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Cover of Kerem Akdag LP by Kerem Akdag.

Kerem Akdag

Kerem Akdag LP

Dimensions Recordings

Dimensions Recordings' fifth release sees the label step into the world of the long player with Istanbul native, KEREM AKDAG's self-titled debut album.

Kerem has already been winning fans of the ilk of Gilles Peterson through his previous output of dusty house and tripped out beats in the last few years, and of course via his Getdownsoclose offering on Dimensions' debut release. His debut album however, sees Kerem deliver a mature piece of work, bright and timeless, equally effective in the club as it is at home and brimming with ideas, hooks and must have songs.

Across eight tracks Kerem demonstrates a breadth of skills that most artists would work a lifetime to achieve. From the stepping beats of When I Think Of You to his subtle vocal layers on Isolated and from the woozy beach vibes of Sultan to the squelching, rasping synths of Unite it's clear that there's very little that's outside of Kerem's arsenal. The album rounds out fittingly with Drums Please, which perfectly displays Kerem's jazz tendencies, a slow grooving track whose crescendo of stabs and drums create a song that's more powerful than its parts.

Kerem Akdag's debut album clearly sets out the stall for a man who has a lot to say and has the capability to say it loud! LISTEN UP!

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Cover of Back In This Sh!t by Kai Alce.

Kai Alce

Back In This Sh!t

NDATL

NDATL continues with new HOT tracks from the label's creator Kai Alcé. While Mr Alcé has been remixing on the regular, his own output has been minimal so it's refreshing to hear new material from the man himself. Alcé offers up 4 dope tracks "Back In This Shit" the title track reminiscent of 90's with updated flavor "Not" with it's warm keys & driving drums, the Sheed's Move ft Rasheed Ali on flute is underground like only Mr Alcé can provide & "Jam Tight" is a Detroit flavored burner! This 12" has something for all the vinyl pushers out there!

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Cover of 2 EP by Khalil Anthony & Damon Bell.

Khalil Anthony & Damon Bell

2 EP

Shadeleaf

Sheffield's Shadeleaf return, this time backed by a mightily strong US firm to construct this, their twelfth release to date. Damon Bell hails from Oakland and contributes to Deepblak Recordings. Known for his polyrhythmic, organic, and soul-filled musical releases on Deepblak Recordings & Sound Of Speed Records Japan, he has also scored critically acclaimed releases recently on Burek, Meda Fury, and Don't Be Afraid. This is collaborative EP with vocalist and friend Khalil Anthony and Sheffield's Thamanmonkz. Deepblak is further represented as Afrikan Sciences get drafted in on remix duty. "Anniversary" trickles off the wax with liquid keys and gushing arpeggios spilling through the mix. It sounds like Floating Points' favourite synth the ARP Odyssey. Anthony's vocals carry on like Robert Owens meets Charles Bradley, equal parts soul and grit. On "Black Magic" Anthony's vocals take a more west coast slant, as Damon Bell & Thatmanmonkz provide a thoroughly electric soundbed, full of rhythmic keyboard sequences, gurgling 303s and kinetic drum machines. Flip and "The Lesson" continues with the acidic approach, squelchy drum hits ricocheting against sturdy acid lines and hushed vocal sections. Possibly the deepest offering on the EP, save this bad boys til the early hours when the floors putty in your hands. Finally, "Anniversary" gets some Afrikan Sciences treatment, turning out one of their suitably disjointed offerings littered with percussion artifacts and a tribal sensibility.

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Cover of Champagne And Valium by Kevin Ayers.

Kevin Ayers

Champagne And Valium

Charly

    THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2017 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

    Kevin Ayers, the hugely influential and much-loved British singer-songwriter, founder member of Soft Machine and free spirit, died on 18th February, 2013. Thirty years previously, Kevin released his controversial album 'Diamond Jack And The Queen Of Pain' from which the two stand-out songs, the chillingly beautiful 'Champagne and Valium' and the driving electronica of 'My Speeding Heart' were released as a single by Charly Records.

    Exclusively for Record Store Day 2017, both tracks have been cut directly from the recently discovered original Audiofilm Studios analogue master tape by Matt Colton at Alchemy Studios and pressed on "champagne" coloured vinyl and released as a strictly limited edition 7-inch single. The single features a full-colour picture label of Kevin while the picture sleeve adapts the original Charly sleeve with beautiful imagery from the singer's home in Deià.

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    Cover of Joy Of A Toy by Kevin Ayers.

    Kevin Ayers

    Joy Of A Toy

    Harvest

      After leaving Soft Machine in 1969 Kevin Ayres returned from composing new songs in Ibiza to London to record sessions that eventually became his classic debut album "Joy Of A Toy". It's his characteristically eccentric mix of lyrical ballad ("Lady Rachel"), the psychedelic ("Stop This Train (Again Doing It)" with a mad organ solo from Mike Ratledge) and on "Song For Insane Times" true progressive rock with the Soft Machine providing the backing track. This remastered edition now features six rare tracks including the long lost session featuring Syd Barrett on guitar on Ayers's aborted debut single "Religious Experience (Singing A Song In The Morning)".

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      Reduced Cover of Sunshine Stereo Remixes - Inc. Bonnie & Klein Remix by Kenneth Bager Experience.

      Kenneth Bager Experience

      Sunshine Stereo Remixes - Inc. Bonnie & Klein Remix

      Music For Dreams

      Copenhagen’s Music For Dreams continues its run of great releases with a tasteful 12 inch from label boss Kenneth Bager who presents four on-the-money remixes of his single "Sunshine Stereo" taken from forthcoming album "Follow The Beat". Currently enjoying heavy rotation on P3 (Denmark’s answer to Radio One), this summery anthem gets makeovers from Denmark’s Jazzbox, Greek duo Bonnie & Klein and from Mr Bager himself who teams up with Napoli-born producer extraordinaire Tuccinelli to give us not only a superb extended vocal mix but also an on-fire dub version of the track that’s sure to be a future classic both for the Balearic brigade and all lovers of funky downtempo dubbed-out weirdness. Treading the same territory as the fabulous Frankie Knuckles’ ‘Hallucinogenic’ mix of "Ain’t Nobody", this dub is full of tricks, teasing and pleasing the dancefloor and already getting strong support from Moonboots, Amnesia legend Leo Mas and Danish DJ Peter Visti. Elsewhere Jazzbox deliver a great uptempo beach boogie version full of soul and groove making great use of the unmistakeable voice of Damon Scott, known for his work with Storm Queen, while Bonnie & Klein produce a very special percussive jazzy dub mix. The pair are on a roll at the moment and this remix with its warm marimba vibes creates that Mediterranean vibe we all love. A real sun-soaked winter warmer, this 12” feels like a knitted sweater in the cold! Limited vinyl.

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      Cover of Autora by Kris Baha.

      Kris Baha

      Autora

      Cocktail D'Amore

      Currently starting basement fires in his new home of Berlin, Melbourne's master of all things Industrial/EBM, Kris Baha, takes a break from his Power Station/Power Cuts duties to drop a snorter for his now local Cocktail D'Amour. Intensely disturbed, sleazy and dirtier than Martin's brew mug, title track "Autora" begins life as a classic EBM cut, rattling our ribs with tough machine beats and a throbbing bassline. Getting weirder as it romps on, "Autora" barks with distorted fx oddities perfectly mashed to an involving balance. "Brink Reality" drops the tempo but up the creep factor, lacing the groove with all manner of mechanical critters. Disembodied vocals whisper and snarl adding a touch of menace, while the occasional break into swooning, synth flute sees us soar into the stars for a brief moment of respite. The beatless "Happiness Disaster" is at once space-aged, scary and cinematic, while B-side opener "10Ways" is a thunder bolt of crushing steel, bouncing percussion and a vocal worthy of Front 242 or Cabaret Voltaire. Closing the EP on a romantic and sweet note, "Start Over" is an italo/wave hybrid ballad tinged with hope and brightness, certain to get some love from the Red Laser massive.

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      Cover of Can't Keep The Fact by Kris Baha.

      Kris Baha

      Can't Keep The Fact

      Pinkman

      Kris Baha with a colon rupturing, five track assault of EBM, darkwave and experimental electronics. Sharing a same industrialized edge, spine-chilling atmospheres and reverb-laden vocals meet juddering low end arps and crashing gated drums. Intoxicating and nihilistic, brutalist workouts for the tuffer and seedier end of the spectrum. Recommended! 

      STAFF COMMENTS

      Matt says: Doning black eyeliner and goth boots, this industrialized chugger from Kris Baha is the kind of strung out tension that freaks on the continent go crazy for.

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      Cover of Sapropelic Pycnic by Ka Baird.

      Ka Baird

      Sapropelic Pycnic

      Drag City

        ‘Sapropelic Pycnic’ is the Drag City and world debut of music presented under the name of Ka Baird. While this record is a commencement of many sorts, it is in no way a mere beginning. Ka’s ritual is well underway here, her craft clearly already a dedicated mastery; it finds her on the hunt for new discoveries with a humble desire for the transfigured, the sublime.

        This has been among the goals since early times, when Ka was one of the founding members of experimental psychlings Spires That In The Sunset Rise. Formed in 2001 out of the Chicago scene and described by late guitar legend Jack Rose as a “female Sun City Girls,” Spires’ sisterhood of sound deepened the New Folk slant with an array of avant- and world-flavoured directions drawing them ever further into the source.

        Ka relocated to NYC in late 2014 and immediately embarked upon new directions - exploring piano improvisations, electroacoustic intervention, extended vocal technique, physical movement and the electronic processing of her flute playing. The singular force that is Ka is represented on two releases under the Sapropelic Pycnic name - the improvised piano album ‘See Sun Think Shadow’ (released in November 2015 on Brooklyn’s Perfect Wave imprint) and the Coltrane tribute ‘A Love Supreme’ (on Chicago’s No Index label in January 2016).

        With the release of ‘Sapropelic Pycnic’, Ka manifests an evolving selfhood, expanding upon the essence of her first two albums’ artist name, while replacing and thus becoming that name on her own. ‘Sapropel’ is a contraction of the ancient Greek words sapros and pelos - putrification and mud. ‘Pycnic’ draws from pyknos - dense; stocky. This wordplay is meant to suggest a physical consumption, ingesting of the nutrient-rich mud found at the bottom of seas, lakes and rivers. Very much akin to the gorging of this metaphorical sludge, on ‘Sapropelic Pycnic’, Ka Baird imbibes sounds to provoke unseen forces within the wilds of her own unconscious, then brings them into the play.

        Emphasizing breath, via voice and flute, ‘Sapropelic Pycnic’ is a possession, a physical catharsis, a transformation, comprised of burry, guttural rhythms, loops and clusters of flute figures with gliding vocal and synth melodies. Reaching toward the ancient roots of music, Ka utilizes electronic manipulation to take the ear past preconception, combining the linearity of the physical with the abstraction of the cerebral, crafting textural rhythmic noise alongside lush operatic passages, containing multitudes.

        Conceived live as a series of solo vignettes and played that way by Ka (featuring contributions from Max Eilbacher - electronics, Sandy Gordon - vibraphone and Troy Schaefer - violin), ‘Sapropelic Pycnic’ draws from primordial ooze and raises high a sacrifice to the immemorial concept of the sacred, citing Chris Hedges in ‘The Power Of Imagination’: “A society that loses its respect for the sacred, that ignores its oracles and severs itself from the power of human imagination, ensures its obliteration.”

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        Cover of You & Me by Kevin Barker.

        Kevin Barker

        You & Me

        Gnomonsong

        "You & Me" is Kevin Barker's debut album, released by Gnomonsong. Though it's his first solo release under his own name, Barker's no newcomer to the scene - he's spent the last few years recording, touring, and collaborating with Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Vashti Bunyan, Vetiver, Antony and the Johnsons, and Espers, to name just a few. Essentially acting as everyone's favourite sideman, Barker has influenced and helped create a sound with which this generation is happily familiar. During his college days, Barker became interested in the finger-style guitar playing of John Fahey and Bert Jansch and began to record under the name Currituck County. This solo project (sometime a duo with Vetiver / Espers drummer Otto Hauser) recorded albums for Teenbeat Records, Troubleman Unlimited, and the UK's Track and Field Organisation. Now Barker has assembled an unbelievable group of musicians for "You & Me". The album features Pat Sansone (Wilco), Joanna Newsom, Jonathan Wilson (Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis), Eric Johnson (Shins, Fruit Bats), and Otto Hauser (Vetiver, Espers). Full of sunny, rural country rock, "You & Me" recalls the rustic grooves of The Band and The Grateful Dead, the heady melancholy of Roy Harper, and the golden harmonies of CSNY.

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        Reduced Cover of Life (2016) by Karl Bartos.

        Karl Bartos

        Life (2016)

        Trocadero

          Advance vinyl 7" single, announcing the re-release of Karl Bartos’ 'Communication' album, originally released in 2003. A classically trained percussionist and keyboard player, Karl Bartos was a key member of Kraftwerk's classic line-up between 1975 and 1990 "the second from the left". As you would expect from the man responsible for co-writing Kraftwerk masterpieces such as ‘The Model’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Numbers’ or ‘Pocket Calculator’ - which have gone on to shape the current musical world as we know it, electronic or otherwise ,the album 'Communication' often referred to as the artist’s 'Lost Album' - contains plenty of melody-driven numbers that operate in a dual universe of pop and electronica. Thirteen years down the line, Bartos is re-releasing his first real solo album now complete with a pristine re-mastering. The lead single ‘Life’ perhaps being the most perfect representation of this: 'Finally, I have to get on with my life' he sings. Lyrically it speaks volumes but sonically it almost seems to pay a return thank you to New Order in its breezy, harmonious yet infectious structure. New Order being a group clearly in admiration of Bartos’ work in and out of Kraftwerk and also in which the pair (Bartos and Bernard Sumner) would work together under the guise of Electronic, along with Johnny Marr in 1996.

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          Cover of Lighght by Kishi Bashi.

          Kishi Bashi

          Lighght

          Joyful Noise Recordings

            Violinist, singer, and composer Kishi Bashi releases his new album. The album entitled “Lighght” (pronounced “Light”) continues and expands the sound of his critically acclaimed debut, “151a” - which earned Kishi Bashi the *title* of “Best New Artist” by NPR. Since the profoundly successful release of “151a” two years ago, Kishi Bashi has toured relentlessly, captivating audiences across the globe with his loop-based live show, and fostering a groundswell of devotees. “151a” was crafted over a four-year period while Kishi Bashi was touring and recording with Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and of Montreal (where he was a full-time member and co-producer). In late 2012, after the success of “151a”, Kishi Bashi decided to focus solely on his own music and began composing the new material which has become “Lighght”. “Lighght” takes its title from the one-word poem by minimalist poet Aram Saroyan.

            As Kishi Bashi explains, “The poem’s blatant assault on literary convention and classical form was attractive to me.” It is apparent that such an approach informed the new album, which has both broadened and redefined his classical foundations. “Though I have studied classical composition, I prefer to take an unconventional path when it comes to creating and thinking about music,” says Kishi Bashi. Though violin remains his primary instrument and songwriting muse, Kishi Bashi has expanded his palette to include more diverse and nuanced instrumentation. Bright and soaring avant-pop songs are prevalent, as are Eastern-tinged arrangements, gentle ballads, Philip Glass inspired improvisations, and more than a few moments that flirt with 70s prog (in the tradition of ELO or Yes). If this sounds jarringly kaleidoscopic, that’s because it is. But it works. Listen and see.

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            Cover of Introducing Karl Blau by Karl Blau.

            Karl Blau

            Introducing Karl Blau

            Bella Union

            On ‘Introducing Karl Blau’, released by Bella Union, the enigmatic vocalist charts a new vision of country music. A Northwest indie hero, Blau channels darkness and hope in a cinematic collection of Nashville country hits from the 60s and 70s.

            Produced by Tucker Martine, the record features performances by Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Laura Veirs, Jon Hyde, Eli Moore (Lake), Steve Moore (Earth, SunnO))), among others.

            It all started with cutting a 7” single, a cover of the 1969 Tom T Hall hit ‘That’s How I Got To Memphis’. Blau, whom Martine had come to know from sessions with Laura Veirs among others, asked if he could try singing it. “I knew what a special artist Karl was, but I had no idea what a powerful interpreter of songs he was,” Martine says. The collaboration, pairing Blau’s deeply sonorous voice with Martine’s warm, modern arrangements, recast the Nashville hit in a new light. “He was able to communicate the essence of the song in such a moving way that we started dreaming of making a whole record based around our excitement for that collaboration.” The result was the single and, now, ‘Introducing Karl Blau’.

            FORMAT INFORMATION

            Coloured LP Info: The LP format is pressed on blue vinyl and includes a
            digital download code.

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            Cover of Nature's Got Away by Karl Blau.

            Karl Blau

            Nature's Got Away

            K Records

            Though born, raised and even presently living in the 'smallness' of Northwest Washington's Skagit Valley, Karl Blau's sound could be described as a melting pot of the world's last 50 years of cultures, styles and periods. That said, in "Nature's Got Away", Blau sings less with the world in mind. Instead he invites you, the listener, into his fold - into his village. Then as a tribe member, you are beckoned to sit by the fire and hear accounts of travel, tales of the town, and even partake in the spiritual lore unique to you the autochthonic.

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            Cover of Out Her Space by Karl Blau.

            Karl Blau

            Out Her Space

            Bella Union

              Sequestered away in rural bliss, 90 minutes north of Seattle on the Washington state coast, Karl Blau has been making records for 20 years but never with European distribution. So, when Bella Union released ‘Introducing Karl Blau’ in 2015, it shone a belated and deserved light on “one of the great hidden treasures of music,” claimed album producer Tucker Martine.

              However, given ‘Introducing’s specific agenda - a set of gorgeous, lush cover versions drawing mostly on vintage Nashville’s country-soul with Blau concentrating on his rich, reverberating voice - his latest album ‘Out Her Space’ is so different that it could be titled ‘Reintroducing Karl Blau’.

              ‘Out Her Space’ features Blau’s own material, production and multi-instrumental skills and forges a gorgeous, languid and hook-infested gumbo of soul, funk, some jazzy blowing and Afro-pop, to arrive somewhere else entirely. Or as the Secretly Important blog says of Blau: “He manages to find what’s unique about a genre and throws it against the wall like a fist full of wet noodles; over and over, until what’s stuck is a unique genre amalgam.”

              The album also testifies to Blau’s studio skills, as he captures the glimmering, humid depths of those sweltering southern influences, despite his north-western heritage. But then Blau has engineered and produced a heap of records for himself and others, often at his home in Anacortes, releasing records on Washington’s favourite indies K and Knw-Yr-Own, as well as through his own Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society subscription service.

              FORMAT INFORMATION

              Coloured LP Info: Limited edition red vinyl.

              Coloured LP includes MP3 Download Code.

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              Cover of Zebra by Karl Blau.

              Karl Blau

              Zebra

              K Records

              Listening to Karl Blau's albums and trying to describe what you hear is like walking through a local farmer's market and describing all the vegetables grown in that area. The common thread running through Blau's records is a love felt for homegrown music. Most anyone can sense the passion this cultivator has for his trade. In a world of instant access to musical cultures near and far, Blau overtly mirrors African musical influences with hints of blues, soul and rock steeped in l'herbe de Northwest and he calls it "Zebra". This striped burro was birthed in the trusty analog setting of Dub Narcotic Studios in Olympia, Washington. For "Zebra" Blau explored the frontiers of folklore, adding one instrument at a time (drum, guitar, bell, keys, saxophone, flute, piano) in an organic process of response to this confluence of sounds. A restless thinker, Blau is adept at imaginative and sweet songs about education, work, love and society. Blessed with an expressive and gentle baritone, Blau asks the eternal question: 'what's next?' Every generation has its own revolution and we need heartfelt music now as much as ever.

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              Cover of Everything I Own by Ken Boothe.

              Ken Boothe

              Everything I Own

              Music On Vinyl/Trojan

              Arguably the finest Jamaican soul singer of his generation, Ken Boothe burst onto the international stage when his sublime rendering of Bread’s melancholic "Everything I Own" topped the UK charts in the autumn of 1974. Within months of this success, the native-born Kingstonian returned to the national listings with the captivating “Crying Over You”, which made number 11 later that year. To coincide with the release of the latter, Trojan Records released this album, "Everything I Own"; a supremely soulful collection that featured his two international hits alongside a number of sublimely produced songs, cut in both Jamaica and the UK. Unavailable on vinyl since ‘74, this essential LP is now available on the format for which it was created, with the use of the original analogue masters and artwork ensuing complete authenticity. A must for all Ken Boothe fans and those who like their reggae sweet and soulful. 

              FORMAT INFORMATION

              Coloured LP Info: 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
              FIRST 750 NUMBERED COPIES PRESSED ON
              ORANGE VINYL

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              Cover of Freedom Street by Ken Boothe.

              Ken Boothe

              Freedom Street

              Real Gone

                First-ever vinyl reissue of the classic 1970 album from Mr. Rock Steady! Ken Boothe was the most soulful singer of the rocksteady era, often likened to a Jamaican Wilson Pickett, and his mid-’60s recordings for Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s Studio One label were and are among the genre’s most coveted sides.

                In 1970, he moved to Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s imprint for this album, which continued his string of hits with the songs “Why Baby Why,” “Now I Know,” and the title tune, “Freedom Street.”

                FORMAT INFORMATION

                Coloured LP Info: Limited red & yellow swirl vinyl - 300 copies only.

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                Cover of Inna De Yard by Ken Boothe.

                Ken Boothe

                Inna De Yard

                Wagram

                A famous French chemist and philosopher once said, 'Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed'. Does the same apply to music? From Mozart to Serge Gainsbourg, the greatest creators have always drawn on the works of their predecessors and contemporaries, before becoming influences themselves. So yes, music is about influence, borrowing from others, covering songs and... performing. This is particularly true of Jamaica, where producers record the same hit several times, performed by different singers. Artists cover - and sometimes change - other people's songs, and the public and producers have always looked to their American neighbours for inspiration, drawing from its catalogue. In this respect, Ken Boothe is definitely a very Jamaican artist. The first track on his new album (his first for 25 years, at least internationally), "Speak Softly Love", has a back story that perfectly illustrates this aspect of music. The song is known for having been written by Italian composer Nino Rota (lyrics by Larry Kusik) for the film "The Godfather" by Francis Ford Coppola. The original soundtrack became legendary at the time but was disqualified from its category at the Oscars: Nino Rota had already used the theme in another film twenty years before!1 What's even more intriguing is that this famous theme tune was itself borrowed from... Verdi's opera "La forza del destino". Ken Boothe covered the song in 1974, two years after the film's release, presumably inspired by Andre Williams's version in the USA. Suggested and produced by the brilliant Jamaican musician and producer Lloyd Charmers, it was released on Ken's best-selling album in England: "Everything I own". The singer put his own personal spin on it, showing how the quality of the performer can give music and lyrics a new lease of life and make them universal. More than forty years later, on the terrace of a house in the open air, he recreates the magic and transports us once again with this acoustic version: there's no doubt, he truly is 'the Godfather'. Like his contemporary Bob Marley, with whom he took his first steps in the studio, Ken Boothe was heavily influenced by great American soul singers. Like him, he successfully covered a number of hits. And while the future global reggae star was linked to Curtis Mayfield, Ken himself was compared to Wilson Pickett. But far from contenting himself with imitation, his inspirations fuelled his creativity. An iconic voice of ska, he was also a big name of the style that followed, and preceded reggae: "Rocksteady". To the point that he was crowned "Mr Rocksteady" on the eponymous album released in 1968. And so, from a fascination for American music, Ken Boothe helped craft new musical styles introduced by Jamaica to the world, rewriting the history of their country as well as that of music. While he is this historical figure of Jamaican music, and while he is undoubtedly one of the greatest performers of love songs on the island, whose charm and sentiment he expresses so well, Ken Boothe is nonetheless imbued with Rasta culture, having seen its birth and spent his life alongside it. Without having shown it ostensibly at the time of reggae roots, when each artist proudly lay claim to dreadlocks, ganja and rasta militancy, the great Jamaican singer is nevertheless a fervent rasta, in a more intimate capacity.



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                Cover of Just U And Me by Kingsley Bucknor.

                Kingsley Bucknor

                Just U And Me

                Left Ear Records

                Left Ear's procession of perfection continues with a long-awaited reissue of Kingsley Bucknor's Nigerian synth winner "Just U And Me". After cutting his teeth playing with Fela in the 70’s and releasing two Afrobeat LPs on his own, Kingsley travelled the globe before landing in London. Booking into Audiovisual studio in Chelmsford, Kingsley laid down 6 distinctive electro-funk tunes inspired by both African rhythms and music he’d heard through his travels in the States and in Europe. Originally issued on Kinglsley’s own KAB records in ’85 and according to Kingsley the release was well received at the time, but due to constraints of international marketing the record remained mostly unknown outside of his homeland. Fast-forward to 2017 and the stage is set for a new global audience to appreciate the distinct sound of KB. Musically, the set offers nods to MJ's 'Off The Wall' (check out the upbeat boogie of 'Someone Is Talkin' & Shoutin'), West End classics and Ashford & Simpson, while retaining that stretched and spangled sound you only find in African disco...


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                Cover of Risin' To The Top by Keni Burke.

                Keni Burke

                Risin' To The Top

                Expansion

                It's been 35 years since legendary soul smoocher "Risin' To The Top" was first released, yet it sounds every bit as timeless as ever on this new Expansion pressing. Perhaps that's because this cut has such a mega mellow groove that producer's can't help but sample it. Mary J Blige, LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh, 50 Cent and KRS-One have all worked their magic with this Keni classic, but none have ever topped the OG. Killer bass, soulful vocals and that fluttering flute just do the trick every time. This 7” version is also now extremely rare, original copies exchanging hands at vast sums. “Hang Tight” also comes from the 1982 “Changing” album, and was the original B-side to the first UK issue of “Risin’ To The Top”


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                Reduced Cover of Before The Dawn by Kate Bush.

                Kate Bush

                Before The Dawn

                Fish People

                In March 2014 Kate Bush announced plans to perform 15 shows in London in August and September that year, her first live shows since 1979. The shows sold out so quickly that a further 7 were immediately added, with all shows selling out in 15 minutes. Kate’s own website crashed with the demand.
                 
                The first night of the shows prompted a complete media frenzy with the Evening Standard declaring that the show was “an extraordinary mix of magical ideas, stunning visuals, attention to detail and remarkable music – she was so obviously, so unambiguously brilliant, it made last night something to tell the grandchildren about.”
                 
                Later that year the show won the special Editor’s award at the highly prestigious London Theatre Awards, the only contemporary music show to do so.

                The live album “Before The Dawn” will be released on CD and vinyl – 3 CDs and 4 vinyl. The conceptual heart of the show is reflected in the CD format, which is split over 3 discs centred around the two integral pieces – ‘The Ninth Wave’ and ‘A Sky Of Honey’.
                 
                CD1 ends with the pivotal track ‘King Of The Mountain’ which bridges into ‘The Ninth Wave’ suite of songs on CD2.

                The album was produced by Kate Bush. Nothing on the record was re-recorded or overdubbed.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Barry says: A complete and beautifully presented collection of Bush's greatest hits, all presented in the context of an internationally renowned and heralded 2014 live show. Brilliantly visceral, fantastically performed genius from one of the forebears of modern pop music.

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                Reduced Cover of Before The Dawn by Kate Bush.

                Kate Bush

                Before The Dawn

                Fish People

                In March 2014 Kate Bush announced plans to perform 15 shows in London in August and September that year, her first live shows since 1979. The shows sold out so quickly that a further 7 were immediately added, with all shows selling out in 15 minutes. Kate’s own website crashed with the demand.
                 
                The first night of the shows prompted a complete media frenzy with the Evening Standard declaring that the show was “an extraordinary mix of magical ideas, stunning visuals, attention to detail and remarkable music – she was so obviously, so unambiguously brilliant, it made last night something to tell the grandchildren about.”
                 
                Later that year the show won the special Editor’s award at the highly prestigious London Theatre Awards, the only contemporary music show to do so.

                The live album “Before The Dawn” will be released on CD and vinyl – 3 CDs and 4 vinyl. The conceptual heart of the show is reflected in the CD format, which is split over 3 discs centred around the two integral pieces – ‘The Ninth Wave’ and ‘A Sky Of Honey’.
                 
                CD1 ends with the pivotal track ‘King Of The Mountain’ which bridges into ‘The Ninth Wave’ suite of songs on CD2.

                The album was produced by Kate Bush. Nothing on the record was re-recorded or overdubbed.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Barry says: A complete and beautifully presented collection of Bush's greatest hits, all presented in the context of an internationally renowned and heralded 2014 live show. Brilliantly visceral, fantastically performed genius from one of the forebears of modern pop music.

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                Cover of The Whole Story by Kate Bush.

                Kate Bush

                The Whole Story

                Parlophone

                  "The first compilation of highlights from Kate Bush's work is still one of the better ways of getting introduced to her music, even 20-plus years after its original release. Bush made a special effort on behalf of this collection - originally an LP - by re-recording and remixing her debut hit "Wuthering Heights"; she felt that her teenaged vocal didn't properly represent the song and, in fact, at one point thought to re-do the vocals on several other of the early numbers included. The collection is an excellent overview, presenting the many sides of her music, and bookending her whole career through 1984, from her debut to her then newest single, "Experiment IV"; nor is it confined exclusively to major hits, as important lesser-charting entries are also featured." - All Music.

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                  Cover of Dream Memory by Ken Camden.

                  Ken Camden

                  Dream Memory

                  Kranky

                  Guitarist Ken Camden returns for his third solo album, continuing his explorations to seek out new techniques and sounds from the electric guitar. By utilizing both a steel slide and e-bow technique, Camden has moved into micro-tonal territory to bridge the textural gap between guitar and synthesizer while examining their inherent differences.

                  The palette is further broadened by introducing an organic vocal sampling machine described as a Vocaltron. Much like a Mellotron, vocal samples (contributed by Emily Elhaj and Angel Olsen) are chromatically organized in half steps from the lowest note to the highest possible. Each set is specific to the contributor's range and each note is unedited to keep all original characteristics of that particular individual's voice. This organized organic information adds a contrast to the electric guitar and synthesizer arrangements on the album.

                  The development of all of these systems gives Dream Memory a diversity throughout its tracks while maintaining an atmospheric bond that weaves the ideas into a thematic whole. 

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                  Cover of I Had Myself A Nuclear Spring by Kate Carr.

                  Kate Carr

                  I Had Myself A Nuclear Spring

                  Rivertone

                  Kate Carr has been investigating the intersections between sound, place and emotionality both as an artist and a curator since 2010. Her work has taken her from the Arctic Circle to the borderlands of South Africa, with stops in rural Thailand, fishing villages in Iceland and rainforests in Mexico, along with extensive explorations of Western Europe, Ireland and the British Isles.

                  Kate Carr's new album 'I Had Myself A Nuclear Spring' is an eerie symphony of cracking power lines, cries of water birds and the high pitched wine of nuclear towers. Carr's recordings trace the temporary wetlands of Marnay-sur-Seine, situated alongside a large nuclear power plant, just after the flooding of the river.

                  “[A] sound palette in perfect balance, both soggy and industrial, wild and harshly electric... a vivid portrait of technology, flora, water and fauna in unexpected proximity.” - Luke Turner / Caught By The River

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                  Cover of Madhouse Presents Kerri Chandler Remixed - Inc. Peggy Gou / Detroit Swindle / Jimpster / Josh Butler Remixes by Kerri Chandler / Matrix / Dreamer G.

                  Kerri Chandler / Matrix / Dreamer G

                  Madhouse Presents Kerri Chandler Remixed - Inc. Peggy Gou / Detroit Swindle / Jimpster / Josh Butler Remixes

                  Madhouse

                  Since Kerri Chandler founded Madhouse Records twenty-five years ago, it has been a reputable outlet for high quality house music, ‘Kerri Chandler (Remixed)’ sees the house music icon’s work remixed by some of the scenes most exciting DJ’s and producers. Heist Recordings helming duo Detroit Swindle continue to establish themselves with regular bookings across the world whilst Josh Butler has become a revered name in house music with releases on Defected, Kaoz Theory, and his own imprint Origins Records, Peggy Gou has become a highly in-demand artist with her productions being picked up by Radio Slave’s seminal imprint Rekids and Jimpster’s twenty-year career has seen the release of three LP’s and a plethora of singles on his very own Freerange Records.
                  Detroit Swindle’s take on ‘Get out’ utilises Kerri Chandler’s own infectious vocal samples from the original, the inaugural release on Madhouse back in 1992, ethereal pads and intriguing synthesiser motifs underpinned by an gritty bass hook. Josh Butler contributes gripping vocal licks and hypnotic chord progressions on top of shuffling percussion and a grooving low-end with his remix of ‘I Got That Feelin’. Peggy Gou’s remix of ‘I Need You’ offers up an array of intertwining melodies with acidic overtones which float above sharp cymbal work and crisp snares before Jimpster’s take on ‘Powder’ provides warped samples from the original, evolving synthesiser motifs and crunching house drums to close the release.

                  STAFF COMMENTS

                  Sil says: If you are after your weekly fix of outstanding house music, you just found it, amigo. Maestro Chandler gets the remix treatment by four well established producers and they give you quality. Lots of love in these quarters for Josh Butler's revision of 'I Got That Feeling' - Absolute belter alert.

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                  Cover of Atmosphere EP by Kerri Chandler.

                  Kerri Chandler

                  Atmosphere EP

                  Shelter

                  Definitely within my favourite three house records of all time. Kerri Chandler's Atmosphere EP was originally released in 1993 and is nothing more than the bare bones of what the truest house/garage sound should be. Raw stripped back beats and bass, organ stabs, a bit of piano, some vocal samples and the best kick drum sound ever. If you don't own this record and you like house music, you're in for a treat. Totally ace record, still works on the floor and moreover still the blueprint for today's club music.

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                  Cover of Rain - Dense & Pika Remix by Kerri Chandler.

                  Kerri Chandler

                  Rain - Dense & Pika Remix

                  Nervous

                  Dense & Pika are a British electronic production / artist / DJ duo compromising of Alex Jones (Hypercolour label boss) and Chris Spero better known to many by his Glimpse alias. The duo first came into fruition in mid 2011 with a number of white label releases feverishly snapped up by young upstarts, clued up DJs and anyone with a penchant for bass heavy techno. They first linked with Nervous Records when they played Output Club in Brooklyn in May 2017 at an event that was promoted by Nervous Records founder and label chief Mike Weiss. That meeting lead to discussions about possible remix of one of seminal tunes in Nervous’ legendary house music catalogue. The fruits of this chance meeting can now be witnessed as D&P remix Kerri Chandler's mighty "Rain", a B2 track off "The Mood EP". Fans of the duo will instantly recognize their tuff, wall shaking aesthetic that's more suited to the Void air horns than the Funktion1's. They utilize the OG's vocal snippet nicely but overall the result is much more ruged, mechanized and harder than Kerri's soulful original. Comes with instrumental and vocal versions!

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                  Cover of Lovers by Kingsley Chapman And The Murder.

                  Kingsley Chapman And The Murder

                  Lovers

                  Too Pure

                  As frontman and creator of northern English artrock band The Chapman Family, Kingsley flirted continuously between success and failure for a number of years before finally calling time on the group in the summer of 2013.

                  From becoming the first ever unsigned band to play the coveted NME Radar Tour in 2009 to performing in Japan, mainland Europe and the USA in 2011 (on the back of releasing their debut album "Burn Your Town") the band were unrelenting, angry and loud. They went out with their heads held high and dignity still intact - releasing a single on the day of their final sold out show in their home town of Stockton-on-Tees in the North East of England. Job done.

                  But those days are gone and after a prolonged period in hibernation Kingsley is back with a brand new band and an exciting new sound to take on all comers and attempt to battle the 21st Century disease of apathy once again.

                  Taking references from the mythology of iconic rock and art The Murder are a dizzying mix of thundering Viking warrior drums, sparkling avant garde pianos, ominous romantic strings and barbed wire guitars all underpinned by Kingsley's savage croon.

                  FORMAT INFORMATION

                  Ltd 7" Info: Limited edition - 150 copies only.

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                  Cover of Montage Of Heck: The Home Recordings by Kurt Cobain.

                  Kurt Cobain

                  Montage Of Heck: The Home Recordings

                  UMC

                  Hailed as one of the most innovative and intimate documentaries of all time, Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck is the only fully authorised portrait of the famed music icon. The highly anticipated soundtrack album, comprised from various early and raw cassette recordings made by Kurt alone, allows a rare, unfiltered glimpse into Cobain’s creative progression from early song snippets and short demos to musical experiments and ultimately, pieces of songs or lyrics that eventually appeared on later Nirvana albums.

                  The 31 track deluxe soundtrack showcases tracks from the documentary including spoken word, demos and full songs

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                  Cover of Full Circle Nightmare by Kyle Craft.

                  Kyle Craft

                  Full Circle Nightmare

                  Sub Pop

                    Ever since his debut album Dolls of Highland was released on Sub Pop in 2016, Kyle Craft has been a critic's dream. Based in Portland, he serves up all the observational, storytelling talent with none of the attitude that so often comes with male singer-songwriter territory. “I've found my place,” he says. “I'm not one of those people that approaches music for anyone other than myself. My favorite part about music is when it's just me and a notebook.” Speaking of, his second forthcoming album Full Circle Nightmare is entirely autobiographical. Sonically, thematically, lyrically, it's a huge leap forward from his 2016 release.

                     The title Full Circle Nightmare refers to a moment where Craft saw his life for what it is and told himself to be satisfied. “But that's nightmarish to me,” he laughs. He described his debut record as: “like walking down this long hall of bizarre characters and surreal experiences, moving through the spider web of love and loss.” This album is when you get to the end of that hallway, turn around and see all the stuff you've been through, then walk through the door, close it and start a new chapter in an even crazier hallway. A straight-up rollicking rock'n'roll album, it traverses all the different nuances of the genre; from the bluegrass twang of 'Exile Rag,’ to the gothic style of 'Gold Calf Moan,' it's a timeless piece that could exist in any of the past five decades.
                    In terms of contemporary peers, Craft likes to stay in his own lane. He's an old soul who sticks to his tried and tested influences. Social media is not his game - it's just not interesting to him. He's not fussed about preaching his politics or discussing the status quo either. “I don't really like writing a time piece. I don't wanna get trapped in the 'Donald Trump era of Kyle Craft,' you know? I'm a very off-the-grid sort of person. As much as I am traveling across this giant place sometimes I just feel so outside of it. Also, I'm not necessarily a stand-up citizen so it's hard for me to say: here's Kyle Craft's America, ladies and gentlemen.”

                    The ironic thing is that Full Circle Nightmare sounds exactly like Kyle Craft's America. That is what he's built for us: the story of one man's trials and tribulations to find his passion and voice for art and creativity in this vast opportunistic country. Where did he find it? Among the historic riches of America's most honest sounds.


                    STAFF COMMENTS

                    Barry says: Sliding guitars, tinkling pianos and the percussive sound of saloon doors opening in a hurry, tastefully hinting at classic Americana anthems, but tempering them with a melodic and progressive sensibility rarely heard in classic country rock.

                    FORMAT INFORMATION

                    Indies Exclusive LP Info: Indies Exclusive Loser edition coloured vinyl.

                    Indies Exclusive LP includes MP3 Download Code.

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                    Cover of Manchester: Looking For The Light Through The Pouring Rain by Kevin Cummins.

                    Kevin Cummins

                    Manchester: Looking For The Light Through The Pouring Rain

                    Faber & Faber

                      Manchester, its bands, its fashions, its attitude, has defined pop culture for the best part of four decades. Joy Division, The Fall, Buzzcocks, New Order, The Smiths, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Oasis. These were the bands that shaped two generations of teenagers and changed the course of pop music.

                      Manchester: Looking for the Light through the Pouring Rain is a portrait of these individuals, the city, and their times. Whether it be on a rain-soaked stage in Brazil, a rented room in Whalley Range, or on the dancefloor of the legendary Hacienda, Kevin Cummins' exquisite photographs capture the anarchic energy of the Manchester pop moment. This stunning visual record of the city and its pop history is complemented by four textual contributions from Paul Morley, Stuart Maconie, Gavin Martin and John Harris. What is it about that city that makes it the Memphis of the UK? Cummins' photographic record of the past 30 years captures the highs, the lows and the transcendent pop moments of Manchester's most famous sons.

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                      Cover of New Order Postcard Box by Kevin Cummins.

                      Kevin Cummins

                      New Order Postcard Box

                      Polite

                        A collection 29 postcard featuring highlights from Kevin Cummins' extensive work with legendary and influential Manchester band New Order. Having been the most trusted photographer of Joy Division in the 1970s, Kevin Cummins was uniquely placed to document the rise and fall of New Order, and here Kevin presents some of his favourite images of the band.

                        The postcards are litho printed in the UK and presented in a hand finished buckram box - made in Manchester.

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                        Cover of The Karen Dalton Archives Box by Karen Dalton.

                        Karen Dalton

                        The Karen Dalton Archives Box

                        Megaphone

                          Including for the first-time ever on Vinyl - 3 LP : the 1962 double live album Cotton Eyed Joe remastered.... + the 1963 home recordings album Green Rocky Road remastered - 4 CD : same albums + 1CD of unreleased home recordings including a mesmerizing take on "God Bless The Child" - 52 PAGE BOOK with scans of KAREN DALTON PERSONAL ARCHIVES (writings, photographs, memos) disclosed here for the first time.

                          DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CARD

                          DVD of a film interview of Greenwich Village Folklore Center founder (1957-1973) Izzy Young by Megaphone label's Stéphane Bismuth about the Greenwich Village Folk Scene and Karen Dalton.

                          Press about ‘Cotton-Eyed Joe’ (1962/2007) and ‘Green Rocky Road’ (1963/2008)
                          "All the informality of someone thinking aloud, which suits her signature vocals perfectly. In overdubbing, she seems to consider tempos and time signatures almost as restricting as a real studio. A particularly personal statement, a career marker"

                          "Like a lost book of the Old Testament. Less like a folk record and more like a warp in the space-time continuum. The most beautiful and harrowing album you'll hear this year. The results are startling. Her rendering of "Katie Cruel" on In My Own Time has been hailed as definitive but she improves it here. Bewitching." "Proving her masterly command of both the material and the audience" "Using her uncluttered fingerpicking and keening phrasing to a reimagine a pair of lesser known Ray Charles numbers to devastating effect" "Sounds great. The set captures a side of Dalton that her original releases never could. Such a personal statement it's far more challenging"

                          "An invaluable treasure" Pitchfork 8/10.


                          FORMAT INFORMATION

                          Ltd Box Set Info: Packaged in Ampex studio tape style cardboard box (size: 12.8x12.8x1.1)

                          FREE SHIPPING This item has FREE UK shipping!

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                          Cover of Are You Mine? / Wish I Was by Kim Deal.

                          Kim Deal

                          Are You Mine? / Wish I Was

                          Not On Label

                            "Are You Mine?"
                            I sang and play guitar. Lindsay Glover played drums and Armando Lopez is on Bass. We recorded this onto a Tascam 388. It's a 1/4" 8 track machine. What a bitch. It was always breaking down. We had to get Billy Zoom from the rock band, X, to fix the machine. We had like 4 of these 388 machines around the house. They sound great but they are "consumer grade" man. But I digress. I ended up transferring it to 2". Then I added a harmony vocal with Steve at Electrical and he mixed it down.

                            "Wish I Was"
                            I recorded everything on this one in a studio in LA. Kelley played one of the keyboards. Matt Ward (do you know who he is?) played the guitar that appears on the right side of the speakers and the solo in the pretty solo in the middle. I had some nice words but Kelley HATED my melody so I just put it out as an instrumental. Mixed by Albini at Electrical.

                            All recorded analog and mastered DMM at Sterling by Ryan.
                            This artwork was done by Vaughan Oliver/v23
                            There is also an insert image glossy sheet that have the credits on it.

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                            Cover of Biker Gone / Beautiful Moon by Kim Deal.

                            Kim Deal

                            Biker Gone / Beautiful Moon

                            Not On Label

                              In her own words: "I recorded the guitars and the bass guitar on the choruses. Kelley played the verse bass guitar. Britt Walford (Slint) played the drums. We all went to Albini's and Steve recorded us at his studio, Electrical Audio, in Chicago.
                              Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound in NYC mastered this DMM" I recorded this at my house in Ohio on my Tascam 16 track (1/2"). I got a CD mix of it and Ryan made a 1/2" from it and mastered it DMM.
                              Chris Bigg did the artwork. He used to work at 4AD with Vaughan Oliver.

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                              Cover of Hot Shot / Likkle More by Kim Deal.

                              Kim Deal

                              Hot Shot / Likkle More

                              Not On Label

                                Hot Shot:
                                "I played electric guitars, bass guitar and vocals. Jose Medeles (a previous Breeders drummer) played drums. This was recorded at Type Foundry and with Steve at Electrical. And Greg Norman mixed it at Electrical, in Chicago.

                                All recorded in the analog domain. All mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound in NYC using Direct Metal Mastering.
                                I played the guitars and vocals and Steve Kille (Dead Meadow) recorded it for me in the cellar of the house I was renting out in Los Angeles. It was recorded on my Tascam 1/2" - 16 track machine. Likkle More is "see you later" in patois, btw. Likkle More:

                                This was mixed by Greg Norman at Electrical in Chicago. All analog, all mastered DMM.

                                Artwork by Chris Bigg using photograph by Ed Deal, 1958, of Fred Deal (Kim's other grandaddy), Chief Deputy of Wyoming County, West Virginia Sheriff's Office.

                                The 7" package has an insert. It's a glossy print card that has a picture of my crazy face. It looks like a Polaroid. Because it was a Polaroid of me. And we made copies of the Polaroid and we stick them into each record. And I sign some of them"...


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                                Cover of The Root / Range On Castle by Kim Deal.

                                Kim Deal

                                The Root / Range On Castle

                                Not On Label

                                "The Root"
                                This song was written by me and a woman named Morgan Nagler. Her band, Whispertown 2000, opened for the Breeders. I am singing this and playing all the instruments. Morgan is singing harmony. We recorded this in LA in different places and I took it to Electrical Audio in Chicago and Greg Norman mixed it down. This song was recorded and mixed analog and mastered DMM.

                                "Range On Castle"
                                This song is also written by me and Morgan. Morgan takes the lead and sings this one. I sing the harmony. I play all the instruments except the drums. Lindsey Glover played the drums on this one. We recorded it in LA.
                                Now we mixed this one to a CD and used the CD to make a 1/2" tape. Then we gave the 1/2" to Ryan at Sterling and he mastered DMM. Vaughan Oliver/v23 designed this cover.

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                                Cover of Walking With A Killer / Dirty Hessians by Kim Deal.

                                Kim Deal

                                Walking With A Killer / Dirty Hessians

                                Not On Label

                                "Walking With A Killer"
                                Recorded with Lindsay Glover on drums, Jeff Cairns on the creepy moaning guitar panned left, Dan Elkan on the lead guitar panned right. I played the other stuff…bass guitar, rhythm guitar, crazy lead section. Carrie Bradley who played on Pod and Last Splash is playing violin. We recorded this in Los Angeles at 5 Star Studio with Bryce Gonzales. Then I took the 2" tape to Steve Albini and he mixed it for me at his place in Chicago at Electrical Audio. I went up to Sterling Sound in NYC and mastered it with Ryan Smith. The lacquer was cut using analog playback to vinyl master. So this track stayed in the dimension of time, baby. And that's why I put that little guitar thing-y with the words Recorded All Wave. I am a geek.

                                "Dirty Hessians"
                                I recorded everything on this at Type Foundry in Portland. Recorded in the analogue domain. This was also mixed by Steve in Chicago with me and then mastered from analog tape using Direct Metal Mastering. The artwork was done by Chris Biggs and features a photograph of Kim's grandaddy on a mantrip working a mine near Bluefield, West, by God, Virginia, 1945.

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                                Cover of Jazz Classics Volume 4 by Kirk Degiorgio Presents As One & Butti 49.

                                Kirk Degiorgio Presents As One & Butti 49

                                Jazz Classics Volume 4

                                Mukatsuku

                                Jazz Classics Volume 4 is here and is as smooth as the volume before that. 'Amalia' is a sultry jazz classic featuring gorgeous keys from Jamie Odell aka Jimpster. As relevant today as it ever was when initially made and here presented as a single in its own right for the very first time. On the flipside another track that never made it to single in this version was the unique jazzual 'Spiritual Rotations' by Butti 49 from Norway. Nik had later worked with Butti 49 whilst working for Exceptional Records for the Habit album in 2004 but 'Spiritual Rotations' itself initially featured as an exclusively album only track for Future Sounds of Jazz Volume 8 in 2001 for German label Compost. So, there you have it... two welcome killer Jazz classics that deserve a revisit for your attention cut on limited 180-gram vinyl for your ears, your turntable and your dancefloor....

                                STAFF COMMENTS

                                Millie says: Still and gentle jazz, this is a lovely edition to any jazz collection.

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                                Cover of Away From Mountains by Kerry Devine.

                                Kerry Devine

                                Away From Mountains

                                Trapped Animal

                                  “A deeply atmospheric cut, echoes the soft darkness of Daughter.” DIY // Following spellbinding performances at Cambridge Folk Festival and Secret Garden Party last summer Kerry Devine announces the release of her debut album. 'Away From Mountains' is pressed on limited black vinyl (300 copies) & CD. Featuring the glorious artwork of Swedish artist Lovisa Axellie. The vinyl comes shrink wrapped, with white discobag inserted into a card sleeve. The sleeve features the singer's portrait on the reverse with an illustration of the English Fens (the inspiration for the album) - based on a photo of Devine's - on the front cover. Inside the sleeve is a two-sided insert/poster featuring a repeat of the cover art, but this time without text; and on the reverse lyrics + more photos, in a chequered layout. CD DigiPak features the same amazing artwork with an insert / concertina style fold-out of the images and lyrics.

                                  ‘Away From Mountains’ is profoundly inspired by the Fenland landscape and the stillness and history that inhabit the ancient and wild fens in the East of England. As Devine expands: “When you’re there and you're still you can hear so many different sounds, so many different layers, so I wanted to create something that sounded like that, that had the depth and the richness but also very sparse. This place comforts me, I wanted to create a kind of sound womb that the listener could come into and be comforted too.” Recorded live in the stillness of night in an empty Northamptonshire church the album exudes a haunting quality. Inspired by artists such as John Martyn, Devine’s ethereal vocal – which has raised comparisons to Beth Orton – is used as an instrument, interweaved with simmering strings and acoustic guitar. A self-proclaimed audiophile ‘Away From Mountains’ also includes samples of nature and sounds of human existence such as trains pulling up and old barrels being played as drums. 

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                                  Kevin Devine

                                  Travelling The EU

                                  Defiance

                                  Kevin Devine is taking a leaf out of the books of emo darlings like Chris Cabbarra of Dashboard Confessional and Jonah Mantranga. A set of simple, six stringed, heartfelt melodies and his shivering and stirring voice. Now "Travelling the EU" features three new songs from Devine, including his interpretation of "You Are My Sunshine", cruising the continent for all you punk-rock romantics out there.

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                                  Reduced Cover of 2000! by Klaus Dinger & PreJapandorf.

                                  Klaus Dinger & PreJapandorf

                                  2000!

                                  Gronland

                                    Previously unreleased album from German Kosmische Musik legend Klaus Dinger (NEU!, La Dusseldorf, et al).

                                    For this special recording Klaus Dinger teamed up with various musicians in order to create a new recording experience.

                                    “Turning documentary into art” would indeed be the best way to describe this album.

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                                    Cover of 2000! by Klaus Dinger & PreJapandorf.

                                    Klaus Dinger & PreJapandorf

                                    2000!

                                    Gronland

                                      THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2017 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

                                      Previously unreleased album from German Kosmische Musik legend Klaus Dinger (NEU!, La Dusseldorf, et al).

                                      Beautifully manufactured LP sleeve with artistic ‘inside out’ paper.

                                      Released for RSD because it's the last album of Klaus Dinger that isn't available yet.

                                      For this special recording, Klaus Dinger teamed up with various musicians in order to create a new recording experience, “turning documentary into art” would indeed be the best way to describe this album.

                                      Limited to 500 copies for the UK and Eire.

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                                      Cover of Stranger Things Season 1, Vol. 1 by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein.

                                      Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein

                                      Stranger Things Season 1, Vol. 1

                                      Invada

                                      The spellbinding, synth-heavy soundtrack to Netflix’s 1980s-set smash hit horror ‘Stranger Things’ is being released on LP and CD through Invada Records, in all territories excluding North and South America.

                                      With its pillowy synth-pads and rich textures, the soundtrack to volume 1 seamlessly wanders through the 80s world of ‘Stranger Things’, breeding an unthreatening serenity with a gentle shift toward a darker mood. By track 11, listeners are plunged into a nightmare before they even have time to blink; a change pulled of with uncanny grace. The score effectively taps into a unique, strange world of terror, and springs it upon the audience with considered precision.

                                      This soundtrack is instantly reminiscent of works by John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), Tangerine Dream and Vangelis (Blade Runner), whilst also delving into the ambience of Aphex Twin and more modern composers such as Cliff Martinez (Drive, Solaris).

                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                      Barry says: Well, I've been going on about this for some time haven't I? Even reading the track titles makes me want to watch it all over again, and then I started to listen to it. Spooky, emotive and terrifying. A perfect combination of atmospheric flourishes and driving melody. Put together in one beautiful package. Awesome.

                                      FORMAT INFORMATION

                                      2xColoured LP Info: The vinyl for Volume 1 is pressed on one red, one blue coloured vinyl, and is housed in a thick 425 gram heavyweight gatefold sleeve. A printed insert is included which features additional artwork and credits.

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                                      Cover of Stranger Things Season 1, Vol. 2 by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein.

                                      Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein

                                      Stranger Things Season 1, Vol. 2

                                      Invada

                                      With its pillowy synth-pads and rich textures, the soundtrack to Volume Two seamlessly wanders through the 80s world of ‘Stranger Things’, breeding an unthreatening serenity with a gentle shift toward a darker mood. Floating between sweeter moments which temporarily blossom amidst the danger and decay, Volume Two is the second part of the ‘Stranger Things’ score, reaching climactic highs as the series comes to an end.

                                      This soundtrack is instantly reminiscent of works by John Carpenter (‘Halloween’, ‘The Thing’), Tangerine Dream and Vangelis (‘Blade Runner’), whilst also delving into the ambience of Aphex Twin and more modern composers such as Cliff Martinez (‘Drive’, ‘Solaris’).

                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                      Barry says: Having been entranced with Stranger Things, reading this tracklist is like a 'skip to the end' recap of the latter half of the series, listening obviously makes it all the more enthralling. Moody synth ambience, throbbing saw waves and eerie sweeps. Unsurprisingly brilliant.

                                      FORMAT INFORMATION

                                      2xColoured LP Info: The vinyl for Volume Two is pressed on clear coloured vinyl, with a red blob on the first disc and a black blob on the second and is housed in a thick 425 gram heavyweight gatefold sleeve. A printed insert is included which features additional artwork and credits.

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                                      Cover of Stranger Things Season 2 by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein.

                                      Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein

                                      Stranger Things Season 2

                                      Invada

                                      Dixon and Stein return for the latest addition to their overwhelming spate of excellence over the past couple years. Following on from the first series waas never going to be easy for anyone involved, with it's 80's buddy-movie hauntology vibe being perfectly accentuated by Survive's less shadowy alter-ego on soundtrack duties, but series 2 has lived up to that expectation in every way. I know, that episode was pretty ridiculous, but you don't have to listen to it do you. 

                                      We kick things off with the haunting melancholy beauty of 'Walkin In Hawkins', perfectly capturing the eerie ambience of the city streets after the discovery of an analogue hell, hidden behind a bit of your local school. It's a moment we're all familiar with i'm sure, but Dixon & Stein manage to make its duality seem alluring, pressing forwards with paddling apreggio's and swelling pads.  Pieces like 'Eulogy' and 'On The Bus' talking things slowly forwards, opening the filters into an edgy benzoed bliss.

                                      As we move onwards, things shift from a resolved optimism, into the inevitable downturn of a threatened society, with pieces like 'Descent Into The Rift' and 'Escape' providing a darker edge to things, moving towards the inevitable crescentic audiovisual finale. It's a brilliant companion to the programme, and just as much a divine pleasure in it's own right. Impeccable. 

                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                      Barry says: Brilliant pulsing synths, eerie atmospheres and soaring, crackling pads. An equal amount of pastoral, suburban meanderings, and supernatural, hellish drive. Stunning stuff once again.

                                      FORMAT INFORMATION

                                      2xColoured LP Info: Crystal Clear Vinyl with Blue & White Splatter.

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                                      Cover of Wild Style Breakbeats 7" Box Set + Book by Kenny Dope.

                                      Kenny Dope

                                      Wild Style Breakbeats 7" Box Set + Book

                                      Get On Down

                                        The breakbeats from “Wild Style” and the story of how they came to be re-edited by Kenny Dope packaged in a 28 page hardcover book with seven 7” singles containing the fabled breaks from the legendary Charlie Ahearn film. ”When it comes to “Wild Style”, it’s a movie that I have loved since I was a kid, because of what it stood for and how it showed real hip-hop culture to the world. As I became a producer in the late 1980s and into the 90s, when I listened close to the breakbeats that the DJs used in the film, I could tell that they were done in a studio....but I never knew the actual story behind them. It was always a mysterious thing, and no one seemed to know much about it.” - Kenny Dope // “Wild Style Breakbeats” not only features a 7” single including each of the breaks from the film, it also tells the story of those breakbeats in words and pictures. The 14 page hardcover book is written by Brian Coleman with reminiscences from Charlie Ahearn, DJ GrandWizzard Theodore, Fab 5 Freddie, Leonardo “Lenny Ferrari” Ferraro, Chris Stein and many more. This is more than a collection of audio, this is documentation of an integral part of hip-hop history!

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                                        Cover of Afro-Cuban - Remastered Vinyl Edition by Kenny Dorham.

                                        Kenny Dorham

                                        Afro-Cuban - Remastered Vinyl Edition

                                        Blue Note

                                          This mid 50s Blue Note album was one of the first jazz recordings to fuse jazz and the Latin sounds of Cuba. If the line-up of players doesn't seduce you (Hank Mobley, Cecil Payne, Horace Silver, Jay Jay Johnson, Oscar Pettiford, Art Blakey, Carlos 'Potato' Valdes and of course Dorham himself), then the music will!

                                          Blue Note President Don Was says, “Two years ago, we began remastering the jewels of the Blue Note catalogue in hi-def resolutions of 96k and 192k. In order to develop a guiding artistic philosophy for this delicate endeavor, we donned our lab coats, ran dozens of sonic experiments and carefully referenced every generation of our reissues. Ultimately, we decided that our goal would be to protect the original intentions of the artists, producers and engineers who made these records and that, in the case of pre-digital-era albums, these intentions were best represented by the sound and feel of their first-edition vinyl releases. Working with a team of dedicated and groovy engineers, we found a sound that both captured the feel of the original records while maintaining the depth and transparency of the master tapes... the new remasters are really cool!

                                          While these new versions will become available in digital hi-def, CD and Mastered for iTunes formats, the allure of vinyl records is WAY too potent to ignore. This year, Blue Note - along with our friends at Universal Music Enterprises - is launching a major 75th Anniversary vinyl Initiative that is dedicated to the proposition that our catalogue should be readily available, featuring high quality pressings and authentic reproductions of Blue Note's iconic packaging. Although this program begins in celebration of Blue Note's 75th Anniversary, our catalog runs so deep that we will faithfully be reissuing five albums a month for many years to come!”

                                          FORMAT INFORMATION

                                          LP includes MP3 Download Code.

                                          CD Info: Rudy Van Gelder edition.

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                                          Cover of Darlings by Kevin Drew.

                                          Kevin Drew

                                          Darlings

                                          City Slang

                                          Kevin Drew is the frontman of Broken Social Scene, solo recording artists, and co-owner of independent music company Arts & Crafts. His 2007 solo debut, Spirit If..., was widely loved for unearthing the affirmative grooves and experimental pop songwriting churning at the heart of indie vanguards Broken Social Scene. Darlings, his first solo recording since, showcases Drew's more mature pop sensibilities and his earnest and playful lyrics soaring over hook-laden songs like first single “Good Sex”.

                                          In the tradition of post-Velvets Lou Reed or post-Genesis Peter Gabriel, Darlings shows Drew stepping out to create a breakthrough personal statement of true artistry. Darlings was recorded at the Banff Centre in Alberta with Graham Lessard and then taken to a house in Northern Ontario with Dave Hamelin (The Stills, Eight and a Half) for final recording and mixing. The album also features longtime collaborators Charles Spearin and Ohad Benchetrit (Do Make Say Think, Broken Social Scene) along with Dean Stone (Apostle of Hustle). Darlings was co-produced by Kevin Drew, Graham Lessard, and, for the first time, Dave Hamelin.

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                                          Cover of Imperial Horizon by Kevin Drumm.

                                          Kevin Drumm

                                          Imperial Horizon

                                          Hospital

                                            "Imperial Horizon" by Kevin Drumm is a further examination into sustained tone as most recently heard on his previous Hospital Productions benchmark album, "Imperial Distortion", stretching out minimalism to unreached heights of serene ambient. Lulling electronic drones slowly transform over the course of the hour plus piece in constant flux, echoing both an existential terror and Zen calm. Mutations grow so quietly only the body opens to identify this change while the mind closes. The ephemeral and seeming lightness of the tones hang with taut balance in contrast to the method in which they are overlapped and rotated with deadly weight. How wildly divergent emotions rise, hover, and fall using so little is a mystery that only Kevin Drumm can provide. While you may not find an answer, you can certainly get lost in the question.

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                                            Cover of Experiment No. X by Kim Byoung Duk.

                                            Kim Byoung Duk

                                            Experiment No. X

                                            Daehan Electronics

                                            Growing up in the bustling port city of Busan and running his own record shop there from the late ‘70s,
                                            Kim Byoung Duk had a front-row seat to th​e finest in foreign record imports and a taste for the psychedelic
                                            that naturally evolved into spiritual, ambient and avant-garde sounds. His growing interest in Tao
                                            philosophy and the meditative music that accompanied it provided a fertile environment for his audio
                                            imagination. Unhampered by limited access to musical gear, he made use of a wide assortment of self-
                                            sourced pots of various sizes and curvature, cymbals, wooden sculpted flutes and percussion tools—each
                                            chosen for its unique harmonic vibration—to create an entirely new and unique body of work.

                                            Experiment No. X retraces the oeuvre of Kim Byoung Duk, assembling tracks from Experiment No. 2, Pot
                                            Concerto and New Trilogy, illustrating a meditative journey from the freeness of the Tao sound, in the
                                            borders of ambient music and the avant-garde, to later groove-oriented jams which introduce rhythmic
                                            elements to the palate.

                                            This fully licensed release is the first collection of Kim Byoung Duk's music, remastered from the original
                                            tapes and including for the first time on vinyl songs from the very scarce CD New Morning. Includes four-
                                            page booklet with photographs and an interview from Kim's personal archives.

                                            All Music by Kim Byoung Duk.
                                            A Meditative Morning, brought by Another Planet Publishing.
                                            Daehan Electronics, 2017

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                                            Cover of Cowgirl Blues by Katie Ellen.

                                            Katie Ellen

                                            Cowgirl Blues

                                            Lauren Records

                                              Shortly after the disbandment of their critically acclaimed indie punk band Chumped in early 2016, lead singer Anika Pyle and drummer Dan Frelly started Katie Ellen as a fuzz pop two-piece. The duo then recruited friends Anthony Tinnirella (guitar) and Eric Sheppard (bass) to round out the sound and record their debut LP – Cowgirl Blues. Cowgirl Blues is ten songs of twangy, pop forward indie punk with subtle country underpinnings, showcasing Pyle’s knack for punchy, melodic songwriting familiar to fans of Chumped while exploring more dynamic and intimate arrangements that nod to contemporaries like Waxahatchee, Alvvays, All Dogs and Pinegrove.

                                              Pyle notes 60s girl groups, Patsy Cline and Jenny Lewis as writing influences. The name Katie Ellen is an adaptation of Pyle’s great grandmother’s radio stage name – Kaytee Ellen. “Calling the project Katie Ellen felt like taking something back grandmother as a person and deemed her on-air personality disposable and replaceable by any other woman. It also lent me a bit of creative anonymity to try new things and explore my own identity, especially as it pertains to autonomy, femininity and vulnerability.”

                                              That sentiment permeates Cowgirl Blues, a record steeped in the discourse between freedom and commitment. Pyle notes, “I wrote the record at the end of a formative creative project and an eleven-year relationship that lasted for much of my young adult life. It represents, to me, the reimagining of identity and the search for personal truth, a process that can be harrowing. If following your truth requires upheaval of the normative and the status quo, stay and you could be happy but you will always be at odds with yourself. Go and you accept a path of rebirth and constant negotiation, not always ‘happy’ but wild, free and true.” 

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                                              Cover of The Ghost Who Walks by Karen Elson.

                                              Karen Elson

                                              The Ghost Who Walks

                                              XL

                                              Karen Elson's transformation from fashion’s favourite redheaded ingénue to beguiling chanteuse has been something of a slow burn. In 2003 she provided vocals for a version of Robert Plant's "Last Time I Saw Her" and in 2006 she recorded an English language version of "Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus" ("I Love You… Me Neither") with Cat Power for a Serge Gainsbourg tribute album, but her main musical outlet has been as a founding member of New York City cabaret The Citizens Band, a downtown collective of musicians, performers, artists and acrobats whose lively Weimar-esque performances have enjoyed successful theatrical runs of their politically thematic shows.

                                              The 11 original compositions on "The Ghost Who Walks" were all written following Karen Elson’s 2005 relocation from New York City to Nashville. While making her home – and raising two children - in the city of country music, Karen took to writing songs for The Citizens Band and found she had plenty of other melodies in her head. Her and spouse Jack White quickly put a band together: Karen’s cabaret cohort Rachelle Garniez on accordion and vocals, The Dead Weather's Jack Lawrence on bass, My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel on pedal steel and brother-in-law Jackson Smith on guitar. Jack White took the role of producer and provided drums. Karen added a cover of Garniez's "Lunasa" to the recordings and within a matter of weeks she had an album's worth of material. Two of her more theatrical tracks, "100 Years From Now" and "Mouths To Feed", inspired in part by author Tim Egan’s dust bowl saga "The Worst Hard Time", were originally penned for her cabaret troupe. The rest of the album richly evokes the lonesome feel of country ("Cruel Summer"), the tormented side of the blues ("The Truth Is In The Dirt") and the haunted stories of traditional folk balladry ("Stolen Roses").

                                              Graphic artist Rob Jones took inspiration from Karen’s penchant for peach and black to create gorgeously smoldering album art.

                                              STAFF COMMENTS

                                              Darryl says: A surprisingly excellent album from Jack White's missus, awash with sweet country tinged melodies.

                                              FORMAT INFORMATION

                                              Ltd LP Info: Vinyl is US only on Third Man. 180-gram, in a single-pocket gatefold jacket.

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                                              Cover of Milk And Honey / Winter Going - Milk & Honey Colour Swirl Vinyl Edition by Karen Elson.

                                              Karen Elson

                                              Milk And Honey / Winter Going - Milk & Honey Colour Swirl Vinyl Edition

                                              Third Man Records

                                                THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

                                                Limited to Milk and Honey colour swirl just for RSD

                                                Karen Elson delivers a haunting version of the Jackson C. Frank gem “Milk and Honey” that brims with atmosphere and undeniable feeling. The b-side is a trucking version of Bonnie Dobson’s “Winter’s Going” that warms to the core. Another direct hit from Miss Elson.


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                                                Cover of Girl In A Band by Kim Gordon.

                                                Kim Gordon

                                                Girl In A Band

                                                Faber & Faber

                                                  There are few artists who inspire such reverence as Kim Gordon. In Girl in a Band she tells with complete openness the story of her family, her work in the visual arts, her move to New York City, the men in her life, her marriage, her relationship with her daughter, her music and her band. It is a rich and beautifully written memoir, taking us back to the lost New York of the 1980s and '90s that gave birth to and nurtured Sonic Youth and the alternative revolution in popular music they spearheaded. But at its core, Girl in a Band is an examination of what partnership means - and what happens when it dissolves.

                                                  Evocative and edgy, filled with the sights and sounds of a changing world and a remarkable life, Girl in a Band is the moving chronicle of an extraordinary artist.

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                                                  Cover of Rembo by Karen Gwyer.

                                                  Karen Gwyer

                                                  Rembo

                                                  Don't Be Afraid

                                                  Karen Gwyer returns with 'Rembo', her first full LP for Don't Be Afraid. Reflecting the sheer energy of Gwyer's improvised, undulating and unpredictable live shows, 'Rembo' captures Gwyer in her element as a techno producer not afraid to smudge both the physical and emotional edges of what we may have come to expect in the club.

                                                  Growing up in Michigan, with Detroit on the nearby horizon, the city's time-honoured musical heritage slowly sank under her skin. First through public radio, late night transmissions and endless cassette recordings, then on the life-changing local dance scene.

                                                  "Before the internet came along, you were listening to the radio, and you knew who the DJ was, but you had no earthly idea who the records were by", recalls Gwyer. "You just listened to the music, and you didn't listen to the people. And because you didn't ponder their personalities, you weren't engaged in the process. And I loved it, it was pivotal to me. I still have records on tape, and I have no idea who made them. I lie awake at night thinking about how am I ever going to find out what that track is? I have a snippet of it in my mind, but how will I ever know?"

                                                  'Rembo' then, is in some way a tribute to those transformative moments caught on tape. Rembo is a record that calls firmly to the night; an album to transport both artist and listener to dark, sweaty rooms, to shared escapism and unexpected moments of electronic transcendence.



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                                                  Cover of Rembo : The Remixes - Inc. Via App / Ron Morelli / E. Myers / M/R Remixes by Karen Gwyer.

                                                  Karen Gwyer

                                                  Rembo : The Remixes - Inc. Via App / Ron Morelli / E. Myers / M/R Remixes

                                                  Don't Be Afraid

                                                  Michigan's finest flipped lids with her "Rembo" LP, successfully capturing the undulating expression of her live shows on a dope double LP of nocturnal techno and insectile electronics. Now that indomitable LP receives the remix treatment from four producers at the cutting edge of house and techno, Via App, Ron Morelli, E. Myers and M/R. Brooklyn's Via App is first to the controls, wigging "The Workers Are On Strike" into a burbling blur of rubberised synth lines, garbled sequences and metallic vamps, all dissected and pinned to a precise machine beat. L.I.E.S boss Ron Morelli takes a typically uncompromising stance on his industrial remix of "He's Been Teaching Me To Drive", sequencing tough snare shots around insistent sequences then playing merry hell with the oscillator and bitcrusher. E Myers kicks off the flip, upping his retroist Chi-Town jack to a breathless 136 BPM, then letting the 808 drums, vamping keys and pinging bassline do the rest. Finally L.I.E.S. alumni M/R takes a step away from the peaktime to explore depth, space and tension with a spooky minimal mix of "Why Does Your Father Look So Nervous". Club music for your head and heels!



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                                                  Cover of 24 Hours In A Disco 1978 - 1982 by Kiki Gyan.

                                                  Kiki Gyan

                                                  24 Hours In A Disco 1978 - 1982

                                                  Soundway

                                                  Hailed as Africa’s answer to Stevie Wonder, Ghanaian multi-instrumentalist Kiki Gyan was a musical wunderkind who by 1975 had risen from the lowly status of high school dropout to being ranked eighth in a poll of the greatest keyboardists in the world (occupying the rarefied air of the top ten with heavyweights like Steve Winwood, Billy Preston, and Stevie Wonder) as well as becoming an in-demand session player in the top recording studios of London - all before his twenty-first birthday.

                                                  Out on his own, he produced a series of highly ambitious disco records aimed at positioning him as an international star, but weighed down by the excesses of the era, Gyan saw his meteoric rise matched by an equally swift fall back into obscurity. Loved dearly by his contemporaries and sorely missed since his death in 2005 the story of the life of Kofi Kwarko ‘Kiki’ Gyan is one often told with warning by his friends to the new generation of aspiring Ghanaian popstars.

                                                  Soundway Records now collects the best of Gyan’s work as a frontman and solo artist, featuring an array of electrifying disco grooves that still sound contemporary (and in some cases futuristic) decades after their initial release.

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                                                  Cover of American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You’re Too Hideous To Look At Face On by Keiji Haino & SUMAC.

                                                  Keiji Haino & SUMAC

                                                  American Dollar Bill - Keep Facing Sideways, You’re Too Hideous To Look At Face On

                                                  Thrill Jockey


                                                    SUMAC, the trio of Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom, Mamiffer), Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists, Erosion) and Brian Cook (Russian Circles) present their first collaboration with Japan’s cultural provocateur Keiji Haino. 
                                                     
                                                    Japan’s fearless multi-instrumentalist and cultural provocateur Keiji Haino has made a career out of his freeform musical improvisations and diverse collaborations. Whether deconstructing American blues to a few rogue notes hanging across chasms of empty space in his solo endeavours, sparring with the nebulous fringes of psychedelia in Fushitsusha, or teaming up with musicians like Faust, Boris, Jim O’Rourke, Stephen O’Malley, John Zorn and Peter Brötzmann for fleeting aural experiments. Haino’s work is never preplanned or structured but rather a completely spontaneous exploration of chemistry, texture and dynamics.

                                                    SUMAC’s tenure is much younger than Haino’s, though guitarist / vocalist Aaron Turner has covered a similarly large swath of musical territory across numerous projects and collaborations, from the sedated drones of recent projects with Daniel Menche and William Fowler Collins to the modern compositions of Mamiffer and all the way back to the restless evolutions of post-metal stalwarts ISIS. With his cohorts Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists, Erosion) on drums and Brian Cook (Russian Circles) on bass, Turner has dissolved
                                                    the rigid forms of heavy music, searching for a balance between disciplined precision and unhinged musical barbarism, crafting music that vacillates between meticulously detailed instrumentation and uninhibited forays into oblique abstraction.

                                                    Throughout the course of its hour-plus length, ‘American Dollar Bill’ pushes and pulls at the strictures of metal and bends the stylistic formalities of improvised music to create a sonic purge unencumbered by convention.


                                                    FORMAT INFORMATION

                                                    2xColoured LP Info: 2xLP pressed on virgin vinyl, packaged in a wide spine jacket printed on uncoated stock with custom slipcase also printed on uncoated stock with
                                                    metallic ink and free download card. Very limited translucent red vinyl
                                                    available.

                                                    2xLtd LP Info: 2xLP pressed on virgin vinyl, packaged in a wide spine jacket printed on uncoated stock with custom slipcase also printed on uncoated stock with
                                                    metallic ink and free download card.

                                                    CD Info: CD packaged in a 4 panel mini-LP style gatefold jacket printed on uncoated stock with metallic ink and 4 panel booklet.

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                                                    Cover of Now While It's Still Warm Let Us Pour In All The Mystery by Keiji Haino /Jim O Rourke/ Oren Ambarchi.

                                                    Keiji Haino /Jim O Rourke/ Oren Ambarchi

                                                    Now While It's Still Warm Let Us Pour In All The Mystery

                                                    Black Truffle

                                                      Following on from last year’s acclaimed ‘Imikizushi’ (BT 07), ‘now while it's still warm let us pour in all the mystery’ is the fourth release from the established power trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O’Rourke and Oren Ambarchi, recorded in January 2012 at their yearly concert at SuperDeluxe, Tokyo. While the trio’s two previous double LP releases featured sprawling, side-long performances, the music here is presented in six shorter pieces, each one displaying a different side of the trio’s interactions, from holy minimalism to cave-man rock.

                                                      The record begins with the trio joined by special guests Charlemagne Palestine and Eiko Ishibashi, conjuring ghostly tones from wine glasses as an accompaniment to Haino’s angelic vocals. This ten-minute piece, which moves from near silence and the sound of onstage footsteps to a stunning passage of clean guitar work from Haino, is steeped in the same mysterious atmospherics as Haino’s great folk-drone project, Nijumu. When Haino turns to the flute on the LP’s second track, a performance that clearly demonstrates the importance of the special concept of space and silence (ma) that Haino has developed from traditional Japanese aesthetics, O’Rourke and Ambarchi transform into the delicate and probing rhythm section of a classic 70s fusion side.

                                                      When the trio return to the crushing free-rock of their last two records, O’Rourke’s heavily effected bass rolling alongside Ambarchi’s tumbling rhythms as Haino’s guitar squeals and slashes above them, their performances display a new purposefulness and concision. Now truly operating as a band after a number of years of playing together, the pieces here feel like instant rocks songs, O’Rourke and Ambarchi instantly locking into solid riffs over which Haino alternates between jarring no-wave chords, intense soloing and his signature vocalisations. When the trio slow down and stretch out, the rhythm section plods like an abstracted Crazy Horse on the brink of collapse, and Haino elicits long, mournful solos reminiscent of the first classic Fushitshusha double live LP.

                                                      (Perhaps more accessible than the trio’s previous recordings because of its range and concision, ‘now while it's still warm let us pour in all the mystery’ exudes the dark, alien quality of Haino’s greatest recordings and testifies to the strength of the musical bond that has developed between these three players. Francis Plagne, Jan 2013.

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                                                      Cover of Eutrophia Sevan by Kyle Hall.

                                                      Kyle Hall

                                                      Eutrophia Sevan

                                                      Wild Oats

                                                      A hotly anticipated Wild Oats 7 inch from main man Kyle Hall entitled "Eutrophia Sevan". KH: 'This project is an ode to the earth and its plant based life forms that give us sustenance, nurturing, and knowledge through its cultivation, observation, and consumption. It is my understanding that all energetic material in which we interact with serves as a software of a kind that is loaded into our systems via our five senses and influence the manner in which we behave and process our realities. Plants have many ways of interacting with our senses. One form of this sensory interaction with plants is the ingestion of them for the purpose of intoxication. In this form the plant sends information to our neural networks which we interpret as sensation of a shift in our state of mind, body, and spirit. When a plant of this type is in the hands of a creative mind, these shifts in ones perspective can allow for the possibility of the integration of new concepts and ideas that can provide insight in an array of aspects of its consumers life experience. From this unification one now begins to see the connection between things that were once to them seemingly unrelated. These teachings then become motifs that then can be applied to whatever the creative individuals mode of expression is. Of course we also eat certain plants to provide sustenance, nourishment and satiation. The Sweet Potato root is one of these plants that provide this for us. Having a feeling of being full, nourished, and satisfied gives a stronger capacity to be grounded. Being grounded allows for us to focus and align ourselves with what we must do in order to attract what we personally need in our lives. Eating a plants fruit, taking its seed and caring for it till it grows into plant itself is a symbolism of the overall connection between all life and all processes that occur with in it. This indicates that plants contain a level of supreme intelligence that can only be tapped into by our communion and honoring of them.'

                                                      Bloody hell Kyle - someone's bin at the mushies haven't they?! Kickin' Pigeon's been harkin' on about this shit for time mate! Annnyway, "Teacher Plant" is a funky, sub-reinforced deep house glider with instantly recognizable KMFH percussion and fizzing synth licks. "DSP" is slower, more frazzled and abstract, perfect for post-peak-experience contemplation and study of source consciousness.

                                                      Stupidly limited, like a flurry of liberty caps in late September....



                                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                                      Matt says: Stupendously limited Wild Oats 7" here from it's founding father Kyle Hall. With a subject matter very close to my heart - sonic entheobontany!

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                                                      Cover of Float by Kristian Harting.

                                                      Kristian Harting

                                                      Float

                                                      Exile On Mainstream

                                                      Exile On Mainstream Records are responsible for putting out a wide variety of releases over the years, and more recently their catalogue couldn't be more eclectic. From the psychedelic doom of Obelyskkh and the math-rock/sludge of Beehoover to the glacial compositions of A Whisper In the Noise and the celestial drone of Darsombra - to name a few. The label also released the powerful collaborative work of Wino and Conny Ochs, and of course their respective solo albums. In 2014, Exile On Mainstream will venture into sonic territory unknown for something very special indeed…

                                                      Inspired by sufi-music, mali-blues, western low-fi pop and avant-garde, Kristian Harting composes songs using his guitar, voice, circuit-bending and effects-pushing to create sounds that are gritty and noisy yet beautiful and pretty - culminating in diverse electronic and acoustic trips. He positions his attitude and approach as “a spiritual journey as well as a physical one", Harting continues to embellish, "it is my way of communicating freely and truthfully and articulate the ever-changing waves of confusion, emotions, ideas, people, power and surroundings, that is my life.”

                                                      Exile On Mainstream are proud to release Kristian Harting's profoundly personal debut solo album "Float" which channels this approach into a genre-bending form, exorcising the demons he had to battle in his most recent past. In a very personal approach the title refers to what he describes as survival-strategy in a period of his life characterised by an extreme personal, emotional and financial turmoil, so chaotic and exhausting that it almost devastated him: “I had to be like water. Just float. Not think, not try to organise nor control the chaos, the perpetual beats to my chest and slaps in my face. I had to be like water or I would break. Just float around and away. Not crack like a rock or blow out like a fire. It was a spiritual journey. A test.”

                                                      The work on this album was a free harbour where he could unload the harvest from a furious sea by creating, playing and arranging each part on his own – writing, producing, recording, mixing – finding his own true place. By listening to the intimate recording you can feel the tensions inside it's creator, grabbing, shaping and channeling true emotions into music – an archaic approach but representing what Kristian believes music is made for. Whilst these songs come from a chaotic, dark and desperate place, for Kristian, they remain full of hope and love…“My wish is that anyone listening to them will feel this too.”…he sums up the attitude behind the release.

                                                      Exile On Mainstream urge you to give this music a spin and find yourself drawn into one of the most emotional and challenging albums the label has ever put out, opening a new world, even for them. Label owner Andreas Kohl remarks "the ever changing wish to explore new territories, geographically and musically brought us here and we are truly celebrating one of the finest moments in the label’s history with bringing you this album. Enjoy."

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                                                      Reduced Cover of You by Keaton Henson.

                                                      Keaton Henson

                                                      You

                                                      Sony BMG

                                                        THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2013 EXCLUSIVE.

                                                        One Sided Etched 7" Vinyl of Keaton Henson Exclusive Artwork

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                                                        Cover of Kindly Now by Keaton Henson.

                                                        Keaton Henson

                                                        Kindly Now

                                                        Pias

                                                        Brand new album from acclaimed London-based musician and visual artist Keaton Henson.

                                                        Includes first single ‘Alright’, a wonderfully emotive song, showcasing Keaton’s trademark fragile vocals accompanied by a sparse piano performance and a lush string arrangement.

                                                        STAFF COMMENTS

                                                        Millie says: Keaton Henson returns with his new album Kindly Now, his discography consists of the early folk albums then progressing to piano and cello led instrumental scores and then followed an electronic album under the name of ‘Behaving’. It was a welcomed change of direction full of diverse creativity; however Kindly Now has strong remnants of a combination of his progress and new style which is greeted with open arms. Gentle strokes of acoustic guitar matched with trembling voice for heart-throbbing lyrics, this one might just break your heart.

                                                        FORMAT INFORMATION

                                                        Indies Exclusive LP Info: Indies only LP (limited to 500 copies) includes 12” art print personalised by Keaton himself!

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                                                        Cover of Wyatt At The Coyote Palace by Kristin Hersh.

                                                        Kristin Hersh

                                                        Wyatt At The Coyote Palace

                                                          Kristin Hersh came to prominence in the late 1980s as the leader of the Throwing Muses before launching a solo career emphasizing her acoustic guitar. 

                                                          “Wyatt at the Coyote Palace” is a beautifully presented hard cover book of essays and Lyrics with two CDs included. It gets its name from an abandoned apartment building behind Kristin’s studio that her son Wyatt spent the majority of this recording session exploring.

                                                          FORMAT INFORMATION

                                                          Book & CD Info: Deluxe Format of Wyatt At The Coyote Palace Includes:The full studio album on 2CD's
                                                          Photographs and artwork by Dave Narcizo and Kristin Hersh. Lyrics for each song stories
                                                          and essays by Kristin Hersh to accompany each track.

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                                                          Kristin Hersh

                                                          Sunny Border Blue

                                                          4AD

                                                          Kristin Hersh returns with her new album, which contains 12 brand new songs, plus a cover of Cat Stevens "Trouble".

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                                                          Cover of Live Shet by Kim Hiorthoy.

                                                          Kim Hiorthoy

                                                          Live Shet

                                                          Smalltown Supersound

                                                          Having played all over the world the last four years, both Hiorthøy and Smalltown Supersound have received many requests for his live material. That is why Hiorthøy has now collected and recorded his favourite live tracks. The material on this CD has been performed at venues in Barcelona, Bergen, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, London, New York, Normandy, Oslo, Rome, San Francisco, Skotbu and Stockholm during 2002 and 2003. In a way it works as a new album, as it isn't recorded live, but also it differs from the music he is known for on record.

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                                                          Cover of My Last Day by Kim Hiorthoy.

                                                          Kim Hiorthoy

                                                          My Last Day

                                                          Smalltown Supersound

                                                          "My Last Day" is the second full-length album from Kim Hiorthøy since his critically acclaimed debut "Hei" from 2000. Compared to "Hei", "My Last Day" is less fragmented and more song based. It is also more melodic and complete, all with Kim's characteristic sound. He often has an organic and folk-like tone to his music which XLR8R magazine recognized when they placed him in the forefront of the new electronic folk music movement with artists such as Herbert, Matmos and Four Tet. Kim Hiorthøy's music draws influences from folk, jazz (his live sets these days are with free-jazz drum virtuoso Paal Nilssen-Love), lo-fi/leftfield electronics, acid, hip-hop, field recordings and samples.

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                                                          Kim Hiorthoy

                                                          Hei Remixes Part 1

                                                          Smalltown Supersound

                                                          Three track 12" of splendid electronix on Norway's in-demand Smalltown Supersound label. Alog's remix is a slowly unfurling trip through swathes of fuzzy chords, analog twiddly-bleeps, folky acoustic guitar and music box before ending up being enveloped in Ovalesque glitch-warmth (ahh!) Flip for Mainpal Inv's two remixes are definitely at the stranger, more challenging end of the spectrum - very minimal, very odd!

                                                          FORMAT INFORMATION

                                                          12" Info: 500 copies only.

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                                                          Kim Hiorthoy

                                                          Melke

                                                          Smalltown Supersound

                                                          Multi-talented Norwegian producer Kim Hiorthoy follows his 2000 debut "Hei" with this B-sides, rarities and remixes compilation. His music, which has been classed with the new 'folktronica' movement combines lo-fi electronics, cut-up beats, glitches and samples, field recordings and live instrumentation. Hiorthoy is also a renowned filmmaker, photographer, and graphic designer who produces the cover art for the Rune Grammofon label.

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                                                          Cover of Entering The Dragon by Keith Hudson.

                                                          Keith Hudson

                                                          Entering The Dragon

                                                          Secret / Trojan

                                                          This 1974 release by Keith Hudson is something of a lost gem - with his gravelly vocal style gaining more and more prominence in recent years. Housed in some sunshine cover art, 'Entering The Dragon' with the man Keith bringing an abrasive edge to the proceedings that probably sounded quite startling in its day, now acts as a sign-post to the dancehall/hip-hop evolutions that were to come.

                                                          With particular highlights including 'Will You Come Out Tonight', 'It Was When Friends Started to Talk About You' and 'Rage Of Love', Keith Hudson's classic is available for everyone to enjoy on 180 gram vinyl.

                                                          This expanded version more than doubles the length of the original set with the addition of a whopping 17 bonus tracks dating from 1971-1976, creating a patchwork overview of Hudson’s work along the way.

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                                                          Cover of Playing It Cool & Playing It Right by Keith Hudson.

                                                          Keith Hudson

                                                          Playing It Cool & Playing It Right

                                                          Basic Replay

                                                          Basic Channal / Rhythm & Sound's Ernestus and Von Oswald started their cult reggae revival series, Basic Replay off with this very record way back in 2003. Originally released in 1981 in collaboration with the Bullwackies crew, it's a very deep and unique hybrid of dub reggae and US soul-jazz with deliriously off-key vocals from Hudson himself (alongside Love Joys and Junior Delahaye) that make this record the greatest (if only) dub-soul album ever. Now back in stock alongside a plethora of Wackies releases. Most recommended. 


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                                                          Cover of Pick A Dub by Keith Hudson.

                                                          Keith Hudson

                                                          Pick A Dub

                                                          VP Records

                                                          "Pick A Dub" showcased the enduring strength and pivotal importance of the rhythm to the development of reggae music. Keith Hudson’s complete mastery of the genre and the unqualified praise that followed its release was fully justified. The album’s “œaustere sonic qualities” are awe inspiring, the superb rhythms are given full rein, unencumbered by extra effects and studio trickery. The overall effect is as mesmerising now as it was over forty years ago. Both CD & double LP set contain bonus tracks featuring eight vocal cuts of the featured dub including two previously unreleased tracks.

                                                          STAFF COMMENTS

                                                          Martin says: One of the greatest dub albums ever released, certainly in the top 5, and imperative listening for any appreciator of the form. Carlton and Aston Barrett and Augustus Pablo contributed music, while vocal fragments include Hudson, Horace Andy and Big Youth. Hudson's sparse handling of production and lack of studio ornamentation allow the heavyweight rhythms and echoing, dreamlike vocal melodies space to shine.

                                                          FORMAT INFORMATION

                                                          2xLP Info: Limited edition includes a bonus LP, 'Pick A Vocal'.

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                                                          Cover of Love Time by Kang Tae Hwan Trio.

                                                          Kang Tae Hwan Trio

                                                          Love Time

                                                          VHF

                                                          "Love Time" is Korean alto player Kang Tae Hwan's debut release; his trio includes Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple) and percussionist Ichiraku Yoshimitsu (known for his work in Omoide Hatoba). More minimalist than free jazz "Love Time" centres on Hwan's long circular tones. Active since the 1970's Hwan has recorded for Japanese Victor and DIW labels.

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                                                          Cover of Otemoyan Isan by Kensuke Ide With His Mothership Featuring Pongsapon Upani Vs Hair Stylistics.

                                                          Kensuke Ide With His Mothership Featuring Pongsapon Upani Vs Hair Stylistics

                                                          Otemoyan Isan

                                                          EM

                                                          This is the third 12" release in support of the film "Bangkok Nites"; this time it's Kensuke Ide with his Mothership teaming up with Pongsapong Upani, a renowned young khaen player from Kalasin province. Songwriter/Producer Ide, and Upani, who accompanies molam greats such as Chawiwan Damnoen and Angkhanang Khunchai, fuse J-pop with luk thung-molam in a cool, catchy confection, accompanied by an instrumental version, a manically percolating remix by Hair Stylistics (the artist formerly known as Violent Onsen Geisha), and two groovy locked grooves. A sweet J/Thai meeting here, with a great feel, a summery melody, clever lyrics based on a Japanese folk song, attentive production and fine playing.

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                                                          Cover of Em Paz by Kaoru Inoue.

                                                          Kaoru Inoue

                                                          Em Paz

                                                          Groovement Organic Series

                                                          Must have for fans of Brian Eno & Jon Hassell from renowned (and highly prolific) Japanese producer Kaoru Inoue, and released via Spanish dance label Groovement. As the label kick off their new 'organic series', we're treated some a selection of highly detailed sonic prayers, folk songs and healing frequencies from this truly dazzling artist. A celestial and ambient collection that will drive us through a beautiful imaginary place where the quest for peace is central. “Em Paz” will spontaneously make you seek for some Brian Eno or Jon Hassell albums because it emerges from that same timeless place.

                                                          A very strong conceptual and listening album from the beginning to the very end.

                                                          Limited copies! - move quick...


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                                                          Cover of Silver Lightening From A Black Sky by Kenneth Ishak.

                                                          Kenneth Ishak

                                                          Silver Lightening From A Black Sky

                                                          Signature Tune

                                                          New album from Kenneth Ishak, frontman from Norwegian indie-pop legends Beezewax. For fans of singer songwriter music, the likes of Elliott Smith, Neil Young, Gram Parsons, Sufjan Stevens, Brian Wilson etc…

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                                                          Cover of Tell My Lover by Kathryn Joseph.

                                                          Kathryn Joseph

                                                          Tell My Lover

                                                          Rock Action

                                                            The ethereal Kathryn Joseph releases this single as a taster of her forthcoming album, her second since the SAY Award-winning ‘Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled’ from 2015 and her first for Glasgow’s Rock Action Records.

                                                            The single will appeal to lovers of haunting melodies and beautiful lyrics which will penetrate the corners of your soul.

                                                            Fans of the recent Out Lines album, which Kathryn appeared alongside James Graham of The Twilight Sad and producer Marcus Mackay, along with those that enjoy the sounds of Björk, Kate Bush, Anohni and Joanna Newsom, will love the unique talent of Scotland’s best kept secret, Kathryn Joseph.

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                                                            Cover of Boiler Room Teaser by K-Hand.

                                                            K-Hand

                                                            Boiler Room Teaser

                                                            Acacia

                                                            Following two impressive outings in 2015 on Nina Kraviz endearing трип label, K-Hand returns home to her own Acacia Records label for the Project 6 EP. The release opens with a grimy, ever-evolving techno-acid number first debuted in K-Hand's Boiler Room Detroit set, receiving massive track ID requests — hence the name "Boiler Room Teaser." Not merely inter webs tested and approved, it's also a proven standout track during her DJ sets around the world, like at Concrete in Paris. Shifting gears on "You Stepped Right," K-Hand delivers a catchy, cutup disco ear worm with more great energy, albeit of a different kind. Book-ending the release is the infectious groove driven "Live," a no-nonsense, chuggy house track with major tech appeal and intense buildups of looped, atmospheric sounds. Big, bold, and unrelenting, it wouldn't sound out of place in a marathon Carl Cox set.

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                                                            Cover of Dismania by K-Holes.

                                                            K-Holes

                                                            Dismania

                                                            Hardly ARt

                                                              Second full-length from NY’s K-Holes.

                                                              Featuring former members of Golden Triangle and Black Lips.

                                                              The K-Holes sound is not of the grinning, gregarious panderer. Nor is it of the bored or atease. Rather, it’s the sound of escape.

                                                              “This is music that inspires the behavior of heathens: topless dancing, violent sacrifice, Bacchanalian orgies, and New Year’s cleansings” - LA Record

                                                              “Throw-you-down-on-the-floor-over-a-chalkdrawn- pentagram-with-a-head-full-of-mescaline music” - Qro Magazine

                                                              “It's real noisy and then there’s some sax” - Vice

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                                                              K-Solo

                                                              Tell The World My Name

                                                              Atlantic

                                                              Classic 1990 debut LP from Hit Squad family member K-Solo. Erick and Parrish provide their trademark beats for this highly gifted MC to flex his high-speed rhyme skills over. Check his crazy S P E L L I N G style on the wicked "Spellbound"!! Class old school action for EPMD fans.

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                                                              Cover of Under Control by K.C.Y.C. (Kerri Chandler).

                                                              K.C.Y.C. (Kerri Chandler)

                                                              Under Control

                                                              Strictly Rhythm

                                                              Another little gem mined from the SR sonic seams. Big man KC on the house tip here with "Under Control". Featuring longtime collaborator Yahya McDougald on vocal duties it's got that thick and chunky Chandler vibe forcing those elbows out and that butt to bounce! All four mixes from the OG 1993 faithfully represented with a subtle but tasty remaster to boost. It's another winner for house collectors, DJs and dancers alike!

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                                                              Cover of Don't Stop / Hupendi Muziki Wangu by KID.

                                                              KID

                                                              Don't Stop / Hupendi Muziki Wangu

                                                              Sam

                                                              Superb double-headed original Sam Records reissue featuring two in-demand rarities from 80s Italo outfit KID a studio group put together by top disco producer Geoff Bastow. Best known for helping Giorgio Moroder create his seminal electronic dance sound, Bastow has pulled out all the stops for his pet project KID. ‘Don’t Stop’ on side A is a classic electrodisco corker with seriously funky synths and a high-voltage New York style vocal. Even if you're not familiar with the original, you should recognise its use on Alan Braxe's "Most Wanted" - the biggest French filter house of the early 00s. Meanwhile on the flip is the ultra-rare underground dance bomb 'Hupendi Muziki Wangu'. The title translates into English as “You don’t like my music”, hugely ironic considering the quality of this super-catchy boogie-tinted disco instrumental - a showcase for electric keyboards and endless guitar, highlighted by a sinewy percussive groove, bouncy horns and mesmerising strings. Don’t sleep!


                                                              STAFF COMMENTS

                                                              Philippa says: Anyone who has memories of dancing to "Most Wanted" by Alan Braxe will recognise KID's "Don't Stop" instantly - this is a stone-cold Italo electrodisco classic!

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                                                              Cover of Zug Tools by K2 €- Kero & Kyle Hall.

                                                              K2 €- Kero & Kyle Hall

                                                              Zug Tools

                                                              Detroit Underground

                                                              Two great DJ tools from prolific Detroit artists Kyle Hall & Kero. Keeping things simple with a similar vibe to Marcellus Pittman's grating rhythm trax, "FASTR000" is a quirky, pitch black number with interesting reverb patches coating everything in a lysergic patina. "19FT" is a slightly tougher number, utilizing sharp synth blasts and gurgling low end to create a mechanized beast that'll rip the shorts off anyone taking chances on the dancefloor. Fierce!

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                                                              Cover of Where Is The Love by Reno Ka.

                                                              Reno Ka

                                                              Where Is The Love

                                                              Music And Power

                                                              Ron Trent's iconic Music And Power imprint continues in earnest; we're up to release number six and there hasn't been a duff moment yet! Carrying on from where Electric Blue left us, we get those highly stimulating electronics paired with Ron's deep spiritual / tribal mentality. So far, everything on the label has been a Trent-penned solo outing, so it's quite exciting to see this, the first alternative artist to grace the label. Reno Ka has previously worked with Terrence Parker, and has performed as a vocalist all over the world. Here, we get a sexy and syrupy sweet vocal delivery on "Where Is The Love". Not a million miles away from our own Dani Moore (of Crazy P fame), her voice immediately encapsulates the listener with its effortless beauty. As for the instrumentation - you know what to expect now. Unfathomably deep electronic textures, big gospel vocal choruses, a genius helping of live instrumentation - congas, shakers, keys, hand claps etc etc and a gloriously long arrangement that never loses touch with the floor. It's another winner folks! On the flip we get a tasty dub version, allowing a few choice vocal snips to reverberate through the echo chamber as extra lead lines and (I think) a few extra percussion elements are added to boost the mix. Sublime stuff as always from Mr. Trent and his Music And Power label; and a promising artistic statement from Reno Ka - look out for more from this cat in the future I reckon. TIP!

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                                                              Cover of Little Brains by The Kabeedies.

                                                              The Kabeedies

                                                              Little Brains

                                                              NR One

                                                              The Kabeedies crashed their way through 2008 with live sessions on Radio 1 for Huw Stephens and BBC 6Music for Marc Riley, stunning festival appearances at both Glastonbury and Latitude, 3 single releases and several jaunts around the UK. Currently working towards an album release at the end of 2009, "Little Brains" is the band's 4th single release and takes the listener far away from these troubled times to a joyous land of Winnie The Pooh and everything that is fun and childish.

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                                                              Cover of Thru The Madness EP - Inc. Honk & Nik Mix by Brian Kage & Omar S.

                                                              Brian Kage & Omar S

                                                              Thru The Madness EP - Inc. Honk & Nik Mix

                                                              Michigander

                                                              Detroit producers Omar S & Brian Kage team up to bring you “Thru the Madness EP.”

                                                              “Thru the Madness” has all the elements of a classic dance music collaboration. The tune showcases Omar S raw and funky analog bass playing and drum programming combined with Brian Kage signature warm melodic synth lines and chord structures. The clever use of a catchy 90’s vocal sample helps solidify and unify the composition.

                                                              “Thru the Madness (Honk & Nik Mix)” takes a deeper approach by adding a deep Detroit-style DX pad, Nile Rodger-esque funk guitars parts, and vintage drum breaks that will keep the party moving into the late night hours.

                                                              Like Dutch & Dillon from Predator, some times you gotta “Get Thru the Madness!”

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                                                              Cover of Urth by Kagoule.

                                                              Kagoule

                                                              Urth

                                                              Earache

                                                              Eagerly awaited debut album from Nottingham, UK teenage alt-rock trio Kagoule

                                                              Produced by Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys - AM) at 2Fly Studios in Sheffield

                                                              Tipped by Rolling Stone as "The Artist To Watch in 2015"

                                                              “They’re part of a new wave of British bands (remember bands?) making a rock noise (remember rock noise?) that includes Royal Blood, Drenge and Southern... It is indeed a cause for celebration, if you happen to enjoy being whomped about the head by more than mildly momentous guitar, bass and drums, delivered with some of the feral power of Pixies.” – THE GUARDIAN

                                                              “Nottingham three-piece Kagoule are making a play for our hearts and minds and they’re treading a battle-path worn by the Pixies to get there. A perfect blend of melody and brutality.” – NME

                                                              " A fun little bummer of a record." – ROLLING STONE

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                                                              Cover of & Now For Plan C by Kaibosh.

                                                              Kaibosh

                                                              & Now For Plan C

                                                              Criminal Records

                                                              'This North London band go full thrust with powerful tracks and strong melodic vocals. Despite meandering through their mid twenties, their sound has been described as old school rock soul burnt at the edges with a fresh and new perspective, hard hitting rhythms, jazzy keys, riff laden guitars and soaring vocals.'

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                                                              Cover of Loves Saves The Day - Mario Basanov / Soulclap Remixes by Kaine Feat. Kathy Diamond.

                                                              Kaine Feat. Kathy Diamond

                                                              Loves Saves The Day - Mario Basanov / Soulclap Remixes

                                                              Needwant

                                                              Balearic pinao-house cut "Love Saves The Day" has been one of our biggest sellers of the early summer, and now NeedWant dish up an equally tasty remix 12". Mario Basanov’s 'Vocal Remake' is a perfectly timed disco shaker, that combines funky guitar licks with an 80s inspired synthy bassline all to a summery and uplifting backdrop. Kathy’s vocal is cut up to perfection with eventually Mario letting the chorus shine. On the dub he takes things direct to the dancefloor with squelchy bassline and punchy kick drum with a piano break that will have hands pointing upwards. Soulclap need little introduction being one of the hottest production / DJ at this moment in time. From the Wolf & Lamb camp, they have impressed with their repertoire of musical abilities whether it be re-editing a pop classic or a deep house workout, they seem to have a magic touch. Their house take on "Loves Saves The Day" delivers in its simplicity. Drums and dubbed out vocals create the perfect heads down groove for sunny afternoons as well as long dark nights.

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                                                              Cover of Employment by Kaiser Chiefs.

                                                              Kaiser Chiefs

                                                              Employment

                                                              B-unique

                                                              The hugely anticipated debut album from one of the most hotly tipped bands around at the moment, hot on the heels of two great pop singles: "I Predict A Riot" and "Oh My God". Fans of their releases so far won't be disappointed the album ebbs and flows nicely between jaunty energetic pop reminiscent of Super Furry Animals quirky pop, and gentler more reflective moments.

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                                                              Cover of Obaa Sima by Ata Kak.

                                                              Ata Kak

                                                              Obaa Sima

                                                              Awesome Tapes From Africa

                                                              Ata Kak's cassette 'Obaa Sima' fell on deaf ears when it was self-released in Ghana and Canada in 1994. The music on the recording - an amalgam of highlife, Twi-language rap, electro-funk and disco - is presented with the passion of a Prince record and the DIY-bedroom-recording lo-fi charm of early Chicago house music. The astute self-taught song craft and visionary blend of sounds and rhythms has made the album a left-field cult favorite among adventurous listeners worldwide. Awesome Tapes From Africa founder Brian Shimkovitz found the tape in 2002 in Cape Coast, Ghana - one of only a few ever pressed - and later made it the inaugural post on the Awesome Tapes From Africa blog. Hundreds of thousands of downloads, YouTube views, music video tributes and remixes, as well as years of mystery regarding Ata Kak's whereabouts, culminate in this remastered release featuring rare photos and the full back story of one of the internet age's most enigmatic musicians.

                                                              FORMAT INFORMATION

                                                              LP includes MP3 Download Code.

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                                                              Cover of Songs Of Paapieye by SK Kakraba.

                                                              SK Kakraba

                                                              Songs Of Paapieye

                                                              Awesome Tapes From Africa

                                                              SK Kakraba is master of the gyil, Ghanaian xylophone made of 14 wooden slats strung across calabash gourd resonators. The buzzy rattle emitted with each note comes from the silk walls of spiders' egg sacs stretched across holes in the gourds, called paapieye in Lobi language. The gyil's earthy sound can be heard in parts of Upper West and Northern Regions of Ghana, as well as C'te d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and beyond, where it goes by other names. The characteristic buzzing timbre might sound odd to foreign ears. But this distortion is just one of the beautifying sensibilities crucial to SK's gyil music, which he learned as a child from elders in his Lobi community in the far northwest reaches of Ghana. Although the gyil is sometimes played in pairs and with drum and bell, SK lives in Los Angeles these days and plays alone quite often. Songs of Paapieye surveys a deliberate snapshot of SK's hereditary Lobi repertoire heard through the lens of a stripped-down, and sometimes spare-sounding, solo gyil. The album focuses on a selection of SK's favorite song cycles, funeral dirges, improvised interpretations on traditional songs and original compositions - and combinations thereof.

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                                                              Cover of Congo Beat The Drum - Inc. Khan Remix by Kalbata & Mixmonster.

                                                              Kalbata & Mixmonster

                                                              Congo Beat The Drum - Inc. Khan Remix

                                                              Freestyle

                                                              The world of roots reggae and dancehall has been fully awoken to the fantastic analogue sounds of Kalbata & Mixmonster's music - and even Rob Da Bank, Robert Elms, Toddla T and The Wire magazine have supported and enthusiastically raved about their brand new yet wonderfully old school music.

                                                              And now - in time for summer festivals and carnivals, the floor shaking, speaker rattling track Congo Beat The Drum featuring Major Mackerel gets the 12" single treatment. The pounding drums and the larynx busting vocal performance from the Jamaican veteran is an unstoppable, unforgettable and frankly mesmerising experience!

                                                              Released alongside the original (and an instrumental version of stand out album track Out Of Road) is an amazing remix by Kahn - the Bristol based producer, renowned dubstepper, remixer, member of the Sureskank Collective - who with this remix displays his mastery of blending all kinds of styles, and injects his remix with some of his favourite influences - including Middle Eastern music scales - which ensures his reworking of Congo Beat The Drum is fresh, original and inspiring.

                                                              STAFF COMMENTS

                                                              Matt says: Agro, dark, fierce ragga / dancehall hybrid on this swerve ball for us here at Picc HQ. Local soundsystem firms take note. Very big at Carnival right now!

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                                                              Cover of Yamaha Acid by Kalbata.

                                                              Kalbata

                                                              Yamaha Acid

                                                              Brush & Broom

                                                              Kalbata goes full-acid with this snappy 303/808/909-driven four tracker. In a homage to 90's motorcycles, Kalbata whips up four jacking warehouse tweakers, wrapped in thick-smoke and crisp primal beats. A second release on his own Brush & Broom label. A slightly more tamed and well mannered sibling to Super Rhythm Trax, Posthuman, I Love Acid etc, but don't let that delude you - Kalbata's control of his machines is more than impressive; like when you when best mates younger brother beats you at Tekken 3....

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                                                              Apostille - Choose Life

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                                                              Zuider Zee - Zeenith

                                                              Zuider ZeeZeenith

                                                              Brian Eno - Music For Installations

                                                              Brian EnoMusic For Installations

                                                              Frank Turner - Be More Kind

                                                              Frank TurnerBe More Kind

                                                              STUFF WE HAVE LEFT. Should zoom, quickly depleting but still some killer titles. Get on it. Open till 5pm today. https://t.co/Mygt5WnC1d
                                                              Sun 22nd - 2:11
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