Hello,

Topping a brace of great releases this week is the best session yet from boutique imprint Pre-Cert Home Entertainment courtesy of Slant Azymuth – the hyperstitious alias of Andy Votel and Demdike Stare. On the fourth Pre-cert release they put into practice their oddest ideas, steering along the peripheries of their individual aesthetics to find themselves in stranger, inexplicable sonic interzones. Strictly limited copies on this one so…

Demdike Stare’s and Hype Williams’ Shangaan Electro revisions are also now available on wax – both sounding suitably detached and inimitable, a great followup to that amazing Actress remix twelve from a few weeks back.

Sweden’s Häpna label also deeply impress this week with an enchanting album by Musette. Essentially, his ‘Drape Me In Velvet’ side sounds something like The Caretaker doing ’60s exotica on half century-old tape, playing wheezy organs and rippling rhythms in a delicious fug of ferric particles. The melodies are as pop-tight as you’d expect from a guy who dresses like he does, but there’s also an underlying sort of dementia which will really warrant repeat listens. Don’t sleep on this!

And following a theme of fictitious sonics this week, Dramatic Records also return with the debut by Gabo Gulbenkian. A hit with the XXJFG crew, ‘Explorers’ plots an arc between synth-y Italian soundtracks, Kosmische and bright IDM, taking inspiration from famous explorers of land, sound and the mind to shape his own vivid and psychedelic world of lush, dreamspace electronica.

Oh and Moon Wiring Club at long last deliver a long-rumoured 7″ – ‘Always A Party’, made in an edition of just 240 copies for the world and featuring a remix by…..shhhhhh!

If you’re in need of some gravity, however, check the intensely visceral split from John Wiese & Lasse Marhaug, and Kalong. ‘Rip Torn Goes To Warsaw’ features two contrasting live performances – the fractal maelstrom of elemental noise improvisors Wiese and Marhaug on one side – and the the linear, layered sensitivities of Jessika Loers and Melani Wratil’s Cologne-based Kalong on the flip. There’s only 300 copies on this one, packaged with an A3 poster and download code.

On another page entirely, Soul Jazz present a killer collection of haughty House and classic disco tracks used in New York circa 1976-1996. With tracks by Masters At Work, Armand Van Helden, Junior Vasquez and Diana Ross, plus an hour long exclusive Junior Vasquez mix, postcards and extensive liner notes, it’ll fill you in on all you need to know about Ballroom bitches and one of the baddest underground House scenes out there. A strong recommendation!

We’ve got a haul of rather choice reissues in stock, too. Cocteau Twins’ long-overdue, deluxe white vinyl issue of their 4AD “best of”, ‘Stars And Topsoil: A Collection (1982-1990)’ is a bit of a must have – comprehensively remastered by Robin Guthrie and packaged in gatefold sleeve with printed inners, while the seminal Porter Ricks LP ‘Biokinetics’ lands for a 2nd run on blue vinyl and brand new CD edition, while The Caretaker’s gorgeous soundtrack ‘Patience (After Sebald)’ is also now available on CD.

And for slightly straighter floors there’s the Xander Harris, Ital and Cuticle remixes of Peaking Lights ‘pon 100% Silk for all you hip, trippy cats, and last but definitely not least UTTU’s latest banger from eccentric Chicagoan Marcus Mixx!

Also out this week, new releases from Lindstrom, Goth Trad, Mark Ernestus, Hyperdub, Tectonic, Loops Of Your Heart (aka The Field), Ulrich Schnauss, Poison Idea, Tenniscoats, Olafur Arnalds, Battles, Air, Fudge FIngas, Scuba, Burn Friedman, Harmonious Thelonious, Sun Glitters, Jazzman, Black Devil Disco Club, Raffertie, Synkro, Zammuto (The Books), Kane Ikin, Pop Ambient and much much more.

Have yourselves a fabulous week…

Peace! Nekkers..xx

Albums of the Week
	SLANT AZYMUTH (DEMDIKE STARE & ANDY VOTEL) Slant Azymuth ELECTRONIC Pre-Cert Home Entertainment LP // £14.99 Andy Votel and Demdike Stare inaugurate their joint project under the Slant Azymuth aegis for Pre-Cert’s 4th release of acousmatic sound poetry and hyperstitious ephemera. For our P’s it’s the best Pre-Cert yet and easily one of the darkest projects we’ve heard Votel involved with. While each track bears traceable hallmarks of their individual tastes, Slant Azymuth is perhaps best regarded as a shared vision, triangulated from three shadowy perspectives. They offer no explanation or reasoning for this record, meaning we’re left to enter the void unarmed and pregnant with fear from the faded artwork and cryptic track titles. Without wanting to give too much away, it drifts between four central scenes, each dosing the listener in a subtly creepy manner, from the noxious swamp gas atmospheres of ‘Gray Equidae’ to the adrenal build of ‘Helicial Scan’ and the mesmeric, snake-eye syncopation of ‘U-Matic Thrill’, but it’s perhaps the three abstracted intervals, or ‘Intervisions’ which evoke the strangest, most inexplicable emotions and questions of sanity. Ultimately it’s a riddle within a riddle, whose answers will elude all but its creators. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try… A must for the home tapers and adventurous armchair-o-nauts. MUSETTE Drape Me In Velvet SOUNDTRACKS / LIBRARY / EARLY ELECTRONIC Hapna LP // £13.99 **Includes download code redeemable from the label** Musette is a very dapper looking gent called Joel Danell who makes utterly enchanting exotica and records onto time-worn and overused tape. ‘Drape Me In Velvet’ is his first vinyl release and first record for the lovely Swedish label, Häpna. It’s also one of the most endearing albums to cross our paths from the label so far, braiding hand-played strands of wheezy organ music with rippling easy listening rhythms in a gloriously spacey and tantalisingly out-of-reach sound world. We’re a bit partial to good use of tape-recorded techniques around these parts, but this fella’s got something really special going on, apparently using half-century-old reel-to-reels and cassettes inherited from his family and dating to the ’50s and ’60s to achieve his uncannily warm and anachronistic aesthetic. There’s obviously a playful sense of irony at work, to be able to craft such archaic work in an age of futuristic possibilities. And like, say, The Caretaker, it’s matched and masked with a sincerity that’s loveably demented and always accessible and reality-stifling when you need it – as though providing a glimpse into the whiskey and prescription smudged memory recess of a character from Mad Men. Like we say, it’s one of the years first real gems, a record we’ll all surely be getting better acquainted with. GABO GULBENKIAN Explorers ELECTRONIC Dramatic Records CD // £7.99 Dramatic Records’ web of fictions grows ever more intricate with the release of Gabo Gulbenkian’s electro cruise ‘Explorers’. Already beloved of XXJFG, the fourth release on this intriguing imprint casts into dreamspace electronica, arcing from late ’90s IDM back towards lushly compatible realms of kosmische and Italian soundtracks. It’s a sound quite close to our hearts and rendered here in crisp yet sweetly psychedelic relief. Each of the nine tracks are respectfully dedicated to the ‘Explorers’ of the title, and also accompanied by a brief but evocative quote. For example, the plainsong chorale and glassy keys of ‘Arthur Rimbaud (1851 – 1891)’ reads “I might well be the child abandoned on the jetty heading out to sea, the little farmboy following the lane whose forehead touches the sky”, ok well that’s one of the more esoteric instances, but there’s also the surreal digital anachronisms of ‘Baron Münchhausen (1720 – 1727)’ “He spoke as a Man of the world, without circumlocution; his adventures were numerous and perhaps singular, but only such as might have been expected to happen to a man of such experience”, each lending these carefully constructed homages a sense of wonder and cute playfulness which is possibly Dramatic Records’ most endearing quality. JOHN WIESE & LASSE MARHAUG / KALONG Rip Torn Goes To Warsaw EXTREME / NOISE ALARM LP // £16.99 *Edition of 300 housed in printed sleeve and full colour jacket. Includes A3 poster and download code redeemable from the label* Uncompromising, devilish noise performances by two intriguing, boundary pushing duos – Lasse Marhaug & John Wiese, and Cologne’s Kalong aka Jessika Loers and Melani Wratil – on the very promising Alarm imprint. It’s a case of experience superceding youth, as Marhaug and Wiese obliterate the A-side with a maelstrom of fractal, infinitely morphing spatial dynamics and abstract, kinetic sounds ranging from guttural roars to sharply defined metallic prangs and clangs, from oblique stretches of cacophonous inferno to what could be a contact mic rubbed against the interior of a  skull inside a live organism. The pacing and density of the piece is as malleable as the sounds themselves, dissolving and resolving between colossal black hole densities and gaseous dispersions with a free jazz dexterity. By contrast, Kalong’s side, performed and recorded at UFA Palast, Cologne in June 2011, is more linear, gradually amassing layers of caustic, bubbling noise before the gates break and they tumble headfirst through mauling thickets of white noise, scorching solar flare stabs and strobing pulse patterns, to the eerie relief of droning vocals, and back into the fray, all with a wayward force and feel for the kind of visceral sonics which leave open wounds on their way in.  VARIOUS / SOUL JAZZ Soul Jazz Records presents Voguing: Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene in New York City 1976-1996 DISCO / EDITS / FUNK Soul Jazz 2CD // £10.99 *Eight-panel gatefold double disc CD with 20-page booklet and six picture postcards. Includes an exclusive Junior Vasquez mix* With the current groundswell and ubiquity of House music, it’s important to redress the roots and reasons behind such a sprawling scene. This expertly compiled 18-track compilation, Junior Vasquez mix, twenty page booklet and postcard set does just that, documenting New York’s flamboyant Voguing scene 1976-96 by tracing its history from Disco thru House via foundational tracks from Masters At Work, Loose Joints, Armand Van Helden, and Malcolm Maclaren, among others. In recent years the scene has been pushed underground, only to resurface in its most modern manifestation on releases by MikeQ, and heavily referenced by the likes of Kingdom and Bok Bok, combining that crucially catty, c*nty attitude with up-to-date production techniques. The tracks here exhibit the authentic roots of the modern sound, from Master At Work’s pivotal ‘The Ha Dance (Ken/Lou Mixx)’, to Armand Van Helden’s haughty classic ‘The Witch Doktor (Dark Ages Mix)’, and the functional, body-working grooves of Junior Vasquez’s ‘X (Sound Factory Mix)’ and Rageous Projecting Kevin Aviance on ‘C*nty (The Feeling) (Party Mix)’. Essentially these tracks are placed in context as dancefloor tools, or even weapons, catalysts for bitchy conflict and an energy and sense of style which really gave House music its fiery, sexy reputation in the first place. All too sadly folk are much more conservative on the dancefloor these days (maybe we’re not going to the right clubs), but hopefully this collection – and Chantal Regnault’s accompanying book – will incite some of you into action. See you on the runway, bitches. Recommended. COCTEAU TWINS Stars And Topsoil: A Collection (1982-1990) INDIE / ROCK / ALTERNATIVE 4AD 2LP // £15.99 ‘Stars and Topsoil’, Cocteau Twins’ collection of the best of their 4AD years, is belatedly issued on vinyl for the first time ever, on limited edition white vinyl with a gatefold sleeve, printed inner bags and a complete remaster from Robin Guthrie… PORTER RICKS Biokinetics (Second Vinyl Edition – Transparent Blue Vinyl) BASIC CHANNEL / DUB TECHNO Type 2LP // £16.99 **Second vinyl edition – pressed up on transparent blue vinyl** Type mark their 100th release with a reissue of Porter Ricks’ essential ‘Biokinetics’ – never before available as one vinyl set. Back in 1996, dark ambient pioneer and sound designer Thomas Köner, together with engineer Andy Mellwig, presented the Techno community with one of it’s most enduring and definitive albums in the form of ‘Biokinetics’. It was the first album release on Basic Channel’s Chain Reaction imprint, birthing three 12″ singles which expanded and twisted the templates of Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus with an aquatic torque and unique vision, taking the sound to immersive, isolated depths previously unexplored to this degree. Womb-like systolic pulses plunge us fathoms into darkness penetrated by only the faintest trace of melody, its oceanic pressure profoundly meditative and transporting, reflecting the unimaginable vastness of space. But most importantly, ‘Biokinetics’ achieved what so many others tried but failed within this realm; managing to shape the infinite wave with an individual sense of narrative, one which will entrance a dancefloor and equally flood the senses of a home listener, dissolving the boundaries between club functionality and artistic experience. Fundamentally, it just sounds incredible – as good as the original copies thanks to a new cut at Berlin’s Dubplates & Mastering. This is the first time all of these tracks have been presented on one vinyl package – with a CD edition to follow in the coming weeks. PORTER RICKS Biokinetics (CD Edition 2012) BASIC CHANNEL / DUB TECHNO Type CD // £8.99 Type mark their 100th release with a reissue of Porter Ricks’ essential ‘Biokinetics’. Back in 1996, dark ambient pioneer and sound designer Thomas Köner, together with engineer Andy Mellwig, presented the Techno community with one of it’s most enduring and definitive albums in the form of ‘Biokinetics’. It was the first album release on Basic Channel’s Chain Reaction imprint, birthing three 12″ singles which expanded and twisted the templates of Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus with an aquatic torque and unique vision, taking the sound to immersive, isolated depths previously unexplored to this degree. Womb-like systolic pulses plunge us fathoms into darkness penetrated by only the faintest trace of melody, its oceanic pressure profoundly meditative and transporting, reflecting the unimaginable vastness of space. But most importantly, ‘Biokinetics’ achieved what so many others tried but failed within this realm; managing to shape the infinite wave with an individual sense of narrative, one which will entrance a dancefloor and equally flood the senses of a home listener, dissolving the boundaries between club functionality and artistic experience. Fundamentally, it just sounds incredible – available for teh first time in over 15 years and featuring brand new artwork. THE CARETAKER Patience (After Sebald) SOUNDTRACKS / LIBRARY / EARLY ELECTRONIC History Always Favours The Winners CD // £9.99 James Leyland Kirby returns with a long-in-the-making soundtrack to acclaimed filmmaker Grant Gee’s documentary about German writer WG Sebald. ‘Patience (After Sebald)’ is a multi-layered film essay on landscape, art, history, life and loss – an exploration of the work and influence of German writer WG Sebald (1944-2001), told via a long walk through coastal East Anglia tracking his most famous book ‘The Rings Of Saturn’. Much like The Caretaker’s oeuvre, Sebald’s works are particularly focused on themes of memory, both personal and collective, making Kirby the ideal candidate for this score. Grant tasked him with soundtracking responsibilities, but rather than thrift shop shellac, the source material for ‘Patience’ was sourced from Franz Schubert’s 1827 piece ‘Winterreise’ and subjected to his perplexing processes, smudging and rubbing isolated fragments into a dust-caked haze of plangent keys, strangely resolved loops and de-pitched vocals which recede from view as eerily as they appear. Mastered by Lupo at D&M, the album is adorned with another specially commissioned painting by Ivan Seal.

Singles of the Week
	DEMDIKE STARE / HYPE WILLIAMS Shangaan Shake: Demdike Stare & Hype Williams Meets Shangaan Electro WORLD Honest Jon’s Records 12″ // £6.99 Demdike Stare and Hype Williams present sun-dazed, 180º revisions of the Shangaan Electro sound for Honest Jon’s Records. Landing in quick succession to those outlandish versions by Actress, both sets of artists here view the sound from detached, impressionistic perspectives, resulting in four richly psychedelic experiences. It’s difficult to discern any original elements in Demdike’s two versions; the first features ostensibly “tribal” percussions perhaps best suited for post-ritual hours, the party laid to waste and surveyed by a flock of cannibalistic gulls. On the dub, all that’s left is a lingering trace of dislocated spirit voices and gulls hovering for the morsel of rhythm trapped, stuttering in the sampler. Hype Williams’ side is far removed still, flipping the beat to a skeletal jazz break while Ms Copeland lends a faded, Lynchian, chamber-pop vocal to ‘My Love’, and the hollowed-out, bass drowned dub… MOON WIRING CLUB Always A Party BEATS / DOWNTEMPO / BOOGIE Gecophonic 7″ // £6.49 *Limited edition of 240 copies for the world* Moon Wiring Club on an Eldritch rave tip! The first 7″ on Gecophonic is primed for village hoedowns and full moon orgies with one track-a-piece from Moon Wiring Club’s Ian Hodgson and a remix from the mysterious Lord Wilfred, whoever he or she may be. On the A-side ‘Always A Party’, MWC chops up what sounds like a bored Fenella Fielding over sub-’ardcore drum loops and proper darkside synth stabs, sounding not unlike old skool Two Lone Swordsmen in a cider-drenched dance-off with the Ghost Box crew – or how we’d imagine that to sound. Flipside Lord Wilfred drops an acid rubbed ‘Myxomatosis Mix’ of ‘Infernal Devices’, carving lop-sided breaks and squiggly acid with a ruddy cheeked charm, impossibly deep low-end pads included. Ace artwork by Kynaston Mass, too! PEAKING LIGHTS 936 (Remixed) SYNTHWAVE / ELECTRO 100% Silk 12″ // £11.99 100% Silk are out in force to remix Peaking Lights’ adored ’936′ LP. One of the year’s most nattered about names, Ital refits ‘Marshmellow Yellow’ with a struttin’ Mr. Soft groove, all spongy bass bumps and refracted melody, while Xander Harris views ‘Birds Of Paradise’ as a sludgy piece of Balearic baroque with spy-eyed arpeggios. Best of all is Innergaze’s baggy acid re-tweak of ‘Shines For U’, full of lip-smacking MDMA charm, and Cuticle make a welcome return to the label with the seeping, sideways Chicago revision of ‘Tiger Eyes’. Perfectly trippy. MARCUS MIXX Special Creme TECHNO / HOUSE Unknown To The Unknown 12″ // £5.99 No rest for the wickedest: UTTU come thru with two deeper bangers from the Windy City’s Marcus Mixx. The ‘Chicago Club Mixx’ riffs on a piano hook and dirty grained ruffness not dissimilar to Alias G’s ‘Delite Tonite’, but with a darker, sexier suffusion of mid-’90s dancefloor sweat. The ‘Rub It Mixx’ is leaner, slicker, toying with a juicy fretless bass lick and allowing more space for those hovering, deeply evocative strings and haunting vocal. It’s still party music, but deep with it. Tip!

 

This week’s releases in full! sorted by genre | See all

 

	BASIC CHANNEL / DUB TECHNO
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	PORTER RICKS Biokinetics (Second Vinyl Edition – Transparent Blue Vinyl) Type 2LP // £16.99 **Second vinyl edition – pressed up on transparent blue vinyl** Type mark their 100th release with a reissue of Porter Ricks’ essential ‘Biokinetics’ – never before available as one vinyl set. Back in 1996, dark ambient pioneer and sound designer Thomas Köner, together with engineer Andy Mellwig, presented the Techno community with one of it’s most enduring and definitive albums in the form of ‘Biokinetics’. It was the first album… PORTER RICKS Biokinetics (CD Edition 2012) Type CD // £8.99 Type mark their 100th release with a reissue of Porter Ricks’ essential ‘Biokinetics’. Back in 1996, dark ambient pioneer and sound designer Thomas Köner, together with engineer Andy Mellwig, presented the Techno community with one of it’s most enduring and definitive albums in the form of ‘Biokinetics’. It was the first album release on Basic Channel’s Chain Reaction imprint, birthing three 12″ singles which expanded and twisted the templates of…

 

	BEATS / DOWNTEMPO / BOOGIE
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	MOON WIRING CLUB Always A Party Gecophonic 7″ // £6.49 *Limited edition of 240 copies for the world* Moon Wiring Club on an Eldritch rave tip! The first 7″ on Gecophonic is primed for village hoedowns and full moon orgies with one track-a-piece from Moon Wiring Club’s Ian Hodgson and a remix from the mysterious Lord Wilfred, whoever he or she may be. On the A-side ‘Always A Party’, MWC chops up what sounds like a bored Fenella Fielding over… GB (GIFTED & BLESSED) 7 In 24 / Dogon All City 12″ // £7.99 Another choice entry from LA’s Gifted & Blessed on Dublin’s All City imprint. We’ve been consistently impressed with his output over the years and this one is no different, striking into squashed, wide-bassed Electro Boogie with a stripped down and efficiently funky aesthetic on ’7 in 24′, while ‘Dogon’ comes off like fellow West Coast head SFV Acid gone febrile, all squirming layers of 303 and sharp, pinging metallic delays…. JON PHONICS Grid Games EP Prism 12″ // £6.99 Jon Phonics follows up his HipHop-’Tronica ace ‘The One’ with a slew of collaborations backed with smart remixes. He proves an adaptable, dynamic collaborator alongside Bug on the spiralling fluoro crunk of ‘Jack Duckworth’, and equally the oozy, crushed funk of ‘ROMES’ with Pete Cannon, and the heat-seeking swagger of ‘Double Vision’ with Jeeks. Flipside Kidkanevil remixes his ‘Swamp Donkey’ cut with S-Type, while Ghost Mutt slices ‘Jack Duckworth’ into… SUN GLITTERS High Music/Is/For/Losers 12″ // £6.99 Smartly up-to-date and downslow dream-pop from Luxembourg’s Victor Ferreira aka Sun Glitters. Pledging no small allegiance to the Tri Angle sound of o0o00 or Holy Other, the ‘High EP’ is all about that body owning downstroke; rhythms which feel as though they’re about to collapse under their heavy-hearted melodic sentiments but somehow sustaining the will to plough forth through molasses atmospheres towards the glimmer of helium vocalled hope in the… O F F LOVE Probably Love M=Maximal LP // £12.99 Intriguing first release of off-kilter R&B from French ex-pat-in-Berlin, o F F Love. ‘Probably Love’ is a fine and unique contribution to that game played by How To Dress Well, Autre Ne Veut, The Weeknd, and the likes, taking autotuned vocals and etheric balladeering into dreamier, surreal zones. But unlike the aforementioned artists, ‘Probably Love’ is more dislocated, unsure of itself, fracturing pop conventions into small, kaleidoscopic songs which feel… SHLOHMO Shlo-Fi Error Broadcast LP // £16.99 *First vinyl reissue, on blue wax* Precociously talented 19-year-old Henry Laufer aka Shlohmo is back with a new EP, supplemented with a raft of remixes. For the most part we’re talking exquisitely reverbed ambient beatscapes, comparable with Balam Acab, Clams Casino and the dreamier side of the Tri Angle roster. The two-part ‘For You’ is an aquatic odyssey we’ll be returning to again and again, while ‘Crust’ is so tactile… VERSIS & DIBIASE Fly Me T’ The Moon 10 THIRTY RECORDS 7″ // £6.99 “Los Angeles producer and Low End Theory regular Dibiase has devised his own dynamite comprised of J Dilla-descended moonlit soul, G-funk’s south LA swing, and the dusty cartridge and epileptic flashes of 8-bit Nintendo music. On this limited 45 he hooks up with local MC Versis for a vocal take on one of the standout tracks from his forthcoming album ‘Sound Palace’. Limited pressing on clear vinyl.”

 

	DISCO / EDITS / FUNK
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	VARIOUS / SOUL JAZZ Soul Jazz Records presents Voguing: Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene in New York City 1976-1996 Soul Jazz 2CD // £10.99 *Eight-panel gatefold double disc CD with 20-page booklet and six picture postcards. Includes an exclusive Junior Vasquez mix* With the current groundswell and ubiquity of House music, it’s important to redress the roots and reasons behind such a sprawling scene. This expertly compiled 18-track compilation, Junior Vasquez mix, twenty page booklet and postcard set does just that, documenting New York’s flamboyant Voguing scene 1976-96 by tracing its history from Disco… VARIOUS / SOUL JAZZ Soul Jazz Records presents Voguing: Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene in New York City 1976-1996 (Part One) Soul Jazz 2LP // £14.99 **Double gatefold LP includes free exclusive, limited edition Junior Vasquez mix CD** With the current groundswell and ubiquity of House music, it’s important to redress the roots and reasons behind such a sprawling scene. This expertly compiled 18-track compilation, Junior Vasquez mix, twenty page booklet and postcard set does just that, documenting New York’s flamboyant Voguing scene 1976-96 by tracing its history from Disco thru House via foundational tracks from… VARIOUS / SOUL JAZZ Soul Jazz Records presents Voguing: Voguing and the House Ballroom Scene in New York City 1976-96 (Part Two) Soul Jazz 2LP // £14.99 **Double gatefold LP with extensive sleevenotes and eight cherry-picked aces pressed loud** With the current groundswell and ubiquity of House music, it’s important to redress the roots and reasons behind such a sprawling scene. This expertly compiled 18-track compilation, Junior Vasquez mix, twenty page booklet and postcard set does just that, documenting New York’s flamboyant Voguing scene 1976-96 by tracing its history from Disco thru House via foundational tracks from… BLUE RHYTHM COMBO B.R.C.’s Groove Jazzman 3 x 7″ // £17.99 *Triple 7″ 45rpm USA pressing, big centre hole, housed in thick-spined jacket with liner notes on reverse* “The Blue Rhythm Combo from Barbados produced some of the heaviest funk records to come out of the Caribbean in the early ’70s – crossing the local Spouge rhythm with a heavy dose of American styled funk and soul. Their singles on the Merrydisc label have long been sought after by DJs for… BRUTAL MUSIC Brutal 500 Series – EP-4: Lingua Franca EP BRUTAL MUSIC 12″ // £7.99 Exotic groove travellers Brutal Music pluck out four obscure Japanese New Wave movements from Kyoto’s EP-4, a collaboration between Kaorus Sato and keyboardist/tape manipulator Banana Kawashima, and released circa 1983-84. A-side serves the slow, stoned downtown groove ‘Robothood Process’, and the layered, studio-crafty Talking Heads vibes of ‘Tide Gauge’, both taken from their ‘Lingua Franca’ LP. Flipside, from their sought after private press 7″, ‘Coco’ sounds like some mad Zé… LINDSTRøM Six Cups Of Rebel Smalltown Supersound 2LP // £16.99 **Double gatefold jacket with ace artwork by design überlord, Kim Hiorthoy** Hans-Peter Lindstrom’s fourth album is an undeniably titanic affair destined for modern disco stardom. Part Deep Purple-ish prog ebullience and part intergalactic dance fuel, ‘Six Cups Of Rebel’ is his most mature and coherent long player, informed by a decade of production experience and an invaluable dancefloor education drawing upon lessons learnt from vintage Baldelli and Beppe Loda mixes…. LINDSTRøM Six Cups Of Rebel Smalltown Supersound CD // £10.49 Hans-Peter Lindstrom’s fourth album is an undeniably titanic affair destined for the modern disco. Part Deep Purple-ish prog ebullience and part intergalactic dance fuel, ‘Six Cups Of Rebel’ is his most mature and coherent long player, informed by a decade of production experience and an invaluable dancefloor education drawing upon lessons learnt from vintage Baldelli and Beppe Loda mixes. It’s sophisticated to the core, from the magnificent cascade of organs… BLACK DEVIL DISCO CLUB PRESENTS BERNARD FEVRE / YELLOW PERIL DISCO GROUP Max Stroke / Bamboo Disco Fresh Up Records 7″ // £5.99 *Jukebox 7″ pressing* EDMX’s Fresh Up imprint heads for a more intrepid adventure with Black Devil Disco Club’s Bernard Fevre and Yellow Peril Disco Group. BBII’s ‘Max Stroke’ is a tensely funky library-style groove with charming vintage keys. ‘Bamboo Disco’ is a slower, more rugged mission piece, shades-on and ready for the night.

 

	DUB / REGGAE
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	NEW AGE STEPPERS Love Forever ONU SOUND CD // £11.99 “Producer Adrian Sherwood and Ari Up, the lead singer of the formative British all-female punk group The Slits, first met in 1978. As Sherwood put it, “Ari really stood out in the crowd partly for her appearance but more so for an almost unhinged enthusiasm for the music.” Sherwood and Ari Up would go on to form a long-lasting friendship and musical partnership. Ari Up featured as part of the… PRINCE FATTY AND THE MUTANT HI-FI Transistor Cowboy / Son Of A Thousand Fathers Mr Bongo 7″ // £5.99 Cheeky platter from the fellas at Mr Bongo, who drop a side of spaghetti western soundtrack-meets-Ska from Prince Fatty and The Mutant HiFi. The production is assuredly vintage sounding and entirely analog, thanks to the involvement of Mike ‘Prince Fatty’ Pelanconi (producer for Lily Allen, Graham Coxon and The Pharcyde, a.o.), who was also behind those reggae covers of Nirvana, and also Mutant HiFi’s Nick Coplowe, who’s worked for many…

 

	DUBSTEP / GRIME / FUNKY
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	RAFFERTIE Mass Appeal Ninja Tune 12″ // £4.99 Increasingly dextrous producer Raffertie drops his 2nd EP for Ninja Tune, following the excellent ‘Visual Acuity’ session. In our books he’s one of the label’s brightest electronic talents, consistently forging his own identity with a keen sense of soul and broad scope. We can hear this from the off in the title track, a frayed and knotted piece of futurist electro-soul with crisp yet elastic contours and appreciation of spatial… GOTH TRAD New Epoch Deep Medi CD // £7.99 *Gatefold slipcase. Includes the super-structured ‘Airbreaker’, plus ‘Cosmos’ and ‘Babylon Fall’ featuring Max Romeo* Deep Medi unleash a lean, Techno-faced triple LP slab from Japan’s Goth Trad. Following in the slipstream of his tremendous ‘Airbreaker’ 12″, ‘New Epoch’ presents a fluidly contoured, sharply cut sound rooted in the original principles of ’05/’06 Dubstep, but evidently anxious to move the style forward with augmented traces of Footwork, driving Techno and Brainfeeder-esque… GOTH TRAD New Epoch Deep Medi 3LP + CD // £18.99 *Pressed on 180 gram 3 X 12” vinyl with full length CD packed within a full colour gatefold sleeve* Deep Medi unleash a lean, Techno-faced triple LP slab from Japan’s Goth Trad. Following in the slipstream of his tremendous ‘Airbreaker’ 12″, ‘New Epoch’ presents a fluidly contoured, sharply cut sound rooted in the original principles of ’05/’06 Dubstep, but evidently anxious to move the style forward with augmented traces of… SYNKRO Progression Exit Records 12″ // £7.49 Highly refined D&B/Electronica from two of the scene’s most promising and productive producers. With ‘Progression’ Synkro effortlessly slips back into the 170bpm bracket following two House tempo 12″s for MoM and Stryax. The drum programming is lean, but subtly ornate, there to punctuate and accentuate the uplifting glide of his minimal yet lush arrangement. Flipside, longtime spar Indigo adds some rougher, ruder detail with taut, spasmodic Jungle breaks and a… FUNKYSTEPZ Trouble EP Hyperdub 12″ // £5.99 North London’s Funkystepz drop an infectious 2nd single on Hyperdub. There’s two scorching tracks to watch out for on this one. Firstly the minimalist carnival ruffige of ‘Trouble’, a snake-charming syncopation of marimbas, subbass hits and waist-winding orientalism, then you got the shrill Dutch House influence of ‘Dirty Dutch’ full of squiggling, Niche-gone-’Dam style synth melody and restless polyrhythms for the dancers. On a more reduced skank, ‘John Wayne’ packs… BWANA Over & Done EP INFINITE MACHINE 12″ // £6.99 Highly anticipated vinyl debut for the much hyped Bwana. Since only starting to produce music in early 2011, Bwana has attracted the attentions of everyone from Gilels Peterson to Sepalcure and signed tracks with the likes of Mad Decent and Montreal’s Infinite Machine. He returns with three tracks flitting between future Garage/R&B on ‘It Ain’t Over Til It’s Done’, to sweeter, Boxcutter-styled Dubstep on ‘When There’s Nothing Left’, and the… COMPA Boka Artillery Vol.2 Boka Records 12″ // £6.49 Pure, darkside missives from busy newcomer, Compa. A-side ‘Sentence’ is full of dank modern horror film atmosphere and brooding bass weight punctuated by anvil-wrought percussion. Flipside ‘Beginning’ steps in with harnessed halfstep torque a widescreen HD sense of space. A strong look for fans of Youngsta or Kryptic Minds, y’know, the really dark stuff. DISTANCE Reboot / Bazurk TECTONIC 12″ // £5.99 Coshing Dubstep heavyweights from the OG halfstep soldier. Returning to Tectonic for the first time since 2009, he’s as radge ever. A-side ‘Reboot’ keeps his style minimal and fresh, working with a squirming, uncomfortable synth distortion and neurotic rave stabs on a pistoning piece of hardcore Dubstep rollidge. Flipside ‘Bazurk’ is perhaps more typical, slicing up slathering riffage around guillotine snares and skin-flailing hi-hats. GONGON I Could Be There featuring Bad Autopsy Well Rounded Records 12″ // £5.99 Bumpy House moves from Well Rounded’s Gongon and his buddy Bad Autopsy. ‘I Could Be There’ pivots choice R&B vocal samples on some thickset subs and clipped drums while ‘Cactus Banger’ pipes up with minimal, tucked-in Funky rhythms and dubbed out atmospheres arranged to a snagging lead.  KROMESTAR Bookey / Alone DUBSTEP FOR DEEP HEADS 12″ // £6.99 Flash and crafty Dubstep rollers from the OG scene don. ‘Boookey’ lays out a HD-criss hybrid of synth’d-out Hip Hop and staggered skank rhythms reminding of his previous collaborations with Om Unit. Flipside ‘Alone’ edges closer to Broken Beat territory with tilted martial snares and darkly tinted, wavey synths for that dope late night effect.

 

	ELECTRONIC
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	SLANT AZYMUTH (DEMDIKE STARE & ANDY VOTEL) Slant Azymuth Pre-Cert Home Entertainment LP // £14.99 Andy Votel and Demdike Stare inaugurate their joint project under the Slant Azymuth aegis for Pre-Cert’s 4th release of acousmatic sound poetry and hyperstitious ephemera. For our P’s it’s the best Pre-Cert yet and easily one of the darkest projects we’ve heard Votel involved with. While each track bears traceable hallmarks of their individual tastes, Slant Azymuth is perhaps best regarded as a shared vision, triangulated from three shadowy perspectives…. GABO GULBENKIAN Explorers Dramatic Records CD // £7.99 Dramatic Records’ web of fictions grows ever more intricate with the release of Gabo Gulbenkian’s electro cruise ‘Explorers’. Already beloved of XXJFG, the fourth release on this intriguing imprint casts into dreamspace electronica, arcing from late ’90s IDM back towards lushly compatible realms of kosmische and Italian soundtracks. It’s a sound quite close to our hearts and rendered here in crisp yet sweetly psychedelic relief. Each of the nine tracks… LOOPS OF YOUR HEART (THE FIELD) And Never Ending Nights Magazine CD // £8.99 Axel Willner (The Field) rejoins Köln’s Magazine set with his first album as Loops Of The Heart. He’s already worked with the collective on their first release ‘Render’, and since moving from Sweden to Berlin he’s taken the time to create ‘And Never Ending Nights’. Arguably, it’s his most intriguing and far-reaching opus, steering away from saffron-scented Trance-Techno and into more adventurous Kosmiche zones guided from a flight desk of… ULRICH SCHNAUSS & MARK PETERS Underrated Silence Bureau B CD // £9.99 Sublime stuff from the master of “shoegazer indietronica” Ulrich Schnauss, and Mark Peters, guitarist and songwriter with Engineers. These are two musicians blessed with the ability to create beautifully transporting music and ‘Underrated Silence’ finds them at their best. With an acute attention to creating the most delicate, soul-suspending moods and atmosphere, their collaborative output recalls the most memorable themes of classic electronica by Boards Of Canada, The Orb, Cocteau… ULRICH SCHNAUSS & MARK PETERS Underrated Silence Bureau B LP+CD // £13.99 Sublime stuff from the master of “shoegazer indietronica” Ulrich Schnauss, and Mark Peters, guitarist and songwriter with Engineers. These are two musicians blessed with the ability to create beautifully transporting music and ‘Underrated Silence’ finds them at their best. With an acute attention to creating the most delicate, soul-suspending moods and atmosphere, their collaborative output recalls the most memorable themes of classic electronica by Boards Of Canada, The Orb, Cocteau… BOY FRIEND Egyptian Wrinkle (Album) Hell, Yes! CD // £9.99 Boy Friend aka Christa Palazzolo and Sarah Brown (formerly two thirds of Sleep ∞ Over) deliver their detached and dreamily desolate debut album. Summoning allusions to Cocteau Twins, Creep and Zambri, ‘Egyptian Wrinkle’ is a pure dream pop fantasy, set with the widest, most cavernous reverbs thanks to a post-production finish at Hate Studio in Vincenzo, Italy, and structured around chiffon-fine vocal harmonies and plushest synth pads. There’s absolutely no… BOY FRIEND Egyptian Wrinkle (Album) Hell, Yes! LP // £14.99 **Limited edition pink marbled vinyl – Includes digital download voucher redeemable from the label** Boy Friend aka Christa Palazzolo and Sarah Brown (formerly two thirds of Sleep ∞ Over) deliver their detached and dreamily desolate debut album. Summoning allusions to Cocteau Twins, Creep and Zambri, ‘Egyptian Wrinkle’ is a pure dream pop fantasy, set with the widest, most cavernous reverbs thanks to a post-production finish at Hate Studio in Vincenzo,… LUCKY DRAGONS A David Horvitz Picture Disc with Lucky Dragons AAGOO 7″ // £7.99 “Side A: 1. Music For No Reason Side B: 1. More Melody 2. No Reason. Three New Lucky Dragons Songs With Pictures By David Horvitz..Limited To 500 Copies.” MOUNT EERIE Distorted Cymbals K RECORDS 7″ // £5.99 “Phil Elverum, in his many musical incarnations, is a collector of sounds, and his Mount Eerie single ‘Distorted Cymbals’ is perfectly in the Dub Narcotic Disco Plate catalogue. Recorded with Calvin Johnson (Selector Dub Narcotics) in the Dub Narcotic studio, this collectable 7” has been called one of Phil’s more cogent projects by Calvin, and is a wonderful collaboration between two musical savants.” THE MICRONAUT Friedfisch ACKER CD // £12.49 Sweetly emotive electronica with a worldly outlook by The Micronaut on his debut album. ‘Friedfisch’ charts varied topography, from mellow ambient to more broken and tumultuous side-of-the-dancefloor rhythms with a balance between complex programming and fluent, organically musical character reminding of Apparat. Includes two straighter dancefloor remixes by Mollono.Bass. THE MICRONAUT Friedfisch ACKER LP // £13.99 Sweetly emotive electronica with a worldly outlook by The Micronaut on his debut album. ‘Friedfisch’ charts varied topography, from mellow ambient to more broken and tumultuous side-of-the-dancefloor rhythms with a balance between complex programming and fluent, organically musical character reminding of Apparat. Includes two straighter dancefloor remixes by Mollono.Bass. ZAMMUTO (THE BOOKS) Idiom Wind MAKE MINE 7″ // £4.99 *Edition of 500. Housed in wraparound sleeve in poly jacket* The Books’ hugely talented frontman Nick Zammuto presents his wide-eyed new pop project. Joined by an undisclosed four piece band, Zammuto make tenderly crafted, cutely angular pop songs. A-side ‘Idiom Wind’ has the sort of considered twists and turns and strange juxtapositions you might expect from a Micachu And The Shapes record, while ‘F U C-3PO’ is more freeform, experimenting…

 

	EXTREME / NOISE
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	JOHN WIESE & LASSE MARHAUG / KALONG Rip Torn Goes To Warsaw ALARM LP // £16.99 *Edition of 300 housed in printed sleeve and full colour jacket. Includes A3 poster and download code redeemable from the label* Uncompromising, devilish noise performances by two intriguing, boundary pushing duos – Lasse Marhaug & John Wiese, and Cologne’s Kalong aka Jessika Loers and Melani Wratil – on the very promising Alarm imprint. It’s a case of experience superceding youth, as Marhaug and Wiese obliterate the A-side with a maelstrom… POISON IDEA Darby Crash Rides Again Southern Lord Recordings CD // £10.99 *Southern Lord will be reissuing several essential albums from legendary hardcore punk outfit Poison Idea over the next few months. This reissue series kicks off with Darby Crash Rides Again: The Early Years. This CD collects twenty-nine tracks from the band’s earliest days* “Included are the 100% previously unreleased Boner’s Kitchen demo from 1981, the complete Darby Crash Rides Again demo from 1982, the complete uncut live-on-the-air set from the…

 

	FOLK / AMERICANA
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	TENNISCOATS Papa’s Ear Hapna CD // £8.99 Saya and Ueno return to Sweden’s Häpna label for their follow-up to 2007′s delightful ‘Tan-Tan Therapy’. In the time that’s passed they’ve released their achingly cute music on Room40 and Domino’s Geographic sublabel, continuing to refine their childlike sense of naive, playful melodies and crystalline folk arrangement to a cannily satisfying sweetness. Again they travelled to Stockholm to record ‘Papa’s Ear’ surrounded by their extended Häpna family, namely producer Johan… C JOYNES Congo BO’ WEAVIL RECORDINGS LP // £14.99 “Continuing further into the territories of domesticated English voudou sketched out by 2009′s ‘Revenants, Prodigies & The Restless Dead’, ‘Congo’ is dominated by notions of landscape, imagination and personal ritual. However, while elements of introspection and intensity do appear, the mood is one of simple uplifting joy. Warm woody sounds and themes for a variety of donated, rescued and homemade instruments contrast with occasional stark arrangements, bursts of blossoming electricity,… KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINS John Taylor’s Month Away DOUBLE SIX 7″ // £3.99 Their farewell 7” single, ‘John Taylor’s Month Away’ is joined by a brand new arrangement of the King Creosote classic ‘Missionary.’ Limited to 500 copies. LAURA J MARTIN The Hangman Tree Static Caravan CD // £8.99 “Armed with a flute ready for wrangling, mandolin and a loop station, she sings over her loops and beats; songs inspired by subject matter as disparate as Japanese folklore to real life sentiments and characters. The album, which features the vocals of Euros Childs, shows her wonderfully eccentric folk-driven wonkiness in all it’s glory. With a vocal style reminiscent of Bjork, Bonnie Dobson and Kate Bush, Laura hails from the… MICHAEL CHAPMAN Rainmaker Light In The Attic LP // £18.49 *Gorgeously remastered from the original master tapes* “On the heels of last year’s superb reissue by Light In The Attic of Michael Chapman’s 1970 classic album ‘Fully Qualified Survivor’ comes his 1969 debut Rainmaker (originally released on the seminal Harvest label). Like the ‘FQS’ album, Rainmaker is a psychedelic-guitar-folk delight. The album kicks off with one of Chapman’s best known songs “It Didn’t Work Out” – which features a stellar… SHARON VAN ETTEN Tramp Jagjaguwar CD // £8.99 “Sharon Van Etten’s new album (her third, but first for Jagjaguwar) is profoundly effortless and singular-minded. Borne from 14 months of scattered recording sessions whilst without a home, ‘Tramp’ is lush and triumphant, a fresh vision. Leagues ahead of her first two releases, the album was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National and features performances from Zach Condon (Beirut), Julianna Barwick, Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak) and Dessner himself. A… SHARON VAN ETTEN Tramp Jagjaguwar LP // £12.99 **Includes digital download voucher redeemable from the label** “Sharon Van Etten’s new album (her third, but first for Jagjaguwar) is profoundly effortless and singular-minded. Borne from 14 months of scattered recording sessions whilst without a home, ‘Tramp’ is lush and triumphant, a fresh vision. Leagues ahead of her first two releases, the album was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National and features performances from Zach Condon (Beirut), Julianna Barwick,…

 

	HOME LISTENING / MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT
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	KANE IKIN Contrail 12K 7″ // £7.99 **Includes digital download coupon redeemable from the label** Small but perfectly formed offering from Melbourne artist Kane Ikin, one half of Solo Andata. For his solo work, Ikin aims at a gentler, more organic space, recording field recordings, synth drones, acoustic strums through analogue consoles and onto reel-to-reel tape for that extra warmth. It makes for a delightful listening experience, transporting but homely, and perfectly timed for chilly winter days… ÓLAFUR ARNALDS Living Room Songs ERASED TAPES 10″ // £11.99 It may well be the case that the whole modern classical scene suffered from a possibly fatal case of over-familiarity and over-exposure these last few years, but it would be a shame if a genuinely gifted musician and composer like Iceland’s Ólafur Arnalds was lumped in with the vast majority of his contemporaries – the guy is just the real deal. And if there were any doubts about his talents,… VARIOUS / KOMPAKT Pop Ambient 2012 Kompakt CD // £8.99 Kompakt’s annual ambient round-up lands with lovely offerings from Wolfgang Voigt & Jörg Burger’s new project, Mohn, plus Superpitcher, Magazine, Marsen Jules, Simon Scott and BVDub among others. The Mohn track ‘Manifesto’ opens proceedings with an exercise in sublimely opiated but grungy electronics; cloud formations of padded, Gas-like textures circulate the soundsphere with an unhurried and somnambulant grace, cleansing the palette for the tantalising melody of Superpitcher’s ‘Jackson’. Further in,… VARIOUS / KOMPAKT Pop Ambient 2012 Kompakt LP+CD // £11.99 **includes a free copy of the album on CD** Kompakt’s annual ambient round-up lands with lovely offerings from Wolfgang Voigt & Jörg Burger’s new project, Mohn, plus Superpitcher, Magazine, Marsen Jules, Simon Scott and BVDub among others. The Mohn track ‘Manifesto’ opens proceedings with an exercise in sublimely opiated but grungy electronics; cloud formations of padded, Gas-like textures circulate the soundsphere with an unhurried and somnambulant grace, cleansing the palette… HANS APPELQVIST Sjunga Slutet Nu Hapna CD // £8.99 Exquisite, dreamily surreal soundtrack work by composer Hans Appelqvist. Set to the film of the same title ‘Sjuna Slutet Nu (Sing The End Now)’, it’s apparently about “…the angst and silencing of death and the meeting with the final end”, a feeling which manifests itself through fairy tale-like and non-linear narrative structure, left open-ended to mirror the dreamlike atmosphere of the flick itself. Unfortunately we haven’t seen the film so… NUOJUVA Valot Kaukaa Preservation CD // £12.99 *Lush, languid ambient trips from Finland’s Olli Aarni, who’s best known for his Ous Mal recordings on Preservation and Under The Spire. Features vocal contributions by Rachel Evans aka Motion Sickness Of Time Travel and was tenderly mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi. Warmly recommended to fans of Fonal Records** “The Presevation label Valot Kaukaa, the second album from Finnish producer Olli Aarni. Valot kaukaa is the first work for Aarni under… OHAYO The State We Are In Hapna CD // £8.99 Ohayo is the union of three talented Swedish musicians, Johan Berthling (Tape), Andreas Söderström (Ass), and Per Eklund, who arrived at ‘The State We Are In’ after time spent together as El Perro del Mar’s backing band. Entirely instrumental, yet lyrically involving , they converge on a softly hushed, richly conversational style here, melding elements of folk and jazz with an improvisor’s intuition and detailed, nuanced approach to playing, recording…

 

	INDIE / ROCK / ALTERNATIVE
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	COCTEAU TWINS Stars And Topsoil: A Collection (1982-1990) 4AD 2LP // £15.99 ‘Stars and Topsoil’, Cocteau Twins’ collection of the best of their 4AD years, is belatedly issued on vinyl for the first time ever, on limited edition white vinyl with a gatefold sleeve, printed inner bags and a complete remaster from Robin Guthrie… SWELL MAPS A Trip To Marineville Secretly Canadian LP // £18.99 **Includes bonus 4-track 7″ that originally accompanied the album in 1979, plus a digital download version of the album redeemable from the label. All tracks remastered and sounding suitably seminal** “Noisy and experimental, Britain’s Swell Maps experienced little commercial success during the course of their chaotic career, but in hindsight they stand as one of the pivotal acts of the new wave: not only was the group an acknowledged inspiration… SWELL MAPS Jane From Occupied Europe Secretly Canadian LP // £18.99 **Includes digital download of the entire album redeemable from the label. Tje second & final studio LP from Britain’s seminal Swell Maps is an experimental pop masterpiece, and a virtual line of demarcation for underground rock to follow into the ’80s, ’90s and beyond.** “Noisy and experimental, Britain’s Swell Maps experienced little commercial success during the course of their chaotic career, but in hindsight they stand as one of the… PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL Clay Class DFA CD // £10.99 DFA’s British attachés for spiky, stripped-down post-punk present a confidently stark second album. The followup to their eponymous 2007 LP apparently promises a slightly more optimistic outlook “In response to the warmth they’d experienced playing live to responsive crowds all across Europe, TRobin Prinz (voice, guitar, drums) and Suzi Horn (voice, bass, drums) were determined “to bring some colour and some tenderness” to their second album. “If you’re going to… HUNTERS Hands On Fire AAGOO Mini LP // £9.99 **Transparent Vinyl** “Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Hunters’ music is charged with wild energy — led by singers/guitarists Derek Watson and Isabel Ibsen. Mixing boy/girl harmonies with super catchy guitars, their songs tend to get stuck in your head before you even finish listening to them. Somewhere along the way they got with Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs who mixed this EP, and former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha on the… MARK LANEGAN BAND Blues Funeral 4AD CD // £9.99 “‘Blues Funeral’ is the new Mark Lanegan Band record, the first since 2004’s ‘Bubblegum’, recorded in Hollywood, California by Alain Johannes at his 11ad studio. The music was played by Johannes and Jack Irons with appearances from Greg Dulli, Josh Homme et al. Mark Lanegan has sung with Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age, Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, Soulsavers and Isobel Campbell. He resides in Los Angeles and has… MARK LANEGAN BAND Blues Funeral 4AD LP // £14.99 “‘Blues Funeral’ is the new Mark Lanegan Band record, the first since 2004’s ‘Bubblegum’, recorded in Hollywood, California by Alain Johannes at his 11ad studio. The music was played by Johannes and Jack Irons with appearances from Greg Dulli, Josh Homme et al. Mark Lanegan has sung with Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age, Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, Soulsavers and Isobel Campbell. He resides in Los Angeles and has… THE TWILIGHT SAD No One Can Ever Know Fat Cat CD // £9.49 “The Twilight Sad are back with their third full length release, heading in a brave new direction,and produced by Andrew Weatherall. A new industrial, militant, Krautrock direction recommended to fans of Can, Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk, Mogwai.” THE TWILIGHT SAD No One Can Ever Know Fat Cat LP // £15.99 **Includes digital download voucher redeemable from the label** “The Twilight Sad are back with their third full length release, heading in a brave new direction,and produced by Andrew Weatherall. A new industrial, militant, Krautrock direction recommended to fans of Can, Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk, Mogwai.LP format is pressed onto double heavyweight 180g vinyl, limited to 500 copies.” VAPOROUS LIGHT Vaporous Light Akoustik Anarkhy CD // £7.99 “Vaporous Light are a Manchester-based trinity of musicians who came together during autumn 2010 due to a mutual love of cinematic soundscapes and obscure soundtracks. With a handful of musical sketches to work with, the band approached local producer Raymond Ray with the initial intention of recording a couple of demos at Ray’s home studio in Withington in the south of the city. The sessions were so productive that 10… WIRE The Black Session: Paris, 10 May 2011 PINK FLAG CD // £11.99 “2011 saw the release of Wire’s most critically acclaimed and fastest-selling album in recent years, ‘Red Barked Tree’. The band also embarked on its most ambitious tour to date, embracing four continents and dozens of cities, many of which Wire had never played before. The final leg of the tour saw Wire performing in front of UK audiences for the second time in a year, something not undertaken for more… WYMOND MILES Earth Has Doors Sacred Bones Records LP // £13.99 **Includes digital download voucher redeemable from the label** “Four years ago Wymond Miles, guitar player and songwriter in San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys, began writing solo material thematically based on the concepts of eschatology, anthroposophy, and Gnostic and Hermetic symbolism. Drawing from a vast musical pool of inspiration, including Scott Walker, Robert Wyatt, Arvo Part, and Nikki Sudden amongst others, Earth Has Doors is Miles’ first solo release. Since…

 

	JAZZ / RELATED
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	MATTHEW BOURNE Montauk Variations The Leaf Label CD // £8.99 Fragile, romantic piano variations, field recordings and subtle acoustic experimentation from composer Matthew Bourne, on what is his debut solo studio album, the first of what will be an ongoing relationship with The Leaf Label. Bourne’s plaintive ivory-tickling here takes inspiration from English composers like Finzi, Bridge and Cyril Scott, as well jazzers like Keith Tippett (‘One For You, Keith’ is an explicit tribute) and Dudu Pukwana, and is beautifully… VARIOUS / JAZZMAN Spiritual Jazz 2: Europe Jazzman CD // £12.99 **Eleven cherry-picked rarities of European esoteric, modal and deep jazz circa 1960-78, most only ever issued on limited runs, now digitally restored from original master tapes and pressed on 180g double vinyl. Packaged with extensive liner notes and colour inserts. Some beautiful findings here, from hybrids with Balkan and Flamenco folk music to African and Asian-inspired experimentation. Warmly recommended to heads and inquisitive newcomers alike** “As the ’60s progressed, cultural… VARIOUS / JAZZMAN Spiritual Jazz 2: Europe Jazzman 2LP // £18.99 **Eleven cherry-picked rarities of European esoteric, modal and deep jazz circa 1960-78, most only ever issued on limited runs, now digitally restored from original master tapes and pressed on 180g double vinyl. Packaged with extensive liner notes and colour inserts. Some beautiful findings here, from hybrids with Balkan and Flamenco folk music to African and Asian-inspired experimentation. Warmly recommended to heads and inquisitive newcomers alike** “As the ’60s progressed, cultural…

 

	JUNGLE / DRUM & BASS
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	JUNE MILLER Give Up The Ghost Horizons Music CD // £4.99 Anglo-Dutch duo present a diverse selection of atmospheric D&B steppers reinforced with Instra:mental and Amoss remixes. Styles range from the floating, melodic pop-influenced ‘Give Up The Ghost’ and the burned-out ‘Half Top Feelings’ to the Burial-esque ‘Neurosis’ and the downbeat, jazz-burnished grooves ‘Star Eyes’ and ‘Tundra’. Amoss offers a leaner, darker mix of ‘Half Top Feelings’ and Instra:mental give a carefully rearranged Electro-Techno mix. JUNE MILLER Give Up The Ghost (4-track Vinyl EP) Horizons Music 2×12″ // £11.99 Anglo-Dutch duo present a diverse selection of atmospheric D&B steppers reinforced with Instra:mental and Amoss remixes. Styles range from the floating, melodic pop-influenced ‘Give Up The Ghost’ to the Burial-esque ‘Neurosis’. While Amoss offers a leaner, darker mix of ‘Half Top Feelings’ and Instra:mental give a carefully rearranged Electro-Techno mix.

 

	MINIMAL / DANCEFLOOR
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	BATTLES Dross Glop 1 Warp Records 12″ // £7.99 Dancefloor-readied remixes of Battles by The Field and Gui Boratto. Firstly, Brazilian Tech-House superstar Boratto refits ‘Wall Street’ with a grungy, skulking groove, using the original guitar licks to lend a desert drama to his relatively dry, reserved rhythm. Flipside, The Field tease ‘Sweetie & Shag’ into hypnotic mid-tempo groove with a brooding bass presence and layered with chilly gasps and shivering hi-hats. It sounds dead Scandinavian. THE BRANDT BRAUER FRICK ENSEMBLE Mr Machine: The Remixes K7 12″ // £6.99 Soul Clap, Horror Inc (aka Akufen), and DollKraut line up to remix tracks from Brandt Brauer Frick’s 2011 LP ‘Mr. Machine’. Soul Clap’s mix of ‘Pretend’ is a warm, supple and sensitively detailed slice of House music, while Horror Inc reduces ‘Mi Corazon’ to plush subs and sparing, dubbed-out jazz motifs, contrasting with DollKraut’s dark, swinging acid-jazz rework.

 

	SOUNDTRACKS / LIBRARY / EARLY ELECTRONIC
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	MUSETTE Drape Me In Velvet Hapna LP // £13.99 **Includes download code redeemable from the label** Musette is a very dapper looking gent called Joel Danell who makes utterly enchanting exotica and records onto time-worn and overused tape. ‘Drape Me In Velvet’ is his first vinyl release and first record for the lovely Swedish label, Häpna. It’s also one of the most endearing albums to cross our paths from the label so far, braiding hand-played strands of wheezy organ… MUSETTE Drape Me In Velvet Hapna CD // £8.99 Musette is a very dapper looking gent called Joel Danell who makes utterly enchanting exotica and records onto time-worn and overused tape. ‘Drape Me In Velvet’ is his first vinyl release and first record for the lovely Swedish label, Häpna. It’s also one of the most endearing albums to cross our paths from the label so far, braiding hand-played strands of wheezy organ music with rippling easy listening rhythms in… THE CARETAKER Patience (After Sebald) History Always Favours The Winners CD // £9.99 James Leyland Kirby returns with a long-in-the-making soundtrack to acclaimed filmmaker Grant Gee’s documentary about German writer WG Sebald. ‘Patience (After Sebald)’ is a multi-layered film essay on landscape, art, history, life and loss – an exploration of the work and influence of German writer WG Sebald (1944-2001), told via a long walk through coastal East Anglia tracking his most famous book ‘The Rings Of Saturn’. Much like The Caretaker’s… MUSTAFA OZKENT Genclik Ile Elele Finders Keepers Records LP // £15.99 Finally available again… Finders Keepers pull another treat out of the magic hat with this legendary and ultra-rare gem from the annals of the Anatolian pysch/funk/folk/rock scene. As Votel himself writes in the press release, if this album had been discovered by the early B-Boys in the Bronx, it would have been as treasured as the Incredible Bongo Band as it’s basically wall to wall breaks – no vocals just… AIR Le Voyage Dans La Lune AIRCHEOLOGY CD // £10.99 Air’s seventh studio album is an original score inspired by and set to Georges Méliès’ seminal silent flick ‘Le Voyage Dans La Lune’ (1902). The duo were tasked with re-scoring the film after a hand-coloured print, the only known surviving copy, was discovered in 1993 and eventually restored with digital processing at the Technicolor Lab of Los Angeles sometime in 2011. Honoured and excited to work with such canonical material,… AIR Le Voyage Dans La Lune (Special DVD Edition) AIRCHEOLOGY CD + DVD // £13.99 *Limited edition CD+DVD version, includes the 1902 film “A Trip To The Moon” by Georges Melies* Air’s seventh studio album is an original score inspired by and set to Georges Méliès’ seminal silent flick ‘Le Voyage Dans La Lune’ (1902). The duo were tasked with re-scoring the film after a hand-coloured print, the only known surviving copy, was discovered in 1993 and eventually restored with digital processing at the Technicolor… ALFRED BROWN Music For Moving In Slow Motion Asthmatic Kitty LP // £11.99 **Includes mp3 download code redeemable from the label** Plush, bright, airy and minimal modern composition for strings and electronics for fans of Stars Of The Lid, Kyle Bobby Dunn…** “Alfred Brown is a composer and audio engineer living in Buffalo, NY. This album is about the slowing, halting and reversing of the directional flow of linear time. It is about the significance of the possibly infinite space that exists between… EFFACER Music For Noise Reduction Asthmatic Kitty LP // £11.99 *Includes download code redeemable from the label* Another treat from Asthmatic Kitty’s series of searching, experimental Library-style records. Effacer is John McCaig, veteran of electronica imprints such as Neo Ouija and Benbecula and also known as a professional studio engineer. ‘Music For Noise Reduction’ is concerned with ghostly synth resonance, sketching wispy, watery synth music from the after-imprints of FX applications and making for a strangely compelling listen. Read on… ERO GRAY Music For Your Mouth Asthmatic Kitty LP // £11.99 **Includes mp3 code redeemable from the label** 23 idiosyncratic experiments for vocals and percussion on this curious series of records. At once cutely pop-wise and avant-minded. Recalls elements of Moondog, weird doowop and How To Dress Well* “Ero Gray was raised in a tent int he Sierra Nevada foothills, lived most of his adult life in san Diego, CA, and Brooklyn, NY, and now resides in Port-land, OR. He is… PHILIPPE PETIT Henry: The Iron Man AAGOO LP // £9.99 *Screen-printed wrap-around jacket* Well warranted re-release of Philippe Petit’s re-imagined soundtrack to the David Lynch masterpiece, ‘Eraserhead’. Petit was apparently inspired to create what would be his debut solo album by a dream in which legendary director Shinya Tsukamoto was working on a blurred remake of ‘Eraserhead’, and that he was to soundtrack “the grotesque mutation of Henry into an “Iron Man”.” Executed with the kind of imagination you’d expect…

 

	SYNTHWAVE / ELECTRO
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	PEAKING LIGHTS 936 (Remixed) 100% Silk 12″ // £11.99 100% Silk are out in force to remix Peaking Lights’ adored ’936′ LP. One of the year’s most nattered about names, Ital refits ‘Marshmellow Yellow’ with a struttin’ Mr. Soft groove, all spongy bass bumps and refracted melody, while Xander Harris views ‘Birds Of Paradise’ as a sludgy piece of Balearic baroque with spy-eyed arpeggios. Best of all is Innergaze’s baggy acid re-tweak of ‘Shines For U’, full of lip-smacking… STEVE MOORE & MAJEURE Brainstorm Temporary Residence LP // £15.99 *Edition of 1000 copies. Includes download code redeemable from the label* Zombi founders Steve Moore and Majeure (aka Anthony Paterra) summon the spirits of John Carpenter, Vangelis and Klaus Schulze on one of their most vivid, ambitious records to date. A-side is an epic in four parts conducted by Steve Moore, heading into lazer-streaked and foggy mystery of ‘Enhanced Humanoid’, before the analog bubblebath decompression of ‘Null Space’ prepares us… D. CARRED I Want To Know The World Bordello A Parigi 2×12″ // £13.99 *Edition of 500. Printed inners housed in colour jacket* Over 25 years since original release, Bordello A Parigi offer three irresistible Italo bombs, now remastered and updated with remix and dub by Flemming Dalum and Mike Salta. Plate 1 delivers Demetrio Caridi’s NRG-etic sing-a-long ‘I Want To Know The World’ plus instrumental, backed by the flash poses of ‘I’ll Go Where I Like To Go’ with arpeggios-a-go-go and and steampress… NICK NICELY Elegant Daze: 1979-1986 Captured Tracks LP // £15.99 **Includes digital download voucher redeemable from the label** “The enigma of NICK NICELY has long been causing frustration for his fans since the release of DCT Dreams/Treeline on his own imprint Voxette in 1980. He stands out as a highly influential figure in psychedelic ’80s music, despite is relatively small number of releases. Elegant Daze is a collection of his unique music.” RADIOACTIVE MAN Engine EP WANG Trax 12″ // £6.49 Following a noticeable absence from the release schedule, Radioactive Man furnishes London’s Wang Trax with their 2nd release. As he patently knows, when it ain’t broke, don’t f*ck with it, hence four tracks of his standardly robust Electro cutting across the tempo spectrum from mid-tempo jacks like ‘Flying F*ck’ to the zippier clip of ‘We Make Techno Party!’. THE TIME AND SPACE MACHINE Pill Party In India TIRK 12″ // £6.49 The multi-talented Richard Norris serves a humid psyche-disco burner backed with Mojo Filter and Psychemagik remixes. His original ‘Pill Party In India’ dances to a lean punk-funky backbeat while swirling desert guitars twang like sitars and voices emerge from the aerobic-mystical ether. Mojo Filter’s remix sounds like some naughty early ’90s experiment in acid fusion while Psychemagik give it a sort of Big Beat-y forest rave overhaul.

 

	TECHNO / HOUSE
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	MARCUS MIXX Special Creme Unknown To The Unknown 12″ // £5.99 No rest for the wickedest: UTTU come thru with two deeper bangers from the Windy City’s Marcus Mixx. The ‘Chicago Club Mixx’ riffs on a piano hook and dirty grained ruffness not dissimilar to Alias G’s ‘Delite Tonite’, but with a darker, sexier suffusion of mid-’90s dancefloor sweat. The ‘Rub It Mixx’ is leaner, slicker, toying with a juicy fretless bass lick and allowing more space for those hovering, deeply… RIVET Amid The Roar KONTRA 12″ // £7.99 Following two well-received 12″s on Naked Index, Rivet serves two tracks of grungy, funked-up Techno for Sweden’s Kontra-Musik, backed with a relentless Marcel Fengler remix. A-side his ‘Metrist’ ploughs forth with walloping kicks before soon breaking down into a slicing, syncopated swinger buffered by cracking snares and bouncing dub chords for a fat-assed flex. Flipside Marcel Fengler reins in the wayward funk with a more uptempo pace and stentorian handclaps,… BNJMN Black Square Rush Hour CD // £11.99 **Now available on CD, with 5 bonus tracks taken from the ‘Plastic World’ album** BNJMN serves Rush Hour with a second LP of unique productions on ‘Black Square’. His sound here is brilliantly versatile; whether he’s on a swinging House tip or a steppin’ electronica flex, there’s a consistent sense of compositional virtue which marks him out from the crowd. It’s all heavily imbued with a debt to vintage ’90s… FUDGE FINGAS Mass X (Vakula / Juju & Jordash Mixes) Firecracker 12″ // £8.99 *Limited edition, red and gold screen-printed jacket in poly-sleeve* Proper Deep House music from Edinburgh’s Firecracker Recordings, who’ve tasked Vakula and Juju & Jordash to remix ‘Mass X’ from their last 10″. Frontside Vakula’s dub remix takes the tropical vibes of the original somewhere trippier, to a pumping warehouse scene with eye-fluttering synthlines and relentless yet strangely sensuous bass pressure. Flipside Amsterdam’s Juju & Jordash take us on a slow,… ZOLTAN Pluton EP Granholme 12″ // £6.49 Ragged Bass riders by Zoltan, serving the 2nd release on Granholme after that smart Graphics 12″. A-side ‘Pluton’ nods to Untold’s hollowed rhythm constructions with a technoid House pattern swung about offset claps and corrugated synthlines. Flipside ‘When I’m’ deploys sweeter, cut-up R&B vox and stabbing chords with a tempered Footwork flow. Support from Mary Anne Hobbs, Presk, Jackmaster, xxxy and more. MRSK Twirl / Pinkman Skudge 12″ // £7.99 *Hand-stamped jacket* Totally unique Techno killers from Sweden’s much respected MRSK. After forging a distinct identity with the swinging ‘Black Keith’ ace for Rush Hour, MRSK excels himself here, offering infectiously kinetic, latinized syncopation on the pivoting ‘Twirl’ – made with the dancers firmly in mind – while ‘Pinkman’ digs new routes between offset, steppin’ groove and more driving swing modes. This record might make your body move in ways… A SAGITTARIUN Carina EP Elastic Dreams 12″ // £5.99 Swiftly following their well received debut ‘The Circle Stops Somewhere’ 12″ (bigged up by Craig Richards, PvH, Lawrence), Bristol’s A Sagittariun offer a diverse brew of Detroit Electronics, classic A.I signatures and after-hours Dub, backed with a smart October remix. A-side is ‘Carina’, a curious fusion of bare-boned, Shake-like rhythms and spacey synths also recalling Reel by Real, placed next to a strong but subtle 4/4 House remix by October…. ALFABET (AWANTO 3 & TOM TRAGO) E/F Rush Hour 12″ // £7.99 #3 of 13 in Tom Trago & Awanto3′s wandering Alfabet series… Side E ‘Hell Of Samba’ is a crackin’ tracky tool for the DJs, working some hip-slithering friction from layers of tribal machine loops while rubbing in booming bass and a ominous synth oscillations tpushing us to the darker edge of the dancefloor. For a sweeter relief from that sweaty grip, ‘Too Shy’ shuffles into a beatdown shimmy, all organic… KRIS WADSWORTH Mainline (Sven Weisemann / Jimmy Edgar Mixes) HYPE LTD 12″ // £6.99 *Die cut jacket* Jimmy Edgar and Sven Weissmann give Kris Wadsworth’s ‘Mainline’ a plush remix each. Sven’s glides in with heart-breaking keys and a dash of sweet soul vox before grooving to slow (110bpm), dusted House rhythms with a sense of patience befitting his zen like aesthetic. Flipside, Wadsworth’s childhood pal, Jimmy Edgar calls on their times together spent in strip clubs to give a low-lit, slinky, bass-heavy version for… SCUBA The Hope Hotflush Recordings 12″ // £6.99 “…pushing on from the tense atmospherics of previous Scuba material, the single fizzes with claustrophobic bass pressure and menacing narration. Backed by an exclusive non-album cut ‘Flash Addict’.”

 

	WORLD
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	DEMDIKE STARE / HYPE WILLIAMS Shangaan Shake: Demdike Stare & Hype Williams Meets Shangaan Electro Honest Jon’s Records 12″ // £6.99 Demdike Stare and Hype Williams present sun-dazed, 180º revisions of the Shangaan Electro sound for Honest Jon’s Records. Landing in quick succession to those outlandish versions by Actress, both sets of artists here view the sound from detached, impressionistic perspectives, resulting in four richly psychedelic experiences. It’s difficult to discern any original elements in Demdike’s two versions; the first features ostensibly “tribal” percussions perhaps best suited for post-ritual hours, the… BURNT FRIEDMAN Bokoboko Nonplace CD // £11.99 Ten beguiling and open-ended instrumentals – over three years in the making – on Friedman’s fourth full length for his own NonPlace imprint. Burnt’s sound is much beloved of everyone from the Hardwax crew to Shackleton, and it’s very easy to hear why – he’s faithfully perpetuating the original, outernational spirit of krautrock which so heavily influenced much of the music they, and we, love today. Aided by his circle… HARMONIOUS THELONIOUS Listen Italic CD // £9.99 A very welcome 2nd album of rough textured Afro-rhythms and minimalist harmonic layering from Stefan Schwander’s Harmonious Thelonious. A clutch of these tracks recently appeared on 12″ vinyl but this is the full set; eight in total, building on the strong foundations laid with 2010′s well-received ‘Talking’ LP. Firstly, it’s a clear departure from Stefan’s pristine output as Antonelli Electr or Repeat Orchestra, among others; still hypnotic yet characterised by… MARK ERNESTUS PRESENTS JERI-JERI Mbueguel Dafa Nekh / Dub Dafa Nekh Ndagga 12″ // £7.49 Extra nice Ernestus specials, seeing the Basic Channel co-founder tackling Senegalese Mbalax in masterful form. After dubbing Congolese drumming on the outstanding ‘Masikulu Dub’, revising Shangaan Electro, and diffusing the secret rhythms of Burnt Freidman & Jaki Liebezeit, Mark Ernestus has left the Techno genre for dust and set up the Ndagga label to really indulge his twin passions for African polyrhythms and dub. Working with Mbalax musician Bakane Seck… MDOU MOCTAR Tahoultine (Gulls Mix) SAHEL SOUNDS / BOOMARM NATION 7″ // £7.99 *Limited edition of 500 housed in hand-stamped brown paper sleeve* Sahel Sounds present a massive highlight of their ‘Music From Saharan Cellphones’ collection, backed with a bass heavy but sandblasted remix from Gulls. Songwriter/guitarist Mdou Moctar’s autotune anthem ‘Tahoultine’ first appeared in the mp3 markets of West Africa around 2009. In 2010, Sahel Sounds’ Chris Kirkley heard it bumping from a rattly cellphone in Kidal, Mali, and eventually compiled it… GUELEWAR Touki Ba Banjul : Acid Trip From Banjul To Dakar Kindred Spirits 2LP // £15.99 **Reissue of choice tracks taken from Guelewar’s four albums of dynamite Gambian psych-Funk** “Touki Ba Banjul is a compilation of the Gambian psych sensation Guelewar who played a major part in the development of the Afro Manding sound. From 1979-1982 the band released four albums, featuring some of Gambia’s best funk tunes. This official first time ever reissue features the highlights of their career. Before Guelewar, Laaye N’Gorn, the lead…

FORCED EXPOSURE MAILORDER UPDATE
NEW RELEASES FOR THE WEEK OF 01/30/2012
order from our NEW! beta site:
http://beta.forcedexposure.com

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from our old site http://www.forcedexposure.com

a secure order form is available for credit card purchases.
we also accept orders via FAX at 781 321 0321.

and via mail:
FORCED EXPOSURE / 219 Medford Street / Malden, MA 02148 / USA

for more information about shipping or ordering
please refer to our FAQ: http://www.forcedexposure.com/faq.html

direct any questions to mailorder@forcedexposure.com

100% PURE (NETHERLANDS)

SKILS, BART: Burnin’ 12″ (PURE 077EP) 12.00
Bart Skils’ releases for 100% Pure, Tronic, Remote Area, Cocoon and Rejected are internationally rated as some of the most cutting-edge dance tracks in recent years. Together with Anton Pieete he also forms the techno alliance District One. Thick bass vibrations provide the fuel for “Burnin’,” with its industrialized sound wallops and cleverly-cut vocal snatches. Remix by Nicole Moudaber.

100% SILK

PEAKING LIGHTS: 936 Remixes 12″ (SILK 014EP) 14.00
“Ponies from the SILK stable turn 936 dub-a-dub lullaby groovers into full-on synth-sex, acid-bubble, twinkle-starshine dance ditties on this remix redux. Beat it with the chic vocal pitch n’ bounce and metallic/mechanic swing of Ital’s take on ‘Marshmellow Yellow.’ Bring it on baroque with Xander Harris’ Sly and Dario giallo-reggae revision of ‘Birds of Paradise.’ Innergaze hi-five the minimal wave of ‘All The Sun That Shines,’ transforming the original into a syncopated psych-out dark-disco-dose FX fest. And Cuticle’s got the bleary bleep-bloop best of sweet serenade ‘Tiger Eyes’ with Casio keyed-up flourishes, hi-hat space jams, and damp ramp-up breakdowns. Even beater than the real thing; let the Domino fall for 936-gone-nightlife. ”

2ND DROP (UK)

READ/23HZ & NUMAESTRO, GERRY: Roomland (Distal Remix)/Zumo (Sully Remix) 12″ (2NDRP 016EP) 15.00
“Sometimes you can’t keep a good remix down, and we certainly felt that with these two beastly versions by two very exciting producers of bass music. First up is an exciting producer 2nd Drop have been talking to for over a year now, Atlanta’s Distal has been making a lot of noise across the bass scene. Distal grabs the key elements and transforms them into an awesome juke workout. On the flip, we welcome back Sully, who first saw wax on 2nd Drop with the anthemic ‘Give Me Up’… Shifting syncopated beat patterns and moody El-B-esque swing.”

50 WEAPONS (GERMANY)

DAMAGE & DOC DANEEKA, BENJAMIN: They!Live 2LP (50 005LP) 20.00
2LP version. On their debut album They!Live, Benjamin Damage & Doc Daneeka present a versatile and deep journey through the territories of club-land, equally fitting for dancefloors and home-listening. This is a collection of Berlin-inspired, UK-influenced UK Funky, deep-house, tech-house, Detroit- and dub-techno, all recorded in Berlin between late August and early November 2011. You’ll find as much depth as you will find uplifting energy on here. There is as much darkness as light. Melodies and soundscapes go hand-in-hand with club-pleasing beats. On some tracks you will hear the lush voice of UK singer Abigail Wyles, who came to Berlin to record with the Swansea boys. For Benjamin Damage it all began with the raw, energy-fueled Maximum Carnage mix tapes with DJ Venom, mixing up bassline/niche rhythms with the emerging UK funky sound. Following this, was the insanely catchy “Deeper” for Doc Daneeka’s Ten Thousand Yen label, which was perhaps the true beginning of the deep rave sound. Following the success of “Deeper” came the brilliantly-diverse four-track solo EP Antidote. Featuring haunting melodies, intricate rhythms and vicious bass, the record was supported by the likes of Jackmaster, Sinden and Seb Chew and received radio play on Rinse FM and Radio 1. “Creeper,” the first collaboration with Doc Daneeka, moved the deep rave sound on further into the beautiful and unexplainable. Sent directly to Modeselektor on New Year’s Eve, it saw a huge San Francisco audience into 2011 that very night and was promptly signed the next day onto their 50 Weapons label. With the B-side “Infamous” complete, the duo was shipped out to a huge studio in central Berlin to write this magnificent album.

7EVEN (FRANCE)

JOAAN: Nocturnality/Out Of Slang 12″ (7EVEN 021EP) 11.50
“Second release by Joaan on 7even Recordings after his acclaimed Splendor In The Grass/115 State debut on the label last year. Strong from his recent releases on Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird and Boys Noize’s BNR Trax imprints under his Maelstrom alias, the versatile French producer comes back in style with the house-infected number ‘Nocturnality’ and the halfstep ‘Out Of Slang’ cut.”

ACKER RECORDS (GERMANY)

MOLLONO.BASS: My Hidden Playground Part 3 12″ (ACKER 022.3EP) 12.00
Third 12″ from Mollono.Bass with tracks off of his debut full-length My Hidden Playground (ACKER 002CD). The lively hustle and bustle on My Hidden Playground happens in many different ways: sometimes it’s the frisky bounce of hopping bass lines and stimulating house rhythms, sometimes it’s hypnotic sound structures that take the listener on an adventure.

AMMIT RECORDS

DETROIT MEETS SUN CITY GIRLS, EDDY: Shango 7″ (AMMIT 001EP) 6.50
Liimited 2nd pressing now available.. “This release features three tracks recorded in various locations in the Phoenix area in the mid 1980s. Two of these tracks have never been released.”

ANALOG AFRICA (GERMANY)

VA: African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro 2LP (AALP 063LP) 26.50
…Sounds From Benin & Togo ’70s. 2012 repress on vinyl. Double vinyl version, in deluxe gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeves which replicate all of the liner notes from the CD version booklet. Same 14 tracks as the CD.

ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU: Volume One — The Vodoun Effect 2LP (AALP 064LP) 26.50
…Funk & Sato From Benin’s Obscure Labels 1972-1975. 2012 repress. Double vinyl version, in deluxe gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves. Following the highly-acclaimed African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo ’70s — which featured several tracks by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, including the ground-breaking “Gbeti Madjro” — this new Analog Africa collection now focuses entirely on Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou is arguably West Africa’s best-kept secret. Their output, both in quantity and quality, was astonishing. During several trips to Benin, label-head Samy Ben Redjeb managed to collect roughly 500 songs which Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou had recorded between 1970 and 1983. With so much material to choose from, he decided to split it into Volume 1 and 2. While Volume 2 will be material the band recorded under an exclusive contract with the label Albarika Store, the band also “secretly” recorded with an array of smaller labels based around Cotonou, Benin’s largest city, and the capital city of Porto Novo. It is those tracks (all officially licensed) that are presented here on Volume One. The producers of those labels were genuine music enthusiasts, some of them ran these labels as a part-time occupation, with very limited budgets. They couldn’t afford high-quality recordings — all they had to work with was a Nagra (a Swiss made reel-to-reel recorder) and a sound engineer — courtesy of the national radio station. These sessions were recorded in private homes using just one or two microphones. The cultural and spiritual riches of traditional Beninese music had an immense impact on the sound of Benin’s modern music. Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (also Vodoun, or, as it is known in the West, Voodoo), a religion which involves the worship of some 250 sacred divinities. The rituals used to pay tributes to those divinities are always backed by music. The majority of the complex poly-rhythms of the Vodun are still more or less secret and difficult to decipher, even for an accomplished musician. Two Vodun rhythms dominate the music of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo: Sato, an amazing, energetic rhythm performed using an immense vertical drum, and Sakpata, a rhythm dedicated to the divinity who protects people from smallpox. Both rhythms are represented here mixed in with funk, soul, crazy organ sounds and psychedelic guitar riffs.

AREA REMOTE (NETHERLANDS)

TUBE & BERGER: Envy 12″ (AREA 037EP) 12.00
Area Remote welcomes Tube & Berger with a Pirupa remix on the flip. “Envy” features bass growls, liquid slurps, cascading snippets and time-lapsed vocals for a dance monster that is sinfully bouncy.

AREAL RECORDS (GERMANY)

FREEDARICH & STIGGSEN: Candide 12″ (AREAL 052EP) 12.00
Berlin act Freedarich & Stiggsen drop two infectiously melodic monsters. “Candide” is a popping track with shiny synth vacillations, and gently climbing, staccato melodies. “Lago” takes things even further down the tech-house tunnel — simple beats match clicks and melodic, chiming percolations for an understated, classy groove.

METOPE: Betaowl 12″ (AREAL 057EP) 12.00
Metope with a deep and playful but slightly weird piece of original house music.

ARISTA

SCOTT-HERON & BRIAN JACKSON, GIL: Secrets LP (AB 4189LP) 11.50
Exact repro of 1978′s Secrets, the sixth album from the inspiring collaboration of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. Songs about drugs (“Angel Dust”), the music industry (“Show Bizness”) and the rest of that voice-of-our-times America stuff (“Betters Days Aheads,” “A Prayer For Everybody/To Be Free”).

BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)

DJANGO DJANGO: Default 12″ (BEC 5161107) 12.50
Django Django present the first single from their self-titled debut album. The band’s story looks set to be a long and compelling one, going by early response to their debut record. By banging together their thirst for adventure and their exacting, high standards, they have produced an album that seems to have everything, but on which everything never seems too much. Remixes from Dan Carey, Tom Furse (The Horrors) and JD Twitch.

BEDROOM COMMUNITY (ICELAND)

FROST & DANIEL BJARNASON, BEN: Solaris LP (HVALUR 012LP) 19.50
LP version. Ben Frost and Daníel Bjarnason are two composers used to shrugging off the distinction between experimental sound art and deeply-felt melodies. Frost’s vast, blackened post-industrial works often crystallize in moments of quiet beauty before disintegrating in pure visceral noise; Bjarnason’s orchestral music marries brutal modernism to classical aesthetics one moment and soaring ethereal harmonies the next. And yet here, on the tail of two widely-acclaimed releases; Bjarnason’s Processions (HVALUR 007CD) and Frost’s By The Throat (HVALUR 006/LP), we are given something altogether new. A unique collaboration, Sólaris is a quiet, stilled and all-consuming symphonic suite at once as affecting and uncanny as the science-fiction classic that inspired it. The power of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris is not in its futuristic sets, or in the hypnotic shots of the alien planet’s weird, fluid surface, it’s in the way the auteur juxtaposes his alien, futuristic elements against the intimately familiar. This is a future not just of flashing lights and video screens, but of wood and wool and leather, of dogs and horses, books and photographs. In Frost & Bjarnason’s Sólaris, we do find the futuristic, gaseous atmospheres and pulses one might expect from a sci-fi soundtrack. Here they are carved instead from the warm, fragile sonorities of Sinfonietta Cracovia; one of Europe’s leading orchestras, a gently prepared piano whose harmonies warp and melt before transforming again — and waves upon waves of guitar. Created through a unique series of processes, Frost & Bjarnason’s initial sketches — improvised to the film — were fed through software designed to correct music which tried to turn their dense and distorted sonic input into a digital sequence of raw musical data. Working from data riddled with error and misunderstanding, a human score was orchestrated; the whole process deftly mirroring the very core of the film’s own narrative of memory and loss, alien doppelgängers and emotional feedback loops. Brian Eno — who consulted closely in the creation of Sólaris — also used the same film to create a video accompaniment to this music in another strange loop of computer-generated distortion. But here the score stands on its own. Sólaris is a journey into an internal world; into the self; a flux of wonder, horror, sorrow and tenderness; and a ravishing sensory experience.

BIG DADA (UK)

WILEY: Evolve Or Be Extinct CD (BD 187CD) 15.50
“What is the true mark of the wayward genius of Wiley? Is it that, less than six months after the release of his last full album, 100% Publishing, he has another record all set for release? Is it that he has insisted that it is released on his birthday, Thursday January 19th 2012? Or that he initially refused to release a single from it? That he has made so much music that his fans will receive two CDs, the second with at least eight further tracks on it? Or even that one track on the album has no music (‘Customs’)? No, it’s not any of these. It’s that we can say, without fear of contradiction (or without much fear), that Evolve Or Be Extinct is the best album (so far!) of this unique artist’s career. Dark, funny, wild and exhilarating, this is a record which shows just what Wiley is capable of when he forgets the minutiae of recording contracts and concentrates on the many weird and wonderful facets of his life.”

WILEY: Evolve Or Be Extinct 3LP (BD 187LP) 24.50
3LP version. Includes download code.

BINEMUSIC (GERMANY)

LEONHARD, LARS: 1549 CD (BINE 026CD) 17.00
This is Lars Leonhard’s full-length debut album 1549. Its name derives from U.S. Airways Flight 1549 which was ditched in the Hudson River after a bird strike about three minutes into the flight in January 2009. The overall theme runs like a common thread through the album, with Leonard mostly working with warm, deep pads and minimal sound effects. And as nature sets the agenda, hammering basses are obviously absent from this release.

BLUE NOTE

GREEN, GRANT: The Final Comedown LP (BST 84415LP) 11.50
The soundtrack to this 1980 movie blaxploitation film about a Black Panther-ish radical group is credited to Grant Green, although the majority of the music is composed and conducted by Wade Marcus. The Blue Note label’s first soundtrack release.

BO WEAVIL RECORDINGS (UK)

JOYNES, C: Congo LP (WEAVIL 046LP) 23.50
LP version. Continuing further into the territories of domesticated English voudou sketched out by 2009′s Revenants, Prodigies & The Restless Dead (WEAVIL 039CD), UK guitarist C Joynes’ Congo is dominated by notions of landscape, imagination and personal ritual. However, while elements of introspection and intensity do appear, the mood is one of simple, uplifting joy. Warm, woody sounds and themes for a variety of donated, rescued and homemade instruments contrast with occasional stark arrangements, bursts of blossoming electricity, and passages of dense improvisation. Contributions from friends and colleagues generate momentum and interplay at key points, enabling these recordings to site the loner aesthetic within the traditions of social music for dancing and communion.

BREAK NEW SOIL (GERMANY)

EVANA, ROSS: Deep In Thought EP 12″ (BNS 028EP) 12.00
Break New Soil welcomes promising newcomers — well, in fact two — as there are Ross Evana and his producer Alex Tepper With this four-tracker, Ross and Alex present a selection of pure DJ-food.

BUBACK (GERMANY)

VA: New Black: Couper Decaler Électronique CD (BTT 117CD) 17.00
Couper Decaler is one of the most important contemporary forms of African pop music. It began around 2003 in a Paris diaspora. On the fringe of the French mainstream, a group of young Ivorians, known as the Jet Set, created an unprecedented hype that quickly led to fame and success as it ping-ponged between Paris and Abidjan. Their performances were flamboyant — turning up at the Ivorian clubs in the Paris suburbs with bundles of money that they would throw to the audience during the show. Musically, the shows revolved around sloppily thrown-together drum computer beats. The main beat, a fast, triplet rhythm on top of a 4/4 bass drum, is borrowed (though slightly altered) from the Congo. Refusing to be recognized as being in any way politically motivated, the lyrics concerned themselves with the singer’s fame and success and their assumedly glamorous life-style. There are some people who say that the party culture propagated by Couper Decaler helped prevent much worse bloodshed during the smoldering domestic political conflicts of the first half of the 2000s. The singers on this CD — Skelly, Gadouku La Star, Gotta Lalman and Shaggy Sharoof — represent different generations of Couper Decaler. In the last years, they, and others, have continued to develop theatrical stage performances and new dance styles, the so-called “concepts.” Couper Decaler has long been a defining musical and trendsetting influence for the Ivorian youth, even if the older generations complain about the artificial (read: electronic and not hand-played) character of the music. And then there are the obscene and licentious lyrics and stage performances. The tracks on this CD are the results of different collaborations, and the product of an exchange between Ivorian singers, producers and European musicians. The songs came into being between April 2010 and May 2011 at first in Abidjan, later in Berlin and Hamburg and during the Donau Festival in Krems, Austria. The Gintersdorfer/Klaßen Group, who have been researching dance, performance and theater phenomena from Côte d’Ivoire since 2005, had the initial idea for this experiment to bring Couper Decaler singers and producers together with musicians such as Melissa Logan (Chicks On Speed), Nadine Jessen, Ted Gaier, Jacques Palminger, Carsten “Erobique” Meyer, and later, Timor Litzenberger and Mense Reents. New Black documents the different phases and stages of these collaborations — from classic Decaler combined with European electronic music, to Couper Decaler beats enriched using European production methods and notions of sound, right up to dubstep-oriented beats with Couper Decaler vocals.

CAPTURED TRACKS

HUDSON, JEFF & JANE: Flesh CD (CT 110CD) 13.00
“Dark Entries and Captured Tracks have teamed up to re-issue the debut album Flesh by Jeff & Jane Hudson expanded with singles and EP material. Jeff & Jane Hudson are a husband/wife duo from Boston who got their start in the art punk band The Rentals in 1977. The Rentals broke up in 1980 and Jeff & Jane relocated to Manhattan where they opened for Suicide and quickly signed with No Wave label Lust/Unlust. Their first single No Clubs was released in late 1980 and showcased a lo-fi avant garde all synthesizer band. The World Trade EP came next in 1981, expanding their brand of post-nuclear electronic pop. The duo reached their pinnacle with 1982′s seminal Flesh, perhaps one of the United States biggest achievements in the entire ‘synth’ movement of the era. The music was electro-pop employing early Roland synths and the TR-808 drum machine. Jeff’s lyrics flirted with technology and politics, while Jane wrote about cultural and psychological situations. Completely self produced by the band, the record has since been oft-cited as a groundbreaking and pivotal LP of the post-punk era, whose original copies are now heavily coveted by collectors. Completing the discography is the Special World 7″ released in 1983 before the band emigrated back to Boston and stopped recording and performing.”

SHOULD: A Folding Sieve CD (CT 127CD) 13.00
“As the first contribution to Captured Tracks’ Shoegaze Archives series, Should offers A Folding Sieve. This classic take on the genre lends waves of euphoric dream pop sounds, similar to My Bloody Valentine. This album was originally released in 1995 under the name shiFt by the Austin-based record label N D. The CD release includes previously unreleased material.”

DEARDARKHEAD: Oceanside: 1991- 1993 CD (CT 128CD) 13.00
“As the second contribution to Captured Tracks’ Shoegaze Archives series, deardarkhead offers their brilliant take on the genre with Oceanside: 1991- 1993. The New Jersey-based band was formed in 1988 with their name is taken from an anonymously written Irish poem of the 18th century ‘Cean Dubh Dilis’, about a beautiful girl with black hair. Their sound perfectly blends post-punk guitar experimentalism with a heavy atmospheric dreampop aura, similar to Pale Saints and Ride. This release is completely remastered.”

COLOURFUL RECORDINGS (SWEDEN)

CAN, OZGUR: Washed Out 12″ (COLOUR 006EP) 12.00
A chuggy, discofied burner with a massive remix sporting an infectious, percussive groove and a driving lead. Özgür Can, Sweden’s undisputed champ of slow techno, steps up to serve up his first offering on the Stockholm-based imprint. A really hot package from the Colourful camp. Includes a remix and a drum tool from Orange Muse. On yellow vinyl.

CURTOM

IMPRESSIONS, THE: The Young Mods’ Forgotten Story LP (CRS 8003LP) 12.00
Curis Mayfield’s last album with The Impressions, originally released in 1969. Includes classics “Choice Of Colors,” “Mighty, Mighty (Spade & Whitey),” “Seven Years” and the title track. Exact repro, manufactured by Rhino.

DAMAGED GOODS (UK)

THEE HEADCOATS: The Kids Are All Square – This Is Hip! LP (DAMGOOD 380LP) 18.50
“A LP re-issue of arguably the best Thee Headcoats album. Originally issued in 1990 on Billy’s own Hangman Records label. 12 tracks including bona fide Headcoats classics ‘All My Feelings Denied,’ ‘Davey Crockett,’ & ‘Cowboys Are Square.’”

THEE HEADCOATS: Knights Of The Baskervilles LP (DAMGOOD 381LP) 18.50
“A LP only re-issue of a long deleted, previously US only Thee Headcoats album. Originally issued in 1996 on the Birdman Records label.”

DRAG CITY

DAMON & NAOMI WITH GHOST: Damon & Naomi With Ghost CD (DC 206CD) 13.50
“Back from the abyss, Damon & Naomi with Ghost fills an empty space in the continuously flowering discography of Damon & Naomi. It was back in 1995 that Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang first met Ghost. They felt an immediate kinship and soon plans were afoot to collaborate in some way– but it wasn’t until the year 2000 that they encountered Masaki Batoh and Michio Kurihara in the studio. The sonic trip they embarked upon was a revelation for all concerned. Alongside Kurihara’s singular guitar style, Batoh increased the peace in the mix, placing colorful and organic sounds within the dreamy conceptions of Damon & Naomi, mixing an ever-greater sense of deep space into the already massive songs. A shared sympathy for folk music informed the session as well. This in no way prefigured the back-to-folk movement of the coming decade, as the natural qualities of Damon & Naomi with Ghost exist out of time, today as then. It makes this record sound just as new today as it did old a decade or so back.”

DAMON & NAOMI WITH GHOST: Damon & Naomi With Ghost LP + 7″ (DC 206LP) 19.00
“The LP version of Damon & Naomi with Ghost includes a 7″ single featuring a song included in the original Japanese CD release and a previously unreleased track, both of which appear here for the first time ever pressed on vinyl!”

JEREBINE, DOUG: Is Jesse Harper LP (DC 452LP) 17.00
“Doug Jerebine Is Jesse Harper is an archival release sure to resonate with fans of Jimi Hendrix, 10 Years After, Randy Holden, Merrell Fankhauser and the HMS Bounty, Spirit and other heavy sounds not truly heard and felt since the days of Gary Yoder and Kak! The mystery of the Jesse Harper album, long rumored and gossiped about, is finally brought to light for all to hear and enjoy, with thrilling liner notes openly revealing the man behind the myth! Doug Jerebine is alive and well, recently resurfaced, gigging and recording again! Is Jesse Harper is the original artifact, set to excite underground psych rockers, uptight collector nerds, and geezer-dad gig-goers all around the world! Is Jesse Harper is a perfectly realized testament from that era, a record that bubbles psychedelically with shuffling beats and active bass, ultimately defined by a fuzzy haze of dripping guitar leads backdropped against strident and arpeggiated riffs, chords, and slabs of rhythm. Cohesively intertwined with spiritual perspectives and memorable choruses, Is Jesse Harper’s songs reach that universal plane so often sought after but rarely discovered on record.”

BLACK BANANAS: Rad Times Xpress IV CD (DC 504CD) 13.50
“RTX are splitting into Black Bananas! The fruit is ripe and the bread will be fresh. After three albums under the name RTX, Jennifer Herrema and her bunch decided to flip the script and kick open the doors of perception a little bit. See, RTX was not Royal Trux, not a metal band, not a ’70s bar band and not a toxic substance; RTX was something, all of those things and none of them and way more, including Black Bananas bubbling in a witchy cauldron of their own herbaceous brew. The title of a song on their RaTX album detailed a bit of the recipe, taking elements often tossed aside or thrown all the way out and combining them into something new and worthwhile?a new strain of the almighty green–to feed and elevate the hungry ones.”

BLACK BANANAS: Rad Times Xpress IV LP (DC 504LP) 17.00
LP version with printed innersleeve.

VA: The Total Groovy 4CD BOX (DC 507CD) 31.00
“A little bit of history is a dangerous thing. How then would a present-day acolyte of punk rock’s strict regimen explain how Pete Shelly launched an avant-garde DIY label while riding high on the British charts and touring internationally back in 1979 and ’80? Loving the art of records and their wayward appeal, it was only natural for Shelley and Francis Cookson to conceive Groovy Records as a way to make some truly freaky (and decidedly un-punk rock) records, and do as much of the work of making the records themselves as they could. These releases represent some of the farthest-out sessions on the wild-to-begin-with late-70s Manchester scene. That three of these four albums were released in the space of one big year, 1980 the one real year of Groovy Records’ existence, is further testament to the swirl of passions in swiftly morphing times. Now for the first time ever, these four aural tomes are collected together for CD release with all original packaging included in miniature (plus an exclusive Shelley interview!) — so what are you waiting for? It’s been over thirty years’ now — you can finally get Groovy on digital.” 4CD BOX includes: Free Agents’ £3.33, Pete Shelley’s Sky Yen, Sally Smmit and Her Musicians’ Hanaghar and Strange Men in Sheds with Spanners.

SIC ALPS: Vedley 7″ (DC 508EP) 5.50
“In answer to the unasked, ‘why one single when twenty-three would do so much more for this world,’ Sic Alps have made a 7″ record that pursues both options simultaneously, choosing quantity not over quality but instead declaring them equivalent, a musical answer not simply for short attention spans but for the meticulous, the fastidious, the obsessed and the tormented, all of whom have something to benefit from music of all kinds and all of whom will find their needs met at some point when they hear every bit of the scars-on-45 double-A rendition(s) called Vedley.”

ETNISK MUSIKKLUBB (NORWAY)

SURIZEHI, ABDULRAHMAN: Rakhshani Love Songs And Trance Music From Balochistan 2CD (EM 058CD) 37.00
“The music on this album is from both sides of the border separating Pakistan (East- Balochistan) and Iran (West- Balochistan), just south of the Afganistani (North- Balochistan) border. Featuring Abdul Rahman Surizehi, the album focuses on the Rakhsani music of northern Balochistan in the Rakhsani area — a border region including parts of Iran and Pakistan and southern Afghanistan. The album is presented as 2CD long books with plenty of room to present the traditions of a region that is split into three countries. With his great knowledge of the traditional music of Balochistan, we are presented here with a world premiere of two categories of Rakhshani music from northern Balochistan: Love songs and Trance Music. One CD contains love songs and the other contains trance music. Rakhshan is a large region in Balochistan, and Rakhshani is the name for one of the two main languages spoken here. The music often has an old-fashioned quality, improvised elements are minimalistic and the music is characterized by repetitive patterns. There are no exact borders, however Rakhshani is spoken in mid and Eastern Balochistan, while the other main dialect, Makorani, is more prevalent in the southern part of the region. Also typical for Rakhshani music is the string instrument called Tamburag. In the south this instrument is primarily used for accompaniment, while in the north it carries the melody. It should be mentioned that Rakhshani music of Balochistan has never previously been released.” Oversized, long-box packaging with booklets about each CD.

FIRE FIDELITY (ITALY)

GIANT SAND: Glum LP (FF 176LP) 31.00
“1994′s Glum was to be Giant Sand’s largest record and in order to make it so, Howe Gelb invited everyone along to the party. This carnival help create Giant Sand’s best record to date and Glum is now proudly re-issued by Fire Fidelity. Howe Gelb explains Glum’s story, ‘This was our best record for a long time. It had Malcolm Burn producing it with me and it was done up at Daniel Lanois’ studio in New Orleans. Since it was our first big budget session, I tried to get everyone who ever took part on a Giant Sand record to come to Dan’s mansion and stay and be on the record somewhere. This made the atmosphere in the house more entangled then it had to be, but seemed like the way it should be. For some reason I began singing like an old man on this record, or maybe was inspired too much from my new talking distortion pedal on my guitar.’” Includes download code.

GIANT SAND: Black Out LP (FF 190LP) 31.00
“Fire Fidelity re-issues the rare and regarded Black Out recording from 1993. Forged from the embers of the recording session which was Purge & Slouch, and wholly acoustic, this collection of takes was originally released only in Germany. Black Out sits proudly amidst the Giant Sand re-issue project. ‘When we gathered for the grand experiment of Purge & Slouch, Howe Gelb recalls, ‘the idea of which was to record without having written anything prior for it. Some actual songs did pop out, perhaps for the sake of warm-up or while mics were being wired maybe just for the sake of vigorous deployment. Re-living some old songs there and then, we bundled ‘em up after the fact for what would become Stromausfall instead. This was a limited batch release on a small German label that took my original title Black Out and translated it. The idea being that this is the sound that would happen during one… songs without electricity attached.’ Since then, most of that original pressing made in Germany has mysteriously self destructed so it is with pleasure we have the opportunity to release the album.” Includes download code.

ESG: ESG LP (FF 222LP) 31.00
“When ESG’s debut EP hit the streets in 1981, no one suspected the profound impact these songs would have on the history of music, particularly ‘UFO’ (which soon became one of the most sampled songs in the history of hip hop) and ‘Moody’ (which was a huge hit on the downtown post-punk music scene), and the ripple effect of these songs have been felt ever since. After their label, 99 Records, folded in 1984, ESG maintained a low profile until making a comeback in 1991 with this self-titled LP. This release featured the two original smash hits from their 1981 debut, plus three cuts (‘A New Day’, ‘Standing In Line’ and ‘Crash’) from their obscure 1987 Bam Bam Jam EP, along with some previously unreleased material.” Includes download code.

GEAR FAB

EVOL: Evol CD (GF 255CD) 13.00
“Our first release in digipak format, a newly-discovered, one of a kind acetate recording from an obscure West Virginia band. Recorded in 1970 and sounding remarkably like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and early Grass Roots, their effective blend of twelve-string guitar, haunting harpsichord, and beautiful harmonies definitely will have this band near or at the top of 2012′s most popular and best-selling reissues.”

GLOSSA MUSIC (SPAIN)

VELLARD/KEN ZUCKERMAN, DOMINIQUE: Indian Ragas & Medieval Song CD (GCD 922508CD) 21.00
Modal melodies from East to West, performed by Dominique Vellard, Ken Zuckerman, Anindo Chatterjee and Keyvan Chemirani. “This recording offers a rare opportunity to experience two different musical traditions in dialogue: the reconstructed musical culture of the European Middle Ages, and the ancient but still continuous tradition of North Indian classical music — two worlds that are indeed separated with respect to time and geography, and yet still linked by common characteristic features. The classical tradition of North Indian music is marked both by a strong adherence to its own origins and an openness to influences from other cultures. On the other hand, European art music of the Middle Ages, seemingly far removed and accessible only by means of written documents, has clearly recognizable roots in Eastern traditions. In their respective musical development, Dominique Vellard and Ken Zuckerman have each been strongly influenced by a variety of experiences with Eastern music traditions. The music on this CD was recorded as a live studio performance. For the Indian music performances, this spontaneity and improvised atmosphere is an extremely important ingredient to any rendering of the ragas and talas, but the improvised accompaniments of the monophonic songs definitely also benefitted from this unique ‘live’ quality.”

GROSSE FREIHEIT (GERMANY)

VA: Beat Fräuleins: Female Pop In Germany 1964-1968 CD (BB 093CD) 17.00
Following two Funky Fräuleins compilations (2009 and 2011), the time has come for the Beat Fräuleins. Back we go, deep into the ’60s, when the beat forced its way into the innocent world of German schlager, when the rhythm grew hotter and the lyrics sharper, the drums louder and the guitar more distorted. Beat Fräuleins brings together 19 highlights of the era. Brigitt’s career began in the GDR, continued in the West in 1968 and ended at the age of 28. Her track features fantastic exotica and a brave arrangement using only percussion, bass and whistles. Motown’s luminaries can head to the back of the queue with Joy & The Hit Kids. This is soul in its finest form, with the greatest soul voice that Germany has ever produced. Marion Maerz was the ultimate Beat Fräulein and this track shot to number 6 on the charts. Dominique’s track addresses the topic of youth criminality. Anita Weibel’s track is a solid, Germanized version of Johnny Tillotson’s “Please Don’t Go Away.” Patty Pay’s track is a splendid little soap opera, penned by Ralph Siegel. Caterina Valente lands here in a feminist pose: promoting female autonomy and leaving the men no chance. Ingela Brander was an actress, a singer and a saxophonist. Inga Rumpf’s Sonny & Cher adaptation is an example of her extra-curricular solo activities in 1967. Conny Froboess sings a suitably unromantic song about being jilted. The track by Monique And The Lions was discovered in the CCA archives. It didn’t and doesn’t get any more garage than this in the Schlager world. The original: “Bus Stop” by The Hollies. James Last himself composed Dorthe’s jaunty number and Ruth Brandin was one of the most successful GDR vocalists of the 1960s until the Stasi wanted to enlist her. Ruth refused — effectively ending her career. Chris Doerk was another hugely popular singer from the GDR, best known as one-half of the duo Chris & Frank, here with a laid-back organ dance number. The Jacob Sisters cover The Supremes’ “Stop! In The Name Of Love” before Simone lets out a beat number and Pitty Und Ihre Beatchicks boost the merits of teenage love. Another James Last-penned track from Renate Kern is a real foot-stomper before Wencke Myhre contemplatively concludes this compilation, wallowing in a grand orchestral arrangement that is sure to melt any heart.

HOTFLUSH RECORDINGS (UK)

LOCKED GROOVE: Rooted 12″ (HFT 020EP) 11.50
“Hotflush presents the debut 12″ from Belgian newcomer Locked Groove aka Tim Van de Meutter. The young producer delivers three hypnotizing and genre bending tracks that expertly weave the sounds of Berghain, soulful house and UK garage into a single crushing package. The Rooted EP draws you in with the title track, bouncing along to an acid baseline, then moves onto ‘Drowning,’ a moody techno track that was included on Scuba’s DJ-Kicks mix compilation, filled with drum and ambient samples taken from field recordings. Lastly, ‘Change,’ a production that smartly melds classic house grooves with industrial techno, demonstrates Locked Groove’s rhythmic finesse and long-term promise as an artist.”

HUBRO (NORWAY)

SPLASHGIRL: Pressure LP (HUBRO 3509LP) 22.00
LP version. Splashgirl is one of the most exciting young instrumental bands to come out of Norway in recent years. With Pressure, their third album and certainly their strongest to date, the band is taking yet another giant step forward. Here, the musicians are opening the doors to several new musical rooms — to the dark, dank cellar as well as to the attic — where all their forgotten memories are stored away. Splashgirl’s second album, Arbor (HUBRO 2500CD), was Hubro’s very first release in 2009. The group’s course of development from its 2007 debut, Doors. Keys derived inspiration from Paul Bley’s jazz piano recordings. The band’s foundation remains acoustic: Andreas Stensland Løwe, piano (Thelma & Clyde, Lama, Jæ), Jo Berger Myhre (Ingrid Olava, Solveig Slettahjell), double bass and Andreas Lønmo Knudsrød (Sacred Harp, Lama), drums. On this album there are some outstanding guest appearances by guitarist Juhani Silvola (Sacred Harp), vocalist Mari Kvien Brunvoll, tuba player Martin Taxt (Jæ, Hanne Hukkelberg), trombonist Erik Johannesen (Jaga Jazzist) and Lasse Passage with field recordings and tape feedback. The musical dynamics on Pressure have a broad scope, but as on Arbor, the members of the trio also work with some simple analog electronics. Modest and lyrical, the album ranges from gloomy prophecies of doom that flow onwards like hot tar to ethereal minimalism. The opening track, “Devata,” would have been perfect as film music for a Western based in the Antarctic. In any case, what is most striking this time is the enormous sense of concentration and the impressive focus on subtle details that are an integral part of Splashgirl’s music. The album was recorded by Alex Kloster-Jensen at Malabar Studio in Oslo, and was mixed by Randall Dunn (Earth, Sunn O))), Jesse Sykes) at Aleph Studios, Seattle.

I’M SINGLE (GERMANY)

PRESIDENT BONGO & DOP: Gossip Rats 12″ (IMS 012EP) 12.00
Icelandic President Bongo, founding member and front shouter of the legendary GusGus, meets up with French disco resistance dOP. The outcome: a psychopathic dub stomper where every relevant second of creative energy is put onto tape. A non-stop flow of music, poetry and love, with no beginning and no end. It’s like putting life to tape.

KARAOKE KALK (GERMANY)

J.R.PLANKTON: Neon LP (KK 065LP) 15.50
LP version. Karaoke Kalk introduces another exciting new artist to their roster. J.R.Plankton is a collaborative project by Jens Strüver and Robert Ohm. Strüver also manages the M=minimal label. His first collaboration with studio-nerd and multi-instrumentalist Robert Ohm was an hour-long radio-play/sound collage about the legendary composer Moondog, repeatedly broadcasted on German radio nationwide. Now, their own pure musical work Neon is nothing less than a tour de force. From the word go, the album sets an incredibly high standard. Opener “Musique Electronique” is, without a doubt, a nod to the founding fathers of German electronic music, Kraftwerk. The highly-charged electro style laid down on this opening track sets the pace for what follows over the remaining 37 minutes of the album. Clocking in at a massive 8 minutes, “City Jungle” is epic. Musically, the track switches down a gear though entering a more atmospheric world of ambient oscillations and arpeggiated synth sounds, while the tune moves towards a more driving, industrial feel towards the end. “Sundance” kicks in with a throbbing slap bass part, soon to be followed by wah-wahed guitars, all of which make for a surprise disco-funk track on this otherwise electro-oriented album. This is clearly a feel-good track and is sure to have any room jumping in seconds. The penultimate track “Nakamura” starts as another downbeat foray into ambient but again builds to reach a powerful, minimal crescendo. The track makes powerful use of textures to paint a sonic landscape which is a world unto itself. And this superb album draws to a close with “Regen” (trans. “Rain”), which is another masterpiece of arpeggio action. The tune teasingly implies that it might kick off at any moment, but the beat remains absent, creating instead a hypnotic tension. Neon has all the elements one might wish for from a modern electronic record. The experimental nature of some of the more protracted interludes should appeal to fans of Kraut and electronica: these moments are ideal for losing oneself in the trance-inducing intimacy of one’s headphones. At the same time, there’s plenty on the album to interest all you DJs out there who would do well to drop some of the more uptempo tracks on Neon. Debut albums don’t come any stronger than this.

KOMPAKT (GERMANY)

PARTIAL ARTS: Trauermusik 12″ (KOM 149EP) 10.00
2008 release. Ewan Pearson and Al Usher’s “Trauermusik” could be heralded as the definitive emo-techno/house track of our time. Never melancholic, but sublimely sophisticated and deep, Partial Arts keep it slow and sexy throughout this massively produced, pop-bred ditty. Techno’s acid drill team Alter Ego turn it inside-out, reshaping a ragga-esque rhythm into a 4/4 bass line, then nodding their hats to the original with a sweep of glorious synths, making you scream for more.

VA: Pop Ambient 2012 CD (KOMP 096CD) 15.50
Pop Ambient 2012 begins in an unusually new but nevertheless somehow familiar fashion. Mohn with “Manifesto” is the opening act. A manifest of slowness. A slowness that Jörg Burger and Wolfgang Voigt have taken up as a new mission. Mohn is their new ambient-grunge-downbeat project, scheduled to depart on its official musical journey to Middle Earth early 2012. What follows is equally surprising: the old Kompakt swashbuckler Superpitcher is taking part for the very first time. His piece “Jackson” is borne by a slightly uncanny, spherical voice floating above a jazzy pop accord coolness and faintly ’70s sequencer aesthetics. It is followed by a familiar face from past times who is making an anonymous return on Kompakt under his new pseudonym Morek. “Pan” is a textbook example of a classical piece of pop ambient music. Timeless elegance. Magazine, the “Krauty” electronic guerrilla from Cologne-Deutz, has tailored the piece “The Visitors Bureau” we all know from Magazine 4 into a measure-made ambient frock. Then comes Jörg “Triola” Burger with a solo appearance. His multi-faceted, intricately-woven Arabian Nights-style sounds, with effectively placed harmonic shifts reminiscent of Pink Floyd in the best of their phases, indicate why the piece “Richmodis” was named after an old Cologne saga. Enter the Pope of Ambient: Wolfgang Voigt masterfully continues his impressive creative ambient frenzy in “Rückverzauberung 5,” not by stagnating on the usual planes but by further developing his new concept into a novel direction of abstract jazz. Bvdub is taking part for the third time, leaving nothing to be desired with his sensitive musical signature. Likewise, Marsen Jules constantly refines his bizarre, flickering sound constructions and even adds percussion drums that are atypical for ambient. Simon Scott is a newcomer to Pop Ambient but certainly no unknown face. The Englishman already impressed the scene a while ago on the Miasmah label. His contribution “For Martha” is a particularly good piece of classical pop ambient music. A relaxing final appearance is provided by a good friend of the house: Axel “The Field” Willner alias Loops Of Your Heart charms us with a light-footed, pleasantly-filled guitar loop tempting us to press the Start button at the end of the CD/record.

KRANGLAN BROADCAST (SWEDEN)

BJORK, HARALD: Kranglan EP 12″ (KLN 001EP) 12.50
The Kranglan EP by Harald Björk is the first record to be released on Kranglan Broadcast. The record holds three productions of pure naïve emotions that together summarize memories of childhood surroundings and its environmental changes. The record is manufactured in a production of 500 and comes with a full-color LP-sleeve. The artwork is made by the German illustrator Kheira Linder. The artwork is based on an idea by Harald Björk and pictures of the Nacka nature reserve taken by photographer Jesper Tengwall.

LE POP MUSIK (GERMANY)

VA: Tucson Songs: Exciting New Sounds From Southern Arizona CD (LPM 032CD) 15.50
Tucson Songs: Exciting New Sounds From Southern Arizona is a stunning portrait of a musically sizzling city. In between mambo, country & western and Americana, a new desert sound is blossoming in Arizona. Tucson Songs contains 18 songs, 90% are previously-unreleased. Including two exclusive tracks by Giant Sand and Calexico. Ask most music fans which cities come to mind and most will state the obvious — Detroit, Nashville, Seattle, Austin, Philadelphia, Portland. But, tucked into the southwest desert is one that deserves a place on that list — Tucson. This “smallest big city in the USA” has always been home to a steady music scene, but in recent years, has become a vibrant Mecca for musicians. With the ever-shining sun and cheap rent for generous spaces, Tucson is the perfect place for musicians to stretch their legs and delve into their craft. For the past decade or so, bands like Giant Sand and Calexico have been delivering up quintessential sounds of the desert. But any connoisseur of the late ’80s will remember bands that paved the way for that sound, bands such as Green On Red, Chris Cacavas and Al Perry and The Cattle. However, a closely-guarded secret that is about to be cracked wide open is the latest generation of highly-talented musicians that are launching their own flagships of sounds from Arizona. A combination of Tucson’s extremely relaxed atmosphere with the prickly landscape dominated by unforgiving cacti makes for new good sounds, rhythms and songs. Along the way, this new crop of bands has had a helping hand from their pioneering forefathers — Calexico is to Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta as Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb is to Brian Lopez. However, none of this hot-bed of talent would have come to our attention had it not been for Tucson’s French-born chanteuse Marianne Dissard. She wisely plucked up many of these budding musicians to bring along with her on her European tours. And now, they appear on this compilation with their own offerings, including Andrew Collberg, Brian Lopez, Gabriel Sullivan and Sergio Mendoza. Her ex-husband, Naim Amor and fellow musicians like Amy Rude, Silver Thread Trio and Courtney Marie Andrews are also all at the core of a familiar scene that inspires the good kind of sounds. Researching the rich local music scene ended up in Le Pop putting together a sampler-concept compilation album entitled Tucson Songs… and on the treasure hunt, Le Pop got a lot of help navigating the scene from Joey Burns (Calexico) and über-knowledgeable local radio host Dr. Dan Twelker. Tucson Songs… is a portrait of a musical city like no other — a melting pot and creative oasis in the desert. Other artists include: Taraf de Tucson, Françoiz Breut, Otherly Love, Boffomet, Golden Boots and Bread And Circus.

LIEBE DETAIL (GERMANY)

TIGER STRIPES/ED DAVENPORT: Hooked/Eyespeak 12″ (LDLTD 005EP) 12.50
Here’s the 5th round of Liebe*Detail’s hand-picked re-release series. This time, the label combined two very special tracks from outstanding artists Tiger Stripes and Ed Davenport together on a strictly-limited 12″. Both tracks haven’t been available for more than 3 years on vinyl.

LILITH (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)

AUDIENCE: Audience LP+CD (LR 332LP) 28.00
“London art rock band that rose from the ashes of mid-sixties mod band Lloyd Alexander Real Estate. Adding sax, acoustic guitar and woodwinds to the mix, Audience soon became very popular on the club circuit, landing a residency at Ronnie Scott’s and a record deal with Polydor. Their 1969 self-titled debut was a solid effort, but nonetheless was soon deleted, making original copies of this LP highly collectible. Featuring new ‘positive image’ cover photo plus 3 bonus tracks, including the theme from their soundtrack to the 1970 skinhead classic Bronco Bullfrog.” On 180 gram vinyl.

LYSERGIC SOUND DISTRIBUTORS

WORLD: Opus 1 LP (SCP 52747LP) 21.00
“Recently discovered 1972 Latin teen soul-funk-rock private press mega-rarity from rural New Mexico. Pressed in very small numbers, this previously unknown gem is a very accomplished mix of smooth gliding soul and up-tempo funk, complete with swirling Hammond organ and mellow harmonies to go with the fuzz and funk guitars. At the album’s core, however, beats the heart of an adolescent small town garage rock combo. This six piece teen group, led by Rick Chavez and the smooth vocals of Ray Williams, features nine very catchy original tunes to go along with their very own funky version of the classic, ‘Bo Diddley.’ The great music on this authorized reissue has all been restored and re-mastered and is now offered as a very limited vinyl pressing for the first time. We have also restored the original hand-drawn outsider psychedelic cover art. With less than a handful of original copies known to exist at this time, this is a great new find and an absolute ‘must have’ for the collector of rare soul-funk-garage vinyl.”

MENTAL GROOVE LTD (SWITZERLAND)

CROWDPLEASER & ST-PLOMB: 2006 Remixes III 12″ (MGLTD 019EP) 10.00
2008 release. This is the third remix EP from the Crowdpleaser & St-Plomb album 2006 on Mental Groove. This time it’s “Last,” remixed by producer Elin (aka Autorepeat) and Crowdpleaser’s own “Indian Summer” edit of “New Times Roman,’ doing it deeper. Greatly mastered by Thomas Brinkmann.

MEXICAN SUMMER

LILACS & CHAMPAGNE: Lilacs & Champagne LP (MEX 106LP) 16.50
“As the producing-team behind Grails, Alex Hall and Emil Amos have hybridized and warped various cultures’ versions of psych music over the past decade. With their new project Lilacs & Champagne, they’ve created another umbrella under which to tweak hip-hop, tape-collage and the darkest creases of ’70s film-soundtracks with their lysergic and perverse style of head-music. The project’s name and imagery evoke a strange thrift-store mystery LP you might come across, unsure if you’ve discovered an exotic dub record, a flowery Bacharach AM radio classic or something by an obscure duo of Swedish avant-techno producers. The record began under the influence of Madlib’s production style, which had suggested that writing songs using an Akai MPC sampler would force the two to stretch their legs and explode any expectations created by records they’ve made in the past. But rather than sampling the funk and soul canon of traditional hip hop, they pulled from disparate sources such as Polish private press hippie records, indistinguishable radio noise or the chopped and reversed sounds of Jayne Mansfield’s head being decapitated. Layers of instruments and found sound were then painted over the original samples until entirely new directions were created and taken to their logical conclusion, creating something simultaneously alien and familiar, something like the sound of Nurse with Wound collaborating with J-Dilla. Release date 1/31. First pressing of 1000. Vinyl includes digital download.”

MODERN LOVE (UK)

STOTT, ANDY: Passed Me By/We Stay Together 2CD (LOVE 070CD) 22.00
Repressed. Two acclaimed albums from Andy Stott available for the first time on CD format, including four bonus tracks. Produced slowly and meticulously, these two EPs were originally released on vinyl during 2011 and have become the most widely-admired productions yet from Manchester-based Andy Stott. Taking influence from an array of seemingly incoherent noises, from the indefinable and unforgettable mind-tricks of Arthur Russell to the slow house of Kassem Mosse, from the alternate VHS realities of James Ferraro and Jamal Moss to the Linn Drum classics of the vintage Prince-era — these tracks create their own pace and agenda, largely shying away from the dancefloor in favor of something more complex and hard to define. 2CD edition packaged in a deluxe oversized gatefold digifile. Mastered at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.

DEMDIKE STARE: Elemental Part 3: Rose 12″ (LOVE 075EP) 18.00
Part three in this 4-part set. This 12″ slots into the Elemental quad-gatefold which came with parts 1 & 2 (LOVE 073_074LP). The 2CD album Elemental features a different tracklisting with alternate versions of some of these vinyl tracks plus extra content. Mastered and cut by Lupo at Dubplates & Mastering, pressed on colored vinyl and limited to 1,000 copies for the world. Featuring specially-commissioned artwork by Andy Votel.

MONK (ITALY)

REINHARDT, DJANGO: Rhythm Futur LP (MK 106LP) 22.00
“These recordings chronicle a time when Paris was the centre of the world–and the legendary night clubs of Montmarte, Pigalle and along the Champs- Elysees were filled with jazz bands–but with the onset of WWII, all this changed and gypsies like Django Reinhardt were systematically being rounded up and sent to the death camps. During this time Reinhardt found himself literally having to play and record in order to stay alive. As long as he was a star, he was safe. Amazingly, Reinhardt still managed to compose and record some of his best material during this dark era. Recorded in Paris between 1937 and 1940.”

REINHARDT, DJANGO: Swing De Paris LP (MK 107LP) 22.00
Recorded in Paris in 1940. Tracks include Cole Porter’s “Begin The Beguine,” Edvard Grieg’s “Fantasie Sur Une Danse Norvegienne,” Fritz Kreisler’s “Liebesfreud,” Walter Donaldson’s “Little White Lies,” Hubert Rostaing’s “Festival Swing” and more.

MULE ELECTRONIC (GERMANY)

ATTIAS, ALEX: Unreleased Dubz 12″ (MULE 047EP) 12.00
2008 release. First release by Alex Attias on Mule. The title track “Brazilika” was already featured on Mule Electronic’s second compilation, My Favorite Things, and “Timemachine” is simply for dancefloors — lots of percussion and hypnotic synth with minimal beats.

BENEDIKT FREY: Fairytale 12″ (MULE 086EP) 15.50
Mule Electronic presents the fantastic new artist Benedikt Frey. The title track features super-deep Detroit house sounds with smoky male vocals. Should be especially fascinating for fans of Theo Parrish or Moodymann or even DJ Koze. All the other tracks are also high quality stuff. Featuring contributions from Chris Cox and Simon Mager.

MUSIC MAN (BELGIUM)

DETTMANN, MARCEL: Landscape 12″ (MM 157EP) 12.00
If you didn’t just get back from a few months at the International Space Station, then you know that Music Man released Conducted (MM 036CD), Marcel Dettmann’s mix CD. Attentive listeners noticed that Marcel didn’t include any of his own tracks on this compilation, but the label has some good news for his fans: Marcel made an exclusive track for Music Man. “Landscape” is nothing but a wonderful trip, as you will hear. On remix duties is Answer Code Request.

DUNDOV & GREGOR TRESHER, PETAR: Duo Tone EP 10″ (MM 158EP) 12.00
After hearing this release, one could ask themselves why Petar Dundov and Gregor Tresher never collaborated before?! Their sound seems to fit amazingly well together. With their debut for Music Man — and Gregor’s debut on Music Man altogether — they deliver two blinding, melodic techno tracks that will definitely appeal to fans of both artists. Comes as a marbled, colored 10″ vinyl.

MY FAVORITE ROBOT RECORDS (CANADA)

NITIN: Latenightlife Remixed 12″ (MFR 045EP) 12.00
When it was released early in 2011, Nitin’s Latenightlife EP instantly became one of the biggest singles to date. Its mix of deep, dubby house and otherworldly electronica saw rave reviews across Europe’s press and had DJs lining up to play cuts from it. This brand new package includes re-edits and remixes from Nitin (featuring Sexteto Tabala), Anthony Collins, Subb-an and Brett Johnson. This is a truly heavyweight package from a label who are undoubtedly serious contenders.

ORIGIN AUDIO (UK)

COMMODO: Dokument/Eastern Bloc 12″ (ORG 003EP) 12.50
“Origin Audio announces its highly anticipated third release from up and coming producer Commodo. Both tracks have received support from the likes of Youngsta, Distance, Cyrus, Darkside and Tunnidge. Expect heavy weight sub and tight percussion as Commodo demonstrates just why he is such hot property right now. With this release Origin Audio continues to grow its reputation as one of the most credible and exciting labels in dubstep.”

PLAZA IN CROWD (JAPAN)

ANGEL, DAVE: Frame By Frame CD (PIC 005CD) 17.00
Fountain Music sister label Plaza In Crowd presents the worldwide release of an album from the legendary British techno producer Dave Angel. Angel has remixed artists such as Eurythmics which charted at #23 on the UK charts. When drum n’ bass first appeared on the scene, he was one of the top techno DJs in the world alongside genre originator Grooverider — renowned for his jazz style and soul tastes. In recent years, he has released on labels such as K7, 4th & Broadway and Jericho and has also collaborated with George Clinton. This is Dave Angel’s first album after a long silence and includes a collaborative track with mid-’90s R&S label-mate Ken Ishii, which has already been plugged by taste-makers such as Derrick May and Laurent Garnier. The sound of this album captures Dave Angel’s innovative groove mixed with a minimal and tech house boom and an original Detroit techno essence. This veteran producer presents the perfect deep techno album with an intoxicating, high-tension groove. Remixes of this album are slotted to be from valuable top producers such as Shin Nishimura, Satoshi Fumi, Jamie Anderson and Marco Bailey.

RUNE GRAMMOFON (NORWAY)

FIRE! WITH JIM O’ROURKE: Released! 10″ (REP 2120EP) 25.00
Fire! are developing at a rapid speed and their exhilarating gig at Oslo Jazz Festival in August 2011 simply left the audience gobsmacked. This 10″ EP however, contains more music from their fruitful collaboration with Jim O’Rourke in Tokyo in September 2010, some of which was released earlier in 2011 as Unreleased?. Here are two workouts showing the wide musical spectrum they cover. Vinyl-only release in a numbered, limited edition of only 500 copies.

LAST HURRAH!!, THE: The Great Gig In Disguise 10″ (REP 2121EP) 19.50
MOJO invited The Last Hurrah!! to cover a track from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon for their September 2011 issue. Their sublime take on the most iconic and uncoverable of Floyd tracks, “The Great Gig In The Sky,” had readers and journalists singing. Here it is, in all its glory, together with their interpretation of another classic, Sandy Denny’s “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” and two smashing new originals penned by Hurrah mainman HP Gundersen. Vinyl-only release in a numbered, limited edition of only 500 copies.

ELEPHANT9: Live At The BBC LP (RLP 2118LP) 25.00
At the same time as their triumphant and memorable concert with Motorpsycho in London in November 2010, Elephant9 popped into BBC for a live session for their “Jazz On 3″ program. Widely considered to be one of Norway’s best live bands, this album also shows the high degree of musicianship in this trio, all tracks being first-takes and without any editing whatsoever. Elephant9 is Ståle Storløkken (Supersilent, Humcrush) on Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes, Nikolai Eilertsen (Big Bang) on bass and Torstein Lofthus (Shining) on drums.

SCORCH TRIO WITH MARS WILLIAMS: Made In Norway 2LP (RLP 2119LP) 32.00
Classic double live album from this free-spirited international trio, this time expanded with American sax player Mars Williams. Recorded live at Oslo’s Café Mono and at the Nattjazz festival in Bergen, both in May 2011, this fully shows why new drummer Frank Rosaly can be considered the perfect partner to founders Raoul Björkenheim (guitar) and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), not to mention Williams, who fit in perfectly with only a minimum of rehearsals before these concerts. The interplay is simply stunning and the sound is of studio quality. Vinyl-only release, housed in a gatefold sleeve and limited to 500 numbered copies.

RUSH HOUR (NETHERLANDS)

DEGIORGIO, KIRK: Divine Logic 12″ (RH 037EP) 12.50
The legendary UK techno producer Kirk Degiorgio is known as a purveyor of techno soul in its finest form. He was at the root of the UK techno movement in the early ’90s, soon after the Detroit sound went global. With “Divine Logic” he keeps true to his own tradition by delivering a timeless piece of techno music — a string-laden track that evolves around an arpeggiated synth line. A classy joint that shows that the heritage of Detroit techno still lives on.

SEECO

SIMS, ZOOT: The Art Of Jazz LP (CELP 4520LP) 11.50
Tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims with Bob Brookmeyer (trombone), Milt Hinton (bass), Gus Johnson (drums) and John Williams (piano). Sims was a “gutsy blower” who played with everybody.

SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND (NORWAY)

TERJE, TODD: It’s The Arps EP 12″ (STS 21912EP) 11.00
Smalltown Supersound split release with Terje’s Olsen Records. “His debut EP is a badly-punned tribute to the Monty Python’s It’s The Arts. It’s an experimental EP entirely based on the multi-faceted abilities of the ARP2600, one of the finest analogue synthesisers ever built. Endearing Monty Python punning? Check. Top synth-nerd action? Check. Illustrator and Norwegian superstar Bendik Kaltenborn did the amazing artwork. It’s a thing of beauty.”

SOFTWARE

MEGAFORTRESS: Megafortress 12″ (SFT 006EP) 15.00
“Megafortress is New York musician Bill Gillim. The project was conceived as a series of fictional field recordings, and has transformed into a collection of gorgeous vocal meditations. His debut self-titled release for Software Recording Co., Megafortress is a lucid and open effort combining homebrewed and studio recording elements into a dynamic cloud cover, using only sparsely layered and processed voice, sampled bells, and touches of synthesizer. At times, it feels like Gillim is concocting a new strain of (secular) devotional music; a contemplative, nascent music. Bill’s obfuscated lyrics hint at a resonant, universal sphere where identity is formed but never hardens. Considering how simple and unadorned Gillim’s setup is, the envisage is a testament to how powerful this music is. Megafortress begins with ‘My Favorite Girl,’ on which Gillim’s veiled falsetto is propelled forward through a hall of delays, accented by simple but completely unpredictable moments of synth vamp, while ‘Green Child’ is the definitive exit music for the vocal segment of the EP, a contemporary dirge that wouldn’t feel out of place if installed at the emotional/architectural nodes of Fallingwater, year 2012.” Numbered edition of 500 copies; includes download code.

NAPOLIAN: Rejoice 12″ (SFT 009EP) 15.00
“Software Recording Co. is proud to introduce Napolian, 19-year-old producer and chief visionary behind LA-based production crew Renaissance Music Group. His debut release, Rejoice, is stately, direct, and stylistically interwoven. Rejoice runs the gamut of computer funk, ambient, and trance, but always retains a hard, synthetic R&B core. The same way Napoleon III urged porcelain designers to reflect the historic images of the day as opposed to generic landscapes and classical nudes, our Napolian’s commanding dionysia of electronic music histories are dream-coated in digital resins and fabricated in the manner of a visionary metal worker. What’s immediately evident in Napolian’s craft are the anthemic leads that tear across the conductor rod of 21st century hardware-based production. Napolian’s cyclonic smack of disparate yet logical influences sets him apart from the contemporary sidechain scene. The Harold Faltermeyer/Dr. Dre continuum on Rejoice’s ‘False Memories’ or the wormhole connecting Marcus Miller to Alice DeeJay on ‘Rejoice’ represent a couple of the Napolian’s unprecedented stargates. The songs of Rejoice aren’t fleeting screen grabs, rather riffs hard-ripped by hand on time-tested, Ikutaro Kakehashi-approved gear. It made us cry and it shook our skulls.” Numbered limited edition of 500; includes download code.

SONIC GROOVE

G-MAN AND ROB STROBE: Acrophobia EP 12″ (SG 1151EP) 12.50
Sonic Groove presents the legendary G-Man aka Gez Varley along with Robert Hauck aka Rob Strobe. Gez is also known for being the founding member of one of techno music’s all-time most famous acts, LFO. Now after a few years’ hiatus of releasing new material, G-Man returns with Rob Strobe to bring forth a three-track dancefloor burner of chord-driven, pumping techno. Acrophobia is of the purist Sheffield/Detroit techno kind, mixing classic styles with contemporary.

SPIRAL GROOVE (UK)

RAW MATERIAL: Raw Material LP (SG 3005LP) 22.00
180 gram vinyl version. This London-based quintet’s ambitious and highly entertaining debut touches on psychedelia, progressive rock, jazz and pop, with imaginative arrangements and superb musicianship. Issued on the tiny Evolution label in the autumn of 1970, it sank without trace, with original copies now changing hands for several hundred pounds.

TEMPA (UK)

BENGA: Diary of an Afro Warrior 3LP (TEMPA 010LP) 23.00
2012 Repress on vinyl: triple LP version. Substantially different track listing on the vinyl version, with 5 tracks not found on the CD. 9 tracks in total.

SKREAM: Anticipate (feat. Sam Frank) 12″ (TEMPA 063EP) 11.00
Skream releases a brand-new single on Tempa. Anticipate features guest vocalist Sam Frank and as always, his trademark sub-bass lines weaving throughout. This 12″ also comes complete with an on-point remix from Netsky and is the first in a series of heavyweight singles from Skream set to make an impact in 2012 and solidify his reputation as the seminal breakout producer of our generation.

THRONE OF BLOOD

TANGA & THE SELENITES, BIBI: Be Africa Remixes 12″ (THRONE 008EP) 12.00
Paris’ Bibi Tanga & The Selenites is led by Bibi Tanga and Professeur Inlassable. Their album, Dunya, sounds a bit like Fela Kuti, Chic and Sidney Bechet getting together to jam at a disco on the Left Bank of the Seine. For this special, ultra-limited release, Throne of Blood presents two mind-blowing remixes of “Be Africa.” Populette transforms it into a deep and funky Afro-house workout tough enough for peak-time dancefloors. Tim Goldsworthy delivers a mix with an epic breakdown.

TIME-LAG RECORDS

CALLAHAN, EDDIE: False Ego CD (TLR 056CD) 14.00
“CD version. Packaging in an exact reproduction heavy mini-LP style cover, with Japanese woven inner sleeves, and a double-sided insert with a bunch of great vintage photos of Eddie rockin’ the Marshall stacks at the False Ego sessions, and new notes from Eddie, his wife Donna-Davi, and album producer Robert Berry. Edition of 500 copies.”

CALLAHAN, EDDIE: False Ego LP (TLR 056LP) 31.00
“First ever reissue, deluxe and legit, of this quite rare 1976 southern California private press gem. It’s a strange, fantastical, and totally distinct album that will have you sucked in almost instantly. This one is extremely hard to pin down – think something like a loner powerpop rock opus, heavy on the psychedelic production values, studio dreamer vibes, and timeless hooks. The songs are unusual but infectious, the production is breezy and expansive but not polished, and the vocals are constantly morphing yet always effective. In fact, the hazy chameleon-like personality here might be one of the best things going for the album, as not only does Eddie seem to be channelling a handful of different vocalists, but the whole mood and sound shifts around unexpectedly as well. Even the potential low points somehow work, and there are surprises around every turn. The often questioning, self-reflective lyrics add yet another layer of mystique to the trip. Musically the mellowest points hover around gorgeous, airy, rural-tinged, floating psychedelia with beautifully layered acoustic & electric guitars, tinkling keys, and lush mellotron. When things pick up they’re truly rocking, with tight punchy rhythms and Eddie firing off big chunky guitar riffs like he’s playing to the packed stadium behind his third eye. All the studio tricks at hand are put to full use with sweet Leslie guitar effects, special tones, backwards solos, elaborate multi-tracked sound fields, and some of the most wonderfully bent synthesizer soloing ever laid to tape. The perfectly strange and beautiful cover art seals the deal. False Egos is mastered from the artist’s well preserved and great sounding master tapes. Pressed on highest quality 180gm virgin vinyl, and packaging in an exact reproduction heavy old-style cover, with exact repro labels. One time pressing of 700 copies. Includes a double-sided insert with a bunch of great vintage photos of Eddie rockin’ the Marshall stacks at the False Ego sessions, and new notes from Eddie, his wife Donna-Davi, and album producer Robert Berry. ”

TOUCH (UK)

AMBARCHI, OREN: Audience Of One CD (TO 083CD) 14.50
On Audience Of One, Oren Ambarchi presents a four-part suite which moves from throbbing minimalism to expansive song-craft to ecstatic free-rock. His previous solo albums for Touch exhibited a clear progression towards augmenting and embellishing his signature bass-heavy guitar tones with fragile acoustic instrumentation. Audience Of One, while also existing in clear continuity with these recordings, opens the next chapter. Remarkable in its confidence and breadth, but also in the sensuous immediacy of its details, this is the first time a single record has come close to encapsulating Ambarchi’s musical personality in its full range and singularity. The techniques and strategies developed in his refined improvisational work with Keith Rowe and his explorations of the outer limits of rock with Sunn O))) and Keiji Haino are both in evidence, alongside the meticulous attention to detail and composition of his solo works. And on the cover of Ace Frehley’s “Fractured Mirror” which closes the record, Ambarchi even points to his roots as a classic rock fanatic, in an epic yet faithful version which extends the shimmering guitar patters of the original into a rich field of phase patters reminiscent of the classic American minimalism of Reich and Riley. The album features a multitude of collaborators, who, far from appearing in incidental roles, are integral to the pieces on which they perform: on “Salt,” Ambarchi paints a hypnotic, chiming backdrop for Paul Duncan’s (Warm Ghost) vocals, and Joe Talia’s virtuoso drumming and driving cymbals are at the core of the epic “Knots,” in which Ambarchi, alongside a chamber arrangement by Eyvind Kang, weaves a net of frequencies and textures with the organic push and pull of a ’70s psych jam, the bass response of a doom metal ritual and the psycho-acoustic precision of an Alvin Lucier composition. On his previous records, Ambarchi’s signature guitar tone was the ever-present bedrock over which other elements sounded. At moments on Audience Of One, this disappears entirely, as on the beautiful “Passage,” which, recalling the ’70s Italian non-academic minimalism of Roberto Cacciapaglia and Giusto Pio, is composed of overlapping tones from Hammond organ and wine glasses, Jessika Kenney’s voice, various acoustic instruments, and the delicate amplified textures of Canadian sound-artist Crys Cole. Rather than being provided by any particular sound, the unified feel of Audience Of One stems simply from the unique, patient sensibility Ambarchi has developed over the last 20 years; abstracting musical forms into their barest forms, while somehow always managing to leave their emotive power intact.

TRAPEZ (GERMANY)

KENO, DAVID: Bambi EP 12″ (TRAPEZ LTD095) 12.00
David Keno delivers a fine selection of four bouncy house cuts that are elegant, bloomy, sunny and uplifting. “Watermelons” is a very poppy track that defines itself through the vocals much more than with the other tracks. “Towards You” is a slacker — gentle and floating, leaving a stain of romance. “Catnip” features walking bass lines — their acoustic quality and small digits of melody often meeting Detroit-sounding chords, making this a true Berlin product.

TREIBSTOFF (GERMANY)

RAUCHERECKE: Papierfabrik EP 12″ (TREIB 097EP) 12.50
Treibstoff welcomes the Cologne-based duo of Sebastian Habben and Joschka Tschirley aka Raucherecke. Moving away from their minimal approach to techno, the boys now display their affection for dancefloor-driven music with this EP. “Der Tropfende Kessel” flows with deep emotion, augmented by a spine-tingling melody. “Drei Töpfe” presents clear drum sequencing and droning synths.

TROST (AUSTRIA)

SONORE: OTO CD (TROST 108CD) 17.00
The Trost label presents a live recording from the trio Sonore, featuring Peter Brötzmann (tenor and alto sax, clarinet and taragato), Ken Vandermark (tenor sax and clarinet) and Mats Gustafsson (baritone sax). All compositions by Brötzmann, Vandermark and Gustafsson. Recorded at Café OTO, London, for Jazz On 3, BBC Radio 3, April 20th 2011.

TURBO RECORDINGS (CANADA)

ZDAR: Don’t U Want 12″ (TURBO 028EP) 12.00
2005 release from Philippe Cerboneschi’s Zdar.

PROXY: Destroy EP 12″ (TURBO 035EP) 12.00
2006 single with Riot In Belgium’s remix of “Destroy.”

LEKEBUSCH, CARI: Shaded EP 12″ (TURBO 049EP) 12.00
2008 release of remixes of Cari Lekebusch’s 2004 single (featuring vocals by Krister Linder). Remixes by Compuphonic & Kolombo, Jesper Dahlback and Clouded Vision’s “acid dub.”

CHROMEO: When The Night Falls 12″ (TURBO 107EP) 12.00
New wave/electro funk duo Chromeo team up with singer Solange Knowles. Features the Hercules & Love Affair remix and Crowdpleaser remix.

ZZT (ZOMBIE NATION & TIGA): Partys Over Los Angeles 12″ (TURBO 112EP) 12.00
ZZT continue their reign of underground club domination with their most overt anthem yet. “Partys Over Los Angeles,” taken from their Partys Over Earth album (TURBO 033CD/LP) is the dancefloor herald of the End Times, brought to life by Tiga and Zombie Nation. The duo has harnessed the essence of the peak-time monster and unleashed it on the new-jack masses. Duke Dumont’s remix is a stripped-down snakecharmer while Jon Convex serves up a version that reflects the vanguard of new-school UK bass-influenced techno.

UNITED ARTISTS RECORDS

WOMACK, BOBBY: Facts Of Life LP (UALA 043LP) 11.50
Exact repro of this 1973 album, featuring originals “I’m Through Trying To Prove My Love To You,” “Nobody,” “He’ll Be There When The Sun Goes Down,” plus a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” and Carol King’s “Natural Man.”

UNITED DIRTER (UK)

NURSE WITH WOUND/GRAHAM BOWERS: Rupture CD (DPROM 093CD) 16.50
This CD is the first collaboration of Steven Stapleton’s Nurse With Wound and composer/sculptor Graham Bowers. It is, without doubt, one of the best things United Dirter has ever released. It’s an extremely unnerving, but also hauntingly moving listening experience. The work is an attempt to create a musical illustration of the “goings-on” in the brain during the last hour and three minutes of life after suffering a major stroke. It is multi-layered and is primarily concerned with the internal chaos caused by the loss of control of thought processes, responses and consequential actions, with all types of incoherent disjointed memories and present real-time events — as well as moments of lucidity, panic and fear — clashing, merging and evolving. It’s essentially one long piece, but is presented in three parts: 01. “…A Life As It Now Is 02. “…Is Not What It Was” 03. “…And Will Never Be Again.” It arrives packaged in a beautiful 6-panel gloss-laminated digipack, featuring artwork from both Babs Santini and Graham Bowers. The edition is limited to just 1,000 copies in this format.

VILLAGE GREEN (UK)

KENNIFF, KEITH: Branches CD (VG 002CD) 14.50
A Pennsylvanian by birth, Keith Kenniff is an honors graduate of Boston’s esteemed Berklee College Of Music, best known as the brains behind dulcet ambient/electronic practitioners Helios and the fingers on the ivories of post-classical piano minimalists Goldmund (the latter’s music once described by no less an authority than Ryuichi Sakamoto as “so, so, so beautiful…”). A succession of albums under those aliases has made Kenniff the darling of discerning critics and his music has also been widely used in film, television and advertising, not least on the soundtrack to Harmony Korine’s 2007 comedy-drama Mister Lonely and the trailer for the 2009 Academy Award-nominated Revolutionary Road, directed by Sam Mendes. In 2007, Keith formed the band Mint Julep with his wife Hollie. Mint Julep was designed as a conscious departure from Keith’s previous projects. Keith’s project Branches sees him return to his twinkling piano keys and the intensely atmospheric strings of his earlier solo work. Branches sounds like a journey that ebbs and flows through a wondrous forest, accelerating and slowing up to reveal beauty in all its little nooks and crannies. The album is a haunting and beautiful work that will appeal to fans of Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Nils Frahm and Hauschka.

VINYL LOVERS (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)

NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE: Dawson, Nelson & Friends LP (VL 901271LP) 24.00
“When the Grateful Dead met country music men Dawson & Nelson, the New Riders of the Purple Sage were born! Recorded in 1968-69, side A features the only known recording of the band’s original line-up (John Dawson, David Nelson, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart), plus two even earlier pre-NRPS tracks, while Side B represents Dawson’s resurrection of the band in 1989 with an entirely new line-up.”

WE PLAY HOUSE (BELGIUM)

FCL: More Vocals For Everyone 12″ (WPH 015EP) 12.50
Three house tracks from FCL followed by a Balearic remix by Arto Mwambe. Vocalist Lady Linn is the perfect conduit for the sounds and lyrics, with “Used To Be” taking things deep and melodic for an anthem that will touch all love criminals. The mandatory instrumental is there so Red D can play the vinyl when performing with Lady Linn. “Back” is aimed straight at the dancefloor and is vintage WPH/FCL/San Soda material.

WE PLAY HOUSE/LANY RECORDINGS (NETHERLANDS)

VA: WPH/Lany Summer Special 2011 12″ (WPH SS2011EP) 12.50
Split-label release between We Play House Recordings and Lany Recordings. The WPH side kicks off with a remix Russ Gabriel did for outfit Norken + Deer. FCL does a second track with an old rave sound in a drum machine. On the Lany side is two more tracks, the first a remix Lemakuhlar and Red D did for Rebirth, and the second is from label-boss Maxim Lany, reworking his mighty “Cuncambias” to great effect.

YOUNG TURKS (UK)

SBTRKT: Braiden/Lil’Silva Remixes 12″ (YT 075EP) 12.50
Young Turks brings together two of the best producers in the UK to give their perspective on the work of SBTRKT. This musicological take on SBTRKT’s “Pharaohs” recontextualizes Roses Gabor’s Afro-futuristic vocals in a more genuinely space-age industrial club sphere. Lil’Silva’s treatment of “Living Like I Do” takes Sampha’s vocal and adds a jerk discord to a dramatic vocal performance. His trademark two-note bassline presents itself with its usual menace. Also includes a remix by Braiden.

RADIOHEAD: Bloom (Jamie XX Rework Part 3) 12″ (YT 077EP) 12.50
Following Jamie XX’s first Radiohead remix, another take on “Bloom” has surfaced. The first half of “Rework Part 3″ features an otherwise unexplored deep house side of Jamie XX, before transitioning halfway into more familiar territory with vaguely Zen chimes and sliding ghost reverb.

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new releases are also viewable at http://www.forcedexposure.com/new/newindx.html

Hello, Our love for the latest release on the Forced Nostalgia label borders on obsession – a split LP unearthing an absolute gem of early 80′s Casio pop from little known Glaswegian group Vazz, coupled with a side of analogue gloom-wave from Italy’s La Bambola Del Dr Caligari. It’s an amazing set – but that Vazz side in particular is just off the scale, reminding us of so much music we love from the era, ranging from Antena’s ‘Camino Del Sol’ all the way to The Cure’s ‘Seventeen Seconds’, augmented by incredibly forward-thinking electronic production that genuinely ranks it alongside some of the finest electronic pop of the early 80′s. If you’re after something special – this is the real deal. After lurking in the shadows awaiting its turn, the fourth and final instalment of Demdike Stare’s ‘Elemental’ set finally drops this week on limited coloured vinyl. These will fly out so hurry if you’d like a copy, and in case you blinked and missed it, there’s good news: the deluxe double CD edition of the full Elemental album (including alternate versions of vinyl tracks plus a ruck more) is now also available for preorder below. Outta the near-arctic north, Finland to be precise, Sähko offer Atom ™ aka Uwe Schmidt’s stunning – and somehow previously unreleased – ambient odyssey ‘Cold Memories’ , spread across two discs (2 hours total). It’s deeply reminiscent of early ’90s classics from AFX, but also with passages of glacial minimalism recalling the likes of Eleh and Mika Vainio, or even a frozen Leyland Kirby. Connoisseurs and audiophiles should take note. Another archival tip, of very different stripes, is The best of Regis ’1994-1996′ collected by Downwards. For those who missed his hand-crafted ‘Adolescence’ 3CD set (pretty much everyone), this is essentially CD1, charting the foundations of the Birmingham Techno sound through 16 girder-strong and darkly funked-up weapons. Oh, and the first ever Regis twelve is also now at long last available on wax again. Both tracks were recorded in ’94 onto a Philips pocket memo, and have been recently re-mastered for optimal bite and scratch, housed in a gorgeous reverse-board jacket. Also in this week – longer players for the floor from Benjamin Damage & Doc Daneeka, and 100% Silk renegade, Cuticle. The former’s ‘They!Live’ album for MDSLKTR’s 50 Weapons is a sophisticated balance of Warehouse ravers and, lush melancholic vibes suitable for home listening, while Cuticle’s psychdelic ‘Mother Rhythm Earth Memory’ is best suited for the home, but braver DJs could really flip a floor – both recommended! For Doom heads and Bass lovers, they don’t come any more crucial than Sunn 0)))’s towering behemoth, ’00 Void’ – reissued this week for the 1st time in eight years, while blissout masters Windy & Carl return with the loveliest folksy ambience for Kranky on ‘We Will Always Be’. From acoustic folk laments to Basinski-esque drifts and chiming, Robin Guthrie-like guitar patterns, it’s a warm salve for those weary of winter and seeking something to immerse themselves in. There’s a strong smell of dark Techno of varying shades in the office this week, headed by a killer bullet from the Chasing Voices posse out of New York. Its another one-sided pressing in screen-printed jacket which is bound to fly out, whilst elsewhere Will Bankhead and Joy Orbison open their Hinge Finger account with a supremely blunted side from NYC’s Madteo and the hotly tipped Ifan Dafydd presents his debut proper on Push & Run for fans of James Blake. Oh, and there’s a heavy dose of funked-up House mutations from Machinedrum for LuckyMe and Lamin Fofana for Aramac’s Sticks “N” Stones Recordings to boot. Also out this week, new releases from: Dro Carey, Expo 70, DMZ, Goth Trad, Terry RIley, Raime, Oren Ambarchi, Robert Lippok, Helios/Goldmund, Zeena Parkins, Forest Swords, Bruce Haack, Rrose, Lone, Not Not Fun, Ilyas Ahmed, ASC, Ali Renault, John Tejada and much much more. Have yourselves a fabulous week… Peace! nekkers…xx

Albums of the Week
	VAZZ / LA BAMBOLA DEL DR CALIGARI Whisper Not / The Wrong Holiday SYNTHWAVE / ELECTRO Forced Nostalgia LP // £14.99 This latest release on the excellent Forced Nostalgia imprint is by some distance its most illuminating release to date – a split LP that features an astonishing rediscovery from the early 1980′s synth-pop era. That album is ‘Whisper Not’ by Vazz – a duo consisting of Anna Howson & Hugh Small, and is redolent of so much classic, deeply cherished music from around the same period (think Crépuscules, Antena, early Cocteau Twins on the one hand, and The Cure’s ‘Seventeen Seconds’ on the other), as well as acting as a kind of blueprint for so much of what was to follow (Stereolab, Pram, Moonshake etc) – that we can barely believe it has been tucked away in the archives for all this time. But more than that – the production on “Whisper Not” really is completely out of this world, using electronic sounds and treatments in such a way that there really is little else from the period that comes close. Imagine if Chris Carter produced Antena’s ‘Camino Del Sol’ album and you start getting an idea of the majestic, utterly innovative, unforgettable essence of this amazing album. It was recorded at the legendary Hellfire Club in Glasgow in 1982 and was eventually released on limited edition cassette, before the band were signed up to appear on the 2LP compilation “Antelopes & Alligators” on Operation Twilight – a sublabel of Belgium’s infamous Les Disques Du Crépuscules. For one reason or another the compilation never materialised – but the reference to Crépuscules should give you some idea of where Vazz figure in the scheme of things. We grew up with all of this stuff, so we don’t say this lightly, but unlike so much of what passes for crucial archival music, “Whisper Not” is easily among our favourite albums from that uber-distinctive period, around 1982, that brought to life so much music we consider indispensable. The B-side, meanwhile, is also something else – featuring Italy’s La Bambola Del Dr Caligari and 5 tracks recorded between 1983 and 1986. The band were a short-lived minimal synth trio from Bologna, Italy, consisting of the exotically named Judy Asquith (voice), Aurelium Spitty (sound engineer, synth, drum machines, effects) and J.R. Ewing (keyboards, effects). They recorded their first demo tape in early 1984 and sporadically played live in 1985/86, eventually arranging the soundtrack for an installation at the art gallery Number Zero (Bologna) in Feb 1986. Several self-produced tapes were recorded over the years but were never properly released. In 2005 Roberto Napoli mastered all the recordings from the analogue tapes and kindly assisted in editing the selections made by Forced Nostalgia. The result features some of the finest lost-and-found musical gems from the ’80s gloom-pop era, finally available for public consumption 25 years after they were recorded… REGIS 1994-1996 TECHNO / HOUSE DOWNWARDS CD // £8.99 For those who missed Regis’ lovingly hand-crafted ‘Adolescence’ compilation, Downwards thankfully breaks the set down into 3 discs over the coming months. The first, ’1994-1996′ covers his earliest Techno productions. Of particular note is the previously unreleased ‘Point Of Entry’, and alternative studio versions of ‘Keep Planning’ and ‘Translation’ from the ‘Gymnastics’ LP, but of the 16 tracks we’d be hard pushed to pick a favourite. There’s always the razing pillage of ‘Ital’ for consideration, or equally the sneering funk of ‘Surface’ and the glancing metallic blows of ‘We Said No’, but we seriously urge you to neck a few and find out for yourself if you’re not already familiar. At the risk of getting all hagiographic, this guy is nowt short of one of the UK’s most influential, and inspirational electronic artists, so if you’re not clued up, don’t f**k about: buy this. WINDY & CARL We Will Always Be HOME LISTENING / MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT Kranky 2LP // £15.99 A very welcome return for Carl Huntgren and Windy Weber, with their first album proper since 2008’s Songs For The Broken Hearted. It begins cautiously, with the acoustic folk lament ‘For Rosa’, before things take a turn into more obviously immersive and emotive W&C territory – all chiming, Robin Guthrie-style guitar patterns, dreamy synth washes, amorphous vocal layers. In terms of combining such rich atmospherics with genuinely heartstring-yanking harmonic structures, W&C at the top of their game have few equals – Emeralds, perhaps. They’ve really honed their own sound to perfection but remain exploratory in their approach, essaying Basinski-esque drift of ‘Looking Glass’ and chilly, dub-wise ambience on ‘The Frost In Winter’, with its looped notes gleaming out at you like bright sunlight on snow. The best is saved for last: 18-minute closer ‘Fainting In The Presence Of The Lord’ is as expansive and awe-inspiring as its title demands, all the more affecting for the weariness at its core. ATOM TM Cold Memories ELECTRONIC Sahko Recordings 2CD // £14.99 Two hours of stunning music from Uwe Schmidt, rescued from the Sahko tape archive and now available on 2xCD and digital. Recorded for the Ambient City radio project at Helsinki’s Museum of Modern Art in 1994, back when he was working as Atom Heart, Cold Memories reminds us of Schmidt’s peerless mastery of post-techno electronic musical modes. You get two hour-long, very eventful compositions for your buck. ‘Cold Memories pt.1’’s more sedate, gently undulating passages variously recall Budd and Eno, Pete Namlook and Klaus Schulze, and the precious drone abstractions of Eleh, but there are forays too into meaty, beaty ambient techno a la Aphex’s Selected Ambient Works. The drums persist throughout ‘Pt.2’, though this time they describe more linear, sparse and bleepier structures, inevitably bringing to mind Mika Vainio and Ilpo Vaisanen’s various Sahko projects, and enclose some truly haunting ambiences – drifting, swirling melodies, like a Leyland Kirby from frozen space. This really is terrific stuff, highly recommended for any fans of deep techno, PROPER ambient and isolationist electronica. BENJAMIN DAMAGE & DOC DANEEKA They!Live DUBSTEP / GRIME / FUNKY 50 WEAPONS 2LP // £14.99 Styling Funky, reinforced house and bruk techno excursions from Doc Daneeka and Benjamin Damage, new on Modeselektor’s 50Weapons label. It’s a moody affair, more so than you’d expect, and beautifully produced – opener ‘No One’ sets a high standard, a vapourish, Burial-esque intro giving way to a tough, foursquare house groove, coming over like Maurizio with a Croydon makeover. Abigail Wyles’ impressive vocals feature on three tracks, notably the spectral breakbeat techno cut ‘Battleships’ and the ambient centrepiece ‘Halo’. Still, the threads of melancholy and sophistication running through the album don’t get in the way of some good ol’ ‘floor-smashing – from the flexing warehouse minimalism of ‘Juggernaut’ to the jagged syncopations of ‘Elipsis Torment’, via the Shed/2562-ish swagger of ‘Deaf Siren’ and slinked-out UKF of ‘Creeper’. Damage and Daneeka’s real achievement here is to have a built a collection of tunes that’ll wreck clubs but satisfy at home too – a fine balance that’s nowhere better achieved than on lush, synthed-out closer ‘Bleach & Penicillin’. CUTICLE Mother Rhythm Earth Memory TECHNO / HOUSE NOT NOT FUN LP // £11.99 **One of the most compelling outings on NNF yet. Limited edition of 500 copies with insert** Cuticle’s 100% Silk 12″ was surely one of 2011′s most beguiling outer-disco episodes. Making the short step to Not Not Fun for their solo debut proper, Cuticle unearth ‘Mother Rhythm Earth Memory, a glowing space-dance-pop soul, deploying vocoder and more warped, sickly synths for an even odder follow-up experience. From the melancholy, moonlit robo-ballad intro comes the slinky but malfunctioning House groove ‘Parallel’ and the water-logged Boogie glyde of ‘Liquid Crystal Drink (Pour My Dream)’ and another pair of poky cosmic oddities. Flipside we melt into the eye-fluttering off-world disco simulacra ‘Night Of Romance’ while the lo-fi lysergic Matthew Dear-isms of ‘Trickle’ perks up before the trance-panther gait of ‘Without Form’. For those who like their cosmic neo-disco with a liberal dousing of strange, look no further. SUNN O))) 00 Void DARK AMBIENT / DRONE / METAL Southern Lord Recordings 2LP // £21.99 *Deluxe 2LP edition – available for the first time in 8 years, housed in a thick gatefiold jacket* Sunn 0)))’s incredible ØØ Void has been out of print for over 8 years and has now come back home to its proper resting place at Southern Lord with new artwork from Stephen Kasner and package execution via Stephen O’Malley. ‘ØØ Void’ (also known as Double-O Void) was the second album recorded by sunn O))) circa 2000. At that time the guitarist & core members: Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson were joined by guest bassist collaborator Stuart Dahlquist (Burning Witch, Goatsnake) plus contributions from both Petra Haden (Violinist/Vocalist) and Pete Stahl (vocals). The album is widely considered to be a landmark of “Power drone” music, lulling you in with an immense wall of of drone that’s as deep and immersive as anything ever laid down by the band. Four long tracks clocking in at 15 minuts a piece – and for our money some of the best material ever released by Sunn 0))). Highly recommended.

Singles of the Week
	DEMDIKE STARE Elemental Part Four: Iris ELECTRONIC Modern Love 12″ // £9.99 *Fourth and final EP making up the “Elemental” set, ltd to 1000 copies and pressed up on coloured vinyl* Demdike Stare sign off their grandest statement with the concluding fourth chapter of the ‘Elemental’ series, entitled ‘Iris’. Across the previous three plates we’ve witnessed the sound dilate with uncanny physicality while their focus has become clearer than ever. Their ears have adjusted to the gloom of a dank and foreboding aesthetic, permitting them to navigate more freely between scattered sonic symbols and sampledelic apparitions. Enticed by the terrifying cello of death march processional ‘Dauerlinie’, the track rolls to its resting place, an abandoned warehouse space where a desolate 4/4 throb and demented, depleted bleeps just can’t give up the ghost, before the beat recedes and leaves ‘Dasein’ lingering, longing for unknown pleasure in petrified, icy stasis. B-side, the majestic ‘Ishmael’s Intent’ lends closure; clanking conveyor belt rhythms on an unstoppable trajectory into the oscillating jaws of LFO horror… REGIS Speak To Me / Model Friendship (2011 Reissue) TECHNO / HOUSE DOWNWARDS 12″ // £6.49 Downwards present two killer tracks from the very first Regis twelve – at long last available on wax again. Both tracks were recorded 29/11/1994 onto a Philips pocket memo, and have been recently re-mastered for optimal bite and scratch. A-side is the steamrolling rhythm and jagged synths of ‘Speak To Me’, still packing a sneering wallop like few others. B-side is the darkly sexy, haughty thrust of ‘Model Friendship’ for the dancers with something to prove. Oh and the first edition comes in a really nice reverse-board, coarse-printed jacket. CHASING VOICES Valley Of The Dry Bones TECHNO / HOUSE PRESERVED INSTINCTS 12″ // £9.99 *One-sided black-label pressing housed in screen-printed jacket* Essential drop from NYC’s Preserved Instincts imprint. This fourth release from the clandestine Chasing Voices collective is a slo-mo rave bomb attuned to the deepest underground frequencies. With an uncompromising analogue aesthetic, ‘Valley Of The Dry Bones’ taps a pumping vein of “death march-disco for the ever-present sunburn of daily scourges and musical apathy”. Radar-evading synth strikes and bulbous narco-jack rhythms cruise into formation across inky black metropolitan skies, offering a jaw-clenching payload of dancefloor intensity guaranteed to become an anthem in the right quadrants. Don’t sleep. Ever. MADTEO Bugler Gold Pt. 1 TECHNO / HOUSE Hinge Finger 12″ // £7.99 “The opening salvo from Will Bankhead and Joy Orbison’s new label, this EP is a cracker: a rainswept blend of hip-hop, house and techno; a diverse, tense and enthralling survey of Madteo’s own world of muffled, deep, body-rocking bass and layered, worked drama. After sterling releases on Workshop, Meaukusma and co — the best yet from this Paduan In New York…” IFAN DAFYDD Treehouse BEATS / DOWNTEMPO / BOOGIE PUSH & RUN 12″ // £6.99 Ifan “Not James Blake” Dafyyd lives up to the inescapable yet respectful allegory on this new twelve of high-end electronic soul. Ushered out on the youthling Push & Run imprint, these two tracks present a hugely endearing talent with masses of potential. A-side is ‘Treehouse’, a daintily 2-stepped R&B seducer sprinkled with magically spacious keys and warbly chords creating a sensitive backdrop for Ifan’s myriad, pitched vocal personas, from a strong warm jazz voice to stranger, alien flickers and unnaturally low purrs. B-side ‘To Me’ catches blue threads of folk, jazz and R&B with a crystalline electronic web. The pace is slower, sub-heavy and sensuous, but with a sprightly electro-acoustic diffusion allowing the layers and fragmented ideas to glisten and glide without friction. Already tipped by evryone from Jamie xx to Oneman and Gilles Peterson, expect to hear a lot more from this fella. MACHINEDRUM SXLND EP TECHNO / HOUSE LuckyMe 12″ // £7.99 Luckyme bring the best out of Travis Stewart on his 2nd Machinedrum single for the Glasgow institution. Following his scorching ‘Alarma’ 12″, the ‘SXLND EP’ comes with a slightly more refined, sexier sound running classic Chicago, Italo and current UK sounds to his exacting specifications. The tracks were originally written in 2010, around the time of his ‘Many Faces’ EP, but have been recently re-engineered for 2012 ‘floors. He comes with deeply infectious, futurist R&B tribalism on the title track, all snagging vocal hooks and bashy drums with a sweeter tilt, while ‘No Respect’ sounds like a more optimised, heavyweight version of his Sepalcure sound. Our percy has to be the barking, Italo-sampling ‘Van Vogue’: a dance-owning swinger with cruising sub strafes and super-glossy arpeggios, but then again the stylish House grover ‘DDD’ is another strong contender. Ach, it’s all good! LAMIN FOFANA Dubious Prey EP DUBSTEP / GRIME / FUNKY Sticks ‘N’ Stones Recordings 12″ // £7.99 Overdue but welcome return from Aramac’s Sticks “N” Stones Recordings, presenting the first vinyl release from NYC-residing Sierra Leone ex-pat, Lamin Fofana. Last we heard from Lamin was on the wickedly diverse ‘What Elijah Said’ single for DJ/Rupture’s Dutty Artz posse over two years ago. He comes back in 2012 with a darkly sweet Funky sound, dropping shoulder-rolling polyrhythms on A-side ‘Dubious Prey’ and a more tender piece of dubbed-out keys and laidback Hip Hop/Dubstep on ‘Brokedown City’. Flipside label head Aramac gets involved with a remix of the latter, taking it downtown for a deeper effect enforced by hypnotic pads and a sinister, sexy sense of dancefloor voodoo. Fans of Beneath, Swing Ting, Cooly G should check.

 

This week’s releases in full! sorted by genre | See all

 

	BEATS / DOWNTEMPO / BOOGIE
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	IFAN DAFYDD Treehouse PUSH & RUN 12″ // £6.99 Ifan “Not James Blake” Dafyyd lives up to the inescapable yet respectful allegory on this new twelve of high-end electronic soul. Ushered out on the youthling Push & Run imprint, these two tracks present a hugely endearing talent with masses of potential. A-side is ‘Treehouse’, a daintily 2-stepped R&B seducer sprinkled with magically spacious keys and warbly chords creating a sensitive backdrop for Ifan’s myriad, pitched vocal personas, from a… ANGO Another City Now LuckyMe 12″ // £6.99 *Includes free download code redeemable from the label* LuckyMe’s latest recruit is Ango, contemporary of Jacques Greene and Lunice and maker of flash, heavy, feminine R&B heat. His solo debut ‘Another City Now’ is undoubtedly impressive, a very crafty balance of underground dancefloor Funk and pop-wise arrangements with universal potential. At the top you’ll find the hefty R&Boogie chug of ‘All That You Can Stand’ and the sweetened flair of… DRO CAREY Journey With The Heavy Ramp Recordings CD // £6.99 The prodigious talent that is Eugene Hector, aka Dro Carey, delivers his long awaited debut for Ramp, a 7-track collection of typically busy, hyperactive and yet oddly coherent tracks from the weirder end of the floor. The thing about Carey is that he manages to pull you in despite utilising sounds that are less robust, less heavy-hitting than those employed by so many of his contemporaries. Opener “Talk Smak” is… DUKE SLAMMER What Four? / Everybody Sweat BONUS7 7″ // £6.99 **Transparent Vinyl** Luke’s Anger is Duke Slammer for two rude wriggling Hip Hop/Electro jams. ‘What Four’ works a silly-but-fun fat-man wobbler knitted with kooky, spaced-out samples. ‘Everybody Sweat’ is cheekier still, strutting to a bonky bit of Boogie naughtiness.

 

	DARK AMBIENT / DRONE / METAL
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	SUNN O))) 00 Void Southern Lord Recordings 2LP // £21.99 *Deluxe 2LP edition – available for the first time in 8 years, housed in a thick gatefiold jacket* Sunn 0)))’s incredible ØØ Void has been out of print for over 8 years and has now come back home to its proper resting place at Southern Lord with new artwork from Stephen Kasner and package execution via Stephen O’Malley. ‘ØØ Void’ (also known as Double-O Void) was the second album recorded… CLEARED Breaking Day IMMUNE LP // £16.99 **Edition of 500 virgin vinyl in Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket. Includes download code redeemable from the label** Steven Hess makes a very welcome reappearance with Michael Vallera as Cleared, divining mystical, militarized, and ritualistic rhythms and noise Combining ultra-wide electro-acoustic sound design with guitars, samples and Hess’ pointillist percussions, ‘Breaking Day’ is an uncompromising, evocative articulation of darkest intentions. Opening this perilous portal, ‘Rogues’ swims into an underground cave system… ILYAS AHMED With Endless Fire IMMUNE LP // £16.99 **Edition of 1000 pressed on virgin vinyl at RTI, housed in tip-on gatefold jacket printed on uncoated stock at Stoughton. Includes download code redeemable from the label** Singular guitarist/singler Ilyas Ahmed offers his first full length album in nearly three years, enabled by the unerring high quality values of Immune Records. At once urgently compelling and lushly reflective, ‘With Endless Fire’ is yet another towering example of this fella’s rich… BLACK COBRA Invernal Southern Lord Recordings LP // £15.99 *180 gram deluxe vinyl version with Stoughton Jacket* “Recorded by Kurt Ballou for fiends of all things brutally heavy (High on Fire, Yob, Slayer,Melvins etc..) Formed by drummer Rafa Martinez (ex-16, ex-Acid King) and guitarist/vocalist Jason Landrian (ex-Cavity), Black Cobra catapulted themselves onto the scene in 2001 with their ravenous, upbeat and ultimately unique style of punk/ hardcore-fueled sludge metal…”

 

	DISCO / EDITS / FUNK
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	JOE MENSAH / OSCAR SULLEY Africa Is Home (Natural Self Remixes) Soundway Records 12″ // £8.99 **Limited edition. Includes free download code redeemable from the label** Brighton-based Natural Self tucks into two edits of Afro-Funk aces first found on Soundway’s ‘Ghana Soundz vol.2: Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70s Ghana’ compilation. Frontside is an extended of ‘Africa Is Home’, teasing out the flurried breaks and grooving horns for pure dancefloor gratification. B-side Oscar Sulley’s Afro-beat shuffler ‘Olufeme’ is remixed with added baritone sax and flute. N.O.I.A. / GAZNEVADA / BAND AID Stranger In A Strange Land ITALIAN RECORDS 12″ // £7.99 Rare-as-owt Italo aces, four of them on one plate, all taken from the legendary Italian Records label. A-side is Tony Carrasco’s club mix of N.O.I.A.’s muscular mission theme ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’, all preening, pouting synths and shoulder-rockin’ bass arpeggio/snare action, beside Gaz Nevada’s sexy-as-hell mid-tempo burner ‘Special Agent (Female Version)’ (somebody’s gonna have to tell me where i’ve heard this before, its killing me!). Again they appear on… VARIOUS / SUPAFRICO Supafrico Vol. II: The Sound of Funky Africa SUPAFRICO RECORDS 12″ // £7.99 Four obscure and highly sought-after Afro-Disco specials on one platter. Frontside there’s Kabbala’s colelctable ‘Ashewo Ara’, first issued on the Red Flame label in ’82, beside Buari’s Ghanaian disco hit ‘I’m Ready’ lifted from his ‘Disco Soccer’ LP. Flipside is William Onyeabor’s ten minute mid-tempo strut ‘Body & Soul’, plus an extended edit of the Ashanti’s ‘Everybody Groove’, all remastered for optimum peacockery and debauchery.

 

	DUBSTEP / GRIME / FUNKY
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	BENJAMIN DAMAGE & DOC DANEEKA They!Live 50 WEAPONS 2LP // £14.99 Styling Funky, reinforced house and bruk techno excursions from Doc Daneeka and Benjamin Damage, new on Modeselektor’s 50Weapons label. It’s a moody affair, more so than you’d expect, and beautifully produced – opener ‘No One’ sets a high standard, a vapourish, Burial-esque intro giving way to a tough, foursquare house groove, coming over like Maurizio with a Croydon makeover. Abigail Wyles’ impressive vocals feature on three tracks, notably the spectral… BENJAMIN DAMAGE & DOC DANEEKA They!Live 50 WEAPONS CD // £10.49 Styling Funky, reinforced house and bruk techno excursions from Doc Daneeka and Benjamin Damage, new on Modeselektor’s 50Weapons label. It’s a moody affair, more so than you’d expect, and beautifully produced – opener ‘No One’ sets a high standard, a vapourish, Burial-esque intro giving way to a tough, foursquare house groove, coming over like Maurizio with a Croydon makeover. Abigail Wyles’ impressive vocals feature on three tracks, notably the spectral… DIGITAL MYSTIKZ Marduk / Enter Dimensions DMZ 12″ // £6.49 Digital Mystikz in deadly effect on DMZ 022. You should know the drill by now; these guys don’t dabble in anything less than weapons grade material. A-side ‘Marduk’ has Coki’s signature all over it, rolling with man-trap snares and the kind of scything, rabid synths that make your back teeth squeal. To be fair, it’s nowt new, but the formula is honed so tight it’s flippin’ irresistible. The flipside ‘Enter… ASC TMA-1 EP Space Cadets 12″ // £6.49 ASC presents some of his most minimal, brooding, and spaced-out productions on the ‘TMA-1′ EP. The title track sets the flex with flickering steppers percussion synched to half-heard subs and ghostly abandoned space station ambience while ‘Aqualoop’ sinks back into supremely spacious ambience, all droning reese bass and misty, fleeting melodies. Flipside ‘Esper’ rides a crooked electro rhythm, something like faded version of the sci-fi sounds on those two Darkestral… LAMIN FOFANA Dubious Prey EP Sticks ‘N’ Stones Recordings 12″ // £7.99 Overdue but welcome return from Aramac’s Sticks “N” Stones Recordings, presenting the first vinyl release from NYC-residing Sierra Leone ex-pat, Lamin Fofana. Last we heard from Lamin was on the wickedly diverse ‘What Elijah Said’ single for DJ/Rupture’s Dutty Artz posse over two years ago. He comes back in 2012 with a darkly sweet Funky sound, dropping shoulder-rolling polyrhythms on A-side ‘Dubious Prey’ and a more tender piece of dubbed-out… GOTH TRAD Air Breaker / Cosmos Deep Medi 12″ // £6.99 Goth Trad on a MAAAD one for Deep Medi!!! The label’s Japanese attaché has been relatively quiet over the last year – save for the wicked ‘Babylon Fall’ double pack – and with his ‘New Epoch’ 3LP looming, we find him on frightening form here. On A-side ‘Airbreaker’ he’s performing some kind of elaborate Dubstep bondage ritual, tweaking and tying the rhythm with knotty kick stutters and pointillist hi-hat patterns… ARTIFACT Archaic Line (Graphics Mix) Deadplate Records 12″ // £5.99 Debut 12″ of deeper rolling Electroid House backed with a fine Graphics remix. ‘Archaic Line’ rides plump subs synched with crisp cowbells and Soca-fied snares into the night, while ‘Deserted’ steps out between Dubbed-out Garage and Electronica, pivoting off rudely electrified subs. Flipside Graphics lends a svelte remix of ‘Archaic Line’, smoothed out for the deep-end crew. MAKOTO Different Rhythm / What Do You Want 7even Recordings 12″ // £6.49 Japanese D&B producer and veteran of LTJ Bukem’s Earth imprint turns his hand to Breakstep with smart results. A-side Makoto (Shimizu) brings ‘Different Rhythm’, a deft slab of amen rollidge underlined by smooth and deep subs ripe for the Broken Beat crew. B-side ‘What You Want’ is more elated, riding updrafting synth spirals over tucked-in Brokebeat patterns and woozy bass. BONOBO / MACHINEDRUM / FUNKINEVEN / VARIOUS Kiara Remixes Ninja Tune 12″ // £4.99 *Clear orange wax* Machinedrum, Cosmin TRG and Funkineven are on board for remixes Bonobo’s ‘Black Sands’ album tracks. The orchestrated neck-snapping bump of the ‘Kiara’ is given a subtly uplifting Techno revision full of fluttering synth harmonics and thick, juicy kicks by Cosmin TRG, while Funkineven gives it a hot-wired Boogie swing. Meanwhile Machinedrum gives a tight, skittish, Footwork-inspired overhaul of the lush ‘Eyesdown’. DISGU!SE Remixes Volume 1 HEARTFELT 12″ // £6.49 *Stamped white label* Rolling, Technoid steppers and hollowed House music from Disgu!se, backed with an L-OW remix. Disgu!se come with some pedigree, having already played in a Phil Manzanera-backed punk band and performed engineering duties on the new Gang Of Four album, but to be fair you really wouldn’t tell from the minimal, lite-footed gait of ‘Camera (Underexposed Mix)’, unless you paid close attention to the strangely spacious and aerodynamic… KILLAWATT Mantra / Schizophonia Box Clever 10″ // £6.49 Following their Boka stonker, Killawatt and Ipman step onto the deadly Box Clever label. Killawatt’s on a ruffed-up and dextrous tribal tip with ‘Mantra’, under the spell of darting, agile syncopation with a stinging electro finish. Flipside is a dual effort, deploying a liberal rip of Demdike Stare’s ‘Hashashin Chant’ in wicked style on a slicing, scything piece of 140bpm junglist rollidge. This is a baad, yu hear?! KILLAWATT & IPMAN Boka Artillery Vol.1 Boka Records 12″ // £6.49 Kicking off a new Boka series with two lean and mean halfsteppers. A-side Killawatt and Ipman lace a brain-quivering subbass with whipcrack snare dynamics and B-side Ipman serves the controlled darkside brutalism of ‘Mob Mentality’. Fans of Kryptic Minds, Commodo, Youngsta – you’ve been warned. SPAM CHOP The Cuckup EP MIMM RECORDINGS 12″ // £5.99 Notts-based “Techno Rudeboy” and Wigflex CEO drops three tracks of wonky GarageTechno on the freshly minted Mimms label. Frontside ‘Cuckup’ is a tangy ElecTropical shaker shimmering with refracted neon synths and subtly sensuous rhythms. Flipside you’ll find the scuttling, Blawan-like syncopation and cyberdelic atmospheres of ‘Blergzz’, plus the distorted, heads-down Teutonic Techno roller ‘Frames’. SUKH KNIGHT / SHANDY / VARIOUS NWA003 New World Audio 12″ // £7.99 Sukh Knight, DJ Squarewave, Shandy and Trex come to wreck a dubstep rave in style. A-side goes in with the crackish Coki halfstep styles of ‘Emotion’, and Sukh Knight drops the exotically fragranced ‘Shutdown’. B-side Shandy keeps it fresh but rooted with the lashing mentasms and Industrial halfstep mechanics of ‘Jogi’, and Trex bowls out the slowed-down, neurotic hardstep of ‘Mad Mutha Dub’. Strong stuff. VARIOUS / GET DARKER This Is Dubstep 2012 Get Darker Recordings 2CD // £9.99 “2CDs. 40 upfront and exclusive tracks from Chase & Status, Nero, Modestep, Skream, Benga, Gemini, 16Bit, Flux Pavilion and Ed Sheeran, amongst others. Tracklisting in full: Chase & Status (ft Tinie Tempah) – Hitz (16Bit Remix) Nero – Promises Modestep – Sunlight (Torqux & Twist Remix) Ed Sheeran – You Need Me, I Don’t Need You (Gemini Remix) Skream – Heddbanger Benga – Faithless Benny Page – Taking Over Benton… VARIOUS / TEDDY MUSIC Grime (The Compilation) Teddy Music CD // £5.99 A spearhead of the current Grime scene, Teddy Music aka Silencer launches a 22-track ‘best of’ compilation featuring productions for the likes of P Money, Badness, Trim, Skepta, JME, Newham Generals and many, many more. The tracklist should get any Grime nuts popping shots in the ceiling: 1. Grime – Ft Dot Rotten, Ghetts, Lil Nasty & Griminal / 2. Modern Warfare – B Live Ft. Newham Generals & Skepta…

 

	ELECTRONIC
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	DEMDIKE STARE Elemental Part Four: Iris Modern Love 12″ // £9.99 *Fourth and final EP making up the “Elemental” set, ltd to 1000 copies and pressed up on coloured vinyl* Demdike Stare sign off their grandest statement with the concluding fourth chapter of the ‘Elemental’ series, entitled ‘Iris’. Across the previous three plates we’ve witnessed the sound dilate with uncanny physicality while their focus has become clearer than ever. Their ears have adjusted to the gloom of a dank and foreboding… ATOM TM Cold Memories Sahko Recordings 2CD // £14.99 Two hours of stunning music from Uwe Schmidt, rescued from the Sahko tape archive and now available on 2xCD and digital. Recorded for the Ambient City radio project at Helsinki’s Museum of Modern Art in 1994, back when he was working as Atom Heart, Cold Memories reminds us of Schmidt’s peerless mastery of post-techno electronic musical modes. You get two hour-long, very eventful compositions for your buck. ‘Cold Memories pt.1’’s… TERRY RILEY A Rainbow In Curved Air ESOTERIC RECORDINGS CD // £10.99 *Absolutely incredible album – this is the definitive remastered edition with extensive liner notes* In the pantheon of electronic music Terry Riley’s ‘A Rainbow In Curved Air’ adorns a pedestal front and centre. Taking inspiration from Hindustani classical music and the jazz techniques of Bill Evans and John Coltrane before him, Riley’s minimalist psychedelic masterpiece can claim a direct influence on generations of musicians ever since, from the likes of… TERRY RILEY In C ESOTERIC RECORDINGS CD // £10.99 *Definitive remastered edition with extensive liner notes* ‘In C’ is one of Terry Riley’s best-known and loved compositions, and essentially the first ever “minimalist” composition. It’s a semi-aleatoric work – basically open-ended – written by Riley in 1964, and here performed in 1967 by the composer, and leader on saxophone, with members of the Center of the Creative and Performing Arts in the State University of New York at Buffalo,… RAIME Hennail (Second Edition) BLACKEST EVER BLACK 12″ // £7.99 *Second edition – comes in a black inner sleeve with paper insert.* Blackest Ever Black’s dysphoric duo present their most exquisitely realised single. A year in the making, ‘Hennail’ renders their illicit sound with an ever finer appreciation of tonal subtlety and tendon-tightening rhythmic dynamism. Their influences – militant, misanthropic post punk, hydraulic hardcore jungle and wasteland ambience – are more explicit than ever, yet utterly dissolute from the mass…. AFX Analogue Bubblebath 4 Rephlex CD // £4.99 Long awaited repress of this excellent 4th Analogue Bubblebath instalment, veering from mentallist 4/4 anthems to classic Aphexian melodies… CAUSTIC WINDOW Compilation Rephlex CD // £10.99 At long last available again – Joyrex J4, J5 and J9 – the most abrasive AFX EP’s, pure tweaked out acid mentallism and 4/4 brutality at it’s finest. OREN AMBARCHI Audience of One Touch CD // £11.99 At this point, Oren Ambarchi is about as close as we get to a rock star in experimental music. He’s worked with such a wide range of artists, it’s almost impossible to list them, but it’s probably worth noting that list would include Sunn o))), John Zorn, Fennesz, and Keith Rowe just for starters. ‘Audience of One’ is his long awaited follow up to 2007s viscous ‘In The Pendulum’s Embrace’,… JASON URICK I Love You Thrill Jockey CD // £11.99 Jason Urick’s excellent sophomore album for Thrill Jockey is a strangely affective mix of Techno-pop and synthdrone abstractions strongly recalling moments from Oneohtrix Point Never’s now-classic ‘Returnal’, and also elements of Mark Carlson’s ‘Particle Language’ LP or Harmonizer’s ‘World Complete’. ‘I Love You’ revolves around Urick’s enchanting use of dissonant, cyber-surreal vocoder harmonies and layered synth hues, opening a inter-dimensional portal and luring us wide-eyed through extraterrestrial synth topologies. If… EXPO 70 Journey Through Astral Projection IMMUNE CD // £12.99 **Edition of 500 presented in heavy stock 4 panel gatefold** Justin Wright tends to the epic fields of kosmiche heaven with a majestic trip recorded during the same sessions as his modern classic from 2010, ‘Where Does Your Mind Go?’. Again assisted by Matt Hill aka Umberto, these four tracks, recorded at Black Dirt Studios by Jason Meagher, survey aerial vistas and droning scapes as involving as anything we’ve heard… KNUCKLEDUSTER (ROBERT LIPPOK AND DEBASHIS SINHA) Nuukoono Gusstaff Records CD // £9.99 **Deluxe fold-out packaging/liner notes and CD housed in slim, wax-paper slipcase** Knuckleduster is an engrossing new project conceived by the esteemed, Berlin-based sound artist Robert Lippok and “trans-cultural pioneer” Debashis Sinha (Canada/India). The pair first collaborated in 2007 following lengthy discussions over the internet surrounding their mutual fascination with sound and music production. Their first performance in Toronto apparently went so well they decided to pursue the project further, eventually… ALOG Unemployed Rune Grammofon CD // £11.99 **The incomparable Norwegian oddities with a genre-defying, anachronistic document of their personal psychedelic visions** “Mainstays with Rune Grammofon since their debut “Red Shift Swing” in 1999, their new album “Unemployed” finds them on top of their game with what is arguably their finest effort so far. It was recorded in a wide range of spaces and places, from recordings of Haugan and Eide as street musicians in San Francisco while… RRRITALIN Nutter Magnet EP COIN OPERATED 12″ // £6.49 Batty wonky techno/rave madness, including a Mike Forshaw remix. These trax aren’t for the weak or feeble.

 

	EXTREME / NOISE
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	HENRY COW In Praise Of Learning ReR LP // £17.99 “A landmark in the history of european experimental rock. the third “cow” work, originally released on “virgin” in 1975, represents the second collaborative act between “henry cow” and “slapp happy”, and the first fully integrated appearance of dagmar krause. “In Praise Of Learning” is a unique piece of art, showing perfect unity of political content, with rock complexity, extended song form and free noise explorations. an impressive array of new…

 

	FOLK / AMERICANA
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	GEORGIA SEA ISLAND SINGERS Join The Band MISSISSIPPI LP // £14.99 *With insert liner notes by Nathan Salburg & Alan Lomax housed in old school “tip-on” jacket. Includes three previously unreleased tracks* Mississippi return to the legendary Alan Lomax archive to pluck a side of near-sacred songs by the Georgia Sea Island Singers – stars of the ‘”Southern Journey” 1959-1960′ series and comps on Dust-to-Digital and Smithsonian Folkways. The ensemble’s repetoire ranges from sorrowful acapella songs to stompin’ and shoutin’ sessions… RICHARD DAWSON The Magic Bridge PINK TRIANGLE CD // £10.49 Richard Dawson replaces his favoured acoustic guitar with a grittily electrified sort of solo blues on this utterly compelling solo album. In his more prolific Eyeballs incarnation, Newcastle native Richard navigates noisy, dissonant kosmiche, but here the aesthetic is leaden with an intimate gravity, expressing a stripped back, ragged, and crackling sort of northern-spirited blues recalling the likes of Jandek or Richard Youngs. It’s as eloquent as any finger picker… VARIOUS / MISSISSIPPI Yonder Go That Old Black Dog MISSISSIPPI LP // £12.99 **First reissue of an obscure and reel raw session with incredible atmosphere from 1965 housed in ‘tip-on’ cover and co-released between Mississippi and Sutro Park Records. Includes extensive liner notes on rear jacket** “Stunning little known blues and spirituals session recorded in Eddie Lee Jones’ home in Lexington, Georgia in 1965. This is the only known recording by Eddie Lee and is as heavy as blues can get. Atmospheric recordings… ODDFELLOW’S CASINO The Raven’s Empire NIGHTJAR RECORDS CD // £11.99 “Brighton’s Oddfellow’s Casino sit to the left of contemporary folktronica acts from the obscure (Dollboy) to the famous (Zero 7). Raven’s Empire is a haunting affair, steeped in vintage synths, a 30 piece orchestra, dissonant horns and thoughtful vocals. Mystical song titles ‘The Crows And The Rooks’, ‘The Day The Devil Slipped Away’, ‘Death Won’t Have Me’ evoke Hammer horror, The Wicker Man and American Gothic, but David Bramwell’s quaint… RM HUBBERT Thirteen Lost & Found Chemikal Underground Records CD // £9.99 “Produced by Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) and engineered by Paul Savage, the album was recorded between Chem19 and Alex’s studio in the Scottish Borders and features collaborations with Hanna Tuulikki (Nalle), Emma Pollock (The Delgados), Luke Sutherland (Long Fin Killie, Mogwai), Aidan Moffat (Arab Strap), Alex Kapranos and Alasdair Roberts amongst others. ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’ was conceived by Hubbert as a way of reacquainting himself with old friends while…

 

	HOME LISTENING / MODERN CLASSICAL / AMBIENT
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	WINDY & CARL We Will Always Be Kranky 2LP // £15.99 A very welcome return for Carl Huntgren and Windy Weber, with their first album proper since 2008’s Songs For The Broken Hearted. It begins cautiously, with the acoustic folk lament ‘For Rosa’, before things take a turn into more obviously immersive and emotive W&C territory – all chiming, Robin Guthrie-style guitar patterns, dreamy synth washes, amorphous vocal layers. In terms of combining such rich atmospherics with genuinely heartstring-yanking harmonic structures,… WINDY & CARL We Will Always Be Kranky CD // £11.99 A very welcome return for Carl Huntgren and Windy Weber, with their first album proper since 2008’s Songs For The Broken Hearted. It begins cautiously, with the acoustic folk lament ‘For Rosa’, before things take a turn into more obviously immersive and emotive W&C territory – all chiming, Robin Guthrie-style guitar patterns, dreamy synth washes, amorphous vocal layers. In terms of combining such rich atmospherics with genuinely heartstring-yanking harmonic structures,… KEITH KENNIFF (HELIOS / GOLDMUND) Branches Village Green CD // £8.99 Keith Kenniff – perhaps best known as Goldmund or Helios – ventures out under his own name for the 2nd time on ‘Branches’. Since releasing his widely adored ‘The Malady Of Elegance’ and ‘Caesura’ albums on Type, Keith’s music has been used on the soundtrack to Harmony Korine’s 2007 comedy-drama ‘Mister Lonely’ and on the trailer for the 2009 Academy Award-nominated ‘Revolutionary Road’, directed by Sam Mendes; such is the… TOM JAMES SCOTT Crystal Carnivals LP // £12.99 **Edition of 350 copies on clear vinyl** Lushly realised ambient works on the label that gave us that amazing first release from Hype Williams . For his third solo LP Tom James Scott drifts away from more defined guitar sounds in search of a more blurry, tingling wash of melody and slow breathing song structure. Beautifully tempered distortion laps the repeating phrases of opener ‘Skire’, drawing inspiration from the sounds… ZEENA PARKINS Double Dupe Down Tzadik CD // £11.99 **Diverse collection ranging from string ensemble works to fractious collage, exotic symphonics, bagpipe composition and more** “Zeena Parkins is a keyboardist, harpist and composer who has worked closely with Fred Frith, Bjork, Ikue Mori and many others. Her brilliant work for dance has earned her three Bessie Awards, and her own bands have toured the world for over twenty years to great acclaim. This special compilation brings together her best…

 

	INDIE / ROCK / ALTERNATIVE
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	THE BIG PINK / FOREST SWORDS Hit The Ground (Superman) 4AD 12″ // £4.99 Standout cut from The Big Pink’s ‘Future This’ album, backed with a masterful Forest Swords rework. ‘Hit The Ground (Superman)’ is The Big Pink at their sharpest, all stadium-rousing choruses, pop-rock hooks and premium studio engineering. The Forest Swords is predictably ace. He brings out a latent melancholy hiding behind the sentiment of the original, re-arranging minor key strings, plangent piano and a depressed Hip Hop/Dubstep-on-33 rhythms with his detached… ALL THE SAINTS Intro To Fractions Souterrain Transmissions CD // £9.99 **Bruised shoegaze melodies and limber percussion with a darker, sometime harder edge** “Lambert, bassist/co-vocalist Titus Brown and everybody’s soon-to-be fave new drummer Jim Crook moved to Atlanta in neighbouring Georgia in 2004, attracted by the bohemian state capital’s liberal atmosphere (it’s the New York of the South) and a fertile music scene that has spawned the likes of Deerhunter and Black Lips. All The Saints came into existence a year… ALL THE SAINTS Intro To Fractions Souterrain Transmissions LP // £15.99 **Includes digital download voucher redeemable from the label** **Bruised shoegaze melodies and limber percussion with a darker, sometime harder edge** “Lambert, bassist/co-vocalist Titus Brown and everybody’s soon-to-be fave new drummer Jim Crook moved to Atlanta in neighbouring Georgia in 2004, attracted by the bohemian state capital’s liberal atmosphere (it’s the New York of the South) and a fertile music scene that has spawned the likes of Deerhunter and Black Lips…. BLACK BANANAS Rad Times Xpress IV Drag City LP // £12.99 “‘Rad Times Xpress IV’ is the first album by new band Black Bananas. Black Bananas features internationally feared rock vocalist Jennifer Herrema (RTX, Royal Trux). Jennifer is a sought-after presence, collaborating with rock ‘n’ rollers Kurt Vile and St. Vitus frontman Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich, fashionistas Pamela Love, Hysteric Glamor, Volcom, and visual / contextual artists Justin Lowe and Jonah Freeman. Black Bananas’ first album ‘Rad Times Xpress IV’ runs the… BLACK BANANAS Rad Times Xpress IV Drag City CD // £9.99 “‘Rad Times Xpress IV’ is the first album by new band Black Bananas. Black Bananas features internationally feared rock vocalist Jennifer Herrema (RTX, Royal Trux). Jennifer is a sought-after presence, collaborating with rock ‘n’ rollers Kurt Vile and St. Vitus frontman Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich, fashionistas Pamela Love, Hysteric Glamor, Volcom, and visual / contextual artists Justin Lowe and Jonah Freeman. Black Bananas’ first album ‘Rad Times Xpress IV’ runs the… DOUG JEREBINE Is Jesse Harper Drag City LP // £12.99 “Who is Jesse Harper? Doug Jerebine is Jesse Harper. And who is Doug Jerebine? Born on New Zealand’s North Island in rural Tangowahine, he cut his teeth on guitar from the age of 12, instructed first by a half- Maori, half-Greek guitarist who introduced him to everything from George Van Eps to Hank Marvin. Then one day, he found Doug teaching him. Even when he was only in high school,… MATT DEIGHTON Villager PEOPLE TREE CD // £8.99 “Re-issue of the debut solo album from Matt Deighton – former lead singer of Mother Earth – this time in an expanded edition with new artwork and bonus live material included. Think Nick Drake meets John Martyn…” NOTSENSIBLES I’m In Love With Margaret Thatcher NOTSENSIBLE RECORDS 7″ // £4.99 Reissue of a 1978 pop punk classic from Burnley’s Notsensibles. Features the charmingly daft title track and the equally silly ‘Gary Bushell’s Band Of The Week’ housed in reproduction of the original sleeve. ROBES Welcome Worn / Haitian Miracle ROBES SOUNDS 7″ // £4.99 **Transparent Vinyl** Charming, Electro-spirited Indie-Pop from Carrboro, NC, USA’s Robes. With debut single ‘Welcome Worn’ they arrive at a fresh-faced and melancholy eighties sound influenced by the likes of New Order, Human League etc., and sounding not dissimilar to, say, Cut Copy. The title track is full of yearning smalltown ambition; a slight but tender voice a few shades shy of Bernard Sumner attracts the attention amid twinkling synths, twirling… SIC ALPS Vedley Drag City 7″ // £5.49 Sic Alps have proved time and again they can make (faded) postcard-perfect pop, so it’s a pleasure to hear them attempting something far more experimental and esoteric on this cracking 7″ for Drag City. Essentially they’ve hatched some kind of disjointed indie-meets-concrète collage technique, sounding like a cross section cut from a pile of rambunctious Garage 7″s and scrawny Indie oddities meta-morphed into a dubbed, channel-hopping delight. We ain’t heard…

 

	JAZZ / RELATED
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	AU Solid Gold The Leaf Label 7″ // £5.99 **Translucent Orange Vinyl** “Luke Wyland and Dana Valatka, the Portland, Oregon-based duo also known as AU, embody remarkable, frantic energy. Fortifying Valatka’s adrenalized percussion and Wyland’s soaring vocals and multi-tentacled performance on keys and guitar, is man-machine Colin Stetson on alto and whopping bass saxophone (most recently seen on stage with Bon Iver). The B-side, a song woven by Wyland himself from a reinterpretation of the album’s lead track, takes… JONO EL GRANDE The Choko King RUNE ARKIV CD // £10.99 Hooting, honking dadaist avant-something skronk from the Norwegian composer, band leader, guitarist, artist and dancing conductor. Imagine the soundtrack to a roadtrip with Hunter S. Thompson getting Moondog and Frank Zappa blasted in the back and battling over the stereo, and you’ve got almost got a whiff of the sound on ‘The Choko King’. It’s Jono’s third album since 2009, but the 29 surreal recordings, marked by titles such as… JONO EL GRANDE The Choko King RUNE ARKIV LP // £14.99 Hooting, honking dadaist avant-something skronk from the Norwegian composer, band leader, guitarist, artist and dancing conductor. Imagine the soundtrack to a roadtrip with Hunter S. Thompson getting Moondog and Frank Zappa blasted in the back and battling over the stereo, and you’ve got almost got a whiff of the sound on ‘The Choko King’. It’s Jono’s third album since 2009, but the 29 surreal recordings, marked by titles such as…

 

	SOUNDTRACKS / LIBRARY / EARLY ELECTRONIC
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	BRUCE HAACK The Electronic Record For Children MISSISSIPPI LP // £13.99 *Housed in old school tip-on jacket* Oh man, this is a treat! ‘The Electronic Record For Children’ is one of those LPs that you hear about and see mentioned in many articles on seminal American electronica auteur Bruce Haack, but are left to simply imagine what the heck it sounds like. Aside from a Japanese CD reissue in 2004 (which we’ve only just noticed) it’s not been available since 1969….

 

	SYNTHWAVE / ELECTRO
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	VAZZ / LA BAMBOLA DEL DR CALIGARI Whisper Not / The Wrong Holiday Forced Nostalgia LP // £14.99 This latest release on the excellent Forced Nostalgia imprint is by some distance its most illuminating release to date – a split LP that features an astonishing rediscovery from the early 1980′s synth-pop era. That album is ‘Whisper Not’ by Vazz – a duo consisting of Anna Howson & Hugh Small, and is redolent of so much classic, deeply cherished music from around the same period (think Crépuscules, Antena, early… ALI RENAULT Ali Renault Cyber Dance CD // £11.99 One of the UK’s most endearing electro stalwarts presents his debut solo album after nearly ten years of operations. Ali is the co-founder of Cyber Dance Records and the esteemed Human Shield Record Company but perhaps best known for his role in short-lived hitsquad Heartbreak, whose string of singles for Lex and Dissident were much loved by the likes of Vice magazine and The Guardian. All that experience has been… EXPENSIVE LOOKS Dark Matters GROUP TIGHTENER CD // £12.99 *Red wax* Debut album of tempered euphoria by the hotly-tipped Expensive Looks on the dead trendy Group Tightener label. ‘Dark Matter’ is a playful synthesis of Expensive Looks’ rich formative diet of Chi-House, Disco, and vintage Psych elements with a modernist pop aesthetic, recalling the starry-eyed songcraft of Toro Y Moi, twinges of the Flaming Lips and the ’80s-cum’00s ebullience of MGMT. It’s deftly textured and gauzy without being lo-fi,… EXPENSIVE LOOKS Dark Matters GROUP TIGHTENER LP // £13.99 *Red wax* Debut album of tempered euphoria by the hotly-tipped Expensive Looks on the dead trendy Group Tightener label. ‘Dark Matter’ is a playful synthesis of Expensive Looks’ rich formative diet of Chi-House, Disco, and vintage Psych elements with a modernist pop aesthetic, recalling the starry-eyed songcraft of Toro Y Moi, twinges of the Flaming Lips and the ’80s-cum’00s ebullience of MGMT. It’s deftly textured and gauzy without being lo-fi,… THE TWILITE TONE Mean Machine UNO NYC 12″ // £7.99 New York’s cherry-picking UNO imprint serves a stranger disco treat from The Twilight Tone. ‘Mean Machine’ is their debut release; a narcotic dose of dragged triplets, wheezin’ synths and woozy acid just perfect for liquid limbed afterhours and the like. The A-side is given a hallucinatory title track, rubbing grubby machine rhythms under spiralling boogie riffs, crack-throated vocals and trippin’ synth tones. Flipside the toxic fug clears slightly for the… ANDREAS DORAU Blumen Und Narzissen Bureau B CD // £10.99 Bureau B kick off their reissue scheme for Düsseldorf’s legendary Ata Tak label with this lost classic of NDW pop. Thirty years since original release, Andreas Dorau’s charming and infectious ‘Blumen Und Narzissen’ album as Die Doraus und Die Marinas reveals an incredibly pop-savvy touch full of prime melodies and bubbling electronic production with a really sly edge reminding of his peers Palais Schaumberg and Der Plan et al. It’s… ANDREAS DORAU Blumen Und Narzissen Bureau B LP // £13.99 Bureau B kick off their reissue scheme for Düsseldorf’s legendary Ata Tak label with this lost classic of NDW pop. Thirty years since original release, Andreas Dorau’s charming and infectious ‘Blumen Und Narzissen’ album as Die Doraus und Die Marinas reveals an incredibly pop-savvy touch full of prime melodies and bubbling electronic production with a really sly edge reminding of his peers Palais Schaumberg and Der Plan et al. It’s… ANDREAS DORAU Antworten Auf Brennende Fragen Bureau B CD // £10.99 Next up in Bureau B’s reissues of Ata Tak classics, ‘Geben offenherzige Antworten auf brennende Fragen’ is Andreas Dorau’s radio friendly sophomore album. The production is markedly more professional than his previous effort, and musically inspired by a wider set of reference points, from Bossa Nova to disco and the emergent, shiny pop of a more commercialised New Wave. For all its shininess, the record is still really quite trippy… CUT COPY Sun God (Andrew Weatherall Mixes) Modular Recordings 12″ // £6.99 Andrew Weatherall remixes ‘Sun God’ from Cut Copy’ third LP ‘Zonoscope’. Making no small nod to Giorgio Moroder, The Guv’nor warms up his vintage Arp for two extended, mid-tempo disco-trance trekkin’ versions. ERRORS Have Some Faith In Magic Rock Action Records CD // £9.99 Errors veer further from post rock into motorik synth pop euphoria on their latest album. Possibly looking to the likes of Animal Collective or Washed Out for inspiration, they’ve beefed up the synths and have kept a keen eye on the dancefloor with stirring arrangements and blooming, shoegazing guitars. ERRORS Have Some Faith In Magic Rock Action Records 2LP // £13.99 Errors veer further from post rock into motorik synth pop euphoria on their latest album. Possibly looking to the likes of Animal Collective or Washed Out for inspiration, they’ve beefed up the synths and have kept a keen eye on the dancefloor with stirring arrangements and blooming, shoegazing guitars. YACHT I Walked Alone DFA 12″ // £6.99 Jacques Renault and Get A Room! remix ‘ I Walked Alone’, taken from Yacht’s ‘Shangri-La’ LP. A-side is given to Get A Room!’s burning Italo-Disco revision, B-side is Jacques Renault’s groovier, plusher, piano-driven remix fit for your local indie disco.

 

	TECHNO / HOUSE
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	REGIS 1994-1996 DOWNWARDS CD // £8.99 For those who missed Regis’ lovingly hand-crafted ‘Adolescence’ compilation, Downwards thankfully breaks the set down into 3 discs over the coming months. The first, ’1994-1996′ covers his earliest Techno productions. Of particular note is the previously unreleased ‘Point Of Entry’, and alternative studio versions of ‘Keep Planning’ and ‘Translation’ from the ‘Gymnastics’ LP, but of the 16 tracks we’d be hard pushed to pick a favourite. There’s always the razing… REGIS Speak To Me / Model Friendship (2011 Reissue) DOWNWARDS 12″ // £6.49 Downwards present two killer tracks from the very first Regis twelve – at long last available on wax again. Both tracks were recorded 29/11/1994 onto a Philips pocket memo, and have been recently re-mastered for optimal bite and scratch. A-side is the steamrolling rhythm and jagged synths of ‘Speak To Me’, still packing a sneering wallop like few others. B-side is the darkly sexy, haughty thrust of ‘Model Friendship’ for… CHASING VOICES Valley Of The Dry Bones PRESERVED INSTINCTS 12″ // £9.99 *One-sided black-label pressing housed in screen-printed jacket* Essential drop from NYC’s Preserved Instincts imprint. This fourth release from the clandestine Chasing Voices collective is a slo-mo rave bomb attuned to the deepest underground frequencies. With an uncompromising analogue aesthetic, ‘Valley Of The Dry Bones’ taps a pumping vein of “death march-disco for the ever-present sunburn of daily scourges and musical apathy”. Radar-evading synth strikes and bulbous narco-jack rhythms cruise into… MADTEO Bugler Gold Pt. 1 Hinge Finger 12″ // £7.99 “The opening salvo from Will Bankhead and Joy Orbison’s new label, this EP is a cracker: a rainswept blend of hip-hop, house and techno; a diverse, tense and enthralling survey of Madteo’s own world of muffled, deep, body-rocking bass and layered, worked drama. After sterling releases on Workshop, Meaukusma and co — the best yet from this Paduan In New York…” MACHINEDRUM SXLND EP LuckyMe 12″ // £7.99 Luckyme bring the best out of Travis Stewart on his 2nd Machinedrum single for the Glasgow institution. Following his scorching ‘Alarma’ 12″, the ‘SXLND EP’ comes with a slightly more refined, sexier sound running classic Chicago, Italo and current UK sounds to his exacting specifications. The tracks were originally written in 2010, around the time of his ‘Many Faces’ EP, but have been recently re-engineered for 2012 ‘floors. He comes… CUTICLE Mother Rhythm Earth Memory NOT NOT FUN LP // £11.99 **One of the most compelling outings on NNF yet. Limited edition of 500 copies with insert** Cuticle’s 100% Silk 12″ was surely one of 2011′s most beguiling outer-disco episodes. Making the short step to Not Not Fun for their solo debut proper, Cuticle unearth ‘Mother Rhythm Earth Memory, a glowing space-dance-pop soul, deploying vocoder and more warped, sickly synths for an even odder follow-up experience. From the melancholy, moonlit robo-ballad… SURGEON / REGIS A Tribute to Richard Polson Surface Records 12″ // £6.49 Surface Records pay respect to the late Richard Polson, formerly half of 65D Mavericks, with tracks from Regis, Surgeon, and Oliver Ho. A-side is a ruction from Outline Meets Surgeon’s ‘Blueprint 7′ release circa 1997, plus Oliver Ho’s tunnelling acidic jacker ‘Smoke’. B-side features the Regis classic ‘Disease Through Affection’ from his ‘Delivered Into The Hands Of Indifference’ LP, plus 65D Maverick’s own, elegiac ‘Beginnings End’. RROSE Artificial Light (1969 -1909) SANDWELL DISTRICT 12″ // £6.49 Rrose presents another deep tripping episode of mottled, murky darkside Techno. A-side ‘With All Faces Bleached Out’ stoically channels sewer ambience over lurching subbass and steady bleeps in a unique style reserved for imaginative DJs and home appreciation alike. Flipside ‘Worn/Scarred’ refuses to resolve the rhythm in any conventional sense, arranging offset, discombobulated ketamine patterns with into a sludgy descent, while ‘White/Drip’ pensively precipitates Sähko-esque bleeps rendered with infinite reverbs…. LONE / VARIOUS Dekmantel Anniversary Series No.2 Dekmantel 12″ // £7.99 **Yellow Vinyl** Choice 2nd instalment of Dekmantel’s Anniversary series, with exclusive tracks by Awanto3, Lone and Makam. Stretching out, Detroit beatdown styles, Awanto3′s ‘Pregant’ is all tape worn and warmed kicks layered with deeply seductive disco loops, nipped and nudged in the right places. Lone’s ‘Rissotowe’ follows with a classic early ’90s House vibe, riding the rimshots into smudged harmonic refractions, propped with a juicy square bass bump. Finishing on… JOHN TEJADA / TRUNCATE Maximiliano / Veinticinco HISTORIA Y VIOLENCIA 12″ // £6.49 Santiago Salazar and Silent Servant’s Historia Y Violenca label adds two new family members with Latino heritage; John Tejada and Truncate aka David Flores. Californian John Tejada offers the sweetened clip of ‘Maximiliano’, pushed by rich, spherical bass and swinging syncopation with a mesmerizing groove. Truncate’s ‘Veinticinco’ is darker, locking into a ghoulish, heads-down charge kinda like a sexier Function production. CRUISE FAMILY We’re In Heaven NOT NOT FUN 12″ // £11.99 Slow-strobing kosmic House abstraction from Vienna’s Cruise Family on their debut vinyl release. Over the last five years this singular artist has issued a stack of cassettes, but it’s in the last two that he’s really locked onto the Cruise family trajectory, taking himself (and us) to the furthest echelons of intergalactic tranz-Haus. His finest document to date, ‘We’re In Heaven’ breaks down to three variants on this theme, from… CHRIS GRAY & MOONCHILDREN Downbeat006 DOWNBEAT 12″ // £6.99 *Hand-stamped white label* Moonchild, Chris Gray helms the latest on deep underground House concern, Downbeat. Heady, deep end grooves are in plentiful supply, from the bewitching, slinky bobble of ‘Go Away (You’ve Got To)’ on the A-side, thru the plush square-bass subs and celestial synthline grace of ‘It Was The Fried Chicken That Saved Our Sanity (Because The Ghetto Is Sad)’ or ‘Sun Of God’s drowsy, doe-eyed seduction. KIRK DEGIORGIO Divine Logic Rush Hour 12″ // £7.99 Two years since the ‘Ripple Effect’ Kirk Degiorgio returns to Rush Hour with two maximalist, Detroit-inspired Techno trax. Electro-enforced synthlines and classically-studied strings ride 909 kicks in elegant, but driving style. TONY OLLIVIERRA Nangka EP NORTHSSIDE DISTRICT 12″ // £8.99 Robust yet plush acid-driven Detroit House from the guy behind those Ibex records on Planet E and Rush Hour. ‘Nangka’ starts the dance with kinky synched machine patterns, kaotic string peaks and a burning acid bass while ‘Interplay tucks up a more swinging groove with tasty acid squirms. Flipside asses become grass to the the debonaire 303 churn of ‘Body Slam’, and ‘Orchestra Proforma’ wends its way through dislodged synth…

 

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	TAKAMBA Takamba! MISSISSIPPI LP // £13.99 *Includes bonus 7″* Mississippi Records and Sahel Sounds collude to release these cracking recordings of hypnotic “Takamba” style guitar works from Timbouctou. The distinctively jagged, grinding blues style originates from Northern Mali and Niger and is played here with flair by ‘Ali’ Ag Amoumine on rasping, electrified traditional guitar with minimal but infectiously mesmerizing rhythm tapped out on a calabash (a dried out vegetable also used a water gourd). There’s… LULA CORTES E ZE RAMALHO Paebiru Mr Bongo 2LP // £22.99 The reissue you see before you is a real gem of an album, with original copies apparently trading for between $1000 and $1500 dollars. This is most certainly one of those albums you’d have a hard time classifying, but the words ‘psych’ and ‘jazz’ combined with the phrase ‘rainforest vibes’ would probably stand you in good stead. Each side of this delectable double vinyl gatefold is themed around the four…