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"Consisting of singer/guitarist Bodary, percussionist and musical director/arranger Dan Seibert, and keyboardist Jack Doran, Hello Emerson has been crafting subtle, earnest, and expansive songs since its formation in 2015. Drawing on the midwestern songwriting tradition of acclaimed acts like Bright Eyes and The Mountain Goats, Bodary's erudite yet homespun lyrics are bolstered by the group's increasingly baroque arrangements. A collaborative act inspired by the local artistic community of their home base of Columbus, Ohio, their 2020 sophomore effort How to Cook Everything featured contributions from 50 local musicians, creating an immersive and complex yet folky and accessible sound. Their latest effort, To Keep Him Here, further develops and focuses their style, while applying it to a set of darker themes. A concept album, the record delves into the chaos and confusion that followed a serious accident suffered by Bodary's father which landed him in the ICU for nine days. Across the record, Bodary uses his measured yet honest lyrical voice to articulate and sort through the terror of the experience, and the strength which pulled him and his family through. Tracked live in his godfather's home, the band's physical proximity lends an added layer of intimacy to the tracks, all while maintaining Seibert's subtle yet sweeping arrangements. The result is the band's strongest effort yet; a record of hope and fear, To Keep Him Here finds beauty in the kind of compassion which can only arise from disorder."

LP version. "Consisting of singer/guitarist Bodary, percussionist and musical director/arranger Dan Seibert, and keyboardist Jack Doran, Hello Emerson has been crafting subtle, earnest, and expansive songs since its formation in 2015. Drawing on the midwestern songwriting tradition of acclaimed acts like Bright Eyes and The Mountain Goats, Bodary's erudite yet homespun lyrics are bolstered by the group's increasingly baroque arrangements. A collaborative act inspired by the local artistic community of their home base of Columbus, Ohio, their 2020 sophomore effort How to Cook Everything featured contributions from 50 local musicians, creating an immersive and complex yet folky and accessible sound. Their latest effort, To Keep Him Here, further develops and focuses their style, while applying it to a set of darker themes. A concept album, the record delves into the chaos and confusion that followed a serious accident suffered by Bodary's father which landed him in the ICU for nine days. Across the record, Bodary uses his measured yet honest lyrical voice to articulate and sort through the terror of the experience, and the strength which pulled him and his family through. Tracked live in his godfather's home, the band's physical proximity lends an added layer of intimacy to the tracks, all while maintaining Seibert's subtle yet sweeping arrangements. The result is the band's strongest effort yet; a record of hope and fear, To Keep Him Here finds beauty in the kind of compassion which can only arise from disorder."

2024 repress. "Arthur Russell's most extraordinary work, World of Echo is reissued in this remastered vinyl edition by Audika Records. 18 tracks are featured including drumless versions of his disco classics 'Let's Go Swimming,' 'Tree House,' and 'Wax The Van' along with four previously unreleased tracks. Originally released in 1986, World Of Echo is a deeply intimate and meditative work of awe-inspiring grace and remains a timeless work of sublime beauty. Arthur's aim was to achieve what he calls 'the most vivid rhythmic reality,' with just cello, voice, and echoes. Arthur achieved all of this and more on one of the most incredible albums you will ever hear."

Space Dimension Controller returns to Aus Music with six tracks of superb cosmic adventure. Thie EP arrives as a six-track 12" including exclusive vinyl-only cut "Acid Funk Sequel." Space Dimension Controller is an intergalactic musical explorer. His sci-fi sounds paint technicolor pictures in widescreen. Whether crafting definitive albums like Love Beyond The Intersect on R&S, club-ready EPs for Aus and Running Back or dropping collections of unreleased tracks on his own Tiraquon Recordings, his work sounds futuristic yet nostalgic for the past. It is fueled by funk and crafted on synths, hardware, tape machines and various other imperfect tools that lend it a loveable character. His Final Quest EP is a "French-inspired" release, which is an influence that predates the Space Dimension Controller alias and goes back to Hamill's teenage years. It is also the last EP from his current studio before it is dismantled and moved to Amsterdam sometime this summer. From start to finish, this new EP showcases Hamill's ability to craft emotionally evocative melodies and genuinely absorbing soundtracks. Opener "Jet Free" is awash with filtered synths that are sugary sweet and underpinned by funky guitar riffs and laissez-faire grooves. The wonderful "Cryfaze" has rueful pads spiraling around sleek drums that bounce along next to supple neon harps, while "Tiraquon's Final Quest" is a bubbling and elastic rhythm run through with soft acid squelches and pixelated pads full of cosmic charm. "1 4 U" rides on heavier drums but is no less joyous thanks to the crystalline melodies and dreamy vocals that swell the heart. "Acid Funk Sequel" is another playful moon safari with buoyant bass patterns and snappy drum funk under ever-evolving melodic refrains and "Beyond2" closes down with forlorn, introspective melodies that ripple over heavy-hearted chords.

Great classic and timeless tune of the '80s and French boogie scene, Histoire d'1 Soir (Bye bye les gal?res) is an ode to party, liberty, youth and freedom, interpreted by Bibi Flash aka Brigitte Gast?, an atypical singer from the French boogie. With its light lyrics and mythical chorus, its euphoria and irresistible disco-rap vibe, this track produced by Philippe Renaux (Holly Guns, Clever, Pianola) released in 1983 is a sincere photography of its time, during which these children of the "summer of love" and May 68 criss-crossed Paris in search of endless nights, pleasure and freedom. A prized and rare record which is nowadays repressed by Barbecue imprint in 2021, in its 12'' version, with the original, the Disco Mix, instrumental and the A Cappella, and is accompanied by a new modern and festive edit by French house producer Blutch. Printed inner sleeve included.

2024 repress. "In the 1980s, Michael Morley helped to push the jangly New Zealand music scene towards rougher, more exploratory realms, as a member of Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos, The Weeds, and the almighty Dead C. His gnarled, distorted guitar tone and aggressively moan-based vocal style are both as distinctive as they are secretly beautiful. Morley has released dozens of solo recordings -- starting in the late 1980s as Gate, then more recently under his own name, and as the Righteous Yeah. He's also unafraid to tackle entirely new genres and sounds, and to move into interactive installation-based music as well. Birdman is beyond excited to present the first vinyl release of this archival Gate release." "... I think it is classic Gate material. The idea of the palette is fascinating as I think I did approach it with a set of limited instrumentation and the desire to make something again that could sound like rock music. There is certainly a direct line from Wreck Small Speakers On Expensive Stereos, through the Dead C, and to Gate. I think I was also inspired by listening to [infamous and tragically short-lived early 1980s band] the Double Happys, and remembering their performances as a duo with the drum machine. There was such utter chaos and anarchy during their sets, with a desire to represent punk rock at its nascent truth, I wanted to see if it was possible to re-imagine that feeling. I was possibly also listening to the Stooges and MC5." --Michael Morley

With each release and performance over the last ten years, saxophonist Makoto Kawashima has continued to stake his claim as one of today's most captivating improvisers. Zoe is Kawashima's first ever studio album and his second with Black Editions. Recorded at Tokyo's storied GOK Sound, the album is one of the most beautiful and stark renderings of his voice to date. Over two side long excursions Kawashima's music springs to existence with striking clarity and power, yet remains rooted in the more obscure, spiritual realm from which all of his work seems to originate. Rather than let the studio smooth out the performances, Zoe is direct and unvarnished, the only adornment added being the ghostly, faint pre-echo of the reel to reel. Kawashima's elevation of an idiosyncratic solo practice places him squarely within the lineage of iconoclastic Japanese saxophonists such as Kaoru Abe, Tamio Shiraishi, and Masayushi Urabe. At the outer bounds of improvised music, Kawashima's work reveals a fragile spirit, one that gives as much emphasis to silence and minute sounds, perhaps hesitations, as it does to ecstatic bursts of tone and texture. His music is undeniably intimate and vulnerable, eschewing the bravado and bluster that have often become tropes in the world of solo improvisation; Kawashima summons searing melodic lines and heavily textured passages and just as abruptly lets them collapse, vanishing into the ether. Perhaps more than anything, Kawashima is concerned with erasing the distinction between artist and instrument, the barriers between the internal self and the external world around us. "The alto is the only instrument that becomes part of my body. It's like a soul that fuses together with my spirit. When I hold the instrument ready to play, something external to me appears behind me." Kawashima weaves aspects of blues and spiritual music within harshly abstract passages and a harrowing vibrato that echoes Albert Ayler's spirit. His personal experience and approach affirm these connections; "I see spirits all the time. Shadows, phantoms. They appear at the border between your internal world and where the external world affects you. What I want to do is give a certain concrete reality to those things. The essential part of yourself that your internal eyes want to look away from. I try to make that concrete, to give it a melody and let it out." Deluxe LP housed in tip-on jacket with gloss film laminate photo mounted on cover and printed inner sleeve.

Black Truffle presents a reissue of Chico Mello and Helinho Brand?o's self-titled release from 1984, the first return to vinyl of this classic of Brazilian experimental music with its original cover art and complete track listing. An under-recognized figure whose work inhabits a singular terrain where radical new music techniques and music theatre meet musica popular brasileira, Mello has lived and worked in Berlin since the late 1980s. A student of Dieter Schnebel, Mello played in the '90s iteration of Arnold Dreyblatt's Orchestra of Excited Strings alongside compatriot Silvia Ocougne, with whom he produced a radical and hilarious deconstruction of MPB classics on Musica Brasileira De(s)composta (an early and rather atypical release on Edition Wandelweiser). On this release, his only recording predating his move to Europe, Mello works with the alto saxophonist Helinho Brand?o, who appears to be otherwise unknown outside Brazil. The record's six tracks range from solo saxophone improvisation to densely layered ensemble works bridging minimalism, acoustic sound art and a plaintive melodic sensibility that calls up Edu Lobo or Milton Nascimento. A trio for Brand?o on soprano saxophone, Mello on a very period-appropriate phased nylon string guitar and Edu Dequech on bongos, the performance eases its way hypnotically through subtle variations on a set of rhythmic and melodic patterns, almost derailed at points by Brand?o's wild forays into extended technique but held together by Mello's droning guitar notes. Rasping violin harmonics hover as drum hits, repeated guitar notes and triangle accompany a slowly descending bass glissando. A sudden change in direction introduces a thrumming, incessantly repeated bowed bass tone, beginning a series of episodes of minimalist phasing and pattern variation, the combinations of electric guitars and orchestral instruments giving the ensemble an ad hoc charm like the early Penguin Caf? Orchestra but with more percussive drive. Arriving in a starkly beautiful gatefold sleeve and sounding better than ever in its new remaster, one might call the stunning music contained on Chico Mello/Helinho Brand?o ahead of its time. Forty years after its first release, Chico Mello/Helinho Brand?o remains music of the future.

2024 restock. "Received a 9.1 Best New Reissue rating from Pitchfork. One of the most popular and successful underground bands of the early- /mid-'90s, California's Jawbreaker was comprised of Blake Schwarzenbach (guitar and vocals), Chris Bauermeister (bass) and Adam Pfahler (drums). The band melded raw vocals, a driving rhythm section and grinding guitar with complex song structures and literary lyrics, forging a distinctive style that has since, along with Schwarzenbach's subsequent band Jets to Brazil, influenced a generation of independent music. By the end of 1993, Jawbreaker was in full stride. The band had completed a full US tour in the summer, played several shows that October with Nirvana, and was attracting significant major label attention. 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, released in early 1994, was Jawbreaker's third album. After the more 'progressive' Bivouac, the trio had returned to a straightforward, poppier sound, and the resulting full-length is widely regarded as their best. The bulk of the recording was done by noted independent producer Steve Albini (though it is officially credited to Albini's cat, Fluss). Following the mainstream success of fellow Californians Green Day and Rancid, Jawbreaker decided to sign with DGC. They released a final studio album, Dear You, before calling it quits in 1996. A feature-length documentary on the band is currently in the works."

Limited 2024 restock. Official RSD 2024 UK Release. Officially reissued for the first time on vinyl here's a definitive pop psych masterpiece, originally released in 1968 on Dunhill Records. It's not a legend that John Lennon named the band after an art book by Yoko Ono. The Beatles were closely involved in their early career, signing them to Apple Publishing. Lennon and McCartney produced their single "Lullaby." Here's their debut album with extra tracks taken from their 1967-1968 London Session Apple.

"The Dave Brubeck Quartet's Live from the Northwest, 1959 is the newest release from Brubeck Editions, the Brubeck family-run label that only puts out music of the highest musical and technical quality. These exciting performances were recorded by the trailblazing and iconic audio engineer, Wally Heider, who pioneered the art of remote recording from his 'studio on wheels.' The sound he achieved is stellar, and this is perhaps the best live recording you can hear of one the most popular jazz groups of all time. The tapes were recorded in April, 1959 at the Multnomah Jazz Club and Clark College, both in the Portland, Oregon area. On this recording you can hear the Quartet's mastery of spontaneous counterpoint improvisation. Four months later, the Dave Brubeck Quartet's focus shifted to polytonal and polyrhythmic approaches when the group recorded the legendary 'Time Out,' and changed the course of jazz forever."

Black on white splatter color vinyl. "First issued in 2002 only in the States and Australia, Ear Bleeding Country is the only career-spanning compilation of Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. are one of the most successful and influential alternative guitar bands from America, and fronted by laconic singer/guitarist J. Mascis, they've enjoyed global success and inspired generations, from Grunge onwards. The first six tracks are drawn from the band's early career in the 1980s, when they recorded for independent labels like Homestead and SST. Among them are the classic single 'Freak Scene' and the follow-up cover of The Cure's 'Just Like Heaven.' Most of the compilation samples the best of Dinosaur Jr.'s output after signing with Warner Bros in 1990, including hit singles such as 'The Wagon', 'Whatever's Cool With Me', 'Out There', 'Start Choppin' and 'Feel The Pain'. Ear Bleeding Country ends with 'Where'd You Go', a track by J. Mascis' post-Dinosaur Jr. band The Fog."

"Bombay Studios was an 8-track studio located in the sleepy backwoods village of Smyrna, Georgia which briefly operated from 1981 to 1983. During that time, Joe Perry, the proprietor of Bombay was a routine live sound engineer at venues sprinkled across Atlanta including the Agora Ballroom and 688. Most famously, he holds the distinction of recording the first studio session ever by R.E.M. Amongst the litany of bands that'd come in for a day or two and commit their material to tape was the upstart Athens five-piece Limbo District. While looking through third guitarist Kelly Crow's archive, Chunklet stumbled across an unmarked cassette tape of a three-song session. Jump ahead to famed collector Lo Yo Yo's Todd Ploharski who had the same session, but on the J-card was written 'Bombay.' And just like that, the band's second recording session from the spring of 1982 had been unearthed. This session is, indeed, the band's second line-up with Art In The Dark's Tim Lacy on guitar who strengthened the band's songwriting and performances. The three songs recorded 'Fetish This,' 'Daydreaming,' and 'Two Of Screams' have more in common with the art damaged New York No Wave scene than any oblique pop, rock or jangle in the Classic City at the time. Not coincidentally, Limbo bassist Davey Stevenson's big brother Gordon was the bassist in Teenage Jesus and the Jerks who would consistently send his kid brother missives from the front line of New York's scuzzy vanguard. Spotlessly restored by Jason NeSmith, 'Bombay' celebrates that day in Joe Perry's studio 42 years ago. All artwork was culled from the voluminous Limbo District archive. The front is original art by vocalist Craig Woodall while the back is by guitarist Kelly Crow who cribbed from German artist George Grosz for the main visual while Crow scribbled marker around it. Each copy of the record has a uniquely colored scheme done by various friends of Chunklet including musicians from Honey Radar, Lifeguard, Vangas, and other esteemed degenerates. The insert features a never before photo of the band in front of an S&M hangout called the Hell Hole off the main strip at Coney Island taken by Ellen McGrail in the spring of 1982. Also included are handwritten lyrics by Craig Woodall."

Br?tzmann reflected: "The idea of expressing my love of and admiration for Albert Ayler -- both man and music -- in a musical statement is not new. We both tried to do similar or almost identical things at the same point in time, each independently and without knowing anything about each other -- each of us within his own culture." This album was recorded in August 1993 at Townhall Charlottenburg in Berlin, and was released in 1994 by FMP. Featuring Peter Br?tzmann (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, tarogato); Toshinori Kondo (trumpet, electronics); William Parker (double bass); Hamid Drake (drums, frame drum).

Restocked. A late '60s Japanese compilation investigating the so-called "group sound" movement. Includes early recordings by a series of musicians later to perform with legendary bands such as the Flower Travellin' Band, Speed Glue & Shinki, Les Rallizes Denudes, and Foodbrain. Featuring Golden Cups, Dynamite, Outcast, Carnabeats, Tempters, Beavers, Bunnys, Mops, Spiders, D'Swooners, Zoo Nee Woo, Fingers, Outcast, and Bunnys.

Simple Reality cements the short-lived legacy of Coventry DIY group Skeet. Emerging from a scene of first-generation punks and 2 Tone kids, Skeet was instigated by Gary and Nigel Meffen in 1981, fusing tightrope instrumentals with a Roland CR-8000 under the glow of projected visuals. After a cassette of their debut performance found its way to Kay Booth who worked at Inferno Records, the unsuspecting frontwoman took the liberty of adding her own vocals. Instantly embraced as a permanent member, Booth's shy delivery and open-diary expressions of social alienation and romantic rejection hovered over the brothers' scratchy guitar and agitated bass. Playing as few as ten shows, their unnerving minimalism was recorded in a suburban home studio, borrowing a reel-to-reel from Toby Lyons (The Colourfield) and a mixer from Jerry Dammers (The Specials). Record labels gestured interest until one day they were no more -- no arguments, no official split, just a silent parting of the ways and three people taking journeys in different directions. Unheard and unloved in the vaults for nearly four decades, "Brief Call" finally resurfaced via the Coventry Music Museum compendium Alternative Sounds Volume 1, followed by a micro pressing of the full suite on Chris Long's Almost Unknown imprint in 2023. Simple Reality now offers a definitive snapshot of these must-hear neurotic post-punks. Mastered by Skeet fanatic Mikey Young, newly discovered instrumental multitracks are restored alongside a live recording of their final stand. Performed atop of a trailer in a pub beer garden, the release-worthy desk tape adds three new tracks and a more energized swing at "Left On the Shelf's" apathetic techno-pop. RIYL: Fire Engines, 23 Skidoo, A Certain Ratio, Young Marble Giants, pel mel.

In an unprecedented international collaboration, Energy Exchange Records presents The Napoli Exchange -- the brainchild of Energy Exchange Records co-founders, Lewis and Ziggy, joining forces with producer and label boss Federico Gallotti (Tartelet/La Scimmia). The project was inspired by numerous visits to Naples, allured by the mediterranean breeze and of course the underground disco and funk forged by labels such as Early Sounds and Periodica Records. This meeting of minds created an opportunity to build bridges from the historic Italian city to the broader European scene of club crossover music.

"Celebrating the life-giving power of light, the Lux Quartet is an exploratory new quartet co-led by two of the most celebrated and visionary artists in modern improvised music: pianist Myra Melford and drummer Allison Miller. Drawing on a shared passion for the preservation of nature and a boundary-stretching approach to music, the two innovative composers and bandleaders are joined by saxophonist Dayna Stephens and bassist Scott Colley, together crafting a sonic environment that glows with its own intense yet nurturing radiance. Melford and Miller have long embraced the natural world in their individual work. Melford often combines her passion for the outdoors with poetic and philosophical imagery in bands like Snowy Egret, Fire and Water, or The Same River, Twice. Miller's captivating work Rivers in Our Veins is a multi-media journey into the cultural and ecological life of rivers. The two have worked together for several years in the drummer's ensemble Boom Tic Boom, a recent touring version of which also featured Stephens and Colley. Both musicians are renowned for incisive playing across the entirety of the jazz spectrum. The saxophonist has worked with Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Julian Lage, and Gerald Clayton, among others; while Colley is a deeply respected bassist who has enjoyed extensive collaborations with Joshua Redman, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, and Chris Potter to name a few. The quartet developed such profound chemistry that it evolved into its own singular entity. The name Lux Quartet was inspired by the role of light in the panoply of life on Earth, from the vitality of the sun's ray to the bioluminescence of creatures in the deepest oceans - a suggestive indication of the heights and depths that the band endeavors to explore."

"Ballads have a way of comforting us. When imbued with real emotive powers, they have the capacity to elevate and transport. This second orchestral collaboration between iconic Swiss trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti and two-time, Grammy-winning arranger Alan Broadbent takes listeners there. The album title is an apt description of Franco's approach to each golden note he plays on flugelhorn. Backed by an all-star group of pianist Broadbent, guitarist John Scofield, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Peter Erskine, along with a 29-piece orchestra arranged and conducted by Broadbent, Ambrosetti pulls heartstrings on a program of four originals and four well-chosen covers."

Reduced price, last copies... LP version. Includes insert with liner notes, lyrics, and rare photos; Includes download card. Espacial Discos presents a first-ever reissue of Minx/Zimmerman's self-titled album from 1985. This fabulous Dutch minimal synth/wave duo were comprised of Don Minx (Marq van Broekhoven, now a well-known comic artist) and Aldomir Zimmerman (Tonnie Eiting), two friends from the city of Eindhoven, who were into comics, avant-garde music and homemade cassette recordings. Influenced by diverse bands and artists such as John Foxx, Brian Eno, Fad Gadget, Sparks, or Devo (among many others), they decided to release an album. Minx/Zimermman was the result, self-released on their Freudian Backroom label, now very sought-after by minimal wave collectors. Insert with liners, lyrics and rare photos. RIYL: Ceramic Hello, Iron Curtain, Geoffrey Landers, Fad Gadget.

Pure summer French house hit tune by Le Tseu Pocir (aka Rico Puestel)!

"Artist and musician Gillies Adamson Semple explores the material resonance of drone on new vinyl-only album Volumes. In 2022, Gillies Adamson Semple made a pilgrimage to the Val?re Basilica in the Swiss Alps to play the oldest functioning pipe organ in the world. Built in 1435, this unique instrument is the centerpiece of this sensitive and stirring six-track release, tracing the elemental themes of spirituality, anatomy, ecological collapse, and the nature of listening in its glacial minimalist drones. Drawing inspiration from the long-form compositions of Sarah Davachi and Kali Malone, Volumes was built from in-situ recordings Semple made in Switzerland, with the aim of capturing the physical qualities of the sound, from the stops and pedals to the air rushing through the organ's ancient pipes. Treated like sculptural material and re-assembled at Semple's London studio in the tradition of musique concr?te, the tracks evoke a sense of exquisite timelessness, at once part of and floating free of their environment. As Semple explains: 'What I like about the organ is that you can make it feel very physical. It has all these mechanical parts that sound really beautiful. And the piece is never performed. It is something that is rooted in the site. The whole pilgrimage to see this organ in Switzerland ended up acting like that, where you're going to this very sacred place to see this specific instrument, but all you're taking back is recording.' Released on vinyl via Fourth Sounds, Volumes was initially conceived as the soundtrack to Semple's 2023 exhibition of the same name at Cedric Bardawil in London. Edition of 200 with risograph insert, liner notes by Anton Spice. Fully remastered for vinyl."

"Artist, multi-instrumentalist and astral traveler E Ruscha V releases a hypnotic suite of flow-state synth improvisations for Fourth Sounds. Building on Ruscha's 2022 collection Thinking A View, also accompanying an exhibition at Cedric Bardawil, Seeing Frequencies is as intuitive and it is experimental, as Ruscha follows melodic and rhythmic modulations like desire paths across 13 spacious recordings. Drawn in part from the CocoQuantus synth, built by a man Ruscha describes as 'too weird for Buchla,' Seeing Frequencies rides high on tremolo waves and organic vibrations, rooted in ambient, Balearic and Kosmische music traditions, while simultaneously engaging in a dialogue with the synesthetic qualities of Ruscha' painting practice. Allowing the music to flow through him, Ruscha describes the optimum moment of creation as one he imagines for the listener too. 'I really love when music forces you to forget,' he explains. 'There's this beautiful moment where everything coalesces, and you just don't think about anything.' To immerse yourself in Seeing Frequencies is to understand exactly what he means." Edition of 300 marbled vinyl with risograph insert, liner notes by Anton Spice.

"This is a special limited edition strictly limited to 500 copies -- one release only. This is the first re-release on 7" of the mythic double sided single credited to producer Joe Gibbs and released in 1968 on Amalgamated Records in the U.K. Although both tracks are credited to Joe Gibbs, many believe the A Side 'People Grudgeful' was sung by The Ethiopians whilst the B Side 'Pan Ya Machete' was performed by The Pioneers. 'Grudgeful' though does not really sound like The Ethiopians and according to Trojan, both sides were performed by The Pioneers. Which makes sense for several reasons. Firstly, the sound of the song is indeed more reminiscent of the Pioneers/Joe Gibbs work of that time. In fact, The Ethiopians did not record with Joe Gibbs, with the exception of The Ring which was released in 1972, four years later, while the Pioneers were routinely involved with Gibbs in 1968. Last but not least, The Ethiopians had no beef with Lee 'Scratch' Perry whilst The Pioneers songs were clearly incriminated by Scratch in his hit song 'People Funny Boy.'"

"This is a special limited edition strictly limited to 500 copies -- one release only. This is the firrst reissue of two outstanding, very rare and highly collectible tracks by The Ethiopians. They were initially released on two different singles and are put together on a single here for the first time. This is the very first reissue of 'Train To Glory' on 7". This super rare and super good 1968 Rocksteady song complete with kitch train-like sound effects and superb harmonies. It was initially released on Gayfeet in 1968 in Jamaica and Doctor Bird in the U.K. with the song 'You Got The Dough' on the B Side and was never repressed until now. On the B Side, 'Mek You Go On So' was released as a single only (with the song 'Neck Tie' by Winston Wright on the B Side) on JJ Records in Jamaica and on Duke Records in the U.K.in 1970. This real catchy Rocksteady track is very representative of The Ethiopians at the top of their art while they were produced by JJ Johnson. It was never released on album, as a result good and very scarce copies of the original single fetch top dollars today!"

Born in Poti, near Lake Paliastomi in Georgia, Nino Gvilia is a singer-songwriter whose lyrics offer up meditations on what it is to be human in the 21st Century, and aim to carry listeners beyond into ecology and the politics of the non-human world. Her songs are influenced by folk and minimalism and make use of magnetic tapes, field recordings, vocal samples of contemporary thinkers and philosophers, and an array of strange instruments and vintage textures, drawing for us an intense dreamlike atmosphere. However, Nino Gvilia does not exist. She is a purely fictional character invented in order to help reflect on the place of the songwriter in times of global crisis.

Once again it's quite difficult to pin down exactly what's going on through Herandu's debut album, Ocher Red, but it's a little bit like Metalheadz meets Weather Report out on the Siberian steppes. Herandu are brothers Evgeny and Mikhail Gavrilov from Novosibirsk in Siberia. Mikhail and his brother have played music together since they were very young eventually forming the band FPRF together in the mid-2000s. Eventually the group split as the members dispersed around Russia, but Evgeny and Mikhail continued to make music, Evgeny under the alias Dyad and Mikhail under the name Misha Sultan (some of you may remember his excellent cassette, Roots, which came out on Hive Mind in 2022). Herandu was born in 2022 during several studio sessions they managed to grab whilst both visiting Siberia. They both quickly realized that together they were making music that didn't quite sound like either of their solo projects but which was influenced by the music of their formative years. Their friend Vladimir Luchansky was invited in to add saxophone and the result is an "urban music" that's as influenced by the gritty cityscapes of '70s TV cop thrillers as it is by 21st Century urbanism. The paintings on the album cover are by Italian artist Mauro Reggio, who kindly allowed Hive Mind to use his work, and whose paintings seem to convey something of the mood of Herandu.

2024 repress. Beautiful, insurgent, fabulously danceable jazz music from South Africa, flowing out of the penny-whistle kwela bands of the 1950s. (Kwela means "get moving," in Xhosa.) Bra Gwigwi played alto and clarinet alongside Hugh Masekela and Kippie Moeketsi in The Jazz Dazzlers, The Jazz Maniacs, and The Harlem Swingsters. He came to the UK from Johannesburg as an actor and clarinetist in King Kong -- a musical about a Zulu boxer -- which opened in London in February 1961. Recorded in January 1967, at Dennis Duerden's Transcription Centre, he is joined here by Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, Laurie Allan, and Ronnie Beer, all from The Blue Notes. Ladbroke Grove legend, and mainstay of the London Is The Place For Me series, Coleridge Goode plays double bass. No less than sixteen shots of jubilant, jump-up mbaqanga. Check the Ethiopian vibe of "Mra" (which became core repertoire of The Brotherhood of Breath). Listen to "Nyusamkhaya," and try to get it out of your head. Impossible. Lovely notes by Steve Beresford, too.

Calabra are London based duo DJ Toni Rossano and musician Neil Simons. Having hung out as teenagers in the Midlands, the friends went on to pursue different musical paths in the capital. Neil has engineered, mixed and produced a wide variety of artists whilst Toni, a DJ/Producer, was part of the pirate soul explosion as Blackbeard in the noughties and currently dabbles under the Gospel guise as The Showfa. Now many moons later, the idea for Calabra was born during fuzzy after-party hours on the pebbles of a brisk Brighton beach and is the musical yearning for adventures on warmer Balearic shores. Sunshine inspired beats and melodic guitars lead a cast of analogue synths, percussion, fender bass, oboe and voices all lovingly colored by '70s art rock, new age, folk and inspired Ghanaian high life. Picked up by Gerd Janson, the Calabra EP features four debut tracks. The leading "Mazzara Return" has a midtempo Balearic-like feel with lead guitar, house-up styled beats and electronica inspired atmospherics. Followed by the sci-fi synth driven "Half Baked" with melodic Spanish guitar riffs and sequenced synthesizers for that old skool analogue sounding thrill! "Hustle" launches with a rolling live played bass and synth line on top of the guitar chill-out like licks fused with congas, bongos and cowbell rhythm courtesy of Yam Who percussionist Des Morgan. "Respiro," the EP's grand finale introduces, vocalist and songwriter Penelope Rossano and is a folk/jazz style ballad showcasing not only a poetic gentle beauty in the song but also her own oboe composition to make a perfect book ending with the bonus of an instrumental added for measure for this debut EP on International Feel.

Double LP version. The GAS album Der Lange Marsch once again invites listeners to follow the deep sounding bass drum, to give in to its irresistible pull into a psychedelic world of 1000 promises. At the latest with the release of the albums Zauberberg and K?nigsforst, in the mid-1990s, one associates GAS, Wolfgang Voigt's very own artistic cross-linking of the spirit of Romanticism and the forest as an artistic fantasy projection surface, with intoxicatingly blurred boundaries of post-ambient infatuation and the impenetrable thicket of abstract atonality. The distant, iconic straight bass drum marching through highly condensed, abstract sounds taken from classical music by the sampler or modulated accordingly, and the enraptured gaze through pop art glasses into the hypnotic thicket of an imaginary forest, manifested over the years this unique connection of audio and visual, which to understand fully, then as now, would be neither possible nor desirable. Quite the opposite.

Robag Wruhme isn't just a producer; he's a sonic storyteller. His tracks are known for their emotional depth and technical brilliance -- the perfect blend of minimal techno, deep house, and ambient music -- each track a meticulously crafted journey through sound. With influences ranging from classical to jazz to world music, Robag's music is as diverse as it is enchanting. His latest offering on the trailblazing Speicher series is no exception. True to his unmistakable style, "Naila" meanders between heartwarming positivity and menacing darkness induced by one of those bass lines only Robag can deliver. In short: He nailed it! On the flip side, he joins forces with the ominous Bruno Pronsato -- an elusive character that has a string of cult releases on Perlon, Musique Risqu?e and Foom under his belt. "CDV" was initially released on his album Live At Club Der Vision?re on Logistic Records. Robag's slick re-rub is pushing things decisively in an afterhour-ish direction. Mental music for mental times!

The GAS album Der Lange Marsch once again invites listeners to follow the deep sounding bass drum, to give in to its irresistible pull into a psychedelic world of 1000 promises. At the latest with the release of the albums Zauberberg and K?nigsforst, in the mid-1990s, one associates GAS, Wolfgang Voigt's very own artistic cross-linking of the spirit of Romanticism and the forest as an artistic fantasy projection surface, with intoxicatingly blurred boundaries of post-ambient infatuation and the impenetrable thicket of abstract atonality. The distant, iconic straight bass drum marching through highly condensed, abstract sounds taken from classical music by the sampler or modulated accordingly, and the enraptured gaze through pop art glasses into the hypnotic thicket of an imaginary forest, manifested over the years this unique connection of audio and visual, which to understand fully, then as now, would be neither possible nor desirable. Quite the opposite.

"Following the resonating success of their initial collaboration, the TLF Trio -- comprising Danish cellist C?cilie Trier (CTM), pianist Jakob Littauer, and guitarist Mads Kristian Fr?slev -- reunites on Latency with electronic music legend Moritz von Oswald for the follow-up to their debut album, Sweet Harmony. TLF Trio, along with Moritz von Oswald, once again delves into the realm of chamber music, this time with two new songs further exploring the intricate acoustic dynamics of their instruments with electronics. As the second instalment in this musical journey, New Songs & Variations builds upon the minimalistic, sculptural, and narrative qualities of its predecessor, weaving a tapestry of expressive and plural voices. Moritz von Oswald, a central figure in the electronic music scene since the early '90s, brings his wealth of experience to the project, reinterpreting two of TLF Trio's previous works. From his early days as a classical percussionist to groundbreaking collaborations in the techno sphere, von Oswald's influence has left an indelible mark. His role in co-founding Basic Channel/Rhythm & Sound and contributions to the Berlin-Detroit-Chicago axis have defined various strains of modern music. New Songs & Variations not only captures the rich history and influence of Moritz von Oswald but also showcases his ongoing exploration into classical, experimental, and improvisational contexts. From recomposing Ravel and Mussorgsky's music for Deutsche Grammophon to acclaimed collaborations with jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molv?r, composer Laurel Halo, or Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, von Oswald's versatility continues to evolve. TLF Trio and Moritz von Oswald invite listeners to embark on a sonic journey that bridges the past and the present, mirroring the transformative essence of Louise Lawler's distorted image, which graces its cover -- a testament to the delicate fluidity and shape-shifting nature of the music contained within. Compossed by Moritz von Oswald, C?cilie Trier, Claus Haxholm (beat on Chrome), Jakob Littauer, and Mads Kristian Fr?slev. Mastered by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering. Artwork by Louise Lawler."

2024 repress. "Official gatefold double album of early 1970s Scottish underground heavy rock from Iron Claw, a band who were stomping around the UK with the likes of Black Sabbath, Hackensack, Pink Fairies, Juicy Lucy and others, but who never released a proper album. Iron Claw started their career in 1970 as (more or less) the world's first Black Sabbath tribute band: they incorporated the entire first Black Sabbath LP and single into their live set! And as it happens, it was Iron Claw bassist Alex Wilson who unearthed the oldest known concert recording of Black Sabbath, a 1969 gig recorded by Wilson in Dumfries, Scotland. As time progressed, Iron Claw's live sets started to include many originals. This collection of sixteen original studio tracks documents Iron Claw's existence from 1970 through 1974. It includes extensive liner notes, lyrics and photos inside the gatefold and on a 12" insert. For fans of Tear Gas, Leaf Hound, Jerusalem, Ancient Grease, Toad, Incredible Hog, and Elias Hulk! Newly re-mastered for vinyl and sounding better even than our earlier edition!"

"Espontaneamente se Tenta: Aventuras Sonoras de Djalma Corr?a is an album of deeply exploratory pieces by legendary percussionist and composer Djalma Corr?a. This double-LP set features previously unreleased recordings that cover a wide range of sonic experiments, revealing an unknown side of the prolific and groundbreaking Brazilian artist. Most of the tracks on this album were digitized for the first time -- directly from the original tapes -- and were compiled in collaboration with Corr?a just before he passed. The result is a wild and unsettling collage that shows just how original and intense Corr?a could be: from the unorthodox electroacoustic piece 'Evolu??o (Para Fita e Filme),' which channels ancestral African inspirations to create a sonic cosmogonical narrative, to the proto-mixtape 'Exemplo de Sintetizadores,' in which he transitions from transcendental drones to astral cha-cha-chas. While the compilation might seem disjointed at first listen, it is in fact the most accurate translation or representation of his central concept: spontaneous music. Djalma's relationship with sound was always guided by his fearless approach to listening, and by his audacious and dynamic interaction with both musicians and equipment, which enabled him to work across a wide array of genres: from jazz to completely abstract music, always through a personal DIY ethic. Corr?a developed a strong bond with experimentalist and inventor Walter Smetak, with whom he shared a studio during his formative years at Universidade Federal da Bahia. 'Suite Contagotas,' featured in this collection, is no less than a sonic materialization of that bond: an experiment revolving around dripping water and its randomness -- a tentative exploration of the ideas and possibilities envisioned by Smetak for his audacious, albeit unrealized, Est?dio OVO. Djalma, however, is best known for his studio work in historical albums, including many by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Jorge Ben, and for his own polyrhythmic opus Baiafro. The last track is an early recording called 'Bossa 2000 dC,' first performed by Djalma at the 1964 N?s, Por Exemplo concert, an event which is often cited as marking the beginning of the Tropicalia movement. At the time, he was the only artist in the lineup using electronic devices to create sounds, e.g. medical oscillators and contact mics to augment his percussive palette. The artwork is an amalgamation of material found in the Djalma Corr?a Archive (currently managed by his son Caetano Corr?a) and other material created during the period in which the record was being put together."

Just in time for festival season, another batch of Disco Biscuits has landed on Luv Shack Records. This time the maitre de's Lee Stevens, Das Komplex, Space Echo, and Siggatunez have whipped up extra delicious treats using only their favorite recipes to ensure maximum satisfaction on the dancefloor!

"Allen Kwela, the legendary guitarist and composer central to the story of South African jazz, channels Wes Montgomery and overlays home-grown marabi, setting the benchmark for what became known as '70s township jazz. Black Beauty features four tracks composed and led by Kwela with a stellar line-up of musicians including Kippie Moeketsi, Barney Rachabane, Gilbert Matthews, Dennis Mpale, Sipho Gumede, and others. First ever vinyl reissue, a deluxe 180g edition with printed inner sleeve and pressed at Pallas in Germany. Audio mastered and cut for vinyl by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Liner notes by Kwanele Sosibo, featuring key musician interviews, new insights and unseen photos. The cream of Johannesburg's jazz musicians gathered at state-of-the-art Satbel studios to create Black Beauty for the 'Soweto' label. Led by guitarist extraordinaire Allen Kwela and featuring the godfather of South African jazz Kippie Moeketsi, the album successfully straddles producer pressure to emulate the commercial success of Abdullah Ibrahim's Mannenberg, against the musicians' own impetus to play a jazz they wanted. While the title track 'Black Beauty' nods at Ibrahim's stylings, the magic happens in the three remaining tracks where Kwela and his top-notch band lay down new directions. Producer Patric van Blerk sounded disappointed when asked about the sessions, saying that Kwela was his usual strong-willed self, unwilling to be nudged towards the pop trends of the day. 'He was a monster talent and deserved much more than he got at the time.' Matsuli is proud to restore this special album to its rightful place in the pantheon of South African jazz."

"Kora's most innovative modern exponent bathes in communion with a re-imagined classical guitar, unveiling a new and previously unsuspected musical universe. In a meeting between instruments, not traditions, these maestros emerge from quite different and distant musical worlds. Ballak? Sissoko's kora tradition and lineage traverse the once powerful West African empire known as Kaabu. South African Derek Gripper's roots are in European classical guitar but infused with a unique jeli music mastery that takes guitar's modern history in a captivating new direction. But these traditions are not in dialogue: these masters meet on the sonic groundings of the kora, instrument of the griots, resonant vessel of the sacred and profane, sound carrier of history and wisdom. Through two decades of commitment and study, it is to this terrain that Gripper brings his guitar to meet its multi-stringed cousin. The two men do not share a spoken language, but if it is true that music speaks universally, then they were already involved in profound dialogue long before they met for the series of London concerts which yielded this recording session -- a session which matches deep communion with sparkling improvisation, which pushes a living tradition into brand new sonic spaces, and opens a live and direct channel of communication between kora and guitar. In the complex web of theme and variations spun by Sissoko's twenty-two strings and Gripper's six, a new African string theory is elaborated. 'Musically we tested each other,' says Sissoko, explaining that the most magical aspect of their encounters are spontaneity. 'We have the mastery of our instruments, the technique and a good ear. Derek is very curious, that's very important.' 'He's just such a good listener,' says Gripper about Sissoko. 'It's not what he plays, it's how he plays it. He's an amazing interpreter, the prime master of timbre.'"

Pedro Vian and Merzbow present their first joint work, an unbounded expression of creativity and experimentation. Over the album's forty-minute duration, listeners can experience a blend of field recordings made by Pedro Vian at the DIA Bacon Foundation in NYC, specifically inside Richard Serra's sculptures. These recordings are interwoven with the ambient percussion and melodies characteristic of Vian's work, alongside the piercing and sharp computer frequencies produced by Merzbow, one of the most acclaimed artists in the global noise scene. Inside Richard Serra Sculptures is both a complex and spontaneous piece, an abstract journey into the unconscious that may be difficult to grasp for closed minds. This work stands as a masterpiece of contemporary expressionism, merging ambient sound and noise in a way that challenges and redefines the boundaries of sound art. The collaboration between Vian and Merzbow is notable not only for its innovation but also for its ability to transport listeners to a space where sound becomes an immersive and visceral experience. The use of Richard Serra's sculptures as a source of inspiration and sonic material adds a unique dimension to the project, emphasizing the interaction between physical space and musical creation. Photo by Alba Ricard.

Original tracks written and produced by Dave DK. Published by Kosikos Publishing. "Don't Eat The Homies" contains a sample of the recording "Run Between The Raindrops (While My Teardrops Fall)," performed by Sharon Revoal, courtesy of The Numero Group.

BSS is more than ever crystallizing the distinctive palette that forms the microcosm of its sound, with an increasingly refined sound design. Tofani holds many elements of his signature sound, creating a hypnotic realm with cosmic overtones. A refined electro fused with dreamy, melodic hints. A journey through cinematic adventures and experimental outbursts.

Ghost Dubs, real name Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz, announces a rebirth with Damaged, his first album for PRESSURE label. Having recently dropped two criminally overlooked, experimental dub LPs, with his Dub Over Science series, the German producer/bass specialist, now stretches his own parameters of outwardness still further, with these twelve fresh explorations of dub deviance. For those who feel the fusion of dub techno and ambient drone had creatively ended with the demise of the short lived, Berlin based Chain Reaction label. Ghost Dubs now upgrades and extends that legendary blueprint's abstract methodology even further and deeper, floating away upon a wonderfully warm sea of hiss and static bliss. This is dub so atomized that it disintegrates within your eardrums. Its music, where the machines take over and virtually all traces of humanity are erased. But thankfully, the warmest soul still oozes seductively from the pores of Fiedler's robo riddims. Relentlessly hypnotic, seriously sedated, Damaged celebrates the point of departure within its mesmerizing low-end grooves. For batty shakers and headtrippers alike, there's added thrills aplenty, as Ghost Dubs' richter scale tremor rhythms remain impressively massive, and the atmospheric depths of Damaged appear tantalizingly oceanic. Throughout the duration of the dreamy selection, there is an obsessive balance of bewitching ambience and heavyweight bassbin shaking. Impressive indeed, Fiedler's mastery of live dubbing on his mixing desk shines across the duration, and gives the album an improvised edge, and sense of peripheral chaos. With a tip of the cap, and nod of the head to Pole ("Second Thoughts"), it's no surprise then that PRESSURE would then turn to the great, Berlin based producer Stefan Betke, to master/cut this collection at his infamous Scape mastering room. If you like your melodies submerged, your dub narcotic, your basslines obese, and your beats evaporating, Damaged provides the perfect prescription and entry point into Ghost Dubs' spectral soundworld. FFO: Pole, Rhythm & Sound, Mika Vainio.

Almost a year after Baba Stiltz latest album Paid Testimony, Public Possession offers four remixes of the track "Stockholm." The alternative takes include versions by DJ Python, Klara Lewis, Powder, and Baba himself. Very delicate, stretched out, chill, hypnotic, droned, melodic bliss.

Ralph Session is no stranger to the house music scene. He's been dropping House tunes for years on quality labels like Razor n Tape, Local Talk, Freerange, Nervous -- and he's not stopping there! His For The House Heads release on Quintessentials combines NYC deep house vibes with modern and classic touches. Awaiting you are three dope club cuts he's crafted, complete with punchy beats, heavy bass lines, uplifting vocals and catchy melodies. This summer will be a hot one for the house heads!

2024 repress. Long-awaited reissue of The Necks' 2011 masterpiece, Mindset. Always different, here the Necks resolutely layer polyrhythmic material to form seething blocks of sound -- in two long pieces, one more stripped back to the live trio, the other featuring multiple strata of swirling Hammonds, noise-guitar, and electronics. Their 16th release still resonates on its own.

Can't Stop. There seems no better way to describe the work, party and music ethic of Solomun. Carrying the mirror ball on his shoulders like Atlas, it is impossible to imagine the modern disco world without his dynamics. While his countless DJ sets give fresh impetus to the many shades of house, techno and their siblings, conversely they are a driving force behind his studio and remix excursions. Can't Stop provides an impressive insight into his musical universe. Resulting from a rather casual after-dinner-listening-session during a car ride on Ibiza with a zesty Gerd Janson, who coaxed the title track out of Solomun making use of their friendship to full capacity, it is a triptych of direct, functional and free-spirited dance floor approach. After some back and forth in the search of the missing pieces to make it so, Solomun managed to deliver the perfect Running Back peak time record. While Can't Stop channels UK dance music highs through German engineering values, which makes it perfect for dance hall and car rides (yes, indeed!) alike, its heavy dub is constructed with fearless techno DJs in mind who like new beat excerpts, rave stabs and a lot of bass in equal parts. "Follow The Disco Ball" leads listeners back to the aforementioned Greek titan and can be read as a love letter to the genre that can be found in its name. Catchy, compelling and cool, it is a masterclass in user-friendly, yet edgy arrangement and dancing shoe compatibility.

After his debut album Happy Floating in 2022 (SQM 013LP), Leipzig-based producer Damian Dalla Torre returns to Squama with I Can Feel My Dreams. Developed during a residency in Santiago, Chile, it incorporates electronic, jazz and ambient influences utilizing Andean quena flutes, synthesizers and field recordings and again centering on collaborations with fellow artists like Ruth Goller, Miriam Adefris, and Christian Balvig. A wistful haze runs throughout the album, coming out at the end, there's both light and darkness and no need to choose.

2024 restock. "The late percussionist Milford Graves was one of the most unique artists the world has ever seen. Born in Jamaica, Queens in 1941, he began his career in the early '60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene. His focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock, and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era -- he is, simply put, free jazz royalty. In April 1966, the duo of Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, 'This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with NYAQ (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet, and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven.' Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, 'Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion.'"

2024 restock. "The late percussionist Milford Graves was one of the most unique artists the world has ever seen. Born in Jamaica, Queens in 1941, he began his career in the early '60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene. His focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock, and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era -- he is, simply put, free jazz royalty. In April 1966, the duo of Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, 'This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with NYAQ (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet, and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven.' Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, 'Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion.'"

"Blue Lake is the musical moniker of American born, Copenhagen based multidisciplinary artist and musician Jason Dungan, who signs to the Tonal Union imprint for the release of his new longform album Sun Arcs. It follows 2022's release Stikling, earning a nomination for Album of the Year at the Danish Music Awards plus warm praise from The Hum blog and musicians and DJs alike including Jack Rollo and Carla dal Forno. A self-taught player, Dungan began freely experimenting with self-built multi-string instruments, preferring to build his own hybrid 48-string zither and working in the realms of left-field ambient music, off kilter folk and improvised acoustic minimalism. The starting point of Sun Arcs saw Jason travel for a week alone to Andersabo, a cabin set in the idyllic Swedish woods just outside of Unnaryd, known also as the music project, festival and residency space which has been run by Dungan since 2016, hosting artists like Sofie Birch, Johan Car?e, and Ellen Arkbro. Whilst writing one to two pieces per day, a conscious decision was made to leave behind everyday distractions and shut out the outside world to instead focus on the natural passage of time as Dungan recalls: 'My only sense of time came from these daily walks out in the woods with my dog, and an awareness of the sun's path as it moved across the sky each day.' Musically it portrays a form of double life led by an American-identifying person living in Scandinavia, and a new found presence in Denmark, seeking out underdeveloped marshlands and barren stretches of beach adrift from other rhythms and distractions. Highlighting their individual and potent importance Dungan concludes: 'Both places feel like 'me,' I think on some level the music is always some kind of self-portrait.' Sun Arcs depicts the intricate balance of nature's cycles and the paths outlined by the seasons, from a winter dormancy to a warm sun-drenched scene. The album scales new glorying heights and further defines Dungan's musical narrative, inhabiting a unique space in left- field, improvised and experimental music, boring his most accomplished compositions to date. A singular and visionary expression, drawing on an array of instruments and sound worlds with a renewed sense of joy and discovery."

"Masses is an utterly unexpected, and utterly gripping, collaboration between the East London duo, Spring Heel Jack, and a group of top-flight improvisers, drawn largely from New York's ascendant free jazz network but also including Evan Parker and microtonal violinist Matt Maneri. Recorded in 1999 in NYC, with Matthew Shipp, Roy Campbell, Matt Manieri, William Parker, and co.""If there are precedents for this particular mix, in which studio-processed audio environments are played back in real time as the triggers for, and fixed components in, a series of group improvisations, they feel few and far between. George Rusell's 1967 Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature, Bob Ostertag's Say No More Project, and some of Evan Parker's explorations in the realm of synergetic electroacoustics provide three possible and very different models. But as Matthew Shipp points out, Masses 'creates its own space and time.' Masses opens a tunnel on a space where matter and anti-matter can co-exist without the vernacular power of either state being compromised or diminished. It is a total triumph." --The Wire

From the outset this ad hoc quartet hit the gas, launching into a frenzied, high-octane set with alto saxophonist Rasmussen engaging in a furious tightrope-walk of upper register screams while O'Rourke unspools some of the most gnarly guitar noise. The entire recording is a testament to refined listening. Even at the most scorching peaks each player is deftly attuned to one another's sonic projections. Bridging generations, continents, and individual aesthetics, Rasmussen, Corsano, Sakata, and O'Rourke find common cause, convening for an evening of galvanic sound that's simultaneously exhilarating and spiritual. Recorded on May 20, 2017 at Superdeluxe, Tokyo by Joe Talia. Mixed and mastered by Joe Talia. Ceramic artwork "Red Form" from 2003 by Torbj?rn Kvasb?.

Flute, harp, drums: a rare combination that this trio turns upside down. In the wake of John Zorn's experiences on the borders of jazz and noise, the collaboration between Delphine Joussein, Rafa?lle Rinaudo, and Blanche Lafuente aims at pushing their instruments beyond their limits, with the enthusiasm of a mad scientist. It is no coincidence that the three musicians, considered the missing link between Nirvana and Sun Ra, have already aroused a big curiosity and are constantly touring across Europe. Featuring Delphine Joussein (flute, voice, drums), Rafaelle Rinaudo (electric harp, drums), Blanche Lafuente (drums). Also featuring guests Mats Gustafsson (baritone sax) and Benat Achiary (voice).

In this quartet, Rodrigo Amado gathers three of his strongest longtime influences: German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, Norwegian double bass player Ingebrigt H?ker Flaten, and American drummer Gerry Hemingway. For Amado this band represents a deep dive into his own formative roots, something he has been dealing with more and more in these last few years. With Schlippenbach, H?ker Flaten and Hemingway by his side, Amado has the perfect context to explore the classic materials he considers to be the basis of his journey as a musician, an impulse that is part him and part history. This is a quartet whose name really represents, aside from a direct homage to Sonny Rollins, a bridge between different languages, backgrounds and generations, all united through improvisation. Recorded by Bartosz Szkielkowski at Pardon To Tu, Warsaw, October 3rd, 2022. Mixed by Joaquim Monte and Rodrigo Amado. Master by David Zuchowski. Produced by Rodrigo Amado/Konstantin Drobil. Cover painting by Miguel Navas. Design by Rodrigo Amado and Travassos. Liner Notes by Guy Peters.

Following up on Ohm Hourani's infectious single "Barbara" which included a remix from Ricardo Villalobos and Amir Javasoul, We R The Aliens is happy to present with V/A from all-star cast: Boronas & Snad, B?rtaub, Mountain People, and Nesta. Tap in and make some space in your record bag. Boronas & Snad set the tone with "Affliction," laden with haunting synth work, rolling MPC percussion, meticulous backspins and mind-bending delays. Fresh off an outing for Yoyaku's main label, Istanbul duo B?rtaub give a strong nod to the '90s and the cult E- MU rompler with "Orbit The Dance Planet." Their track fuses bumpy breaks and robotic voices with ghastly chords, a snaking bass groove and of course, one-shots from the Orbit. Mountain People kicks off the flip side with "I Am The Void," characterized by shuffled drum grooves and soft chord sequences intertwined with murky, dubbed out stabs. Beirut's Nesta rounds out the release with "Tarte Citron," a late '90s tech house reminiscent track with crisp percussion, airy synth flutters, swelling sub bass tones and a catchy vocal hook.

XXX016 consists of two original tracks by Anastasia Zems & Radial Gaze on the A-side and two remixes by Chinaski & S.I.R.S on the flip side. While the original tracks are infused with dark industrial vibes combined with a sharp kick and throbbing playful basslines, the remix side takes a completely different turn. An (unexpected) almost trance-like remix by Chinaski is best described as a rollercoaster ride that only goes higher and faster. S.I.R.S. delivers us a disco remix with the most-groovy bassline that will not go unnoticed on any dancefloor. This altogether makes XXX016 an exploration of different sounds combined on one EP. The artwork by Gees Voorhees also perfectly embodies this.

"Consisting of singer/guitarist Bodary, percussionist and musical director/arranger Dan Seibert, and keyboardist Jack Doran, Hello Emerson has been crafting subtle, earnest, and expansive songs since its formation in 2015. Drawing on the midwestern songwriting tradition of acclaimed acts like Bright Eyes and The Mountain Goats, Bodary's erudite yet homespun lyrics are bolstered by the group's increasingly baroque arrangements. A collaborative act inspired by the local artistic community of their home base of Columbus, Ohio, their 2020 sophomore effort How to Cook Everything featured contributions from 50 local musicians, creating an immersive and complex yet folky and accessible sound. Their latest effort, To Keep Him Here, further develops and focuses their style, while applying it to a set of darker themes. A concept album, the record delves into the chaos and confusion that followed a serious accident suffered by Bodary's father which landed him in the ICU for nine days. Across the record, Bodary uses his measured yet honest lyrical voice to articulate and sort through the terror of the experience, and the strength which pulled him and his family through. Tracked live in his godfather's home, the band's physical proximity lends an added layer of intimacy to the tracks, all while maintaining Seibert's subtle yet sweeping arrangements. The result is the band's strongest effort yet; a record of hope and fear, To Keep Him Here finds beauty in the kind of compassion which can only arise from disorder."

LP version. "Consisting of singer/guitarist Bodary, percussionist and musical director/arranger Dan Seibert, and keyboardist Jack Doran, Hello Emerson has been crafting subtle, earnest, and expansive songs since its formation in 2015. Drawing on the midwestern songwriting tradition of acclaimed acts like Bright Eyes and The Mountain Goats, Bodary's erudite yet homespun lyrics are bolstered by the group's increasingly baroque arrangements. A collaborative act inspired by the local artistic community of their home base of Columbus, Ohio, their 2020 sophomore effort How to Cook Everything featured contributions from 50 local musicians, creating an immersive and complex yet folky and accessible sound. Their latest effort, To Keep Him Here, further develops and focuses their style, while applying it to a set of darker themes. A concept album, the record delves into the chaos and confusion that followed a serious accident suffered by Bodary's father which landed him in the ICU for nine days. Across the record, Bodary uses his measured yet honest lyrical voice to articulate and sort through the terror of the experience, and the strength which pulled him and his family through. Tracked live in his godfather's home, the band's physical proximity lends an added layer of intimacy to the tracks, all while maintaining Seibert's subtle yet sweeping arrangements. The result is the band's strongest effort yet; a record of hope and fear, To Keep Him Here finds beauty in the kind of compassion which can only arise from disorder."

2024 repress. "Arthur Russell's most extraordinary work, World of Echo is reissued in this remastered vinyl edition by Audika Records. 18 tracks are featured including drumless versions of his disco classics 'Let's Go Swimming,' 'Tree House,' and 'Wax The Van' along with four previously unreleased tracks. Originally released in 1986, World Of Echo is a deeply intimate and meditative work of awe-inspiring grace and remains a timeless work of sublime beauty. Arthur's aim was to achieve what he calls 'the most vivid rhythmic reality,' with just cello, voice, and echoes. Arthur achieved all of this and more on one of the most incredible albums you will ever hear."

Space Dimension Controller returns to Aus Music with six tracks of superb cosmic adventure. Thie EP arrives as a six-track 12" including exclusive vinyl-only cut "Acid Funk Sequel." Space Dimension Controller is an intergalactic musical explorer. His sci-fi sounds paint technicolor pictures in widescreen. Whether crafting definitive albums like Love Beyond The Intersect on R&S, club-ready EPs for Aus and Running Back or dropping collections of unreleased tracks on his own Tiraquon Recordings, his work sounds futuristic yet nostalgic for the past. It is fueled by funk and crafted on synths, hardware, tape machines and various other imperfect tools that lend it a loveable character. His Final Quest EP is a "French-inspired" release, which is an influence that predates the Space Dimension Controller alias and goes back to Hamill's teenage years. It is also the last EP from his current studio before it is dismantled and moved to Amsterdam sometime this summer. From start to finish, this new EP showcases Hamill's ability to craft emotionally evocative melodies and genuinely absorbing soundtracks. Opener "Jet Free" is awash with filtered synths that are sugary sweet and underpinned by funky guitar riffs and laissez-faire grooves. The wonderful "Cryfaze" has rueful pads spiraling around sleek drums that bounce along next to supple neon harps, while "Tiraquon's Final Quest" is a bubbling and elastic rhythm run through with soft acid squelches and pixelated pads full of cosmic charm. "1 4 U" rides on heavier drums but is no less joyous thanks to the crystalline melodies and dreamy vocals that swell the heart. "Acid Funk Sequel" is another playful moon safari with buoyant bass patterns and snappy drum funk under ever-evolving melodic refrains and "Beyond2" closes down with forlorn, introspective melodies that ripple over heavy-hearted chords.

Great classic and timeless tune of the '80s and French boogie scene, Histoire d'1 Soir (Bye bye les gal?res) is an ode to party, liberty, youth and freedom, interpreted by Bibi Flash aka Brigitte Gast?, an atypical singer from the French boogie. With its light lyrics and mythical chorus, its euphoria and irresistible disco-rap vibe, this track produced by Philippe Renaux (Holly Guns, Clever, Pianola) released in 1983 is a sincere photography of its time, during which these children of the "summer of love" and May 68 criss-crossed Paris in search of endless nights, pleasure and freedom. A prized and rare record which is nowadays repressed by Barbecue imprint in 2021, in its 12'' version, with the original, the Disco Mix, instrumental and the A Cappella, and is accompanied by a new modern and festive edit by French house producer Blutch. Printed inner sleeve included.

2024 repress. "In the 1980s, Michael Morley helped to push the jangly New Zealand music scene towards rougher, more exploratory realms, as a member of Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos, The Weeds, and the almighty Dead C. His gnarled, distorted guitar tone and aggressively moan-based vocal style are both as distinctive as they are secretly beautiful. Morley has released dozens of solo recordings -- starting in the late 1980s as Gate, then more recently under his own name, and as the Righteous Yeah. He's also unafraid to tackle entirely new genres and sounds, and to move into interactive installation-based music as well. Birdman is beyond excited to present the first vinyl release of this archival Gate release." "... I think it is classic Gate material. The idea of the palette is fascinating as I think I did approach it with a set of limited instrumentation and the desire to make something again that could sound like rock music. There is certainly a direct line from Wreck Small Speakers On Expensive Stereos, through the Dead C, and to Gate. I think I was also inspired by listening to [infamous and tragically short-lived early 1980s band] the Double Happys, and remembering their performances as a duo with the drum machine. There was such utter chaos and anarchy during their sets, with a desire to represent punk rock at its nascent truth, I wanted to see if it was possible to re-imagine that feeling. I was possibly also listening to the Stooges and MC5." --Michael Morley

With each release and performance over the last ten years, saxophonist Makoto Kawashima has continued to stake his claim as one of today's most captivating improvisers. Zoe is Kawashima's first ever studio album and his second with Black Editions. Recorded at Tokyo's storied GOK Sound, the album is one of the most beautiful and stark renderings of his voice to date. Over two side long excursions Kawashima's music springs to existence with striking clarity and power, yet remains rooted in the more obscure, spiritual realm from which all of his work seems to originate. Rather than let the studio smooth out the performances, Zoe is direct and unvarnished, the only adornment added being the ghostly, faint pre-echo of the reel to reel. Kawashima's elevation of an idiosyncratic solo practice places him squarely within the lineage of iconoclastic Japanese saxophonists such as Kaoru Abe, Tamio Shiraishi, and Masayushi Urabe. At the outer bounds of improvised music, Kawashima's work reveals a fragile spirit, one that gives as much emphasis to silence and minute sounds, perhaps hesitations, as it does to ecstatic bursts of tone and texture. His music is undeniably intimate and vulnerable, eschewing the bravado and bluster that have often become tropes in the world of solo improvisation; Kawashima summons searing melodic lines and heavily textured passages and just as abruptly lets them collapse, vanishing into the ether. Perhaps more than anything, Kawashima is concerned with erasing the distinction between artist and instrument, the barriers between the internal self and the external world around us. "The alto is the only instrument that becomes part of my body. It's like a soul that fuses together with my spirit. When I hold the instrument ready to play, something external to me appears behind me." Kawashima weaves aspects of blues and spiritual music within harshly abstract passages and a harrowing vibrato that echoes Albert Ayler's spirit. His personal experience and approach affirm these connections; "I see spirits all the time. Shadows, phantoms. They appear at the border between your internal world and where the external world affects you. What I want to do is give a certain concrete reality to those things. The essential part of yourself that your internal eyes want to look away from. I try to make that concrete, to give it a melody and let it out." Deluxe LP housed in tip-on jacket with gloss film laminate photo mounted on cover and printed inner sleeve.

Black Truffle presents a reissue of Chico Mello and Helinho Brand?o's self-titled release from 1984, the first return to vinyl of this classic of Brazilian experimental music with its original cover art and complete track listing. An under-recognized figure whose work inhabits a singular terrain where radical new music techniques and music theatre meet musica popular brasileira, Mello has lived and worked in Berlin since the late 1980s. A student of Dieter Schnebel, Mello played in the '90s iteration of Arnold Dreyblatt's Orchestra of Excited Strings alongside compatriot Silvia Ocougne, with whom he produced a radical and hilarious deconstruction of MPB classics on Musica Brasileira De(s)composta (an early and rather atypical release on Edition Wandelweiser). On this release, his only recording predating his move to Europe, Mello works with the alto saxophonist Helinho Brand?o, who appears to be otherwise unknown outside Brazil. The record's six tracks range from solo saxophone improvisation to densely layered ensemble works bridging minimalism, acoustic sound art and a plaintive melodic sensibility that calls up Edu Lobo or Milton Nascimento. A trio for Brand?o on soprano saxophone, Mello on a very period-appropriate phased nylon string guitar and Edu Dequech on bongos, the performance eases its way hypnotically through subtle variations on a set of rhythmic and melodic patterns, almost derailed at points by Brand?o's wild forays into extended technique but held together by Mello's droning guitar notes. Rasping violin harmonics hover as drum hits, repeated guitar notes and triangle accompany a slowly descending bass glissando. A sudden change in direction introduces a thrumming, incessantly repeated bowed bass tone, beginning a series of episodes of minimalist phasing and pattern variation, the combinations of electric guitars and orchestral instruments giving the ensemble an ad hoc charm like the early Penguin Caf? Orchestra but with more percussive drive. Arriving in a starkly beautiful gatefold sleeve and sounding better than ever in its new remaster, one might call the stunning music contained on Chico Mello/Helinho Brand?o ahead of its time. Forty years after its first release, Chico Mello/Helinho Brand?o remains music of the future.

2024 restock. "Received a 9.1 Best New Reissue rating from Pitchfork. One of the most popular and successful underground bands of the early- /mid-'90s, California's Jawbreaker was comprised of Blake Schwarzenbach (guitar and vocals), Chris Bauermeister (bass) and Adam Pfahler (drums). The band melded raw vocals, a driving rhythm section and grinding guitar with complex song structures and literary lyrics, forging a distinctive style that has since, along with Schwarzenbach's subsequent band Jets to Brazil, influenced a generation of independent music. By the end of 1993, Jawbreaker was in full stride. The band had completed a full US tour in the summer, played several shows that October with Nirvana, and was attracting significant major label attention. 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, released in early 1994, was Jawbreaker's third album. After the more 'progressive' Bivouac, the trio had returned to a straightforward, poppier sound, and the resulting full-length is widely regarded as their best. The bulk of the recording was done by noted independent producer Steve Albini (though it is officially credited to Albini's cat, Fluss). Following the mainstream success of fellow Californians Green Day and Rancid, Jawbreaker decided to sign with DGC. They released a final studio album, Dear You, before calling it quits in 1996. A feature-length documentary on the band is currently in the works."

Limited 2024 restock. Official RSD 2024 UK Release. Officially reissued for the first time on vinyl here's a definitive pop psych masterpiece, originally released in 1968 on Dunhill Records. It's not a legend that John Lennon named the band after an art book by Yoko Ono. The Beatles were closely involved in their early career, signing them to Apple Publishing. Lennon and McCartney produced their single "Lullaby." Here's their debut album with extra tracks taken from their 1967-1968 London Session Apple.

"The Dave Brubeck Quartet's Live from the Northwest, 1959 is the newest release from Brubeck Editions, the Brubeck family-run label that only puts out music of the highest musical and technical quality. These exciting performances were recorded by the trailblazing and iconic audio engineer, Wally Heider, who pioneered the art of remote recording from his 'studio on wheels.' The sound he achieved is stellar, and this is perhaps the best live recording you can hear of one the most popular jazz groups of all time. The tapes were recorded in April, 1959 at the Multnomah Jazz Club and Clark College, both in the Portland, Oregon area. On this recording you can hear the Quartet's mastery of spontaneous counterpoint improvisation. Four months later, the Dave Brubeck Quartet's focus shifted to polytonal and polyrhythmic approaches when the group recorded the legendary 'Time Out,' and changed the course of jazz forever."

Black on white splatter color vinyl. "First issued in 2002 only in the States and Australia, Ear Bleeding Country is the only career-spanning compilation of Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. are one of the most successful and influential alternative guitar bands from America, and fronted by laconic singer/guitarist J. Mascis, they've enjoyed global success and inspired generations, from Grunge onwards. The first six tracks are drawn from the band's early career in the 1980s, when they recorded for independent labels like Homestead and SST. Among them are the classic single 'Freak Scene' and the follow-up cover of The Cure's 'Just Like Heaven.' Most of the compilation samples the best of Dinosaur Jr.'s output after signing with Warner Bros in 1990, including hit singles such as 'The Wagon', 'Whatever's Cool With Me', 'Out There', 'Start Choppin' and 'Feel The Pain'. Ear Bleeding Country ends with 'Where'd You Go', a track by J. Mascis' post-Dinosaur Jr. band The Fog."

"Bombay Studios was an 8-track studio located in the sleepy backwoods village of Smyrna, Georgia which briefly operated from 1981 to 1983. During that time, Joe Perry, the proprietor of Bombay was a routine live sound engineer at venues sprinkled across Atlanta including the Agora Ballroom and 688. Most famously, he holds the distinction of recording the first studio session ever by R.E.M. Amongst the litany of bands that'd come in for a day or two and commit their material to tape was the upstart Athens five-piece Limbo District. While looking through third guitarist Kelly Crow's archive, Chunklet stumbled across an unmarked cassette tape of a three-song session. Jump ahead to famed collector Lo Yo Yo's Todd Ploharski who had the same session, but on the J-card was written 'Bombay.' And just like that, the band's second recording session from the spring of 1982 had been unearthed. This session is, indeed, the band's second line-up with Art In The Dark's Tim Lacy on guitar who strengthened the band's songwriting and performances. The three songs recorded 'Fetish This,' 'Daydreaming,' and 'Two Of Screams' have more in common with the art damaged New York No Wave scene than any oblique pop, rock or jangle in the Classic City at the time. Not coincidentally, Limbo bassist Davey Stevenson's big brother Gordon was the bassist in Teenage Jesus and the Jerks who would consistently send his kid brother missives from the front line of New York's scuzzy vanguard. Spotlessly restored by Jason NeSmith, 'Bombay' celebrates that day in Joe Perry's studio 42 years ago. All artwork was culled from the voluminous Limbo District archive. The front is original art by vocalist Craig Woodall while the back is by guitarist Kelly Crow who cribbed from German artist George Grosz for the main visual while Crow scribbled marker around it. Each copy of the record has a uniquely colored scheme done by various friends of Chunklet including musicians from Honey Radar, Lifeguard, Vangas, and other esteemed degenerates. The insert features a never before photo of the band in front of an S&M hangout called the Hell Hole off the main strip at Coney Island taken by Ellen McGrail in the spring of 1982. Also included are handwritten lyrics by Craig Woodall."

Br?tzmann reflected: "The idea of expressing my love of and admiration for Albert Ayler -- both man and music -- in a musical statement is not new. We both tried to do similar or almost identical things at the same point in time, each independently and without knowing anything about each other -- each of us within his own culture." This album was recorded in August 1993 at Townhall Charlottenburg in Berlin, and was released in 1994 by FMP. Featuring Peter Br?tzmann (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, tarogato); Toshinori Kondo (trumpet, electronics); William Parker (double bass); Hamid Drake (drums, frame drum).

Restocked. A late '60s Japanese compilation investigating the so-called "group sound" movement. Includes early recordings by a series of musicians later to perform with legendary bands such as the Flower Travellin' Band, Speed Glue & Shinki, Les Rallizes Denudes, and Foodbrain. Featuring Golden Cups, Dynamite, Outcast, Carnabeats, Tempters, Beavers, Bunnys, Mops, Spiders, D'Swooners, Zoo Nee Woo, Fingers, Outcast, and Bunnys.

Simple Reality cements the short-lived legacy of Coventry DIY group Skeet. Emerging from a scene of first-generation punks and 2 Tone kids, Skeet was instigated by Gary and Nigel Meffen in 1981, fusing tightrope instrumentals with a Roland CR-8000 under the glow of projected visuals. After a cassette of their debut performance found its way to Kay Booth who worked at Inferno Records, the unsuspecting frontwoman took the liberty of adding her own vocals. Instantly embraced as a permanent member, Booth's shy delivery and open-diary expressions of social alienation and romantic rejection hovered over the brothers' scratchy guitar and agitated bass. Playing as few as ten shows, their unnerving minimalism was recorded in a suburban home studio, borrowing a reel-to-reel from Toby Lyons (The Colourfield) and a mixer from Jerry Dammers (The Specials). Record labels gestured interest until one day they were no more -- no arguments, no official split, just a silent parting of the ways and three people taking journeys in different directions. Unheard and unloved in the vaults for nearly four decades, "Brief Call" finally resurfaced via the Coventry Music Museum compendium Alternative Sounds Volume 1, followed by a micro pressing of the full suite on Chris Long's Almost Unknown imprint in 2023. Simple Reality now offers a definitive snapshot of these must-hear neurotic post-punks. Mastered by Skeet fanatic Mikey Young, newly discovered instrumental multitracks are restored alongside a live recording of their final stand. Performed atop of a trailer in a pub beer garden, the release-worthy desk tape adds three new tracks and a more energized swing at "Left On the Shelf's" apathetic techno-pop. RIYL: Fire Engines, 23 Skidoo, A Certain Ratio, Young Marble Giants, pel mel.

In an unprecedented international collaboration, Energy Exchange Records presents The Napoli Exchange -- the brainchild of Energy Exchange Records co-founders, Lewis and Ziggy, joining forces with producer and label boss Federico Gallotti (Tartelet/La Scimmia). The project was inspired by numerous visits to Naples, allured by the mediterranean breeze and of course the underground disco and funk forged by labels such as Early Sounds and Periodica Records. This meeting of minds created an opportunity to build bridges from the historic Italian city to the broader European scene of club crossover music.

"Celebrating the life-giving power of light, the Lux Quartet is an exploratory new quartet co-led by two of the most celebrated and visionary artists in modern improvised music: pianist Myra Melford and drummer Allison Miller. Drawing on a shared passion for the preservation of nature and a boundary-stretching approach to music, the two innovative composers and bandleaders are joined by saxophonist Dayna Stephens and bassist Scott Colley, together crafting a sonic environment that glows with its own intense yet nurturing radiance. Melford and Miller have long embraced the natural world in their individual work. Melford often combines her passion for the outdoors with poetic and philosophical imagery in bands like Snowy Egret, Fire and Water, or The Same River, Twice. Miller's captivating work Rivers in Our Veins is a multi-media journey into the cultural and ecological life of rivers. The two have worked together for several years in the drummer's ensemble Boom Tic Boom, a recent touring version of which also featured Stephens and Colley. Both musicians are renowned for incisive playing across the entirety of the jazz spectrum. The saxophonist has worked with Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Julian Lage, and Gerald Clayton, among others; while Colley is a deeply respected bassist who has enjoyed extensive collaborations with Joshua Redman, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, and Chris Potter to name a few. The quartet developed such profound chemistry that it evolved into its own singular entity. The name Lux Quartet was inspired by the role of light in the panoply of life on Earth, from the vitality of the sun's ray to the bioluminescence of creatures in the deepest oceans - a suggestive indication of the heights and depths that the band endeavors to explore."

"Ballads have a way of comforting us. When imbued with real emotive powers, they have the capacity to elevate and transport. This second orchestral collaboration between iconic Swiss trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti and two-time, Grammy-winning arranger Alan Broadbent takes listeners there. The album title is an apt description of Franco's approach to each golden note he plays on flugelhorn. Backed by an all-star group of pianist Broadbent, guitarist John Scofield, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Peter Erskine, along with a 29-piece orchestra arranged and conducted by Broadbent, Ambrosetti pulls heartstrings on a program of four originals and four well-chosen covers."

Reduced price, last copies... LP version. Includes insert with liner notes, lyrics, and rare photos; Includes download card. Espacial Discos presents a first-ever reissue of Minx/Zimmerman's self-titled album from 1985. This fabulous Dutch minimal synth/wave duo were comprised of Don Minx (Marq van Broekhoven, now a well-known comic artist) and Aldomir Zimmerman (Tonnie Eiting), two friends from the city of Eindhoven, who were into comics, avant-garde music and homemade cassette recordings. Influenced by diverse bands and artists such as John Foxx, Brian Eno, Fad Gadget, Sparks, or Devo (among many others), they decided to release an album. Minx/Zimermman was the result, self-released on their Freudian Backroom label, now very sought-after by minimal wave collectors. Insert with liners, lyrics and rare photos. RIYL: Ceramic Hello, Iron Curtain, Geoffrey Landers, Fad Gadget.

Pure summer French house hit tune by Le Tseu Pocir (aka Rico Puestel)!

"Artist and musician Gillies Adamson Semple explores the material resonance of drone on new vinyl-only album Volumes. In 2022, Gillies Adamson Semple made a pilgrimage to the Val?re Basilica in the Swiss Alps to play the oldest functioning pipe organ in the world. Built in 1435, this unique instrument is the centerpiece of this sensitive and stirring six-track release, tracing the elemental themes of spirituality, anatomy, ecological collapse, and the nature of listening in its glacial minimalist drones. Drawing inspiration from the long-form compositions of Sarah Davachi and Kali Malone, Volumes was built from in-situ recordings Semple made in Switzerland, with the aim of capturing the physical qualities of the sound, from the stops and pedals to the air rushing through the organ's ancient pipes. Treated like sculptural material and re-assembled at Semple's London studio in the tradition of musique concr?te, the tracks evoke a sense of exquisite timelessness, at once part of and floating free of their environment. As Semple explains: 'What I like about the organ is that you can make it feel very physical. It has all these mechanical parts that sound really beautiful. And the piece is never performed. It is something that is rooted in the site. The whole pilgrimage to see this organ in Switzerland ended up acting like that, where you're going to this very sacred place to see this specific instrument, but all you're taking back is recording.' Released on vinyl via Fourth Sounds, Volumes was initially conceived as the soundtrack to Semple's 2023 exhibition of the same name at Cedric Bardawil in London. Edition of 200 with risograph insert, liner notes by Anton Spice. Fully remastered for vinyl."

"Artist, multi-instrumentalist and astral traveler E Ruscha V releases a hypnotic suite of flow-state synth improvisations for Fourth Sounds. Building on Ruscha's 2022 collection Thinking A View, also accompanying an exhibition at Cedric Bardawil, Seeing Frequencies is as intuitive and it is experimental, as Ruscha follows melodic and rhythmic modulations like desire paths across 13 spacious recordings. Drawn in part from the CocoQuantus synth, built by a man Ruscha describes as 'too weird for Buchla,' Seeing Frequencies rides high on tremolo waves and organic vibrations, rooted in ambient, Balearic and Kosmische music traditions, while simultaneously engaging in a dialogue with the synesthetic qualities of Ruscha' painting practice. Allowing the music to flow through him, Ruscha describes the optimum moment of creation as one he imagines for the listener too. 'I really love when music forces you to forget,' he explains. 'There's this beautiful moment where everything coalesces, and you just don't think about anything.' To immerse yourself in Seeing Frequencies is to understand exactly what he means." Edition of 300 marbled vinyl with risograph insert, liner notes by Anton Spice.

"This is a special limited edition strictly limited to 500 copies -- one release only. This is the first re-release on 7" of the mythic double sided single credited to producer Joe Gibbs and released in 1968 on Amalgamated Records in the U.K. Although both tracks are credited to Joe Gibbs, many believe the A Side 'People Grudgeful' was sung by The Ethiopians whilst the B Side 'Pan Ya Machete' was performed by The Pioneers. 'Grudgeful' though does not really sound like The Ethiopians and according to Trojan, both sides were performed by The Pioneers. Which makes sense for several reasons. Firstly, the sound of the song is indeed more reminiscent of the Pioneers/Joe Gibbs work of that time. In fact, The Ethiopians did not record with Joe Gibbs, with the exception of The Ring which was released in 1972, four years later, while the Pioneers were routinely involved with Gibbs in 1968. Last but not least, The Ethiopians had no beef with Lee 'Scratch' Perry whilst The Pioneers songs were clearly incriminated by Scratch in his hit song 'People Funny Boy.'"

"This is a special limited edition strictly limited to 500 copies -- one release only. This is the firrst reissue of two outstanding, very rare and highly collectible tracks by The Ethiopians. They were initially released on two different singles and are put together on a single here for the first time. This is the very first reissue of 'Train To Glory' on 7". This super rare and super good 1968 Rocksteady song complete with kitch train-like sound effects and superb harmonies. It was initially released on Gayfeet in 1968 in Jamaica and Doctor Bird in the U.K. with the song 'You Got The Dough' on the B Side and was never repressed until now. On the B Side, 'Mek You Go On So' was released as a single only (with the song 'Neck Tie' by Winston Wright on the B Side) on JJ Records in Jamaica and on Duke Records in the U.K.in 1970. This real catchy Rocksteady track is very representative of The Ethiopians at the top of their art while they were produced by JJ Johnson. It was never released on album, as a result good and very scarce copies of the original single fetch top dollars today!"

Born in Poti, near Lake Paliastomi in Georgia, Nino Gvilia is a singer-songwriter whose lyrics offer up meditations on what it is to be human in the 21st Century, and aim to carry listeners beyond into ecology and the politics of the non-human world. Her songs are influenced by folk and minimalism and make use of magnetic tapes, field recordings, vocal samples of contemporary thinkers and philosophers, and an array of strange instruments and vintage textures, drawing for us an intense dreamlike atmosphere. However, Nino Gvilia does not exist. She is a purely fictional character invented in order to help reflect on the place of the songwriter in times of global crisis.

Once again it's quite difficult to pin down exactly what's going on through Herandu's debut album, Ocher Red, but it's a little bit like Metalheadz meets Weather Report out on the Siberian steppes. Herandu are brothers Evgeny and Mikhail Gavrilov from Novosibirsk in Siberia. Mikhail and his brother have played music together since they were very young eventually forming the band FPRF together in the mid-2000s. Eventually the group split as the members dispersed around Russia, but Evgeny and Mikhail continued to make music, Evgeny under the alias Dyad and Mikhail under the name Misha Sultan (some of you may remember his excellent cassette, Roots, which came out on Hive Mind in 2022). Herandu was born in 2022 during several studio sessions they managed to grab whilst both visiting Siberia. They both quickly realized that together they were making music that didn't quite sound like either of their solo projects but which was influenced by the music of their formative years. Their friend Vladimir Luchansky was invited in to add saxophone and the result is an "urban music" that's as influenced by the gritty cityscapes of '70s TV cop thrillers as it is by 21st Century urbanism. The paintings on the album cover are by Italian artist Mauro Reggio, who kindly allowed Hive Mind to use his work, and whose paintings seem to convey something of the mood of Herandu.

2024 repress. Beautiful, insurgent, fabulously danceable jazz music from South Africa, flowing out of the penny-whistle kwela bands of the 1950s. (Kwela means "get moving," in Xhosa.) Bra Gwigwi played alto and clarinet alongside Hugh Masekela and Kippie Moeketsi in The Jazz Dazzlers, The Jazz Maniacs, and The Harlem Swingsters. He came to the UK from Johannesburg as an actor and clarinetist in King Kong -- a musical about a Zulu boxer -- which opened in London in February 1961. Recorded in January 1967, at Dennis Duerden's Transcription Centre, he is joined here by Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, Laurie Allan, and Ronnie Beer, all from The Blue Notes. Ladbroke Grove legend, and mainstay of the London Is The Place For Me series, Coleridge Goode plays double bass. No less than sixteen shots of jubilant, jump-up mbaqanga. Check the Ethiopian vibe of "Mra" (which became core repertoire of The Brotherhood of Breath). Listen to "Nyusamkhaya," and try to get it out of your head. Impossible. Lovely notes by Steve Beresford, too.

Calabra are London based duo DJ Toni Rossano and musician Neil Simons. Having hung out as teenagers in the Midlands, the friends went on to pursue different musical paths in the capital. Neil has engineered, mixed and produced a wide variety of artists whilst Toni, a DJ/Producer, was part of the pirate soul explosion as Blackbeard in the noughties and currently dabbles under the Gospel guise as The Showfa. Now many moons later, the idea for Calabra was born during fuzzy after-party hours on the pebbles of a brisk Brighton beach and is the musical yearning for adventures on warmer Balearic shores. Sunshine inspired beats and melodic guitars lead a cast of analogue synths, percussion, fender bass, oboe and voices all lovingly colored by '70s art rock, new age, folk and inspired Ghanaian high life. Picked up by Gerd Janson, the Calabra EP features four debut tracks. The leading "Mazzara Return" has a midtempo Balearic-like feel with lead guitar, house-up styled beats and electronica inspired atmospherics. Followed by the sci-fi synth driven "Half Baked" with melodic Spanish guitar riffs and sequenced synthesizers for that old skool analogue sounding thrill! "Hustle" launches with a rolling live played bass and synth line on top of the guitar chill-out like licks fused with congas, bongos and cowbell rhythm courtesy of Yam Who percussionist Des Morgan. "Respiro," the EP's grand finale introduces, vocalist and songwriter Penelope Rossano and is a folk/jazz style ballad showcasing not only a poetic gentle beauty in the song but also her own oboe composition to make a perfect book ending with the bonus of an instrumental added for measure for this debut EP on International Feel.

Double LP version. The GAS album Der Lange Marsch once again invites listeners to follow the deep sounding bass drum, to give in to its irresistible pull into a psychedelic world of 1000 promises. At the latest with the release of the albums Zauberberg and K?nigsforst, in the mid-1990s, one associates GAS, Wolfgang Voigt's very own artistic cross-linking of the spirit of Romanticism and the forest as an artistic fantasy projection surface, with intoxicatingly blurred boundaries of post-ambient infatuation and the impenetrable thicket of abstract atonality. The distant, iconic straight bass drum marching through highly condensed, abstract sounds taken from classical music by the sampler or modulated accordingly, and the enraptured gaze through pop art glasses into the hypnotic thicket of an imaginary forest, manifested over the years this unique connection of audio and visual, which to understand fully, then as now, would be neither possible nor desirable. Quite the opposite.

Robag Wruhme isn't just a producer; he's a sonic storyteller. His tracks are known for their emotional depth and technical brilliance -- the perfect blend of minimal techno, deep house, and ambient music -- each track a meticulously crafted journey through sound. With influences ranging from classical to jazz to world music, Robag's music is as diverse as it is enchanting. His latest offering on the trailblazing Speicher series is no exception. True to his unmistakable style, "Naila" meanders between heartwarming positivity and menacing darkness induced by one of those bass lines only Robag can deliver. In short: He nailed it! On the flip side, he joins forces with the ominous Bruno Pronsato -- an elusive character that has a string of cult releases on Perlon, Musique Risqu?e and Foom under his belt. "CDV" was initially released on his album Live At Club Der Vision?re on Logistic Records. Robag's slick re-rub is pushing things decisively in an afterhour-ish direction. Mental music for mental times!

The GAS album Der Lange Marsch once again invites listeners to follow the deep sounding bass drum, to give in to its irresistible pull into a psychedelic world of 1000 promises. At the latest with the release of the albums Zauberberg and K?nigsforst, in the mid-1990s, one associates GAS, Wolfgang Voigt's very own artistic cross-linking of the spirit of Romanticism and the forest as an artistic fantasy projection surface, with intoxicatingly blurred boundaries of post-ambient infatuation and the impenetrable thicket of abstract atonality. The distant, iconic straight bass drum marching through highly condensed, abstract sounds taken from classical music by the sampler or modulated accordingly, and the enraptured gaze through pop art glasses into the hypnotic thicket of an imaginary forest, manifested over the years this unique connection of audio and visual, which to understand fully, then as now, would be neither possible nor desirable. Quite the opposite.

"Following the resonating success of their initial collaboration, the TLF Trio -- comprising Danish cellist C?cilie Trier (CTM), pianist Jakob Littauer, and guitarist Mads Kristian Fr?slev -- reunites on Latency with electronic music legend Moritz von Oswald for the follow-up to their debut album, Sweet Harmony. TLF Trio, along with Moritz von Oswald, once again delves into the realm of chamber music, this time with two new songs further exploring the intricate acoustic dynamics of their instruments with electronics. As the second instalment in this musical journey, New Songs & Variations builds upon the minimalistic, sculptural, and narrative qualities of its predecessor, weaving a tapestry of expressive and plural voices. Moritz von Oswald, a central figure in the electronic music scene since the early '90s, brings his wealth of experience to the project, reinterpreting two of TLF Trio's previous works. From his early days as a classical percussionist to groundbreaking collaborations in the techno sphere, von Oswald's influence has left an indelible mark. His role in co-founding Basic Channel/Rhythm & Sound and contributions to the Berlin-Detroit-Chicago axis have defined various strains of modern music. New Songs & Variations not only captures the rich history and influence of Moritz von Oswald but also showcases his ongoing exploration into classical, experimental, and improvisational contexts. From recomposing Ravel and Mussorgsky's music for Deutsche Grammophon to acclaimed collaborations with jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molv?r, composer Laurel Halo, or Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, von Oswald's versatility continues to evolve. TLF Trio and Moritz von Oswald invite listeners to embark on a sonic journey that bridges the past and the present, mirroring the transformative essence of Louise Lawler's distorted image, which graces its cover -- a testament to the delicate fluidity and shape-shifting nature of the music contained within. Compossed by Moritz von Oswald, C?cilie Trier, Claus Haxholm (beat on Chrome), Jakob Littauer, and Mads Kristian Fr?slev. Mastered by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering. Artwork by Louise Lawler."

2024 repress. "Official gatefold double album of early 1970s Scottish underground heavy rock from Iron Claw, a band who were stomping around the UK with the likes of Black Sabbath, Hackensack, Pink Fairies, Juicy Lucy and others, but who never released a proper album. Iron Claw started their career in 1970 as (more or less) the world's first Black Sabbath tribute band: they incorporated the entire first Black Sabbath LP and single into their live set! And as it happens, it was Iron Claw bassist Alex Wilson who unearthed the oldest known concert recording of Black Sabbath, a 1969 gig recorded by Wilson in Dumfries, Scotland. As time progressed, Iron Claw's live sets started to include many originals. This collection of sixteen original studio tracks documents Iron Claw's existence from 1970 through 1974. It includes extensive liner notes, lyrics and photos inside the gatefold and on a 12" insert. For fans of Tear Gas, Leaf Hound, Jerusalem, Ancient Grease, Toad, Incredible Hog, and Elias Hulk! Newly re-mastered for vinyl and sounding better even than our earlier edition!"

"Espontaneamente se Tenta: Aventuras Sonoras de Djalma Corr?a is an album of deeply exploratory pieces by legendary percussionist and composer Djalma Corr?a. This double-LP set features previously unreleased recordings that cover a wide range of sonic experiments, revealing an unknown side of the prolific and groundbreaking Brazilian artist. Most of the tracks on this album were digitized for the first time -- directly from the original tapes -- and were compiled in collaboration with Corr?a just before he passed. The result is a wild and unsettling collage that shows just how original and intense Corr?a could be: from the unorthodox electroacoustic piece 'Evolu??o (Para Fita e Filme),' which channels ancestral African inspirations to create a sonic cosmogonical narrative, to the proto-mixtape 'Exemplo de Sintetizadores,' in which he transitions from transcendental drones to astral cha-cha-chas. While the compilation might seem disjointed at first listen, it is in fact the most accurate translation or representation of his central concept: spontaneous music. Djalma's relationship with sound was always guided by his fearless approach to listening, and by his audacious and dynamic interaction with both musicians and equipment, which enabled him to work across a wide array of genres: from jazz to completely abstract music, always through a personal DIY ethic. Corr?a developed a strong bond with experimentalist and inventor Walter Smetak, with whom he shared a studio during his formative years at Universidade Federal da Bahia. 'Suite Contagotas,' featured in this collection, is no less than a sonic materialization of that bond: an experiment revolving around dripping water and its randomness -- a tentative exploration of the ideas and possibilities envisioned by Smetak for his audacious, albeit unrealized, Est?dio OVO. Djalma, however, is best known for his studio work in historical albums, including many by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Jorge Ben, and for his own polyrhythmic opus Baiafro. The last track is an early recording called 'Bossa 2000 dC,' first performed by Djalma at the 1964 N?s, Por Exemplo concert, an event which is often cited as marking the beginning of the Tropicalia movement. At the time, he was the only artist in the lineup using electronic devices to create sounds, e.g. medical oscillators and contact mics to augment his percussive palette. The artwork is an amalgamation of material found in the Djalma Corr?a Archive (currently managed by his son Caetano Corr?a) and other material created during the period in which the record was being put together."

Just in time for festival season, another batch of Disco Biscuits has landed on Luv Shack Records. This time the maitre de's Lee Stevens, Das Komplex, Space Echo, and Siggatunez have whipped up extra delicious treats using only their favorite recipes to ensure maximum satisfaction on the dancefloor!

"Allen Kwela, the legendary guitarist and composer central to the story of South African jazz, channels Wes Montgomery and overlays home-grown marabi, setting the benchmark for what became known as '70s township jazz. Black Beauty features four tracks composed and led by Kwela with a stellar line-up of musicians including Kippie Moeketsi, Barney Rachabane, Gilbert Matthews, Dennis Mpale, Sipho Gumede, and others. First ever vinyl reissue, a deluxe 180g edition with printed inner sleeve and pressed at Pallas in Germany. Audio mastered and cut for vinyl by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Liner notes by Kwanele Sosibo, featuring key musician interviews, new insights and unseen photos. The cream of Johannesburg's jazz musicians gathered at state-of-the-art Satbel studios to create Black Beauty for the 'Soweto' label. Led by guitarist extraordinaire Allen Kwela and featuring the godfather of South African jazz Kippie Moeketsi, the album successfully straddles producer pressure to emulate the commercial success of Abdullah Ibrahim's Mannenberg, against the musicians' own impetus to play a jazz they wanted. While the title track 'Black Beauty' nods at Ibrahim's stylings, the magic happens in the three remaining tracks where Kwela and his top-notch band lay down new directions. Producer Patric van Blerk sounded disappointed when asked about the sessions, saying that Kwela was his usual strong-willed self, unwilling to be nudged towards the pop trends of the day. 'He was a monster talent and deserved much more than he got at the time.' Matsuli is proud to restore this special album to its rightful place in the pantheon of South African jazz."

"Kora's most innovative modern exponent bathes in communion with a re-imagined classical guitar, unveiling a new and previously unsuspected musical universe. In a meeting between instruments, not traditions, these maestros emerge from quite different and distant musical worlds. Ballak? Sissoko's kora tradition and lineage traverse the once powerful West African empire known as Kaabu. South African Derek Gripper's roots are in European classical guitar but infused with a unique jeli music mastery that takes guitar's modern history in a captivating new direction. But these traditions are not in dialogue: these masters meet on the sonic groundings of the kora, instrument of the griots, resonant vessel of the sacred and profane, sound carrier of history and wisdom. Through two decades of commitment and study, it is to this terrain that Gripper brings his guitar to meet its multi-stringed cousin. The two men do not share a spoken language, but if it is true that music speaks universally, then they were already involved in profound dialogue long before they met for the series of London concerts which yielded this recording session -- a session which matches deep communion with sparkling improvisation, which pushes a living tradition into brand new sonic spaces, and opens a live and direct channel of communication between kora and guitar. In the complex web of theme and variations spun by Sissoko's twenty-two strings and Gripper's six, a new African string theory is elaborated. 'Musically we tested each other,' says Sissoko, explaining that the most magical aspect of their encounters are spontaneity. 'We have the mastery of our instruments, the technique and a good ear. Derek is very curious, that's very important.' 'He's just such a good listener,' says Gripper about Sissoko. 'It's not what he plays, it's how he plays it. He's an amazing interpreter, the prime master of timbre.'"

Pedro Vian and Merzbow present their first joint work, an unbounded expression of creativity and experimentation. Over the album's forty-minute duration, listeners can experience a blend of field recordings made by Pedro Vian at the DIA Bacon Foundation in NYC, specifically inside Richard Serra's sculptures. These recordings are interwoven with the ambient percussion and melodies characteristic of Vian's work, alongside the piercing and sharp computer frequencies produced by Merzbow, one of the most acclaimed artists in the global noise scene. Inside Richard Serra Sculptures is both a complex and spontaneous piece, an abstract journey into the unconscious that may be difficult to grasp for closed minds. This work stands as a masterpiece of contemporary expressionism, merging ambient sound and noise in a way that challenges and redefines the boundaries of sound art. The collaboration between Vian and Merzbow is notable not only for its innovation but also for its ability to transport listeners to a space where sound becomes an immersive and visceral experience. The use of Richard Serra's sculptures as a source of inspiration and sonic material adds a unique dimension to the project, emphasizing the interaction between physical space and musical creation. Photo by Alba Ricard.

Original tracks written and produced by Dave DK. Published by Kosikos Publishing. "Don't Eat The Homies" contains a sample of the recording "Run Between The Raindrops (While My Teardrops Fall)," performed by Sharon Revoal, courtesy of The Numero Group.

BSS is more than ever crystallizing the distinctive palette that forms the microcosm of its sound, with an increasingly refined sound design. Tofani holds many elements of his signature sound, creating a hypnotic realm with cosmic overtones. A refined electro fused with dreamy, melodic hints. A journey through cinematic adventures and experimental outbursts.

Ghost Dubs, real name Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz, announces a rebirth with Damaged, his first album for PRESSURE label. Having recently dropped two criminally overlooked, experimental dub LPs, with his Dub Over Science series, the German producer/bass specialist, now stretches his own parameters of outwardness still further, with these twelve fresh explorations of dub deviance. For those who feel the fusion of dub techno and ambient drone had creatively ended with the demise of the short lived, Berlin based Chain Reaction label. Ghost Dubs now upgrades and extends that legendary blueprint's abstract methodology even further and deeper, floating away upon a wonderfully warm sea of hiss and static bliss. This is dub so atomized that it disintegrates within your eardrums. Its music, where the machines take over and virtually all traces of humanity are erased. But thankfully, the warmest soul still oozes seductively from the pores of Fiedler's robo riddims. Relentlessly hypnotic, seriously sedated, Damaged celebrates the point of departure within its mesmerizing low-end grooves. For batty shakers and headtrippers alike, there's added thrills aplenty, as Ghost Dubs' richter scale tremor rhythms remain impressively massive, and the atmospheric depths of Damaged appear tantalizingly oceanic. Throughout the duration of the dreamy selection, there is an obsessive balance of bewitching ambience and heavyweight bassbin shaking. Impressive indeed, Fiedler's mastery of live dubbing on his mixing desk shines across the duration, and gives the album an improvised edge, and sense of peripheral chaos. With a tip of the cap, and nod of the head to Pole ("Second Thoughts"), it's no surprise then that PRESSURE would then turn to the great, Berlin based producer Stefan Betke, to master/cut this collection at his infamous Scape mastering room. If you like your melodies submerged, your dub narcotic, your basslines obese, and your beats evaporating, Damaged provides the perfect prescription and entry point into Ghost Dubs' spectral soundworld. FFO: Pole, Rhythm & Sound, Mika Vainio.

Almost a year after Baba Stiltz latest album Paid Testimony, Public Possession offers four remixes of the track "Stockholm." The alternative takes include versions by DJ Python, Klara Lewis, Powder, and Baba himself. Very delicate, stretched out, chill, hypnotic, droned, melodic bliss.

Ralph Session is no stranger to the house music scene. He's been dropping House tunes for years on quality labels like Razor n Tape, Local Talk, Freerange, Nervous -- and he's not stopping there! His For The House Heads release on Quintessentials combines NYC deep house vibes with modern and classic touches. Awaiting you are three dope club cuts he's crafted, complete with punchy beats, heavy bass lines, uplifting vocals and catchy melodies. This summer will be a hot one for the house heads!

2024 repress. Long-awaited reissue of The Necks' 2011 masterpiece, Mindset. Always different, here the Necks resolutely layer polyrhythmic material to form seething blocks of sound -- in two long pieces, one more stripped back to the live trio, the other featuring multiple strata of swirling Hammonds, noise-guitar, and electronics. Their 16th release still resonates on its own.

Can't Stop. There seems no better way to describe the work, party and music ethic of Solomun. Carrying the mirror ball on his shoulders like Atlas, it is impossible to imagine the modern disco world without his dynamics. While his countless DJ sets give fresh impetus to the many shades of house, techno and their siblings, conversely they are a driving force behind his studio and remix excursions. Can't Stop provides an impressive insight into his musical universe. Resulting from a rather casual after-dinner-listening-session during a car ride on Ibiza with a zesty Gerd Janson, who coaxed the title track out of Solomun making use of their friendship to full capacity, it is a triptych of direct, functional and free-spirited dance floor approach. After some back and forth in the search of the missing pieces to make it so, Solomun managed to deliver the perfect Running Back peak time record. While Can't Stop channels UK dance music highs through German engineering values, which makes it perfect for dance hall and car rides (yes, indeed!) alike, its heavy dub is constructed with fearless techno DJs in mind who like new beat excerpts, rave stabs and a lot of bass in equal parts. "Follow The Disco Ball" leads listeners back to the aforementioned Greek titan and can be read as a love letter to the genre that can be found in its name. Catchy, compelling and cool, it is a masterclass in user-friendly, yet edgy arrangement and dancing shoe compatibility.

After his debut album Happy Floating in 2022 (SQM 013LP), Leipzig-based producer Damian Dalla Torre returns to Squama with I Can Feel My Dreams. Developed during a residency in Santiago, Chile, it incorporates electronic, jazz and ambient influences utilizing Andean quena flutes, synthesizers and field recordings and again centering on collaborations with fellow artists like Ruth Goller, Miriam Adefris, and Christian Balvig. A wistful haze runs throughout the album, coming out at the end, there's both light and darkness and no need to choose.

2024 restock. "The late percussionist Milford Graves was one of the most unique artists the world has ever seen. Born in Jamaica, Queens in 1941, he began his career in the early '60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene. His focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock, and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era -- he is, simply put, free jazz royalty. In April 1966, the duo of Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, 'This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with NYAQ (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet, and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven.' Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, 'Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion.'"

2024 restock. "The late percussionist Milford Graves was one of the most unique artists the world has ever seen. Born in Jamaica, Queens in 1941, he began his career in the early '60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene. His focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock, and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era -- he is, simply put, free jazz royalty. In April 1966, the duo of Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, 'This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with NYAQ (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet, and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven.' Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, 'Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion.'"

"Blue Lake is the musical moniker of American born, Copenhagen based multidisciplinary artist and musician Jason Dungan, who signs to the Tonal Union imprint for the release of his new longform album Sun Arcs. It follows 2022's release Stikling, earning a nomination for Album of the Year at the Danish Music Awards plus warm praise from The Hum blog and musicians and DJs alike including Jack Rollo and Carla dal Forno. A self-taught player, Dungan began freely experimenting with self-built multi-string instruments, preferring to build his own hybrid 48-string zither and working in the realms of left-field ambient music, off kilter folk and improvised acoustic minimalism. The starting point of Sun Arcs saw Jason travel for a week alone to Andersabo, a cabin set in the idyllic Swedish woods just outside of Unnaryd, known also as the music project, festival and residency space which has been run by Dungan since 2016, hosting artists like Sofie Birch, Johan Car?e, and Ellen Arkbro. Whilst writing one to two pieces per day, a conscious decision was made to leave behind everyday distractions and shut out the outside world to instead focus on the natural passage of time as Dungan recalls: 'My only sense of time came from these daily walks out in the woods with my dog, and an awareness of the sun's path as it moved across the sky each day.' Musically it portrays a form of double life led by an American-identifying person living in Scandinavia, and a new found presence in Denmark, seeking out underdeveloped marshlands and barren stretches of beach adrift from other rhythms and distractions. Highlighting their individual and potent importance Dungan concludes: 'Both places feel like 'me,' I think on some level the music is always some kind of self-portrait.' Sun Arcs depicts the intricate balance of nature's cycles and the paths outlined by the seasons, from a winter dormancy to a warm sun-drenched scene. The album scales new glorying heights and further defines Dungan's musical narrative, inhabiting a unique space in left- field, improvised and experimental music, boring his most accomplished compositions to date. A singular and visionary expression, drawing on an array of instruments and sound worlds with a renewed sense of joy and discovery."

"Masses is an utterly unexpected, and utterly gripping, collaboration between the East London duo, Spring Heel Jack, and a group of top-flight improvisers, drawn largely from New York's ascendant free jazz network but also including Evan Parker and microtonal violinist Matt Maneri. Recorded in 1999 in NYC, with Matthew Shipp, Roy Campbell, Matt Manieri, William Parker, and co.""If there are precedents for this particular mix, in which studio-processed audio environments are played back in real time as the triggers for, and fixed components in, a series of group improvisations, they feel few and far between. George Rusell's 1967 Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature, Bob Ostertag's Say No More Project, and some of Evan Parker's explorations in the realm of synergetic electroacoustics provide three possible and very different models. But as Matthew Shipp points out, Masses 'creates its own space and time.' Masses opens a tunnel on a space where matter and anti-matter can co-exist without the vernacular power of either state being compromised or diminished. It is a total triumph." --The Wire

From the outset this ad hoc quartet hit the gas, launching into a frenzied, high-octane set with alto saxophonist Rasmussen engaging in a furious tightrope-walk of upper register screams while O'Rourke unspools some of the most gnarly guitar noise. The entire recording is a testament to refined listening. Even at the most scorching peaks each player is deftly attuned to one another's sonic projections. Bridging generations, continents, and individual aesthetics, Rasmussen, Corsano, Sakata, and O'Rourke find common cause, convening for an evening of galvanic sound that's simultaneously exhilarating and spiritual. Recorded on May 20, 2017 at Superdeluxe, Tokyo by Joe Talia. Mixed and mastered by Joe Talia. Ceramic artwork "Red Form" from 2003 by Torbj?rn Kvasb?.

Flute, harp, drums: a rare combination that this trio turns upside down. In the wake of John Zorn's experiences on the borders of jazz and noise, the collaboration between Delphine Joussein, Rafa?lle Rinaudo, and Blanche Lafuente aims at pushing their instruments beyond their limits, with the enthusiasm of a mad scientist. It is no coincidence that the three musicians, considered the missing link between Nirvana and Sun Ra, have already aroused a big curiosity and are constantly touring across Europe. Featuring Delphine Joussein (flute, voice, drums), Rafaelle Rinaudo (electric harp, drums), Blanche Lafuente (drums). Also featuring guests Mats Gustafsson (baritone sax) and Benat Achiary (voice).

In this quartet, Rodrigo Amado gathers three of his strongest longtime influences: German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, Norwegian double bass player Ingebrigt H?ker Flaten, and American drummer Gerry Hemingway. For Amado this band represents a deep dive into his own formative roots, something he has been dealing with more and more in these last few years. With Schlippenbach, H?ker Flaten and Hemingway by his side, Amado has the perfect context to explore the classic materials he considers to be the basis of his journey as a musician, an impulse that is part him and part history. This is a quartet whose name really represents, aside from a direct homage to Sonny Rollins, a bridge between different languages, backgrounds and generations, all united through improvisation. Recorded by Bartosz Szkielkowski at Pardon To Tu, Warsaw, October 3rd, 2022. Mixed by Joaquim Monte and Rodrigo Amado. Master by David Zuchowski. Produced by Rodrigo Amado/Konstantin Drobil. Cover painting by Miguel Navas. Design by Rodrigo Amado and Travassos. Liner Notes by Guy Peters.

Following up on Ohm Hourani's infectious single "Barbara" which included a remix from Ricardo Villalobos and Amir Javasoul, We R The Aliens is happy to present with V/A from all-star cast: Boronas & Snad, B?rtaub, Mountain People, and Nesta. Tap in and make some space in your record bag. Boronas & Snad set the tone with "Affliction," laden with haunting synth work, rolling MPC percussion, meticulous backspins and mind-bending delays. Fresh off an outing for Yoyaku's main label, Istanbul duo B?rtaub give a strong nod to the '90s and the cult E- MU rompler with "Orbit The Dance Planet." Their track fuses bumpy breaks and robotic voices with ghastly chords, a snaking bass groove and of course, one-shots from the Orbit. Mountain People kicks off the flip side with "I Am The Void," characterized by shuffled drum grooves and soft chord sequences intertwined with murky, dubbed out stabs. Beirut's Nesta rounds out the release with "Tarte Citron," a late '90s tech house reminiscent track with crisp percussion, airy synth flutters, swelling sub bass tones and a catchy vocal hook.

XXX016 consists of two original tracks by Anastasia Zems & Radial Gaze on the A-side and two remixes by Chinaski & S.I.R.S on the flip side. While the original tracks are infused with dark industrial vibes combined with a sharp kick and throbbing playful basslines, the remix side takes a completely different turn. An (unexpected) almost trance-like remix by Chinaski is best described as a rollercoaster ride that only goes higher and faster. S.I.R.S. delivers us a disco remix with the most-groovy bassline that will not go unnoticed on any dancefloor. This altogether makes XXX016 an exploration of different sounds combined on one EP. The artwork by Gees Voorhees also perfectly embodies this.