From dazzling electronic futurism to pioneering post-punk, via pop, metal, bassline, bleep techno and generation-defining indie rock, Sheffield has long been a crucible for worldleading music.

Some artists have excelled on the fringes, others have achieved global success, but all remain connected through a fervently independent ethos. In Sheffield, creativity flourished in the face of isolation, economic decline and bleak political circumstances, resulting in some of Britain's most groundbreaking and singular music. But the region's ingrained humility and dogged stoicism means it has never been documented or celebrated to the level of more hubristic cities.

In Groovy, Laidback and Nasty, acclaimed Sheffield journalist Daniel Dylan Wray sets out to remedy this, telling the story of the city's DIY spirit and the musical visionaries and innovators who helped build its inimitable legacy. Exhaustively researched and spanning almost seven decades, it features over 150 interviews with the likes of Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, The Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Self Esteem and Richard Hawley, along with countless others.

Both a compelling cultural study and an unapologetic love letter to the city, this - finally - is the definitive musical history Sheffield so richly deserves.

Two legends. One record. Light-Years sees Nas link with DJ Premier for the legendary Hip Hop release that fans have been anticipating for years. A must have addition for any serious collection

TRACK LISTING

1. My Life Is Real
2. Git Ready
3. N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. 3
4. Welcome To The Underground
5. Madman"
6. Pause Tapes
7. Writers
8. Sons (Young Kings)
9. It's Time (with Steve Miller Band)
10. Nasty Esco Nasir
11. My Story Your Story (featuring AZ)
12. Bouquet (To The Ladies)
13. Junkie
14. Shine Together
15. 3rd Childhood

‘Aquáticos’ is a captivating new record from Los Angeles producer Eddie Ruscha and Brazilian guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento. Blending Nascimento’s expressive, Afro-samba and choro-inflected guitar with Ruscha’s cosmic, groove-driven sound, ‘Aquáticos’ marks the start of a vibrant musical partnership—an organic, free-spirited collaboration full of interplay and vitality.

Conceived during the early 2020’s, ‘Aquáticos’ grew from a series of recording sessions in which the music unfolded naturally, in a state of effortless flow. Album opener ‘Nascer,’ the very first piece they recorded, captures such a moment perfectly: Nascimento’s 7- and 10-string nylon guitars weave seamlessly with Ruscha’s modular synths, drum machines, and vintage keyboards. Like much of Ruscha’s work under Secret Circuit and E Ruscha V, it is rich in lush, rhythmic textures—pulsing and bubbling with vibrant energy.

The initial session that produced the opening track set the tone for the record, establishing a template of intuitive interplay and musical freedom. Each subsequent session built upon the last, gradually shaping ‘Aquáticos’ across nine tracks, all characterized by melodic richness, rhythmic depth, and an unshakable sense of spontaneity.

‘Aquáticos’ pulls the listener gently into a celebration of musical conversation — a radiant, immersive journey where Ruscha and Nascimento’s instruments breathe together, echoing the joy, curiosity, and playful spirit that define their collaboration.

Sleeve art and design by Michael Willis.

TRACK LISTING

Nascer
Rain
Chegada
Bio
Purpose
Solar
Leaves
Immerso
Rio Inverso

Some 30 years after they first met in the DJ booth of Tokyo’s Spacelab Yellow nightclub, close friends François Kevorkian and Dimitri From Paris have finally joined forces in the studio. The result is The Nassau Excursion, a dazzlingly good three-track EP inspired by their joint love of disco and boogie-era dance records made at Island Records’ Compass Point Studio in the Bahamas.

Across three essential tracks, François and Dimitri explore and celebrate this distinctive Caribbean post-disco sound – one where weighty basslines and heavy drum machine beats rub shoulders with early ‘80s synths, dub-style production, heady hand percussion patterns and arrangements drenched in space echo and tape delay.

TRACK LISTING

A. The Compass Point Ft. DJ Rocca
B1. Da Riddim
B2. Steppers Revenge

Hidden away amidst the bustle of Rio de Janeiro’s Catete neighbourhood is a
small alleyway behind a cast iron gate. At its end is Bairro Saavedra, the courtyard surrounded by Neo-colonial houses where Brazilian guitar virtuoso Fabiano do Nascimento spent much of his childhood. Built in 1928, this secluded neighbourhood with its wooden shutters, tiled floors and tranquil benches, provides the inspiration for the title of Do Nascimento’s new album 'VILA', a collaborative project with a sixteen piece orchestra led by trombonist and arranger Vittor Santos.

TRACK LISTING

1. O Tempo (Foi O Meu Mestre)
2. Spring Theme
3. Tema Em, Harmonicos
4. Uirapuru
5. Trenzinho Imaginario
6. Prelude 5
7. Floresta Dos Sonhos
8. Plateau
9. Valsa
10. Vittor E Fabi

Rio de Janeiro guitarist and composer Fabiano Do Nascimento returns with new album, ‘Cavejaz’.

‘Cavejaz’ is a project that stemmed from a hangwith renowned Minas Gerais singer / songwriterJennifer Souza, who suggested that Do Nascimento might record music with a newconnection: the musician Paulo Santos, best known as a member of landmark Brazilian group UAKTI.

Collaborators with Paul Simon, Philip Glass, Milton Nascimento and Stewart Copeland, among others, UAKTI became known for crafting their instruments by hand, using all kinds of recycled materials such as PVC pipes, glass, water, sponges and more. Their artistic manifesto centres around creating minimal music, even as an ensemble.

TRACK LISTING

1. Aguas Serenas (with Jennifer Souza And Paulo Santos Uakti)
2. Creature Ethereal (with Paulo Santos Uakti)
3. Olhos Luz (with U-zhaan)
4. Tranquilo (with U-zhaan)
5. Vila
6. Maracatú (with Paulo Santos Uakti)
7. Velho Templo (with U-zhaan)
8. Cavejaz
9. Novo Dia
10. Trilobita (with Paulo Santos Uakti)
11. Salvador (with Tiki Pasillas)
12. Berimba-guitar
13. Tranquilo (with Paulo Santos Uakti)

Nas and DJ Premier release their highly-anticipated and long awaited album. The first edition of physical products is strictly for the Day 1 Fans and Indie Retail.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Life Is Real
2. Git Ready
3. N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. 3
4. Welcome To The Underground
5. Madman"
6. Pause Tapes
7. Writers
8. Sons (Young Kings)
9. It's Time (with Steve Miller Band)
10. Nasty Esco Nasir
11. My Story Your Story (featuring AZ)
12. Bouquet (To The Ladies)
13. Junkie
14. Shine Together
15. 3rd Childhood

It's the return of the nations favourite Muzic Box-inspired label - Dirty Blends, who come correct with not one but three slices of primordial jak beat and sherm-sticked warehouse trax this week.

"Drum Major" is a conceptual production from new klan member Nico Babylon who creates a hypnotic electronic blueprint focused on vintage synths and syncopated movement of rhythmic dimensions and craftsmanship. Plainly said - this is the next level of jakbeat moving forward!

On "This Nasty Possession" The Jak collaborates with Nico on this uber old school formula from the days of Chicago underground in the mid 80s along the timeline of Gherkin / Gene Hunt era. Everything you hear on this tune was created by hand, no samples were taken!

For those who like it much darker and feral. 

TRACK LISTING

Nico Babylon - Drum Major
The Jak & Nico Babylon - This Nasty Possession

Nina Nastasia's rare gift of a voice is an intimate, winged presence that is able to either freeze or melt your heart; that can powerfully soar and twist, or brush ultra-gently against you, suddenly summoning goose bumps.

Released in 2003 by Touch and Go Records (and out of print for almost two decades), 'Run to Ruin' is the third album by Nina Nastasia. It was recorded by Steve Albini at Black Box studio in Noyant-la-Gravoyère, France and at Looking Glass studio in New York. Combined with the prodigious talents of her backing band and the sparse but lush arrangements of the instruments, the songs on 'Run to Ruin' evoke haunting scenes of heartache, passion and a slightly seedy world. Nina's voice is at once delicate and intense, neither sweet nor harsh, it conveys an array of emotion moving between joy and sadness with just a moment's pause.

TRACK LISTING

1. We Never Talked
2. I Say That I Will Go
3. Regrets
4. You Her And Me
5. Superstar
6. The Body
7. On Teasing
8. While We Talk

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 29TH 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 30TH).

Marking the 30th anniversary of Nas' Illmatic, the x10 trk Remixes and Rarities LP is a limited edition collector's item that pays homage to one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time. Unearthed from the archives, this release features carefully selected remixes & rare tracks that add a new dimension to the iconic Illmatic experience. Immerse yourself in the evolution of Nas' artistry with this exclusive release, housed in a specially designed package that captures the essence of the album's enduring legacy.

This title explores a key hip hop album marking the cross over point where the streets and the charts collided. Contradiction the simultaneous existence of two competing realities and larger than life persona are at the core of "Nas' Illmatic". Yet Nas' identity - as an inner-city youth, a child of hip hop and a Black American - predicts those philosophical quandaries as much as it does its brazen ambition.

The artistic impact of Illmatic was massive. The record finds its place in the greatest transition in hip hop up to that point. Along with the Wu Tang Clan's debut from the previous year, Illmatic put New York back on the map after a long period of West coast, G-funk dominance.

Nas also mapped out the laid-back lyrical style that would usher in the modern era of hip hop. 

Kate Nash’s new album ‘9 Sad Symphonies’ is her first signed to the legendary Kill Rock Stars label. The album was produced and mixed by Grammy winning Danish producer Frederik Thaae (K Flay, Jada, Crown The Empire).

Marking a new chapter in Kate’s illustrious career, the album’s lyrical scope is both deeply personal and achingly relatable, whilst its orchestral arrangements and melodies draw from Kate’s experience in the world of musical theatre.

Kate Nash is a BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter, musician and actress known for her fearless approach to music and unapologetic storytelling. A platinum selling artist with a career spanning over a decade, she has garnered critical acclaim for her chart-topping hits and electrifying live performances. From her debut album ‘Made of Bricks’, to her latest releases, Kate’s artistry continues to resonate with audiences and has earned her a dedicated fanbase. She also captivated audiences as Rhonda in Netflix’s Emmy-nominated GLOW.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Millions Of Heartbeats
Misery
Wasteman
Abandoned
Horsie

Side B
My Bile
Those Feelings
Space Odyssey 2001
Ray
Vampyre

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).

I Am... The Autobiography, the long sought-after bootleg released commercially for the first time.Features2 unreleased tracks, as well as many other rarities that have been on limited vinyl and 12"previously, as well as deluxe packaging. A must-have for any Nas and die-hard Hip Hop head!

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Fetus
2. Small World
3. Money Is My Bitch

Side B
1. Project Windows
2. Poppa Was A Playa
3. Dr. Knockboots(Doe’s And Don’t)

Side C
1. Day Dreamin’Stay Schemin’****
2. Sometimes I Wonder (feat. Nature)
3. Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive****
4. Drunk By Myself

Side D
1. I Wanna Play***
2. Blaze A 50
3. We Will Survive

On The Blackened Air (her second album but first for Touch and Go, originally released in 2002), Nina Nastasia and her band are not content to just support a vocal melody; they pry it apart and look down its throat. The stringed and wind instruments (viola, cello, mandolin, accordion, bowed saw, acoustic and electric guitars) reach up out of the songs into rarefied territory. Little stories of Peeping Toms and the police lights they bring with them, grave- yards and impolite family, epigrams against disaster, depression, simple forgetfulness, all delivered so effortlessly that the precision of the delivery registers long after its substance has left its mark. When she sings “I’m not hiding anything / I’m not trying to fool you at all,” in a song titled “That’s All There Is,” it is all the truth.

A generation-plus of young troubadours pine for things they never has to lose, as if sadness and depression were inevitable consequences of being alive. Nina Nastasia’s music is an antidote to all of that. The Blackened Air is a darkish record not just in title, but by examining everything without caving in to decadence or solipsism, it is a rejuvenating experience. It is informed, without affect, unique, and succinct. Above all, it is beautiful to hear and a pleasure to have in one’s home.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Run, All You...
I Go With Him This Is What It Is Oh, My Stars All For You
So Little
Desert Fly
Ugly Face
Side B
In The Graveyard Ocean
Rosemary
The Same Day Been So Long
The Very Next Day Little Angel
That’s All There Is

Hailed as a “master of sonic textures” by Rolling Stone and “folk-rock visionary” by Uncut, Israel Nash first rose to fame in Europe, where he built a loyal following with a series of critically acclaimed albums that landed him a deal with the renowned Loose Music label. As American audiences began to catch on, the Missouri native relocated to Dripping Springs, Texas, where he built his own recording studio on a ranch and embraced a more spacious, psychedelic sound that landed somewhere between Neil Young and Pink Floyd. Produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Ray LaMontagne), Nash’s newest record, the rousing Ozarker, finds him returning to his Midwestern roots, embracing the heartland rock he grew up on with larger-than-life guitars, anthemic melodies, and rich character studies.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Nash's psychedelic folk-rock takes a little left turn on his latest LP 'Ozarker'. Swapping out the simmering melodies and low-key Americana for something a lot more majestic and Midwestern. Huge melodies and stadium choruses abound.

TRACK LISTING

1. Firedance
2. Can't Stop
3. Roman Candle
4. Lost In America
5. Ozarker
6. Midnight Hour
7. Travel On
8. Pieces
9. Shadowland
10. Going Back

A legendary fan favorite Illmatic era demo, gets revisited and completed nearly 3 decades later! Available on vinyl for the first time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Life Is Like A Dice Game (Vocal Version Ft Cordae & Freddie Gibbs)
2. Life Is Like A Dice Game (Instrumental Version, Prod By Hit-Boy)

Instrumental version of the 15th studio album from American Rapper Nas.

TRACK LISTING

1. Speechless - Instrumental
2. Meet Joe Black - Instrumental
3. Ugly - Instrumental
4. 40-16 Building - Instrumental
5. Hollywood Gangsta - Instrumental
6. Wu For The Children - Instrumental
7. Wave Gods - Instrumental
8. The Truth - Instrumental
9. Dedicated - Instrumental 

Nas King's Disease II Album Following the Grammy Award winning album, King’s Disease, the king returns to his throne with the second coming, King’s Disease II. The star-studded project offers tacit game on life, love, and loss, uplifting through action and lived experience in a way only Nas can. This is a body of work for the fans, for the day 1’s that contributed to the legacy. Alongside the decorated production savant, Hit-Boy, Nas remains rooted in lyrical prophetism while proving that he constantly reinvents the wheel. The sequel to last year’s King’s Disease features Ms. Lauryn Hill, Eminem, EPMD, Hit-Boy, Charlie Wilson, YG and more.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Pressure
2. Death Row East
3. 40 Side
4. EPMD 2 (feat. Eminem & EPMD)
5. Rare
6. YKTV (feat. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie & YG)
7. Store Run
8. Moments
9. Nobody (feat. Ms. Lauryn Hill)
10. No Phony Love (feat. Charlie Wilson)
11. Brunch On Sundays (feat. Blxst)
12. Count Me In
13. Composure (feat. Hit-Boy)
14. My Bible
15. Nas Is Good

'A searing, triumphant story. A testament to the tenacity of the human spirit as well as a beautiful ode to an iconic figure' IRENOSEN OKOJIE Letters to Gil is Malik Al Nasir's profound coming of age memoir - the story of surviving physical and racial abuse and discovering a new sense of self-worth under the wing of the great artist, poet and civil rights activist Gil Scott-Heron. Born in Liverpool, Malik was taken into care at the age of nine after his seafaring father became paralysed.

He would spend his adolescence in a system that proved violent, neglectful, exploitative, traumatising and mired in abuse. Aged eighteen, he emerged semi-literate, penniless with no connections or sense of where he was going - until a chance meeting with Gil Scott-Heron. Letters to Gil will tell the story of Malik's empowerment and awakening while mentored by Gil, from his introduction to the legacy of Black history to the development of his voice through poetry and music.

Written with lyricism and power, it is a frank and moving memoir, highlighting how institutional racism can debilitate and disadvantage a child, as well as how mentoring, creativity, self-expression and solidarity helped him to uncover his potential.

The first new album in over a decade from world-renowned singer-songwriter, Nina Nastasia.

Produced by Steve Albini.

Riderless Horse is my first solo record, and it’s the first record my former partner, Kennan Gudjonsson, didn’t produce.

I haven’t made an album since 2010. I decided to stop pursuing music several years after my sixth record, Outlaster, because of unhappiness, overwhelming chaos, mental illness, and my tragically dysfunctional relationship with Kennan. Creating music had always been a positive outlet during difficult times, but eventually it became a source of absolute misery.

Riderless Horse documents the grief, but it also marks moments of empowerment and a real happiness in discovering my own capability. Steve Albini produced this record with me, and Greg Norman assisted. It was exactly the right environment to work on this record. We all had meals together, cried, laughed, and told stories. It was perfect. It made me realize how much I love writing, playing and recording music.

Terrible things happen. These were some terrible things. So, what to do – learn something valuable, connect with people, move the fuck out of that apartment, remember the humor, find the humour, tell the truth, and make a record. I made a record.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cork And Pour (0:12)
2. Just Stay In Bed (2:12)
3. You Were So Mad (2:53)
4. This Is Love (3:10)
5. Nature (2:57)
6. Lazy Road (2:45)
7. Ask Me (3:41)
8. Blind As Batsies (2:35)
9. The Two Of Us (2:37)
10. Go Away (2:19)
11. The Roundabout (2:09)
12. Trust (3:20)
13. Afterwards (2:34)
14. Creek And Chimes (0:33)

"Ykytu" is Brasilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento’s fourth album for Now-Again Records. Produced by Nascimento’s longtime engineer Jason Hiller, this album is do Nascimento’s first solo guitar album and, like his previous album, Preludio, is reliant on do Nascimento’s own compositions, with a little help from like-minded musical travelers. In keeping with the trajectory of his previous albums, including Dança dos Tempos and Tempo dos Mestres, Ykytu follows folkloric Brasilian music, Brasilian jazz, bossa-nova and samba as experienced through the mind and able fingers of an expansive musician, this time in a minimalist, meditative manner. “Even though this album is a bit experimental and even abstract at times, It is meant to be a calming and easy listening experience,” do Nascimento offers.

“I choose to keep the songs and arrangements intentionally very bare and stripped down. Just adding few layers and colors here and there.” The album came together during the Covid-19 pandemic, but one hears anything but isolation in Ykytu’s grooves. Do Nascimento performed the album almost entirely with a Strimon Timeline pedal, with a few loops and overdubs, and the result is a full-fledged, if quiet and subtle, conversation Do Nascimento has with himself, as he ruminates about this stage in his life, in his musical journey, and his music’s place in the world. Ykytu means "wind" in the indigenous Brazilian Guarani language. In his own way, as he was quarantined in Los Angeles, Do Nascimento has succeded in journeying outwards, in heeding the call of the open world. At the same time, he has remained true to the spirit and calling of his forebears, hearing their whispers, amplifying them, augmenting them, and allowing them to flow outwards. “...Based in Los Angeles, a continent away from his homeland, Nascimento draws from a deep love of Brazilian rhythms and pays homage to his mentors…His music is beautiful and transcendent and… at this time and place – a balm” – KCRW

TRACK LISTING

A1. Curumn
A2. Meditacao
A3. Novo Dia
A4. Noite
A5. Stalgmites
A6. Ykytu

B1. Pelas Ruas
B2. Alta Paz
B3. Corrida
B4. Flower Of Life
B5. Planalto
B6. Rio Tapajos

“Music can be the space where people think––even just for a few minutes,” says Israel Nash. “The space is not about changing their lives or political views or their party ticket. It’s about creating something that prompts reflection in a moment––and those reflections have other chain reactions.”

Nash is sitting outside in the sun, thinking. It’s something he does often, looking out over endless Texas hills that surround his family’s rural home. He’s thought a lot over the last several years about music––not only how to make it, but why. What is the endgame for Nash, a critically acclaimed rock-and-roll groovesman, personally?

Nash’s magnificent new album, Topaz, is what happened when he found his answers. Nash recorded the album over the course of about a year in the Quonset hut studio he built about 600 feet from his house in the Texas Hill Country. While musician friends from nearby Austin contributed to the project, Topaz marks the first album Nash has recorded mostly on his own, both taking his time and relishing his newfound access to immediacy, punching the red button moments after an idea hit. “It's allowed me to capture sounds and ideas, to really get stuff out of my head and into the world so quickly,” Nash says.

In 1994, hip-hop was going through an at-times painful growth spurt. Since NWA’s and Ice-T’s ascent in the late 80s, the rap game was no longer owned by the East Coast. After the worldwide popularity of Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ in 1992, things were looking even worse for hip-hop’s hometown. The East Coast / West Coast feud that would later indirectly claim the lives of Biggie and 2Pac was still in its infancy, but New York needed a shot in the arm. The hype behind young Queensbridge native Nasir “Nas” Jones had been in full swing months before his smash debut album ‘Illmatic’, thanks to Columbia Records’ promo machine. From his earliest appearance on Main Source’s ‘Live At The BBQ’, to his own accomplished debut ‘Half Time’ (as Nasty Nas, in late 1992), it was clear that this kid was something special. In fact, the pressure on him must have been overwhelming at times. April 19, 1994 couldn’t have come soon enough. And as soon as the first lines of ‘NY State Of Mind’ kick in, bolstered by perhaps DJ Premier’s darkest beat of all time, the entire East Coast breathed a collective sigh of relief. God’s Son had arrived.

Backed by an absolute all-star cast of New York’s top-shelf producers - Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Q-Tip and a youngster named LES - the album never lets up. Serious to a fault, and lyrically dense to an extent that has possibly never been matched, the 20-year old Nas stood on the shoulders of his predecessors and proudly proclaimed, “Don’t f*** with the East… we are BACK”. ‘Illmatic’ was actually a slow-burn, which might surprise fans that have come to its genius more recently. Despite an unheard-of “5 Mics” rating in The Source – breaking an unwritten rule of never awarding classic status to debuts - it didn’t go gold until early 1996, and didn’t hit platinum status until late 2001. But when you dive deeper that shouldn’t be a shock: like Black Moon and Wu-Tang’s debuts, it was a dark, hard record, made for heads in New York, not teeny-boppers in Des Moines. There were no dance beats, no crossover love songs. Just boom-bap and rhymes, skills and heart.

TRACK LISTING

The Genesis
NY State Of Mind
Life's A Bitch
The World Is Yours
Halftime
Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park)
One Love
One Time 4 Your Mind
Represent
It Ain't Hard To Tell

Nashville Skyline is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on April 9, 1969, by Columbia Records as LP record, reel to reel tape & audio cassette. Building on the rustic style he experimented with on John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline displayed a complete immersion into country music. Along with the more basic lyrical themes, simple songwriting structures & charming domestic feel, it introduced audiences to a radically new singing voice from Dylan, who had temporarily quit smoking—a soft, affected country croon. 

Originally released in 1974, CSNY’s first compilation album So Far highlights the group’s first two critically acclaimed and highly successful albums; Déjà Vu and Crosby, Stills & Nash. After David Crosby left The Byrds, Stephen Stills’ band Buffalo Springfield had broken up and Graham Nash had left The Hollies; the trio formed one of the first, and still to this day greatest, supergroups. Under the same CSN, they recorded the band’s debut album Crosby, Stills & Nash to real fanfare. It shot the group into superstardom, culminating in a Grammy award for Best New Artist in 1970. Previously also part of Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young joined the band as their fourth member and the result was the band’s opus, Déjà Vu; a folk-rock classic. The album is revered to this day, consistently included in best albums of all-time lists in the media. So Far includes tracks from both of these albums, as well as the highly popular non-album single Ohio, alongside its’ B-side Find The Cost Of Freedom

The debut, limited edition 12" by The Illness featuring collaborations with Steve West and Bob Nastanovich (Pavement & Silver Jews).

The Illness are a UK collective of Sea-related personnel (members of Ambulance / Wolf Solent / Broken Arm / Alisia Casper) This 12" is the first release following 5+ years of scrapped sessions, line-up changes and other distractions.

This double sided single serves as a precursor to an Illness album, due to be recorded/released in 2020 (worldwide crisis permitting).

Both tracks were initially recorded in the basement of a former maternity home, Heworth Moor House in York (on Scout Niblett's old 8-track machine), then sent to Steve and Bob respectively. Steve recorded his vocals at Marble Valley Studio, Richmond, Virginia and Bob in Des Moines, Iowa.

The songs were mixed and Mastered by Iwan Morgan (Euros Childs, Cate le Bon, Gruff Rhys, Laura J Martin).

It's the 21st Century and the cult of mass information has finally vanquished the allure of mystery. Reality TV, live blogging, social media and iCloud leaks - we don't wanna see our idols airbrushed, we wanna see them before they zip their skin up. We want the process dammit, the 4 a.m. burnout, the smudged ink and the pencil shavings. 
Melody As Truth know what we want, and the Amsterdam label duly give it to us with their new MATstudio series. Inviting us into their workspace, Jonny Nash and Suzanne Kraft catalogue some of the experiments, explorations, accidents and fortuitous events that regularly take place. Each record will feature two compositions created from a collage of works created using guitar, bass, synth, piano, chime and fx.
This first offering treats us to a pair of drifting dreamscapes, both strange, beautiful and organic. Imagine floating down a river in a land of divergent DNA.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Jonny Nash and Suzanne Kraft serve up the first in a series of recordings taken from live jams, improvised sessions and machine experiments. Floral beauty on the A-side, seismic power on the flip.

TRACK LISTING

A1. In Strange Company He Spoke Softly
B1. The Land Through Which We Pass

Texas’ genre-bending rock ‘n’ roller Israel Nash presents his latest long play, Lifted. It is a modern day hippie-spiritual, a tonic for those needing to put aside the mess of the daily grind. With luscious beds of strings, horns and well adorned towering walls of sound, Lifted finds Nash continuing his tradition of creating a sonic experience of feeling that is at once both vast and intimate - soaring and untamed at times, placid and sincerely personal at others. Inspired by methods pioneered by John Cage, Nash randomised sounds and music and rearranged them according to the I Ching (The Book of Changes). Utilising these recording and tracking techniques help create a sonic and very present picture of Nash’s Texas Hill Country home and his life. Accompanied by his longtime band, with arrangements by Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev, Midlake), horns by members of Austin’s cumbia/funk compadre’s Grupo Fantasma, and strings from Kelsey Wilson and Sadie Wolf of indie pop’s Wild Child, Nash, alongside co-producer and engineer Ted Young (Kurt Vile, The Rolling Stones), presents an album that soars as a masterwork of American roots songs, meticulously crafted and gently sprinkled with life meaning and multi-hued rock and psychedelia.

TRACK LISTING

1. Rolling On (Intro)
2. Rolling On
3. Looking Glass
4. Lucky Ones
5. Sweet Springs (Intro)
6. Sweet Springs
7. Spiritfalls
8. Northwest Stars (Out Of Tacoma)
9. Hillsides
10. The Widow
11. Strong Was The Night
12. Golden Fleeces

The continuation of the audio trilogy concerning the Darkness of Aegypt: the shadow stuff from whence dark dreams come. The Triad: dark, light and the animating serpent power are delineated by the Egyptian Gods Set, Horus and the Apep serpent. The second parting of the ways, lord of the crossroads, the double horizon, the xroads of day and night, the mauve zone, the death posture. We brought back: a twilight mechanism, and hymns to the charnel ground, ashes, jackals and the bulto hyaena, pacing the departure lounges of abandoned airports. Matthew Bower & Samantha Davies West Yorks, UK Winter Solstice Evening 2017 

TRACK LISTING

A1:We Move On Points Of Shattered Mirrors
B1:Charnel Ground
B2:Departure Lounge 

The Nashville Sound was recorded at Nashville’s legendary RCA Studio A and produced by Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb, who produced ‘Something More Than Free’ and Isbell’s celebrated 2013 breakthrough album ‘Southeastern’.

‘The Nashville Sound’ features 10 new songs that address a range of subjects that include, politics and cultural privilege (“White Man’s World”) longing nostalgia (“The Last Of My Kind”), love and mortality (“If We Were Vampires”), the toxic effect of today’s pressures (“Anxiety”), the remnants of a break up (“Chaos and Clothes”) and finding hope (“Something To Love”). Songs such as “Cumberland Gap” and “Hope The Highroad” find Jason and his bandmates going back to their rock roots full force.

TRACK LISTING

1. Last Of My Kind
2. Cumberland Gap
3. Tupelo
4. White Man's World
5. If We Were Vampires
6. Anxiety
7. Molotov
8. Chaos And Clothes
9. Hope The High Road
10. Something To Love

Recorded live at the Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY, U.S.A., 23rd March, 1976, the album is the official document of the Isolar/Station To Station tour.

Known to fans for many years as the Thin White Duke double album bootleg (among various other titles), the record didn’t get an official release for over thirty years, when it was finally issued as part of the Station To Station deluxe set in September, 2010.

It is now finally available a vinyl album in it's own right.

TRACK LISTING

Station To Station 
Suffragette City 
Fame
Word On A Wing 
Stay 
Waiting For The Man 
Queen Bitch 
Life On Mars? 
Five Years 
Panic In Detroit 
Changes 
TVC15 
Diamond Dogs 
Rebel Rebel 
The Jean Genie

"Hello Nasty", the Beastie Boys' fifth album, is a head-spinning listen loaded with analogue synthesizers, old drum machines, call-and-response vocals, freestyle rhyming, futuristic sound effects, and virtuoso turntable scratching. The Beasties had long been notorious for their dense, multi-layered explosions, but "Hello Nasty" was their first record to build on the multi-ethnic junk-culture breakthrough of "Check Your Head", instead of merely replicating it. Hiring DJ Mix Master Mike (one of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz) turned out to be a masterstroke; he and the Beasties created a sound that strongly recalls the spare electronic funk of the early 80s, but spiked with the samples and postmodern absurdist wit that have become their trademarks.

It's been quite some time since a full length solo Ben Nash release, and it's finally here, and so,what different from his more psychedelic folk drones he showcased way back on 'The Seventh Goodbye'. Probably best left for Ben to explain this one for you... "I recorded this new full-length record during downtime from playing with Chora and after a long break from recording any solo music. Having become somewhat disillusioned with the process of overdubbing conventional “physical” instruments repeatedly in my solo work I have spent a lot of time experimenting with different ways of inputting, manipulating and arranging sound electronically, both in a variety of computer based environments and also using an Apple iPad. This release is the first in a series that will document these experiments. All sounds on the album stem from and are sequenced within Yamaha’s TNR-I app with some minimal mix processing in Logic" - Ben Nash, Camberwell Green, September 2011. Edition of 250 copies pressed on heavy weight black virgin vinyl.

After only three months of playing shows, Dag Nasty went into Inner Ear Studios with Ian MacKaye. "Dag With Shawn" was recorded on Halloween Day 1985 and features the original line-up of the band with Shawn Brown on vocals.

Initially songs from this session were to be released as a four-song 7" on Dischord, but shortly after the recording Shawn left Dag Nasty and the tape was shelved. In early 1986 the band re-recorded the entire album with new vocalist Dave Smalley and released it as "Can I Say".

This original session has only been previously available as partial out-takes and unauthorized bootlegs and, until now, has never been released in its complete form. This recording, taken from restored master tapes, offers a unique view into the early development of one of DC’s most influential bands.

Shawn went on to form the much loved Swiz and Dag Nasty went through several more line-up changes over the years, including another vocal switch when Dave Smalley was replaced by Peter Cortner.

For a Bob Dylan album, and one that many consider to be his best, "Nashville Skyline" doesn't mess around with ambiguity. It's a country album, plain and simple, with Dylan abandoning his fabled talk-sing voice and evangelical message for a soothing, down-home country croon. The new style was a perfect fit for some of Dylan's strongest material ever, including "Lay Lady Lay," "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" and "I Threw It All Away". There's also a superb duet with Johnny Cash on "Girl From The North Country" that, along with the Byrds' earlier "Sweetheart Of The Rodeo" LP, officially breaks the champagne bottle over a brand new musical genre: country-rock.

Heavy, as steel tank and spiced with ever changing tones and atmospheres. This is a document of the true power in sound and noise. In the hands of Mats Gustafsson, Dror Feiler and Lasse Marhaug, sound and noise is getting vital again. Three true masters of the unknown territories of their acoustic and electronic equipment. A modern power trio. This is the debut album by this new band.

If you know and love this all time classic already, then you may be tempted by the superior sound and artwork, or the four extra songs, three of which are previously unheard. One, their seemingly impromptu yet meltingly delivered cover of "Everybody's Talking" is worth the entrance fee on its own! If, on the other hand, you've never heard this music, think melodic, stoned, warm, groovy, daydream folk rock. It was an album which perfectly resonated with its times (late 60's) and you can still feel its glow, 35 years later. A total classic!

Naming their CD after a business card found in a wallet left behind in a drug deal gone bad (the card says 'reece nasty, splittin' wigs'), the EP is a spellbinding collection of guitar pop that brings to mind the likes of The La's, The Verve, The Shins, and Ride or even 60s British bands like The Small Faces and The Kinks.

Dag Nasty, the legendary Dischord band are back and as good as ever with their first release in a decade. Once again it features band members Dave Smalley, Brian Baker plus bassist Roger Marbury and drummer Colin Sears. Credited with helping to originate the 'emo' sound and influencing many of today's top selling punk bands, they remain very influential to many with their blend of aggressive hardcore and melodic punk.

Absolutely essential, all time classic DC hardcore / punk album, now remastered by Ian Mackaye. This was their debut album, recorded in 1986. As well as the original album tracks, this release also includes two tracks recorded at the same session as the album "Another Wrong" and "My Dog's A Cat", along with four previously unavailable live recordings. Quality!

15 duets recorded in 1992 with Emmylou Harris and bluegrass vocalist Carl Jackson revisting the Country roots style of the late fifties early sixties.