Zaya is a nomadic traveler currently residing in the Arab Emirates. ‘No Words’ is a collection of ideas worked on over a three year period with the occasional swapping of ideas with his best friend in rainy Manchester. A sun-kissed collage of hazy bedroom guitar instrumentals and blissed-out passages of psychedelic? rock..

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: If only Whyte Horses, with their beautiful way with melody, were to ever release an instrumental LP......waiiiiit a minute!!!

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Lost Souvenir
2. Triangular Dreams
3. Interlude 01
4. We Made It
5. Interlude 02
6. Long Way To Get There
7. Tripoli
SIDE B
1. Lonely Jewel
2. Interlude 03
3. Taste Of Gold
4. Interlude 04
5. Thought I Told You
6. Had To Go

'Sun' is the first album by Tennessee native and baritone saxophonist Zoh Amba for the Oslo-based imprint Smalltown Supersound – and her second album following 2022’s 'Oh Sun 'on Tzadik label.

On 'Sun', Amba introduces a newly assembled group with a set of compositions that blur the line between performance and process – where both the music and the act of capturing it unfold in real time, guided in part by improvisational recording techniques. As a bandleader, Amba navigates the edges of an improvisational delta, where spiritual jazz and free folk emerge not as separate genres, but as tributaries of the same current, each flowing from a shared belief in music as a sacred force.

The decision to release 'Sun' on Smalltown Supersound was born from a common connection to the late German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, who was both a spiritual mentor to Amba and released several records on the label. And while the album is rooted in American folk traditions, it’s Brötzmann’s fearless spirit – itself an immense historical catalyst for European free jazz – that runs like a current through the ensemble’s musical collaboration and its experimental recording techniques.

For Amba however, it was important that the ensemble – consisting of Caroline Morton (bass), Lex Korton (piano), Miguel Marcel Russel (percussion) – establish deeper musical connection before the recording process took place: “We spent days just playing together, and I was trying to mentally take notes of what naturally wanted to exist in this band – before giving instructions or handing out sheet music. I wanted to see where we were all standing in life, right at that moment. From there, I started carving out the process with them. That’s how the structure of the band and the approach to the record came about.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Fruit Gathering
2. Interbeing
3. Ma
4. Forevermore
5. Seaside
6. Champa Flower
7. At Noon
8. Like The Sun
9. In Heart

Despite the whirlwind that has been sweeping her away since the spring of 2023, Zaho de Sagazan has kept writing and is now set to release an enhanced version of her first album, La Symphonie des éclairs.

This extended version includes seven intimate and previously unreleased songs charged with an undeniable electro energy. While attentive listeners had already caught the very tragic “Dernier des voyages” during her shows, nothing was yet known of “L'Envol” and its existential impulse, the post-breakup tenderness of “Est-ce que tu vas bien?”, the artistic profession of faith on “Ô travers”, the explicit sensuality of “Hab Sex”, or even “Parler l'amour” and lastly “Old Friend” written and recorded with the very one who had given rise to her desire and urgency to make music...”

TRACK LISTING

1. La Fontaine De Sang
2. Aspiration
3. Les Dormantes
4. La Symphonie Des éclairs
5. Les Garçons
6. Langage
7. Dis-moi Que Tu M'aimes
8. Mon Inconnu
9. Je Rêve
10. Tristesse
11. Suffisamment
12. Mon Corps
13. Ne Te Regarde Pas
14. Le Dernier Des Voyages
15. Old Friend
16. Ô Travers
17. Est-ce Que Tu Vas Bien ?
18. Hab Sex
19. Parler L’amour

Zaho de Sagazan and the fifty musicians of the Orchestre National de Lyon have joined forces to create a unique masterpiece, ‘La symphonie des éclairs (Orchestral Odyssey)’.

A symphonic album in four movements and sixteen songs, opening the door to a whole new horizon. A haunting voice that shifts from cries to whispers, a transcendent score, an unprecedented whirlwind of emotions... From the intimate to the grandiose, such is the promise of the journey.

TRACK LISTING

1. Aspiration
2. Mon Inconnu
3. Les Garçons
4. Langage
5. Les Dormantes
6. Je Rêve
7. Suffisamment
8. Mon Corps
9. La Fontaine De Sang
10. Tristesse
11. Le Dernier Des Voyages
12. Est-ce Que Tu Vas Bien ?
13. Old Friend
14. La Symphonie Des éclairs
15. L’envol
16. 01

She may be making her first appearance on NuNorthern Soul, but Zeynep Erbay is no newcomer. A classically trained pianist who took a turn towards the dancefloor while at university, the Turkish DJ/producer earned her first release on Compost Records way back in 2007 after taking part in 2006’s Red Bull Music Academy programme. Since then, her career has been on an upwards trajectory, with releases on Fools Gold and Soul Clap Records confirming Erbay as a genuine rising star of underground electronic music.

On the Healer EP, the Istanbul-based producer showcases the more atmospheric, sun-kissed end of her productions, taking a turn away from synth-powered, disco-leaning club tracks towards something more suitable for al-fresco events, sun-down sets, and sofa-bound listening sessions.

Inspired by a poem inscribed on the back cover of the EP, Erbay’s two original instrumental tracks simply ooze with emotion. The poem tells the story of a whale searching for her family while helping others along the way, which acts as a metaphor for our wider search for belonging and acceptance.

This aural narrative unfolds firstly across ‘Heart of a Healer’, a slowly unfurling stunner in which emotion-rich chords, gentle electronic melodies and Erbay’s poignant and picturesque piano motifs, gently rise above a chunky dub disco bassline and mid-tempo, triple-time drums.

Delving further, the effortlessly emotional, life-affirming composition ‘Healer Whale’, where Erbay’s impeccable piano playing ushers in languid, jazz-flecked drums, dubby bass, sumptuous synth-strings and colourful, slow-moving chords.

On remix dutires, NYC-based Italian Danilo Braca, who also mastered the release, provides a fine club-focused fix of ‘Heart of a Healer’, laced with crunchy machine drums and undulating TB-303 acid lines. NuNorthern Soul regular Marshall Watson handles ‘Healer Whale’, first delivering a fine ‘Remix’ version that effortlessly blurs the boundary between dub disco and Balearic nu-disco, before serving up a shorter, ambient ‘Reprise’ version.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: It might be pissing it down in the UK right now - but we're in peak season Balearic! Phil Coopers' NuNorthern Soul can always be relied upon for the paradisiacal vibrations and this new one by Zeynep Erbay is no exception. Hammocks at the ready!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Heart Of A Healer [Original]
A2. Heart Of A Healer [Danilo Braca Remix]
B1. Whale Healer [Original]
B2. Whale Healer [Marshall Watson Remix]
B3. Whale Healer [Marshall Watson Reprise]

'Bag of Max Bag of Cass' is a joint work from Zach Hill and Lucas Abela.

Hill, while primarily known as a founding member of Death Grips, is a titan in music—a visionary drummer, master of velocity and compositional design. Abela’s practice stands alone in the world of free improvisation, forging entire universes literally from shards of amplified glass.

These aren’t songs so much as vast, textured fields. Here, noise becomes a sonic environment of focus and intensity. For all its volatility, the music holds an unlikely stillness. Hill’s rhythms refract against Abela’s sustained, splintered overtones, forming a labyrinthine architecture ever ready to ensnare you.

TRACK LISTING

1. Nephillm P
2. Odlous Again
3. Combat Boxes
4. Hamartia
5. Figment 4
6. Bent On 13
7. Scaredy Cats
8. Divisadero Hero

You may be familiar with the hypnotic, entrancing tones of Ibarra's vocals through his work with the Latin Grammy award- winning, four- piece, Bala Desejo and the band Donica. He has also toured with the musical titan, Milton Nascimento, performing guitar and vocals, which is quite the honour and a testament to Ibarra's craft. As a solo artist, he has performed headline solo shows in Japan, Portugal and the US, as well as recently completing a support tour with the great, Seu Jorge.

'AFIM' is comprised of eight tracks, featuring Ze's own compositions as well as cover versions of tracks by contemporaries and friends, Sophia Chablau, Tom Veloso, and Dora Morelenbaum. It combines elements of MPB, jazz, pop and progressive rock in a bold, authoritative style. The album represents the intersection between different facets of the artist, from the stripped- down, intimate, guitar singer- songwriter, to dense arrangements with sweeping strings sections.

Writing this album allowed Ibarra "to explore sides of myself that had not yet been organized in an album: a certain darkness, a more cinematic musicality, a desire for new soundscapes". The album features the single, 'Transe', a song with an instantly comforting tone reminiscent of classic Brazilian songs of the past (think Caetano Veloso). It is built on a rhythmic guitar that supports dynamic sound layers, opening space for Ibarra's intense interpretation. Cinematic atmospheres that lend an air of mystery come courtesy of string arrangements by Jaques Morelenbaum. His unique cover version of Sophia Chablau's 'Segredo' is equally compelling, taking Sophia's punky-indie original in a different direction and making it feel like his own. 'Essa Confusao', a song celebrating the intensity of love and co- written by Dora Morelenbaum, is steered into epic, 70's AOR, singer- songwriter territory with wind arrangements by Ibarra, Jorge Continentino and strings by Jaques Morelenbaum.

The album is the result of the collaboration of experienced musicians and long-time partners of Ibarra. Fellow Bala Desejo and Donica member Lucas Nunes co-produced the album. The core band featured on the record consists of Lucas Nunes on organs, Alberto Continentino on bass, Daniel Conceicao and Thomas Harres on drums and percussion, Rodrigo Pacato on additional percussion, Chico Lira on Fender Rhodes and Guilherme Lirio on guitar. The overall feel of the record is archetypically quintessential without slipping into retro mode.

It is a stunning album from one of the fnest musicians of his generation. A true star of Brazil's blooming contemporary scene.

TRACK LISTING

1. Infnito Em Nos
2. Segredo
3. Transe
4. Retrato De Maria Lucia
5. Da Menor Importancia
6. Morena
7. Essa Confusao
8. Hexagrama 28

Nika, the 25-year-old behind Zola Jesus’ creative incarnations, is a singer, sole songwriter and producer.

Written on Vashon Island, WA and mixed in Los Angeles, CA by Dean Hurley, ‘Taiga’ follows the widely celebrated albums ‘Versions’ (2013) and ‘Conatus’ (2011). This is Nika’s fourth fulllength album release.

In regards to the album title, Nika explains, “Taiga is the Russian name for the boreal forest. For me it feels very alive… very expansive. It represents a feral, untapped world that could happily exist without us. There are taiga forests in Northern Wisconsin where I was raised, and also in Russia where my ancestors are from, so it also feels very native.”

Liberated in the present and connected to the past, this album is a transition for Zola Jesus. Masterful layers of composition are bathed in familiar atmospheric vocals but a new sensibility is deeply present.

‘Taiga’ is at once challenging and accessible and is undeniably branded with what Nika terms a “piercing ambition.” Such encompassing purpose, she explains, would be impossible without a newfound sense of artistic self. The album is a declaration of that purpose; one faced with jarring clarity in both its content and production. Nika summates, “For me, it feels like my true debut, because it is the first time I have felt so open and liberated.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Taiga
2. Dangerous Days
3. Dust
4. Hunger
5. Go (Blank Sea)
6. Ego
7. Lawless
8. Nail
9. Long Way Down
10. Hollow
11. It's Not Over

There is a way a voice can cut through the fascia of reality, cleaving through habit into the raw nerve of experience. Nika Roza Danilova, the singer, songwriter, and producer who since 2009 has released music as Zola Jesus, wields a voice that does that. When you hear it, it is like you are being summoned to a place that’s already wrapped inside you but obscured from conscious experience. This place has been buried because it tends to hold pain, but it’s also a gift, because once it’s opened, once you’re inside of it, it can show you the truth. Zola Jesus’s new album, Arkhon, finds new ways of loosing this submerged, stalled pain.

On previous albums, Danilova had largely played the role of auteur, meticulously crafting every aspect of Zola Jesus’s sound and look. This time, she realized that her habitual need for control was sealing her out of her art. Arkhon sees Zola Jesus’s first collaboration with producer Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Earth, Mandy soundtrack, Candyman soundtrack) and with drummer and percussionist Matt Chamberlain, whose prior work appears on albums by Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie. Arkhon runs the spectrum from songs whose weight lies in their bare simplicity, like “Desire,” an elegiac piano composition about the end of a relationship that was recorded acoustically in a single take, to towering, groove-oriented tracks like “The Fall” and the tight, interlocking percussion and samples of a Slovenian folk choir in “Lost,” which propel narratives of collective despair and mutual comfort in kind. Through these turns, Arkhon reveals itself as an album whose power derives from abandon. Both its turmoils and its pleasures take root in the body, letting individual consciousness dissolve into the thick of the beat.

Despite the darkness curled inside reality, there is power, too, in surrendering to what can’t be pinned down, to the wild unfurling of the world in all its unforeseeable motion. That letting go is the crux of Arkhon, which marks a new way of moving and making for Zola Jesus.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Zola Jesus' music has always been uncompromising, and had a distinct identity all of it's own, but on 'Arkhon', Danilova mixes her distinctive compositional style with a number of collaborators, resulting in a fractured, visceral hybrid of modern industrial music and abstracted synth-pop.

TRACK LISTING

1 Lost
2 The Fall
3 Undertow
4 Into The Wild
5 Dead And Gone
6 Sewn
7 Desire
8 Fault
9 Efemra
10 Do That Anymore 

For over a decade, Nika Roza Danilova has been recording music as Zola Jesus. She’s been on Sacred Bones Records for most of that time, and Okovi marks her reunion with the label.

Fittingly, the 11 electronics-driven songs on Okovi share musical DNA with her early work on Sacred Bones. The music was written in pure catharsis, and as a result, the sonics are heavy, dark, and exploratory. In addition to the contributions of Danilova’s longtime live bandmate Alex DeGroot, producer/musician WIFE, cellist/noise-maker Shannon Kennedy from Pedestrian Deposit, and percussionist Ted Byrnes all helped build Okovi’s textural universe.

With Okovi, Zola Jesus has crafted a profound meditation on loss and reconciliation that stands tall alongside the major works of its genre. The album peaks of tragedy with great wisdom and clarity. Its songs plumb dark depths, but they reflect light as well.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

Last year, I moved back to the woods in Wisconsin where I was raised. I built a little house just steps away from where my dilapidated childhood tree fort is slowly recombining into earth. Okovi was fed by this return to roots and several very personal traumas.

While writing Okovi, I endured people very close to me trying to die, and others trying desperately not to. Meanwhile, I was fighting through a haze so thick I wasn’t sure I’d find my way to the other side. Death, in all of its masks, has been encircling everyone I love, and with it the questions of legacy, worth, and will.

Okovi is a Slavic word for shackles. We’re all shackled to something—to life, to death, to bodies, to minds, to illness, to people, to birthright, to duty. Each of us born with a unique debt, and we have until we die to pay it back. Without this cost, what gives us the right to live? And moreover, what gives us the right to die? Are we really even free to choose?

This album is a deeply personal snapshot of loss, reconciliation, and a sympathy for the chains that keep us all grounded to the unforgiving laws of nature. To bring it to life, I decided to enlist the help of Alex DeGroot, who has been the only constant in my live band and helped mix the Stridulum EP back in 2010. It will be released on Sacred Bones, the closest group of people I’ll ever have to blood-bound family.

TRACK LISTING

1. Doma
2. Exhumed
3. Soak
4. Ash To Bone
5. Witness
6. Siphon
7. Veka
8. Wiseblood
9. NMO
10. Remains
11. Half Life

For over a decade, Nika Roza Danilova has been recording music as Zola Jesus. She’s been on Sacred Bones Records for most of that time, and Okovi marks her reunion with the label.

Fittingly, the 11 electronics-driven songs on Okovi share musical DNA with her early work on Sacred Bones. The music was written in pure catharsis, and as a result, the sonics are heavy, dark, and exploratory. In addition to the contributions of Danilova’s longtime live bandmate Alex DeGroot, producer/musician WIFE, cellist/noise-maker Shannon Kennedy from Pedestrian Deposit, and percussionist Ted Byrnes all helped build Okovi’s textural universe.

With Okovi, Zola Jesus has crafted a profound meditation on loss and reconciliation that stands tall alongside the major works of its genre. The album speaks of tragedy with great wisdom and clarity. Its songs plumb dark depths, but they reflect light as well.

TRACK LISTING

1. Doma
2. Exhumed
3. Soak 
4. Ash To Bone 
5. Witness 
6. Siphon 
7. Veka 
8. Wiseblood
9. NMO
10. Remains
11. Half Life 

“Seven yers ago, it was winter break at university in Madison, Wisconsin. There was a snowstorm that covered the city with a still white haze. Not a single person in the streets. I was sitting on my bed with a cheap keyboard and a computer, screaming into the void. I barely remember writing the songs. It was a chaotic point in my life. I had no time to think about process or intent. It was a purge. I do remember taking a break from recording, bundling up, and walking through the barren streets while listening to the demos I’d made. The world, at once, felt clear. After writing and producing what would become the Stridulum EP, I contacted a new friend, Alex DeGroot, to come over and record my vocals. He was studying audio engineering and had more knowledge and gear than I could dream of. He helped mix Stridulum, too, because all I had was a pair of headphones. (Since then, Alex has stuck by me, as a live bandmate, technical director, co-producer, mixer, and engineer.) These songs were a huge leap of faith back then. It was my first time singing without layers of distortion, echo, and reverb. It was the first time I peeled back the layers to find out what was at the core. I’m still on that path today, seeing how far I can push myself into unknown places, whether through clarification or destruction. It’s like Stridulum’s still here with me, underneath it all. Still, it’s surreal to think that this record, made by a 19-year-old girl sitting on a bed in a freezing old house in Madison, would make its way into strangers’ ears seven years later.”

-Nika Roza Danilova, June 2017

Collects the early Zola Jesus EPs Stridulum and Valusia in a single volume for the first time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Night (3:37)
2. Trust Me (2:01)
3. I Can’t Stand (4:10)
4. Stridulum (4:22)
5. Run Me Out (3:19)
6. Manifest Destiny (3:16)
7. Poor Animal (4:27)
8. Tower (3:58)

‘Sweet Whispers’ is more than a run-through of some of Vaughan’s most popular songs. It’s not hard to imagine the immense task in selecting those songs, after all, Vaughan’s recording career spanned 50 years notching up almost 60 albums (plus nearly 30 again in compilations and box sets). Through a thoughtfully chosen selection of songs, formed across months in collaboration with producer, and the album’s clarinettist and saxman, Giacomo Smith – Zara journeys through the musical life of Sarah Vaughan, from her first to last recording, bringing to life and breathing new life into some of her best and less familiar songs. But importantly, the songs that mean the most to Zara.

Zara McFarlane said “It was when I started to listen to Sarah Vaughan that I really began to appreciate jazz vocals. She had such control across her range and a vocal command that was cheeky, playful and fun yet sophisticated and articulate. I really wanted to pay homage to her as I feel she has been somewhat overlooked amongst the jazz singers. Although I do love Ella and Billie, it's all about Sarah for me.”

‘Sweet Whispers – Celebrating Sarah Vaughan’ was recorded analogue at Durham Studios, London. Giacomo assembled a stellar cast of musicians - Joe Webb on piano, Ferg Ireland on double bass, Jas Kayser on drums, Marlon Hibbert on Steel Pan and Gabriella Swallow on cello – to record 11 tracks live to tape; with minimal overdubs, the recording has retained a live, vintage feel.

A celebration of Sarah Vaughan could be in no better hands than that of Zara McFarlane, who makes an inspired homage to the ‘Divine One’. Beautifully performed in Zara’s own inimitable style, with her own playful swoops and slides, she has added her own touch to the music. With a silken voice and timbre that brings emotional depth, attitude and personality to this collection of Sarah Vaughan songs, this is a masterful celebration.

TRACK LISTING

1. Tenderly
2. Mean To Me
3. Inner City Blues
4. September Song
5. Great Day
6. If You Could See Me Now
7. Interlude
8. Obsession
9. The Mystery Of Man
10. Stardust
11. Sweet Whispers

In 1999, Modest Mouse struck out for Chicago to record their major-label debut for Epic Records. Amid indie circle cries of “sellouts,” a largely untested producer, and a half-built studio, the trio recorded the instrumental basics of The Moon & Antarctica … and then singer/songwriter Isaac Brock got his face smashed by a hooligan in a park.

With barely any vocals recorded, Brock emerged from the hospital with his jaw completely wired shut, and returned to a mostly empty studio. And there, on a diet of painkillers, in a neighborhood that wanted to purge the band from its borders, a creative alchemy took place that would redefine Modest Mouse and indie rock at large.

The fact that the band finished the album at all is surprising. The fact that it is now considered by critics as “hands-down one of the greatest records ever made” (NME) is perhaps an utter miracle.

The Moon & Antarctica is an album so strange and enigmatic, from those sweet opening notes, to the plunging depths of the middle, to the shocking, furious end, that you almost hesitate to listen to it again for fear of it losing its chaotic magic. But then you do, and you discover all-new sounds-a lost harmonic here, a stray percussion element there, a fresh interpretation of a lyric that leaves you thunderstruck.

And that ever-looming question, years on: How the hell did Modest Mouse pull this off?!

Nervous offshoot, _NRV deliver two immersive tracks from Za__Paradigma, elevated by a standout remix from Romania’s minimal maestro, Cezar Lazar.

Za__Paradigma’s "Pianeta Extrasolare" opens with rippling hypnotic rhythms and lush, thick textures, ideal for up all nite audiences carrying on into the next day. VVF - very Villalobos friendly!

"Senza di te" follows with a rugged but skeletal groove system and a compelling, building energy that'll sort out your next warehouse party set no problem.

Cezar Lazar’s remix of "Pianeta Extrasolare" is an 11-minute journey, blending intricate rhythms with subtle orchestral undertones, showcasing his visionary mastery.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: More stripped back dubby house from _NRV who refuse to leave my record bag at the moment! Each release is a doozy of functional rhythms, deep grooves and stripped-back sensibility. Proper house music (you'd expect nothing less from Nervous).

TRACK LISTING

A1. Pianeta Extrasolare
A2. Senza Di Te
B. Pianeta Extrasolare (Cezar Lazar Remix) 

Psychedelic tinged, electonica / pop from this hotly tipped young Welsh band. Hints of Gorkys, Spiritualized and Super Furry Animals in their mellower moments!

Venice-based DJ and collector Zaffa is next up on the ever-superb Scruniversal label with a couple more delightful disco dancers. 'Trip Through The Galaxy' is a slow-motion cosmic trip that is vast in scale and high on soul thanks to the warm vocal that floats amidst funky riffs and glowing keys. Things stay just as sensuous and steamy on the flip with 'Supernova Child', another fluid and funky jam with oodles of synth magic and gentle grooves all soothing mind, body and soul. The real kicker is the vocal samples that add extra spaced-out funkiness.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Snappy percussion and echoing guitars, shimmering delay and grooving bass licks come together for this soulful pair for Scruniversal.

TRACK LISTING

Trip Through The Galaxy
Supernova Child

Zajac’s strength as an artist lies in her ability to balance light and dark with startling ease. While songs like 'Bowls', 'Dilute' and 'Anton' anchor the record in raw explorations of violence and intimacy, elsewhere she lets surrealism and humour take centre stage. The dreamlike 'Chicken Supermarket' imagines hallucinatory encounters with Billy Connolly and seas of jelly, while the exuberant title track revels in sexual liberation with infectious, pop-fuelled guitar tones. This tonal dexterity - at once bruising and playful - places Zajac alongside kindred spirits such as PJ Harvey and Angel Olsen, artists unafraid to marry the intimate with the explosive.

Her commanding voice, honed on stages across the UK and Europe, has seen her tour with Mercury Rev, Arab Strap, Lankum, and Cassandra Jenkins, as well as joining Alison Moyet on her sold-out 2025 tour. Last year, she was invited to perform with The Pogues at their landmark reunion in Dublin, later touring with the band through packed shows at Brixton Academy, Manchester Apollo, and Glasgow’s Barrowlands. With her own headline shows on the horizon, Zajac’s reputation as one of the UK’s most vital new voices is only growing stronger.

'Bang' was recorded at Post Electric Studio in Edinburgh with producer Dani Bennett-Spragg, alongside Joe Taylor (drums), Ellie Mason (guitar, synths), and Ben Manning (bass). Drawing on influences from Sibylle Baier and Portishead to her Polish and Ukrainian heritage, Zajac weaves together intimate acoustic moments and full-band dynamism with an intensity that reflects her arresting live performances.

FFO: PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, Aldous Harding, Lankum

TRACK LISTING

1. Bowls
2. Bang
3. Dilute
4. Summer
5. End Of The Year
6. Anton
7. Salt
8. Chicken Supermarket
9. Murder Mystery
10. Ridiculous Hat
11. Interlude
12. Loving Is Rough

A vivid portrayal of Zaltsman’s direction, My Luv delivers 4 hard hitting club tracks, with rhythmic percussion and heavy basslines throughout. ‘The hook’ remaining a staple of this release, the tracks are all equally useful in peak time club scenarios as they are for after-hours listening.

The stripped back, bouncy ‘Moving’ features the vocals of London based poet and musician, James Massiah. An eerie synth runs throughout, complimentary to the vocals and choppy drums. The lead track, 'My Luv', is an out and out club-weapon. Chopped up vocals and a deep dark sub bass. This has seen a Summer of being deployed by some of the best DJs in the scene, taking advantage of its ‘obnoxiously long’ breakdown, before descending into chaos.

Complimenting these two tracks, 'Page 365' is a more sensitive body of music, engaging listeners with a strong bassline hook, before progressing into a more heavy hitting club track, with a large focus on groove, taking influence from the UK Funky scene. Finally, the most club-driven track from the record. 'Flatspot' is dominated by its forceful bassline and rolling percussion. This is out and out designed for peak-hour fun.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Moving
A2. My Luv
B1. Flatspot
B2. Page 365

Simona Zamboli's first album on Mille Plateaux "Ethernity" is a piece of haunting music - vibrating, pulsing and cutting through the concrete and the chaos at the same time. Hushed and intimate in places, whilst in others, ruthlessly destructive, the album is a journey through trans-reality, not only as a melancholic drama, but also as a travel to alien worlds, hence as a necessity of an electronic intervention. "Ethernithy" is radical fictioning in a non-expressive, non-melancholic and ultrablack sense. Profound music demands blackness, not silence. When we speak of communication or mediation, the reference is always that of the mystical tradition of the via negativa; mediation and communication always imply the dissolution of sender and receiver, leaving not only the message that is the gulf or abyss, but a perception out there, which senses should be able to recognize and even love.

In this way the album conveys all these primal and ancient emotions in a cybernetically enhanced manner; smothered in a dissolute darkness that only the deepest recesses of space and reveal... 

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Bless (interlude) (2:14)
2. Dream But Be Careful (5:50)
3. Noise Hub (6:11)

Side 2
1. Take Me Somewhere (5:30)
2. A Lightning Bolt Strikes The Mountaintop (3:40)

Side 3
1. Compossibility (7:04)
2. Let It Drain From You All (3:46)

Side 4
1. Russian Galaxy (4:29)
2. Trittico (feat Transgressorcorruptor) (4:22)
3. Ethernity (3:47)

Dusty in Memphis, Dusty Springfield's beautiful and bizarre magnum opus, remains as fine a hybrid of pop and rhythm and blues as has ever been made. In this remarkable book, Warren Zanes explores his own love affair with the record. He digs deep into the album's Memphis roots and talks to several of the key characters who were involved in its creation, many of whom were - like Zanes - outsiders drawn to the American South and mesmerized by its hold over the imagination.

ZAN's latest album is currently 26 in the UK soul chart s it's no wonder the label it came on has pressed up this 12" with a couple of mixes of one of its standout tunes on as well as a new jam. The first is an extended mix of 'Follow My Heart' that has timeless synth soul and lush boogie disco drums with wet claps and cowbells a plenty. Then comes Bangsy's 808 disco mix which is a little more blissed out and low-slung with funky guitar riffs and lovely vocal hooks. Also included is the new cut 'Everlasting' which is a dubbed-out, reverb-drenched street soul stepper with retro keys to melt the heart.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Follow My Heart (extended Mix)
A2. Follow My Heart (Bangsy 808 Discomix)
B1. Everlasting

Zac and Louis are back as Zanzibar Chanel, inaugurating the slightly obscene Pig Sweat imprint with the fresh dancefloor pressure of "Killer", unreleased classic "Big Bone Bitch" and a whacked out edit offered by fellow ex-Melbournite Bell Towers. After a hallucinatory snatch of Peppa Pig, our hosts get down to business, working 8-bit sequences into a basement weapon par excellence. The funk of the 'jazz club' is all but forgotton as ZC pay homage to Prescription classics on a cheap and trashy studio set up. Drifting, swelling pads almost to lift us up to the heavens, but the scuzzy aethetic keeps things down low and dirty. Switching to the flip, ZC treat us to the first vinyl outing of their slamming, stomping, voguing classic "Big Bone Bitch". Giving NYC's Ballroom scene and Chi-Town's Dance Mania catalogue a fresh and modern twist, the crew top a squelching b-line and rattling drum groove with some life affirming, sleazy and totally ridiculous lyrics - it's one hell of a party. Bell Towers drops by on the B2 to treat us to his interpretation of their Gok Wan groover, laying down a Fingers Inc-inspired backing before sending those vocals through the chopper - did I mention it was party time?

TRACK LISTING

A1. Killer
B1. Big Bone Bitch
B2. Big Bone Bitch (Bell Towers Edit)

Funky Nothingness, the working title Frank Zappa used for this project, is comprised of studio cuts from 1970. This release is basically the follow up to The Hot Rats Sessions. Frank Zappa used a very stripped-down combo featuring Don “Surgarcane” Harris on violin and vocals. The music concentrates heavily on instrumental and blues-oriented material. This album consists of many unreleased tracks that Frank Zappa bypassed but kept his eye on during his career. He just never got around to releasing them. Some of the tracks were almost included on The Lost Episodes album. 90 minutes of music will be mixed for the first time. The remaining music was mixed and edited by Frank Zappa. The vinyl will only contain the tracks FZ edited and mixed.

TRACK LISTING

2LP
Side 1
Funky Nothingness
Tommy/Vincent Duo I
Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild
I'm A Rollin' Stone
Side 2
Chunga's Revenge (Basement Version)
Basement Jam
Side 3
Work With Me Annie / Annie Had A Baby
Tommy/Vincent Duo II
Sharleena (1970 Record Plant Mix)
Side 4
Khaki Sack
Twinkle Tits

3CD
CD 1: Funky Nothingness - The Album
Funky Nothingness
Tommy/Vincent Duo I
Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild
I'm A Rollin' Stone
Chunga's Revenge (Basement Version)
Basement Jam
Work With Me Annie / Annie Had A Baby
Tommy/Vincent Duo II
Sharleena (1970 Record Plant Mix)
Khaki Sack
Twinkle Tits
CD 2: Zappa/Hot Rats ’70 Session Masters And Bonus Nothingness
Chunga’s Revenge (Take 5)
Love Will Make Your Mind Go Wild (Take 4)
Transylvania Boogie (Unedited Master)
Sharleena (Unedited Master)
Work With Me Annie/Annie Had A Baby (Alternate Edit)
Twinkle Tits (Take 1, False Start)
Twinkle Tits (Take 2)
CD 3: Zappa/Hot Rats ’70 Session Masters And Bonus Nothingness
The Clap (Unedited Master-Part I)
The Clap (Unedited Master-Part II)
Tommy/Vincent Duo (Unedited Master)
Chunga’s Revenge (Take 8)
Halos And Arrows
Moldred
Fast Funky Nothingness

"A fascinating collection of mostly instrumental live and studio material recorded by the original Mothers of Invention, complete with horn section, from 1967-1969, Weasels Ripped My Flesh segues unpredictably between arty experimentation and traditional song structures. Highlights of the former category include the classical avant-garde elements of "Didja Get Any Onya," which blends odd rhythmic accents and time signatures with dissonance and wordless vocal noises; these pop up again in "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask" and "Toads of the Short Forest." The latter and "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue" also show Frank Zappa's willingness to embrace the avant-garde jazz of the period. Yet, interspersed are straightforward tunes like a cover of Little Richard's "Directly From My Heart to You," with great violin from Don "Sugarcane" Harris; the stinging Zappa-sung rocker "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama," and "Oh No," a familiar Broadway-esque Zappa melody (it turned up on Lumpy Gravy) fitted with lyrics and sung by Ray Collins. Thus, Weasels can make for difficult, incoherent listening, especially at first. But there is a certain logic behind the band's accomplished genre-bending and Zappa's gleefully abrupt veering between musical extremes; without pretension, Zappa blurs the normally sharp line between intellectual concept music and the visceral immediacy of rock and R&B. Zappa's anything-goes approach and the distance between his extremes are what make Weasels Ripped My Flesh ultimately invigorating; they also even make the closing title track -- a minute and a half of squalling feedback, followed by applause -- perfectly logical in the album's context." - All Music.

The saying goes that "God only gives you what you can handle." Well God didn't grow up in my atheist, Wiccan, fame-laden, oversexed, teetotalling, drug-free, cloistered, chaotic, non-communicative, workaholic, feral-feeling house.'For Moon Unit, daughter of musician Frank Zappa and his 'manager', Gail, processing a life so unique, so punctuated by the whims of creative urges, the tastes of popular culture and the calculus of celebrity, has at times been eviscerating. But it is her deep sense of humour and unshakeable humility that keeps her - and this memoir - pinned to the ground. A child-star at age 14 after her accidental international hit single (recorded with her father), 'Valley Girl', turned her into a reluctant celebrity, Moon Unit Zappa's life has been utterly extraordinary from her birth in 1967 into a family that was already blessed/cursed as music royalty thanks to the acknowledged genius of Frank.

But what are the consequences of growing up in a family who spend most of their time naked arguing about sexual/extra-marital liaisons and practising white magic in a free-for-all state of nonconformist, virtuoso abandon?Earth to Moon is a reckoning with self-esteem, the ghosts of the past and a mother and a father who, in the process of leaving their mark upon on the world, scarred their first daughter on home soil. Brutally self-deprecating and funny as hell, it belies a rose-tinted perspective on the 70s and 80s west coast American scene, from within the belly of the beast of the rock and roll world.

Malena Zavala is an Argentinian-born, London-based artist, producer, and filmmaker, known for crafting ethereal, genre-blending music that navigates the space between her Latin heritage and her British upbringing. With 'If This Life Could Start Again', Zavala presents her most intimate, cohesive, and accomplished work to date, marking a significant evolution in her artistic journey.

With her new album, Malena creates an atmospheric dream pop world, weaving singer-songwriter intimacy with synth pop, Argentine folk, indiepop, rock and experimental music, threaded together by her blissful vocals and dreamy guitar work. Gorgeously warm and vivid, 'If This Life Could Start Again' charts the journey from pain to acceptance, mapping out the non-linear nature of healing through a sonic landscape. Each song embodies a distinct emotion within that journey, from grief and chaos to feeling lost, seeking refuge, finding confidence, and finally acceptance and letting go. Drawing on her Argentinian roots, Malena uses the Andes mountains as both a visual and thematic anchor – the difficult climb towards higher ground becomes a metaphor for healing, whilst being lost at rock bottom reflects the darkest moments of the journey.

Completely composed and performed by Malena herself, the album was recorded in Girona’s L’Empordà countryside in Spain with producer Luke Smith. As a professional producer and audio engineer, this was Malena’s first time relinquishing production control – an intimate creative shift that allowed their shared vision to shape the album’s rich, enveloping sound.

TRACK LISTING

1. Only Thing That’s Right
2. Lost In The Depths Of The Andes
3. What You Need
4. Veins Of The Parana
5. All These
6. Sentiments
7. Don’t Know What You’re Saying
8. Save Me From Me
9. A Different Path

Zdehvedo Gob is a collective of musicians who all hail from various cities around the world. It consists of Udacha label head Alexey Kalik as well as drummer Roman Shestaev and Gamayun associates Anton Dvoenko and Stas Mitrofanov and they all got together in the studio in summer 2023 and the results are now presented on this new album. It's a gorgeous mix of world, jazz, spiritual percussive, experimental music that rides on nice loose and vibrant rhythms with a great mix of synthetic and organic sounds all offering plenty for the mind as well as the body to get excited about.

TRACK LISTING

Embodiment
Harp Phantasma
XB
Tidal Wave
Alliluya To Love
Volgo Rite
Saturday Daily
Law Inactivating Pholk

This Brazilian library funk beauty is the soundtrack to Carlos Imperial's 1975 film of the same title. Echoing European soundtrack maestros such as Roy Budd and Ennio Morricone, but with a Brazilian swagger, Ze Rodrix's score is a sublime gem that needs rediscovery.

Rich in 70's soundtrack cool, the score is packed with orchestrated jazz, chase scene- funk, breaks, psychedelic freakouts and plenty of drama. The loose and quirky break- beat jazz- funk of 'Assalto' feels almost tailor- made for today's hiphop production aesthetic. The opening drum break of 'Esconderijo' is a sampler's dream and has already been reinterpreted by the Turkish Rapper Anil Piyanci, as well as Brazil's DJ Caique.

Carlos Imperial wrote liner notes and was an actor, filmmaker, television presenter, and media figure. His film 'O Esquadrao da Morte' is a violent heist movie starring Beto Bandeira, Claire Chevalier, and Baby Conceicao; in the vein of exploitation films and gritty, raw B- Movie cinema of the day. Both the film and album share striking, macabre artwork by artist Benicio. The instrumentalist, arranger, and singer- songwriter Ze Rodrix has worked with the cream of Brazilian music, having written songs covered by the greats, including Quarteto Em Cy, Ronald Mesquita, Elis Regina, Karma, and Celia, to name just a few. His written arrangements have graced the music of Luli Lucinha E O Bando and Helio Matheus. He was a member of the iconic group Som Imaginario and played piano and synthesizer on Secos & Molhado's classic 1973 album.

Mr. Bongo are super pleased to make this dusty treasure available again. It is a wonderful soundtrack score that more than holds its own with its European and American counterparts of the era.

TRACK LISTING

1. Esquadrao Da Morte
2. Um Homem E Um Homem E Um Homem 
3. Chorinho Pro Tio
4. Tema De Amor
5. Bolero De Mangaratiba
6. Motoqueiros 
7. Mundo!
8. Assalto
9. Esconderijo
10. Rhumba

'Estudando O Samba' is an incredibly unique concept album from the one and only Tom Ze, originally released by Continental Brazil in 1976 - a tough one to find at a good price in its original form now. ‘Estudando do Samba’ (or ‘Studying The Samba’) is a post-Tropicalia studio experimentation laiden with layers of hypnotic percussion, effects & samples that deconstructs the ‘samba’ form. Recorded during what was arguably his most creative period. David Byrne found the record in Rio in the late 90’s and included several songs on his Tom Ze collection for Luaka Bop a few years later. At that time Tom was not recording or touring much; playing low-key shows in Sao Paulo and contemplating a move back to Irara to work at a service station owned by one of his cousins. Byrne’s project helped to reignite his career and he hasn’t looked back since.

TRACK LISTING

Ma
A Felicidade
Toc
To
Vai (Menina Amenha De Manha)
Ui!
(Voce Inventa)
Doi
Mae (Mae Solteira)
Hein?
So (Solidao)
Se
Indice

Special limited gatefold edition on 180g premium vinyl. Tom Ze is considered the most iconic voice of all Tropicalistas - Brazil's artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s. He came from Bahia, but his wry urban poetry, infused with the sounds of the largest metropolis of South America, is pure Sao Paulo.

Five of the songs from this album were in included on Brazil Classics Vol.40 - The Best of Tom Ze, compiled by David Byrne and released on Luaka Bop in 1990. "This was the record that took me out of circulation, explained Tom Zé. "Until then I was played on the radio." However, he admitted that "This album is something so joyful that I've done, that I don't even know how to explain. It was the best thing I've accomplished after years of incomprehensible lack of motivation. I noticed that my heart could stand being unpopular, and this conviction spread comfortably inside me. This record had the faculty of bringing back my internal joy. It has brought back the joy of singing, of making music, of creating, of accomplishing."

TRACK LISTING

1. Complexo De Epico
2. A Noite Do Meu Bem
3. Cademar
4. Todos Os Olhos 
5. Dodo E Zeze
6. Quando Eu Era Sem Ninguem
7. Brigitte Bardot
8. Augusta, Angelica E Consolacao
9. Botaram Tanta Fumaca
10. O Riso E A Faca
11. Um "Oh" E Um "Ah"
12. Omplexo De Epico

Inspiring and crisply produced pop punk blitzreig bop with a clean, punchy guitar sound, driving rhythm section and uplifting, clenched fist lyrics delivered through hip hop influenced vocal harmonies. The sound is a little harder than their previous two lps and probably benefits from that.

Rachel Zeffira’s new single ‘Break The Spell’ is set for release. Its B-side will be a remix of her previous single ‘Here On In’, a Tom Furse (The Horrors) Extrapolation.

Both ‘Break The Spell’ and ‘Here On In’ are taken from Zeffira’s debut solo album ‘The Deserters’.

Rachel Zeffira's debut solo album 'The Deserters' is both beautiful and beguiling - a rapturous tour de force that recalls the baroque pop of John Cale and the hazy experimentation of My Bloody Valentine.

Fans of everyone from Bat For Lashes to The Horrors will find something to enjoy here.

The artwork features photos from celebrated fashion photographer Yuval Hen.

The album was written and produced entirely by Rachel and was recorded at Miloco’s The Pool and Abbey Road Studios alongside engineer Ben Thackeray.

After a break of two years, Zefur Wolves return with a brand new album, beating a path to the promised 2019 follow up to their acclaimed debut. The three-piece’s distinct brand of languid, emotive, alt-rock takes the commanding role with Truth is in the Stars, released on Strangetown Records.

The band have once again teamed up with M h of human consciousness and empathetic resistance to injustice. r. Kobo who hasn't disappointed with the beautiful and intricate sleeve artwork and lovingly presented by Mark James Works. For the audiophiles the gorgeous deep berry coloured vinyl will be a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

Studio sessions helmed by producer and former live band member, Super Furry Animal’s Cian Ciarán, have driven the band to greater intricacy and an audible sense of playfulness, toying with compositional and recording technique. Having crafted their debut album in California, evocative of their cited inspirations including Spiritualized and Beach House, the upbeat trailblazing first single Flying High, recorded at Strangetown Studios in Caridff, suggests new and fertile creative ground has been found to ‘one up’ an already glinting reputation

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: For all of you that love the thrashing, but cohesive madness of the Lovely Eggs, the Zefur Wolves are here to brighten up your day. Throbbing guitars and snapping percussion are coated in an entirely non-eggy haze of shoegazing distortion and extended reverb. Thoroughly brilliant.

TRACK LISTING

1) Truth Is In The Stars
2) Flying High
3) Letting Go
4) Contact High
5) Friend Of Mine
6) Under Waves
7) The Polygon
8) Revenir A Vous
9) Sunset In Mendocino
10) Strada Del Paradiso
11) Stars Of Omaha

Born and raised in New Jersey, Ardio Zemog delivers the goods for the next Obia Records release. Soulful harmonic percussion filled tracks with a whiff of Latin. Passed on from generation to generation people inherit their ancestral spirits and devotional practices to create vibrations that lift our souls. Ardio Zemog takes on the skin of Obiaman for a sonic trip through connected spirits both young and old. The main cut “Generations” takes the dancer and listener on a wholesome state of well-being. Soothing percussion rhythms with a solid signature bassline drives the listener into a never ending feeling of bliss, the youngest generation has spoken.

Followed by “Yeochu” a deeper more mature arrangement of drums characterizes the unseen spirit from the father figure. A message of analogue synth stabs and pads deliver a blessing followed by hypnotic piano riffs. Instructions and spiritual advice are given for those who are able to open up.

“Nights in Leblon” behold the oldest wisest spirit of them all. A breathtaking deep harmonic pad layered by countless drum percussion. The presence of ever evolving synth stabs and piano chords define the tracks rhythm and timbre.
To finish the EP Wendel Sield takes us on a completely different ancestral path. Flipping the script on “Nights in Leblon Acidic Rework” with a solid tb-303 acid line layered with tr-505 drums. The rework focuses on playful rhythm and minimal usage of elements. Surprisingly the record takes on a different harmony mid tune what makes the track ideal for DJs who like to switch it up during their sets.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Straight up tribal deep house business in a similar vein to Ron Trent or Joe Clausell. "Yeochu" sounds a lot of like Henrik Schwarz's remix of Code 718's "Equinox".

TRACK LISTING

Generations
Yeochu
Nights In Leblon
Nights In Leblon (Wendel Sields Acidic Rework)

Fronted by the talented and articulate "Gleavey Twins", this is motorized modern day ska with a distinctly northern flavour, drawing its influences from Two Tone, Jamaican ska, Motown and possibly even The Fall. Propelled by driving rhythms, a brilliant, exuberant brass section and a unique, ascerbic vocal style, this is a rare treat from a criminally overlooked outfit.

ZENA, the contemporary ethio-jazz duo from London comprised of producer, keyboardist and synth player Yohan Kebede and bassist/producer Menelik. Their debut EP ‘TEMESGEN’; is a six-track aural odyssey that balances uncompromising experimentation with a deep sense of home, comfort, and exploration. In accordance with the duo’s mission, the project is seeking to redefine and reimagine Ethiopian music for a new generation.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the EP’s title, Yohan said: “‘TEMESGEN’ means “Thank God” in Amharic, and for me, I never heard my mother receive good news without saying it aloud. After the first couple gigs we did as ZENA, we saw how people reacted to our music and how it resonated with them. It spurred in us a feeling of overwhelming gratitude, after which the EP kind of named itself”.


Born out of a mutual love and respect for the music of their shared Ethiopian heritage, ZENA are charting a new endeavour where Ethiopian musical traditions meet the future. Building upon the roots and foundations laid by legendary Ethiopian musicians Haliu Mergia, Alemayehu Eshete and Mulatu Astatke, ZENA fuses the haunting spirituality and earthiness of the ethio-jazz tradition with a modernity, sensuality and sense of disruption that is distinctly London.


Following three sold-out London headline shows, plus appearances at We Out Here Festival and on NTS Radio, ZENA arrive on Brownswood Recordings with a bold debut that’s equally at home across jazz-minded selectors and leftfield crate-diggers. The duo’s momentum is fuelled by Yohan Kebede’s landmark year with Kokoroko; from the release of Tuff Times Never Last to an NPR Tiny Desk, a North American tour, and their biggest headline show yet at O2 Academy Brixton, alongside Menelik’s quietly formidable reputation in London’s inner circle, shaped by time on the road and in the studio with Muva Of Earth and Bill Laurance.

TRACK LISTING

1. ZENA!
2. MY LOVE YOUR LOVE
3. KAZANCHIS
4. IT'S YOU (ANTE NEH) [ft. Meron T]
5. LONG TIME NO SPEAK
6. TEMESGEN

The Zephyr Bones’ psychedelic rock expands in a precise and determined sophomore album. A warm and accessible record that speaks about love, self-affirmation, loss and hope.

RIYL: Tame Impala, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Spacemen 3, TOPS.

A quicksilver track that glides on a buoyant bassline and glistening melodic interplay, “No One” is the sound of joy. While it’s easy to pigeonhole it as a dreampop track, there’s undoubtedly hints of psych, funk and Kraut all nestled in there, The Zephyr Bones blurring the lines with ease in this intoxicating track that shows growth in their sonic heft without losing their feathery lightness.
Beats per Minute

"No One" opens up like a traditional indie dance track, with sparkling guitars and a vibrant synth lead reminiscent of a cut from The Strokes or Tame Impala. But it progresses in a fascinating way, bringing in a crunchy psychedelic guitar solo and a funky instrumental breakdown at the end. This track has a variety of sounds, but it's prog rock more than anything, as the dynamic instrumentation sticks out the most. Every layer here is not only an excellent piece to the larger puzzle while also being technically impressive on its own. Despite these nods to the more experienced rock nerd, what's the most fascinating is how accessible the tune really is. The wild drum beats, dense synth layers, and lightning-quick guitars demonstrate the true cerebral chemistry of the group. The sheer musical talent doesn't hurt either.
Earmilk

When The Zephyr Bones first burst into the scene they crushed everything that got in their way. Their music slapped us like a wave when it reaches shore. It took us by surprise and left us asking yearning for more. They coined their style “beach wave”. All this became a first album titled Secret Place, something like the sonic coordinates of a sunny place with a soundtrack of guitars with reverb and intoxicating melodies. You can’t tell whether you’ve been there or not, but you definitely want to go back.
In Neon Body they are the same people, but it hits differently. Their melodies and suggestive guitar riffs are on point. They are able to take you back to places. You will never finish these 10 tracks in the same place where you were when you first hit play. Speaking of The Zephyr Bones is speaking of pure freedom. And yet, in this second album we get to know them in a different way, more determined and with a renewed intensity. The landscape has also changed and now the tone reminds us of the twilight, and in some songs you can even feel the reflection of neon light on your skin.

But let’s not lose the point. What matters here are the songs, and in this album you can find pretty damn good ones. “No One”, the first single, is an excellent entry into the universe created in Neon Body. Addictive and irresistible, it will instantly get you dancing and singing along. “So High” is a dizzying and fast-paced first track. By the time “Verneda Lights” arrives, you have fully surrendered to Brian Silva (vocals, guitar and synthesizers), Jossip Tkalcic (guitar and vocals), Marc López (drums) and Carlos Ramos (bass). “Sparks” shines with its own light: it is a controlled fire until the final part of the song makes everything burn again. “Plastic Freedom” goes all-in with an infallible riff. “Velvet” is as elegant as its title suggests, and “Rocksteady” hits the bullseye again with a chorus that hits like a poisonous dart. “Neon Eyes’’ lifts you up with heavenly back up vocals and “Afterglow” keeps you with your feet on the ground – Why? Because begs you to dance. And then comes “Celeste V”, a song that speaks about loss that puts an end to the recording. 

TRACK LISTING

1. So High
2. Verneda Lights
3. No One
4. Afterglow
5. Sparks
6. Neon Eyes
7. Plastic Freedom
8. Rocksteady
9. Velvet
10. Celeste V

Zero 7 were formed in 1997 by producers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. In 2001 their debut album "Simple Things" was released selling over a million copies to date and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Zero 7 were also nominated as Best Newcomer at the Brit Awards 2001. "Simple Things" peaked at no.28 in the UK album chart and spent 89 weeks on the chart. Stateside, the album hit no.4 on the Billboard Dance / Electronic album chart and stayed on that chart for 52 weeks.

Singles taken from the original album included ‘I Have Seen’ featuring Mozez, ‘Destiny’ featuring Sia & Sophie Barker, "In the Waiting Line" featuring Sophie Barker and "Distractions" featuring Sia. The LP has been out of print for almost two decades and second-hand copies of the original pressing are changing hands on Ebay and Discogs for upwards of £100!

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Beautiful, lushly produced downtempo grooves topped with sweet melodies, somewhat akin to French masters Air but with soul and jazz flavours, this is a timeless classic, and every home should have one!

TRACK LISTING

LP:
I Have Seen
Polaris
Destiny
Give It Away
Simple Things
Red Dust
Distractions
In The Waiting Line
Out Of Town
This World
Likufanele

CD:

Disc 1:
I Have Seen
Polaris / Destiny
Give It Away
Simple Things
Red Dust
Distractions
In The Waiting Line
Out Of Town
This World
Likufanele
End Theme

Disc 2:
Simple Things (KFOG Session)
Destiny (KFOG Session)
In The Waiting Line (KFOG Session)
Monday Night
Spinning
Salt Water Sound
Distractions (Version Idjut)
In The Waiting Line (Dorfmeister Con Madrid De Los Austrias Dub)
End Theme (Herberts Chop Dub)
Distractions (Block 16 Mix)
Destiny (Photek Remix)

The Garden is another timelessly classic album from a seminal electronic band and an essential soundtrack to any laidback listening.  Zero 7 were formed in 1997 by producers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. In 2001 their debut album Simple Things was released selling over a million copies to date and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. They released their third album The Garden in 2006 it also peak at no 4 UK album chart spending 7 weeks in total there. It has sold over 125k copies. In the USA, it entered the Billboard Dance/Electronic chart at #2 and stayed in the Top 20 of that chart for 5 weeks. Singles taken from the album include Futures featuring Jose Gonzalez, Throw It All Away and You’re My Flame both featuring Sia

TRACK LISTING

CD1:
Futures
Throw It All Away
Seeing Things
The Pageant Of The Bizarre
You’re My Flame
Left Behind
Today
This Fine Social Scene
Your Place
If I Can’t Have You
Crosses
Waiting To Die

CD2:
Dreaming
Thistles
Carolina
Futures (Acoustic Version)
Seeing Things (Extended 12” Version)
Left Behind (Live Session)
Today (Live Session)
Dreaming (Live Session)
You’re My Flame (Live Session)
Crosses (Live Session)
The Pageant Of The Bizarre (Live Session)

LP1:
Futures
Throw It All Away
Seeing Things
The Pageant Of The Bizarre
You’re My Flame
Left Behind

LP2:
Today
This Fine Social Scene
Your Place
If I Can’t Have You
Crosses
Waiting
To Die

Zero 7 were formed in 1997 by producers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker In 2001 their debut album 'Simple Things' was released selling over a million copies to date and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. They released their second album 'When It Falls' in 2004.

'When It Falls' was a Top 10 album, peaking at No.4 in the UK album charts and spent 24 weeks in total in the charts. It has sold over a quarter of a million copies. Stateside the album entered the Billboard Dance/ Electronic chart at #3 and stayed in the Top 20 of that chart for almost thirteen months. Singles taken from the original album include "Home" featuring Tina Dico, and "Warm Sounds" featuring Mozez . Sia and Sophie Barker also feature on the album, with tracks such as "Somersault" (a UK Top 100 single), "In Time" and Speed Dial No. 2.

TRACK LISTING

Warm Sound. (feat. Mozez)
Home (feat. Tina Dico)
Somersault (feat. Sia)
Passing By (feat. Sophie Barker)
Over Our Heads (feat. Mozez)
When It Falls (feat. Mozez)
The Space Between (feat. Tina Dico)
Speed Dial No. 2
Look Up
In Time (feat. Sophie Barker)
Morning Song

This vinyl only "When it Falls" re-issue will mirror the original release, cut over 4 sides and using the original artwork but now pressed on heavyweight 180g vinyl. Cutting is by engineer Kevin Metcalfe using his original cutting notes. The vinyl LP has been discontinued and second-hand copies of the original pressing are changing hands on Ebay and Discogs for upwards of £100!

"When It Falls" was a Top 10 album, peaking at No. 4 in the UK album charts and spent 24 weeks in total in the charts. It has sold over a quarter of a million copies. Stateside the album entered the Billboard Dance / Electronic chart at #3 and stayed in the Top 20 of that chart for almost thirteen months.

Singles taken from the original album include “Home” with Tina Dico on vocal duties, “Warm Sounds” featuring Mozez. Sia and Sophie Barker also feature on the album, on tracks “Somersault”, “In Time” and “Speed Dial No. 2”.

"When It Falls" is a timelessly classic album from a seminal electronic band and the essential soundtrack to any laidback summer chilling.

This Special Edition release artwork will have a premium, luxury feel as it reworks the original artwork but this time using a metallic foil blocked finish. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: I'd just moved to Manchester when this came out and it soundtracked its fair share of bleary-eyed morning afters. Now back in all its former glory you too can re-live a slow Sunday morning with the curtains closed shut, safe in the bussom of this wonderful album.

TRACK LISTING

Warm Sound 
Home
Somersault
Over Our Heads 
Passing By
When It Falls
The Space Between
Look Up
In Time 
Speed Dial No. 2
Morning Song

Zero 7’s 4th album Yeah Ghost from 2009, spans everything from dance pop to acoustic folk and everything in between it's an idea-splattered work of genius that even includes a quartet of instrumental tracks derived from their experimental side projects and sampled, overdubbed and rebuilt from scratch. From the evocative intro 'Count Me Out' to the album's shuffling, twitchy closer 'All Of Us' - via the haunting 'Solastalgia' and 'Ghost sYMbOL' avant-garde electronic and distorted vocals - it's Zero 7 as you've never heard them before. 'Destiny' this aint. One thing that remains consistent though is the roll call of up-and-coming talent on vocal duties, including singer ESKA Mtungwazi. The Londoner, whose collaboration credits include Matthew Herbert and Bugs In The Attic, appears on 'Mr McGee', 'Medicine Man', 'Sleeper' and 'The Road' & folk singer songwriter/ painter / filmmaker Martha Tilson for Pop Art Blue.

TRACK LISTING

LP Tracks:
Disc 1
1. Count Me Out
2. Mr McGee
3. Swing
1. Everything Up (Zizou)
2. Pop Art Blue
3. Medicine Man

Disc 2
1. Ghost SYMbOL
2. Sleeper
3. Solastalgia
1. The Road
2. All Of Us

CD Tracks:
1. Count Me Out
2. Mr McGee
3. Swing
4. Everything Up [Zizou]
5. Pop Art Blue
6. Medicine Man
7. Ghost SYMbOL
8. Sleeper
9. Solastalgia
10. The Road
11. All Of Us
12. E Sgwers (demo Version)
13. Methods
14. Ghost SYMbOL (Klang Version)

From 79 through to 83 The Zero Boys ruled the Mid-West hardcore scene. "History Of" is the first release of their 'Lost' second album. Whilst contemporaries concentrated on aggression and turbo-charged ferocity, The Zero Boys pointed a way to a scene which could include melodicism, intelligence and rock 'n' roll suss. Craig Finn of The Hold Steady has written a feature about this band (as one of his primary influences) for The Guardian. Re-mastered from the original tapes, with liner notes by Jack Rabid.

When the Ramones lost it, the Zero Boys found it; adding a slam brigade fist to the Blitzkrieg Beat. The Zero Boys managed to come with one of the best early 80’s punk records, or one of the best records ever, period.

From 1979 to 1983, the Indianapolis-based Zero Boys were the finest hardcore blitz in the Midwest if not all the lower 48 states. Compiled and released as a post-mortem following the band’s breakup, History Of… is the proof, if more was needed, that their take of American hardcore wasn’t all white bread numbers. Yeah, they played shows with Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Subhumans, and others but in Terry “Hollywood” Howe’s guitar there was harmonious terror and unstoppable cadence. Terry’s licks and chops — a leap beyond two or three chord punk — offered a zone and measured count for drummer Mark Cutsinger and bassist David “Tufty” Clough, a rhythm unit in par with the Minutemen if not The Meters, to run lines like quicksilver. Meanwhile, frontman, Paul “Z” Mahern provides a constant wash from beginning to end. Originally released in 1984 with a limited-edition reissue in 2009, this 40th anniversary edition includes the original LP of ‘History Of…’ and a 7” featuring four live recordings never previously pressed to vinyl and recorded at iconic hardcore/punk venue Crazy Al’s in 1980: “Livin’ In The 80’s”, “Stick To Your Guns”, “Commies”, and “I’m Absent”.

TRACK LISTING

LP - Side A
01 Drive In
02 Black Network News
03 Splish Splash
04 Inergy
05 Johnny Better Get
06 Dingy Bars Suck
07 Seen That Movie Before
08 High Places
09 Blood's Good

LP - Side B
10 Human Body
11 Mom's Wallet
12 Positive Change
13 Amerika
14 New Generation
15 Livin' In The '80s
16 Stoned To Death
17 Stick To Your Guns
18 I'm Bored
19 Piece Of Me

7” - Side A
01 Livin’ In The 80s (Live At Crazy
Al’s, September 6th, 1980)
02 Stick To Your Guns (Live At
Crazy Al’s, September 6th, 1980)
7” - Side B
03 Commies (Live At Crazy Al’s,
September 6th, 1980)
04 I’m Absent (Live At Crazy Al’s,
September 6th, 1980)

"There was a time — call it Saturn returns, call it the early '90s, call it the last gasp before the internet devoured everything — when the Zero Boys found ourselves staring into a different kind of fire. We had grown out of our hardcore skin — not in rejection but in evolution. We were restless. Songs no longer came in bursts of pure speed; they twisted, expanded, asked questions. Structure was no longer the enemy. We let the songs breathe, and in return, they told us things we hadn't expected to hear. The songs collected here from 'Make It Stop' (1991) and 'The Heimlich Maneuver' (1992) capture that moment. Recorded less than a year apart, these two albums are documents of a moment when we were following instinct — pushing the edges of our own sound, threading personal spiritual exploration through the fuzz and the fury. It wasn't religious. It was searching. Trying to locate the self inside the noise of the world. Trying to speak honestly about confusion, resistance, and the parts of ourselves that don't fit neatly into slogans or genres. At the time, we knew we were changing, but we didn't know into what. Now, decades later, playback reveals something clearer. These songs — lyrically, musically, emotionally — feel more urgent in the now than they did then. The politics have aged well, which is both a triumph and a tragedy. What we wrote in a moment of creative combustion now sounds like warning flares — about institutions, about violence, about the quiet need for meaning under it all. So yes, 'Playback is Hell.' But not the hell of torment. The hell of fire. The hell of transformation. The heat of memory and meaning suddenly rising again. Thanks for listening — then, now, and next."

- Paul Mahern, 2025

TRACK LISTING

1. Make It
2. Anatomically Incorrect
3. Birds
4. Twin
5. Stick My Hands
6. Fly Bite
7. Godless Girl
8. In The Back Of My Mind
9. Purely Intentional
10. Shade
11. Green Army Jacket
12. Trust Anyone
13. So Excited
14. Parasite Man
15. Bleach Blanket Boi Oi Oi

Zero Down are a three piece punk outfit hailing from LA and are the latest additions to the Fat Wreck roster. The members possess a sterling punk rock resume, having spent time in bands like Strung Out, Down By Law and Pulley. With some slower moody pieces and the usual high standard of Fat Wreck sound this is a brilliant debut.

Featuring South Lancashire's most adept Etheric Noblemen...
All compositions have been radionically tapped in real-time from the infinite sonic wisdom of the cosmos and dimensions beyond. Magnetically captured by the divine technological wonders of VHS and its equally majestic audio equivalent - the C90 Cassette Tape.
For the listeners' full enjoyment, safety and peace of mind - full assurance is given that during the process of duplication any physical tape material has been shielded from rogue malicious extra-dimensional entities, and from any real-time psionic black magick interference (or any variant or overlaid magnetised psi-programming)
Recorded at Cerberus Development Laboratories 2014/15

Vocal appearances by:  Elizabeth Six & Don Lovedog. 

Compiled and edited by Ste Spandex. Additional Musings by Anturio.

Includes unlimited streaming of Shadowcasters via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: The Cerberus space ship rockets onwards! This stupendously good star cruiser is like Manuel Gottsching or Ash Ra beamed deep, deep into a wormhole and coming out sometime close the very end of the known current universe. You know how the new Hubble is gonna show you light from the very beginning of time, well this is the sound vibrations transmitted at the very END of time and captured now, without any red shift. Get ya head 'round that pop pickers.

New Zealand-based producer ZHERAV announces his debut release, 'NAJA / BAZAAR', a double single and 45 on Batov’s Middle Eastern Grooves series. The record fuses psychedelic rock, hypnotic rhythms, and electronic production influences, creating a sound that moves between swung grooves and cinematic, reverb-soaked textures.

ZHERAV draws from his background in house and techno, layering live guitar, bass, and synths over programmed drums. “I had a production template for house music on Ableton” he explains, “and I thought about how to switch to this Middle Eastern sound using the same format”. Most of ZHERAV’s tracks developed through improvisation - starting with programmed drums, then experimenting around scales on instruments until something works. ZHERAV has already received support from independent radio in Australia and New Zealand, and encouragement from international artists like Ko Shin Moon.

Both tracks explore Middle Eastern scales, bringing a distinct flavour to the grooves, while maintaining ZHERAV’s signature hypnotic layered sound. ZHERAV had something in mind related to snakes and their charmers when creating the A-side, 'NAJA' (“Indian Cobra”). An ominous bassline loops repeatedly over snapping drums and percussion, whilst ZHERAV improvises guitar riffs and effects over the top.

The B-side, 'Bazaar', evokes the bustling, nocturnal imagery of a Middle Eastern market at night. Again, shaped organically through improvisation and analogue texture, but at a faster pace. Flutes and percussion introduce the song before a pulsating bassline leads the way.

Looking ahead, ZHERAV is exploring live/DJ hybrid sets and collaborations with local musicians. 'NAJA / BAZAAR' is the latest exciting edition to Batov’s Middle Eastern Groove series, promising to transport listeners into a world of rhythm, texture, and hypnotic instrumental storytelling.

TRACK LISTING

1. NAJA
2. BAZAAR

Los Angeles-based bonehead savants Zig Zags are no-nonsense ’80s style thrash with a magpie eye for deepfried pop culture detritus. These guys give so few fucks while they are out ripping faces that it’s tough to say much about them that hasn’t been said before—they shred so that we may raise beers in non-ironic salute to their Voivod worship, to a world in which young heshers subscribe to New Wave of British Heavy Metal and practice early Slayer solos while watching daytime TV, to waking and baking as you watch the world burn. Running Out of Red is the soundtrack to getting high and driving around in your shitty car in your small town, occasionally getting laid…occasionally getting laid out at the local liquor store by an older dude. Gang vocals: check. 1-2 pit beat: on lock. Shredder solid state guitar heroics: ripping, and so should you, the bong is packed and I think there’s still pizza in the fridge. I can smell your pants from here, dude.

TRACK LISTING

1. They Came For Us
2. No Brains No Balls
3. The Sadist
4. Total Recall
5. Lizard
6. Sin Eaters
7. Giving Up The Ghost
8. Can?t Afford The Basics
9. My Lighter
10. Meat Man
11. Afraid Of The Dark
12. Night Of The Knife

Los Angeles April 18, 2024:
The origin of this record is a weird one. In 2019, we had just returned from two long European tours when we decided to take a “little break” from the road. You all know what happened next. That “little break” turned into a couple of years and during that time Dane, our drummer, decided to quit the band and music in general (no hard feelings).. Sean and I had a discussion and thought about ending the band as a whole, but I knew I had to go out on my own terms. I had an ace in the hole, though. Jeff Murray, drummer from LA rippers The Shrine. I had been friends with Jeff and The Shrine’s founder, Josh Landau since our “Scavenger” 7” came out, around 2012. We had run into them in Berlin a few months back and I knew they weren't playing anymore. I called Josh first, ‘cause asking a dude if you can take his drummer, is like asking your girlfriend's Dad if you can marry her. And Josh said “go for it”. And Jeff was in.

Honestly if he had said no, that would have been the end. I had written a ton of stuff since our last album but I had shelved most of it. I was trying too hard - basically. Eventually Sean, Jeff and I said, ‘Fuck it, let’s make a “Fake Live” record’ - like Kiss or Slayer did. John Dwyer from Osees was opening his new studio, Discount Mirrors and it seemed like the perfect place to record it. We settled on re-recording a bunch of old stuff while simultaneously demoing our new material, as the three of us were now starting to really get in the groove. The result is Strange Masters Vol. 1.

These are not new songs. These are Zig Zags classics re-recorded with a ripping-ass band that’s old and angry and just wants to get on with it. We are already on to recording the next album of new songs. That one is coming soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this one…while you still can!-Jed Maheu-Guitars-Vocals-Zig Zags

TRACK LISTING

1. Scavenger
2. Fallout
3. Brainded Warrior
4. Magic
5. Voices Of The Paranoid
6. Punk Fucking Metal
7. My Lighter
8. No Blade Of Grass
9. They Came For Us
10. Bloodstains

AMAZING new album from LA’s Zig Zags..honing their skills to create a fierce brew of US hardcore skate punk and UK Nwobhm ..like the first wve of US thrash from 83.. get on it!! “Everyone puts photos of Sid Vicious up on Instagram. The other night I watched ‘D.O.A’, the documentary about The Sex Pistols, first and only U.S. tour. In it - Sid's a mess, he and his annoying girlfriend. And they're the only ones who get interviewed! Maybe John Lydon and Steve Jones (not to mention the drummer) didn't want to participate. Maybe Nancy made Sid do it. But it whatever the case, I didn't wanna watch it. The rest of the band is crushing! They sound just like the record! As a musician in a touring band, I can't stand Sid Vicious.

He’s cartoon character with a Swastika shirt, nodding off while everyone else loads the gear. I don't care if it's punk - you still gotta be able to play.” - J. Maheu, lead vocals and guitar for Zig Zags 8 years, 7 singles, 3 albums, 3 bass players, 2 drummers and God knows how many shows later - Zig Zags has continually evolved, mutated, transitioned and transformed, rising again and again, like a phoenix emerging from the flame. The addition of the newest member of our triumvirate - multi-instrumentalist, designated bassist (and longtime Zig Zags sound engineer) Sean Hoffman - recalls those golden moments past, when destiny stepped in...like when Neil Peart joined Rush or Bob Rock teamed up with Metallica. In short - the circle is now complete, the cornerstone has been set and the winged serpent rises - once again. Some say it’s luck, but really, it’s about patience.

A band is like a relationship. You have to know when to push, and when to hold back. You gotta listen and you gotta learn. We look to the masters. Like Henry and Glenn, we’ve gone from drinking hooch to pumpin’ iron. We quit smoking. Two of us are married, for chrissakes! After 2017’s brutal European tour, which left us coughing blood and taking names, we sought out Lemmy’s Doctor (Feel Good), who diagnosed us with,”Rock’n’roll Pneumonia”. Like Lemmy, we were pushing too hard. And if you push too hard you’ll end up in an apartment above The Rainbow Room, playing video poker on Christmas Eve (which is also your birthday)...but that’s another story.

TRACK LISTING

01. Punk Fucking Metal
02. Killer Of Killers
03. Fallout
04. No Way Out
05. Ms 45
06. The Shout
07. Why I Carry A Knife
08. They'll Never Take Us Alive
09. Nothing To Do
10. God Sized

Zig Zags have been an L.A. institution for over a decade, never veering from their hard-riffin punk/metal mission statement. They’ve gigged all over the globe with underground luminaries such Mike Watt, Neurosis, Pig Destroyer, Oh Sees and Feral Ohms and recorded collaborations with icons like Iggy Pop.

Now the power trio is set to release their fifth incendiary full-length album, 'Deadbeat At Dawn', named in honor of the beloved B-movie, a no-budget action revenge flick set in the mean streets of suburban Ohio. Cult cinema is an enduring Zig Zags inspiration, with the band frequently calling out exploitation films in their lyrics, odes to teen-delinquent classics like Over the Edge and dystopian sci-fi such as, Terminator and Total Recall. The new album sticks to this obsession with the cultural underground, riffing on everything from demonic minions to apocalyptic visions and alien attacks.

The result is the most focused, intense, and catchy Zig Zags album yet, with the timing perfect for their distinctly melodic and maniacal call to arms. Finalizing recording and mixing just as the catastrophic fires hit their hometown in L.A., 'Deadbeat At Dawn' is the perfect soundtrack for a city rising up from the ashes of destruction. “I feel lucky that we got to put out this record when we did,” Maheu said, “It’s heavy and gnarly and kind of fucked up, but it’s also a lot of fun—which is how we feel about Los Angeles.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Not Of This World
2. Altered States
3. Deadbeat At Dawn
4. At War With Hell
5. Take Me To Your Leader
6. Rats In Love
7. Above The Law
8. Get Loud
9. Metal To Metal
10. Say It To My Face

Hailing from the small Zimbabwean town of Kwekwe, Zig-Zag Band burst onto the scene in the 1980s with a sound they called Chigiyoa vibrant fusion of reggae, traditional rhythms, brass arrangements, and mbira- inspired guitar. The style they pioneered soon became the sound of the region, reshaping Zimbabwe's popular music landscape. Analog Africa are immensely proud and honored to bring their groundbreaking legacy back into the spotlight, celebrating their cultural impact while introducing this remarkable catalogue to a new generation of listeners beyond Zimbabwe

TRACK LISTING

1. Ndzirombi
2. Chenaimoyo
3. Mangaingai
4. Tsvarakadenga
5. Nyamutamba Nevambwe
6. Ndoita Ripi Zano?
7. Ndarimano
8. Rudo Rwemari
9. Pfumo Reropa
10. Gomo Ramasari
11. Mercy
12. Mudzimu Mukuru
13. Hombiro

THE WORLD OF HANS ZIMMER – PART II: A NEW DIMENSION is the highly anticipated sequel to the acclaimed 2019 album The World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration. Melding the grandeur of symphonic music with the dynamic power of his cinematic compositions, Zimmer transforms 17 more of his most successful soundtracks into new epic orchestral suites on this double album. Highlights of the over 2 hours long record include a short, captivating “cello-concerto-like” version of Final Ascent from No Time to Die, a tranquil rendition of A Time of Quiet Between the Storms from Dune II, and a new romantic suite from The Prince of Egypt. Additionally, Zimmer revisits one of his classic 90s soundtracks with a newly crafted suite of The Rock.

THE WORLD OF HANS ZIMMER – PART II: A NEW DIMENSION features Zimmer accompanied by a stellar ensemble of soloists and collaborators, including singers Lebo M, Lisa Gerrard, Gan-ya Ben-gur Akselrod, and Nokukhanya Dlamini; multi-woodwind wizard Pedro Eustache; bass player Juan García-Herreros; guitarist Alexios Anest; pianist Eliane Correa; cellist Mariko Muranaka; violinist Rusanda Panfili; and percussionists Aleksandra Šuklar, Luis Ribeiro, and Lucy Landymore. Together, they perform alongside the Odessa Orchestra & Friends and the Nairobi Chamber Choir, under the baton of conductor Gavin Greenaway.

The World of Hans Zimmer – Part II: A New Dimension is available as a 2-CD set and a limited edition 3 x 180g audiophile vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Part 1
Man Of Steel Suite: Part 1 "What Are You Going To Do When You Are Not Saving The World?
Driving (Miss Daisy)
The Rock: Two Parts Suite
James Bond: Two Parts Suite
Interstellar: Two Parts Suite
Dune II - Part 1: Intro + Part 2: "A Time Of Quiet…"
The Prince Of Egypt: Three Parts Suite
Wonder Woman: Two Parts Suite
Sherlock Holmes: Three Parts Suite
Inception: Part 1: Dream Is Collapsing + Part 2: Time

Part 2
The Dark Knight
Gladiator: Four Parts Suite
Pearl Harbor: Two Parts Suite
Kung Fu Panda: Two Parts Suite
Power Of One: Mother Africa
The Lion King: Four Parts Suite
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Two Parts Suite

Over a career that spans half a century, Zimmerman’s discography is a sonic memoir. A sprawling collection of records that have explored folk, 12-bar blues, full-band rock concertos and classical piano compositions, his work is also a tribute to the people, experiences and sounds that have shaped his life, amassing in a deeply personal and resonating songbook.

“After years of writing and filling a box with over 500 song sheets, I had finally found my path, my originality, my voice. It had become clear to me that songs of only one kind were worth spending time on: those which had a positive message and a peaceful vibration [...] Just poetry. Little hums that perhaps might lift us all above our daily worries and fears, little hums that try to make the world a better place to live in.” – Tucker Zimmerman

Despite sailing under the radar throughout most of his storied and multi-layered career, the 83-year-old native Californian has received praise from contemporaries like Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker (“Tucker Zimmerman is one of the greatest songwriters of all time,”) and even from one of the greats (David Bowie called Zimmerman, “too qualified for folk.”). Inspired by Lenker’s appreciation for his work, Zimmerman was brought to the States to record the album, with Big Thief (and collaborators Mat Davidson and Zach Burba) serving as his backing band. On many tracks, Lenker meets Zimmerman half-way, their vocals fusing together in a soothing harmony; Zimmerman’s beloved wife, Marie-Claire, who graces the album’s cover also joined the chorus line.

With 'Dance Of Love', listeners will find a multi-faceted and heartfelt record from a songwriter who has had a full and exciting life decorated with meaningful friendships, hard but valuable lessons, worldly experience, and ultimately, lots of love.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Beautifully warm country-adjacent ballads and folky psychedelic rock that's so perfectly matched to the whole vibe of Big Thief, that their involvement doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Zimmerman's work is evocative and beautiful, and a perfect listen for any fans of Adrienne Lenker or Big Thief.

TRACK LISTING

1. Old Folks Of Farmersville
2. Idiot’s Maze
3. Lorelei
4. The Season
5. Burial At Sea
6. They Don’t Say It (But It’s True)
7. Leave It On The Porch Outside
8. The Ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong Song
9. Don’t Go Crazy (Go In Peace)
10. Nobody Knows

Some things take time to happen, some things perhaps take a bit longer than they should but, finally, we are delighted to present an issue of the iconic, and sought-after, Brazilian album 'Alucinolândia' by Zito Righi e Seu Conjunto from 1969.

The trippy, surrealist 60s cover design with hands holding eyeballs is somewhat confusing. Rather than the stoner acid rock record that the art may suggest, 'Alucinolândia' is actually a quintessential 60s gem, mixing samba, MPB, bossa nova, quirky organ-led mod-jazz groovers and easy-listening crooners with a relaxed cool swagger.

Zito Righi aka Isidoro Righi, the Brazilian saxophonist, instrumentalist, conductor and composer brought together an illustrious cast for this masterpiece, including the much-loved vocalist Sônia Santos. Sônia delivers a masterclass on the album's opener, and maybe its crown-jewel 'Poema Ritmico Do Malandro'. The song is fierce and driving with an enticing funk intro that bursts into a Samba / Batucada workout. A real monster that works magic on the dancefloor. Sônia would later re-visit this track in 1971 on a recording for Copacabana Records, which Mr Bongo released as part of the Brazil45 series. The Brazilian songwriter Roberval penned three tracks on the record, including another highlight and the far too short 'Birimbau'; a catchy Brazilian jazzy-samba dancer at its finest. Other musicians include the drummer Fernando who also recorded with the greats Dila & Guilherme Coutinho.

The fact the record was released in 1969 meant it was probably a bit out of step with its contemporaries in comparison to the works of artists such as Os Mutantes, Gilberto Gil et al. The core of 'Alucinolândia' is that of a more optimistic early to mid-sixties party feelgood vibe rather than the angsty, psychedelia, and rebellion of the Tropicália movement. Over 50 years since its release, the work can finally be judged on its own merit; and what a beauty it is.

TRACK LISTING

Poema Ritmico Do Malandro
Somos Todos Irmãos
Once In A While
Birimbau
Primeira Conjugacao
Bye Bye
Love Is Here To Stay
Isnt' A Dream
Sou Feliz Aqui
Adeus Amor
Alvorada
Hert

(Experimenteller Elektronik-Underground DDR 1989) Bureau B presented a compilation of experimental, electronic music from the GDR's underground cassette scene in 2017 under the title "Magnetband" and now the Hamburg label is following up this thematic focus with the release of "MEZ 31,00" by Dieter Zobel aka Didier Leboz, recorded in 1988 and originally released on Thomasius' Kröten Kassetten label in 1989.

Cosmic Sounds is a collaborative concept album, based on the signs of the Zodiac and originally released in 1967 by Elektra Records. Mort Garson, who is known for his collaborations with Doris Day and Glen Campbell, was asked to compose the psychedelic rock music and record it together with producer and The Limeliters co-founder Alex Hassilev. Different session musicians were brought in to contribute to the recordings, including most notably Moog synth guru Paul Beaver and narrator Cyrus Faryar.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Aries - The Fire-Fighter
2. Taurus - The Voluptuary
3. Gemini - The Cool Eye
4. Cancer - The Moon Child
5. Leo - The Lord Of Lights
6. Virgo - The Perpetual Perfectionist

Side B
1. Libra - The Flower Child
2. Scorpio - The Passionate Hero
3. Sagittarius - The Versatile Daredevil
4. Capricorn - The Uncapricious Climber
5. Aquarius - The Lover Of Life
6. Pisces - The Peace Piper

Ohh those Chicago cats do make me blush! Seemingly ignorant of the UK's fridget and conservative view on all things *ahem* sex related; our Chicago house brethen have always turned heads in the club with their many evolutions on ghetto house. From DJ Funk to Jackmaster Dick - English nightclubbers sometimes have nowhere to hide from these expilicit murmerings!

Demonstrated perfectly here by the ever-present and hot-to-trot Dirty Blends crew which on this latest mission enlist Zodiac for the downright filthy: "Thanksgvin Beat". Adult content aside, it's that chuggy, low-tom & woodblock combo that's won me over here - irrestible dancefloor hypnosis from a profecient technician. 

Label leader The Jak gets busy with Ron Hardy & Robert Owen's Jackmaster Hater track - "Your Mind" - accentuating the dark throb and ghostly drum patterns that populate this anthemic slice of Chi-town voodoo. 

One of the best from this champion label! Kipping unrecommended. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Hard not to blush for the x-rated booty track "Thanksgvin Beat"; but I'm really here for the Ron Hardy sampling "Itz In Ur Head" which receives a tasty update in keeping with the TCP-soaked, Music Box aesthetic.

TRACK LISTING

Zodiac - Thanksgvin Beat
The Jak- Itz In Ur Head

The second of May’s pair of ace new Deep Distance LPs, sees a second studio full length from Brighton based kraut / kosmische juggernauts ZOFFF.

Described recently as "the finest purveyors of kosmische heaviness on the planet right now" by Shindig! Magazine, the band release their eagerly awaited follow up to the quickfire sell out of “ZOFFF I” in 2017 (separated by an equally hastily sold out live album on Drone Rock recs); “FFF” is released first week of May and again is expected to move out quick style.

Over to Ben Graham for a few words: “ZOFFF are all about light and shade, and the dynamic movement from the subtlest curlicues of gentle sound to the full raging storm of sonic attack, and back again. On their second studio album ‘FFF’, the south coast psychedelic five piece serve up six tracks of improvised instrumental experimentation that blend seamlessly into a consistent whole: a trip, if you will, from First Faltering Feelings to Final Full-blown Freak-out.

'Ye' assembles around a lonesome trumpet overture, before the drums and dirty fuzz guitar kick in and we're off, with no messing around and no ambient noodling: direct to the cranium and the groove with high-energy space rock reversing the polarity and shaking out the ghosts. 'Vav' takes it up another notch: tense and urgent, it climaxes in Coltrane-like sheets of sound over double-time drumming, before 'Har' arrives at a relatively gentle pace, dub-like sonic action swooping and fluttering over a rock-solid beat until the bass takes over and the direction becomes clear: FFForward!!!

Side two starts with the appropriately titled 'Dig'. All the elements are in balance and the band are firing at Full Force. 'Ca' kicks off with horn, static and splash, a classic slow burn taking us up to the final eleven-minute climax of 'Zeta'. This surprisingly exploratory piece doesn't just aim to go out with a bang but takes time to set up new possibilities and juxtapositions, opening new doors right to the end where other lesser bands would already be packing up the scenery.

Recent years have seen ZOFFF reaping acclaim and blown minds wherever they've appeared.

Their live album, (2017’s KOZFEST MMXVI baring striking testimony to this), with psychedelia an increasingly devalued term, ZOFFF remain the connoisseur's choice. That's ZOFFF with three Fs by the way. We wouldn't want you to forget now…”

The LP is released as a (clear) vinyl only pressing of 300 on Deep Distance, the go-to London label for kraut flavoured kosmische with a sold out back catalogue of 60/60 releases including Cavern of Anti-Matter, JD Emmanuel, Colin Potter and many others… 

Bringing together two distinct yet complementary forces in electronic music, Zohar and Nymfo join for their first collaborative release on Dekmantel.

Zohar’s sound is defined by razor-sharp precision and pulsating percussive energy storm-like sonics that disorient and excite in equal measure. With a background shaped by years of commanding dancefloors, she has carved a diverse and eclectic path, where rattling low-end and rhythmic tension form the foundation. Known for her technical refinement and mixing wizardry, Zohar intuitively seeks unexpected connections, always pushing her listeners into new territory. Following several contributions to Dekmantel compilations, this marks her first full-length release on the label.

Nymfo has been an essential figure in drum & bass since the late ’90s. Starting out in Eindhoven’s rave and jungle scene, he quickly became known for his fierce DJ sets and later, his productions. His catalogue spans acclaimed labels such as Metalheadz, 1985 Music, Commercial Suicide, Hospital Records, Critical, Dispatch, Shogun Audio, and many more. With two albums and a steady output of singles and EPs, Nymfo has consistently balanced raw dancefloor energy with a deep, refined production ethos.

Their paths crossed countless times in the scene, yet it wasn’t until Dekmantel invited them for a special Dekmantel Connects performance an ambitious setup with eight CDJs and four mixers that they shared the decks for the first time. The synergy of that moment carried into the studio, where their collaboration took shape. This release now returns them to the Dekmantel family, presenting their joint vision: a dialogue between low-end weight, rhythmic intricacy, and forward-thinking club sonics.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Precision exercise in rhythm and bass from this new duo. Poised aggression, heavy low end, and highly kinetic beats. Top drawer tackle.

TRACK LISTING

Trust
Value
Mirrors
Haunted

Supernatural Cat is the label run by Malleus Rock Art Lab, artistic collective featuring two members of the psychedelic doom trio Ufomammut. After a busy 2012, the label seems to have been laying low. However, little did we know, behind the scenes they have been busy working on the vinyl release of ORO and preparing to unleash two new musical projects – the first of which we can proudly unleash today...

Enter Zolle, self-proclaimed rednecks, on the loose and ready to run amok with the release of their self-titled debut album, an ode to yokel ways of living.

They might not take themselves so seriously but don't be fooled, their music is no hayseed dixie, brace yourself for a ferocious, rampant record of thunderous riffs and robust drum blasts.

Zolle are - Marcello (Lan of Morkobot) playing meaty riffs and Stefano who beefs things up on drums and xylophone. The duo commenced work on their debut album throughout the summer of 2012, and in just two months they had the music ready to commit to tape.

Their self-titled album was recorded in September of the same year by Michelangelo Roberti at Mizkey Studio (MoRkObOt) and mastered by Giovanni Versari (zu, Morkobot, OvO, One Dimensional Man).

It was played almost live, with overdubs reduced to the bone. The drums are of considerable proportion and made of copper and the amplifier an old digital model of the '50s which makes for a mammoth sound. Urlo from Ufomammut and Roberto Rizzo of Quasiviri/Runi add a little synth seasoning to flesh out the album also.

The resulting album is mightily heavy, the short songs are direct and song titles are entrenched in references to redneck living. For example 'Mayale' is a play on the Italian word for pig [Maiale] but is written like 'Maya' to reflect the sacred image of the Mayan pig face adorning the album's cover. Similarly, 'Heavy Letam' is suggestive of 'Letame' which means manure in Italian – not to mention being an anagram of 'heavy metal'.

Zolle may be a no-frills band but there is much more to them than meets the eye. They are far from restrained and their debut album will definitely give you something to chew on.

TRACK LISTING

01 - Trakthor
02 - LeeQuame
03 - Forko
04 - Mayale
05 - Man Ja To Ya!
06 - Melicow
07 - Heavy Letam
08 - Weetellah
09 - Trynchatowak
10 - Moongitruce

Relapse Records proudly presents ZOMBI's new album, 2020. Their first new album in 5 years, 2020 showcases the songwriting prowess that has pushed the duo of Steve Moore (synthesizers, guitars, bass) and A.E. Paterra (drums) to evolve throughout their storied, 20 year career. ZOMBI has strived to build upon and expand their sound with every release. Now more than ever, the band stays true to their ethos. From the pulse-pounding, dramatic opener "Breakthrough & Conquer", to the melodic bass whirls found in "XYZT", 2020 proves to be ZOMBI's most riff-intensive album. At first a soundtrack of driving musical euphoria, 2020 takes a sharp turn into uncharted waters - "Earthscraper" is reminiscent of a space where sounds of sludge and doomlike-riff crushers dominate the soundscapes. Synthwave and neon crescendos are furloughed in favor of Blue Oyster Cult inspired progressive epics. A truly therapeutic loop of immersive instrumental rock, 2020 might just be ZOMBI's most ambitious album yet.

TRACK LISTING

1. Breakthrough & Conquer
2. Earthscraper
3. No Damage
4. XYZT
5. Fifth Point Of The Pentangle
6. Family Man
7. Mountain Ranges
8. First Flower
9. Thoughtforms

Fifteen years in and Zombie Zombie are going way back, the cinematic French synth trio's sixth studio album 'Vae Vobis' veers away from the science fiction overload of their 2017 opus 'Livity' to plunge their music deep into the Middle Ages. Joined by soprano singer Ange`le Chemin and Francois & The Atlas Mountains' Laura Etchegoyhen as part of the Doomed Angels choir on vocals, lyrics are sung in Latin, drawn from the proverbs of the Dutch humanist Erasmus.

"We wanted to remain mysterious, to send cryptic messages" the pair say, "to dive back into a language from another time, like the copyist monks of the Middle Ages".

Recorded with Laurent de Boisgisson at Studio One Two Pass It in Bagnolet, the result is something akin to a reverberating doom orgy. Previous work has always lent itself a cinematic edge - reaching its culmination in the form of two film soundtracks, for French films Irreprochable and L'Heure De La Sortie respectively - but here the sense of atmosphere and the scale of the sound has been blown up yet further. The choral arrangements hint at the work of David Axelrod or Ennio Morricone, with chanted syllables ominously arcing over the top of the likes of Lacrymosa bouncing analogue synth work and Consortium's portentous swirls of gothic sound.

There are bangers to be found within the caverns too. “Nusquam et Unique” admittedly isn't your average 122 BPM floor filler but moves forward with an ominous dubby propulsion while vocoder vocals cut menacingly through. Ring Modulus meanwhile veers between minimal and maximal as it shudders along its more subtle gridlines.

The ubiquitous vocoders are pushed to their limits on the album, while sax, trumpet and percussion come and add further colour.

TRACK LISTING

1. Introitus
2. Vae Vobis
3. Nusquam Et Unique
4. Ring Modulus
5. Aurora
6. Lacrymosa
7. Dissolotum
8. War Is Coming
9. Lux In Tenebris
10. Modus Operandi
11. Erebus
12. Consortium

'Funk Kraut', Zombie Zombie's second LP on Born Bad is a fine example of the style the trio has been embodying: instrumental music played live, for synths and drums.

The album kicks off with 'No Cruise Control', a big bad sedan that effortlessly eats up the distance at 120 BPM. Kraut as can be, with a twist. And as far as funk goes, it's not Bootsy Collins, but there's a whiff. Space is structured by synth patterns, for optimized drumming: forward, straight and fluid, top- notch suspension (Cosmic Neman and Dr Schoonberg take care of business on drums). They treat themselves to a diversion via Darmstadt to take some musique concrete on board: mechanical birds chirp, the odd atonal piano here and there. Nerds will appreciate liner notes detailing the equipment used: about twenty synths and they still describe it as minimal.

This was a quick affair, recorded by Laurent Deboisgisson in the studio of Cheveu's singer. A pretty straightforward job, and a far cry from their previous concept album. Let us praise Krikor Kouchian's mix: drums have been resampled with some restraint, and that LinnDrum kick lightens up the overall mix. It marks a notable evolution in the band's sound and adds some dynamic.

The cover, designed by DDDXIE, sets the tone with its reference to 'Motorik Vibes & Stereo Grooves'.

TRACK LISTING

1. No Cruise Control
2. Densite
3. Jungle The Jungle
4. Helix
5. Aurillac Accident
6. Double Z
7. Dodorian
8. Funk Kraut
9. Snare Attack
10. Magmavox Odyssey

This great collection of beautifully crafted songs has long been hailed as one of the best albums to emerge from the Sixties. And yet "Odessey & Oracle" was overlooked by both the media and public when it was first released back in 1967. It may have been because The Zombies had passed their peak in terms of chart success and were being overshadowed by the Beach Boys and The Beatles. Nevertheless their album - with its swirly psychedelic cover and miss-spelt title (it should have been "Odyssey"!) - began to attract more attention. Eventually, one of its stand-out songs, the soulful and funky "Time Of The Season" got to Number 3 in the US Billboard singles chart. Yet that was in 1969, two years after the group had split up, frustrated at their lack of recognition. The strident piano playing of Rod Argent and of Colin Blunstone's richly melodic vocals imbue these confident lively pop songs with a special quality that makes this special 40th anniversary CD package all the more satisfying and attractive. The 2 CD set, which includes both Mono and Stereo versions of the classic album, plus 6 bonus tracks, includes a detailed booklet, which includes an interview with leader Rod Argent, and reminiscences of 'Swinging London' and the live music scene in the golden era of 60s psychedelia.

'Odessey and Oracle' features fan favorites 'Time of the Season' and 'This Will Be Our Year' and is the resurrection story that keeps on giving. This new edition is the first time the band’s original mono mix has appeared since the record’s British issue in April 1968 and it’s the first time ever in America. 'Odessey and Oracle', The Zombies’ second album, has been named as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and has been dubbed “a psych-pop masterpiece…decades ahead of its time” by Pitchfork. The newly remastered in mono album now has new liner notes by the brilliant David Fricke.

TRACK LISTING

1. Care Of Cell 44
2. A Rose For Emily
3. Maybe After He's Gone
4. Beechwood Park
5. Brief Candles
6. Hung Up On A Dream
7. Changes
8. I Want Her She Wants Me
9. This Will Be Our Year
10. Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914)
11. Friends Of Mine
12. Time Of The Season

A decade after its original digital-only release, Zombina and the Skeletones’ bring you their four-part cult horror-pop saga; 'In Sinistereo'. To mark its 10th anniversary, this long-requested fan favourite is now finally physically available on CD and blood red LP vinyl for the very first time.

Known for their infectious mix of garage rock, doo-wop, punk, and B-movie theatrics, Zombina and the Skeletones have spent over 20 years as underground icons of the UK DIY scene. 'In Sinistereo' captures the band at their wild, weird, and wonderful best — dripping with campy sci-fi, twisted romance, and hooks to die for.

TRACK LISTING

1. (All I Wanna Do Is) Decompose (With You)
2. Phantom With The X-Ray Mind 
3. Witch Mountain 
4. I Hate Humans 
5. Whatever You Do, Don’t Fall In Love
6. Haunted House Of Love
7. Kill!!!
8. Ramon
9. The Wild
10. The Crawling Love
11. The Stakeout
12. Stalkin’
13. Beware: Cosmic Plague
14. The Changeling
15. You Swallow Spiders In Your Sleep
16. Satan Is Alive In You
17. Last Party On Earth (CD Only)
18. The Flesh (CD Only)

The ever-prolific ZOMBI return once again with a brand new classic rock covers album! ZOMBI & Friends, Vol. 1 sees the band faithfully covering tracks ranging from The Doobie Brothers, to The Alan Parsons Project, Dionne Warwick, and Neil Diamond! ZOMBI & Friends, Vol. 1 features guest appearances from members of The Sword, Trans Am, Pinkish Black, Zao and more!

TRACK LISTING

1. Guilty
2. Suspicions
3. I Can't Tell You Why
4. Sirius-Eye In The Sky
5. Take You Back (Street Corner Song From Rocky)
6. Takin It To The Streets
7. The Captain Of Her Heart
8. Deja Vu
9. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine
10. America

Among discerning listeners, anticipation for new Zomby material is now high but outside of him teasing fans with a few out-takes via the internet, there hasn't been much to go by in recent times. That was until the end of last year when hauntingly beautiful new track 'Natalia's Song' appeared unannounced in a Burial and Kode9 mix for Radio 1. Catching people off-guard, it served to pour fuel on the fire and leave all anticipating what was to follow. Having signed a worldwide deal with 4AD, that wait is over. ‘Natalia’s Song’ has being afforded a proper release as a single and is also included on this, his second album, 'Dedication'. A wholly different record to its predecessor, Zomby returns from his hiatus with typical style. It is both a dark and absorbing listen that engulfs the listener, running between sparse electronics, techno hooks and minimal piano riffs. Making up for lost time, 'Dedication' continues to put Zomby at a distance from his peers. By the time they’ve caught up, he’ll no doubt be somewhere else entirely.

ZOMBY, one of the UK’s most enigmatic electronic producers, underscores his already illustrious succession of releases with his latest EP “GASP!" ZOMBY’s ability to effortlessly shift aesthetics across his career has firmly stationed him as a producer that can’t be boxed, and “GASP!" sees him altering his often jungle-driven sound yet again, furthering him as a sonic chameleon among an ever-increasing landscape of musical similitude.  In his signature spirit of cryptic variety, “GASP!" explores another tectonic revision in ZOMBY’s style. A shift forward indeed, the compact, 3-track EP is a relentless, hardware-driven behemoth of beats and breaks that fit somewhere between a chugging steel factory and a darkened dancefloor.

TRACK LISTING

A1. GASP!
A2. ZKITTLEZ
B1. ZPRITE

Since issuing a clutch of 12”s in the late-noughties and the 2008 release of his debut album 'Where Were U In 92?' - a rave-homage made using equipment from the period - Zomby has consistently proven himself to be a unique presence in an increasingly cluttered field. A purist and afficiando in the truest sense, he’s spurned every chance to board the EDM bandwagon to make a quick buck, instead preferring to stay faithful to the ideals of the music he grew up with.

Following the success of his debut, it took him three long, thoughtful years to next break cover, this time with an altogether different record. 'Dedication' (2011) was an after-hours meditation on mortality, weighed down with an audible sadness, and it was abundantly clear why he had taken time out. Not only did it deliver an unexpected twist, its surprisingly human qualities also offered a rare, candid glimpse of an artist who prefers anonymity and little fanfare. The response was unanimous - he had written a modern masterpiece. An accompanying seven-track EP (Nothing) followed six months later, acting both as an encore bow and cue to retreat back to the shadows.

'With Love' is Zomby's third album. An astonishing 33 tracks that collectively trace an arc through dance music’s history, revealing an artist in his most creative phase yet. Touching upon rave, jungle, house, techno, and grime, Zomby once again marks himself as a genre savant free of the cosy nostalgia that weighs down many of his peers. Across two volumes that move invariably between a dancefloor focus and darkened emotional introspection, Zomby points to a different future.

A sonic palimpsest written of true experience, 'With Love' is the work of a producer who has absorbed the shifting textures and plains of electronic music first hand, and reconfigured them into a definitive, sprawling love letter to the soulful dance music of his past.

"Zorch demonstrate how good 'weird' can be." SPIN.

The debut full length by Austin duo Zorch is the end result of nearly 5-years worth of material similarly collected, then shredded, condensed and completely remolded into a solid whole. It sounds like two hyperactively creative minds finding ways to cleverly merge together effervescent synth blips, blue-eyed soul vocals, gang-chant backups, blurting EDM bass lines, frenetic drums, hazy psych-drone and even the proverbial kitchen sink taking leads here and there. Each song sounds like it could've been crafted out of samples from several different decades of pop culture history, though it's entirely the work of two exceptional musicians.

If Zzoorrcchh sounds like a photomosaic looks, it's because there is similarly a meticulously organized logic to it all. When Zac Traeger (keyboards, omnichord, vocals) and Shmu (drums, omnichord, vocals) first started playing together in 2008 while studying music in college in Boston, the pair would improvise and record many hours worth of ideas. Some of these songs are direct descendants of those jams; the duo picking out pieces of those recordings, re-organizing and reworking them multiple times and in various studio settings while also adding on and creating new ideas. Demo versions of some of the songs on this album were previously released, only to again be redone a couple of times over for the album. And, Zorch even previously offered up all of the basic audio tracks from early EPs for fans to remix their own versions.

The band are just as intensive about its live shows, often playing upwards of 20 shows during the 4 days of SXSW. Zzoorrcchh kicks off fittingly by easing listeners into their world with a slow fade-in to whirling synths, a stately piano loop and countless layers of sounds comprising "My Joy is Explosion." The minute-long tune immediately segues into the blissfully hyper celebration of life, "We All Die Young." Here, Shmu's rollicking drum pattern that might make Neil Peart's head spin drives Zac's frantic synth arpeggios while several layers of voices sing, "what a day, let's celebrate it/ I want to feel elated." Elsewhere, on "This Is The Way It Goes" neo-rave staccato chords sounding like computer error tones, marimbas and pounding toms meet cheerful vocals singing the song title's seeming lament. "Inopportune Sailing" starts off like a repetitive, perky chiptune from an imaginary 80s video game that morphs into a full-fledged living pop-soul jam. It sounds like Zorch actually beat Daft Punk to the punch at making their own organic recordings sound like vintage song samples. "Zut Alors", a longtime fan live favorite lyrically pokes fun at conspiracy theories of reptilian overlords with the refrain, "giant surprise/ We are lizards disguised/ And we're controlling your lives/ With trilateral spies."

The album is a wild auditory amusement park that gets more and more exciting with each visit. Early support/features confirmed with Pitchfork, Spin, Magnet, Alarm, Consequence of Sound, MSN and much more.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Joy Is Explosion
2. We All Die Young
3. Its Kind Of A Deal Where…
4. This Is The Way It Goes
5. Mutwa
6. Zut Alors
7. Inopportune Sailing
8. Cosmic Gloss
9. Oceans Dawn

John Zorn. Rituel * Une Crise de Nerfs * Prière Empoisonné * L’heure des Sorcières John Zorn returns to his original instrument with a new volume of organ improvisations recorded at his infamous Weekend in Paris in April 2017. The organ at the Grand Salle Pierre Boulez is one of the most powerful and versatile in France, and Zorn approaches it with great sensitivity and wild abandon. Includes both the full 40 minute concert recording, and over 30 additional minutes of Zorn alone at the manuals in rehearsal the same day.

Zorn’s compositions for a cappella voice are some of his most sensual and sublime creations. This CD presents his two books of Madrigals scored for six female voices. Beautifully performed by his long time ensemble the “Sapphites” the music is even more varied and challenging than his previous masterpieces The Holy Visions and Shir Hashirim, touching upon minimalism, tonal and atonal counterpoint, textural experiments and more. Inspired by the visionary poetry of 19th century British Romantic Percy Blysse Shelley, a charming lyricism and subtle spirituality rides through the music from first note to last. 

Sacred Visions presents two Zorn masterpieces touching upon the mediaeval world. The Holy Visions is a Mystery Play in eleven strophes concerning the life, work and philosophy of 12th century composer, healer and visionary mystic Hildegard von Bingen, and is one of Zorn’s most beloved and acclaimed works for voice. Here is it coupled with Zorn’s latest string quartet The Remedy of Fortune, six tableaux depicting the changing fortunes of romantic love, which was inspired by the work of 12th century troubadour Guillaume de Machaut and receives a precise and passionate reading by the brilliant JACK quartet. Two brilliant modern compositions drawing on mediaeval spirituality, both sacred and secular! 

Zorn’s string quartets are some of the most important modern contributions to the canon and a new Zorn quartet is truly a cause for celebration. His sixth quartet is inspired by the hermetic Angelic actions of John Dee and his mystical medium Edward Kelley and contains some of the most intense contrapuntal writing he has yet achieved. Replete with the procedures of distillation, calcination, crystallization, sublimation, purification, rotation as well numerology, prayers, canons, contrapuntal complexity and the ghost of a familiar fugue, this music is part séance, part science, and all Zorn—in short, a trip through an alchemist’s laboratory! Performed here by Zorn’s own Quartet, this is the definitive recording of this important and powerful string quartet, already considered a modern classic. Also included is Zorn’s mystical response to the ancient Newgrange sacred site in Ireland, a beautiful and evocative setting of Amergin, one of the oldest Celtic sacred texts, written for three female voices.

Drawing upon traditions as varied as Messiaen, Xenakis, Ligeti, Bach, Tournemire,Ives, Korla Pandit and The Phantom of the Opera, Zorn’s organ improvisations are transcendent, inspiring, ecstatic experiences, offering a direct line to the workings of his rich compositional imagination. Performed at St. Paul’s Chapel at a time when the organ was undergoing extensive reconstruction, the limited number of stops available to him focused his imagination to new heights, resulting in Zorn’s most revelatory recital to date. The second volume documenting these legendary organ recitals is a transcendent experience filled with moments of passion, tenderness,
fragility and extraordinary power.

Zu are an Italian instrumental / experimental music band from Rome.

Zu release their brand new full length via Ipecac Recordings, entitled ‘Cortar Todo’, recorded in the countryside near Bologna, Italy, in the summer of 2014.

The album features some very special guests including keyboard player Joey Karam (The Locust), Italian guitar maverick Stefano Pilia (who plays regularly with the likes of Mike Watt, David Grubbs and Rokia Traore) and, perhaps most unexpectedly, a field recording of an indigenous Shipibo medicine man recorded by Zu bass player Massimo during his travels around the Amazon.

The band have previously toured with Mike Patton as Zu / Patton Quartet.

For Fans of John Zorn, Mike Patton, Noise.

“... combining the abstractions of Sonic Youth with the out-there explorations of the best free jazz” - The Times

Tappa Zukie is not only one of Jamaica's greatest deejays (MCs), he's also a well respected producer and arranger. Looking back through his master tapes, Jamaican Recordings found a lost release that has stayed on the shelf and been passed over - until now. When rhythm was king way back in the 70s the predominant feature of the mix would be the drums and bass, with horns and other musical instruments pushed back. This album was Tappa Zukie's attempt to rectify the imbalance and shine a light on the other talented musicians involved. When looking at the music with this approach you can hear some of Tappa's other influences coming through. Maybe it's a jazzier or bluesy feel and this almost makes the album feel like an unreleased film score.

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with legendary songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers, alongside the band's original producer Ian Broudie. The multi-platinum selling band released three studio albums between 2004 and 2008, scoring 9 UK Top 40 singles including two Top 10s with ‘Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love?’ and the all- conquering ‘Valerie’, the latter a triple-platinum hit for Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse. Today they return to share the fruits of their extended time away. The Big Decider comes into view as an album of stark significance to the band, completed by Dave McCabe (guitar, lead vocals), Abi Harding (saxophone, vocals) and Sean Payne (drums, vocals). Written against the backdrop of a decade and a half’s worth of lived experience, it is born under the weight of family tragedies, lives lost and created, reality checks, and home truths faced up to and stared down. Wrestled into shape under the kind of steam that only decades-long friendships - with all their messy fall-outs, make-ups, breakdowns and ultimately love - can muster, The Big Decider became the sound of water passing under the bridge, and love for music, love for each other, and love for creating together becoming the most important thing of all.

TRACK LISTING

1. Creeping On The Dancefloor (Nile Rodgers)
2. Creeping On The Dancefloor (Ian Broudie)

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with legendary songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers, alongside the band's original producer Ian Broudie. The multi-platinum selling band released three studio albums between 2004 and 2008, scoring 9 UK Top 40 singles including two Top 10s with ‘Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love?’ and the all- conquering ‘Valerie’, the latter a triple-platinum hit for Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse. Today they return to share the fruits of their extended time away. The Big Decider comes into view as an album of stark significance to the band, completed by Dave McCabe (guitar, lead vocals), Abi Harding (saxophone, vocals) and Sean Payne (drums, vocals). Written against the backdrop of a decade and a half’s worth of lived experience, it is born under the weight of family tragedies, lives lost and created, reality checks, and home truths faced up to and stared down. Wrestled into shape under the kind of steam that only decades-long friendships - with all their messy fall-outs, make-ups, breakdowns and ultimately love - can muster, The Big Decider became the sound of water passing under the bridge, and love for music, love for each other, and love for creating together becoming the most important thing of all.

TRACK LISTING

1. Creeping On The Dancefloor
2. Pauline
3. Water
4. In Your Arms
5. Disappear
6. Company
7. The Big Decider
8. Rise
9. Best Of Me

"My name is Stephen Evans and I am the bass player from the band Twisted Wheel. I have played in many bands before joining Twisted Wheel, most of which you will have probably never heard of.

I've always loved the process of writing and recording music, and during the last few years I have compiled quite a large collection of songs. The idea of ZX+ was to write and record songs under rules and guide lines, whether it be time restraints, conceptual ideas, or any other unusual restrictions that do not accompany the freedom involved with writing. I especially liked the songs which resulted from the idea of time restraints, with their unusual structures, and production techniques that were used to disguise mistakes and rushed recordings. The combination of these factors made for a very interesting sound, one entirely different to the songs I would usually write. After the idea of writing songs with rules got a bit boring, I decided to try and write some songs that had similar structures and production techniques to those written under time constraints, without the idea of time constraints preventing me from improving them. I recorded about 30 songs with this idea in mind, and picked the best ones for this album.

I love vinyl, and I still consider it the best way to listen to music. Holding the sleeve of the record, marvelling at it's artwork, reading the notes, watching the record spin - these are all physical aspects of listening to music that are being lost through the way in which digital has taken over the listening experience. This album is only available on vinyl, I hope you enjoy it."

Zy The Way hails from Taiwan and are a jazz ensemble that interlaces their dynamic sounds with ancient Chinese poetry compiled by Confucius. They also bring in more contemporary compositions which results in an utterly original sound and great gateway to some of the world's oldest literary works. They recently finished a debut full-length album and now the single 'Blue Collar' from it comes on limited edition vinyl. The track tells the ancient tale of young scholars in love with a powerful narrative and moving melodies. The one and only DJ Spinna steps up on the flip to offer his own classy deep-house remix.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
Ten Acres

Side 2
Ten Acres (MdCL Remix)

Three from Dirty Blends this week! Purveyors of the finest jak beat and warehouse trax have snapped up a couple of new signings, with Sanford Zydeco joining Nico Babylon amongst the ranks of this Chicago stable.

Zydeco adds "Buckwheat Beat 4 The Primordial Cult" to the storied label's catalogue. This spacey and atmospheric track pays tribute to the fallen heroes of the Muzik Box which tested and pushed dance music ideas for those who chose to understand the heritage and respect the history these individuals created from their hearts..Jakbeat is not to be trivialized!

Label regulars The Jak and Kincaid also make an appearance with "Psycho PipeZ". The two producers come together showing massive respect to Marcus Mixx from the days of Saber Records in Chicago, with an homage of "Psychousic"; more twisted and mental for the dedicated freaks of oLd schoOL tracks! Fierce, uncompromising trax strictly for the strong! 

TRACK LISTING

Sanford Zydeco - Buckwheat Beat 4 The Primordial Cult
The Jak N Kincaid - Psyko Noize Vs Gentile Pipez

The Best of ZZ Top (10 Legendary Texas Tales) is a greatest hits album by American rock band ZZ Top, released November 26, 1977.[4] Spanning the years from 1971 to 1975, this compilation album does not contain any songs from Tejas, which was released the year before. The first ZZ Top Compilation with hits from their first six albums, including La Grange, Tush and Just Got Paid. This was released in the US last year and will now be available everywhere

TRACK LISTING

Tush
Waitin' For The Bus
Jesus Just Left Chicago
Francine
Just Got Paid
La Grange
Blue Jean Blues
Backdoor Love Affair
Beer Drinkers And Hell Raisers
Heard It On The X