists to compose music based on the idea of epics: the long poems and narrative verse works that have detailed deeds and adventures since the dawn of storytelling. The musicians -- some of today's most exciting practitioners of experimental sound design, instrumentation, and synthesis -- took this directive loosely, realizing a series of vibrant and transportive songs evoking wondrous visions, subjects, and locales. From Elori Saxl's chamber piece to Olive Ardizoni's ode to the strange and beautiful phenomenon of starling murmurations with synth and xylophone tones the album splays out like chapters in a panoramic account of all that surrounds us. Features Elori Saxl, Matthewdavid's Mindflight, Appa Wú Wéi, Emile Mosseri, Yialmelic Frequencies, Nailah Hunter, Green-House (Olive Ardizoni), Emily Ritz, and SK Kakraba.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54083LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally release in 1970. Formed in the West Midlands manufacturing town of Coventry in 1968, esteemed psychedelic folk group Dando Shaft are revered as key influencers of the progressive strand of the 1960s folk revival, and the interplay of melodies on guitar, mandolin, and violin made their sound distinctive, thanks to frontman Martin Jenkins, whose expressive vocals complement his intricate lines, while Roger Bullen's melodious bass helps to lubricate the proceedings. Recorded before Polly Bolton's harmonic presence shifted the emphasis of their output, this masterwork is required listening for all progressive folk devotees. Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54084LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1971. Dando Shaft's self-titled sophomore set continued to build on the reputation established by their excellent debut, and now the arrival of female singer Polly Bolton added another textural dimension, as heard most clearly on the soaring "Riverboat," the absence of drums throughout allowing us to fully appreciate the players' excellent musicianship, with Martin Jenkins's masterful mandolin, flute, and fiddle drawing the sound to higher realms. As it was issued on RCA's prog sub-label Neon, which folded soon after its release, the LP is as rare as it is excellent -- another must-have for fans of progressive folk and psychedelic folk rock. Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54085LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1972. Dando Shaft's third LP continued their explorations into the progressive and psychedelic strands of folk, now with shifting time signatures evidencing an increasing sophistication, as well as an ongoing commitment to experimentation; more varied in theme than their previous releases, there were shades of blues in places and an array of new instruments in the mix, including harpsichord, accordion, and slide guitar, yet the progressive folk that was always at the core of the group is still intact. With original copies costing in the hundreds, this is another worthy exploration for Dando Shaft fans, and all lovers of progressive folk music. Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54087LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1974. English blues outfit Tramp had a fleeting existence in the late '60s and early '70s -- here today, gone tomorrow. Based around former John Dummer Blues Band vocalist/guitarist Dave Kelly and sister Jo Ann on harmonies and occasional lead, the group got a boost from Fleetwood Mac mainstays Mick Fleetwood, Danny Kirwan, and Bob Brunning, as well as former Savoy Blues keyboardist, Bob Hall. If not quite as compelling as their 1969 debut, this 1974 LP has the hallmark touches that made the Mac leaders of the British blues scene. Fleetwood Mac devotees and British blues lover, get stuck in! Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54088LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Reissue, originally released in 1971. In the 1971 counterculture comedy You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It, Zalman King tries to find the meaning of life, with Richard Pryor and Robert Downey Jr among the cameos; who better to cut the soundtrack than Steely Dan? Except that the Dan had not officially formed yet! With typical tongue-in-cheek touches, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker rise to the challenge, with fellow Dan guitarist Denny Diaz and drummer John Discepolo of previous vehicle, Jay & the Americans; if you're a Steely Dan fan, you really need to check out this one-off soundtrack, cut just before they upset the rock applecart with Can't Buy A Thrill. Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54094LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1992. The ups and downs of the high-ranking British heavy metal/prog act UFO are many and varied since their formation in London in 1969. The 1992 release High Stakes & Dangerous Men was a return to form that saw founding bassist Pete Way re-connect with lead singer Phil Mogg, this time with Electric Sun drummer Clive Edwards and guitarist Laurence Archer of Phil Lynott's Grand Slam also in the ranks. Mogg, Way, and Archer were a great songwriting team that worked in shades of southern rock and blues, drawing from noteworthy acts like Bad Company, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Seger. UFO fans will not be disappointed! Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54095LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1974. Beginning in the mid-1960s as a covers band, the group that came to be Unicorn soon determined that original material was the way to go, and after being inspired by a Crosby, Stills and Nash album, their particular brand of enlightened folk rock tinged with country shades yielded a contract with Transatlantic for their 1971 debut. Fast forward to 1974 and Blue Pine Trees finds the band at their finest with sweeping harmonies and bluegrass tinges, and with Pink Floyd's David Gilmour in the producer's chair, all of their glorious potential is realized on this lost gem of an album that is fully ripe for rediscovery. A truly great work. Includes two bonus tracks. Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: TDP 54096LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1991. Influential Detroit band Destroy All Monsters mashed up punk, garage, and noise rock, their atypical work notably influencing Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. By the time of their first recordings, the group included pedigree members such as guitarist Ron Asheton of the Stooges and bassist Mike Davis of the MC5, as well as drummer Rob King, apoplectic vocalist Niagara, and assorted friends. Bored is a must-have compilation that brings together their early singles from the late 1970s, including "You're Gonna Die," "Nov 22," "Meet The Creeper," "What Do I Get?," and the outstanding title track that began their acceleration. Licensed from Cherry Red.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: TRESOR 182X-EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Tresor Records announce forthcoming special editions of its entire catalog of Drexciya and related projects. 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of James Stinson and the releases of the Transllusion and Shifted Phases albums. In recognition, the rights holders, their families, and the label have commissioned Detroit-based contemporary artist Matthew Angelo Harrison to re-conceptualize the covers of Tresor's Drexciya-related catalog.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: TROST 218CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Austrian based collaborators of free jazz, improvisation, and sound experiments releasing the long-awaited debut album of Dry Thrust -- the new project by the trio of German pianist and composer Georg Graewe, Martin Siewert (Radian, Trapist, Also), and Dieter Kern (DEK Trio, Bulbul, Fuckhead). Graewe, has since been leading a variety of ensembles since the early '80s -- ranging from trio to chamber orchestra formats -- which have involved some of the leading instrumentalists in contemporary music. His compositions include works for full orchestras as well as scores for films, theater, and radio drama and have been performed and broadcasted around the world. Dry Thrust is one of the very rare occasions Graewe plays organ instead of piano. Recorded by Martin Siewert, in June 16-18, 2020 in Vienna. Mixed and mastered by Martin Siewert. Artwork by Georg Graewe. Personnel: Georg Graewe - organ; Martin Siewert - guitars, electronics; Dieter Kern - drums.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: JBH 100LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

First ever release of the scariest, most inappropriate and possibly most influential kids TV music of all time. When Children of the Stones (AKA COTS) was first shown on kids TV back in 1977, just about anyone who watched was scared shitless. The seven-part drama centered around disturbing happenings in a strange pagan village of very weird and unusually happy people, all set in the midst of the stone circle at Avebury -- known as Milbury for the show. The series shown across British TV (and USA TV in 1980) would scar, disturb, and influence an entire generation. Without COTS it's unlikely there would be hauntology, a relentless interest spooky folk stuff, stone circle clubs, weird walks, and a hunger for such pagan oddities everywhere. And COTS really is the key TV series in many of these modern movements, way before The Wicker Man. Even though The Wicker Man was released in 1973, it was an adult film only released to a few cinemas. Very few people saw it and its influence really started in the late 1990s with the first release of the music. Whereas COTS, on the other hand, was show at 5PM, on schooldays, to a whole nation of impressionable kids, who had never seen or heard anything quite like it. The power of COTS runs deep. So much so Stewart Lee made a whole documentary about it. The release of this long-awaited album will be a "Happy Day" for many. According to rumor, the director of the show was listening to Penderecki as he first approached Avebury to scope out locations. Sidney Sager and The Ambrosian Singers produced and avant-garde and often quite oddly terrifying sequence of vocal drones and dramatic peaks based on ancient Icelandic singular word "Hadave". And yes, it's still scary. There is only 17 minutes of music throughout the series, so Trunk have fitted it all onto a one-sided LP. Artwork is by Julian House, legendary hauntologist (Belbury Poly, etc.) and the man behind some of the greatest spooky band artwork of all time: Stereolab, Broadcast, Primal Scream, etc. Sleeve notes by Stewart Lee and inner sleeve notes by Alan Gubby of Buried Treasure Records. 17 cues in all, plus the bonus HTV West jingle by Radiophonic Workshop GOD John Baker. One-sided black vinyl.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: UTR 149LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Shake Chain have been busy demolishing audiences and expectations for the best part of three years. Vocalist Kate Mahony sets that standard by starting each live performance by crawling from the back of the room through a disbelieving crowd's legs in a shiny yellow raincoat. The resulting questions that frantically arise of "what's going on?", "am I hallucinating?", and "is this part of the show?" are hallmarks of how Shake Chain approach making their unruly, lyric-bespattered rock music. The four-piece from London are completed by Robert Syres (guitar, synth), Chris Hopkins (bass, synth), and Joe Fergey (drums), all artists hailing from Goldsmiths College, Nottingham Trent and Wimbledon, University of the Arts. A mutual love of thought-provoking performance art and a yearning for disruption have helped Shake Chain lock into their wayward sound. Twitchy guitar lines jolt and jerk, synths burble noisily and tack-sharp drums pin things down for Kate's reeling vocal to vault and slur. Kate's singing has drawn comparisons with Yoko Ono, Su Tissue, and even a seance with its unique embrace of flights of atonal fancy, head-first repetition and ecstatic frenzy. Opinion-dividing arguably, but singular in making Shake Chain dauntingly brilliant. Shake Chain's self-titled debut album was recorded in the New Forest's Chuckalumba Studios early in 2022. The tranquil setting only slightly skewed by the intense extratropical cyclone occurring outside. When asked to sum up the album the group collectively settled on it sounding like "crying in a Catholic sex dungeon with Eastenders on", perhaps only half tongue in cheek given the soapy dramatics of opening track "Stace". "RU" is a stompy triumph of ad lib monotony, heavy and wonky, its vocal slowly unwinding into residual sense. Shake Chain's songs are populated with cowboys, cherry-pickers, content-addicts, private investments, a careless driver called Mike, architects and by much lamentation at the state of our confusing existences. This last point underlined in luminous marker pen with slow-building vortex "Highly Conceptual" and whispered closer "Duck". "Copy Me" races along with radiant headbangs of dynamic abandon, one part tumble, two parts pummel, "hold your breath til something changes" commands Kate whilst everything of course is in hammering flux. "Second Home" is similarly coruscating yet buoyant, whilst "Arthur" feels like it could tear inside in two amid sobbing wails and the twining of its disparate parts. Throughout all the unhinged freakouts, found sounds and blasting rhythms though is Kate's questioning, resilient presence, anchoring everything. Shake Chain are cathartic and absurd, humorous and deadly serious yet always inspired.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: WRWTFWW 069LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

WRWTFWW Records announce a brand new album by Irish producer Gareth Quinn Redmond, following his amazing Satoshi Ashikawa-inspired Laistigh den Ghleo released in 2019 (WRWTFWW 039CD/LP). Umcheol, his ambient-meets-Irish-traditional-music soundscape comes in a 350gsm gatefold sleeve with a superb triptych of paintings by Irish artist Conor Campbell. A splendid pairing of Irish folk instruments (harp, tin whistle, fiddle, harmonium) with synthesizers, Umcheol tells the tragic yet beautiful tale of two legendary figures of Irish mythology, Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad. The 40+ minute ambient narrative is a subtle and touching alliance of past and present, tradition re-contextualized and retold with a modern approach. Gareth Quinn Redmond explains: "For the longest time, I have desired to blend elements of both ambient and Irish traditional music. Umcheol -- Cú Chulainn agus Ferdiad, is the first in a series of works that seeks to coalesce these two palettes of sound. The primary focus of this album was to begin using traditional instruments such as the harp, tin whistle, fiddle and even the harmonium, which in recent times has become commonly used in Irish folk music. By pairing these instruments with synthesizers, I hope to create a soundscape that gives new agency for the stories of my culture to be realized and retold." Very personal and delicately visceral, Umcheol is a contemplative journey that will resonate with fans of Japanese environmental music, minimalism, folk experimentations, and mythological soundtracks. For fans of ambient, Irish folk music and history, minimalism, synth, Satoshi Ashikawa, Midori Takada, Brian Eno, beautiful paintings, single LPs in gatefold sleeves, well hidden treasures. Edition of 500.