"Two years after he first appeared on Balmat with 1977, Mike Paradinas returns with 1979. The sense of continuity between the two records is clear, and not just from their titles. Both capture the Planet Mu head venturing into the wilderness, seeking something -- half-formed memories, thoughts caught in midair -- in some of the most abstract, searching music he has released. Just like 1977, 1979 surveys a synth-heavy array of ethereal soundscapes, ominous crevasses, and strange, psychedelic fugues. Like its predecessor, the new album's atmospheric cast sets it apart from much of the work Paradinas has released as µ-Ziq on Planet Mu. It's not strictly an ambient record, but it's close, as close as this famously mutable artist ever comes to inhabiting a particular genre. Paradinas' inspiration for the record began on visits to the Spanish cities of Ávila and Majadahona, where his family hails from. That might account for the sense that there are spirits flitting through this music, presences you can intuit if not quite grasp. But 1979 is also a record to meet on your own terms, and to find your own meanings in. It's a stunning record, every track a world unto itself: the mysterious contours of "Majadahonda at Dawn"; the playful melodic fillips of "Clari"; the airy melancholy of "Galletas"; the full-scale breakbeat abandon (yes, you read that right) of "Houzz 14," the rarest of dancefloor detours for Balmat. There are echoes of classic braindance and isolationist ambient and golden-age IDM; there are easter eggs and recurring themes and hidden symmetries. Despite what the title might suggest, it's less a trip back in time than a portal to another universe, a destination for(to?) which only Mike Paradinas knows the exact coordinates." --Philip Sherburne

LP version. "As the meteoric rise of reggae began to captivate listeners around the globe in the 1970s, innovative artist Augustus Pablo emerged as vital creative force pushing the genre forward. An important figure in the Jamaican music scene during this remarkable era, Pablo was not only a skilled musician but an influential producer who shaped the sound of countless classic recordings. While his instrumental work and legendary dubs remain essential, Pablo was also responsible for iconic vocal tracks from a wide range of local talent, many of which were released on his own label Rockers. Now, Nature Sounds presents Rockers United!, a collection of classic and rare vocal selections from the Rockers archives, all produced by Augustus Pablo. Deeply rooted in hypnotic, bass-heavy instrumentation, the album features remastered audio transferred from the original master tapes, with vocals by Jacob Miller, Delroy Williams, Hugh Mundell, Tetrak, Junior Delgado, Earl Sixteen, Spliffy Dan and more."

270 pages. Soft-cover, fully illustrated. 196 x 268mm. Edited by Eva Prinz. Preface by Neneh Cherry. Afterword by Joe McPhee. New York, NY, USA -- musicians Mats Gustafsson, Neneh Cherry, Joe McPhee, and Thurston Moore, along with music writer Byron Coley, have contributed to an illustrated collector's guide to records -- replete with 270 pages of beatific album art, labels, sleeve notes and collector musings on their life-long obsessions of record collecting, with a distinct focus on the recorded history of free jazz and free improvisation. Compiling personal archives of their selections of recordings which could be contenders within a list defined by a parameter of 100 of the most essential releases presented in chronological order, acknowledging the music to be preternaturally noncompetitive, non-hierarchical, and of equal value, Now Jazz Now is a book for all adventurous music lovers, whether ravenous record collectors, avant-garde jazz enthusiasts, students of radical culture, or simply curiosity seekers in wonder to this music's illustrious history and lineage. The gleanings of Cherry, Coley, Gustafsson, McPhee and Moore will enlighten, delight, amuse, and bemuse all who follow their streams of consciousness, knowledge, perception, and, most importantly, unbridled respect and regard for a genre of music dedicated to the dignity of practicing freedom.

LP version. The highly anticipated debut album from Amsterdam-based Indonesian psych-folk ensemble Nusantara Beat has finally arrived. Having built a rapidly rising reputation through captivating live performances and a string of acclaimed 7" singles (Bongo Joe Records), this self-titled album powerfully extends an already potent musical vision. A mesmerizing collection of eleven original tracks, Nusantara Beat delves deep into the group's Indonesian ancestral roots, and thrillingly weaves together hypnotic folk melodies, vintage Indo-pop, pulsating psychedelic grooves and contemporary sonic textures. Nusantara Beat grew out of Amsterdam's vibrant music scene, with several of its members previously playing in Dutch groups including EUT, Jungle by Night and the Turkish psych ensemble Altin Gün. But it was the allure of exploring Indonesian sounds that cemented their alliance. Released in 2023, "Djanger" is a beloved song describing the movements of a Balinese dancer. "Kota Bandung," also released in 2023, is a 1970s classic describing the capital city of West Java. And 2024's "Mang Becak" is another '70s pop track based around a conversation between a woman and a becak (bicycle rickshaw) driver, delivered in Sundanese, the local language of West Java. Across these three singles, Nusantara Beat paid heartfelt tribute to the tradition of "Sunda Pop" -- the Indonesian pop sensation that, from the 1960s onwards, blended traditional Sundanese music with contemporary pop sounds such as psychedelia, surf music and funk. Nusantara Beat have staked out a daring place in modern music, paying homage to the tradition of Sunda Pop, while reinvigorating it for the 21st century with pristine production techniques, modern synthesizers and deep grooves. Now, with their self-titled debut album, Nusantara Beat have gone one step further, writing, recording and producing eleven scintillating original songs that have their roots deep in tradition while stretching out into bold new worlds. The ethereal mood of the traditional Javanese and Balinese gamelan percussion ensemble can be heard to striking effect, underpinning the heavy twang of a surf guitar and whooshing synth sirens. And, throughout the album, samples of Balinese gamelan instruments add extra depth, along with the sounds of traditional instruments such as the kecapi zither, the kendang drum and Balinese gongs. Most of the lyrics -- written in English and translated into Indonesian -- deal with the complexities of modern love, with a bittersweet pop sensibility perfectly suited to Megan's gorgeously delicate vocal style. Atmospheric, mesmerizing and timeless, it's a perfect example of the magic Nusantara Beat weave. Nusantara Beat is the sound of an utterly unique musical collective, forging new ground with a breathtaking freshness and a seductive sense of folk history that echoes through the decades.

A deeply moving debut: Mahku by Manizeh Rimer -- founder of London's Love Supreme Projects -- is a spiritual jazz album that bridges generations, cultures, and time. Co-produced by ganavya (Daughter of a Temple) and LEITER co-founder Felix Grimm, it was recorded at Berlin's Funkhaus with a stellar cast: Grammy-nominated Jai Uttal, bassists Doug Weiss and Ben Hazleton, harpist Miriam Adefris, pianist Jay Verma, and Manizeh's daughter Mahku Rimer. The eight tracks -- including a touching reinterpretation of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" -- are musical prayers blending Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Tibetan traditions. "Mahku" means "eclipse" -- a symbol of unity and transformation. It's also the name of Manizeh's grandmother, whose spiritual legacy lives on through this music.

2026 repress; double LP version. Initially released in 2006, Revep is the third collaboration album between Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto and the third installment of V.I.R.U.S.'s five album series. Remastered in 2021 in collaboration with Calyx Studio, the album's recordings are accompanied by three new compositions titled "City Radieuse", "Veru 1", and "Veru 2". "City Radieuse" was composed for the 2012 short cinematic essay titled "Cité Radieuse" and part of Carsten Nicolai's "future past perfect" series. The video shot at le Corbusier's Unité D'Habitation in Nantes (called "cité radieuse") takes the viewer through the modular system and design applied to the residential buildings. The film's narrative unfolds through a sequence of images tracking the apartments' indoor space and details, and points to the different benchmarks of standardized production as they correlate to their environment and its inhabitants. The album's original recordings resulted from musical exchanges that began with Vrioon (NOTON 051CD/LP) and revolved around a collaborative arrangement of Sakamoto's classic Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, the theme music to the 1983 movie starring David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano, and Ryuichi Sakamoto himself. In Revep, the piano takes the lead while the padded bass and pitched electronic frequencies mark sudden change. Deeply evocative and effortlessly colliding worlds of analog beauty and digital mastery, this album is considered another indispensable record from the duo's ongoing collaboration.

The spirit of KPM, DeWolfe, and I Marc 4 distilled in a lockup garage in Leeds. The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express (Theme From The Watcher). Everything released on ATA is written and guided by the label heads Neil Innes and Pete Williams, who frequently dip their toes in the Library pond while working on other projects. These occasional one-off tracks have accumulated over the past few years and have now found a home on the first volume of an ongoing series: The Library Archive. Recorded using the same techniques and equipment used to create the now legendary catalogues of music sold to the film and television industry of the '60s & '70s, The Library Archive could easily sit alongside the plain minimalist covers of KPM or Telesound. The fierce Brass of "Whack, Slap & Blow" and "Kaye Okay" could both be a Keith Mansfield cut, acting as a theme tune to a glamorous Saturday night TV show circa 1972. "Duck Strut" is a cheeky slice of bass driven Brit-funk, Muted horns and flute adding an element of Quincy Jones amongst the grooving drums and percussion. "The Needle Nose," "Midnight Heist" and "Wiretap" are amongst the more cinematic tracks on the album. Moody and atmospheric, they conjure up images of dark alleys, shadowy figures and dead letter drops. "Wigged Out" channels the wonky organ weirdness of Italian library legends I Marc 4 while "Nuclear Wind I & II" use Moog and Mellotron as electronic counterpoint to ethereal voices. "Siren's Sea's" acoustic interlude conjures up images of distant clifftops, gossamer vocals enticing you onto the rocks before album closer "Planet Nine" traverses the cosmos.

In the heart of 1990s Morocco, Cheb Nacer brought a new breeze to the popular music scene. Born in Oujda, he grew up surrounded by raï, staïfi and chaâbi before moving to Casablanca, where he blended these roots with the electronic sounds filling cabarets and clubs. Inspired by the international clips broadcast on 2M and RTM, he reimagined European hits in darija, creating a hybrid, dance-driven sound. "Olé Olé Olé" became a national hit, carried by bright synths and playful energy -- far from the sentimental pop dominating the airwaves. Between 1993 and 2006, he released a string of tapes, shows and hits, defining his unique style: spontaneous, raw and festive techno-raï born in studios, living rooms and wedding halls. Cheb Nacer embodied an era when the lines between cabaret and club blurred, when music circulated freely and reinvented itself without rules. Decades later, his songs still echo as the soundtrack of a generation tuned into global waves -- free, curious, and proud to dance their own way.

LP version. Blue Note/Schema/Far Out Recordings artist shares a new compilation of golden age Italian library music. Following his acclaimed five-part Viagem compilation series celebrating Brazil's forgotten bossa nova and samba jazz, Far Out, Blue Note and Schema recording artist and international DJ Nicola Conte turns his curatorial attention homeward with Viaggio, an extraordinary exploration of Italy's library music renaissance 1970-79. The 12-track compilation spotlights the remarkable creative explosion that occurred during the seventies: when some of the greatest yet most historically overlooked composers, including Amedeo Tommasi, Alessandro Alessandroni and Max Rocci, were composing and recording huge amounts of original music for film and television libraries. Unlike commercial releases designed for mass consumption, library music was created specifically to accompany images on screen. This meant creative freedom for composers who imagined scenarios, feelings and worlds to soundtrack. Pressed in limited quantities, these recordings were distributed only to internal circles of music supervisors, journalists, and television professionals -- making them virtually invisible to the general public for decades. At the heart of Viaggio stands Amedeo Tommasi, the sophisticated jazz pianist who emerged in 1960 backing international stars like Chet Baker, Bobby Jaspar, and Jacques Pelzer. Tommasi was among Italy's earliest artists to introduce Black US modal jazz influences, and when traditional recording opportunities dwindled, he pivoted to soundtrack and library music, helping define a distinctly Italian sound that bridged experimental jazz with the emerging possibilities afforded by developments in synthesizer and recording technologies. The compilation features rare gems from small label outputs, namely the Cenacolo and Rotary label catalogs. Tommasi's contemporaries include the great Alessandro Alessandroni and his vocalist wife Giulia De Mutiis (Kema), Stefano Torrosi (under the alias Farlocco -- meaning fake/phony), and Belgian composer Joël Vandroogenbroeck. The recordings capture the technological evolution of the era as beguiling synthesis often combines with global influences spanning Brazilian rhythms, jazz-funk explorations, and Middle Eastern scales.

LP version. The leader of the internationally acclaimed Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet reveals a more intimate, personal side in his solo project. Solo, the new album from Wojtek Mazolewski, offers a chamber-like, cinematic and deeply atmospheric listening experience. One might expect a solo album to become an opportunity for virtuosic displays, yet Mazolewski takes a different path -- presenting the double bass as a melodic instrument, played with remarkable sensitivity and tenderness, revealing the richness and depth of its sound. Solo is a surprising record. Despite its subtle arrangements: harp, flute, percussion, gentle electronics, and whispered vocals, the music captivates from the very first notes. Modern in spirit, it occasionally surprises with a gentle, dance-infused pulse. Mazolewski creates space for focus and reflection without falling into new-age clichés. The album's sound quality is also noteworthy, crafted by producers Wojtek Mazolewski and Wojtek Urbanski, (Polish platinum producer and film composer) and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Ben Rawlins. Episodic but essential contributions from the exceptional harpist Marysia Osu also deserve mention. For years, Mazolewski has been a respected figure on the international stage. His Quintet's album Polka was one of DownBeat's favorite albums of the year. He has been a frequent guest on Gilles Peterson's BBC Show and performed a memorable Bronswood Session there. Mazolewski's creative reach extends beyond WMQ and his solo output, including his experimental Tryp Tych Trio project with Tamar Osborn and Sarathy Korwar, as well as collaborations with artists such as Pete Wareham, Tomasz Stańko, Urszula Dudziak, John Zorn, Tim Berne, and Dennis González.

2026 restock. All tracks are exclusive to this release (not a compilation of material from the albums on the cover). Tracks: "Ghetto Version," "Ya Man Version," "Tubby's Version," "Pain Dub," "Cowboy Dubbing," "D'Rude Dubber," "Moving Version Dub," "Hardest Dub," "This Ah The Best," "King Edwards Dub," "Maria's Head Dub," "Homing Version," "Bless 'I' Dub" and "Crabbit Version."

Limited 2026 restock; LP version. "Prior to co-founding the Incredible String Band, Clive Palmer had already made a name for himself as a versatile instrumentalist from his teenage years busking around London. Just after the first ISB album was released, he would quit the band and seemingly vanished from the scene, traveling around Europe, India and Afghanistan. He resurfaced with his banjo a few years later under the guise of COB, Clive's Original Band, with instrumentalists and songwriting partners Mick Bennett and John Bidwell. Guitarist Ralph McTell agreed to produce the project as a labor of love, and with the newly coined trio they created what is considered to be one of the most beautiful acid folk albums ever to come out of the British Isles. McTell kept the production organic, with most of the vocals and rhythm tracks recorded live. Experimental in nature, Spirit of Love is a highly original album that embodies the spirit of UK folk amidst reality at the time. Bootlegged several times, this is the first official vinyl reissue of this eternal classic."

"In the mid-to-late '90s, Southern hip-hop was bubbling up in Atlanta with Outkast, Rap-A-Lot out of Houston, Three 6 Mafia out of Memphis, and Master P's No Limit out of New Orleans. By the early 2000s, Southern Hip-Hop was overtaking East Coast and West Coast acts with national radio and video play. The Chopped and Screwed style made popular by Houston's DJ Screw's mixtapes was also spreading nationwide. In 2005, another H-Town indie label, Swishahouse, was blowing up with a deal they had inked with Warner Music Group's resurrected Asylum label. Founded by Michael '5000' Watts and OG Ron C, Swishahouse released the single 'Still Tippin' on The Day Hell Broke Loose 2 compilation. The single, which featured Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug, would be added to Mike Jones' debut album Who is Mike Jones? leading to the first platinum album under Swishahouse and would set the stage for Paul Wall's major label debut. After releasing several albums and mixtapes with fellow H-Town rapper Chamillionaire, Paul Wall signed a deal with Atlantic/Asylum/Swishahouse and released the gold-certified single 'Sittin Sideways' in the summer of 2005. The People's Champ, featuring Paul Wall's famous platinum and diamond grillz on the cover, was released on September 13, 2005, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Charts. The album is an ode to the laid-back Houston culture of hustling, cars, sippin' on purple drank while listening to Chopped and Screwed music. The album had the internet goin' nuts with features from Texas contemporaries Mike Jones, Big Pokey, Bun B, as well as southern rap stars Three 6 Mafia, T.I., and Lil Wayne. The album spawned another gold single from the Kanye West-produced track 'Drive Slow' and would push sales to Platinum status."

"L.A.-based soul singer Leela James started out singing backup vocals on hip-hop albums in the late '90s and early 2000s. In 2004, she recorded the song 'No Tears' on Pete Rock's Soul Survivor 2, shortly after she signed a deal with Warner Bros Records and released her debut album A Change is Gonna Come, named after her cover of the Sam Cooke song. A true soul singer, with a voice comparable to Mavis Staples and Betty Wright, Leela enlisted Commissioner Gordon to oversee production, which included tracks by Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, Wyclef Jean, and Chucky Thompson. The lead single, 'Music,' is an ode to the soul singers of yesterday, with a hip-hop feel. She performs a soulful R&B cover of No Doubt's 'Don't Speak' and alternates between funky uplifting tracks like 'Good Time' and 'Soul Food' with downtempo, soulful ballads like 'When You Love Somebody' and 'My Joy.' Leela James departed from Warner after the release of her debut and went on to release seven more studio albums. It's been twenty years since A Change is Gonna Come was released in June of 2005, and Get On Down now presents this underrated gem for the first time on vinyl. The album is pressed on 'Golden Pearl' colored vinyl and packaged in a gatefold jacket, limited to 1000 copies. It's been a long time coming, but this is a must-have for neo-soul and R&B music lovers."

2025 repress. Lilith present a reissue of Os Mutantes' self-titled debut, originally released in 1968. With the release of their debut LP in 1968, Os Mutantes cracked the already red hot Tropicalia scene wide open. Fusing traditional Brazilian music, psychedelia, rock, and a good dose of pure experimentation, they quickly became giants both in Brazil and in the outer fringes of pop music, where they have managed to reign supreme for the past four decades. Not an easy task in such a crowded arena. Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Jorge Ben, Tom Zé, and Os Mutantes? What do these people put in their drinking water? The band went on to release several more albums, but this one was their magnum opus. Obi "bookmark" Japanese style; 180 gram vinyl; Includes CD.

Rufige Kru return with Alpha Omega Remixes, featuring four heavyweight re-imaginings of their recent jungle/drum and bass belters. One of the most revered names in breakbeat science, Rufige Kru rewired the dancefloor for the first time back in 1992 with hardcore classics such as "Darkrider," "Beachdrifta," and "Terminator," key moments in the evolution of drum n bass. Alpha Omega Remixes takes the project's tracks to a new-level, with fresh reworks from Metalheadz residents Phase, Seba & Paradox, Special Request, and Rufige Kru's very own Submotive. Each remix twists the raw intensity and deep atmospherics of the originals into something darker, harder, and sharper. Black vinyl, printed 3 mm spine sleeve, black polylined inner sleeve, and marketing sticker.

Romanian avant-garde composer, Nicolae Brînduş (1935-2023), studied piano and composition at the National University of Music in Bucharest. From 1969 to 1980 he attended the Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt and later he also worked at the IRCAM in Paris and GMEB in Bourges. His compositions have been performed worldwide. This album, originally released on Electrecord's RCM (Romanian Contemporary Music) series in 1986, provides a selection of works which belong to his cycle PHTORA (1968-1972). The cycle comprises five pieces which are five degrees of structuring collective improvisation, leaning towards the spectralist tradition. It's probably the most eccentric record in the whole RCM series, offering a mesmerizing collage of organized cacophony, as a massive but subtly layered whirlwind of abstract orchestral improvisations, Romanian picturesque folklore and free jazz with extensive use of tape manipulation and reverberation. This reissue comes with the beautiful original sleeve artwork by Ana Golici who designed many sleeves for Electrecord.

Limited repress. The strength of the Akira soundtrack lies in its unique blend of traditional Japanese instruments and futuristic electronic sounds. Shoji Yamashiro weaves together an eclectic mix of influences, creating a sonic landscape that mirrors the dystopian and cyberpunk themes of the movie. The use of traditional chants, taiko drums, and Shakuhachi flutes alongside electronic synthesizers and orchestral elements generates a hauntingly mesmerizing atmosphere that perfectly complements the visuals on screen. The composer also drew from the chants of Noh, traditional Japanese theater. Combined with polyrhythmic drum machine beats and synths tuned to gamelan microtonal scales, these styles give a sense of ritualistic tension to the dystopian world of Akira.

2025 repress; 2006 release. R.I.P. Ace Frehley. Considered the best of the four solo albums that Kiss released simultaneously in 1978, Ace Frehley does not stray far from Kiss's trademark heavy sound. With future David Letterman band members drummer Anton Fig and bassist Will Lee backing him up, Frehley shows that he is more than a songwriting match for bandmates Simmons and Stanley. In fact, the album yielded a Top 20 hit in "New York Groove."

Recorded in concert at the University of Sheffield in March 2025, Reality Is Not A Theory is the first collaboration between Mark Fell and Pat Thomas. Major figures in British experimental music since the 1990s, Fell and Thomas have developed their rigorous practices from radically different backgrounds and perspectives: where Fell's singular take on synthetic abstraction emerged from Sheffield's electronic underground, Thomas is a virtuoso improvising pianist steeped in jazz and modernist art music who has simultaneously worked with sampler-based electronics for decades. As the record's wonderfully academic subtitle explains, listeners are presented here with two sides of "algorithmic and improvised music for computer and piano," exemplifying both players' insatiable search for new (and sometimes uncomfortable) playing situations. The performance begins with Fell's electronics close to the timbres of acoustic percussion, attacks that suggest wood, metal or glass threaded along a rapid pulse while Thomas focuses on the lowest registers of the piano, deadening the strings. As Fell's electronics start to ring out and occupy more harmonic space, Thomas turns to wide, repeated clusters, which slowly expand into patterns of chords. Like in his recent solo recordings and his trio work with Joel Grip and Anton Gerbal, Thomas' playing combines extreme dissonance with a deep lyrical sense. Fell's work gradually shifts its focus toward drum sounds, drawing on the microtemporal processes that have characterized his practice in recent decades. Heard together with Thomas' probing piano, the computer sounds call up unexpected associations with the klangfarben antics of improv drummers like Paul Lovens or Tony Oxley. Throughout its second half, the music grows increasingly frenetic, as Thomas sounds out rapid, irregularly repeated figures and beautifully sour chords in the upper register, while Fell's percussion develops into angular pan-pipe-like feedback and waves of glissandi. With great confidence and patience, Fell and Thomas often let their individual contributions remain rhythmically distinct and unsynchronised, allowing unexpected correspondence and coincidence to guide the music's development. Recorded in a hall named after Sheffield steel manufacturer and Master Cutler Mark Firth, the location might suggest a model for understanding how Fell and Thomas interact here: two workers in the same workshop, each immersed in their own part of the production process. Arriving in a striking sleeve designed by Mark Fell, with liner notes by Francis Plagne, Reality Is Not A Theory is an invigorating document of the meeting of two mavericks of contemporary music.

TED stands as a restless voyage on an electronic ocean of infinite sound: Clarion calls ring out while spectral vocals accompany. Orchestral sections give way to fractured drum beats. Field recordings combine with ambient sounds, blended with whisper incantations. Menacing electronic storms gather, fused with sparse melodic lines. Liquid drippings meld with otherworldly strings, laying the foundation for Yuko Otomo's haunting recitation. TED ranks as seamless ordering of tones and sounds in temporal relationships unlike anything ever heard. Limited to 100 LPs. Art by Janice Sloane. Poetry by Yuko Otomo. Mastered by Steve Silverstein. Silk screened by Alan Sherry at SIWA Prints.

Limited to 100 LPs. Art by Ira Marcks. Silkscreened by Alan Sherry At SIWA prints. "Human Hair is the duo of Pat Murano and Richard Hoffman, both long running fixtures of the NYC scene, Richard with Sightings, Insayngel, and his recent solo project Organs Obsolete; and Pat with NNCK, Malkuth and his solo alter ego Decimus. Pat was also an auxiliary member of Sightings (one of the best bands to ever come out of NYC!) in the later years of the band and is in a duo with Sightings guitarist Mark Morgan called Key of Shame. Human Hair is another lovely and mutant outgrowth from this shared history. It has all the serpentine and liquid pace you would expect but with a new kind of melancholy I haven't heard in the previously mentioned projects. It's great to hear Richard in such stark relief, his taut and coiled punctuations keeping a kind of slithering sense of time while Pat unfurls vistas that don't exactly spread out as they kind of infinitely zoom in on themselves circling back around and magnifying every little snatch of texture. There's a loose almost psych vibe that, right when you think is gonna settle into a side longer, takes a right-hand turn into some kind of Richard Pinhas on jawharp section that spreads out to the horizon. Side B is (I kind of hate when music writers just mention mash ups of references but I'm not a music writer and when I wrote this in my notes while listening it made too much sense to me to not include. Also I was told that 'anything will suffice'!) P.I.L. playing Ry Cooders Paris Texas soundtrack and I think stands as one of the kind of most 'stranded on an alien planet of nothing' these guys have done. The desolation of space and subsequent tension is accumulative not palpable. It rises with time, slowly, because of all the patience and exploration that Pat and Richard allow for. The lifeline has slipped out of yr hands before you even realize that you're floating in open space. Daksina has really been putting out some amazing records of improvised music that don't sound like what has become the GENRE of improvised music sounds like. It's really personally reinvigorated a lot of my love of improvised music and this Human Hair LP really sits at the top of that." --Bill Nace, 2025

Just as the hippie era came to an end in America, a second '60s began. In what is now Zimbabwe, young people created a rock and roll counterculture that drew inspiration from hippie ideals and the sounds of Hendrix and Deep Purple. The kids in the scene called their music "heavy," because they could feel its impact, and it resonated from Zambia to Nigeria. At its peak in the mid-'70s, the heavy rock scene united tens of thousands of young progressives of all racial and social backgrounds. The country was called Rhodesia then, one of the last bastions of white rule in Africa, and heavy rockers defied segregation laws and secret police to make a stand for democratic change. Wells Fargo was at the forefront of the scene, and the title track of this album, "Watch Out," was the anthem of the counterculture. Following previous collaborations with Now-Again Records, Munster are thrilled to reissue now Wells Fargo's Watch Out!, a curated collection of songs intertwining rock and funk with Zimbabwean folkloric melodies, taken from the band 45s discography, never available outside of Zimbabwe at the time the singles were originally released.

Double LP version. Implosion is a crushing split album, appropriately released on The Bug's own PRESSURE label. Mapping out a new form of spectral dub, the sound is deliberately immersive, introverted, and yes, definitely implosive. In pursuit of heavy lids, blurred vision, and merciless bass bin punishment, it's one part meditation, two parts low-end theory, and essentially a confession of devoted sound system addiction. As expected from a tag team featuring British soundlab explorer and "London Zoo" composer Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz -- a long-time graduate of Germany's new school of sound system reggae culture -- the duo approaches their target differently yet share the goal of keeping their sound "raw" and "brutally minimal". Each track illuminates the emotional impact and atmospheric pressure being explored across this deceptively sparse album -- a mastery of tone and texture. This collection might be as reduced, minimal, and deep as The Bug has ever gone, perhaps echoing the solemnity of his recent Kevin Richard Martin Black release and invoking the futurist steppas self-pioneered on his previous Pressure album. Alternatively, Fiedler's Ghost Dubs project ventures into his most heavyweight direction yet, which is no mean feat considering his previous, the critically acclaimed album Damaged, was a monstrously massive triumph of analogue weight and enviable sound design. Implosion is ice-cool, a stark contrast to the warmth and sociability of traditional Jamaican roots and the current trends in digi-dub. Instead, the mood is soaked in tension and intense dread, finding an unexpected melting point where classic dub's stark rhythm attack, isolationist ambience's eerie drift, dub techno's floatation strategies, and even the relentless riffs of doom metal collide. The super heavyweight pulsations, emotive resonances, and bone-rattling vibrations detonated here effortlessly go far beyond the artists' influences. Shadowy and elusive, there's a mysteriousness at this record's core. A haunting moodiness oscillating between nostalgia and future shock. Implosion is a testament to being enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass, and utterly crushed by bass, as The Bug and Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of dub for zonal headz and Babylon seekers. Mastered by Stefan Betke (a.k.a. POLE) at Scape Mastering studio.

Led by guitarist Seiji Hano, the jazz group Om released only one album -- Solar Wind, a landmark work that stands as one of the greatest achievements in Japanese ethnic jazz. Now, this masterpiece is finally being reissued. Their sound, seemingly a response from Japan to ECM artists such as Oregon and Codona, active during the same period, is refined yet imbued with a distinctly Japanese sense of wabi-sabi -- melancholic, nostalgic, and deeply resonant. From "Windmill," featured on Studio Mule's compilation Midnight In Tokyo Vol. 2, to every other track, Solar Wind is a flawless album with not a single weak moment -- a true masterpiece of Japanese jazz.

LP version. Alongside Joy Division, The Durutti Column were amongst the first artists to be released by Factory Records. Their debut album, produced by Martin Hannett, showcased the filigree guitar work of Vini Reilly, awash with reverb and early experiments with synthesizers. It would be a first album of a five-decade career, in which The Durutti Column would quietly emerge as one of the most influential acts from the Manchester scene and beyond. To celebrate the album's 45th anniversary, London Records revisits the album with new editions, with audio sourced and remastered from the original tapes for the first time since 1980, with vinyl cut at half speed. LP version includes restored "second edition" artwork with textured sleeve. Liner notes by The Durutti Column/Factory Records expert James Nice.

"Broadly speaking, shredders are the pro wrestlers of music, trafficking in overwrought drama but devoid of soul, the realm of finger-tappers, fretboard lubricators, and those prone to viewing music as a competitive brawl. As such, the axe-slinger of conscience steers clear of shredding behavior, albeit every-so-often dexterously running the neck to tip listeners off that, you know, they 'really know how to play.' But for the typical avant-string consumer, shredding is beyond the pale. Which brings us to Cyrus Pireh's new Palilalia release Thank You, Guitar, his latest stab at 'transcendental shred electric guitar music.' Pireh, a self-professed anarchist and presumed enemy of music-as-sport, upcycles the 32nd-note neck sprint into a mesmeric boil played and recorded with little intervening electronic trickery other than a Digitech DD5 and mysterious amp modifications. The end result sounds like Pireh's plugged a quarter-inch jack into each of the listener's eardrums, a quick digital delay ping-ponging across the frontal lobes, the wet and dry signal of his 9-string axe all but indistinguishable. Indeed, Pireh views his maximalist double-handed scrabble as a mirror in which the listener might visualize all manner of details in its rapidly self-propagating tonal and rhythmic tapestry. The title track, its hairpin turns echoing Fred Frith's 'Hello Music' -- another startling LP-opener -- establishes this methodology immediately. But far from languishing in razzle dazzle, each song tracks different tangential vectors, some (like 'Free Palestine') employing tape delay to smear the sounds into a muzzy, proto-psychedelic modality, with others stretching longer feedback times into unison lines reminiscent of Eno's all-consuming Revox (albeit less pitchy). But the true mind bender of the record is 'Amen Family', its fret-tapping and string scraping reinventing the venerable amen break as an electrified freak-folk/jungle opus for fingerstyle guitar that has to be heard to be believed. Ultimately, Thank You, Guitar is a giant step forward in Palilalia's redefinition of the solo guitar record, and one of the first truly novel things I've heard a guitar spit out in quite some time, milking the tension between precision and chaos, never quite veering into one or the other, but maintaining maximum engagement and brimming with action til the end." --Tom Carter

LP version. The brilliantly named duo -- formed by Adam Morrow and Jamie Sego -- might be based in "the hit recording capital of the world," Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but somehow, they have made a concept album about the ancient religious outpost off the coast of northeast England. It's a stunning record that mixes fuzzy guitars with folk horror and fantastic melodies -- for fans of Ride, Slowdive, Galaxie 500, Talk Talk, Yo La Tengo and The Clientele. Despite its lyrical inspiration lying thousands of miles away, it comes imbued with the soulfulness of their surroundings -- not least because it was recorded in the old Muscle Shoals Sound studio by the Tennessee River, now Portside Sound, which is run by Jamie. "The story of Lindisfarne gave us a framework for what were otherwise very abstract ideas and emotions," explains Adam. "It became a way to make sense of our own moment in history. We really want our lives and societies to always get better, and to be left alone to make that happen. But we are stuck in these cycles of progress and regression, and I think most people are really driven to make sense of it and assign meaning. Lately, we've lived through a global pandemic, a devaluation of truth and reality, and a resurgence of far-right politics into the mainstream. Not really what I expected out of life in 2025." He is keen to point out that, despite the seriousness of its inspirations, the duo had a lot of fun making the album and really want it to be "a living and breathing thing". "We want people to be able to engage with it regardless of whether they care about it as a concept record," he says. "For me, it's just another reason to expand the pedalboard," concludes Jamie. "We hope you enjoy it. Peace, love and reverb from Alabama."

Footwork pioneer Traxman presents Tekvision Volume 4, the highly-anticipated new album on Teklife. A defining force in Chicago's house, ghetto house, juke, and footwork scenes for over 30 years, Traxman continues to innovate with a cutting-edge release that builds on decades of influence and expertise, featuring tracks that pay homage to Chicago's West Side roots. With Tekvision Volume 4, Traxman reaffirms his legendary status as one of electronic music's most influential figures, delivering an album designed for both footwork veterans and a new generation of listeners ready to experience the genre's next evolution.

"The long running Brooklyn-based collective Chicha Libre counts members from Mexico, France, Venezuela and the US. Taking inspiration from exotic strains of cumbia, this follow-up to their mostly original tracks on their Canibalismo LP sees the band turning its attention to some well-known classics, applying their psychedelic chicha template to the Clash, Arthur Lee's Love, Los Shapis, and the Danny Eflman theme song to The Simpsons. Originally released on Record Store Day in 2013, it has been remastered and is available once again on vinyl. With this EP, Chicha Libre was closing a loop -- using a sound that was shaped by Peruvian tropical music to pay tribute to its own rockero roots -- and to some of its personal heroes. Jacket designed by Peruvian artist Elliot Tupac, whose posters and murals can be found on the walls of every neighborhood in Lima. Credited with perfecting a Chicha graphic style which has come to represent Peruvian urban culture. His work has been shown all over Latin America."

LP version. Green color vinyl. Underneath The Earth is the debut album from Chimehours; a hauntological music project for the dislocated present day. Taking inspiration from Max Porter's novel Lanny, the album digs into themes of nature, myth and community, with an edge of folk-horror. Drones, drums and gritty guitars are juxtaposed with woodwind, strings and ethereal song. Written and produced between Derbyshire, London and Margate, the album takes musical influence from the likes of Liz Fraser, Broadcast, Beth Gibbons, Bibio, and Jóhann Jóhannsson, and atmospheric cues from The Wickerman, The Fog, and Enys Men. Chimehours is a collaboration between Beck Goldsmith and Jon Dix. The pair have previously performed in bands together and composed music for award-winning film and television. They conjured up this foray into cinematic, horror-flecked contemporary-folk to explore their love of the supernatural and the other-than-human. Here, Chimehours raid the vaults of '70s British cinema and trad folk soundscapes to riff on contemporary anxieties and ecological yearning. They conjured up this foray into cinematic, horror-flecked contemporary-folk to explore their love of the supernatural and the other-than-human. The result is a collection of all things earthy, exquisite and grotesque.

LP version. "Riding in on an eviscerating vocal alarm call and originally released in 1988 as the final installment of her Masque of the Red Death trilogy, Diamanda Galás' You Must Be Certain of the Devil is as unflinching now as it was on release in 1988. It remains a swaggering, furious fuck-you to those who might cast aside the sick and dying in the name of faith and scripture. Often misunderstood as simply dark for its subject matter, You Must Be Certain of the Devil in fact shines a light of such total exposure it leaves nowhere to hide, forensically unmasking the fury and pain of real grief and the vast spectrum of emotions rendered by the AIDS epidemic. It is an album that looks you square in the eye, pins you against a wall and makes you look at and feel the horror the virus visited upon a person, the knowledge of certain death in a hostile environment, and the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Samaritans or protectors. The album twists gospel spirituals into blistering indictments of hypocrisy, using sacred forms to expose the cruelty of churches that damned AIDS sufferers as cursed by God. From the siren-call of 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' through 'Double-Barrel Prayer,' 'Birds of Death,' and the title track, she intones as apostate, reaper, and bar-room brawler, detourning spirituals into prayers to a god invented by despair. Begun in 1984 and haunted by her brother's death in 1986, the trilogy moved from anguish to political knowledge, shaped by Americas mounting AIDS epidemic -- by 1988 over 46,000 dead, antivirals still years away. Dismissed as the AIDS lady and joining Act Up protests, Galás made the trilogy a work begun in 1984 and not completed until the end of the epidemic, refusing closure: for her there is no escape or reprieve. You Must Be Certain of the Devil spears you in the eternal present of trauma, by an artist who calls herself a Greek orthodox atheist: a person certain of the devil with no hope in God. LP is packaged in a gatefold sleeve with euro inner sleeve and poster, with remastered audio by Heba Kadry, vinyl lacquers cut by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering and photography by Emily Andersen."

"On the cover: 2025 Rewind: The Year in Sound and Music: The Wire's essential guide to the highs and lows of the last 12 months in underground music and culture. Our 2025 Rewind double issue will have twice the shelf life of a standard issue and will include our essential Top 50 Releases of the Year and Archive Releases of the Year charts, both compiled from the votes of more than 60 of our critics and contributors. Other features include cultural reflections from our roster of writers, our specialist columnists' charts and analyses from avant rock to dub, and essays on some of 2025's talking points including DIY radio, slow music for fast times, and the current state of skronk. Inside: Makaya McCraven; After a three year hiatus in solo output, the prodigious drummer, producer and bandleader has released one new studio album, Off The Record via Chicago's International Anthem label, and four EPs, all edited and reworked from extensive live recordings dating back as far as 2015 and featuring contributions from Theon Cross, Ben LaMar Gay and Jeff Parker. In this special feature he is interviewed by Black Rock Coalition bassist Melvin Gibbs; Company was the name the British improv guitarist Derek Bailey gave to the festival he ran in London between 1977?1994, for which he would invite diverse casts of musicians to come and improvise together. To mark the 20th anniversary of Bailey's death, Mark Wastell gives the inside story of what happened when the guitarist revived Company for events in New York, London and Marseille; Hilary Woods; The Irish confessional singer, songwriter and filmmaker returns to the Sacred Bones label with her new album Night CRIÚ, a follow up to 2023's acclaimed Acts Of Light. By Leah Kardos."

"C.L.A.W.S. comes to Dark Entries with a new ripping LP, Splat City II. C.L.A.W.S. is the solo project of musical luminary Brian Hock, who has been a key figure in the Bay Area underground for over two decades via his involvement in projects like Bronze and The Vanishing, as well as helming the record labels Squirrels on Film and Immortal Sin. With C.L.A.W.S., Hock takes on the dancefloor, picking up cues from the Hague's Giallo-dipped electro, the skewed minimalism of Chicago acid, and the mind-rending forays of San Francisco post-punk icons like Chrome and Tuxedomoon. Following 2019's inaugural Splat City EP, Splat City II continues to map the psychogeography of a metropolis both alien and immediately recognizable, one where life is cheap, but so are the thrills. Previously released on Squirrels on Film in digital-only format, this expanded vinyl edition of Splat City II features two new cuts. Things kick off with 'Route 505' and 'One Tear,' a duo of rompers that vibe like Tom Ellard and Chip E locked in a room with a vial of liquid. Next up, Bay Area deckmaster Tyrel lends his editing chops to 'Vigilant Slimy Monsters,' sculpting a moody space disco beast. Squirrels on Film co-founder Solar teams up with Hock for 'Black Magic Carpet Ride III,' a cavernous downtempo banger. The slow-mo pace continues with 'Wild Slugs United,' which features the no wave-esque clarinet work of Paul Costuros. Closer 'Don't Flip the Crystal Ship' pays homage to Bayview venue Bay Area 51 with melancholic strings and a quartz-solid electrofunk bassline. Splat City II comes in a sleeve with artwork by Bert Bergen, which features a vampiric cat and sci-fi cityscapes."

LP version. Something is brewing in the state of Norway! Kronstad 23 are the latest trailblazers from northern Scandinavia: a creative force exploring the boundaries of musical genres, including but not limited to: psych rock, jazz, post-rock and Scandinavian folk music. The group of young players follows the footsteps of Motorpsycho, Elephant9 and El Paraiso's own Lotus, Fra Det Onde and Kanaan, carving out their path through the musical landscape in seemingly effortless ways! One minute you're floating on cosmic Pharoah Sanders waters, the next you're ascending on electrified if-Tortoise-played-Allman Brothers-style jamming. The band describes their approach as: "Sommermørket is an escape from inhumane technology and politics in search of something that feels authentic. The music breathes in the little that is left of old air and rises slowly into the hazy summer twilight like brittle thoughts that try to connect and fade away." Kronstad 23 was formed in Kronstad, Bergen, Norway in the Autumn of 2023. As old friends and musical collaborators, they rekindled a creative spark that had been dormant for over 10 years. Rarely rehearsed and often caught on first take, Sommermørket was recorded live on tape in the studio of Keyboardist Øyvind Vie Berg in Bergen, Norway. The record captures three sessions across one year, from spring and late summer in 2024 to winter of 2025.