Produced by Jonathan Wilson (Dawes, Father John Misty, Conor Oberst), Erin Rae's highly anticipated new album Lighten Up is a timeless amalgam of classic pop, cosmic country and indie rock, recorded earlier this year in California’s Topanga Canyon. Three years have passed since the release of her critically acclaimed debut Putting On Airs, which drew high praise from publications from Rolling Stone to NPR Music. She mostly spent her time on the road, performing at Newport Folk and Red Rocks, sharing stages with Iron & Wine, Jason Isbell, Jenny Lewis, Hiss Golden Messenger and Father John Misty, before her touring came to a sharp halt at the start of the pandemic. The solitude of the road and then the pandemic created space for Rae to undergo a sonic and philosophical shift where she found personal catharsis in creating an album that reflected on her newfound lessons of self acceptance, alongside finding the confidence to offer social commentary on the environment, gender identity and equality.

“My last record was a lot of self-assessment and criticism, and trying to kick old habits and ways of relating and not relating to people,” Rae acknowledges. “This one is about blossoming, opening up, and living a little more in the present moment. Fully experiencing what it is to be human.” With a renewed sense of agency, Rae also took a more active role in creating the kaleidoscopic soundscape that became Lighten Up, setting out to reflect a sound she calls, “an emotional pallet, I could get lost in.” Alongside Erin and Jonathan Wilson, who contributed various instruments, the album also features guest appearances from fellow rising star singer songwriters, Meg Duffy, Ny Oh, and Kevin Morby.

TRACK LISTING

1. Candy + Curry
2. Can’t See Stars
3. True Love’s Face
4. Gonna Be Strange
5. California Belongs To You
6. Cosmic Sigh
7. Modern Woman
8. Drift Away
9. Enemy
10. Mind - Heart
11. Lighten Up And Try
12. Undone

Mark Rae is world reknowned for his work in creating Grand Central Records, the shop Fat City and his artistic endeavours as one half of Rae & Christian. This project follows on from his 2016 autobiography, Northern Sulphuric Soulboy.

This single vinyl, 14 track album, provides an instrumental soundtrack to Mark Rae's forthcoming debut novel, The Caterpillar Club. 

TRACK LISTING

1. The Caterpillar Club Intro
2. Chapter 1 - The End Of The Night
3. Chapter 8 - Second Hand Pram
4. Chapter 18 - Runout Groove
5. Chapter 42 - Belonging
6. Chapter 39 - Last Requests
7. Chapter 33 - Curtains & Infrared
8. Chapter 35 - The Night Plane
9. Chapter 36 - French Number One
10. Chapter 17 - Scanning The Horizon
11. Chapter 43 - Two Hombergs
12. Chapter 45 - Speed Bumps, Gas & Air
13. Chapter 46 - Those Were The Times We Had
14. The Caterpillar Club Outro

S. Raekwon, born Steven Raekwon Reynolds on July 10, 1995, is a singer / songwriter and producer from New York City by way of Buffalo, NY. The S. Raekwon project finds Reynolds documenting traces of a life both affected and infatuated by the power of difference. Reynolds’ journey began as a biracial Black boy in working-class Buffalo. He never met his father and grew up with a white mother who loved musical theatre and playing piano. He didn’t cut his teeth via a DIY scene, or in bands with neighbors and classmates; the isolation gave him space to channel his guarded nature into a freedom forged by the noises in his head. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Reynolds moved to the East Village in NYC, an area he’s been fascinated by since family trips as a teenager. In Spring 2018, as he worked a day job and sought connections with others, Reynolds wrote and tracked the first S. Raekwon demos in his dingy studio apartment.

Rather than self-releasing, Reynolds shopped the demos around, leading to the release of his 2020 debut single "Parts Towards Whole" b/w "A Crow’s Smile" via Saddle Creek’s Document Series. Recorded between New York City and a six-month stint at his girlfriend’s parents’ home in Edwardsville, IL during the pandemic, "Where I’m at Now" is the album S. Raekwon made for himself with a clarity that arrived as he located his missing pieces in the world. Delicate as his approach may be, chaos truly underscored the two working years as Reynolds not only moved to lift the weight of the world off his spirit but connected with his roots. In a serendipitous turn of fate, Edwardsville was not only the same town Reynolds’ father once went to college but is also in close proximity to St. Louis where most of Reynolds’ Black family members are located. When he didn’t work on music, he protested against police violence in Missouri, and eventually reconnected with this family for the first time since his childhood. Upon leaving Edwardsville in September 2020, Reynolds quickly finished the rest of the album, charged by a new fire in his spirit and the light of his blood driving him towards a new beginning. Completely self-produced and self-recorded (save for drums on two songs,) the music’s driven by the relentlessness of the East Village and the quiet serenity of Edwardsville. The abstractions of his earlier musings transform into a warm wave of genreless coherence, drawing influences from across R&B, rock, folk, and pop to build a record that shines in its quiet spaces as much as its sweeping movements.

”Darling” is awash in Phil Collins-y guitar licks, angelic harmonies, a gleaming, pulsating synth line. It builds to a point that’s almost overwhelming until, in its final moments, everything drops away. Never overstaying its welcome, it’s an appealing exercise in romantic restraint.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: S. Raekwon forms beautiful synthy melodies imbued with a psychedelic sensibility and outsider pop influence, all topped with his wonderfully effective vocals and off-piste production elements. It's a heady and exciting mixture, and one that surprises at every turn.

TRACK LISTING

1 Darling
2 Do You Feel The Same?
3 Kissing Behind Your House
4 Anywhere 4 U
5 It's No Thing 6 T.D.T.K.A.
7 After The Party
8 Forever
9 Darling (Reprise)
10 Don't Leave

Hip Hop's finest martial arts obsessives Wu-Tang cannot accurately be described without referencing one of the pillars in the Clan's discography; Chef Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" remains firmly planted as one of the defining triumphs in their artistic legacy. The oft referred "Purple Tape", has been cited and debated by many as the greatest Wu-Tang solo project to date (it's the second best, behind "Liquid Swords" - ed) and a remains a bullet point in any discussion involving the greatest "Cocaine Rap" or "Street Hop" albums of all time. Raekwon's narrative, plays out like a movie script from the violent, drug fueled, underbelly of New York City's criminal landscape, intricately woven over instrumentals from the legendary mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan, The RZA. Even the album's main feature "Tony Starks aka Ghostface Killer", referred to as such rather described as a "guest star" appearing on 12 of the albums 18 tracks.

It should be noted that while the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx did produce a string of successful singles, such as "Ice Cream", "Incarcerated Scarfaces", and "Criminology", like all classic cinema, the album was intentionally engineered to be appreciated in one sitting, played from beginning to end. In continuing with it's proud tradition of honoring historically significant hip hop albums, Get On Down presents Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx", back on double translucent purple vinyl. This edition features for the first time ever on vinyl, the formerly CD only bonus track, "North Star (Jewels)". And if that wasn't enough, the entire album also features completely enhanced and painstakingly remastered audio. This is the definitive must-own vinyl edition of Raekwon’s masterpiece. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Purple vinyl pressing of 'The Purple Tape' - AKA the 3rd Greatest Hip Hop album of all time. (#1 "Enter The Wu Tang", #2 "Liquid Swords" FYI) Incredibly sounding even better nearly 25 years later, this classic has aged like a fine wine. If you're after lyrics, flow, hooks, beats and the finest document of street life, you got it son!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Striving For Perfection
A2. Knuckleheadz (feat Golden Arms)
A3. Knowledge God
A4. Criminology
A5. Incarcerated Scarfaces
B1. Rainy Dayz
B2. Guillotine (Swordz) (feat Genius & Inspectah Deck)
B3. Can It Be All So Simple (remix)
C1. Shark Niggas (Biters)
C2. Ice Water (feat Cappachino)
C3. Glaciers Of Ice (feat Masta Killa)
C4. Verbal Intercourse (feat Nas)
D1. Spot Rusherz
D2. Ice Cream (feat Cappachino & Method Man)
D3. Wu-Gambinos (feat Master Killa, Method Man & RZA)
D4. Heaven & Hell
D5. North Star

Should the name Jim Rafferty sound a tad familiar, he is in fact the older brother of Gerry Rafferty, of ‘Baker Street’ and ‘Stuck In The Middle with You’ fame. As a songwriter, Jim had signed a solo deal with Decca in the late 1970s. With Gerry in the producer’s chair, and a crack team of the several of the same musicians whom Gerry later recruited for his hit album, ‘City To City’, Jim produced the album ‘Don’t Talk Back’, comprising the kind of sophisticated, melodic material typified, like his brother’s work, by strong emphasis on vocal harmonies - the popular style at end of the 1970s.

Decca went out of business concurrent with their release of Jim’s arguably superior second album, ‘Solid Logic’, produced by Martin Levan. Times were changing across the music business, and Jim, always seeking new challenges, continued to write interesting, idiosyncratic material. He signed a self-penned, nervy and minimalist new work ‘I See Red’, to Hit & Run publishing, which was picked up by Phil Collins for Abba star Frida’s solo album. The song’s outsider narrative and implied reggae rhythm, made somewhat cartoonishly explicit in Frida’s version, also found favour with a number of other artists, notably Clannad, whose album ‘Magical Ring’ included their near identical version of ‘I See Red’, and gained chart placing in the UK. The same song was subsequently covered by brother Gerry on his ‘Wing and A Prayer’ album.

The flipside of Jim’s ‘I See Red’ has its own cover history - ‘Fear Strikes Out’ first appeared on Ian Matthews’ 1984 LP, ‘Shook’. Matthews, a journeyman who’d once sung in Fairport Convention alongside Judy Dyble and Sandy Denny and later hit the charts several times as a solo act, roots his version firmly in Jim’s ineffable arrangement, which makes sense - but Jim’s version notches up the excitement brightly, showcasing sharp guitar and keyboard textures in the mix. And sounding more like a hit.

TRACK LISTING

1. I See Red
2. Fear Strikes Out

Orphic Apparition is a new label born out of a transatlantic meeting of minds. Facilitated by a long, hedonistic party in one of present-day London’s ‘meanwhile use’ venues Grow Tottenham, Canadian producer Raf Reza and British acid house luminary Paul Chivers spent a precious day in the studio to record a 3 hour straight to DAT session before Reza's return to Canada. The result of this spontaneous yet intuitive collaboration blurs the lines between Chiver’s long-standing Ramjac Corporation alias and Reza’s genre-spanning approach to dub, breaks and house styles. Part of the early 90s rave scene and an important member of the blueprint-setting Irdial label, Ramjac locks heads with the self-professed ‘lazy music guy from Toronto’ to adapt their studio session into five separate mixdowns.

‘In The Grow’ begins with a bouncy, cut-up sounding Errorsmith-esque rhythm, the recurring fright night melody that distinguishes the record coming in all quick and powerful. The A2 ‘Rotten Mix’ offers a more traditional house approach in its composition, with dub FX and a nice DJ friendly outro. On the final uptempo choice the pair opt for a head-scrambling electro take. Choose your fighter! The ‘Swampy Dub’ on the flip really dismantles everything we’ve heard prior, slo-mo drums allowing a much different DJ experience and altering the freaky synthetic propulsion into an almost modern classical sound. A little like Paul Dresher’s eternal ‘Channels Passing’ (tip). Combined with the other edits this version almost becomes a totally different track. The final ‘Rootless Dub’ gives its clues in the title, removing all the tough drum sounds and allowing for an ambient decompression.

Orphic Apparition will return soon.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Leave the sludge in the warehouse long enough and it mutates into new lifeforms off of all the sweat and ecstasy still circulating around the vicinity. The results are mutations of acid, bass, rave and dubstep into one end-level bossman warehouse killer. You'll need a pocket full of power pills to fend off this beast!

TRACK LISTING

A1. In The Grow (Rotting Mix)
A2. In The Grow (Rotten Mix)
B1. In The Grow (Rahtted Mix)
B2. In The Grow (Swampy Dub)
B3. In The Grow (Rootless Dub)

"Music For Total Chickens" is built from bits of pop architecture nailed together in odd forms; it is structurally sound (no pun intended), but at the same time it defies the conventional laws of (pop) physics. There are twisty-turny time signatures, swaddled in chunky guitar fuzz, sweet strings, harmonized 'ooo's and direct lyrical love-notes sometimes riding percussive trails all the way up great crescendos to pinnacles of bangcrash (like if Deerhoof recorded a self-help album).

Inspired by influences as diverse as Guided By Voices, R Stevie Moore, Fela Kuti, Lightning Bolt, Fushitsusha, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Cody Chestnutt, "Sex Death Cassette" is an album full of hope, determination and chaos. It'll leave you with sweat dripping down your face onto your swelled lip; fresh, liquid salt, the quintessential flavour of late night post-disco parties and booty slinging good times. After dancing to this album, you're heavy with it, like too much cough syrup on a stomach full of hi-quality sushi. Rafter executes the helter-skelter boogie-down production so gracefully that it is no mystery why those in-the-know recruit him, including the likes of Fiery Furnaces, The Rapture, Arab on Radar, The Album Leaf, Rocket from the Crypt, Danielson, Black Heart Procession, The Peppermints, Hot Snakes, his own band Bunky, and fellow Asthmatic Kitty artists (Castanets, Liz Janes, and Sufjan Stevens).

Great album from this unsigned band that bring to mind the Beta Band.

Rag’n’Bone Man’s 2017 landmark debut Human was a phenomenal success. Shooting straight to No.1 upon release in the UK, the 4x Platinum record became the fasted-selling album by a male artist that decade, earning him both BRIT and Ivor Novello Awards.

Fast forwarding a few years, he travelled to Nashville to write and record what would become Life By Misadventure. The bulk of the album was produced and recorded by Grammy Award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Elizondo at his studio. Longtime collaborators Ben Jackson-Cook (keys, co-songwriter and co-producer of the album), Bill Banwell (bass and co-songwriter) and Desri Ramus (backing vocals) are joined by drummer Daru Jones and guitarist Wendy Melvoin on the record. One song was even recorded in Rag’n’Bone Man’s garage!

STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: it's been a long time coming but this newest Rag 'n Bone man release sees all of the clever wordplay and superb songwriting that I went absolutely batshit for on 2017's 'Human'. I will DEFINTIELY be unlockig my hips and getting down to this one.

TRACK LISTING

1. Fireflies
2. Breath In Me
3. Fall In Love Again
4. Talking To Myself
5. Anywhere Away From Here
6. Alone
7. Crossfire
8. All You Ever Wanted
9. Changing Of The Guard
10. Somewhere Along The Way
11. Time Will Only Tell
12. Lightyears
13. Party’s Over
14. Old Habits

A wonderful album full of Balearic vibes, funky riffs and mellow moments, originally released in 1980. BBE Music are excited to announce this highly sought after album titled ‘Will & James Ragar One”.

James and Will Ragar hail from Louisiana, where their early education into music began. At a young age they moved to New Orleans - where they heard live Jazz for the first time. This inspiration is demonstrated through their free approach to this album. Their natural evolution through the Louisiana club scene saw them develop and hone their talents of adding that southern swag to covers they did, almost making them their own.

‘Will and James Ragar One’ is a blend of acoustic and electric tones, carefully and cohesively put together by the brothers. ‘As the Day Grows Tired’ is the first song on the album and one of the first songs James wrote. The theme for ‘She’s Laughter’ is about returning home to someone you love and features a heavy guitar solo. ‘My Shining Sun’ has an unusual jazz form and is an ode to the joy of playing music. ‘Don’t Wish’ was inspired by a jazz chord progression that was a favourite, James played the solo on a pearwood soprano recorder. Gary Roberts played percussion on the session and also played the flute on ‘Just a Wanderer’.

TRACK LISTING

1. As The Day Grows Tired
2. She's Laughter
3. My Shining
4. Don't I Wish To Be Free
5. Melting Pot
6. Needs
7. Parade
8. Louisiana Fall
9. Hidden Away
10. Just A Wanderer
11. Oregon
12. Forever
13. Bayou Paradise

Released only in Japan in 1997, this collection of live and demo tracks—available for the first time on vinyl—is a must for Rage Against The Machine fans! Includes fiery versions of “Take The Power Back” and “Bombtrack,” covers of N.W.A.’s “Fuck Tha Police” and Public Enemy’s “Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos” (with Chuck D on lead vocals) and tracks from the band’s original 1991 demo tape.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1 Bullet In The Head (live)
2 Settle For Nothing (live)
3 Bombtrack (live)

SIDE B
1 Take The Power Back (live)
2 Freedom (live)
3 Intro (Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos) (live)
4 Zapata's Blood (live)

SIDE C
1 Without A Face (live)
2 Hadda Be Playing On The Jukebox (live)

SIDE D
1 Fuck Tha Police (live)
2 Darkness
3 Clear The Lane

The uncompromising debut from American quartet, Rage Against the Machine, opens with the fast-paced “Bombtrack” and continues its intensity through the remaining nine tracks, including the huge hits "Bullet In The Head" and "Killing In The Name Of". The self-titled album combines metal riffs with hip-hop which has been employed by plenty of bands with varying degrees of success. What really set RATM apart though was the political conviction and sheer intensity and venom of frontman Zach De La Rocha's vocal delivery.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Bombtrack
2. Killing In The Name
3. Take The Power Back
4. Settle For Nothing
5. Bullet In The Head
Disc: 2
1. Know Your Enemy
2. Wake Up
3. Fistful Of Steel
4. Township Rebellion
5. Freedom

Covers album, including versions of tracks by everyone from Dylan and the Rolling Stones to Devo and Africa Bambaataa. This special edition also includes 2 live hidden bouns tracks.

BBE Music announces the first-ever re-issue of this sun baked folk/jazz hybrid 45 by Louisiana brothers Will & James Ragar. First released in 1981, this private press 7" showcases Will & James' songwriting skills, refined performance and sophisticated compositions. Remastered by Frank Merritt the re-issue has an analogue warmth that the brothers say sounds even more pleasing than the original. Will & James Ragar began as the Will James Band performing on the popular 'Crawfish Circuit' of Southern Louisiana - this circuit included New Orleans, Thibodaux and Baton Rouge. They played blues, rock and jazz combos, covering everything from James Taylor to Jimi Hendrix. Eventually evolving into an acoustic folk-rock duo by the time they entered the studio in 1980. Both tracks on the 45 were recorded at River City studios in Baton Rouge in 1980. The engineer had the Allman Brothers on his list of recording credits, so they felt they were in excellent company. "Bayou Paradise" was an ode to the beauty of Southern Louisiana. The famous Sunshine bridge over wetlands as the sounds of migrating geese echo overhead on their journey down the Mississippi River flyway. The Atchafalaya river basin flows into the Gulf of Mexico near Lafayette creating a large wetland area and lush lakes connected by endless bayous. Miles and miles of lush swamps with many uninhabited areas just waiting to be explored.

"Forever" captures the exhilaration of new love, focusing on its intoxication and ecstasy without looking ahead to the reality of a life on the road. The soulful chorus inspires motion and enthusiasm. The shadow of Woodstock had a defining role against tradition. Things were changing socially. Loving someone forever was always part of the dream but seemingly broken in an age of break-ups and divorce. The optimistic hope that "love will survive" was half dream and half pessimistic glance forward at the social trends of relationships that were to follow. The studio band included Will & James. John Smart on keyboards, he's solo on "Forever" was achieved with the Legendary Analog Prophet synth and saturated the studio with rich layers of its distinctive sound, driving the up-tempo chorus. Dave D'Aubin, a versatile bass player whose resonant tone is very present on both songs. Tommy Jefferson is on drums, an alumnus of the Southern University jazz program, the same place Randy Jackson and Billy Cobham studied. Tommy used a tight higher pitch snare drum on the recording, a sound that would soon become very popular, but at that time was a little ahead of the curve. The session was recorded on analogue tape using the 24-track MCI recorder and mixed down to analogue tape for the single. Will & James added vocal harmonies and soaked up the fidelity during mix-down. The release coincides with the long-awaited re-issue of the brothers' album 'Will & James Ragar One'. This much sort after private press long-player was originally released in 1980 and sold locally in a limited run has now been fully remastered by Frank Merritt. BBE Music presents the album in a glorious gatefold with extensive sleeve notes. This time the vinyl will be pressed over 2 discs to produce the best sound possible.

TRACK LISTING

1. Forever
2. Bayou Paradise

Previously only available as a limited CDR, 100 copies only made. Situated in the soundworld of contemporary kosmiche electronica, "Of Sirens Born" goes several steps further than many retro-focused efforts, rendering audibly literal the traditional metaphor of voyage that has underscored so many synth-driven concept albums. Beginning tentatively and uneasily, these five pieces progress through expansive phases of grandeur and menace, shipwrecking before washing ashore on a new world. Although indebted to the dark romanticism of krautrock is clear, this is not an electronic trip through well-worn evocations of cosmic space. It is rather a story about the submerged memory of mythic voyages, of a time when every far-off destination was alluring, dangerous, and questionably real, envisioned from the perspective of a world well-mapped and conquered by machines.

Chicago legend Rahaan provides two very special productions for his first release on UK label “Hot Biscuit Recordings”.

“More” is a non-stop foot-stomping disco anthem; a wooden floor jobbie with wicky-wick, gnarly grooves, tribal chanting and rambunctious rhythm section. Set to cause havoc at the barn and the glitterball dances respectively. Meanwhile "Morning Starz" gazes towards the stars ina 80s jazz-funk fashion with digital keys, frenetic bass and tight boogie drum machine sequences. What a way to kick off the label! There's another Hot Biscuit out this week n'all - gotta catch em all! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Chicago legend Rahaan launches new label Hot Biscuit with two killer 12s of disco joy.

TRACK LISTING

More
Morning Starz

Hot Biscuit hit us with a super duper double pack from esteemed house royalty Rahaan. The Newcastle based label has unleased a strong mission statement across some key early releases making it quite a hyped label for those in the know.

You might wince at the price tag, but believe me when I say these limited edition Rahaan edits will probably sell for twice as much in a few months when these sell out. Proper top drawer tackle throughout as he takes on tracks by Carlos, Faja Dotie and Bebeto. It's his extension of the Quentin Tarantino-used and Neapolitan curio, Roberto De Simone's "Secondo Coro Delle Lavandaie" that's really got me salivating in my chair however - a fiery leftfield nugget that never fails to raise hell on the dancefloor.

Extremely limited copies - cop now or cry later! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: High pedigree Rahaan edits on Newcastle's in vogue Hot Biscuit label. Cut nice and loud at 45rpm and across two discs, these are an audiophile's dream ticket to leftfield disco abandon.

TRACK LISTING

A - Edit Of Carlos - Big Bisou
B1 - Edit Of Faja Dotie - Mamoe Lowe
B2 - Edit Of Bebeto - Preto Velho
C - 77
D - Edit Of Roberto De Simone - Secondo Coro Delle Lavandaie

On the debut EP 'We Are The Ones/Fire/Forever', Chicago DJ legend Rahaan collaborates with an incredibly talented group of musicians, including Marcus J. Austin on lead vocals, Nancy Clayton on backing vocals, Carnell C. Newbill (also known as Spike Rebel) on keyboards and backing vocals, Todd Swope on guitar, and Lou Terry on bass. Together, they create a 3-track EP that perfectly showcases Rahaan's production skills and the musical talents of the entire group.

Rahaan's experience and expertise as a DJ and producer are evident in each track, with grooves that are sure to keep the dancefloor moving. The title track, 'We Are The Ones', is a story of adventure and return, with a twist. Created by Rahaan and The Ones while under the influence, the track was lost for years as it was unnamed on his computer. However, Rahaan's determination to find it paid off, and with the help of Ohio Players' Kenny Anderson on the horns, he built upon the elusive skeleton track. With Marcus J. Austin on lead vocals and Nancy Clayton on backing vocals, 'We Are The Ones' delivers a soulful, 4-to-the-floor anthem that showcases the vocal talents of the group. And in 'Fire', Todd Swope's guitar skills shine through, creating an epic production that draws spiritual inspiration from traditional AfroBeat rhythms. It's worth noting that The Ones features some truly talented musicians, including Carnell C. Newbill (Spike Rebel) on keyboards and backing vocals. Spike Rebel is a well-known producer and musician in his own right. With his soulful vocals taking center stage, Carnell Newbill leads the charge on "Forever," he also superbly delivers on bass, keys, percussion, and guitar. Expertly mixed by Rahaan, this track is sure to become a dance floor anthem.

In summary, 'The Ones' EP is an impressive collaboration between some of the most talented musicians in the Chicago underground House and Disco scene. With Rahaan at the helm, this project is sure to be a hit with anyone who loves to dance. Mastered with Love by the Grammy nominated The Carvery Studios, this is one for any worthwhile DJ’s record bag.

TRACK LISTING

1. We Are The Ones
2. Fire
3. Forever

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the reissue of Ziad Rahbani's cult album "Amrak Seedna & Abtal Wa Harameyah," one of his praised albums from the 80s, released on the sought-after Lebanese label Relax-in in 1987. This release is an event as the album, recorded at Rahbani's By-Pass studio, was only released in Lebanon at the time. Mixing Arabic music with Funk and Fusion Jazz and hints of Boogie, it's a bonified Rahbani classic, sought after by Arabic groove DJs and collectors around the world. The reissue features audio remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris and a 2 page insert with a new introduction by Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (English/French).

TRACK LISTING

1. Al Muqademah 1 (Introduction 1)
2. I'alan (Advertisement)
3. Mashad Al Fahes (Examination)
4. Tango
5. Break
6. Al Muqademah 2 (Introduction 2) - Inst.
7. Al Muqademah (Introduction) - Inst.
8. Tagheer Awal (First Change)
9. Oghniyat El Shahadeen
10. Tagheer Thani (Second Change)
11. Al Piano
12. Tagheer Thaleth (Third Change)
13. Al Jeel (The Generation)
14. Hake Ad Ma Baddak Fee
15. Oghniyat El Gharam
16. Mashhad Al Hob
17. End Of Chapter 1
18. Kabbaret Dancing
19. Kbareah Wa Mhajjaren
20. Slow
21. Mashhad Al Serk
22. Final - Al Adala

Join and listen to the incredible Dr Shama Rahman as she weaves stories that start life as poems and take flight as songs.Dr Shama Rahman is an award-winning sitarist, composer and singer. On the 24th of May she will be launching and performing her new multidisciplinary musical storytelling album 'Truth BeTold', a bilingual hybrid of elements from opera, theatre, cabaret and sitar performance with visual art, science, Sufi poetry and the manifold sounds of water mixed in.Truth BeTold’ is a 16-track album of songs and poetic interludes and it is the world’s first full live album recorded with the pioneering mi.mu gloves technology. Mi.Mu Gloves, is a wearable technology that enables a musician to control music with gestures while interacting with the accompanying performance. As a mi.mu glove artist-in-residence, Dr Shama Rahman has been inspired to bring new impulses to the way she approaches composition and improvisation which allows for an unprecedented new form of performance as she is able to electronically manipulate the Sitar and her voice live.

TRACK LISTING

1. Choto Meye (Little Girl)
2. Storm So New (Interlude)
3. Liquid Blue
4. Please (Interlude)
5. Truth Be Told
6. Memory Of Dreams Of Memory (Interlude)
7. In My Line Of Sight
8. Freedom (Interlude)
9. Deshlai Kati (Matchstick)
10. Exalt (Interlude)
11. Personal Grey
12. Terror'd Night (Interlude)
13. City In The West
14. Hands (Interlude)
15. Ships In The Night
16. Love Was Not Enough

Original band members Matt Piucci and Steven Roback release Rain Parade’s third studio album.

The reunited Rain Parade are one of the leading lights of the Paisley Underground scene in the early and mid-’80s in Los Angeles.

“...producer Jim Hill returns for a record... loyal to psychedelic tropes and muscular melodies. The best tracks gently slip their moorings, as with the sour fuzzed guitar and damaged lyrics of ’Got The Fear’, and hazy warp and alchemical concerns of the insinuatingly addictive ‘Green’. ‘Bring You Back’’s bright psych-pop shows Rain Parade’s sunnier side.” (Nick Hasted, Uncut).

Featuring special guest musicians including Debbie and Vicki Peterson of The Bangles.

TRACK LISTING

1. Angel Sister
2. Last Rays Of A Dying Sun
3. Couldn’t Stand To Be Alone
4. Bring You Back
5. Got The Fear
6. Share Your Love
7. Sunday’s Almost Gone
8. Green
9. Forgetfulness
10. Other Side Of You
11. Left The Fire

13 tracks including the nine minute "Stargazer" and "Since You Were Gone" all for £5.99. Nuff said.

Finally in print again. It seemed for a while in the wake of Pistols / Clash hysteria that post-punk Blighty might just change the face of popular culture. And no small thanks to some females who didn't care to be written off: The Slits, Kleenex and most enduringly, the Raincoats. Their brief career included a few LPs on Rough Trade, but the band fell pray to inner turmoil by the turn of the decade. That was way before their biggest fan, a semi-famous guy named Kurt Cobain began singing their story to every journalist in the land. Soon enough Steve Shelley was behind the drums in a revamped version of the band. With this new lineup, "Extended Play" came to be, a preface to their triumphant 1994 reunion album on the DGC label. Somehow, the Raincoats' old records have gotten better since they were made. Invited to open for Nirvana on their 1994 tour, the decade-gone Raincoats reformed, with original members Gina Birch (bass/vocals) and Ana da Silva (guitar/vocals) joined by new violinist Anne Wood and guest drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth. Cobain's suicide ended those plans, but the band went on a triumphant American tour anyway. A John Peel session from April 1994 (two new songs plus "No One's Little Girl" from "Moving" and "Shouting Out Loud" from "Odyshape") was released on Shelley's label as Extended Play. The noisy avant-continental "Don't Be Mean" (unveiled on the EP) takes slipperier turns through the band's past.

TRACK LISTING

1. Don't Be Mean 4:04,
2. We Smile 3:17,
3. No One's Little Girl 4:20,
4. Shouting Out Loud 4:56

We ThRee announce a release of 400 original CDs, unavailable for 20 years, on 11 December. The Raincoats have offered creative and spiritual inspiration for several generations of artists such as John Lydon, Kim Gordon, Kurt Cobain, Carrie Brownstein, Bikini Kill, Angel Olsen... In 1979, The Raincoats helped shape the timeless notion that punk is what you make it to be - an act of raw expression, not any one sound. Their anarchy was poetic. The group’s debut album ‘The Raincoats’, which Kurt Cobain called “wonderfully classic scripture”, was released by Rough Trade Records at its radical beginnings. In 1992, Kurt’s meeting with Ana da Silva sparked a much-documented relationship with The Raincoats, bringing them back together to play live on Nirvana’s final tour that never was, and inspiring Ana da Silva and Gina Birch to write ‘Looking in the shadows’, their final album, released in 1996 on Rough Trade Records and DGC. Original CD release from Rough Trade Records in 1996. Recorded at Trident II in August 1995. Produced and mixed by Ed Buller. Backing vocals on ‘Love a loser’ by Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley. Video of ‘Don’t Be Mean’ directed by Gina Birch. “It was The Raincoats I related to most. They seemed like ordinary people playing extraordinary music. Music that was natural that made room for cohesion of personalities. They had enough confidence to be vulnerable and to be themselves without having to take on the mantle of male rock/punk rock aggression…or the typical female as sex symbol avec irony or sensationalism”. Kim Gordon…. 

TRACK LISTING

1.Only Tonight
2. Don’t Be Mean
3. Forgotten Words
4. Pretty
5. Truth Is Hard
6. Babydog
7. You Ask Why
8. 57 Ways To End It All
9. So Damn Early
10. You Kill Me
11. Love A Loser
12. Looking In The Shadows.

'The Raincoats' the legendary first album by The Raincoats originally released on Rough Trade Records in 1979. Widely acclaimed as one of the musical highlights of the post punk period and a breakthrough moment for women in music, "The Raincoats" has been commercially unavailable for the past 10 years. The album was recorded in 1979 by Ana da Silva, Gina Birch, Palmolive and Vicky Aspinall and was produced by Geoff Travis and Mayo Thompson. The album has been re-mastered from original masters and the vinyl is pressed in heavyweight 180g and comes with a free mp3 download coupon. “I really don’t know much about The Raincoats except that they recorded some music that has affected me so much that whenever I hear it I’m reminded of a particular time in my life when I was (shall we say) extremely unhappy, lonely and bored. If it weren’t for the luxury of putting on that scratchy copy of The Raincoats’ first record, I would have had very few moments of peace”. Kurt Cobain in 1993.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Fairytale In The Supermarket
A2. No Side To Fall In
A3. Adventures Close To Home
A4. Off Duty Trip
A5. Black And White
A6. Lola
B1. The Void
B2. Life On The Line
B3. You're A Million
B4. In Love
B5. No Looking

Joe Rainey is a Pow Wow singer. On his debut album, ‘Niineta’, he demonstrates his command of the Pow Wow style, descending from Indigenous singing that’s been heard across the waters of what is now called Minnesota for centuries. Depending on the song, his voice can celebrate or console, welcome or intimidate, wake you up or lull your babies to sleep. Each note conveys a clear message, no matter the inflection: We’re still here. We were here before you were, and we never left.

Rainey grew up a Red Lake Ojibwe in Minneapolis, a city with one of the largest, proudest Native populations in the country. He was raised on the South side near Franklin Avenue, the post-Reorganization Act urban nexus of local Native American life. Rainey came of age in the heart of this community (also the birthplace of AIM), but always felt like he was living in a liminal space with the Reservation five hours North. At an early age Rainey started recording groups, and practiced dancing and singing. As a teenager he started his first drum group, and soon his voice grew strong enough to sing in Midnite Express, a new drum group featuring members of the legendary group The Boyz. They were professionals, city Indians travelling all over, repping their reservations and their neighbourhoods - competing for cash and cred, always striving to capture that ‘Pow Wow feeling’ of togetherness. Rainey was just as much of a fan as he was a participant, recording others then studying the tapes, cataloguing the different styles.

On ‘Niineta’, Rainey finds himself in between cultures again, collaborating with producer Andrew Broder, who brought his turntablist sensibility to the project. The two of them met backstage at Justin Vernon’s hometown Eaux Claires music festival before crossing paths more through the 37d03d collective, and both contributed to the last Bon Iver album before partnering up. “At first I didn’t know what I could add,” Broder says. “I came to understand everything is rooted in the drum - even the songs on our record that have no drum.” Each song started with Broder’s beats, the two of them experimenting with various sounds and tempos before orchestrating and recontextualizing the ancient sounds in strange, new in-between places, also pulling from Rainey’s vast sample folder of Pow Wow recordings, layering in slices of his life.

‘Niineta’ is a short version of the Ojibwe term meaning ‘just me’, and Rainey is using the term only in the sense that he’s taking sole responsibility for the music. He is protective of Pow Wow culture - once outlawed by the US government and maintained in secret - while trying to figure out where he fits and how he can be creative with it. “These are my creations, but they’re Pow Wow songs, and our language is sacred,” he says. Rainey suggests conceptualizing the album as him working the door at a Pow Wow after party. “If I’m answering that door, I want to say, hey, yeah, come on in. But there’s fucking tons of us in here. It ain’t just me.”

TRACK LISTING

Jammer From The Slammer
B.e. Son
Easy On The Cide
Bezhigo
No Chants
Can Key
Jr. Flip
Turned Engine
Ch. 1222
Phil’s Offering

PNFG is thrilled to be taking you all on a road trip to Greater Manchester where we will unlock the vinyl releases of one of the early nineties best kept secrets - Raintree County sounding every bit like they hailed from a city 200 miles further north and from 10 years earlier

They released one LP and one EP in their short life. Both stunning examples of guitar based pop. We will bring you a double album featuring both albums, tastefully remastered and housed in a brand new Gatefold Sleeve with cover art from Fraser Taylor.

TRACK LISTING

Little Blue Book
Goodbye Galveston
A Nice Time At The Disco
Faithless
Summer Skip
Take
Mad Dog
Sweet Everything
Everybody Knows
Wind, Rain, Tornado
Here It Comes
Wild Honey
Looking For
Sunblind
Another Sunday Morning
Roadsong

Flowers’ is an homage to the journey of my first love, the patience it requires, and the pivotal moment I met my wife. It reflects on our memories and tells the story of the comfort I feel in that relationship.” This new single from Jordan Rakei showcases his affecting vocal and ability to reveal his truest feelings, wrapped in his captivating production. 

TRACK LISTING

Flowers
Flowers Instrumental

Soulful, intimate and expansive all at once, Jordan Rakei’s third album, "Origin", cuts straight to the point. The melodies are brighter, the sound is bigger and the vision behind it more finely-tuned. Switching up from the highly personal and intimate portrait he painted with 2017’s "Wallflower", which was a way of grappling with his experience of anxiety and introversion, "Origin" is overtly inspired by dystopian visions of our future - notably Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. 'I’m worried that we’re losing a sense of connection,' explains Jordan, with many of the album lyrics exploring technological growth, and how it affects our sense of humanity. For example, new single "Say Something" is 'about speaking up for what you believe in; a call to arms for future humans to stand up against the AI systems which govern a now-dystopian world. It follows recent single "Mind’s Eye", which envisions a future world where malfunctioning tech implanted in the human body has flooded the users mind with projections of chaos. He meditates daily, something he adopted partly in response to his issues with anxiety, and something which has shaped his worldview and informed his writing and production process.

On "Origin", Rakei has scaled up his ambitions, and is more confident in the way he goes about achieving them. Making tracks that speak more confidently, in brighter colours, and which deal with something bigger than himself. He channeled the classic songwriting and musicality of his heroes Stevie Wonder and Steely Dan, striving to surprise and delight with the form of his work, and always infusing it with the same effortless swing and human feel that he fell in love with listening to A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock and 9th Wonder.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: Rakei returns with his new sublime album, exploring themes of a technological and a dystopian future while producing the best jazz groves around topped with soulful vocals. Absolutely gorgeous stuff!

TRACK LISTING

01. Mad World
02. Say Something
03. Mind’s Eye
04. Rolling Into One
05. Oasis
06. Wildfire
07. Signs
08. You & Me
09. Moda
10. Speak
11. Mantra

GRAMMY-award nominated Jordan Rakei is a renowned multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter who, over soon-to-be-five studio albums, has been on a wide-ranging journey that explores the outer reaches of his inner psyche, traversing themes of emotional evolution, personal growth and family with unwavering sincerity. Always positioning himself in and amongst the bigger questions in life, he has navigated his musical journey with passion and precision, unveiling something new about himself through his songwriting at every turn. The Loop is by far Rakei’s most cohesive and evolutionary work to date following an impressive career of previous releases, each of which have demonstrated his natural curiosity and capabilities in exploring new sounds.

TRACK LISTING

1. Flowers
2. Freedom
3. Friend Or Foe
4. Royal
5. Trust
6. State Of Mind
7. Hopes And Dreams
8. Learning
9. Cages
10. Forgive
11. Everything Everything
12. Miracle
13. A Little Life

Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter Jordan Rakei returns with his fourth studio album, "What We Call Life’". Diving even deeper into his sound world, merging electronic with acoustic, and rugged grooves with ambient atmospheres, to create something richer, more detailed, and more textural than before. Rakei, already a practitioner of meditation and mindfulness, was curious about the potential of using therapy for further self-discovery. During the process, he began to learn more about his behaviour patterns and anxieties, and addressed his long-standing irrational phobia of birds – a fear often associated with the unpredictable and the unknown, and something explored in the album’s creative direction and visuals.

‘What We Call Life’ is Jordan Rakei’s most vulnerable and intimate album to date. Its lyrics concern the lessons that the New Zealand-born, Australia-raised, and London-based artist learned about himself during therapy, a journey that began two years ago when he started reading about the ‘positive psychology’ movement. These themes manifest on songs like lead single “Family”, which Rakei says is “the most personal” he’s ever been with his lyrics. “I wanted to hit my vulnerability barrier and be really honest. It’s about my parents’ divorce in my mid-teens but still having love for them no matter what,” he explains.

Artwork was created by Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based visual artist Justin Tyler Close (who has worked previously with the likes of Laura Marling), who resonated with the themes on Rakei’s album. The image was created in a remote photo shoot, with Rakei sending images over the internet that were projected onto a sheet and photographed by Close. The melancholic images reflect the title of the record, a question that Rakei would sometimes ask himself during a period of his childhood in which he suffered a great deal of anxiety: Is this what we call life? Rather than accepting defeat, the title is today a commentary on the more happy, confident, and assured person and artist that Jordan Rakei is today

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: Jordan Rakei fourth album is highly anticipated here at Piccadilly, the album explores themes worn close to Rakei’s sleeve. Personal and moving, the track ‘Family’ is so beautiful and soulful.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Family
A2. Send My Love
A3. Illusion
A4. Unguarded
A5. Clouds
B1. What We Call Life
B2. Runaway
B3. Wings
B4. Brace
B5. The Flood

After an outstanding debut on M.A.D Records earlier this year Rakim Under is back with the first in his edits series 'Rakim Redun Vol.1'.
5 edits set to move any dance floor. Rakim Under really is one to watch.

TRACK LISTING

A1. BASS LOVE (Rakim Under Edit)
A2. House Teachin’ (Rakim Under Edit)
B1. Allen’s Hi-Fi Rocks (Rakim Under Edit)
B2. Celestial Ocean (Rakim Under Edit)
B3. Life Continues (Rakim Under Edit)

Ralfe Band are based around the talents of British songwriter Oliver Ralfe. Here they have created a magical, inventive and atmospheric soundtrack, with enchanting melodies and beautiful instrumentation including piano, guitars, mandolin, accordion, strings, brass and electronic elements.

The first Ralfe Band single from the forthcoming ‘Son Be Wise’ album, the follow-up to their acclaimed album and soundtrack to the Warp film ‘Bunny And The Bull’.

New single ‘Come On Go Wild’ is a madcap Bossa nova sure to brighten your ears and bring a smile to your face.

For fans of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Beirut, Villagers, Andrew Bird, M.Ward and Sufjan Stevens.

TRACK LISTING

Come On Go Wild
Horse To The Hinterland

‘Son Be Wise’ is the follow-up album to Ralfe Band’s acclaimed album, and soundtrack to the Warp film, ‘Bunny And The Bull’.

‘Son Be Wise’ features guest vocals from Alessi’s Ark and Piney Gir.

The album was recorded with Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey, Anna Calvi) and Andy Ramsay (Stereolab).

Blending euphoric folk pop, whispering ballads and inspired instrumentation, this album will appeal to fans of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Beirut, Villagers, Andrew Bird, M. Ward and Sufjan Stevens.

TRACK LISTING

Ox
Barricades
England My Darling
Oh My Father
Magdalena
Come On Go Wild
Kings And Queens
Dead Souls
Hidden Place
Ladder
Cold Chicago Morning
Boy With An Old Tin
Drum

Meditative, melodic and quietly intense, Oly Ralfe’s debut solo album casts a spell, enveloping listeners as it conjures its shifting moods. The piano is key to Oly’s love of music, featuring on many Ralfe Band songs, and the instrumental Notes From Another Sea is Oly’s first album based entirely around the piano.

As Ralfe Band, Oly has released three studio albums and composed the soundtrack to Bunny and the Bull (Warp Films / Film 4). Ralfe Band have toured extensively and performed multiple sessions for BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2. Oly is also an award-winning filmmaker, and recently illustrated the novel A Field Guide to Reality by Joanna Kavenna (Quercus), his drawings described as ‘beautiful and affecting’ by the Times Literary Supplement.

TRACK LISTING

The Bridge
A Forest In The City
On My Train
Hear Me Yourself
Melusine
Glider
Lantern Waltz
Which Is The Brighter
The Swallow Sleeps All Winter
Wanderers
Beqaa Road
All Our Rooms
Night Raven
Hill Queen

Much about “Beat Bop” is shrouded in mystery. Who really produced it? Why was Jean-Michel Basquiat relegated from rapper on the track to drawing the cover and labels? What are they actually rapping about for most of the ten-minute length? These questions, however, are all part of the enigma and rich legend surrounding a song that is an undisputed piece of true hip-hop genius. The combination of graffiti artist Rammellzee and rapper K-Rob is a potent one, with each MC adopting a persona - hustler and B-Boy respectively - that they maintain against an unusual swirling backdrop that must be one of the best instrumentals ever committed to wax.

The original Tartown Record pressing was limited to 500 copies, a mere test pressing in the eyes of the assembled artists, with scarcity further driven by Basquiat’s rising rep in the art world. Those few hundred copies - and a subsequent re-release on Profile Records (the same label where K-Rob played out the rest of his brief career) - punched well above their weight in terms of lasting influence.

Consider the early vocal tones of the Beastie Boys (who also sampled the track), or the huge part it played in the sound of Cypress Hill and B-Real. His voice is almost homage to Rammellzee’s on “Beat Bop”, while they also lifted the chorus of “Shoot ‘Em Up” and even a sample of ‘Cypress Hill’ from the track too. It’s unsurprising - this is a multi-layered, complex song that reveals a little more of itself each time you play it but remains damn funky. This reissue boasts the vocal and instrumental versions in full, as well as both the full cover and label artwork from the original Tartown Release.

TRACK LISTING

Beat Bop (Vocal)
Beat Bop (Instrumental)

Formed in Forest Hills, NY, in 1974, this quartet of quintessential punk forefathers blitzkrieged out of NYC's legendary CBGB scene and into world fame with three loud, lean, hard, and fast albums before the Sex Pistols even took their first shot. Besides basically inventing punk rock, Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy outlasted almost every one of their legions of followers, delivering their signature pop and garage-flavoured chainsaw sound for over 20 years, through a string of infamous albums and 2,263 concerts together. Spanning 1976-1995, this new collection features 20 classic tracks, including "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker," "Rockaway Beach," "Rock 'N' Roll High School," "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Pet Sematary," and "Blitzkrieg Bop."

Following the Ramones 40th anniversary reissues campaign; the first three albums by Ramones will be reissued on vinyl with the remastered audio from the 40th anniversary releases. 1977 saw Ramones release two great albums in the same year, and Leave Home was the first to be released in January of that year, as the follow-up to their eponymous debut album. This 30-minute opus of buzzsaw rock introduced fans to classics like “Pinhead” “California Sun,” and “Swallow My Pride.” This release will feature the 2017 audio from the Leave Home 40th Anniversary Edition – remastered by original Leave Home album engineer/mixer Ed Stasium.

Ramones compilation compiled by Johnny Ramone. This limited edition version, includes a bonus disc, live in London, featuring eight previously unreleased songs.

The Ramones (Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy) sounded like nothing else when their self-titled debut came roaring onto the scene in 1976. Even so, original drummer Tommy Ramone did do a pretty good job describing the band’s primal sound when he penned the quartet’s press bio that same year. “The Ramones all originate from Forest Hills and kids who grew up there either became musicians, degenerates or dentists. The Ramones are a little of each,” he observed. “Their sound is not unlike a fast drill on a rear molar.” This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ramones, recently named the “Greatest Punk Album Of All Time” by Rolling Stone, and certainly one of the most important and influential albums of all time. This 29-minute masterpiece helped launch the punk rock scenes in both America and Britain, and also went on to inspire countless other artists for generations to come. To celebrate the Ramones’ lasting impact, Rhino has created the ultimate tribute to the band’s landmark debut 

Following the Ramones 40th anniversary reissues campaign; the first three albums by Ramones will be reissued on vinyl with the remastered audio from the 40th anniversary releases. Ramones – Ramones is one of the most important and influential albums of all time, with Rolling Stone naming it the Greatest Punk Album Of All Time. The album was a pioneer of the punk rock movement, with the band inspiring punk legends such as Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and The Clash. It features one of the most famous rock songs in history with Blitzkrieg Bop - which constantly appears in many greatest songs of all time lists. This will feature the 2016 remastered audio from the 40th Anniversary Edition of Ramones. 

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Blitzkrieg Bop
2. Beat On The Brat
3. Judy Is A Punk
4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
5. Chain Saw
6. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
7. I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement

Side 2
1. Loudmouth
2. Havana Affair
3. Listen To My Heart
4. 53rd & 3rd
5. Let’s Dance
6. I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You
7. Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World

Following the success of last year’s 40th anniversary edition of the Ramones’ debut album comes a deluxe version of the group’s follow-up, Leave Home. Originally released in January 1977, this 30-minute opus of buzzsaw rock introduced fans to classics like “Pinhead” “California Sun,” and “Swallow My Pride.”

The deluxe edition will be produced in a limited and numbered edition of 15,000 copies worldwide and comes packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book. In addition to the music, the set also features stories about the band by legendary former manager Danny Fields, as told to renowned music scribe Michael Azerrad, as well as details about making the album by Stasium . The first disc features two different mixes of Leave Home, opening with a remastered version of the original stereo mix. The highlight is the new 40th anniversary mix of the full album, created by Stasium from the original multi-track tapes. The second disc is overflowing with more than two dozen rare and unreleased recordings. It begins with rough mixes for 15 tracks recorded for Leave Home at Sundragon studio in New York. The final disc features an unreleased recording of the band’s concert at CBGB’s on April 2, 1977

Ramones second album, Leave Home, is to be reissued to mark its 40th anniversary.

Rhino will release two versions of the album on July 21. The 3CD /1LP version contains two different mixes of the album, a remastered version of the original and a new 40th anniversary mix by original engineer/mixer Ed Stasium, along with a second disc of unheard recordings and a third comprising an unreleased live show recorded in 1977 at CBGBs. The newly remastered original version will also be released as a single CD. Both titles will be available via digital download and streaming as well.Originally released in January 1977, this 30-minute opus of buzzsaw rock introduced fans to classics like “Pinhead” “California Sun,” and “Swallow My Pride.”

This 1CD version features a remastered version of the original stereo mix.

TRACK LISTING

Remastered Original Mix

1. “Glad To See You Go”
2. “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
3. “I Remember You”
4. “Oh Oh I Love Her So”
5. “Carbona Not Glue”
6. “Suzy Is A Headbanger”
7. “Pinhead”
8. “Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy”
9. “Swallow My Pride”
10. “What’s Your Game”
11. “California Sun”
12. “Commando”

Following the Ramones 40th anniversary reissues campaign; the first three albums by Ramones will be reissued on vinyl with the remastered audio from the 40th anniversary releases. Ramones released its second album of the calendar year (and third overall) on November 4, 1977, capping off one of the biggest years in the history of punk with Rocket To Russia. Among the band’s best-loved albums, it features classics like “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” and “Rockaway Beach” along with their signature covers of “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “Surfin’ Bird.” It’s also the last album ever recorded by all four founding members, as drummer Tommy Ramone left soon after to focus on writing and producing. This will feature the 2017 audio from the 40th Anniversary Edition of Rocket To Russia - remastered by original Rocket To Russia album engineer/mixer Ed Stasium.

40th Anniversary of the seventh Ramones album. Subterranean Jungle marked a return to the roots of the band. Includes "Time Has Come Today."

Prodigal son of the ESP Institute, Juan Ramos, rises from the cesspool of a world gone mad with 'Agua Del Cenote', his fifth release with the label. Whilst many artists are following their inner light to bring us some much needed joy amidst these rotten times, Juan (being the little shit that he is) follows an inner demon and delivers listeners and dancers a demented clusterfuck of sadistic chaos. The title track opens with what sounds like a butane torch and we metaphorically freebase into oblivion. Our perception of reality unravels, writhing in abrasive textures smeared across a low-slung, mid-tempo erotic thump. Everything feels blurry and distant, as if we’re swimming through an underground aquatic tunnel, in a panic, searching for an invisible band of spirits whose tune summons us into certain annihilation. Following this is a remix from a decorated lord of 20th Century electronics, Harald Grosskopf AKA The Synthesist. Harald wipes away grit and lethargy to reveal elements hidden deep within the mix as well as softens Juan’s sense of terror by building up to an optimistic layer of added synth. We’d love to offer some relief with the balance of the EP, however, the remaining two tracks paint complimentary hues in the same cerebral palette. 'Let It Go (Freaks Only)' veers closely to House in terms of tempo and gestalt, utilizing a vocal sample from Third Generation (Kerri Chandler) and a healthy dose of sub bass, but Juan hardly apologizes for his masochistic tendencies and certainly never relents into an uplifting mood. Closing the EP, Juan serves an antidote of sorts with 'Cuko', as if suggesting a way out of the swamp, but leaves it up to the listener’s intuition to not only see the carrot, but actually follow it into the light, thus completing the quest.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Deep mushroom chug from Juan Ramos perfectly in sync with the bumper harvest we've been experiencing. Facing your inner demons in the 5th dimension - this will empower and untangle your chakras!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Agua Del Cenote
A2. Agua Del Cenote (Harald Grosskopf Synthesist Mix)
B1. Let It Loose (Freaks Only)
B2. Cuko

“A solo record works best when you feel like you’re opening a window into somebody’s life, experiencing the things they’re going through or thinking about, places they’re seeing, through their eyes. At its best, you find a universality in it.” - Lee Ranaldo

Lee Ranaldo and his family were among the lucky Manhattanites left relatively unscathed by Hurrican Sandy in 2012, but for a week, they had no electricity, running water or heat. He did, however, have an acoustic guitar and, as has been the case of late, some new songs began spilling out of it, reflecting a prolific period imbued with eerie uncertainty. · Ranaldo had finished work on his last album, Between The Times And The Tides’, before Sonic Youth went on hiatus in the Autumn of 2011. The record followed an informal period of songwriting, borne of acoustic guitar fiddling and more direct lyrics from a poet known for emotive abstraction. His plans to record a low-key acoustic album soon evolved and many friends (Steve Shelley, Alan Licht, Nels Cline, Jim O’Rourke, Bob Bert, John Medeski, wife / artist Leah Singer) dropped by to conjure a vaguely psychedelic pop-rock sound that served Ranaldo and SY fans well.

A core unit came together, getting tighter after some roadwork, and soon Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Alan Licht, and bassist Tim Lüntzel became The Dust. The band dug in at Echo Canyon West through the winter, evolving a new set of songs with a decidedly more group dynamic. Yet even though he was tracking new songs with the band (plus the always-welcome Medeski), Ranaldo wanted to present songs that were even more personal and adaptable to various live contexts.

The songs on this album are darker, longer, and more intense than those of its predecessor, which was comparably upbeat. Despair and rage ripple through its atmosphere, but are held at bay, never quite able to touchdown. Ranaldo lives near Zucotti Park, which was HQ for NYC’s Occupy Wall Street movement. He has visited Occupy encampments in Toronto, São Paulo, and wherever else he can, often bringing his kids with him so they can witness left wing, non-violent democracy in action. Unlike his last record’s ‘Shouts’, there is no specific tribute to OWS, but there is a yearning for some real, societal shift. “Every time I wait for the revolution to come,” Ranaldo sings on ‘Home Chds.’ “Every night I think it?s here and then it?s gone.”

At the same time the songs on ‘Last Night On Earth’ reveal a guarded optimism. The term ‘hope’ has been politically co-opted and devalued but it’s a key element on ‘Last Night On Earth’. Ranaldo sings of land and water and love and certainty - external life forces that can turn on us at any second - from an exploratory, inviting place of coexistence.

Lee Ranaldo is a founding member of Sonic Youth, now in 32nd year. Although songwriting and performing with his band The Dust (Steve Shelley, Alan Licht, Tim Lüntzel) is his current focus, Lee also premiered a new work, ‘Hurricane Sandy Transcriptions’, for Berlin-based string ensemble Kaleidoskop (with Lee on guitar) at the Holland Festival in June 2013, with more performances to follow in spring 2014. Lee continues to perform experimental events with partner Leah Singer as well. Their recent live performances have been large scale, multi projection quadraphonic sound & cinema events, with Lee performing suspended electric guitar phenomena.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Lee Ranaldo surprised with the classicist nature of his debut album in 2012. Here he stretches out, getting darker and deeper, with some inspired guitar playing and moodier songs. It's excellent.

Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo puts out his first proper, song-oriented studio album this March. Recorded with longstanding Sonic Youth producer John Agnello, the album is a shimmering and melodic tapestry of rock sounds.

Ranaldo’s trademark alternate-tuning guitar work is at the forefront, but it is amplified by brilliant leadwork from Wilco’s Nels Cline on every track.

The all-star line up also includes Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley on drums, Alan Licht on guitar, and John Medeski on keyboards.

There are also cameos from original Sonic Youth drummer Bob Bert and producer and instrumentalist Jim O’Rourke.

‘Between The Times And The Tides’ is equal parts smart, confident and loose in a manner that recalls some of our favourite rock ‘n’ roll projects …yet sounds like a fantastic new band that was apparently being assembled right under our noses.

With lyrics plumbing Ranaldo’s childhood and adolescence, it’s a fascinatingly approachable song collection from one of rock’s greatest guitarists.

“Sonic Youth’s Dark Horse finally emerges into a role that plenty of SY fans wish he’d embraced earlier. '60s and ‘70s Los Angeles rock is a fine reference point for Ranaldo's music, even with the chiming guitars that are strictly New York” - Village Voice

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: I know what you're thinking - a Lee Ranaldo solo album, experimental and difficult - but you couldn't be further from the truth. ‘Between The Times And The Tides’ is packed full of melodic gems, with angular chiming guitars aplenty, as you'd expect from the Sonic Youth man. Highly recommended!

“If you live long enough, you see a lot of people drift in and out of your life,” says Lee Ranaldo, explaining one of the loose themes linking the adventurous pieces that compose his and collaborator RaülRefree’s electrifying new album: that of the ineffable course of time, and the lives that pass in and out of one’s own.

In a remarkable career that has seen him flourish as a songwriter, a singer, a guitarist, a noisemaker, a poet, a visual artist, a producer, and more, Ranaldo has seen many fellow quixotics – from his bandmates in Sonic Youth to this most recent collaboration with RaülRefree, whose restless career had taken him from hard-core bands in his youth, to the vanguard of a new movement redefining flamenco. One of the most renowned producers in southern Europe, his collaboration with Rosalíaon her debut album has shaped both the modern sound of flamenco and her new found stardom.

Following their collaborative work on 2017’s Electric Trim which saw Refree in the guise of producer and the subsequent tours supporting that album, they went back into the studio but the duo quickly realised they weren’t recording a new Lee Ranaldo solo album, but rather their first as Lee Ranaldo and Raul Refree – “the beginning of a new partnership, a new configuration’”, Ranaldo says. “We’re a two-headed machine,” adds Refree. “We’re both talking about everything. We don’t always agree on everything, but every song, every piece, every sound you hear comes from two people talking about it.”

TRACK LISTING

Alice, Etc
Words Out Of The Haze
New Brain Trajectory
Humps
Names Of North End Women
Light Years Out
The Art Of Losing
At The Forks 

Electric Trim was recorded in New York City and Barcelona in collaboration with producer Raül ‘Refree’ Fernandez and extends the work of Ranaldo's solo canon, the most recent being his 2013 album, Last Night On Earth.  

Through his collaboration with Fernandez, Ranaldo moves into some rich new sonic territories and production techniques, experimenting with electronic beats and samples alongside live players

Ranaldo is a co-founder of Sonic Youth, a visual artist, producer and writer. In addition to Fernandez, he worked with several special guests on Electric Trim, including Sharon Van Etten who sings on six of the tracks and duets on ‘Last Looks’ and Kid Millions (aka Man Forever) as well as longtime friend and collaborator Nels Cline (Wilco). In addition, the album features Ranaldo’s band The Dust (fellow Sonic Youth member Steve Shelley, guitarist Alan Licht, and bassist Tim Luntzel).  

Ranaldo collaborated with award winning New York author Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn / The Fortress of Solitude) for lyrics on six of the songs and the American artist, Richard Prince, who previously painted the sleeve for Sonic Youth’s 2004 album Sonic Nurse, created the artwork for the album.

TRACK LISTING

Moroccan Mountains
Uncle Skeleton
Let’s Start Again
Last Looks (with Sharon Van Etten)
Circular (Right As Rain)
Electric Trim
Purloined
Thrown Over The Wall
New Thing

In Virus Times is an acoustic instrumental piece by Lee Ranaldo. Composed during the pandemic, In Virus Times will be released as a 1-sided LP with an etching on Side B.

The cover is a beautiful photo by Lee’s friend, the great Brazilian photographer Anna Paula Bogaciovas. Originally released as one track as part of a collaboration with Lucien Jean for Le Presses du Reel, the music was featured on a mini CD that accompanied a book that featured 2 short stories.

In Virus Times, released by Mute, sees the track transformed into 4 pieces and is available on Limited Edition 12” Transparent Turquoise Vinyl with an exclusive poster designed, signed and individually numbered by Lee Ranaldo. The poster design is based on an electron microscope photo of the Covid-19 molecule.

TRACK LISTING

A1 In Virus Times - Part 1
A2 In Virus Times - Part 2
A3 In Virus Times - Part 3
A4 In Virus Times - Part 4

The sessions for this album came about by coincidence. In April 2013 The Dust were on tour in Europe. We had an unusual show scheduled at a small festival out in the desert near Marrakech, Morocco, which fell in the middle of our tour, and which fell through, as these things often do, at the very last minute, just days before the gig was to take place. It left a big hole right in the middle of our tour.

To the rescue came our Spanish tour promoters, Carles and Jordi, who secured for us an apartment in Barcelona for the week, and suggested that we use our downtime to do some recording in a small studio there.

The band had a small handful of acoustic shows under our belt by this time, and we were keen for the opportunity to try some recordings in an acoustic setting. Acoustic Dust!

We hooked up with Raül Fernandez Refree, our engineer for the sessions. Raul was great in the studio and we all immediately became fast friends. Another friend from Portugal, João Paulo Feliciano was also in Barcelona at the time, and we invited him in to add some Hammond Organ.

In four or five days we tracked 14 or 15 songs, choosing some from my album ‘Between The Times And The Tides’, plus a few from the record we were still working on at the time, ‘Last Night On Earth’, and some cover songs too.

After the sessions we hit the road again with our electric instruments to finish our tour, and slowly over the following months plans were made for Raul to mix the music for release. You hold in your hands the fruits of those acoustic days in Barcelona, I hope you enjoy them” - Lee Ranaldo (New York City, August 2014).

Without any reminiscing about their former band Operation Ivy, Matt Freeman (bass) and Tim Armstrong (guitar/vocals) blast through their debut without any hints of ska or blatant Clash plagiarizing. On the contrary, this album rips through 15 tracks of high- energy punk that's accompanied by heavy bass leads and Armstrong's permanently slurred vocals.

And to top it all off, the lyrical content deals with urban blight and the lifestyle of being a public nuisance. With this trademark sound, Rancid provides the perfect soundtrack for any car chase that includes massive property damage; is it a wonder MTV wouldn't touch this? -Mike DaRonco

TRACK LISTING

Adina
Hyena
Detroit
Rats In The Hallway
Another Night
Animosity
Outta My Mind
Whirlwind
Rejected
Injury
Climb In (The Bottle)
Trenches
Holiday Sunrise
Unwritten Rules
Union Blood
/ Get Out Of My Way

Rancid - the legendary Bay Area punk rockers are back with their 10th studio album, Tomorrow Never Comes on Epitaph Records

Emerging from the blue- collar swamps of Berkeley, California, Rancid has now been a living, breathing punk rock band for over a quarter century.

Back in 1991, after the demise of their much beloved and still influential first band, Operation Ivy, founding members Tim Armstrong (vocals, guitar) and Matt Freeman (bass, vocals) decided to do the impossible -- start an even better band. Thus, Rancid. Signing with Epitaph Records, the band released their first album, "Rancid," in 1993. Shortly thereafter, Lars Frederiksen (vocals, guitar) joined the band and they went on to release incredible records from "Let's Go." (1994) to their classic - platinum selling "...And Out Come The Wolves." (1995). Drummer Branden Steineckert joined the band in 2003, cementing the line-up that rocks out till this day.

Seeing Rancid live is a life changing experience and steady touring is in the plan for 2023. The band will tour Europe in June and the rest of the world soon after.

Through it all, Rancid has remained fiercely independent, never losing their loyalty to community or each other. Their music confronts political and social issues, while balancing personal tales of love, loss, and heartbreak with attitude. Rancid gives their listeners a community where everyone can belong. By carrying on the traditions and spirit of the original punk rock bands that came before, Rancid has become a legend and inspiration to punk bands that have come after. They are the living embodiment of East Bay punk. And if you don't know all this by now -- you're not playing their music loud enough!

TRACK LISTING

Tomorrow Never Comes
Mud Blood & Gold
Devil In Disguise
New American
Tomorrow Never Comes 
Don't Make Me Do It
It's A Road To Righteousness
Live Forever
Drop Dead Inn
Prisoners Song
Magnificent Rouge
One Way Ticket
Hellbound Train 
Eddie The Butcher
Hear Us Out
When The Smoke Clears

Solo album from the co-founder & singer/songwriter of Baby Lemonade, Mike Randles.Melodic, acoustic, finely crafted songs.

New Mahogani Music twelve inch just in time to fill those stockings! Randolph is a bass player from Detroit, and as well as having two albums out on Still Music has featured on Jazzanova's "Funkhaus Studio Sessions". He has released on Still, Sonar Kollevtiv, KMS and Planet E. Here's he's joined by two of deep house's finest ambassaders, Charles Webster and Dez Andres, for a fresh EP of beatdown soul and bumpety house music for Moodymann's iconic label. "Not Gonna Let" kicks things off, remixed by Charles Webster. Murky, thick and heady, this is eyes-down, introspective soul music with just enough umph for slow, sexy dancefloors. Randolph hasn't creditted any extra vocalists on the 12", so we can only assume that it's him giving us these powerful, yearning passages. The OG puts Randolph's skilled bass work (along with his vocals) into focus. The funky, syncopated B-line complimeting the steady beatdown drums perfectly as Randolph's vocal smoothly slots in. On the flip, Andres gets to work on the track - turning out one of his stylishly executed, bumping slow house jams - fresh outta the MPC baby! Finally, short interlude / outro, "Peace" concludes with slick licks and soulful vocals jamming it out in a call and response style. No drums, just pure licks and vocals! Excellent stuff! More historic music from the motor city. Don't sleep. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Not Gonna Let - Charles Webster Mix
A2. Not Gonna Let
B1. Not Gonna Let - Dez Andres Mix
B2. Peace

Random Factor's 'On The Air' EP is a hugely sought-after classic by those who know. It came on Ralph Lawson's ever-reliable 20/20 Vision and now, as it turns 25 years old, he has decided it is the right time to get it remastered and reissued. 'On The Air' is first up on this fine EP from Carl Finlow and it has serene synths that bring to mind Detroit techno soul over pulsing bass and slick drums. 'Lockdown' has a raw vocoder vocal over punchy drums and twitchy synth stabs and 'Undercurrent' is another weapon that has more than withstood the test of time as it bumps along on funky drums and is overlaid with more playful synth patterns. 'Disconnect' is a crunchy and 8-bit closer with pixelated synths and screwy acid lines. Superb.

TRACK LISTING

On The Air
Lockdown
Undercurrent
Disconnect

Randomnumber is the alias of musician Matt Robson, based in Catmobile's home town of Leeds. "Towards The Forlorn Society" is his debut full-length, and at just under an hour, it's an epic, emotive work. Matt realises more fully the depth of a style that has been maturing and progressing since his early noisecore releases on FFR records and his critically acclaimed work for both Rocket Racer (Tristeza, Accelera Deck etc) and Mogwai's rock action. From the furious rhythmic intensity of "The Instances" and "If It Escapes And Gets Out, Then What Do You Do?" to the more brooding, melancholy tracks like "Still Treading The Same Lanes As Last Year" and "All Things Become History", Randomnumber has imbued his music with soul and emotion. Although his music is primarily driven by layers of intricate beats, it also incorporates finely tuned melodies rarely heard in the genre.

The meeting of Alieu and Randomized Coffee gives light to this new project, in which the Roman duo tackles a production that skillfully links Mediterranean influence to ancestral Africa in a patchwork woven of typical African ethnic elements to those of house and electronica in a "groovy" body that enhances the classical side of the African country in a modern musical mood and rhythm.

The story tells about the day before an arranged marriage ceremony.

Masanneh is a handsome and well-known man in his village of the Mandinka Tribe, born and raised in the village of Kudang, near the river that flows through the entire country; the Gambia. Many in the village believe him to be charismatic and generous, others

believe him to be a venal materialist devoted to money. Masanneh decides to consult Cherno Jallow, a wise Marabout, to figure out how to deal with his future. He therefore moves westward to the village of Bondali, in Foni, where before practicing his work as a skilled trader he talks to Landing Sawo, the district chief, from there he hears the sound of a Kora played by Jali, while across the road he sees a beautiful woman Mariama Gomez passing by.

TRACK LISTING

1. Mariama (Extended Version) [feat. Kora Hero]
2. Mariama (Dub Version) [feat. Kora Hero]
3. Mariama (Radio Edit) [feat. Kora Hero]

RandomNumber, aka Matt Robson, creates what has been described as 'Northern Wrongbeat', a mesh of emotive, brooding harmonies drawn and quartered by complex, beat-heavy rhythms. It's digital music with a human heart at its centre. Robson's hyperactive beat mechanics and alchemical sound manipulations are bound together with a keen sense of melody shaped by his many years of playing in the Leeds alternative music scene, most notably as drummer for Hood. With this background of the band dynamic, Robson has rallied hard against stereotypical laptop clichés, and imbues his own shows with a keen sense of energy and punk attitude, using two unsynchronized laptops and a tabletop of controllers and effects.

Randomnumber aka: Matt Robson is perhaps best known for his drumming skills for the English band Hood. Matt has since branched off to further his experimenting with beats in an electronic vein, not too much unlike his ex-bandmates gone electronic the Remote Viewer.

On Mercury, Hinton builds on the techniques he established on his critically acclaimed 2016 LP Potential, seeking to create human connection in the Internet age through sampling vocalists from the corners of YouTube, Instagram, and Periscope. “I feel like I can find ways to express myself in ways that I’m too shy or unable to do in the real world,” Hinton says of the process. Mercury is moody, transportive, and undeniably rave-infused, and although it is indebted to IDM mainstays and grime pioneers, the album finds Hinton pushing himself outside the constraints of any one specific genre.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bicameral
2. 1995
3. Urethane
4. Ricercar
5. Not For Me
6. Relegate
7. A Tree Day
8. Balm
9. Cantor
10. Every Good Thing
11. Violet

‘Potential’ is the new album from Brooklyn, NYbased musician James Hinton, aka The Range.

‘Potential’ uses as its backbone a series of vocal samples that Hinton has found in the forgotten corners of YouTube, introducing us to unknown artists expressing themselves unfettered by the constraints of industry, lost in the infinite potential of an audience unknown.

A documentary about the people he has sampled, entitled ‘Superimpose’ and directed by Daniel Kauffman, will be released this spring.

TRACK LISTING

‘Potential’
Regular
Copper Wire
Florida
Superimpose
Five Four
Falling Out Of Phase
No Loss
Skeptical
Retune
So
1804

‘Strings EP’ (comes With Indies Exclusive Vinyl Only)
The Magic
True Value
Flag
Naught

‘Potential’ is the new album from Brooklyn, NYbased musician James Hinton, aka The Range.

‘Potential’ uses as its backbone a series of vocal samples that Hinton has found in the forgotten corners of YouTube, introducing us to unknown artists expressing themselves unfettered by the constraints of industry, lost in the infinite potential of an audience unknown.

A documentary about the people he has sampled, entitled ‘Superimpose’ and directed by Daniel Kauffman, will be released this spring.

TRACK LISTING

‘Potential’
Regular
Copper Wire
Florida
Superimpose
Five Four
Falling Out Of Phase
No Loss
Skeptical
Retune
So
1804

‘Strings EP’ (comes With Indies Exclusive Vinyl Only)
The Magic
True Value
Flag
Naught

Hania Rani is a pianist, composer and musician who splits her life between Warsaw, where she makes her home, and Berlin where she studied and often works. She has written for strings, piano, voice and electronics and has collaborated with the likes of Christian Löffler, Dobrawa Czocher and Hior Chronik, and released an album with her Polish group tęskno last year. She has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in Europe - from the National Philharmony in Warsaw, to Funkhaus in Berlin, to The Roundhouse in London (where she made her debut at the Gondwana 10thanniversary festival last October) and at festivals such as Open'er, Scope Festival and Eurosonic. Her compositions for solo piano were born out of a fascination with the piano as an instrument, and her desire to interpret its sound and harmonic possibilities in their entirety and in her own way. "I think I am the same as an artist and as a person. Music is my way of communication and I see the art, the music as a whole thing, with no borders, divisions, or even genres."

Esja is her debut solo album and for Rani it is her first, real, personal statement as an artist. "No hiding behind the "collaborations" or "projects" anymore. For the very first time, finally - just me, as I am".

Recorded at Rani's apartment in Warsaw (the piano room has a beautiful reverb and the space has become part art studio and part sound laboratory for Rani) and at her friend Bergur Þórisson'sstudio in Reykjavik, Esja is a series of beautiful melodic vignettes. Sensual, sensitive, rhythmic, atmospheric, free but harmonious, beguiling and hypnotic, collectively they project a sense of unlimited space and time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Eden
2. Sun
3. Hawaii Oslo
4. Pour Trois
5. Biesy
6. Luka
7. Glass
8. Today It Came
9. Esja
10. Now, Run 

Ghosts is the sound of an ever-evolving artist and, just as the album’s title suggests she passes repeatedly and gracefully between musical worlds: as composer, singer, songwriter, and producer. This album builds on Rani’s earlier successes Esja and Home with an expanded yet still minimal setup of piano, keyboards, synths (most importantly her Prophet) and features more of her mysterious, bewitching voice. Its spirit is warm, beckoning one into an ambitious double album that unfolds at an exquisite pace, informed by her revelatory, exploratory live performances.

Ghosts is also an album of collaborations as Rani is joined by Patrick Watson, who breathes unearthly life into the ethereal ‘Dancing with Ghosts’. ‘Whispering House’is written and recorded with her friend, Ólafur Arnalds and casts a peaceful, ineluctable spell; and Portico Quartet’s Duncan Bellamy contributes vital loops to ‘Don’t Break My Heart’ and ‘Thin Line’.

Rani’s lyrics are partially inspired by a two-month residency in a small studio in Switzerland’s mountains, where Rani was working on the soundtrack On Giacometti for a documentary about the renowned Swiss artist. “Where I stayed was once an old sanatorium in an area which used to be very popular, but now there are huge abandoned hotels where the locals say ghosts live. I mean, it's kind of a local belief system – these ghosts even have names! – but once you're deep into nature or some abandoned place, your imagination starts working on a different level.”

“The edge of life and death,” Rani summarises, “and what actually happens in between: this was what really interested me. Even singing the word ‘death’ was quite a shock. It’s such a weird word to say out loud, and people are afraid of it, which I found extremely interesting. Most of the songs probably still talk about love and things like that, but Ghosts is more me thinking about having to face some kind of end.”

If Rani’s debut Esja was about exploiting her principal instrument, and Home saw her take steps towards a fuller expression of her art, Ghosts is where she unites her varied interests on what might even be considered her first ‘real’ album. Drawing upon a fondness for diverse artists like Enya, The Smile, James Blake and Pink Floyd – not to mention her admiration for her guests – and evoking Stina Nordenstam’s delicacy, Keith Jarrett’s flair, Kate Bush’s artistry and Pink Floyd’s probing inclinations, it combines a lifetime’s musical experience in one miraculous, cosmic world. Say hello, then, to something quite unlike anything you’ve ever heard. It’s the sound of HANIA RANI.

For fans of Nils Frahm, Melanie de Basio, Björk, Kate Bush, Ólafur Arnalds and Portico Quartet

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Hania Rani's music has up until this point been very much in the ambient / modern classical vein, with beautiful instrumental textures and Rani's voice perfectly merging together into a blissful bath. It's on 'Ghosts' however that we really hear how dynamic and inventive her sound is, with synthesised textures and beautifully produced turns.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Oltre Terra
A2. Hello
A3. Don’t Break My Heart Feat. Duncan Bellamy
A4. 24.03
B1. Dancing With Ghosts Feat. Patrick Watson
B2. A Day In Never
B3. Whispering House Feat. Olafur Arnalds
C1. The Boat
C2. Moans
C3. Thin Line Feat. Duncan Bellamy
D1. Komeda
D2. Utrata
D3. Nostalgia

Hania Rani announces "On Giacometti" a tender meditation on the life and art of Alberto Giacometti and family.

"On Giacometti" is a collection of beautiful recordings inspired by the renowned artist and family and features some of Rani's most profoundly delicate compositions to date. Invited by film director Susanna Fanzun, to score her forthcoming documentary on the legendary artist Alberto Giacometti, Hania Rani took herself to the Swiss mountains to compose in blissful isolation. As Rani explains eloquently below the compositions are based on improvised melodies, simple harmonies and structures and inspired by the silence of the mountains as Rani returns to her main instrument, the piano. The results are beguilingly reminiscent of her beloved debut album Esja, but with subtle extra layers of synthesiser, and on two tracks cello from friend and long-running collaborator Dobrawa Czocher.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I'm a big fan of ambient and modern classical music, and Hania Rani is one of my more recent artist discoveries, and one of my absolute favourites. Tender prepared paino pieces a-la Frahm, echoic room sounds and shimmering reverb. Soft strong sweeps and pad-like swells offset the more frantic piano pieces with panaceas of calm. Stunning.

TRACK LISTING

1. Allegra
2. Spring
3. Stampa
4. Struggle
5. Morning
6. In Between
7. Knots
8. Dreamy
9. Storm
10. Time
11. Mountains
12. Annette
13. Alberto

Another previously unreleased killer from the early '80s Radics / Scientist days, this one was played on dubplate by Volcano in JA and Jah Life in NY, alongside other cuts of the rhythm (also eventually to be released). This is Peter Ranking the singer, not the more well known deejay.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: My favourite of this week's Digikiller / Jah Life reissues. The dub of this track is really summat to behold and up there with any of Scientist's mixing desk experiments.

TRACK LISTING

A. Love Up
B. Dub Up

The long-lost Parisian skin flick ‘Jeunes Filles Impudiques’ (AKA ‘Schoolgirl Hitchhikers’) marks a particularly vulnerable period in the career of one of the most underrated and misunderstood directors to emerge from the rising smoke of the 1968 Parisian social explosion. From a director with early links with the Paris underground, the letterists, the surrealists, improv theatre and the free-press comes the reclaimed audio tracks from one of his rarest celluloid moments - but let’s not confuse this for high-art. Finders Keepers make no bones, this is Jean Rollin’s maiden voyage into adult entertainment, directed under the pseudonym of Miche Gentil with a flimsy plot, questionable acting skills and an awesome little schizophrenic soundtrack.

This long-lost movie has been buried for some 40 odd years, with a musical score bursting to jump out of the can and down your tone arm, now made possible by a recently renovated negative print and new source material. These original Pierre Raph (of ‘Requiem For A Vampire’ infamy) compositions from the publishing Library Of Paris’ Musicale Editions Dellamarre (of Acanthus / Unity fame) come straight from Rollin himself as an introduction to Finders Keepers’ new Rollinade series documenting some of the finest musical moments of the director’s career as an avant-gardener, counter-culture vulture and Gallic vamptramp, all housed in their original hand-painted promotional artwork for the first time ever on vinyl.

Five track EP of previously unreleased drum heavy Gallic hard-bop and risqué acidic folk.

The long-lost Parisian skin flick ‘Jeunes Filles Impudiques’ (AKA ‘Schoolgirl Hitchhikers’) marks a particularly vulnerable period in the career of one of the most underrated and misunderstood directors to emerge from the rising smoke of the 1968 Parisian social explosion.

From a director with early links with the Paris underground, the letterists, the surrealists, improv theatre and the free-press comes the reclaimed audio tracks from one of his rarest celluloid moments - but let’s not confuse this for high-art. Finders Keepers make no bones, this is Jean Rollin’s maiden voyage into adult entertainment, directed under the pseudonym of Miche Gentil with a flimsy plot, questionable acting skills and an awesome little schizophrenic soundtrack.

This long-lost movie has been buried for some 40 odd years, with a musical score bursting to jump out of the can and down your tone arm, now made possible by a recently renovated negative print and new source material. These original Pierre Raph (of ‘Requiem For A Vampire’ infamy) compositions from the publishing Library Of Paris’ Musicale Editions Dellamarre (of Acanthus / Unity fame) come straight from Rollin himself as an introduction to Finders Keepers’ new Rollinade series documenting some of the finest musical moments of the director’s career as an avant-gardener, counter-culture vulture and Gallic vamptramp, all housed in their original hand-painted promotional artwork.

TRACK LISTING

Gilda & Gunshots
Jeunes Filles Impudiques
An Intimate Relationship
Jewel Thieves
Schoolgirl Hitchhikers

Writer and critic Amy Raphael has interviewed some of the world's most iconic musicians, including Courtney Love, Patti Smith, Bjoerk, Kurt Cobain and Elton John. In 1995 she wrote the critically-acclaimed Never Mind the Bollocks: Women Rewrite Rock, which included a foreword by Debbie Harry. More than two decades on, the music business has changed, but the way women are regarded has not.

In this new book, A Seat at the Table, Raphael interviews eighteen women who work in the music industry about learning to speak out, #MeToo, social media, queer politics and the subtleness of everyday misogyny. Featuring interviews with: CHRISTINE & THE QUEENS, IBEYI, KATE TEMPEST, ALISON MOYET, NADINE SHAH, JESSICA CURRY, MAGGIE ROGERS, EMMY THE GREAT, DREAM WIFE, NATALIE MERCHANT, LAUREN MAYBERRY, POPPY AJUDHA, KALIE SHORR, TRACEY THORN, MITSKI, CATHERINE MARKS, GEORGIA, CLARA AMFO

Sicilian Saxophonist, flutist, composer and arranger Nino Rapicavoli is one of the unsung heroes in the world of Italian soundtracks of the 1970s. A musician with a solid background in jazz as well as a long-time member of Italy’s state-owned RAI TV orchestra, Rapicavoli has only a handful of library albums to his name, but each is of the highest quality. This Divagazioni (Ramblings) is probably the best of the lot, an album that mixes jazz, easy listening and a pinch of prog with that exclusively Italian taste for eccentricity.

TRACK LISTING

Side A:
1. Territoire
2. Premier
3. Metafora
4. Diritto
5. Erea

Side B:
1. Fidele
2. Istinto
3. Altimetria
4. Autogeno
5. Corpus

‘Fragments’ is the brand new EP from Bournemouth band, Rapids! Written in the band’s cramped and claustrophobic rehearsal space during the Winter of 2010, ‘Fragments’ perfectly soundtracks the daily struggle of life in a sleepy coastal town. With its gushing honesty and striking maturity, Rapids! prove with this EP that they are strong candidates for people's Ones To Watch lists in 2011

‘Fragments’ is the sound of a band discovering its true identity; peeling back layers of bouncy math-pop beats and angular guitar hooks, leaving at its core a body of work that swirls with deep intensity and primal emotion. Musically, ‘Fragments’ scrapes and slides like tectonic plates between the glistening melodies of Foals and the raw drive of The Joy Formidable, whilst frontman Matt Holliday emits powerful and heartfelt declarations that leave you feeling like you’re sat in a self-help group with The National’s Matt Berninger taking register.

The band recorded in three separate studios during the making of the EP, keen to perfect their newly formed sound. The job fell on the shoulders of producer/mixer Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers, Idlewild) to collect up the fragments and blend them into one. As the name suggests, each song breaks away into its own bundle of fiery angst. But it’s when pieced back together that ‘Fragments’ reveals its true force, with each peak and trough taking you on a journey through a troubled mind.

TRACK LISTING

1. Littleblood
2. House Of Sand And Fog
3. Statuesque
4. Comets
5. Nameless / / Faceless

What a privilege to start a new record label with an album of such quality. As we're sure most of you will know, Tom was the front man of the legendary US psychedelic/folk band PEARLS BEFORE SWINE. Recording for the ESP label in the 60s, then moving to Reprise, PBS left us a legacy of strange, beautiful music. In the early 70s Tom went solo, recording more albums for Reprise and Blue Thumb. As a schoolkid he came third in a talent show in which fellow schoolboy, Bobby Zimmerman (yes, that Bobby Zimmerman), came fifth! He played gigs with Pink Floyd, Crazy Horse, Patti Smith and many more before calling time in 1976, and becoming a Civil Rights lawyer. Renewed interest in Tom and PBS in the late 90s led to him making some staggeringly good live appearances. Then in 1999 he released his first album for over 25 years. The prophetically titled 'A Journal Of The Plague Year'. Featuring appearances from Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang (of Galaxie 500 fame) and Masakai Batoh of Japanese band Ghost, came out on the British label Woronzow to great acclaim. This is the first ever reissue of 'Plague Year' and it comes with the original artwork and lyric insert, as a limited vinyl edition of 400 and a CD version of just 200. Tragically, Tom died in 2018 aged 70. It was a joy to count him as a friend. Blue Matter would like to thank Lynn Madison-Rapp & Ade Shaw for their help with making this reissue a reality.

TRACK LISTING

Side One.
1 Silver Apples (A Capella)
2 The Swimmer (For Kurt Cobain)
3 Blind
4 Space
5 Mars
6 Hopelessly Romantic
Side Two.
1 Running In My Dream
2 Wedding Song
3 Silver Apples II (For Simeon)
4 Shoebox Symphony 1) Where Is Love? 2) State U 3) Just Let The Grass Grow

The revelation that you didn’t need formal training to start a band in 1977 and the realization that you don’t need to be Merce Cunningham to dance are one and the same.” - Ryan Schreiber, Pitchfork, 2003

47 minutes. Two sides. A single spine jacket. Confident and deliberate. Lightning in a bottle.

The Rapture’s Echoes was and is a clear-eyed kick in the teeth, a band at the peak of their powers and producers with an ambitious vision making. a. point.

The whole “indie crowd finally learns to dance” narrative is overwrought and irrelevant in 2023 - perhaps context is no longer king - but what remains clear is that this album, made by a San Diego punk band who had moved to New York via Seattle, and produced by the DFA in their own studio, where time and gear and ideas both good and bad were aplenty, maintains an energy and search for catharsis that could bulldoze even the most uptight.

For whatever reason, it’s remained out of print on vinyl since its initial run. (Don’t worry, though, there were a lot of CDR promos lying around.)

And now, with minimal pageantry, it’s back. Recut by Bob Weston, loud and clear.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Olio
A2. Heaven
A3. Open Up Your Heart
A4. I Need Your Love
A5. The Coming Of Spring
B1. House Of Jealous Lovers
B2. Echoes
B3. Killing
B4. Sister Saviour
B5. Love Is All
B6. Infatuation

Since The Rapture burst onto the scene with the astonishingly good "House Of Jealous Lovers" back in 2002, everyone and their dog has rediscovered early 80s punk-funk and slavishly copied the likes of the Gang Of Four for their own (often second rate) bands. With angular guitar shards, shouty vocals and funky bass and drums becoming one of the ubiquitous sounds of the mid 00s, the returning Rapture had to come up with something pretty good to even get noticed. Luckily for us "Pieces Of The People We Love" is not only pretty good but also fantastic and should re-affirm our faith in the New York outfit's songwriting ability, proving that they're more than just skinny jeans and cool haircuts. Essential!

Emotional Rescue turn their attention to Rare Silk and their sublime cult classic "Storm". It's one of those rare tracks with a wonderful otherworldly quality that manages to be smooth and accessible, and somehow not like anything you've ever heard before. It must be somewhere in the mix, between the dreamy harmonized vocals, lush instrumentation and curious sense of space. The original on the A side is a treat enough, but then throw in a mercurial dubbed out version by Arp on the flip and you've got yourself a 10 inch portal to a most delightful dimension.

STAFF COMMENTS

Mine says: Much sought after repress of this delightful tune from 1985. A bit new age, a bit balearic, and well jazz-y this could be one of your new favourite Sunday afternoon listens. Looks pretty cool too...

TRACK LISTING

Storm
Storm (Arp Duppy Chip Mix)

The latest set of experimental hip hop and dance tracks from renowned Los Angeles producer Ras G. As usual, it's a cerebral and outerspacial affair, with Los Angeles most blunted providing some of his most out-there stuff to date. A mix futurism, hip-hop history and a big dollop of Sun Ra all cooked up into a THC-laced brownie that'll transport you into the galaxy!

'On a mission to gather up the best elements of a half-century of revolutionary black music and launch them into a utopian sci-fi alternate dimension of his own devising.' - Pitchfork

'Music can be a means of accessing a certain part of your psyche and channelling the creativity and energy of higher beings. One such lucky musician is the California producer Ras G.' - The Source

For fans of Mndsgn, Flying Lotus, Samiyam.

TRACK LISTING

Primordial Water Formations 1
Water Broken (The Opening Of The Stargate)
The Arrival
Quest To Find Anu Stargate
Intimate Reconnections
1st Invite (Ankh)
The Nector Of Stargate (taste)
Is It Lust Or Love
Infinite Possibilities
Heaven Is Between Her legs… (Intiate The return)
The Great Return (racing seed)
Primordial Water Formations 2

After his ‘Destination There’ EP and digital-only album on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder, Ras G steps back to RAMP with his signature speaker popping, extra-solar instrumental hip hop with new album ‘Down 2 Earth’. Residing in the left coast, Ras is godfather to the post-Dilla instrumental hip hop movement, releasing various vinyl releases on his own Poobah label as far back at 2005, which were instrumental in the formation of the L.A. beats scene way before a Flying Lotus beat had a sniff of PVC. His dusty beats and booming bass humps are still standing tall in an often-stagnant field. ‘Down 2 Earth’ is his rawest most straight up hip hop release to date, sewing together dub soundsystem culture into a ‘Donuts’ style beattape format.

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklisting:
A1. D2E Intro
A2. Hey Baby!!!!
A3. Diiirrrtttty
A4. (((Shrooms)))
A5. I Love The 90s Hip Hop
A6. Crenshaw Bus
B7. One 4 DB - I SEE
B8. That's Fly
B9. Filth Factor 98
B10. Leave!!!!!!!
B 11. Bobby Speak
B12. Black Dusty Radio
C13. 40 Bus
C14. 303 Vs Tell-Lie-Vision
C15. Peace (Saalaam)
C16. Change
D17. Crush On A Earthling
D18. Interlude
D19. Fatcat
D20. Interlude
D21. Harlem Negus Wild

CD Tracklisting:
1. D2E Intro
2. Hey Baby!!!!
3. Diiirrrtttty
4. (((Shrooms)))
5. I Love The 90s Hip Hop
6. Crenshaw Bus
7. One 4 DB - I SEE
8. That`s Fly
9. Filth Factor ’98
10. Leave!!!!!!!
11. Bobby Speak
12. Black Dusty Radio
13. 40 Bus
14. 303 Vs Tell-Lie-Vision
15. Peace (Saalaam)
16. Change
17. Crush On A Earthling
18. Interlude
19. Fatcat
20. Interlude
21. Harlem Negus
Wild

Rat Columns is the mutable musical project of David West, an artist as prolific as he is diverse in his output. West is the driving force behind the groups Rank/Xerox, Liberation and Lace Curtain, he was also a member of Total Control, and most recently debuted a solo album proper.

Whether its forward-facing punk or turning his hand to crafting sleek prisms of pop, West’s credentials check out. Rat Columns is no exception, always central to his vision and returned to many times since its inception in Perth almost a decade ago. Over the years the band has morphed and continued with an array of different friends from the USA and Australia, always finding David West dancing through the long shadows at its core. Working with many distinguished underground imprints including Blackest Ever Black, Adagio 830, Smart Guy Records and RIP Society, Rat Columns have left in their wake a trail of 7”s, EPs and two full length albums. Now a third album, entitled ‘Candle Power’ is cued for release through Upset The Rhythm.

Recorded in Guildford, Western Australia, with the Perth crew of West, Amber Gempton, Louis Hooper and Chris Cobilis, ‘Candle Power’ sees the band's universe of chiming guitar pop explode into new worlds of colour and shade. It’s an album as happy to walk home in the rain as it is to reel dizzily through daylight. It’s melancholic lilt tempered by a quietly-sung optimism. ‘Candle Power’ tunnels further than ever before down the pop mainline, cutting in with moments of soul, disco and experimental plots. West is a magpie-like musician, unafraid to assemble songs from a motley collection of influences and ideas. He weaves songs together with a deft hand and an acute grasp for the memorable yet momentary.

A drumroll sputters to life kicking off the album with first track ‘Someone Else’s Dream’, a bittersweet remonstrance of bounding brightness underscored by West and Gempton’s shared vocals. It’s a song about an inability to let go of the past, sounding defiantly sunny amidst the vivid keyboards, guitar jangle and resolute beat. This knack of teaming up decidedly heartrending subject matter with some of the most affirming music imaginable is a trait well understood by fans of 80’s independent music and it’s safe to say that whilst being a fan himself West can still breathe new life into this approach. “I trail off like Sunday bells, unwanted” sings West on the equally introspective ‘She Loves The Rain’ whilst xylophones and shimmering patterns of guitar interlock in blithe harmony. ‘Time’s No Vessel’ also plays a part in reinforcing this method. Against a dreamy guitar refrain that’s pure Johnny Marr, West laments that he knows “time is no vessel for our love, it’s a dark cloud that rains down from above”.

‘Blinded By The Shadow’ marks an about turn for the album, seeing the record start to flex its motorik muscles with a sequenced bassline and rock-solid drumbeat. The song’s title is sung in a call and response manner that drifts over the dance floor hypnotically. Handclaps, violin and tambourine join a host of percussion to further enhance the captivated groove. ‘Is This Really What You’re Like?’ takes on a similar focused shuffle only with a more minimal demeanour. Whilst, ‘Candle Power II’ takes the disco to the other side of the tracks with its shimmering synths, violin drones and uniform beat. It’s at once mesmeric and meandering, zoning in on the ephemeral theme of the album, acknowledging its sense of transience. The difference between letting go and moving on.

That is what ‘Candle Power’ as an album is reaching for, it is enamoured to the fleeting. That flicker of recognition between one choice and another. ‘Northern Soul’ chases its own heartbeat through lush, sweeping synths and hushed refrains, it’s a heartfelt song in hot pursuit. ‘Dream Tonight’ concludes the album with its propulsive drum machine, searching keyboard lines and effusive bassline. It’s a tour de force of pristine pop akin to New Order in its ability to capture this mercurial feeling, to listen through the music. “You could dream tonight, try to keep an ember alight” West sings repeatedly through the song, before it dissolves into something once there. There’s an elusive beauty in the most short-lived moment and with ‘Candle Power’ Rat Columns breathe warmth across the coals to live in their glow a moment longer.

TRACK LISTING

01. Someone Else’s Dream
02. She Loves The Rain
03. Blinded By The Shadow
04. Time’s No Vessel
05. Is This Really What You’re Like?
06. Candle Power II
07. You Don’t Have To Try
08. Northern Soul
09. Dream Tonight

Rat Columns is the mutable musical project of David West, an artist as prolific as he is diverse in his output. West is the driving force behind the groups Rank/Xerox, Liberation and Lace Curtain, he was also a member of Total Control, and most recently debuted a solo album proper.

Whether its forward-facing punk or turning his hand to crafting sleek prisms of pop, West’s credentials check out. Rat Columns is no exception, always central to his vision and returned to many times since its inception in Perth almost a decade ago. Over the years the band has morphed and continued with an array of different friends from the USA and Australia, always finding David West dancing through the long shadows at its core. Working with many distinguished underground imprints including Blackest Ever Black, Adagio 830, Smart Guy Records and RIP Society, Rat Columns have left in their wake a trail of 7”s, EPs and two full length albums. Now a third album, entitled ‘Candle Power’ is cued for release through Upset The Rhythm.

Recorded in Guildford, Western Australia, with the Perth crew of West, Amber Gempton, Louis Hooper and Chris Cobilis, ‘Candle Power’ sees the band's universe of chiming guitar pop explode into new worlds of colour and shade. It’s an album as happy to walk home in the rain as it is to reel dizzily through daylight. It’s melancholic lilt tempered by a quietly-sung optimism. ‘Candle Power’ tunnels further than ever before down the pop mainline, cutting in with moments of soul, disco and experimental plots. West is a magpie-like musician, unafraid to assemble songs from a motley collection of influences and ideas. He weaves songs together with a deft hand and an acute grasp for the memorable yet momentary.

A drumroll sputters to life kicking off the album with first track ‘Someone Else’s Dream’, a bittersweet remonstrance of bounding brightness underscored by West and Gempton’s shared vocals. It’s a song about an inability to let go of the past, sounding defiantly sunny amidst the vivid keyboards, guitar jangle and resolute beat. This knack of teaming up decidedly heartrending subject matter with some of the most affirming music imaginable is a trait well understood by fans of 80’s independent music and it’s safe to say that whilst being a fan himself West can still breathe new life into this approach. “I trail off like Sunday bells, unwanted” sings West on the equally introspective ‘She Loves The Rain’ whilst xylophones and shimmering patterns of guitar interlock in blithe harmony. ‘Time’s No Vessel’ also plays a part in reinforcing this method. Against a dreamy guitar refrain that’s pure Johnny Marr, West laments that he knows “time is no vessel for our love, it’s a dark cloud that rains down from above”.

‘Blinded By The Shadow’ marks an about turn for the album, seeing the record start to flex its motorik muscles with a sequenced bassline and rock-solid drumbeat. The song’s title is sung in a call and response manner that drifts over the dance floor hypnotically. Handclaps, violin and tambourine join a host of percussion to further enhance the captivated groove. ‘Is This Really What You’re Like?’ takes on a similar focused shuffle only with a more minimal demeanour. Whilst, ‘Candle Power II’ takes the disco to the other side of the tracks with its shimmering synths, violin drones and uniform beat. It’s at once mesmeric and meandering, zoning in on the ephemeral theme of the album, acknowledging its sense of transience. The difference between letting go and moving on.

That is what ‘Candle Power’ as an album is reaching for, it is enamoured to the fleeting. That flicker of recognition between one choice and another. ‘Northern Soul’ chases its own heartbeat through lush, sweeping synths and hushed refrains, it’s a heartfelt song in hot pursuit. ‘Dream Tonight’ concludes the album with its propulsive drum machine, searching keyboard lines and effusive bassline. It’s a tour de force of pristine pop akin to New Order in its ability to capture this mercurial feeling, to listen through the music. “You could dream tonight, try to keep an ember alight” West sings repeatedly through the song, before it dissolves into something once there. There’s an elusive beauty in the most short-lived moment and with ‘Candle Power’ Rat Columns breathe warmth across the coals to live in their glow a moment longer.

TRACK LISTING

01. Someone Else’s Dream
02. She Loves The Rain
03. Blinded By The Shadow
04. Time’s No Vessel
05. Is This Really What You’re Like?
06. Candle Power II
07. You Don’t Have To Try
08. Northern Soul
09. Dream Tonight

Very useful ringers for multiple purposes by J-R! As always accepting all payment methods.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Der Koenig
A2. Bockafen Veirhozen
A3. Jan Min-Soek
A4. Veirgehozt
B1. Stauferpark
B2. Gornalo Dortolan
B3. Enkeltrick

Ratatat are Mike Stroud (Ben Kweller, Dashboard Confessional) and Evan (co-founder of the Audio Dregs label and better known as the artist E*Vax). Mike left on tour, he was always leaving on tour but he had to, had to play music, had to make a living. Evan was often left alone to cook up new beats and make CDRs. He would mail them to Mike on the road, and he scattered them amomgst a thousand or so people around the world. People took to the sound, the buzz began. At the time they were called Cherry and everyone wanted to hear more, or better yet sing for them, but this was never going to be the case. Then Paul Banks from Interpol got a demo. He took to the sound, but he never asked to sing for them. He asked them to open for his band on the West Coast.

Ratcatcher provides two new cuts for the esteemed Peach label, with hot-to-trott remixes from Leon Vynehall and Benjamin Damage. "Somehow" is a sleek, sub-heavy slow house jam, delicately pairing syncopated percussion with deep synthetic textures and catchy vocal snippets. "Motion" does away with the vocals and layers up sizzling white noise sweeps and techy stabs to create a pitchblack throbber for late on into the session. Leon Vynehall unloads some tough breaks onto "Somehow", turning the drum palette and overall aesthetic into summat a bit more crunchy and aggressive. Benjamin Damage tears "Motion" a new arsehole as he delivers a forward propelled nu-techno jam complete with rumbling kicks and discordant rhythmic artifacts.
Support from: Mike Huckaby, Trevino, Maya Jane Coles, Jonas Kopp, Nikola Gala, Norman Nodge, Joris Voorn, Lorca, XXXY, Vince Watson, South London Ordnance, Eats Everything, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Shenoda, Iron Galaxy, Atjazz, Randomer, Komon, Physical Therapy, Doc Daneeka, Braille, Thefft.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Somehow
A2. Motion
B1. Somehow (Leon Vynehall Translation)
B2. Motion (Benjamin Damage Remix)

Nathaniel Rateliff has written and recorded his first solo record since the explosive debut of his work together with The Night Sweats. And It’s Still Alright, is an intensely personal 10-song album of vibrant country-blues, badland ballads, ornate Americana and jazz-inflected R&B. Rateliff’s warm baritone, ranging from gently hushed to a guttural howl, imbues these superbly drawn character studies with raw, naked emotion.

And It’s Still Alright was produced by Rateliff, Night Sweats’ drummer Patrick Meese and James Barone of the indie band, Beach House and primarily recorded at National Freedom in Cottage Grove, Oregon, the studio formerly owned by the late Richard Swift (who produced both Night Sweats recordings). While Rateliff, Meese and Barone handled much of the album’s instrumentation, several friends make contributions including Night Sweats’ guitarist Luke Mossman; bassist Elijah Thomson (of the indie band Everest); keyboardist Daniel Creamer (of The Texas Gentlemen); steel guitarist Eric Swanson (touring musician for Israel Nash) and renowned string arranger Tom Hagerman (of the instrumental vocal ensemble DeVotchKa), whose delicate orchestrations beautifully complement the album’s deep emotional terrain.

And It’s Still Alright’s many highlights include album opener “What A Drag,” which sketches a vivid portrait of a disconnected relationship, “Tonight #2,” a haunting, end-of-the-world waltz, “Time Stands,” detailing an epic, desperate struggle for love and the elegiac "Rush On," a heart-breaking requiem for Swift.

Unguarded and unflinchingly real, Nathaniel Rateliff’s And It’s Still Alright expands on the sounds and styles he’s used to great affect across both his band and solo careers.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Drifting acoustic ballads and Rateliff's trademark gravelly drawl work in perfect union his latest outing, 'And It's Still Alright'. An intoxicating and heady listen, and a brilliant way to unwind after a long day.

TRACK LISTING

1. What A Drag
2. And It’s Still Alright
3. All Or Nothing
4. Expecting To Lose
5. Tonight #2
6. Mavis
7. You Need Me
8. Time Stands
9. Kissing Our Friends
10. Rush On

Max Graef and Julius Conrad are Ratgrave. ‘Rock’ is their second album - ongoing transmissions of Electronic P- Fusion from Earth. It follows a stellar debut on Funkineven’s imprint Apron. The duo’s sound palette draws inspiration from 80s funk, soul, rock and electronic but through a contemporary lens from two versatile multiinstrumentalists.

In their own words: “Rock is the essence of energy and vibration we felt in different styles of music, almost like a parallel component connecting all things we like. In the process of recording the new album we kept coming back to this essence no matter what style the original idea was. There was the raw and brutal energy of Jazz-Rock, a lot of video game influences that somehow adhered this essence just as well as quieter Pop and Psychedelic passages that we recorded. Among other things we absorbed a lot of heavy music during the time of the recording like Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa or Jimi Hendrix and realized while writing our own music how much impact they had even on quieter songs. This is why ‘Rock’ felt like the perfect title although the music ranges from P-Funk and Spiritual Jazz to various styles of Pop and beyond.” 

Max Graef has previously collaborated with Glenn Astro on records for Ninja Tune and both artists have previously released on Tartelet.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: The perfect combo of funk/jazz/pop/electronic/balearic to transport you back to the 80s. These tracks would make legendary TV intros/title sequences, an ace mixture of all those genres and it works so well. Get your funk on!!

TRACK LISTING

Escobar
Theme From Metronome
World Aid
Instant Toothpaste
Eternal Breeze
Yurok
4 Benz
Dibidai
Rock
Bleeding To Death
Sturf
Alright
Mutti Hat Gekocht

New sides of blown-out, prismatic synth ambiance from idiosyncratic Estonian artist Mihkel Kleis aka Ratkiller!

Someone once wrote that Kleis 'listens to music on the edge of human perception'; in this spirit, buckle up for vast backdrops to weird films never seen, punctuated by melted VHS idents, aqua-industrial meltdowns, and Dadaist jazz-prog interludes.

Ears, brain and soul are going to need a three day rest after this one!

All music by Ratkiller.
Artwork by Mihkel Kleis.
Additional design by Lindsay Todd.
Mastered by Linkwood.

TRACK LISTING

A. Legless/Aimless (incl. Chamber Of Pieces, First One With Brain, Realistic Angel, Sloppy Symmetry).
Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
B. Mutilomania (incl. Grotesquely Misplaced Living Cement On Cold Pillow, Theatronic Bliss, Live Fast Die Running, Forgotten Surprise).
Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
Clip 4

Renowned international composer Maja Ratkje is a founding member in two of Norway's most respected improvisational units - Spunk & Fe-Mail. While her solo work on the Rune Grammofon release "Voice" is without the electronic and instrumental elements of Spunk and Fe-Mail, "Stalker" finds Maja merging elements of her other projects into her solo endeavors.

Limited edition of 500. First time limited edition vinyl reissue of an extremely rare and unique teenage real people psych garage private press album from 1982 . It’s so damn off the radar rare and elusive that it even eluded the writers of the Acid Archives book. Here’s the inside word on it directly from the pioneering record collector and front man of New Yorks Endless Boogie; Paul Major: The first time I heard this record I had to vigorously punch myself in the face to make sure I wasn't dreaming it up. It's real. K.S. Ratliff comes on like a blast from a lost world, a maverick small town flash from high school kids in some alternate Kentucky utterly isolated from any scene and untainted by even the slightest stink of music biz disease. Real people.

The best act I've ever seen at a festival" Paul Thomson, Franz Ferdinand. Rats On Rafts have joined forces with legendary underground Dutch punk band De Kift - Zaandam punk vs Rotterdam punk! A playful revisioning of each other’s music which began at Metropolis Festival in 2013. The record brings together songs from Rats On Rafts critically acclaimed second album ‘Tape Hiss’ and De Kift’s huge catalogue. The two bands locked themselves up for a month to record a completely analogue album. Together they will play this material live on tour. Instantly recognisable as Rats ‘Last Day On De Zon’ is shot through with brass - enter De Kift. Dark, dub infused ‘Meggy’ sees Rats bringing their explosive and unrelenting rolling crescendos. ‘Sleep Little Links 2 3 4’ is uplifting with the addition of brass whilst folk tinged ‘Dit Schip’ sees them bring further depth to the collaboration. Energetic and raw, the spirit of their festival performances prevails throughout. De Kift have released music for three decades with father Heijne only retiring in 2013, brothers Marco & Ferry Heijne and cousin Pim remain alongside co-founder and drummer Wim. The nine piece brass ensemble have released eleven albums, collaborated in theatre, film and various media projects which has seen them win a number of Dutch awards across film and music. Both formats have unique sleeves made from recycled LP/CD sleeves, with the front and back cover printed and stuck on to the recycled sleeve. The band have assembled and fulfilled each one themselves. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Last Day On De Zon
2. Voorbij
3. Brass Poison Face
4. Dit Schip
5. Powder Monkey
6. Melk En Benzine
7. Moonlight Flit
8. Meggy
9. Swan Song
10. Sleep Little Links 2 3 4 

The third album from Dutch punk-laced noiseniks adds new maturity and a conceptual feel that pulls the extremes of their sound together. A psychefuelled journey into the id punctuated with rhythmic kabuki modal mood swings, thunderstorms, digital beeps, traffic noise, and just plain old beautiful cacophonous reverb-drenched sound when needed.

The ‘third chapter’ refers to the last five years that the Dutch band have spent creating their “difficult” third album. Each song spins a yarn; there are plagues, dreams, wind and fire, ‘mythical’ characters, and the search for the secret government warehouse. Lead single, Tokyo Music Experience, resonates with a conveyor belt-propelled modal guitar, reflecting the halcyon days of Japanese super-productivity; a mesmerising mantra, infected with news bulletin on-thehour bleeps underlining its time-sensitive nature; a pristine super-commercial anthem to drive loyalty and reinforce solidarity with the party!

Having been described as creating “underground noise with a bracing, warped pop appeal” (Mojo), their new album is a coming-of-age post-classic with a unique worldview - inspired by Van Dyke Parks (Song Cycle) Scott Walker (3 & 4), Moondog (Elpmas), White Noise (An Electric Storm) and Beach Boys (Smile).

If their previous effort (Tape Hiss) was their very own sketch of a sketch for an incomplete concept album, a noisy reaction to their previous life, then ‘Excerpts From Chapter 3..’, with all its interlaced intricacies, is the realisation of their transition from punk-spiked-pop to psyche-pop protagonists. Evolving, testing, infectious...

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: This wild and superb outing from Rats On Rafts shows that the bands playful spirit and whimsical melodies don't have to give way when things get serious. A brilliantly deep and eminently enjoyable third outing.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1 Prologue: Rain
2 A Trail Of Wind And Fire
3 Second Born Child
4 Tokyo Music Experience
5 The Rise And Fall Of The Plague
6 Another Year

Side B
7 Fragments
8 The Disappearance Of Dr. Duplicate
9 Excerpt Taken From Chapter 3
10 Where Is My Dream?
11 Part One: The Long Drought
12 Part Two: Crossing The Desert
13 Epilogue: Big Poisonous Shadows

Bonus Dinked Edition 7":
1. Tokyo Music Experience (Single Edit)
2. Osaka

NYC author/writer/actor Larry "Ratso" Sloman has collaborated with some of the most dynamic figures in pop culture from Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, John Cale and Leonard Cohen. Ratso also wrote the best-selling memoirs for Howard Stern, Anthony Kiedis and Mike Tyson. Now at 70, Ratso announces debut LP Stubborn Heart. Ratso explains, “If you would have told me when I was covering Dylan's Rolling Thundertour for Rolling Stone Magazine that forty-four years later, I would be releasing my first album I would have laughed and asked for a hit of whatever it was you were smoking. Guess I’ll take that hit now.”

For the last forty-four years Larry “Ratso” Sloman has forged an impressive career as a writer of books, lyrics and most recently screenplays. Credited with writing features on Lou Reed, George Harrison and Leonard Cohen for Rolling Stone, Sloman was also personally invited by Bob Dylan to join his 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue as the tour's official scribe, which led to Ratso's first book On The Road With Bob Dylan (dubbed by Dylan as "The War and Peace of Rock and Roll”). On tour he was given the moniker “Ratso” by Joan Baez for his disheveled appearance. Ratso has collaborated with Howard Stern, Anthony Kiedis, David Blaine, and Mike Tyson on their best-selling memoirs. He was asked by Leonard Cohen to preface On Tour with Leonard Cohen and Ratso's biography of Houdini will soon be a major-motion picture.

Ratso has paid his dues in the tower of song, having written the lyrics for over thirty tracks with Rick Derringer (McCoys) and ex-Velvet Underground founder John Cale, including "Dying on the Vine," which became Cale’s signature solo song (inspiring not one, but two novels). Ratso has also acted in films as diverse as the award-winning short The Black Balloon, the horror film Satan’s Little Helper and has a large role in Martin Scorsese's upcoming Netflix documentary on Dylan's Rolling Thunder tour, out in April.

What hasn’t Ratso done? His own album. At 70, Ratso is releasing debut album Stubborn Heart, produced by his close friend Vin Cacchione (of Soft Black and Caged Animals) at his studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Stubborn Heart blends a classic songwriting approach with a contemporary sophistication. The album features Ratso singing on eight originals (including songs that were co-written with John Cale) and what he describes as an “audacious” Bob Dylan cover, along with the generous talents of his friends Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Sharon Robinson (Leonard Cohen’s co-writer, producer and back-up singer), Yasmine Hamdan, Imani Coppolla and more.

Reminiscing on the album Ratso says, “Everything about this project was fun. And it was always about the songs. They had been lying dormant since 1984. They deserved a life.” Each track carries a significant and often astonishing history. For instance, the John Cale collaboration "Dying On The Vine," was originally conceived in hotel room off Sunset Blvd. whilst trading lines with Tom Waits and Chuck E. Weiss, whereas Sharon Robinson was convinced to sing on the record in exchange for Ratso writing the aforementioned Leonard Cohen preface for free, described by Ratso as an “old school barter.”

Stubborn Heart is an album that is fittingly autobiographical, harking back to various stages of Ratso’s accomplished career and life, sung by a guy who witnessed the counter-cultural explosion of 1970's NYC and birthed forty years later within the DIY confines of Brooklyn. His Rolling Stones fan club card long gone, Ratso’s now a card-carrying member of the American Association of Retired Persons but he’s determined to ride this new career wherever it takes him. “Maybe I can be the Jewish Susan Boyle,” he muses. “The oldest best new artist ever and if that doesn’t pan out, I can always perform on subway platforms. Hey, I can get in for half-price!”

TRACK LISTING

1. I Want Everything (ft. Yasmine Hamdan)
2. Our Lady Of Light (ft. Nick Cave)
3. Caribbean Sunset (ft. Imani Coppola & Paul Shapiro)
4. Dying On The Vine
5. Living In Moonlight
6. Matching Scars
7. Listen Little Man
8. Stubborn Heart
9. Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands

Nottingham based drumming duo RATTLE release their eponymous debut LP via Upset the Rhythm. Rattle focus almost exclusively on drums and more drums, beneath a delicate overlay of vocal harmonies and percussive effects.

Formed by Katharine Eira Brown (also of Kogumaza) and Theresa Wrigley (also of Fists), Rattle began as an experiment in crafting rich songs and melody using drums and voice alone. Their music weaves and intertwines post-punk, minimalism and experimental rock, through off-kilter rhythms, patterns and counter melodies. Their live performances are at once hypnotic, monastic and danceable, having entranced audiences at Supersonic Festival, Dot to Dot, throughout the UK during a recent tour with Witching Waves and in Europe with Zea (Arnold de Boer from The Ex). 

The duo formed quite by accident in Nottingham in 2011, where Katharine and Theresa knew each other from playing in other local bands. Katharine was a guitarist who had recently started playing drums in the band Kogumaza and Theresa is the enthralling drummer from Fists. They originally met up to skill swap guitars and drums but soon enough they found they were having more fun with a double drum set-up and started making the sound of their first song “Boom”, which became a blueprint for their new band’s sound. As Katharine explains; “It seemed obvious right from the start that nothing else was going to be required in terms of instruments.”

When it came to recording the album it made absolute sense to bring in their regular live sound engineer Mark Spivey (also of Kogumaza) who has been working closely with the band from the beginning. Live, he adds additional effects and manipulations from the sound desk and these techniques were transferred over to a studio setting at The Big Mouse House, in Sneinton, Nottingham (in the studio owned by Tony Doggen, of Spiritualized and coincidently where Jake Bugg recorded his new album). A lot of time and attention was taken to get the best sound possible from the drums in the room. As Mark explains: “We wanted the record to be and sound very real, and to sound like what it is, which meant (by definition) that it needed to sound unlike anything else.”

Having mostly played in experimental or avant-rock settings Rattle first discovered that they could make their awkward audiences dance with opening track “Trainer (Get You)”, which was specifically designed to make the listener move in some way. Whereas other songs embrace different moods, for example “Starting” has a sense of urgency and a repeated lyric phrase that becomes a mantra, and “Click” is more soothing and meditative. The high hat and cymbal hits in “Sorcerer” have a sword-fighting feel and “Stringer Bell” is more of a cocktail song from a 1950s city apartment.

Often starting by picking out the ghost notes from the drums to develop a melody, the song then reveals itself in rounds and harmonies with layer upon layer of rhythm and vocal, lending a choral feel to some of the tracks. Rattle effortlessly blend the avant-garde with irresistible melodies and hypnotic drum beats, using rhythm and harmony to create a refreshing sound that is utterly new - a pretty rare feat these days when we’re saturated with so much music. Their live shows conjure all the magic and excitement from their exhilarating creative process, allowing the audience to share in the very special bond between the duo as they dazzle with their drumming skills.

TRACK LISTING

01. Trainer (Get You)
02. Starting
03. Click
04. Boom
05. Thunder
06. True Picture
07. Stringer Bell
08. On Balance
09. Sorcerer
10. Elegant In The Mouth
11. Dulling

RATTLE is an ongoing musical project concerned with experiments in rhythm, metre and tension. Katharine Eira Brown and Theresa Wrigley make up the duo from Nottingham, who with just drums and occasional vocalisations weave an expanse of percussive vortices. Their songs swirl and envelop with all the physicality and drama of another world pulling together around its own shifting centre of gravity. The drum beats phase and sidestep, they trade accents and overlap, providing a suitably alive terrain for the vocals to explore similar tendencies of pattern.

Rattle’s debut album was released in 2016 through Upset The Rhythm / I Own You and was greeted with much critical praise, this often singled out their hypnotic minimalism and ecstatic regard for the dance floor. The following six months saw Rattle support Animal Collective on their UK tour before heading out around Europe with The Julie Ruin.

Rattle used these opportunities to try out new material and unconsciously began writing their next album. Brown recalls that “hearing our drums in these larger venues, with amazing sound, made us excited about how beautiful and magic the drums sounded, we were quite spellbound by how they were able to fill a venue so completely.”

‘Sequence’ was written in much the same way as their debut, with the duo facing each other over their shared palette of drums, allowing songs to develop naturally and suggest their own direction. However, Brown and Wrigley were more confident of what they wanted to achieve with this follow up, having already proven the concept watertight through their debut and subsequent concerts. They knew they could wrestle songs out of the silence with such a setup, so afforded themselves greater time to explore extended, long-form composition. ‘Sequence’ is composed of four tracks, each clocking in around 10 mins or over and focused squarely on a deeper resonance with the creative act, illustrative of how ideas build from scratch, of how music can grow out of repetition. Recorded at JT Soar in Nottingham with Phil Booth and Mark Spivey (Rattle’s live sound engineer), the album developed out of these four points, with Rattle honing their sound with detail. Everything was stripped back to just the drums and Brown’s voice. Percussion flourishes were deemed unnecessary, overdubbed layers of vocals were kept to a minimum. As a result, this quartet of songs are more meditative and aware than previous efforts, with the duo’s attentions spent tapping into each track’s potential, mapping out expeditions in tempo and making much of the journey over destination.

‘DJ’ is the first part of the album to unfold, its insistent, rotating beat slowly morphs into an avalanche of shimmering cymbals, before a plateau of echoed rim shots cools all to the core. Throughout, Brown’s wordless singing tethers the song to its atmosphere, an effect similarly employed to perfection in ‘Disco’ which follows. ‘Signal’ unfurls as an odyssey of rhythm, it’s tumbling beat, punctuated by shivers of hi-hat bluster and mesmeric tom fills. “Put your ear to the ground, it’s an incredible sound” confesses Brown in her most telling lyric from the album, leaving you convinced that Rattle are somehow channeling all this music from a quiet, elemental other-place. ‘The Rocks’ concludes the record with sparse assurance, it’s an exercise in magnified scope and altered states. Wrigley and Brown divide duties across all these tracks, with the cadenced, dynamic shifts of hi-hat and cymbal being Theresa’s domain, whilst Katharine holds down the toms and snare. Brown notes that “each song can be seen as representing a different drum in my set up”. ‘DJ’ is an exploration of her snare, whilst ‘Disco’, ‘Signal’ and ‘The Rocks’ are based around the floor tom, rack tom, and bass drum respectively. All of this is complemented further through the production interventions of Mark Spivey, who wanted to capture Rattle’s huge live sound on tape for this album with all its incurred dub-delay trippiness, taming and melding.

‘Sequence’ is a liminal album, thoughtfully crafted with themes of transition and realisation at its heart. It feels like a trance or ritual if you give yourself to the recording. It urges you to step outside and listen deeper. Rattle are seeking out a vivid array, an order from the noise, a pattern that unlocks the next. This album is the nurturing of intention and when we walk to its beat we arrive anew. 

TRACK LISTING

01. DJ
02. Disco
03. Signal
04. The Rocks 

Jon Rauhouse brings back the glory and artistry of the instrumental LP with this collection of pedal steel guitar and Haiwaiian guitar gems. You may know him from his recent collaborations. His playing has been a fundamental part of recent recordings by Neko Case, The Waco Bros and Calexico. The arrangements and the musicianship on this album will put to shame any and all dillettante rockers, and with the backing talents of Calexico, and for those who just need the sound of a human voice, guest vocalists Neko Case, Sally Timms and Kelly Hogan - what more could you need?

Commissioned for Fela Day in Amsterdam Paradiso Noord, Raul Monsalve y Los Forajidos celebrates the legacy of the father of Afrobeat, Fela Anikolapu Kuti, with this new 10’’ vinyl on Super Sonic Jazz Records, where Nigerian rhythms travel the Atlantic ocean to meet Venezuelan Calipso, sangueos, and more.

First in Venezuela, Monsalve played with a number of bands before forming the first incarnation of his Forajidos band. A move to Paris, via London, led to opportunities to share stages with a vast array of musical giants, not least of all the legendary Nigerian saxophonist Orlando Julius, as well as the Heliocentrics, Venezuelan master percussionist Orlando Poleo and members of Fela Kuti’s legendary bands, Afrika 70 and Egypt 80.

“Calipso Time” is none other than a cover of Fela’s Koola Lobitos’ “Highlife Time”. Taking the original track to the region of El Callao in Venezuela, where the population from Trinidad & Tobago and other islands in the Caribbean settled themselves at the end of the 19th century when they started to work in mineral exploitation. As a result, this region of Venezuela has a particular language, mixing English and Spanish elements, and of course the celebration of the Carnival and the birth of Venezuelan calypso.

Side B brings the Afrobeat madness of “Deo e’ Mono”, the very first track Monsalve did for the project back in the day. As Raul says ‘I just took the opportunity to celebrate Fela’s anniversary by recording this track as I dreamed it should sound when I was starting the project, learning Afrobeat only through records’. For this Monsalve called Chief Uduh Essiet, the original percussionist of the Egypt 80 and with the Forajidos’ Mario Orsinet on drums the rhythm section was without doubt cooking immediately. As on their last record, “Bichos” on Olindo Records, these two tracks are full of psychedelia, rough electronics, powerful vocals and tons of traditional Venezuelan percussion.

Line up:

Raul Monsalve - bass, guitar, percussion
Lya Bonilla - vocals
Edgar Bonilla- keys, FX
Nando Guerrero - guitar
Julien Matrot - trumpet
Andres Vela- tenor sax
Christine Roch- barytone sax
Yves Prudhomme- cumaco, campanas
Chief Udoh Essiet - congas
Dionis Bahamonde- bumbac
Mario Orsinet - drums

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Afrobeat meets calypso! Guided by Fela Kuti's inspiration we get two fiery hot renditions full of Venezuelan charm.

TRACK LISTING

Calipso Time
Deo E Mono

A compilation of atmospheric live recordings on a double LP. Twelve serene ambient and IDM tracks by German producer Rave Angst, who let his modular system and Roland TB-303 on the loose. The vibe is moody and production is crisp with lots going on to keep your brain busy. It really feels like we're entering Rave Angst's soul - he definitely did not hold back as this is deeply emotional and - let's face it - often apocalyptic sounding music. The unsettling melodies on the album are strangely held together by metallic sounding rhythms but only just... Rave Angst really challenges the listener on this album. It's all high quality stuff with "A Boy Called Extacy", "Sunday Morning Self-Medication Acid" and "Paralyzed (Dub)" being our personal favorites. "Exist" is a massive recommendation for anyone into mid 90s Aphex Twin and early Plastikman. Essential stuff.

TRACK LISTING

• 01 1994 Video Version
• 02 Mes Nuits Sont Plus Belles Que Vos Jours
• 03 Sunday Morning Self Medication Acid
• 04 Rave Angst
• 05 Cyco
• 06 Constraint No 3
• 07 Angst Dub
• 08 Fader Clich
• 09 Nyctophonia Edit
• 10 Paralyzed Dub
• 11 A Boy Called Extacy
• 12 My Illusion Edit

Dave Lee's Z Records looks back to go forward as it offers up a spiffing new 12" of contemporary reworks of 4 classics cuts of various vintages from the ZR back catalog. Kicking things off in fantastic fashion is a slap bass and wah clav powered take on Raven Maize's 'Forever Together', originally released in1989, this was the first house cut to feature the now iconic keys riff. Dave's Heavenly Star mix of 'One Kiss' (first out in 1991) is pure hip-swinging soulful disco. Joey Montenegro (who could that be?) offers two classic cuts on the flip side. 'Make A Move On Me' (Original Disco Mix) sees the crossover hit from 2005 get a Chic like makeover with its zippy leads and timeless diva vocals. Whilst the special 25th Anniversary Mix of 1998's 'Can't Get High Without U' closes things off with some peak time, tension filled, disco house action!

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Raven Maize - "Forever Together" (Closer To The Source Mix)
2. Pacha - "One Kiss" (Dave's Heavenly Star Mix)

Side 2
1. Joey Montenegro - "Make A Move On Me" (Original Disco Mix)
2. Joey Montenegro - "Can't Get High Without U" (25th Anniversary Mix)