There is a certain solace to be found in minimal music—a contemplative joy that emerges through sustained repetition and subtle variation. 'Solo Three', the slyly absorbing new album from Michigan-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Erik Hall, embodies that hypnotic charge while boldly reimagining a distinct selection of contemporary classical works.

Hall’s affinity for minimalism began decades ago, when as a jazz-studies drummer at the University of Michigan he first encountered Steve Reich’s 'Music for 18 Musicians'. The piece altered his trajectory completely. Years later, amid a creative lull, he revisited that formative work by attempting a solo reconstruction. Working alone in his home studio, Hall painstakingly recreated Reich’s intricate, interlocking architecture—supplanting the piece’s orchestral palette with instruments he had on hand—and performing every part himself without loops, programming, or sequencers.

That recording, released on Western Vinyl in 2020, arrived during the fraught early months of lockdown and resonated deeply with listeners. Pitchfork praised it for making “a minimalist standard freshly thrilling to revisit,” and it won the 2021 Libera Award for Best Classical Record. Even Reich himself wrote to congratulate Hall, saying he had “reinvented the piece.” With 'Solo Three', Hall brings this trilogy to a sweeping close. Instead of focusing on a single composition, he weaves together multiple works by several visionary composers: Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and a return to Steve Reich.

The result is a rich, varied homage to American minimalism—at once reverent and exploratory. Branca’s 'The Temple of Venus Pt. 1' unfolds in oscillating organ and prepared piano; Palestine’s 'Strumming Music' becomes a meditative blur of felted piano and guitar; Spiegel’s 'A Folk Study' is recast with acoustic warmth in lieu of electronics; and Reich’s 'Music for a Large Ensemble' closes the album with a 16-minute, kaleidoscopic rush of overlapping melodies and jubilant rhythmic patterns. True to his method, Hall performs and records every part himself, layering instruments one by one like sonic bricks. The approach is deeply human and quietly defiant in an age of faceless automation. “It’s just so much more compelling to actually play every note,” Hall says. “Those micro-differences between takes create a sort of living, breathing magic.” That living, breathing magic fills every corner of Solo Three. It’s both a reverent ode to the composers who shaped Hall’s musical identity and a vivid reminder that minimalism’s hypnotic beauty—its patience, precision, and quiet emotional power—still speaks urgently to the present moment.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Temple Of Venus Pt. 1 (Glenn Branca)
2. Strumming Music (Charlemagne Palestine)
3. A Folk Study (Laurie Spiegel)
4. Music For A Large Ensemble (Steve Reich)

Mj Lenderman is the project of Asheville native, Jake Lenderman, whose 'Boat Songs' was released to wide acclaim on Dear Life Records in 2022. Now Dear Life is proud to offer a vinyl reissue of MJ's 2021 label debut, 'Ghost of Your Guitar Solo,' a collection of nine songs recorded and performed entirely by Lenderman, and one live band track. The record was written and recorded quickly, songs often being fully constructed and recorded within frenzied single day sessions. Songs were born out of freewheeling jam sessions with his roommates, with Lenderman often freestyling lyrics that would later become the foundations of the finished songs. Lenderman would write 20 disconnected lines a day, scrapping most of them but preserving a few to be used later. This process aided in what became an extremely prolific writing period for the artist in the spring of 2020. The record sounds like country music being played by a noisy punk band, unkempt and imperfect like the characters in his songs. Here, Lenderman broadened his lyrical scope beyond solemn introspection, adding humor to scenes larger than his own life. He points to authors Harry Crews and Larry Brown as inspirations, both of whom were southern, self-taught writers who balanced empathy, humor, and darkness. This leads to the erosion of the line that separates humor and sadness. The resulting songs are about over-indulgence and drug/alcohol abuse, full of self-loathing and pity while celebrating the absurdity of it all.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Ghost Of Your Guitar Solo
A2 I Ate Too Much At The Fair
A3 Someone Get The Grill Out Of The Rain
A4 Inappropriate
A5 Gentleman’s Jack
B1 Another Place
B2 Infinity Pool
B3 Catholic Priest
B4 Ghost Of Your Guitar Solo 2
B5 Live Jack

At the same time that Neville 'Bunny Wailer' Livingston recorded his debut solo long playing masterpiece, 'Blackheart Man', he was also creating a series of singles for his own Solomonic label. These records were every bit as good, at times even better, but they have never been released outside of Jamaica. Until now...;

It is next to impossible to ever overstate the importance of The Wailers to the history of Jamaican music and, as the last surviving member of the group, Bunny Wailer rightly regards himself as the sole keeper of their history ever mindful of the group's exalted position in the story of reggae music and the importance of their legacy. In 2010 Dub Store were proud to be able to work with Bunny on re-releasing a selection of his earliest recordings for the Solomonic label, lovingly restored and presented in reproduction sleeves and labels, on limited edition seven and twelve inch singles. Now, taking another step forward, we are more than proud to present Bunny's timeless music on two beautifully packaged CD's and double LP's.

Bunny's first solo album, 'Blackheart Man' originally released in 1976 on his own Solomonic label in Jamaica and on Island in the UK, is one of the undisputed all time classics of Jamaican music and established Bunny Wailer as a highly respected, world renowned artist in his own right. During this period Bunny also produced a series of singles released in Jamaica and the UK in strictly limited quantities without the benefit of international distribution, that are every bit as good and, in some cases, even better than this awesome debut long player. Original copies have subsequently become highly prized, and highly priced, collector's items. "Classic rarities" is an overused and abused term too often employed to describe average records that failed to sell on their initial release but both 'Tread Along' and 'Rise & Shine' are packed from beginning to end with a searing selection of some of the greatest and hardest to find reggae records ever produced.

'Tread Along' opens, naturally enough, with 'Tread Along' from 1969, one of the last singles for The Wailers' own Wail N Soul M label, and runs through the first release on the Solomonic label, 'Searching For Love' also known as 'Search For I', 'Bide Up' released as 1974 drew to a close, a radical reworking of 'Pass It On' and a marked contrast to the version on The Wailers' 'Burnin'', album, 'Life Line' and the prophetic 'Arabs Oil Weapon' kept the pressure on as Bunny began outlining the flawless 'Blackheart Man' album. Each release was a certified classic in its own right.

Peter Tosh's melodica version to Bunny's 'Amagideon' ('Armageddon'), the first track on 'Rise & Shine', is followed by 'Love Fire', an update of another Wail N Soul M track, 'Fire Fire'/'Babylon Burning', through to one of the deepest roots records ever created, 'Rise & Shine', on to 'Riding' from the 'Bunny Wailer Sings The Wailers' sessions (but not featured on the album) and a huge hit in the UK in 1981, and closing with 'Rule Dance Hall' from 1985. No idle boast...;

The liner notes feature the story of The Wailers, as told to Dub Store by Bunny himself in Kingston in an enlightening 2012 interview, and rarely seen contemporary photographs complete these essential releases. The music of Bunny Wailer was not only a medium for change and protest but also to elucidate and educate and 'Tread Along' and 'Rise & Shine' finally complete the canon of un-compiled Wailers music.

"I'm quite satisfied, you know, reggae music is the kind of music that although sometimes you would look at it and say...; boy, it's hard...; then again you look at what it has done for the people of the world you know that that couldn't be locked up in a little place like Jamaica!" Bunny Wailer

TRACK LISTING

1. Tread Along
2. Bide Up
3. Searching For Love
4. Must Skank
5. Life Line
6. Pass It On
7. Trod On
8. Arabs Oil Weapon
9. Dubd
10. Amagideon
11. Amagideon Dub
12. Dream Land
13. Battering Down Sentence
14. Battering Down Sentence (Dub Version)
15. Rasta Man

Solo 500 delivers another irresistible 7" that takes the form of this two-sided celebration of boogie and jazz-funk classics. Side A revisits The Whatnauts' 1981 gem 'Help Is On The Way,' which was famously sampled by De La Soul, MC Lyte and Heavy D. This synth-laden and soulful edit captures the essence of early 80s boogie with killer grooves. Side B flips the script with 'Stepping', a refined edit of Donald Byrd's 1975 jazz-funk masterpiece 'Stepping Into Tomorrow', produced by the legendary Mizell brothers for Blue Note. With great respect for the OGs but added new school charm, this 45 bridges past and present in style.

TRACK LISTING

On The Way (Boogie Funk Edit)
Stepping (Jazzfunk Edit)

Occasionally, you find music outside the commercial mainstream, outside of everything – the music of visionaries, eccentrics, inventors, loners. Moondog, Daphne Oram, Harry Partch are from this mould. And so too is Lori Vambe.

Strut now present a new single vinyl reissue of Vambe’s privately pressed original album from 1982, 'Drumgita Solo'. A self-taught drummer, inventor, and sonic experimentalist, Vambe is a unique figure in British music. The creator of his own instrument, the drumgita (pronounced ‘drum-guitar’) or string-drum, Vambe intended to create a kind of music that had never been made in order to pursue access to the fourth dimension. The album plays with time, mixing hypnotic, trance-like drumgita pieces with the same segments played backwards. You can hear echoes of African drumming traditions, minimalist repetition, and tape-manipulated musique concrète— but ultimately, the album defies genre. It is a solitary voyage, spiritual and futuristic.

Lori Vambe was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and his father, Lawrence Vambe, was a noted Zimbabwean journalist and author. Moving to London in 1959, Vambe immersed himself in the Brixton squat movement of the early 1970s, teaching himself to drum and creating a short-lived performance group, The Healing Drums of Brixton (with sculptor Alexander Sokolov and outsider musician Michael O’Shea). Vambe later had a dream-vision involving a feeling of ecstasy while playing an unknown instrument that extended from his own umbilical cord which would manifest itself as the drumgita. 'Drumgita Solo' is one of his two privately produced home recordings during 1982 alongside Drumland Dreamland, both released on his own label Drumony.

'Drumgita Solo' has been faithfuly reproduced from the original artwork as a single vinyl LP and is remastered by The Carvery.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2. Drumgita
3. Ancient Boogie (Mantra)
4. Artnam
5. Mantra
6. (One) Boogie Home Going
7. Going Home Boogie (One)
8. Un Minuto (One)
9. Un Minuto (Two)
10. Going Home Boogie (Two)
11. Going Home Boogie (Three)

The album’s 10 tracks mark a bold evolution in the band's sound and Death Pill really deliver with ferocity and belief through multiple gear changes and genres as if it were easy. Hardcore, punk, grunge, thrash, riot grrrl, emo, are just some of the touchstones this album moves through, and all with the accomplished ferocity and memorable melody the band introduced on their debut. There are cellos, piano’s, sound effects and ornate arrangements that open out their sonic palette, there’s a bit of pop and even a bit of prog. But rest assured … It's all pure ‘Death Pill’. Thematically ‘Sologamy’ is, at its core, a celebration.

So over to Death Pill for the lowdown …

“The title, inspired by the concept of marrying oneself, speaks to the importance of making a personal commitment to self-care, happiness, and emotional well-being. In an era where that can sometimes be misconstrued as selfishness, Death Pill pushes back against these misconceptions, inviting listeners to embrace the power of prioritizing their own mental and emotional health.”

“Each track on the album is quite different from the last, and we see this as a way of accepting and supporting yourself in any emotional state. You arrive in this world alone and you leave it alone. The bottom line is: You're the only person you've got. “Every song on the album is a story that happened to us. Maybe it'll happen to you too. But every story deserves to become a song.” “Sologamy” is more than just an album—it's a call to action”

Kicking off with ‘Listen To Me Sister’. A metal thrashing, bass drum pummelling, snarling statement of intent. A bag of riffs n’ grooves punctuated by one line of 'call-to-arms' vocal. It totally kicks ass. The pedal stays firmly rooted to the floor with the nasty but hooky hardcore of ‘Haters Gonna Hate’ before the fuzzy, sardonic grunge groove of ‘Ugly Me’ settles the pace. Only temporarily, because ‘Craterface’s thrash metal puts things firmly back in face melter territory.

At this point it must be said that the playing and musicianship and singing on this album is top drawer. Mariana certainly delivers the goods, doing spit and snarl and clean and melodic with equal aplomb. ‘Don’t Say It So’ is as catchy as it gets, an almost anthemic slice of grunge, which set the scene for ‘Phone Call’ , probably the most accessible Death Pill track to date, it’s a brilliant slice of … well … pop. You might call it 'pissed off pop’ something Green Day or Foo Fighters wished they’d written … a new genre if ever there was one.

And it’s at this point in the album where Death Pill really open it out. ‘Hey Man’ with it’s melodic guitar/cello intro and super hooky pop sensibility is followed by the frankly crazy ‘Monsters’. An off kilter hardcore-prog psycho nutcase story for Generation Z. It ups the ante on the single version released last year. But perhaps the trio have left the best till last, with 2 connected songs. ‘Outro’ has an almost progressive post metal vibe, twisting and turning but always (and this is one of this album’s trademarks) delivering pure earworms tunes. Complete with an almost baroque middle section and sound fx it segues into ‘Pro Yarika’s piano led opening. Which in turn explodes into proper nastycore with a great chorus. Cinematic in its scope it’s a fitting finale to a mighty second album, signalling that from this point on, Death Pill can go anywhere they choose to.

TRACK LISTING

1. Listen To Me, Sister
2. Haters Gonna Hate
3. Ugly Me
4. Craterface
5. Don’t Say It So
6. Phone Call
7. Hey, Man
8. Monsters (In My Brain)
9. Outro
10. Pro Yarika

Renowned for their instrumental releases that fuse traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern music with psychedelic rock, funk, and disco, Sababa 5 have also pushed boundaries in collaborations with vocalists such as Shiran Tzfira, Yurika Hanashima, and Inbal Nur Dekel. These efforts have won them support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Cerys Matthews, and Jeremy Sole, on BBC Radio 6 Music and KCRW. Now, the band joins forces with Sophia Solomon for their latest musical exploration.

Born in Bengaluru, South India, and trained in Hindustani classical music in Mumbai, Sophia Solomon is a versatile, multilingual singer, recording artist, and live performer, drawing inspiration from Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle. A standout moment early in her career - a global tribute to Mahatma Gandhi - ignited her passion for bridging musical traditions across cultures.

'Shehzadi' (Princess) is an Indo-disco delight. Solomon’s Hindi vocals soar effortlessly across Sababa 5’s finely balanced arrangement of hypnotic drums, pulsing electric bass, fanning electric guitar, and sparkling synths in a beguiling minor key. There’s a strong hint o 80s nostalgia with a contemporary shine, evoking a Stranger Things meets Bollywood charm.

'Ranjha' (Lover) takes on a more Middle Eastern feel, with synth notes that undulate with longing and emotion, reminiscent of traditional instruments like the saz or baglama. The upbeat groove pairs seamlessly with Solomon’s dynamic, hope-filled vocals. Well-timed pauses add dramatic flair, while Sophia’s performance allows space for an exuberant synth solo.

This exciting collaboration marks another bold turn for Sababa 5, infused with new life through Sophia Solomon’s artistry. 'Shehzadi' and 'Ranjha' represent a fruitful exchange of cross-cultural musical exploration, destined to be played on repeat far and wide.

TRACK LISTING

1. Shehzadi
2. Ranjha 

Sophia Jani is a composer of contemporary classical music. She is the current Composer in Residence of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. Here she's joined by violinist Teresa Allgaier  for the collaborative work "Six Pieces for Solo Violin". Characterized by its calmness and poise, each movement focuses on a particular technical aspect, bending the boundaries of the instrument while maintaining the illusion of simplicity.

Sometimes the most complicated thing anyone can do is to try to create something that feels uncomplicated. Arvo Pärt, ballet, a delicious meal we didn’t cook ourselves, Ella Fitzgerald, a safe place to lay our heads at night, a quiet pine forest – […] In all these things, it takes a lot of effort to make us feel as if something is effortless.

- David Lang (from the liner notes)

TRACK LISTING

A1) Prelude 02:42 Min
A2) I. Scordatura 05:57 Min
A3) II. Arpeggio 08:05 Min
A4) III. Triads 06:12 Min
B1) IV. Capriccio 03:56 Min
B2) V. Grandezza 06:33 Min
B3) VI. Ricochet 07:52 Min

More from the iconic Dirty Blends crew - taking the original Trax / acid ethos a la Adonis, Steve Poindextor, Lil Louis etc - and adding their own character and twists to the tale. Fierce, uncompromising, raw shit for the warehouse freaks and machine goblins. No quantize was used in the making of these tracks!

Number nine in the series and its a double header featuring main crew members Cliff Solomon, The Jak and The Kid & Cliff. "Don't Be Alamed" is like a stripped back and instrumental version of "Donnie" or "Love Can't Turn Around" - but with the emphasis firmly placed on the floor toms and wavy pads. "Heavy Thump" contains possibly the nicest kick drum recorded onto wax for some time, assaulted with machine gun snares, wrecking ball toms and this occasional vox ordering us to 'bang that shit'. It's a primitive and aggressive jack track that should encourage slam dance body moves and a general feelings of wild, feral behavior that might have you average young person looking at us older lot with a look of frightened bewilderment. Yes - it was better in our day!!! 

TRACK LISTING

Dont B Alarmed
Heavy Thump Bangdatshyt

Another amazing Dirty Blends edition with three tracks of heavy jak beat and OG Chicago warehouse flavours.

The A side kicks off with Kincaid presenting a dark and menacing composition played and created with blood and sweat behind the vintage music boxes to come with this 12 minute cranium splitter - "Circuit Collapse".

Cliff Solomon honors the timeless work of originators Boyd Jarvis & Timmy Regisford with an '85 flavoured exercise of proto-house entitled "Battle Cry". With drum machines you'd associate more with the boogie genre, plus expert keyboard sections and sound effects, this retrograded house track will definitely devastate today's dancefloor leaving people scratching their heads as to its origin.

The Jak and Lex Lathan collaborate on "The Call (On The Edge)". recorded at Nation HQ and perhaps the most twisted and discordant offering out of the three. Warped vox, detuned synths and deranged licks smothering a straight up jak beat rhythm. Seriously wild stuff for the more adventurous DJ and dancer - TIP! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Dirty Blends can do no wrong in my book at the moment. There's no one out there daring to take on the dark passion of jak beat with such authority. With each release they seem to get closer to the spirit of Ron Hardy... if you don't know - get to know.

TRACK LISTING

A1. William Kincaid - Circuit Collapse
B1. Cliff Solomon- Battle Cry
B2. The Jak & Lex Lathan - The Call (On The Edge)

Recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles (2020) the album is fundamentally the sound of a man alone with his instruments.
Utilizing a variety of guitars, including 6, 7 and 10 strings, Oktav guitar and electric baritone guitar, alongside a host of pedals and synthesizers, Fabiano tracked imagined landscapes with expressive, expansive improvisations, which tend toward the more ambient and atmospheric reaches of his recent output.

Adopting Hermeto Pascoal's concept of Universal Music, a rejection of nationalistic tendencies in order to express all of one's musical influences all at once, Fabiano avoided leaning too heavily on any particular musical language, without denying his own musical roots.

After studying classical piano as a child, the Rio de Janeiro native discovered the guitar aged 10. Studying under his late uncle, Lucio Nascimento, he eventually left Brazil for LA, where he soon became an in- demand player for his distinct and authentic sound. He has since released seven albums under his own name and collaborated with renowned Brazilian artists including Arthur Verocai and Airto Moreira, as well as experimental US saxophonist Sam Gendel.

Mundo Solo (Do Nascimento's eighth), was recorded in one take per track, with occasional overdubs and a few appearances from collaborators and friends Julien Canthelm (drums on Etude 1), Ajurina Zwarg, (percussion on CPMV) and Gabe Noel (Bass on Curumim).

Fabiano Do Nascimento's consummate mastery of his instrument has afforded him a freedom of expression few can claim. Blending the emotional with the elemental, Mundo Solo is a stunning snapshot of solitude and the beauty which can blossom within it.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Abertura
A2. Curumim 2
A3. Paperstrings
A4. Agua De Estrellas
A5. Bari
A6. Etude 1
A7. Meianoite
A8. Reflections
A9. Coisa
B1. Coisa 2
B2. CPVM
B3. Txaii
B4. Tempo
B5. De Manha
B6. Dormenor

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).

Tuff City anthology of early Hip-Hop solo performers with insert 7" half on red, half on yellow vinyl featuring Spoonie Gee, T-SkiValley, Ultramagnetic MC’s featuring Kool Keith, Grandmaster Caz, etc. Tuff City is pleased to present the best possible reissue program of Hip-Hop's first decade. These reissues were made as a tribute to Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary. Each volume represents an important facet of performers on Tuff City: The Solo MC’s, The MC Crews, The DJ’s and The Female MC’s. Each volume features an inner sleeve with liner notes and bonus 7” insert. Each pressing consists of 750 on red vinyl and 750 of an opaque color specific to the volume (Yellow, Gold, Blue, Orange). A bonus 7” single is slipped in the cover encased in a Tuff City logo sleeve in the style of its iconic 12” singles. The series was also conceptualized as a multiset release to stand side by side with the classic Old School Rarities series (The Funky Drum Jams, The Electro Jams, The Linn Drum Jams & The Disco Jams) issued by our Ol’ Skool Flava imprint.

The Solo MC’s kicks off with Harlem’s pioneering Spoonie Gee’s influential “Spoonin’ Rap” from 1979. “Catch The Beat” from T-Ski Valley captures the post-Disco Bronx era of Rap. The side closes with the underground personality Funkmaster Wizard Wiz whose “Knucklehead Rappers” came after he broke from The Undefeated Three. Brooklyn’s Jimmy Spicer delivers a 14+ minute marathon “Adventures of Super Rhyme (Rap).” Grandmaster Caz from Cold Crush is paired with the Fantastic’s Whipper Whip for “To All The Party People” Captain G Whiz from Freddy B’s Mighty Mic Masters closes with his solo 12” track “All The Way Live.” The bonus single features a Kool Keith solo from the Ultramagnetic MCs backed with Grandmaster Caz by himself doing “I’m What Is and You’re What Wants To Be.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Spoonin' Rap-Spoonie Gee;
2. T-Ski Valley-Catch The Beat;
3. Funkmaster Wizard Wiz-Knucklehead Rappers;
4. Adventures Of Super Rhymes-Jimmy Spicer;
5. Grandmaster Caz With Whipper Whip-To All The Party People;
6. All The Way Live-Captain G. Whiz;

Bonus 7" Single
A: Ultramagnetic MC's-Kool Keith Wild;
B: Grandmaster Caz-I'm What Is Your What Wants To Be

Simon Raymonde recorded his solo album, ‘Blame Someone Else’, while still in Cocteau Twins. Fellow Twins Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie appeared on ‘Blame Someone Else’, as did late-period member Mitsuo Tate. But Cocteau Twins were no more by the time it was out. Originally issued in October 1997, it became the first release on Bella Union, a new label run by Robin and Simon. And now by Simon alone. Circumstances change and ‘Blame Someone Else’ unexpectedly arrived in a world where Cocteau Twins were in the past.

Twenty-five years later, ‘Blame Someone Else’ is now being released under the name ‘Solo Works 96-98’, appearing on vinyl for the first time, and with the additionof the three bonus tracks from 1998’s Japan-only edition.

“It was begun in 1996 at a time of turmoil with Cocteau Twins,” says Simon of the album now. “At the time, I was unsure if I should make the album but my bandmates were extremely supportive, their encouragement helped me get the record finished. It took me 25 years to feel comfortable with these songs being available again. We all have hurdles to get over before we can feel ready to let go of certain things. Today, I feel that the first-ever release on Bella Union should once again be an active part of the label’s history, if only to bookmark these first 25 years.”

TRACK LISTING

It’s A Family Thing
Love Undone
The Seventh Day
In My Place
Supernatural
If I Knew Myself
It’s Raining Today
Muscle And Want
Worship Me
A Fault Of Mine
Days
Tired Twilight
Summer's Blue
Left Untouched The Flowers Grow
Let Love In

Searching In Grenoble: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert is a previously unissued recording of jazz icon Mal Waldron's mesmerizing performance at the "Five Days of Jazz" series in Grenoble, France on March 23, 1978. Waldron was Billie Holiday’s final accompanist, played on classic sessions with John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Jackie McLean among others, and recorded dozens of solo albums as a leader before his passing in 2002. Originally produced by the legendary André Francís and transferred from the original Radio France tapes, this is the first official release of this music in cooperation with the Mal Waldron Estate and Ina (The Institut national de l'audiovisuel). The beautifully designed, deluxe 2-CD set includes photos by K. Abe, Brian McMillen and Raymond Ross; an extensive 24-page booklet with a heartfelt statement by Mal's daughter Mala Waldron, plus essays by producer/"Jazz Detective" Zev Feldman, journalist Adam Shatz and Ina's Pascal Rozat; and interviews with modern jazz piano luminaries Ran Blake and Matthew Shipp. Searching In Grenoble features classic Waldron originals such as "Soul Eyes" and "All Alone," and jazz standards "You Don't Know What Love Is," "It Could Happen to You" and "I Thought About You.” The 2CD set will be available worldwide September 23rd on Tompkins Square (TSQ5906), and was produced for release by Zev Feldman and Josh Rosenthal.

TRACK LISTING

CD1:
1. Mistral Breeze/Seig Haile - M. Waldron
2. Here, There And Everywhere - M. Waldron
3. Russian Melody - M. Waldron
4. Petite Gémeaux - M. Waldron
5. Fire Waltz - M. Waldron
6. You Don’t Know What Love Is - D. Raye, G. De Paul
7. Soul Eyes - M. Waldron
CD2:
1. It Could Happen To You - J. Van Heusen, J. Burke
2. Russian Melody - M. Waldron
3. I Thought About You - J. Van Heusen, J. Mercer
4. Snake Out - M. Waldron
5. All Alone - M. Waldron

Dieter Moebius is one of the most important protagonists of avant-garde electronic music in Germany. Alongside his bands Kluster/Cluster and Harmonia, he participated in numerous collaborations (with the likes of Brian Eno and Mani Neumeier/Guru Guru). Asmus Tietchens, one of his musical companions, compiled this collection for Bureau B – he concentrated on his solo works "as they offer the clearest insight into his personality and inventive potential".

"I have always thought orchestra. I play that way, even when playing the piano." - Sun Ra

Considering the monumental depth of Sun Ra's recorded oeuvre, there are surprisingly few solo piano albums.

Monorails and Satellites Volumes 1 and 2 were the first commercial LPs of the artist's solo keyboard excursions. Recorded in 1966 and released on his Saturn imprint in 1968, Volume 1 featured seven idiosyncratic originals and one standard ("Easy Street") delivered in Sunny's singular manner. Volume 2 was released the following year, and contains five compositions, all originals. A third volume was prepped but shelved, and this deluxe edition marks it's premiere release.

As with all Cosmic Myth releases these volumes are superbly mastered, and are available as a deluxe 2xCD or 3xLP tri-gatefold cover with copious liners notes by renown American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, and additional overviews by jazz historian Ben Young and producer Irwin Chusid.

TRACK LISTING

1. Space Towers
2. Cognition
3. Skylight
4. The Alter Destiny
5. Easy Street
6. Blue Differentials
7. Monorails And Satellites
8. The Galaxy Way
9. Astro Vision
10. The Ninth Eye
11. Solar Boats
12. Perspective Prisms Of Is
13. Calundronius
14. Soundscapes
15. The Eternal Tomorrow
16. Today Is Not Yesterday
17. World Island Festival
18. The Changing Wind
19. Don't Blame Me
20. Gone With The Wind
21. How Am I To Know
22. Yesterdays

Having played with The Servants in the late 1980s, Luke Haines carved a unique niche for himself in the 1990s with witty lyrics, wry humour and some stellar tunes with The Auteurs and other acts (Black Box Recorder, Baader Meinhof).

By 1999, feeling aghast at the state of the Brit Rock scene in the UK, Luke decided to “start a righteous solo trip”, having been commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film Christie Malry's Own Double Entry (2001). Sticking with Virgin Records, Luke then unveiled his first solo album proper, The Oliver Twist Manifesto, before fronting a new-look Auteurs for Das Capital.

In due course, Luke switched labels to indie Fantastic Plastic for Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop (2006), followed in 2009 by 21st Century Man. Since then, he’s curated a string of imaginative, amusing and always worthwhile albums for Cherry Red Records.

Alive And Well… is the first-ever anthology of Luke’s solo work, cherry-picking musical highlights from each of his long players as well as a smattering of B-sides, radio sessions, rarities and – on Disc 4 – a raft of previously unissued material.

With sleeve-notes by Luke himself, Alive And Well… is a very personal statement spanning the last two decades of the musical life of Luke Haines.

First solo album from Papir guitar player Nicklas Sørensen! While there’s certain similarities with the oeuvre Nicklas has created with Papir it quickly becomes apparent that this is something quite different. “Solo” begins and ends with the instrument the Copenhagen native fully masters by now: the guitar. Throughout the album his main instrument is being explored as a generator of otherworldly, esoteric sounds as well as a compositional tool and - perhaps most importantly - a transmitter of pristine, cascading melodies.

There’s a peaceful, savory quality to the record that manifests a musical maturity. With help from the rhythm section of Papir as well as Causa Sui’s Jonas mun (who also recorded the album in El Paraiso Records’ new studio) Nicklas has created a wide, shimmering sound that seems to allude to a multitude of different styles and traditions. Considering that Nicklas is best known as a hard rocking guitar player with a knack for improvisation it’s perhaps surprising that his inclination for pattern-based minimalism, blissed-out ambience and experimental british “oceanic” music from the 1980s and early 1990s dominates throughout this set. This is the kind of record that rewards repeated listens - each listen revealing new layers in the architecture of the sound. “Solo” is an affable, slowburning album where each component is given its own space and place to gently unfold and work its magic in the mind of the listener. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Solo 1
2. Solo 2
3. Solo 3
4. Solo 4
5. Solo 5
6. Solo 6

Nils Frahm reveals new ‘Solo’ album and the ‘Klavins 450’ piano project on the world’s first Piano Day!

Berlin-based composer Nils Frahm has fast become know as a prolific performer and recording artist with the piano at the core. Piano Day is an official body created by Nils and his closest friends, and will house various exciting, piano-related projects. The first project revealed by the Piano Day team is the building of what will be world’s tallest piano: the Klavins 450.

As the life-long dream of David Klavins, it even exceeds the currently largest upright piano there is, the Klavins M370. Situated in Germany, Tübingen, 1.8 tons in weight, 3.7 meters high, its longest strings are about 10 feet in length. And it was on this piano that Nils recorded eight improvised piano motifs in one sitting, which form his new ‘Solo’ album – available for free download on the world’s first Piano Day on the 88th day (March 29, 2015) from www.pianoday.org. Once recorded, Nils began to think of ways to release the album as a gift to his fans, similarly to his 2012 release ‘Screws’, and that’s when Nils came up with the idea of Piano Day.

With a target of 100.000 euros to reach, Nils eases his fans into sharing their money for the project with this free release. All direct donations and a portion from any record sales will go to the Klavins 450 project until the target has been hit.

LINER NOTES:
Situated in Germany, Tübingen, 1.8 tons in weight, 3.7 meters high: the Klavins M370 is probably the largest upright piano there is. Its longest strings are about 10 feet in length.
This colossus was initially built to evaluate a useful maximum size of the piano. Driven by the assumption that pianos could sound better, David got to work in 1985 and finished his instrument 2 years later. Back then I was 5 years old, having no idea how much I would fall in love with it.
When I finally met David Klavins and his enormous piano 27 years later, in the very beginning of 2014, I arrived with empty hands. I didn't know what music, what songs I was about to record in the next 3 days.
Every piano has unique features and certain strengths. Some have more, some have less of them, but there is no bad piano out there, although I do moan about them almost all the time. Some simply hide their secrets better than others. These thoughts made me start to write music when I am with the particular instrument, the tape running.
The 8 pieces featured on this album were selected out of hours of improvising, happy hours as I recollect. The joy of playing and listening to the sound of the instrument made me play slower and slower, softer and softer, as almost every new note was destroying the immense beauty and sustain of the previous note. I was preparing the instrument with parts of my felt collection, carefully tuning mic positions with the help of my dear friend and recording gear wizard Matthias Hahn and simply playing whatever came to my mind. In conversations about this I am still struggling for words in order to praise David’s instrument. Words simply don’t do it justice, so listen for yourself. With lots of love, Nils Frahm.

TRACK LISTING

01. Ode
02. Some
03. Circling
04. Merry
05. Chant
06. Wall
07. Immerse!
08. Four Hands

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