Loitering on the same Berkeley streets that birthed Green Day, Operation Ivy,
and Crimpshrine, Pot Valiant (AKA Vagrants) developed their own style of Gilmangaze in the early-’90s. Compiled here are the band’s 'Lookout' and
'Sunny Sindicu't 7”s, 'Transaudio' LP, and comp tracks; all on one CD, remastered from the original tapes.

TRACK LISTING

1. Nugget Killer
2. Tapir
3. Oar
4. Low Dexterity Points
5. This Heaven Has Bars
6. Sick
7. Going
8. Last Sun
9. Untitled (Unfinished)
10 .Volar
11. Low Dexterity Points (Single)
12. Loud Street
13. Mythmaker’s Office
14. Wood

Remixer extraordinaire Eric Kupper takes a set of epic, lost recordings from 1982, that feature the cream of the crop session musicians behind the soulful sound of Philadelphia - Earl Young (Drums), Ronnie Baker (Bass), Norman Harris (Guitar), Lenny Pakula (Organ), Larry Washington (Percussion), Vince Montana, Jr (Vibes, Keyboards), John Bonnie (Saxophone) - along with powerhouse vocalists Joe Freeman, David Simmons, Bobby Love and Ron Tyson, and lovingly applies his own modern sheen, spinning them into ear candy for today’s listener as well as those who were there from the very beginning. These incredible remixes, which have individually been topping the charts on Traxsource, can now be had in one place - this exclusive 3-LP vinyl collection that is not just a tribute to the past, but a vibrant continuation of the legacy these legendary musicians helped create.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Bad Luck (Eric Kupper Remix)
A2. Bad Luck (Eric Kupper Remix Instrumental)
A3. Love Train (Eric Kupper Remix)
B1. Love Train (Eric Kupper Remix Instrumental)
B2. The Love I Lost (Eric Kupper Remix)
B3. The Love I Lost (Eric Kupper Remix Instrumental)
C1. Back Stabbers (Eric Kupper Remix)
C2. Back Stabbers (Eric Kupper Remix Instrumental)
D1. I Don't Love You Anymore (Eric Kupper Remix)
D2. I Don't Love You Anymore (Eric Kupper Remix Instrumental)
E1. Love Is The Message (Eric Kupper Remix)
E2. Love Is The Message (Eric Kupper Vocal Remix)
F1. Do It Any Way You Wanna (Eric Kupper Remix)
F2. Do It Any Way You Wanna (Eric Kupper Remix Instrumental) 

C&C Music Factory lynchpin Eric Kupper takes on 'BackStabbers' with a considered touch, reinforcing its groove while preserving the essence of its original 1982 recording. Captured at Virtue Studios by a powerhouse ensembleiincluding MFSB and Salsoul Orchestra greats like Earl Young, Ron Baker and Vince Montana, Jr.ithis session defined the lush, orchestrated soul of Philadelphia. Joe Freeman's lead vocal remains the focal point, its urgency cutting through Kupper's updated mix, which tightens the percussion and adds a refined low-end punch. Side A presents the vocal mix, where the track's layered instrumentation breathes with new clarity, while Side B strips it down to an instrumental, letting the intricate arrangements shine. US-based Kupper, a veteran of over 1,400 remixes, treats the material with the respect of a historian and the instincts of a modern dancefloor craftsman, balancing nostalgia with crisp, club-ready sonics.

TRACK LISTING

A. Back Stabbers
B. Back Stabbers (Instrumental) 

In 1982, the elite, core musicians (MFSB / The Salsoul Orchestra) behind the soulful Philly Sound - Earl Young (drums), Ron Baker (bass), Norman Harris (guitar), Lenny Pakula (organ), Larry Washington (percussion), Vince Montana, Jr. (vibes) - and powerhouse vocalists David Simmons, Joe Freeman, Ron Tyson and Bobby Love convened at Philadelphia’s historic Sigma Sound and Virtue Studios to record some of the genre’s biggest hits. This small, but amazing set of lush recordings, which were mixed at Alpha Studios - ensuring that every note and nuance was captured with the highest fidelity, recently caught the attention of the famed producer and remixer Eric Kupper. Kupper got his start working as a keyboardist and guitarist for such producer/remixers as David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Arthur Baker, Peter Rauhofer, and Richie Jones, just to name a few. Since 1986, he has played on, remixed, and/or produced over 1400 records for artists spanning all contemporary musical genres. Presented here is “Bad Luck” which features Simmons’ incomparable lead vocals and a brilliant remix by Kupper. This release is not just a tribute to the past, but a vibrant continuation of the legacy these legendary musicians helped create.[

TRACK LISTING

A. Bad Luck
B. Bad Luck (Instrumental) 

Limited edition Eric Kupper mix of this lost classic from the vaults of America. Fully licensed, 100 copies only, 

The musical cream of the crop (MFSB / The Salsoul Orchestra) behind the soulful Sound of Philadelphia - Earl Young (drums), Ron Baker (bass), Norman Harris (guitar), Lenny Pakula (organ), Larry Washington (percussion), Vince Montana, Jr. (vibes) - joined forces with powerhouse vocalists David Simmons, Joe Freeman, Ron Tyson and Bobby Love at Philadelphia's historic Virtue Studios in 1982 to record some of the genre's biggest hits. This small, but sensational set of lush recordings, which were mixed at Alpha Studios - ensuring that every note and nuance was captured with the highest fidelity, recently caught the attention of the famed producer and remixer Eric Kupper. Kupper cut his teeth working as a keyboardist and guitarist for such producer/remixers as David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Arthur Baker, Peter auhofer, and Richie Jones to name a few. Since 1986, he has performed on, remixed, and/or produced over 1400 records for artists spanning all contemporary musical genres. Presented here is "The Love I Lost"

TRACK LISTING

A. The Love I Lost
B. The Love I Lost (Instrumental) 

'Warsaw 480km' is the debut LP from Irish/Portuguese quintet Pôt-Pot , who infuse the propulsive grooves of krautrock with a phosphorescent psych-rock radiance, all underscored by harmonium drones, hypnotic male-female vocal harmonies, and deep layers of rough-hewn texture. Evolved primarily from demos by multi-instrumentalist and lead vocalist Mark Waldron-Hyden during a period of grief and personal upheaval, the album came to life through a series of live, full-band studio sessions that document an exceptional array of talents, unified in an embrace of raw catharsis with a sweetly sinister edge.

A defining element of 'Warsaw 480km' is its impressive range of influences and atmospheric topographies. As Waldron-Hyden describes, “ I wrote the first batch of songs while not really living in one place, so I think they have a kind of transient feel to them – developing them with the band helped me process an era in which I was emotionally freewheeling, so they remind me equally of the beautiful experience we shared as a creative unit and the difficult times that inspired them.” Lead single,'WRSW', exemplifies this complexity, as its rugged rhythmic backbone carries tremolo guitars, woozy harmonium, and a half-spoken, Lou Reed-indebted vocal line in which the verse and chorus beautifully blur together.

TRACK LISTING

1.132 Spring St
2. 22° Halo
3. Sextape
4. WRSW
5. Fake Eyes
6. I AM!
7. Can't Handle It
8. The Lights Are On
9. Hot Scene
10. Change Your Life

‘Rivière Noire’ is Reginald Omas Mamode IV’s first album on Cologne imprint, Melting Pot Music and his first solo project since 2022.

Reginald Omas Mamode IV is an Anglo-Mauritian vocalist, producer and musician, born and raised in Britain whilst maintaining a firm connection to his father’s African island. From South London to the Mascarene Islands where Reginald’s family roots lay. Music runs deep in the Mamode family, with his brothers being recording artists and also their relatives contributing to the ‘Electric Sega’ recordings in Mauritius during the 1970s.

Reginald’s music is informed by golden era Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul, Afro, Funk, Sega and Maloya, Africa, the Caribbean, South London and the Blues of The States, with echoes of J Dilla and D’Angelo, as well as clear influences from Sly Stone, Shuggie Otis and Lee Perry - four solo albums on Five Easy Pieces and a string of collaboration projects.

Reginald has been instrumental in shaping the UK beat and jazz sound / scene of today - 2012 marked the start of Gilles Peterson’s ongoing support, playing Reginald’s music for over a decade now.

Along with his brothers Mo Kolours and Jeen Bassa and friends and collaborators Al Dobson Jr and Tenderlonious, Reginald has helped forge the 22a co-operative that The FADER called “a kaleidoscopic patchwork of hip-hop, house, and groove investigations bound by one thread: a timeless belief in rhythm as a universal language.”

‘Rivière Noire’ is somewhat of a rebirth or an evolution for Reginald. The album sees him take a step back from sampling records and rather performing all the instrument and vocal parts himself. He creates his sounds and grooves with a vast array of instruments, performed, recorded and mixed in his modest studio, with live drums, drum machines, various percussion instruments, guitar, Fender Rhodes and synths.

In his music, Reginald attempts to evoke feelings of universal love and compassion. It draws influence from the current state of the world as much as it does from everyday life. As we witness rising poverty, global events, political and ethnic divisions, these factors prompt some of Reginald’s themes and call for humanity to recognise we are all interconnected.

“We are all related. We’re all brothers and sisters with common ancestry, common history and a common origin regardless of race, geographic location or belief systems. Love and compassion are universal feelings / practices we all should embrace and apply to all aspects of our lives, our interactions and our relationships, regardless of the kinship.”

TRACK LISTING

Black River (Introduction)
It’s Out World
Make It Right
Through Our Veins
No Harm (Intermission)
I Can’t Believe
No Maybes
Message From A Creole (Interlude)
Freedom Song
Grandmamaland
Can’t Let Them
Throw Your Woes Away
Free (Interlude)
Just Keep On
More Love
Whole Hearted
Rivière Noire Decolonise Your Mind
No Time To Waste

Let's be honest: life is a series of swipes left and right, love you's, and ghostings, all while trying to figure out why you're crying over a meme at 2 a.m. but Ray Lozano? She gets it. Her new album, SILK&SORROW is that perfectly timed text from a friend who knows when to send the "you good?" without expecting an answer.

Lozano explores the contradictions we face daily, creating a sonic embrace for anyone caught between connection and detachment, feeling everything and nothing all at once. The title says it all: "Silk" gives you warmth and comfort, while "Sorrow" hits you with an emotional gut punch you didn't see coming. It's a reminder that softness and pain aren't mutually exclusive - they're two sides of the same coin, constantly present in our daily lives, whether we're ready for them or not.

Each track feels like Lozano's looking over your shoulder, seeing your emotional history play out - like she's right there as your laugh turns into a sigh, and nostalgia for a moment you didn't realize was gone hits harder than you'd like. Her ability to transform the most ordinary, chaotic moments of life into something extraordinary is her superpower. SILK&SORROW isn't about fixing things. It's about feeling them, really feeling them, in all their messy glory.

In a time where vulnerability is often seen as a mere aesthetic choice on Spotify, Lozano goes deeper. SILK&SORROW isn't trying to be trendy or polished. It hits you where it hurts and where it heals, and it shows you that the chaos is where the magic happens. Consider this album your anthem for late-night introspection. SILK&SORROW is less of an album, and more of a survival guide for the beautifully chaotic mess we call life.

TRACK LISTING

1. INTRO
2. BETTER DAYS
3. HIYA
4. DRAGON
5. KIKI
6. I DON'T CARE
7. CAN'T LOVE
8. SOMETIMES
9. LOTA
10. LET THE HEART GROW
11. OUTRO

After her album with producer High John on MPM in 2019 and collaborations with agajon, Àbáse, KUOKO, Cap Kendricks and Move 78, soul singer douniah returns with her debut solo project.

douniah imparts her debut solo project "A Lot, Not Too Much" to an unexpecting audience. Thoughtfully, the singer-songwriter invites us to embark on our own saviour. The collection of songs is steeped in artistic and emotional integrity. Production was ledand executed by Dhanya Langer, one half of band project Modha, and producer of JujuRogers' 2019 album "40 Acres N Sum Mula". Written amid the pandemic, this piece is aneffort of immense proportions - experimenting with her sound in time, wading through spirals of arduous personal challenges. 'A first impression of how my journey sounds.'Agadir-born and Hamburg-raised, douniah engages in the practice of interpreting herspirit, impressively, in German, Darija and English. We find here, a body of work that threads together the tenets of free-form poetry and romanticism, backdropped by neo-experimental jazz tendencies. In euphony, a worldly array of instruments act insymbiosis to carry us through "A Lot, Not Too Much". douniah's voice is one to fall into; her message is enunciated with every word, delivered delicately with an inventory ofriffs and ranged tone. The utilisation of choppy, note-like, freestyles bridges the EP's strong singles, into a rhapsodic whole.

TRACK LISTING

1. Half Milk, Half Water (Intro)
2. Sabah Al Noor
3. I Left, An Open Door
4. Round Full Moon (Interlude)
5. Running (feat. Okcandice)
6. Yannayer
7. Nur Für Mich
8. New Life

Loitering on the same Berkeley streets that birthed Green Day, Operation Ivy, and Crimpshrine, Pot Valiant (AKA Vagrants) developed their own style of Gilmangaze in the early-’90s. Compiled here are the band’s Lookout and Sunny Sindicut 7”s, Transaudio LP, comp tracks, and three previously unissued songs. Remastered from the original tapes, this 2xLP package is housed in a tip-on gatefold sleeve and includes a 20 page booklet crammed with notes, flyers, and photos of this staple of outsider emo.

TRACK LISTING

LP1
1. Nugget Killer
2. Tapir
3. Oar
4. Low Dexterity Points
5. This Heaven Has Bars
6. Sick
7. Going
8. Last Sun
9. Untitled (Unfinished)

LP2
1. Volar
2. Low Dexterity Points (Single)
3. Loud Street
4. Wood
5. Mythmaker’s Office
6. Cell
7. Open Book
8. Gone
9. Alone
10. Civilization Was
11. Used
12. Berth

British-German jazz rap super group Syrup returns with their second album "The Questions" on Melting Pot Music. Syrup are Twit One (beats), Turt of Summers Sons (rap) and C.Tappin (vocals & keys).

Twit One is from Cologne and a true universal artist: producer, DJ, curator and record store-owner are some of the many hats Twit is wearing. Turt is one half of South London duo Summers Sons (the other half is his brother Slim) and best friend with C.Tappin with whom he and Slim form the Lightworks crew.

Twit, Turt and Tappin share a friendship and musical partnership based on similar musical tastes and live values since they met in Bristol in 2015. Their first album "Rosy Lee" was released in 2021 on Melting Pot Music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Beautiful Pt. 1
2. Breathe
3. Up High
4. Ody (Skit)
5. Nothing Like Pt. 1
6. Nothing Like Pt. 2
7. Universal Credit (Skit)
8. Don't Blame You
9. November
10. Timing Perfect
11. Hate To Ride Alone
12. Beautiful Pt. 2
13. Just Another One
14. Rollins
15. Never Made Sense
16. Whatshallido
17. The Water

Lofi heavyweights Phlocalyst and Mr.Käfer unite again for the second volume of their joint project "Now / Again" on Melting Pot Music.

But wait a minute … is it really appropriate to label "Now / Again II" Lofi? If you follow one of the relevant playlists, you have heard some tracks by our two friends for sure and yes they are heavyweights within that scene (check their numbers). But what about the music? "Now / Again II" is far cry from sad piano loops, fake vinyl crackles and played out SP-404 effects (or whatever the racoon in you associates with Lofi).

Let's call "Now / Again II" contemporary smooth Jazz rooted in soulful Hip-Hop instead. Executed with a great ear for strong melodies, sophisticated arrangements and an everlasting love for blue notes. You won't regret it.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sunny Side Up
2. One Or Two
3. Pictures That Stay
4. Resources
5. Keep On Track
6. Slow Pace
7. Some New Soul
8. Helium
9. Like Children
10. Free Tones (feat.Sátyr)
11. Ventilator
12. Echoes

Lofi heavyweights Mr. Käfer and Phlocalyst are restructuring the metaphysics of a jazz thing - to quote Gang Starr's genre-defining classic "Jazz Thing" from 1990. The fusion of hip-hop and jazz has come a long way but there are still new routes to explore and new stories to tell. Mr. Käfer and Phlocalyst are adding their own chapter to the saga with their collaborative album Now / Again to be released via Melting Pot Music. The vibe of the 12 tracks is chill. The kicks, snares and basslines are crisp but relaxed. Wrapped up in warm melodic layers and led by the distinctive sound of Phlocalyst's trumpet.

The Flemish producer grew up in Ghent and relocated to Munich where he plays in a classic orchestra - a rather uncommon day-job for a lofi producer with more than 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Mr. Käfer was born in Salzburg – the hometown of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Crack Ignaz – to an Austrian mother and an Algerian father. Today he lives in Cologne. In his music he fuses influences from boom-bap to jazz to traditional North-African music. The album artwork was created by Cologne-based artist Giza One.

TRACK LISTING

1. Facettes
2. Cloudscapes (feat. Sátyr)
3. Stellar
4. Room
5. Lanterns
6. Silence
7. Fractions
8. Memories
9. Evenings
10. Space Travels
11. Respirations
12. Drizzle

"Meraki" is the first full-length album by LESKY with contributions from FloFilz, Phlocalyst, Turt (Summers Sons), Sátyr, Ddob, Cuebe, Flynn, Tally Schwenk and others. Released on Melting Pot Music home of Twit One, FloFilz, Summers Sons, Silhouettes Project and others!

Within less than three years, LESKY has established himself as one of the most promising and ambitious producers on the German scene. For a new artist, his discography is pretty deep and versatile. No matter if he delves into sample-driven lofi-beats or dropping trap and phonk, there is always a strong melodic side to his music. The LESKY sound is a nutshell: "All meat - no fat: hard and busy drums, fender rhodes neo soul chords and a filtered moog bassline", as he puts it. With a guest list that features long-time friends Phlocalyst and Sátyr alongside MPM artists FloFilz, MC Turt of Summers Sons, Sakura Murakami and new talents like Cologne (beat) boy wonder Midan and New Jersey-based singer Tally Schwenk, "Meraki" is bringing together the best of many worlds under one LESKY groove. Other artists featured on the album are Ddob, Meadow, Cuebe, Flynn and Mensing. "Meraki" is Greek and of those words that don't translate into English very well. One could put it as follows: "When you leave a piece of yourself, your soul, creativity, and love in what you do." For LESKY, it also stands for the transition of turning your hobby into a profession. Born and raised in Leipzig, he moved to Cologne when he turned 21 to intern and later work at MPM. Fast forward to 2021, LESKY has once again packed his bags and relocated to Tbilisi, the capitol of Georgia. It looks as if the journey for this young producer has only just begun...

TRACK LISTING

1. Oyster (feat. FloFilz, Phlocalyst & Sakura Murakami)
2. Palma (feat. Midan)
3. Alight (feat. Turt & DDob)
4. Coda (feat. Medow)
5. Lluvia (feat. Midan)
6. Aaliyah (feat. Flynn)
7. Augustiner (feat. Sátyr)
8. Ragazza (feat. Satyr)
9. Rakomelo
10. Apricot (feat. Phlocalyst & Satyr)
11. Saint Eugene (feat. Midan)
12. Relief (feat. Tally Schwenk & Mensing)

“Don't try to fight it,” the band’s motto implores, “Salems Pot has come to destroy your mind.” It’s the same kind of winking tease employed by low budget horror films of the 70s-80s that essentially dared audiences to experience what they knew they wanted, but couldn’t possibly expect.
Likewise, the new album by mysterious Swedish quintet Salem’s Pot delivers truly gritty and captivating heavy rock in high contrast technicolor: a sonic equivalent of The Last House On The Left, El Topo and Blood Feast. Similar to the way such films made up for their lack of flashy, expensive effects with dim lighting and implied violence, a hallucinogenic sense of true evil lurks in the dark corners of Salem’s Pot’s sound. Lest we forget, the band’s name itself is a pun on Stephen King’s stark, modernized vampire masterpiece.

Where previous Salems Pot releases honed doom riffs to perfection, Pronounce This! sees the band expanding its horizons to the far corners of imagination. It’s a hazy fever dream of dark, thrilling excess. It’s equal parts of The Cramps’ Psychedelic Jungle, Pentagram’s Relentless, Roky Erickson’s The Evil One and The Stooges Raw Power, as much heirs to Deep Purple as Dead Moon… metal, garage punk, acid rock and a belladonna trip gone wrong. It’s not heavy metal, this is a mutant monster that cannot be tamed.

And, perhaps as a continuation of the band’s fascination with sinful lore, Salem’s Pot never identifies its band members individually — they’re all completely anonymous without so much as a stagename. One of the biggest upgrades since the band’s 2014 RidingEasy album …Lurar ut dig pa prarien is the addition of second guitar, with the previous drummer giving up the throne for the strap and a new unnamed mystery man pounding the kit. Now, the band is freed to expand beyond the riff and get truly freaky. And with each new release, the vocals are way more snarling punk than the doom histrionics of their peers.

Album opener “Tranny Takes a Trip” kicks off with a humming modular synth drone and twin guitar throb lulling beneath a cascading haze of gurgling keyboard-through-delay-loop sounds before settling in to a stomping anthem replete with NWOBHM harmonized guitar leads. The album’s tone clearly set for the shadiest recesses of our minds, “Just For Kicks” swaggers in on a phaser-drenched single note guitar line that sets up a demented blues as the tuneful, yelping vocals expound on a penchant for chemical excess with direct honesty. A shortened edit of “The Vampire Strikes Back” was released as a single in late 2015, shorn down to the hook-laden rocker at the seven-and-a-half minute song’s core. But here you get the track’s full, sprawling glory as it staggers through a hazy, murderous leitmotif with noir-ish deliberation. “Coal Mind” is the album centerpiece at nearly 13 minutes of Hawkwind on a bad trip, drifting from space rock with an exemplary “bit of finger” to throbbing, hypnotic pulse that eventually ruptures with monolithic drop-tuned wall of guitar. “So Gone, So Dead” is a moment of respite giving nod to Gram Parsons’ lysergic western swing with funereal weight. “Desire” closes the album with epic grandeur reminiscent of Roky Erickson’s bleak murder ballad “Burn The Flames” supercharged with squealing and writhing guitars and thunderous drums.

"They used to wake up on your couch, not wanting to wake up,” the band’s brief manifesto explains. “Desperately clinging to sin, degradation, murder and substance abuse. With nothing left inside they made an attempt to tell someone about it, and the dead chuckled merrily: ‘You're not alone.’”

An unsigned band, of whom we know very little i'm afraid!!

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