What’s the first thing you think of when someone mentions Thee Oh Sees? Probably their riot-sparking live show, right? Visions of a guitar-chewing, melody-maiming John Dwyer careening across your cranium, rounded out by a wild-eyed wrecking crew that drives every last hook home like it’s a nail in the coffin of what you thought it meant to make 21st-century rock ’n’ roll? Yeah, that sounds about right. But it misses a more important point—how impossible Thee Oh Sees have been to pin down since Dwyer launched the project in the late ’90s as a solo break from such sorely missed underground bands as Pink and Brown and Coachwhips. (While Dwyer still records songs on his own, Thee Oh Sees is now a five-piece featuring keyboardist / singer Brigid Dawson, guitarist Petey Dammit, drummer Mike Shoun and multi-instrumentalist / singer Lars Finberg.) That restlessness extends to everything from the towering, thirteen-minute title track of 2010’s 'Warm Slime' LP to the mercurial moods of 2008’s 'The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In'.

Now, Thee Oh Sees chase the home-brewed symphonies of Castlemania with the scrappy, high-wire hooks of 'Carrion Crawler / The Dream'. Originally envisioned as two EPs, it was cut live to tape in less than a week at Chris Woodhouse’s Sacramento studio in June, reflecting the battering-ram bent of the band’s live show better than any bootleg ever could. “As I’m sure most would agree,” explains Dwyer, “Castlemania was more of a vocal tirade. This one’s meant to pummel and throb.” That it does, whether one blasts the slow, speaker-bruising build of 'The Dream', the sunburnt organs and dovetailing guitars of 'Crack in Your Eye' or the interstellar instrumental 'Chem-Farmer', a perfect example of what happens when one takes a well-oiled machine—a gang of rabid road warriors, really—and adds a second, groove-locked drum set to the mix. To listen is to realize that Dwyer’s music is as manic as the underground comic inclinations of his artwork; colorful and confusing in a way that’s more than welcome. It’s downright refreshing, like a slap in the face at 5:00 in the morning. Or, as Dwyer puts it, “You have to leave a mark somehow.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Carrion Crawler
2. Contraption/Soul Desert
3. Robber Barons
4. Chem-Farmer
5. Opposition
6. The Dream
7. Wrong Idea
8. Crushed Grass
9. Crack In Your Eye
10. Heavy Doctor

This new EP from 30-year US progressive veteran and master sound engineer Darwin Chamber was written with the idea of a San Francisco acid trip in mind, from the initial dose to the first onset of weirdness, then on to peak time mind melting. A DJ Spun remix of 'The Acid Test' is jacked deep house with hints of strangeness hidden in the background, then things really get liquid and trippy on 'Never Coming Down', 'The Acid Test' in original form is pure 303 aquatics and '25th Century Acid Cat' is an explosion of colour. 'Get Down' brings a bit more tension and anxiety as things begin to unravel.

TRACK LISTING

The Acid Test (DJ Spun Mix)
Never Coming Down
The Acid Test
25th Century Acid Cat
Get Down

The album reaches the same extremities of sonic expression as the furthest depths of metal, noise, and otherwise "heavy" counterculture music subgenres but finds its foundation firmly in pop music and pop culture. As is always The Armed's mission, it seeks only to create the most intense experience possible, a magnification of all culture, beauty, and things. The band goes on to explain, "crafting vital art means presenting the audience with new and intriguing tensions sonically, visually, conceptually. Over time and through use, those tensions become less novel and effective and they become expectations. The concept of "subgenre" becomes almost the antithesis of vitality in art itself a fetishization of expectation. ULTRAPOP seeks, in earnest, to create a truly new listener experience. It is an open rebellion against the culture of expectation in "heavy" music. It is a joyous, genderless, post-nihilist, anti-punk, razor-focused take on creating the most intense listener experience possible. It's the harshest, most beautiful, most hideous thing we could make." ULTRAPOP follows their recent contribution to the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack “Night City Aliens” and 2018’s critically acclaimed album Only Love, which landed on ‘Album of the Year’ lists from The Atlantic, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Vice, Stereogum, and many more. The album was co-produced by the band's own Dan Greene in collaboration with Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe) and features contributions from Mark Lanegan, Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle), Ben Koller (Converge, Killer Be Killed, Mutoid Man) and many more. Kurt Ballou (Converge, High on Fire, Russian Circles) remains at the helm as executive producer.

TRACK LISTING

1. Ultrapop
2. All Futures
3. Masunaga Vapors
4. A Life So Wonderful
5. An Iteration
6. Big Shell
7. Average Death
8. Faith In Medication
9. Where Man Knows Want
10. Real Folk Blues
11. Bad Selection
12. The Music Becomes A Skull

Composer Nala Sinephro presents The Smashing Machine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). The film, directed and written by Benny Safdie, tells the story of prolific UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dawn
2. Grand Prix
3. The Smashing Machine
4. The High
5. Mark
6. KO
7. Mark Ll
8. Dawn Ll

'Grandiose' is a modern jazz-epic composed entirely of original tunes composed by Devin Daniels, and performed by quartet of young west coast all-stars: Logan Kane on bass, Myles Martin on drums, and Javier Santiago on keys. Logan was present on Devin's first excursion with The Village, 'Trio Expeditions'. Myles is a frequent collaborator and a staple in premiere LA rhythm sections. Javier and Devin met while attending the Herbie Hancock Institute at UCLA. Right after graduating from the institute, Devin toured with Herbie Hancock and found himself to be the youngest player on legendary stages including the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Hall. Together, the quartet explores grooves, odd-time signatures, post-bop blues, and synthy ambient textures, all pushing each other's boundaries with a sense of freedom and urgency.

The first single, 'Particle', features a Miguel Atwood-Ferguson arrangement, performed by a string-quartet, adding a unique chamber influence. The album's second single, 'Nightmare Kitten', contrasts to a Ta brooding melody with dissonant chords over a slow, deliberate groove. Other highlights include the electric energy of 'Blink', the breezy pocket in 'Contrivance', and extended meditations in 'Mind 1' and 'Mind 2'. Here is the quintessential young Devin Daniels record, tight yet grand in scale, his unique talents on full display from start to finish.

TRACK LISTING

1. Particle
2. Mind 1
3. Blink
4. Figment
5. Dios
6. NIghtmare Kitten
7. Contrivance
8. Mind 2
9. Gravity
10. Expect Pain

Originally released in 1993 as part of their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 'CREAM' epitomises the group's raw energy and streetwise storytelling, blending gritty lyricism with a haunting piano loop. Reflecting the harsh realities of inner-city life along with its infectious hook and vivid verses, it remains a standout track in the Wu-Tang Clan's legendary discography, revered by fans and critics alike for its authenticity and impact. For the B-side we get 'As Long As I've Got You' by The Charmels, a 1967 soul masterpiece that exudes timeless elegance and emotional depth and became the inspiration for Wu-Tang's groundbreaking hit.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Wu Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M.
B1. The Charmels - As Long As I've Got You

“You’ve got to die and be reborn between albums,” begins Henry Wade, guitarist for The Orielles, describing the foundations of the band’s fourth studio album, Only You Left. “It comes naturally,” adds singer and bassist Esmé Hand-Halford, “it’s not something we consciously do.”

Through this process of creative renewal, the Manchester-based trio – completed by drummer Sidonie Hand-Halford – have managed to weather a pandemic, defy the fickleness of a trend-led music industry, and emerge, phoenix-like, with something familiarly Orielles, yet altogether different. Recorded in two locations – Hydra and Hamburg – over the summer of 2024, the 11 tracks of Only You Left sees the band consolidate the bold experimentation of their previous LP, Tableau (2022), with a return to the more stripped-back, song-led approach of their early origins.

“There’s nothing more trad than a three-piece,” quips Henry, in reference to the band’s decision to return to their roots as a trio. Originally from Halifax, the Orielles first came to recognition in 2018 with their debut album, the indie-rock Silver Dollar Moment, which is approaching its eighth birthday in February 2026. “These things come in like seven year cycles. So we've come in like a full circle back to a familiar place, just as different people.”

By exploring binaries and contrasts, the Orielles are finding shapes in the chaos and confusion of the world around us – it’s an undertaking that benefits from more than 15 years of close collaboration, driven by friendship and the artistic compulsion to find meaning in music.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Three Halves
Shadow Of You Appears
Tears Are
Embers
Tiny Beads Reflecting Light

Side B
The Woodland Has Returned
All In Metal
You Are Eating A Part Of Yourself
Whenever (I May Not Feel So Close)
Wasp
To Undo The World Itself

Art is my life and my life is art . . .

The story of the twentieth-century avant-garde is a story of resistance, of the outsider, of strangeness, of individual freedom, of rejecting the ordinary and overcoming marginalisation through self-invention. It is also a story that can be told through the prism of one of its most renowned figureheads: Yoko Ono. From her early life escaping aristocratic Japanese society and the horrors of World War II to adventurous and productive exile in New York, Ono's work built upon the histories of Dada, surrealism, Zen Buddhism, and experimental music.

A significant influence on the elusive Fluxus artistic network, she was connected to all its major personalities. Pursuing dreams of revolutionary liberation and aiming to recreate shattered post-war reality through performance, art and text, she established a legacy - despite her tumultuous personal life - as one of the most visionary artists and activists of her generation. Marking the intersection of biography, cultural history and artistic meditation, Love Magic Power Danger Bliss explores the deep history and vitality of the 20th century avant-garde movement and the inspiring, provocative figure who became its most celebrated, most misunderstood icon.

Written in Hellfire Studio in Dublin with engineer Thomas Donoghue and
producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, Black Midi, caroline), ‘Pull Like A Dog’ is a fiercely powerful introduction to a brand-new chapter for the band.

The folk-metal supremos release the title track ‘Pull Like A Dog’ to coincide with the announcement of their new album. With its raucous energy and loud guitar riffs, the single is a prime example of The Scratch’s serious raw talent to cleverly combine folk and metal music, creating something that is distinctive and original. “It’s about tossing aside the idea of apologising for merely existing or hoping that if I keep colouring inside the lines I’ll get what I think I deserve” Daniel Lang (Lango – vocals, cajon) notes. “Mocking myself a bit but also getting the blood going so I’ll grab life by the scruff and be loud about it”.

TRACK LISTING

1. Pull Like A Dog
2. Pullin’ Teeth
3. Gladrags
4. Crack
5. Mother Of God
6. Spacer
7. Roses N Poses
8. I Hope All Is Forgiven
9. Horsefly
10. Ringsend

'The Best Of John Coltrane' captures the legendary saxophonist in his most formative and creative years with Prestige. Curated from his prolific 1957-1958 output, this LP features selections that spotlight Coltrane's rapid artistic evolution as an original tenor saxophonist. Featuring both American songbook classics and jazz standards, it is both the perfect introduction for new listeners and a prized acquisition for aficionados, presenting the recordings that cemented John Coltrane's legacy.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Hear A Rhapsody
2. Traneing In
3. Theme For Ernie
4. I Love You
5. Lover Come Back To Me
6. Trinkle, Tinkle

“You’ve got to die and be reborn between albums,” begins Henry Wade, guitarist for The Orielles, describing the foundations of the band’s fourth studio album, Only You Left. “It comes naturally,” adds singer and bassist Esmé Hand-Halford, “it’s not something we consciously do.”

Through this process of creative renewal, the Manchester-based trio – completed by drummer Sidonie Hand-Halford – have managed to weather a pandemic, defy the fickleness of a trend-led music industry, and emerge, phoenix-like, with something familiarly Orielles, yet altogether different. Recorded in two locations – Hydra and Hamburg – over the summer of 2024, the 11 tracks of Only You Left sees the band consolidate the bold experimentation of their previous LP, Tableau (2022), with a return to the more stripped-back, song-led approach of their early origins.

“There’s nothing more trad than a three-piece,” quips Henry, in reference to the band’s decision to return to their roots as a trio. Originally from Halifax, the Orielles first came to recognition in 2018 with their debut album, the indie-rock Silver Dollar Moment, which is approaching its eighth birthday in February 2026. “These things come in like seven year cycles. So we've come in like a full circle back to a familiar place, just as different people.”

By exploring binaries and contrasts, the Orielles are finding shapes in the chaos and confusion of the world around us – it’s an undertaking that benefits from more than 15 years of close collaboration, driven by friendship and the artistic compulsion to find meaning in music.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Three Halves
Shadow Of You Appears
Tears Are
Embers
Tiny Beads Reflecting Light

Side B
The Woodland Has Returned
All In Metal
You Are Eating A Part Of Yourself
Whenever (I May Not Feel So Close)
Wasp
To Undo The World Itself

The Stripp are an Australian band celebrated for their explosive mix of punk, alternative rock, and indie swagger. Hailing from Melbourne, they’ve earned a loyal following through their raw energy, powerhouse riffs, and electric live performances. Their music channel’s themes of rebellion, self-discovery, and social grit — all delivered with unapologetic attitude.

TRACK LISTING

1. If You Want Me
2. So Long
3. Good For Me
4. Turn Back Time
5. Murder Mobile
6. Gotta Go
7. Push
8. Gone
9. MF From Hell
10. The End

The first official account of the iconic record label. This Mortal Coil, Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Throwing Muses, Breeders, Dead Can Dance, Lisa Germano, Kristin Hersh, Belly, Red House Painters. Just a handful of the bands and artists who started out recording for 4AD, a record label founded by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1979, and which went on to be one of the most influential of the modern era.

Combining the unique tastes of Watts-Russell and the striking design aesthetic of Vaughan Oliver, 4AD records were recognisable by their look as much their sound. In this comprehensive account concentrating on the label’s first two decades (now updated with extensive new material 13 years after the paperback was first published), music journalist Martin Aston explores the fascinating story with unique access to all the key players and almost every artist who released a record on 4AD during that time, and to its notoriously reclusive founder. With a cover designed by Vaughan Oliver, this is an essential book for all 4AD fans and anyone who loved and loves the music of this period.

When Justin Townes Earle died in 2020 at the age of 38 of an overdose, alone in a sparsely furnished apartment in Nashville, his death sent waves of grief through the country-Americana music community. The son of alt-country hellraiser Steve Earle, partially named after the Texas troubadour and patron saint of substance-fueled despair Townes Van Zandt, he had long struggled with mental illness and various addictions. Some weren't shocked at his passing, but everyone had hoped Justin could beat his demons.

There had been encouraging periods of long-term sobriety and active recovery in his adult life, including the years that led up to his career peak when he released the 2010 masterpiece Harlem River Blues, a career-making album of rambling folk blues set to Southern Gospel. He sang of cramped Brooklyn apartments and crippling hangovers, about emotional displacement, economic anxiety, and the wandering that characterized his feral, formative years as a rootless kid rambling around Nashville, developing his own unique guitar style and absorbing the musical influences that surrounded him. He appeared on Letterman, was named one of the 25 "most stylish men in the world" by GQ, and was anointed by critics as the next coming of the authentic troubadour.

By the time of his death, he'd recorded and released eight albums, creating a striking and original body of work. Rolling Stone journalist Jonathan Bernstein, with the full cooperation of the Justin Townes Earle estate, unravels in these pages a short but incredibly creative life, and reveals the backstories behind Justin's greatest songs ("Mama's Eyes," "White Gardenias") and what happened when it all fell apart while also capturing a shadow world of the neglected children of Nashville legends who wrestle with the legacies of their hard-living, road-weary, often absent parents. Justin's journey to near-stardom is a harrowing story shot through with moments of clarity and promise, including his marriage to his wife Jenn Marie Earle and the birth of their daughter.

But what Earle called "the myth"- the idea that one must suffer for one's art - proved to be too powerful. This heartbreaking, deeply researched tale is an exemplary music biography.

Renowned party DJ, producer and collector The Gaff deals in all sorts of global grooves and here links up with Caleb Hart, who was born in Tobago and is now based on the west coast of Canada. They collide their vast inspirations into a global bass banger inspired by years of crate digging. 'Let's Build' is a big sound with big drums, dark synth grooves and hooky future soul as well as a sleazy vocal. Calypso, bass house and a dark piano all collide in HD colour. The instrumental is no slouch either, and both of these are sure to bring the heat this winter and beyond.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
Let's Build (feat Caleb Hart)

Side 2
Let's Build (Instrumental)
Let's Build (Acappella)

Colombian-Argentinian label We Shine In The Darkness is back with a second serving, and this time they throw it back to 1996 to revisit a classic anthem. It's Julian Sanza and La French Toast who add their own 2025 spin to iconic trance cut 'Seven Days & One Week', maintaining its bleepy and bleary-eyed synth sequences but reworking them into a deep and breezy house groove. On the flip, 'Mad Vibes' is apparently an "homage to a local scene bar" and is an emo-licked post-disco chugger with moody lines and distant vocals tugging at the heart.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
Seven Days & One Week

Side 2:
Mad Vibes

Alexis Taylor is one of the UK’s most distinctive singer-songwriters. A singular voice, he’s built a substantial body of solo work over the years. 'Paris In The Spring' is his most revealing album yet, baring sentiments both specific and universal. The subject matter doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting themes, but musically, it’s carefree, brightly-lit and contemporary, drawing on elegant disco-house, voluptuous basslines and Vangelis-inspired soundscapes.

Testament to his skill as a curator, he’s called on some impressive personnel to help create its effervescent sound world: Air’s Nicolas Godin, The Avalanches, Lola Kirke, Oli Bayston, Étienne de Crécy, Elizabeth White of Pale Blue and Scritti Politti’s Green Gartside, to name but a few. In this world, the confessional style of country is charged by the pop melodicism of Paul McCartney, the futuristic funk of Sly and the Family Stone and, as Taylor puts it, “synthesisers left out in the rain”. It’s where British Americana meets Gallic flair, somewhere on Mars.

Thankfully, no synths were harmed in the making of the album. The title references a psychological test where things are not as they seem. “You have to look for those double meanings, or what’s hiding under the surface.” Ultimately, this is an album about freedom from constraints, from preconceptions, from genre. Taylor experiments with all different musical styles – country, folk, disco – and has weaved it together here into something unique.

TRACK LISTING

1. Your Only Life
2. I Can Feel Your Love (produced By The Avalanches)
3. Out Of Phase Feat. Lola Kirke
4. Wild Horses
5. Colombia
6. For A Toy
7. On A Whim (with Green Gartside Of Scritti Politti)
8. Fainting By Numbers
9. Mp3s Can Make You Cry
10. Black Lodge In The Sky

wing!’s debut EP MISSED IT JUST THE ONCE is a ghostly instrumental hip hop project shaped by instinct, collaboration, and the constraints of a work lunch break - combining sample-based beat-making with live instrumentation.
Emerging from a period of creative exploration and personal transformation, MISSED IT JUST THE ONCE marks a pivotal moment for wing!, the moniker of Bexleyheath born-and-raised producer Adam Swan. “This EP was a breath of fresh air for me,” he shares. “It was the first time I had multiple tracks I was proud of. The idea of having an EP to listen back to and be excited about was completely new to me.”

Each track on the EP tells its own story, both in sound and in the moments of its creation. The first single "Out From Outer" was the first track written for the EP, and its original skeleton was conceived during wing!’s lunch break from working in a coffee shop - a habit that has been the basis of all of the tracks on the EP. “I was listening to a lot of Brazilian funk and thinking about how J Dilla layered samples on Geek Down,” he recalls. “I wanted it to feel like a live DJ endlessly flipping samples over a drum loop.”

The track served as the catalyst for the formation of wing!’s live band: after sending it to drummer Joe Killick, they had their first rehearsal and began transforming the music into a live experience, soon joined by bassist Kai Charlton. They made their debut at The Windmill Brixton in April 2024. As a trio playing live, they bridge the gap between beat-driven electronic & hip hop music and live jazz-inflected improvisation. Their blend of trip-hop textures with post-rock dynamics contributed to the EP’s final completion, with all three performing on the closing track.

Closing track In A Second I Will Need A Second’s post-rock inspired sound blends seamlessly with wing!’s more native hip-hop beatmaking. Drawing influence from the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Butch Kassidy, the track's energy is built around a drum crescendo of epic proportions. Initially hesitant to incorporate live drums over the usual sampling, wing! ultimately embraced the organic energy it brought to their live and recorded sound. The track’s momentum is driven by drummer Joe Killick’s subtle dynamic shifts. Kai Charlton brings deeply melodic bass, resulting in a piece that feels immense while remaining introspective.

The EP came hot off the back of opening Green Man Festival’s iconic Mountain Stage after winning the Green Man Rising competition.

MISSED IT JUST THE ONCE is wing! planting his flag in the ground, and making their first definitive statement. Boom bap grooves melding seamlessly with trippy ambiance and propulsive composition. With ‘In A Second I Will Need a Second’ the trio close out their debut EP in an epic conclusion. wing! continue to move from strength-to-strength, and have cemented themselves as one to watch with this release. With Missed It Just The Once, wing! establishes himself as an artist unafraid to follow his instincts, experiment freely, and find creativity in unexpected places.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Let The Rest Go
Out From Outer
Pack It In
In A Second I Will Need A Second

Side B
Let’s Just See (Physical Only Bonus)

Los Angeles six-piece The Sophs have ridden a wave of notoriety ever since signing to Rough Trade Records on the strength of their demos - which they cold-emailed to labelheads Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee before they ever even played a show. Following last year’s releases of stand-alone singles ‘I’M YOUR FIEND’, ‘SWEAT’, and ‘DEATH IN THE FAMILY’ and worldwide touring, the band are ready to unleash their debut album GOLDSTAR, out March 13, 2026.

The band’s brutal honesty, flamingly intrusive thoughts, and broad genre-spreading caught the attention of Rough Trade founders Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee immediately. When Ramon sent a demo reel out to his favorite indies, he wasn’t expecting any replies. But Travis and Lee were in his inbox the next day, asking if he’d hop on a call.

Rough Trade heard the sort of creativity and variety — and “don’t expect me to act pretty” sentiment — that could get The Sophs — including Ramon, Sam Yuh (keyboards), Austin Parker Jones (electric guitar), Seth Smades (acoustic guitar), Devin Russ (drums), and Cole Bobbitt (bass) — a slot on nearly any stage. At any moment, The Sophs are entering pop-punk; blazing through funk; talk-singing to the audience. Their enthusiasm for every iteration is evident, and Ramon’s rich, full voice deftly nestles into endless categories, utterly chameleonic.

“We never try to be as versatile as we end up being,” Ramon said. GOLDSTAR has a Delta Blues-style song; it has a ZZ Top-inspired tune. To some degree, The Sophs see song creation like pop art: they’re focused on the idea of reproducing something over and over again until it's meaningless. “I want to steal and plagiarize and borrow,” Ramon explains.

The record asks, where’s my gold star? Where’s my validation? Why am I not being rewarded for how much of a good person I am? Am I doing mitzvahs for the right reason? The titular track — which kicks off with flamenco-style fingerpicking — wrestles with the philosophy of really being good and what that looks like.

Most of The Sophs’ songs don’t let the listener relax — mostly because you never know what’s coming next. The band has a passion for sudden and complete destruction, for playing with the tension between pulled-back silence and total explosion. That’s where you hear The Sophs members’ as they really are: explosively positive, happy, collaborative. Think of the “degenerative posturing” instead as a “jester’s privilege.” When they’re playing together in a room, you see nothing like the character they’re putting forward. Instead, you feel a bombastic, thrilling energy that underlies the sextet’s creative power.

TRACK LISTING

1. THE DOG DIES IN THE END
2. GOLDSTAR
3. BLITZED AGAIN
4. SWEAT
5. HOUSE
6. SWEETIEPIE
7. DEATH IN THE FAMILY
8. A SYMPATHETIC PERSON
9. They Told Me Jump, I Said How High
10. I’M YOUR FIEND

Fresh off the GRAMMY-nominated success of 'Happiness Bastards' (2024), Chris and Rich Robinson wasted no time getting back to work. In early 2025, the brothers returned to Nashville to reunite with producer Jay Joyce and recapture the spark that powered their last record.

Reflective of their mood and expression, The Black Crowes have created a rock record that's loose and funky, dark and heavy, sensuous and jagged, flesh and bone...

A pound of feathers, Or a pound of lead
Look out below and mind your head 

TRACK LISTING

1. Profane Prophecy
2. Cruel Streak
3. Pharmacy Chronicles
4. Do The Parasite!
5. High & Lonesome
6. Queen Of The B-Sides
7. It's Like That
8. Blood Red Regrets
9. You Call This A Good Time?
10. Eros Blues
11. Doomsday Doggerel

'In The Big Room' captures Peter Gabriel and band recorded live in the Big Room at Real World Studios on 23 November, 2003.

"I’d not really taken advantage of the big room as a performance space myself and when, in 2003, the opportunity came up, we grabbed it and offered the small number of seats to members of the Full Moon club. It was not part of a big tour so we weren’t as polished and rehearsed as we might have been while on tour, but it made for a more awake and edgy performance, as we were fully concentrating on what we were doing. There was no elaborate visual show, the whole focus was about making it sound good. I had pretty much forgotten how these songs sounded but listening back to these mixes I was pleasantly surprised how alive they were. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did." - Peter Gabriel

The 14-song set draws on material from both the Growing Up Live tour of 2002/2003 - Gabriel’s first in 10 years that accompanied the release of his album 'UP' - and the subsequent Still Growing Up Live tour that ran through much of 2004. Notable additions to the Growing Up Live set include 'Burn You Up', 'Burn You Down', 'Games Without Frontiers' and 'The Tower That Ate People'.

For the performance Peter is joined by his touring band from this period of Tony Levin (bass), David Rhodes (guitar), Ged Lynch (drums), Richard Evans (guitar, whistle, mandolin), Rachel Z (keyboard and backing vox) and Melanie Gabriel (backing vox).

TRACK LISTING

1. Burn You Up, Burn You Down
2. More Than This
3. Games Without Frontiers
4. Downside Up
5. Mercy Street
6. Darkness
7. Digging In The Dirt
8. The Tower That Ate People
9. San Jacinto
10. Shock The Monkey
11. Signal To Noise
12. Secret World
13. Father, Son
14. In Your Eyes

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

Calibre steps up with two outstanding reworks of jazz/hip-hop/funk legends Brooklyn Funk Essentials' 'Take The L Train (to 8th Ave)'. The A-side is vintage Calibre, crisp breaks, deep subs, silky musicality, a pure, rolling DnB number. Flip it over and he drifts into a lush ambient dub version, stretching the original into a drifting, atmospheric gem.

Calibre has been closing his sets with this record and it has recently found its way into the sets of such legends as Moodyman, Fabio, Marky and Goldie.

TRACK LISTING

1. Take The L Train (To 8th Ave) (Calibre Remix)
2. Take The L Train (To 8th Ave) (Calibre Ambient Remix)

A fresh A-side from Durand Jones & The Indications finds drummer and falsetto king Aaron Frazer taking the lead on 'Let's Take Our Time'. Aaron and the boys lean right into their break and better wheelhouse with a tune that feels like it would be comfortable right next to a Mayfield-era Impressions' track.

The flip, 'Flower Moon' taken from the group's most recent full-length effort Flowers finds the group truly in top form: pocket drums classic horn arrangements, and simply angelic group harmonies.

TRACK LISTING

1. Let’s Take Our Time
2. Flower Moon

Unashamedly literate UK post-punk sophisticates The Monochrome Set, having amassed a formidable catalogue of releases over 5 decades, are ready to release their new opus ’Lotus Bridge’ on Tapete Records - the band's home for the last twelve years and six studio albums. Their instantly recognisable sound and darkly humorous lyrics have always set them apart. Bid's cerebral wit and debonair tones, melded to infectious melodies and deft songcraft of a cinematic and literary quality, have been quietly influential over a diverse set of artists since their inception and throughout different stages of their career. The band are, in essence, a national treasure.

The new album 'Lotus Bridge' is a psychedelic trip into Bid’s rich and fantastical dreamworld. Based on a singular dream that re-presented itself after an eight-month hiatus just when it became time to record
again, Bid recounts in sharp detail the myriad of characters and surroundings that appeared in his dream and inspired this new set of stories to unfold. Bid elucidates, "It seemed to me, as I wrote these lyrics, that this whole story was a metaphor for a crumbling civilization, and whether or not I would leave it behind if I were given the opportunity. The other side of the bridge represents what seems to be an unknown future that I'm being asked to accept without explanation, and the other songs represent a journey back through the past and are a sometimes allegorical re-evaluation of it. I think that I managed to keep to a close narrative thread in the lyrics, and deliberately kept the underlying musical structures in a similar tempo and key. Even old poetry is timeless, if it is about personal experiences".

This new album follows on from Bid's recently released book of selected lyrics - Strange Young Alien - published by Ventil Verlag in November 2025 - a book that gives invaluable insight into his songwriting process and the more you learn about Bid's writing process, the more mysterious and intriguing things become.

'Lotus Bridge' has a subtle but quite different feel to previous TMS albums - the core use of electric piano and acoustic guitar, electric guitars often used in wide stereo, and overall a very focused and almost orchestral feel to it. There are also ambient sounds between many of the songs, so that the whole album feels like a connected whole. Bid is joined in The Monochrome Set for this recording by fellow original Andy Warren on bass, Stephen Gilchrist on drums and Athen Ayren on keyboards and guitar. Alice Healey once again provides backing vocals.

TRACK LISTING

1. Lotus Bridge
2. Diaphanous
3. The Abominations Of Hubert
4. Jenny Greenlocks
5. Arcadia
6. Athanatoi
7. Leander
8. Map Of The Night Sky
9. Polaris Aa
10. Our Sweet Souls

Two turntables and a microphone. There is a truth in the clarity of that simple coda, a truth that also belies the breadth of what is possible within its confines. Sometimes you gotta get reminded. 'I Guess U Had To Be There', the new album from NYC rapper ELUCID and veteran producer Sebb Bash, is one of those ones. So fresh it sounds like it was made tomorrow, but bet money you could put this on in ’89 and get heads bopping.

There are moments in music when masters of their craft cross paths at the height of their respective powers—records like Madvillainy, Liquid Swords, Dr. Octagonecologyst, and Hell Hath No Fury—where the result is more than the sum of its parts. ELUCID and Sebb Bash find themselves in this heady, seemingly effortless ephemera on 'I Guess U Had To Be There'. Everything is both familiar and groundbreaking. The beats shift and flip under ELUCID’s feet but he tightropes it all, delivery nimble as a mountain goat, producer and rapper moving in perfect synchronization. Some shining stars make memorable appearances: billy woods, Breezly Brewin, Estee Nack, Shabaka Hutchings. But this is a two-man show, and the duo keep the spotlight where it belongs. 'I Guess U Had To Be There' is a captivating, convention-defying listen and a high-water mark for two of the best artists in the genre.

TRACK LISTING

1. First Light
2. Cantata
3. Hands N Feet (feat. Estee Nack)
4. Make Me Wise
5. Coonspeak
6. Equiano (feat. Shabaka Hutchings)
7. The Lorax (feat. Billy Woods)
8. Fainting Goats (feat. Breeze Brewin)
9. I Say Self
10. Visitation Place
11. Alive Herbals
12. Parental Advisory

Fast-rising Los Angeles band The Silvertone make a splash on the modern soul scene with Mistakes—their most soulful statement yet. Retro-laced and dripping with smoky vocals, dusty grooves, and late-night cool, this souldie record blends vintage R&B, classic soul, and a touch of psych—Sam Cooke meets Durand Jones under neon lights.

TRACK LISTING

1. Warning Signs
2. Mistakes
3. She Was The One
4. Love Magic
5. Complicated
6. I Cry
7. Are You Ready
8. June
9. All I Really Want Is You
10. We Don't Have To
11. Flowers
12. Trust Is Broken

'The Best Of Miles Davis' is a new compilation released to celebrate the legendary jazz trumpeters centennial in 2026. Designed as an introduction to this influential artist, it covers his prime years between 1956 and 1961, during which time he recorded albums including 'Workin', 'Cookin', 'Steamin' and 'Relaxin'. The 8 cuts included feature 'Round Midnight', 'My Funny Valentine', 'Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)' and more.

TRACK LISTING

1. Just Squeeze Me
2. Oleo
3. ’Round Midnight
4. Airegin
5. My Funny Valentine
6. Well, You Needn’t
7. You’re My Everything
8. Four

Blistering and hypnotic, 'Ilana (The Creator)' (2019) marked the beginning of a new chapter for Mdou Moctar. It is the Nigerien guitar hero’s first album recorded with a live rock band and perfectly captures the heavy, psychedelic sound – part Tuareg desert blues, part ZZ Top – that the quartet had honed through endless touring and which would come to explosive fruition on 'Afrique Victime' (2021) and 'Funeral For Justice' (2024). Ilana was the first step and its songs remain setlist standbys for the quartet’s soaring performances.

TRACK LISTING

1. Kamane Tarhanin
2. Asshet Akal
3. Inizgam
4. Anna
5. Takamba
6. Tarhatazed
7. Wiwasharnine
8. Ilana
9. Tumastin

'The Grace EPs' by legendary singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, is comprised of the following EPs: 'Peyote Radio Theatre' [July 1994], 'Last Goodbye' [January 1995], 'So Real' [June 1995], 'Live From The Bataclan' [October 1995] and 'The Grace EP' [February 1996], This unique package contains all five twelve inch vinyl records each in their own full colour jacket, a double sided full colour insert with extensive liner notes, all carefully packed in a heavyweight leather laminate textured 15mm-spined outer sleeve.

The five discs that make up the Grace EPs box-set are a collection of live performances, B-sides and studio versions from songs that originally appeared on Buckley's "Grace" album. 'Peyote Radio Theatre' and 'So Real' were promotional-only releases that weren't commercially available. The others are rare imports: 'Last Goodbye' came out in Japan, 'Live from the Bataclan' in France and 'The Grace EP' in Australia. This EP set features "Last Goodbye", "Grace", "So Real" and two amazing live versions of his classic hits "Hallelujah" & "Mojo Pin". The Grace EPs also features a whopping 12-minute version of Van Morrison's "The Way Young Lovers Do," a medley of "Je N'En Connais Pas la Fin/Hymne A l'Amour," Hank Williams's "Lost Highway," and a 14-minute take on Alex Chilton's "Kanga-Roo." Finally there is a bonus track added to the The Grace EP; "Tongue," a spooky ambient 11-minute studio instrumental.

TRACK LISTING

Peyote Radio Theatre:

Side A
1. Mojo Pin
2. Dream Brother (Nag Champa Mix)

Side B
1. Kanga-Roo

So Real:

Side C
1. So Real (Live)
2. Grace (Live)

Side D
1. Dream Brother (Live)

Live From The Bataclan:

Side E
1. Dream Brother (Live)
2. The Way Young Lovers Do (Live)

Side F
1. Medley: Je N'En Connais La Fin/Hymne A L'Amour (Live)
2. Hallelujah (Live)

The Grace EP:

Side G
1. Grace
2. Grace (Live)
3. Mojo Pin (Live)

Side H
1. Hallelujah (Live)
2. Tongue (Rehearsal Demo)

Last Goodbye EP:

Side I
1. Last Goodbye
2. Mojo Pin (Live "Chocolate Version")

Side J
1. Kanga-Roo (Album Version)
2. Lost Highway (Live)

The Prodigy’s era-defining Firestarter turns 30 this year. To mark this, XL Recordings release a new 12” vinyl package titled 'Firestarter - x30 Vinyl Edition', housing the original with remixes by Andy C, and Empirion, for the first time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Firestarter
2. Firestarter (Empirion Mix)
3. Firestarter (Andy C Remix)
4. Firestarter (Instrumental)

TSTD NEO returns with smooth slow disco remixes for three tracks, originally featured on THE SUNSET MANIFESTO Volume 2:
One of the standout tracks of THE SUNSET MANIFESTO 2, the super smooth Westcoast inspired "Hands of Love" gets an even smoother remix treatment by Liverpools BEN JAMIN, perfectly suited for your next late night bar dj sets.
Stockholm meets Mexico City! TSTD resident producer Monsieur Van Pratt returns from remixing Poolside on The Sunset Manifesto 2, and comes back with a romantic slow disco version of Kimchi's "Do You Ever"
Last but not least UK producer Matt Hughes already did a funky electro disco remix for Goodvibes Sounds' "Stay For One More Night" on The Sunset Manifesto 2. Looks like the original tune didnt leave his head, so he returned to his studio for new remixes. Here you can find the "Echo" version of his new 80s cinema sounding "Late Night Radio Remix", which would sit well in the soundtrack oft he Stranger Things TV series. The long version of this remix will be relased later digtially.

TRACK LISTING

A - Joel Sarakula - Hands Of Love (Ben Jamin Remix)
B1 - Kimchii - Do You Ever (Monsieur Van Pratt Deep Remix)
B2 - Goodvibes Sound - Stay For One More Night (Matt Hughes' Late Night Radio Remix - Echo)

Reissued for the first time and fully remastered. Originally released in 1984 on the Baltimore soul label Be More Records.

George Hill was a funk/disco genius. This rare and sought-after record features the acclaimed remix of the title track (from '84) and the classic 'There’s Nobody Like You' jam on the B-side.

TRACK LISTING

Do It While It's Hot (Remix)
Theres Nobody Like You

A song that has transcended time, genres and trends since it was released in 2004, 'Lola's Theme' continues to light up dancefloors over two decades since release. Now this modern day house classic is repressed for the first time since 2004 by Glitterbox featuring the original mix and Norman Jay’s Good Times Vocal from the 2004 release backed by Purple Disco Machine’s 2017 remix and 2025’s massive Tripolism remix.

TRACK LISTING

A1 - Lola's Theme
A2 - Lola's Theme Recut (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
B1 - Lola's Theme (Tripolism Remix)
B2 - Lola's Theme (Norman Jay's Good Times Vocal Mix) 

The undisputed heavyweight champion of edits, Mr. K, is back with another fine defence of his title and one that pays homage to two classic grooves. 'Always There' sees the 1975 Ronnie Laws original refined but still capturing a jazzy r&b spark while nodding to Side Effect's iconic horn stabs and adding a drums-only outro that makes it DJ-ready. On the flip, 'For The Love of Money' delivers the O'Jays at their peak and backed by MFSB who cook up a monumental bass line with Mr. K balancing the LP and single versions into a tight, playable edit. Timeless grooves with maximum floor appeal.

TRACK LISTING

Always There
For The Love Of Money

Solo 500 is back with a deep-digging two-sided record that unearths Afro-Latin and jazz-funk treasures. Side A opens with Manu Dibango's 'The Panther' from 1973's Africadelic, a low-slung Afro-funk groove with stalking bass and suspenseful horns that feels fresh precisely because it hasn't been overexposed. The tension and texture make it a hidden gem for selectors chasing nuance over recognition. Side B shifts to Latin jazz-funk, spotlighting Ray Barretto's 'Together' from 1969. Rolling congas, warm keys and a communal energy make it ideal for dance floors or DJ sets that prize rhythmic life over familiar loops. Both sides reward attentive listening.

TRACK LISTING

Panther
Together

The new record follows Priddy’s sophomore LP 'The Pendulum Swing' which firmly established her as one of the most exciting artists on the contemporary British music scene. Produced by Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey, Anna Calvi, Bat for Lashes), 'These Frightening Machines' was written over the course of a year as Priddy made the transition from her 20s to her 30s. The most sonically varied of her career, the songs span a full spectrum of emotions from anger and despair to hope, longing and lust, from reclaiming the voices of women silenced by history, to expressing solidarity and love, to confronting illness, disconnection, the vulnerability and importance of relationships, and the general ache of growing older and not always wiser. They explore what it means to keep going when things fall apart, to hold onto connections in a world that sometimes divides, and to figure out where we fit into the machines and systems we find ourselves a part of. “I wanted to end this album on a question mark,” said Priddy “as whilst I’d have hoped to have it all figured out by the third album and my third decade, I’ve come to accept that perhaps part of being human is being a perpetual work in progress. Could this collection of songs be enough? If it strikes a match and casts a little light for anyone who has ever felt their body falter, their love waver, or time slip through their fingers, then that’s enough for me.” Guests include singer/songwriter Torres who duets on ‘Madeleine’ and Richard Walters who duets on ‘I’m Always Willing’. Revered, alt folk multi-instrumentalist Ben Christophers (Natasha Khan, Guy Garvey and many more) features on most of the album’s tracks. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Matches
2. Frightening Machines
3. Sirius
4. Hurricane
5. Madeleine
6. Atlas
7. A Matter Of Time
8. Table Four
9. I'm Always Willing
10. Could This Be Enough?

The Delines were finishing the 'Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom' sessions when Willy brought in a tune called 'Walking With His Sleeves Down'. Amy learned it on piano and recorded it live. Her take was stunning but the song didn’t quite fit the record so they set it aside along with 'The Reckless Life', 'Dilaudid Diane' (featured in their recent encores) and 'Jumping off in Madras'. The song worked sonically but again didn’t feel quite right lyrically and when they finished the record Willy couldn’t stop writing songs for it. The US opioid epidemic with thousands of young people rattled with addiction and living in tents and on the streets and in old cars and RVs, influenced Luck and Doom but even more so with 'The Set Up'.

Their stalwart producer, John Morgan Askew, was at the helm again and he’s the king of building atmospheric worlds. You can really feel it on this one. By the time they finished, they realized 'The Set Up' was the wayward, misguided, and lonely sister to 'Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom'. More ragged and undone but all CinemaScope Delines.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Set Up Part 1
2. Can You Get Me Out Of Phoenix?
3. Jumping Off In Madras
4. Dilaudid Diane
5. Keep The Shades Down
6. Getting Out Of The Ward
7. The Set Up Part 2
8. The Reckless Life
9. Walking With His Sleeves Down
10. The Meter Keeps Ticking
11. The Set Up Part 3
12. The Last Time I Saw Her

One of the UK’s most singular voices, Murkage Dave has spent the last decade crafting a body of work that refuses to fit neatly into any genre box. His music, loosely pop but informed by indie, outsider art, and an instinct for storytelling, is built on honesty, empathy, and fearless social commentary. Across his career, he has earned a cult following and praise from Pharrell Williams, Iggy Pop, BBC Radio 6 Music, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Clash, Complex, Highsnobiety, and Vogue.

With his new album 'Brut Thoughts', Dave connects the inner turbulence of modern life with the fractured world around him, reflecting on internet culture, overstimulation, immigrant experience, political extremism and the power of community. The album channels present day anger and disillusionment while refusing to lose sight of hope. “It’s millennial meme culture music,” he explains. “The cacophony of what’s going on in my head spiling out into song. Living in the shadow of 80s Thatcherite/Reaganite economic policy, the broken social contract, the unkept promise of a life we were supposed to get if we did our bit.”

A cathartic soundtrack for life in late capitalism, the album draws inspiration from Talking Heads, Sampha, The Smiths, and The Streets. It came together in an unorthodox, nomadic way, across living rooms and borrowed studios in London, Manchester, Berlin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and the Danish countryside. “Like most musicians in London I can’t afford a studio,” says Dave. “So I put a call out to see who’d let me crash and write. I ended up in right-wing and left-wing parts of the country - Bristol, Margate, Cardiff, Leicester, Manchester, and the Reform stronghold of Ashfield.”

The record’s collaborative spirit is central to its DNA, featuring contributions from James from Yard Act, Kayus from Young Fathers, Ellery from WU LYF, and Lauren Auder. Touring with Yard Act in 2024 also served as a creative catalyst. “All the music being played on the tour bus opened up avenues for me,” says Dave. “It inspired me to start my radio show The Outlet on Refuge Worldwide, and all of this bled into the music.” Beyond his songwriting, Dave continues to shape UK culture through curation - from Manchester’s Murkage Club to Tonga, the touring party co-founded with Mike Skinner, and his ongoing radio work.

Standout track ‘Generation Left On Read’ captures millennial disillusionment and the numbing effects of irony-as-coping-mechanism. With an affecting contribution from James Smith of Yard Act - his first under new solo moniker Konopinsky - the track crystalises the album’s exploration of lost promises and the determination to still care in a world that encourages detachment.

Meanwhile, ‘Swordfight In A Chicken Shop’ serves as a chaotic centrepiece, a vivid depiction of information overload produced by Tim London and featuring Kayus Bankole, Ellery James Roberts, Lauren Auder and Bournemouth Hope Youth Choir. In contrast, ‘RNA’ is one of the record’s most intimate moments. An unguarded meditation on masculinity, grief and spiritual ambivalence, coproduced by Kiddus with backing vocals from Young Fathers. For Dave, the record is also a reckoning with his past. “I’ve come to the realisation lately that the church my family attended during the early portion of my life was a cult,” he shares. “It was in the church that I first witnessed abuse of power and physical abuse, and where the idea that white Europeans were superior to other races was first introduced to me.” These experiences shaped his mistrust of institutions, echoing throughout Brut Thoughts, a record that dissects narcissism, personal, political, and digital, and questions how compassion is being eroded in the algorithm age. The title 'Brut Thoughts' draws from Jean Dubuffet’s Art Brut movement - an embrace of outsider art and raw, untrained creativity. “Brut” also means both “raw” in French and “unsweetened” in English, reflecting the album’s spirit of unfiltered honesty. The title references the classic Brut fragrance too, tied to the working-class masculinity of his grandad’s and dad’s generation. “In a way,” Dave says, “this album is all the things my dad would have said if he wasn’t hemmed in by the socioeconomic factors of the 80s, being chased by the National Front and being a parent.” Made during the period of his father’s passing in early 2024, the record holds onto a quiet belief that things can change - a thread of hope running beneath its heaviness.

TRACK LISTING

1. Brut Thoughts Theme
2. Swordfight In A Chicken Shop
3. Putting On A Party
4. RNA
5. Generation Left On Read (Feat. Konopinksy)
6. Friends And Family (Interlude)
7. Brut Pop (Feat. Meme Gold)
8. Running Outta Road (Feat. Trainee)
9. Mortgage Guy (Interlude)
10. One 4 Me & U
11. Money Isn'T Real (Feat. Kiddus)
12. Brut Thoughts Reprise
13. How To Subtly Disappear (Feat. Lauren Auder)

Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. is the fourth studio album by GRAMMY-award winner Harry Styles. Executive produced by Kid Harpoon.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Excellent advice from yer man Harry there, and a dynamite new album to go with it. Throbbing saw waves, sidechains and snappy bass hits. It's disco, yeah but comes across more like the downbeat hum of modern IDM or the screaming resonant peak of some particularly tasty acid. A wonderfully balanced, surprisingly exciting odyssey.

TRACK LISTING

1. Aperture
2. American Girls
3. Ready, Steady, Go!
4. Are You Listening Yet?
5. Taste Back
6. The Waiting Game
7. Season 2 Weight Loss
8. Coming Up Roses
9. Pop
10. Dance No More
11. Paint By Numbers
12. Carla's Song

Lincus is a new name for us, which is always exciting because it means you get to assess the sounds on their own merit with no extraneous baggage. Whoever is behind these beats on Slabs knows how to cook up heavy kicks. 'Feel The Rhythm' has a swagger and syncopation to it that is perfect for this label, with bold bass and hints of Kerri Chandler's kick to the kicks, all run through with some woozy late-night synth work. 'Pazazz' is another blend of low-end kicks and sleazy synths with some filtered vocals adding a touch of human warmth to what is a vibey cut.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
"Feel The Rhythm"

Side 2:
"Pazazz"

Field Commander Ali is the solo project of Ali Mollica, a folk song person living on the South Coast of NSW, Australia . 'The Next From Field Commander', her new record and second under that taken name, was recorded in her bedroom in Stanwell Park, a beachside town surrounded by bushland. Here, where the Great Dividing Range meets the Tasman Sea, Mollica worked quickly in the early part of 2025, utilising little more than a classical guitar and a 4-track tape recorder to execute her vision. The result is a truly beguiling Australian folk record.

With a voice that balances understated vulnerability with determined stoicism, Mollica describes everyday scenes, passing interactions and the moments that follow moments between people, all with an astonishing clarity of expression. Full moons are felt but remain unwitnessed, great loves lean into praxis or strain against it, and time is a character that watches quietly on all the while.

Despite its modest conception, both the songs and recordings are possessed by a unique density. Layered vocals are used undramatically but effectively. Conversational asides seem to open outwards like leaves, and offhand remarks reveal themselves to be quiet realisations through subtle repetition. There is an intimate spaciousness within these songs too, with shuffling pages, creaking chairs, and distant whistling all entering the sonic sphere.

The spirit of folk song clairvoyants like Bridget St John, Anne Briggs and Maxine Funke may be sensed throughout, while Michael Hurley’s ‘Wildegeeses’ is given a faithful, though suitably idiosyncratic, re-reading. A tradition is being channeled here, though ultimately what you are hearing is the emergence of a distinct new voice.

As such, 'The Next From Field Commander' moves with a meandering yet captivating immediacy, clear and self-assured, while remaining deeply receptive to the world and all the things in it - ‘still reaching out, still finding out’. As Mollica notes herself:

"My songs often express the literal goings on in my life – the lyrics are raw and unbridled (and maybe a bit unhinged, too); but underneath this immediacy is a heavy hum that I think sounds like not knowing. How I wish to know!"

If knowing remains beyond us, the process of trying to work it out is as compelling as ever.

TRACK LISTING

1. She Was Picking Flowers
2. Wildegeeses
3. One Kind Of Forever
4. Time
5. Prefab Moon
6. Lonesome Saturday Bed
7. Dark Cloud

Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and artist Shabaka (a.k.a Shabaka Hutchings) third solo album 'Of The Earth', his first solo album to be released via his own label 'Shabaka Records’, and an album entirely written and produced by Hutchings himself.

'Of The Earth' sees Shabaka return to his signature saxophone sound, alongside accomplished electronics and production, as well as traditional woodwind and percussion instruments from around the world, a combination indicative of Hutchings’ diverse talents and the overall sound on 'Of The Earth'.

Hutchings is highly regarded for his work with The Comet Is Coming, Sons of Kemet, Shabaka and the Ancestors, and from his two most recent solo projects 'Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace', and 'Afrikan Culture’. As a musician he has also worked with a wealth of prestigious artists such as Andre 3000, TURNSTILE, Floating Points, Mulatu Astatke, The Sun Ra Arkestra, Lianne La Havas, Saul Williams, and more.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A brand new album from super-skilled multi-instrumentalist and producer, Shabaka Hutchings. 'Of The Earth' keeps things familiar in the most part with an off-kilter music-concrete style backdrop, topped with Shabaka'a characteristic, deeply jazzy saxophone noodling. Encompassing world music, funk and traditional folksong, 'Of The Earth' stretches out gracefully into the peripheries of His already established sound.

TRACK LISTING

1. A Future Untold
2. Those Of The Sky
3. Go Astray
4. Step Lightly
5. Call The Power
6. Dance In Praise
7. Ol' Time African Gods
8. Marwa The Mountain
9. Light The Way
10. Stand Firm
11. Space Time
12. Eyes Lowered

The Scythe is a collective of rappers united around commonality in sound and skills as MCs, headed by ringleader Denzel Curry and including familiar collaborators A$AP Ferg, Tia Corine, Bktherula, & Key Nyata. Comprised of its five members and rooted within a budding scene of modern and cross generational hip-hop, The Scythe picks up the banded spirit of Denzel's foundational Raider Klan days while continuing his futuristic takes on old school regional rap (Memphis, Houston, Miami), heard most recently on King of the Mischievous South. Combining Denzel's energetic style with classically gritty, southern sounds, the project centers hip-hop's core across eras, paying homage yet ushering in a rising new guard. 

TRACK LISTING

1. THE SCYTHE Feat. TiaCorine, FERG (II)
2. LIT EFFECT Feat. Bktherula, LAZER DIM 700
3. PHONY Feat. Juicy J, Key Nyata, FERG (II)
4. MUTT THAT BIH Feat. 1900Rugrat, Key Nyata
5. HOOPTY Feat. TiaCorine, Smino
6. YOU AINT GOTTA LIE Feat. 454, Luh Tyler
7. TAN Feat. Bktherula, TiaCorine
8. UP Feat. Rich The Kid, FERG (II), SadBoi 

To honour the enduring appeal of a great musical rework, Hell Yeah is launching The Art of Remix. This essential new series collects the best remixes from a range of label favourites. First up is Japanese downtempo master Calm with exclusive, never-before-on-vinyl versions of originals by Cantoma, Aura Safari, DJ Sofa’s Dream Baby Dream, Seahawks, Gallo, Yuichiro Kato and more. The release comes with rich liner notes by the authoritative Dr Rob from Ban Ban Ton Ton, and a second volume from Is It Balearic's Coyote will follow soon.

Remixes have always been at the heart of Hell Yeah's output as a way of reworking classic sounds into different contexts, allowing artists to explore outside their usual remit and also to introduce new talents. Clam has long perfected the art with his famously laidback takes on all sorts of Balearic, house, dub and acid under the Mellow Mellow Acid subtitle. He's remixed many a Japanese legend but also a wealth of artists from across the world, and eight of those reimagined gems balance euphoria with solitude on this first volume.

First, his take on Cantoma's 'Way To The Sun' infuses drones and chimes with bubbly acid. 'Sur Mon Balconett' shimmers with Spanish guitar and sultry sax, ghosts of yesterday still shuffling. 'Banana Trance' jolts with breakbeats while taking a Balearic leap into hedonism. Mininn’s 'Vertigo' drifts dubwise, from monastic chants to operatic bursts. Maho’s 'Bakuhatsu' growls dark and sleazy as acid and riffs collide, 'Abysso' floats with strings and sirens in symphony, 'Blue Surround' lulls before exploding with jazz fire and Kato’s 'Kiss of Life' closes with a cosmic, romantic serenade. Calm's The Art of Remix sets a high standard for a series which will soon turn to Coyote and Scandi-house great Bjorn Torske. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Cantoma - Way To The Sun (Calm’s Mellow Mellow Acid Dub)
A2. Aura Safari - Sur Mon Balconnet (Calm’s Mellow Mellow Acid Remix)
B1. Dream Baby Dream - Banana Trance (Calm’s Mellow Mellow Acid Remix)
B2. Michele Mininni - Vertigo (Calm Remix)
C1. Meitei Mahi - Dounika Kounika (Calm's Mellow Mellow Acid Remix)
C2. Gallo - Abysso (Calm’s Beatless Dub)
D1. Seahawks - Blue Surround (Calm's Mellow Mellow Acid Remix)
D2. Yuichiro Kato - Kiss Of Life (Calm Remix)

Two of the UK's finest party-starters, Dub Pistols and the Freestylers, team up on 'Enter The Sound' to bring you an album of high-grade & high-pressure, bass-heavy cuts.

Enter the party, Enter The Sound! The album is a sonic journey through their diverse influences, blending genres like Reggae, Ska, Breakbeat, Jungle, Hip Hop & Trip Hop. It's a celebration of their shared musical roots and evolution.

The album features an all- star lineup of guest artists, including Johnny Osbourne, Tippa Irie, General Levy, Too Many T's, Horseman, Belle Humble, Scarlett Quinn, Tenor Fly, MC Spyda, Persona, Harry Shotta and of course, Seanie T.

TRACK LISTING

1. Enter The Sound
2. Power & Sound Feat. Tippa Irie
3. Believe Me Now Feat. MC Spyda, Persona And Tenor Fly
4. Like We Feat. General Levy
5. Whiskey & Water Feat. Scarlett Quinn
6. Back On The Circuit Feat. Harry Shotta
7. Ska Train Feat. JA-13
8. Pull Up Feat. Horseman And Seanie T
9. Give You Love Feat. Belle Humble
10. All In Feat. Too Many T's
11. Put It On Feat. Seanie T
12. Hold Up Your Hands Feat. Jonny Osbourne

Motorpsycho has always been of the opinion that the most interesting stuff happens in any art form before it is formatted and settled. In rock music, this phenomenon peaked in and around 1970, and it is in this period that the best heavy music was made, simply because the rules weren’t set, there were not ropes yet, and there were no clichés to fall back on.

'The Gaia ll Space Corps' is an album of tunes that don’t quite sound like heavy metal or hard rock, but clearly is reaching for some of the same qualities. It is post-psychedelic, pre-metal music, and is probably as close to making a true blue ‘classic hard rock’ album Motorpsycho ever will come. 'The Gaia ll Space Corps' is a short, concise, catchy and exciting album, continuing where Motorpsycho’s 'Stanley' and 'The Comeback' left off. The instrumentation is mostly guitars, guitars and some more guitars, but there is quite a bit of singing in there too, and even an occasional keyboard sound or two as well. But mostly this is guitar music that ...well, rocks! Hard!!

The first single is the album’s lead off track 'Fanny Again Or'. This Bent sung fable is a shot of adrenaline that fairly reeks of the Osmonds (and comes with a faint whiff of the Hammer of the Gods). It is a riffy proposition that can’t help but get the blood up in any and every true rocker! Snah then sings the tragic-but-groovy psych rocker 'The Great Stash Robbery', a Freak Brothers-esque tall tale of the ‘pot will get you through times of no money better than money will get you though times of no pot’-variety. Other stand-outs are the bluesy, nervy juggernaut 'TSMcR' where the band, with Reine in the lead, almost derails as it channels the sci-fi blues of the mighty Groundhogs, and the title track, an exciting 60’s stomper celebrating the proud feats of the titular organisation. It features Snah on electric sitar. 'The Hornet' choogles briskly along (‘...and don’t forget to boogie!’), before the epic, Snah sung ballad 'The Oracle' lets the sun in for a breath of air. Light and shade, right? This version of the band (Ryan / Sæther, with Fiske and Olsen) then tops it all by delivering an epic, knock-out version of the old Frost classic 'Black As Night' to end proceedings in appropriate Detroit style.

‘They don’t make records like this anymore’ the band thought, then went and did something about it. Recorded both at the Old Cheese Factory in Trondheim and in Amper Tone in Oslo, 'The Gaia ll Space Corps' proudly sounds like it was recorded in 1970 and makes up in excitement for what it might lack in subtlety. And sometimes you just gotta let it rip, dontcha? Motorpsycho certainly thinks so, and offers up 'The Gaia ll Space Corps' as an answer to the acoustic jangle of 'Yay!' [NFGS0223] and the epic workouts of 'Motorpsycho' [NFGS0125]. Made with love and respect for a dying art form, it’s energy will leave you reeling, deaf and happy, socks rocked well and truly off! Rock is dead, long live rock!

TRACK LISTING

1. Fanny Again, Or
2. The Great Stash Robbery
3. TSMcR
4. The Hornet
5. The Gaia II Space Corps
6. The Oracle
7. Black As Night

When The Zutons first emerged from Merseyside many commentators remarked on the variety of influences they detected in their grooves. References to the obvious scouse rock lineage – The Coral, Shack, The La’s, The Beatles – abounded of course, alongside mentions for Stax Records, Johnny Cash, Dire Straits, The Kinks, The Beta Band and others. The group’s own press release offered even more (Talking Heads, Devo, Dr John, Sly Stone, Madness) and their debut album certainly covers a lot of ground. Charting at number six in the UK and now certified double platinum, 'Who Killed…'. was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Prize, further evidence that it was one of the more diverting releases of the year. Highlights include opening track ‘Zuton Fever’, a brash, self-referential mix of guitar diddles and sax honks; Pressure Point (which featured in a Levi’s commercial), a playful and slightly deranged romp packed with cowbell, handclaps and seasoned with disco sauce; the plaintive strings and twang of ‘Not A Lot To Do’; and the jangly ‘Havana Gang Brawl’, with its urgent "Where will you sleep tonight?" enquiry. An impressive start from a band with dynamic songwriting and a penchant for wry, inventive throwdowns, 'Who Killed…' was pressed on vinyl in small quantities upon original release and has long since become something of a collector’s item. This first reissue (on orange wax) has been a ‘Long Time Coming’ and ought to delight the faithful.

TRACK LISTING

1. Zuton Fever
2. Pressure Point
3. You Will You Won’t
4. Confusion
5. Havana Gang Brawl
6. Railroad
7. Long Time Coming
8. Nightmare Part II
9. Not A Lot To Do
10. Remember Me
11. Dirty Dancehall
12. Moons And Horror Shows

Just shy of double platinum sales in the UK, The Zutons second album, an assured and full-blooded northern soul-rock confection, was issued in April 2006 and peaked at number two in the charts. This is its very first vinyl reissue.

Lead single 'Why Won't You Give Me Your Love’ went Top 10, as did the follow-up, ‘Valerie’, a song that has now achieved certified classic status thanks to the incredible popularity of the cover version produced by Mark Ronson and featuring Amy Winehouse the following year.

Chief songwriter Dave McCabe explained that many of the album’s tunes were "about giving yourself a bit of a hard time… 'cause you've gone out and got drunk or let someone down." Several were inspired by the band’s experiences promoting their first album 'Who Killed The Zutons?' on tour; ‘Valerie’ and ‘Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done!)’ in particular.

Reviewers at the time generally concluded that their unpretentious, sax-enhanced shenanigans brightened the drab English airwaves and John Murphy of musicOMH.com summed it up nicely: “Since 'Who Killed The Zutons', they've hit the big time, whether it be through Mercury nominations or support slots with both U2 and REM. Yet this hasn't gone to the band's collective head, as 'Tired Of Hanging Around' is as delightfully quirky, original and catchy as its predecessor, whilst also representing something of a leap forward.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Tired Of Hanging Around 
2. It’s The Little Things We Do 
3. Valerie 
4. Someone Watching Over Me 
5. Secrets 
6. How Does It Feel?
7. Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?
8. Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done!)
9. You've Got A Friend In Me
10. Hello Conscience
11. I Know I'll Never Leave

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of MONO’s debut album, Under The Pipal Tree, the band release a unique limited-edition Iridescent Forest Night colored vinyl variant to commemorate the special occasion.

Under The Pipal Tree is the debut album by now-legendary Japanese experimental rock band, MONO. Released in 2001 on avant-garde icon John Zorn's Tzadik label, Under The Pipal Tree showcased a young Japanese quartet whose wide range of influences – most notably Sonic Youth, Mogwai, The Velvet Underground, and Neil Young's Crazy Horse – were on ferocious and ambitious display. Though MONO would eventually become known for their expert marriage of metal and classical genres, Under The Pipal Tree highlights the band's psychedelic roots. Long stretches of hypnotic, melodic washes give way to scorching guitar freakouts that evaporate into haunting silence. It's remarkable not just for its earnest exploration, but for its startling execution. 25 years and a dozen albums later, Under The Pipal Tree stands as one of the great debut albums by a seminal underground band.

TRACK LISTING

1. Karelia (12:31)
2. The Kidnapper Bell (10:00) 3. Jackie Says (7:31)
4. OP Beach (5:49)
5. Holy (1:41)
6. Error #9 (12:34)
7. L’America (4:38)
8. Human Highway (9:06)

Mekons – Out Of Desperation (Luxury Chicken Song) “A luxury chicken is something very special and unique and of great value. It is also a hand-painted Mekons T-shirt with a chicken smoking a cigarette on it. Hagar the Womb are very special and unique and of great value and I’m glad they didn’t really split up that night at the Hawley Arms even though they stole our rider.” Jon Langford 2025

Hagar The Womb - Fare Dodging With The Mekon’s Rider (3 Beers & A Lemon) The label image shows Chris knocking back one of the 3 beers on the train. This song emerged shortly after beer 3 was downed. Fare Dodging with the Mekon’s Rider came into being after we supported our all-time favourite band the Mekons a few years back in Brighton. Unlike the Hags, they had a bountiful rider including a bowl of fruit topped by a very splendid lemon. When it came to us making a mad dash for the train back to London, Ruth sneaked three beers from the Mekon’s rider into her bag and then found she couldn’t leave the lemon! Imbued with lawlessness, we bunked the train after being told we couldn’t board it as we had the wrong tickets. We finished the beers before it left the station, but reader - that lemon was never consumed. A sorry end to the citrus but in this song celebrating our evening’s gains, it will never be forgotten.

TRACK LISTING

A - Mekons – Out Of Desperation (Luxury Chicken Song)
AA – Hagar The Womb – Fare Dodging With The Mekon’s Rider (3 Beers & A Lemon)

Thelonious Monk once famously said "the piano ain't got no wrong notes", and this mantra is evident in his playing: full of angular, challenging harmonies combined with a harsh and percussive technique. Though his style of playing was unorthodox, he could also play runs and arpeggios with great speed and accuracy. All in all Monk would prove to be a long-lasting influence on jazz piano. Underground is the seventh studio album that Monk did for Columbia and features Larry Gales on bass, Ben Riley on drums and Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone. A prolific composer, all but one of the tunes on this record are original compositions, all with different stories. Apart from the music, the cover is worth a special mention. It depicts Monk as a member of the French Resistance and is meant as an homage to Pannonica "Nica" de Koenigswarter. She was a member of the aristocratic Rothschild family and became a patron of leading jazz musicians, hosting jam sessions, driving them to gigs and sometimes even helping out with paying the rent. In 1969 the cover won a Grammy for Best Recording Package.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Thelonious
2. Ugly Beauty
3. Raise Four
4. Boo Boo's Birthday

SIDE B
1. Easy Street
2. Green Chimneys
3. In Walked Bud

A bold analysis that exposes the racist policing of Black music. The emergence of UK drill music made headline news, portraying it as a criminal enterprise instead of recognising it as an art form. This new rap subgenre, however, is neither the first nor the only Black music to be targeted this way.

Policing the beats rewinds the tape to demonstrate how music has been used as an instrument for policing Black people, from the era of colonial slavery to the present day, revealing the racist legal processes that make crimes out of rhymes. This original and readable book offers the first in-depth account of the policing of Black music in Britain, highlighting the relationship between politics, culture and criminal (in)justice and inviting music lovers, scholars and activists to tune in.

Dealing in a hypnotic blend of neo-psychedelia, post-punk and new wave, The Third Sound is a Berlin-based band led by the Icelandic musician Hákon Aðalsteinsson, who is the guitarist in Brian Jonestown Massacre and formerly played in the cult rock’n’roll outfit Singapore Sling. A mainstay of the European psych underground in his own right, not just through his collaborations with the likes of Anton Newcombe and Tess Parks, The Third Sound has been Hakon’s primary solo endeavour since the release of his self-titled debut on Newcombe’s A Recordings a decade ago.

Arriving following 2018’s ‘All Tomorrow’s Shadows’ LP, ‘First Light’ marks an evolution into a brighter and at times uplifting sound. Marrying moments of light and dark, the result is The Third Sound’s most dynamic full-length to date. Talking about the album, Hakon said: “This album is definitely less gloomy than the previous one, although some ghosts from the past are lurking in the background. We always try to make something new on each album and never make the same album over again, but this feels like an even bigger change than usual, especially regarding the mood. Something new is beginning although the past is not forgotten. I think the title, First Light, describes the overall feel of the record pretty well.”

‘First Light’ is the fifth full-length from The Third Sound and arrives off the back of 2018’s ‘All Tomorrow’s Shadows’, 2016’s ‘Gospels of Degeneration’, 2013’s ‘The Third Sound of Destruction and Creation’ and their 2011 self-titled debut. With Hakon Aðalsteinsson leading the group on vocals and guitar, the rest of the band is currently comprised of Robin Hughes (Guitar / Organ), Fred Sunesen (Drums) and Andreas Miranda (Bass). With a number of European tours in tow, the band have previously shared the stage with the likes of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Warlocks, Singapore Sling, Crocodiles, Clinic, Tess Parks and more.

“First Light further solidifies The Third Sound’s position as fundamentals of the European post-punk and psych underground.” Bad Luck Magazine
“First Light drives home The Third Sound’s mix of post-punk, neo-psychedelia and new-wave.” Rolling Stone France
“The Berlin-based band looks to shoegaze and the gloomier trips of early Creation classics for inspiration– with some narcotic post-punk thrown in for good measure.” Shindig Magazine
“A great album from a band that have returned on top-form. ★★★★” Louder Than War
“A powerful and dynamic album… highly recommended for fans of hypnotic and ethereal music.” The Sleeping Shaman

TRACK LISTING

1. Tidal Wave
2. Your Love Is Evol
3. This Is The Only Way I Know
4. Ghosts Of Memphis
5. Dissociation
6. Hex
7. Stay For Another
8. Not Even Jesus
9. I Don't Need Anything Anymore

DJ Amir takes another deep dive into the back catalogue of Detroit's legendary Strata Records to curate a 2nd volume in his Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit compilations. Whereas volume one took in the soulful edge of the Strata canon this volume, as Amir says, 'leans into the label's groovier, funkier edges whilst still celebrating its bold, avant-garde spirit.'

DJ Amir's relationship to the Strata label has resulted in the release of the long lost Charles Mingus live 'Jazz in Detroit' box set released on BBE Music along with re-issues from The Lyman Woodard Organisation and re-imaginings of Strata's genre defying music by Berlin based DJ and producer collective, Jazzanova as well as remixes from Kai Alce, Wajeed, Henrik Schwarz, re.decay and DJ Amir himself and, of course, volume one of The Sound of Detroit.

Featuring music from The Soulmates, Fito Foster, Keith Boone & Janice Coombs and The Contemporary Jazz Quintet amongst others, The Sound of Detroit volume 2 absolutely exemplifies the importance of Strata Records in the history of innovative Black music as well as its place in the cultural landscape of Detroit as a powerhouse city for art and music.

Following his incendiary debut, Ingo Hammer delivers four devilishly great burners on Industrial Lies. This time, his satanic majesty drops the sleazy, pulsating ‘Kneejerk’ and ‘Insane’, rewires body music with the robotic ‘Chinois’ before riding the D train to hell and back on the breakin’ ‘New York’.

Each one is a guaranteed dancefloor HAMMER (gerrit?!).

DJ support for ‘Hammer Time’ comes from I-f; Intergalactic Gary, Legowelt, Marcel Dettmann and Sunil Sharpe.

Limited edition of 100 vinyl copies.
Written & Produced by Ingo Hammer
Mastering by Tom Haunstein (Rand Muzik)
Artwork by Jonny Costello (Adult Art Club)


Industrial Lies is the offshoot label of Dublin house and techno imprint in First Cut. Established in 2023, the label is named after the B-side of Cybotron’s electro classic ‘Clear’. Industrial Lies shines a light on left-of-centre music from the past and present, including proto-Chicago house, ebm/industrial, electro and adjacent sounds.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Four shuddering and juddering EBM jaw shakers from this naughty little LIES offshoot. Sounds like a load of gremlins chunnering away on the circuit boards.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Kneejerk
A2. Insane
B1. Chinois
B2. New York

The Lounge Society release single 'Anything' with accompanying remixes from Richard Norris (The Grid / Time And Space Machine / Beyond The Wizards Sleeve) and Claris Coy. This is the first release from The Lounge Society since 2022 album ‘Tired Of Liberty’.

TLS are very much connected to the The Golden Lion having worked behind the bar whilst also using the venue as a practice space. Their first gigs were at the venue and they’ve also had their album release parties there. The band are from Hebden Bridge and now reside between Hebden / Todmorden and Manchester. They also now have solo projects (Flying On The Ground / Herbie May / Cam Davey). Herbie also has formed the label Red Liquorice showcasing local artists such as Lily Rae Grant.

The track was formed during weekly practice sessions in The Golden Lion live room. It’s a song driven by heavy, distorted 70s guitars; built on brooding and moody verses, giving way to an explosive chorus. A fiery heart with a cool, charismatic exterior.

Richard Norris injects some contemporary punky-funky energy into the track on the first of his remixes. Galvanizing the bassline and crunching up the drums, instantly transporting the track to the middle of the leftfield indie dancefloor. An idea furthered on his second remix, which adds much more electronic elements, drawing it out into a psychedelic spiral of epic, peaktime proportions that aligns it with some of the stuff by Factory Floor and Phantasy Sound.

Finally, Claris Coy offers up a completely alternative take featuring discombobulated squelch, scorched sfx and glitchy vox. It's the most technofied of the four productions and would work in perfectly in ALFOS-friendly club sets, of which their spiritual home at The Golden Lion is famous for!

A brilliantly conceived record by our friends out there! Highly recommended. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: The coolest band in Calderdale return after a painfully long hiatus, but it's been worth the wait! Rejuvenated and clearly ready to rock, "Anything" finds them smouldering hot; equal parts swagger and headbang; with an arrangement that'll keep you on the edge of yer seat (or dancing manically on the dancefloor). Killer!

TRACK LISTING

Side A
The Lounge Society - Anything
The Lounge Society - Anything (Richard Norris Remix)

Side B
The Lounge Society - Anything (Richard Norris Wide Eyes Mix)
The Lounge Society - Anything (Claris Coy Remix)

Blair French shifts course with "The Migration", his debut release on Choose Better Friends Records. The title track unfolds as a leftfield disco chant, driven by Jess Minnick’s vocals - hypnotic, ritualistic, and rooted in the idea of returning to the source. On the flip, "Thermal Soaring" moves into deep, soulful, jazz-dance territory. Named for the moment a bird rides rising warm air, it lands as a hard-earned metaphor: French lifted without escape, moving forward by feel rather than force.

Written & produced by Blair French at Boxcar Studios
Vocals written & performed by Jess Minnick
Mastered by Phil Minnick
Artwork by Blair French
Cut at 45rpm, pressed by Archer Records, Detroit
Full color label art in die cut CBFR jackets

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Lavish and sophisticated deep house which is brimming with musicality and with an adventurous arrangement that really takes you on a journey.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Thermal Soaring
B1. The Migration Ft. Jess Minnick

Leave it to Joe Claussell to tap into our current collective artificial intelligence anxiety and render the racket divine. Alan Parson’s 1977 'I Robot' - the LP from which these two new edits were culled - was a harbinger for all the technological sheen and humanistic distress that was to come. Drawing from heady science fiction and even headier musicality and studio sophistication, ’The Voice’ evoked Jeremy Bentham-like omniscient surveillance, while the original ‘I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You’ explores the ambivalent rift in perspective between the two poles of flesh and metal. For Claussell, the dichotomy leaves more unanswered questions and artistic possibilities, for the truth is always tangled and ripe for potential. Our bodies are propelled by the same electrons which accumulate in capacitors; our hearts, as Milford Graves was so enthralled, likewise transmit the same electric impulses which not only sustain our bodies but soundtrack our eternal, internal rhythm. These edits, with their strings, synthesizers and distortion-ravaged guitars, are protracted to dynamic sublimity, and seem aware of this seemingly opposing dynamic. Claussell, himself a lifelong proponent and interrogator of man’s relationship with mechanized rhythm and sound, leaves our earthly toil and unease behind for something greater, something yet unnamed, shared between us all at our finest. It's almost a feeling you can touch in the air…

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Big Joe tackles a couple of APP numbers with deft precision; drawing out the fun and accentuating the rhythms.

TRACK LISTING

A1. The Voice (Joe Claussell Version)
B1. I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You (Joe Claussell Version)

Long considered a "Holy Grail" of Latin vinyl, The Booga Mambo Beat (1967) by Steve Hernández y Su Orquesta Latinoamericana returns.

This LP has puzzled collectors for decades: who was Steve Hernández, the shadowy figure behind this powerful orchestra including top Puerto Rican and New York musicians?

Arranged by Ray Santos and featuring vocalist Vitín Avilés, the album delivers a unique mix of mambo, boogaloo, descarga, proto-salsa and 1950s big-band swing. A rare bridge between the Palladium sound and the emerging salsa era. Originally self-released and barely promoted, the record became a cult favorite among DJs and collectors.

Sourced directly from the original master tapes, discovered in outstanding condition, this edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and includes extensive liner notes by Pablo E. Yglesias (DJ Bongohead).and a digital download code.


A must-have archival release for collectors, DJs, and anyone fascinated by the hidden corners of Latin music history.

TRACK LISTING

1. Steve's Boogaloo
2. Me Gustan Todas
3. Mi Propia Condena
4. Chocolate
5. Booga Mambo
6. Boogalypso
7. No Te Vayas
8. Guaguanco Pa' Borinquen
9. Steve's Impact
10. Fuerte Como Un Roble
11. Se Que Eres Suave

Originally launched in 2002 by Schmoov! and home to releases by cult artists such as Ron Basejam, Hot Toddy, both of Crazy P fame as well Vincenzo, Rhythm Plate, Spirit Catcher and not to mention Lovebirds and their monster hit, I Want You In My Soul. After a hiatus, the label is back with a bang and teaming up once again with Lovebirds for another classic EP.

‘They Call Me’ is a funk-fuelled jam with bluesy vocals and horns, all sounding kinda Moodymann. Rolling keys, incredible live bass, and solid beats. Dancefloor winner.

‘Smooth & Fatfree’ is a dreamy downtempo groover with the fattest, squelchiest bass in town, and the smoothest keys this side of Berlin. Afterparty gold.

Finally ‘Bali Birds’, a slinky deep house groove with a twanging bassline nestling between mellow chords and strings, reminiscent of Super Discount vibes.

TRACK LISTING

A1. They Call Me
A2. Smooth & Fatfree
B1. Bali Birds

On the cover: Wendy Eisenberg: The prolific US guitarist collides free jazz with metal and Americana across myriad collaborations and a new introspective solo album. By Stewart Smith; Mariá Portugal: The Brazilian percussionist and improvisor reanimates song fragments from São Paolo’s radical past. By Peter Margasak; KAVARI: The Glasgow producer and DJ brings the occult to the club through visceral volume. By Misha Farrant; The Primer: Augustus Pablo: A user’s guide to the recordings of the roots reggae artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist who conjured visions of a better world. By Derek Walmsley; Invisible Jukebox: Yellow Swans: How will the psychedelic noise duo process The Wire’s mystery record selection? Tested by Ilia Rogatchevski; Cowboy Builder: Junk shop jerry-rigging from the shadowy Edinburgh quartet. By Daryl Worthington; LINTD: The Manchester based artist connects grief with ideas of Black utopia. By John Morrison; Jenna Sutela: Pond life and slime mould fuel the Finnish artist’s creative language. By Robert Barry; Global Ear: Berlin’s Turkish diaspora keep the psychedelic light burning. By Robert Rigney; Unlimited Editions: The outsider sounds of Jordan label Drowned By Locals skirt the margins. By Miloš Hroch; The Inner Sleeve: Tim Fish on Armand Hammer’s Rome; Against The Grain: The new sound of UK rap is hijacked by London’s police force for clicks. By Hugh Morris; Epiphanies: Derek Baron passes the time with Laure M Hiendl. Plus 37 pages of reviews including: Sam Pluta + Mariel Roberts Musa: Wet Ink spots. By Kurt Gottschalk; Anthony Joseph + Dinesh Allirajah: Jazz/poetry smash. By Dan Spicer; Clifton Chenier: Louisiana cooking. By Steve Barker; Listening In: How Audio Surveillance Became Artificial Intelligence: Smart spies. By Paul Rekret; Daphne Oram: A legacy of electronic invention at the Barbican. By Jo Hutton; Umlaut Big Band: Jazzing up the repertoire. By Gabriel Bristow, and much more.

'The Mountain' is Gorillaz 9th studio album. The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and collaborators including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey; as well as the voices of Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper, Mark E. Smith, Proof and Tony Allen. Produced by Gorillaz, James Ford, Samuel Egglenton, Remi Kabaka Jr. and Bizarrap (Orange County), The Mountain was recorded in London, Devon, Miami, Jaipur, Mumbai, New Delhi and Rishikesh; and features artists performing in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Spanish and Yoruba.

The artwork for 'The Mountain' sees Jamie Hewlett’s distinct, yet ever-evolving, style illustrate the world of Gorillaz with an ever more detailed and beautiful intricacy across a series of hand-drawn illustrations. Circumstances find Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, 2D and Noodle in India, where our heroes are immersed in the rhythms of mystical music-making as they navigate the mountainous terrain of this thing called life.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash)
2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda And Black Thought)
3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson And Anoushka Shankar)
6. The God Of Lying (feat. IDLES)
7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr And Anoushka Shankar)
8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno And Proof)
9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr And Anoushka Shankar)
10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman And Yasiin Bey)
12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash)
13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon And Johnny Marr)
14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr And Anoushka Shankar)
15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna And Anoushka Shankar)

Classic songwriting, virtuosic musicianship and dream logic lyrics. The Wave Pictures return with 'Gained/Lost', a record that brings together 60s garage rock, 70s classic rock and 90s American indie with a DIY spirit that has guided the band for nearly three decades.

Across the album, David Tattersall (guitar and lead vocals), Franic Rozycki (bass), and Jonny Helm (drums) capture the joy of playing together-- a chemistry that has cemented their status as one of Britain's most enduring cult bands.

Tattersall's lyrics arrive like postcards from the space where memories fragment and dreams fill the cracks--reflecting the self as a child, as an elder, and as an observer from a neighbour's window. Lyrics float over the guitars and drums like figures in the sky in a Chagall painting. The Wave Pictures always give the mundane its magical due.

The front cover, created by Tattersall, is a tribute to Robert Frank's front cover for 'Exile On Main Street'. Images of childhood combine with recent photos of the band and many other figures, from old horror movie posters to former footballers. Everything in their world gets funneled into The Wave Pictures music.

The album opens with the Burroughs- inspired dreamscape of 'Alice'. 'Sure and Steady' is like Lou Reed if he'd grown up in the East Midlands. 'Past The House Painted Blue' is like a painting by Matisse. 'You're My Patient Now', a mixture of Raymond Chandler and Link Wray. The songs themselves--full of poetry and joy--are the album's defining strength.

Like its predecessor, 'Gained/Lost' was recorded by Jim Riley at Rochester's Ranscombe Studios over seven days in early 2024. Riley, who has worked with the band on multiple projects including 'Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon' and 'Bamboo Diner in the Rain', captures the Wave Pictures live and unfiltered--the way they prefer to record. Throughout the album, David Tattersall's guitar playing is inventive, melodic, emotional and virtuosic. His playing at times is as lyrical as Jerry Garcia, at others spikey and spindley like Tom Verlaine, but always emotional and on point for the song. No wonder Marc Riley describes David Tattersall as ''The greatest guitarist of his
generation.''

'Gained/Lost' sets a new standard: a distillation of spirit, craft, and joy.

TRACK LISTING

1. Alice
2. Sure And Steady
3. The House Painted Blue
4. You're My Patient Now
5. Sparklers
6. Gained Lost
7. Faded Wave Pictures T-Shirt
8. Samuel
9. The Past Comes Back To Haunt Me
10. Orange Fire
11. Worry Anymore

The Five Techniques, a music project created by Belfast DJ & producer David Holmes, are a collective of artists who believe music, art & humanity can be acts of resistance. The trio first connected at Gig For Gaza - curated by Weller himself - and have come together again for a vital cause.

All proceeds will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).

TRACK LISTING

1. Resistance In The Dark
2. Resistance In The Dark (Instrumental)

Renowned US-Dutch gospel-soul powerhouse Michelle David & The True-tones mark a bold new chapter with their forthcoming album, 'Soul Woman'. Building on the critical acclaim of 2024’s 'Brothers & Sisters', a record that held a mirror to the complexities of the world, the new LP 'Soul Woman' turns inward — a deeply personal exploration of identity, healing, and spiritual resilience.

TRACK LISTING

1. Running
2. Soul Woman
3. Golden Sun
4. You’ll Never Know
5. Flow
6. Speak To Me
7. Pick Up The Pieces
8. When All Is Said And Done
9. Seasons
10. I Thank You

There’s a direct connection between the tension in Telenova’s music and the people who create it. The light and the dark, the sky and the dirt: these aren't just sonic motifs of their forthcoming sophomore album, 'The Warning', but reflections of the band's reality. 'The Warning' strips away their cinematic mystique to reveal raw, chaotic, yet deeply human truths. Gritty, uneasy, vulnerable — the sound of three people holding together as their world fell apart, finding unity despite their differences.

'The Warning' expands Telenova's universe into something more urgent and exposed. It's the sound of faith colliding with failure, beauty forged in exhaustion, and three distinct voices finding harmony in chaos.

TRACK LISTING

1. THE DEEP
2. BITCRUSH
3. VAPOR // SLOW DANCE
4. IN THE NAME OF YOUR LOVE
5. PARALYSIS GHOSTS
6. MOUNTAIN LION // ADORE
7. FAULT LINE
8. HEARTBEATS
9. EMPIRE
10. WAITING FOR A MIRACLE

The Dream Machine is back with their third studio album, 'Fort Perch Rock', following a successful few years of UK shows, multiple BBC 6 Music airplays (including a feature on Maida Vale with Steve Lamacq), and festival appearances at Kendal Calling, The Great Escape, and Sound City.

This Wirral five-piece has established itself as one of the most exciting new acts in the northern guitar music scene. Often compared to bands like King Gizzard, their live shows are chaotic, euphoric, and impossible to ignore. They have supported The Coral and The Lathums and gained recognition from Radio X and BBC Introducing.

'Fort Perch Rock' marks a new but familiar chapter for the band. The album is bold, cinematic, and deeply rooted in their origins. Named after the iconic New Brighton landmark, it serves as a gritty love letter to seaside life, brimming with raw emotion and fuzz-soaked guitars.

The Dream Machine is not just following trends, they are forging their own path, and it leads to 'Fort Perch Rock'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Fort Perch Rock
2. Flowers On The Razorwire
3. Things That Make Us Cry
4. Angel Heart
5. If I Could Be King
6. Duck Bone Fever
7. I Had A Friend
8. Joe
9. Julie On The Rocks
10. Night Owls
11. The First Bird
12. Best Days Of Our Lives

San Francisco–born singer-songwriter Ben Kweller returns with 'Cover The Mirrors', his seventh studio album — and perhaps his most personal work to date. Known in the late ’90s as a member of post-grunge outfit Radish, who were signed to Mercury Records and even counted Nils Lofgren among their fans, Kweller has since carved out a long and prolific solo career rooted in melodic indie rock and unfiltered emotion.

'Cover The Mirrors' is a deeply poignant record, written in honour of what would have been Kweller’s late son Dorian Zev’s 19th birthday. It also marks Kweller’s first release since Dorian’s tragic passing in 2023 — an event that reshaped both his life and his music. Far from retreating into silence, Kweller channels his grief into a collection of songs that explore loss, love, and renewal with raw honesty. “This is the most personal, emotionally raw project I've ever worked on,” he reflects, and every track bears that truth.

The album features an impressive roster of collaborators from across the indie landscape: Waxahatchee joins on 'Dollar Store', a sparse and arresting song built on two vocals and a guitar that eventually erupts into a distorted, soaring finale; MJ Lenderman lends his touch to 'Oh Dorian', a tender tribute steeped in warmth and melancholy; Jason Schwartzman resurrects his mid-aughts project Coconut Records for the haunting 'Depression'; and psych-rock icons The Flaming Lips appear on the shimmering, otherworldly 'Killer Bee'.

Musically, Kweller’s craft is as sharp and sincere as ever — intimate yet expansive, stripped-down yet powerful. 'Cover The Mirrors' captures an artist walking through grief with purpose, turning heartbreak into something both fragile and transcendent. It’s the sound of Ben Kweller looking loss directly in the eye — and finding beauty, courage, and connection reflected back.

TRACK LISTING

1. Going Insane
2. Dollar Store (feat. Waxahatchee)
3. Trapped
4. Park Harvey Fire Drill
5. Depression (feat. Coconut Records)
6. Don't Cave
7. Optimystic
8. Brakes
9. Killer Bee (feat. The Flaming Lips)
10. Letter To Agony
11. Save Yourself
12. Oh Dorian (feat. MJ Lenderman)

Since her breakthrough back in 2016 Asa Soderqvist’s ShitKid has been one of the most interesting acts around, constantly defying expectations and breaking
conventions.

After abruptly ending the project in 2020 and disappearing from the music
scene altogether, ShitKid now returns with compilations and a live comeback in 2026. 'The Essential (Vol 1)' brings together the raw, rock-driven highlights from her career.

TRACK LISTING

1. 666
2. I Wanna Go To LA
3. Sugar Town
4. Alright
5. Oh Me I’m Never
6. High Way
7. RoMaNcE
8. Get Jealous
9. Feels Like The Movies
10. Dream Sequence
11. FREAK
12. Dirty Guy
13. Downtown Apartment
14. Kill Rocken Roll
15. Runt Pa Stranden

Transcendentally beautiful, The Space Lady's music is returning to Earth. Transmitting messages of peace and harmony, The Space Lady began her odyssey on the streets of Boston in the late 70s, then San Francisco ten years later, playing versions of contemporary pop music with an accordion and dressed flamboyantly. Following the theft and destruction of her accordion , The Space Lady invested in a then-new Casio keyboard, complete with a phase shifter and headset mic, birthing an otherworldly new dimension to popular song that has captured the imaginations of the underground and its leading exponents ever since.

TRACK LISTING

1. Humdinger
2. Synthesize Me
3. Major Tom
4. Ghost Riders In The Sky
5. Domine, Libra Nos/Showdown
6. Fly Like An Eagle
7. Born To Be Wild
8. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)
9. From The Womb To The Tomb
10. Ballroom Blitz

For just over a decade, EXEK has very quietly become one of the most hypnotic bands on the planet, mutating and growing from record to record, gradually opening themselves up without ever losing that strange, inscrutable, altogether essential quality that’s made them so great—so EXEK-y.

'Prove The Mountains Move' is the seventh album and first for DFA for the Melbourne post-punk outfit. It is, as Wolski says, “a bit more ‘epic’” than anything he’s recorded to date, a lush and unabashedly melodic set of surrealist pop that luxuriates in contradiction. “This record is experimental in its craft,” Wolski says, “but it may not necessarily sound experimental.”

There’s good reason for that. Work began on a cold afternoon in June of 2023, as Wolski and Stephenson came together at Pelican Refill Studios in Melbourne to track drums—the first thing they always do. From there, Wolski went home on his own and began sifting through the beats and breaks they’d captured, letting the drum sounds guide him towards melodies and basslines, looping and layering and laying foundation for what would become 'Prove The Mountains Move'. “I feel comfortable tinkering away alone like a mad scientist,” he says. “I also enjoyed pressing record with no clear intention. More often than not, that would steer me towards an interesting direction that my conscious mind probably wouldn’t have sought out.”

And yet, somehow Wolski arrived at his most direct work since he launched the project, newly inspired by the clarity and concision of mainstream pop, the strong and undeniable pull of a simple vocal melody. After Melbourne’s famously stringent COVID lockdowns ended, he found himself wanting to stay out. “Working on new music took a distant backseat to raging with friends,” he says. “And those parties were filled with big bangers as the soundtrack—stuff I didn’t really listen to on my own, stuff I hadn’t really encountered since my adolescence. But in the early hours of Sunday morning, ‘Alive’ by Pearl Jam sounds like you’re talking to God. And so does 'All I Wanna Do' by Sheryl Crow, and so does 'Feel' by Robbie Williams. Krautrock and dub were still in my DNA, but the music that I started to make was perhaps a little more lighthearted, and perhaps a bit more emotional.”

Which isn’t to say you should expect to hear traces of Eddie Vedder in Wolski’s vocal delivery here, but the stakes feel similar in their own way—this is what it sounds like when EXEK are really going for it. Take, for instance, the levitating synths of opener 'Sidestepping' or the mountainous guitars of 'Arriverderci Back Pain', the piano bench pyrotechnics of 'Don’t Answer (When They Call)' or the Bowie-like melancholy of 'You Have Been Blessed'. The arrangements feel more open, the sonics more focused. It’s not hard to believe him when Wolski says he spent time earnestly A-B’ing his mixes of 'Prove The Mountains Move' against some of the most important albums ever recorded, Abbey Road among them.

But everything is relative. And lyrically, Wolski remains oblique. ”Each song is a vignette into an abstract milieu, whether it’s an experimental chiropractic business at an airport, or scantily clad creatures made from dust at a food court. No matter how wacky, there’s themes and motifs throughout the record, both lyrical and musical, that mirror up and reflect each other throughout different songs.” That dissonance—between the direct and indirect, smooth and textured, shadowed and incandescent, zany and deadpan—is the animating force at the heart of these songs, his best yet.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sidestepping
2. You Have Been Blessed
3. Visiting Dust Bunnies
4. Arrivederci Back Pain
5. Don’t Answer (When They Call)
6. Tyres
7. Spotless
8. Chef’s Hat Renaissance

After 7 strange years of relative silence, and 13 years of being a band, Dog Chocolate have returned with ‘So Inspired, So Done In’. Their fourth album is their most focused, cohesive and song-y yet. They still sound like a bin full of wasps, but now the bin has double-cream or a Viennetta or something at the bottom. While many of the 16 songs on here barely make it past the 3-minute mark, each one is bursting with all the textures and colours of an office cupboard: full of old sweets, fluorescent markers, and multiple ways to fix paper together.

Thematically, a lot of ground is covered, with songs tackling subject matter as diverse as overheard conversations, healing fungal toenails, the Rogerian concept of the Actualising Tendency, bronze age living conditions, dreaming songs into being and human-plant relations. Work (and anti-work) is a recurring theme, as is artistic inspiration and burnout. Dog Chocolate revel in the mundane and incidental, to explore bigger, existential questions. Recorded and mixed by POZI’s Toby Burroughs and mastered by Sofia Lopes, ‘So Inspired, So Done In’ charts a long and confusing period in the band’s collective life, marked by major life changes, losses and shifts, colouring the band’s trademark frantic, daft and anxious energy with a contemplative glaze. Dog Chocolate continue to investigate their internal and external landscapes with playful curiosity, frustration, silliness and empathy.

Pre/history of the band: In the early 2000’s Andrew (vocals), Rob (guitar, vocals) and Matthew (guitar, vocals) played together as teenagers in South-East London-based maximalist, costumed surrealist punk band Yeborobo. They met drummer Jonathan playing with his instrument-swapping masked band Limn at art space Utrophia in Deptford. Later, when both bands had split, Dog Chocolate formed with a shared desire to make a band that was simpler than their theatrical past: small amps and light guitars, no more than 2 drums at any one time, a keyboard no longer than a ruler and a shared ethos… “it’s about giving a shit, but at the same time not giving a shit, but not ‘whatever’, not giving up never!”. The band floated the term “pencilcase punk” to describe their jumbled, colourful, dense and instant music.

Dog Chocolate built on this early scrappiness, bedding into their sound over several albums. Their first “Or” (2014) was a split with Ravioli Me Away, soon followed by “Snack Fans” (2016) and “Moody Balloon Baby” (2018). Along the way they played gigs with bands as wide ranging as Deerhoof, No Age, Dry Cleaning, Palm, Daniel Wakeford, Shopping and Pozi.

With a tendency to converse with each other both lyrically and musically cultivated over many years, the members of Dog Chocolate bounce off each other, respectfully disagree, try to make each other laugh and share some of their most vulnerable feelings with each other. ‘So Inspired, So Done In’ is their own unique offering during these unsteady times: a language of friendship translated into songs.

THE HOUSE OF LOVE were one of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands to grace Creation Records back in the late 1980s.

Their eponymous debut album, which was cited as one of the best albums of 1988 by music magazines and indie fans alike, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year!

For the first time, the album is remastered from the original quarter-inch tapes, especially for this limited double vinyl edition in a gatefold sleeve.

Disc one replicates the original LP while Disc Two mops up all of the non-album tracks from various singles, from the original version of ‘Shine On’, ‘Real Animal’ and ‘Christine’ to their final single for the label, ‘Destroy The Heart’.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE: THE ALBUM
SIDE ONE
1. CHRISTINE
2. HOPE
3. ROAD
4. SULPHUR
5. MAN TO CHILD
SIDE TWO
1. SALOME
2. LOVE IN A CAR
3. HAPPY
4. FISHERMAN'S TALE
5. TOUCH ME

DISC TWO: THE SINGLES
SIDE ONE
1. SHINE ON
2. LOVE
3. FLOW
4. REAL ANIMAL
5. PLASTIC
6. NOTHING TO ME
7. THE HILL
SIDE TWO
1. LONELINESS IS A GUN
2. THE HEDONIST
3. WELT
4. DESTROY THE HEART
5. BLIND
6. MR. JO

First time vinyl reissue of this incredible library record, as part of Be With Records's crucial Music De Wolfe reissue campaign. 140g vinyl. Limited to just 750 worldwide.

This is that absolute stank-face filth: hard, espionage drama-soul and tough, jazzy street-funk. 'Hogan, The Hawk & Dirty John Crown' sounds like the soundtrack of a blaxploitation movie from the early 70s and, packed with funky fusion and smoother orchestral numbers, it is basically that.

Featuring a veritable who's who of killer library break snakes - Alan Parker, Alan Hawkshaw (under sneaky alias William Parrish), Simon Haseley, Reg Tilsley and Gordon Grant - it's not hard to see how this commands over £350 on secondary markets.

This beautifully presented reissue, part of Be With's fresh campaign with the legendary library label Music De Wolfe, is well overdue.

Recorded for De Wolfe in 1972, 'Hogan, The Hawk, Dirty John Crown' is a fantastic start-to-finish listen. The flute-funk of Hawkshaw and Parker's opener 'The Hawk' comprises driving, fuzzy, wah-wah-drizzled bell-laced breaks with synths and basslines to murder for. Up next, Haseley's 'The Happening' is a carefree, rhythmic builder with strings and horns. Let's face it, it doesn't prepare us for the monster that follows...

Hawkshaw and Parker's amazing 'Main Chance' is likely the reason you're here; it's a moody, beaty proto-hip-hop banger; all rolling drums and flute-laced, organ-drenched, synth-funk breaks. Just sensational - you'll want to play it again and again and again.

The cool AF 'Hogan Baby' has a soft, rounded, bluesy feel - it's a lighter number and Haseley's work here sounds more than a little indebted to Burt Bacharach. It's melancholic, reflective and contains ace breaks with beautiful flutes and wistful horns. It's just gorgeous. Grant's pounding 'Dirty John Crown' brilliantly conjures swirling string-swept serenity atop driving, incisive drama-funk breaks. Sublime. Hawkshaw and Parker come roaring back with the murky, creeping crime-funk of 'Swarf' with killer basslines underpinning slow-mo high-class flute-funk.

Reg Tilsley enters the fray with the bright, snappy, carefree 'Turnover'. It's lightweight but still retains some nice orchestral movements. The brief 'Tarantula' gets us back on track - from the pen and chops of Hawkshaw and Parker, are we surprised? - with the driving crime funk breaks, super clean yet brooding. Synths, sax and 'nuff guitars. YES.

Side 2 opens with the car chase swag of Haseley's dramatic, driving 'Precinct'. Jazzy, instrumental flute funk over great percussive breaks. We love this. Haseley's rolling 'Sidewinder Version 1' is robust and exuberant with bouncy horns before a cracking Parker-Hawkshaw one-two featuring the tense 'Pressure' and the deeply soulful 'Call Me', a relaxed, medium-tempo organ feature. With building piano and strings Gordon Grant's excellently titled 'Scorch' is as aggressive and dramatic as you'd hope. Hawkshaw and Parker's furtive flute-funk of 'Digger' precede the light, melodic and romantic themes of Tilsley's 'Marianne' whilst 'Sidewinder Version 2', a faster iteration of Track B2 sees Haseley close out this remarkable set in bouncy, bright fashion.

The audio for 'Hogan, The Hawk, Dirty John Crown' has been meticulously remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

TRACK LISTING

1. A. Parker / W. Parrish - The Hawk
2. S. Haseley - The Happening
3. A. Parker / W. Parrish - Main Chance
4. S. Haseley - Hogan Baby
5. G. Grant - Dirty John Crown
6. A. Parker / W. Parrish - Swarf
7. R. Tilsley - Turnover
8. A. Parker / W. Parrish - Tarantula
9. S. Haseley - Precinct
10. S. Haseley - Sidewinder Version 1
11. A. Parker / W. Parrish - Pressure
12. A. Parker / W. Parrish - Call Me
13. G. Grant - Scorch
14. A. Parker / W. Parrish - Digger
15. R. Tilsley - Marianne
16. S. Haseley - Sidewinder Version 2

As Pitchfork praises, Meek “specialises in a philosophical strain of songwriting,” which is evident across 'The Mirror'. There’s a tender power, countered by immutable vulnerability. With an uncanny curiosity, he reveals the uniqueness in the mundane. 'The Mirror' searches for new meaning and the familiar is reframed through Meek’s singular voice.

Emerging from a decade of work together in Big Thief, the partnership of Meek and producer James Krivchenia on 'The Mirror' arrived from the idea to combine the band’s live, kinetic energy with an oblique electronic world. From production projects including Big Thief’s 'Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You' and his recent solo record, 'Performing Belief', Krivchenia’s work is enlivened through electronic elements, always seeking to deepen sound. The concept for ' The Mirror' welcomed a collective atmosphere in which simultaneous experiment could occur – the musicians responded to each other in real time, while their instruments triggered modular synthesizers.

For 'The Mirror', Meek and Krivchenia welcomed in friends, family, and longtime collaborators including Adrianne Lenker, who contributed vocals, Adam Brisbin on guitar, and Ken Woodward on bass. New creative partners and longtime friends like composer and ambient musician Alex Somers joined in on synthesizer, toy microphone, an old piano, and Mary Lattimore brought in the sounds of her prismatic harp. A rotating cast of four drummers: Jesse Quebbeman-Turley, Jonathan Wilson, Kyle Crane, and Krivchenia provide a wide dynamic arc of grooves. Germaine Dunes, Staci Foster, Jolie Holland, and Lenker sing as a choir on many songs. Meek’s brother, Dylan Meek contributed piano, keys, and vocals. Adrian Olsen created a wide range of sounds and melodies with modular synths.

With his songwriting acting as a compass to the recording process, Meek invited interaction, instead of limiting the tracks to something controllable. The album was recorded in Meek and Dunes' Los Angeles log cabin studio, Ringo Bingo. Meek recorded vocals outdoors on the front porch, looking through the living room window where the band played inside.

As an artist, Meek continues to reveal his singular aptitude as translator of human feeling and its endless portals. Through 'The Mirror', he aptly embraces the unknown with an abiding desire to find the right questions to ask, rather than their answers. “I don’t know the meaning of your dreams,” Meek writes on ‘Déjà vu’, “Though tell me everything.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Gasoline
2. Pretty Flowers
3. Can I Mend It?
4. Ring Of Fire
5. Demon
6. God Knows Why
7. Heart In The Mirror
8. Worms
9. Soul Feeling
10. Deja Vu
11. Outta Body

'The Romantic', the new album from Bruno Mars. The fourth studio album from the global superstar and 16 time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist marks Mars' first solo album release since 2017's '24k Magic' and follows chart topping collaborations with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic, as well as smash hits with Lady Gaga and ROSÉ.

TRACK LISTING

Risk It All
Cha Cha Cha
I Just Might
God Was Showing Off
Why You Wanna Fight?
On My Soul
Something Serious
Nothing Left
Dance With Me

THE COLOURFIELD were formed during the Summer of 1983 by former Specials and Fun Boy Three vocalist, Terry Hall along with ex- Swinging Cats organist Toby Lyons, and bassist Karl Shale.

The band released only two albums ('Virgins and Philistines' 1985, and 'Deception' 1987) and seven singles during 3 year period together. From the eponymous 'The Colour Field' in January 1984 to a cover of The Monkees 'She' in 1987, with the UK the hit single 'Thinking of You'.

This 96 track Box Set includes 42 previously unreleased tracks and brings together two album and their B-Sides and Remixes, newly remastered from the original master tapes. 2CDs full of unreleased demos, outtakes and live concerts. Along with a DVD with all their promo videos and BBC TV performances.

This is packaged in a DVD sized mediabook, with newly conducted interview by John Earls (Classic Pop/Record Collector) with Toby Lyons, Karl Shale and archival interviews with Terry Hall, along with previously unseen photographs and memorabilia.

The DVD is Region 0 / NTSC coded / FSK: 0

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1 Thinking Of You
2 Faint Hearts
3 Castles In The Air
4 Take
5 Cruel Circus
6 Hammond Song
7 Virgins And Philistines
8 Yours Sincerely
9 Armchair Theatre
10 Sorry

Disc: 2
1 Badlands
2 Running Away
3 From Dawn To Distraction
4 Confession
5 Miss Texas 1967
6 She
7 Heart Of America
8 Digging It Deep
9 Monkey In Winter
10 Goodbye Sun Valley

Disc: 3
1 The Colour Field
2 Sorry [Original Version]
3 Pushing Up The Daisies
4 Windmills Of Your Mind
5 My Wild Flame
6 Little Things
7 Castles In The Air [Single Version]
8 Your Love Was Smashing
9 I Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby
10 Things Could Be Beautiful
11 Frosty Mornings
12 Running Away [Radio Edit]
13 She [Single Version]
14 Monkey In Winter [featuring Sinead O’Connor]
15 The Colour Field [Extended Version]
16 Take [Extended Version]
17 Thinking Of You [Singalong Version]
18 Castles In The Air [Extended Version]
19 My Wild Flame [Extended Version]
20 Castles In The Air [Instrumental Version]

Disc: 4
1 The Colour Field [Instrumental Demo]
2 Cruel Circus [Demo]
3 Armchair Theatre [Instrumental Demo]
4 The Colour Field [Guide Backing Track]
5 Take [4-Track Demo]
6 Thinking Of You (Instrumental) [4-Track Demo]
7 Pushing Up The Daisies [4-Track Demo]
8 Windmills Of Your Mind [4-Track Demo]
9 Yours Sincerely [4-Track Demo]
10 Castles In The Air [4-Track Demo]
11 Heart Of America [Ian Broudie Version]
12 Jesus And The April Rain [Ian Broudie Version]
13 Digging It Deep [Studio Davout Version]
14 She [Studio Davout Version]
15 Frosty Mornings [Studio Davout Version]
16 Confession [Studio Davout Version]
17 Jesus And The April Rain [Studio Davout Version]
18 Heart Of America [Studio Davout Version]
19 Goodbye Sun Valley [Studio Davout Version]
20 Things Could Be Beautiful [Acoustic]

Disc: 5
1 The Colour Field [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
2 Pushing Up The Daisies [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
3 Faint Hearts [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
4 Your Love Was Smashing [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
5 Take [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
6 Cruel Circus [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
7 Yours Sincerely [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
8 Sorry [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
9 Hammond Song [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
10 Virgins And Philistines [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
11 Thinking Of You [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
12 I Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
13 Armchair Theatre [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
14 Castles In The Air [Hammersmith Palais 1985]
15 Frosty Mornings [Warwick University 1986]
16 Take It As It Comes [Warwick University 1986]
17 Memories Can’t Wait [Warwick University 1986]
18 Things Could Be Beautiful [Warwick University 1986]
19 She [Warwick University 1986]
20 Jesus And The April Rain [Warwick University 1986]
21 96 Tears [Warwick University 1986]

Disc: 6
1 The Colour Field [Promo Videos]
2 Take [Promo Videos]
3 Thinking Of You [Promo Videos]
4 Castles In The Air [Promo Videos]
5 Things Could Be Beautiful [Promo Videos]
6 Running Away [Promo Videos]
7 She [Promo Videos]
8 Why Am I Standing Here? (The Making Of She) [Promo Videos]
9 Thinking Of You [Whistle Test] [At The BBC]
10 Faint Hearts [Whistle Test] [At The BBC]
11 Thinking Of You [Top Of The Pops] [At The BBC]
12 Castles In The Air [Oxford Road Show] [At The BBC]
13 Thinking Of You [Oxford Road Show] [At The BBC]
14 Thinking Of You [Pebble Mill At One] [At The BBC]
15 Castles In The Air [Pebble Mill At One] [At The BBC]

Revered for his Hammond organ work, soul-jazz grooves, and his three decade career leading The James Taylor Quartet, maestro keyboard player
James Taylor releases his first album of classical works.

His long association with Acid Jazz Records continues, as the label also
steps into the classical world for the very first time.

Recorded solo on a Steinway grand piano, Taylor performs some of his
favourite pieces from the classical cannon, with familiar tunes alongside
lesser-known works on this beautiful, atmospheric recording. His
interpretations show a deep love of classical music.

Always one to evolve, just as the James Taylor Quartet introduced Herbie
Hancock to the indie scene of the late ‘80s, Taylor in turn introduces his
audience to a new repertoire, with a remarkable, fresh and modern solo
classical piano album.

TRACK LISTING

1. JS Bach - Polonaise In G Major BWV 130
2. Beethoven - Sonata No.20 Opus 49 'Leichte Sonate’ First Movement
3. Beethoven - Sonata No.20 Opus 49 'Leichte Sonate’ Second Movement
4. CPE Bach - Solfeggietto In C Minor
5. Beethoven - Sonata No.8 Sonate Pathetique Second Movement Adagio Cantabile
6. JS Bach - French Suite No 5 Gavotte
7. Mozart - Sonate KV 545
8. Scarlatti - Allegretto In E Minor
9. Beethoven - Sonata No. 14 Opus 27 ‘Moonlight Sonata’

I remember when at school on the last day of term, all the class would bring games in to play, but it always seemed that no one really knew the rules or could fathom out how to play some of them. However, a lot of the games had interesting artwork and fantastic layouts with all sorts of cards and paraphernalia, which I really enjoyed. Around the same time I received a magic set for Christmas. The packaging, images, type, colours on the box and instructions were wonderful.

I would entertain members of the family over the festive period with my conjuring skills. My family would humour me by clapping at the end of every really obvious trick and then make excuses to leave the room.

A few years back a friend gave me a great book on old Firework packaging, labels etc. The colour, wonderful images and names (Martian Ray, Fireball, Silver Rain, Lightning Chaser) were so evocative. I remembered that every November I would be taken to a fantastic local shop that was packed with fireworks encased under smudged and fingerprint stained grubby glass. A highlight of the year. Memories of magic tricks, bizarre board games and amazing looking fireworks, all began to come together to feed and inform a growing idea for another album. Not so much a concept album but one very loosely based around some of the above and much more.

One time member of Portsmouth Psych/Noise/Indie Band Psylons, Keith Seatman has released 8 albums and 3 EPs of strange Electronics, Psych, Radiophonics, Drone and quirky Folk. Keith Seatman has been played on BBC Radio 6 music's The Freak Zone, Gideon Coe Show and BBC Radio 3 Late Junction.

TRACK LISTING

1. Tonight's Guests Are?
2. Molly Dolly Stain Glass
3. Clip Clop To The Shop
4. Between Tide And Town
5. Smoke And Mirrors
6. Starting First As A Pastime
7. A Posh Hat And Timepiece
8. Another Strange Thing
9. Before Your Very Eyes
10. Counting To Ten Then Back Again

The 1975 released their second studio album 'I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It' February 26th, 2016. Topping both the UK (BPI Platinum) & US (RIAA Gold) album charts, it spawned 7 singles, 'Love Me', 'Ugh!', 'A Change of Heart', 'She's American', 'Somebody Else', 'Loving Someone' and 'The Sound'. Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, listed it as one of the best albums of 2016.

2026 is the 10th anniversary of this much beloved album. To celebrate this the album is to be released on pink vinyl housed in 6 panel tripled gatefold packaging with alternative artwork and 17 12”x12” art cards, each card image represents a song with the lyrics on the reverse.

TRACK LISTING

1. The 1975
2. Love Me
3. UGH!
4. A Change Of Heart
5. She's American
6. If I Believe You
7. Please Be Naked
8. Lostmyhead
9. The Ballad Of Me And My Brain
10. Somebody Else
11. Loving Someone
12. I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It
13 The Sound
14. This Must Be My Dream
15. Paris
16. Nana
17. She Lays Down

"When I was approached by Riding Easy Records about this project, I'm not sure they understood exactly what they'd done. They turned over Twenty-One volumes and over three hundred files of post hippie, aggressive, apocalyptic and psychedelic rock, funk metal and said, "do your thing.” What was supposed to be a quick flip turned into a 7-month project. I laughed, I cried, I broke shit and put it all back together again. And I mean that, literally and figuratively. Because, y'all, halfway through this labor of funk, my studio flooded. I was then relocated, that’s including 15k records, demo'ed, remodeled, rebuilt and moved back. Not once did I stop working. This ain't no micro dose, this is two tabs, double dipped. So this time, take the brown acid." - Mr. Dibbs

Brown Acid is the longest running compilation series collecting obscure, heavy underground rock tracks from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s, released by RidingEasy Records in collaboration with Owner of Permanent Records Lance Barresi and RidingEasy Owner Daniel Hall. It focuses on hard rock, proto-metal, heavy psych, stoner-ish acid rock, and early proto-punk from bands that usually only managed to release a lone demo 45 or self-released single before disappearing into obscurity. Framed as a kind of “post-hippie, pre-punk” document, the series digs up and properly licenses these forgotten cuts, presenting them as numbered “Trips” that function both as a historical excavation of a lost heavy rock underground and as a cult-favorite listening experience for modern fans of fuzzed-out, riff-heavy sounds. This mixtape done by Mr. Dibbs is to showcase these songs in a different light to show just how broad and psychedelic the Brown Acid series really is, giving it a new take that has never been done before with this kind of material.

TRACK LISTING

1. Serotonin Twitch
2. Blotter Sacrament

There is no form of American-made music that has been as critically derided, or shunned, as AOR. The blues, punk, hip-hop, alt-rock, country-rock, R&B, jazz, rock 'n' roll and soul. All are canonised.

Trad country and disco have long since been re-appraised. Even hair metal has its champions. Yet there has hardly been a positive critical word published about AOR.

But this speaks far more to the prejudices and blind spots of music critics than it does about the actual music. The plain fact is, AOR artists were responsible for some of the hugest selling and timeless records of the era. Five bands stand tall as AOR's leading lights: Journey, Boston, Foreigner, Toto and REO Speedwagon.

Between them, they have to date sold over 335 million records worldwide. Aside from these five bands, there is then a second tier of multi-platinum AOR acts and including the likes of Styx, Survivor, Pat Benatar, Heart, Kansas, Bryan Adams, Loverboy, Night Ranger, Billy Squier and more. During the period covering 1976-1986, AOR was inarguably the music of the American heartland.

AOR stood out by its luxurious productions, its sumptuous harmonies, and its lovelorn ballads. Then again, by its lyrical pre-occupations - essentially, the heartbreak of unrequited love, and/or pumped-up anthems to American positivity. Typically, AOR songs are set on long, hot summer nights, or else to a backdrop of glittering city lights.

They evoke vivid technicolour images of gleaming cityscapes and roaring down sun-scorched freeways in an open-top convertible. Like disco, but not punk, AOR was inclusive, uplifting, and appealed equally to both sexes. Its sheer romanticism, its cinematic sense of possibility, resonated as much with a huge audience of women as it did with men.

It was positive, never nihilistic. Music to be sung along with, not to break stuff to. Its songs were made to soundtrack the best of times, or at least to soothe the bad.

It's time for a definitive music history of AOR, told through some of the genre's finest contributors.

Man On The Run (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack) is taken from the Amazon MGM Studios feature documentary Paul McCartney Man on the Run directed by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville. This set contains deep cuts and fan favourites from McCartney’s post-Beatles career, soundtracking the journey of Paul’s emergence from the dissolution of the world’s biggest band to proving to critics and fans that not all great acts are impossible to follow. This album compiles many of the key recordings from the motion picture together – including previously unreleased tracks ‘Live and Let Die (Rockshow),’ ‘Gotta Sing Gotta Dance’ and ‘Arrow Through Me (Rough Mix).’

TRACK LISTING

1. Silly Love Songs (Demo)
2. That Would Be Something (2011 Remaster)
3. Long Haired Lady (2012 Remaster)
4. Too Many People (2012 Remaster)
5. Big Barn Bed (2018 Remaster)
6. Gotta Sing Gotta Dance
7. Live And Let Die (Rockshow)
8. Band On The Run (2010 Remaster)
9. Arrow Through Me (Rough Mix)
10. Mull Of Kintyre (2016 Remaster)
11. Coming Up (2011 Remaster)
12. Let Me Roll It (2010 Remaster)

Dave Lee invites everyone to congregate at the piece of waste land behind his church where he also parks his combine harvester from time to time. Leading proceedings is 'Feel The Light' an extended super uplifting Gospel cut, filled with rousing horns, scorching organ solos and top tier sing-a-long vocal chants. The kind of record that really brings people together, much like the house of god. Flip the record and you're whisked away to the sunny shores of Rio with the Latin Jazz-Funk-tastic 'Further Tales Of Ladybug' a Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders fame piece that has, like the opposite side track been lovingly re-crafted from the stems by Mr Lee.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
Feel The Light (Redeption Mix)
Feel The Light (Redemption Reprise)

Side 2:
Further Tales Of Ladybug (At Home Edit)
Further Tales Of Ladybug (Big Daddies Beats)

Sound trails, minimal structures built with pads, discreet electronic elements, slow, deep and enveloping bass lines, backgrounds of confused voices treated in reverse, circular movements alternating with liquid stasis and quiet...
Creaks on layered sound substrates of indecipherable nature, which seem to emerge from a thick blanket of fog that reveals fragments of real landscapes here and there, ready to disappear from view again after a few moments, once more hidden by clouds of steam in constant motion... A fantastic journey, almost “suspended” in a void, crossing immaterial, confused and evanescent landscapes.

TRACK LISTING

Pt.1
Pt.2

Winding through cavernous and dark meanders, amid gurgling water, rustling sounds, low and deep pulsations, incisive and impactful sound masses, floating waves, crystalline drips, sudden rays of light, electronic spirals, and unexpected openings onto almost soothing soundscapes and quiet environmental stasis, Rod Modell paints musical textures that are apparently abstract and contemplative, but in reality charged with pathos and drama, taking advantage of a spectacular, enveloping and surprising sound quality, in which every nuance and every small detail makes the listening experience even more intense and engaging. A new exciting masterpiece by Maestro Rod Modell.

TRACK LISTING

Pt.1
Pt.2

The Uncorrected Billy Childish was first published in 2009 as a ‘Penguin Art Edition’ by L-13 Light Industrial Workshop, in tandem with handbound, limited editions by the Tangerine Press. Penguin’s lawyers intervened, insisting that all paperbacks be destroyed, resulting in an infamous book burning event in central London. A new edition was forthcoming in 2018 from the Tangerine Press, with edits and additions. This latest iteration is fully updated, expanded, and revised, with a new pre-title. Selections have been made from various volumes published during the 1980s right up to the present time. A significant change is the addition of two extra sections: Madrigals and Poeming & Paintry, a decision deemed necessary due to Mr Childish’s vast and wideranging poetic output. Each section begins with a woodcut illustration by Bill Hamper. Finally, it should be noted by the reader that Mr Childish is dyslexic and the poems appear as written by himself.

Essential reissue of this West Coast house pleaser from way back 2001. “Our Music” throbs with a sweltered intensity; reverb soaked claps, thundering kicks and wobby synths all added to the open-air exuberance. “Vice” skips along with an almost two-step flavour before tightening up the drum gates for a intricate exercise in house flavoured funk. So good! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Blink-and-you'll-miss it! Much needed reissue of this highly sought after joint from the early 00s.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. The Coastal Commission - Our Music

Side 2
1. Teflon Dons - Vice

The Miller joins Backspin with a potent six-track EP that explores the sharper, groovier edges of techno. 'Loops & Tonic' is a no-frills, rhythm-forward toolkit. It's percussive, hypnotic and full of old-school motion.

The A-side opens with 'It Was Just A Knife', a tribal-driven looper layered with Detroit-reminiscent synths. The track is a subtle nod to the past, wrapped in tight modern production. Peak OG hardgroove. 'Tryck' dials up the tension with broken rhythms, tripped-out cymbals and bleeps, adding a leftfield touch without losing the percussive thread. The B-side brings out the funk. 'Snake Venom' and 'Sax' strip techno down to its rolling essentials: it's all about punchy drums, melodic accents and a steady forward drive. The vinyl closes with the 'Groove Cut' version of the digital-only track 'Bastard', a remix by legendary producer Gaetano Parisio that reimagines the original into a leaner, melodic trip with clean basslines and spaced-out synth work. 

The fifth release of Regal's label Backspin Records is a versatile, groovy and characterful techno record. The Miller's 'Loops & Tonic' EP is a proof that the most effective techno doesn't shout - it rolls, hits and lingers. It's the perfect record for floors that never stop moving.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Hair raising, full throttle techno blasts from a precision technician. Clearly knows his onions when it comes to conjuring up that hi-octane energy.

TRACK LISTING

A1. It Was A Knife
A2. Tryck
B1. Snake Venom
B2. Sax
B3. Bastard (Gaetano Parisio Groove Cut)

Stockholm vibes in the area here as Karl Lihagen & Johan Norling aka DJ City present their 1-800 Techno project. Coming to fruition after a long and enduring relationship between the producers and the label, Public Possession.

Four tracks of highly reflective, bouyant, beach-ball-bouncing, paradise house music; and one circuit-blown technoid redux. The EP lands stylistically on point for the German label and showcases a playful, charming and hedonistic side to the 1-800 Techno project that's impossible to resist. 

TRACK LISTING

A1) My Name Is Who
A2) Fluorescent Horizons
B1) Approaching Area
B2) SVT HD
B3) For Several Eternals Before There Were Years

Uf0 and Promising/Youngster are the answer to a desire for breakbeats and perfect melodies. This is Uf0s’ (Sergio Garcia) second release on the label and when asked who he would like to be paired with, he wasted no time in suggesting fellow electronic musician and Spanish resident – Promising/Youngster (Diego Cardierno).

This EP begins with P/Y’s “Random Memories” as tried and tested live by him last year and its big sound simply fills floors and gets feet moving. The second track of his is with a more subtle approach to the dancefloor but the analogue arpeggios and breaks still rock. Uf0 and his opening track “Sashita” uses vocals sparsely to create atmosphere and an epic soundscape. Ending the ep “La Musica Non Riporta De Te” opens with his trademark lush pads which drop into breaks, more well-crafted gentle melodies and of course “Bass”.

Between them both they have appeared on an impressive roster of underground labels - Wave Modulation, Analogica Force, Further Electronix, Adepta Editions, Altered Sense, Withold, Gated. Limited to 200 copies on marbled Eco vinyl, with painted sleeve, a sticker and an insert “Fun in the Sun”, giving you some interesting activities and experiments you can do using the power of the sun.

Radio plays to come from Damo Bs’ Outer Limits, Marcelo Tavares’ Deep Space, Richard Sens’ DoYouRadio.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: You don't get shout outs from Damo B for nuttin'! Huge spin on the recent Outer Limits show - and you can hear why.

TRACK LISTING

A1 - Random Memories
A2 - Dragons
B1 - Sashi Ta
B2 - La Musica

Swedish producer Robert Leiner’s landmark 1994 album ‘Visions Of The Past’ finally gets a vinyl LP reissue on Apollo, the ‘ambient division’ of R&S Records. Long regarded as one of the pivotal ambient/electronic long players, the album has stood the test of time and serves as a reminder on how potent the early ambient techno releases were.

Leiner was a central figure in the early European techno and ambient landscape, carving out a distinctive sound that bridged atmospheric depth and rhythmic intensity. Known for his releases as The Source Experience and contributions to the R&S/Apollo catalogue, as a producer and engineer, Leiner’s work resonated across the underground, earning him a reputation for visionary, emotionally charged productions that stood apart from his contemporaries.

'Visions Of The Past’ captures this duality perfectly with expansive ambient passages that drift into hypnotic techno, while layers of intricate sound design and pulsating low end create a timeless and immersive listening experience. Tracks unfold with patience and precision, like the 12-minute-long marine epic ‘Aqua Viva’, balancing introspection with kinetic dance energy, and the new age ambience of ‘Dream Or Reality’ and ‘Northern Dark’ embodying the forward-thinking ethos that defined Apollo’s golden era.

Three decades on, this long out of print album finally returns on vinyl format, freshly remastered and restored, reaffirming its status as an essential document of electronic music’s evolution and Robert Leiner’s enduring influence.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Out Of Control 
A2. Visions Of The Past 
B1. Interval 
B2. To Places You've Never Been 
B3. Aqua Viva 
C1. Full Moon Ritual 
C2. Zenit 
C3. Dream Or Reality 
D1. From Beyond And Back 
D2. Northern Dark 

Al Kent needs no introduction when it comes to being one the most prolific kings of disco in the UK. He reimagines hidden treasure and takes inspiration from the glory days of 70’s dancefloor nuggets to create modern day classics. Come Back Home (Again) is probably his most popular track to date and here he re-works it with his Disco Love Orchestra updating this disco gem for a new generation. A Philly style musical sound-bed with hooks galore topped by one of the most rousing, soulful male vocals you’ll hear in a long time.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Come Back Home (Again)
B1. Come Back Home (Again) Reprise

El Calefón's 1985 LP Salir Del Agujero is a rare bird.

Self-produced and privately released in Zurich, the albumdocuments one of the very few South American groups that were resident in Europe at the time, and certainly the only such band working in Switzerland. Co-founded by two Argentinians in Europe – the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer Coqui Recaand the guitarist Pablo Miguez–the group consisted of Argentinian and Brazilian musicians, most of whom were present initially Europe as tourists, but had stayed on, without official sanction, as immigrants.Their music gathered its primary influences from the varied sounds of their home countries, fusing these elements drawn from the manifold indigenous styles of Argentina and Brazil with the international sounds of rock,jazz, pop and pan-Latin music.

Honed and polished by the steady gigging through which the group earned their living in Zurich, the music that appeared onSalir Del Agujero was sophisticated, original and filled with light. Resonating with a freshness undiminished in forty years, the album brims with possibility and hums with tropical warmth, bearing testament to the open-hearted musical freedoms of a mercurial musical era.

TRACK LISTING

1. La Mosca
2. Desfile Na Praia
3. Funk Sin Cuenta
4. Al Son
5. Salir Del Agujero
6. Los Bsoaso De Paris
7. Quando Lembro
8. 6x8 En La Mañana
9. San Bon

When the city starts to encroach on the forest, nature will find a way to reclaim what is rightfully hers. Snapped Ankles come as messengers. On debut album Come Play The Trees they hold a mirror up to us. They’re here to plant the seed. They’re here to have a good time, but never at the expense of their natural habitat.

Snapped Ankles have emerged from the woods clutching an album that feels simultaneously modern and ancient. This is what dance music will sounds like when computers finally fail us. Log synths, bass guitar and sticks on taut animal skin coalesce to form fearsome primal rhythms. Fuzz guitars rubbing up against dirty rolling arpeggiated synthesisers to ignite wild white noise fires. Forest folklore passed down through generations, has made its way onto the tracks. Subjects veer from dystopian futures to railing against Swedish flat-pack furniture, from the films of Jean-Luc Godard and Andrei Tarkovsky to throwaway YouTube comments. High art and cultural detritus are all fair game - a brave new world indeed.

• This is Snapped Ankles debut album

• Since relocating to bohemian East London, the woodwose have integrated seamlessly into the creative firmament, setting up camp at the Total Refreshment Centre

• The videos for singles ‘Jonny Guitar Calling Gosta Berlin’ and ‘I Want My Minutes Back’ offer a glimpse into the off-kilter art-house minds of Snapped Ankles and display a certain preoccupation with spaghetti

• A dish best served live: wildmen dressed in ghillie suits coaxing unholy noise from a forest of logs, wires, drums and guitars.

TRACK LISTING

CD: LP:
1. A1. Come Play The Trees
2. A2. Hanging With The Moon
3. A3. I Want My Minutes Back
4. A4. Jonny Guitar Calling Gosta Berlin
5. B1. Let’s Revel
6. B2. Tuesday Makes Me Cry
7. B3. The Invisible Real That Hurts
8. B4. True Ecology
9. B5. Come Play The Trees Outro

Twenty years ago, The Raveonettes made their debut with Whip It On, the first part of a twin mini-album release. The original CD-version featured an ad for the accompanying second offering called Chain Gang of Love, due later that same year.

The first mini-album was 8, three-chord songs in Bb Minor and the second was supposed to feature 8 other songs in Bb major. That never happened. But it's happening NOW. On side 2 of the 20th anniversary vinyl edition of Whip It On, we proudly release Chain Gang of Love - The OG as it was originally intended. Enjoy!

Some of the most beautiful, era-defining music has been co-composed by Karl Bartos. 'The Robots', 'Computer Love', 'Neon Lights', 'Tour De France' and Kraftwerk's 1982 number one single 'The Model' all contain his deft musical touch. For the first time, in The Sound of the Machine, Bartos speaks candidly and with wit and humour about his life in Kraftwerk, a band widely acknowledged as being one of the most important in modern music.

In The Sound of the Machine, Karl vividly recalls what it was like to be in the Kling Klang studios during recording, describing the process and perfectly capturing the joy and passion of three people composing and recording. Now, with a successful solo career of 30 years, Karl Bartos recalls his post-war childhood, the amazement he felt on first hearing The Beatles, his first bands, his parallel career as a musician and teacher, his years with Kraftwerk, and his hopes and fears for today's musical culture. 'Full and frank disclosure of life in the world's most influential electronic band...

When most of us go on holiday to Greece, we hang out by the pool, go to the beach and maybe bring home a souvenir or two. Last year Greg went on holiday to Greece and made an album.

Synthesizer, Grand Piano and traditional Folk Instruments are blended with Field recordings to create an intriguing album of Authentic Greek Modal Folk-Jazz and soundscapes.

TRACK LISTING

1. Flasaki
2. Ussak-Huseyni
3. Karsilamas
4. In The Cave Of Pythagoras
5. The Golden Jackals Of Samos
6. Ode To Potami Beach
7. Eikosiefta
8. Liberta
9. Megalo Seitani Serenade

When Chuck D proclaimed "Bass, how low can you go?" on Public Enemy's anthemic 'Bring the Noise,' maybe he was pre-empting or inciting the 10,000 fathoms-deep, spine-bending basslines and sub-quake tremors of 'Implosion.'

Implosion is a crushing split album, appropriately released on The Bug's own PRESSURE label. Mapping out a new form of spectral dub, the sound is deliberately immersive, introverted, and yes, definitely implosive. In pursuit of heavy lids, blurred vision, and merciless bass bin punishment, it’s one part meditation, two parts low-end theory, and essentially a confession of devoted sound system addiction.

As expected from a tag team featuring British soundlab explorer and 'London Zoo' composer Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz—a long-time graduate of Germany's new school of sound system reggae culture—the duo approaches their target differently yet share the goal of keeping their sound "raw" (Fiedler) and "brutally minimal" (Martin). This proves that opposites can attract, even if their tools are different and their methods sometimes diverge.

From such a disparate combo, hailing from different geographical and aesthetic backgrounds, contrasts are certainly on display, even within each artist's own contributions. From the melancholia and transcendence of 'Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds),' to the duality of ascension and descension on 'Hope,' or the Sunn 0))) in dub, visceral drone of 'Dread (The End, London),' to the tripped-out repetitions of 'Midnight,' which reinvents Chain Reaction for post-millennials, the result is both sacred and narcotic. Each track illuminates the emotional impact and atmospheric pressure being explored across this deceptively sparse album—a mastery of tone and texture.

This collection might be as reduced, minimal, and deep as The Bug has ever gone, perhaps echoing the solemnity of his recent Kevin Richard Martin Black release and invoking the futurist steppas self-pioneered on his previous Pressure album. Alternatively, Fiedler‘s Ghost Dubs project ventures into his most heavyweight direction yet, which is no mean feat considering his previous, the critically acclaimed album Damaged, was a monstrously massive triumph of analogue weight and enviable sound design.

Implosion is ice-cool, a stark contrast to the warmth and sociability of traditional Jamaican roots and the current trends in digi-dub. Instead, the mood is soaked in tension and intense dread, finding an unexpected melting point where classic dub's stark rhythm attack, isolationist ambience's eerie drift, dub techno's floatation strategies, and even the relentless riffs of doom metal collide. As the bass-obsessed pair drop what is arguably the heaviest ambient dub album to emerge from any electronic sector—a moody counterpoint to The Orb's fluffy clouds, etc, Martin has cited The Roots Radics, Black Jade, and On U Sound's Pounding System as heavily influencing his approach to the album, while Fiedler has expressed his admiration for Adrian Sherwood's productions and Rhythm & Sound's enchanting soundscape. Yet, the super heavyweight pulsations, emotive resonances, and bone-rattling vibrations detonated here effortlessly go far beyond these influences.

Shadowy and elusive, there’s a mysteriousness at this record's core. A haunting moodiness oscillating between nostalgia and future shock. Despite the deadly fixation with SLOW and HEAVY, the album maintains a totally hypnotic swing throughout. Implosion and its lead single 'Imploded Versions' are testaments to being enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass, and utterly crushed by bass, as The Bug and Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of dub for zonal headz and Babylon seekers.

Mastered by Stefan Betke (a.k.a. POLE) at Scape Mastering studio, this record is heavy as f-ck without resorting to continuous distortion. It’s low-end worship taken to an absolute extreme, yet remains highly listenable and definitely danceable, albeit at the slowest of paces. Sacred and narcotic, this is low-end worship amplified to the max. Dive in if you dare. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Living in a small block of flats, and being the considerate neighbour I am; I rarely get to fire up my separates subwoofer. This weekend however I will make an exception - as I simply cannot envisage listening to this mighty slice of tectonic bass meditation without detailed profiling of the 20hz - 150hz range. I suggest you do the same! An absolute beast for bass heads, and a real development of sound system dynamics.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1 THE BUG – Hooked (Hyams Gym, Leytonstone)
A2 GHOST DUBS - In The Zone
A3 THE BUG – Believers (Imperial Gardens, Camberwell)
Side B
B1 GHOST DUBS – Hope
B2 THE BUG – Burial Skank (Mass, Brixton)
B3 GHOST DUBS – Dub Remote
Side C
C1 THE BUG - Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds)
C2 GHOST DUBS – Down
C3 THE BUG - Militants (The Rocket, Holloway
Side D
D1 GHOST DUBS – Into The Mystic
D2 THE BUG - Dread (Mass Brixton)
D3 GHOST DUBS – Midnight

DINKED BONUS DINKED EDITION 12” / CD
A1. THE BUG - Spectres (Plastic People, Shoreditch)
A2. GHOST DUBS – Waterhouse
B1. THE BUG - Duppied (Brixton Rec)
B2. Ghost Dubs – No Words