News & Events

 

PRICE: $10.00

CAT #: VIRUS 077CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"At last, one of the all-time bat legends, Nomeansno has returned to Alternative Tentacles Records. The entire catalog no less, starting with their most beloved album, Wrong. Using the original all-analog master, from the original mother, as engineered by George Horn, John Wright, and Jello Biafra. Nomeansno formed in a vacuum, in Victoria, British Columbia in 1979 and honing their sounds for years before relocating to Vancouver and releasing eleven albums over an almost forty-year career, including a collaborative album with Jello Biafra, and numerous EPs and singles. Originally formed as a two-piece by brothers John and Rob Wright, and later joined by monster guitarist, Andy Kerr. Mixing hardcore punk, dark lyrics, and sophisticated arrangements boarding on prog, Nomeansno was massively influential and widely regarded as the first band to be referred to as 'math rock.' Originally released on Alternative Tentacles in 1989, Wrong stands on its own and is still considered to be a much-loved classic. Allmusic called the album a masterpiece and a definitive jazz core album. In 2021, the album was voted by the publics' to win the Canadian Polaris Heritage Prize to honor classic Canadian albums released before the creation of the award. In 2015, drummer John Wright described the album as their 'most popular album by a country mile' and to the St. Louis Music Press of Wrong's success to the rise of alternative music and the success of Nirvana: 'That's where all the buzz about us came from. We were touring throughout the States in the mid-'80s, and we'd get a little bit of an audience here and there, but after a couple of years in Europe, we started doing some big shows there, and all of a sudden, people in the States were coming out to our shows. And we went from getting paid $200 to getting paid $1000. It was just like that. You had to have the buzz, and then it all just kind of blew up.' Getting Nomeansno vinyl into stores is long overdue, so it all starts here with Wrong. Expect all vintage Nomeansno vinyl to systematically return in the days ahead."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: VIRUS 377LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "The Alternative Tentacles 'Reissues Of Necessity' is back! We've hooked another live one from the swirling depths of the most obscure, desirable, and just plain deranged. Like many early punk pioneers The Eat operated in a near-total vacuum. This time in that infamous cesspool of clueless retirees and moronic sun worshippers known as South Florida. Their classic 7"s were rare and sought after from the moment they came out, distribution was nil, most were given away at shows and crushed on the spot, some even wound up lining parrot cages. As a result, Communist Radio and God Punishes The Eat are some of the most sought after and obscenely expensive Killed By Death items on eBay. Th e band's angle on the world has a lot to do with this. Political concerns like 'Communist Radio', 'Nut Cops', 'Kneecappin' and 'Nixon's Binoculars.' Environmental awareness like 'Manatee Smacker,' 'M-80 Ant Death' and 'Living Like a Pig', and numerous celebrations of that seedy Florida lifestyle like 'Catholic Love', 'Silly Drug Songs', 'Money for the Police' and 'Psychotic McHale's Navy.' The Eat reappeared sporadically clear through the mid-90s, yet still seemed unaware how wide their cult and notoriety had spread, especially among people who've never actually heard them. So now everyone can! Both early 7"s are here, the dropouts in the five God Punishes songs fixed up at last, followed by the entire Scattered Wahoo Action cassette album and all the unreleased songs from their aborted Hialeah album that was chopped down to their third and final 7". Sound is top-floor melodic punk 'n' roll, sort of a sped-up Real Kids with rock-bottom Angry Samoans-style lyrics. Disc one's a whopping 30+ studio tracks, many never before released. But that's not all folks. The CD version comes with a bonus live disc with two dozen more songs and many a crude rude remark from band to audience."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: AMOON 003EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Vicent, an electronic music producer, unveils his debut EP titled Find Yourself, offering a deep dive into a techno universe subtly infused with Japanese influences. This innovative project features four mesmerizing original tracks, complemented by remixes from BXTR, Swooh, and Iannis Rezgui. Notably, a unique ambient piece crafted exclusively from sounds recorded in Japan is included.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: ASH 707LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress. "Michael George Henry (aka Ras Michael and, for this lone release, Dadawah) was born in 1943 in Saint Mary Parish, in northeastern Jamaica. Henry was raised in a Rastafari community when the religious movement was still in its infancy and marginalized within Jamaica. It was there that he began performing Nyahbinghi, the Rastafarian devotional music that combines the influences of African drumming and Black gospel. Henry found himself in Kingston in the late 1950s where he worked for Coxsone Dodd at the legendary Studio One. By 1968, he had formed the group Sons of Negus and the first overtly Rasta record label, Zion Disc. As Rasta filtered into the mainstream, Henry released more music including albums for Trojan, Dynamic and Grounation labels. Originally released in 1974, Peace And Love - Wadadasow is Dadawah's magnum opus. Produced by Lloyd Charmers, the album features slinky basslines, wah-wah guitar, hypnotic keyboards, dubbed-out studio trickery and, of course, the propulsive drumming and rhythmic chanting characteristic of Nyahbinghi. Antarctica Starts Here presents the first widely available domestic release of Peace And Love - Wadadasow. This reissue is part of an archival series that focuses on Trojan's essential '60s and '70s catalogue. Liner notes by JR Gonne."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BALMAT 010LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Panoram makes soundtracks for daydreams gone sideways. Picture the scene: an afternoon nap with the television on, quietly, in the corner; snatches of conversation drift in through the open window. Wandering, half-formed thoughts take unexpected detours; before you know it, there's a movie playing out against closed lids, the colors bright, the characters unfamiliar. Accidental rhythms, incidental melodies, imitations of life, messages in code. Across 17 fragmentary, sketch-like tracks, Panoram carves a labyrinthine path in which nothing is what it seems: a fantasy world of breathy vox pads, faux guitar, detuned synths, bursts of flute and orchestral percussion, and even the occasional cheeky cartoon sample. It's chillout music with a chilly edge, ambient with a darkly ironic undertone. Panoram has been making music under his principal alias for more than a decade now, releasing albums on labels like Firecracker, Running Back, and his own Wandering Eye. Panoram's output has ranged widely, taking in abstract pop, classical composition, twisted takes on library music, and cyborg funk. One record of "bio-acoustic transmissions" came with a cannabis leaf pressed in clear wax; his 2021 album Pianosequenza Vol. 1 gathers his experiments on the Yamaha Disklavier. But Great Times offers the truest picture yet of a project that has never been easy to pin down. Loath to overshare details about his personal life, Panoram instead lets the music do the talking, using his cryptic tracks to express the slipperiest sorts of ideas -- the thoughts that take root where anxiety, distraction, and the most fleeting traces of grace commingle. Panoram's approach flies in the face of contemporary ambient orthodoxy, with its emphasis on immersion and uplift. Great Times expresses something thornier, more difficult to translate, yet also more tantalizing to contend with. Its 17 tracks offer a chance to get lost -- and an invitation to remain in the maze as long as you like.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BTR 057TRS-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Lost somewhere between the mysterious alleys of '70s Istanbul and the scorching sun and crystal blue sea of Jaffa, Tel Aviv, ?atellites self-titled debut album is presented by Batov Records. The ?atellites' sound shimmers between traditional Turkish folk and instrumentation, ethereal psychedelic guitar leads and groovy dance-floor baselines. The resulting concoction of songs draws on cross continental influence yet at its core is a desire to illuminate the vivid qualities of classic Turkish music, honoring the Anatolian folk and psych artists from this golden era of music. Covering important tracks such as female singer Kamuran Akkor's track "Olurmu Dersin," and musician and guitarist Zafer Dilek's "Yekte," the album covers an array of original pieces of different musical styles and sounds, that once have and continue to flow out of Turkey. The band boasts six members; Ariel Harrosh (Bass) Lotan Yaish (Drums), Yuli Shafriri (Vocals), Tsuf Mishali (Keys and Synths), Tal Eyal (Percussion) and Itamar Kluger (Diwan saz, both electric and acoustic, electric baglama, Greek four double string bouzouki). They came together some years after band leader Itamar Kluger discovered the saz whilst travelling the Ka?kar mountains in Turkey's eastern region. The saz being a long necked, plucked stringed instrument native to the rural areas of the country, which remains an integral part of ?atellites' union, and plays predominance throughout the bands' album and music. In the same way the guitar was electrified in the 1930s, the electrification of the saz in the 1960s led to an explosion of rock music dredged in middle eastern influence, a musical genre fittingly called "Anatolian Rock" and based on the principles of Anglo-American and psychedelic rock music, yet incorporating the style, rhythm, and scales of traditional Anatolian folk music. As such, throughout the creation of the album, the band conceived the idea of intertwining differing elements such as the groove of funk, the rhythm of disco, and reverb of psychedelic, with traditional middle-eastern rhythm and structure, opening up the wealth of Turkish music to the western world, so that anyone and everyone can relate to something from the album. With that said, ?atellites emphasize that their music is not fundamentally Turkish music, on the contrary, they merely try to sound as close to the genre as possible. Their sole aim is to honor this amazing culture and to present it to the world in a more accessible and attainable form. Presented on color vinyl.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: BEC 5613970

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Toujours l'?t? is the very first Les N?gresses Vertes Best Of on vinyl. 12 classic tracks pressed on white vinyl. Les N?gresses Vertes are a cult French alternative band formed in 1987 with a unique sound. The original line up was a group of nine friends, some of whom never played music before. They can best be described as a fusion of world music and alternative rock. Their particular music influences were Ra?, Mediterrean music and French caf?/chanson fran?aise. After two cult albums Mlah (BEC 5543328) and Famille Nombreuse (BEC 5543330) and the death of former charismatic singer Helno, the band decided to keep on playing with St?phane Mellino and Matias Canavese replacing Helno. After Zig-Zague (BEC 5543333) and Trabendo (BEC 5543327), they disbanded in 2001. Following a few live reunions, St?phane and Iza Mellino reformed the band in 2018 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mlah with an intensive French tour. They have kept playing since. Longue vie aux N?gresses Vertes!

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: BPR 040LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Eight years after the breathtaking Somewhere Anywhere EP, The Mad Walls return to re-ignite psych rock with this gorgeous, floatily heavy, effortlessly groovy and sublimely sinuous debut LP. Driven by bone shaking acoustic guitar, visceral drums, wonderfully trippy basslines and the throwaway perfection of Christopher Mercado's spooked vocals. Pure rock n' roll yet devoid of clich?. Informed by, but no way in hock to, early MC5, Skip Spence, Sonic Youth, Syd Barrett and Jefferson Airplane when they still all lived together. Recorded on tape in Mercado's garage, there's a DIY heart with epic results across sixteen songs. Only one track over three minutes and some under thirty seconds. "It's just chatter about life and human feelings. Stylized human expression," is Christopher's self-effacing explanation of his mind bending, playful, storytelling. Somehow the Mad Walls manage woozily florid and sharp as a blade. Studiedly detailed but effortless. Whip smart and dumb.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: BPR 040SB-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Blue color vinyl version. Eight years after the breathtaking Somewhere Anywhere EP, The Mad Walls return to re-ignite psych rock with this gorgeous, floatily heavy, effortlessly groovy and sublimely sinuous debut LP. Driven by bone shaking acoustic guitar, visceral drums, wonderfully trippy basslines and the throwaway perfection of Christopher Mercado's spooked vocals. Pure rock n' roll yet devoid of clich?. Informed by, but no way in hock to, early MC5, Skip Spence, Sonic Youth, Syd Barrett and Jefferson Airplane when they still all lived together. Recorded on tape in Mercado's garage, there's a DIY heart with epic results across sixteen songs. Only one track over three minutes and some under thirty seconds. "It's just chatter about life and human feelings. Stylized human expression," is Christopher's self-effacing explanation of his mind bending, playful, storytelling. Somehow the Mad Walls manage woozily florid and sharp as a blade. Studiedly detailed but effortless. Whip smart and dumb.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BMR 135LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"While their first two releases (Prequel and Space Mirror) saw these veterans of post-punk, new psychedelic noise, and 1990s garage rock expertly navigate the murky waters of COVID isolation with yoga-worthy ambient excursions, on their third record the quartet slides into fifth gear and terraplanes toward a fresh take on instrumental prog-rock. It's not entirely unexpected, but there's rapid accelerated growth at play on Tabula Rasa. Infinite River is composed of Gretchen Gonzales (Universal Indians, Slumber Party, Terror At The Opera), Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive, ESP Beetles, Ethan Daniel Davidson), Joey Mazzola (Detroit Cobras, Sponge, Sugarcoats), and special guest drummer Steve Nistor (Sparks, Ural Thomas, Seedsmen To The World). These instrumental recordings were tracked between the end of 2022 and the start of 2023 in Warren Defever's new loft studio space in glorious Hamtramck, MI, where the sessions were supervised by Defever's cat, Brother James. 'My apartment is a big, echoey room; previously we were close together in a tight space,' Defever explains. 'The other studio is cozy; this is an art gallery. So it's a really different vibe.' Tabula Rasa is closer to what the band is like live now. It highlights the point at which new age type music can become biker rock -- which at times approximates Hawkwind or much German music from 1976, while rarely sounding like anything but itself. Tracks like 'Around The Sun' and 'Sky Diamonds' definitely have evolved out of the group playing new age type music together. But here, the melodies are more pronounced; the chords and harmonies are more like pop music. Drone-based elements remain, but the pieces are shorter and far more propulsive. 'Gonzales shows off her noise-guitar pedigree with both subtlety and aggression. Defever has largely ditched his tanpura for a bass synthesizer. It's a joy to hear Nistor, who's been a member of Sparks for close to two decades, open up, and just go gonzo on his kit. Mazzola's songwriting has followed suit; these are great (and often lovely) compositions here. And his practice in playing with the band, especially Nistor, allows Mazzola to open up new possibilities for downright prog than he's ever shown before."

 

PRICE: $61.00

CAT #: BEA 003LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"A legendary concert by one of the great unrecorded bands in free jazz history is here at last. WEBO, the third installment in the Black Editions Archive series of previously unreleased recordings from Milford Graves' private tape library, roars into the station June 21, 2024. For the first time, Charles Gayle, Milford Graves, & William Parker -- three lions of the Black American jazz avantgarde -- are finally heard together on record, presented here across three audiophile-quality LPs for two brutalizingly joyous hours of real ju-ju & musical mastery. The trio of Charles Gayle, Milford Graves, & William Parker gave only seven public performances between 1985 and 2013, and released no recordings. Their June 1991 two-night stand at the short-lived Lower East Side venue Webo, long referenced as a signal event in New York free jazz's 1990s resurgence, has been a topic of discussion among close followers of the music for decades. In the uncompromising grassroots spirit of the 1970s New York Musicians Organization and loft jazz movements from which they had emerged, the band produced and promoted the WEBO concerts themselves. Photography and audio recording were not allowed at the concerts, and this official recording, commissioned by the artists, was never released -- until now. So vivid was the lore surrounding WEBO that it topped the list of recordings sought by Black Editions Archive from Graves' private collection. The tapes maximally substantiate eyewitness accounts describing extra-sensory levels of communication within the band, and the extraordinary clarity and impact of their performance. From William Parker's liner notes: 'Imagine a village or choir of drummers, horn players and strings. You can hear the bass and drums churning with a call and response, a melodic-rhythmic propulsion. In reality there is only one drummer, one bass, and one saxophone.' Age 52 at the time of these concerts, Charles Gayle had only recently made his first recordings. To all but the most immediate insiders he was still more myth than reality. Milford Graves, two months out from his 50th birthday, was about halfway into his body of recorded work and had sanctioned just one appearance on a commercially released recording in the last 14 years (Pieces of Time by an all-drummer quartet with Kenny Clarke, Andrew Cyrille, and Famoudou Don Moye). William Parker, the young man of the group at age 39, was a mere fifty entries into his discography, now 500+ entries and counting. All three musicians were at least a quarter century into passionately developing a personal and collective music rooted in the cultural values and radical aesthetics of the 1960s and '70s Black American avant-garde. 30+ years after the WEBO concerts, Black Editions Archive is honored to make these historical recordings available to the public. The three LPs are presented in a heavy black, pigment-stamped box with mounted cover painting along with liner notes by William Parker, commentary from Alan Licht (witness to night one of the WEBO concerts), a reproduction of the original concert flyer, and a set of 6"x9" printed photos from the 2021 WEBO reunion outside MoMA PS1, Queens, NY. Cover Painting by Jeff Schlanger/musicWitness, made June 8, 1991, at Webo during the band's performance. Vinyl pressed at RTI, lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio." --Michael Ehlers, 2024

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BT 119LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Black Truffle presents Resonant Trees, the first vinyl release from French composer-performer L?o Dupleix. An active member of the international community of younger musicians working with just intonation, Dupleix has composed works for solo instrumentalists and ensembles in Europe and Japan, as well as performing extensively on harpsichord, piano and electronics. His music is distinguished by a formal clarity and elegance of surface, gently shaping pure intervals into delicate melodic patterns and shimmering harmonic planes. Resonant Trees presents two side-long pieces for harpsichord and ensemble, both setting slowly repeating patterns played on harpsichord and guitar within an environment of sustained tones. Dupleix performs on a French double manual harpsichord and Prophet synthesizer, joined by Juliette Adam (bass clarinet), Johanna Bartz (traverso flute), Cyprien Busolini (viola), Fredrik Rasten (6- and 12-string guitars), and Mara Winter (traverso flute). The harpsichord begins "Resonant Tree I" alone, slowly sounding out a series of arpeggiated chords that emphasize the unique (and for unaccustomed listeners, sometimes unsettling) harmonic and timbral qualities of justly tuned intervals. Long tones from synthesizer, bass clarinet, viola and Baroque traverso flutes slowly creep into the spaces between the arpeggiated chords, joined after several minutes by delicate patterns of harmonics played by Rasten on acoustic guitars. On "Resonant Tree II," a similar structure and ensemble (without the flutes) are used with quite different results. Joined again by long tones from the ensemble, here the viola is particularly prominent and its interplay with the harpsichord creates fascinating acoustic effects. In both pieces, repetition gives the music a static, stable quality while, at the same time, the exact shape of the repeating patterns remains difficult to grasp. As Dupleix writes, these pieces dream of music as "space and a sound that one could grasp in one's hand." As the near-static quality of the repetitions and long tones with little incident make these two stretches of musical time feel like spaces for the listener to inhabit, the small variations on a narrow range of related material act like a three-dimensional object whose each facet is examined in turn. At once austere and seductive, Resonant Trees takes its place beside the work of contemporaries like Catherine Lamb, while also calling up the languorous melodic world of Mamoru Fujieda, the dignified melancholy of Satoshi Ashikawa's classic Still Way and the espaliered chamber atmospherics of the Obscure catalogue.

 

PRICE: $48.00

CAT #: BT 120LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Black Truffle presents the first vinyl reissue of David Rosenboom's unique Future Travel, originally released on the short-lived Detroit label Street Records in 1981 and here presented in an expanded edition with an additional LP of wild, previously unheard live and studio material from the same period. Future Travel emerged from the confluence of two important streams in Rosenboom's work at this time. First, his exploration of "propositional music," defined as "complete cognitive models of music" that start from the radical question, "What is music?" In this case, the music belongs to the universe of Rosenboom's In the Beginning (1978-1981), in which proportional relationships determine the material available to the composer in all musical parameters (harmonic relationships, melodic shapes, rhythmic subdivisions, dynamics, and so on). Second, the work documents a key moment in Rosenboom's long collaboration with synthesizer pioneer Don Buchla. Having played a role in developing concepts for some of the modules of the Buchla 300 Series Electric Music Box (an innovative analogue modular system controlled by micro-processors), Rosenboom went on to write the software for Buchla's hybrid analogue-digital keyboard synthesizer, the Touch?, the instrument heard most prominently here. In a way that no purely analogue synthesizer could, the 300 Series and Touch? allowed Rosenboom to work with the In the Beginning algorithms in real time, the synthesizers becoming "intelligent instruments" that actively collaborate with the performer. Developing the open structures of the electronic pieces from In the Beginning, Future Travel explored the possibilities of simply "playing the system," recording live at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope studio in San Francisco. Future Travel is bracingly sui generis, existing in a unique universe where radical formalization spontaneously gives rise to expressive jazz harmonies and old-timey folk melodies. At several points throughout the record, the distinctive voice of Jacqueline Humbert is heard reading passages from the text component of In the Beginning, a dialogue between "The Double" (an embodiment of humanity's timeless desire to replicate itself in spiritual and technological copies) and two "Spirit Characters.: Fittingly, as all are conceived as embodiments of a future form of techno-human collective consciousness, distinctions between the three characters are not immediately evident in Humbert's delivery, just as the music blurs the boundaries between intelligent computing and human spontaneity. The record includes a 12-page booklet with notes about the album.

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: BFR 033CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"New Lord Buffalo album Holus Bolus takes its name from an antiquated phrase meaning 'all at once.' It materializes instantly from the first opening notes, a grey haze drawing listeners in with deft juxtapositions of droning violin, guitars, drums and vocals. While the quartet wades into the same murky waters as dark emotive brethren David Eugene Edwards/Woven Hand, All Them Witches, Emma Ruth Rundle, Earth/Dylan Carlson, Chelsea Wolfe, and Nick Cave, the creative interplay of Middle Eastern influences and Western folk Americana takes the record in its own enveloping, meditative direction. Embarking on a sleep-deprived road trance through High Plains iconography, Holus Bolus is bleak yet hopeful, a mix that is by now Lord Buffalo's established custom blend."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BJR 085C-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Yellow color vinyl. Les Disques Bongo Joe present the release of Derya Y?ld?r?m & Grup ?im?ek's DOST 1&2! This double gold printed LP gathers all tracks from the acclaimed DOST 1 and DOST 2 released respectively in 2021 and 2022. Derya Y?ld?r?m & Grup ?im?ek's subtle and groovy Anatolian psych folk sound matches the powerful quality of the songs often led by Y?ld?r?m's sublime vocals and ba?lama (Turkish lute). They captured a lively, unique piece of interpretation which connects to the meaning of DOST. "DOST is a friend, a comrade, a brother, a sister and even more than that. DOST is the connection to keep this life and world meaningful." No doubt that with this project Derya Y?ld?r?m & Grup ?im?ek will bring sounds, people and emotions together.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: BJR 085LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Les Disques Bongo Joe present the release of Derya Y?ld?r?m & Grup ?im?ek's DOST 1&2! This double gold printed LP gathers all tracks from the acclaimed DOST 1 and DOST 2 released respectively in 2021 and 2022. Derya Y?ld?r?m & Grup ?im?ek's subtle and groovy Anatolian psych folk sound matches the powerful quality of the songs often led by Y?ld?r?m's sublime vocals and ba?lama (Turkish lute). They captured a lively, unique piece of interpretation which connects to the meaning of DOST. "DOST is a friend, a comrade, a brother, a sister and even more than that. DOST is the connection to keep this life and world meaningful." No doubt that with this project Derya Y?ld?r?m & Grup ?im?ek will bring sounds, people and emotions together.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: BJR 103LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. Introducing Azerbaijani Gitara Vol. 2 by R?hman M?mm?dli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe's acclaimed debut featuring R?st?m Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression. R?hman M?mm?dli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, M?mm?dli's compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos. Azerbaijani Gitara Vol. 2 promises to captivate listeners with its depth, diversity, and unbridled passion, inviting you on a journey through the heart and soul of Azerbaijan's musical heritage.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: BRUTALISM 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following on from Brutalism's audio-visual experiences in St. Gertruds church in cologne, this album contains eight excerpts from live sets, specially produced for the unique space of the building designed by Gottfried B?hm, in an attempt to capture its architecture and sound. Since 2015, Brutalism's goal has been to establish a format at the interface between pop and club culture, as well as "academic" electronic music, in which media art, visuals, sound installations and dance performances play a central role in an immersive and architecturally memorable environment alongside the sophisticated musical program. Featuring M?tyrer, lomi, and Dornen.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: CAM 027LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Formed in 2018 by Takujuro Iwade, film director and drummer Kaya Koike, and Mayumi Sakurai with the theme of "Lovers Rock from the other side," Love Wonderland performs reggae with a unique interpretation influenced by psychedelia and synth-pop. The Best Twilights LP compiles tracks from three demos released between 2019 and 2024 and reflects their full spectrum from electronic dub to pop tinted reinterpretation of their peers. Considered as the best kept secret of the Japanese dub scene, they continue to grow at each live performance with faith and passion. Love Wonderland's main aspiration is to keep their motto alive. Mastered by Krikor Kouchain and limited to 400 copies.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: DAMGOOD 611CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"A compilation of Billy Childish related groups to celebrate the release of the brand-new book - To Ease My Troubled Mind: The Authorised Unauthorised History of Billy Childish, written by Ted Kessler.'My name is William Ivy Loveday, aka Steve Hamper, aka Guy Hamper, aka Jack Ketch, aka Billy Childish. I was born on the Medway, Kent, where I still live. I left school in 1976 when I was 16. Because I have no qualifications, I was turned down by art school so went to work in Chatham dockyard as an apprentice stonemason. I later managed to get onto a painting course at St. Martin's School of Art on the basis of my paintings. Me, Bruce, Big Russ, and little Russ formed The Pop Rivets in 1977 and made our first recordings. Our inspiration was punk rock, TV21 and The Swinging Blue Jeans. I learned to play guitar then in 1979 I worked for four weeks at Oakwood Mental Hospital as a ward porter, then me, Mick and Bertie formed The Milkshakes. Our inspiration was Link Wray, the Beatles' Live at the Star Club LP, the track 'Gotta Get the First Plane Home' by The Kinks and our hatred of new romanticism. Then I was expelled from St. Martin's School of Art for writing what was described as 'the worst type of toilet wall humor.' I beat my father up on his release from prison for drug smuggling. We never paid ourselves in The Milkshakes and put all the money back into making our own records. I kept the money in a bank account under the name of Kurt Schwitters. I lived on the dole for 12 years.' --Billy Childish"

 

PRICE: $55.50

CAT #: LPDM 047LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Double LP version. Digitmovies presents the soundtracks composed by Bruno Nicolai for four of Jess Franco's movies: A Virgin Among The Living Dead, 99 Women, Nightmares Come At Night, and Eugenie De Sade'70. A Virgin Among The Living Dead's score features several atonal music themes for strings with additional distorted electric guitar. Nicolai has written a wonderful love theme for the main character of Christine, a sweet and melancholic theme performed by the crystal voice of Edda Dell'Orso. For Nightmares Come At Night, Bruno Nicolai has written an OST of experimental kind, perfect as background for the protagonist's recurrent nightmares. He alternates experimental atmospheres with piano and percussions, with suspended motifs for guitar, organ and light percussions and with a magic love theme. The soundtrack for Eugenie De Sade'70 was originally released in 1969 on the Gemelli label. On the 99 Women soundtrack, Nicolai has written and conducted a symphonic score that alternates mysterious, dramatic and action themes to other romantic and sensual ones given by the sax and the orchestra that reprise instrumental variations of the main theme song. For this publication, Digitmovies used every take found in the original master tapes.

 

PRICE: $62.00

CAT #: DPRMBX 167CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Long Shadow Falls is Current 93's first-ever CD box-set, and is as beautiful as the moon! This gorgeous, elaborate, boxset consists of 7CDs, plus a 7" single, and a beautiful 48-page art-book. The Long Shadow Falls collects the 41 unknown and redreamt mixes that C93 created for two (long-ago sold-out) lathe-cut 12" releases, respectively titled The Long Shadow Falls and Why Can't We All Just Walk Away?, which were both issued in editions of just 39 copies, cut by The Bricoleur at Bladud Flies!, which came with hand-painted covers by David Tibet, and with original artwork by him inserted into each copy. It also adds two final mixes of "The Long Shadow Falls" that were not released on vinyl. The box-set cover, booklet, CD covers, and 7" single all carry images from David Tibet's Channelled Hallucinatory Shadowed Found Fotograph series. For these photographs of ghosts, C93 spelled: David Tibet, Andrew Liles, and ChoirBoyHigh.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: DC 892LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Drag City presents the first ever vinyl pressing of guitarist Lee Underwood's under-sung 1988 acoustic guitar opus, California Sigh. Lee Underwood had been Tim Buckley's stalwart, inspiring, accompanying and being inspired by Buckley as they both navigated a heady set of changes in the late '60s and early '70s. Then, he abruptly stopped working as a professional musician, leaving behind a body of work, that, as noted by Eugene Chadbourne, was the work of 'a loner, who didn't quite march under any one flag, whose improvisations involved the level of sophisticated harmonic development one finds in jazz, floating as freely as Ornette Coleman.' 35 years later, yet still in time, train your ears on the meditations of California Sigh! As Byron Coley's liner notes observe: 'The music is guitar-based acoustic instrumental melodicism with a lovely tone and alternately ruminative and jazzy structuring. The playing is generally in the vein of William Ackerman and Alex de Grassi rather than progenitors like Basho and Fahey, although 'Lady of the Streams' does display a bit of a Fahey lilt at times. Throughout these pieces there are also flashes of single string runs straight out of the Django Reinhardt playbook. But the overall mood is tranquil -- reflecting the musical joys Underwood found when surrounded by nature.' The tenor of the production is transcendent to be sure. The playing of Chas Smith and Kevin Braheny Fortune, on pedal steel and soprano sax respectively, lend additional colors to Lee's music on several songs, but it is largely the soulful depth of Lee's guitar figures, limned by Steve Roach's synthesizers and the Roach/Underwood co-production, that give dynamic shape and elevation to Lee's lovely cycle of songs. And now, with this remastered vinyl edition, the air around the instruments -- both real and implied -- and the full sonic impact of California Sigh -- alternately gentle and mighty, like the natural world that inspired it -- is magnified incomparably. In the years following the release of California Sigh, Lee wrote and recorded two solo piano CDs, Phantom Light and Gathering Light. He continues to live in Northern California. California Sigh is 'dedicated with love and respect' by Lee to his late wife, Sonia Crespi, for the friendship and inspiration she brought."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: DC 893LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"What might appear to be the most unlikely collaboration of 2024 proves also to be one of the most invigorating listens of the year! Shackleton & Six Organs of Admittance are in full aural/metaphysical alignment in their mutual effort to become Jinxed by Being. On first listen, it becomes immediately clear that this fusion of Shackleton's bass-heavy cosmic dread and Six Organs' ritual folksong makes total sense. Longtime listeners know that both Shackleton and Six Organs of Admittance have been unafraid to pursue their muse into any and all encroaching depth of darkness or outer boundary of potential dissonance -- in fact, that has always been their default mode, finding more of resonance way out there in the process. They also share that ol' maverick psychedelic ritual transcendental music vibe, don't they? And a fascination with repetition and cycles. And a mutual inspiration drawn from alternative tunings and literature -- all this considered, it's been basically inevitable that Ben Chasny and Sam Shackleton would work together. It took a while for them to find each other -- and once they did, it was almost eerie, how preordained it felt. When the music started coming, though -- that's when it got really eerie. The mood rises from the music like smoke, a sure signal of total integration. Jinxed by Being finds Shackleton and Six Organs of Admittance delighting in their synthesis. Reveling in the unique sonic textures found in the collage, they launch small details that unfold into a massive space, then fracture into multiple lines of dimensional reality, crossing the stereo spectrum with enervating motility. Here lies all the proof you need against the danger of categorizing by perceived genre rather than intention -- encounters like Shackleton and Six Organs of Admittance might never have found the linear space in which they sit next to each other, beyond alphabets and other institutional organizing principles. Rearrange your libraries -- or you might miss getting Jinxed by Being.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: DC 902LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Drummer Chris Corsano is a tireless collaborator. Among the 150 or so albums that he's contributed to over the past 25 years, only six have been credited to Chris alone, which makes the existence of The Key (Became The Important Thing [& Then Just Faded Away]) a rare instance of Chris going deep on his own vision. Indeed, this album finds him involved in every aspect of the process, from making the string-drums that the music is based upon, to playing all parts of the music, mixing them, and doing the cover art, too! This is a special album, bringing his encompassing focus on free improvisation and noise into a granular fusion with acoustic experiments and ideations of hard rock riffing and the post-punk sound. In Chris Corsano's collaborations over time with Paul Flaherty, Joe McPhee, Dredd Foole, Michael Flower, Paul Dunmall, Bill Orcutt, Nate Wooley, Mette Rasmussen, C. Spencer Yeh, Ben Chasny, and Sir Richard Bishop (as individuals, and together as Rangda), Bill Nace, Wally Shoup, Evan Parker, and dozens of other players, it's clear the vibe may get intense/heavy/OUT. Accessing this place, in itself, is an incredible calling -- but on The Key (Became The Important Thing [& Then Just Faded Away]), the intensity radiates entirely from inside Chris's process, in conversation with himself. And that's something that hit a bit different once he was done making it. The pieces here were largely built out of Chris's string drum playing, utilizing a setup he's created involving a silicone string, stretched across a snare drum with a bridge. When the string is hit, it resonates the drum -- a conception similar to that of the banjo, but with more of a bass tone. Several songs focus on Chris playing a bass string drum with a full kit, while the basic parts of two other pieces ('I Don't Have Missions,' 'The Full-Measure Wash Down') implied possibilities for full band arrangements which Chris was compelled to respond to himself. All the results on the tape, when listened back, found a higher order, transcending sequences of experimentation and technique, becoming much more than the sum of an internal conversation, standing together as a set of insistently compelling pieces of a whole. And so they became The Key (Became the Important Thing [& Then Just Faded Away]). They unlocked something in Chris Corsano."

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: DC 918CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon fragile timecraft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three are a) back, b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares, and c) not wasting another minute -- as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade -- yep, it's been since 2012's Toward the Low Sun -- they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music's their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything. The Dirty Three -- Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White -- formed up in Melbourne in 1992, to play with guitar drums and violin or viola, and within a couple years, they'd broken out -- out of Australia, out of anything else they might have been inside of, to boot -- and got worldwide. Over the next ten years, they toured over and over the planet, ceaseless like, and cut seven albums out along the way. After this, their unique style of play, fitted together like puzzle pieces, was decoupled, more often than not, and pieced together in many other, fruitful collaborations with many other esteemed talents. Over the past 20 years, they've gotten together a few times, renewed the vow, revved the engines and played some shows, or made an album. These lot were born to be as weathered as they are today. Time doesn't matter. They make their gathered wisdom of the ages sing like something new every time. It renews. And Love Changes Everything."

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: DC 918CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Cassette version. "Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon fragile timecraft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three are a) back, b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares, and c) not wasting another minute -- as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade -- yep, it's been since 2012's Toward the Low Sun -- they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music's their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything. The Dirty Three -- Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White -- formed up in Melbourne in 1992, to play with guitar drums and violin or viola, and within a couple years, they'd broken out -- out of Australia, out of anything else they might have been inside of, to boot -- and got worldwide. Over the next ten years, they toured over and over the planet, ceaseless like, and cut seven albums out along the way. After this, their unique style of play, fitted together like puzzle pieces, was decoupled, more often than not, and pieced together in many other, fruitful collaborations with many other esteemed talents. Over the past 20 years, they've gotten together a few times, renewed the vow, revved the engines and played some shows, or made an album. These lot were born to be as weathered as they are today. Time doesn't matter. They make their gathered wisdom of the ages sing like something new every time. It renews. And Love Changes Everything."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DC 918LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon fragile timecraft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three are a) back, b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares, and c) not wasting another minute -- as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade -- yep, it's been since 2012's Toward the Low Sun -- they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music's their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything. The Dirty Three -- Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White -- formed up in Melbourne in 1992, to play with guitar drums and violin or viola, and within a couple years, they'd broken out -- out of Australia, out of anything else they might have been inside of, to boot -- and got worldwide. Over the next ten years, they toured over and over the planet, ceaseless like, and cut seven albums out along the way. After this, their unique style of play, fitted together like puzzle pieces, was decoupled, more often than not, and pieced together in many other, fruitful collaborations with many other esteemed talents. Over the past 20 years, they've gotten together a few times, renewed the vow, revved the engines and played some shows, or made an album. These lot were born to be as weathered as they are today. Time doesn't matter. They make their gathered wisdom of the ages sing like something new every time. It renews. And Love Changes Everything."

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 934LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"Evil Does Not Exist is an expansive new soundtrack undertaking from Eiko Ishibashi, a stellar further display of her ability to explicate the depths of the unspoken in her music. That it is also the soundtrack to the new Ryusuke Hamaguchi feature is marvelous news for all who loved her score for his Oscar-winning 2021 film, Drive My Car. That her music harmonizes effortlessly with the state of nature as depicted in his film, a nuanced tale of humans' uneasy efforts to maintain co-existence with the delicate state of the planet, is a further profound achievement. At play here, though, is much more than fantastic new music from a powerful new film -- it is evidence of a vital recomposition of the relationship of sound to narrative, and composer to filmmaker. The impetus for this came when Eiko was asked by overseas promoters for a program of live performances backed by visuals. After some thought, she asked Hamaguchi if he would make something for her to use for this purpose. This led Hamaguchi to develop the script further, with sequences of dialogue. In the end, he made two works: Gift, a silent film to act as a visual score for a live performance by Ishibashi, and Evil Does Not Exist, his new narrative feature film, which provided the visual material for the silent film Gift and features Eiko's music as its soundtrack. This is a fittingly synergistic exchange within their two disciplines, in which the moods and intentions of the music and the film acted in practical conversation: each one a sovereign statement, made possible by its relationship with the other. Eiko's compositions are scored for violin, cello, guitar, drums and keyboards. Her longtime partner Jim O'Rourke played the guitar and mixed and mastered the recordings when they were done, eliciting further the necessary nuances of atmosphere and mood that one would expect in one film, much less two!"

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: DUST 124CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Experience the sonic journey that is The Black Dog's latest album, Other, Like Me, as they delve into the intricacies of the artist's psyche, questioning the very essence of individuality and creative worth. The album invites listeners to confront darker thoughts about self-identity, imposter syndrome, and the relentless pursuit of creative value, all while celebrating the joy found in the act of artistic creation. In this introspective exploration, The Black Dog challenge both themselves and their audience, creating a musical experience that is profoundly personal and open to interpretation. The themes woven throughout the album are a poignant counterpoint between the shadows of self-doubt and the exuberance of creative expression. It's an inward exploration, offering a place of solace for listeners to find comfort amid the chaos of external influences. The album's title, Other, Like Me, draws inspiration from an interview with Cosey Fanni Tutti in 1999, resonating deeply with The Black Dog's outsider perspective. The phrase encapsulates the essence of the album, reflecting the band's unique identity and shared experiences, while respecting each member's individual passions and interests. Navigating the waters of cognitive dissonance, The Black Dog bring an authenticity to their music that mirrors the internal and external conflicts of the contemporary music scene. With a commitment to stripping back layers and allowing the heart of each song to shine through, Other, Like Me offers a raw and unfiltered musical experience that speaks directly to the soul. It's an invitation to introspection, a celebration of independence, and a testament to the power of authentic artistic expression.

 

PRICE: $40.00

CAT #: DUST 124LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Experience the sonic journey that is The Black Dog's latest album, Other, Like Me, as they delve into the intricacies of the artist's psyche, questioning the very essence of individuality and creative worth. The album invites listeners to confront darker thoughts about self-identity, imposter syndrome, and the relentless pursuit of creative value, all while celebrating the joy found in the act of artistic creation. In this introspective exploration, The Black Dog challenge both themselves and their audience, creating a musical experience that is profoundly personal and open to interpretation. The themes woven throughout the album are a poignant counterpoint between the shadows of self-doubt and the exuberance of creative expression. It's an inward exploration, offering a place of solace for listeners to find comfort amid the chaos of external influences. The album's title, Other, Like Me, draws inspiration from an interview with Cosey Fanni Tutti in 1999, resonating deeply with The Black Dog's outsider perspective. The phrase encapsulates the essence of the album, reflecting the band's unique identity and shared experiences, while respecting each member's individual passions and interests. Navigating the waters of cognitive dissonance, The Black Dog bring an authenticity to their music that mirrors the internal and external conflicts of the contemporary music scene. With a commitment to stripping back layers and allowing the heart of each song to shine through, Other, Like Me offers a raw and unfiltered musical experience that speaks directly to the soul. It's an invitation to introspection, a celebration of independence, and a testament to the power of authentic artistic expression.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: ECHO 080EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. Babe Roots and Another Channel join forces with Danish label Echocord with four dubbed-out cuts titled Takeover. Turin based artist, Babe Roots' catalog has seen a steady growth since he started out in 2016. Takeover sees him team up with Another Channel, an up-and-coming German producer. "Takeover" is spaced-out, dub-tinged atmospheres to ease you in; "Can't See" provides pitched-down, meditative ambience peppered with deep, sedative reggae drums, calming synth flutters and enchanting vocals. "Money Run Things" sustains the mellow moods with dubby vibrations. "Get You Down" offers a meditative, dropped- tempo take on dub-techno.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: ECHO 083EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. Following 2018's Babe Roots EP, Echocord revisits with reworks from Forest Drive West, Mike Schommer, Felix K, DB1, and Babe Roots themself. London's DB1 leads the package with his take on "Work Hard", a mostly beatless interpretation. Felix K then ups the energy levels with a high-octane take on "Sufferation Time". Forest Drive West steps up next to remix "Jah Nuh Dead". Former Deepchord member Mike Schommer's take on "Bless Me" follows, the pioneer of contemporary dub techno delivers a cinematic rework. Babe Roots revisits "Sufferation Time", delivers a more refined feel this time around.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: EFFICIENT 037LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Efficient Space welcomes Th Blisks to the fold with their mutant strain of melodica dub, torched hip hop breaks, post-punk and procession song. Th Blisks' members have many notches on their collective belt. Amelia Besseny and Altered States Tapes' founder Cooper Bowman are prolific in their ritualistic ambient-pop duo Troth, while Yuta Matsumura holds a formidable Sydney punk band pedigree on top of his Low Company-backed solo work. A reward for those who took the time to dig it out, Th Blisks' 2022 debut How So? was a DIY creation that fully embraced its outsider roots, reveling in opportunities for connection through pop flourishes. Feeling like it might have been a one-off, they return with Elixa. With an unseen clarity of vision, Elixa conjures its meticulously fleshed out world. Those familiar pieces are all there -- the mystery, the patience, a cheeky pop hook -- however this time there's an intentionality to it all. A blurred dialogue stretching across Australia, it was largely recorded remotely with tracks bouncing between Bowman and Besseny in Muloobinba (Newcastle) and Nipaluna (Hobart), and Matsumura stationed in Warumpi (Papunya). Every element is carefully considered, stemming from their individual time spent as lifers in the local DIY scenes. Through these tracks you can feel that history; echoes of Castings and Vincent Over The Sink in "Do You Bless It?," Bowman's distinctive submerged tape loops gurgling away under boom bap and that Sydney guitar tone in "Esk." Elixa attempts to bottle some pinged-eye wonder at the magic surrounding, whether in the city or the bush. Informed by the old but drug into The New, it is a begrudgingly current Australien record that respectively nods at the UK's sound history.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: EPR 076CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

On From The Source, Causa Sui's first new studio album since 2020, the band has created some of their most ambitious music ever -- simultaneously travelling through the sonic landscapes that has come to define the group's sound and pushing towards new horizons. With the four bandmember's ties to jazz, experimental and ambient music, Causa Sui is something of an anomaly in the ever-growing European psychedelic rock scene. Always following their own path. Never before has the group's wide-ranging influences been more meticulously weaved together as on From The Source, from groovy Zamrock and electric jazz to floating post-rock, Sabbath riffage and hypnotic kosmische. The album was recorded during months of sessions in their own studio, refining each part gradually through intense explorations, yet keeping room for improvisation and favoring "magic" takes over clinical perfection. The temperament of the music spans white-iron hot and sub-zero chilled with every ebb and flow in between. Dynamic range has always been central to Causa Sui but on this set the band explores it to a new degree -- every track twists and turns, seamlessly leading the listener down unpredictable paths. The pinnacle of the album, and arguably of the band's singular ethos in general, is the sidelong odyssey, "Visions of a New Horizon" -- a 24-minute suite in seven parts. An appropriate closing monument on the album that marks the 20th anniversary of the band.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: HE 65002LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

The Astrud Gilberto Album (with Antonio Carlos Jobim) is the debut studio album by Astrud Gilberto. With Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar and the arrangements by Marty Paich, it was released via Verve Records in 1965. It peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2017, NPR placed it at number 73 on the "150 Greatest Albums Made by Women" list.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: HE 67009LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Cyrkle's second LP published in 1967, Neon, was an album with some of the most soaring three-part harmonies and intricate arrangements that '60s pop music had to offer. This album provides much to enjoy to fans of typically '60s harmonies, artful production, and crafty integration of acoustic and electric dynamics with a wide range of instruments. About the best of the lot are "Our Love Affair's in Question," which sounds quite a bit like 1966 Simon & Garfunkel, and "Don't Cry, No Fears, No Tears Comin' Your Way," which is tougher than most of their output.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: HE 68009LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

This is the second incredible album which the Brazilian bossa combo Tamba 4 did in the US for A&M Records, during the brief time when they were expanded to a quartet from the original Tamba Trio lineup. This album can be considered a masterpiece that combines their original style with American sophistication. The set is completely sublime. A wonderful mix of the group's trademark harmony vocals and crackling bossa rhythms, with the warmly flowing CTI production style of the time -- not funky like the CTI sound of the '70s, but a bit more sophisticated than the style Creed Taylor had been using earlier at Verve. Tracks are short, breezy, and often very lively -- bossa grooving warmed in the California sun.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: HE 71005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Thru The Years is a compilation album of music by John Mayall released in October 1971 by Decca Records in the U.K. and London Records in the U.S.A. The album was the second compilation to be issued by Decca/London with Mayall's blessing and it features a mixture of previously unissued songs or non-album tracks that had only been released as singles. A grab bag of rare tracks from the '60s, some of which stand among Mayall's finest. His debut 1964 single "Crawling Up a Hill" is one of his best originals. The eight songs featuring Peter Green include some top-notch material that outpaces much of the only album recorded by the Green lineup (A Hard Road), particularly the Green originals "Missing You" and "Out of Reach," a great B-side with devastating, icy guitar lines and downbeat lyrics that ranks as one of the great lost blues-rock cuts of the '60s. The set is filled out with a few songs from the Mick Taylor era, the highlight being the vicious instrumental "Knockers Step Forward."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: HE 72006LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

John Surman's Jazz in Britain '68-'69 is an overview disc of his '60s band and one of the more enjoyable vintage British jazz records. These tunes come from several different sessions recorded in the late sixties, as evidenced by the alternate drummers -- Alan Jackson and Tony Oxley -- and the use of different instrumentation, like the three-horn modal piece "Bouquet Garni," from 1968 that places Surman in the company of only two other horn players -- Alan Skidmore and Mike Osborne -- and no rhythm section, in the configuration that would emerge in the mid-'70s as S.O.S. For most of the other tracks, Oxley is the drummer, Kenny Wheeler plays flugelhorn, and John Taylor plays piano (acoustic and electric). The music here is all over the place stylistically, but it hardly matters because all the players are fully engaged, and as an ensemble, they all shine and were seemingly looking forward to the impact the new jazz would have.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: HE 72008LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Lady Lake is the second album by British progressive rock band Gnidrolog. Originally released in 1972, it offers fans an immersive experience into the band's unique blend of intricate melodies, complex arrangements, and thought-provoking lyrics. Gnidrolog's Lady Lake showcases the band's exceptional musicianship and songwriting skills. The album seamlessly combines elements of progressive rock, folk, and classical music to create a captivating sonic journey. LP on 180-gram vinyl. Includes insert with story and lyrics.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: EUDEMONIA 017EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Sound Synthesis returns to eudemonia with another stellar acid-infused electro EP. This time the Maltese delivers four wonderfully crafted tracks that send you to outer space.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: XBITCLSX 001EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Two undeniable classics from Rico Puestel are back! Remastered in their truest idea of sound and for the first time on vinyl.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: FAITBACK 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 restock. Faitiche presents a long-lost vinyl album. Since 2003, Jan Jelinek's Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, originally released in 2001 on ~scape, existed only as a download. Now the album is available again on vinyl, as a double LP with two bonus tracks, "Moir? (Guitar & Horns)" and "Poren", B-sides from Tendency EP (2000)."Don't be misled by the title, though for there isn't a finger-snapping rhythm bebop lead anywhere on the album. Instead, Jelinek chooses to explore the visual effect moir? - two shifting patterns creating an implied third dimension - in the audio realm." --Alternative Press"The title acts as explanation for the studio technique that provided the basis for this album, snippets of other people's arrangements deconstructed through a sampler into loops and then splashed onto an audio canvas." --ATM"Jelinek's sound evolved out of his dislike for (and inability to play) keyboards." --RPM"Jelinek has abstracted his sources beyond recognition, looping his millisecond samples into flickering patterns of sonic moir? laid atop a dub techno framework. . . . Jelinek might as well have sampled a horn player's hissing intake of breath - it would have been 'jazz' enough for his purposes." --The Wire"It's a perfect inversion of conventional music, a sonic negative. Everything that would typically be foreground is moved back or pushed off the screen altogether, and the flecks of sonic debris that would normally be covered by other sounds are left to carry the melody and rhythm." --Pitchfork"All you need to know is that these onomatopoeic non-specific songs . . . are warm, paradisiacal creations." --NME"Listen carefully and you'll hear textures slowly unfolding and mutating. Presuming you've not fallen asleep of course." --iDJ"At times, it's all a bit dripping tap Japanese water torture; so sedentary it drowns in its own motionlessness" --DJ"Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records is a genuine modern classic whose re-release is anything but a cynical mortgage repayment exercise. Consider this a second chance, then pretend you had it all along." --Boomkat

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: FAITBACK 012LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 restock. On textstar+ Jan Jelinek brings together the material from the CMYK series, four EPs he released between 1999 and 2002 under the pseudonym farben (the German word for both colors and paints). On double-LP vinyl for the first time. The selection of tracks has been remastered from the original tapes, joined by two additional pieces that appeared on compilations during the same period. Another new element is the Polaroid, showing the origins of a world: Jelinek's home studio in Berlin at the time. The farben project has its roots in Jelinek's love of house as a reductionist vision of soul. Of four to the floor as a proposition that can be accessed anywhere. Of electronic dance music as a realm of possibility that can be continually expanded. farben was written as contemporary house music. As a text about excitement and euphoria. The arrangements were made directly while recording to DAT, on a twelve-channel mixing desk. Several track titles suggest a link to live concerts, coupled with the context of machine music and bedroom recording. Others affirm pop music's most extravagant stock phrases about various states of love. farben is the opposite of genre: a music spawning new terms (clicks & cuts, micro-house) that never manage to fully capture it. The four CMYK EPs are designed as a network of references that cannot be missed but that can also never be precisely deciphered. The vectors of sound, word and image point to Isaac Hayes and Ornette Coleman, to Detroit and the first generation of the Red Army Faction, to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. So multifarious that they are distorted to the point of recognition. Overall, you hear sonic docufictions whose appealing vagueness derives precisely from this oscillation between clarity and ambiguity, which is also the source of their poetry: the lyricism of the pure circulation of signs. The sampler Jelinek used for these tracks had to be fed with floppy disks, imposing a memory limit of 1.44 megabytes per audio quotation from soul or jazz records. As a necessary consequence of this, the individual references, like the dots of color, are dissolved into details and abstractions. Even two decades after its original release, textstar+ does not come across as an epitaph to the modern era. Instead, it appears as a euphoric affirmation of the utopias of the twentieth century, translated into new sound texts via the aesthetic strategies of abstraction, collage, networking, and speculation. Gatefold sleeve; includes download code.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: FEINES 060EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Feines Tier is entering its 60s together with Lithuanian lad Liudas Lazauskas aka Roe Deers and his Landscape EP. "I'm very sorry (Acid)" delivers everything the title promises, experience report included. After that comes "Helicopter" and "Glory," followed by "Shoes." The penultimate "Silent Stories" picks up the pace again a little bit, but gets even more grubby, hypnotic and seductive vocals included, before another face-melter with the closer "Sash," which goes hard on the electric bass in your face, pitched-down vocals and some cowbells for good measure.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FIELD 032LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Field Records takes a look into the vast catalogue of Celer, the prolific ambient project from Tokyo-based artist Will Long. Perfectly Beneath Us was originally released in 2012 as a CD-R on Still*Sleep, and now it's being presented as a vinyl release remastered by Stephan Mathieu. Celer began in California as a collaborative project in 2005 between Long and Danielle Baquet, resulting in reams of self-released work up until Baquet passed away in 2009. Long opted to keep their project going, and Celer has continued to grow as an expansive exploration of purest ambient. Meanwhile Long's solo work under his own name has been equally accomplished, with scores of releases on DJ Sprinkles' Comatonse Recordings and respected Norwegian leftfield label Smalltown Supersound. With such a sizable library of sounds to explore, the reissue of Perfectly Beneath Us serves as an ideal entry point into the Celer catalogue, presenting four pieces of sustained, glacial movement wreaking profound emotional impact from the subtlest methods. Long exercises the utmost patience from the shorter "Distressing Sensations" and "Ultra-terrestrial Yearning" through to the ten-minutes-plus stretches of "Slightly Apart, Almost Touching" and "Absolute Receptivity Of All The Senses." It's truly immersive, captivating drone music that rewards the attentive listener as much as it soothes the casual drifter. Originally limited to just 100 copies in 2012, it's now beautifully framed on a carefully considered reissue which adds to Field's own repertoire of evocative, subliminal electronics.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: FD 152CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

For a number of years now, Splintered have played a sporadic selection of live shows in London, Krakow and Wroclaw. Due to the fact the original members found themselves both still getting on well together and being able to tap into the chemistry that was there until the group ground to a halt in 1997, the idea of recording new material was never far away. As such, between 2021 and 2024 Splintered began working on new material and managed to finish a few songs that are now presented on the first album since the 1996 collaboration with Germany's musique concrete artist, RLW. Bringing together several new songs of a lengthy, hypnotic and atmospheric nature, Between Scylla and Charybdis sees the original lineup joined by Stuart Carter (Theme, The Fields of Hay, Heroin, etc.) and deploying the same combination of rock instrumentation, electronics, location recordings, loops and mostly submerged vocals they were always known for. Spanning almost an hour, Between Scylla and Charybdis is an often-intense reflection of the stormy times it was recorded in and marks the sixth album the group have produced since they began in 1990. Splintered are: Paul Wright, James Machin, Paul Dudeney, Richard Johnson, Steve Pittis, and Stuart Carter.

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: GPM 295LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Helsloot announces debut album Never Tried on Get Physical. Thomas Helsloot's debut album comes on the heels of a run of great releases on Get Physical Music. He is a master of melody who has released on the likes of Domino, remixed Bob Moses and Fritz Kalkbrenner, and secured huge streaming numbers such as 400 million plays for his track "Because You Move Me." His freshman LP, Never Tried, sees him distil everything to date into something profoundly personal and engaging. "Mirrors" opens up in absorbing fashion with a signature deep house groove before "It's Alright" (featuring Malou) sends shivers down the spine with its angelic vocal and icy beats. There is a rueful feel to the well-crafted pads that soar above the warm rhythms of "Midnight Fog" and after the wispy cosmic synths and brooding bass weight of the fantastically serene "Outburst" comes the masterful melancholic album single "One Step" featuring Ninja Tune artist Jono McCleery. As the journey continues and Helsloot's evocative synths keep bringing seriously potent emotions, there are darker drums to "Disco Maxi" and silky arpeggios that lift you to the heavens on "Beautiful Losers" (featuring Rangleklods). Elsewhere, Helsloot collaborates with Tinlicker on the languid "Hideaway" with a bittersweet bassline, whilst "Lowlands" keeps your head amongst the stars with its celestial melodic glow and airy house drums. "Let's Pretend" is the standout closer with its retro '80s synth sounds and snappy beats, sending you off with a sense of great resolve.

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: GLOSSY 016LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Glossy Mistakes presents Atlantic Mavericks: A Decade of Experimental Music in Portugal 1982-1993, a groundbreaking double LP compilation that offers a unique glimpse into the vibrant landscape of Portuguese experimental music. This monumental release showcases the evolution and innovation of the Portuguese music scene during a transformative decade marked by political upheaval and artistic experimentation. Compiled by Glossy Mario and featuring liner notes by Rui Miguel Abreu, Atlantic Mavericks captures the essence of a generation of artists who dared to challenge conventions and push the boundaries of what was possible in music. The compilation stands as a testament to the eclecticism of the Portuguese music scene during this period, featuring a diverse range of genres and styles. From ambient and new age to electro, rock, and synth-pop, Atlantic Mavericks offers something for every listener, inviting them to explore the rich tapestry of sounds that defined the era. The 1980s in Portugal were a time of profound transformation, marked by the aftermath of a peaceful revolution and a burgeoning desire for artistic expression. As the country emerged from political turbulence, a new generation of musicians began to explore uncharted territories, paving the way for a wave of experimentation and innovation. From the emergence of artists like Rui Veloso and bands like UHF, who ushered in a new era of Portuguese rock, to the founding of independent record labels like Funda??o Atl?ntica and Ama Romanta, the 1980s saw a surge in creativity and a desire for independence within the music industry. Each song on this album tells a story of artistic evolution and creative risk-taking, reflecting the diverse influences and eclectic tastes of the Portuguese music scene during this transformative decade. Spanning from 1982 to 1993, the compilation includes contributions from a wide range of artists, including SPQR, Croix Sainte, Linha Geral, Balladium, Ban, Santa Maria, Gasolina Em Teu Ventre!, F? de S?bio,Nuno Rebelo, V?tor R?a, T? Neto, Luis Cilia, Pilar, Carlos Mar?a Trindade, Balladium, Pop Dell'Arte, and Telectu. With each track carefully curated to showcase the breadth and depth of Portuguese experimental music, Atlantic Mavericks promises to be a must-have for music enthusiasts and adventurous listeners alike.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: GOO 017LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Daydream Nation was Sonic Youth's sixth full-length, their first double-LP, and their last for an indie label before signing with Geffen. Widely considered to be their watershed moment, the album catapulted them into the mainstream and proved that indie bands could enjoy wide commercial success without compromising their artistic vision. More recently, Daydream Nation has been recognized as a classic of its time: Pitchfork ranked it #1 on their '100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s'; Spin listed it at #13 on their '125 Best Albums of 1985-2010'; Rolling Stone put it at #45 on their '100 Best Albums of the Eighties' list and #328 on their '500 Greatest Albums of All Time.' It was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry in 2006. 2007 saw the release of an expanded four-disc vinyl box set, but now the album is back in its original form after years of being out of print and highly sought after. As a special 21st century bonus, the vinyl now includes a digital download card -- radical adults rejoice!"

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: HG 2403LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

FUJI||||||||||TA returns to Hallow Ground with his second full-length for the Swiss label after it had released his international breakthrough album iki in early 2020. Active since 2006, the Japanese composer and sound artist has become prolific since the release of iki, releasing a slew of records while also touring the world. His new album MMM is Yosuke Fujita's most complex so far. Changing the set-up of his pipe organ by switching to an electric air pump allowed him to activate new sonic and compositional potentials of the instrument, while he also expanded upon his experiments with his own voice. MMM is a masterpiece of conceptual and formal rigour -- a testament to how multi-layered and versatile the music of FUJI||||||||||TA can be. Previous releases had already showcased Fujita's interest in working with the rhythmic potentials of the organ he built himself in 2009. Replacing its hand-operated air pump with an electric one allowed him to work with it more freely and simultaneously record its sounds. The subtle tonal shifts of the organ take on a more subdued role this time, and Fujita's scat growling and singing reappears in processed form. Just like its title can mean a lot of different things, MMM itself is ever-evolving, traversing different moods and opening itself up to a plethora of interpretations at each of its many turns.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: IA 117LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Pittsburgh artist Gregg Gillis (a.k.a. Girl Talk) has scrupulously created music from samples for over eight years. His fourth album on the Illegal Art label, Feed the Animals, continues his sonic evolution towards his party-infested live show and steps even closer towards a creation that is centered on pop musicality rather than attention-deficit sample splicing."

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: IA 123LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

[initial pressing sold, repress available in April] "All Day is the fifth studio album by American musician Gregg Gillis, known by his stage name Girl Talk. The album was originally released as a free digital download by Illegal Art on November 15, 2010. Gillis composed the album using overlapping samples of 372 songs by other artists. All Day was released as one seamless 71-minute file and as twelve separate tracks, available in MP3 and FLAC. As with prior Girl Talk albums, All Day was 'intended to be listened to as a whole,' but was 'broken up into individual tracks only for easier navigation.'"

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: ITR 393LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Earth Tongue, the brainchild of guitarist Gussie Larkin and drummer Ezra Simons, present their second full-length album Great Haunting. The duo, known for their heavy flavor of fuzz-soaked psychedelic rock, are also pleased to unveil their signing to In The Red Records. Earth Tongue's partnership with In The Red stems from a run of shows supporting the legendary Ty Segall throughout New Zealand. Larkin explains: 'Ty's band Fuzz was a significant influence for our sound early on. Ezra and I saw them play live in London about nine years ago, long before Earth Tongue existed. We absorbed a lot of music at that time, and in fact many of the bands we saw released records via In The Red.' Great Haunting sees the duo draw inspiration from the eerie depths of '70s and '80s horror cinema, delivering a sonic concoction of dark and primitive songs with thick layers of fuzz and punchy, compressed drums. The album was engineered by Jonathan Pearce from The Beths at his studio on Karangahape road in Auckland. The ascent of Earth Tongue is testament to their dedication and hard work. They've toured relentlessly across Europe and scored support slots for acts like IDLES and Queens Of The Stone Age. They're consistently selling out headline shows and have featured on festival lineups throughout Aotearoa and Australia."

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: IC 1004LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2024 restock, limited stock. The most legendary avant-jazz group, reissued by Soul Jazz, raved about by Thurston Moore and accessible to anyone who'd normally not know a thing about this type of music. Certain Blacks was originally released in 1970 on a French label, America Music, and features one of their side-long freakouts, "Certain Blacks 'Do What They Wanna'." This is an exact repro of the 1976 reissue, released on Inner City.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: KOM 478LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Repressed. Dettinger's Intershop and Oasis have long been held, by many fans of ambient and electronic music, to be some of the finest albums in their field. Produced by the mysterious Olaf Dettinger, about whom not much is publicly known, they were some of the earliest full-lengths released by the then-nascent Kompakt, and in many ways, they both articulated and defined the sound that would come to be known as pop ambient, while also existing, somehow, to the leftfield of any clearly recognizable genre. Beautiful, sui generis works, it is a rare pleasure to see them being reissued on vinyl for a new generation of listeners to embrace. Originally released on CD only in 1999, Intershop was Kompakt's first artist full-length. The music here simmers and broods, with opulent banks of tone marking out territory for rhythms that seem to be built from the clacking detritus of technology -- hisses, thunks, knocks. Bass is deployed carefully, each drop a dubbed-out depth charge; drones spin and spiral, warping and weaving between the beats. There is, of course, other music to know Dettinger by, too -- his three excellent EPs for Kompakt, Blond (1998), Puma, and Totentanz (1999), the latter of which, Michael Mayer once argued, "invented dubstep." There is also a small, yet graceful run of compilation contributions, many of which can be found on Kompakt's Total and Pop Ambient series. All this music has plenty to recommend it, sharing a clarity of purpose, and a rare, human warmth and depth. But Intershop and Oasis are the releases that distill Dettinger's singular vision, and allow him, should he wish, to claim his place as a modern master of ambient and electronic music.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: KOM 479LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Repressed! Dettinger's Intershop and Oasis have long been held, by many fans of ambient and electronic music, to be some of the finest albums in their field. Produced by the mysterious Olaf Dettinger, about whom not much is publicly known, they were some of the earliest full-lengths released by the then-nascent Kompakt, and in many ways, they both articulated and defined the sound that would come to be known as Pop Ambient, while also existing, somehow, to the leftfield of any clearly recognizable genre. Beautiful, sui generis works, it is a rare pleasure to see them being reissued on vinyl for a new generation of listeners to embrace. Oasis, released in 2000, refined the palette that Dettinger had explored on its predecessor, Intershop. A blurred crusade of ambient texturology, its unassuming patterns, and subtle, incremental dynamics, admit to real beauty, and a kind of abstract sensuality that you don't often experience with music that is, perhaps, similarly tooled, but not as poetic. Through seemingly simple gestures -- whether lushly expansive repetitions, hyper-acute tremolo tones, or ear-tickling rhythms -- it builds complex emotional resonance. It's no surprise to discover Oasis is held in high esteem by artists like Panda Bear of Animal Collective, who once said of Dettinger, "For us, he was the dude." There is, of course, other music to know Dettinger by, too -- his three excellent EPs for Kompakt, Blond (1998), Puma, and Totentanz (1999), the latter of which, Michael Mayer once argued, "invented dubstep." There is also a small, yet graceful run of compilation contributions, many of which can be found on Kompakt's Total and Pop Ambient series. All this music has plenty to recommend it, sharing a clarity of purpose, and a rare, human warmth and depth. But Intershop and Oasis are the releases that distil Dettinger's singular vision, and allow him, should he wish, to claim his place as a modern master of ambient and electronic music.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: KOM 485LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. With Lucifer, Kompakt presents an album of rare beauty from two masters of modern music. A family affair, it's a collaboration between the Italian father-and-son duo of Luciano Michelini and Lorenzo Dada, whose combined histories bring to Lucifer a depth of experience alongside clarity of vision and a finely tuned, neatly developed combined compositional voice. A lovely, beguiling suite of music that combines the electronic and the acoustic, the urban and the pastoral, its gorgeous night-eye vision and tender melancholy sits neatly within the Kompakt universe, while offering the curious listener some rich new perspectives. Lorenzo Dada creates across multiple fields -- a techno producer and DJ who has already worked with the likes of Jay Haze, Fete, Leo Benassi, and Der, he's released a small clutch of stylish, smartly designed EPs, and a solo album, Second Life (2018). His complementary background in classical music and composition informs his ensemble project, Tears Of Blue (who appear on Lucifer), where Dada paints with neo-classical tones for a quartet of violin, viola, cello and grand piano, supplemented by electronics for live performance. Luciano Michelini's history is yet richer. He may be best known, to many, for his piece "Frolic," the theme to Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm series; it was also sampled by Snoop Dogg for 2022's "Crip Ya Enthusiasm." But there's much more to Michelini's story. A successful soundtrack composer, Michelini both studied and taught at the Conservatoro di Santa Cecilia, and worked for RCA from the sixties to the eighties; his soundtracks from this period are gorgeous examples of the form, particularly his work for Il Decamerone Nero (1972), L'Isola Degli Uomini Pesce (1979), and the devastatingly gorgeous Dimensione Donna (1977). There's a familial energy at play through Lucifer, and Dada and Michelini, through exploration and experiment, find a shared language, balancing Dada's tendency toward minimalism, and Michelini's composerly voice. Lucifer flows as a suite that interweaves electronic music with acoustic instruments: the lonely sigh of saxophone; Michelini's lush, verdant piano; the weeping strings of Tears Of Blue (recorded at the studio of Michelini's friend, the late Maestro, Ennio Morricone). These multiple voices are located within the electronic sighs and swarms from Dada's kit; there are moments of propulsion, and passages of lambent drift, where the album revels in its tonal sweetness. If it flows so effortlessly, that's because Lucifer was designed that way, as a suite or a sonata of sorts.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: KOM 486EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

After the great response to the launch with Deer Jade and David Hasert/Nicon?, Komapkt's lively split EP format is going into the next round. Always true to the motto: Only killers, no fillers! Brazilian born come Berlin resident Joyce Muniz teams up with Algerian born come Rome resident DJ producer Sara Bluma for their phenomenal Kompakt debut Beats & Lines, an uplifting electro disco affair with plenty of pop appeal. The good vibes between Sara and Joyce are definitely contagious! London's Hardt Antoine is back to the mothership with a bang! "I Will" is a sensual, percussion-driven house anthem for those morning hours, when spirits are high and the sense of unity is palpable. "La Mosca" is taking a more hypnotic approach, putting a joyous chant of unknown origin to good use.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: KOM 487EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The Dutch-American legend Orlando Voorn is back on the block with a very, very yummy four-tracker that is masterfully channeling his deep love for Detroit techno and Chicago house. "No Cellphones" recalls Green Velvet's classic Relief Records sound, applying a sinister bouncer voice that commands everybody to put their f***ing cellphones away. It's quite a tantalizing idea to drop this tune at an Afterlife party. "Raise The Bar" is a primo minimal heater for prime-time usage, classic Voorn intensity through and through. The flipside harbors two gorgeous, summerly house tracks with plenty of soul for those sun flooded festival floors. Orlando Voorn reigns supreme.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: KOMP 181CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

With Lucifer, Kompakt presents an album of rare beauty from two masters of modern music. A family affair, it's a collaboration between the Italian father-and-son duo of Luciano Michelini and Lorenzo Dada, whose combined histories bring to Lucifer a depth of experience alongside clarity of vision and a finely tuned, neatly developed combined compositional voice. A lovely, beguiling suite of music that combines the electronic and the acoustic, the urban and the pastoral, its gorgeous night-eye vision and tender melancholy sits neatly within the Kompakt universe, while offering the curious listener some rich new perspectives. Lorenzo Dada creates across multiple fields -- a techno producer and DJ who has already worked with the likes of Jay Haze, Fete, Leo Benassi, and Der, he's released a small clutch of stylish, smartly designed EPs, and a solo album, Second Life (2018). His complementary background in classical music and composition informs his ensemble project, Tears Of Blue (who appear on Lucifer), where Dada paints with neo-classical tones for a quartet of violin, viola, cello and grand piano, supplemented by electronics for live performance. Luciano Michelini's history is yet richer. He may be best known, to many, for his piece "Frolic," the theme to Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm series; it was also sampled by Snoop Dogg for 2022's "Crip Ya Enthusiasm." But there's much more to Michelini's story. A successful soundtrack composer, Michelini both studied and taught at the Conservatoro di Santa Cecilia, and worked for RCA from the sixties to the eighties; his soundtracks from this period are gorgeous examples of the form, particularly his work for Il Decamerone Nero (1972), L'Isola Degli Uomini Pesce (1979), and the devastatingly gorgeous Dimensione Donna (1977). There's a familial energy at play through Lucifer, and Dada and Michelini, through exploration and experiment, find a shared language, balancing Dada's tendency toward minimalism, and Michelini's composerly voice. Lucifer flows as a suite that interweaves electronic music with acoustic instruments: the lonely sigh of saxophone; Michelini's lush, verdant piano; the weeping strings of Tears Of Blue (recorded at the studio of Michelini's friend, the late Maestro, Ennio Morricone). These multiple voices are located within the electronic sighs and swarms from Dada's kit; there are moments of propulsion, and passages of lambent drift, where the album revels in its tonal sweetness. If it flows so effortlessly, that's because Lucifer was designed that way, as a suite or a sonata of sorts.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: LANR 010LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress; reissue, originally released in 1982. Officially the latest album released by the British super group, Lows & Highs is the triumphant epilogue to these fascinating adventure in rhythm. Featuring vocals from Crucial Tony and Lizard Logan this is probably the most straight-ahead reggae album in their whole discography. Producer Adrian Sherwood is in charge behind the desk while Style Scott, Eskimo Fox, and Donald Campbell bring all their potential efforts on the drums. Deadly Headley and Dave "Flash" Wright are the top horn section here. The album features the bonus track "Read And Learn" from 1982 single Love I Can Feel. A must have for any English dub worshipper. Fully remastered and licensed. 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: LY 005LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In the serene expanse of empty spaces, there exists a profound stillness that attracts contemplation. These voids, whether they manifest physically or within the recesses of minds, are spaces for the interplay of light and thought, where time perception is different, allowing for a deeper connection with the inner self. These are moments frozen in the endless flow of existence, a tranquil pause that invites listeners to reflect and to contemplate. The emptiness that permeates this mental space is a canvas upon which ideas are painted. The emptiness that pervades this cerebral realm becomes a blank canvas upon which ideas are woven into existence. Grand River and Abul Mogard's In uno spazio immenso, (translating to "in an immense space,") embodies the essence of this boundless expanse -- a limitless and eternal chamber where the boundaries of thought expand endlessly. For fans of: Caterina Barbieri, Alessandro Cortini, Perila, Sarah Davachi, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Raime, Drew McDowall.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: LMS 1725195

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Black vinyl version. Celebrating 45 years of Blancmange, Everything Is Connected (Best Of) is the first collection to be curated by Neil Arthur, tastefully blending a mixture of hits and personal favorites. Originally from the UK's post punk DIY scene, Blancmange found success in 1982, long player Happy Families selling Gold in the UK, and its three singles becoming international hits. They went on to have seven Top 40 hits and 70 weeks in the UK album charts. Long-standing admirers include Moby, John Grant, and Honey Dijon, who states that "British synth pop was hugely influential in the burgeoning house music scene and Blancmange was a big part of that." This vinyl features ten of Blancmange's essential tracks. The Top 40 hits "Living On the Ceiling," "Waves," "Blind Vision," "Don't Tell Me" and Abba cover "The Day Before You Came," as well as recent favorites "What's The Time," "Reduced Voltage," and "Some Times These."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: LIH 045EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Lumberjacks In Hell is the Amsterdam based label run by Marcel Vogel that was established in 2010 and has long been a great source of leftfield club tunes. Having worked with a variety of international artists like Jamie 3:26, Philou Louzolo, Rayko, Karizma, and Giovanni Damico, LJIH proudly presents its first release in two and half years from Lu/Lu & LYMA with Hot Molten Lava. Production duo Lucas van Ee and Tjerk Lammers are collaborators extraordinaire, brothers speaking in code and working in unison, a hive mind of ideas and creativity that was always bound to erupt like a Vulcano. Lu/Lu & LYMA is a side project of the Amsterdam based LIKEMINDS, and together they share a studio together on the outskirts of the city. Both artists are heavily involved in the local music scene, a scene that defies genre in favor of more sonic adventures. As part of this ever-merging network of collaborators, Lu/Lu & LYMA also manifest their music in a vibrant live set. Across the seven tracks of Hot Molten Lava, the music serves as a captivating odyssey of electrifying new house anthems that seamlessly combine the pulsating production rhythms of Lu/Lu with the sultry tones of LYMA. Prepare to be transported to euphoric heights as Hot Molten Lava marks a triumphant return for Lumberjacks In Hell spearheaded by the visionary Marcel Vogel, propelling it into a stratosphere all of its own.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: MIG 1310CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Once again, past master Klaus Schulze appears to be in top shape on his twelfth solo album. There is almost no-one who can hold a candle to him as a live musician performing on the synthesizer. The Meta Musik festival at the National Gallery in Berlin, from which the ?Live? track 'Sense' was taken, was an event arranged by Walter Bachauer. He was the head of programs at radio station RIAS. He also was a big fan of minimalist music. The bonus track 'Le Mans au premier' is taken from a concert at the abbey L'Epeau near Le Mans in France on November 10th 1979. 'My music is very emotional and spontaneous, so I play in a quieter mood in a church or an abbey than at the Palais des Sports in Paris for instance. The atmosphere of the place always strongly influences me; that's why 'Le Mans au premier' is also one of my quieter live recordings but a very nice one nevertheless.' ?Klaus Schulze."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: MIG 3102CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"More than 250 concerts in seven countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Romania) have made the Austrian progressive rock legend Eela Craig an internationally acclaimed band. Their stages range from renowned opera houses such as the Frankfurt Opera and the Hamburg Opera to the Philharmonie Berlin and major venues such as the Konzerthaus Wien, the Stadthalle Wien and the Wiener Festwochen. The diversity of her musical journey is also reflected in international appearances, including Zurich, Istanbul, Bucharest and the renowned 'Sagra Musicale Umbra' festival in Perugia, Italy. From 1971 to 1980, Eela Craig released five studio albums, and in 1978 the band ventured into a 'rock mass' with 'Missa Universalis:' a multilingual high mass in a strict liturgical style with instrumental use of electronics and elements of rock music. The mass includes all parts of the Ordinary of the Mass and uses the prescribed standard texts in Latin, German, English and French. Old chorale and Bruckner motifs can be heard in the compositions. The performance of the 'Missa Universalis' at the 1978 International Bruckner Festival met with an extraordinary response. Die Zeit wrote at the time: 'Pop music conquered the Brucknerfest 1978 with 'Missa Universalis'.' The M?nchener Merkur wrote: 'The music of Eela Craig is a perfect mixture of old forms and new sounds. This group goes further than Pink Floyd, their imagination is bigger and more expansive.'"

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: MIG 3121LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Third Ear Band hail from Canterbury and started out as a psychedelic band called The Giant Sun Trolley, playing long, impromptu sets in South London clubs. After one gig, almost all of the band's equipment was stolen. So, by sheer coincidence and obvious necessity, they became an acoustic band and adopted the name Third Ear Band. From 1969 to 1972, the band released three albums on the progressive Harvest label, of which Music From Macbeth (1972) was the best known and most commercially successful. On April 24, 1970, the Third Ear Band performed at the second Essen Pop and Blues Festival. For some reason, they did not appear on the official poster for the event or in the festival program. The line-up was packed with acts like The Flock, Ekseption, Rhinocerous, The Groundhogs, It's A Beautiful Day, and the still unknown Black Sabbath, who had just released their first album. The Essen concert in the quartet line-up with Sweeney on drums, Minns on oboe, Coff on violin and Smith on cello took place just a few weeks before the release of the second album, which fans know as Elements, although it is simply called Third Ear Band and was released in June 1970. Of the four elements, the band played 'Earth' and 'Water' that night, but in a shorter version compared to the album versions. The professional sound recordings of the Third Ear Band's festival performance have only recently resurfaced and have now been restored, edited and mastered."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: MTB 012EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Strong Detroit influenced techno EP with classic rhythm and slightly modern elements. Mastering and lacquer cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering Berlin. Featuring remix by Jancen.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: MOV 3700COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Deep Nyabinghi drumming and chanting on a version of the Ethiopian national anthem gets things underway on Slave Call, a majestic journey through the spiritual roots of reggae. Later songs add guitars, bass, keyboards, and horns to build a more standard reggae sound on that foundation, but there's always a dignified restraint and the profundity of the nyabinghi beat. the entire album revolves around Leonard Dillon's Rastafarian beliefs, with even the cover of the Beatles' 'Let It Be,' rewritten to a religious end. Slave Call is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on orange colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: MOV 3701COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Sugar Minott was a Jamaican reggae star who was a pioneer of the dancehall style. Minott was a producer, label head, and sound system operator. He collaborated with one of Jamaica's most accomplished producers, Lloyd James aka King Jammy, and among their collaborations was the popular 1979 LP Bitter Sweet, which included the seminal dancehall anthems 'Give The People' and 'I'm Not For Sale.' For the first time in over 40 years, Bitter Sweet is being reissued on vinyl. The album is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on orange colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $47.00

CAT #: MOV 3742LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Acclaimed jazz artist Bill Evans' Momentum album is the 1972 live album recorded at a concert at Stadsschouwburg in Groningen, the Netherlands. The trio includes, next to Bill Evans on piano, Eddie Gomez on bass and Marty Morell on drums. The ensemble plays compositions by Bill Evans, Miles Davis' 'Nardis,' and Michel Legrand's 'What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life.' The album received the prestigious German award Preis Der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. The 2LP Momentum is available on vinyl for the first time."

 

PRICE: $46.00

CAT #: MOV 3751COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Scratch Came Scratch Saw Scratch Conquered is the 2008 album by Lee 'Scratch' Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry), who was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and the use of studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing tracks. From his Black Ark Studio in Kingston Jamaica, he worked with and produced a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, Susan Cadogan, The Congos, and Max Romeo. Later, he moved to Switzerland and reinvented himself as a performance and visual artist but continued to produce innovative music -- collaborations include The Beastie Boys, The Clash, Keith Richards, George Clinton, and Adrian Sherwood. Scratch Came Scratch Saw Scratch Conquered is the second in a series of three albums he made with English musician and producer Steve Marshall a.k.a. John Saxon. It features guest appearances by none other than George Clinton and Keith Richards. The 2LP Scratch Came Scratch Saw Scratch Conquered is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on translucent green colored vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve."

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: NIGHT 020R-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Second edition, no longer comes with large booklet. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Isaiah Collier connects with the divine ancestors on a transcendent direct-to-disc session, Parallel Universe. A saxophonist by trade whose multi-instrumental talents and compositional prowess have stretched the limits of the form, Parallel Universe represents a new chapter in Collier's musical journey. Having already performed with a diverse range of musicians such as Chance The Rapper, Waddada Leo Smith, Chicago jazz royalty Angel Bat Dawid and his own band The Chosen Few, Collier's latest work as a bandleader explores the shared musical heritage of the African diaspora with a sense of grace and assurance that belies his years. Embracing the risk and vulnerability that comes with the live process, Collier and his band tapped into the frequencies of improvisation that fired up so many of the most timeless jazz recordings. Name-checking Sun Ra, Ras G, J Dilla, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, Gil ScottHeron, Whitney Huston, Aaliyah, and Frankie Knuckles, the opening track of Parallel Universe imagines a genreless musical lineage that resonates with the polyphony of stories his band bring to the table, from Chicago and beyond. Featuring gospel soul singer Jimetta Rose, AACM, and former Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpet player Corey Wilkes, blues-rooted guitarist Michael Damani, regular collaborators Julian Davis Reid, James Russell Sims, and Micah Collier, the eight-track album bristles with a sense of love and understanding between players at the top of their game. With vocals sung in Yoruba -- inspired by a gift from legendary saxophonist Kenny Garrett -- "Village Song" soars between rhythms and references, from Afro-Cuban syncopation to the deep triplet swing of mid-'60s Coltrane. Laying the foundations for the album as a whole, the result is truly exhilarating.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: OGCD 002CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"Reissue of a superb Elton Dean recording with a band full of Brit jazz luminaries -- saxophonists Paul Dunmall and Trevor Watts, bassist Paul Rogers, and drummer Tony Levin -- from the Covent Garden Jazz Saxophone Festival 1989, which was originally released by Ogun in 1990. The artwork has been reworked and new sleeve notes written for this release. The CD also includes a bonus download recording of the band playing at the Le Mans Festival in 1991, previously unreleased."

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: OP 070LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The new album from Lebanese-American musician Solpara, Melancholy Sabotage, marks his full-length debut and return to Nicolas Jaar's Other People label. While it was recorded over Covid lockdowns, Jaar had been talking about wanting to back a Solpara full-length since he put out Swing. Melancholy Sabotage explores the theme of sabotaging melancholy. Echoing sounds from the post-punk, trip-hop, and ambient genres, it is about sabotaging the cycle of melancholy and looking at this process without ignoring the sources that put it into motion. It may be compared to a rattling breaking free from retention, reaching states of dreamy euphoria while simultaneously acknowledging the sources of retention, viewed from above. The sources can be personal, political, or socio-economic. They are to be apprehended post-melancholy, after the sabotaging of the initial cycle of melancholy. In other words, it is about transcending melancholy and understanding where it came from with some distance. It may be beautiful and healthy to feel for a while, but how may one sabotage this cycle when it becomes paralyzing? Ultimately, this album is about feeling melancholy but also resisting it and naming the sources that initiated it. "Time To Hold Better" points to neglect on both personal and group levels. "This Time Last Year" is a personal time capsule. "We Keep Us Safe" is about solidarity, autonomy, and care witnessed within protest groups. "Melancholy Sabotage" is a sonic exploration of the album concept illustrating anger and sadness, but finally, resistance and liberation from these feelings. "Measures" is a more fluid exploration of the latter after the initial storm has passed. "We Don't Owe" points to bigger bodies inflicting harm on populations that people owe nothing to. "Breaking Points" harkens the times that listeners may lose focus while pushing to transcend melancholy. "Eviction" is about being pushed out of a space unwillingly while simultaneously being forced to move forward. Melancholy Sabotage pulls from a range of genres, uniting electronic sounds under the same post-punky glow. It pulls from complex, heavy themes including damage and injustice, presenting Solpara's most moving body of work to date. It highlights the poignance that has always been at the heart of his fluid sound, which caters to dancefloors and avant-garde spaces in equal measure. Working with a mix of dissonant guitars, distorted drum machines, and distant, reverb-washed vocals, Melancholy Sabotage is Solpara's uneasiest outing to date.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CP 4507HLP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. Exact replica exact repro; 180 Gram Vinyl. "Singer/guitarist Steve Morgen and company originally hailed from Long Island, New York. Signed by ABC's short-lived Probe subsidiary, their 1969 debut Morgen teamed them with producer Murray Shiffrin. After this superb debut, the entire band quite simply disappeared. If you're into heavy psych guitar, then this is for you. While Morgen had a competent, if limited voice, he was a truly amazing guitarist with the likes of Nick Saloman of Bevis Frond becoming a staunch advocate of Morgen's status as a 'psychedelic guitar hero.' Tracks such as 'Eternity In Between,' 'Welcome To the Void,' 'Of Dreams' and 'Beggin' Your Pardon' (Miss Joan) were simply drenched with fuzz and feedback guitar. Underpinned by Maiman's powerhouse drumming (easily compared with Led Zepplin's John Bonham) and suitably trippy lyrics and you're looking at a pseudo-classic slice of psychedelia."

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: PSSSH 004EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Dauwd's Psssh imprint returns with the debut release from Zadeh, high-octane, percussive and psychedelic techno from an Iranian sound palette.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: PP 110CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Ruby is back, and after her last album UPP, she is delivering another amazing full length titled Yummy. Currently putting extra focus on her productions she is keeping busy (already working on another follow up). Dive into her sonic world that is getting more and more refined. You can hear that it's Nice Girl: the playfulness, the humor, the melodies and the omnipresent fun vocal bits all make her sound stand out. As usual Yummy is a wild mix of fast, driving, up-tempo songs and more relaxed, dreamy bits that can be filed under "lounge" in the best possible way. Dig it! Also featuring Michael Kime.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: QUI 013LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

After having finished recordings for Desde Infiernos De Flores, Nov? Sv?t immediately began putting down new songs for a follow-up album, which they planned to finalize benefitting from time won by releasing Desde Infiernos De Flores in slices over a period of some months. J. Weber's and Frl. Tost's return to an earlier life in their hometown Vienna brought a new deck of cards into play and those by then already mixed new pieces, rumored to circle around all things dream and sleep and (waking up in) nightmares, suddenly were regarded as "too Spanish," hence "inappropriate" for release. Instead, in late 2007 surprisingly a synth-only album named Todas Las ?ltimas Cosas ("All the last things"), accompanied by a collection of early demos entitled Todas Las Primeras Cosas, was announced by the acclaimed German label Treue Um Treue/Reue Um Reue. During the following seven years it took Nov? Sv?t to present their next album Mono, tons of unreleased music was made available on various formats. But none of the tracks abandoned in 2007 showed up. Years after their making those recordings were saved from a disintegrating master and compiled for the album DeGenerazione, which when it showed up online caught the attention of Quindi Records, now making the album available for the first time on the intended LP format, presenting a missing link in the Austrians' discography and the final part of a musical triptych, the so-called Spanish Trilogy, begun with Fin.Finito.Infinito back in Vienna, where it now would also find an end. Although noisy and rhythmic in parts, DeGenerazione closes the passage of Nov? Sv?t's exile on an overall introspective note. It stands as a document of a band at the point of implosion, another dark hole -- in a story full of them - illuminated and evidence that J. Weber's Spanish did not improve a bit. Not even living there. A triumph of the will.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: RB 132LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Since his first appearance on Running Back in 2009, Robert Dietz did a marvelous job staying on his toes as a producer and DJ. Rejuve-Nation showcases his talent in various alleys of electronic (dance) music with "Crane Song" being the prime cut here. You will get exposed to proggy house with an intelligent brush in two slightly different mixes. Imagine if Euro dance went to get a college degree or a bumper car floor and you are almost there: an almost irresistible sing a long without lyrics. If you need help afterwards, "Deranged Self Therapy" is exactly what you need. IDM meets new wave drums, poignant synths mix with an upbeat hook to create a ballet piece for lovesick robots. "Centro Di Gravita" reconnects those qualities with the aforementioned "Crane Song" ones, while giving it an acid spin, before the ambient salts of "Any Plan(t)s This Weekend" closes the album off like a confident sketch for the end of a beautiful summer. A bouquet of bangers for different needs.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: DURCHXST 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

It was just a matter of time till these two pearls of the Berlin club scene came together for the ultimate master combo: Sachsentrance X Durch. The result stands for the core values of both collectives itself: pressed into a double vinyl with tracks of Metaraph, OCD, DJ Genderfluid, H369 & Trancemaster Krause, Tonni3000, Sabu!, $errano $chinken, and Akribisch Rapid, this collaboration embodies a harmonious blend pushing the ideals of inclusivity, diversity and a liberated mindset, celebrating the beauty of different perspectives expressed through music and paving the way for a culture founded on openness and freedom of existence.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SCAT 035LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Little introduction should be required here. Let it suffice to say that Bee Thousand is arguably the best, or at least among the top Guided By Voices albums in a copious discography. Accordingly, the album has stacked up accolades over the years, including being voted #1 on Amazon.com's '100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Time.' It's a staple of such lists, and has also placed highly on those curated by Spin, Pitchfork, Mojo and Rolling Stone. This new LP pressing, the first since the late '90s, honors the album's 20th anniversary. It features new (and definitely improved) mastering from John Golden, a substantial gatefold jacket with a previously unpublished Robert Pollard collage, and high-quality virgin vinyl from RTI. We've also included a free download card."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: SAT 065EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

New Jersey-born Ali Berger is a drum machine specialist and low-key US electronic music standby, now based in Pittsburgh after spending the 2010s in Boston and Detroit. His catalog of original music runs deep, with over 60 releases on his Trackland label and EPs on imprints like Spectral Sound and Sequencias, all resulting from a lovingly-cultivated studio approach which respects improvisation as a spiritual practice. Here with this sublime release on Scissors and Thread, Ali shares a multitude of sounds and atmospheres across the five tracks. As Ali himself puts it "This record collects tracks from the last three years, plus "0221 (Serious Mix)" which is from 2018. There's a full cross-section of production techniques represented here, from one-take jams to multi-tracked compositions, but through it all there's a deep melancholy which (I hope) is tempered by enough groove to be uplifting. Maintaining emotional balance takes constant, caring attention; music is a part of that process for me and these tracks reflect that." This balancing of melancholic atmospheres and groove is evident throughout. "Rhythm & Simplicity" is a low-key thoughtful banger for the more discerning dancefloors, while "A New World To Forget" also exhibits a deep love of cultured house music and analog drum machines. "Tape Jam Pt 2" is the perfect mix of improvisation and pure groove, put down in a rough and gritty fashion. 0221 (Serious Mix)" merges a breakbeat with pads and synths that give off a Balearic sunrise vibe, while "Motion Anthem" wraps up the EP with a tougher groove coupled with wistful melodies and oceans of feeling.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: SATLTD 006EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Frank and Tony's long history together has produced many seminal moments, and the release of the Ethos album on their own Scissor & Thread imprint marked yet another high point. The album saw the friends and long-term collaborators produce a body of work that was both joyous, thoughtful and politically charged. Adding to that is this five-track remix EP which enlists artists of a distinct pedigree to reimagine some of the tracks, and to stunning effect. First up is "Cecile" featuring Eliana Glass, the pianist and singer who graces a pair of tracks on the album and this EP. Charles Webster is responsible for the flip -- a typically moody and atmospheric vibe brings out new layers in the original. Eliana Glass also features on Timmy Regisford's remix of "Olympia," which exhibits some of the New York legends greatest attributes -- a hypnotic, uplifting masterclass ensues. Regisford's instrumental version of "Olympia" is also shared here. Elsewhere C.K brings the heat with a rework of "By The End They Will," creating a bumping, raw cut. The same track is flipped by Octo Octa, who takes the vibe fathoms deep and produces an idiosyncratic ravey version while honoring the spirit of the original.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: SCR 270CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Moon Diagrams -- the solo project of Deerhunter co-founder and drummer Moses Archuleta -- returns with a second album, Cemetery Classics. The 12-track album is a co-release between Sonic Cathedral (in the UK and Europe) and Angus Andrew from Liars' new label No Gold (in the US and the ROW) and was mixed by James Ford. It features guests including Anastasia Coope, Patrick Flegel (Cindy Lee) and Josh Diamond (Gang Gang Dance). It's Moses' first new music since 2019's Trappy Bats mini-album and the follow-up to 2017's acclaimed debut Lifetime of Love and everything seems a bit more extreme -- from the Basinski-esque degradation of "Neptune" to the Faustian industrial noise of "Listen To Me" via Art of Noise-style postmodern pop (the first single "Very Much My Promise to You"), Daft Punk bangers ("Fifteen Shows at One Time"), trip-hop, shoegaze, Jan Hammer, Depeche Mode, late Leonard Cohen and more.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: SCR 270LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Moon Diagrams -- the solo project of Deerhunter co-founder and drummer Moses Archuleta -- returns with a second album, Cemetery Classics. The 12-track album is a co-release between Sonic Cathedral (in the UK and Europe) and Angus Andrew from Liars' new label No Gold (in the US and the ROW) and was mixed by James Ford. It features guests including Anastasia Coope, Patrick Flegel (Cindy Lee) and Josh Diamond (Gang Gang Dance). It's Moses' first new music since 2019's Trappy Bats mini-album and the follow-up to 2017's acclaimed debut Lifetime of Love and everything seems a bit more extreme -- from the Basinski-esque degradation of "Neptune" to the Faustian industrial noise of "Listen To Me" via Art of Noise-style postmodern pop (the first single "Very Much My Promise to You"), Daft Punk bangers ("Fifteen Shows at One Time"), trip-hop, shoegaze, Jan Hammer, Depeche Mode, late Leonard Cohen and more.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: SSR 113LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

First pressing of 500 copies on red vinyl with 16-page newspaper insert and additional postcards. Neutrals return after five years with album number two, a co-release between Static Shock Records and Slumberland. New Town Dream is thirteen songs of innocence, intensity and observations of everyday life. It's like a Mike Leigh film lyrically -- seeing the world through the eyes of normal people but with music that leans heavily on the TV Personalities, The Times, The Wedding Present, and the Jam. The rhythm section is the perfect foil for the spikey and clean guitar work but it's always the tune that is king with Neutrals. One listen and you are transported into the world of travel agents, bus conductors, kebabs and substitute teachers.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SUBSOUND 127LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Since 1995, orphaned by their previous project, the three founding members of Zu (Jacopo Battaglia, Luca Mai, and Massimo Pupillo) had been hanging out in the historic small room in Piazza Degli Zingari in Rome, every day, all day long, working nights and sometimes sleeping directly in the basement so as not to waste time. Looking for their own voice, without excluding any direction: electronics, tapes, sequencer cello (played by their friend Francesco Chiari), and of course their first iconoclastic outbursts on bass sax and drums. One can obviously hear the shared love for NoMeansNo and Ruins, but much more was already part of Zu's DNA, including an instinctive ability to digest the myriad listens and influences that permeated them, without ever copying anything but transforming everything into their own personal voice. After about two years of intense and continuous rehearsals, this tape was the first demo they sent out, recorded in that room by their friend Giampaolo Felici, with whom they shared that space and with whom years later they would also found Ardecore. The cassette went around so much that the Zu themselves could not find a single copy of it, until one mysteriously reappeared, intact and still perfectly listenable, which transferred and mastered became, more than 25 years later, The Lost Demo.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SUBSOUND 127LTD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Color vinyl version. Since 1995, orphaned by their previous project, the three founding members of Zu (Jacopo Battaglia, Luca Mai, and Massimo Pupillo) had been hanging out in the historic small room in Piazza Degli Zingari in Rome, every day, all day long, working nights and sometimes sleeping directly in the basement so as not to waste time. Looking for their own voice, without excluding any direction: electronics, tapes, sequencer cello (played by their friend Francesco Chiari), and of course their first iconoclastic outbursts on bass sax and drums. One can obviously hear the shared love for NoMeansNo and Ruins, but much more was already part of Zu's DNA, including an instinctive ability to digest the myriad listens and influences that permeated them, without ever copying anything but transforming everything into their own personal voice. After about two years of intense and continuous rehearsals, this tape was the first demo they sent out, recorded in that room by their friend Giampaolo Felici, with whom they shared that space and with whom years later they would also found Ardecore. The cassette went around so much that the Zu themselves could not find a single copy of it, until one mysteriously reappeared, intact and still perfectly listenable, which transferred and mastered became, more than 25 years later, The Lost Demo.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: SUBSOUND 137LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In January 1999, after years of continuous daily rehearsals, Zu entered the studio to record Bromio. The album was released in October of the same year to immediate and enthusiastic feedback from the press and the public, and a few months later Zu began to play on stages all over Europe. But the band's inexperience in recording work weighed on them, because the impact they had live was not present in the sound of the CD at all. So it was that during the slightly forced hiatus from 2020 onwards, they finally found the time to reopen those recordings, rework them in various ways, resonate some parts and release Bromio 25 years later in a sound that was much closer to the impact and sound system of their live performances. Listening to it again 25 years later, it still sounds fresh and vibrant, not tied to any predetermined genre or fashion of the moment (it is curious and almost comical that they were called "jazzcore" when in fact the basis of their sound drew much more from prog and metal). Enjoy!

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SUBSOUND 137LTD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Color vinyl version. In January 1999, after years of continuous daily rehearsals, Zu entered the studio to record Bromio. The album was released in October of the same year to immediate and enthusiastic feedback from the press and the public, and a few months later Zu began to play on stages all over Europe. But the band's inexperience in recording work weighed on them, because the impact they had live was not present in the sound of the CD at all. So it was that during the slightly forced hiatus from 2020 onwards, they finally found the time to reopen those recordings, rework them in various ways, resonate some parts and release Bromio 25 years later in a sound that was much closer to the impact and sound system of their live performances. Listening to it again 25 years later, it still sounds fresh and vibrant, not tied to any predetermined genre or fashion of the moment (it is curious and almost comical that they were called "jazzcore" when in fact the basis of their sound drew much more from prog and metal). Enjoy!

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: VWM 058LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2 x 10" version. Nanocluster started as a bespoke one-off popup gig that turned into an album series. Built around Colin Newman from acclaimed UK post-punk band Wire and his partner in life and sound Malka Spigel from Minimal Compact with various guests, they define collaboration. They became a couple and created their own projects like the instrumental electronic duo Immersion in 1994. Growing out of Immersion, Nanocluster was birthed as a series of one-off gigs at the Rosehill in their new hometown of Brighton in 2017 with an added cast of influential and cutting-edge musicians. The songs had been written and rehearsed prior to each performance. This adventure led to a debut album, Nanocluster Vol 1 (WM 056CD), released in 2021 with Stereolab singer/guitarist Laetitia Sadier, German post-rock duo Tarwater, electronic musician Ulrich Schnauss and experimental artist Robin Rimbaud (Scanner). Now, the new album Nanocluster Vol. 2 has further developed this idea with a stark beauty that sounds like a future pop with sleek lines and unexpected great melodies. First comes Thor Harris, the charismatic percussion player from Swans and many other projects, who they met and performed with at South By South West in Austin, Texas in 2023. Thor adds ideas, his tuned percussion instruments, clarinet and trumpet to the sessions. Then comes Cubzoa (Jack Wolter from the band Penelope Isles) who brings his musical craft, beguiling voice, guitar and much more. Meanwhile, Matt Schulz from Holy Fuck plays drums across both combinations helping the resulting music become a third entity. What results is a true collaboration that, enhanced via Immersion's production, merges its elements to develop a new harmony. Nanocluster Vol. 2 is a 21st century collusion of shared ideas, creating a momentary extended musical family. It's about musical and personal relationships and the meeting place in the middle. A temporary band of house guests. The place where Immersion happens.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: WM 058CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Nanocluster started as a bespoke one-off popup gig that turned into an album series. Built around Colin Newman from acclaimed UK post-punk band Wire and his partner in life and sound Malka Spigel from Minimal Compact with various guests, they define collaboration. They became a couple and created their own projects like the instrumental electronic duo Immersion in 1994. Growing out of Immersion, Nanocluster was birthed as a series of one-off gigs at the Rosehill in their new hometown of Brighton in 2017 with an added cast of influential and cutting-edge musicians. The songs had been written and rehearsed prior to each performance. This adventure led to a debut album, Nanocluster Vol 1 (WM 056CD), released in 2021 with Stereolab singer/guitarist Laetitia Sadier, German post-rock duo Tarwater, electronic musician Ulrich Schnauss and experimental artist Robin Rimbaud (Scanner). Now, the new album Nanocluster Vol. 2 has further developed this idea with a stark beauty that sounds like a future pop with sleek lines and unexpected great melodies. First comes Thor Harris, the charismatic percussion player from Swans and many other projects, who they met and performed with at South By South West in Austin, Texas in 2023. Thor adds ideas, his tuned percussion instruments, clarinet and trumpet to the sessions. Then comes Cubzoa (Jack Wolter from the band Penelope Isles) who brings his musical craft, beguiling voice, guitar and much more. Meanwhile, Matt Schulz from Holy Fuck plays drums across both combinations helping the resulting music become a third entity. What results is a true collaboration that, enhanced via Immersion's production, merges its elements to develop a new harmony. Nanocluster Vol. 2 is a 21st century collusion of shared ideas, creating a momentary extended musical family. It's about musical and personal relationships and the meeting place in the middle. A temporary band of house guests. The place where Immersion happens.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: SYST 140EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

After a decade-long hiatus, Blake Baxter (Underground Resistance, Tresor) and Marc Romboy (Systematic, Kompakt) have reunited to release their latest track, "Muzik is Love." More than just a song, it represents a philosophy, a mindset, and a tribute to authentic techno music. The duo previously collaborated on the hit "Freakin'" two decades ago, a track that continues to electrify dance floors. They followed up with several iconic tunes, including "Muzik," "Where Would You Be?" and "House Ya." This new 12-inch record features special locked grooves on the B-side, catering specifically to vinyl enthusiasts. With two records, DJs and music lovers can creatively rearrange the track, blending the locked grooves with individual stems from the original to form a unique mix. Dive into a new realm of vinyl mixing with this innovative release and experience the evolution of techno firsthand.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: RBTW 012EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Cotton and silk complement each other like cookies and milk, you and your lover, or Tiger & Woods. The new leading track of "Dancing Without Headphones" by the always reliable Italian duo. Now featuring the tried and tested heavenly vocal chords of 'Em and meaningful lyrics. Hardcore boogie peak time vibes! The rest of the record suits these needs and follows Larry Tiger's and David Woods' highest production standards. Play -- and powerful, formidable and floor-shaking, you will be hard-pressed to find the same quality somewhere else. With or without headphones: essential listening!

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: TOUCH 029LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

For his fourth release via Touch Sensitive under the Dyslexia Sound banner, Autumns strips it right down to the bone and takes it back to the Source. "Raw Product" indeed, Dyslexia Sound Source sucks up and spits out influence over ten tracks that are both lean but massively heavy. A decade on from his nascent, no-wave debut for Downwards Records, Autumns' productions have both matured and sonically expanded into a dubbed-out dysfunctional metal dance without losing any of the intensity from those early blasts. Anyone who has caught him live over the last few years knows there is simply no compromise. There is the raw rhythm of Cut Hands, the weight of Jah Shaka's sound system, the slink of an ESG bassline, the sensuality of Chris & Cosey, and the soundboard magic of Adrian Sherwood. However, as always, an Autumns release is far from a facsimile. With a unique touch and endless desire to push things forward, this collection can only be classified as the Dyslexia Sound.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: TDP 54134LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A veritable institution of British folk, Fairport Convention has been going strong since the mid-1960s. Double album Live At Rock City is chock full of winners: along with strong adaptations of "John Barleycorn" and "Reynard The Fox" there are top tracks from "Expletive Delighted," including "Three Left Feet," "Sigh Beg Sigh Mor", "Portmeirion" and "Sack The Juggler". There's beautiful symmetry between Dave Pegg's mandolin and Martin Allcock's bouzouki; Ric Sanders raises the roof on electric violin, Dave Mattacks' drums are quietly steady and Simon Nicol's guitar and voice completes the picture. A must for all Fairport fans!

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TDP 54136LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Weather Report's long and illustrious career had many twists, turns and revelations. Live In London draws on the best moments of performances delivered at the Hammersmith Odeon in June 1983, with former Chic percussionist Jose Rossy, plus a take of "Corner Pocket" as played at the Dominion Theatre one year later with Mino Cinelu. Mainstay Joe Zawinul mans the ship alongside saxophonist Wayne Shorter, this edition of WR driven by the frantic beats of Omar Hakim and the bass of Victor Bailey, less showy than Jaco yet just as engaging. Initially cut for radio broadcast, fans of late-era Weather Report will love every moment.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TDP 54138LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1969. Obscure psychedelic gospel act Methuselah had its roots in Scunthorpe "Beat" group the Dimples, which became Gospel Garden, whose only 45 infused Northern Soul with psyche leanings. Regrouping as Methuselah, the group signed to Elektra for this sole religious rock concept LP, their sound deceptively American, with vocal harmonies evidencing bluegrass influences; guitarist Les Nicol is never short of excellent. Certain members would later form Amazing Blondel, but Matthew, Mark, Luke And John has a unique flavor, and this edition includes two three bonus tracks. This slice of obscure psyche must be heard to be believed!

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TDP 54139LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue, originally released in 1967. Family vocal group the Esquires was formed in Milwaukee in the late 1950s; by the time they moved to Chicago to launch their recording career the group featured Gilbert Moorer, Alvis Moorer, and Sam Pace and although Curtis Mayfield turned them down, Bunky Sheppard recognized their potential, their debut single "Get On Up" a smash hit that led to the recording of this brilliant debut album, an excellent collection of upbeat melodic soul with the group's vocal harmonies in the spotlight. Further permutations would follow but Get On Up And Get Away captures the group in its illustrious beginning, full of shining joy. A top-notch release!

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TDP 54140LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Sky's 1979 self-titled album blends technical prowess with catchy melodies, creating an eclectic prog experience. This album showcases virtuoso musicianship and flamboyant arrangements, rivaling classic prog epics. Sky's debut is a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: TDP 54143LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

After playing with Mingus, Coltrane, Lady Day, and Abbey Lincoln, inventive jazz pianist Mal Waldron moved to Europe and first reached Japan in 1970, where he met Idaho-born double-bassist Gary Peacock, who had played with Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bill Evans, and free-jazz giant Albert Ayler before moving to Japan to study Zen Buddhism. First Encounter, recorded in Tokyo in 1971 for French producer Herve Bergerat, shows that the intense pairing was quite natural, the harmonic dissonance of Waldron's "She Walks In Beauty" contrasted by the up-tempo groove of Peacock's "What's That"; future Native Son founder Hiroshi Murakami makes important contribution on drums.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: TUNNEL 002LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

The album hi is an invitation by Dani Scheffels to explore different emotions while listening to his instrumental music. In his debut album, the Munich-based multi-instrumentalist presents music, that is influenced by both his background as an accomplished drummer as well as his love for modern jazz and experimental electronic music. There is no rule in his writing except one: no lyrics. That way everyone can tie the emotional music to their own experiences best. First not sure if he wanted any features on this album, he decided to collaborate with his sister Amelie Scheffels on the track "this" and his longtime friend Ralph Heidel (known for his brilliant releases on the Kryptox-label, as well as through his work as musical director for artists such as Casper, Tarek K.I.Z, Drangsal, and Bazzazian, just to name a few) on the track "finally." hi is the second LP-release on the Munich based label tunnel.visions.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: SE 4617X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock. "The album was produced by the band themselves, and issued in two different stereo mixes. The more widely distributed mix is the one done by MGM/Verve staff engineer Val Valentin. The other mix was done by Lou Reed, boosting his vocals and guitar solos, while reducing the level of other instruments. This version was dubbed the 'Closet Mix' by Sterling Morrison, because it sounded to him as if it had been recorded in a closet. The most dramatic difference is that the two versions use entirely different performances of 'Some Kinda Love', both taken from the same recording sessions."

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: VAMPI 116LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress. Subtitled: Experimental Guitar-Driven Tropical Sounds from Peru 1966-1976. In mid-50s Peru, mambo was progressively replaced by preferences for other rhythms like merengue, guaguanc?, cha cha cha, joropo, guaracha, rumba and cumbia, which timidly begins to sound during these years. In Lima it's the golden age of great orchestras and music ensembles which are capable of playing swing and jazz, but especially the diverse tropical variants inundating the market. The most successful of all, La Sonora De Lucho Macedo, released in 1965 an LP consisting exclusively of cumbia. Around this time, the successful folklore group Los Pacharacos released the album Los ?dolos Del Pueblo, which included a cumbia number in the middle of the potpourri of huaynos, waltzes, and polkas. The groups preserved the fusion of fox trot and mambo rhythms along with huayno and cumbia in the execution of their music. That feeling would be the basis for the success of such unorthodox and unclassifiable songs as "La Chichera" or "Peti Pan". The recording in 1965 of these two songs by Los Demonios Del Mantaro on a seminal 45 with the Sono Radio label was the jumping off point for the birth of cumbia andina, also called "chichi" precisely for this song, which is dedicated to a vendor of the well-known Incan liquor. The electric shock of rock guitars enters the world of cumbia in 1968. The cause of such copulation was Enrique Delgado Montes, regarded as the genre's godfather. He did it, as part of his band Los Destellos, on a 45 and an eponymous 1968 LP (CAL 001LP/CALC 001LP). His songs constitute the most surprising musical fusions and amalgams of the time, whether they merge Cuban music and psychedelia, explore the sounds of Andean or Amazonian music, combine the digitalization of the Creole guitar with huayno melodies or abuse fuzz tones and distortion pedals. There wasn't an innovation that tropical guitarists didn't add to their sound: delay, fuzz tone, overdrive, wah-wah, reverb, modulating effects typical of rock bands are assimilated into a stunning sonic cocktail. In this context, cumbia reached the top of the charts in popularity. It replaced rock as the urban sound. Includes extensive liner notes in English and Spanish, photos, and memorabilia.Also features Silvestre Montez Y Sus Guantanameros, Los Orientales De Paramonga, Grupo Celeste, Los Mirlos, Manzanita Y Su Conjunto, Los Wembler's De Iquitos, Los Beltons, Los Beta 5, Los Galax, Aniceto Y Sus Fabulosos, Juaneco Y Su Combo, Los Sanders De ?a?a, Los Diablos Rojos, Los Ecos, and Los Demonios De Corocochay.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: VAMPI 160LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress; LP version. Includes "Todo en La Vida", the track featured in the Netflix Narcos series, "an ode to patience propelled by a yearning riff that wouldn't have been out of place in a Gainsbourg perv-jam").The recordings that the sisters Elia and Elizabeth Fleta made, hand-in-hand with music arranger Jimmy Salcedo in the early '70s in their native Colombia, remained hidden like lost pearls in the undervalued musical pop history of Latin America until today. Their concise and natural mix of styles sways between soft-pop with a touch of tropical-pastoral funk, singer-songwriter sweetened by the subtle perfume of Caribbean music and the psychedelia of a world in the midst of discovering all the possibilities offered by the recording studio. These elements blend graciously and fortuitously, brimming with freshness, in a perfect partnership of sharp melodies with lyrics inspired by a genuine juvenile curiosity about life's mysteries, love and nature in its simplest forms. Elia and Elizabeth Fleta Mallol were born in Bogot? by chance. Their parents were both from Spain but met and got married in Barranquila, and soon after moved to Bogot?. Their father, Miguel Fleta, was the son of the renowned tenor of the same name. Given the family's musical history, the sisters were fully supported and motivated by their parents, who bought them acoustic guitars and encouraged them to take lessons. Mr. Fleta's work would take them to Cali, back to Barranquilla, Lima, and finally Madrid and Barcelona in 1971. In Spain, Elia y Elizabeth were invited to a televised homage for their famous grandfather and were heard by composer and musical arranger Juan Carlos Calderon, who had previously worked with their aunts, the popular duo of sisters Elia and Paloma Fleta. Immediately, he invited them to record under his direction two songs in the studio of the Zafiro label from Barcelona. The chosen songs were "Cae la lluvia" and "Fue una lagrima," two of Elia's compositions. Both songs were released on a 45rpm single, although it lacked any kind of promotion given that, yet again, the Fleta family was about to move back to Colombia. Back in Barranquilla, after performing at a charity event with their friends from the Bakarett Blues Band, the sisters were heard by Graciela Arango de Tobon, a wealthy lady and composer who recommended them to Alvaro Arango. The latter was the musical director of Codiscos, subsidiary of Zeida, a label with headquarters in Medell?n which was looking for a female duo with the characteristics of the Fleta sisters. After hearing them sing over the phone, Mr. Alvaro traveled to Barranquilla the next day, where he formalized his intention to record the duo. Soon after, Elia and Elizabeth were in the studios of Codiscos in Medell?n. Humberto Moreno, head producer, entrusted the musical arrangements and direction to the pianist Jimmy Salcedo, a Mompox native. A talented and charismatic musician from the bohemian and jazz scene in Bogot?, Salcedo was a former member of The Be-Bops who had become a TV interviewer and started his own band, La Onda Tres. The support of Jimmy Salcedo and his band contributed to the Fleta duo becoming regulars in the local media. During their meteoric career, the sisters were the winners of the Coco Festival in Barranquilla, the recipients of the Principe de Oro -- an award given by the eponymous radio station -- and were nominated for the Onda Award as the best new band of 1972. A second LP appeared the following year and the TV shows continued weekly, leaving Elia less and less time to devote to her studies, which she was most interested in. She decided to talk to her family and explain to them her desire to stop her television performances and instead completely devote herself to her university education in music pedagogy. Elizabeth, meanwhile, understood and accepted her sister's decision and also quit the world of entertainment. Includes a booklet with liner notes by compiler Carlos Icaza and photos from Elia Fleta's personal archive.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: VAMPI 282LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Restocked; first time reissue. Afrosound was born from the desire of Discos Fuentes vice-president Jos? Mar?a Fuentes to come up with a domestic version of the emerging African and Latin rock sounds coming from outside the country, inspired by groups like Osibisa and Santana. The mission was to emulate the guitar-heavy tropical sounds emanating from Per? and Ecuador at the time. According to various sources, the 1972 tune "La Danza De Los Mirlos" (by Peru's Los Mirlos) emerged as a great success in Colombia and with it a new way of interpreting the country's most famous musical export, namely cumbia, through a Peruvian perspective. In their perpetual competition with Sonolux, Fuentes executives gathered a veteran team of musicians the following year to address this musical "invasion" from Peru because they sensed a potential for similar success. Released in 1974, Afrosound's Carruseles is the band's third long player and is one of their most sought-after records, with good reason. The recording continues the fantastic mix of psychedelic guitar, exotic keyboards, deep bass, and heavy Afro-Caribbean rhythms of its predecessors, but this time around the band really stretches out on a couple of numbers, making it arguably their most experimental and entertaining. Once again Fruko is at the helm in the studio, simultaneously holding it down and allowing the musicians to explore their most spaced-out fantasies. His trusty mentor, Mario "Pachanga" Rinc?n, returns to the mixing console, pulling all sorts of sonic tricks with edits, panning, reverb, and echo. Wilson Saoko adds his usual playful and wigged-out vocal bits that float over everything like some sort of twisted inner consciousness. Add to this the occasional drum machine, Moog, and Mellotron and you have a formula for a truly unique hybrid unprecedented at the time in Colombia. What makes this Afro-sonic experiment so captivating is the inherent contradictions and contrasts within the formula itself, mixing as it does conventional Latin forms like cumbia, pasebol, son preg?n, descarga and salsa with rock, funk and African music as well as unclassifiable studio improvisations. The miracle is that Fuentes trusted the house musicians and their engineer enough to not only let them make a record, but to keep on producing releases through the decade and into the next, yielding a treasure trove of tunes, with Carruseles being the crown jewel on top. Remastered from the original tapes, with its original "cheesecake" artwork intact. 180 gram vinyl.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: WJLP 071LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Guitar explorer Nels Cline is best known these days as the lead guitarist in the band Wilco. His recording and performing career -- spanning jazz, rock, punk, and experimental -- is well into its fourth decade, with over 200 recordings, including at least 30 for which he is leader. Beyond Wilco, Cline has, in the last few years, performed and recorded in a duo project with guitarist Julian Lage as well as in his quartet The Nels Cline 4 (featuring Lage plus bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Tom Rainey). Other collaborators include Mike Watt, Thurston Moore, Elliott Sharp, Tim Berne, Jim Black, Larry Ochs, Phil Lesh, Medeski, and Martin & Wood, among many others. Nels currently collaborates with his partner Yuka Honda as the duo CUP, performs as Stretch Woven with percussionist Scott Amendola, and has led The Nels Cline Singers for 23 years. Chris Corsano is a New York-based drummer who has been active at the intersections of collective improvisation, free jazz, avant-rock, and experimental music since the late 1990's. He's been the rim-batterer of choice for some of the greatest contemporary purveyors of "jazz" and "rock," as well as artists beyond categorization. His dedication to collective improvisation has led to Corsano to join forces with many kindred spirits and his appearance on over 180 records and thousands of live performances. Darin Gray is known as a solo artist, tireless collaborator, session bassist, improviser, composer, educator, Jim O'Rourke's go-to bassist for over 25 years, as half of the long standing duo On Fillmore, as the touring bassist for TWEEDY, as a member of Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi, and as the bassist for Grand Ulena, Dazzling Killmen, You Fantastic!, and Brise-Glace. Darin's discography includes over 150 releases. Its Glenn Kotche's ability to thrive in different and seemingly disparate worlds -- that really makes him stand out as a drummer, percussionist and composer. Since 2001, Kotche has been the rhythmic anchor in the rock band Wilco, garnering a Grammy award and seven Grammy nominations. He has appeared on over 150 recordings by artists as diverse as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Jim O'Rourke, First Aid Kit, Neil Finn, John Luther Adams, Iron and Wine, Radiohead's Phil Selway & Ed O'Brien, Missy Mazzoli, Andrew Bird and KD Lang, and Neko Case & Laura Viers.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: WJLP 071X-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Yellow color vinyl version. Guitar explorer Nels Cline is best known these days as the lead guitarist in the band Wilco. His recording and performing career -- spanning jazz, rock, punk, and experimental -- is well into its fourth decade, with over 200 recordings, including at least 30 for which he is leader. Beyond Wilco, Cline has, in the last few years, performed and recorded in a duo project with guitarist Julian Lage as well as in his quartet The Nels Cline 4 (featuring Lage plus bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Tom Rainey). Other collaborators include Mike Watt, Thurston Moore, Elliott Sharp, Tim Berne, Jim Black, Larry Ochs, Phil Lesh, Medeski, and Martin & Wood, among many others. Nels currently collaborates with his partner Yuka Honda as the duo CUP, performs as Stretch Woven with percussionist Scott Amendola, and has led The Nels Cline Singers for 23 years. Chris Corsano is a New York-based drummer who has been active at the intersections of collective improvisation, free jazz, avant-rock, and experimental music since the late 1990's. He's been the rim-batterer of choice for some of the greatest contemporary purveyors of "jazz" and "rock," as well as artists beyond categorization. His dedication to collective improvisation has led to Corsano to join forces with many kindred spirits and his appearance on over 180 records and thousands of live performances. Darin Gray is known as a solo artist, tireless collaborator, session bassist, improviser, composer, educator, Jim O'Rourke's go-to bassist for over 25 years, as half of the long standing duo On Fillmore, as the touring bassist for TWEEDY, as a member of Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi, and as the bassist for Grand Ulena, Dazzling Killmen, You Fantastic!, and Brise-Glace. Darin's discography includes over 150 releases. Its Glenn Kotche's ability to thrive in different and seemingly disparate worlds -- that really makes him stand out as a drummer, percussionist and composer. Since 2001, Kotche has been the rhythmic anchor in the rock band Wilco, garnering a Grammy award and seven Grammy nominations. He has appeared on over 150 recordings by artists as diverse as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Jim O'Rourke, First Aid Kit, Neil Finn, John Luther Adams, Iron and Wine, Radiohead's Phil Selway & Ed O'Brien, Missy Mazzoli, Andrew Bird and KD Lang, and Neko Case & Laura Viers.

 

PRICE: $40.00

CAT #: WE 010LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Keith Hudson, who temporarily worked as a dentist in the ghettos of Kingston, emigrated to New York City in 1976 and died there prematurely in 1984. He is best known for his work as a producer for artists such as U-Roy, Big Youth, Ken Boothe, and Horace Andy and within short order Hudson brought his all-round talent to full fruition. In 1974, he produced two ground-breaking albums. Pick A Dub was one of the first official dub albums ever, and is still considered to be one of the greatest moments of Jamaican music. In addition, the unique Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood became the first concept album in reggae history. Thematically dedicated entirely to black history, this masterpiece captivates with an atmosphere that is as dark as it is deeply spiritual, charged by Hudson's eccentric vocals. In 1981, he created the dub masterpiece Playing It Cool, Playing It Right which he produced with the help of Wackie's founder and mastermind Lloyd 'Bullywackie' Barnes. It remained the only collaboration between the two producers. Hudson decided to release it on his own label Joint International as he has done on his previous releases. The album continues Hudson's psycho-acoustic journey into the abyss of existence and has the power to overwhelm the listener with the beauty of artistic self-empowerment. "Too Much Formula" sings Hudson, whose voice occasionally recalls Sly Stone, "Darkest Night" answers an echoing background chorus found elsewhere on the track "California." Hudson's production techniques are fascinating on this album. There is often a kind of flashing-whip sound on the snare, which adds dynamics to the whole album. Rarely has a dub record sounded so electrifying, with radical spatial sound spreading out in all directions and rarely has it been as crystal clear, with warm bass and echophonic treatments as contained within these 30 minutes of music. 43 years after its first release and 20 years after its last re-release on the German-British label Basic Replay (Basic Channel/Honest Jon's), Playing It Cool, Playing It Right is now finally available again via Week-End Records, with a newly revised master and a rare interview with Lloyd 'Bullywackie' Barnes, talking about the making of this amazing album."It feels fresh and sounds amazing." --Lloyd Barnes Wackie's"Legendary, strange, compelling music." --Mark Ainley, Honest Jon's

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: WISE 003LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Released in 1970 on the British cult label The Village Thing (owned by singer/songwriter Ian A. Anderson), the sole album by couple Anne and Graham Hemingway is a superb acid folk manifesto. Coming all the way from Cardiff, the duo has been described as a mystical, magical hippie small family. Alongside classic guitars, they played dulcimer, glockenspiel, vibes, bells, kazoo and small percussion, joined throughout by label-mate John Turner (bowed and finger-picked string bass) and Andy Leggett.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: WSR 042LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

A Haunted Tongue is the third album by Colossal Squid, the solo project of producer/virtuoso drummer Adam Betts. The first self-titled Colossal Squid album (2016) was intended by Betts as a way of exploring the process of creating music from purposefully limited tools (a drumkit and electronica) and finding a place where technology and live performance could happily meet. In comparison, the second album Swungert (2019) acted as a chance to see if the music written from that same process could be molded (via collaboration and editing) into something more traditionally recognizable as a "song." A Haunted Tongue moves things on one step further, letting the process and approach fade into the background, freeing Betts to balance a million inspirations and filter them through an anything-goes punk aesthetic that results in a feeling of freedom that is both refreshing and rare. The language of A Haunted Tongue isn't straightforward or easily classified but yet the message is clearly understood and embraced by the listener at a primal level. That message is one of hope -- channeling the shared euphoria of communal musical experience and searching for an uncynical and personal expression of positive energy that can move people and resonate with them.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: WRWTFWW 083CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Repressed. WRWTFWW Records is flying high as it announces the reissue of the 1997 ambient masterpiece Quiet Logic by electronic music visionaries Mixmaster Morris (The Irresistible Force), Jonah Sharp (Spacetime Continuum), and Haruomi Hosono (Yellow Magic Orchestra). Quiet Logic invites listeners to embark on a captivating sonic odyssey, blending intricate rhythms and celestial environments that push the boundaries of electronic music. Co-crafted at Haruomi Hosono's Tokyo studio in 1997, this album represents a time of rapid transformation in the genre, with these three artists at the forefront of redefining soundscapes. With its unique blend of influences from Hosono's immense contribution to electronic, pop, and experimental music to Morris' worldwide chill out DJ performances and Sharp's pioneering label, Reflective, Quiet Logic remains a timeless piece of ethereal electronica. It was originally only released in Japan in CD format on the Harry Hosono-curated Daisyworld Discs label. Remastered for 2024, this reissue is a must-have for fans of Haruomi Hosono/YMO, The Irresistible Force, Spacetime Continuum, Dreamfish, Tetsu Inoue, FFWD, H.I.A., Fax +49-69/450464, and mind-expanding musics. Immerse yourself now.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: ZEDD 028LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. Gatefold double LP version featuring 10 tracks from the double CD. Z Records returns with a long overdue gospel album compiled by David Hill. The album leads with a track from The Clark Sisters, who are without doubt one of the most successful and prolific family gospel groups of the last 40 years. Originally released on S.O.G. Records (Sounds of Gospel), Overdose of the Holy Ghost was recorded in 1981 and would go on to become the group's biggest crossover hit after being licensed to Elektra Records and released internationally in 1983. The "Queen of Gospel Music," Shirley Caesar turns in a smoldering, socially-conscious, Philadelphia International inspired groover with "Message to the People." Gospel artists are well-known for taking popular secular songs -- or riffs from them -- and adapting the lyrics to take the song in a spiritual direction. Kristle uses The Emotions' "Best of My Love" as its foundation, and builds from a slow intro, gradually turning up the heat until it's the dancefloor burner that is "I'll Go." Further highlighting gospel music's influence on current music production, we have Norman Weeks & The Revelations' "Hold On" which first appeared on an obscure, and rare, 12" on Rent productions. With further disco and funk-induced soul provided by BeBe & CeCe Winans, Gloster Williams & Master Control, D.J. Rogers, James Moore, The Dynamic Clark Sisters with Mattie Moss Clark, Sharon Johnson and many more gospel luminaries, plus exclusive edits from David Hill and Z Records' Joey Negro, Overdose of the Holy Ghost is a shining example of church music that has been influenced by secular soul that was built for the dancefloor. David Hill began his music career in 1994 as a member of the Ballistic Brothers, together with Ashley Beedle and Rocky & Diesel of X-Press 2. In 1994 he co-founded the Nuphonic record label that also produced the Sony award-winning London Xpress radio show for Xfm. He continues to work as a music consultant to several record companies and on personal projects such as "Rootikal," the monthly roots reggae night, and has a number of reissue and compilation projects currently in production. He is also currently overseeing the production of a book and an accompanying touring exhibition that will showcase Bill Bernstein's photographs of New York nightlife in the late '70s.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: N 092LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Enid Valu normally relies on lenses and light to express herself. Known to create stunning visuals, to capture sonic worlds with her preferred instrument (the camera), the US-born, Munich-based photographer and video artist has been working with various bands, shooting concerts, creating music videos, visualizing what she hears. However, now that she's become an indispensable part of the local scene, she for once ditches the cam and steps up to the mic instead -- appearing as featured vocalist on two of the four brand-new covers Hochzeitskapelle recorded for the EP We Dance. Pavement's "We Dance" has been beautifully rearranged and reworked some three decades later. Musing about "Stockholm Syndrome," just like Yo La Tengo's bass player James McNews did back then, this new Hochzeitskapelle interpretation is obviously less reminiscent of Neil Young, if compared to the original take. Instead, their Yo La Tengo cover feels almost like a song recorded by The Notwist -- which, interestingly enough, is not because two of The Notwist's core members also play in Hochzeitskapelle. Nope, it's the vibe of Enid Valu's guest vocals that somehow points in that direction. As for the two remaining cover choices, it's all-instrumental business as usual. For Low's classic "Silver Rider," it's the banjo that does Alan Sparhawk's vocal part, whereas the trombone soon joins in, contributing Mimi Parker's second vocal layer as the tune unfolds. Eventually adding a German song to the mix -- Wir Sind Helden's "Elefant" -- it's an EP that comprises four beautiful half-forgotten indie classics that Hochzeitskapelle reworks, adding the group's unique, charmingly handmade/oddball "Rumpeljazz" trademark. One can immediately tell how much they love the original tracks: these are recordings, done by fans and admirers who aren't even trying to sound much like the musicians who wrote them. However, the new versions are so compelling in their own right, they make you want to revisit the original tracks as well.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: ARBITRARY 020CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Just because Denseland take inspiration from the past, doesn't mean they're stuck in it. On their first album since 2017, their second for Arbitrary, the Berlin-based trio instead ventures slowly but steadily into unknown territory. Hanno Leichtmann and Hannes Strobl's dub-infused, bass-heavy rhythmic minimalism in combination with lyricist David Moss's sonorous yet deadpan delivery opens up a space that feels both claustrophobic and infinitely wide. Like previous Denseland albums, Code & Melody picks up on the sparse side of dub-enamoured post-punk, no wave, post-rock, adventurous electronic and improvised acoustic music and blends this with a vocal performance marked by a Lou Reedian cool, a confrontationalism ? la Lydia Lunch and, occasionally, an experimentalism akin to Scott Walker. The result is as unique and ambiguous as the record's title: Musical formal rigor enters into a dialogue with poetic reflections on the beautiful mess that is the human experience. The record's starting point were multiple improvisational sessions between Leichtmann and Strobl. Strobl used his electric bass and electric double bass, whose characteristic sounds "were expanded through the use of special playing techniques in combination with live electronics," as he explains. After adding overdubs to some of the recordings as well as guest contributions on three pieces by Katharina B?vand on modular synthesizer, the resulting tracks served as the perfect backdrop for Moss's performance. The sounds that accompany them on Codes & Melody complement that seamlessly: This is both physical and cerebral music, rigid and flexible, obsessed with the dialectic of repetition and difference -- with moving forward.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: BTR 095EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Sababa 5, the relentless explorers of Middle Eastern psychedelic groove, present their latest tracks "Bezani" and "Ashkamoni" on their sixth 45 for Batov Records. With two albums, an EP featuring vocalist Shiran Tzfira, and five highly collectable 45s under their belt, Sababa 5 have established themselves as trailblazers in the global grooves scene alongside the likes of Alt?n G?n, Yin Yin, and Misha Panfilov. Garnering support from esteemed DJs and institutions such as BBC Radio 6, Radio Nova, Songlines, and Star Wax, the band's innovative fusion of diverse musical influences continues to captivate audiences worldwide. "Bezani" transports listeners on a sonic journey with its electric synths and percussion-fueled 6/8 rhythm. Drawing inspiration from early electronic sounds and Persian folk, the track creates a mesmerizing atmosphere that pushes the boundaries of genre blending. On "Ashkamoni," Sababa 5 showcase their versatility with a rockier feel infused with a rocksteady swing. The track's captivating melody builds dynamically, while the lead guitar and synth engage in enthralling solos, demonstrating the band's exceptional musical prowess. Sababa 5's collective experience backing a wide variety of international artists has no doubt driven their tight sound and ability to seamlessly fuse genres. With influences ranging from the world-renowned Funk Brothers, Wrecking Crew, and Daptones, to Middle Eastern psych, the band effortlessly blends diverse musical elements into their distinctive sound. "Bezani" and "Ashkamoni" mark another milestone in Sababa 5's musical journey, further solidifying their reputation as innovators in the world of psychedelic groove. Fans and music enthusiasts alike can expect to be enthralled by these latest additions to the band's impressive repertoire.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: BKE 018GR-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Green color vinyl version. Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri's partnership unfolded serendipitously at the sold-out opening of the SoundSet Series at Madrid's Condeduque cultural center in 2023 -- a program that featured performances by legends such as Autechre and younger artists like Caterina Barbieri and KMRU. The duo's encore that evening, recorded for Spain's Radio 3, resonated deeply with the audience, igniting a creative spark that propelled them to work remotely in their respective studios. At the heart of their effort lies a delicate balance of restraint and innovation, evident in the live concert track "Waking Up Dizzy on a Bastion." This piece, inspired by their musical sensibilities, serves as a testament to their shared vision and mutual respect. Utilizing a familiar parallel chord progression, the track builds from a simple melodic motif played live on synths that transforms into a call-and-response interplay between Mogard's synth lines and Irisarri's bowed guitar loops, creating a dialogue-like interaction between the musicians. Building upon the energy of that live performance, Mogard and Irisarri crafted "Place of Forever," a companion piece that combines Mogard's Farfisa organ and modular synthesizers with Irisarri's signature guitar tones and looping techniques at his Black Knoll studio in New York. Starting with a somber and minimal tone, the track gradually evolves, unfurling layers of deep bass tonalities draped in blissful gauze as it progresses during its 17-plus minute duration. The resulting album exudes a profound sense of alchemy, effortlessly weaving intricate soundscapes that feel simultaneously faraway and intimate. The cover artwork, by Marja de Sanctis, depicts a vase sculpture made of unfired clay. Created and photographed by herself, it reflects lights and shadows of fragility. Daniel Castrej?n's design responds to the image transforming the shape of the vase into lines and empty spaces. Through these joint pieces, Mogard and Irisarri have created a work that encapsulates the dichotomy inherent in its title: Impossibly Distant, Impossibly Close.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: BKE 018LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri's partnership unfolded serendipitously at the sold-out opening of the SoundSet Series at Madrid's Condeduque cultural center in 2023 -- a program that featured performances by legends such as Autechre and younger artists like Caterina Barbieri and KMRU. The duo's encore that evening, recorded for Spain's Radio 3, resonated deeply with the audience, igniting a creative spark that propelled them to work remotely in their respective studios. At the heart of their effort lies a delicate balance of restraint and innovation, evident in the live concert track "Waking Up Dizzy on a Bastion." This piece, inspired by their musical sensibilities, serves as a testament to their shared vision and mutual respect. Utilizing a familiar parallel chord progression, the track builds from a simple melodic motif played live on synths that transforms into a call-and-response interplay between Mogard's synth lines and Irisarri's bowed guitar loops, creating a dialogue-like interaction between the musicians. Building upon the energy of that live performance, Mogard and Irisarri crafted "Place of Forever," a companion piece that combines Mogard's Farfisa organ and modular synthesizers with Irisarri's signature guitar tones and looping techniques at his Black Knoll studio in New York. Starting with a somber and minimal tone, the track gradually evolves, unfurling layers of deep bass tonalities draped in blissful gauze as it progresses during its 17-plus minute duration. The resulting album exudes a profound sense of alchemy, effortlessly weaving intricate soundscapes that feel simultaneously faraway and intimate. The cover artwork, by Marja de Sanctis, depicts a vase sculpture made of unfired clay. Created and photographed by herself, it reflects lights and shadows of fragility. Daniel Castrej?n's design responds to the image transforming the shape of the vase into lines and empty spaces. Through these joint pieces, Mogard and Irisarri have created a work that encapsulates the dichotomy inherent in its title: Impossibly Distant, Impossibly Close.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: BKE 018YE-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Yellow color vinyl version. Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri's partnership unfolded serendipitously at the sold-out opening of the SoundSet Series at Madrid's Condeduque cultural center in 2023 -- a program that featured performances by legends such as Autechre and younger artists like Caterina Barbieri and KMRU. The duo's encore that evening, recorded for Spain's Radio 3, resonated deeply with the audience, igniting a creative spark that propelled them to work remotely in their respective studios. At the heart of their effort lies a delicate balance of restraint and innovation, evident in the live concert track "Waking Up Dizzy on a Bastion." This piece, inspired by their musical sensibilities, serves as a testament to their shared vision and mutual respect. Utilizing a familiar parallel chord progression, the track builds from a simple melodic motif played live on synths that transforms into a call-and-response interplay between Mogard's synth lines and Irisarri's bowed guitar loops, creating a dialogue-like interaction between the musicians. Building upon the energy of that live performance, Mogard and Irisarri crafted "Place of Forever," a companion piece that combines Mogard's Farfisa organ and modular synthesizers with Irisarri's signature guitar tones and looping techniques at his Black Knoll studio in New York. Starting with a somber and minimal tone, the track gradually evolves, unfurling layers of deep bass tonalities draped in blissful gauze as it progresses during its 17-plus minute duration. The resulting album exudes a profound sense of alchemy, effortlessly weaving intricate soundscapes that feel simultaneously faraway and intimate. The cover artwork, by Marja de Sanctis, depicts a vase sculpture made of unfired clay. Created and photographed by herself, it reflects lights and shadows of fragility. Daniel Castrej?n's design responds to the image transforming the shape of the vase into lines and empty spaces. Through these joint pieces, Mogard and Irisarri have created a work that encapsulates the dichotomy inherent in its title: Impossibly Distant, Impossibly Close.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BJR 102CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Forest Law's debut album, Zero, is a vibrant journey blending Balearic funk with urban Tropicalia, showcasing his adept guitar playing, old-school sampling, and UK-styled beats alongside his mellow yet sombre vocals. Recorded across eclectic locations from Icelandic fish net factories to a garden shed in Romford, this innovative release marks a new chapter for the multi-instrumentalist producer. Released in collaboration with the UK home for jazz and electronic sounds, Total Refreshment Centre, Zero is Forest Law's first release since his debut EP on Brownswood Recordings in 2020, marking a new and exciting chapter for the up-and-coming talent. Crafted over seven years, Zero is deeply influenced by Law's experiences, from immersive stays in Porto where he delved into Portuguese music to an artist residency in a remote Icelandic fishing village. The album was finished, and recorded in his garden shed in Romford, East London. It's a beautiful juxtaposition about a boy from Essex, who fell in love with international music, discovered the world, and then produced a musical treatise about his adventures from his shed.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BJR 103CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Introducing Azerbaijani Gitara Vol. 2 by R?hman M?mm?dli, the eagerly awaited sequel to Bongo Joe's acclaimed debut featuring R?st?m Quliyev. Born from the vibrant streets of Baku, Azerbaijani gitara culture has evolved into a mesmerizing fusion of indigenous traditions and global influences. From the oil boom era to Soviet rule, musicians have embraced the electric guitar as a symbol of cultural expression. R?hman M?mm?dli, a legend in his own right, revolutionized the sound with his innovative techniques and impassioned performances. Drawing inspiration from mugham music, M?mm?dli's compositions resonate with soul-stirring melodies and electrifying solos. Azerbaijani Gitara Vol. 2 promises to captivate listeners with its depth, diversity, and unbridled passion, inviting you on a journey through the heart and soul of Azerbaijan's musical heritage.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: BJR 45032EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Introducing the much anticipated 7'' vinyl featuring two standout tracks from Sami Galbi. Face A is "Dakchi Hani," a poignant post-breakup anthem blending ra? influences with contemporary rhythms, offering a humorous take on navigating emotions. Face B showcases "Rruina," a powerful follow-up track that delves deeper into darker, club-oriented sounds, pushing the boundaries of Swiss-Moroccan ra?-chaabi fusion. Seamlessly transitioning from the raw synths and bouncing rhythms of "Dakchi Hani" to the tension-filled atmosphere of "Rruina," this vinyl promises a captivating journey through Sami Galbi's musical evolution. With each track tailored for the dancefloors, this vinyl release is poised to explode with energy wherever it goes.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: BB 445CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Dumbo Tracks returns with a second album Move With Intention -- the anticipated follow up to 2022's eponymous debut. Philipp Janzen and collaborators deliver a varied collection of nine zoned-out grooves direct from Dumbo Studio in Cologne, with vocal contributions from Portable, Ada, Marker Starling, Rubee Fegan, and nothhingspecial. Looking back to his musical upbringing, Philipp Janzen switched up the recording process from the first record to incorporate more of a live band element. The result is a more eclectic sound which allowed more freedom to experiment, while keeping the collaborative spirit that is a vital Dumbo Tracks trademark. The genesis of the record began in Italy, where Philipp and co-producer Julian Stetter traveled to jam out ideas on modular synths over the course of a few days. These ideas served as the basis for more instrumental tracks back at Dumbo Studio, where Philipp invited friends to develop the tracks further within a live dynamic. For the final phase of the record, Philipp enlisted the artistry of five vocalists: spoken word frontwoman Rubee Fegan, Canadian singer songwriter Marker Starling, house romantic Portable, Bonn-based haunted pop artist nothhingspecial and Hamburg's techno visionary Ada. The title track sees Philipp and crew slow the tempo down to a molasses dreamscape, a beatdown groove that's joined by Paris-residing artist Portable. It all makes for a gloriously eclectic album, an anarchic pop record that follows its own rules. Move With Intention is both electronic yet alive, motorik and pastoral, filled with dancefloor grooves and a krautrock swagger. In this sense the intention is clear: to respectfully rip up the rule book and keep moving forward.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: BYR 047LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Acclaimed UK electronic music producer, DMX Krew has announced a brand-new album, Unlikely Seeming, on the Byrd Out label. The eight-track album showcases his blend of joyous, melodic synth hooks, textured pads and analogue drum machine rhythms. Leaving to one side pummeling sounds, the focus of this album is on sonic fun, mining the '80s pop vibe DMX Krew does so well. BBC 6 Music's Tom Ravenscroft describes the trailing single "Wednesday Memory" as "the funkiest thing ever; it's almost too joyous." From the first "A New Story," through to "Uncertain Calculation," DMX Krew delivers densely layered and satisfying tracks, demonstrating the more imaginative side of his output. The slight outlier is "Continuation" which offers the most forceful 303 workout, best suited to a sweaty dance floor in the early hours. Overall, the feel is playful, intelligent, melodic and wonderfully fun -- best exemplified by multi-synth masterpiece "Data Cruncha" and Megadrive-esque title track "Unlikely Seeming." To finish the album, "Unlikely Seeming" is given a rework by Portland-based artist Break Mode, managing to achieve a remix that is at once ethereal and uplifting -- it has 4am written all over it. DMX Krew, aka Edward Upton, has been crafting innovative electronic music for nearly 30 years, releasing on the likes of Rephlex, Central Processing Unit, and Gudu. With a sound rooted in synth-pop, electro, and Italo disco, DMX Krew's music evokes nostalgia for pop melodies and the early days of rave culture.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: BYT 001LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Having worked silently in her sonic philosophy for almost a decade, vocalist, music producer and DJ Telva has launched her music label byt', starting with the publication of her debut album. The album, Revelation, opens with an unusual and experimental offering, which sets the tone for the label's subsequent eclectic and unexpected releases. The compilation of ten tracks has been documented for five years through an experimental vocal, instrumental sonic journey, that is composed of Telva's life experiences during this period. Telva is a vocalist, producer and only vinyl DJ based in Berlin. Defining her path through art in every sense of it by turning passion into a way of life, she has been playing and collecting records as main craft since 2016. Followed by uninterrupted hours in the studio, her creations and sonic philosophy, aka record label byt', have been materialized by the wide range of influences she's been absorbing along her way as an artist, where different cultures, scenes, and places have shaped and influenced her understanding and projection of her musical vision. Her love for the underground movement and the deep work in silence have made her music shows special and respected. For listeners and dancers, her well-chosen exposure is an unexpected experience. Her purpose is to offer quality music based on eclectic diversity, that surprises the audience with the love it spreads through sound, aiming to touch their hearts. The label will be composed of solo releases, sonic cinematic experiences, collaborations and other archives, spanning an unlimited wide range of genres, yet rooted mainly in electronic music.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CF 149CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Castle Face presents Dan Rincon's (OSEES, Wild Thing, Apache, Personal and the Pizzas) premier solo release Spotlight City. Artificial landscapes and melodies comprised of Moog Grandmother, Mellotron and a kinky Modular system span from beautiful and lilting to haunting and ethereal. The album was a years-long learning experience of getting all components and ingredients to link arms and blend comfortably. Wrangling was part of the process. Strings soaring and sines weaving. Sometimes in the atmosphere, sometimes in the Earth's core, sometimes flanked by neon blur as it hums and weave patterns through a world imagined in vintage sci-fi pulp. 'I was listening to a lot of solo Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler records while writing this record and I'd say that both have been hugely inspirational on what I want to do as a solo recording artist. The way both of those artists pushed the early, chaotic electronic music into something more melodic is really inspiring to me, it's not that dissimilar than trying to get melodies out of a modular synthesizer.' An absolute necessary slab for anyone a fan of CF, OSEES, Popol Vuh soundtracks, eight-bit video game accompaniment, and '80s Tangerine Dream. Burn one and burn out."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: CF 149LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. "Castle Face presents Dan Rincon's (OSEES, Wild Thing, Apache, Personal and the Pizzas) premier solo release Spotlight City. Artificial landscapes and melodies comprised of Moog Grandmother, Mellotron and a kinky Modular system span from beautiful and lilting to haunting and ethereal. The album was a years-long learning experience of getting all components and ingredients to link arms and blend comfortably. Wrangling was part of the process. Strings soaring and sines weaving. Sometimes in the atmosphere, sometimes in the Earth's core, sometimes flanked by neon blur as it hums and weave patterns through a world imagined in vintage sci-fi pulp. 'I was listening to a lot of solo Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler records while writing this record and I'd say that both have been hugely inspirational on what I want to do as a solo recording artist. The way both of those artists pushed the early, chaotic electronic music into something more melodic is really inspiring to me, it's not that dissimilar than trying to get melodies out of a modular synthesizer.' An absolute necessary slab for anyone a fan of CF, OSEES, Popol Vuh soundtracks, eight-bit video game accompaniment, and '80s Tangerine Dream. Burn one and burn out."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: CVSD 108CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Kyosaku is a trio. Guitarist Finn Loxbo. Electric bassist Else Bergman. Drummer Ryan Packard. They are based in Stockholm. Together, they explore intensive plateaus. States of constant ecstasy. Kyosaku's music has been described as relentless. But it's really a combination of mesmerizing and prodding, the name a reference to Zen Buddhist "encouragement stick," used to rouse dozy meditators. Packard says: "Relentless as a conceptual place to live within. To be wide awake, relentlessly. To use a full peripheral vision and accept the full spectrum of color. To saturate. To stay within and grow deeper into the details of density, of a shared cohesive spirit. Endless variations under a common cause of stasis." With full-on heavy-hitting sound, this might seem to forecast a brutal listen, but on their second outing, Kyosaku, the band drills deep into detail, the buoyant music gradually shifting while maintaining its ferocity, in a way inviting comparison with Kommun, another group with Loxbo and Packard (also Lisa Ull?n and Vilhelm Bromander) in which they explore the opposite end of the dynamic spectrum, also with an intensity and constancy. On the CD's two longform tracks, the music comes with influences hidden and explicit, from Mahavishnu Orchestra to Melt Banana, but it's entirely original, featuring the sum creative energies of its three potent parts, sustained groove serving the purpose of raising the intensity bar. Packard again: "We have collectively agreed upon the idea that under no circumstances should you let up. We propose this question to ourselves before we play: If you start with max intensity, is there more room to go? How does one collectively sustain at such a high intensity, volume? Where is your focus?" For the listener, focal point is also the point. Are you listening? How closely? How does your attention shift? What do you notice in the sound, in the manner of articulation, in the variations and the repetitions? And what are the joys of listening so closely to something so powerful? Like putting your hand on the ribcage of a sleeping tiger. Recorded by Christopher Roth at Studio Dubious, November 23-24, 2022. Mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug. Photo by Daniel Piaggio Strandlund.

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: DE 317EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Coti K. brings five tracks of Balearic-ambient sweetness to Dark Entries. Italian-Greek musician Costantino Luca Rolando Kiriakos has been a pioneering force in the Athens electronic music scene since the mid-'80s, wearing hats as diverse as composer, sound engineer, and installation artist. His countless projects and collaborators include Tuxedomoon, Stereo Nova, In Trance 95, and RAW (previously reissued by Dark Entries). 1994's Theros, Kiriakos's first release as Coti K., was comprised of three tracks of breezy downtempo beats, brimming with smooth breaks, boomy 808s, and cosmically chill pads and pianos. In tune with the global vibes of the emerging ambient electronica movement, Coti K. brings a dose of his Hellenic heritage with tracks titles like 'Argonauts' and 'Theros.' The title track includes spoken word contributions from Konstantinos Bhta of Stereo Nova and is built off of a drum loop from Greek goth outfit Flowers of Romance. The sauntering 'Blue' features vocals by Christina Moraki which were captured on a portable tape recorder, while the instrumental 'Argonauts' is bolstered by cello from Nikos Veliotis. This reissue also includes two tracks from Coti's 1997 debut LP ? 'Shoal' and 'Notte Estiva' -- which have never before appeared on vinyl, and show Coti experimenting with ambient and IDM styles. The cover art for Theros is a photo of the ocean by Giannis Papaioannou of RAW featuring early digital processing done on a Macintosh LC. Coti's Theros is a timely slice of '90s nostalgia with a uniquely Mediterranean twist."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: FANT 002LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Limited 2024 restock. Juan N?jera was a multifaceted musician by profession, and he did not always have the privilege of being able to dedicate his life to music. For almost ten years he ran a family hardware store in Hu?nuco and then a mechanic shop on La Marina Avenue in Lima. He was also a truck driver. A decade of military dictatorships in Latin America made the artist's path very hard in the region, and Peru was no exception. N?jera was only nineteen when his first son was born. He had to make a living and the possibilities for entrepreneurship were slim. But if we go back in history, Juan N?jera was, first and foremost, a boy who dreamed of becoming a musician. Later, he was a boy who made it. Los Darlings de Hu?nuco managed to cross borders, not only in the capital of Peru, but also abroad. There are many collectors and music lovers around the world who seek and appreciate their songs, musical gems that have toured different latitudes and have managed to position this band from the Peruvian countryside in the most remote places on the planet. In a country characterized by its centralism, where opportunities in the countryside are much scarcer than in the capital, where the foreigner is greeted with more warmth than the local, and where getting ahead, especially in the musical field, implies an extraordinary effort, Los Darlings de Hu?nuco managed to take their sound to where they never thought it would be possible. From the Andes to the skyscrapers, from the heart of Hu?nuco to the immensity of other continents.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: DOL 933H-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

180 gram vinyl. "King of the Delta Blues Singers is a compilation album by American Delta blues musician Robert Johnson, released in 1961 by Columbia Records. It is considered one of the most influential blues releases. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it number 374 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time."

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: DC 892LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Drag City presents the first ever vinyl pressing of guitarist Lee Underwood's under-sung 1988 acoustic guitar opus, California Sigh. Lee Underwood had been Tim Buckley's stalwart, inspiring, accompanying and being inspired by Buckley as they both navigated a heady set of changes in the late '60s and early '70s. Then, he abruptly stopped working as a professional musician, leaving behind a body of work, that, as noted by Eugene Chadbourne, was the work of 'a loner, who didn't quite march under any one flag, whose improvisations involved the level of sophisticated harmonic development one finds in jazz, floating as freely as Ornette Coleman.' 35 years later, yet still in time, train your ears on the meditations of California Sigh! As Byron Coley's liner notes observe: 'The music is guitar-based acoustic instrumental melodicism with a lovely tone and alternately ruminative and jazzy structuring. The playing is generally in the vein of William Ackerman and Alex de Grassi rather than progenitors like Basho and Fahey, although 'Lady of the Streams' does display a bit of a Fahey lilt at times. Throughout these pieces there are also flashes of single string runs straight out of the Django Reinhardt playbook. But the overall mood is tranquil -- reflecting the musical joys Underwood found when surrounded by nature.' The tenor of the production is transcendent to be sure. The playing of Chas Smith and Kevin Braheny Fortune, on pedal steel and soprano sax respectively, lend additional colors to Lee's music on several songs, but it is largely the soulful depth of Lee's guitar figures, limned by Steve Roach's synthesizers and the Roach/Underwood co-production, that give dynamic shape and elevation to Lee's lovely cycle of songs. And now, with this remastered vinyl edition, the air around the instruments -- both real and implied -- and the full sonic impact of California Sigh -- alternately gentle and mighty, like the natural world that inspired it -- is magnified incomparably. In the years following the release of California Sigh, Lee wrote and recorded two solo piano CDs, Phantom Light and Gathering Light. He continues to live in Northern California. California Sigh is 'dedicated with love and respect' by Lee to his late wife, Sonia Crespi, for the friendship and inspiration she brought."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: DC 902LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Drummer Chris Corsano is a tireless collaborator. Among the 150 or so albums that he's contributed to over the past 25 years, only six have been credited to Chris alone, which makes the existence of The Key (Became The Important Thing [& Then Just Faded Away]) a rare instance of Chris going deep on his own vision. Indeed, this album finds him involved in every aspect of the process, from making the string-drums that the music is based upon, to playing all parts of the music, mixing them, and doing the cover art, too! This is a special album, bringing his encompassing focus on free improvisation and noise into a granular fusion with acoustic experiments and ideations of hard rock riffing and the post-punk sound. In Chris Corsano's collaborations over time with Paul Flaherty, Joe McPhee, Dredd Foole, Michael Flower, Paul Dunmall, Bill Orcutt, Nate Wooley, Mette Rasmussen, C. Spencer Yeh, Ben Chasny, and Sir Richard Bishop (as individuals, and together as Rangda), Bill Nace, Wally Shoup, Evan Parker, and dozens of other players, it's clear the vibe may get intense/heavy/OUT. Accessing this place, in itself, is an incredible calling -- but on The Key (Became The Important Thing [& Then Just Faded Away]), the intensity radiates entirely from inside Chris's process, in conversation with himself. And that's something that hit a bit different once he was done making it. The pieces here were largely built out of Chris's string drum playing, utilizing a setup he's created involving a silicone string, stretched across a snare drum with a bridge. When the string is hit, it resonates the drum -- a conception similar to that of the banjo, but with more of a bass tone. Several songs focus on Chris playing a bass string drum with a full kit, while the basic parts of two other pieces ('I Don't Have Missions,' 'The Full-Measure Wash Down') implied possibilities for full band arrangements which Chris was compelled to respond to himself. All the results on the tape, when listened back, found a higher order, transcending sequences of experimentation and technique, becoming much more than the sum of an internal conversation, standing together as a set of insistently compelling pieces of a whole. And so they became The Key (Became the Important Thing [& Then Just Faded Away]). They unlocked something in Chris Corsano."

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: DC 918CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon fragile timecraft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three are a) back, b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares, and c) not wasting another minute -- as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade -- yep, it's been since 2012's Toward the Low Sun -- they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music's their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything. The Dirty Three -- Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White -- formed up in Melbourne in 1992, to play with guitar drums and violin or viola, and within a couple years, they'd broken out -- out of Australia, out of anything else they might have been inside of, to boot -- and got worldwide. Over the next ten years, they toured over and over the planet, ceaseless like, and cut seven albums out along the way. After this, their unique style of play, fitted together like puzzle pieces, was decoupled, more often than not, and pieced together in many other, fruitful collaborations with many other esteemed talents. Over the past 20 years, they've gotten together a few times, renewed the vow, revved the engines and played some shows, or made an album. These lot were born to be as weathered as they are today. Time doesn't matter. They make their gathered wisdom of the ages sing like something new every time. It renews. And Love Changes Everything."

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: DC 918CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Cassette version. "Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon fragile timecraft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three are a) back, b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares, and c) not wasting another minute -- as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade -- yep, it's been since 2012's Toward the Low Sun -- they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music's their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything. The Dirty Three -- Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White -- formed up in Melbourne in 1992, to play with guitar drums and violin or viola, and within a couple years, they'd broken out -- out of Australia, out of anything else they might have been inside of, to boot -- and got worldwide. Over the next ten years, they toured over and over the planet, ceaseless like, and cut seven albums out along the way. After this, their unique style of play, fitted together like puzzle pieces, was decoupled, more often than not, and pieced together in many other, fruitful collaborations with many other esteemed talents. Over the past 20 years, they've gotten together a few times, renewed the vow, revved the engines and played some shows, or made an album. These lot were born to be as weathered as they are today. Time doesn't matter. They make their gathered wisdom of the ages sing like something new every time. It renews. And Love Changes Everything."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DC 918LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Emerging once again from the unending waves crashing upon fragile timecraft (adrift on the eternal ocean, and taking on water), Dirty Three are a) back, b) tangled in seaweed, rank with saltwater and possessed of three rather ominous thousand-mile stares, and c) not wasting another minute -- as nothing is guaranteed. For their first album in over a decade -- yep, it's been since 2012's Toward the Low Sun -- they flew in, got together and started playing. End of story. What else is there to say or do but that? Music's their language, their true love; they never stop listening to that. And like the label says, Love Changes Everything. The Dirty Three -- Warren Ellis, Mick Turner, and Jim White -- formed up in Melbourne in 1992, to play with guitar drums and violin or viola, and within a couple years, they'd broken out -- out of Australia, out of anything else they might have been inside of, to boot -- and got worldwide. Over the next ten years, they toured over and over the planet, ceaseless like, and cut seven albums out along the way. After this, their unique style of play, fitted together like puzzle pieces, was decoupled, more often than not, and pieced together in many other, fruitful collaborations with many other esteemed talents. Over the past 20 years, they've gotten together a few times, renewed the vow, revved the engines and played some shows, or made an album. These lot were born to be as weathered as they are today. Time doesn't matter. They make their gathered wisdom of the ages sing like something new every time. It renews. And Love Changes Everything."

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: DC 934LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"Evil Does Not Exist is an expansive new soundtrack undertaking from Eiko Ishibashi, a stellar further display of her ability to explicate the depths of the unspoken in her music. That it is also the soundtrack to the new Ryusuke Hamaguchi feature is marvelous news for all who loved her score for his Oscar-winning 2021 film, Drive My Car. That her music harmonizes effortlessly with the state of nature as depicted in his film, a nuanced tale of humans' uneasy efforts to maintain co-existence with the delicate state of the planet, is a further profound achievement. At play here, though, is much more than fantastic new music from a powerful new film -- it is evidence of a vital recomposition of the relationship of sound to narrative, and composer to filmmaker. The impetus for this came when Eiko was asked by overseas promoters for a program of live performances backed by visuals. After some thought, she asked Hamaguchi if he would make something for her to use for this purpose. This led Hamaguchi to develop the script further, with sequences of dialogue. In the end, he made two works: Gift, a silent film to act as a visual score for a live performance by Ishibashi, and Evil Does Not Exist, his new narrative feature film, which provided the visual material for the silent film Gift and features Eiko's music as its soundtrack. This is a fittingly synergistic exchange within their two disciplines, in which the moods and intentions of the music and the film acted in practical conversation: each one a sovereign statement, made possible by its relationship with the other. Eiko's compositions are scored for violin, cello, guitar, drums and keyboards. Her longtime partner Jim O'Rourke played the guitar and mixed and mastered the recordings when they were done, eliciting further the necessary nuances of atmosphere and mood that one would expect in one film, much less two!"

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: EMEGO 310LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Directions Out Of Town is the latest and teased as (possibly) the last LP by DIY electronic abstract pop wizard Finlay Shakespeare. Directions Out Of Town is a fierce mix of headstrong pop bangers. There is simply no one else traversing the field that Shakespeare is exploring. It can be lonely in the desert. Lyrically, Directions Out Of Town is dealing with loss; personally, geographically, politically, culturally -- a general decay of everything. This new record is heavily inspired by structural film where the results unravel a method where metaphor is removed from the act of sound synthesis, production and mix of the tracks. Fiercely independent and brimming with integrity this is a deeply effective journey through machines of the human experience. The track titles are telling: "Away," "Get," "Direction," "I go for a walk," etc. This is sentiment via complex synthesis wrung through patterns of pop. One also finds ways out that only turn out to be false/untrue. What is ostensibly an electro pop record reveals a multitude of layers and depth as one man and his machines wrestle with the reality of this tangled matrix. If the charts had brains this would be album of the year. Finlay Shakespeare is an electronic musician working in the UK. His fascination for synthesized sound was born out of his parents' record collection, leading him to explore the electronic music of decades past throughout his teenage years. While starting to write and record his own tracks, he also began learning analogue electronics, which led him to design and build his own equipment. To date, he has released work on Editions Mego, Superpang, and his own GOTO Records.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: EMK 008LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. A blend of Emika's neoclassical descending melodies, signature breathy, female vocals, icey pianos, heavy sub-bass vibrations and layered hazy beats. Sat between her life in moving-boxes, wedged between them surrounding her upright piano in an unfurnished empty-sounding room in her in-laws house. Haze was made with voice-memo recordings of her piano and voice on her phone, edited and mixed on her laptop in headphones. Little loops in Ableton, lyrics, sadness and melodies, just like Emika's real-life in boxes. Sounds like a mix of Thom Yorke, Burial, Nils Frahm, all swirled together in a colorful yet creamy mix.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: FAITICHE 036LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Jan Jelinek's Social Engineering brings together thirteen text fragments from so-called phishing emails. Using speech synthesis, they are spoken, sung, and/or transformed into abstract textures. The result is a 36-minute language and sound collage devoted to the dark forces of phishing.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: FARO 244CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Having spent their formative years in S?o Paulo Brazil, as a teenager, Lau Ro found themself uprooted from their home. Moving with their family to Europe in search of a better quality of life, their story was like that of many immigrants in the same position. Lau Ro's parents found work in factories and cleaning jobs, for the first few years in the North of Italy and then in Brighton on England's Southern coast. "We never managed to visit back home, so my connection to Brazil became largely made up of childhood memories and my fascination with all the '60s and '70s music I could find from there." In Brighton, the young non-binary singer and composer would immerse themself amongst the city's vanguard of free-thinking artists and musicians. Lau Ro formed Wax Machine whose prefigurative, psychedelic community provided a glimmer of countercultural hope amid a backdrop of national political decline. From 2020 to 2023, Wax Machine birthed three cult-favorite albums in as many years; indebted in part to their British psychedelic forebears from progressive folk, rock and jazz yore. But the kernel of Lau's Brazilian sound was already beginning to blossom across Wax Machine's releases. Now, taking root deeper still, Lau Ro steps forward with their debut album: Cabana. Named after the small wood cabin at the bottom of their garden where the album was recorded, Cabana is a deeply personal record of memory, self-discovery and imagination. Melancholy and hope combine across ten tracks of dreamy bossa, ambient folk, fuzzy tropicalia and majestic MPB. The music is swathed in masterful string arrangements and trippy electronics in equal part, while Lau Ro's delicate, yet quietly confident voice takes acerbic aim (in both English and Portuguese) at polluted city life, while dreaming of a utopia, rich with nature and wildlife. Like the musical equivalent of semantic drift, Lau Ro's displacement led to the creation of another Brazil. A mythic place in Lau's soul, as they put it, "where the sunshine and joy of my childhood remained untapped." Lau continues: "It's music that might sound as if it came out of a parallel universe Brazil, rather than its modern-day landscape. I am nowadays rediscovering Brazil, going back as often as I can and trying to stay connected to these different parts of the world and myself."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: FARO 244LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Having spent their formative years in S?o Paulo Brazil, as a teenager, Lau Ro found themself uprooted from their home. Moving with their family to Europe in search of a better quality of life, their story was like that of many immigrants in the same position. Lau Ro's parents found work in factories and cleaning jobs, for the first few years in the North of Italy and then in Brighton on England's Southern coast. "We never managed to visit back home, so my connection to Brazil became largely made up of childhood memories and my fascination with all the '60s and '70s music I could find from there." In Brighton, the young non-binary singer and composer would immerse themself amongst the city's vanguard of free-thinking artists and musicians. Lau Ro formed Wax Machine whose prefigurative, psychedelic community provided a glimmer of countercultural hope amid a backdrop of national political decline. From 2020 to 2023, Wax Machine birthed three cult-favorite albums in as many years; indebted in part to their British psychedelic forebears from progressive folk, rock and jazz yore. But the kernel of Lau's Brazilian sound was already beginning to blossom across Wax Machine's releases. Now, taking root deeper still, Lau Ro steps forward with their debut album: Cabana. Named after the small wood cabin at the bottom of their garden where the album was recorded, Cabana is a deeply personal record of memory, self-discovery and imagination. Melancholy and hope combine across ten tracks of dreamy bossa, ambient folk, fuzzy tropicalia and majestic MPB. The music is swathed in masterful string arrangements and trippy electronics in equal part, while Lau Ro's delicate, yet quietly confident voice takes acerbic aim (in both English and Portuguese) at polluted city life, while dreaming of a utopia, rich with nature and wildlife. Like the musical equivalent of semantic drift, Lau Ro's displacement led to the creation of another Brazil. A mythic place in Lau's soul, as they put it, "where the sunshine and joy of my childhood remained untapped." Lau continues: "It's music that might sound as if it came out of a parallel universe Brazil, rather than its modern-day landscape. I am nowadays rediscovering Brazil, going back as often as I can and trying to stay connected to these different parts of the world and myself."

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: FKR 001X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock. To mark its 2015 ten-year anniversary, the Finders Keepers label presents an improved, remastered repress, with updated liner notes in a gatefold sleeve, of its first release, a reissue of Jean-Claude Vannier's 1972 album L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches. At the time of the 2005 reissue the resurgence of '60s Gallic pop, once known as y?-y? music, had escalated beyond an interstellar height. Without a shadow of doubt, the flagship LP with the best odds on becoming a discerning household object was Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971) by one Serge Gainsbourg, an inimitable 45-minute concept LP handcrafted by a bass-driven psychedelic rock group and a heaven-sent 1001-piece orchestral and choral symphony. The album left hip hop producers and progressive rock aficionados crying out for more and more for years to come. This LP was in a league of its very own... or was it? The seldom-sung musical arranger for Melody Nelson, Jean-Claude Vannier, is the lesser-spotted tell-tale seal of sample-friendly quality when it comes to crate-digging "en Fran?ais." Suitably, rumors among French record dealers claiming "the band who played Melody Nelson recorded a follow-up LP" became a legend of psychedelic folklore. Another unconfirmed rumor about JCV taking the remaining outtakes of the beloved Melody Nelson to create a promo-only experimental rock LP left sample-hungry producers and DJs in turmoil... The answers to these mysteries lay between the gatefold sleeve of an undiscovered conceptual album bizarrely titled L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches by a custom-built avant-rock entourage called Insolitudes. So here we have it. For record-collectors looking for that special something, this LP contains the extra-special everything. Peruse the following genres: psychedelic, classical, soundtrack, jazz, hip hop, samples, avant-garde, funk. Then place a copy of L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches in each section. History notes that when M. Gainsbourg first heard the initial bones of this LP he took his poetic pencil to paper and composed bizarre liner notes, thus consummating the most extraordinary concept album of all time. The story "The Child Assassin of the Flies" was to be included as the only information to grace the LP's highly collectible concertina-gatefold sleeve. The story in full is reproduced in its native tongue on this very special re-release package. DJs and producers such as Jim O'Rourke, Stereolab's Tim Gane, and David Holmes have spent sleepless nights in perusal of original copies of this perfect release and now regard it as "One of the Best."

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: FKR 062X-LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

2024 restock. During the maiden voyage into an expansive vat of unreleased music by Polish composer Andrzej Korzynski, Finders Keepers Records originally presented his previously unreleased electro/ orchestral/experimental score for Andrzej Zulawski's surrealist '80s horror classic Possession in 2012. These 25 cues were written and recorded exclusively for the 1981 award-winning film starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neil, but due to the progressive, stark and modernist nature of the finished film less than half of them made it on to the actual director's cut -- leaving many of the tracks on this spackage totally unheard outside of Korzynski's studio. The intended Possession score in its entirety marks an important axis in Korzynski's career where his various musical disciplines overlap. In one respect it marks his first forays into to synth driven electronics and disco drum machines, while other tracks epitomize the well-honed techniques used in previous Zulawski scores, such as Third Part Of The Night and The Devil, which rely on his inimitable orchestral arrangements and combination of clavinet, Rhodes, piano and electric guitar. Available once again on black 12" vinyl for the first time since its original release some 11 years ago, Finders Keepers' ongoing commitment to the important restoration of Korzynski's music aims to shed new light on the seldom manufactured productions of the composer whose vast cinematic catalogue warrants overdue global status alongside other golden era Eastern European composers such as Kryzstof Komeda, Jan Hammer, and Zdenek Liska -- not to mention the best of the French and Italian soundtrackers, such as Roubaix, Vannier, and Nicolai. Duplicated and carefully remastered directly from Korzynski's original master tapes this album boasts the uninhibited studio experiments and retains the pre-cut ambience.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: GET 51457LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress, purple vinyl. "Well before Shuggie Otis cut his debut album, musicianship and performance had long been a part of his life. The son of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie learned to play guitar as early as the age of two, and performed professionally with his father's band at eleven. Throughout his long and illustrious career he'd performed on records for the likes of Frank Zappa, Al Kooper, Etta James, and George Duke, to name a few. In spite of all this, widespread mainstream success eluded Shuggie for much of his career. His most famous release to date is his 1974 album Inspiration/Information, which would experience new resurgent life in the 2000s. Those willing to dig a little deeper however, would discover hidden gold in his earlier releases, especially in the album directly before Inspiration/Information, his sophomore 1971 release Freedom Flight. As with his debut, Freedom Flight was produced by Shuggie's father Johnny Otis, and built upon the distinct sounds of his debut album: lush, baroque, string section arrangements, paired with hard funk rhythms, and funky blues melodies, with the majority of the instruments once again performed by Shuggie himself. The album also features backing from premium session greats like George Duke and Aynsley Dunbar, and the track 'Strawberry Letter 23' which became a monster hit for The Brothers Johnson three years later. Freedom Flight is a treasure of deft, technical skill, and virtuosic composition."

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: GODUNK 106CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Dez Dare ventures further into the void than ever before on his fourth album and the first to be released via God Unknown Records, A Billion Goats. A Billion Sparks. Fin. On past records Dare has fought beasts and beats alike, waging a fuzz war and tackling the biggest topics the world has to face; doom scrolling, capitalist demagogues, a passionate dislike of the beach in summer. On this record he leaves the sardonic frustration behind for sarcastic existentialism, zeroing in on the big philosophical questions, and the pedantic shards of nonsense that make up our existence. Piling up the synths, noise boxes and guitar pedals, Dez set about building a soundscape of noise and ideas around the nature of reality, time, and how people interact with them. From the music you would play in your last moments, to the reverse Darwinism of modern society, to arguing with time itself, and very boring people talking at you, all is covered here for the aspiring existentialist. The self-produced Australian has spent over three decades producing music, releasing and touring bands, and doing live sound for z-grade metal bands. Growing up in the coastal town of Geelong (Djilang) in Australia, he was introduced to the DIY punk and rock scene at 15 and this community and the ideas rooted in the underground music scene have guided his output and ethics throughout his career. Across the drone of noise and washed-out guitars of the final track, "A Billion Voices Screaming, Hello Void!" the chant repeats "We all return to where we begun," which encapsulates the message that Dare delivers.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: GODUNK 106LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Dez Dare ventures further into the void than ever before on his fourth album and the first to be released via God Unknown Records, A Billion Goats. A Billion Sparks. Fin. On past records Dare has fought beasts and beats alike, waging a fuzz war and tackling the biggest topics the world has to face; doom scrolling, capitalist demagogues, a passionate dislike of the beach in summer. On this record he leaves the sardonic frustration behind for sarcastic existentialism, zeroing in on the big philosophical questions, and the pedantic shards of nonsense that make up our existence. Piling up the synths, noise boxes and guitar pedals, Dez set about building a soundscape of noise and ideas around the nature of reality, time, and how people interact with them. From the music you would play in your last moments, to the reverse Darwinism of modern society, to arguing with time itself, and very boring people talking at you, all is covered here for the aspiring existentialist. The self-produced Australian has spent over three decades producing music, releasing and touring bands, and doing live sound for z-grade metal bands. Growing up in the coastal town of Geelong (Djilang) in Australia, he was introduced to the DIY punk and rock scene at 15 and this community and the ideas rooted in the underground music scene have guided his output and ethics throughout his career. Across the drone of noise and washed-out guitars of the final track, "A Billion Voices Screaming, Hello Void!" the chant repeats "We all return to where we begun," which encapsulates the message that Dare delivers.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: GOO 008LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Sonic Youth's eponymous debut EP, reissued in a deluxe double-LP edition on the band's own Goofin' imprint, was recorded in late 1981 at Radio City Music Hall in NYC and originally released on composer Glenn Branca's Neutral label. The album is loosely based on compositions the newly formed group had performed at that year's week-long Noisefest event (and remains the only recorded document of an early line-up featuring actor Richard Edson on drums). The newly remastered vinyl also features extra live material from a 1981 gig, and a track from a previously unheard studio session."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: GOO 020LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress; LP version. "One of Sonic Youth's most beloved albums, 1987's Sister incorporated the dissonance of their earlier releases into more traditional song structures. It's an innovative and thrilling work assuredly delivered by a band at the peak of their powers. Reissued on the band's Goofin' imprint, this 2016 pressing includes a digital download card with the vinyl edition."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: HARBGIS 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

last copies... RSD UK release from 2021 With the release of their debut album at the end of 2020, Girls In Synthesis proved that the hype was very much justified when it came to the bands tag as one of the most exciting in the UK. A concise and rabid blast of harsh post-punk, and released during the COVID crisis, the album eerily managed to capture the mood of the moment, despite being written and recorded in 2019. Rightly so, it was released to stunned reviews and featured in many "Best of 2020" end-of-year lists. Always a band with a militant work ethic, the first fruits of their fevered writing and recording period throughout 2020 are borne here with Shift In State. Featuring five brand new tracks, the mini-album sees the trio return to the experimental edge of their early, and highly sought-after, EP releases. The lead track "Containment", an abstract, bleak and circular slice of obtuse-punk gives way to an explosive and skewed dub remix featuring languorous horns and industrial sounding percussion. Following on, "... But Still You Wanted More" retains the dub minimalism and adds trudging, nihilistic lyrical content alongside churning, saw-sharp organ. "Calm Waters", the groups' first foray into a harsher, electronic landscape, brings to the forefront a crushing, relentless drum machine backbeat and woozy, warped bass hooks. Finishing on "Don't Try", this song sees the band return to their more familiar white-heat blast of post-punk. Shards of harsh, splintered guitar and pounding drums help push the theme of gross governmental incompetence well and truly into the listener's brain. Their incendiary live shows being hugely missed by fans, UK and EU dates are currently being signed off for late 2021 with further key releases also being lined up for release later in the year. Never a band to sit still, Shift In State sees GIS, once again, surmount all obstacles and proves them to be one of the most forward-thinking and tireless acts in the UK. White-in-black vinyl.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: HOL 133LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Limited 2024 repress! Reissue, originally released in 1974. Blending Native American references into a body of sonority that draws on free improvisation, experimental electronic music, and spiritual jazz, Pygmy Unit's Signals From Earth -- originally self-released by the band in 1974 -- forges a singular and almost entirely unknown path, and stands almost entirely on its own in the history of west coast American jazz. First appearing on the San Francisco scene sometime during the early 1970s, almost nothing is known about the Pygmy Unit, a seven-piece band steered by Darrel De Vore, who contributed flute, bass, percussion, piano, and vocals to the band's lone LP, first appeared with percussionist Terry Wilson within the psychedelic folk rock band, The Charlatans, who belonged to the legendary Family Dog scene. Jim Pepper, a Native American tenor saxophonist known for being a member of the Mal Waldron Quartet, played with Charlie Haden, Don Cherry, and numerous others, and produced the cult favorite, Pepper's Pow Wow, for Embryo Records in 1971. John Celona, who contributes parts on sax, synthesizer, and percussion, would later go on to be regarded as an electronic composer of some note. Of the remaining members, saxophonist Frank Albright, bassoonist Ron Grunn, and percussionist Marvin Kirkland, very little else is known. It seems this LP is more or less all they recorded. While undeniably jazz -- riding a remarkable line between avant-garde electronic music, spiritual jazz, and free improvisation -- the band was very much a product of the diverse creative ferment that developed in their hometown of San Francisco during the 1960s. Embodying the raw spirit of DIY (many of the instruments used in the recordings were made by DeVore himself, self-described as an "itinerant flute-maker") the ensemble channels references -- via passages of chanting and percussion, as well as conceptual underpinnings -- from Jim Pepper's Native American roots, intuiting them with the soulfulness of spiritual jazz, wild moments of avant-gardism centered around synths and electronic effects, and explosions of wild free improvisation. "Development of new music is a continuous path that grows directionally according to psychoacoustical phenomena available for unification. This record is evidence of that development, containing 12 performance pieces, at 12 separate times in different acoustical spaces with various combinations of musicians and instrumentation. The music is shaped by signals, received and sent by life forms on this planet. It is unwritten, unrehearsed, utilizing new and traditional approaches to energy, motion, and form. Eventually, music develops as a natural extension of the environment in which it exists. It is the aim of the traditions... to signal the universe from the Earth." Includes two booklets/replicas of original DeVore's publications; edition of 500.

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: HOL 141LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

Edition of 500 copies, screen printed cover. Includes two inserts: a replica of the original insert and the English translation. Henry Krutzen is a relatively shadowy figure in the history of experimental sound. Between the early '80s and the 2010s, there are only a handful of albums that bear his name, and very little information about them. A multi-instrumentalist and composer who studied percussion, saxophone, and harmony in various schools and jazz clinics across Belgium, over the years he played in a diverse range of musical projects across the idioms of jazz, new wave, heavy metal, experimental, chanson fran?aise, world music and progressive rock, before relocating to Brazil during the early 2000s. Silances, originally released by Igloo Records -- the Belgian imprint founded in 1978 by Daniel Sotiaux -- sitting alongside astounding and remarkably unique albums by Leo K?pper, Jacques Bekaert, Henri Chopin, Arthur P?tronio, Andr? Stordeur, and numerous others, is an entirely singular gesture at the borders of sound poetry, musique concr?te, and radical electroacoustic practice that draws upon disparate elements of drone, jazz, minimalism, ecstatic tribalism, and various traditions of music from across the globe. Decades on from its original release it remains as striking, unique, and compelling as it did upon its release. In a note that Krutzen penned in 2022 when he was contacted for the reissue of Silances, Krutzen recalls: "Since I was 16, I had been experimenting with concrete music with a technician friend and we used all a teenager's room could offer to make sounds into music: faucets, glasses of water, metal springs on ladders, objects of any kind? I had hours of recordings I pitched to Daniel [Sotiaux], to see if he was interested in making an album. I also had other ideas I wanted to be able to develop. What a joy when he accepted to work on the project! So I got to work. First, I set up a vocal improvisation quartet, and we spent long afternoons rehearsing using input I provided? We went into the studio and recorded almost two hours of improvisation, from which I then chose the best moments for the final product."

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: ITR 389CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"'It's a new lineup,' landlord of the avant-garage Kid Congo Powers exclaims of the Pink Monkey Birds edition responsible for the fifth studio full-length of their nineteen-year recording career, That Delicious Vice. 'We've gone from a four piece to a three piece,' continues Kid, whose unique guitar style has been at the center of some of the most forward-thinking bands in punk and garage: The Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Knoxville Girls, to name a handful. 'I'm not sure if living in the desert is making me want more space in music or not,' laughs Kid, a Tucson resident for a few years now. 'Maybe I'm turning into a desert stoner rocker. But I'm not a stoner, so that's not happening.' No, the former Brian Tristan is most decidedly not unleashing a Kyuss tribute album. But one hears the desert all over That Delicious Vice. But the album's major hallmark has to be its extended collaboration with Alice Bag, the face of and voice of early LA punk titans The Bags. How and why these two took this long to unite creatively is a dense mystery, considering both graduated with honors from early Hollywood punk palace The Masque. That Delicious Vice was produced by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, recorded and mixed by Jim Waters (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Sonic Youth) at his Waterworks Studios facility in Tucson. It features nine new original tracks that are the band's strongest to date."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: ITR 389LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "'It's a new lineup,' landlord of the avant-garage Kid Congo Powers exclaims of the Pink Monkey Birds edition responsible for the fifth studio full-length of their nineteen-year recording career, That Delicious Vice. 'We've gone from a four piece to a three piece,' continues Kid, whose unique guitar style has been at the center of some of the most forward-thinking bands in punk and garage: The Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Knoxville Girls, to name a handful. 'I'm not sure if living in the desert is making me want more space in music or not,' laughs Kid, a Tucson resident for a few years now. 'Maybe I'm turning into a desert stoner rocker. But I'm not a stoner, so that's not happening.' No, the former Brian Tristan is most decidedly not unleashing a Kyuss tribute album. But one hears the desert all over That Delicious Vice. But the album's major hallmark has to be its extended collaboration with Alice Bag, the face of and voice of early LA punk titans The Bags. How and why these two took this long to unite creatively is a dense mystery, considering both graduated with honors from early Hollywood punk palace The Masque. That Delicious Vice was produced by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, recorded and mixed by Jim Waters (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Sonic Youth) at his Waterworks Studios facility in Tucson. It features nine new original tracks that are the band's strongest to date."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: JMANSP 003EP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Marlena Shaw had made several LPs for respected labels such as Cadet and Blue Note, and she'd performed regularly throughout the '60s and '70s. But she hardly had what you might call diva status. Falling into the unfortunate category that slips uneasily between soul and jazz, she was accepted -- but not especially admired -- by aficionados of either genre. Then came the '90s, and an open-minded enthusiasm for soul and jazz -- and more importantly -- everything in between -- soon changed that. Marlena Shaw became an icon, and the diva status soon blossomed amongst her new-found soul-jazz fans. Marlena Shaw has endured decades of singing in the shadows, and she has only recently finally found her niche. On disc one is "California Soul," probably the most enduring and well-known of her many songs, but just a few seconds listening will tell you that it is much more than that. It's already a classic amongst those who have already seen the light and have danced and swayed to its timeless swing. Upon hearing it all lovers of soul, jazz -- or any other kind of good music -- will feel an aural glow as warm as the Californian sun. The song "Liberation Conversation" on the flip was only ever available on her highly revered 1969 LP The Spice of Life. This is where the "Blues ain't nothing but a good woman gone bad" launches into an irresistible, relentless up-tempo funk groove. Disc Two showcases "Wade in the Water," an ancient song rumored to have been developed and popularized by slaves in the American south. The message is to pass on the notion that by fleeing in a bid for freedom through streams and rivers, the scent that bloodhounds use to follow their victims will be obscured. Marlena's version has long been a favorite dancefloor filler since its 45-only release back in 1966. "Woman of the Ghetto" is one of her best-known songs and ends the set on the other side. The opening number from "The Spice of Life," it's since been recognized for the classic it is, and as such has been afforded anthemic status. We release the original 45 version here, as used to promote the LP back in the day. This 2x7" special product from Jazzman is dedicated to the memory of Marlena Shaw.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: K7 444EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

London outfit Kassian continue their broadly evolving yet highly detailed journey through and beyond sound towards something ever more expansive. Their second release for !K7 Records comes in the wake of creating a dedicated hardware-forward studio in a Northeast London container complex, where they have the freedom to interlink their machines. This renewed focus brought them to Supercontinent EP, named for the ancient geological era when Africa and South America were joined as Pangea. A reformulation of rhythmic ideas inspired by South African Amapiano and South American Baile Funk governs the two hemispheres of the record. The pair examine and deconstruct dancefloor material, eschewing 4/4 for interlocking shaker patterns, searing acid lines, cracking breakbeats, and vocal samples in Zulu and Brazil Portuguese. The immediacy of the restless rhythm and bass-led funk of "Yena" (the word Yena translates to "he/him /man") forms a sweet spot where double-time and half-time can coexist. "Yami" ("mine" in Zulu) is a slinkier proposition which sheds prominent percussion in favor of a weighty, fluid, acid-informed bassline undulating from below. An ascending percussive riff marks the arrival of "Pulgueiro," followed closely by break beats and the nostalgia of distinctly British acid electro; it is an intentionally future-forward retelling of a vintage sound, replete with a mind-melt breakdown of rave pads. A dubbed-out groove dominates the bottom-heavy "Sistema" -- a groovy, steady roller that chugs and propels and chugs with head-nod hypnotism through an intricately minimalistic approach.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: KITTO 005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Rising London R&B/neo soul artist Summer Pearl releases debut mixtape after the breakout success of singles "Green Eyes" and "Waste Your Time," backed by Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova, Jamie Cullum, Alexander Nut, Touching Bass and many more. Marking her first full release in three years, the mixtape is her most ambitious and accomplished project to date, complete with guest appearances from UK music royalty, including an enchanting feature from soul and reggae luminary Liam Bailey and heavyweight productions from brokenbeat virtuoso Kaidi Tatham. Described as "absolutely amazing" by the King of UK Soul, Omar, outmysystem showcases the full range of Summer's striking talent -- soulful and gritty, nostalgic and forward looking, melancholic and uplifting. Throughout, Summer blends a deep appreciation for soul, dub, reggae, hip-hop, and jazz to create her own distinct and refreshing sound. Warm, free flowing lyricism defines a deeply personal and heartfelt mixtape. RIYL: Noname, Little Simz, Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Bel Cobain.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: KRANK 240LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress; LP version. "South Carolina singer and producer Niecy Blues describes her songwriting process like an undertow: 'I feel a strange pull, and let it carry me, following swirling leaves... whole days roll by, forgetting about the body.' Their full-length debut, Exit Simulation, captures this sense of deep-rooted divination, cycling between simmering ballads, ghosted R&B, downtempo gospel, and looped vocal improvisations -- often within the same track. The title is taken from a science fiction novel she read during the purgatory of the pandemic, alluding to a dimensional ideation of departure -- 'the permission to imagine leaving.' Recorded in her current home of Charleston, she characterizes the album's mood in terms both reflective and raw: an exploration of things suppressed, foundations beginning to crack, 'talking myself off a ledge.' The music of Niecy Blues transposes reverie and reckoning into emotive devotionals of keys, guitar, bass, synth, and bewitched voice, steeped in sacred atmospheres gleaned from a youth spent in a religious Oklahoma household: 'My first experience with ambient music was church -- slow songs of worship, with delay on the guitar... even if you don't believe, you feel something.'"

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: KRANK 241CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The latest suite by composer (and Stars Of The Lid co-founder) Adam Wiltzie took shape following a move north from Brussels into the Flemish countryside, although it was initially inspired by a recurring dream wherein 'if someone listened to the music I created, then they would die.' The album uniquely evokes and evades the allure of oblivion, keening between beauty and ruin, forever unresolved. Wiltzie cites the barbiturate of the title as both muse and sacred escape: 'When you are sitting face forward on the daily emotional meat grinder of life, I always wished I could have some, so I could just fall asleep automatically and the feeling would not be there anymore.' Recorded at Wilzie's home studio, with strings added in Budapest at the old Hungarian National radio facility (Magyar Radio), the tracks feel simultaneously intimate and infinite, unfolding vistas glimpsed in an inner space. Robert Hampson of English drone rock icons Loop mixed the album, further lending the music a sense of cinematic expanse and oblique hypnosis. These are fugue states as much as fugues in a literal classical music sense -- smeared epiphanies of uncertain memory and spatial dislocation, coaxed from the unconscious and set aloft."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: KRANK 241LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "The latest suite by composer (and Stars Of The Lid co-founder) Adam Wiltzie took shape following a move north from Brussels into the Flemish countryside, although it was initially inspired by a recurring dream wherein 'if someone listened to the music I created, then they would die.' The album uniquely evokes and evades the allure of oblivion, keening between beauty and ruin, forever unresolved. Wiltzie cites the barbiturate of the title as both muse and sacred escape: 'When you are sitting face forward on the daily emotional meat grinder of life, I always wished I could have some, so I could just fall asleep automatically and the feeling would not be there anymore.' Recorded at Wilzie's home studio, with strings added in Budapest at the old Hungarian National radio facility (Magyar Radio), the tracks feel simultaneously intimate and infinite, unfolding vistas glimpsed in an inner space. Robert Hampson of English drone rock icons Loop mixed the album, further lending the music a sense of cinematic expanse and oblique hypnosis. These are fugue states as much as fugues in a literal classical music sense -- smeared epiphanies of uncertain memory and spatial dislocation, coaxed from the unconscious and set aloft."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: LG 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Before Circus Lupus landed on DC's venerable Dischord Records, the group's original Midwest lineup recorded a full album's worth of songs less than a year after forming. With the demise of DC's Ignition in the late '80s, bass player Chris Thomson headed to Madison, WI for college. Before leaving DC, he dove headfirst into being a vocalist fronting the short-lived throwback punk/hardcore project Fury. Thomson served up pointed and profound Tony Cadena-inspired screeds about betrayal, disappointment and poseurs all set to a soundtrack of furiously primitive and chaotic music supplied by members of the DC punk band Swiz. Brief yet influential, this band marked Thomson's switch to vocals, putting him on course to front Circus Lupus and claim a notable spot in the DC punk timeline of the late 20th century. Soon after arriving in Madison, Thomson was invited to join a new project started by friends Chris Hamley, Arika Casebolt, and Reg Shrader. Circus Lupus marked a change in direction from the familiar sounds of DC punk that Thomson had been associated with for years. The newly formed group looked to noisier Touch & Go and Homestead bands for inspiration, aligning themselves with bands from Chicago, Louisville and Milwaukee. One early supporter of the band described the new group as 'profoundly familiar yet uncategorizable. Like if the Germs had gone to college and never got pulled into hard drugs and suicidal behaviors.' The original Circus Lupus lineup played a dozen shows and recorded these songs with Eli Janney at Inner Ear studios in August of 1990 while on a brief tour. Within a year, the band would decide to permanently relocate to Washington DC, where they felt they had more opportunities. Shrader opted to move to Chicago and would ultimately join the Touch and Go band Seam. Old friend Seth Lorinczi (Vile Cherubs) would become their new bass player, forming the version of the band that most listeners are familiar with. While a few of these ended up on their first single, the rest were shelved, some later to be rerecorded with Lorinczi and released on Dischord. L.G. Records is proud to have helped this notable recording see the light of day. The original tapes were recovered by Ian MacKaye and transferred by Darren Edwards. Tim Green remixed and remastered the original recordings at Louder Studios in California."

 

PRICE: $39.50

CAT #: LPS PS016LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

When Can is a journey through the realms of musical serendipity, an ode to the unexpected twists of collaborative intuition. Conceived in the spring of 2012, this masterpiece is the culmination of a decade-long friendship between Reimer Eising aka Kettel, and Lennard van der Last aka Secede, two of the most talented electronic music producers from The Netherlands. When Can is not just a collection of songs; it's a seamless continuum where each track breathes life into the next. As the listener delves into the sonic story, the music leads to uncharted territories, incorporating ambient and cinematic sounds and blending them with reminiscences from Renaissance to Baroque music. Far from a preconceived plan, the album organically unfolded, capturing the essence of the musical exploration from these two brilliant minds. More than a decade after its birth, Lapsus is proud to release When Can for the first time on vinyl. For this meticulously curated deluxe edition all the tracks have been remastered, and the artwork has been updated by Basora studio. And there's much more inside: two lithographic prints featuring original paintings by Jeroen Advocaat plus an extra 10" including the unreleased tracks "Zipvanes" -- a ten-minute alternative cut of "Ringvanes" -- and "Spoonful."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: LDM 007LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

Sid Spada unveils his first project, Stellagony, a unique musical adventure. After several collaborative projects, the Geneva rapper withdrew to craft nine tracks. Nine unique pieces in the sonic puzzle that contemporary rap has become. Stellagony is a chronicle of adolescence, its wanderings, its parties, its excesses, and a certain form of self-destruction. Entering a new phase of his life, Sid Spada scrutinizes his last ten years to narrate his mental and artistic evolution. This project is like a window to the past that allows its author to step back and embrace the future possibilities serenely. This artistic maturity forged during long months in the studio opens a new era. Each track, shaped by RougeHotel's production, who co-signs all the instrumentals of the project, serves as a sonic exploration rather than following fleeting trends. The album's atmosphere dances between melancholy and the fantasy permitted by hyperpop, drawing from Latin and club sounds. A skillful balance between dark emotions and avant-garde energy is established. Stellagony, produced by Sid Spada's label iuven, is presented by Les Disques Magn?tiques, a Geneva-based label affiliated with Bongo Joe Records.

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: MONIKA 099EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Monika Enterprise welcomes a new act to her roster with Berlin based experimental pop duo Post Neo releasing their new EP. Individually known as Nicole Luj?n and Pauline Weh, both musicians pursued their own solo projects before forming the duo Post Neo. On Alles Immer Wieder they combine as more than the sum of their parts to produce five songs of dark and powerful experimental avant- pop which is released as an exclusive 10" vinyl. The EP's opening and title track "Alles Immer Wieder" (trans. Everything again and again) is a reflection on repetition and monotony as transcendence in the form of sleep, dreams, work and other daily cycles. The rhythmic juxtapositions and tempo shifts make for a captivating opening track. "Ganz Sch?n Was Los" (trans. A lot happening) has a proper synthwave electro pop vibe while the vocals lend a little light hearted humanity to the otherwise calculated computer music aesthetic. With its fusion of synthesizers and drum machines track B1 "Die Verwirrung" (trans. The confusion) brings a sense of melancholic doom. The flow of B2 "Wenn Wir W?ssten" (trans. If we knew what would happen) is a future-focused reflection on the unidirectional movement of time's arrow. Sampled harmonies and instrumental breakdowns make it possibly the most emotive track on the EP. And the record comes to a close with "Dreh dich" (trans. Turn around) which lures us in with delicate vocals before menacing synthesizer sounds blast listeners into oblivion. It is an invitation to turn the record over and start listening from the beginning again.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NSD 817B-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Repressed. "In the late 1960s, vibraphonist Roy Ayers was among the top young talents in jazz, thriving during a remarkable era for the genre. While Ayers would later become a jazz-funk pioneer and delve heavily into R&B fusions, his third album Stoned Soul Picnic is a masterful showcase of soul-jazz grooves. Produced by Herbie Mann, Stoned Soul Picnic features a memorable Laura Nyro-penned title track, along with an exceptional lineup of musicians, including Gary Bartz, Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and Grady Tate. Originally released in 1968, this early Roy Ayers classic is now receiving an official reissue via Nature Sounds."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: NR 129CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Ufomammut formed in the late '90s by Poia (guitars, FXs) and Urlo (bass, vocals, FXs, synths), rising from the ashes of past band Judy Corda, together with Vita (drums). With Levre taking over on drums in 2021, the band has undergone a rebirth, culminating in the release of the album Fenice and the Crookhead EP. Over the course of twenty-five years, the band has developed a unique sound that combines heavy, dynamic riff worship with a deep understanding of the psychedelic tradition in music. This has resulted in a cosmic, futuristic, and technicolor sound that fully immerses listeners. The band has produced ten records along with various other releases, such as compilations, EPs, and live albums. Now, as they celebrate their quarter-century milestone, the band presents their latest album, Hidden. This album marks a shift in the band's musical composition, aiming for a more intense and heavy sound, and it's the third release featuring Levre as the band's new drummer. The title reflects the concept of the presence of everything in existence and the ability to bring to light what lies within. With Hidden, Ufomammut delves into a sonic journey that traverses vast expanses of space and time. From the crushing heaviness to the haunting melodies, from the textured compositions to the otherworldly atmospheres, it testifies to the never-ending evolution of the band and their mastery of creating immersive sonic experiences: a fitting celebration of their twenty-five years of sonic exploration and experimentation."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: NR 129LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "Ufomammut formed in the late '90s by Poia (guitars, FXs) and Urlo (bass, vocals, FXs, synths), rising from the ashes of past band Judy Corda, together with Vita (drums). With Levre taking over on drums in 2021, the band has undergone a rebirth, culminating in the release of the album Fenice and the Crookhead EP. Over the course of twenty-five years, the band has developed a unique sound that combines heavy, dynamic riff worship with a deep understanding of the psychedelic tradition in music. This has resulted in a cosmic, futuristic, and technicolor sound that fully immerses listeners. The band has produced ten records along with various other releases, such as compilations, EPs, and live albums. Now, as they celebrate their quarter-century milestone, the band presents their latest album, Hidden. This album marks a shift in the band's musical composition, aiming for a more intense and heavy sound, and it's the third release featuring Levre as the band's new drummer. The title reflects the concept of the presence of everything in existence and the ability to bring to light what lies within. With Hidden, Ufomammut delves into a sonic journey that traverses vast expanses of space and time. From the crushing heaviness to the haunting melodies, from the textured compositions to the otherworldly atmospheres, it testifies to the never-ending evolution of the band and their mastery of creating immersive sonic experiences: a fitting celebration of their twenty-five years of sonic exploration and experimentation."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: NR 130CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"At its heart, music has always been a questioning of inheritance -- a dialogue with predecessors and forebears, the forging of one's own perspective in relation to what has come before, and for some, a plunge into the boundless realms between. For Steve Von Till, that process has always taken on an added dimension to become the most sacred of tasks. Whether through the apocalyptic uprising of Neurosis, the sonic deconstructions of their sister project, Tribes Of Neurot, the invocatory intimacy of his eponymous solo albums or his instrumental psychedelic reveries in the guise of Harvestman, that dialogue has never just been with musical influences, but with what underpins them: the primordial, elemental forces now banished to the peripheries of our contemporary consciousness, yet still broadcasting a signal for all who will listen. The first of a three-album cycle, Triptych: Part One, is Harvestman's most ambitious undertaking yet. Drawn to the megaliths, ruins and ancient sites mapped out along the British and European mainland's geographical and psychic landscapes, the folklore and apocrypha forever resurfacing as portals from a rational world, Triptych is a meditation forged from traces and residues, and a hallucinatory recollection of artists who have tapped into that enduring otherworldliness embedded within us all. It's a dream diary narrating a passage through Summer Isle where Flying Saucer Attack are wafting out of a window, a distant Fairport Convention are being remixed by dub master Adrian Sherwood, celestial scanners Tangerine Dream are trying to drown out Bert Jansch and Hawkwind are playing Steeleye Span covers, all prised out of time yet bound to its singularity."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: NR 130LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "At its heart, music has always been a questioning of inheritance -- a dialogue with predecessors and forebears, the forging of one's own perspective in relation to what has come before, and for some, a plunge into the boundless realms between. For Steve Von Till, that process has always taken on an added dimension to become the most sacred of tasks. Whether through the apocalyptic uprising of Neurosis, the sonic deconstructions of their sister project, Tribes Of Neurot, the invocatory intimacy of his eponymous solo albums or his instrumental psychedelic reveries in the guise of Harvestman, that dialogue has never just been with musical influences, but with what underpins them: the primordial, elemental forces now banished to the peripheries of our contemporary consciousness, yet still broadcasting a signal for all who will listen. The first of a three-album cycle, Triptych: Part One, is Harvestman's most ambitious undertaking yet. Drawn to the megaliths, ruins and ancient sites mapped out along the British and European mainland's geographical and psychic landscapes, the folklore and apocrypha forever resurfacing as portals from a rational world, Triptych is a meditation forged from traces and residues, and a hallucinatory recollection of artists who have tapped into that enduring otherworldliness embedded within us all. It's a dream diary narrating a passage through Summer Isle where Flying Saucer Attack are wafting out of a window, a distant Fairport Convention are being remixed by dub master Adrian Sherwood, celestial scanners Tangerine Dream are trying to drown out Bert Jansch and Hawkwind are playing Steeleye Span covers, all prised out of time yet bound to its singularity."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: ODA 003LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Church Andrews and Matt Davies weave intricate patterns from Fibonacci sequences on new mini-album, Yucca. Producer and composer Church Andrews (aka Kirk Barley) and drummer Matt Davies return to explore the outer limits of rhythm on a six-track suite that is at once angular and fluid, natural and systematic. Drawn to the restrictions of working solely with one synth and live drums, the pair found creativity in limitation, developing a compositional dialogue between the sonic timbres of Kirk's productions and Matt's percussive practice. Evoking the primitive yet complex form of the plant from which it takes its name, Yucca features tracks that are built around rhythmic ratios of the Fibonacci sequence. Mirroring spiral patterns exhibited in nature, each track evolves like a cellular structure of its own, from the livewire syntax of "Chirp" and the deconstructed ebb and flow of "Ferns," to the mini-album's title track, where crisp grooves flit between modulated electronics like fireflies. "I've always been inspired by music that is complex without sounding complex," Matt explains. He maintains a sense of bounce amid the intricate phrasing and cites drummers Roy Haynes and his grandson Marcus Gilmore as inspirations, alongside sabar drummers from Senegal and Mridangam drumming of South India. With a shared background in hip-hop and the swung beats of J Dilla and Flying Lotus, Kirk Barley and Matt Davies were also inspired by the minimalism of Terry Riley and the sparse palette of dub techno. Written and recorded in Lewisham in the spring and summer of 2023, Yucca follows the release of Axis in 2022, with the duo having also performed at festivals such as Rewire and Waking Life, and recorded live sessions for FACT magazine and Worldwide FM. The third release on Yorkshire-based Odda Recordings, following Kirk Barley's Marionette and Flaer's Preludes, Yucca confirms the label's reputation for championing music on the unstable ground between the organic and the synthetic.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: OTCR 021CA-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Clear color vinyl. A trio of innovative troubadours, Tryp Tych Tryo is the expression of three legends trading blows, in the singular, in the bilateral movement throughout this sonic stew and as tripartite working, pivoting, layering through modes and counterpoint to create Warsaw Conjunction. An album where each member lays their cornerstone into the foundations, abstractly sketching their complementary, supportive voices with each able to freewheel their own weather front across the record's terrain. Warsaw Conjunction is the project's first album. The release in collaboration between friends and labels, On the Corner and Lanquidity Records, presents listeners with Natcyet Wakili on drums, Wojtek Mazolewski on electric and acoustic double bass, and Tamar Osborn on flute, baritone saxophone and delay effects. Mazolewski led the production, with support from the other musicians.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: OTCR 021CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

A trio of innovative troubadours, Tryp Tych Tryo is the expression of three legends trading blows, in the singular, in the bilateral movement throughout this sonic stew and as tripartite working, pivoting, layering through modes and counterpoint to create Warsaw Conjunction. An album where each member lays their cornerstone into the foundations, abstractly sketching their complementary, supportive voices with each able to freewheel their own weather front across the record's terrain. Warsaw Conjunction is the project's first album. The release in collaboration between friends and labels, On the Corner and Lanquidity Records, presents listeners with Natcyet Wakili on drums, Wojtek Mazolewski on electric and acoustic double bass, and Tamar Osborn on flute, baritone saxophone and delay effects. Mazolewski led the production, with support from the other musicians.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: OTCR 021LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. A trio of innovative troubadours, Tryp Tych Tryo is the expression of three legends trading blows, in the singular, in the bilateral movement throughout this sonic stew and as tripartite working, pivoting, layering through modes and counterpoint to create Warsaw Conjunction. An album where each member lays their cornerstone into the foundations, abstractly sketching their complementary, supportive voices with each able to freewheel their own weather front across the record's terrain. Warsaw Conjunction is the project's first album. The release in collaboration between friends and labels, On the Corner and Lanquidity Records, presents listeners with Natcyet Wakili on drums, Wojtek Mazolewski on electric and acoustic double bass, and Tamar Osborn on flute, baritone saxophone and delay effects. Mazolewski led the production, with support from the other musicians.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: PRTL 7086EP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Vocals courtesy of the late great Jamaican singer Creation Stepper aka Willy Stepper, whose voice graced many a '70s roots reggae classic such as "Kill Nebuchadnezzar" and "Homeward Bound." "Rockfort Rock" was originally released on Youth and Alex Patterson's WAU! Mr Modo label in 1989 and was mixed and produced by Teamworks and Sound Iration (Nick Manasseh and Scruff).

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: PJ 017LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2024 repress. "When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop -- technically and creatively. 'At the top of his game,' says longtime friend and collaborator, Karriem Riggins. After years of building while modestly deferring to others of both greater and lesser notoriety, Dilla finally completed the first solo endeavor on his own label, entirely on his own terms. The significance of such an autonomous success often gets overlooked, and partly accounts for why Ruff Draft is one of the lesser-referenced entries in Dilla's oeuvre. 'It's a mysterious little project,' says his mother, Maureen Yancey. 'But out of his entire career, that was the happiest time.' Prior to recording the EP, Dilla found himself at a crossroads. Estranged from his label, MCA, and separated from the mother of his youngest daughter, frustration abounded both personally and professionally. Dilla spent parts of 2002 and 2003 working on an album for MCA that featured his rapping over contributions from other producers with whom he had connected and whose music he respected. At the time, he was known primarily for his beats, yet reviled for his MCing by most anyone not from his hometown of Detroit. The project was to be an intentional freak of the industry. The project would go on to spur his collaborative album with Madlib, Jaylib, and would first showcase the template that he would take to his greatest heights with 2006's Donuts. The Stones Throw reissue of Ruff Draft from 2008 featured remixes of the songs from the album, done without Dilla's involvement. This version of the album takes Dilla's mixes of the album and restores his vision for the project. 'Straight from the mothafuckin' cassette,' as he phrased the sound he was going for on the EP's intro."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: PINCHE 005LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 repress. A collection of rare and wild '60s Chilean rock n' roll. Time to celebrate! Here's a new installment of the Wild series, focused on wild, untamed Latin American rock n' roll from the '60s. This time Pinche Discos takes you to the beautiful land of Chile for a rollercoaster of wild sounds and smashing and obscure hits. In Wild Chile! you'll find, of course, wild rock n' roll but also crazed out twist, soul stompers, and a few fiery Instrumentals to boot. If you know the previous two volumes of this series you know what to expect: a record perfectly designed to make your next party explode, pure dynamite! Features Willy Monti & Los Tiburones, Los Atomos, Pepe Pato & Los Stereos, Los Primos, The Blue Splendor, Alan Y Sus Bates, Los Harmonic's, Los Caporales, Los Stereos, Flash Galindez, Los Beat 4, The Ramblers, Los Minimas, and Los Diablos Azules.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: PE 037CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Hardly anything is known about the person behind the pseudonym Anom Vitruv. The artist who has previously released music on UK techno label Tabernacle Records and Los Angeles-based experimental powerhouse Total Stasis, among other outlets, chooses to remain anonymous and lets his music speak for itself. Over more than a decade, the Switzerland-based musician has carefully constructed a body of work that is closely interlinked with his public perception: Always vague, elusive, and thus open. Anom Vitruv took his time with 6.4311 -- his first release in more than six years. The artist's latest project is full of philosophical references around being, time, space, death, and the worthwhile life that not only are visible in the album title and through the artist's use of samples but are directly manifested in the structure and atmosphere of the music itself. The album is deeply contemplative in its approach. The constant oscillation between the abstract and the concrete, the elaborate build-ups, the subtle emergence and disappearance of elements, and his careful take on layering sounds are all factors that make 6.4311 an engaging album from start to finish. With his latest full length, the enigmatic artist sets an example on how to incorporate references and concepts into music -- all without it being a shallow gesture.

 

PRICE: $14.00

CAT #: RS 515LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double vinyl, gatefold sleeve. "The Pretty Things, iconic first wave R&B cult heroes, created some of the most exciting and innovative records of the sixties and early seventies. Winners of the Hero award at the 2009 Mojo Honours, the band have been a massive success and a huge influence on artists as diverse as David Bowie, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Bob Dylan, The Sex Pistols, The White Stripes, Kasabian and many, many more. Following the now legendary and critically acclaimed S. F. Sorrow, the psychedelic '68 classic, the band returned to Abbey Road Studios and started work on Parachute. Released in 1970 the album was named Rolling Stone's album of the year ahead of Let It Be by The Beatles, Morrison Hotel by The Doors, After the Gold Rush by Neil Young, Moondance by Van Morrison, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel, Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother and Led Zeppelin III."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: RT 001

FILE UNDER: Misc

"Record Time is a new print-only music magazine that focuses on obscure, unusual, forgotten and neglected records, not collectibles or rarities, but great records that can be had without shelling out max cash. The debut arrives right when interest in records is at a 30-year high and is growing across generations. Record Time is about the wonderful world of records, specifically unusual, obscure, forgotten and neglected slabs of plastic. Rather than focus on holy grails of the most expensive kind or $$$ reissues, Record Time scours bargain bins, garage sales, and those corners of record stores that only the most diehard music freaks dig through -- and what readers find are wonderful records that are too often passed by even though they are usual cheap. In that spirit, Record Time #1 does a deep dive into the crazy history of Plastic Bertrand's 'Ca Plane Pour Moi,' the biggest international hit single in punk history, its roots in novelty music, Elton Motello's contribution to the song, and the dozens of cover versions, answer songs, rip-offs and exploitations the song inspired. Also in issue one: A cruise through the music and career of Hansadutta Swami, the Hari Krishna 'machine gun guru' and failed rock star; a dip into controversial politico/musician Harvey Matusow and his Jew's Harp Band; the Surfsiders, a fake surf band that included a young Lou Reed; Alquin and the Dutch prog rock scene of the 1970s; the obscure and delightful DIY psych pop of The People's Victory Orchestra And Chorus; and records on alleged Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. There's more: Columns on 1960s garage instrumental 45s and forgotten 7"s from the 1990s punk scene, a feature on The Wuzz Band, a run-through of the records and crimes of novelty rapper/drug kingpin Hurt Em Bad, a ton of record reviews (of albums lurking in used bins), an interview with Dick Vivian of San Francisco's Rooky Ricardo's Records (and Dick's picks of great budget R&B and girl group singles), and more. Record Time is published and edited by Scott Soriano, a long-time music writer, record label runner, zine publisher, and political journalist. It features a rich group of contributors such as Brian Turner, Owen Maercks, Laurent Bigot, Fred de Vries, Johnny Sunshine, D. Worden, and others, from the US, France, South Africa, and abroad. 11"x8.5", perfect-bound with color cover."

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: RS 064EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Gallegos, first name Oliver, deals in feelings rather than genres. The productions on his debut effort for RS INTL channel a '90s rave euphoria. Luscious pads swirl amidst pitched down jungle drums, celestial strings and philosophical vocal snippets that evoke ecstatic joy. It's no mean feat to induce a feeling of elation without the means of a synthetic intervention -- but Ollie seems to have cracked the code -- taking listeners there with harmony, texture and rhythm alone -- nothing synthetic here: this is alchemy at play. The EP -- which in all honesty feels more like a mini album -- is a real journey across five songs and 29 minutes. It's about equally split between driving rhythmic compositions created with movement in mind, and pensive ambient detours that are more sonic meditations than anything else. The album reaches its most dizzying heights when these two elements come together in unison for the title track, "Memories You've Memorised" -- a widely road-tested future classic which blends scattered Juno chords, arpeggiated church organ and 80s vocal samples to a tear-jerking crescendo. "Memories You've Memorised" elevates Oliver Gallegos to the top tier of modern electronic composition. There's comparisons to be made to Primal Scream, Underworld, and even Aphex Twin, - but after all is said and done, this is the coming of age of a future pioneer.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: RS 066X-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Berlin's pre-eminent vocal ensemble A Song For You pioneers a new wave of choral music with their debut album Home. A Song For You are a groundbreaking vocal ensemble, uniting over 50 artists from all over the world, led by the visionary collaboration of Noah Slee and Dhanesh Jayaselan. The collective defies any form of categorization, sitting in a sonic realm somewhere between neo soul, R&B, and gospel. A Song For You celebrates the rich tapestry of Berlin's musical landscape while providing a critical platform for underrepresented voices. Working alongside the renowned Berlin-based producer S. Fidelity, the album features captivating collaborations with artists such as Theo Croker, Annahstasia, Moses Yoofee, Madison McFerrin, duendita, Brother Portrait, Jumoke Adeyanju, and more; as well as a vast array of artists that exist within the group such as Aka Kelzz, Johnny Kulo, MERON, zoud?, Nando The Native, Monica Mussungo, D.$ahin, and Lyriya. Berlin and now the world eagerly anticipates what A Song For You will bring next. This next step in their journey is surely set to take the world by storm. Home represents togetherness, vulnerability and collective joy.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: EZRDR 183CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"If one survived trips one through seventeen with one tiny speck of psychedelic sunshine intact, Brown Acid: The Eighteenth Trip will be the coming of age nightmare. Vintage underground '70s hard rock, coming at one from bizarre angles, local scene wasteland America when everybody was out for themselves and the drugs went bleak. The guitars kill, the attitude is twisted, even the sex is headed down the wrong road. Real people, no compromise, pure and potent. Get stoked, take The Eighteenth Trip and know that the artists will get paid for this soul pulverizing! Here's just some of the tracks included: Back Jack out of St. Louis, Missouri in 1974 launch the trip with 'Bridge Waters Dynamite.' It's an invocation to rock flashing on Mark Farner whooping up a Grand Funk crowd, then getting to the point quickly with berserk guitar assaults. Heavy riff with power chord stalks beneath as one takes their advice; get loose and blow up the past. Smokin' Buku Band dropped Riding Easy's jaw with the audacious track 'Hot Love,' coming on like some fractured fever dream burlesque of Led Zep, moves out of Hollywood in 1980. Swooping elongated vocals above, a total Zep chord move at the end of each verse. Writer/producer Steve Shauger aka Shag Stevens gets a brilliantly messed up sound quality here, the ideal polar opposite of slick. The extended guitar break is an epitome of serendipitously crude virtuosity, simply outrageous! Nothing better than an angry two chord guitar attack with cowbell to set the stage for this rant about getting 'Ripped Off' by love. Taken from their rare 1977 LP on Dynamite Records, Chicago Triangle was Marvey Esparza, Dave Guereca, Jose 'Tarr' Perez, and Robert Aguilera. They unleash such strong brain-scrubbing wah wah frenzy in the guitar break here that it seems to perversely mock its own intensity! Brown Acid: The Eighteenth Trip comes at one from all kinds of uncanny angles."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: EZRDR 183LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "If one survived trips one through seventeen with one tiny speck of psychedelic sunshine intact, Brown Acid: The Eighteenth Trip will be the coming of age nightmare. Vintage underground '70s hard rock, coming at one from bizarre angles, local scene wasteland America when everybody was out for themselves and the drugs went bleak. The guitars kill, the attitude is twisted, even the sex is headed down the wrong road. Real people, no compromise, pure and potent. Get stoked, take The Eighteenth Trip and know that the artists will get paid for this soul pulverizing! Here's just some of the tracks included: Back Jack out of St. Louis, Missouri in 1974 launch the trip with 'Bridge Waters Dynamite.' It's an invocation to rock flashing on Mark Farner whooping up a Grand Funk crowd, then getting to the point quickly with berserk guitar assaults. Heavy riff with power chord stalks beneath as one takes their advice; get loose and blow up the past. Smokin' Buku Band dropped Riding Easy's jaw with the audacious track 'Hot Love,' coming on like some fractured fever dream burlesque of Led Zep, moves out of Hollywood in 1980. Swooping elongated vocals above, a total Zep chord move at the end of each verse. Writer/producer Steve Shauger aka Shag Stevens gets a brilliantly messed up sound quality here, the ideal polar opposite of slick. The extended guitar break is an epitome of serendipitously crude virtuosity, simply outrageous! Nothing better than an angry two chord guitar attack with cowbell to set the stage for this rant about getting 'Ripped Off' by love. Taken from their rare 1977 LP on Dynamite Records, Chicago Triangle was Marvey Esparza, Dave Guereca, Jose 'Tarr' Perez, and Robert Aguilera. They unleash such strong brain-scrubbing wah wah frenzy in the guitar break here that it seems to perversely mock its own intensity! Brown Acid: The Eighteenth Trip comes at one from all kinds of uncanny angles."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: SODA 015LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Trash Can Lamb is a new solo album from Akron, OH-based multi-instrumentalist Keith Freund. For the better part of twenty years, Freund has been producing intimate, shape-shifting music on his own and as part of collaborative projects such as Trouble Books, Lemon Quartet, and Aqueduct Ensemble. Here, he concocts a heady, homespun broth of analog synthesis, bit-reduced sampling, piano, standup bass, saxophone, and location recordings, arriving at a loose and evocative set of songs. Throughout the album, listeners hear eight-bit experimental delays mangling airy acoustic materials, denaturalizing them into primitive loop structures while retaining their golden-hued, melodic cores. The sputters, hisses, and croaks of handmade electronics nuzzle up to wistful piano and saxophone ruminations; the pure pandemonium of chaotic triangle wave patching and filtered noise settles into the serenity of a backyard dusk full of spring peepers. It's in the space between the ragtag and rough-hewn and the romantic and yearning that Freund situates these compositions; it's a peek inside a workshop that sits atop the trees, branches scraping on the windows, bluejays who just won't knock it off, a table fan spinning slower and slower, its cheap blades covered in dust. All music by Keith Freund, with contributions by Linda Lejsovka, G.S. Schray, Steve Clements, and Corey Farrow. Mastered by Kassian Troyer at D&M. Art/design by Alex McCullough and Felix Luke.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SAB 110LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Steven R. Smith is a wildly consistent and self-sufficient auteur making epic music far beyond his monk-like solo recording practices. On Olive, one gets more of Steven R. Smith's singular vision and musicianship, this time filtered through ensemble arrangement largely performed by others -- an approach he's explored in recent years. A micro-orchestra of horn and woodwind players was enlisted, as well as other collaborators including Kate Wright (Movietone, 1000 Dawns) and Yvonne Sone. The stunning results call to mind Mark Hollis' eponymous solo LP and Gerald Busby's masterful 3 Women score, not only in terms of sonics or tone, but also in the use of space. Smith has explored many angles to soundtrack-like mood music, but there is a satisfying dark rock element to even his more refined chamber pieces. Smith's dusky post-punk signature, borrowed from Australian artists such as Rowland S. Howard and Crime & the City Solution, synthesizes with the mannered arrangements to push his familiar, evocative sound into new spaces."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SV 143C-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"To understand the significance of the word 'featuring' on Featuring Pharoah Sanders And Black Harold, consider how infrequently Sun Ra used it and the exact way it had been used. The October Revolution in Jazz, organized by Bill Dixon in the West Village in 1964, presented a vivid cross section of approaches to the new music, including a sextet led by Ra. For the October Revolution's continuation, titled Four Days in December, held at nearby Judson Hall on the last days of 1964, the Arkestra performance presented Pharoah Sanders as well as a flautist (who was and remained obscure thereafter) named Harold Murray, nicknamed Black Harold. It wasn't until long after Sanders had achieved worldwide acclaim with John Coltrane that Ra and manager Alton Abraham decided to issue the music they'd recorded at Judson Hall. After its first release in plain or hand-decorated covers in 1976, Featuring Pharoah Sanders And Black Harold remained an exceptionally rare item in the El Saturn discography, known to a few lucky collectors. Now on limited green vinyl."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SV 151LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Spacemen 3 began assembling their third album, 1988's Playing With Fire, at perhaps the freest, most confident point in their career. Recording began with the band road-tested and rugged, even amidst the functional volatility that famously motivated their course. The sessions' first offering came in the form of 'Revolution,' a single of heroic Stooges-devotion and the most commercially successful release the group had to date. High expectations for the album were soon exceeded, as Playing With Fire would become Spacemen 3's crowning studio achievement and cement their rightful place on the vanguard of otherworldly rock 'n' roll. An exquisite mix of stuttering tremolo guitars and wistful melodies, Playing With Fire sheds any trappings of revisionism and furnishes a nuanced grade of psychedelia. Epic entries like 'Suicide' (named after the notorious NYC band) and the mesmeric 'How Does It Feel?' catch Spacemen 3 at their celestial apex, the very point where their collective writing, performance and production would crest and wondrously splinter. Includes download card and new insert with liner notes by Marc Masters."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: SV 177EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "These songs were recorded a few months after the Los Angeles punk scene began. These five statements of intent transcend Punk and project forward into the future: to the analog synth wave of the late '70s and beyond, to the present day, four decades later, when they finally receive an official release. Sourced from the original reel-to-reels, they are a revelation compared to the countless copies that have been circulating by multiple generations of tape-traders. Here, for the first time, is the Screamers' initial and legendary manifesto. The Screamers concept was simple, yet audacious: take the spirit and the look of punk -- the pseudo-psychotic aggression, the spiky hair, vacant stares and barely concealed sadomasochism -- and match it to a different configuration than the typical '60s rock template. As launched, the Screamers featured two keyboard players (Tommy Gear and David Brown), a drummer (KK Barrett) and an intensely charismatic singer (Tomata du Plenty). The idea was to be confrontational -- to evoke (as Tomata described in an early interview) a state of anxiety. Forty years later, this release builds on the groundswell of interest in the Screamers that has been occurring in the early 21st century. There are web sites with detailed histories of the group and several bootlegs of demos and live material from 1977-79. The video of '122 Hours of Fear' -- perhaps their peak moment, recorded at Target Video in August 1978 -- has now passed over 650,000 views online. This is the Screamers' time, and the time is now." --Jon Savage (excerpt from the liner notes). Cover featuring artwork by Gary Panter.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SV 179LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "If your brain has a shortlist of bands that instantly evoke New Wave, Suburban Lawns deserve a slot right next to the likes of Devo, Talking Heads and the B-52's. After putting out two singles on their own Suburban Industrial imprint, the Lawns signed to I.R.S. Records and released their debut LP in 1981. While the band gained cult status thanks in part to a Jonathan Demme-produced music video which aired on Saturday Night Live, their self-titled album would sadly be the five-piece's only full-length statement. Suburban Lawns' asymmetrical aesthetic is personified by co-vocalist Su Tissue, whose mesmerizing stage persona was at once childlike and terrifying. Her unique style embodies the awkward/arty female singer of the Reagan era, while the group's male vocals -- courtesy of Frankie Ennui, Vex Billingsgate and John McBurney -- maintain the satirical themes of Southern California's postwar mirage of limitless sprawl. Suburban Lawns' catchiness can be attributed to their drum-tight performance and taut songwriting. Listen to the vocal trade-offs on 'Anything,' which could have easily come out on any purely punk label from LA at the time, while Tissue's deadpan delivery on 'Janitor' glides into the best art-warble this side of Lene Lovich, broaching the possibility of nuclear annihilation with a murmured 'Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom.' From a West Coast scene dominated by 7-inch singles and EPs, the Suburban Lawns' lone LP remains in a class with precious few. It's not surprising that they found acceptance in the Hollywood punk scene, despite their Long Beach roots, and would influence other bands such as Minutemen. This is not a disc that will get parked in your collection hoping to get pulled once in a while; this is a record you will play."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: SV 192LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Emerging out of Amsterdam's vibrant squat scene in 1979, The Ex -- a name chosen for the ease and speed with which it could be spray-painted onto a wall -- have for four decades been an entirely self-sustaining musical entity, charting a course through the global underground with a spirit of freedom and radical exploration. Blueprints For A Blackout, The Ex's fifth album and first double LP, combines caustic studio experimentations and loose songs from their gripping live-set at the time. The band consisted of singer G.W. Sok, guitarist Terrie Ex, two new recruits on bass, Luc and Yoke, and drummer Sabien Witteman, along with a plethora of guests including Mekons' Jon Langford and long-serving sound engineer Dolf Planteijdt, among others. Originally released in 1984 on the band's own Pig Brother Productions, Blueprints veers from jagged punk explosions to sharply focused improvisations featuring field recordings that would become a hallmark of their subsequent forays into free jazz and experimental music. The overall effect is not unlike the menace of a slowly building winter storm. Tracks like 'Rabble With A Cause,' 'U.S. Hole' and 'Scrub That Scum' stand out as exemplars of this phase of The Ex. Comparisons can be made to contemporaries Einst?rzende Neubauten, NoMeansNo, and Sv?tsox as well as later Crass label bands. This first-time vinyl reissue comes with 24-page booklet."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SV 193LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Emerging out of Amsterdam's vibrant squat scene in 1979, The Ex -- a name chosen for the ease and speed with which it could be spray-painted onto a wall -- have for four decades been an entirely self-sustaining musical entity, charting a course through the global underground with a spirit of freedom and radical exploration. On 1985's Pokkeherrie (Dutch for 'terrible noise'), The Ex return to the more stripped-down instrumentation on their early LPs. A key lineup change would also see the arrival of drummer Kat Bornefeld (whose supple rhythms propel the group to this day). Recorded at the new location of Koeienverhuur Studio in the basement of storied squat/venue Emma, Pokkeherrie is a testament to the angular momentum of a group in full creative flux. Right from the opening track, bassist Luc Klaasen generates a relentless pulse. Terrie Ex's sparse/acidic guitar and G.W. Sok's impassioned vocals combine in a vein similar to The Minutemen, Flipper, or Rudimentary Peni, except The Ex have the patience and wherewithal to sustain their approach beyond just brief explosions. Perhaps only The Fall from this period can match The Ex's ability to hold a melody together while utilizing otherwise harsh sonic elements over an extended piece, most effectively on 'Soviet Threat,' '1,000,000 Ashtrays,' and 'White Liberals.' This first-time vinyl reissue comes with 17" x 24" poster and 20-page booklet."

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: SV 196LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2024 repress. "By the early '70s, Milford Graves had more or less stopped gigging. Having learned his lesson the hard way in multiple-night runs like a legendary Slugs' residency with Albert Ayler, he knew that the level of energy that he put out during a performance would be difficult to sustain over the long haul. A concert was a kind of absolute ritual for him, after which he would be totally spent, emotionally and physically. Graves rarely left anything on the table. Any musical performance was an opportunity to present an amalgamated version of all the things he had learned. He was an innovator and a teacher at his core, and the concert venue was one of his first classroom settings. In March 1976, Verna Gillis invited Graves to perform on WBAI's Free Music Store radio show. For the date, he chose to present a trio lineup which he had been occasionally playing -- featuring two saxophonists who were dedicated to the drummer's vision. Hugh Glover is almost exclusively known for his work with Graves, while Arthur Doyle would gain exposure later for an obscure record that he made two years later, Alabama Feeling, which would become a highly collectable item among free jazz enthusiasts. Originally released in 1977, Babi remains one of Graves' most seminal recordings. The music played by the trio was ecstatic. Extreme energy music, buoyant and joyful. It relied on Graves' new way of approaching the drum kit, in which he had opened up the bottoms of his skin-slackened toms and eliminated the snare. Graves' art was always unblemished by commercial interests, and this album is its finest mission statement."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: SYR 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "While 1995's Washing Machine LP moniker was a thinly-veiled jab at the corporate aesthetic, their major label relationship was indeed a curious buzzpoint of talk on the street after their intake to DGC in 1990. The Anagrama EP became the first in a series of the SYR label's Perspective Musicales releases seemingly cementing Sonic Youth's connectivity to an increasing public awareness in experimental composers of the 20th century (French or otherwise). It was clear that both Sonic Youth's stature in progressive music, aided by now unlimited taperoll time thanks to a home base studio downtown established after their Lollapalooza stint, gave the band plenty of trailblazing time for their self-examination of untraveled avenues. Anagrama unfolds into nine minutes of delicate textures, starting with thick drone segueing into moments reminiscent of the post-crescendo flutter/comedown of 'Marquee Moon's' trail-out; Thurston, Lee and Kim's guitars all circling round each other taking delicate pokes and stabs before drifting into some post-rock rhythmic moves tapered with complementary percussive guidance from Steve Shelley. The finale track 'Mieux: De Corrosion' is a real pedal-palatte showcase. Here, Plutonian guitar wash flanges upwards to buoy a myriad of colorful eruptions of amp-spuzz, chopped up tone blasts and general confusion. Out of the blue, some metallic one-note choogle kicks in and threatens to explode into some Judas Priestly motion, before it all sputters into aural glass showers, clang, and finally a ferocious wave of more flange hiss that crashes down on a dime. This initial foray into SY's Perspectives Musicales series continued onward with releases featuring other co-conspirators, peaking with the ambitious 2CD Goodbye 20th Century that finally connects the band into full-on interpretations of other composers' pieces (as well as displaying their own new ones). The whole series is not so much an outlet for another 'side' of the band, but a run that went hand in hand building new approaches of songcraft onto their own, more overground direction which included Jim O'Rourke, adding additional density to A Thousand Leaves and other LPs of his era. Fans of the '86 Spinhead Sessions as well as the recently-exhumed later jams of In/Out/In will take in the sounds of SYR1 with glee."

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: TAL 031LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Garth Erasmus is an artist and musician based in Cape Town, South Africa. Threnody for the KhoiSan is his first album under his own name. Since 1985 his artistic interests have broadened to include music-making, designing and making his own instruments based on indigenous KhoiSan knowledge. From 1999 to 2012 he was a member of the South African First Nation activist group Khoi Khonnexion. In the past couple of years Garth Erasmus has also been a pivotal part of various international performance pieces and exhibition projects which brought him regularly to Europe. Most of these activities were developed and performed in collaboration with the Hamburg based band Kante and his band Khoi Khonnexion. His works in music are predominantly characterized by a restless quest for alternative forms of expression and materials including self-build instruments, field recordings or various electronic music devices. In this context the music on Threnody for the KhoiSan takes on a primal and metaphorical meaning. Rather than a formal, physical initiation, this process is more spiritually inclined, yet it is a spirituality which is consistently put into action. All instruments which appear on Threnody for the KhoiSan are products of a process of discovery starting from square one. All this is based and founded on the beauty of simplicity and minimalism as symbolized by the single string Khoisan musical bow and arrow as trance musical instrument. In this sense it soon became manifest for Garth Erasmus to combine the bow instruments with various electronic instruments. Besides developing his own unique language in music, he also shared an expressed interested in experimental sound aesthetics, avantgarde composition and free jazz. However, his non-academic approach towards sound and music was always fueled by the desire for a reconnection to the land and to the indigenous knowledge of the KhoiSan, whose struggle for First Nation status continues.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: TWCD 1053CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Rhythms recorded in Jamaica at Channel One Studio by Prince Far I. Reissue of this dub album recorded at Channel One in the early '80s and engineered by Scientist. This CD issue which will also include four tracks not on the original vinyl version.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: TARTALB 022LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The trailblazing German producer Max Graef is back, this time applying his sparkling flair and infectious appeal to the widescreen spectrum of psychedelic, starry-eyed jams of his third album, comfortably nestled into a bean bag in the backroom. Natural Element coincides with the tenth anniversary of his revered debut LP Rivers of the Red Planet (TARTALB 003LP), which remains a cherished high watermark for label and artist alike. It also serves to highlight how much time has passed, and how much has changed. 2018's follow-up Lo Siento Mucho Pero No Hablo Tu Idioma (TARTALB 009LP) was a step into many other musical approaches and made clear Graef didn't want to rest on the broad appeal of his earlier funked-up, jazz-sampling house sound. Natural Element is the sound of an artist more at ease with the parts of his legacy which hold true, and those he wants to let go of. But there absolutely is funk to be found on Natural Element. It's in the low-slung chill-out of "Sports (Is Good For You)" and the nagging synth-slap-bass underpinning "Around The Globe." But the glue which holds the album together across all kinds of tempos and energies is a shimmering, organic psychedelia -- dreamy chords and artful sonic brushstrokes which gleam out of the mix. It's a quality universal across the aqueous beauty of tropical breakbeat roller "We are the World (Test Drive)" and the cascading slo-mo ecosystem of album-opening double-act "Sound Bytes" and "Zitar." Casting one ear back to that landmark debut LP feels like listening to an entirely different epoch, not just for Graef but for music as a whole. What's heartening is that the magic which made Graef stand out back then is still absolutely present and correct in his new guise.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: TARTALB 023LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In a flurry of madcap sampling pitched towards the heat of the night, Pedro Zopelar builds on the premise of his 2022 electrofunk love letter Charme (TARTALB 018LP), shifting his approach towards a particular '90s flair and a method with a specific end result. Ritmo Freak took root in studio experiments for a momentous -- and rare -- live set at S?o Paulo festival N?o Existe in 2023, where Zopelar was caught up in one of those right-place, right-time moments. As he explains himself: "This album is dedicated to freaky club culture. While I was playing at the festival there was a crazy tropical storm outside and the room was packed with the freakiest crowd. I've tried hard to immortalize that feeling on this record." With the intended energy in mind, Zopelar focused on a particular mode of production centered around 12-bit sampling from his ample record collection. Considering his background as a trained pianist, here his musical instincts are forced to work within the limitations of short, snappy cuts from dusty 12"s. The lo-fi sound sources and the resourceful ways Zopelar works them gives the record an unmistakable old-skool flavor which he applies to forthright house, techno and electro funk rhythms, always taking care to draw out the soul of the music. The stylistic touchstones flow past thick and fast on Ritmo Freak. From the amped up fierceness of the title track with its gaudy, cut-and- paste, vintage techno flavor to the effervescent electro funk of "Gabriellinha's Boogie" on to the surreal Balearic inversion of "Distraction," this is a high-velocity, endlessly charming record bursting with the musicality Zopelar has made his name on. As the driving force behind many warehouse parties in S?o Paulo, Zopelar has been immersed in club culture for a long time, and his distinctive catalogue of jazz, funk, acid and techno has graced highly respected labels like Apron, Selva Discos and Mother Tongue. Throughout, he's displayed an affinity for the tangled roots of the groove with an open-eared, big-hearted sound. That's what comes through on Ritmo Freak -- a record as infectious as it is well-informed. Also featuring Gabto and Manuel Darquart.

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: WIRE 485

FILE UNDER: Misc

"On the cover: Tomeka Reid: The cellist, composer, improvisor and band leader goes from strength to strength across several creative projects. By Stewart Smith. Plus: KMRU: The Kenyan sound artist finds a new mode of listening on his collaboration with Kevin Martin. By Ilia Rogatchevski; Bodies In Motion: Dance and music collide in the creative worlds of Malik Nashad Sharpe, NWAKKE and Bianca Scout. By Emily Bick and Misha Farrant; Gordan: Folk songs of the Balkans plug into noise and industrial currents in this cross-continental trio. By Abi Bliss; Tongue In The Mind: DJ and conceptualist Juliana Huxtable joins forces with Jealous Orgasm and Via App to rock the club. By Claire Biddles; Invisible Jukebox: Karl Bartos: Will the ex-Kraftwerk man have had more fun computing The Wire's mystery record collection? Tested by Leah Kardos. Also inside this issue: Global Ear Belgrade; Unlimited Editions Notice Recordings; Unofficial Channels A Moon Age Daydream; The Inner Sleeve by Alison Cotton; Nick Dunston; Nika Son; Henry Birdsey; Sisso & Maiko; Epiphanies by Jim Staley; pages of reviews and much more."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: THRILL 606LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Aseethe, the trio of guitarist Brian Barr, drummer Eric Diercks, and bassist Noah Koester, carve their own path in the world of heavy music. A singular blend of seismic weight, mesmeric drone, and gripping tension is the Midwestern band's musical signature. Driven by an exploratory ethos, Aseethe warp sounds into emotionally potent songs that are as detailed as they are immense. The Cost is an album shadowed by devastating losses, a visceral study in aftermaths, centered around how life moves forward after personal and universal traumas. Recorded by acclaimed producer/engineer Sanford Parker (Pelican, Eyehategod, Yob, Voivod) at Electrical Audio in Chicago, The Cost is more focused and elaborate than anything the band have crafted before, expanding Aseethe's dynamic palette with more nuance and transforming their battering sound into cathartic arcs. A deft balance of abrasive textures surrounding a meditative core is a hallmark of Aseethe's sound, and on The Cost these qualities are amplified to the extreme. Says Barr, 'It's still down-tuned and heavy, but we were deliberately trying to make a record that uses our own musical language to make something that was representative of the musicians we are.' On The Cost, Aseethe's detailed textural movements and punishing guitar passages each carry considerable emotional resonance. The album is abounding in both the skillful arrangements and the poignance the songs deliver. It is a moving, singular and adventurous record by an iconic midwestern band who has always chosen the road less traveled."

 

PRICE: $27.00

CAT #: THRILL 606X-LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Color vinyl version. "Aseethe, the trio of guitarist Brian Barr, drummer Eric Diercks, and bassist Noah Koester, carve their own path in the world of heavy music. A singular blend of seismic weight, mesmeric drone, and gripping tension is the Midwestern band's musical signature. Driven by an exploratory ethos, Aseethe warp sounds into emotionally potent songs that are as detailed as they are immense. The Cost is an album shadowed by devastating losses, a visceral study in aftermaths, centered around how life moves forward after personal and universal traumas. Recorded by acclaimed producer/engineer Sanford Parker (Pelican, Eyehategod, Yob, Voivod) at Electrical Audio in Chicago, The Cost is more focused and elaborate than anything the band have crafted before, expanding Aseethe's dynamic palette with more nuance and transforming their battering sound into cathartic arcs. A deft balance of abrasive textures surrounding a meditative core is a hallmark of Aseethe's sound, and on The Cost these qualities are amplified to the extreme. Says Barr, 'It's still down-tuned and heavy, but we were deliberately trying to make a record that uses our own musical language to make something that was representative of the musicians we are.' On The Cost, Aseethe's detailed textural movements and punishing guitar passages each carry considerable emotional resonance. The album is abounding in both the skillful arrangements and the poignance the songs deliver. It is a moving, singular and adventurous record by an iconic midwestern band who has always chosen the road less traveled."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: THRILL 609CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"On The Healer, the new full length from the Northwest-based trio of guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom) bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) the group deepens its multi-faceted exploration into the parallel experiences of creation and destruction. Over the course of four tracks in 76 minutes, SUMAC present a sequence of shifting movements which undergo a constant process of expansion, contraction, corruption and regrowth. This musical methodology reflects the thematic nature of the record -- narratives of experiential wounding as gateways to empowerment and evolution, both individual and collective. The group's interpolation of melody, drone, improvisation, and complex riffing becomes a transmogrifying act embodying the depth of human experience. In its highest aspiration it mirrors the ability to endure mortal and spiritual challenges, through which people may emerge with an increased capacity for understanding, empathy, love of self and others. Dismal though the subterranean pits of The Healer may at first appear, from them can be felt the unwavering determination to embrace life, acknowledge interdependence, and honor the gift of existence."

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: THRILL 609LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. "On The Healer, the new full length from the Northwest-based trio of guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom) bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) the group deepens its multi-faceted exploration into the parallel experiences of creation and destruction. Over the course of four tracks in 76 minutes, SUMAC present a sequence of shifting movements which undergo a constant process of expansion, contraction, corruption and regrowth. This musical methodology reflects the thematic nature of the record -- narratives of experiential wounding as gateways to empowerment and evolution, both individual and collective. The group's interpolation of melody, drone, improvisation, and complex riffing becomes a transmogrifying act embodying the depth of human experience. In its highest aspiration it mirrors the ability to endure mortal and spiritual challenges, through which people may emerge with an increased capacity for understanding, empathy, love of self and others. Dismal though the subterranean pits of The Healer may at first appear, from them can be felt the unwavering determination to embrace life, acknowledge interdependence, and honor the gift of existence."

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: THRILL 609X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Clear color vinyl. "On The Healer, the new full length from the Northwest-based trio of guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom) bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) the group deepens its multi-faceted exploration into the parallel experiences of creation and destruction. Over the course of four tracks in 76 minutes, SUMAC present a sequence of shifting movements which undergo a constant process of expansion, contraction, corruption and regrowth. This musical methodology reflects the thematic nature of the record -- narratives of experiential wounding as gateways to empowerment and evolution, both individual and collective. The group's interpolation of melody, drone, improvisation, and complex riffing becomes a transmogrifying act embodying the depth of human experience. In its highest aspiration it mirrors the ability to endure mortal and spiritual challenges, through which people may emerge with an increased capacity for understanding, empathy, love of self and others. Dismal though the subterranean pits of The Healer may at first appear, from them can be felt the unwavering determination to embrace life, acknowledge interdependence, and honor the gift of existence."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: TO 069CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 restock. This is Phill Niblock's third release on the Touch label. Phill Niblock is a New York-based minimalist composer and multi-media musician and director of Experimental Intermedia, a foundation born in the flames of 1968's barricade hopping. He has been a maverick presence on the fringes of the avant garde ever since. In the history books Niblock is the forgotten Minimalist. His influence has had more impact on younger composers such as Susan Stenger, Lois V. Vierk, David First, and Glenn Branca. Touch Three is minimalism in the classic sense of the word, if that makes sense. Niblock constructs big 24-track digitally-processed monolithic microtonal drones, and the result is sound without melody or rhythm. Movement is slow, geologically slow. Changes are almost imperceptible, and his music has a tendency of creeping up on you. The vocal pieces are like some of Ligeti's choral works, but a little more phased. He says: "What I am doing with my music is to produce something without rhythm or melody, by using many microtones that cause movements very, very slowly." These nine pieces were made from March 2003 to January 2005. They were all made (except "Sax Mix") by recording a single instrument with a single microphone. The recordings were direct to the computer/hard disk, most of them using a Powerbook G4, Pro Tools, an M-box and an external firewire drive. The resulting mono sound files were edited to remove breathing spaces, leaving the natural decay of the tone, and the attack of the subsequent iteration of the same tone. Each note was represented by several repetitions, perhaps ten for each tone, of about 15 seconds duration each. Each piece uses a few tones. A simple chord, perhaps. Additional microtonal intervals were produced in Pro Tools using pitch shift. The pieces were assembled in multitracks, usually either 24 or 32 tracks. The recording environment varied from a simple apartment in Berlin (Ulrich Krieger's) to a very large hall used for symphony orchestra performances and recordings, with a sizable audience space. The recordings were generally done quite closely miked. One hears only the sound of the instrument. There is no electronic manipulation in the recording, the editing of the tones, or in the mix. The only changes to the recorded tones are the pitch shifts to create microtones...the microtones are doing the work.

 

PRICE: $37.00

CAT #: TEG 78504LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2024 repress. "There are very few albums across any genre that stand the test of time better than 93 'Til Infinity, the classic debut record from the Hieroglyphics crew's very own Souls of Mischief. In an era where gangsta rap and G-Funk dominated the West Coast rap scene, Souls broke ground on a completely unique and thoroughly west coast sound. While the Dr. Dre's and the Snoop Doggs were garnering much of the mainstream attention, Souls were quietly forging a charismatic, critically acclaimed, and cohesively shaped record that when categorized, sounded much closer to A Tribe Called Quest than N.W.A. The sound of their debut is characteristic of the distinct style explored by the collective, including a rhyme scheme based on internal rhyme and beats centered around a live bass and obscure jazz and funk samples."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: UR 151LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Sonic Behavior by Driftmachine & Ammer is an album exploring the origins of sound, noise, and various music genres. Alongside lyrical declarations of love for noise, the album delves into sonic reflections on how beauty and emotion emerge from mundane vibrations in the air. For the first time, the analog sound researchers of Driftmachine (Andreas Gerth, Florian Zimmer) incorporate spoken language and noise into their sound research. They have collaborated with word and sound artist Andreas Ammer, renowned for his radio plays with Acid Pauli, aka Console, or FM Einheit. In "The Siren Is A Simple Device," the words are spoken by 81-year-old musician and poet legend Ted Milton (Blurt, Loopspool). Despite its simplicity and obvious ability to produce high volumes, the siren has led a marginal existence as a musical instrument. Yet, it is capable of evoking the most intense emotional states in the listener in the shortest possible time, like almost no other sound-producing mechanism. Sonic Behavior capitalizes on this fact. The familiar hypnotic sounds of Driftmachine are accompanied by a siren organ inspired by the revolutionary Russian futurist Arsenij Avranov and built by Andreas Ammer, while the lyrics talk about the simple physical reasons behind the sound chaos that has just been unleashed. The core of the album is "Song To Noise," an electro-acoustic mini-symphony about the beauties of noise and all its producers, which is based on a poem by the British poet Deryn Rees-Jones and spoken by the poet herself and Alexander Hacke (Einst?rzende Neubauten, Hackedepicciotto). Driftmachine and Ammer develop a soundtrack that is as powerful as it is loud and danceable (which is why the LP also includes a textless version of the composition). "Sonic Sculpture" is the zenith of the work: a text/music track spoken by Ted Milton, which creates the possibility of a sound sculpture that encompasses the universe.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: UIHR 023LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Available on limited-edition transparent purple vinyl. Up In Her Room present Alber Jupiter's incredible second album Puis vient la nuit. Founded in Rennes in 2017, instrumental bass-drums two-piece Alber Jupiter draw inspiration from Berlin's '70s krautrock scene and Godspeed You! Black Emperor's hallucinatory post-rock to craft a unique soundscape. Their motorik rhythm wanders between plaintive delays and intergalactic reverbs. Magic happens immediately! Following the release of their stunning debut album We Are All Floating In Space, the band took advantage of the forced COVID break to compose and record a second album which sees them pursuing their psychedelic exploration. A looper, a few pedals and the journey becomes limitless! The bass morphs into guitars, trippy violins, screams, ethereal or distorted layers. The synths are also part of the adventure, completing the already rich sonic spectrum and propelling the band into new territories.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: UIHR 024LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Up In Her Room welcome the incredible Masal to the family! Masal is a collaboration between Al Johnson and Ozlem Simsek. Ozlem is a Turkish multi-instrumentalist whose middle eastern background is entwined with her western studies in classical music. Al performs psychedelic electronic music as Alien. As Masal they weave harp, Theremin and electronics into beautiful aural journeys. Having worked with legends such as Andy Bell and Mark Gardener of RIDE, and Sonic Cathedral, plus enjoyed radio play from the wonderful Simone Butler of Primal Scream on Soho Radio, and Mark Riley and Stuart Maconie on BBC 6 Music, UIHR are very excited for you to see what the pair have been cooking up. The Galloping Cat finds this unlikely pair of "neurodiverse nature lovers" collaborating on six meandering tracks of psychedelic grooves, electronic weirdness and motorik basslines mostly wordlessly exploring themes of self-discovery -- and it's stunning. Available on limited-edition pink vinyl, with only 250 copies pressed.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: UTR 164LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Truly psychedelic and damaged, Wolf Eyes favourite new group. "I was [working at a call center] a few months and at the time I reconnected with John Brennan who I had played with briefly in Montreal at the Mutek Festival. In Montreal, John was running an experimental music night at a burrito shop downtown called Garbage Night. While in Vancouver I began connecting with the music scene there and would go hang out with the Shearing Pinx lads who I think lived with Sydney the bass player at the time... Fast forward to today. 2024... John asks if I'll sit in with Earth Ball and I keep thinking about Earth Balance, the vegan butter everyone eats here. I brought my aching bones and my IPads on the beautiful ferry named the Queen of Oak Bay and out to Nanaimo BC, home of the nanaimo bar... [W]hen Earth Ball fire up the amps in Izzy and Jer's basement you can hear the voices of the ghosts hum through electrical lines and out the speakers, Kellen's hued feedback, Izy's sturdy basslines, Jer's paperbag guitar tone and rumble pack zaps, Liam's (aka the Kid) sheets of sound and Brennen's multidirectional drums. You wouldn't guess Earth Ball was auto-composing and from what my rat brain can tell -- the lyrics are improvised too... Improvising lyrics and singing them is the hardest thing to do in all of music... Izzy and Jer are pros. And their attitudes are pro too. The live show is scorched and without naming names they've been known to make headliners nervous. Lucky ones will get to see them live as they tour this beast of a record entitled It's Yours and I hope I'm one of them. But now you, fan of fun but totally fucked up music, have the opportunity to Ball with them thanks to Upset The Rhythm. Enjoy." --Alex Moskos, Montreal QC, Feb 2024. Limited 180g clear vinyl (500 copies worldwide). Matt finish sleeve with spot gloss detail, printed-inner sleeve, hand-painted art insert (by the band).

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: VHF 160LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Volume 3 of a set of collaborations between the prolific Argentine polymaths Reynols and the inescapable Acid Mothers Temple. Recorded in Buenos Aries on AMT's 2017 South American Tour, the music has identifiable sonic elements from both groups but ends up sounding like neither, with a surprising weightlessness that keeps things jammy and psychedelic until the final track's blustering rock. Taking up most of side one, 'Kicking Air Bricks' has a loose Gong/'70s Euro-classic vibe, with Satoshima Nani getting to swing on the drums in a way that isn't always part of AMT's steamroller, while the rest of the gang layers in abstract piano, percussion, glissando guitar, etc. 'Multiverse Turtle Reflex' closes the side with a thick drone coda. Side two starts with Miguel Tomasin's gentle vocal and organ accompaniment on 'Smelling Oneiric Asado' before the group gradually gathers momentum with Wolf's thick bass anchoring layers of clean and loose guitar interplay. 'Lemurian Tsunami Inside A Hat' is a 13-minute heavy rock epic, with the Reynols' guitars going head to head with Makota Kawabata's easily recognized interjections, ramping up into a riffy crescendo."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: WG 041EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress. It's been quite a while since Kerri Chandler released on Watergate Records. It was 2014 when he dropped his Watergate 15 mix (WG 015CD) and The Watergate Files EP (WG 016EP). "Checkmate" is the epitome of a Kerri Chandler classic and has all the makings of a timeless future classic. With bold, soulful keys and massive analog drums, "Checkmate" elevates any dancefloor's intensity to meteoric levels. Steve Rachmad remixes the original and delivers an incredibly soulful techno revision while Watergate mainstay Cinthie hands over an expertly crafted modern twist with classic appeal.

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: WSP 001CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

British post-rock legends Billy Mahonie return with their first new material in 24 years. Formed in the first wave of British post-rock alongside the likes of Mogwai in the late '90s, John Peel favorites Billy Mahonie return with the first new music from their original line-up. Whilst their debut album The Big Dig, released in 1999 on Too Pure Records, is considered a classic of the post rock genre, Billy Mahonie always crafted their intricate music with memorable hooks and melodies and performed it with energy and gusto. Field Of Heads sees the band returning with their classic original line-up of Gavin Baker (guitar), Howard Monk (drums), Hywell Dinsdale (bass and guitar), and Kevin Penney (bass and guitar). Whilst this line-up has been semi active for a few years, no new material came to fruition. Recorded over two long weekends on either side of the Covid 19 lockdowns, the band tracked at The Church studios, owned by their former collaborator and front of house engineer Paul Epworth, with senior engineer Luke Pickering at the controls, allowing Field Of Heads to quickly take shape. New single "Kaiju" gives the music world the first taste of Field Of Heads and right from the off, it's classic Billy Mahonie. Immediately bursting into life with the energy and melody that is so unique to their sound, Howard's driving drums thrust the music ahead as the guitars and synths weave their way around them. Intricate and shifting, but never at the expense of a tune that sticks in your head. Furthermore, Billy Mahonie now have their own label, Whistling Sam Projects. Also available on black vinyl (WSP 001LP) and blue color vinyl (WSP 001X-LP).

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: WSP 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. British post-rock legends Billy Mahonie return with their first new material in 24 years. Formed in the first wave of British post-rock alongside the likes of Mogwai in the late '90s, John Peel favorites Billy Mahonie return with the first new music from their original line-up. Whilst their debut album The Big Dig, released in 1999 on Too Pure Records, is considered a classic of the post rock genre, Billy Mahonie always crafted their intricate music with memorable hooks and melodies and performed it with energy and gusto. Field Of Heads sees the band returning with their classic original line-up of Gavin Baker (guitar), Howard Monk (drums), Hywell Dinsdale (bass and guitar), and Kevin Penney (bass and guitar). Whilst this line-up has been semi active for a few years, no new material came to fruition. Recorded over two long weekends on either side of the Covid 19 lockdowns, the band tracked at The Church studios, owned by their former collaborator and front of house engineer Paul Epworth, with senior engineer Luke Pickering at the controls, allowing Field Of Heads to quickly take shape. New single "Kaiju" gives the music world the first taste of Field Of Heads and right from the off, it's classic Billy Mahonie. Immediately bursting into life with the energy and melody that is so unique to their sound, Howard's driving drums thrust the music ahead as the guitars and synths weave their way around them. Intricate and shifting, but never at the expense of a tune that sticks in your head. Furthermore, Billy Mahonie now have their own label, Whistling Sam Projects.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: WSP 001X-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Blue color vinyl. British post-rock legends Billy Mahonie return with their first new material in 24 years. Formed in the first wave of British post-rock alongside the likes of Mogwai in the late '90s, John Peel favorites Billy Mahonie return with the first new music from their original line-up. Whilst their debut album The Big Dig, released in 1999 on Too Pure Records, is considered a classic of the post rock genre, Billy Mahonie always crafted their intricate music with memorable hooks and melodies and performed it with energy and gusto. Field Of Heads sees the band returning with their classic original line-up of Gavin Baker (guitar), Howard Monk (drums), Hywell Dinsdale (bass and guitar), and Kevin Penney (bass and guitar). Whilst this line-up has been semi active for a few years, no new material came to fruition. Recorded over two long weekends on either side of the Covid 19 lockdowns, the band tracked at The Church studios, owned by their former collaborator and front of house engineer Paul Epworth, with senior engineer Luke Pickering at the controls, allowing Field Of Heads to quickly take shape. New single "Kaiju" gives the music world the first taste of Field Of Heads and right from the off, it's classic Billy Mahonie. Immediately bursting into life with the energy and melody that is so unique to their sound, Howard's driving drums thrust the music ahead as the guitars and synths weave their way around them. Intricate and shifting, but never at the expense of a tune that sticks in your head. Furthermore, Billy Mahonie now have their own label, Whistling Sam Projects.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: WS 017LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Old Saw, the enigmatic New England collective led by Henry Birdsey (Tongue Depressor), return with their third long-playing record, Dissection Maps."It is not enough to trace the fields. The choreocartographic demands the casting of stone, a grassfire, a carnival; something with which to rupture the horizontality of existence and imagine the vertical. Earth is the eighth morning, folded against the week's work. The field is a line drawing of oblivion. The house is a forest in the shape of a womb. America is a quarry in the image of god." --Aidan Patrick Welby, 2024

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: YAI 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Repressed; USA tour forthcoming! The fifth album put out by Mohama Saz is a balance of primitive sound both organic and tribal with a flare of timeless psychedelic vanguard. Dystopian synths, chorus, percussion sustained by strong rhythms surround the sound of the electric Baglama Saz melodies. M?quina De Guerra is an instruction manual to escape the innocuous and the complacent and to keep fighting against the establishment. The record is oriented towards the south of Spain, as well as Eastern Europe, Anatolia, kaleidoscopic Kraut, Flamenco as well as music from the Andes and from North Africa. M?quina de Guerra forces the listener to fight against the international reactionary that wants to devour everything. Because each song contained in this record is its own world, and the new world is a M?quina de Guerra. The music of Mohama Saz is an enormous explosion of sound. For fans of Erkin Koray, Orkestra of Spheres, Triana, Sun Ra, Goat, Tinariwen, Las Grecas, or Neu. M?quina de Guerra has been produced by Carlos D?az and Mohama Saz. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by Carlos D?az at the El Cortijo de Santa Mar?a de la Vega (Granada, Spain). And with the original works of Oscar Rey Atellier on cover and back cover art, a Spanish painter based in Berlin. This album is published by YaiYai Records, limited to 300 copies.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: ZEDD 058CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Z Records are back with another instalment of badass funk from the disco era with Supafunkanova Vol. 3 which has been selected by prolific DJ, producer, remixer, and record collector, Woody Bianchi. Woody digs deep into his collection, compiling a high-quality album filled with lesser-known disco, funk, and boogie. As the title suggests, Supafunkanova focuses on the funkier end of the '70s and '80s, showcasing some of the bumpier grooves recorded in the disco era when even James Brown had to take notice of the Saturday Night Fever-inspired disco explosion. It will come as no surprise to hear some particularly hard to find gems have been unearthed here, and ones that aren't just rare and expensive (if you can even find a copy!) but genuinely merit being re-issued. With expansive sleeve notes by Woody himself to give you an in-depth insight to the music, artists, and personal discovery of each record. Z Records have been working on Vol. 3 for some time now as the first and second instalments were released way back in 2007 and 2015 respectively. It takes a while to put these albums together, tracking down the owners of these musical gems, finding the right image for the sleeve but it's finally come together. Double-CD version features Chosen Few, Nzimande All Stars, Together Band, The Firebolts, Night Force & The Tom Cats, Wylie, The Freex Machine, Joe & Lee, Pressure Point, Fuzz, Joe Pugliese, World, Aggression, Montreal, Satori, The Family Tree, The Headquarters, Raw Silk, The Movers, Cania, and John Blair. Double-LP version features Chosen Few, The Freex Machine, Nzimande All Stars, The Firebolts, Aggression, The Movers, World, Joe & Lee, Joe Pugliese, The Family Tree, Pressure Point, John Blair, The Headquarters, Wylie, Cania, and Montreal; gatefold.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: ZEDD 058LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Gatefold. Z Records are back with another instalment of badass funk from the disco era with Supafunkanova Vol. 3 which has been selected by prolific DJ, producer, remixer, and record collector, Woody Bianchi. Woody digs deep into his collection, compiling a high-quality album filled with lesser-known disco, funk, and boogie. As the title suggests, Supafunkanova focuses on the funkier end of the '70s and '80s, showcasing some of the bumpier grooves recorded in the disco era when even James Brown had to take notice of the Saturday Night Fever-inspired disco explosion. It will come as no surprise to hear some particularly hard to find gems have been unearthed here, and ones that aren't just rare and expensive (if you can even find a copy!) but genuinely merit being re-issued. With expansive sleeve notes by Woody himself to give you an in-depth insight to the music, artists, and personal discovery of each record. Z Records have been working on Vol. 3 for some time now as the first and second instalments were released way back in 2007 and 2015 respectively. It takes a while to put these albums together, tracking down the owners of these musical gems, finding the right image for the sleeve but it's finally come together.Double-LP version features Chosen Few, The Freex Machine, Nzimande All Stars, The Firebolts, Aggression, The Movers, World, Joe & Lee, Joe Pugliese, The Family Tree, Pressure Point, John Blair, The Headquarters, Wylie, Cania, and Montreal.