Double LP version. Part 1. One of the most politically charged terms of the 20th century, the Iron Curtain was a metaphor for political and cultural division. In a post-war telegram Winston Churchill referred to the fault line that ran through Europe between East and West as "an Iron Curtain is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind." In this two-part album, as far as jazz is concerned, Jazzman will showcase, describe and celebrate exactly what was "going on behind." Music is the power supreme, with the ability to transcend all barriers, be they physical, political or metaphorical. The liner notes illustrate the complex and contradictory history of Soviet jazz, and the tracks chosen cover the key period of the early 1960s to the 1980s. It was during these dark years of the Cold War that the Soviet Union and its satellite states produced a number of outstanding artists playing in a variety of styles. The impact of modernism, from hard bop and Latin to modal and cool jazz, had found its way through cracks in the curtain. The deeply-felt ancestral strains of traditional European folk music were combined with the exciting new and progressive sounds of the West, and a radical, intoxicating brew was created that no amount of guns, tanks or polonium tea could overcome. Jazzman chronicles the triumph of jazz at a time of extreme geopolitical conflict. What went on behind the Iron Curtain in these countries was once mysterious and unknown to the West, but the perseverance of their artists provided sound and light amid the secretive, dark days of the communist-capitalist standoff. There was no end of life-affirming spiritual jazz behind the Iron Curtain. Featuring Collage, Manfred Ludwig-Sextett, Krzysztof Komeda, Polish Jazz Quartet, Vagif Mustafa-Zade, Quartet Jazz Focus-65, Theo Schumman Combo, Vaclav Zahradnik, Karel Velebny, Sevil, Focus '65, Golstain-Nosov Quintet, YU All Stars 1977, and Dan Mindrila.

Double LP version. Part 2. One of the most politically charged terms of the 20th century, the Iron Curtain was a metaphor for political and cultural division. In a post-war telegram Winston Churchill referred to the fault line that ran through Europe between East and West as "an Iron Curtain is drawn down upon their front. We do not know what is going on behind." In this two-part album, as far as jazz is concerned, Jazzman will showcase, describe and celebrate exactly what was "going on behind." Music is the power supreme, with the ability to transcend all barriers, be they physical, political or metaphorical. The liner notes illustrate the complex and contradictory history of Soviet jazz, and the tracks chosen cover the key period of the early 1960s to the 1980s. It was during these dark years of the Cold War that the Soviet Union and its satellite states produced a number of outstanding artists playing in a variety of styles. The impact of modernism, from hard bop and Latin to modal and cool jazz, had found its way through cracks in the curtain. The deeply-felt ancestral strains of traditional European folk music were combined with the exciting new and progressive sounds of the West, and a radical, intoxicating brew was created that no amount of guns, tanks or polonium tea could overcome. Jazzman chronicles the triumph of jazz at a time of extreme geopolitical conflict. What went on behind the Iron Curtain in these countries was once mysterious and unknown to the West, but the perseverance of their artists provided sound and light amid the secretive, dark days of the communist-capitalist standoff. There was no end of life-affirming spiritual jazz behind the Iron Curtain. Featuring Leningrad Jazz Ensemble, Sh Jazz Quintet, Josef Blaha Trio, Csaba Deseo Ensemble, Manfred Ludwig-Sextett, Anatoly Vapirov, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, Tomsits Quartet, Nicolai Gromin Quartet, Valery Kolesnikov, Vyacheslav Novikov, Vladimir Molotkov, Alexander Christidis, Tone Jansa, and S+HQ.

LP version. Includes bonus 7". Wewantsounds continues its extensive Meiko Kaji reissue program -- in partnership with Teichiku Records and Kaji herself -- with the release of Yadokari, her third album from 1973. This marks the first time the album has been reissued on vinyl, featuring its original artwork and newly remastered audio. Renowned for her iconic 1970s films (Lady Snowblood, the Stray Cat Rock series) and admired by Quentin Tarantino, Meiko Kaji also released a string of outstanding albums on Teichiku, blending Japanese pop with cinematic grooves. Yadokari is reissued here with its original deluxe gatefold sleeve and OBI plus a two-page insert featuring new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha. As a special bonus, this edition includes an EP single featuring "Shura No Hana," famously featured on the Kill Bill soundtrack. Kaji was one of Japan's most iconic exploitation film actresses of the early 1970s. Beyond acting, she was invited by film studios to perform theme songs for many of her films leading to revered music career. Between 1972 and 1974, she recorded five albums for Teichiku, which have since become highly sought after. Yadokari ("hermit crab"), released in 1973, was Kaji's third album for the label. Like its predecessors Gincho Wataridori and Hajiki Uta, it offers a rich mix of kayōkyoku (Japanese pop), traditional enka, psychedelic rock, and cinematic '70s funk. The album includes two tracks, "Hagure Bushi" and "Kiba no Ballad," from the cult 1973 TV series Sengoku Rock Hagure Kiba, in which Kaji starred. "Hagure Bushi" stands out as one of the album's funkiest tracks. Like "Kiba no Ballad," it was composed and arranged by the legendary producer Yuji Ohno (best known for his work on Lupin the III). The album as a whole is a superb blend of atmospheric songs, from the haunting, slow-burning title track "Yadokari" to "Ah," which features groovy guitar licks, harmonica, and sleek string arrangements, evoking a subtle Morricone influence. To complete this reissue, Wewantsounds has included the rare 1973 7" EP "Shura No Hana/Hō Yare Ho" as a bonus. Only released as a single, "Shura No Hana" (Flower of Carnage") is a cult classic, famously featured on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack. A key release in Meiko Kaji's 1972 - 1974 Teichiku Records catalog, Yadokari is a testament to her singular talent as a singer.

2025 repress of this five track EP from 1994. Written-By/Performer: David Grubbs, Jim O'Rourke. Featuring John McEntire (percussion), Gene Coleman (bass clarinet). Recorded By: Casey Rice , John McEntire, Steve Albini.

LP version. Latency presents the first-ever arrangements of iconic Ethiopian composer Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru's music for piano and strings, honoring her desire to broaden the interpretation of her work beyond the piano. Led by pianist, composer, and Emahoy's close friend Maya Dunietz, a nine-piece string ensemble performed her compositions during two tribute concerts at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, in April 2024. This album celebrates the centenary of Emahoy's birth and commemorates the first anniversary of her passing. The album marks the culmination of a journey that began nearly two decades ago, in 2005. While browsing a London record store, pianist and composer Maya Dunietz and conductor Ilan Volkov discovered a CD by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, released as part of the acclaimed Éthiopiques series. Intrigued, they sought out the esteemed musician, eventually locating her in a small monastery in Jerusalem. Their initial meeting blossomed into a deep, lengthy conversation. Emahoy recounted her life in the monastery and the challenges of making music in that setting. They delved into her music, discussing it in great detail. When they asked Emahoy about notation, she invited them to read her notebook, which contained compositions written that very morning. Maya and Ilan played some on the piano. At that moment, Emahoy began to trust them. Before leaving, Maya wrote her phone number in Emahoy's notebook and invited her to call if she ever wanted or needed anything. A few years later, the call came: Emahoy invited Maya to the monastery, handing her a couple of wrinkled old Air Ethiopia plastic bags filled with hundreds of her composition manuscripts. She asked Maya to help create a book of her piano compositions, making them accessible to people around the world. Faced with such a monumental undertaking, Maya partnered with the Jerusalem Season of Culture to embark on this ambitious project. This collaboration resulted in the publication of a book of sheet music and a collection of essays in 2013, as well as numerous concerts performed worldwide. These concerts, along with Maya's work on Emahoy's music, grew from a deep bond of love and mutual respect between the two women. For Maya, this tremendous compliment became the catalyst for all the string arrangements she would create for Emahoy's beautiful music -- arrangements now collected in this album after years of collaboration and discussions between Maya and the record label Latency.

WRWTFWW Records presents Swiss cult band Grauzone's recording of their April 12th 1980 live show at Gaskessel in their hometown of Bern. The nine-track album, documenting the very beginnings of the group, is available as a limited-edition white vinyl LP in heavy 350gsm sleeve with special artwork by band member Stephan Eicher. Experience the early Grauzone days, live from Bern, with Martin Eicher on guitar and vocals, Christian G.T. Trüssel on bass, Marco Repetto on drums, Stephan Eicher on synth, and Claudine Chirac on saxophone. The performance is a true time capsule of the early '80s underground, showcasing the punk side of Grauzone with renditions of songs that were never officially released, as well as future fan-favorite "Moskau." A piece of Swiss music history, This limited release is a must have for all Grauzone fans and DIY archivists.

"The road is a wrinkled timeline. Uncanny flatness conceals unfolding textures, transparent layers and open tabs. The truck cuts the landscape, tracing the road with a line of mad logic that composites time, space, thought. On Dans Le Camion de Marguerite Duras, French duo Jean-Marie Mercimek have returned with a road movie for the blind. Composed and recorded by Marion Molle and Ronan Riou over six years across France and Belgium, this unlikely distillation of microtonal MIDI composition, French B.O., and post-punk chansons brazenly expands the duos' penchant for lowkey narrative spectacle. Across Le Camion, sounds form a theatrical screen. Our ears are the curtains drawn wide and listening with a look that pans across the shot. No title cards, they cut straight to action. The truck is a camera, zooming and framing the tracks as scenes. Songwriting and sound design blur in a tangle of delicate economy. The balance of mutant music-boxes and dewy miniatures recalls otherworldly hits from Gareth Williams' Flaming Tunes, Residents, and catchier corners of the Lovely Music catalog. Strange, sure, but this flick is never quite a cartoon. Molle and Riou's vocals dilate into a cast of very human characters. Voices sing borrowed texts like untrained actors (playing themselves, in fact) stepping into the frame once before disappearing forever. And when they're gone, you miss them. But here in the truck, it all comes back again under the cyclic spell of repose in perpetual motion. Turn up the radio and appuyez sur le champignon." --Turner Williams Jr.

"Listening to CD3, I'm reminded of how the Vincent Over The Sink record 22 Coloured Bull Terriers made me feel all those years ago. There's a free ranging quality to it. It feels calmly capable of doing whatever it wants. It feels mysterious and self-generating, almost aloof to the humans who made it. I adored that record; it cascaded into so many epiphanies. I don't want to implicate Cooper and David's music in any fleeting desire towards currency, but listening to this CD3 record over the last few weeks has felt weirdly, thematically correct. There's an echo-ey kind of referentiality to it. Not to particular styles of music, but to the recently elapsed histories those styles of music evoke. It's something that Th Blisks kind of gestures towards, but which this project seems to own entirely. It's a kind of melted reconfiguration of popular (occasionally popular-on-the-fringes) styles. These familiar sounds are reconfigured and muddied. Hindsight frames the sources in an almost primordial light, to the extent that they feel like folk art. 'Glyphted' and 'Franzbranntwein' sound like pop songs stripped to their bones and distorted, as if the styles they vaguely recall are as old as time. It's a stunningly weird effect. Songs like 'The Duchess' and 'Farmhand' exacerbate this impression. The record comes to feel yearningly ahistorical. But in a way that feels pertinent? It might just be where my head is at, but the implacable nature of the record feels important to me, somehow. It's something far, far north of post-modern but ancient too." --Shaun Prescott

Originally released in 2021. The spirit of KPM, DeWolfe & I Marc 4 distilled in a lockup garage in Leeds returns for a second helping. 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. It only seemed natural for the team at ATA Records to scratch their own library itch, and so The Library Archive Vol. 1 was born. Recorded over a series of sessions in the Alladins cave of vintage recording equipment that is ATA studios, it featured many of the stalwart musicians from the label. Recorded during the Autumn of 2020, The Library Archive Vol. 2 still has the golden age of European Library music squarely in its sights, but this time the focus is drawn more to the wonky organ work of Italian quartet I Marc 4. Opening track "The Glass Eye" starts things off with a tense bass riff, atmospheric percussion and a haunting organ melody. "Mosey Rambler" brings things into more amiable territory before "Windie Man" soundtracks an early '70s sporting highlights reel or student hash party. "Ice Cool" introduces vocal elements reminiscent of Barbara Moore's ethereal output before "Cleared For Launch" blasts into the upper atmosphere and "Swamp Cat" channels Johnny Hawksworth's theme tune to "Roobarb" to close out the first side. Side B kicks off proceedings with the knockout "Fight Or Fuzz" before settling into the Addam's Familyesque "Mysterious Manor." The frenetic organ and bongos of "Push & Go" could quite easily accompany detectives Regan & Carter as they chase down another east end villain, while "Sensed Presence" brings a sense of otherworldly menace. "The Actuator" gets the wheels moving before LP closer "Going Galactic" takes listeners back to the mothership.

2025 restock; double-LP version. Gatefold sleeve with insert and original liner notes. Another Thought was the first collection of Arthur Russell's music to be released after his death in 1992. Released on CD by Point Music in 1993 it marked the beginning of nearly 30 years of work to let the world hear the enormous archive of unreleased recordings Arthur left behind. Be With Records revisits this first compilation. This is the only place where you can hear some of Arthur's most recognizable music, like the title track "Another Thought", "A Little Lost", "This Is How We Walk On The Moon", "Keeping Up" and the woozy disco of "In The Light Of The Miracle" and "My Tiger, My Timing". Though technically a compilation, the whole of Another Thought comes together as a consistent, coherent, wonderful album. Janette Beckman reproduced her iconic photograph of Arthur in his newspaper boat hat for the sleeve. Tom Lee gave permission to include his liner notes from the original CD booklet, together with Arthur's lyrics. Another Thought is absolutely essential for even the most casual Arthur Russell collection. In fact, it's essential for any fan of non-obvious pop music.

2025 restock; reissue, originally released in 1976. Long before the term Cosmic Americana was of common use there was a band ideally fitting the role. Back in 1976 the long psychedelic wave was rapidly fading away, but the market of private press was still in demand. The self-debut album of Relatively Clean Rivers came out the same year on the leader Phil Pearlman's label. Pacific Is released just this sole album and was to a certain extent an original example of do it yourself. The brainchild of Phil Pearlman, the band was rapidly crossing genres focusing on extended long jam verging on Californian psych and proto-ambient country/folk. The man, a sort of local guru, was previously involved in two other projects: Orange County's own The Beat Of The Earth and The Electronic Hole, so to speak different names for the same group of musicians. While those two early efforts were explicitly devoted to a sort of LSD induced trip, the Relatively Clean Rivers stand on their own, merging styles and -- finally -- proposing an accurate songwriting. The first pressing of this sought-after, underground masterpiece has been traded for thousand dollars, now here's your chance to grab this rural manifesto. With much of the music being acoustic, there are elements of morphing electric guitars, smattered with strange, spacey moments creating a certain stoned atmosphere. The album is imaginative, melancholic, mellow, and exotically webbed. And then there's the band Wilco, citing Relatively Clean Rivers as being inspirational.

2025 repress; originally released in 1999. LP version. "Jim is doing for himself what he's more than generously done for other so-called musical talents. Everybody wants a little pop in their lives and the O'Rourke is no exception. There is no way to listen to Eureka without hearing the eccentricity, the progressive musical textures, the utter lack of anything like pop music, but at the same time it's magnificent in scale, pleasant to listen to, catchy and even reminiscent of other records you might actually have heard on The Casey Casem Show. If Bad Timing was regarded as a crossroads of O'Rourkian interests, Eureka is a six-lane clover-leaf junction of singer-songwriter traditions, production styles of the 70s, confusion and contradiction as well as the riveting sound of the artist putting all his cards on the table."

LP version. Latency present És pregunta, the second album from Catalan vocal duo Tarta Relena. Founded by Helena Ros Redon and Marta Torrella i Martínez, Tarta Relena explores the rich vocal traditions of the Mediterranean, singing in languages such as Classical Greek, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Catalan, Ladino, and more. Their music blends sacred and secular influences, drawing inspiration from flamenco, lyrical song, traditional music, and electronic experimentation. És pregunta dives into themes of tragic contemplation, portraying the tension between natural and human forces grappling with mysterious and inevitable consequences. The album is a conceptual journey through fate, knowledge, and the struggle to reconcile our future selves with present realities. Influenced by Mediterranean folk, Georgian laments, and the mystic works of 12th-century visionary Hildegard von Bingen, Tarta Relena crafts a vibrant sonic world where the past and future converge. Renowned for their captivating live performances, Tarta Relena has enchanted audiences at festivals like Sónar, Le Guess Who, Mutek, Big Ears, and Primavera Sound. Their stage presence is enriched by subtle electronics and rhythmic patterns played on a ceramic amphora, creating a unique texture to their vocal artistry. Collaborations with artists such as Marina Herlop and Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés have further pushed the duo to explore new dimensions of contemporary folk music. For Tarta Relena, folk is a living tradition -- deeply rooted in the past but always evolving.

Not much is known about De Frank Kakra -- let alone his birth name or where he is today. A few liner notes scattered across his records give a glimpse of his career as a backing vocalist and percussionist on the Ghanaian highlife scene of the 1970s, notably with Vis-A-Vis, K. Frimpong's band (Cubano Fiestas). He later formed his own bands, The Professionals and The Diggit Ways, alongside Sammy Copper, recording throughout West Africa. His recordings have now been unearthed, remastered and compiled in a triple LP anthology of his musical works. Although much remains unknown, RastaPastaRecords' goal is to ascertain several discoveries made about his life during the production of this record and to continue the research. Call Me Frank is a funky take on 1970s highlife set to a vintage Afro -- rock fusion that evokes a time when West African dance floors vibrated with raw energy and relentless groove. "Psychedelic Man" is a full dive into the De Frank Kakra sound. With its hypnotic guitar riffs, cosmic organs and head-nodding drum rhythms, this infectious anthem will plunge you into a state of nostalgic psychedelia. 24-track triple LP in trifold packaging. A powerful mix of hypnotic guitars, cosmic organs and relentless grooves.

2025 restock. Sorcerer Records present the reissue of Why Not Now?... Alan!, the debut LP from 1987 by Milwaukee space-rock gods, F/i. Available for the first time on vinyl since its initial release, it remains a holy grail item for lovers of cosmic rock n' roll sounds from underground Amerika in the 1980s. F/i had been churning out tape upon tape of experimental electronics since the early '80s. Influenced by krautrock (particularly Cluster, Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel) and the harsh noise of industrialists Throbbing Gristle and early SPK, by the mid '80s they morphed into a fully-fledged "rock" band, albeit one incorporating all of the above. This LP is the perfect synthesis of these sounds: grimy, lo-fi "rock" with elements of industrial clang and extended, Hawkwind-ish space-rock jams; from the two-step cosmic churn of "Electric Waltz" to the 'Neubauten-style bang and bash of "Zombie Theme". Remastered by Mikey Young. The sleeve replicates the original. Includes download card; edition of 500.

Emerging from the heart of Japan's underground scene, Schedars is an incredible five-piece band with an explosive sound rooted in the post-punk-no-wave aesthetic. Previously self-released and now reissued on a world-wide scale, this is their first full album. A hyper-active blend of sharp singing, psychotic guitars and organs, snaky saxes, infectious bass lines and nervous drums beats. Fans of bands like D.N.A, The Contortions, Phew or early The Ex will find themselves enthralled by Schedars' uncompromising, high-intensity approach. With this first full-length release now reaching a global audience, Schedars is set to carve out a space in the international post-punk landscape, proving that the underground still has plenty of room for raw, visceral, and boundary-pushing sounds. Get ready to experience Schedars -- where controlled chaos meets razor-sharp musical precision.

Repressed. Wewantsounds presents the release of Al-Qasar's new album, Uncovered, a side-project from the group featuring covers from the Western and Arabic repertoires, as well as new originals composed by the group. The album was recorded in Europe and Africa and features guest appearances by Alsarah, Mamani Keita, Cheick Tidiane Seck, and Sami Galbi. Al-Qasar's new album keeps exploring diverse sounds from around the world. One says there's nothing like the original. But when the psychedelic collective tackles such a Depeche Mode classic as "Personal Jesus," you know you're in for a brain-melting, transcontinental journey. The lyrics are in Turkish, and the song's iconic riffs are played on electric saz. The cast is mouth-watering, with studio wizard Thomas Attar producing, playing guitar and saz and Turkish artist Sibel on vocals. "Promises," the second single, is an Afro-futuristic heavy-psych track sung in Bambara which features Malian singer Mamani Keita (who played with Salif Keita) on vocals and the revered "Black Buddah," Cheick Tidiane Seck (Gorillaz, Black Eyed Peas, Santana) on keyboards and backing vocals. On drums you've got Souleymane Ibrahim (from the Tuareg group Mdou Moctar) who unleashes a powerful beat. The rest of the album is sizzling and features Swiss-Morrocan Rai rising star Sami Galbi, Sudanese singer Alsarah, Tunisian virtuoso oud player Nada Mahmoud and Sufi singer Mariam Hamrouni. Produced by Thomas Attar who also plays guitars and synths, Uncovered has been recorded between Tunis, Lisbon, Bamako and Paris and is enhanced by Matt Hyde's warm and massive mix which will enthrall all the group's fans.

Wewantsounds continues its Algerian music reissue program with the release of Les Abranis' coveted 1983 LP, Album No. 1. Originally recorded in Paris and privately pressed by the group, the album is now being reissued for the first time. Curated by Cheb Gero, who compiled the Sweet Rebels Rai set for Wewantsounds, Album No. 1 is a masterful blend of Kabyle grooves, funk, and hints of reggae. Also known as Id Ed Was, the album is reissued with its original artwork, remastered audio by Colorsound Studio in Paris, and a two-page insert with new liner notes (in French and English) by journalist Rabah Mezouane. The Kabyle group Les Abranis from Algeria has become one of the most sought-after bands on the global beat scene over the years. Founded in France in the late 1960s by two young Algerian Kabyle workers, Shamy El Vaz and Karim Abdenour, Les Abranis rose to prominence in the 1970s with their innovative sound, blending traditional Kabyle music with funk, rock, and psychedelic influences. Their lyrics, often sung in Kabyle, celebrate Amazigh identity and culture, making them a major influence on the North African music scene and beyond. Despite facing opposition from the country's authorities -- who viewed them as a societal threat due to their use of the Kabyle language instead of Arabic -- their popularity continued to grow. Throughout the 1970s, they released several albums, including the highly sought-after Les Abranis 1977, issued on the Paris-based Algerian label Disques Bordj El Phen. In 1983, the group entered Acousti Studio in Paris to record Album No. 1, featuring legendary French drummer André 'Dédé' Ceccarelli -- who played with artists ranging from Serge Gainsbourg to France Gall, as well as on numerous library music sessions with Janko Nilovic, Teddy Lasry, and Jacky Giordano -- alongside Tony Bonfils on bass. Album No. 1 showcases a superb range of sounds, from the reggae-infused cult track "Avehri" to the funk-driven "Achethkhi," and the irresistibly groovy instrumental "Thadoukli." Album No. 1 was originally self-released in 1983 and distributed exclusively within the Kabyle and Algerian communities in France and the Maghreb. Over time, it has become a sought-after LP among fans of Arabic music, as it was never reissued -- until now.

Wewantsounds reissues another Warda classic from the '70s, Wemalo, originally recorded in 1975 by the legendary Arabic Diva who has been sampled by Jay-Z and J Dilla. The album blends traditional Arabic music with 1970s grooves, showcasing Warda's distinct vocal style. She is accompanied by a full-sized orchestra, updating the classy traditional sound with modern instruments (electric guitar, organ). Wemalo was penned by composer Baligh Hamdi. This reissue features newly remastered audio, original cassette artwork and a two-page insert with a new introduction by Mario Choueiry from the Institut du Monde Arabe. Warda is widely regarded as one of the greatest divas of the Arab world with Oum Kalthoum and Fairuz. Born in the suburbs of Paris to an Algerian father and a Lebanese mother, she was discovered at the age of 11 by Ahmed Hachlaf, the head of A&R at Pathé Marconi in Paris specializing in Arabic music. She refined her singing skills at her father's cabaret in the Latin Quarter, Le Tam-Tam, and soon gained recognition in Arabic music circles. While in Lebanon, Warda was spotted by an Egyptian film producer who brought her to Cairo, where she began recording and acting in films. However, in the early 1960s, Warda stepped away from the music scene after marrying and settling in Algeria, dedicating herself to family life for nearly a decade. It wasn't until 1972, when Algerian President Houari Boumediene invited her to sing for the 10th anniversary of the country's independence, that she had an epiphany. She divorced and returned to Egypt, marking the beginning of a remarkable comeback. Wemalo ("So What") was recorded live in 1975, during the peak of her career. Partnering with her new husband, renowned composer Baligh Hamdi, she created a series of albums filled with lengthy, hypnotic compositions that showcased her commanding voice and ability to captivate audiences. Merging traditional Arabic music with modern instrumentation -- including electric guitar and organ (likely played by Hany Mehanna) -- the album unfolds into several mesmerizing sections, highlighting Warda's superb singing. Wemalo is one of her most rhythmically dynamic LPs, and remains highly regarded by collectors and Arabic music enthusiasts.

In the wake of his Stones Throw breakthrough -- Exotic Worlds & Master Treasures -- Stimulator Jones was pegged by many as a '90s throwback artist. However, he literally IS a '90s artist. He's been recording music most of his life and he's now 40. Cool Green Trees (1999-2005) is a collection of beats and loops he created between the ages of 14-20 at home in his basement, bedroom and computer room in Roanoke, Virginia. Everything before 2004 was recorded when he was still in school. He was in eighth grade when he made the 1999 tracks -- he didn't even have his learner's permit. This album is a snapshot of a young man in a simpler time. Things were still mysterious back then and he was flying blind, relying on his ears and having to figure things out for himself. Opener "Pharoah Jones" was inspired by Yesterday's New Quintet and Madlib's ability to capture that classic '70s sound whilst playing all the instruments. The sublime, evocative title track, "Cool Green Trees" was created when Sam was still living at home. He dumped samples off his SU10 into the family desktop and arranged them in a demo version of Pro Tools. "Chill Scratch" snags the final bit of a bossanova record and pairs it with a drum loop before adding experimental scratching run through an Electro Harmonix Memory Man echo pedal. Sam explains just how much these tracks mean to him: "They all have immense historical and sentimental value and I'm proud of them. These beats come from an innocent, simple time when I was just figuring out how to craft these sounds. They're something very personal to me." The cover photo is a picture of Sam standing on his back porch in the latter part of 1998, just before he got his first sampler. Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry.

LP version. For their third album on Bongo Joe, Madalitso Band takes a new direction. After two records capturing the raw intensity of their live performances, the Malawian duo ventures for the first time into the possibilities of the studio -- without ever compromising their signature style or energy. Armed with their handmade babatone, a guitar, and their interwoven voices, Yobu and Yosefe craft a sound at the crossroads of banjo music, kwela, gospel, and African folk. An acoustic trance that's both minimal and vibrant, deeply rooted in tradition yet undeniably fresh and contemporary. On Ma Gitala, they add new textures: layered vocals, playful percussion, melodic surprises, and guests from their close and family circles. Always guided by instinct, the band reveals a more intimate and narrative side of their universe -- full of memories, spontaneity, and close-knit complicity. An album that captures the joy and creativity of two artists who turned the street into a stage, and the stage into a playground.

"In 1987, Rafael Toral began making his own compositions and solo recordings using electric guitar in an enhanced signal path. In the time since then, he has developed his conceptions, first as a guitar improviser, then in what he called his 'Space Program,' utilizing self-made electronic modules. 2024's Spectral Evolution was a much-acclaimed return to guitar voicings and improvisations, edified by his further explorations in electronic sound. In the wake of his extraordinary new music comes a new set of CD masters for Rafael's first two albums, Sound Mind Sound Body and Wave Field. Nearly 40 years later, these recordings sound remarkably prescient and perfectly timeless -- fresher today than when they were first released! Sound Mind Sound Body was inspired in part by the working principles of Fripp and Eno, extrapolated by Rafael via a unique signal path leading out of his guitar. He paid notice to the massive impact of discreet gestures, creating slow-moving tones and spacious orchestral resonances, drifting and droning with glacial majesty, hardly recognizable as guitar much of the time. The first pieces were recorded in 1987; in 1994, a collection was released on Portugal's AnAnAnA, producing an hour's worth of remarkable sonic equilibrium in this mode. With each subsequent reissue, however, aspects of this sound have been subtly revisited. For the 1998 Moikai CD, 'AE 1,' one of the earliest pieces conceived, was newly recorded; for the 2018 Drag City LP master, 'Textura e Linhas Curvas' was included, 'AER 7 E' was re-recorded and the material for 'AE 2' was recorded for the first time ever. These performances were executed using the same processes as the original ones. For the current CD, 'Loopability II' has been recalled from the AnAnAnA master, 'Textura e Linhas Curvas' omitted and yet another brand-new version of 'AER 7E' inserted in place of the 2018 version. Incredibly, all of these changes augment Sound Mind Sound Body's expansive intent without altering its essential otherworldly atmosphere. Wave Field and Sound Mind Sound Body to sit perfectly among the forward-reaching music of today -- as it continues to evolve in listeners' ears, moving ever towards the next conception of listening space."

Abaeté, a vocal trio from Bahia, made a remarkable debut with masterfully crafted jazz-funk sambas, at a time when Bahian musicians were true masters of the genre. There's virtually no information about the band, apart from the music itself, which seems to be limited to two releases: a single and that much-loved 1977 self- titled album, now a cult classic. A collection of killer tunes, funky samba, synthesizer sounds and free rhythms with a North Brazilian flavor. The band also wrote songs for Clara Nunes and Elza Soares in the '70s. Mixed by Waldir Lombardo Pinheiro.

Double LP version. Gatefold with 4-page booklet. Includes obi and printed inner sleeves. Second album by Brazil's upcoming star, Liniker. A seamless blend of pop, samba, jazz, R&B, and house. Featuring Lulu Santos, Pabllo Vittar, Tropkillaz, Melly, Priscila Senna, Baianasystem, Amaro Freitas, and Anavitória. Born in Araraquara/São Paulo, Liniker is a multitalented artist -- singer, songwriter, music producer, and actress -- whose passion for the arts began in childhood. Influenced by her mother and uncles, who were active in samba rock circles, Liniker's early musical experiences planted the seeds for her future career. Today she is one of the most exciting Brazilian artists. In 2022, she won the Best Brazilian Album category at the Latin Grammy Awards with Indigo Borboleta Anil. In 2023, Liniker became immortalized by the Brazilian Academy of Culture, taking the seat once held by Elza Soares, the eternal Brazilian singer. Liniker's sophomore album CAJU has quickly become a classic in Brazilian popular music. The album's 14 tracks -- some extending beyond seven minutes -- demonstrate Liniker's commitment to artistic expression over commercial constraints. Liniker showcases versatility and artistic growth through a seamless blend of pop, samba, jazz, R&B, and house. Songs like "Veludo Marrom," "Tudo," and "Ao Teu Lado" shine for their musical complexity and emotional depth. Its success led to multiple wins at 2024 Multishow Brazilian Music Awards, including Artist and Album of the Year.

Basing himself off the works of Cuban guitarist-composers José Angel Navarro and Hector Angulo, Italian guitarist Walter Zanetti intimately recreates sacred Afro-Cuban batá drum songs on guitar. Santería draws heavily on music for its ceremonies. This Afro-Cuban syncretic religion, sometimes called La Regla de Ocha, saw the Orisha deities of the West African Yoruba peoples codified with Catholic saints. Yoruba practitioners, brought by force to the West, continued to worship their gods under the nose of those who sought to dehumanize them by adopting their spiritual language. The chants that became Santería's prayers were often accompanied by the beat of the batá drum. This heartbeat runs through every invocation, through every sacred song. In the same way that the shuffling chains on the feet of enslaved African peoples dancing defiantly in Colombia birthed the distinctive rhythm of cumbia, syncretism has been present in music as much as it has in religion. It has always been about challenging the odds, about creation, creativity, and heart. This is why Italian musician Walter Zanetti's guitar pierces straight to the soul on his Cantos Yoruba de Cuba. This album of new recordings from Zanetti brings together six original compositions by Navarro dictated to the Italian guitarist on a month-long trip to Cuba and reinterpretations of Angulo's nine original Cantos Yoruba de Cuba, which give the record its name. LP version (LY 007LP) includes download code and an essay by E.R. Pulgar, a Venezuelan-American journalist, editor, poet, and translator interested in Latinx and alternative culture.

Barcelona born and based young composer Olivia Font's debut album, Invictam, explores resilience and adaptation through a unique blend of strings, analog synthesizers, electronics, and experimental percussion. The album's narrative, guided by a transformative female voice, unfolds through long, repetitive melodic patterns that meditate on time, transience, and the passage of seasons. This unique vision is further enriched by collaborations with British cellist Oliver Coates and actress-singer Ana San Martín, alongside a track from producer Pedro Vian himself. Cover by Adrià Cañameras.

Sons Of Jah were a vocal trio formed in Trenchtown, Jamaica, in 1976, led by the enigmatic Trevor Bow. This album -- originally released in 1980 and recorded at Treasure Isle Recording Studio -- assembles a fantastic cast of musicians: Negus Dawtas contribute superb backing vocals, Aston 'Family Man' Barret is on bass, Earl 'Chinna' Smith on guitar and the great Rico Rodriguez has the horns. Enlisting also a couple of mandatory instrumental tracks, The Sons of Jah delivered a majestic third album.

LP version. Sigillum S have been exploring unknown territories among extreme electronics, fringe acoustics and occultist noise since 1985. With an original line-up of Italian experimental electronic composers Eraldo Bernocchi, Paolo L. Bandera, and Luca Di Giorgio, throughout their 40-year gestation, the noise merchants have worked with musicians including Ain Soph, The Sodality, Gerstein, Iugula-Thor, Out Of Body Experience, Bill Laswell, Zu, Crisis, Thomas Felhmann, Gudrun Gut, Toshinori Kondo, SH Fernando and the Wordsoundcrew, Dive, Colin Edwin, sculptor Milo Sacchi, multimedia artist Petulia Mattioli, and many others. Sigillum S have been constantly evolving. The current formation consists of original members Eraldo Bernocchi and Paolo L. Bandera with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Bruno Dorella and visual artist Petulia Mattioli. On Aborted Towns, The Deadly Silence Before Utopia they continue to develop their own brand of post-industrial audio investigations, employing sound as a tool for mapping the subconscious and a reconfiguration of cognitive processes. Tracks such as "Lemur Agony" and "Forgotten Utopias" exist in an ever-changing continuum of harsh, irregular beats with sudden shifts in experimental atmospheres, while "Permafrost" and "Infective Carnations" are unsettling, decadent electronic mutations. Aborted Towns is more than just music -- it is an architecture of sound, a ghostly residue of memories and echoes. The shifting balance between claustrophobic tension and vast, desolate space invites the listener into a hypnotic, unsettling journey. It lingers, seeps into the subconscious, and refuses to be forgotten.

"The seminal Matthew Shipp String Trio (Shipp: piano; Mat Maneri: viola; William Parker: bass) reconvened in late 2024 in order to commune with tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman in the studio, and Armageddon Flower is the epic result. This album is a peak gem of improvised communication in each of their extensive and astonishing bodies of work, revealing new ways of exemplifying tradition, language, physics, material, and energy. A profound work presenting such communication at a very high level indeed. Since 1996 Perelman and Shipp have recorded 46 albums together in duo and small group settings. But as Shipp is careful to point out, 'there's only one Matthew Shipp String Trio.' At the turn of the century, this Trio struck out on a path to redefine 'Third Stream' chamber jazz via two very well-received Hat Hut CDs. A quarter century later, this new work clearly builds on extensive, musically interwoven personal history. For Shipp, 'William and Mat are as close to my natural soul brothers as you can get -- and by soul I mean the soul. Ivo is another layer of that same soul.' Perelman's copious studio dates -- beginning with his self-titled Ivo (1989) -- are a continual refinement and study in process whether or not they share personnel, and countless gems reside in his vast body of work. Armageddon Flower is a singular gem in the entire body of improvised music. This work is fundamentally a group music; while there are sections of duo and trio interaction, the onus is on a four-way conversation in which parallel streams become oceans of sound, only to be distilled into isolated rivulets once again. Without a drummer but with forward motion and bounce, the music on Armageddon Flower is sublimely striking and operates in a continuous flow of both impulsion and idea. As these four musicians have spent decades together in various capacities, their language is on one level honed. What's surprising is that entirely new pathways are exploding into view. It's unquestionable that this is music of necessity, of striving, and of possibility."

'90s digital BOMB delivered by the one-of-a-kind voice that is Daweh Congo. Daweh's haunting delivery and spiritual fire set him apart in the roots revival movement. "Fi Years" is one of the first tunes he released, dating back to 1996. An anthem of struggle and resilience, still hitting hard decades later.

2025 repress. "Bringing out his best in these fine tracks.Out of the vaults of Clock Tower has appeared these fine dub mixes such as 'Asian Roots Dub,' 'His Easy Dub', 'I Yah Who Dub' and many, many more.... you will be drawn into the rhythm and feelings of a culture far surpassing music into the future."

2025 repress. Originally issued in 1973, Blackboard Jungle Dub is considered a milestone in the history of dub. Tracks include "African Skank" -- based on Junior Byles' "A Place Called Africa" -- and "Dreamland Skank", "Moving Skank" and "Kaya Skank" which are dub versions of Wailers" "Dreamland", "Keep On Moving" and "Kaya".

Repressed "2024 re-release. The renowned and widely acclaimed music label Intuition, well known since the 1980s, is proud to announce the release of its most important and successful back-catalogue titles on vinyl under the name 'Intuition Master Series'. The American trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937-June 26, 2021) was an international legend despite never having managed a popular breakthrough. Hassell was a musical visionary and pioneer, one who was inspired by ambient sounds and new music. He appreciated the music of avant-gardists such as Stockhausen, in whose Cologne school he also studied. He came into contact with Terry Riley and his minimalistic music early on and played on his first albums. Hassell was also a musically driven person, someone who had to get to the bottom of styles. Thus, he was intensively involved with Far Eastern, but especially Indian music. Using the ingredients he learned, he created a completely new way of playing on and with the trumpet. He created language-like modulated air currents flowing through the instrument to produce seemingly alien, microtonal sounds. He combined this technique with ethnic polyrhythms, electronic alienation, soundscapes and jazz to create his own style, which he called 'Fourth World'. With this kind of music, he significantly influenced numerous emerging styles such as world music, nujazz or ambient. It is no mistake to say that without Hassell's ideas, these types of music would have taken a very different course. Hassell's influence on the music world cannot be overestimated, even if he himself was always unimpressed by the praise. 'It's the invisible things that buzz around us. You just have to bring them to light and make them visible.' In a tried and tested association with Brian Eno (as producer), his first completely live-recorded album was released at that time. The individual pieces, which were recorded in Paris, Vancouver, Hamburg and Brussels, reflect the special atmosphere that made every (rare) Jon Hassell concert something extraordinary. Intuition's 1987 The Surgeon of the Nightsky Restores Dead Things by the Power of Sound is undoubtedly one of his best works."

2025 restock; originally released in 1971. Key contains Meredith Monk's earliest compositions for voice. The songs that make up Key were composed and performed in a three year period between 1967 and 1970, when Monk collected them into this 45-minute "invisible theater" experience. Meredith Monk on the release: "In Key I wanted to create a constantly shifting ambience. Each song dealt with a different vocal character, landscape, technical concern or emotional quality. I was trying for a visceral, kinetic song form that had the abstract qualities of a painting or a dance. I knew that I didn't want to set music to a text; for me, the voice itself was a language which seemed to speak more eloquently than words. I chose certain phonemes for their particular sound qualities. In a sense, each song became a world in itself with its own timbre, texture and impulse." Personnel: Meredith Monk - voice, organ, jews harp; Daniel Ira Sverdlik, Dick Higgins, Collin Walcott, Lanny Harrison, Mark Monstermaker - voices.

Repressed. La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata was the Mexican psychedelic rock band that achieved the most commercial success internationally in the early '70s. Their self-titled and much sought-after debut LP (1971) is considered one of the best acid rock albums in Mexico, recorded under the influence of groups like Credence Clearwater Revival or the Who but also adding their own style featuring an original and stunning guitar sound. Remastered from the original tapes. Includes poster. 180g vinyl. Their fantastic "Nasty Sex," along with other songs like "If You Want It" or "Melynda" boosted their first album at the top of the sales charts worldwide. Sadly, Mexican record labels lost interest in local rock bands due to the repression of La Onda movement by the Mexican Government, resulting in rock bands being banned. This, in addition to internal disagreements between members of the group, eventually led to the end of their relationship with Polydor in 1973. La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata entered a new artistic phase in their career, focusing on ballads and adopting different new musical trends over the years.