LP version. "East Two comprises previously unreleased tracks from one of Sun Ra's most productive periods: 1972-73. Those two hectic years saw Sun Ra recording numerous albums, staging concerts, teaching at Berkeley, acting in and composing the score for a full-length movie, embarking on a multi-album (though ill-fated) major label deal, and touring the U.S. and Europe. The title track, 'East Two,' is one of two pieces on this album originating at a two-day October 1972 session at Chicago's Streeterville Studios. It's an ominous, sprawling processional, and the only known recording of this moody work. Arkestra baritone saxophonist Pat Patrick played electric bass on this session, which also featured Ra's typically idiosyncratic synth, along with fine solos from Kwame Hadi (trumpet) and Arkestra mainstay John Gilmore (tenor sax). The other track is an alternate version of 'Rocket #9' where Ra's voice is scarcely heard in the ensemble vocals in favor of the Space Ethnic Voices. Additional material is taken from 1973 Variety Studios sessions in NYC including 'In Tomorrow's Realm,' where veteran Arkestra bassist Ronnie Boykins provided the anchor with his bass line forming its vital rhythmic framework. This would be the final year Boykins worked regularly with Ra and this track is a fitting tribute to his role in the band, demonstrating how essential he was to Sun Ra's sound."

"There are fewer great guitar trio records than you'd suspect. Guitar duo sessions are far more abundant, and these three players have all done their share of those. But the dynamics of a trio are more-fickle. And when creating collaborative non-hierarchical music, maintaining a balance between three distinct voices is not easy. It requires rapt attention, a fearless approach to entering the unknown, and very good ears to do it successfully. Clearly, Connors, Vallera, and Sharp display mastery of all of these conditions and then some. Recorded live at P.I.T. (Property Is Theft) in Brooklyn, When the Moon Is New documents the first meeting for the trio. Loren and Elliott, two of the best-known experimenting guitarists on the planet, have a long-shared history, dating back to the days of the legendary Chapel Arts Center in New Haven. Elliott appeared there regularly and often did some jamming with Loren on those occasions. Michael Vallera is from a different generation and came of age in a world where players like Loren, Ellliot, Keith Rowe and Derek Bailey had already blown apart any and all notions of the guitar's limitations. His work explores textures, colors and possibilities born from the knowledge that there are no limits to the guitar's sonic possibilities. Together, the three create a beautifully layered universe of sound, as wide open and cosmic as recent images from the Webb Space Telescope. Occasionally I think I can ID some complex pluckery as Sharp's, some blues-canted shimmer as Connor's or some mutli-valent sound sheet as Vallera's, but in truth, this is an excellent example of 'fourth mind' creation in the Burroughsian sense. The individual parts played by each of artists combine themselves into something much larger than three commingled streams. There's a gigantic heft to the collective sound that will bowl you over in the best possible way. A truly magnificent record, When the Moon Is New, is an immersive and joyful example of experimental music at its most inviting and evocative. If it doesn't thrill you, I don't know what would." --Byron Coley, 2026

For more than thirty years, Kevin Drumm has developed a unique sonic language situated at the intersection of drone, electronics, improvisation and sound abstraction. Continuously evolving, his work has become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary experimental music. Comprising more than six hours of music, The Mild Temper presents an extensive collection of pieces built from gradual transformations, micro-acoustic events and frequency-based structures characteristic of Drumm's practice. Across six discs, the music explores varying states of density, resonance and spatiality, reflecting a sustained interest in the physical properties of sound and their perception over extended durations. The title, The Mild Temper, suggests a quiet force rather than an overt gesture. Sonic materials often appear restrained, held in a delicate balance between stasis and motion. Small shifts gradually alter the acoustic landscape as layers of frequencies emerge, recede and recombine throughout the listening experience. Avoiding narrative and dramatic development, these works offer immersion in highly detailed sonic environments where every element contributes to the construction of a deeply absorbing listening space. Attention to texture, depth and duration forms the connective thread throughout the collection. With The Mild Temper, Kevin Drumm continues his exploration of sound as an autonomous phenomenon, presenting a body of work of remarkable coherence that reflects both the singularity and maturity of his artistic practice. Mastering by Jim O'Rourke.

Originally released in 1990 by Happy Mondays, this album captured the chaotic, euphoric spirit of the Madchester movement, blending indie rock, acid house rhythms and funk grooves into a sound that helped reshape British alternative music. Featuring era-defining tracks such as "Step On" and "Kinky Afro," the record became both a commercial breakthrough and a cultural snapshot of a generation fueled by dance culture and Northern nightlife. More than three decades later, its grooves, attitude and genre-blurring production still resonate strongly with contemporary audiences, influencing modern indie and electronicartists alike. This 2026 reissue of Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is presented in multiple formats, and marks the first major reissue campaign for one of the defining records of the late-'80s/early-'90s British club and indie crossover era. Available as: 5LP Boxset (LMS 1725740), which includes 64-page hardback bound book with brand new essays from James Brown and Central Station, previously unseen photos and more, plus a Slipmat and folded tour poster. Includes the remaster album, remixes, rarities, the Baby Bighead Bootleg live album from 1991 restored; 4CD Boxset (LMS 1725734), which includes 60-page booklet with brand new essays from James Brown and Central Station, as well as previously unseen photos and more. Includes the remaster album, remixes, rarities, the Baby Bighead Bootleg live album from 1991 restored; 2CD version (LMS 1725733) , featuring the remasted album plus 12 remixes; red color LP version (LMS 1725739), featuring the remastered album; black LP version (LMS 1725740), featuring remastered album. All Audio fully remastered on all formats.

2026 restock. Crucial document of this seminal NYC band from the late 70s, considered by many in retrospect to be the most influential no wave band from the era. A quartet of Sumner Crane, China Burg, Mark Cunningham & Nancy Arlen, they recorded revolutionary EPs for Ze and Lust/Unlust, as well as contributing to the infamous No New York LP. "To the uninitiated, Mars may sound like listening to a laundromat magnified. That's because every instrument is making a sound, but who is making which sound? Instead of one direct sound or beat the music travels in at least 3 different directions, speeds of rhythm making a totally orbital sound, one that never really enters the ear instead spinning around the head. At times it sounds like tortured children singing in 7 different tongues." --Stella Doon, 1977.

2026 repress. French indie-rock band La Femme is a conundrum -- an episodic band with various faces. La Femme was born during the X years in Biarritz, France, when Sasha and Marlon started composing music on their guitars and recording it onto Garage Band. Together they ride surfboards, pianos and synthesizers as they explore various styles from '60s yé-yé French pop to California surf music. Marlon moved to Paris, and there he met Sam, who played bass. Together, they formed SOS Mademoiselle along with Olivier Peynot, and played vintage French rock, as Sasha was practicing his scales in reverb surf band Les Redoutables. Sasha then joined his friends in Paris, where they discovered French cold wave and synth pop, Marie et les Garçons being one of their favorites. They polished a style that could be described as one of the following: surf-wave, bizarre-wave, strange-wave, weird-witch-wave, silly mental-wave or psycho-tropical Berlin. Joined in 2010 by drummer Noé and female singer Clémence. La Femme formed its first live roster in a few days and took shape that same year with its first anthem, "Sur la planche," a song that was made to be hummed and whistled while riding a surfboard. Later on, La Femme released their second EP, Paris 2012. Soon joined by fancy rhythm drummer Nunez Ritter von Merguez aka La Sauterelle and singer Clara Luciani, as well as a whole roster of female singers, they now present their debut album Psycho Tropical Berlin where rock, pop, rococo Bauhaus, as well as influences from Kraftwerk and Elli & Jacno conjoin just to please you. Printed innersleeves.

2026 repress; originally released 1999. "Well, never mind--as long as people love it, here's another few sides of long-ago and far-away O'Rourke back on vinyl for the first time since way back in the mid-aughties. It's the Halfway to a Threeway 12" EP back to set turntables a-spinnin'! Fans of Eureka and Insignificance (not to mention Jim's tomfoolery as part of the Loose Fur band) will appreciate the analog pressing of these four slices of the pop music party-pooper combination of folk, classic rock, smooth jazz and a bit of the old avant-garde to help communicate the twisted ways of the misanthrope that made Jim such a perennial in the fickle world of record sales. A quick listen to the title track will hip you to our meaning: Halfway to a Threeway exposes our sweet soul-crusher as a lustful man-beast on the make. The song is a straight folk number--straight, that is, until you listen through the haze of those six-string overtones and chirpy harmony vocals to hear the true perversity of O'Rourke's fantasies. The decadence of stardom seems to have turned Jim into not only a sex freak, but also a man who loves women of all persuasions--particular the crippled and brain-dead kind! Don't listen to this song alone--at least, not with the drapes open."

2026 repress; originally released in 1966. Featured artists: Albert Ayler (tenor sax), Ed Blackwell (trumpet), Don Cherry (trumpet, cornet), Sunny Murray (drums), Gary Peacock (bass), Roswell Rudd (trombone), John Tchicai (saxophone, alto sax). Michael Snow is a Canadian national treasure, a true Renaissance man. He assembled a stellar group to improvise a sound track for his art film, titled Walking Woman, featuring a silhouette that is rumored to have been inspired by Carla Bley. Digitally remastered. Manufactured in the USA by the original label. New digipak format. "This is a very interesting set, music that was freely improvised and used as the soundtrack for the 34-minute short film New York Eye and Ear Control. Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler leads the all-star sextet (which also includes trumpeter Don Cherry, altoist John Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray) on two lengthy jams. The music is fiery but with enough colorful moments to hold one's interest throughout." --Scott Yanow, AllMusic

"Originally released in 1976 on Piero Umiliani's own Sound Work Shop imprint, Drammi e Speranze -- issued under the pseudonym Rovi -- stands as a refined example of his late-period library work. Performed by a compact string ensemble and subtly augmented by piano, Hammond organ, Eminent organ, and Rhodes, the album unfolds through a series of classically-informed compositions where melody takes center stage. Each piece is concise, evocative, and purpose-built -- reflecting the functional yet highly expressive nature of Italian library music at its peak. Conceptually, the record is structured in two contrasting halves: the first side explores themes of optimism and resolution, while the second delves into darker, more introspective territories, mirroring the emotional duality suggested by its title (Tragedies and Hopes). Long overlooked outside specialist circles, Drammi e Speranze is here presented for the first time ever on vinyl reissue, newly remastered to highlight the depth and tonal richness of Umiliani's arrangements. This release celebrates 100 years since the birth of Piero Umiliani, honoring the enduring legacy of a composer whose work continues to resonate across cinematic, library, and contemporary sample-driven music."

"Composed by Maestro Franco Micalizzi for the cult 1984 film Non C'è Due Senza Quattro, starring the iconic duo Bud Spencer & Terence Hill in a rare fourfold role, this soundtrack captures the playful spirit and global flair of the film. Micalizzi delivers a vibrant and rhythm-driven score, infused with warm Latin influences, breezy melodies, and an unmistakable sense of lightness. The result is a richly entertaining listening experience that perfectly mirrors the film's humor, energy, and escapist charm. A joyful and sun-soaked addition to any collection, this release stands as both a nostalgic tribute and a testament to Micalizzi's enduring legacy in Italian cinema soundtracks -- best enjoyed, perhaps, with a well-mixed cocktail in hand."

LP version. "Weejuns is all about interplay," explains Mollestad, a former Young Jazz Talent of the Year and Artist in Residence in her native Norway. "Bitches Blues consists of six instrumental tracks, or stretches of music, with an extreme range of dynamics. Some are based around hefty beats, while other tracks are far more lyrical and rubato. It ranges from riff-based rock-ish stuff, to loud chaos, to melancholy ballads and even totally free improvisations." Taking a cultured yet refreshingly instinctive approach to intertwining instruments and influences, Bitches Blues (a wry play on Miles Davis album Bitches Brew) veers unpredictably from slow and soft, distinctly sectioned songs with disciplined chord progressions to explosive eruptions of cathartic and complex structures. Weejuns (a slang abbreviation of "Norwegians") introduced themselves in 2023 with a self-titled double live album. Originally assembled by Mollestad for the Kongsberg Jazz Festival, where she'd been awarded the prestigious Musicians Prize, Weejuns' collective chemistry has proven enduring and alluring, in part as a foil to the Hedvig Mollestad Trio's heaviest album to date, 2025's Bees in the Bonnet. A graduate of the Norwegian Academy of Music, Mollestad has released eight acclaimed albums with her eponymous Trio, toured across Europe and North America, and performed with the likes of Nels Cline, Colin Stetson, Ingrid Laubrock, Trevor Dunn, and Shahzad Ismaily. The signature of her 15-year career has been fusing serious chops with an overt focus on finding fun in sound. For years, Mollestad obsessed over music and little else. The daughter of a jazz musician, she lost herself in his record collection, studying classic works by Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Joe Pass, and Jim Hall before discovering riff-raging titans like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Mahavishnu Orchestra in her 20s. This led to the formation of Hedvig Mollestad Trio, whose relentless recording and touring schedule since the early '10s have earned the guitarist a stream of accolades, including two Norwegian Grammys (Spellemannprisen) and DownBeat magazine naming her one of the 25 artists who "could shape jazz for decades" in November of 2020. Ståle Storløkken is a founder and long serving member of Supersilent and Elephant9, has served as Terje Rypdal's "right hand" since the mid-90s, and collaborated with Motorpsycho on record and on stage... as well as countless others. Ole Mofjell is the youngest member, active with Krokofant, Signe Emmeluth's Amoeba and his own free jazz trio 3 Days Of Maceration. Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen - guitar; Ståle Storløkken - organ and synth; Ole Mofjell - drums.

LP version. Audiophile collector's edition. Transparent vinyl. Wondrously uninhibited, and liberated from the added pressure of either a studio or a planned live recording, there is true magic, sparkling energy, and no lowering of intensity in this never-before-released unearthed gem. The night before Ella Fitzgerald walked into Konserthuset in Stockholm and recorded what became The Stockholm Concert, 1966, the Pablo Records live album now considered among the essential documents of her late career, she played two concerts at Falkoner Theatre in Copenhagen. Like many other Black American jazz musicians of her era, Denmark felt like home to Ella. It was a country where they found a degree of respect that the United States too often denied them. Ella's ease in her adopted home was palpable when she walked onto the Falkoner Theatre stage that Sunday. And, now the results are released on record for the first time, and with the full blessing of Ella's estate, listeners are treated to an irrepressible, unexpectedly vital addition to her canon.

2026 restock. "Perfect 10 record...Music of the most high." -- Thurston Moore. Reissue for the epic Tapper Zukie's first album, originally released in 1973. Supervised by the original producer Clement Bushay! Zukie never expected these cuts to turn into an album, and was quite startled to discover this record in the London shops when he came to town in the spring of 1975. After 50 years Man Ah Warrior is still a lively and unique collection. The bassline and trademark guitar sound from The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is instantly recognizable in the title track with the riddim featuring just drum, bass, and riffing guitar. "I King Zukie" is a big tune, an interplay between the soulful vocal of "I Dont Know Why I Love You" (originally done by Stevie Wonder) and Tapper Zukie's toasting. All in all, a series of remarkable tunes such as the wicked "Viego", the hypnotic "Cally Dolly" and "Zukie Fashionwear" with a big trombone and at the beginning Willie Williams (although Delroy Wilson is mentioned in the song) singing lines from the Temptations song "Get Ready".

2026 restock. Originally released on Lovely Music in 1989. An aural journey from the source of the river, in the high peak area of the Adirondacks, downstream to the Lower Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; Annea Lockwood traces the course of the Hudson through on-site recordings of its flow at 15 separate locations. Annea Lockwood has recorded rivers in many countries to explore the special state of mind and body which the sounds of moving water create when one listens intently to the complex mesh of rhythms and pitches. The listener will find that each stretch of the Hudson has its own sonic texture, formed by the terrain, varying according to the weather, the season and downstream, the human environment whose sounds are intimately woven into the river's sounds.

A sequel to 2011's communication from our future selves on The Spectacle of Light Abductions, this new endeavor by restless netherzone traveller Spencer Clark envisions a space map towards the other side of human life. A meditation on the paintings of Vedran Kopljar, these two side-long pieces, recorded and performed at Kopljar's exhibition at Muhka Museum in Antwerp in 2024, tap into the barren world inhabited by Clark while wandering what he calls the "Abomination Plateaus." Searching for meaning amidst the landscape, "Abyssfields" turns Clark's keyboards, sampler and wha pedals into sentient beings, roaming a luminous sound field of low-res percussion, glistening keys and mangled voice-like transmissions. Featuring Athens-based John Also Bennet on flute, "Abomination Plateaus" layered misty pads hover above a recurring driving-pinging loop, unlocking new harmonic specters throughout each passage, suspended in the light. Always enveloping.

"Songs Before Bed (2022) marks Otto Benson's first physical release under his own name, following earlier work under aliases including Memo Boy, OTTO, and Pudding Club. Originally published as a digital-only release through Otto's own WNOADIARWB website and platform on New Year's Eve 2022, SBB bridges the gap between the more experimental psychedelic electronic works of OTTO and his most recent release, the acclaimed Peanut, released on NYE 2025. (As is his tradition, Otto self-releases a new album every New Year's Eve as a gift for his listeners.) Blending brief pop fragments with melodic bedroom guitar, droning ambient shoegaze textures, and blissful IDM jaunts reminiscent of the Rephlex catalog, the album offers a seamless overview of Otto Benson's genre-defying sound. Originally conceived as a late-night record, Songs Before Bed (2022) is a rewarding listen at any hour. Remastered for vinyl by Stephan Mathieu and pressed on Sonopress EcoRecord, an environmentally conscious alternative to PVC, special care was taken by Palto Flats and Otto Benson to make a sustainable product without sacrificing any sound quality."

Ghost Dubs, real name Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz, announces a rebirth with Damaged, his first album for The Bug's PRESSURE label. Having recently dropped two criminally overlooked, experimental dub LPs, with his Dub Over Science series, the German producer/bass specialist, now stretches his own parameters of outwardness still further, with these twelve fresh explorations of dub deviance. For those who feel the fusion of dub techno and ambient drone had creatively ended with the demise of the short lived, Berlin based Chain Reaction label. Ghost Dubs now upgrades, and extends that legendary blueprint's abstract methodology even further and deeper, floating away upon a wonderfully warm sea of hiss and static bliss. This is dub so atomized that it disintegrates within your eardrums. Its music, where the machines take over and virtually all traces of humanity are erased. But thankfully, the warmest soul still oozes seductively from the pores of Fiedler's robo riddims. Relentlessly hypnotic, seriously sedated, Damaged celebrates the point of departure within its mesmerizing low-end grooves. It's no surprise that PRESSURE would then turn to the great, Berlin based producer Stefan Betke, to master/cut this collection at his infamous Scape mastering room. And a fine job he did too, as high-quality sound and levels are definitely maintained throughout. If you like your melodies submerged, your dub narcotic, your basslines obese, and your beats evaporating, Damaged provides the perfect prescription and entry point into Ghost Dub's spectral soundworld.

2026 repress. "Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-Shirt is the first solo record by John Frusciante. Between 1990 and 1992 the guitarist made a series of 4-track recordings, which at the time were not intended for commercial release. After leaving the band Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1992, Frusciante was encouraged by friends to release the material that he wrote in his spare time during the Blood Sugar Sex Magik sessions. Originally released on Rick Rubin's American Recordings label in 1994, Niandra LaDes is a mystifying work of tortured beauty. Frusciante plays various acoustic and electric guitars, experimenting with layers of vocals, piano and reverse tape effects. Channeling the ghosts of Syd Barrett and Skip Spence, his lyrics are at once utterly personal and willfully opaque. Frusciante's rapidfire, angular playing shows how key he was in the Chili Peppers' evolution away from their funk-rock roots. His cover of 'Big Takeover' perfectly deconstructs the Bad Brains original with laid-back tempo, twelve-string guitar and a fierce handle on melody. The album's second part -- thirteen untitled tracks that Frusciante defines as one complete piece, 'Usually Just A T-Shirt' -- contains several instrumentals featuring his signature guitar style. Sparse phrasing, delicate counterpoint and ethereal textures recall Neu/Harmonia's Michael Rother or The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly. On the front cover, Frusciante appears in 1920s drag -- a nod to Marcel Duchamp's alter-ego Rrose Sélavy -- which comes from Toni Oswald's film Desert in the Shape. This first-time vinyl release has been carefully remastered and approved by the artist. The double LP set is packaged with old style tip-on gatefold jacket and printed inner sleeves."

2026 repress. "Julius Hemphill's debut record, 1972's Dogon A.D., was self-produced for his Mbari imprint, and it was issued with a beautiful black-and-white cover. Very DIY. The label's name writ large along the bottom edge, like it was the band's name. It's a quartet record featuring Hemphill on alto and flute, with Baikida Carroll on trumpet, Abdul Wadud on cello, and Phillip Wilson on drums -- a classic jazz front line/rhythm section format, but nothing conventional about the way the music sounds. The long track -- from where the LP takes its title -- is one of the key epic statements of new jazz in the era. Among its remarkable distinctions, it manages to draw on Wilson's schizoid experience having been a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the first drummer for the Art Ensemble of Chicago, in making an 11/8 rhythm into a staggeringly funky thing of joy. Over the course of fourteen and a half minutes, Hemphill builds a nearly continuous solo, his spiritual blood brother Wadud sawing the cello with a deep blues soulfulness that is raw and mantra-like in its repetitive incantation. It feels right and wrong in equal measure, the theme carrying its own piquancy with honked barnyard dissonances and some contrary motion between the horns and string. Most of all, it takes its own sweet time, in no hurry to get anywhere in particular, but out for a righteous stroll." --John Corbett

2026 restock. "In the pantheon of classic free jazz, Noah Howard's The Black Ark looms large. Recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City in 1969 -- just prior to the alto saxophonist's relocation to Europe -- the album was eventually released in 1972. The Black Ark exhibits not only the power and imagination of Howard's playing, but also his breadth as a composer and bandleader. Listeners expecting unrelenting blasts of 'energy music' might be surprised to find a cohesion atypical of free jazz; amidst the wild, impassioned solos, Howard weaves in Latin rhythms and fat-bottomed grooves. The first side, consisting of 'Domiabra' and 'Ole Negro,' sets the album's tone. Both tracks sound as if they could have appeared on some of Blue Note's proto-spiritual jazz, groove-heavy releases -- evoking the likes of Horace Silver or Bobby Hutcherson -- before ceding the floor to the horn players' anarchic firepower. Trumpeter Earl Cross' guttural, vocal effects complement Doyle's take-no-prisoners approach, while the estimable combination of Muhammad Ali (Rashied's brother) on drums and Juma Sultan on congas adds an ever-shifting propulsion. The septet is rounded out by the enigmatic pianist Leslie Waldron, who anchors the group with imaginative accompaniment and occasional boppish flourishes. Every bit worthy of its reputation as an 'out-jazz' holy grail, The Black Ark only sounds better with age. It remains the ideal record to convert the remaining free-jazz skeptics."

At last Nurse With Wound's classic masterpiece Rock 'n' Roll Station gets it's timely and well-deserved VIP treatment. A much loved and firm favorite with fans and critics alike, this celebrated seminal work is here represented by four tracks, each unique with extended reworking and mixing. Featuring (alongside the usual suspects of Colin Potter, Matt Waldron, Andrew Liles, and Diarmuid MacDiarmada) French pioneer and trail blazer of the '70s, Jean Jacque Birge. Housed in stunning new full color artwork by acclaimed and award-winning artist and sleeve designer Babs Santini.

2026 repress. Following the success of the special Record Store Day Abu Ali edition (WWSLP 021LP), Wewantsounds are reissuing a standard version of Ziad Rahbani's mythical disco 12" which was originally issued in Lebanon in 1978. This reissue on black vinyl features the original artwork, with remastered audio. Wewantsounds is to announce the first-ever official vinyl reissue of Ziad Rahbani's mythical Lebanese Disco 12" Abu Ali, originally issued in Lebanon in 1978 on his label Zida Records. A highly collectible album, it will get reissued by Wewantsounds with its original artwork, remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris. Ziad Rahbani is a cultural icon in Lebanon. The musician, pianist, and producer is also a renowned playwright and a political activist, one of the most important exponent of the Lebanese left-wing counterculture to emerge from the '70s. Coming out of an illustrious artistic dynasty (his father is the famous composer and musician Assi Rahbani, member of group The Rahbani Brothers and his mother is the legendary Middle East Diva, Fairuz), Ziad Rahbani started his music career during his late teens, composing music for his mother. Rahbani quickly spread his wings further. He started producing his own music co-founding the label Zida in 1978 at age 22 in the process and started releasing records under his own name. Among these was Abu Ali recorded in Greece at the EMI Studios in Athens with a full orchestra -- there he also recorded his mother's 1979 album Wahdon (WWSLP 022LP) -- and released it as a limited run EP for the Lebanese market. Legend has it that the album was only pressed at 500 unit hence its rarity. The result is a fabulous New York-meets-Beirut disco ecstasy, developing over two 13-minute tracks and one of the most collectible albums on the international dance and disco scene.

2026 repress. Wewantsounds reissue Omar Khorshid's highly sought-after instrumental album Giant + Guitar originally released in 1974 in Lebanon and recorded at Polysound Studio by famed Lebanese engineer Nabil Moumtaz. The album features Khorshid's unique electric guitar sound mixed with Arabic melodies over superb psych arrangements. Omar Khorshid's life, if short (he died age 36 in a road accident), was extraordinary. Blessed with a great talent for music, the Egyptian musician and actor became one of the best guitarists of the Arab World accompanying the greatest stars of the '60s and '70s, including Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez and Farid El Atrache. To avoid the political troubles of the time in Egypt, and to fulfil his artistic ambitions, Khorshid moved to Beirut in Lebanon in 1973 and started recording a string of superb albums experimenting with oriental music. He recorded for several labels including Voice of Lebanon, one of the key Lebanese labels of the time. He released his first album Giant + Guitar for the label in 1974 and it was an instantly popular in the Arab world. The front cover sees Khorshid on his motorcycle in the busy street of Hamra, one of the most vibrant Beirut neighborhoods where he was playing most nights in residence. (The album was also released internationally as Rhythms from the Orient with a different artwork focusing on belly dance). The sound is both bold and accessible, displaying Khorshid's unique guitar sound, accompanied by a small band mixing traditional and modern fuzzed-up arrangements. The mesmerizing opening track, "Rakset El Fadaa", composed by Lebanese musician Nour Al Mallah, is a perfect example of Khorshid's artistry. Starting with a long, hypnotic guitar intro, it then speeds up with the backing of a groovy organ, Oriental percussion and the psych sound of an early synthesizer to great effect. The album continues on the same mode blending traditional oriental music with inventive arrangements as showcased by the Mohamed Abdel Wahab standard "Leilet Hob" popularized by Oum Kalthoum, which sees Khorshid and his musicians shifting pace several times over eight minutes. One of the peaks of the album in terms of sonic experiments is undoubtedly Korshid's own composition, "Taqassim Sanat Alfein", with Khorshid's superb guitar in full bloom accompanied by a few touches of synth. Wewantsounds' series of Arabic music reissues are curated by Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Newly remastered; includes original Voice of Lebanon artwork and a two-page insert featuring liner notes by DJ Ernesto Chahoud.

LP version. Chinese multi-instrumental Lao Dan, a rising star of free jazz with a deep background in traditional music from his homeland, debuts a blistering new quartet recording featuring three of the most important figures from the Chicago scene -- percussionist Michael Zerang, bassist Joshua Abrams, and pianist Mabel Kwan. Over the last decade or so the Chinese multi-instrumentalist Lao Dan has emerged as one of the most hard-driven, skilled, and versatile figures of the improvised music community. While his earliest work found him exploring new, improvisational terrain with the dizi, a traditional Chinese bamboo flute used in many regional musical approaches, his lyric delicacy on that device has been countered by his ferocious energy and searing tone on the tenor saxophone. He first surfaced on the global scene in 2019 with Live at Willimantic Records, a fiery live date recorded a year earlier in Connecticut with stalwart Western Massachusetts free jazz figures Randall Colbourne and Paul Flaherty, along with double bassist Damon Smith. Dan's restless spirit has led him to travel the planet, building new connections, collaborating with many different musicians. Dan's dual interest in folkloric traditions and free jazz led to an interest in the duo work of Chicago percussionists Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake, whom he first heard on recordings as members of the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet. In the spring of 2024 he arranged for a trip to play in Chicago, and while Drake wasn't in town, he performed with a variety of local figures, including a sterling quartet with Zerang, double bassist Joshua Abrams -- leader of Natural Information Society -- and pianist Mabel Kwan, a rising star whose improvisational brilliance has complemented her deep roots in contemporary music. Trost Records is proud to present Lao Dan's Klotski, a searing recording of that live quartet performance at Elastic Arts where the opening tenor cries on "Green Tongue" can't help but evoke the spirit of Peter Brötzmann's galvanic opening blasts, but the music that follows belongs to this agile quartet alone. While Dan's fire-breathing extremes lead the way through a rumbling, shape-shifting thicket on the opening piece, his crystalline tone, peerless technique and melodic gifts on flute distinguish the rollicking "Wandering Donkey." Throughout the set the music toggles between such polarities, fed by the versatility of the quartet members who reveal an almost instant rapport and keen listening abilities, particularly the nubby sonic fabrics woven behind Dan's blowing by Abrams and Kwan.

33-33 present Ton Klami, a rare live recording from one of East Asia's most remarkable improvising ensembles, bringing together Japanese pianist Masahiko Satoh, Korean saxophonist Kang Tae-Hwan and Japanese percussionist Midori Takada. Recorded during a memorial concert for the influential critic and producer Soejima Teruto, the album documents a unique meeting between three pioneering artists whose individual careers helped redefine the possibilities of improvised and experimental music across Japan and Korea from the late twentieth century onwards. Masahiko Satoh is one of the most influential figures in post-war Japanese jazz and experimental music. Across a career spanning more than six decades, he has continually expanded the possibilities of improvisation through work encompassing jazz, contemporary composition, electronic music and interdisciplinary collaboration. Kang Tae Hwan is a foundational figure in Korean free improvisation and one of the most distinctive saxophonists to emerge from East Asia. His radical approach to breath, tone and extended technique has influenced generations of improvisers internationally. Midori Takada is internationally celebrated for her groundbreaking work as a percussionist and composer. Her recordings and performances have profoundly shaped contemporary understandings of minimalism, rhythm and environmental sound, earning renewed global recognition in recent years. Ton Klami reflects 33-33's ongoing commitment to uncovering overlooked histories within experimental music. Through a catalogue spanning contemporary commissions, archival recordings and cross-cultural collaborations, the label seeks to create new contexts for significant work that sits beyond conventional genre boundaries. In bringing this recording back into circulation, 33-33 continues its wider exploration of artistic exchange between Japan, Korea and the international avant-garde. A rare document of spontaneous dialogue between pioneering improvisers Masahiko Satoh, Kang Tae-Hwan and Midori Takada, exploring tension, texture and space through cross-cultural experimental sound.

On August 4, 2018 in the scorching Berlin sunshine, Faust performed a truly stunning and unique set, featuring iconic material rarely, if ever, performed live. What made this so special was hearing such pieces as "Why Don't You Eat Carrots?" played live, with the small choir perfecting that part of the song. For those lucky enough to have been there, they witnessed a Faust show never seen before, or ever to be repeated. This CD was recorded on a professional digital recorder (not a phone). It has been lovingly remastered by Amaury Cambuzat, possibly the only person capable of doing so, without compromising the nature of the show. Nothing has been added, so there will be imperfections. It comes packaged in a mini-LP gatefold wallet, with a gloss spot varnish.

"Time stands stunningly still on The Final Painting, the dreamy, elegiac final album from legendary underground singer-songwriter/poet/painter Ed Askew. Ed started his singing career in 1968 with a self-titled LP release on NYC's infamous freejazz/free-folk ESP-Disk' label. Upon returning to New York in the early '80s, he began circulating cassettes of his self-recorded new songs. This was a fascinating and unlikely new chapter in his music, but only a few noticed. In the years following, additional new and archival Askew recordings have been released through Tin Angel, Drag City and Improved Sequence Records. By the time Ed turned 80 in 2020, his health was declining to the point that touring was impossible and even leaving his place was a challenge. In his Brooklyn apartment, he continued to tape new songs, posting them on his Bandcamp page. Their stark and fragile quality was singular, inspiring thoughts of a new production fleshing out Ed's two-track home recordings. Ed was into it; he forwarded nearly three dozen songs in different stages of completion and the two plotted a path forward. For the World featured acoustic piano, banjo and harp; the songs here, played by Ed on keyboards, synth and harmonica suggested trumpet, tenor saxophone and other sonic touches to expand their existentially lonely sound. Health scares for both men delayed things until early 2024, when various musicians recorded their parts either at home or in a Nashville Studio, with Styrofoam Winos' Trevor Nikrant and Ryan Davis's Roadhouse Band taking their turns almost in response to one another. The Final Painting not only defies the curse of sequels and the ten-year gap between the two DeCicca/Askew productions, it's also a wonderous variation on the intimacy of the self-portrait, an expression from the twilight of one of the most unique artists to emerge in last half of the 20th century. The Final Painting reinvites For the World contributors Sharon Van Etten, Eve Searls, and Canaan Faulkner, and new guests Bill Callahan, William Tyler, Ryan Jewell, Dustin Laurenzi, and Fulvio Sigurta. In their last conversation, just days before Ed passed in January 2025, he and Jerry agreed to: a) use the painting left on the easel of Ed's now-empty apartment and b) call the album The Final Painting. Profoundly resonant in the style of Frank Sinatra's Watertown and David Bowie's Blackstar, The Final Painting is faithful to the spirit of Ed Askew and his DIY nature and Modernist values, pursued for years and years throughout life, art and music, all the way to the very end."

LP version. "Sir Richard Bishop returns for a new spontaneous six-string meshing of people's music, recollections and psychic intentions. Are y'all ready for some Hillbilly Erotica? Migration from last album's Ragas to this new Erotica is another chapter in Bishop's progress, drifting via songs into the further frontiers of his pappy's hometown sounds, trancing over and out in their hand-me-down clothes. As with the ragas, the 'rotica's hung round the neck of John Fahey's infamous dubbing of certain traditional American folk sounds as 'American Primitive.' A perfectly good thought, but Sir Richard picks his own axe and chose a separate path. Rushing through gutters and picking pickled brains in the saucy headwaters of the down-low and literal American primitive, his hillbilly music is a mash of brined cultural inheritance, mini-ragas and moonshine-drunk savagery breaking out on the frets. As a conception for Sir Rick's acoustic guitar music, it's a dynamite means and frame, centering his improvisations in a place overflown with pagan desire and unbound in deliverance. Here he flies up and down the neck, his manner less pristine, yet more exquisite, a flailing, flowing-on-the-river medley through stubborn whitewater turbulence, post-grass and folk's classical gas. Anybody who takes a snort of this here Hillbilly Erotica will find a frankly spellbinding richness of intent and execution in their ear-mouths. And may thereafter find brain and blightness. It's fine! Like with Hillbilly Ragas, Sir Richard plays one acoustic guitar on all eight Hillbilly Erotica cuts, no overdubs and, but for the closing 'Postcoital Serenade,' improvised entirely. The not-so-sexy 'sexy' angle of song titles like 'Lick Skillet,' 'Sweet Lips,' 'Hookers Bend,' and 'Finger, Tennessee' is actually actual names for dots on the map in rural TN, each one just five minutes removed -- by horse, of course -- from Richard's dad's remote Enville homestead, its town name purloined previously for a song on 2020's Oneiric Formulary. This ancestral interzone's a venue of interest for Rick, allowing him to ask the deep questions, like 'What the hell has been going on around here with place names like these?' while running down the changes like no one else before. Hillbilly Erotica promises unspoken wonders of the world around each and every dark corner, revelations of legacy, a new spyglass to sight your forebears! Imagined American music at its most gorgeous and violent, simply achieved by Sir Richard Bishop through a powerful application of steel-stringed instrumentation and delightfully exhaustive flights of speculative thought."

Double LP version. "HALT is the final Foetus album, and the first Foetus album in twelve years. It completes the cycle of an arc that began in 1981 with the first Foetus album DEAF. Foetus is one of the major musical projects of NYC composer JG Thirlwell. Thirlwell worked on HALT on and off over a period of eight years. As with each album he has made, he wanted to reinvent the music, use new forms, innovate and introduce new surprising forms into his musical palette, at the same time as feeling like a leap forward. HALT deals with themes of war, religion, disease, media, global warming, anxiety, hypocrisy, conspiracy, death and mortality, among other things. Dread is a leitmotif through many of the Foetus albums and this one is no exception. 2LP version packaged with printed artwork on the inner sleeves and a 12″ x 24″ poster with artwork printed on one side and lyrics on the other. LP one is a red/black blend and LP two is a gray/white blend. Includes DL card. CD (ENTS 046CD) packaged in a six-panel digipack with a 24-page booklet with lyrics, sleevenotes and artwork. Composer/producer/performer JG Thirlwell is based in Brooklyn, NY. Born in Melbourne, he moved to London in 1978, then relocated to NYC in 1983, He has released over forty albums under his own name as well as Foetus, Manorexia, Xordox, Steroid Maximus, Baby Zizanie, Hydroze Plus, Clint Ruin, and Wiseblood. He is also known for creating the musical score for the Emmy-winning FX show Archer, and for Adult Swim/Cartoon Network show The Venture Bros. The common thread across his varied musical styles is a dramatic intensity and an evocative, cinematic quality."

For several decades Norway has had a healthy tradition for prog, psych and jazz fusion -- yet, there's something very different about the ensemble that is Fra Det Onde ("From Evil"). The group is comprised of one of Europe's finest jazz drummers Olaf Olsen (Needlepoint, Motorpsycho, Bigbang and others), bassist Rune Neergaard (Bushman's Revenge, Exoterm) and trumpeter Erik Kimestad -- one of the brightest young stars in current Scandinavian jazz. And they have a secret weapon in the form of sonic wizard Emil Nikolaisen, known for his pioneering noise rock in Serena Maneesh, as well as a collaborative album with Todd Rundgren. He's currently a member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Emil not only contributes Farfisa and weird electronics to the group's free flowing streams of sound, he's also responsible for the innovative album mix that expands the ensemble's vision into new and astonishing territory. Smilet Er En Flyktig Tilstand is one of those rare records that manage to absorb the spirit of the past and transform it into something new and exciting. Listening to the suite that makes up most of the album, one can sense the cosmic energy of 1970s Don Cherry, or the sonic adventurism of Can in their prime -- but Fra Det Onde pushes these aesthetics into the extreme. Labels such as "fusion" or "psychedelic jazz" don't really come close to describing the rush of energy and kaleidoscopic sonics that's taking place on this record. Vinyl-only, limited to 500 copies, no digital release. File next to: electric Miles Davis, Can, Don Cherry.

Deluxe LP version. Coke-bottle green vinyl. Renascent marks the long-awaited return of legendary Manchester outfit The Durutti Column, their first new studio album in over fifteen years, produced by Keir Stewart. Around the guitar work of Vini Reilly, the album plays between sonic atmospherics and structure: warm ambient washes, piano, beats and guest vocal turns by a new generation (Caoilfhionn Rose on "Agonistes" and Lucas Elliot on CD bonus track "All they See is Fire"). Both contemporary and otherworldly, and with a swathe of new champions citing the band as an influence (Blood Orange, Harry Styles, The Avalanches, Mark William Lewis), Renascent is a timely and vital rebirth for The Durutti Column. Artwork by long-time collaborators 8vo.

Gold vinyl. Deluxe reissue of the sole album by The Eighteenth Day Of May. Beginning life as a trio in London, 2003, the original line-up consisted of Allison Brice (vocals, flute), Richard Olson (acoustic guitar) and Ben Phillipson (guitar, mandolin) before expanding the following year to include the rhythm section of Mark Nicholas (bass) and Karl Sabino (drums, autoharp) and finally Alison Cotton (viola). This being the mid zeros, the independent music scene in the UK was reluctant to embrace a sun-dazed folk band but this, their sole album, has gradually feathered a bed of affection amongst international folk fans. Twenty years on, the album is now rightfully seen as a trailblazer for the myriad alternative/psych folk bands that emerged in its wake. Andy Childs who signed the band originally takes up the story. "I first heard their music on a cover mounted CD with the much missed Comes With A Smile magazine and as far as I could tell no-one was making music like this anymore, certainly not with such panache and confidence. To my jaded ears it all sounded so uninhibited -- old weird folk songs, Americana, original psych-folk, minimalist drones. Great melodies and all six of them could sing! A joyous, unfettered sound that could in one moment conjure up flashes of The Byrds and then effortlessly the spirit of Velvet Underground would drift through. They even covered a Spacemen 3 song. I loved the fact that they had the aplomb to tackle traditional folk songs like 'Lady Margaret' and 'Flowers In The Forest' and not be afraid to stamp their own identity on them. Signing them to the Hannibal label was straightforward. If anything the album somehow sounds fresh and undated, even better than it did in the day when perhaps eclecticism was out of synch with the times; its subtleties have become more apparent."

"Mia Doi Todd's album Human Experience is a joyful balm for the mind, body and soul. It envelopes the listener with Mia's beautiful voice, impeccable songwriting and a worldview that encompasses life's great range of emotions -- pleasure, sorrow, love, jealousy -- while also acknowledging the trouble with human-centrism. Produced by Willie Nelson's youngest son, multi-instrumentalist Micah Nelson aka Particle Kid, the songs were recorded in one blissful week on Maui, and the island vibes permeate. Human Experience, chronicles Mia's family life on the island of Maui. The ten songs came to her very quickly in between cooking and cleaning and trips to the park or beach. They have their own island flavor. Recording the songs came very naturally. Her longtime friend and collaborator, Andres Renteria, plays percussion and Aroyn Day from Micah's band Particle Kid joined to play bass. The album was mixed with Mario Caldato Jr. in northeast Los Angeles, Mia's home town. Human Experience features guest appearances from Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on strings, Gabe Noel on bass, Mia's husband Jesse Peterson on keys and whistles and their daughter Ynez on backup vocals. The final track, 'Kaupakalua,' her homage to the Hawaiian mele honoring a place, brings together two of Maui's most beloved musicians, George Kahumoku Jr. and Geri Valdriz. 'I hope this album brings some peace and joy to your household, even if you are under duress in these trying times. Put it on repeat, and it could brighten up your day!'"

Hailing from Osaka, Japan. Kevin blend elements of krautrock, post-punk, and improvisation, their music is built on hypnotic rhythms and minimal structures that gradually evolve into dense, immersive soundscapes. Kevin's second album It Is What It Is captures both the immediacy of live performance and the depth of layered studio recording. Driven by steady, grounded drumming and intuitive interaction between the two members, the record moves between control and collapse, structure and freedom. Dark, physical, and meditative, It Is What It Is reflects a commitment to groove, space, and the unpredictable flow of sound. Transparent red vinyl; housed in a gloss finished sleeve with wrap around OBI, polylined inner bag and hype sticker.

Color vinyl version. Ever since the late 1950s bossa-nova revolution, Brazil's influence on French music has been undeniable. Pierre Barouh, Georges Moustaki, and a vast array of lesser known artists, all made the Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) an axis of promotion at the service of a cool and metaphysical, modern and mixed Brazilian lifestyle. Some were seduced by the poetic languor of the bossa, some were looking for fun, and others just loved the American hybridization of jazz-bossa, jazz-samba. With emotion, arrangements for violin and supple guitar licks, bossa nova rapidly changed. A transformation that can be heard in the Tchic Tchic: French Bossa Nova 1963-1974 compilation, the result of a cultural reappropriation, which traveled through the United States and supplemented itself in France. A musical revolution that has remained significant, bossa nova was born in Rio. From 1956 to 1961, Brazil lived through its golden years. In five years, the country had invented its modernist style. American jazzmen then took over. In particular, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and guitarist Charlie Byrd. In November 1962, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded a "Bossa-Nova" concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, inviting the genre's pioneers. In Brazil, the 1964 military coup quickly ended this euphoria. The destructive atmosphere that ensued pushed many Brazilian musicians to leave, if not to exile. Thus, Tom Jobim, Sergio Mendes, and Joao Gilberto arrived to the United States. In New York, Joao Gilberto met saxophonist Stan Getz. At the time, he was married to the Bahianese Astrud Weinert Gilberto, who had a German father. She had never sung before, but she knew how to speak English. Getz therefore asked her to replace her husband on "The Girl From Ipanema". The Getz/Gilberto record with Tom Jobim on piano, was released in March 1964. Phil Ramone, the "pope of pop" was in charge of sound. Bossa nova arrived in Paris through the classic "guitar-voice" channel. But France loved jazz and Paris had already welcomed its American contributors. Features Les Masques, Isabelle Aubret, Christianne Legrand, Jean Constantin, Billy Nencioli & Baden Powell, Marpessa Dawn, Jean-Pierre Sabar, Sophia Loren, Isabelle, Sylvia Fels, Frank Gérard, Ann Sorel, Charles Level, Andrea Parisy, Audrey Arno, Aldo Frank, Clarinha, Hit Parade des Enfants, Jean-Pierre Lang, Magalie Noël, and Françoise Legrand. CD version includes 24-page booklet with liner notes in French and English. Double-LP version includes printed undersleeve with liner notes in French and English; also includes download code.