Forced Exposure New Releases for the Week of 9/18/2023

 

PRICE: $20.00

CAT #: 12XU 149LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"First US pressing of Lewsberg's 2018 debut album. Recorded at Schenk Studio during the summer of 2017 in Delfshaven. Produced and mixed by Jan Schenk and Lewsberg. Mastered by Mikey Young. 'A riveting chugger of blase threat and moral ambivalence.' --Mojo"

 

PRICE: $13.00

CAT #: 12XU 154CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Dutch four-piece Lewsberg present their fourth studio album, Out And About. Since forming in 2016, Lewsberg have gone from strength to strength. On Out And About, rudimentary pop and rock songs are deliberately kept bare, only occasionally embellished with a violin or organ part. In the lyrics, the tendency towards existentialism and black humor is nuanced with an almost naive openness and engagement. Recorded in Amsterdam in Spring 2023 with producer Yulya Divakova, Out And About sees founding members Shalita Dietrich (vocals, bass guitar), Michiel Klein (guitar) and Arie van Vliet (vocals, guitar, violin) joined for the first time on record by drummer and vocalist Marrit Meinema, who joined the band in the Autumn of 2021. Out And About embraces a collaborative spirit, allowing each member to contribute their unique songwriting talents. The result is a collection of tracks that capture the band's collective creative energy and their individual perspectives. Compared to their first three albums, Out And About feels lighter, calling to mind the The Feelies, Marine Girls, and Young Marble Giants, whilst remaining distinctly Lewsberg."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: AMAC 727CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Arjunamusic Records presents the new album The River, from the trio of João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Mário Franco, and Samuel Rohrer, following on the aesthetic developed on their previous release Brightbird from 2017: it is characterized by meaningful pauses and clever subtractions, but it is also a strong and mature demonstration of the fruitful partnership that exists between them and more undeniably perceptible musical features. The group's willingness to consider the value of the spaces between the notes (and their understanding that reflection and contemplation upon those spaces is an act of engagement rather than detachment) is one immediately recognizable feature of their sonic terrain. However, it's far from the only one. In the final estimation, the dialogue between the perceptible and the imperceptible works as well as it does here because an aesthetic of mutual exchange is central to these musicians' playing styles. It is rare to hear albums in which the gestalt can be comprehended rather than voluntarily or involuntarily zooming in on a single player or aspect of the presentation; the trio here has created something that can be appreciated in its totality and which challenges listeners to apply its qualities to other areas of lived experience.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: AUS 002EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Austudy Records present the debut vinyl release from the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band with their modern classic slice of Yolngnu-funk, "Gatjumak". Originally released digitally last year with an accompanying video clip, "Gatjumak" captures the unique dance sound and energy of East Arnhem Land's deadliest recent export at their funkiest and is presented on 7" vinyl with an unreleased, poly-rhythmic remix from Brisbane producers Walrii and RU! of the Dank Morass/Dub Temple crews.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: AWE 001CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Currently based in Los Angeles, Laurel Halo has spent over a decade stepping into different towns and cities for a moment or more, to the point where everywhere almost became nowhere. Atlas, the debut release on her new imprint Awe, is an attempt to put that feeling to music. Using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation, Halo has created a potent set of sensual ambient jazz collages, comprised of orchestral clouds, shades of modal harmony, hidden sonic details, and detuned, hallucinatory textures. The music functions as a series of maps, for places real and imaginary, and for expressing the unsaid. The process of writing Atlas began back in 2020 when she reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano's physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion and lightness. And when the legendary Ina-GRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency the following year in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she'd recorded over the prior months; these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas. In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton, and vocalist Coby Sey. All of these sounds were shaped, melted, and re-composed into the arrangements, their acoustic origins rendered uncanny. In short, Atlas is road trip music for the subconscious. With repeated listens, it is a record that can leave a deep sensorial impression on the listener, akin to walking at dusk in a dark forest. Its humor and sharp focus would dispel any notions of sentimentality. Completely distinct from the rest of Halo's catalog, Atlas is an album that thrives in the quietest places, rejecting bombast and embracing awe. Fitting that it's the debut release on her new recording label, whose slogan parallels the mood and atmosphere of the album: Awe is something you feel when confronted with forces beyond your control: nature, the cosmos, chaos human error, hallucinations.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: BWZ 771LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Curly Castro's new album Little Robert Hutton is a paen to the radical imagination. Over the course fourteen songs, the Bajan-American artist fuses his vivid wordplay with a historical continuum of black revolutionary thought and the result is an Afro-Futurist vision in 3-D IMAX. This is Castro's rawest and most uncompromising work, the heat from a thousand ghetto uprisings smoldering in every bar. Lyrical gymnastics take a backseat to the power of the word and the concussive energy of the beats. Little Robert Hutton is hard in every sense of the word, speaker rattling banger after banger. That production is handled by Quelle Chris, Messiah Musik, Blueprint, August Fanon, Locust, DOS4GW, and Jason Griff. The album also features guest appearances from Breezly Brewin, Mr. Lif, PremRock, billy woods, Zilla Rocca, Marcus Pinn, ALASKA, SKECH185, Candice Murray, and Margel the Sophant."

 

PRICE: $48.00

CAT #: BWZ 781LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Save Yourself is the debut solo album from rapper/producer ELUCID, New York's best-kept secret. He's worked with some of indie hip-hop's most celebrated artists, like Open Mike Eagle, Tanya Morgan, billy woods, Beans from Antipop, milo, J*Davey, Busdriver, Small Professor, and Rob Sonic. ELUCID has released critically-acclaimed collaborative projects as Armand Hammer with billy woods, and as Cult Favorite, with A.M Breakups, but Save Yourself represents a new chamber from a breakthrough artist. The album is largely self-produced with additional production by Willie Green, A.M. Breakups, Messiah Musik and more. This deluxe reissue features Save Yourself as a double LP 12" with grey marble colored vinyl in a gatefold jacket with photography by Alexander Richter. Side A/B is the main version and C/D is the instrumentals."

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: BWZ 785LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Decay, the new album from New Jersey rapper Fatboi Sharif and producer Steel Tipped Dove, is an anomaly. In an era of microwave projects and email collaborations, the duo spent more than a year writing, recording and mixing Decay together in Dove's Brooklyn studio. At a moment when many independent hip-hop projects are sonically predictable, easily categorized, and derivative, Decay is unapologetically experimental. Love it or hate it, it doesn't sound like any other record out. Add to all that the fact that, bucking the trend of feature-laden rap records, there isn't a single guest appearance on Decay. This album is a one-of-one, handcrafted from the ground up by two of the genre's most esoteric artists, under the umbrella of indie rap's preeminent record label. In October 2020 Dove got in touch with Sharif after hearing Gandhi Loves Children, Sharif's project with Roper Williams. 'I really liked the experimental writing he was doing. The whole vibe was different from the beat choices, the visuals, the lyrics -- all unique,' Dove explains. The two of them linked up and hit it off immediately. 'In the first session we had made two songs that ended up being some of the best work on the album,' Sharif says, 'and as we worked on it we knew we had something special that we weren't hearing anywhere else and we kept building on that' Sharif found himself digging deeply in order to write, which he credits to Dove's attention to detail and ability to push the boundaries sonically. 'Dove's production kept me in the zone to touch on stories that I never touched on in my past work, from personal situations tucked away that I thought I wasn't ready to unveil yet, to convos we just would have regarding the state of everything going on in the world and beyond' For his part, Dove was consistently impressed by the young artists' dedication, as well as his ear for the unusual. 'It was almost like a challenge to him, if I had a beat that no one had chosen, or that had kinda strange timing, he would almost always choose that one' This is Koyaanisqatsi via Rahway, New Jersey. A winding nighttime drive along the narrow, rutted paths of a damaged psyche, dead deer watching from the roadside. Decay is a candlelit spades game in the parlor of a dilapidated mansion, eviction papers pasted atop one another on the front door. A black Woodstock in the wetlands, blotter acid in the headband, as ELUCID might say. Together, Sharif and Dove just flipped on the power to a carousel in the middle of an abandoned amusement park, and every horse has a rider, spinning and spinning in the dark."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BEWITH 158LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Known principally as a smooth titan of blue-eyed soul, Bobby Caldwell transcended genre tags with consummate ease; he was a musical icon of real class and versatility, cherished the world over. His double platinum self-titled album from 1978 is a timeless masterpiece of sophisticated jazzy soul brilliance and is strictly canonical. Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted. Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of his eponymous album will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans -- and soul music enthusiasts worldwide -- can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest quality at Record Industry in Holland.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BEWITH 159LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Bobby Caldwell's second album, Cat In The Hat, from 1980, is a work of soulful sophistication. Featuring the eternal "Open Your Eyes", sampled by J Dilla for Common's "The Light", it's about as essential as records get. Like its eponymous predecessor, it's been out of print for far too long. Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted. Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of Cat In The Hat will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans -- and soul music enthusiasts worldwide -- can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed at Record Industry in Holland.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: BEC 5612659

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

Fluorescent green vinyl. 17 new instrumental songs by SebastiAn from Ed Banger Records. Soundtrack for Edouard Salier's 2023 film Tropic. French director Edouard Salier previously directed many short films and music videos (Massive Attack, Justice, Air, 30 Seconds To Mars). Also featuring Oliver Sim.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: 9781953691163

FILE UNDER: Misc

"A thrilling account of life with Sun Ra's Arkestra and New York's avant-garde jazz scenes of the 1970s-90s. In this memoir, Harlem-born trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah recounts decades of national and international touring with the Sun Ra Arkestra and charts the rise of the New York loft jazz scene, offering a fascinating portrait of advanced music in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan from the 1970s through the 1990s, including thrilling stories about the politically important Bed-Stuy venue The East and the author's tutelage under composer and long-time Archie Shepp collaborator Cal Massey. Along the way, Abdullah covers his spiritual development as a Buddhist, battles with addiction, tribulations as a father, lessons from Sun Ra and working life as an educator and cab driver. Trumpeter and educator Ahmed Abdullah was born in Harlem in 1947. An important figure in the New York loft jazz movement, in 1972 he formed a group called Abdullah, two years before joining the Sun Ra Arkestra, with whom he played for more than 20 years. He is a founding member of the bands Melodic Art-Tet, The Group and NAM, and of the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium. Abdullah is the music director at Sistas' Place in Brooklyn, and teaches music at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan and an elementary school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn." 512 pages. 6.25(w) x 8.25(h) x (d). Paperback

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: BBI 037LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Colored Lights was born out of a deep desire to rekindle the bonds with cherished old friends and spend time in a recording studio, sharing and creating music together. More than just a musical endeavor, this heartfelt project serves as a profound tribute to a departed friend and mentor who touched our lives. The band's debut album, recorded live in a small coastal town called Egersund, Norway during a cold week in January 2023, captures the raw energy and infectious chemistry that fueled their collaboration. The studio sessions provided an intimate and authentic experience, resulting in a record that showcases the true essence of Colored Lights' music. The debut album by Colored Lights is a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the indomitable spirit of artistic collaboration. It is an invitation to embark on a captivating journey, where heartfelt lyrics, infectious melodies, and innovative sonic landscapes converge to create an unforgettable musical experience. At the helm of Colored Lights is Frode Strømstad (I Was a King, The No Ones), a musical luminary who has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub, Peter Buck of R.E.M., and Scott McCoughey of The Young Fresh Fellows. For this project he is joined by Norwegian producer and musician Bård Ingebrigtsen, Frank "Tønes" Tønnesen, Ole Reidar Gudmestad (also of I Was a King), and Tomas Pettersen. From the melodic craftsmanship of Guided By Voices and The Beach Boys to the experimental genius of Brian Eno and the heartfelt sincerity of Emitt Rhodes and Palace Brothers, their music weaves together an intricate tapestry of sound. With hints of unconventional brilliance reminiscent of Ween and the genre-bending creativity of The Minus 5, Colored Lights embraces musical exploration.

 

PRICE: $55.50

CAT #: BMVI 009LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Formed in the late 70's, the duo is still grooving at their studio in Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Laid Back gained their first international major breakthrough in the '80s with "Sunshine Reggae" and "White Horse." The dualism and originality of the two songs has left a worldwide and everlasting reputation of their music. The third evergreen from their hand was made in 1990 named "Bakerman" altogether with a music video by Lars Von Trier. More recently, the two members has co-founded their own record company, Brother Music, which has released Laid Back singles such as "Cocaine Cool," remixes from Soul Clap, and latest the mini-album Cosyland and the chill out album, Cosmic Vibes. In 2013 they released the double album Uptimistic Music. 2019 was the 40th anniversary and release of the album Healing Feeling. 2023 marks the year of a new 21-track studio album Road To Fame.

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BB 331LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. Bureau B present a reissue of Heldon's seventh and final album of the 1970s Stand By, originally released in 1979. After the release of Stand By, Richard Pinhas focused on solo LPs before quitting music for around a decade. "It was the end of the tale," he explains. "We decided to split for many reasons. The main one was that one or two of the other musicians wanted to stop. They were session musicians, mainly. At one point they said they didn't have so much time to give. And it was a time when a lot of bands who had become reluctantly successful decided to split . . . Split at the top, not waiting to go down." Heldon certainly went out on a high. Stand By's mood remains urgent and gripping throughout, fashioned via immense synthesizer sounds, a plethora of interweaving drum patterns, spiraling guitar chops, and lurching riffs. It's been likened to krautrock, yet Pinhas never paid attention to the German scene. There are other similarities to parallel innovations that John Carpenter was making in the field of sci-fi/horror soundtracks. The hazmat-suit-wearing figure on Stand By's cover could have starred in such a movie. The album's unearthly vocals were provided by Klaus Blasquiz of Magma. Some progressive musicians of the '70s felt threatened by the rise of punk -- Not Pinhas. As producer, he worked with French punk acts like Asphalt Jungle. No, Pinhas was more troubled by wider world developments. These miseries played their own part in Heldon's demise. "We recorded Stand By in '78, going into '79. Politics had all shifted to the right with your Maggie Thatcher and, in America, that very bad actor. They started the bullshit of neoliberalism that we have to live with now, everywhere. We're going to be in a very fascistic world within twenty years. Not even that long. The initiation of this change came with Reagan and Maggie. It started in the '80s." Stand By was recorded at Studio Davout, the Parisian home to recordings by everyone from Karlheinz Stockhausen to Johnny Hallyday. That, too, has fallen victim to brutal economics. It was demolished in 2018. "They destroyed the main historical studio in France to put up a supermarket!" says Pinhas. "It was a place where a lot of things happened. Musicians were working all night long. It could've been a museum for music."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: CPT 617CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Trustworthy sequel of Compost's classic and mega-selling series. After 20 years a new Glücklich! Rainer Trüby fished deep in Brazilian- and Latin-tinged music and makes us more than glücklich. It only took a little over 20 years since the last installment but a classic and much-loved compilation series is "de volta" in a very big way. And a two-decade break means that when you come back, you'd better come back strong, but of course this is Rainer Truby we're talking about here and he's got a serious bag of Brazilian and Brazilian-flavored goodies for all good boys and girls! Some of them were buried on obscure CDs ignored by vinyl collectors, several have escaped being compiled until now and all of them will make your summers very pleasant and happy indeed. By the way: the car is a VW Volkswagen SP2 manufactured in Brazil between 1972 and 1976. Includes extensive liner notes. Features: Jon Lucien, Debbie Cameron & Richard Boone, Marcia Maria, Midnight Gigolos, Sonzeira, Rainer Trüby, Corrado Bucci, A Bossa Elétrica, The Matheus Combo, Grupo Ébano , Guillermo Reuter, Jean-Marc Jafet, Wütrio, and Christian Knobel.

 

PRICE: $30.50

CAT #: CPT 617LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Double LP version. Trustworthy sequel of Compost's classic and mega-selling series. After 20 years a new Glücklich! Rainer Trüby fished deep in Brazilian- and Latin-tinged music and makes us more than glücklich. It only took a little over 20 years since the last installment but a classic and much-loved compilation series is "de volta" in a very big way. And a two-decade break means that when you come back, you'd better come back strong, but of course this is Rainer Truby we're talking about here and he's got a serious bag of Brazilian and Brazilian-flavored goodies for all good boys and girls! Some of them were buried on obscure CDs ignored by vinyl collectors, several have escaped being compiled until now and all of them will make your summers very pleasant and happy indeed. By the way: the car is a VW Volkswagen SP2 manufactured in Brazil between 1972 and 1976. Includes extensive liner notes. Features: Jon Lucien, Debbie Cameron & Richard Boone, Marcia Maria, Midnight Gigolos, Sonzeira, Rainer Trüby, Corrado Bucci, A Bossa Elétrica, The Matheus Combo, Grupo Ébano , Guillermo Reuter, Jean-Marc Jafet, Wütrio, and Christian Knobel.

 

PRICE: $32.00

CAT #: CPT 619LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The fifth album by the Berlin band Automat pours oil on the fire. Heat is more homogeneous, warmer and rounder than its predecessors. Intimate dub, rich bass, scrambled delays, deep blue trip hop, deep violet downtempo ballads, reggae/rap sparks fly here and there, all of which makes Heat a beautiful album. Heat stands for a process of change: both in the line-up and for the energy and passion of the new line-up. After a longer break due to Corona, the leave of guitarist Jochen Arbeit, the entry of keyboardist Max Loderbauer and producer Ingo Krauss as well as the ingenious reinforcement by Scott Montieth (Deadbeat), singer Barbie Williams and the guests on the microphone Gemma Ray and both reggae legends Prince Alla and R Zee Jackson, the new Automat is running like a machine. Automat are: Achim Färber (Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub, Skip McDonald), Georg Zeitblom (wittmann/zeitblom), Max Loderbauer (Ricardo Villalobos/Sun Electric/Moritz Von Oswald Trio), and Scott Montieth (Deadbeat). Black double LP with black inner sleeves. Includes download card.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: CPT 621LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

16 modern Kraut-ish electronic tracks inspired by Kraftwerk, CAN, Neu, Rother, Klaus Schulze etc. Curated and compiled by Compost artist Fred und Luna. Their selection (with six exclusive tracks!) shows how well younger artists are revitalizing the Kraut scene. The better known ones, like Pyrolator, Sankt Otten, I:Cube, anyway. Watch out for Vol. 2 at the end of the year. The collage on the cover was exclusively made by the fantastic artist Norika Nienstedt from Kraut-metropole Düsseldorf. It's not at all easy or even impossible to define "Krautrock" or "Kraut." Nevertheless, Compost Records and Fred und Luna strike out on the path to find the diverse elements of German electronic music of the 1970s and 1980s and their effects on the newer German and international music scene. So, as a first approach, this volume of Future Sounds Of Kraut includes the music of up-to date artists primarily influenced by bands representing the repetitive character of German Electronica: Kraftwerk, CAN, Neu!, Harmonia and Cluster, just to name a few. Feel free to listen and get krautified! Featuring Fred und Luna, Baikonour, Musiccargo, Abrão, Listening Center, Higamos Hogamos, Gilgamesh Mata Hari Duo, Kosmischer Läufer, Sankt Otten, Pyrolator, I:Cube, Organza Ray, Sula Bassana, Halwa, and Lionel, Julien, Marceau et Rainer.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JACK 032CV-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Yellow vinyl version. Although they released six albums in their lifetime, The Sound, who formed in early 1979 and broke up in late 1987, were undervalued in their own country, always attracting only a small audience. 200 miles away from their native South London and across the North Sea in the Netherlands, The Sound, however, had a fanatical following, regularly filling out 2000 capacity venues and at one point in the early '80s outselling both U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen there. This performance was recorded at the Amsterdam Paradiso on the 8th March 1981 on the last night of the band's four-date first Dutch tour.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: JACK 032LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Although they released six albums in their lifetime, The Sound, who formed in early 1979 and broke up in late 1987, were undervalued in their own country, always attracting only a small audience. 200 miles away from their native South London and across the North Sea in the Netherlands, The Sound, however, had a fanatical following, regularly filling out 2000 capacity venues and at one point in the early '80s outselling both U2 and Echo and the Bunnymen there. This performance was recorded at the Amsterdam Paradiso on the 8th March 1981 on the last night of the band's four-date first Dutch tour.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: JACK 034CV-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Double LP version. Color vinyl. The Cure had been gradually building their US fan base when they embarked on their third American tour to promote their 1984 studio release, The Top. This recording was made on that tour, and features the band during their most defining musical period. Coming off the success of hits like "Let's Go To Bed" and "Boys Don't Cry," Robert Smith and the band had finally come to the point where they could take The Cure's eccentric, characteristically dark sound and combine it with a more radio-friendly approach.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: JACK 034LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Cure had been gradually building their US fan base when they embarked on their third American tour to promote their 1984 studio release, The Top. This recording was made on that tour, and features the band during their most defining musical period. Coming off the success of hits like "Let's Go To Bed" and "Boys Don't Cry," Robert Smith and the band had finally come to the point where they could take The Cure's eccentric, characteristically dark sound and combine it with a more radio-friendly approach.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JACK 035CV-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Color vinyl version. The Velvet Underground were undoubtedly one of the most important bands on the history of rock music. But their greatest line-up broke up in the late 1960s, and where not to reform for nearly 30 years. However, as early as 1982 the two prime movers teamed up with original chanteuse Nico, for this historic album which was recorded during a live show at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972, and was originally broadcast on French TV. The concert marked the first time since the breakup of The Velvet Underground that Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico were on stage together.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: JACK 035LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Velvet Underground were undoubtedly one of the most important bands on the history of rock music. But their greatest line-up broke up in the late 1960s, and where not to reform for nearly 30 years. However, as early as 1982 the two prime movers teamed up with original chanteuse Nico, for this historic album which was recorded during a live show at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972, and was originally broadcast on French TV. The concert marked the first time since the breakup of The Velvet Underground that Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico were on stage together.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: DMOO 053LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The esteemed French singer and actress Françoise Hardy achieved an international breakthrough as a teenager in the early 1960s as a prominent artist of the Yé-Yé movement, blending the sentimental chanson style with rock elements of the British 'Beat' groups. Her self-titled debut album, released by Disques Vogue in 1963, was applauded by Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan, among others, following the outstanding success of the melancholic lead single Tout Les Garçons Et Les Fils; since the rock element would soon wane in her work, this outstanding debut is the one to reach for to understand her dramatic early impact.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: DC 782LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 repress; LP version. "Meg Baird's songs are rarely made up of tidy stories. In fact, for Meg, mystery itself is often the medium. With Furling, Meg's fourth album under her own name, she explores the breadth of her musical fascinations and the environments around them -- the edges of memory, daydreams spanning years, loose ends, loss, divergent paths, and secret conversations under stars. Furling moves through these varied spaces with the slippery, misty cohesiveness of a dream -- guided by an ageless, stirring voice that remains singular and unmistakable. Since co-founding the beguiling and beautiful Espers in the mid-aughts amid Philadelphia's fertile underground music community, Meg's solo recordings have constituted just a fraction of her work. Her first solo LP, the disarmingly out-of-time Dear Companion (2007), saw her carve a quiet, sunlit space away from the flickering swirl of Espers. Since her last solo releases, Seasons on Earth (2011) and Don't Weigh Down the Light (2015) Meg has lent thunderous drumming, lead vocal, and poetry to Heron Oblivion (Sub Pop) . . . She collaborated with harpist Mary Lattimore on the mesmerizingly hazy Ghost Forests (2018). She's played drums with Philadelphia scuzz-punks Watery Love (In The Red, Richie Records) and explored her deep familial folk roots in the Baird Sisters (Grapefruit Records). She also contributed her vocal arrangements to albums from Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Will Oldham, and Steve Gunn, and toured with Angel Olson, Dinosaur Jr., Bill Callahan, Thurston Moore, and Bert Jansch, among others. Yet Furling is the album that most irreverently explores the span of her work and musical touchstones. It showcases her natural tether to '60s English folk traditions. But it also reveals her deep love for soul balladry, the dubby Bristol atmospherics of Flying Saucer Attack, the solitary musings of Neil Young shackled to his piano deep in the foggy pre-dawn, the melancholy memory collage of DJ Shadow's Endtroducing, and the delicious, Saturday-night promise of St. Etienne. Furling was primarily recorded at Louder Studios by Tim Green (Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses, Melvins, Wooden Shjips). Additional piano and vocal recording were captured at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach, CA with Jason Quever (Papercuts). It was mastered in Brooklyn by Heba Kadry, who mixed Bjork's Utopia and mastered LPs for Slowdive, Cass McCombs, and Beach House. For all its adornments, Furling remains deeply intimate. The entire album was performed by Meg and her longtime collaborator, partner, and Heron Oblivion bandmate Charlie Saufley. While her prior solo work hinted at more expansive horizons, Furling explores the idea of Meg Baird as a band much more freely. Venturing beyond the musical confines of fingerstyle guitar, she plays drums, mellotron, organs, synths, and vibraphone over her piano and guitar foundations. Her distinctive, simultaneously elegiac and uplifting vocals, meanwhile, connect surreal dream montages, graft sunshine sonics to swooning meditations on romantic solidarity in trying times, and weave odes to the simple gestures of friendship -- and the loss of family and friends..."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: ET 939CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Extremely obscure "Rare Groove" album recorded in Argentina in 1974 and produced by great radio and music producer Mochin Marafioti. It has been impossible to learn who the musicians of the amazing session were. Soul, funk, psychedelia and Latin melt into a sort of Funkadelic sound. Spoken intro, sensual vocals and a monster rhythm section flirt with wah wah guitars and catchy melodies. A truly hidden treasury brought back to life by legendary Easy Tempo crew and destined to please the worldwide Rare Groove clubbing nation. To the original recording were added edits by Andrea Passenger done in the spirit of the classic disco music manipulators like Tom Moulton, Danny Krivit and Walter Gibbons. To be played very loud.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: GR 2159LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Javier Hernando's musical journey began in 1979 with his first band, Xeerox. In 1981, he embarked on his first fully electronic project, Melodinamika Sensor, which continued until 1985. During that year, three tracks by M.S. were featured on a compilation LP titled Grupos de Barcelona, released by Discos Esplendor Geométrico. This compilation showcased four bands from the thriving Barcelona underground scene. From 1985 to the early nineties, Hernando co-directed the cassette label Ortega y Cassette, while also hosting Los Silencios de la Radio on Radio PICA. This radio program was dedicated to showcasing electronic and experimental music. In the nineties, he released new works in cassette format, including two albums on Toracic Tapes, and later published the CD Luz Nacarina through Geometrik Records. Subsequent releases took listeners on a journey through post-industrial landscapes, interspersed with moments of serene tranquility. These releases gained notable recognition from Geometrik, as well as other respected labels such as Alku, con-v, Nostalgie de la Boue, Anòmia, Novak, and República Ibérica Ruidista. More recent works have revealed a shift towards harmonious compositions, evident in albums like Jardín Náufrago released on La Olla Express. Hernando has also explored poetic atmospheres in collaborations such as the CD-book El Archipiélago Sideral with artist Juan Miguel Muñoz, and Vacuola, his latest release on WD Records, in collaboration with Ángel Lalinde. Currently, Hernando's artistic trajectory is at its most vibrant and creative state. The highly anticipated album Dómina Esteléctrica is set to be followed by a new composition that transcends the hermeticism of painter José Manuel de Yngunza, as well as a collaborative work with Krishna Goineau (Liaisons Dangereuses, Velodrome). These upcoming projects promise to further expand Hernando's artistic horizons and captivate audiences with his innovative approach to music.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: GET 51322C-LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Ghostface Killah reunites with his partner in rhyme Raekwon to bring fans Bulletproof Wallets, which continues Ghost's winning streak of delivering front to back classic material. Filled with the usual Ghost slang, bass heavy production, Bulletproof Wallets dropped not long after Supreme Clientele without skipping a beat. The fun Ghost and Rae are having on this record is beyond apparent. Bulletproof Wallets is almost like a party album, hit singles and street bangers. 'Never Be the Same Again' (with Carl Thomas and Raekwon) and 'Ghost Showers' play alongside 'Maxine' and 'The Forrest' all working off each other's energy. Other stand outs like 'Walking through the Darkness,' 'The Hilton' all bang through the speakers and continues to add to Ghost's undeniable catalog. On some groundbreaking production from The RZA, Alchemist, Carlos 6 July Broady and Mathmatics, Ghostface shines and the chemistry between Rae and Ghost is incredible!"

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: GODRECORD 029CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Four years after they went all the way to Antarctica, Flat Worms are back in gen pop with the rest of us -- but, as intoned on the album opener 'Sigalert,' 'back again like I never was.' Is this a nod to the way time passes over our sorely vexed synapses? Or are we to believe that there's hope to be found in this broken world? Kick back with Witness Marks and see what other traces Flat Worms have left us in the dust. The album title alone leaves a foreboding impression. But look closer ? 'witness marks' aren't something out of a forensic analysis -- they're actually practical; scratches placed in old clocks designed to aid continued maintenance further in time. Sure, there's big questions and more on the board; primarily if we're at all distinct from the absurdity coming down around us, or just another character in the mirror? Flat Worms are looking inward this time, outlining personal space in relation to themselves and others -- sometimes even people they barely know. Among the slabs of slate-grey outrage, the flowers of compassion are blooming, and the simmering power of their trio grows exponentially. Working once again with Ty Segall, Flat Worms continue to find new answers by digging into themselves and playing their kind of rock: hard and flat, bass and drums thrusting stalwartly forward with conviction, guitar twisting and spinning in outrage, deadpan vocals decrying a dire set of circumstances. The democracy of working together, so often messy and frustrating, was found to be a powerful release for Justin, Tim and Will. Acting as one, Flat Worms navigated challenging times by coming together, finding release in the clockwork repetitions of practice and the shared creative space they occupied together against the encroaching world. In the short century of their existence, Flat Worms have agitated against the status quo with a disquieting lyric bent, to emphasize the psychosis of the times. These are positions taken within songs, sung out to individuals in the world. As evidenced by the lyrics, 'But I know I can always see you at the show Even though it's only temporary and it's time to go.' Witness Marks surveys an evolving sense of community. Flat Worms are dedicated to persevering and using the power of their collective. Come witness!'

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: GODRECORD 029LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version."Four years after they went all the way to Antarctica, Flat Worms are back in gen pop with the rest of us -- but, as intoned on the album opener 'Sigalert,' 'back again like I never was.' Is this a nod to the way time passes over our sorely vexed synapses? Or are we to believe that there's hope to be found in this broken world? Kick back with Witness Marks and see what other traces Flat Worms have left us in the dust. The album title alone leaves a foreboding impression. But look closer ? 'witness marks' aren't something out of a forensic analysis -- they're actually practical; scratches placed in old clocks designed to aid continued maintenance further in time. Sure, there's big questions and more on the board; primarily if we're at all distinct from the absurdity coming down around us, or just another character in the mirror? Flat Worms are looking inward this time, outlining personal space in relation to themselves and others -- sometimes even people they barely know. Among the slabs of slate-grey outrage, the flowers of compassion are blooming, and the simmering power of their trio grows exponentially. Working once again with Ty Segall, Flat Worms continue to find new answers by digging into themselves and playing their kind of rock: hard and flat, bass and drums thrusting stalwartly forward with conviction, guitar twisting and spinning in outrage, deadpan vocals decrying a dire set of circumstances. The democracy of working together, so often messy and frustrating, was found to be a powerful release for Justin, Tim and Will. Acting as one, Flat Worms navigated challenging times by coming together, finding release in the clockwork repetitions of practice and the shared creative space they occupied together against the encroaching world. In the short century of their existence, Flat Worms have agitated against the status quo with a disquieting lyric bent, to emphasize the psychosis of the times. These are positions taken within songs, sung out to individuals in the world. As evidenced by the lyrics, 'But I know I can always see you at the show Even though it's only temporary and it's time to go.' Witness Marks surveys an evolving sense of community. Flat Worms are dedicated to persevering and using the power of their collective. Come witness!'

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 223LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Formed in Blackpool in the late '60s, Heavy Rain was a "heavy progressive blues" band who shared stage with big names like Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, and Caravan. In 1973, now reduced to a power-trio (Geoff Carter on lead guitar/vocals, Oggy Hargreaves on bass, and Bernie Worsley on drums), they went to London and registered an album which was never released at the time but a few metal acetates were made. Only one copy is actually known of this monster rarity. 100% underground psychedelic hard-rock with heavy distorted fuzz-wah guitars and delay/echo effects. Seven original songs plus a spaced out Pink Floyd cover. Comes with download card which includes three unreleased studio tracks from 1972.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: HPS 240ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock; LP version. Half black, half orange vinyl with black splatter. Once again, Brant Bjork is back with a wonderful new album, Bougainvillea Suite. He's never missed a shot in the last 20 years. His discography is connected by an imaginary line which crosses different sounds and melodies, but always with the same attitude. In the background you can imagine the Mojave Desert where everything started many years ago, but his last record sounds fresh as his debut Jalamanta. Brant says about this album: "This is a bitter sweet record for me. So much change in my life. Some stuff more positive than others. But it's always a blessing to be able to make a record and get the music out and to the fans. This is the last record to be recorded in my Joshua Tree studio. I'm saying good bye to an era and looking down the road toward new beginnings." Bougainvillea Suite is composed by eight songs. Produced by Yosef Sanborn and Brant Bjork. Recorded at The Rad Cabin, Joshua Tree, CA. Engineered and mixed by Yosef Sanborn.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SUBURBIA 039LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Originally released on No Tomorrow in 1996, this is the first vinyl reissue for Operacion Dragon, third album by the kings of Spanish '90s Ramones-core: Shock Treatment from Castellon. Limited "Punk Rock Raduno 2023" edition with slightly revised tracklist, now featuring their version of "Modern Machine" by The Crowd.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HYPE 006LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The extraordinary trio creates a fascinating, atmospheric fusion of electronic sounds, piano, violin, percussion, field recordings, and mystical Ladino texts and chants with Metamorfosa. Metamorfosa is a new band project founded by Marlene Schuen (Italy), Dimitri Andreas (Belgium), and Marc Romboy (Germany). The arrangements, co-compositions, and production come from Marc Romboy and Dimitri Andreas (Music Man, Systematic). Marc Romboy has been releasing electronic music since 1991 and has performed worldwide in legendary clubs like Berghain, Rex Paris, Fabric London, and Womb Tokyo. Marlene Schuen's lyrics for Metamorfosa revolve around nature and stories of mythical creatures in the mountain world of South Tyrol, taking the listener into the world of her homeland. Her impressive voice and singing style deeply touched and fascinated Marc and Andreas from the very beginning, ultimately inspiring them to create this fusion of electronic sounds, atmospheric piano parts, violin, field recordings, percussion, and Ladino singing.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: IF 1084CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Building off of the themes of identity, storytelling and experimentation on her critically acclaimed debut album, Khonnar (2018), Deena Abdelwahed's album Jbal Rrsas is the next chapter of a reimagining of what club music could be. The album spans seven tracks of bass, techno, and experimental music, with Abdelwahed consulting with masterminds like Tunisian composer and multi-instrumentalist Khalil Hentati, aka Khalil Epi, and Iraqi-British multi-instrumentalist, composer, and researcher Khyam Allami, as well as Egyptian mastering engineer Heba Kadry, to help realise her vision. Jbal Rrsas starts with the seductively apocalyptic opener, "The Key to the Exit," a deconstructed sha'bi production. With tracks like "Six as Oil" and the delightfully intense "Violence for Free," Abdelwahed leads users to a desert rave, where industrial rhythms are left unbridled. Abdelwahed's vocals on "Complain" and "Pre-Island" are powerful and exposed, confidently placed on dizzying avant-garde productions. The Wire previously said "[Khonnar is] an assured debut that sits on the edge of a whole swathe of possibilities, not only sonic but also geographical, social and political." With Jbal Rrsas finds Abdelwahed deftly navigating through those possibilities, frequently pushing against genres, labels, and social identifiers, while elevating club music to otherworldly heights.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: JPR 029LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock, blue vinyl. "Best known for the lush 1961 rendition of the ballad 'At Last' - a slow-dance staple at wedding celebrations everywhere, she is also celebrated for having recorded one of the best live albums of all time, Rocks the House. Recorded in 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, James is captured at her performance peak. The foundation for her reputation as a fiery no-holds-barred performer was firmly established in this recording. Blues, soul, jazz, R&B, and rock vocalist Etta James, needs no introduction. An icon from early rock'n'roll's pantheon of divas, she has inspired 5 decades of listeners and fellow artists with her vocal stylings. From Janis Joplin to Beyonce, her expressive and guttural style has been imitated but never quite matched. Jackpot Records is honored to release this momentous record on stellar blue vinyl, with the original album artwork and including 3 bonus tracks which have only ever been released previously on CD."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: JAKA 185LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Jakarta Records & Uno Loop are thrilled to announce Bowes Road Band's LP Back in the HCA. In 1972, four design students at the now defunct Hornsey College of Art (HCA) in London decided to make a record; neither the result of nascent dreams of stardom nor of fastidiously developed musicianship. Bowes Road Band's sole LP was simply the result of an impulse to create. With only fifty copies originally pressed, the LP's Berlin flea market discovery revealed a foray into a delicately balanced world of psycho-trip meltdowns, rich jazz improvisations, and tuneful folk stylings. Hear echoes of Mark Fry's Dreaming With Alice, Donovan's honeyed folk, the Kinks's blistering blues rock & more on Back in the HCA. In 1972, a foursome of design students set out to make a record. This was, in many ways, a strictly creative endeavor. The quartet -- composed of Dave Pescod, Alan Lewis, Phil Rawle, and Ted Rockley -- were all trained, not as musicians, but as creatives. Art school heavyweights, the four were well-versed in the methodology of intentional experimentation, in the delicate balance of pushing the limits without completely unmooring oneself from a guiding creative intention. Emboldened by a high-brow familiarity with thoughtful experimentation and all the non-conviction of non-musicians, Bowes Road Band's stint in the world of popular music yielded a record that is as much mind-melting as it is a direct product of its time. Their sprawling LP Back in the HCA embodies the exigence 'art for art's sake,' but it is for art's sake that this record, however off the deep end it seems to travel (hear: 'Doctor, Doctor'), remains a unified, and stunning, body of work. The LP's do-it-yourself garage rock noisemaking meets highfalutin creative processes. Back in the HCA is warbling psychedelic freakout, Donovan-esque English countryside folk stylings, and avant-garde jazz improvisions in one luminous release. Originally a nine-track LP, Jakarta, Uno Loop, and Bowes Road Band decided to mine the six most cohesive tracks for the reissue, though the extras may be released somewhere down the line. Cohesion efforts aside, Back in the HCA stands alone in its singular conception of a genre-bending continuum -- it evades definition."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: KIOSKID 021EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Mila Stern's groove-heavy and highly danceable sound explores fringe soundscapes informed by post-punk and electro. What sets her apart is a willingness to embrace unorthodox sounds, explore the beauty in harshness and dissonance, and transform jarring atmospheres into captivating dancefloor moments. With Five Finger EP, Mila Stern delivers an eclectic six-tracker featuring two high-pressure originals and four carefully selected reimaginations by Camea, mytripismytrip, Öona Dahl, and Hardt Antoine for Kiosk catalog number 021. Five Finger Discount encapsulates Mila's uncompromising aesthetic: warm, powerful, energetic, and constantly teetering on the brink of disintegration. Morphing, overdriven stabs build energy atop a sub-heavy groove and a sea of pads. A sweeping break fractures the track into shuddering bursts of corroded machinery, before the compact groove returns with punishing dancefloor power. Camea transforms "Five Finger Discount" into a heavy-weight techno roller. Shuddering, pitch-shifting bass hits and salvos, sizzling white noise sweeps, and an ominous mantra morph the track into a darkly efficient peaktime banger. Hardt Antoine builds his rendition of "Deadline Disco" around an infectiously body-moving arpeggio. Layers of distortion add a searing edge, transforming the original into a stripped powerhouse with dark disco undercurrents. Few artists move on the fringe so comfortably, make unconventional sounds so accessible, or pursue their vision with the same bright-eyed conviction. With Five Finger EP, Mila Stern epitomizes the magic that happens when uncommon sounds are embedded in the framework of commanding, floor-focused energy. Five Finger EP embodies her stand-out style and the stunning range of musical interpretations it inspires.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: KOM 276LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Gatefold double LP version featuring 6 of the tracks from the 13 track CD. Speicher staple and renowned club juggernaut Kölsch debuts on Kompakt with the full-length 1977, an extraordinary collection of club gems that introduces his earlier masterpieces to exclusive new material. Here, the epic, the rad, and the snappy find themselves under one expertly-crafted groove, making this album an essential choice for both home clubbers and floor hounds. Your new best friend is here and it's a record. Despite the name and despite Kompakt's well-documented love for Cologne's beer, Kölsch isn't a local and he didn't label himself after the famed brew. Even with a much-acclaimed print run and a series of venerated live appearances under his belt, award-winning Danish producer Rune Reilly Kölsch has to regularly duck quizzical questions about his heritage. 1977 isn't a simple "best of" hack job, however: with new crackers "Basshund," "Bappedekkel," and "Eiswinter" lighting the fire, Kölsch doesn't need to worry about future impact. And then there's a cut like the emotive "Oma." The sweeping "Wasserschutz" and a Trojan horse called "Felix," originally intended to be an album outro of sorts. But then someone pushed the button and the transdimensional portal sprang to life.

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: MILS 003LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"This is the next up in a series of music library releases, with future volumes produced by DJ Muggs, Karriem Riggins, and more. The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series was created by Madlib and Egon to give their creative friends a chance to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted. This music was created for easy, one-stop clearance in film and television synchronization usage and for sampling. You can also enjoy these albums in the way that many do with the best of the best vintage library catalogs -- listen, ponder, repeat."

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: MUSIQ 215LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress; double LP version. In February 2015, Japanese producer and sound designer Kuniyuki Takahashi, sometimes known as Koss, released the EP Newwave Project #2 (MUSIQ 183EP), a record that tapped some roots of his musical education: new wave, German electro punk from bands like Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, EBM from acts like Front 242, as well as industrial music, all styles Kuniyuki claims are his "favorite music". Nearly two years after his first Newwave Project EP, he drops an album that is leaning towards his musical love from the past. Compared to his former work, which was rooted in worlds of classic, jazz, house, ambient, and electronic song-writing, his new tunes are full of melodic drifts and rhythmical shifts. As usual, all is loaded with tones and rhythms straight from the heart that filter and modulate human emotions without losing their natural source. To get a sound that is fresh but still leaning to the '80s, he used some old synthesizers, like Roland Jupiter 8, Juno 60, Korg MS 20, and an old tape echo machine, but he also used newer instruments, like the Roland AIRA. His modular synthesizers talk too. Sampled voices, and other alienated sound sources of unknown origin, inject otherworldly atmospheres into his new tunes. It is also evident that he is a fine instrumentalist, as Kuniyuki also plays piano, percussion, and flute on the album, if he felt their warm sound was needed for his freely grooving tracks. Some dance in house or techno outfits; other slam like a mix of funk and EBM. Tunes like "Puzzle" or "Body Signal" are twisted treasures that bemuse deeply. In-between, you hear the echoes of cosmic spheres, the darkness of the Cold War days, and some bewitching tribal jungle vibes; A new, moving, unorthodox, yet catchy side of Kuniyuki Takahashi. It is not totally novel to him, as he already released some industrial, EBM, and electronic with the project DRP. But for his listeners that know him for detailed house, jazz, and classic, or even his collaborations, the Newwave Project sheds a light on a different artistic side of Takahashi. It is diversified, with many rhythmical and atmospheric turns, but stays stirring and compelling throughout. A true new wave, formed, played in, and envisioned, with a view on the past that was filtered through the now while feeling the future. Cover art by Swiss artist Augustin Rebetez.

 

PRICE: $19.50

CAT #: MR 352LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2023 restock. Brilliant DIY 'n' roll from Steve Treatment, one of the most fascinating but less heralded figures of the late '70s British punk/DIY scene. Bonding over a shared love for Marc Bolan, Steve and the nascent Swell Maps would play and hang out together around London. The Maps backed Steve on his first single, released on their own Rather Records in 1978. All Dressed for Tomorrow includes said record and Steve Treatment's other two singles from 1979, plus chosen highlights from 1977-1979 recordings, unreleased at the time. Raw, unkempt, experimental glam rock magic. The extensive liner notes by Chuck Warner (Hyped to Death, Messthetics), accompanied by copious photos and memorabilia, cover not just the music but also Steve's varied interactions with Marc Bolan, the Swell Maps, The Moors Murderers, Derek Jarman... among others.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: MUSAR 017EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

In Japanese, the word "Guru-Guru" refers to the state of spinning, whirling. This state is captured in the work of Japanese artist Hoshina Anniversary, who makes his third appearance on Musar with his EP Guru Guru and marks the return of the label after an extended break. Hoshina's self-titled brand of "watechno" has appeared on well-loved dance music labels like ESP Institute, Volvox's Jack Dept, and Young Marco's Safe Trip, alongside Musar where he also appeared as Shifting Gears back in 2022; an electronic-jazz centered moniker. His Guru Guru EP captures the latest snapshot of Hoshina's sound and sees him draw from Japanese language as a through-line. The title track is the clearest representation of his "watechno", where he uses Japanese instrumentation on top of a menacing EBM-style march. The track's slowly whirling momentum is the "guruguru". On tracks like "Banri", which means far away in Japanese, we see new shades to Hoshina's work as he mixes a Japanese Wadaiko drum groove with acidic elements and piano melodies to make a track of contradictions which pairs roughness with elegance. Whereas on "Usagi", Japanese for rabbit, Hoshina fires up the BPM. Piano melodies remain here but their effect is more drifting and emotive than on "Banri". "Kaga" is named after a place in the southernmost part of Ishikawa Prefecture, between Kanazawa City and Fukui City. On this track, Hoshina's love for jazz comes through and even mirrors the work he put out as Shifting Gears.

 

PRICE: $42.00

CAT #: NP 042LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Reissue of Amon's seminal 1996 debut dark ambient album augmented with three tracks from the same sessions. Since the mid '90s Andrea Marutti has been crafting his own blend of mind-expanding soundscapes, creating a strong sense of ancient mysticism and time travel with his Amon project. His mesmerizing recordings of drones and tones, presented as a careful form of resonant minimalism pregnant with cavernous sounds and slow movements, reverberations and drifting elements, have always been intimately distant from the aesthetic form of dark ambient music which they have often been hastily associated with. Taking inspiration from the mysteries and rites of Ancient Egypt, along with the vivid suggestions offered by Peter Kolosimo and other writers of the so-called Pseudoarcheology current, after his debut on Murder Release in 1996, a few CD albums -- mostly released by Eibon Records in Italy -- and a 7" on the German cult label Drone Records, were enough to consolidate Amon as a pillar among deep listeners. Finally reuniting all the music Marutti spontaneously created in a short period during the very first Amon recording sessions, and bringing it to vinyl for the first time, Akh is a ticket for a trip back in time, a musical universe rich with impenetrable scenarios, a driving, grey space of ever-increasing numbness resounding all around and inside the listener. In Ancient Egypt, Akh was most often used to mean a complete person, whether living or dead. While living, the Akh was composed of all five elements -- The Body, Ba (the personality: humor, warmth, charm), Ka (the life force unique to every person) which stayed, The Name, and The Shadow. When dead, the Akh referred to the reunion of the Ba and the Ka, which they also believed happened each night. In death and every night too, Akh is the reunion of the self. Mostly lacking any flash of light, the tracks featured on this collection open a subtly esoteric universe, which rises up out of the desert, leading through a profound and introspective path with their sonic stimuli, plumbing the depths of the unconscious with a hypnotic, mystical and arcane flavor. Perfect to listen to during the late hours when distracting factors are few and the music may join forces with the night itself. Will appeal to fans of Roland Kayn, Thomas Köner, Éliane Radigue, deep listening, minimalism, and isolationism alike. Edition of 250.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: NSD 235CD

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Lyrically gifted, socially aware, and politically insightful, Talib Kweli is one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the last 25 years. His early collaborative albums with Mos Def and Hi-Tek were among the most important releases in the genesis of modern rap, forging a future for thought-provoking lyricism and raw soundscapes at a moment when mass commercialization threatened the soul of the genre. Now more than two decades into a thrilling solo career, Kweli has evolved creatively while maintaining his artistic integrity, working with top talent across the musical spectrum in the process. Known for classic collaborative albums with artists like J Dilla, MF DOOM, and Freddie Gibbs, widely celebrated producer Madlib is a sampling savant who has crafted beats for the likes of Erykah Badu, Anderson Paak, Tyler The Creator, Logic, De La Soul, and many more. After releasing a groundbreaking collaborative project back in 2006, Madlib and Talib Kweli are reuniting for the highly-anticipated follow-up Liberation 2. Expansive in concept, the album is a vivid exploration of revolution, love, pan-Africanism, music, spirituality, and more, with Madlib's jazz-inflected instrumentals providing the perfect soundtrack. 'The materialism and debauchery that is stereotypically associated with hip hop has lost some of its luster,' Kweli explains. 'Never has there been a better time for such honest, message driven music that pays tribute to the sounds that came before us.' A global call for unity through space and time, Liberation 2 features appearances by Q-Tip, Westside Gunn, Roc Marciano, Roy Ayers, Goapele, Wildchild, Pink Siifu, and more, plus a posthumous verse by Mac Miller. Not on traditional digital outlets, the album is now available in physical form for the first time ever."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: NSD 235LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

Double LP version. "Lyrically gifted, socially aware, and politically insightful, Talib Kweli is one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the last 25 years. His early collaborative albums with Mos Def and Hi-Tek were among the most important releases in the genesis of modern rap, forging a future for thought-provoking lyricism and raw soundscapes at a moment when mass commercialization threatened the soul of the genre. Now more than two decades into a thrilling solo career, Kweli has evolved creatively while maintaining his artistic integrity, working with top talent across the musical spectrum in the process. Known for classic collaborative albums with artists like J Dilla, MF DOOM, and Freddie Gibbs, widely celebrated producer Madlib is a sampling savant who has crafted beats for the likes of Erykah Badu, Anderson Paak, Tyler The Creator, Logic, De La Soul, and many more. After releasing a groundbreaking collaborative project back in 2006, Madlib and Talib Kweli are reuniting for the highly-anticipated follow-up Liberation 2. Expansive in concept, the album is a vivid exploration of revolution, love, pan-Africanism, music, spirituality, and more, with Madlib's jazz-inflected instrumentals providing the perfect soundtrack. 'The materialism and debauchery that is stereotypically associated with hip hop has lost some of its luster,' Kweli explains. 'Never has there been a better time for such honest, message driven music that pays tribute to the sounds that came before us.' A global call for unity through space and time, Liberation 2 features appearances by Q-Tip, Westside Gunn, Roc Marciano, Roy Ayers, Goapele, Wildchild, Pink Siifu, and more, plus a posthumous verse by Mac Miller. Not on traditional digital outlets, the album is now available in physical form for the first time ever."

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: NMG 3577911LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

2023 repress. "In the early 2000s, Slum Village was riding high on the success of their Fantastic and Fantastic Vol. 2 releases and upped the ante with the release of Trinity (Past, Present And Future). Despite Jay Dee's starting to pursue solo efforts, the production team assembled for Trinity kept the Slum vibe found on the Fantastic albums alive. Producers on the release include Hi-Tek, Waajeed, Scott Storch, Karriem Riggins, T3, Black Milk, Young R.J., Shelton 'Ess' Rivers with a significant contribution from Jay Dee himself. Ne'Astra Music Group revisits this too oft overlooked chapter of Slum Village's history with this double LP colored vinyl pressing. Trinity is presented on double colored vinyl with LP 1 in canary yellow and LP 2 in tangerine."

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: NSR 001EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The Icelandic musician and visual artist Sunna Margrét has put together five experimental-ambient-braindance-electronica tracks on the Iceland Music Award nominated and Kraumur Awards winning EP Art of History. Co-released between her oceanic hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland, and her current alpine home base in Lausanne, Switzerland, Art of History brings together distant dreams of elvish druids and beats of a contemporary urban woman. We don't see with our eyes and we don't hear with our ears. Those are only receivers for us to then interpret what we are sensing. The music is heard, is sensed, is felt, is seen. It speaks of the experience of a sensible being, of a sensible life. It's a sensible writing.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NA 5205C-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Red vinyl. "Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin's music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin's recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7" singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia's 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums -- the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin's uber-rare 7" single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Mot Aykerim gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7" single releases. Contains an oversized 11" x 11" 16 page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin's role within it."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: NA 5214C-LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Yellow vinyl. "Originally planned for issue on Strata-East, Hammond took his collaboration with Durrah to Detroit and issued his masterpiece. Lacquered by Bernie Grundman. Now-Again presents the defi¬nitive Tribe Records reissues. Deep, spiritual jazz of the highest order. The Tribe label, one of the brightest lights of America's 1970s jazz underground, receives the Now-Again reissue treatment. This is your chance to indulge in the music and story of one of the most meaningful, local movements of the 20th Century Black American experience, one that expanded outwards towards the cosmos. In the words of the collective themselves, 'Music is the healing force of the universe.' Included in an extensive, oversized booklet, Larry Gabriel and Jeff 'Chairman' Mao take us through the history of the Tribe, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. The booklet features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe's mid-1970s heyday."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ORGM 2121LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2020 release. "The Spiritual, a free jazz album recorded by the Art Ensemble of Chicago in 1974, finds the group of stellar musicians at their creative peak. With various types of percussion, though the absence of a traditional drummer, the ensemble is able to create vivid, freeing compositions without the confines of conventional structure. The quartet, consisting of Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Malachi Favors, explore the depths of avant-garde jazz through a means that has yet to be touched on in a comparable capacity. The Spiritual will now be widely available on 180gram black vinyl. Mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. Pressed at Pallas Group in Germany."

 

PRICE: $115.00

CAT #: ORGM 2126LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 release. "Europe 1966 is a box set consisting of live performances from free jazz visionary Albert Ayler. Each of the four LP's highlights some of the most magnificent moments on this European tour, showcasing Ayler and his bandmates at the height of their powers. The release includes performances from Berlin, Lörrach, Stockholm, and Paris, all of which occurred within a two-week span. Ayler's masterful band on this tour included his brother Donald on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. These performances have been remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. The package also includes a 12x24" fold-out insert, featuring liner notes from John Litweller and photos from the tour. Each LP pressed on audiophile-grade black vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany."

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: ORGM 2149LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"2020 release. Altoist Marion Brown is perhaps best known for performances on albums by his contemporaries, such as Coltrane's Ascension, but Brown stands on his own as one of the most creative and important forces to come out of the 1960s avant-garde jazz movement. Porto Novo is widely regarded as one of Brown's best recordings, captured during a 1967 session in Holland at the peak of his creative powers, accompanied by bassist Maarten van Regteben Altena and drummer Han Bennink. Previously out of print for decades, the recording has now been remastered for a long-overdue reissue on audiophile-grade vinyl, originially released exclusively for Record Store Day 2020, now widely available."

 

PRICE: $24.50

CAT #: ORGM 2179LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2021 release, black vinyl. "Bad Brains is the self-titled debut studio album recorded by American hardcore punk/reggae band Bad Brains. Recorded in 1981 and released on (then) cassette-only label ROIR on February 5, 1982, many fans refer to it as 'The Yellow Tape' because of its yellow packaging. Though Bad Brains had recorded the 16-song Black Dots album in 1979 and the five-song Omega Sessions EP in 1980, the ROIR cassette was the band's first release of anything longer than a single. In coordination with the band, Org Music has overseen the restoration and remastering of the iconic Bad Brains' recordings. The audio was mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed at Furnace Record Pressing. This 'Punk Note' edition comes with alternate packaging artwork from designer John Yates (Stealworks). The artwork is a nod to Reid Miles and Francis Wolff, and their amazing work at the Blue Note label."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: ORGM 2228LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Thriller is the 1975 album from Augustus Pablo, the reggae visionary who popularized the use of the melodica in the genre. As the founder of multiple labels, he was a crucial part of invigorating the burgeoning dub reggae scene in its early days. The record's warm, mellow sound makes for a breezy and hypnotic listen, perfectly paired with a jazz cigarette. This lost gem has been reissued with updated artwork from D. Norsen, and was pressed at Furnace Record Pressing."

 

PRICE: $23.50

CAT #: ORGM 2233LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

"2022 release. Renowned trombonist and co-founder of Detroit's famed TRIBE Records Phil Ranelin is back with his first album in a decade. A master trombonist of the J.J. Johnson tradition, Ranelin's career has spanned over five decades with ten records as a solo artist, four as a Freddie Hubbard sideman, session recordings for Motown, and work with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Telefon Tel Aviv. At 82 years old, Ranelin proves that he still has much to offer with Infinite Expressions, a work that showcases his unique style both as a player and composer. Includes digital download."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: OSR 095LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Previously unreleased '72/'74 recordings by this US hard rock band. Blind Willie formed in Spokane (Washington) in 1972 and featured terrific guitar player Frank Trowbridge from hard-psych legends Sleepy John. They carved out a unique niche in the Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington rock scene in the early to mid-'70s, performing original music in a time when doing so wasn't widespread for regional bands. Within weeks of the group's formation, they commanded stages with a potent smattering of hard-rock, country-rock and psych. The band's history includes a brief courtship with the Doobie Brothers' Dave Shogren on bass, as well as major label interest from Columbia and Epic Records. Here's the first ever release of their amazing studio demos from 1972/1974. Blind Willie's original lineup of Craig Karp (guitar, vocals), Frank Trowbridge (guitar), Charlie Bieker (bass, guitar, vocals) and Jim Griffith (drums) is represented via slices of incendiary rock pomp recorded on a four-track tape machine in a friend's apartment in 1972. Live in the studio tracks from 1974 feature later drummer Mike Garland and bassist Joe Johnson for a fiery radio set at the legendary Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle. The album's selected tracks navigate Blind Willie's wide-ranging sonic explorations, anchored by formidable guitar-forward rockers that stand the test of time, and hold up to any of the more well-known work of their peers from the '70s. Writhing in the rock milieu, Blind Willie's musical tributaries run deep, steeped in a spectrum of styles that range from hard blues-rock scorchers like the incendiary "Georgia," to heartfelt ballads ("I'm Wondering If") and into the upper echelons of sci-fi psych ("Zolly"), a comet ride through wah-wah geetar spacedust, replete with Rocky Horror cinematic sheen. It's also easy to imagine songs like the choogle-heavy "Somebody Help Me" illuminating the vibe of parties, bars and theaters all over North America. Includes rare photos as well as a digital download card.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: PING 060LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2023 repress. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was a folk singer from Japan. She was a representative of the Ainu culture on the Hokkaido Island in the north of Japan. Ihunke is her first album which was recorded with the Ainu musician and dub producer Oki Kano in 2000. It was released on CD in Japan only and is finally available on vinyl. Ihunke follows 2017's single Iuta Upopo (PING 058EP) which had been received with overwhelming enthusiasm and was quickly sold out. The 16 Ainu songs on Ihunke are delicate, natural gems. They are built on Oki Kano's tonkori patterns (a five-string harp), over which Umeko Ando develops her repetitive, mantric vocals, often in a call-and-response manner. Oki Kano is one of very few professional tonkori players who performs worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band. The songs possess a mystical energy -- when crows call accurately with Ando's brittle voice in the first song, it seems like natural powers join in with her music. Her voice sounds like animals of the sky and the forest. Oki Kano: "It was a lot of fun to record with Umeko Ando. Many Ainu hesitate to break from tradition -- if Umeko hadn't been so flexible to work with the younger generation and recording technology, this album would never have happened. Our sessions were intense, and we were proud and happy about making such beautiful music." Only recently (in 2008) have the Ainu officially been acknowledged as indigenous people who are culturally independent from Japan. This record is an example of how their music has been passed on through generations in the underground Ainu communities while it was oppressed by the Japanese hegemony. It deserves a huge audience. Includes liner notes and download code.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: PP 088EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

World Gym is back. The favorite dive bar band with more music for the people by the people. Glamour is everywhere, it's a feeling. Clap your hands, raise your glasses, this is music for the masses.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: PP 089EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Simone De Kunovich: Mythical Figure. Use variably, whenever you need. D.J. at MainStage, High Profile Fashion Event, Underground Basement Club, Balearic Terrace Situation. Gifted selector. Room filling presence. Oversized packaging. He (here) deals three cards. "Flow My Tears," "Super Mana Drain," and "Warp Lord."

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: PPDISC 006CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Volume five of Chill Pill will help you get in line with nature, enhancing positive feelings through better awareness of one's surroundings. Listening to this music will improve your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. While consuming Chill Pill a healthy mix of relaxation and hedonism is recommended. Featuring Aiden Ayers & Yu Su, SMLR, Nice Girl, Zylva, Mount Liberation Unlimited, Didi Han, DJ City, Popp, Jürgen Branz, Pascal Moscheni, Mayurashka, RIP Swirl, Bollard, Caslean, Zam Ram, Aksel & Aino, Ultraflex, ddwy, Over The Hill, DJ Chrysalis & Jennifer Loveless, and Polygonia.

 

PRICE: $12.50

CAT #: RADK 7029CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Reissue. British garage rock revivalist's 1986 album for Stiff Records' 54321 Countdown affiliate. The Prisoners got their start in the same Medway River delta area of Britain as Billy Childish's Pop Rivets. After the band's demise singer/guitarist/songwriter Graham Day went on to join Childish's Thee Mighty Caesars and eventually formed the Prime Movers, organist James "Jamie" Taylor went on to form the James Taylor Quartet.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: RM 415R-CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A note from Lawrence English: "Some time in the early '00s John Chantler, who was living in Japan at the time, sent me a couple of curious sound pieces he'd just recorded with musicians he'd met from Tokyo -- Tenniscoats. This was my first introduction to Saya and Ueno, who have subsequently gone on to become longtime friends and a wellspring of sonic inspiration. In 2005, through their connections to Guy Blackman in Melbourne, Tenniscoats under took a tour of Australia and as part of that visit I arranged a concert for them in Brisbane. Their show, held at Rics Cafe in Fortitude Valley, was a wildly-flowing flux of song, improvisation and sheer melodic freedom. Following the performance Saya, Ueno and drummer Yoshinari Kishida spent a few additional days in Brisbane, and it's during this time that the majority of Totemo Aimasho was recorded. The recording itself took place in a reappropriated office building, where my friend Heinz Riegler had set up a small recording space. We were able to use the various offices as somewhat isolated recording zones. The results were surprisingly rich, a testament to office room design I suppose. For this special 15th anniversary edition, I spent some time going back over the recordings to remaster them. This version is perhaps a bit more faithful to the dynamics of those sessions. I also spent some days going through archival materials that were not included in the original Totemo Aimasho sessions. To my surprise I found a couple of demo versions of "Cacoy," one of my favorite pieces from the record, as well as some variations of other album pieces and also a couple of experiments not included on the record. There's a certain radiant joy to this music. The record is equal parts curiosity, porousness and generosity. It's a mixed methodology that informed this collaboration, and equally the creation of Totemo Aimasho itself. I want to send a special note of thanks to John, without whom this project, and many subsequent other connections, would not have occurred."Monochrome printed, matte laminated and embossed sleeve with insert card. Includes previously unreleased demos and outtakes.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: RM 4204CD

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

A note from Lawrence English: "To attempt to summarize the journey of Annea Lockwood's life, as a composer and performer, is difficult if not impossible. For six decades now, she has carved out a multifarious and fluid existence that has orbited various musical movements and approaches. Hers is a life led by intuition, curiosity and listening, one in which passion is paramount and wonderment abounds. If you were to reflect upon one aspect of her way of being that holds the greatest gravity in her day to day, it is perhaps listening that resonates most vibrantly. It is a practice that she has sought to deepen, with an unwavering dedication across her life, and a it is practice that has sustained her in the absolute. It's here that Glass World comes into focus for it documents some of her first significant studies into sound, object and listening. It is a recording that captures her in a moment of profound fascination with a rather familiar material, glass. This recording celebrates many things, amongst them Lockwood's willingness to allow single sounds to resonate, fully. Across each of the 23 vignettes captured here, Annea Lockwood invites us to lean into the material nature of sound with her. Glass World shimmers with an almost fanatical incandescence. It radiates a vibrational intensity that holds as strongly today as it did upon its original release in 1970 on Tangent Records. I had the privilege to re-master these recordings, under the guidance of Annea, and sitting with them so intensely was nothing but a delight. In tandem with this project, Annea and I have undertaken a long-form in conversation, which is collected in the book which sits alongside this edition. The conversation splays outward from Annea's work on Glass World and it deliberately seeks to visit upon her interests and passions, and through doing so revel a certain perspective that has guided her ways of being, and ways of making. It's an honor to have the opportunity to share this edition with you. I hope you too can catch Annea's resonate curiosity and be as captivated by these sounds as I (and many others) have been."

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: RM 4220CS

FILE UNDER: ROCK

A note from Lawrence English : "When I was preparing the 15th anniversary re-issue of Totemo Aimasho I spent a few days doing a deep dive through the room40 archive. There's a hell of a lot of material that has been collected over the years, and truth be told I don't exactly remember a lot of it. About a day into this search, I came across this recording. Tasmania Bootleg was recorded on Sunday the 15th of February 2009, at The Brisbane Hotel in Hobart. The visit to Hobart came about pretty last minute, so my email chain from the time seems to suggest. I'd invited Tenniscoats down to Australia to help celebrate the finale of the Fabrique series I was curating at Brisbane Powerhouse. Some folks from Hobart reached out once the other tour dates were announced and then before we knew it, we were headed there. As part of the Hobart visit we recorded a suite of material using the same 'field recording' style we used to create Temporacha in Tokyo the previous year. We also took the chance to record the show at The Brisbane Hotel. This recording is 100% bootleg territory. I must confess to being a huge fan of this style of recording. I was an enormous cassette trader back in my teen years and I put down a lot of my interests in texture and noise to the quality of duplicated bootlegs I listened to back then. This recording was made in the audience by a friendly local and is an entirely faithful capture of the atmosphere that surrounded Tenniscoats during this time. You can literally hear the audience becoming completely entranced by Saya and Ueno's performance. I was honored to play alongside them for this show. It's not something I talk about much, but my first life in music was as a drummer and a flicker of that life is captured here. The edition also comes with a digital phonebook, containing photos in 110 and other formats, that were captured in Tasmania during that time."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: RB 119EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Katerina's full-blown debut EP for Running Back melds cultural images of both places she calls home. Alternatively hailing from Helsinki or Sofia, she serves ethereal vocals, heartbreaking melodies and the chilly melancholic strains of the north to meet an optimistic and at times cheerful mood, paired with pop music themes, heavy bass lines and an upbeat drum section. Six tracks of idiosyncratic and independent dance motifs (including two ambient takes) that all go against the grain of the fast pace of life today, cheap thrills and unnecessary kills. All symbolized in the lyrics of the lead song "Get To Know You" or the instrumental love ballad "Rain In Her Eyes" and bound together by "Marsu The Cat" or "Time Machine." An EP with the depth of an LP, lots of weight and even more character. Powerful, wonderful and more durable than the remains of one day.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: SAT 059EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Following the success of their EPs released last year on Scissor and Thread, Frank & Tony return with another outing of deeper than deep house with a three track EP including an expansive collaborative exploration with Comatonse recording artist Will Long. The title track, "Understanding" takes a nod to '90s Chicago deep house with a slow rolling groove set against plush pads and euphoric stabs sure to send dancefloors swirling in the earliest of nights and mornings alike. "We Begin," a dreamy trip of emotive soundscapes, kicks things up a notch with jazzy undertones but a drive meant for peak times as it unfolds in moods and grooves for ages. The EP then culminates with a vast rework of the same track in collaboration with Comatonse artist and DJ Sprinkles collaborator, Will Long, pushing the EP to psychedelic lengths as the essence of what we call a house groove reaches new idiosyncratic heights.

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: SOW 008LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 repress. Sowing Records present a reissue of Joao Gilberto's O Amor, O Sorriso E A Flor, originally released in Brazil in 1960. This is Joao Gilberto's second studio effort. A seminal album that just one year later introduced bossa nova to the United States. Joao Gilberto, one of the true masters of the genre, displays a great selection of songs including various Tom Jobim's classic gems such as "Samba de Uma Nota Só" ("One Note Samba"), "Corcovado", and "Outra Vez". An essential piece of work in the whole history of Brazilian music. Clear vinyl.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: SQM 017CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

After the success of 2021's Ursgal, Mongolian jazz singer Enji returns with her third album Ulaan. The line-up has grown in size with drummer Mariá Portugal and clarinettist Joana Queiroz from Brazil joining the band to create an invigorating blend of grounded folk and brooding jazz.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: SQM 017LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

LP version. 180 gram vinyl. After the success of 2021's Ursgal, Mongolian jazz singer Enji returns with her third album Ulaan. The line-up has grown in size with drummer Mariá Portugal and clarinettist Joana Queiroz from Brazil joining the band to create an invigorating blend of grounded folk and brooding jazz.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: SF 097CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 reprint. Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band are a contemporary group from Burkina Faso. Coming from Bobo-Dioulasso, the group is steeped in the Mandingue musical traditions of their ancestral legacy. The enigmatic lead singer Baba Commandant (Mamadou Sanou) is an original and eccentric character who is well respected in the Burkinabé musical community. A sort of punk Faso Dan Fani activist for traditional Mandingo music, Baba continues to redefine the boundaries between traditional and modern. In 1981, he joined the Koule Dafourou troupe as a dancer. Later, he embarked on his current musical direction as a singer, first in Dounia and then in the Afromandingo Band. His current band -- when he's not playing with the now-famous Burkinabé musician Victor Démé -- is the Mandingo Band. At present, he is a practitioner of the Afrobeat style, drawing inspiration from the golden era of Nigerian music. Fela Kuti/Africa 70 and King Sunny Adé are big influences, as is the legendary Malian growler Moussa Doumbia. Baba Commandant plays the ngoni, the instrument of the Donso (the traditional hunters in this region of Burkina Faso and Mali). His audience comprises multiple generations and strata of Burkinabé society; he accordingly adapts his repertoire to his surroundings, which range from cabaret Sundays in Bobo-Dioulasso to the sound systems of Ouagadougou. Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band are a formidable force steeped in Ouagadougou's DIY underground musical culture. Juguya is their sound.

 

PRICE: $25.50

CAT #: SF 123LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Mystic choral beauty drifting far into the outer cosmos, this other worldly traditional music ensemble creates a contemporary-sounding avant-garde vocal fusion combined with strange instrumental accompaniment. The HANI are linguistically derived from the YI branch of the Tibeto-Burmese and number a million and a half in the southern part of Yunnan province in China above Laos and Vietnam where smaller Hani communities also live. As with many other ethnic groups of the area, an original traditional singing pattern is used with each singer adapting the words to the context. The choir that gathers all singers at the same time is considered to be a very unique style of vocal polyphony or heterophony. The cascading, mournful feel of this music is powerfully transcendent and you've never heard anything like it. Many of these songs express intimate strong emotions that bring tears to the performers while they are singing. Instruments used by the ensemble include the BABI (single tree leaf) and MEPA (rolled up tree leaf in a shape of a horn or mirliton), a CHIWO (3-stringed bowed instrument), a LABI (6-holed bamboo flute), a LAHE (3-stringed small lute) and a MEBA (vertical reed instrument). All tracks featuring singers and musicians from the Hani tribe in Yunnan China. Recorded by Laurent Jeanneau in 2011, this Limited-Edition vinyl LP includes a two-sided insert with photos, liner notes, and names of all the vocalists and accompanying musicians.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: TVPCRE 004LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Zambon from The Very Polish Cut-Outs have once again sought out forgotten and somewhat obscure artists whose music is in need of a revival. This time, they have chosen the duo Modfunk, who were active in the Polish electronic music scene from 1999 to 2009. Piotr Jarecki and Martin Tigermann, two Varsovians who shared a love for the "French touch" genre that dominated dancefloors worldwide at the time, showcasing Daft Punk, Cassius, Stardust, and Bob Sinclar, were the brains behind the project. The compilation comprises a subjective and cross-sectional selection of the ten best tracks from Modfunk's entire discography. While their music evolved over the years, they never abandoned their French-inspired sound, which is why the compilation includes tracks like "Souler" and "The Wav," which draw inspiration from Daft Punk. It also features "Love," a track sung in Polish that echoes Romanthony's work, as well as "Texmex" and "Wishes," two electropop tracks that could have been released on Ed Banger Records.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: TOYT 090-3LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Toy Tonics brings back the Kapote album What It Is -- ten dancefloor tracks originally released in 2019 -- now reworked, re-edited and with two new tracks, released as What It Is (2.0). House music, but with a heavy jazz-funk, brasil, lo-fi influence. A mood that evokes early Moodymann, Kerri Chandler or 1990s Paris stuff. When this album came out originally, it caught the attention of many great DJs -- DJ Harvey was playing "Jaas Func Haus" a lot at Pike in Ibiza, and Gerd Janson, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Kenny Dope and Blessed Madonna were filmed playing other tracks from the album. Kapote (Mathias Modica, also known as Munk) doesn't release much music -- he is mainly involved in the Toy Tonics label development, creative direction, and productions of other artists that release on Toy Tonics. Originally a piano and art student, he later discovered DJing, nightlife, and electronic music. Mathias aka Kapote aka Munk has produced and released records with artists like Peaches, James Muprhy and Nancy Whang (of LCD Soundsystem), The Rammellzee, and WhoMadeWho.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: UNROCK 025LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Trolling The De-Enlightenment is a solo live recording from Alan Bishop under his well-known Alvarius B. alias. It was recorded on various occasions throughout western Europe during and after the period he was recording his 2017 trilogy release With A Beaker On The Burner and An Otter In The Oven (ABDT 059CD, 2017). Bishop's presence and charisma, alongside his distinctive voice and the twisted characters he has to offer, filled the rooms he played in, and these recordings transport his unique performance vibe to this vinyl edition. The album contains some tracks you're possibly familiar with, and some which have never been played before. There's not only a re-written Bob Dylan song and two interpretations of Burt-Bacharach-lounge as it could be called, but many of Bishop's original songs are present on this first ever Alvarius B. live album release. Photos by Hans Van Der Linden. Recorded by Peter Koerfer. Master by Kubbara in Cairo. Sleeve design by Philip Lethen. Produced by Alan Bishop and Michael Stahl. Edition of 400.Alan Bishop is perhaps best known as a founding member of the legendary Phoenix/Seattle underground band Sun City Girls, in which he played alongside his brother Richard Bishop and the late Charles Gocher. During the early 1980s he recorded with his brother Richard and Velvet Underground percussionist Maureen Tucker under the name Paris 1942. Currently Bishop is working under his Alvarius B. moniker, and is a founding member of Cairo's Invisible Hands and The Dwarfs Of East Agouza where he plays together with Sam Shalabi and Maurice Louca.

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: VSSL 006LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

e is sky is a collective born out of these first collaborations between Melbourne based experimental composer CORIN, electronic-pop musician Sui Zhen and music producer Casey Hartnett.

 

PRICE: $52.00

CAT #: WQJL 127LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Released in 1971. After the dissolution of Food Brain, a trio rock band consisting of former members Shinki Chen (guitar), Masayoshi Kabe (bass), and Joey Smith (drums, vocals). The band was named by Mickey Curtis. Its bluesy guitar, undulating bass, and heavy drums are reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, reigning as Japan's first and foremost heavy rock album. This analog version uses a 96khz24bit sound source mastered in 2017. The jacket is a single jacket, Rock Age OBI and others. It reproduces the original as much as possible."

 

PRICE: $52.00

CAT #: WQJL 125LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Repress! Released in 1971, this is the first album produced by a Japanese artist with the overseas market in mind. It was released in the United States, Canada, and Japan, and in particular, the single 'Satori Part 2' reached number eight in Canada. There is also an oriental thought trend in Europe and the United States, and the work is characterized by incorporating more oriental and Japanese sounds. Japan at this time was also a turning point from GS to folk, and there were still few people who accepted rock, but it continues to be supported by its advanced sound. Of course, it is very popular overseas and its name recognition is still undiminished. The jacket reproduces the original W jacket, Rock Age OBI, and enclosed postcard as much as possible."

 

PRICE: $75.00

CAT #: WQJL 128LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Repress! Speed, Glue & Shinki's last album is a luxurious specification that faithfully reproduces the original, including the full band! Released in 1972. The second, which became the last album, is a two-disc set. Famous for tiger jacket. This work has many songs that are thought to be centered on Joey Smith, but like the previous work, it is full of bluesy rock. There are some lyrical songs, but the D-side medley makes extensive use of the Moog synthesizer, which was still rare at the time. Michael Hanopol, Shigeki Watanabe, Hiroshi Oguchi, participated as guests. This analog version uses a 96khz24bit sound source mastered in 2017. The jacket is a single jacket x two, a full-length Obi, a lyric card, etc. It reproduces the original as much as possible."

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: WWSLP 027LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock. Following the success of the special Record Store Day Abu Ali edition (WWSLP 021LP), Wewantsounds are reissuing a standard version of Ziad Rahbani's mythical disco 12" which was originally issued in Lebanon in 1978. This reissue on black vinyl features the original artwork, with remastered audio. Wewantsounds is to announce the first-ever official vinyl reissue of Ziad Rahbani's mythical Lebanese Disco 12" Abu Ali, originally issued in Lebanon in 1978 on his label Zida Records. A highly collectible album, it will get reissued by Wewantsounds with its original artwork, remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris. Ziad Rahbani is a cultural icon in Lebanon. The musician, pianist, and producer is also a renowned playwright and a political activist, one of the most important exponent of the Lebanese left-wing counterculture to emerge from the '70s. Coming out of an illustrious artistic dynasty (his father is the famous composer and musician Assi Rahbani, member of group The Rahbani Brothers and his mother is the legendary Middle East Diva, Fairuz), Ziad Rahbani started his music career during his late teens, composing music for his mother. Rahbani quickly spread his wings further. He started producing his own music co-founding the label Zida in 1978 at age 22 in the process and started releasing records under his own name. Among these was Abu Ali recorded in Greece at the EMI Studios in Athens with a full orchestra -- there he also recorded his mother's 1979 album Wahdon (WWSLP 022LP) -- and released it as a limited run EP for the Lebanese market. Legend has it that the album was only pressed at 500 unit hence its rarity. The result is a fabulous New York-meets-Beirut disco ecstasy, developing over two 13-minute tracks and one of the most collectible albums on the international dance and disco scene.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 041LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

2023 restock; LP version. Wewantsounds reissue of Billy Brooks's much sought-after album Windows of the Mind, released in 1974 on Ray Charles's Crossover Records. The album was co-produced by Charles and features such heavy players as Herman Riley, Calvin Keys, and Larry Gales. There's not a huge amount of information to be found about trumpet player Billy Brooks. A solid session musician who'd been around since the '50s, he played with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Cal Tjader, and of course Ray Charles, who signed him to his sub label Crossover Records in the early '70s to release Windows of the Mind. Interestingly, Brooks also appears on Bea Benjamin's 1976 cult classic African Songbird produced by Dollard Brand. Windows of the Mind released in 1974 remains Brooks' only solo album. Windows of the Mind was recorded in Los Angeles and co-produced by Ray Charles. It is a skillful, brass-led mix of jazz and funk performed by such cult players as bassist Larry Gales (Thelonious Monk), drummer Clarence Johnston (Freddie Roach, James Moody), saxophonist Herman Riley (Side Effect, Pleasure, Earth Wind & Fire, Letta Mbulu), guitarists Jef Lee (Roy Ayers, Sylvia Striplin) and cult player Calvin Keys of Black Jazz Records fame. From the groove of "Rockin Julius", "Shetter Cheeze", and "Black Flag" to the mid-tempo jazz mood of "Cooling It" and "C.P. Time" and the cinematic brass pyrotechnics of "The Speech Maker", "Windows of the Mind" is a superb funked-up big band jazz album. Windows of the Mind did reasonably well among the jazz circles when it came out but its fate would change fifteen years later when, in 1990, A Tribe Called Quest heavily sampled its closing track "Fourty Days" for their own "Luck of Lucien" featured on the group's debut album People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm (1990). The album revolutionized hip-hop and "Luck of Lucien" became one of the album's highlights, thus cementing the reputation of Billy Brooks original LP among DJs and collectors. Original LPs now change hands for a few hundred dollars. Wewantsounds now make this landmark album available again in partnership with The Ray Charles Foundation. Newly remastered audio; comes with original artwork.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 045LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2023 restock. Wewantsounds present the first vinyl reissue Omar Khorshid's cult instrumental album from 1978 originally released in Lebanon. The album features Khorshid's trademark twangy electric guitar sound over Arabic melodies enhanced by fascinating fuzzed-up arrangements and early synthesizer sounds. Wewantsounds' series of Arabic music reissues are curated by Lebanese-born Arabic music expert Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. The album has been newly remastered and comes with the original Voice of Lebanon LP artwork. One of the greatest guitar players of the Arab world accompanying such stars as Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez, and Farid El Atrache, Omar Khorshid was born in Cairo in 1945. After studying music from an early age, he joined the Egyptian pop group Les Petits Chats in 1966 and played with them for a couple of years. After seeing the group playing, Abdel Halim Hafez then recruited Khorshid for his band which led him to subsequently play for Egyptian diva Oum Khalthoum and a few other Egyptian pop stars. Following the political troubles faced by Egypt in the early '70s, Khorshid decided to move to Lebanon in 1973 and started recording under his own name for a few Beirut-based labels. In 1977, he was invited by Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat to perform at the White House for the celebration of the Camp David Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. In 1978, Khorshid moved out again -- to Syria this time -- for a about a year before returning to his homeland of Egypt to concentrate on live performances and on his nascent film career. Unfortunately, Khorshid efforts were cut short and he didn't have time to fulfil his ambitions tragically dying in a motorbike crash in May 1981, aged just 36. With Love released by the Beirut-based Voice of Lebanon label in 1978 is a testament to Omar Khorshid's greatness and encapsulate the unique sound of his guitar playing over modern arrangements establishing him as one of Arabic music's true innovator. Featuring reworkings of such favorites as Mohamed Abdel Wahab's "Ahwak", Farid El-Atrache's "Hebbina Hebbina" (a Brian Eno favorite), and the Rahbani Brothers' "Rahbaniyat", the album is a fascinating example of modern Arabic music that aimed at fusing traditional influences with the more contemporary ones, and has become highly sought-after by lovers of this Middle Eastern sounds around the world.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: XI 119CD

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

2023 restock; 1998 release. Voted one of 1998's top 15 Records of the Year in Modern Composition by the writers and critics of The Wire, Trilogie de la Mort is a work in three parts for anolog Arp synthesizer. The first third of the work, Kyema, is inspired by The Tibetan Book of the Dead and invokes the six intermediate states that constitute the existential continuity of the being. Kailasha, the second chapter, is structured on an imaginary pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash, one of the most sacred mountains in the Himalayas. Koumé makes up the last part of the trilogy and emphasizes the transcendence of death.

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: YRE 047EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Yore Records presents P0lyrhythm's Motor City Dreams EP on 12" vinyl.