Heels & Souls Recordings roll into reissue number eight with a double dose of early '90s UK street soul magic, splitting the sides between two sought-after cuts from Elaine Vassell and 3rd Zone.

Step back to 1993, house music has hit, UK Soul is in full flow and its rawer, DIY street soul sibling is making its mark across the UK’s underground. Fuelled by accessible, affordable production gear and ignited through enthusiasm and an influx of ideas and sounds, two acts drew inspiration from a melting pot of genres they were exposed to, providing their take on soul as they saw it.

Up first, Elaine Vassell - ‘Never Give Up’. A rough breakbeat-driven, mid-tempo groover from a North West London production triple threat, made up of Longsy D, Pinky and Murray. Utilising Pinky’s home studio with its DX7, Juno 106, LinnDrum and 808, they masterminded a track that sits at the intersection between soulful house, hip hop and R&B. Its crunching drum loop, chest-rattling low-end and serene synth lines, lay the foundation for Elaine’s powerful yet emotive voice to take centre stage. ‘Never Give Up’ should have been a future classic, but never quite found its feet.

On the flip side another 1993 gem, as Sansel Ali and twin brothers Mark and Stephen Anglin joined forces to form 3rd Zone. Conceived in Mark’s makeshift bedroom studio, the trio laid down their first foray into recorded music, ‘You Stole My Heart’. Originally promoed as a limited whitelabel in 1991, it officially landed on the group's one and only EP ‘No Real Reason' in '93.

Armed with a handful of synth modules, a drum machine and a Korg M1, Mark, Stephen and Sansel hit with a tough but tender, underground triumph. Part dance, part romance, layering synth strings, chunky breaks and M1 stabs underneath Sansel’s heartstrung vocals and Stephen’s hip house rap interlude, it provides another perfect example of house seen through the street soul prism.

Two timeless tracks that fly the flag for the fact that big studios and big budgets aren't necessary to create songs that really resonate. Each side also contains an alternate version, with the A housing a beatless reprise of ‘Never Give Up’ and the B a tougher, bassier remix of ‘You Stole My Heart’.

Licensed from Pinky Music and 3rd Zone respectively and remastered from the original DATs by Justin Drake.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Elaine Vassell - Never Give Up
A2. Elaine Vassell - Never Give Up (Chill Zone Mix)
B1. 3rd Zone - You Stole My Heart (Vinyl Mix)
B2. 3rd Zone - You Stole My Heart (Remix)

Soulful sounds from the South of Italy, coming courtesy of Soul Departure Recordings label head Kikko Esse.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Deep Mind
A2. 4 PM
B1. Take It Easy
B2. Make It

Typifying the consummate craftsmanship of the three members' performances - each with such distinct personality and together so perfectly balanced - their perfectionist attitude to sound is maintained across the production on the album, beautifully colouring the expressionist fusion of samba rhythm, jazz progression, funk attitude and psychedelic electronics.

The album hosts a wonderful mix of tempos and styles, from Alex Malheiros' earth- shaking slap- bass on 'Dear Limmertz', which was to become a hit on London's underground disco and jazz-dance club scenes alike, to the late maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami's genial melodic Rhodes excursions on the vocoder laden, samba-jazz masterpiece 'Un Amigo', while Ivan 'Mamao' Conti's signature swing on 'Maracana' exemplifies the root of Azymuth's 'samba doidoi' (crazy samba) philosophy.

The two cover versions on the album consist of the title track which was originally penned by Milton Nascimento and Chick Corea's '500 Miles High', both of which magically reimagine the originals and further demonstrate the immense virtuosity of this cult recording. This Far Out Recordings release is mixed and mastered from the original tapes

TRACK LISTING

1. Papasong
2. Outubro (October)
3. 500 Miles High
4. Maracana
5. Pantanal
6. Un Amigo (A Friend)
7. Dear Limmertz
8. Dear Limmertz Prelude
9. Carta Pro Airto (Letter To Airto)

Foreseen by oracles and foretold by angels, the coming together of rapper Brandon “BEZ” (B Easy) Evans and beatmaker/producer Jonah Swilley was, by their own admission, a divine appointment. Both halves musically and spiritually forged in the twin flames of Georgia׳s Pentecostal churches and grassroots hip-hop scene, Revival Season tell straight-shooting tales of our golden age — chop, cops, badass bitches, self-snitches; drug-dealing and revolution — chronicling and critiquing the culture over baselines and beats that kick squarely in the teeth with a platform boot.

Much in the spirit of Swilley’s teenage bedroom beatmaking, their debut album Golden Age Of Self Snitching was pieced together largely self-sufficiently, written both remotely and in person, and recorded between a temporary studio space in a health centre and an ad-hoc setup in Swilley’s dining room. A skeleton team of outside musicians contributed additional parts — with Jordan Manly [Mattiel] and Rupert Brown [Roy Ayres, Raf Rundell] on drums, Shaheed Goodie on guest MC vocals for the jagged, spiralling ‘Pump’, and Raf Rundell [The 2 Bears], with whom Revival Season had previously made the Outernational mixtape (“equal parts Prince Paul and King Tubby”) on hand as “vibe consultant”, bringing additional production to a handful of tracks.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: We noted the similarities in beatmaking here to the recent collaboration between Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist, but with the pristine beat-locked percussive flow of B Easy. It's a brilliantly dynamic, scathing bite of old-school hip-hop met with new-school production. Ace.

TRACK LISTING

1. Look Out Below
2. Barry White
3. The Path
4. Message In A Bottle
5. Last Dance
6. Boomerang
7. Golden Silverware
8. Chop
9. Propaganda
10. Stars
11. Pump
12. Everybody
13. Eyes Open
14. Love To See It 

Hell Yeah kicks off 2024 in fine style with a new album from Australian producer Dawn Again. Every Dog's Hotel is a dreamy and breaks-driven downtempo excursion the artist has dubbed "pubwave."

Melbourne-based Nick Verwey has been crafting solo and collaborative cuts for the best part of a decade on labels like Houseworx and Enjoyment Division. He operates in a world where danceable grooves are paired with laid-back moods. His lo-fi sound is both sunlit and sunset-ready and is for grown-up crowds who like to get down on rooftops, sandy enclaves, or laidback living rooms. This new album, however, he describes as "pubwave" and was conveyed during lockdown when Nick and his friends were missing their favourite communal drinking spots.

"My friends and I were missing the pub, missing dance floors, missing being able to hang out and have fun," he says before explaining that, at the time, he was listening to a lot of 90s and 00s downtempo chill out by the likes of Heights of Abraham, Pork Recordings, Baby Mammoth and Bullitnuts. He came up with the idea of creating something similar but in his own way, initially with spoken word poetry from his friend over the top, though when it came to recording that never quite worked so it was shelved until later when Nick?tried again without the vocals. "The whole project has been more than years in the making. I'm super proud of the end result. I think it still nails the dreamy, Balearic "pubwave" vibe and comes with a gorgeous cover painting by my mate Holly Hunt. It's an old English haunt called the Old Neptune, and what nails the brief more than a pub that is literally on the beach?"

The title track is a welcome opening with leggy breaks and soft shakers encouraging you to sway while gazing up at the melodic stars before 'Foam Party' gets more zoned out with its vaporous chords and gentle drum tumbles. 'Journey Through The Schoonerverse' is a suspensory trip to the clouds with effortlessly loose breaks and painterly synth smears, 'Wonky Friends' has a more weighty but still dubbed out and slow motion house kick and 'Kneverending Knockoffs' keeps the energy rising with raw percussion and acidic twitches that journey through a heat haze on a warm afternoon. Closer 'Backyard Paradiso' is the horizontal finish that washes over you like rays of sun and gently breaking waves to leave you relaxed from head to toe and digital bonus 'Hard Earned Thirst' is an extra chance to luxuriate in Dawn Again's richly layered synths and leisurely breaks.

The superbly welcoming Every Dog's Hotel is a place to pull up, sink a drink, and soak into some lavish and escapist downtempo sounds.?

TRACK LISTING

A1. Every Dog’s Hotel
A2. Foam Party
A3. Journey Through The Schoonerverse
B1. Wonky Friendz
B2. Kneverending Knockoffs
B3. Backyard Paradiso

Thee Alcoholics are the brainchild of Rhys Llewellyn, a longtime Rocket Recordings alumnus whose background leans as heavily into the bassbin-shaking realms of electronic music as it does the tinnitus-inducing world of howling, cranked-up ampstacks. Not content with hammering drumskins for numerous floor-shaking records on the Rocket discography from the likes of Hey Colossus and The Notorious Hi-Fi Killers, he’s also been responsible for brain-rearranging electronic works under the Drmcnt and Acidliner monikers. Thee Alcoholics, however - which initially gestated as a result of Rhys himself wanting to pursue the somewhat hostile sound in his own head during lockdown - maps out a collision course between all of the above.

Cranky and cantankerous yet lysergically aligned, Feedback is mesmeric rock with swagger, warped into sci-fi shapes by the spirit and sonics of bass and soundsystem culture. The psychedelic shapes here are redolent of the ur-klang of The Fall and the monolithic lurch of The Heads, the motorik malevolence less an uplifting trip to the heavens than a drill down to the earth’s core. Discernible in these jackhammer beats, grimly murmured vocals and delirious dirges to certain heads may be the trash futurism of Chrome, the decomposed stomp of unsung legends Earl Brutus and the electro-punk attack of Six Finger Satellite, yet all of the above co-ordinates are waylaid effortlessly by a balls-out intensity and a fearsome intent on aural oblivion at all costs. Feedback may be elemental and primal, yet this is no psych comfort-blanket nor retro-fetishism, rather a repetition-driven journey headlong into intimidating territory unknown. Get on board, and strap yourselves in for a bumpy ride. 

TRACK LISTING

01. What’s The Crack? (What’s The Story?)
02. Baby I’m Your Man
03. Sweetheart
04. It’s So Easy
05. Pity Me
06. Feedback
07. You’re The Zero
08. Se23
09. Dumb & Happy

As one of the most traditional guitar bands to emerge during the Brit-pop era of the mid-'90s, Cast have carved out a sound that was heavily indebted to the British Invasion of the early '60s, yet it was infused with a mystical, pseudo-hippie lyrical sensibility, which lead singer John Power expanded upon. What really made Cast into a success was Power's gift for simple, classic pop hooks, as demonstrated on the hit singles "Fine Time," "Alright," and "Walkaway."

With seven Top 10 singles, three Top 10 albums and a rich catalogue of timeless songs, Cast were one of the big success stories of the Britpop era. Power’s gift for sparkling melodies and instantly additive hooks remains as strong as ever.

Power has hinted that the new album Love is The Call feels like a missing link between his time with The La’s and Cast’s first breakthrough with their debut album ‘All Change’.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bluebird
2. Forever And A Day
3. Rain That Falls
4. Far Away
5. Starry Eyes
6. Love You Like I Do
7. Love Is The Call
8. I Have Been Waiting
9. Look Around
10. Time Is Like A River
11. Tomorrow Calls My Name

Following her triumphant album 'Version Girl', Rhoda Dakar is back with another fabulous cover of ''I Don't Mind', originally recorded by Buzzcocks. As always the beautiful artwork has been created by Sheffield's finest Pete McKee.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Don't Mind
2. Dub Don't Mind

Róisín Murphy’s album, ‘Hairless Toys’, marked a significant return after an eight-year hiatus, during which she delved into personal and collaborative explorations.

Departing from her disco-infused past, the album takes a quieter and more personal approach, evident in tracks like ‘Gone Fishing’, inspired by 1980s ball culture.

Murphy’s understated delivery, notably on ‘Evil Eyes’ and the expansive ‘Exploitation’, creates a sophisticated and meditative atmosphere, avoiding the pitfalls of mere tastefulness.

Quirks, such as the synth bass in ‘Uninvited Guest’, coexist seamlessly with the album’s cohesive mood.

TRACK LISTING

1. Gone Fishing
2. Evil Eyes
3. Exploitation
4. Uninvited Guest
5. Exile
6. House Of Glass
7. Hairless Toys (Gotta Hurt)
8. Unputdownable

Roisin Murphy’s ‘Take Her Up To Monto’ stands out as an adventurous exploration, showcasing Murphy’s ability to both expand her sonic palette and maintain her distinctive style.

In this album, Murphy presents ‘Mastermind’, a disco epic that mirrors the expansive, shapeshifting quality of ‘Toys’ and echoes the grandeur found in her 2012 marathon single, ‘Simulation’. Despite the brevity of ‘Whatever’, it retains the intimate allure that distinguished her previous work.

Unlike the seamless journey of ‘Hairless Toys’, ‘Take Her Up To Monto’ offers a wilder ride. Murphy surprises listeners by steering them in diverse directions with little warning. The track ‘Thoughts Wasted’ encapsulates this diversity, seamlessly transitioning from sleek to lush to lamenting.

Throughout, Murphy pushes her signature sounds to extremes, delivering an engaging and unpredictable experience.

TRACK LISTING

1. Mastermind
2. Pretty Gardens
3. Thoughts Wasted
4. Lip Service
5. Ten Miles High
6. Whatever
7. Romantic Comedy
8. Nervous Sleep
9. Sitting And Counting

The Nouvelle Vague project was born from Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux’s desire to dust off and adapt new wave standards in a bossa nova style. Over the years, Nouvelle Vague has welcomed a host of singers on increasingly eclectic covers.

Given the concept of the Nouvelle Vague project and its obvious filiation with its cinematic counterpart, it’s hardly surprising that the group’s second album is entitled ‘Bande à Part’ (a direct reference to Jean-Luc Godard’s 1964 film, considered one of the first works of the New Wave and a precursor in the cinematic field, even inspiring Quentin Tarantino to name his own production company, A Band Apart). More eclectic than its predecessor, ‘Bande à Part’ draws its references from pre-electro (Bauhaus and its famous ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’, New Order), postpunk (Buzzcocks) and Eighties pop (Billy Idol).

To mark the band’s 20th anniversary, Le Label are proud to announce the reissue of this unique project album, which reappropriates songs from the punk and post-punk repertoire in the form of electro, bossa nova or folk. Enriched with numerous bonus tracks, some of which have never been released before.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Killing Moon
2. Ever Fallen In Love
3. Dance With Me
4. Don't Go
5. Dancing With Myself
6. Heart Of Glass
7. O Pamela
8. Blue Monday
9. Human Fly
10. Bela Lugosi's Dead
11. I Can’t Escape Myself
12. Let Me Go
13. Fade To Grey
14. Waves
15. Eisbaer (Bonus)
16. Israel (Bonus)
17. Ghost Rider (Bonus)
18. Pride- In The Name Of
19. Love (Bonus)
20. Confusion (Bonus)
21. Sex Beat (Bonus)
22. Mirror In The Bathroom (Bonus)
23. Sweet Dreams (Bonus)
24. Come On Eileen (Bonus)

The Nouvelle Vague project was born from Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux’s desire to dust off and adapt new wave standards in a bossa nova style. Over the years, Nouvelle Vague have welcomed a host of singers on increasingly eclectic covers.

In 2004, they released their first album, simply entitled ‘Nouvelle Vague’. The album featured covers of Depeche Mode, The Clash, The Cure, Joy Division and Dead Kennedys. A very British first album in spirit (as well as in the choice of groups) where the typically London new wave atmosphere predominates but revised and corrected in a Caribbean version by the dynamic tandem.

To mark the band’s 20th anniversary, we’re proud to announce the reissue of this innovative album. Enriched with numerous bonuses, including a session on KCRW radio where the band’s constant reinvention reaches its apogee.

TRACK LISTING

1. Love Will Tear Us Apart
2. Just Can't Get Enough
3. In A Manner Of Speaking
4. Guns Of Brixton
5. This Is Not A Love Song
6. Too Drunk To Fuck
7. Marian
8. Making Plans For Nigel
9. A Forest
10. I Melt With You
11. Teenage Kicks
12. Psyche
13. Friday Night Saturday Morning
14. Sorry For Laughing (Bonus)
15. Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) (Bonus)
16. A Forest (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
17. Just Can't Get Enough (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
18. Bizarre Love Triangle (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
19. This Is Not A Love Song (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
20. Making Plans For Nigel (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
21. Even Fallen In Love (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
22. Guns Of Brixton (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
23. Love Will Tear Us Apart (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
24. In A Manner Of Speaking (KCRW Session) (Bonus)
25. Mongoloid (KCRW Session) (Bonus)

Chelsea Wolfe’s latest album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, is a rebirth in process. It’s about how such a moment connects to our past, our present, and our future. It’s a powerfully cathartic statement about cutting ties, as well as an important reminder that healing is cyclical and circular, and not a simple linear process. As Wolfe explains, “It’s a record about the past self reaching out to the present self reaching out to the future self to summon change, growth, and guidance. It’s a story of setting yourself free from situations and patterns that are holding you back, in order to become self-empowered. It’s an invitation to step into your authenticity.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I've always been a fan of Chelsea Wolfe's music, stumbling across her 'Prayer For The Unborn' release on my scour of the Latitudes collection. It goes without saying that since that admittedly brilliant mashing of neo-folk, psychedelic and art-rock she's increased the scope of her writing and production tenfold. 'She Reaches Out...' is a mind-blowingly complex, but effortlessly smooth tapestry of chamber pop, gothic rock and electronic drone music.

TRACK LISTING

01. Whispers In The Echo Chamber
02. House Of Self Undoing
03. Everything Turns Blue
04. Tunnel Lights
05. The Liminal
06. Eyes Like Nightshade
07. Salt
08. Unseen World
09. Place In The Sun
10. Dusk 

The long lost 1968 debut album by singer-songwriter, Scott Fagan, once tipped to be bigger than Elvis, is set for release on 9th February 2024 via Earth Recordings. ‘South Atlantic Blues’ will be reissued for the first time in its original artwork, with an iconic portrait of Fagan by famed rock photographer, Joel Brodsky, following a widely celebrated 2015 release.

Revisiting his mystical, mythical, and deeply soulful masterpiece, this psych-folk gem doffs a Tropicalia hat direct from downtown New York. “His songs embrace a broad sonic fantasia, swirling in ’60s New York R&B and ’40s jazz, as well as the Caribbean rhythms of calypso, meringue and Pachanga.” New York Times

Scott Fagan’s story is worthy of a movie in itself. A swinging hipster who landed in 60s Greenwich folk scene, escaping the abject poverty of his U.S. Virgin Islands upbringing, Fagan found himself mentored by the Brill Building’s Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, and feted as the next big thing. “Forget Rodriguez, forget Searching for Sugar Man,” says Sharyn Felder, daughter of the late Doc Pomus, the legendary songwriter who signed Fagan to management in 1964. “Scott was so much more. He was cut from a different cloth.”

‘South Atlantic Blues’ is the perfect soundtrack to this tale, an epic song cycle wrapped around an impassioned love story, driven by Fagan’s dense, allusive lyrics, and production by Elmer Jared Gordon (Pearls Before Swine) and rich arrangements by Horace Ott (Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, The Shirelles). The Earth Recordings reissue coincides with a resurgence in activity for Fagan, with a new album in the works – the never-recorded soundtrack to ‘Soon’, the 1971 Broadway rock musical he co-wrote and starred in – and a documentary ‘Soon: the Story of Scott Fagan’ currently filming through Scissor Kick Films, from director Marah Strauch, writer Chris Campion (who rediscovered the singer-songwriter in 2015), and producer Eric Bruggeman.

TRACK LISTING

A1. In My Head
A2. Nickels And Dimes
A3. Crying
A4. The Carnival Is Ended
A5. South Atlantic Blues
B1. Nothing But Love
B2. Tenement Hall
B3. In Your Hands
B4. Crystal Ball
B5. Madam-moiselle

XL Recordings announce Burial’s ‘Dreamfear’ /‘Boy Sent From Above’ single. 

Available to independent retailers on 12” vinyl in a remixed XL housebag

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Shadow lurking bass music pioneer Burial returns with two more idiosyncratic pieces of bleak futurism and dystopian escapism. Expanding on the arrangement style explored in more recent releases, he still adds fragments of the hardcore continuum into the mix - making it distinctly identifiable as the producer's work. Another masterpiece.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dreamfear
2. Boy Sent From Above

New from California born Taylor FreelsTaylor Freels aka Liquid Earth and we gotta say, this is some of the freshest house music we've heard for a while!

Quirky and squelchy in parts, deep and dubby in others, but with a raw carnival spirit running through; it's built for the big soundsystems and outdoor parties, and, as yet, is still deliciously underground. 

"Beat Girl Beat Boy" twists minds and wiggles hips with its amalgamation of filter house, botchit breaks and daft vox - fun yet hefty enough to get the crowd bumping. "Funk Patrol" deploys squashed funk licks to another almost-new-school-breaks rhythm section that should keep b-boys and fans of Skint, Les Ryhthm Digitales and even Armand Van Helden (there's a bit of "Ultrafunkula" in there if you ask me!) more than happy. 

"Bug Collector" on side B takes things a bit more bassbin orientated, taking cues from US legends like Murk and Todd Terry, with a proggy edge binging it back to mid 90s UK influences. Finally, "The Wind Up" concludes with an anthemic, foundation shaking warehouse wobbler. Full frontal bass, rave stabs, Sheffield bleeps and brick busting rhythms certifying this one as an absolute banger! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: I got this in solely cos it sounds like the kinda turn-of-the-millennium house and breaks that I used to buzz off 20-25 years ago. Not in a retro perverse way; it's just got that funky, stylish spirit that screams of a time more innocent yet decadent than our current climate.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Beat Girl Beat Boy
A2. Funk Patrol
B1. The Bug Collector
B2. The Wind Up

A year to the day since the arrival of their acclaimed 2023 Welsh Music Prize-nominated debut album, Get Real, CVC release B-Real, a new 13-track companion compilation, collecting all the singles and EPs from the last 12 months.

The album includes five brand new recordings, comprising two new originals in ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Skeleton Key’, two incredible cover versions of classic tracks by Wings and Super Furry Animals, a previously unreleased acoustic version of the album’s ‘Good Morning Vietnam’, along with the current double A-sided single tracks, ‘The Remortgage Anthem’ and ‘Lady (Hear Me Tonight)’, which have been taking the roof off their December sold out shows.

‘Charlotte’ picks up thematically where the band’s biggest track to date, ‘Sophie’, left off, but where the latter is a song about how keyboardist Nanial’s girlfriend Sophie can sing, but won’t - the new song is another loving ode, but this one is from lead singer Cesco to his good lady Charlotte.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Remortgage Anthem
2. Good Morning Vietnam (Single Mix)
3. Docking The Pay (Single Mix)
4. Lonely People
5. Charlotte
6. Skeleton Dance
7. Pyongyang
8. Lady (Hear Me Tonight)
9. Let Me Roll It
10. Juxtaposed With U
11. Docking The Pay (Rockfield Acoustic Version)
12. Good Morning Vietnam (Rockfield Acoustic Version)
13. Sophie (Rockfield Acoustic Version)

B2 Recordings keeps it deep once more with a new 12" of cuddly and cosy house grooves from Those Guys From Athens. 'Be What You Wanna Be' is a perfectly humid and balmy opener for a summer's evening dance under a fading sun, then 'That's What I've Got To Do' picks up the pace with some floored melodies and disco swing. There is a familiar lazy funk bassline to 'Wish You Were Here With Me' as well as a well-treated classic vocal sample from Bill Withers to make this one a real heart melter. 'Feelin' is a more hefty and heavy house sound that will enliven any warm-up.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Those Guys From Anthens take a leaf outta Jamal Moss' edit archive and have a go at Chantel Curtis' "Get Another Love" with pleasing, terrace-friendly results. Then the loopy disco-house fun continues with three other dizzyingly good cuts.

TRACK LISTING

Be What You Wanna Be
That’s What I’ve Got To Do
Wish You Were Here With Me
Feelin'

An original member of Soft Machine, Kevin Ayers embarked on a solo career following a US tour with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968. He was one of the first signings to EMI’s Progressive imprint Harvest and recorded his debut album in the Summer of 1969 at Abbey Road studios.

‘Joy Of A Toy’ is a classic of psychedelic and progressive rock, featuring contributions from his former Soft Machine band mates, David Bedford and such wonderful songs as ‘The Lady Rachel’, ‘Stop This Train (Again Doing It)’, ‘Girl on a Swing’ and ‘All This Crazy Gift of Time’.

This official gatefold LP vinyl edition fully restores the original LP artwork, has been remastered from the original Harvest master tapes and has been cut at Abbey Road studios.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE ONE
1 Joy Of A Toy Continued
2 Town Feeling
3 The Clarietta Rag
4 Girl On A Swing
5 Song For Insane Times
SIDE TWO
1 Stop This Train (Again Doing It)
2 Eleanor’s Cake (Which Ate Her)
3 The Lady Rachel
4 Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong
5 All This Crazy Gift Of Time

Following on from 2022 debut LP 'A Light For Attracting Attention', which garnered a top 20 spot in our 2022 end of year review, 'Wall Of Eyes' sees Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner once again coming together for another art-rock opus that is inventive and boundry-pushing; whilst still remaining incredibly accessible and potent at it's core. With string arrangements by the London Contemporary Orchestra, 'Wall Of Eyes' comfortably shrugs off the burden of being "just another Radiohead side-project" and in the process leaves us hoping there's more from The Smile for years to come.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Though it's easy to compare The Smile to Radiohead (for obvious reasons), and there is a similarity to the sound that Yorke & Greenwood bring, the end result ends up quite drastically different. The Smile are a lot less rooted in rock music, ending up presenting something that's both beautifully organic and free-flowing whilst never straying too far into experimental territories. Lovely stuff.

TRACK LISTING

1. Wall Of Eyes
2. Teleharmonic
3. Read The Room
4. Under Our Pillows
5. Friend Of A Friend
6. I Quit
7. B7ending Hectic
8. You Know Me

Jack White Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016 collects 26 acoustic songs from throughout White’s wide-ranging musical career including solo material as well as The White Stripes and The Raconteurs tracks, spanning album tracks, B-sides, remixes, alternate versions, and previously unreleased tracks.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Sugar Never Tasted So Good
2. Apple Blossom
3. I'm Bound To Pack It Up
4. Hotel Yorba
5. We're Going To Be Friends
6. You've Got Her In Your Pocket
7. It's True That We Love One Another
8. Never Far Away
SIDE B
1. Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)
2. White Moon
3. As Ugly As I Seem
4. City Lights
5. Honey, We Can't Afford To Look This Cheap
6. Effect And Cause
SIDE C
1. Love Is The Truth
2. Top Yourself
3. Carolina Drama
4. Love Interruption
5. On And On And On
6. Machine Gun Silhouette
SIDE D
1. Blunderbuss
2. Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy
3. I Guess I Should Go To Sleep
4. Just One Drink
5. Entitlement
6. Want And Able

South London six-piece Tapir! serves as a ‘boiling together’ of different mediums: at once musical, theatrical, mythological, artistic, collaborative, narrative-led and, above all, something to be enjoyed and shared.

With their debut album, “The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain”, Tapir! have proven they are more than technically adept at transporting the listener to another realm. You could read the whole album as being an escape from the trappings of the modern material world, a sidestep into a pre-industrial, pre-internet wonderland where creativity and community reign supreme. The narrator of ‘My God’ might suggest to us ‘Maybe it was Maybelline that put you at a loss/That’s my God’, but for Tapir! it is imagination itself that is king.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Though the striking minimalism of the cover might carry through to some of the more relaxing pieces on Tapir's debut album, the depth of compositional skill and scope of the album as a whole is breathtaking. Brittle folky guitars and soaring vocals, conceptually rich pieces imbued with intrigue and heart. Stunning.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Act 1 (The Pilgrim)
On A Grassy Knoll (We'll Bow Together)
Swallow
The Nether (Face To Face)
Act 2 (Their God)
Broken Ark
Side B
Gymnopédie
Eidolon
Act 3 (The King Of My Decrepit Mountain)
Untitled
My God
Mountain Song

Sleater-Kinney has announced their eleventh studio album, Little Rope, which will be released via Loma Vista Recordings. Recorded at Flora Recording and Playback in Portland, Oregon with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton, Little Rope is a powerfully honest and soul-baring album by one of modern rock’s most vital bands.

Little Rope is one of the finest, most delicately layered records in Sleater-Kinney’s nearly 30-year career. To call the album flawless feels like an insult to its intent – it careens headfirst into flaw and brokenness – a meditation on what living in a world of perpetual crisis has done to us, and what we do to the world in return. On the surface, the album’s 10 songs veer from spare to anthemic, catchy to deliberately hard-turning. But beneath that are perhaps the most complex and subtle arrangements of any Sleater-Kinney record, and a lyrical and emotional compass pointed firmly in the direction of something both liberating and terrifying: the sense that the only way to gain control is to let it go.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Little Rope is by far the most emotionally intense Sleater-kinney outing to date, but it's on tracks like 'Hell' that SK really shine. Perfectly juxtaposing near-weightless arty post-punk with clashing, punky mayhem. A beautifully written, cathartic milestone for the band, and a great addition to any collection.

TRACK LISTING

1. Hell
2. Needlessly Wild
3. Say It Like You Mean It
4. Hunt You Down
5. Small Finds
6. Don’t Feel Right
7. Six Mistakes
8. Crusader
9. Dress Yourself
10. Untidy Creature

Heartless Fools is a collection of works exploring multiplicity and often contradictory ideas. Supported by a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, many of the works were realized and recorded in January 2018 at Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavík, Iceland. Since these initial recordings, the music has grown through far-reaching collaborations with musicians in the worlds of jazz, classical, and pop. Album credits include experimental pop trio Square Peg Round Hole, vocalists Isaiah Robinson and Hanna Benn, and Icelandic cellist Þórdís Gerður Jóns-dóttir.

While the music itself is not intended to be political, the title Heartless Fools refers to the response of two characters to the current political landscape. The first is working through shock and grief as they awake to the realities of this world, and is trying to make sense of it all. The other, fueled by an imagined loss of cultural identity, is full of a rage that causes them to do inhumane things. This shows up in the music as a struggle between order and chaos, contemplation and impatience. The works constantly push in pull, both internally and with one another.

TRACK LISTING

My Heart
Christmas, 1912
Collapse
Miracles
Heartless Fools
Attack
Repair
Slowed Over

Daniel Johnston’s ‘Alive in New York City’: A full performance captured before a live audience in New York City, the city of Daniel Johnston’s dreams. Daniel is at the height of his performing powers, with his solo voice in full poignant bloom. A real time-capsule, each song is a gem rendered in full color by an artist dedicated to his craft. This LP captures him at an unusually happy point in his life, sharing the deepest parts of himself with his audience. We are given a rare glimpse into Daniel’s heart, where the physical rendering he gives over to his lyrics transcends the music and works as a beacon into the tender mind of a genius - grappling with how to love himself and find his place in the world. This 2000 concert recorded and live-mixed by Kramer in NYC happened on a very special night and Shimmy-Disc is proud to present it to the world, along with 18 minutes of bonus material comprised of some of the rarest audio treasures from the Daniel Johnston Archives - a series of “Telephone Demos” created by Daniel specifically for sending to friends over his phone. These little teleplays from Daniel’s pre-”1990” days have never been heard before, so his fans will go wild with joy over this newly discovered and precious cargo from the mind of this one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable Artist.

TRACK LISTING

Frito Lay (Sweetheart)
Frustrated Artist
The Spook
Love Will See You Through
Silly Love
Live And Let Die
You’ve Got To Hide Your Love
Casper The Friendly Ghost
Memory Of Love
Bloody Rainbow
Super Love
Kool-Aid
Folly
Interview (Excerpt)

In 2007, HEALTH walked into a windowless, sweat-stained venue in downtown Los Angeles to record its debut album.

The band - then composed of singer/guitarist Jacob Duzsik, bassist John Famiglietti, drummer Benjamin Jared Miller and guitarist Jupiter Keyes - was locally renowned for its violent, fifteen-minute live sets. Its squalls of tribal drums, shredded guitar noise and eerily plaintive vocals sounded like nothing else in the city.

At the time, that rank Skid Row venue known as The Smell was becoming arguably the most influential DIY venue in the world. The scene around it would launch the band to international acclaim.

Crystal Castles remixed HEALTH’s single “Crimewave” on their own debut LP, becoming a breakout single for each act. (The group would continue that pattern on its lauded “HEALTH::DISCO” electronic remix series). Later that year, HEALTH opened for Nine Inch Nails on its “Lights in the Sky Tour,” refining its chaotic live set to command some of music’s biggest stages.

In 2009, they released their second LP “GET COLOR,” a significant step up in fidelity and ambition. The heaving single “DIE SLOW” became an underground hit and remains one of the band’s signature tracks. DIY bills soon turned into festival slots at Pitchfork Fest, Primavera Sound and other marquee events. Their second remix compilation included the single “USA BOYS,” recorded with Trent Reznor and Alan Moulder.

As they began a much-anticipated followup, however, an unexpected new project proved just as compelling. Rockstar Games, the creators of the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise (the most valuable media title in all of entertainment), approached them to score “Max Payne 3,” the latest installment of the noir action series.

The 2012 game re-imagined the very concept of a video game score, looping electronic drones and pulsing percussion into a bleak modern shooter. HEALTH’s video game work, including the “Max Payne” single “TEARS” and “Grand Theft Auto V’s” original cut “High Pressure Dave,” won over a generation of young musicians and gamers alike, and continues to influence both worlds.

In 2015, the band finally released “DEATH MAGIC,” its third LP, on the prestigious indie label Loma Vista Recordings. Years of work with producers Lars Stalfors (Lil Peep, St. Vincent), Andrew Dawson (Beyonce, Kanye West) and Haxan Cloak yielded the most precise and diverse album of their career, drawing on black metal, New Romance synth pop, beat music and industrial sounds alike.

HEALTH, now a three-piece after Keyes’ departure, played prime slots at Coachella, earned a lengthy profile in The New Yorker magazine, performed alongside acts as varied as The Neighbourhood and Deafheaven and covered New Order’s “Blue Monday” for the Charlize Theron action film “Atomic Blonde.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Psychonaut
2. Feel Nothing
3. God Botherer
4. Black Static
5. Loss Deluxe
6. NC-17
7. The Message
8. Rat Wars
9. Strange Days (1999)
10. Wrong Bag
11. Slaves Of Fear
12. Decimation 

To mark its 30th anniversary, Saint Etienne release a very special box set of their classic second album, ‘So Tough’.

This lavish set follows previous anniversary releases of ‘Foxbase Alpha’ and ‘Tiger Bay’ and includes: a vinyl version of the original album in a gatefold sleeve cut at 45 RPM over two discs in a gatefold sleeve; ‘So Tough - Remains Of The Day’, a 10 track vinyl companion album of rarities and demos, featuring previously unreleased material; ‘Hobart Paving’, a bonus 7’’ single cut at 45RPM; a 28-page booklet featuring new essays and never seen before photos; a poster; and a reproduction of the original press release from 1993.

Rigid box with lift off lid (matt lamination with anti scratch).

TRACK LISTING

‘So Tough’ 2LP
1. Mario’s Café
2. Railway Jam
3. Date With Spelman
4. Calico
5. Avenue
6. You’re In A Bad Way
7. Memo To Pricey
8. Hobart Paving
9. Leafhound
10. Clock Milk
11. Conchita Martinez
12. No Rainbows For Me
13. Here Come Clown Feet
14. Junk The Morgue
15. Chicken Soup
‘
'So Tough - Remains Of The Day’ 1LP
1. Everything Flows
2. Orpington Blues
3. Rainy Day Women
4. Everlasting
5. Johnny In The Echo Café
6. Paper (demo)
7. Last Thing On My Mind
8. Biker Of The Strange
9. You’re In A Bad Way (first Run Through)
10. Castlemaine Avenue

‘Hobart Paving’ 7”
1. Hobart Paving (Alan Tarney Mix)
2. Hobart Paving (Van Dyke Parks Arrangement)

After the great success of Cry Me A River - voted by Craig Charles as his TOP FUNK record of 2022; Betty Black has now taken things even further. Black's cover of SWEET DREAMS is a phenomenal, 1960 sesque, up tempo, gospel vibe banger. Raw and wild she takes this tune to another level. Already tipped as the summer hit of 23', DJ's who have had a sneak preview are going nuts over it. On the b-side is a FLying Fish dub version, featuring Ed Moris on Hammond and the legendary Danny Huckridge on bass. Do not let this sassy, sexy, vibrant number pass you by, when you hear it you'll just want to hear it again and again. A hip-shaking, foot-sliding dancer: quite simply, a winner. Boom.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sweet Dreams (are Made Of These)

Spacemen 3 were an English alternative rock band, formed in Rugby, Warwickshire by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman.Their music is known for its brand of "minimalistic psychedelia". Spacemen 3 had their first independent chart hits in 1987, gaining a cult following, and going on to have greater success towards the end of the decade.However, they disbanded shortly afterwards, releasing their final studio album post-split in 1991 after an acrimonious parting of ways. They gained a reputation as a 'drug band' due to the members' drug-taking habits and Kember's candid interviews and outspoken opinions on recreational drug use.Kember and Pierce were the only members common to all line-ups of the band.Both founding members have enjoyed considerable success with their respective subsequent projects: Sonic Boom/Spectrum and Spiritualized.

'Threebie 3' is a live Spacemen 3 recording featuring performances from a 1988 gig at Melkweg in Amsterdam which were excluded from the live 'Performance' album.It was originally released in a strictly limited edition of 1,000 numbered copies which were only available via a mail order offer that came with the seminal and critically acclaimed Spacemen 3 'Playing with Fire' studio album released in 1989 which went to number 1 on the indie charts. Out of print for more than 30 years and now re-mastered by John Rivers at Woodbine Street Studio.

TRACK LISTING

A1 – Starship (Live)
A2 – Revolution (Live)
A3 – Suicide (Live)
B1 – Repeater (Live)
B2 – Live Intro Theme (Xtacy)

Making this album has been a process that has been endlessly rewarding for Ryder-Jones, both creatively and personally, as he finally accepts that he’s made an album that has bettered one he’s been trying to top for a decade. “It's been incredible making this,” he says. “Despite all the life stuff that's happened, it has brought me immense happiness. I've always railed against it when people ask if making a record is cathartic but I’d have to admit that this one really was. Over the years my music has lost a bit of its hope I reckon. It were important for me to make a record that had more hope in it. Even by my standards the last few years have been rocky, but I’ve chosen to soundtrack it with more positive music, you know? I love this album. I haven't been this proud of a record since A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Ryder-Jones presents possibly his most upbeat offering yet, still wading in similar waters to 2018's brilliant 'Yawn' but with a sense of brightness and tethered melancholy that we've not heard from him before. Shimmering acoustic guitars, wandering psychedlia and soaring melodies coalesce into a beautifully rich and wonderfully immersive whole.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
I Know That It’s Like This (Baby)
A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart Pt. 3
If Tomorrow Starts Without Me
We Don’t Need Them
I Hold Something In My Hand
This Can’t Go On
Side B
1. …And The Sea…
2. Nothing To Be Done
3. It’s Today Again
4. Christinha
5. How Beautiful I Am
6. Thankfully For Anthony
7. Nos Da

Dinked Edition Bonus 7”:
Bedbound Melodies (Big Softies)
When Will I Get Used To This? (Big Softies)

An autumnal treasure, East Village’s Drop Out has spent the past thirty years finding new ears to bewitch and new hearts to melt. The only album from this British four-piece, recorded and released in the early nineties, it’s long been considered one of the hidden jewels of its time, and is talked of with hushed reverence by people who know. Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne once called it “an elegy for a particular brand of eighties guitar music, sweet minor chords and Dylanesque lyrics”, which captures what makes it so special; in summarising its era, though, it also effortlessly transcends it.

Like all great guitar gangs, East Village fell together as a four-piece; having relocated from High Wycombe to London in mid ‘80s, brothers Martin and Paul Kelly on bass and guitar, set on forming a group together, were joined by John Wood (guitar) and Spencer Smith (drums). Wood and the Kellys shared writing and vocal duties; it was an ideal combination, and one of the many charms of East Village is their various song writing voices, a tip of the hat, seemingly, to the 60s folk-rock groups who influenced them.

Originally influenced by garage-rock and freakbeat, the band eventually came through via the same scene as groups like Felt, The Go-Betweens, The Weather Prophets, and Primal Scream. They’d formed as Episode Four, releasing an EP, Strike Up Matches, in 1986, which has gone on to become one of most sought after releases of the C86 era. Their first two singles as East Village, ‘Cubans In The Bluefields’ (1987) and ‘Back Between Places’ (1988), were released on Jeff Barrett’s Sub Aqua label. When it came time to record Drop Out, East Village found a supporter in Bob Stanley, who bankrolled the album sessions until Barrett re-signed the band to his new imprint Heavenly Recordings in 1990. The album that took shape is dusky, heartfelt, lamplit, full of chiming minor chords, close harmonies, rattling organs, all buoyed by a rhythm section that moves as one, steady and elegant. There’s melancholy here, certainly, on songs like ‘What Kind Of Friend Is This’, but also pleasure and freedom, on ‘When I Wake Tomorrow’ and ‘Silver Train’. The group were obsessed with Dylan’s Eat The Document at the time, and the album’s rich with references to the film; Drop Out’s character is also somehow close to the thin wild mercury sound of Blonde On Blonde, and the lambent light of the Byrds’ Notorious Byrd Brothers. In one of life’s gentler surprises, ‘Silver Train’ became an unexpected radio hit in Australia when released there as a single in 1993. The story of East Village seems marked by such unexpected turns and surprising events. None was more surprising for their fans at the time, though, than their onstage split in 1991, leaving an unreleased album in the can. Encouraged by Jeff Barrett the band revisited the tapes two years on and while mixing the album for its posthumous release in 1993 invited Debsey Wykes (Dolly Mixture, Coming Up Roses, Saint Etienne, Birdie) to sing the quietly devastating album closer, “Everybody Knows”, a perfect, sad-eyed sign-off.

Listening now to Drop Out, its timelessness is clear. It could have been recorded by young folk-pop hopefuls in the late sixties, taking their shot at the big time; but it could just as easily have been recorded yesterday, by a group that’s both reverent to music’s past, but forward looking in spirit and temperament. It’s that kind of album. Drop Out’s pop poetry is fully formed, with a singular charm that takes in wistfulness, romance, and good times, and a clutch of deeply moving songs that are overflowing with melody and gracefulness. It’s pretty much everything you’d want from a guitar pop record.

It's also an album that’s slowly accrued its own legend. From its stunning cover art, photographed by Juergen Teller originally for a Katherine Hammett campaign, to the ten perfectly formed songs within, Drop Out’s significance in the scheme of things is such that, a decade ago, it was given a rare 10/10 rating in Uncut magazine, who called the album “the lost classic of its era”. Drop Out comes round every decade or so, each edition introducing new fans to its understated beauty, and this latest reissue is its most elegant and deluxe yet.

The 30th anniversary edition of Drop Out lands in two formats: an LP with tip-on style jacket and four-page insert, designed to partner with the 2019 vinyl reissue of their singles and rarities compilation, Hot Rod Hotel; and a double CD, featuring an extra disc compiling the group’s early singles and alternative versions. This CD edition previously has only been available in Japan, though it now features a new, superior mix of their second single, ‘Back Between Places’. Both feature new, typically eloquent liner notes from writer Jon Savage.

The members of East Village have all gone on to do inspired things: Martin Kelly joined Jeff Barrett at Heavenly and has managed label mainstays Saint Etienne since 1993; Paul Kelly formed Birdie with Debsey Wykes, and is now a renowned film director and graphic designer; both Paul and Spencer Smith played in Saint Etienne’s live band; John Wood moved to China to teach, and released a lovely, understated folk album, Quiet Storm, in Japan in 2006. But with the hazy perfection of Drop Out, they’ve all already etched their names in the firmament.

TRACK LISTING

01. Silver Train
02. Shipwrecked
03. Here It Comes
04. Freeze Out
05. Circles
06. When I Wake Tomorrow
07. Way Back Home
08. What Kind Of Friend Is This
09. Black Autumn
10. Everybody Knows

Bonus CD -

01. Her Fathers Son
02. Precious Diamond Tears
03. Cubans In The Blue Fields
04. Strawberry Window
05. Break Your Neck
06. Kathleen
07. Back Between Places (duff Version)
08. Meet The Wife
09. Vibrato
10. Here It Comes (original Version)
11. Freeze Out (original Version)
12. Violin
13. Barrel Dog
14. Go And See Him 

Reykjavík’s finest export Intr0beatz is back on the SB label with 5 expertly crafted tracks for the heads that like it deep & bouncy. He’s back slicing and dicing samples over his trademark swung out rhythms like never before.

‘Concentrate’ is a dusty & nostalgic Deep House jam, with its MPC’d piano chords, swinging hats and vintage hip hop style hooks. ‘Homage’ is a soothing slab of House with slow filtering chords, crisp hats, deep subby bass & ethereal pads. ‘Use What You Got’ is a lesson in doing just that, doing what he knows best, how he knows best. Raw, bumpin’ rhythms back up crystalline synths that sparkle over cavernous bass. ‘Don’t U Ever’ takes a deeper dive with it’s low-passed lead humming along over phasing hats, chunky kicks and chopped vocals calling back to the days of Max Graef and Money $ex. Finishing up the EP is the sexiest cut ‘Line’ with chopped soul vocals echoing over deeply filtered chords and bass synth accents.

With the Fókus EP, Intr0beatz displays his deft touch and restraint as a producer to lock in a groove, craft a vibe and create an atmosphere that few can rival.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Concentrate
A2. Homage
B1. Use What U Got
B2. Dont U Ever
B3. Line

Yussef Dayes releases Live At Joshua Tree, the sound recording from a naturalistic video shot in Joshua Tree, California in collaboration with Soulection. Featuring Venna on sax, Rocco Palladino on bass, Alexander Bourt on percussion and Elijah Fox on keys, the vinyl release of this stellar session includes the exclusive vinyl-only track ‘For My Ladies’.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Raisins Under The Sun (Desert Version)
A2. For My Ladies (Feat. Elijah Fox)
A3. Odyssey
A4. Golden Hour (Feat. Rocco Palladino)
A5. Mystics (Feat. Venna)
A6. Rhythms Of Xango (feat. Alexander Bourt)

Space Age Recordings are pleased to announce the release of, for the first time ever on vinyl, Spacemen 3 “Forged Prescriptions”.

Featuring Sonic Boom a.k.a. Peter Kember (Spectrum, E.A.R.) and Jason Pierce (Spiritualized). Packaged in a gatefold sleeve with a new take on the original artwork layout. The audio has been digitally remastered by John Rivers at Woodbine Studios and spans across two 180g Heavyweight Black vinyl to ensure the purest of sound quality. This is definitely one for the collection.

This double album contains a myriad of alternative takes and demo versions from Spacemen 3’s album “The Perfect Prescription” Including, at the time of the CD release, some never before heard tracks. In his liner notes, Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom says this release presents the album’s songs in their “full guitar laden versions with all the layers of beautifully streamlined guitar — considered by us to be too hard to replicate live and therefore reduced for the original release.” “For me, this is where Spacemen 3 song writing came to a head – many of these songs pre-dated “Sound Of Confusion”, some were even recorded at both sessions, but I am still impressed mightily by Jason’s lyrical genius on originals like “Walking With Jesus” and re-writes like “Come Down Easy” and his fluid guitar playing across the whole sessions. To be sure “Playing With Fire” was soon to be our long and sultry Indian Summer but “Perfect Prescription” was the progeny of that hot, lazy (and occasionally rainy) summer.” Sonic Boom.

TRACK LISTING

Side A)
1 Things'll Never Be The Same
2 Walking With Jesus
3 Ode To Street Hassle
4 Call The Doctor
5 Feel So Good
Side B)
1 Come Down Easy (Demo)
2 Transparent Radiation (Single Version)
3 Ecstasy Symphony
4 Soul
Side C)
1 Transparent Radiation
2 Come Down Easy
3 Walking With Jesus (Demo)
4 Things'll Never Be The Same (Demo)
Side D)
1 We Sell Soul
2 Starship (Demo)
3 Take Me To The Other Side (Demo)
4 Velvet Jam
5 I Want You Right Now

We are all artefacts for space travel, to paraphrase William Burroughs. Yet how to facilitate such journeys into either inner or outer space? This luckily is where Rocket Recordings come in, 25 years into their continuing mission. Operating from a 1998 launchpad in Bristol, Rocket’s questing vision has made them pathfinders for a particular kind of psychic terrain. The label may have been founded on disparate and dissolute passions - the vital grit and street-level attack of old-skool Hip Hop and Thrash Metal, the power of repetition, the astral awaydays of Hawkwind, the Fuzz and Wah of garage rock and early Sub Pop and the constellational signposts that connect Can, Funkadelic, Wax Trax Records & Aphex Twin on a map to other dimensions. Yet the stubbornly uncompromising ethos has always been to push beyond boundaries into areas which even the true heads have thus far never ventured. To celebrate a quarter century on the outer realms of exploration, Rocket presents you with a vital celebratory compilation collecting together eight of the current Rocket roster, all offering full-throttle salvos of metaphysical salvation. Resplendent in third-eye-cleansing sleeve art referencing French comic artist Philippe Caza, it’s a travelogue that traverses from the amp[1]damaging repetitive thunder of Gnod’s ‘Nought Sayin’ to the minimal electronic spellcasting of J. Zunz’s ‘Radix’, from the unsettling invective of Shit & Shine’s gleefully ornery ‘What’d You Mean, What?, What’ to the drone-based bliss of Centrum’s ‘Dü är så värdefull’, from Och’s nocturnal revelations to The Utopia Strong’s celestial visions, and from the potent rural vibrations of Smote’s ‘Coal Tongue’ to Goat’s dancefloor-ready ‘Goatsnake’ without losing coherence or focus.LAUNCH300 measures out the widescreen horizons of Rocket Recordings as it embarks on the next quarter century - a label with its feet on the ground and its head mapping out a defiant course for the unknown. Get on board.

TRACK LISTING

1. Smote – Coal Tongue
2. Goat – Goatsnake
3. Och – Inebriantia
4. Shit & Shine – What’d You Mean, What?
5. Gnod – Nought Sayin’
6. J. Zunz – Radix
7. Centrum – Du Är Så Värdefull
8. The Utopia Strong – Harpies

Potatohead People's much lauded and instantly sold out third LP Mellow Fantasyis back with a very limited edition black & blue swirl vinyl repress. The album showcases the trademark instrumental prowess of the duo and their ease with the loose but hard-hitting drum style brought to the fore by Jay Dee's influential productions, but goes well beyond basic boom bap bread and butter, with singer-centered R&B and uptempo bumps sharing the stage. On this album, Potatohead People have widened the frame of their progressive musical vision and deliver a far-reaching yet approachable set of moods and grooves.

On Mellow Fantasy, they had some impressive inspiration. De La Soul immediately connected with "Baby Got Work," a sophisticated slap that went through several iterations before settling into its ultimate form. Appropriately, the song's diligent construction echoes the ethic of the grind in the clear-eyed, precisely dovetailed lyrics fans have come to expect from the Daisy Age don. Befitting Potatohead People's origins as a hip-hop group, cameos from Illa J and Slum Village's T3 on the summertime teaser "What It Feels Like" and Vancouver veteran Moka Only (the sassy, vanity take-down "Ungodly") add to the unimpeachable rap bonafides.

The hometown connections continue with Lotusland local Kapok slinging verses on a couple tracks and rising stars Kendra Dias and Clear Mortifee, who stake serious claims as names to watch with standout vocal turns on the low-slung neo-soul "Break Even" and the upcoming second single "Hidden Levels," a high-flying house/future boogie hybrid. Following up their successful 2019 collabo "Single Life," Bunnie makes her return to action with the group on "Kettle Boiling." Ranging further, Reggie B, who broke on the scene with his lead on Onra's "High Hopes," shines on the optimistic bounce of "Bring The World A Little Closer."

Mellow Fantasy is Potatohead People's most evolved collection yet, rooted in earthy low end but elevated, expansive and reaching new musical heights.

TRACK LISTING

1. 1st Light
2. In The Garden
3. What It Feels Like (feat. T3, Illa J & Kapok)
4. Hidden Levels (feat. Clear Mortifee)
5. Baby Got Work (feat. Posdnuos & Kapok)
6. Proof Is In The Pudding
7. Break Even (feat. Kendra Dias)
8. Ungodly (feat. Kapok & Moka Only)
9. Island Delivery
10. Bring The World A Little Closer (feat. Reggie B)
11. Kettle Boiling (feat. Bunnie)
12. Ode To Mr Jacobs
13. All The Way (Bonus Track)

Two years on from their widely acclaimed third album, This Bit of Earth, Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson are back on the Go Deep label with their latest long player. What I Mean By Beautiful touches on the previous collection’s themes of upheaval and dislocation, digging through the lost and found of modern life and always looking for light in dark places.

The album marks something of a return to the duo’s house music roots, with a four-to-the-floor foundation underpinning many of the eleven tracks. It exudes a warm, natural sound, where samples sit with modular synths, programmed drums with live loops, and quirky plugins with obscure outboard gear.

Opening track, ‘I Float in the Clouds’, sets a dramatic tone with intricately interwoven guitar and keyboard lines, fragmented, spectral vocals and deep, melodic bass. Tempos range widely throughout the record, from the loose, low-slung grooves of ‘So They Were Changed’ and ‘High Wire’, to the infectious, mid-paced title track, to the intense house workouts of ‘You Came Into My Life’ and ‘All In Everything’. Greg and Shane’s long established dub leanings are also in evidence, especially on the slow motion churn of ‘Low Tide Dub’ and spacious atmospherics of ‘South Gate Step’. The album closes on an open and optimistic note with the soothing pads and deep electronic pulse of ‘Be Brave’, the result of a collaborative project with author Lisa McInerney and actor, Hillary Rose.

TRACK LISTING

A1. I Float In The Clouds
A2. So They Were Changed
A3. Love The Other
B1. Sown Seed
B2. What I Mean By Beautiful
B3. Low Tide Dub
C1. You Came Into My Life
C2. High Wire
C3. South Gate Step
D1. All In Everything
D2. Be Brave

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. The soundtrack of the award-winning documentary includes timeless hits from Little Richard like “Tutti Frutti”, “Rip It Up”, and “Long Tall Sally”, plus two covers from Valerie June and Cory Henry, and a piece from the film’s original score, composed by Tamar-Kali Brown.

TRACK LISTING

Good Golly, Miss Molly – Little Richard
Strange Things Happening Every Day – Valerie June
Baby (demo) – Little Richard
I’m Just A Lonely Guy (all Alone) – Little Richard
Tutti Frutti – Little Richard And His Band
Long Tall Sally – Little Richard And His Band
Lucille – Little Richard And His Band
Bama Lama Bama Loo – Little Richard
Rip It Up – Little Richard And His Band
Ready Teddy – Little Richard And His Band
The Girl Can’t Help It – Little Richard And His Band
Send Me Some Lovin’ – Little Richard And His Band
Tutti Frutti – Cory Henry
Legacy – Tamar-kali Brown

Reissue number seven for Heels & Souls Recordings sees them look back to the sounds of South Africa’s townships in 1991, cherry picking four of Tashif Kente’s finest cuts from his sought after album A Boy And A Dream, giving them space to breathe on a 12" pressing.

Clearly influenced by the flavours bubbling over from the UK and US in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, from R&B through to boogie, proto house to new jack swing, Tashif’s productions are a melting pot of ideas and influences, laced with a distinctive South African flavour.

Born in Soweto, Mzwandile ‘Tashif’ Kente, cut his teeth with Harari for a brief period, a group that birthed greats like Condry Ziqubu, Sipho Mabuse and Alec Khaoli, before going solo in 1984 and releasing just one album as Tashif Kente, 1991’s ‘A Boy And A Dream’. An album that speaks of love, lust and longing, produced by Kente and Selwyn Shandel with Marc Rantseli also joining the fold, it has that signature South African synth bass, drum machine and killer keyboard combo of the Bubblegum and Kwaito scenes, topped with Kente’s buttery vocals.

Heels & Souls Recordings take four favourites from the LP and press them loud on either side of a 12”. On the A, the audacious new jack, dancefloor bubbler ‘Tell Him I Became Your Lover’ leads into the lovestruck, boogie-tinged grooves of ‘Somebody’s Got My Love’. Flip it over to find a jealousy jam of the highest order with the synthy soul number ‘Who’s That Boy’, before ‘I Like The Way You Love Me’, a lights down low, R&B flavoured lovesong rounds off the EP.

Licensed from Gallo, who transferred the original ¼ inch tapes for their archives, Heels & Souls have enlisted the expertise of Justin Drake to remaster these South African beauties for a new generation of listeners.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Tell Him I Became Your Lover
A2. Somebody's Got My Love
B1. Who's That Boy
B2. I Like The Way You Love Me

Teeming with teenage angst, punk sensibilities, and Violent Femmes’ own special brand of jittery folk-rock, the trio’s self-titled 1981 debut Violent Femmes became a cult favourite. Featuring the anthems “Blister in the Sun,” “Please Do Not Go,” “Gone Daddy Gone,” and “Add It Up.” This expanded 40th anniversary edition features a trove of rare demos, live tracks, and more.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklisting:
Disc 1
1. Blister In The Sun
2. Kiss Off
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add It Up
5. Confessions
6. Prove My Love
7. Promise
8. To The Kill
9. Gone Daddy Gone
10. Good Feeling
11. Ugly
12. Gimme The Car
13. Girl Trouble (Demo)
14. Breakin' Up (Demo)
15. Waiting For The Bus (Demo)
16. Blister In The Sun (Demo)
17. Kiss Off (Demo)
18. Please Do Not Go (Demo)
19. Add It Up (Demo)
20. Confessions (Demo)
21. Prove My Love (Demo)
Disc 2
1. Special (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
2. Country Death Song (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
3. To The Kill (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
4. Never Tell (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
5. Break Song (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
6. Her Television (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
7. How Do You Say Goodbye (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
8. Theme And Variations (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
9. Prove My Love (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
10. Gone Daddy Gone (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
11. Promise (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
12. In Style (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
13. Add It Up (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)

Vinyl Tracklisting:
Disc 1 - Side A
1. Blister In The Sun
2. Kiss Off
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add It Up
5. Confessions
Disc 1 - Side B
1. Prove My Love
2. Promise
3. To The Kill
4. Gone Daddy Gone
5. Good Feeling
Disc 2 - Side A
1. Girl Trouble (Demo)
2. Breakin' Up (Demo)
3. Waiting For The Bus (Demo)
4. Blister In The Sun (Demo)
5. Kiss Off (Demo)
Disc 2 - Side B
1. Please Do Not Go (Demo)
2. Add It Up (Demo)
3. Confessions (Demo)
4. Prove My Love (Demo)
Disc 3 - Side A
1. Special (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
2. Country Death Song (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
3. To The Kill (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
4. Never Tell (Live At Beneath-It-All Café, Milwaukee, WI - 9/12/1981)
5. Break Song (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
6. Her Television (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
Disc 3 - Side B
1. How Do You Say Goodbye (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
2. Theme And Variations (Live At The Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI - 12/8/1981)
3. Prove My Love (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
4. Gone Daddy Gone (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
5. Promise (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
6. In Style (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
7. Add It Up (Live At Folk City, New York, NY - 1/26/1983)
7" Single
Side A
1. Ugly
Side B
1. Gimme The Car 

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

Varèse Sarabande released 7 tracks (20 minutes) from Blood Simple on a 1987 soundtrack album to coincide with Raising Arizona. Now, 40 years after its 1983 recording, Carter Burwell has produced a new mix and album of Blood Simple, featuring 13 tracks and 35 minutes from the original multitrack session tapes. Daniel Schweiger’s detailed liner notes recount the genesis of the project and the unforgettable Coens–Burwell partnership.

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

My Father My King’ was released originally as a single by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai in October 2001. The track, over 20 minutes long, is billed as a companion piece to the album ‘Rock Action’.

First time reissued on vinyl since original release in 2001.

Pressed on limited edition one-sided white vinyl.

Limited to 1500 copies for the UK & Ireland

TRACK LISTING

A1. My Father My King

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

This first-ever vinyl pressing of Alan Silvestri’s score for the 1992 black comedy Death Becomes Her features seven cues that were not included in the original soundtrack release, plus the original song “Me,” performed by legendary actress Meryl Streep. Pressed on limited-edition Purple vinyl with original cover art and a printed inner sleeve. 

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

Collection of rare and previously unreleased demo recordings of some of Stax Records’ biggest hits, with the highlights from "Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos". Featuring original demos of the hit singles “634-5789 (Soulsville, USA),” “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me),” “Woman to Woman,” and “Respect Yourself” . Pressed on Orange Crush vinyl.

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

Brand new collection of six dub tracks, remixed from The Bees’ classic debut album ‘Sunshine Hit Me’.

Features three tracks previously unreleased on any physical format.

Limited to 900 copies for the UK & Ireland

TRACK LISTING

1. Punchdub
2. Angry Dub
3. No Trophy Version
4. This Town Version
5. Lying In The Dub
6. Sky Holds The Dub

‘Elephantasia’ is a glorious folk opus from 1972, long lost and attaining a legendary reputation for its candour and creativity, from the late Bangor-born singer/songwriter Dave Evans. Finally, the LP sees the light of day again via Earth Recordings, it is a true gem from the vaults of British folk history. For fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay and Davy Graham – with a touch of Michael Chapman, Bert Jansch and Fahey for good measure.

Dave Evans’ story is like a Pinter play; he sailed the seas in the merchant navy, was taught guitar in a brief interlude by the “mythical” Morocco John, wound up sharing a room with Steve Tilston in 1963 when they attended Loughborough Art College and ran the local folk club, while learning to make stringed instruments, the art of wine making and ceramics. Over the next year, Dave got a domestic 2-track reel-to-reel tape recorder and experimented with its two speeds to produce the tracks ‘Elephantasia’ and ‘Lady Portia’. He pulled in members of local prog band Squidd, including latter day Hawkwind member Steve Swindells on keyboards, John Merritt on bass and Rodney Matthews on drums, who also designed the ‘Elephantasia’ album cover, and went on to become a renowned fantasy artist.

‘Elephantasia’ the album was originally released in 1972, fully exposing Dave’s finger picking style, lilting vocal and his dalliance with the tape manipulation. It sold around 2000 copies and over the years became a talked about rarity, deemed too progressive for folk, too folk for the new prog heads. In best plot-thickening style, Dave tried two more releases and then disappeared. The scant sleeve notes recounted the songs’ creation, featuring tales of experimentation in sound inspired by elephants, old memories recounted with all of the unpleasant bits edited out, storylines for escapists, the residents of St Agnes Park, broken beauty queens and a fat feline. It’s an eclectic but beautifully fluent narrative from a finger picking maestro with a warm and engaging vocal style that wowed Peel and Whispering Bob back in the day.

Dave Evans sadly died in April 2021. Earth Recordings is proud to reissue ‘Elephantasia’ for the first time in over 50 years, in collaboration with his estate and original Village Thing producer Ian A. Anderson.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1 Only Blue
A2 Elephantasia
A3 Lady Portia
A4 That's My Way
A5 On The Run
Side B
B1 St. Agnes Park
B2 Beauty Queen
B3 Ten Ton Tasha
B4 Earth, Wind, Sun & Rain
B5 Take Me Easy

Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX is the second compilation for Eskimo Recordings compiled and curated by Berlin-based Musician and DJ Luca Venezia, aka Curses, to explore the darker side of club music. Spread across 3CDs and three 2LPs Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX features a mammoth 49 tracks that join the dots between early industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle, EBM legends like Nitzer Ebb and the post-punk experiments of people like Malcolm McLaren and Big Audio Dynamite with some of the most exciting artists around today, such as Boy Harsher, Nuovo Testamento and Years of Denial.

Where the first Next Wave Acid Punx compilation was a personal journey for Luca, a lockdown inspired exploration of his record collection to find the thread that ran through the music that had soundtracked much of his life, DEUX is a celebration of that music let loose on the world, the thrill of music performed live, the smoke and strobe filled clubs you'll hear it in and the artists you'll find on those stages.

"After our enforced break, getting back out there and playing live again really brought home to me so much of what I love about the scene I'm in but also just how important live music has been and is to club culture over the years," Luca explains. "Too often we think of club nights and live gigs as these separate things, but throughout the years it's where the two meet, the friction that can cause, that you'll find the most vibrant scenes."

"There's an energy, an atmosphere that you get with live music, an unpredictability where at any moment something can go wrong or even better right in a way you never expect. I think about a live set we played at a Lebanese festival where our MPC drum machine froze up because of all the dust and sand trapped in the pads. We had to improvise half our set, jamming bass and guitar and pedal FX and vocals, embracing this surreal environment and experience, something that could only happen in the moment."

"With Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX I wanted to celebrate those bands and artists, past and present who, to me, represent that spirit. Both full live bands and makeshift electronic duos alike, the kind of acts that you might have found wedged between DJs back in the day at The Hacienda in the 80s, Trash in the 00s or today at nights like Berlin’s MILK ME, EXBTN in Paris, Night Terrors + SC&P in London, New York City’s Synthicide or Ukraine’s Worn Pop."

"So I've put this compilation together much like my favourite kind of night, going out to see some bands play, hitting up a club where live music and DJs blur together, before the serious business of the after party. On Chapter 1 you'll find bands like Vicious Pink, DAF and Cabaret Voltaire, some of these acts are more obscure than others, some flirted with pop and even the charts but they were all embracing new ways of working in the late 70s and 80s that both set them apart and set the scene for much of what we think of as club music."

"Chapter 2 moves the night on, and this is the sound of the clubs I love to both play and just hang out in these days, clubs where the people involved put a lot more time into digging through the crates than working on their Instagram Reels. These are places where you're as likely to find a band on stage as you are a DJ, where 80's German electro pop by a band like Boytronic seamlessly flows into tracks like Silent Servant’s Non Fiction. Timeless music that can be romantic, dreamlike and ethereal one moment, then veer into dark, industrial sounds the next."

"Then finally we get to that part of the night where you probably should go home but if it's too late for good decisions there's still time for good music. Things are a bit wilder here, the drums a bit harder, the synths are more aggressive, tracks like The Hacker's Monopoly, Zanias' Tryptamine Palace or EVA's Industrial Hope that don't let up, don't let you go, just subjugate you to the beat and keep you there till you stumble out blinking into a new day." 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Another absolute stormer of a comp from the Eskimo crew. this time it's split into three, and it's REALLY hard to say which i'd go for given the chance. Throbbing Gristle, Cab Voltaire, DAF, The KVB and literally tens more. A perfectly curated selection of dark dancefloor grit and soaring synthy groove.

TRACK LISTING

Chapter 1:
A1. Throbbing Gristle - Distant Dreams, Pt. 2
A2. Mary Möör - Pretty Day
A3. Sad Lovers & Giants - Things We Never Did
A4. Malcolm McLaren - Madam Butterfly (Un Bel Di Vedremo)
B1. Big Audio Dynamite - The Big V
B2. Cabaret Voltaire - Blue Heat
B3. Nitzer Ebb - Hearts And Minds (Mix Hypersonic)
B4. Clan Of Xymox - Obsession
C1. In Sotto Voce - In Sotto Voce
C2. Psyche - Prisoner To Desire (Single Mix)
C3. Propaganda - The Murder Of Love
C4. DAF - Brothers (Gabi Mix)
D1. Book Of Love - Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes) (I Dream Of Jeanne Mix)
D2. Vicious Pink - Cccan’t You See
D3. Absolute Body Control - Total Control

Chapter 2:
A1. Boytronic - Voloczny
A2. The KVB - Still Warm (2023 Version)
A3. Cardinal & Nun - Freak And Weak
A4. Jennifer Touch - Altars
A5. Matrixxman - Assembly Line
B1. Silver Tears - Always Shine (Wait For The Rain)
B2. Essaie Pas - Retox
B3. Aili X Transistorcake - Dansu
B4. Years Of Denial - It Sucks
C1. Dina Summer - Darkness
C2. Patriarchy - Suffer
C3. Maelstrom & Louisahhh - Hate Machine
C4. Dame Area - Buon Cittadino
C5. Kris Baha - Into The Dark
D1. Desire - Love Races On
D2. Blind Delon Feat. I Hate Models - Flashback
D3. Poison Point - Altered Beats
D4. Roe Deers - Muscles

Chapter 3:
A1. Boy Harsher - Machina (feat. Mariana Saldaña) (Dark Remix)
A2. Silent Servant - Non Fiction
A3. J.W.B. Hits The Beat - Body On Body (Curses Revamp)
A4. Hungry Boys - Toi
B1. Nuovo Testamento - Heartbeat (Curses Remix - Edit)
B2. Autumns - Repeat Prescription
B3. Buzz Kull - A Place (That’s Meant To Be)
B4. Soft Crash - Dolce Morte
C1. Dame Bonnet & Mufti - Pleasure Dreams
C2. Ultra Sunn - Night Is Mine
C3. Neu-Romancer - Burning Eyes
C4. EVA - Industrial Hope
D1. Andi Vs Randolph & Mortimer - Formidable Truths
D2. Zanias - Tryptamine Palace
D3. The Hacker - Monopoly
D4. Paradox Obscur - Evo-Devo

'Curses presents... Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX' is happening! Ahead of the full release in the fall we are excited to bring you this dj sampler as a taster. On this 12" you'll find two unreleased (!) Curses reworks of Nuovo Testamento and J.W.B. Hits The Beat originals that have been absolute highlights in his DJ sets lately, and two tracks by Mary Möör and Cabaret Voltaire that are taken from Curses' classics selection.

'Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX' is a return to the dark romantic of the past, present and future. An undying passion for all things post-punk/wave/body music and beyond.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Nuovo Testamento - Heartbeat (Curses Remix) *
A2. Mary Möör - Pretty Day *
B1. J.W.B. Hits The Beat - Body On Body (Curses Revamp)
B2. Cabaret Voltaire - Blue Heat (12" Mix)

* Exclusive To This Format

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Turin Brakes’ second album Ether Song, [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue will reissue the long out of print album as a limited 2LP Blue Vinyl.

This reissue will mark the first time that the album has been repressed since original release in 2003.

TRACK LISTING

1. Blue Hour
2. Average Man
3. Long Distance
4. Self Help
5. Falling Down
6. Stone Thrown
7. Clean Blue Air
8. Pain Killer (Summer Rain)
9. Full Of Stars
10. Panic Attack
11. Little Brother
12. Rain City
13. Ether Song

Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble (SOSE) is the latest evolution from London based DJ / producer, label and party series Secretsundaze. Sitting at the intersection of live music and electronic music innovation, leading contemporary musicians reimagine, record and perform a selection of tracks which have been foundational across Secretsundaze’s 20+ year history, embracing a myriad of influences from Balearic to synth pop to Brit funk.

EP ‘I’ opens with their take on Joyce Sims’ classic ‘Come Into My Life’, moving the original Mantronix production into a more contemporary UK / street soul / Balearic territory, featuring the vocals of ensemble member Sahra Gure.

Next is a re-imagination of Photek’s seminal ‘Mine to Give’. Featuring Wayne Snow on vocals and garnering wide support on it's release last summer, this is the first time it's available on vinyl. For this the tempo is slowed and explored in a more synthy 80s production style, with a DJ friendly extended version featured here.

The B-side sees them take on a beloved Phil Asher (RIP) production, Nathan Haines’ stunning ‘Earth is the Place’, a classic Secretsundaze record if ever there was one. Featuring the vocals of Cherise, the SOSE version is a dancefloor ready update which will appeal to all lovers of proper deep, soulful-leaning house music - one for the heads.

Closing the record is a flip of Wbeeza’s ‘Coast Spotting’. Featuring synths from the excellent Hinako Omori, this one goes in with an extended late night transcendental electronic / jazz rework with the original’s looped lead line modulating throughout the piece.

Leading musicians feature on the record including:
Drums - Myele Manzanza (Theo Parrish, Sound Signature)
Keys - Lewis Moody (Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange)
Guitar - Nikos Ziarkas (Theon Cross, Chelsea Carmichael)
Percussion - Oli Savill (Basement Jaxx)
Bass - Johnny Brierley (Fofoulah)

All in all, an impressive debut showcasing the breadth and scope of this exciting new live project from Secretsundaze founder James Priestley, one to watch. Limited to 300 copies, don't sleep on this one.

Following their debut sold out show at Southbank’s Centre Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Ensemble next take to the London stage at the iconic EartH Theatre, Dalston on September 21st for an EP launch party as well as a headline open-air concert at Las Dalias, Ibiza as part of Beat Hotel on September 30th.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: London party institution / record label / global dance brand Secret Sundaze have started a live project and it's KILLER. Reworking classics that have soundtracked their infamous Sunday sessions over their 20 year incarnation. The results are staggering - faithful and spirited cover versions that add their own personality into the mix. More please!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Come Into My Life 
A2. Mine To Give (Extended Mix) Ft. Wayne Snow 
B1. Earth Is The Place Ft. Cherise 
B2. Coast Spotting Ft. Hinako Omori 

Since Samurai Breaks took home the award for DJ Mag’s ‘Best Breakthrough Producer’ back in 2021, he has been at the forefront of the UK 160+bpm explosion over the last few years. His signature style of footwork, jungle, bassline, 4x4, rave and grime has seen him play at festivals like Glastonbury, Boomtown and Bangface, alongside epic back to backs with some of the scenes heroes like Mandidextrous, Sully, NAINA, Fixate, Addison Groove and Pete Cannon.

Following his fiery EP ‘Turbo Rave Artillery’ on Hooversound back in the summer of ’21 (featuring a weighty remix from one of the leading figures in the modern jungle scene, Coco Bryce), Samurai Breaks returns on the Hoover imprint, flexing his unique fusion of genres that fits perfectly amongst the Hooversound roster.

The ‘Jus A Raver’ EP optimises everything the artist is about, from wobbly basslines to his experimental blend of high tempo genres. The EP includes Polo Lilli’s debut on Hooversound, with a remix that takes you on a wild journey and perfectly rounds off the release.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Modern drum & bass continues to innovate and frankly, sounds in as good a place as it ever has. Samurai Breaks represents the best of the new school - combining jungle rawness, precision sampling and rave energy into one upfront juggernaut of pots, pans and humming subs.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Jus A Raver 
A2. Mystery Wobbler Dub 
A3. Skippy 
B1. Vanilla Flutes 
B2. Vegas Thumpa 
B3. Mystery Wobbler Dub (Polo Lilli Remix) 

Released in 2008, Accelerate was intended as a departure from R.E.M.’s previous album, Around the Sun, and was lauded for the aggressive, purposeful sound of the songs. The album was described by Rolling Stone as “one of the best records R.E.M. has ever made.” It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 18 weeks. The LP contains fan favorite “Supernatural Superserious.”

This edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a printed insert. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge
2. Man-Sized Wreath
3. Supernatural Superserious
4. Hollow Man
5. Houston
6. Accelerate
Side B
1. Until The Day Is Done
2. Mr. Richards
3. Sing For The Submarine
4. Horse To Water
5. I'm Gonna DJ 

As the founder of infuential proto-punk band The Modern Lovers, Richman had
strived to convey authentic emotions and storytelling with his music. 'I, Jonathan'
continued this aesthetic with simple and sparse rock and roll arrangements, and
straightforward lyrics about everyday topics, such as music, parties, summer, and dancing. It is widely- regarded as one of his best works, and is considered an influential album in the lo-f genre.

This is the 2023 re-press on black vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Parties In The U.S.A.
2. Tandem Jump
3. You Can't Talk To The Dude
4. Velvet Underground
5. I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar
6. Rooming House On Venice Beach
7. That Summer Feeling
8. Grunion Run
9. A Higher Power
10. Twilight In Boston

Before there was (Taylor’s Version), there was (John’s Version).

“The Last Recordings,” the last known studio recordings from John Denver, recorded in Nashville in 1997 shortly before the singer’s untimely death, is a collection of Denver’s greatest hits reimagined as the singer wished to present them and intended by Denver to take the place of masters recorded under his decades-long run with a major label.

Previously released only in a limited CD pressing in Europe, Denver’s Estate and Windstar Records are excited to present “The Last Recordings” for the first time worldwide, at digital retailers everywhere, and available on CD and blue seafoam wave vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
Whispering Jesse
Dreamland Express
Rocky Mountain High
Take Me Home, Country Roads
Christmas For Cowboys
Love Again
SIDE B
Sunshine On My Shoulders
Perhaps Love
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Windsong
I’m Sorry
Back Home Again

For fans of Khruangbin, El Michels Affair, Madlib and Bonobo. Features the singles ‘It’s Real, ‘Amnesia’, and ‘The Ocean’. Will Dorey aka Skinshape has proven himself time and again a connoisseur for the cosmopolitan, across a prolific career expertly exploring understated sounds and theatrical textures. Taking his place alongside the likes of Khruangbin, Tame Impala, Bonobo and Madlib, Skinshape’s global kaleidoscopes are loaded with warmth and wisdom created on vintage analogue equipment applying a perfectionist’s touch.

As a former member of indie band Palace, he has played everywhere from Glastonbury and BBC Maida Vale to headlining Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Speaking on his latest record Craterellus Tubaeformis, Dorey remarks, "As I continue to make albums, I always try to capture some elements of the original Skinshape style. Here I ran through albums 1-3. This record is really an echo of the "Life & Love" era of Skinshape, playful psychedelia, with punchy beats, fun surprises, and an attempt at meaningful lyrics." Named after a very specific genus of edible mushroom, Craterellus Tubaeformis shares all the attributes of its nutritious counterpart due to how difficult both are to cultivate. Skinshape’s music is the product of a highly devoted and meticulous composer who uses some of the rarest analogue equipment out there. The product is such a definitive sound heard nowhere else but so easily identified as Skinshape. 

TRACK LISTING

A1 The Pool Of Dee
A2 It's Real
A3 The Ocean
A4 The Longest Shadow
A5 Care About Me
A6 Nobody Knows
A7 Quiet
B1 Amnesia
B2 Zanzibar
B3 Ganymede
B4 The Lady
B5 Peace Piece
B6 Country Woman

Remastered version of ‘Home Cooking’, the album that cemented Yoda as a versatile producer and not just a deejay. It now serves as a snapshot of the jazz and soul scene at the time with artists like Nubya Garcia, Eva Lazarus and Theon Cross going on to break out. Recorded between his own studio and the world-famous Abbey Road, ‘Home Cooking’ keeps one foot in the Hip-Hop old school with collaborations and the return from Jungle Brothers and Boston bastion Edo. G. Two key singles have been remixed for a bonus 7”. ‘Roxbury’ featuring Nubya Garcia and Edo. G has been given the golden treatment by the legendary Double Dee & Steinski while ‘London Fields’ featuring Joel Culpepper is reworked by label mates The Still Brothers. 

TRACK LISTING

London Fields Feat. Joel Culpepper
Thornton Heath Feat. Omar
Rising Brook Feat. Eva Lazarus
Kingswood Feat. Andrew Ashong
Abbey Road Feat. Nubya Garcia Theon Cross & Henry Wu
Roxbury Feat. Edo G & Nubya Garcia
Soweto Feat. Scarface Manolo
Hither Green Feat. Joel Culpepper & Baby Bam
Afrika Feat. Jungle Brothers
Croxley Green
Eastville Feat. Eva Lazarus
Boundary Gardens Feat. Andrew Ashong….
Roxbury Double Dee & Steinski Remix
London Fields Still Brothers Remix

New remastered version with alternative cover art. Unlike all DJ Yoda’s artist albums, ‘Breakfast Of Champions’ features the same collaborators on every track effectively putting together a band. The genesis of the project was in Manchester, where the legendary Band On The Wall venue asked him to host an artistic residency. He put a call out for local musicians, did auditions, and selected three rappers. Two were local to Manchester - Truthos Mufasa and Sparkz. They were local legends making up parts of The Mouse Outfit and LVLZ. And the third was Rex Domino from down south, who was a British MC who Yoda thought would gel well with the other guys. They wrote, rehearsed and recorded intensively in Manchester - performed a memorable series of live shows (including an epic Glastonbury show), and Yoda put the finishing touches to the album back in London after the fact. “It was such an enjoyable experience” says Yoda. “Lifelong friendships were made, and most excitingly two of the band members got together (James Breen, drummer, and Claire Northey, violinist) and had two kids! So there are Breakfast of Champions humans out there too!” This new pressing features alternative artwork that was never used at the time of the album’s original release. 

TRACK LISTING

A1 And To The World
A2 Day To Night
A3 Pebble Beach
A4 Click
A5 2468
B1 Super Cereal Syrup
B2 The Baddest
B3 Mantra
B4 Better Day
B5 Open Your Eye

For fans of Khraungbin, El Michels Affair, Skinshape, The Shacks. Features the singles ‘Wake Up’, ‘The Deep’, ‘I Wanna Be With You’ and ‘It’s Not Over’. Supported Big Crown’s Surprise Chef on their 2023 UK Tour. Brooklyn duo The Still Brothers is a musical project of childhood friends Evan Heinze (The Shacks/Big Crown) and Andrew LeCoche (Ula Ruth). Heinze has toured with the likes of Khraungbin, Lee Fields and Cut Chemist, while LeCoche’s old band once opened for Paul Simon and Edie Brickell. A former student of Madlib’s uncle Jon Faddis, LeCoche has scored music for Netflix and Patagonia and sound design for Twitter, Patron, and Marvel. Signing to Lewis Recordings in 2020 the band’s first single ‘The Deep’ was instantly picked up by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music who regularly plays it to this day. ‘Wake Up’ featuring the vocals of Marina B. spent six weeks on the BBC 6 Music playlist gaining support from Lauren Laverne, Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Craig Charles, Huey Morgan, Cerys Matthews, Don Letts, Tom Ravenscroft and Guy Garvey. Lockdown didn’t slow down the band’s creativity with many tracks on their self-titled debut EP recorded remotely. 

TRACK LISTING

Intro
I Wanna Be With You
Sungalz
Rest Easy
Easy, Easy
Wake Up
When Will I See U?
It’s Not Over
Ah Ha
The Deep

RIYL: Ra Ra Riot, Thao, Regina Spektor, Andrew Bird, Typhoon.

"Omoiyari" means to have empathy and consideration for others, and act on it. This fall, the American indie-folk multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Kishi Bashi is set to release the companion album to his forthcoming documentary song film, titled Music from the Song Film: Omoiyari. Consisting of two LPs "The Songs" and "The Score" the release showcases what is essentially the soundtrack to Omoiyari, the feature-length motion picture co-directed by Kishi Bashi, aka Kaoru Ishibashi or "K," which is being released via MTV Documentary Films in November.

Focusing on K's own six-year journey of discovery surrounding his research of the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the film is part social justice documentary and part song-film experiment. The album includes K's live improvisations, which are featured in the documentary, many recorded on the sites where the concentration camps stood. Written during and about the artist's transformational dive into his personal identity and serving as a broad survey of the Japanese American experience as well as the incarceration Music from the Song Film: Omoiyari serves as an evocative musical accompaniment to the lessons of empathy and compassion portrayed in the film and highlights the process and power of one of modern indie's most talented musicians. 

TRACK LISTING

Intro At The Piano
Red, White, And Blue
Improvisation At Heart Mountain
Summer Of ‘42 (orchestral Edition)
Improvisation In The Root Cellar
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The T Funk Collective are a synth loving duo hailing out of Manchester UK; DJ T2Funk and Atomphunk. They started out in the mid-nineties DJing playing quality house music at the CLEAR parties in warehouses, bars, clubs, forests and beaches in and around Stockport, Manchester and Wales. DJ T2Funk is a multi-genre DJ who is rostered on Manchester’s Selectahs DJ Agency and the owner of Regulate Recordings. Atomphunk has deep house roots and productions on labels such as Toko Records, 3AM Recordings, Urban Torque Records and Deepfunk Records (USA).

The fuses fuses hip hop, funk, party breaks and plenty more into a pair of authentic old school sounds. ‘Do You Wanna Party’ blends funky guitars, snapping drums, squelching basslines, impressive horns. Do You Wanna Party once again see’s turntablist DJ Stet and DJ Deviant cutting up the vocals to culminate in a melting pot of a synth based melodic flavour. ‘Party Time’ is synth fused party vibe track that builds with driving basslines and a vocal hook into a latin synth section of grooving layered keys. 

TRACK LISTING

A. Do You Wanna Party
B. Party Time 

"Skum and Villainy Edits Vol 1" by DJ Deviant represents a dynamic fusion of musical genres and tracks, interweaving elements from rock, hip-hop, and funk. “Intergalactic Rocket Fuel” incorporates everybody's favourite beats and pieces resulting in an energetic mashup.

"House Party Rocker" epitomises an electrifying blend of lively party hip-hop style harmonised with the potent funk-rock guitar riffs and it guarantees a thrilling experience on the dance floor.

This release is a superb selection for DJs looking to provide a vibrant and genre-blurring dance music adventure.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Intergalactic Rocket Launch
B1. House Party Rocker 

Released in 2001, Reveal was co-produced with long-time collaborator Patrick McCarthy. The album sees R.E.M. experiment with synthesized sound, but also make “a conscious return to their classic sound” (Allmusic). The record features hits “Imitation of Life” and “All the Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be a Star).

This edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl with a printed insert. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. The Lifting
2. I’ve Been High
3. All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)
4. She Just Wants To Be
5. Disappear
6. Saturn Return
Side B
1. Beat A Drum
2. Imitation Of Life
3. Summer Turns To High
4. Chorus And The Ring
5. I’ll Take The Rain
6. Beachball 

The phoenix symbolizes a new beginning. The fire burns off the last vestiges of the past as the bird spreads its wings and takes flight into the future. The Polyphonic Spree harness the flames of rebirth on their 2023 full-length offering, Salvage Enterprise. Led by frontman, founder, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and visionary Tim DeLaughter, the group embark on their next season. They’re reverent of their history, yet they’re also ready for an even brighter tomorrow.

“Across all of the music I’ve done, lyrically there’s a sense of desperation and a moment of convincing myself I’m going to make it through regardless of how the music dresses up,” notes Tim. “On this one, I struggled with the amount of vulnerability I was experiencing and was willing to share both musically and lyrically, but ultimately decided to let it play out. Now that it's done, I'm happy with the dance between the two. It’s a ‘rising-from-theashes’ record.”

Salvage Enterprise beckons complete immersion. Opener “Galloping Seas (Section 44)” affixes softly strummed acoustic guitar to an orchestral hum as Tim urges, “Hold on through the galloping seas.” “We’re all galloping through rough waters,” he says. “I tried to describe the process as well as I could and encourage people to keep their heads above the storm and the waves. Ride it out. It’s going to be okay. It starts off very calm and introspective, and you can envision where it’s going.”

Flute echoes over nimbly plucked guitar during “Shadows On The Hillside (Section 48)” as keys twinkle. A glorious harmony amplifies the nostalgia of “Hop Off The Fence (Section 49).” It concludes with “Morning Sun, I Built The Stairs (Section 52).” Optimism strains through his hopeful intonation, “I learned to fly, the more that I become a new reason, I want to try,” uplifted by boisterous horns and cinematic strings. It crashes into an Ennio Morricone-style crescendo bolstered even higher by operatic vocals.

“There is an arc of leaving the world behind, stripping your old self away, and becoming new again,” he offers. “You’re shedding off this old world, and you’re heading into the future. It’s an epic ending. You’ve made it. You’re going to be alright.” In the end, The Polyphonic Spree are the soundtrack to that light at the end of the tunnel.

TRACK LISTING

1. Section 44: Galloping Seas
2. Section 45: Wishful, Brave, And True
3. Section 46: Give Me Everything
4. Section 47: Got Down To The Soul
5. Section 48: Shadows On The Hillside
6. Section 49: Hop Off The Fence
7. Section 50: Open The Shores
8. Section 51: Winds Of Summer
9. Section 52: Morning Sun, I Built The Stairs

The initial pressing was limited to 3,000 copies available exclusively via artist and label webstore, selling out in minutes. This second edition features a new XL house bag sleeve design and is now available via retailers globally.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Pretty mad story behind this one. Originally supposed to be out in 2013, it got leaked and consequently pulled and has been the subject of feverish urban folklore ever since. Still sounding remarkably fresh ten years later - the LP plays like a warped amalgamation of pop, r&b, dancehall, bass and beats; its slick, wavy, hi-gloss, big bass production the perfect formula for XL.

TRACK LISTING

1. One Of The Bredrins
2. Str8 Outta Mumbai
3. Zion Wolf Theme (Unfinished)
4. Garden Of Paradise (Instrumental, Unfinished)
5. Genevieve (Unfinished)
6. Raw Beat (Unfinished)
7. Crush (Unfinished)
8. Good Time
9. Jasmine (Demo)
10. 100,000 (Unfinished)
11. Vibin' (Unfinished)
12. Baby Beat (Unfinished)
13. Desert River (Unfinished)
14. Chix (Unfinished)
15. All Night (Unfinished)
16. BTSTU (Demo)

T Funk Collective teams up with Atomphunk for his debut track for Regulate Recordings on the labels fifth release. Atomphunk has deep house roots and productions on labels such as Toko Records, 3AM Recordings, Urban Torque Records and Deepfunk Records (USA) and he brings his A game to the flip side for this release.

T Funk Collective - ‘Since I fell for you’ takes its influence from classic 90s street soul. It blends classic horns, a phat Jupiter synth base line, delicious key, all layered with a sensual vocal with to create an upbeat summer anthem.

Atomphunk - ‘Come Boogie’ has a classic 70s disco vibe with its infectious brass and strings driven along by solid drums and a funky rhythm guitar and a squelchy bass line.

So here, it is the fifth release from Regulate Recordings, the T Funk Collective and Atomphunk. What you say is important, so offer us your verdict.

TRACK LISTING

A. Since I Fell For You
B. Come Boogie 

Blind On A Galloping Horse serves as David Holmes’ first solo album since 2008’s The Holy Pictures.

A 14-track interrogation of the last decade, time spent watching a decaying, fraying Britain visibly buckling in real time while tending to his own battles with mental health. Holmes’ soundtrack to this inquiry is at times claustrophobic, often euphoric, driven by the rattle and snap of analogue drum machines, wild oscillations of droning analogue synths and the voice of Raven Violet which beguiles and commands in a way that could part oceans.

On this record, there are songs of hope for an age of uncertainty; love songs to leap the barricades to and, on ‘Necessary Genius’, a comprehensive roll call of the great and good - those ‘dreamers, misfits, radicals, outcasts’ that we’ve lost and just a few who’ve managed to cling on in the churn of the 21st century. And there are elegiac electronics evocative of an endless Europe where pulsating, crackling rhythm tracks fuse with dreamlike textures and the underground pulse of psychedelic therapy to form something unique that feels nothing less than radical. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's no wonder we (the shop) or we (Manchester) have taken to David Holmes, with the snappy post-industrial synth-gloom of 'Necessary Genius' referencing Tony Wilson by name and by design. It's yet another bit of evidence that Holmes' musical skills know no bounds. Rich, evocative works throughout and produced as you'd expect, perfectly.

TRACK LISTING

1. When People Are Occupied Resistance Is Justified
2. It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love
3. Emotionally Clear
4. Hope Is The Last Thing To Die
5. You Will Know Me By The Smell Of Onions
6. Necessary Genius
7. Yeah X 3
8. I Laugh Myself To Sleep
9. Too Muchroom
10. Agitprop 13
11. Stop Apologising
12. Tyranny Of The Talentless
13. Love In The Upside Down
14. Blind On A Galloping Horse 

Following on from the warm reception to Hell Yeah and Music Conception reissuing Calm's cult Before album, the labels have come together once more to offer up a reissue of the Japanese master's highly sought-after long player Moonage Electric Ensemble. The hard-to-find original has been given an all-new mixdown from original stem files and then re-mastered by Calm himself, and the double LP will also come with a bonus 12" featuring his very own Daydream Dubs plus an obi-strip and original artwork by FJD.

The blissful yet soul-stirring Moonage Electric Ensemble, which landed first in 1999, was Kiyotaka Fukagawa's stunning sophomore album and the one that kept the bar high following his debut Shadow of the Earth. It investigated all new worlds of future jazz, ambient and downtempo and has since become a cult classic that often fetches three figures on secondhand markets. He has released over 18 albums since including Before which was reissued in 2022, though Moonage Electric Ensemble remains a favourite with those who enjoy the most accomplished and innovative sounds from the first wave of chillout.

This escapist charmer opens with the suspensory synths and piano keys of 'Unseen Small Steps' featuring spoken words from Dan Gamble, then 'Light Year' has gently tumbling rhythms and shimming synth moving about the soothing mix. 'Noon At The Moon' brings gorgeously fizzing future jazz drums and mellifluous piano playing full of subtle joy, and 'The Other Side Of The Moon' then layers up melancholic chords and chunkier rhythms that are detailed with gorgeous persuasive details and mystic flutes. 'Tsukiyo' is a new age charmer with paddy hand drums and romantic interplay between sax and trumpet, 'Between Worlds' is an ambient interlude with distant winds blowing and intimate whispers from Gamble before closer 'Authentic Love Song' rides on dusty trip hop breaks as lazy piano chords melt the heart and Gamble serves up another aloof monologue.

This is another welcome reissue of a sublime album that is not only one of Calm's finest but also a true gem in the wider world of downtempo music.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Unseen Small Steps
A2. Light Years
A3. Noon At The Moon
A4. The Other Side Of The Moon
B1. Tsukiyo
B2. Between Worlds
B3. Authentic Love Song
B4. OasisC1Light Years
C2. Noon At The Moon
C3. The Other Side Of The Moon
D1. Tsukiyo
D2. Authentic Love Song
D3. Oasis

40th anniversary vinyl edition of Southern Californian punk pioneers Social Distortion’s debut album Mommy’s Little Monster. Newly mastered from the original analogue tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, the album contains the nine original songs, including title track “Mommy’s Little Monster” and single “Another State of Mind”, and is newly packaged in a gatefold jacket to match the original release.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Creeps
2. Another State Of Mind
3. It Wasn't A Pretty Picture
4. Telling Them
5. Hour Of Darkness
6. Mommy's Little Monster
7. Anti-Fashion
8. All The Answers
9. Moral Threat 

Steven Adams, formerly of The Broken Family Band releases new album DROPS on Fika Recordings. Since calling time on TBFB at the height of their success, Adams has released half a dozen albums under various names (Singing Adams, Steven James Adams, Steven Adams & The French Drops), his witty, incisive lyrics and melodic sensibilities taking in DIY indie rock, folky introspection, and off-kilter pop hooks. Originally from South Wales, Adams now lives in East London.

“Every record I’ve made has been in a hurry of some sort” says Adams of his new album, “and with this one I took my time”. DROPS is the first album to be credited to him as a solo artist since 2016’s Old Magick, his first new music since 2020, and his noisiest record to date. Armed with a new batch of material, he began by upping sticks to the Welsh countryside to experiment with drummer Daniel Fordham and bassist David Stewart - both formerly of psych oddballs The Drink. The trio then took the songs to Big Jelly, a converted chapel on the south coast, with co-producer Simon Trought (Comet Gain, Johnny Flynn, The Wave Pictures) to lay down the basic tracks for DROPS. Eschewing a full band set up (“I wanted to concentrate on one thing at a time”), recording sessions in East London followed with Laurie Earle (Absentee) on guitar and Michael Wood (Hayman Kupa Band, Michaelmas) on keyboards. Adams then took the recordings home and to the French countryside, to work alone. “I finally got my head around home recording in 2020, while things were a bit quiet. Once I worked out how to record things I realised I didn’t have to think about time. I could let the songs evolve and change once we had the basic tracks down. After a while I started to think of them as paintings; trying something one morning, painting over it in the afternoon and attempting something completely different… it was about enjoying the process, making some bangers, playing around... and giving Simon the producer a mess to sort out when it came to mixing the record". Whenever Tom from Fika Recordings checked in to see how the album was progressing Adams would reply, “it’s taking ages but it’ll sound like it was recorded in an afternoon”. The result is a dynamic and spirited collection of songs, with Adams's love of 90/00s US underground rock (Pavement's Bob Nastanovich is a fan) to the fore. DROPS is a sonically compelling piece of work: from bleak/exultant opener Out to Sea and the motorik Living in the Local Void to the weirdly funereal Fascists (where Adams imagines the “little skip in our steps” that we’ll have upon outliving some baddies), and Day Trip's psychedelia in miniature. There are also moments of tenderness: the avalanche of empathy on closing track Cheap Wine Sad Face, and I Tried to Keep it Light’s “worse things could happen… I don’t know how, but give me time”. Adams says: “I'm preoccupied by the passing of time and the way it affects how we feel. This record is about time and bewilderment and trying to make sense of things".

TRACK LISTING

Out To Sea
Living In The Local Void
Moderation
Heads Keep Rolling
Making Holes
Pas Moi
Holiday Casual
Fascists
I Tried To Keep It Light
Day Trip
Cheap Wine Sad Face

Chart-topping, million-selling, hamster-bothering Peel favourites of the 90s … we are delighted to welcome Cuban Boys to the Precious roster with their debut session for the legendary Radio 1 DJ, released to coincide with their 25th anniversary. Four tracks are headed by the unforgettable Oh My God! They Killed Kenny, which reached number six in Peel’s Festive 50; they were number one the following year with Cognoscenti vs Intelligentsia (the one with the hamster, destined to become a proper chart smash, pop pickers). This session also features three more Cuban classics, among them a cover of Blondie’s Hanging On The Telephone that longserving BBC producer Mike Engles listed among his personal favourites from his decades at the Maida Vale studios. Release features free download codes, a set of postcards and sleeve notes from the one and only Ricardo Autobahn.

TRACK LISTING

1. Oh My God! They Killed Kenny
2. (Let’s Get) Raunchier
3. Stardust (Part 3 Ariana In Space)
4. Hanging On The Telephone

Let’s be clear on this: we loved Standard Fare, the Sheffield-based three-piece who set the indie world alight for a few years before amicably going their separate ways (with Emma Kupa confirming her status as one of the scene's biggest talents in Mammoth Penguins, the Hayman Kupa Band, plus solo outings). Session features versions of debut single ‘Dancing’ plus three more of their best-loved songs including the indie classic 'Philadelphia'. Precious release includes a set of five postcards, free download codes and sleeve notes from the group.

TRACK LISTING

Philadelphia
Dancing
Love Doesn't Just Stop
Nuit Avec Une Amie

New Robohands LP 'Palms' is the fifth album from the London based instrumentalist and producer Andy Baxter. Moving towards different genres and arrangements from his previous albums, 'Palms' features duelling harp parts, tape echo, double bass and draws inspiration from artists such as Dorothy Ashby, Azimuth, Alice Coltrane and Toquinho.

In parts tropical and synth drenched, and in others stripped back and acoustic, 'Palms' is a journey back to saturated analog recordings of the late 60s and 70s, with a subtle modern layer of glitch FX and pitch control experimentation in places. The album makes also reference to classic releases from jazz fusion that feature the legendary Arp Odyssey synthesiser, used by artists such as Herbie Hancock and George Duke.

The seventeen track album features performances from multiple session musicians including Jim Piela on saxophone and Marco Cremaschini on Rhodes, with Baxter taking on drums, guitar, bass, keys and also mixing duties. 'Palms' is a new direction for his project and a record that thematically journeys into modern reinterpretations of jazz, downtempo, acoustic and ambient music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Palms
2. Tinted
3. Moments
4. Geodesic Luxury
5. Last Summer
6. Easy
7. Driven
8. Individuation
9. Jorge
10. Modular Life
11. Nylon Days
12. One Dimensional Man
13. For Jimi
14. Saturation
15. Ouroboros
16. Piraeus Yesterday
17. Relax Pt II

Released in early 1961, Lush Life was assembled from previous unissued tracks from three recording sessions at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1957 and 1958.

John Coltrane’s Prestige years began when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955. During the next few years, when he was either with Davis or the Thelonious Monk Quartet, he functioned as both leader and sideman for this label. These recordings document the first part of his relatively short but highly influential time in the spotlight. Lush Life, a combination of standards and a blues, treated in the unique Coltrane manner - sound wedded to material in a completely personal way - contains three tracks without a piano. This is the first time he recorded in this manner, other than when Monk was 'strolling,' and it offers another aspect from, and of, Trane. 

Released in 1957 on Prestige Records, this album was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on May 31, 1957. It documents Coltrane's first session as a leader, and has been reissued at times under the title The First Trane!. The line-up includes Johnnie Splawn (trumpet), Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone), Red Garland and Mal Waldron (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums). 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Bakai
2. Violets For Your Furs
3. Time Was
Side B
1. Straight Street
2. While My Lady Sleeps
3. Chronic Blues 

More than sixty years old, Walkin' still remains a crucial staging post in the history of jazz. Originally recorded in 1954 and initially issued on a couple of 10 albums, it features a mix of quintet and sextet material, recorded during his spell with Prestige Records and produced by Bob Weinstock. The various tracks were gathered together, along with a previously unreleased track, and issued as a 12 album in 1957. The end result is an important album in the development of bop music, a genre Miles Davis practically owned. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Walkin'
2. Blue N' Boogie
Side B
1. Solar
2. You Don't Know What Love Is
3. Love Me Or Leave Me 

This special 60th Anniversary reissue of groundbreaking jazz artist Sun Ra’s iconic 1962 album The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra features all-analogue re-mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. The package includes Tom Wilson’s original liner notes, plus insightful new essays by jazz historian Ben Young, as well as by Irwin Chusid, who is also a journalist, radio personality, and author. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Bassism
2. Of Sounds And Something Else
3. What's That?
4. Where Is Tomorrow?
5. The Beginning
6. China Gates
Side B
1. New Day
2. Tapestry From An Asteroid
3. Jet Flight
4. Looking Outward
5. Space Jazz Reverie 

On his new album, Look Over The Wall, See The Sky, John Francis Flynn delicately unpicks traditional songs and rearranges them with an emotional force that sometimes leaves them unanchored, foating in a surreal space between the past and the present, the analogue and the digital, between love and tragedy.

In his frst single, Mole In The Ground, a cover of an American anti-establishment folk song recorded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928, John allows the surrealism of the song to take centre stage, opting to speak rather than sing the words. His voice, too, lives beneath the ground of the melody, burrowing its way beneath hypnotic drums, dancing guitars, and sliding violins. By taking away the nursery rhyme-like melody of the song, we focus on our narrators' fantasies and desires, but also on "the weirdness of the song, and its aggressiveness. The last line is: I don't like the railroad man/ the railroad man will kill you when he can/ and he'll drink up your blood like red wine, and I wanted to get to grips with that emotion."

TRACK LISTING

1. The Zoological Gardens
2. Mole In The Ground
3. Willie Crotty
4. Kitty
5. The Seasons
6. Within A Mile Of Dublin
7. The Lag Song
8. Dirty Old Town

No band smoulders quite like The Slow Show.

The Manchester four-piece have built a reputation for soaring crescendos and deep emotional canyons, making music for romantic souls and wounded hearts.

Subtle Love not only distils The Slow Show’s sumptuous indie pop formula, but it casts the group’s net into exciting fresh waters, incorporating winsome folk (Royal Blue) and anthemic, widescreen rock (One Shot) too. Across ten songs, the listener is taken on an amble through the band’s past and into a tantalising future. It is a highly melodic and moving affair, made by kindred spirits and lifelong friends.

The band decamped to Cave Hill in Belfast, where Joel Byrne-McCullough grew up. “I hadn’t been there for 15 years,” marvels the guitarist. While there, the band stuck side by side and bonded afresh. “It was a great time of togetherness,” reveals Rob. “We lived in the same house, we ate together, we went to the local pub, we talked about life.”

Across a five-day period, all ten songs that make up the album had taken shape and been committed to tape by their producer, Joel’s brother, Dan Byrne-McCullough. Dan’s presence enabled an intimacy and familiarity that made everyone feel comfortable, and this brought out the best in the band.

One Shot is the first taster from the album and is arguably the band’s most anthemic and sing-a-long song of their career to date.

Joel reminisces “I remember when we had the music of One Shot. It was the evening, and we were sat in the sitting room [in Belfast’, the fire was on, and we were having our dinner watching the news: me, Rob, and Fred [Kindt – band keyboardist]. After dinner, Rob was singing a few things over those chords.

As soon as he sung, ‘We’ve got one shot’, I said, 'That's it'.”

TRACK LISTING

Roulette
Tides
Learning To Dance
Subtle Love
Royal Blue
One Shot
Lament
Builder Boy
Trainride
Pale

It’s been a decade since we last heard from Marnie Stern, but when her guitar bursts in like a shower of stardust on The Comeback Kid, the follow-up to 2013’s The Chronicles of Marnia, it’s like no time has passed.

But this is no nostalgia trip. The Comeback Kid is a statement of intent. “I can’t keep on moving backwards,” Stern repeats on anthemic opening track “Plain Speak,” her fingers furiously tapping the fretboard as the song joyfully zips forward like a rocket hitting warp speed. Stern continually pushes herself outside of her comfort zone throughout The Comeback Kid, including not leaning on the tapping technique that launched a thousand Eddie Van Halen comparisons. “Til It’s Over” is as straight-ahead an “alternative rock” song as Stern has ever made and there’s a cover of Ennio Morricone’s “Il Girotondo Della Note.”

“It was so great to be able to start being myself again and when I would think, ‘Oh, is that too, too weird?’ I'd remember I'm allowed to do whatever I want! This is mine. It's me,” says Stern of writing songs for The Comeback Kid. “I'm trying to go against the grain of this bullshit that when you get older, you lose your sense of taste. I want to empower people to not be so homogenous and go against the grain a little bit.”

Taking joy in your individuality is the message of The Comeback Kid, as is the realization that making music which truly reflects who you are in all your brightness and your weirdness is quite possibly the key to happiness. “This record is about reassuring yourself that happiness is not about what kind of things you have or how many things you have or what you don’t have—it’s about all the good things you do,” says Stern.

TRACK LISTING

Plain Speak (3:14)
Believing Is Seeing (1:58)
The Natural (2:48)
Oh Are They (2:16)
Forward (1:52)
Working Memory (3:09)
Il Girotondo Della Note (1:18)
Til It's Over (2:32)
Nested (1:57)
Earth Eater (3:18)
Get It Good (1:46)
One And The Same (2:20)

‘The Masterplan’ is an extraordinary collection of B-sides originally featured on singles from Oasis’ era-defining first three albums, ‘Definitely Maybe’ (1994), ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ (1995), and ‘Be Here Now’ (1997). Far from being inferior to the singles they backed, many of the 14 tracks that feature on ‘The Masterplan’ have become as cherished as the band’s biggest singles from that seminal period.

The album includes tracks ‘Acquiesce’, ‘Half The World Away’, ‘Talk Tonight’, Oasis’ iconic live cover of The Beatles’ ‘I Am The Walrus’ and the epic title track. Noel has often described ‘The Masterplan’ as one of the best songs he has ever written.

‘The Masterplan’ charted at No.2 in the UK Official Album Chart UK selling over 122,000 copies in its first week. It went on to be certified triple platinum and has sold over three million copies worldwide.

STAFF COMMENTS

Liam says: When you really think about it, it's ridiculous how incredible this collection is. Featuring some of Oasis' best ever tracks, one of which being their best ever ('Acquiesce'), it's hard to imagine there ever being a band who release such high-calibre of B-sides as this - must have for those who still don't have in their collections!

TRACK LISTING

1. Acquiesce (Remastered)
2. Underneath The Sky (Remastered)
3. Talk Tonight (Remastered)
4. Going Nowhere (Remastered)
5. Fade Away (Remastered)
6. The Swamp Song (Remastered)
7. I Am The Walrus – Live Glasgow Cathouse June ‘94 (Remastered)
8. Listen Up (Remastered)
9. Rockin' Chair (Remastered)
10. Half The World Away (Remastered)
11. (It's Good) To Be Free (Remastered)
12. Stay Young (Remastered)
13. Headshrinker (Remastered)
14. The Masterplan (Remastered) 

File Under Balearic Gabba EP is the first in a new series of serious DJ tools that will encompass remixes, edits, originals and licenses, all with artwork that is a twist on the original Balearic Gabba logo by PlanetLuke. Up first is a new selection of music from core Hell Yeah artists that is unruly, impossible to define, and sure to twist dance floors inside out.

First up is Daniel Klein better known as SIRS, a Berlin-based mainstay with releases on the likes of Live At Robert Johnson. His cut of 'Super Rapido' is a dubbed-out blend of kosmiche chug and tropical percussion. Tumbling synth sequences bring extra colour as the groove builds over nine irresistible minutes.

Then comes Japanese downtempo master Calm with his Mellow Mellow Acid Dub of Sergio Messina & The Four Twenties's 'Sometimes' which is a nostalgic acid daydream and the perfect sunset soundtrack. Melancholic moods and lazy drums sink you in deep as the gentle acoustic guitars keep you afloat.

Label regular and Internasjonal and International Feel associate Fee Fly then comes through with an Estatico Danzante Remix of Pedro Bertho's 'Tornei' feat Mariana Gehring and takes us to the stars on twinkling keys, dusty breakbeats and steamy, worldly vocals that glow as warm as a setting sun.

Last of all is New York maestro and Loose Control Band member DJ Spun with his It's Rong Remix of My Friend Dario's 'Acid Mosquito in a Summer Night'. It finds him serving up a nine-minute excursion into jungle humidity with tribal percussion and jumbled bongos all run through with a spooky and primeval lead synth over lurching drum breaks.

The File Under Balearic Gabba EP brings a whole new dimension to wonky dance floor workouts.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Caramel 3000 - Super Rapido (SIRS Cut)
A2. Sergio Messina & The Four Twenties - Sometimes Remember (Calm's Mellow Mellow Acid Dub)
B1. Pedro Bertho - Tornei (feat Mariana Gehring - Feel Fly Estatico Danzante Remix)
B2. My Friend Dario - Acid Mosquito In A Summer Night (DJ Spun It's Rong Remix)

On "Tambor De Cura", producer Daniel David (The Pendletons) and Bay Area staples Jazz Mafia team up with Rio De Janeiro artist Guinu to cook up a genre defying dancefloor hitter that blends dirty analog Brazilian funk, sci-fi synth sounds and raw horn lines with an unstoppable bass hook. Midway, the song transitions into a Samba break with a beautiful trumpet solo, while seamlessly returning to its infectious house tempo. Guinu's passionate vocals highlight the healing power of the music.

On "Devotion", producer/singer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel David (The Pendletons) teams up with Jazz Mafia to bring a rich up-tempo offering. Building off of a hypnotic jazzy house piano and tapestry of congas and live percussion, Daniel soulfully paints a picture of connecting to spirit through one's inner world. Jazz Mafia's driving horns build throughout, propelling the track, with relief by an energetic drum breakdown and conga solo.

TRACK LISTING

1. Tambor De Cura (feat. Jazz Mafia & Guinu)
2. Devotion (feat. Jazz Mafia)

‘The Back Room’ is the debut, Mercury-nominated album from Editors, released originally in July 2005. Includes the Top 10 single ‘Munich’ plus singles ‘Bullets’, ‘Blood’ and ‘All Sparks’.

TRACK LISTING

1. Lights
2. Munich
3. Blood
4. Fall
5. All Sparks
6. Camera
7. Fingers In The Factory
8. Bullets
9. Someone Says
10. Open Your Arms
11. Distance

To coincide with the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s North American & Australasian tour 2023 is the release of two new exclusive tracks by the band.

Recorded in Berlin & remotely in 2023, the opening track “Abandon Ship (Martian Meltdown Mix)” runs at over 11 minutes and plays at 33 rpm, “Maybe Make It Right.” the B side is nearly 4 minutes & plays at 45 rpm.

With Anton Newcombe (Vocals/ Guitars) Hakon Adalsteinsson (guitar), & Uri Rennert (drums) playing on this offering. Emil Nikolaisen (Serena-Maneesh / BJM) & Ryan Carlson Van Kriedt (Asteroid #4 / BJM) on engineering duties. The release comes in a heavyweight PVC bag with the artwork being a J card so you can see the vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A - Abandon Ship (Martian Meltdown Mix)
SIDE B – Maybe Make It Right

Caz Plak İstanbul proudly presents..One of jazz's all time greats playing Turkish rhythms!

Don Cherry delves into Turkish rhythms, accompanied by his long-time Don Cherry Trio members: Turkish drummer Okay Temiz and South African bassist Johnny Dyani.

The vinyl LP is manufactured in Istanbul under the guidance of Mr. Okay Temiz, the only living member of this iteration of the Don Cherry Trio. The LP has been remastered from original material housed in BYG Records' vaults by Okay Temiz & Mert Ucer and licensed from BYG Records, France.

This LP features the recording by the Don Cherry Trio in Paris 1971 for the Sound and Vision program at the legendary ORTF studios in Paris 1971. Serving as the second chapter of our Turkish Jazz Trilogy, it follows Okay Temiz's magnum opus, 'Okay Temiz's Oriental Wind at Montreux Jazz Festival 1982' LP. 

This release also stands as one of the most important recordings prior to Don Cherry's legendary "Organic Music Society" album in 1973, in which Okay Temiz also plays drums.

'In the spring of 1971, while we were playing as the Don Cherry Trio in Paris, Don (Cherry) seamlessly flowed from the trumpet to the piano, with improvisation as the lighthouse of the melody. This approach opened up a realm of boundless freedom for Johnny and me. It is to be observed as a melody within a melody. From the Organic Music Society album we recorded a year after this concert, up until the ECM album we recorded before Don's final departure from this planet, this principle has been the gravitational force of the Don Cherry universe.
That, indeed, is the true legacy of the Don Cherry Trio.'

Excerpt from the liner notes by Okay Temiz and Haluk Damar

TRACK LISTING

A1. Okay's (Okay Temiz's) Tune
B1. Dollar's (Dollar Brand's) Tune

Traversing the everyday in 2023,the need for ritual catharsis only grows stronger. The need to lose oneself in a force bigger than ourselves, and to venture into innerspace the better to sculpt armour for the battles outside. Luckily this is the job of Bonnacons of Doom, aural soothsayers and progenitors of Trans Pennine hypnotic music.

‘Signs’-their second album for Rocket Recordings-marks both a portent of things to come, and a roadmap of the psychic pathways to survival. This masked troupe, subsumed to mystery and amassed from across the North of England, have stepped up their mission accordingly. Building on the intimidating intensity of theirself-titled2018 debut, this series of fiercely charged mantras and premonitory transmissions is possessed of a new level of communal intensity. The band’s choice of weapons-the monomaniacal intensity of the riff, the liberating binary spirit of electronics and the incantatory vocals of ceremonial leader Kate Smith-here coalesce into a metaphysical force which stands defiant of easy categorisation. Within these otherworldly manifestations lurks solace in a place where the transcendent power of heavy amplification, cosmically aligned sonic explorations and strange forces darker and more unknowable can coalesce to cathartic and redeeming effect.

‘Signs’ marks out a supernatural landscape where ancient and modern, earthly and alien congregate in the eternal now, whilst Bonnacons of Doom transcend era to light a path for the future.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Rocket recordings are the perfect home for psych-drone monoliths Bonnacons Of Doom, and the incendiary 'Signs' is brimming with scathing guitars and hypnotic vocal phrases. Brilliantly heavy, and undeniably enjoyable.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Facing
2. Esus
3. Infra
4. Limina
Side B
5. Shore
6. Signs
7. Lichen
8. Semaphore

‘Ten Rapid’ is a compilation of songs released between 1996 and 1997 on various labels, including their debut single release for their own Rock Action label, ‘tuner’.

LP includes digital download code.

TRACK LISTING

1. Summer
2. Helicon 2
3. Angel Versus Aliens
4. I Am Not Batman
5. Tuner
6. A Place For Parks
7. Helicon 1
8. End

Emptyset present ash — a new collection of sound experiments developed over the last three years and assembled in Bristol during summer 2023.

The work draws on the project's roots in structural percussion and physical sonics, employing spatialised recording techniques and an array of analogue hardware,evoking the transformative and sculptural properties of sound.

The release marks a return for the collaborative duo of James Ginzburg and Paul Purgas, following Ginzburg's work within the exploratory performance group Osmium and Purgas' extensive research into the history of India's first electronic music studio. It brings them back to Bristol where the project first began, channeling the echoes of the city's sound system culture and resonant musical continuum, anchoring their sound within its formative origins.

Bebel Gilberto releases her new album via [PIAS] Recordings. Entitled “Joao”, the album is a collection of songs made famous by her father João Gilberto, widely regarded as the “father of Bossa Nova music. João Gilberto passed away in 2019 after a 70 year career in music. Bebel began singing with him as a small child and the songs she sings on this new album have been with her all her life. Says Bebel- "João" is a love letter to my father. Since my first album I've never really covered any of my Dad's music. Now it's time to present to the public the songs from João Gilberto that have influenced me since I was born- and even before”. The release of the “Joao” album will be followed by a world tour with dates to be announced shortly.

TRACK LISTING

1. Adeus América
2. Eu Vim Da Bahia
3. É Preciso Perdoar
4. Undiú
5. Ela E Carioca
6. Pato
7. Caminhos Cruzados
8. Desafinado
9. Valsa
10. Eclipse
11. Você E Eu

Bert Jansch was often quoted as saying “I’m not playing for anyone, just myself” and this feels no more apparent than on 1979’s ‘Avocet’, his beautifully meditative paean to British birds. This isn’t to say that Jansch was throwing commercial success to the wind, or was unaware of his audience, more that this album feels like a uniquely personal reflection of him. (The subject of British birds is one that Jansch held close to his heart. Indeed, just preceding this album was his 1978 split 7” single with Shirley Collins - with proceeds in aid of the RSPB.)

For fans of Jansch this is often the album that is singled out as his best work. The freedoms of a post-Pentangle career are much in evidence; folk rock and even trad folk give way to an album that is not only without lyrical accompaniment but really quite orchestral, classical even, in its composition. There are surprises in particular in ‘Lapwing’ (a dirge-like waltz that wouldn’t be out of place on a Nils Frahm album) and ‘Bittern’ (which speaks of Arthur Russell’s more experimental pieces).

Featuring ex-bandmate Danny Thompson, alongside Martin Jenkins (Dando Shaft, amongst others) with sleeve notes by Jansch aficionado Colin Harper (author of ‘Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues revival’).

Limited Art print edition, reissued as part of ‘Bert Jansch 80’, celebrating the enduring legacy of Bert Jansch’s peerless guitar playing and songwriting, comes with 6 high-quality, lithograph art prints (by UK illustrator Hannah Alice) representing each of the birds on the album, held in a heavy board die-cut gatefold sleeve. This unique packaging is fully interactive - the cover image is interchangeable with any of the prints, though each one is perfectly frameable too. This edition also features three bonus tracks as a download, recorded live in Italy in in 1977 (‘Bittern’; ‘Kingfisher’; ‘Avocet’), as well as Danny Thompson’s recollections of the making of ‘Avocet’, recorded by Dave Thompson (Mojo Magazine) in typical style.

TRACK LISTING

01: Avocet
02: Lapwing
03: Bittern
04: Kingfisher
05: Osprey
06: Goldfinch Bonus Tracks ( DL Only ) Recorded Live In Italy, 1977
07: Bittern
08: Kingfisher
09: Avocet

The first Latin soul collection featuring a mix of chart-topping hits and deeper cuts from the crown jewel of the mambo era Tico Records, celebrating the iconic imprint’s 75th Anniversary. The 2-LP set includes 26 tracks from trailblazers Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Joe Cuba, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, La Lupe, Willie Bobo and more. New liner notes by DJ Dean Rudland that tell the story of the New York City label that launched the careers of some of the most revered names in Latin music.

TRACK LISTING

LP1 - Side A
1. RAY BARRETTO Y SU CHARANGA MODERNA – El Watusi
2. WILLIE BOBO – Bobo! Do That Thing
3. WILLIE BOBO – Be’s That Way
4. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – El Pito (I’ll Never Go Back To Georgia)
5. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Bang! Bang!
6. CANDIDO – Madrid
7. RAY BARRETTO – Babalu
LP1 - Side B
1. EDDIE PALMIERI And CAL TJADER – Come An’ Get It (Boogaloo)
2. TITO PUENTE Y SU ORQUESTRA – Fat Mama
3. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Oh Yeah!
4. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Sock It To Me
5. TITO PUENTE/LA LUPE – Steak-O-Lean
6. TITO PUENTE’S ORCHESTRA – TP’s Shing-A-Ling
7. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Hey Joe, Hey Joe (Hey Girl, Hey Girl)
LP2 - Side C
1. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Psychedelic Baby
2. EDDIE PALMIERI & HIS ORCHESTRA – The African Twist
3. LA LUPE – Fever
4. THE MODERN SOUND OF AL ESCOBAR – Tighten Up
5. THE MODERN SOUND OF AL ESCOBAR – The Horse
6. CELIA CRUZ/TITO PUENTE – Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In
LP2 - Side D
1. GILBERTO SEXTET – Yes I Will (Part 1)
2. TITO PUENTE & HIS ORCHESTRA – Hit The Bongo
3. TITO PUENTE & HIS ORCHESTRA – Oye Como Va
4. JIMMY SABATER – Times Are Changin’
5. THE JOE CUBA SEXTET – Do You Feel It?
6. JOE PANAMA And COMPANY – My People 

The long-awaited debut album from CASISDEAD, released via XL Recordings. Famous Last Words is a fully realised expansion of the dystopian futurism that has captivated audiences since CAS first announced himself in 2013. Over the past decade, he’s dipped in and out of the shadows, blessing fans with cult hits while maintaining his anonymity and shunning media attention; a rejection of the spotlight that’s helped to create folklore around a rapper who’s widely regarded as one of the UK’s most inventive lyricists.

Famous Last Words is as much a sci-fi film as it is a rap record, a labyrinth of vice, crime and faded glamour. The listener steps through a portal into a realm narrated by CASISDEAD, whose command of storytelling drops you right into the underground of a city where he is the main character in a shady network of gangsters, girls and drug deals. However, Famous Last Words isn’t a story of bravado or posturing; much of the album deals in themes of loss, regret and paranoia, a persona constantly self-reflecting amongst the madness that surrounds him. The album features a carefully curated roll call of collaborators including Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, Desire, and Connie Constance. The vocalists are immersed in CASISDEAD’s hallmark 80’s-inspired synthpop soundscapes, aided and abetted by a production cast that includes Stranger Things composer Kyle Dixon and ‘Italian’s Do It Better’ label founder Johnny Jewel.

TRACK LISTING

1. Do You Trust Me?
2. A Spark
3. Loosin’
4. Steptronic
5. DEADCORP
6. Pineapple Juice
7. I Wanna Go Home
8. Actin’ Up
9. Sarah Connor
10. Do You Remember What It Was Like?
11. Marilyn
12. Aghast 6
13. Boys Will Be Boys
14. Venom
15. Traction Control
16. The Ants
17. Matte Grey Wrap
18. Pat Earrings
19. Before This
20. Jane
21. Sugar Free
22. Access Denied
23. Skydive

Available on vinyl for the first time in over 15 years! The Runners Four is Deerhoof’s double-LP concept album about friends banding together as honorable outlaws in a corrupt world, deciding what to save in an apocalypse, passing secret messages of warning and hope from a remade future back to a soon-to-be-destroyed present. Abundant with lyrical allusions to the flood, where cargo hold claustrophobia inside meets a watery chaos outside, it was written and self-produced by Satomi Matsuzaki, John Dieterich, Chris Cohen and Greg Saunier while they holed up in a rented Oakland rehearsal room for the winter months 2004-5. On pink and blue vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

LP 1:
Side A
1. Chatterboxes
2. Twin Killers
3. Running Thoughts
4. Vivid Cheek Love Song
5. O'Malley, Former Underdog
6. Odyssey
Side B
1. Wrong Time Capsule
2. Spirit Ditties Of No Tone
3. Scream Team
4. You Can See
LP 2:
Side A
1. Midnight Bicycle Mystery
2. After Me The Deluge
3. Siriustar
4. Lemon & Little Lemon
5. Lightning Rod, Run
Side B
1. Bone-Dry
2. News From A Bird
3. Spy On You
4. You're Our Two
5. RRRRRRRight

The archetypal Martin Rev sound – a perennial influence on generations of musicians – is most prominently in evidence in the works of Suicide, the duo he played in across the decades with Alan Vega. However, the radical and distinctive nature of his music can be traced further back in time, originating in the base energy of rock’n’roll which the teenage Rev experienced as the ubiquitous soundtrack to his home city of New York.

Rev initially explored free jazz and similarly free forms of musical expression before discovering the magnetic attraction of electronic production and instrumentation, enabling him to create music in a wholly independent and autonomous environment. Using the most rudimentary equipment, he grafted the roots of rock’n’roll into the process of combining effects and devices to generate electrified sounds, the likes of which had never been heard before. This music would map out the way forward not only for Suicide, but also for a fascinating solo career.

Martin Rev’s predilection for experimentation knew no bounds. At home, he played around with rough ideas, trying out all manner of variations and colorations. These tape recordings provide a captivating insight into his modus operandi, often representing the early stages of what would later become Suicide tracks or cuts on Rev’s solo albums.

Spanning the period 1973 to 1985, the recordings on "The Sum of Our Wounds" are much more than a collection of demos and outtakes. One has the sense of listening to a rounded album of familiar compositions, now portrayed in a completely new light. The brittle fragility of these cassette pieces reveals a deep-lying sensitivity, like a collection of wounds.

Martin Rev himself remains as transfixed as ever by these recordings, as if he could immediately pick up where he left off and continue to expand on the ideas that came to him decades ago: »They often have a certain freshness or unpolished energy here... and (there is) always scope for new ideas, to be derived from them as a whole or even in small areas.«

The cassette medium proves to be more than a means to an end – the tape recorder itself has a role to play as an instrument, the ideal basis for an artist who understands how to condense an idea into its fundamental elements: »The cassette sound, with its individual peculiarities, many even thought of in terms of inferior sound, can have an interesting dynamic. Maybe especially in certain minimal contexts when they are not being overloaded. Although they often seem to take on a lot of texture as well and with a warm response.«

And so these snapshots can be seen as stages of a ceaseless evolution, one we are allowed to witness as we sit alongside Martin Rev at the tape deck, listening as he captures the sounds of the unquiet city. - Daniel Jahn, June 2023

TRACK LISTING

01. Yearning
02. Dreams
03. Skateboard
04. Laredo
05. Zeitpunkt
06. Rio Grande
07. Baby O Baby (Mix)
08. Abracadabra
09. Lineup
10. El Barrio
11. She's Back
12. Temptation (Mix)
13. Asia (Mix)
14. Around The Corner
15. Mari (Mix)
16. Whisper (Vocal)

The good moon comes after the full moon, when everything comes down and you can finally get some work done - be it building a house, or a boat, or recording an album). It's the most achieved album Stanley Brinks ever made. Stanley Brinks is renowned for his unique anti-folk style: both playful and suggestive, insightful and entertaining. Brinks was born in Paris, France, in 1973. He studied a bit of biology and worked as a nurse for a while. Half Swedish, half Moroccan, strongly inclined to travel the world, he soon began spending most of his life on the road and developed a strong relationship with New York. By the late 90s he’d become a full time singer-songwriter – André Herman Düne – as part of three piece indie-rock band, Herman Düne alongside his brother, David-Ivar. Several albums and Peel sessions later and after a decade of touring Europe, mostly with American songwriters such as Jeffrey Lewis, Calvin Johnson and early Arcade Fire he settled in Berlin. The early carnival music of Trinidad became a passion, and in the early 21st century he became the unquestioned master of European calypso, changing his name to Stanley Brinks. Under this moniker he has recorded well in excess of 100 albums, collaborated with the New York Antifolk scene on numerous occasions, recorded and toured with traditional Norwegian musicians, and played a lot with The Wave Pictures.

TRACK LISTING

If I Can Bring It To My Lips
This Is The Day
Always The Same
Take It To The Street
Last Bar
Good Moon
I Didn’t Come Here To Love You
Dead Bug
Cold Noise
No Trouble
Don’t Go
So Easy
Out Of Nowhere

These two tracks from Mike Bandoni and Chip Wickham have been a long time coming. These two stable mates from the 'Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band' have been discussing a collaboration for years and now; it's finally in the bag!

Mike brings his trademark killer funky Drums (Recorded by the legendary Malcolm Catto), Percussion, Rhodes, Bass and vintage Guitar vibes to the party whilst Chip delivers some sublime and highly complimentary work on sax and flute.

Infinity Pool sounds like a long lost Bobbi Humphrey meets Bob James composition with the flute taking centre stage underpinned by what can only be described as mammoth funk grooves on every other instrument. A true modern Jazz Funk classic with just a fraction more Funk than Jazz!

Get It! is a cool number with a phenomenally infectious groove and a hook that stays in the brain for days! Think early Kool & The Gang. You'll be humming these hooks day and night! Chip again raises the bar further with some sublime flute and sax work and is ably joined by Eoin Grace on trumpet to deliver that full fat section accompaniment that so completes this composition.

Both tracks are equally at home listened to through headphones or pumping loudly through a sound system in a club at your best Funk and Soul events.

Both tracks are getting plenty of radio play so it's likely to shift quickly! One for the collection and a must have. Limited to 500 copies.

TRACK LISTING

1. Get It (feat. Chip Wickham)
2. Infinity Pool (feat. Chip Wickham)

Almost Nothing is a new band from Roddy Woomble.

Written and recorded throughout 2021 and 2022, the debut album ‘Almost Nothing’ is a collaboration between Woomble and four different producers – Scott Paterson (Protection), Andrew Wasylyk, Le Junk, and Luciano Rossi (Dama Scout). As the title suggests, it is an exercise in artistic freedom, from a songwriter with almost thirty years of musical expression behind him. A bold new chapter, the songs shift through electronica to moments of shimmering art-pop.

A genre-fluid record, the Almost Nothing LP is melodic, playful, and just confusing enough to escape full comprehension.

TRACK LISTING

1. Instant Love
2. Almost Nothing
3. Anything Whatever
4. Returning Shadows
5. Better You Belong
6. True Time
7. Dialogue Trails
8. Made It To Fade
9. I Know Where I’m Going
10. If Not Tomorrow

For her third album, ‘Bobbie’, Dutch singer-songwriter Pip Blom decided to rip it up and start again. After making her name as one of the brightest indie rock singers around through two albums – 2019 debut ‘Boat’ and 2021 follow-up ‘Welcome Break’ – and a lauded live show honed over gruelling years of touring, the new album sees her take a delightful left turn into thumping, carefree synth pop. This 12-track collection features collaborations with Personal Trainer and Alex Kapranos.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Ooof, what a lovely change of direction for Amsterdam's Pip Blom, brimming with the sort of instrumental loveliness they've done so well in the past but lighetened with a lean towards more carefree synth-pop grooves. It's brilliantly fresh, but without sacrificing anything that made the band so beloved.

TRACK LISTING

1. Not Tonight
2. Tiger
3. Red
4. Kiss Me By The Candlelightfeat. Personal Trainer
5. I Can Be Your Man
6. Where'd You Get My Number?
7. Brand New Car
8. Is This Love?feat. Alex Kapranos
9. Fantasies
10. Again
11. Get Back
12. 7 Weeks 

In Frank Herbert’s 1973 novel Hellstrom’s Hive, the Dune writer tells of a sinister narrative surrounding the maverick scientist Nils Hellstrom, who has created a meticulously constructed Hive underneath his Oregon farmhouse. Therein, he oversees a subterranean order of 50,000 insect-human hybrid life-forms. Ultimately his plan being for the inhabitants of the Hive to usurp humanity and take over the world.

The decade thus far may not have seen anything quite so daunting, but it’s provided more than its fair share of challenges. Yet in such dystopian environments, Teeth Of The Sea flourish. This band has created a kaleidoscopic inner world all its own in Hive, their sixth and most outlandish album.

Fundamental to Teeth Of The Sea’s mission thus far is that this band can go anywhere and make short work of any obstacles in their path. Unfettered by genre distinctions or expectations, the only limits of this trio - comprising Sam Barton, Mike Bourne and Jimmy Martin - are those of its imagination. It therefore follows that inspiration flowed into Hive from all dimensions, with the band’s sphere of influence - the science fiction, trash culture and cinematic atmospherics by which they’ve fuelled their mission thus far - expanding to take in everything from Italo-disco to minimal techno, from dubbed-out studio madness to their most brazen forays thus far into pop songwriting. Here is a headspace where the psychic charges from records by Labradford, Nurse With Wound, Vangelis, The Knife, Nine Inch Nails and John Barry can happily co-exist.

These disparate pathways cohere and coalesce to create a vivid experience rich with emotion and intrigue. A commission to create a live soundtrack at London’s Science Museum for a documentary on the Apollo Moon Landings gave flight to the trilogy of tracks - Artemis, Æther and Apollo which are summarily imbued with the dreamlike wonder and existential peril of the mission itself. A collaboration with vocalist Kath Gifford (Snowpony, The Wargs, Sleazy Tiger) set loose Butterfly House, which transmutes synthpop stylings into something uniquely radiant, haunting and melancholic. Get With The Program - sung by Mike Bourne - is meanwhile no less than a noise-fuelled, speaker-shaking electro-industrial banger.

Megafragma, meanwhile, is the most experimental track this band has yet created, a collaboration with engineer and co-conspirator Giles Barrett that morphs form and structure in search of new epiphanies - ‘Simple Headphone Mind’ and Roxy Music’s ‘The Bogus Man’ may have formed some of the cues for this nine-minute avant-epic but its trajectory was one the band were happy to submit to external forces.

Hive is more than just a transformative force from subterranean origins. It’s an alchemical headspace where monochrome animates into vivid colour. It may not be a carefully ordered insectoid militia set to overthrow society, but it’s a transmission which transcends anything Teeth Of The Sea have thus far offered in their time on Earth.

Step inside Hive, if you dare.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Teeth Of The Sea are back! With bold strokes of post-punk and kosmische synthwork and swirls of psychedelic wonder, 'Hive' is their most compelling work to date. The ever-reliable Rocket Recordings on fire as always.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1: Artemis
2: Get With The Program
3: Butterfly House
4: Liminal Kin
5: Æther
Side B
1: Megafragma
2: Powerhorse
3: Apollo

There are few things in life quite as mesmerising or outrageously euphoric as the nine-strong Umlauts army effervescing in fulsome force. Rebelling against labels, transcending borders of land and time - packed with twin vocalists equally competent in their skewering south-London drawl as they are in German, Italian or French - as in touch with the nostalgias of First-Generation post-punk or 80s pop as they are with the techniks of contemporary pop or big beat dance - the Umlauts are paragons of trans-europe excess, dripping with inarguable edge; shambling wildly from chaotic cool to bombastically exquisite order; invested with unhinging, socio-political bite, dancing in a rave of their own.

Compiling the best of the Umlauts first two EPs - Ü (2021) and Another Fact (2022) - and appended with a clutch of new material - Slags offers the most comprehensive versioning of this Umlauts experience as yet extant on record; a salacious digest of wild experiments present and past.

Taking its title from the by-product of the smelting of metals - the not-so-subtle cheapness in wordplay is relevant too - the music of Slags also represents a work of immense amounts of energy and heat. From their breakthrough EP Ü, aptly opening the record is thunderous live staple ‘Energy Plan’, defined by quote from multi-disciplinary artist Joseph Beuys and charged with post-industrial foreboding. Also plucked from that record comes the puckish splatterpunk of ‘Um Politik’, and radio ‘hit’, ‘Boiler Suits and Combat Boots’, a mission-statement satire against cultural uniformity, and perhaps the ultimate epitome of the Umlauts disco war march, stylish as fuck.

And if their first EP was in their own words, basically an ‘accident’, its follow-up Another Fact is by all evidence a work of more immaculate designs. With the addition of Italo-disco influences, and of Caroline’s Magdalena McLean on violin duties, The Umlauts sound lifted towards more operatic and nuances heights - the tense violin bow sweeps on ‘Non è Ancora,’ or ‘Frightened’, or the delicious synth-popping sheen of ‘Sweat’ adding yet further spikes of melodrama to their sound. Not forgetting the , That EP’s title track proffers an appropriately magnificent closer here - the slow burning, heavy hitting techno vision loaded with string stabs, balalaikas, and a bicycle pump - an epic in every sense.
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And, alongside the ‘Slags’ , the three new tunes included here are the ‘Slugs’ of the Umlauts’ Oeuvre “Like slugs, the band say, they are slippery, maybe slipperiness describes our approach best, ideas glued together with plasmic sludge, searching for something, enjoying the search.”

Speaking out against “acts of harassment by those whose duty should be to protect” - ‘Dance and Go’ delivers a squelchy, undulating, irresistible dance-punk drive. ‘Mad Blue Love’ rants against rants against relationships built on the sandy grounds of false expectations, while ‘Prédateur’s’ Swaying Art-pop curiosities strings out one of the band’s most intricate arrangements to date.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Energy Plan
Dance & Go
Frightened
Boiler Suits & Combat Boots
Non È Ancora
Side B
Mad Blue Love
Sweat
Um Politik
Prédateur
Another Fact