LP version. Few debut albums arrive with the kind of self-contained logic and radical spirit found on the self-titled Faust. Released in 1971, it marked the beginning of a project that would sidestep genre and expectation, offering a fractured, exploratory take on rock music, blending tape experiments, improvised structures, and surreal collage. This Bureau B reissue offers a fresh opportunity to engage with one of the most curious and uncompromising records of its time. The story of Faust begins in 1969, when cultural journalist Uwe Nettelbeck met with Horst Schmolzi, an A&R man at Polydor in Hamburg. Schmolzi was looking for a German answer to The Beatles, but Nettelbeck had other ideas. With a generous advance in hand, he set out to assemble something far more radical. Nettlebeck headed into the Hamburg underground and fused members of the bands Nukleus and Campylognatus Citelli into a new six-piece lineup. From Nukleus came bassist Jean-Hervé Péron, guitarist Rudolf Sosna, and saxophonist Gunther Wüsthoff. From Campylognatus Citelli, he brought in keyboardist Hans-Joachim Irmler and drummers Werner "Zappi" Diermaier and Arnulf Meifert. Their debut album Faust feels deliberate in its unpredictability: a meticulously chaotic document of six musicians discovering a new musical language in real time. At its heart lies a groove so deep and syncopated it borders on funk, only to collapse into chaos once more. Drums stutter toward cohesion and then back away in terror. Guitars unravel into smoke. And in the final moments, the music recedes, leaving behind a broken narrative, fragmented speech, laughter, coughs, like a bedtime story told by ghosts of a Europe still recovering from war. Despite the experimental nature, surrealist lyrics and a complete rejection of conventional music form, this isn't an over intellectual exercise, or a display of willful antagonism. Instead, Faust packed these three sprawling, sputtering pieces with the breadth of human emotion, capturing the chaos and complexity of existence in an audio analogue to Jackson Pollock's abstract expressionism. More than 50 years on, it remains a thrilling reminder of what can happen when artists abandon the map and follow instinct instead.

2025 repress. Nils Frahm presents a new collection of solo piano music, his first album since 2022's three-hour Music For Animals. Day was recorded in the summer of 2022 in complete solitude and away from his studio at Berlin's famed Funkhaus complex. Day may come as a surprise to those who, over the last decade, have watched Frahm shift slowly away from the piano compositions with which he first made his name in favor of a nonetheless still-distinctive approach that's considerably more instrumentally complex and intricately arranged. Indeed, Frahm has never been able to resist returning to his first love, and those who enjoyed earlier acclaimed albums like The Bells, Felt, and Screws will once again revel in Day's familiar, personal style. Day contains six tracks, three over the six-minute mark. Characterized by its confidential mood, the album confirms that, while Frahm is arguably now best known for elaborate, celebratory concerts calling upon an arsenal of pianos, organs, keyboards, synths, even a glass harmonica, he's still a prolific master of affecting simplicity, tenderness and romance. In 2021, having spent the early part of the pandemic arranging his archives, he released the 80 minute, 23-track Old Friends New Friends, a compilation of previously unreleased piano music intended to enable him to "start over" with a clean slate. Judging from the extended, ambient nature of Music For Animals, it proved a successful gambit, but Frahm has never been able to resist returning to his first love.

LP version. Acclaimed Welsh composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Cerys Hafana's third album, Angel, is a deep exploration of minimalism, traditional and avant-folk music and Hafana's primary instrument the Welsh triple harp. The album alternates between vocal songs (all sung in the Welsh language) and instrumentals, often buoyed by a deft trio of sympathetic and exploratory musicians (drums, double bass, alto sax). The uncommon breadth and innovation of Angel soundly confirms Hafana as one of the UK's most exciting young contemporary folk artists. Their spellbinding music is rich with atmosphere and heart and stubbornly resistant to genre boxes and easy classification. Hafana has been self-releasing their music for a few years, with 2022's Edyf making the Guardian newspaper's Top Ten Folk Album Of The Year list. They also recently had an album of piano pieces called Difrisg released on Instant Karma Classics. Although Hafana is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and considers the piano to be their "main instrument, technically," it's for their work using the Welsh triple harp that they've gained a reputation as an innovative, exploratory, singularly powerful musician. Hafana's harp has a distinct sound, in part because they had the idea of damping the harp's strings using blu-tac to produce a woody, muted sound, after hearing about other harpists threading strips of paper and other material to create a 'buzzy' effect. It's this kind of experimentation that sees them both reach back to artists in the Welsh triple harp tradition like Llio Rhydderch and forward to fellow contemporary artists and sonic adventurers like Rhodri Davies. Hafana's music manages to be immersed in and informed by Welsh harp traditions but also embraces minimalism, jazz, the avant-garde and, particularly on the track "Angel," contemporary Breton folk styles. Hafana says: "on this album I wanted to try to push the musical limits more than I have previously, and to swing between the extremes of dynamics and texture as much as is possible on the instruments at my disposal. Lots of the writing also draws from contemporary Breton folk music with its driving and repetitive dance rhythms, more sparse, contemporary styles of composing and improvising, and some brief moments of very Welsh and traditional harp playing and unaccompanied singing."

The bicoastal duo of Greg Hartunian (West) and Colby Nathan (East) have made music together for 15 years. For their third and most focused full length, Dimples displays that they are anything but spring chickies. Past injuries leave scars, old flames leave burns, and memories are little more mental syrup on a midnight sundae. Obscure Residue stays true to Dimples' bittersweet off-the-cuff pop sound while pushing the tempo up a bpm or two, honing in their codeine dream melodies with orchestral arrangements. The humor is subtle, but ever-present -- cherished, not precious. Nowhere is this more-clear than on "Passage of Time," the most elemental and stripped down track of the album. Nathan's voice accompanied by the guitar delivers a personal and resonant message, stating: "Open up/you may get burned/But keep shut/And never even get a turn/There's no easing the passage of time." Dimples' songs comment on the psychic clutter that people collect, filter, and then retain or abandon -- be it by choice, chance, or circumstance. This clutter can be physical, too -- as experienced during Dimples live performances. Nathan typically performs alone in an ever-mounting pile of nostalgic detritus. He uses elements of the recorded materials while mixing in real time cacophonous loops, projections of deeply layered video collage, mutating outfits, and interactive set designs. One can see him smirking as he folds himself into the canvas of light and freak accident. Hartunian prefers tending his desert garden over performing live. He chooses instead to paint a world of his own design. These paintings, utilized for Dimples' album artwork and incorporated into the live projections, display surreal worlds that act as shelter for these strange pop songs. For a band more familiar with questions than answers, Dimples share some glimpses of wisdom that time bestows. Cheeky lyrics reflect that wisdom lies in the acceptance of ignorance and how it sculpts perception. Obscure Residue feels lived in -- a lifelong friendship -- direct and obtuse, familiar yet abstract. Dimples proves that they understand that time proceeds without restraint, and what comes along and what is left behind is less a matter of choice and more a matter of fact. So they sing, "some currents cannot be resisted, they turn you right around."

WRWTFWW Records presents the self-titled debut from Throwing Shapes, a new collaborative project featuring harpist Méabh McKenna, percussionist Ross Chaney, and label mainstay composer/producer Gareth Quinn Redmond. The immersive electronic meets traditional album is available on limited-edition LP housed in a heavyweight sleeve and including a beautiful mini-poster designed by artwork creator Stina Sandström. A hypnotic, texturally rich exploration in sound led by the striking timbre of the Irish wire strung harp, Throwing Shapes weaves intricate instrumental tapestries with ambitious electronic synthesis and arrangements. The result is an immersive soundscape that feels rooted yet experiential and through which a unique vocabulary emerges -- cinematic harp driven avant-electronic conjuring lush sonic worlds that evoke both heritage and futurism.

2025 restock; Legendary shoegaze band Chapterhouse share their first ever recordings on a new EP, White House Demos. The four tracks were laid down at The White House studio in Weston-super-Mare on January 15, 1989, when the band were only four gigs old. The tracks weren't included on 2023's career-spanning Chronology boxset because they had been forgotten about -- until the intervention of Slowdive guitarist Christian Savill. He and Patman worked together in an office in Reading as their respective bands were starting out and he says the demo remains "their best record." Of the four tracks that make up the EP, "Ecstasy" has appeared in various versions and permutations on Chapterhouse compilations over the years, but never in its full eight-minute glory; a much later version of "Guilt" was included on the band's 1991 debut album and shoegaze classic Whirlpool; a version of "Die Die Die" was also included with that album on a bonus 12", and remained part of the band's live set for a while. The stunning "See That Girl," however, has never been released before. With 36 years of distance, it sounds like something of a lost classic, and the White House Demos as a whole feel like a brief moment in time captured forever.

Double LP version. Clear color vinyl. "Nobukazu Takemura's music is singular in its ability to create a musical sense of childlike wonder and curiosity, with gracefully executed yet complex compositions. His pieces embody an innocence and the intricacies of self-discovery that every human is faced with as their worlds become more complex. An acclaimed producer and composer, Takemura is known for his idiosyncratic music and video artistry as well as his prolific collaborations including those with Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, DJ Spooky, and Steve Reich. knot of meanings, Takemura's first proper album in a decade, finds the Japanese artist wrestling with the rise of technological influence on art and culture in the modern era, in tandem with his own relationship to religion, and where those struggles meet. Like the colorful, irregularly shaped glasses on the cover, the album is a mosaic of technicolor elements that come together to form a complete picture, a dense portrait of interconnected struggles and triumphs. Throughout the album, Takemura exudes an unpredictability that builds surprise from unlikely combinations of instruments, tonalities and harmonic motions that embody bewildering knots to untangle, held together with a youthful sense of wonder. 'I attended a Catholic kindergarten as a child and cherished those early years, which laid the foundations for my future. This is in part why I have always used the keyword 'child' in my work as an adult,' notes Takemura. knot of meanings culminates his use of that child's perspective, or as Takemura has used extensively, that 'Child's View' to explore deeper life philosophies to ecstatic ends. The meanings and mysteries contained within make for an enchanting excavation for those attuned to deep listening, a journey that rewards the kind of inquiring open-mindedness of the listener."

"Japanese composer Nobukazu Takemura, who turned in a brilliant set of electronica...At points the music turned radiant, glowing with major harmonies, the pulse of the music driving. The music makes you concentrate, it promotes ecstasy." --NY Times

"Takemura has an uncanny understanding of [a child's] perspective, and even more amazing, realizes how to turn it into music." --Pitchfork

LP version. Clear color vinyl. "Sam Prekop's work over the last 30 years, whether created primarily on his guitar or on his modular synth, is consistent in its powerful melodicism, delicate arrangements and subtle evolution. Prekop's singular blend of melody, impressionistic lyricism and quietly intricate rhythms are the core of the singular sound of The Sea and Cake. Since 2010's Old Punch Card, Prekop's exploration of modular synthesis and electronic atmospheres, has come into its own. Highly skilled at manipulating the sonic interplay, Prekop has established a style all his own, his pieces are complex expressing real movement. Harmonies bloom with granular detail and contrary to their machine sources are able to convey emotion. Open Close is an album that captures the flow and energy of a live performance through the lens of a deft craftsman, an equilibrium of intuitive composition and the excitement of possibility. The music of Sam Prekop is defined by his signature curiosity and his ability to mold and refine that curiosity into a wholly unique sound. His process in naming album Open Close mirrors his creative practice and the worlds he builds across the album: 'I like simple words that become complicated if you think of them more than a second or two, beyond face value. And Open Close could be: close as in 'close to you' or close as in 'close the door.' If it gives everything away too quickly, then I'm not interested.' Each movement across Open Close is replete with simple gestures that suggest new complexities with Prekop's careful arrangements. Open Close unearths new, soulfully human sounds from synthetic textures precisely juxtaposed, its subtle contrasts in texture and rhythm are a free-flowing celebration of sonics as stunning as they are ephemeral."

"Every track is awash in sumptuous, eminently hummable melodies; the album swells with a newfound sense of joy." --Pitchfork, Best New Music

"The best improvisation transforms music into a living thing." --NPR, Best Albums of 2022

2025 restock; 1998 release. Voted one of 1998's top 15 Records of the Year in Modern Composition by the writers and critics of The Wire, Trilogie de la Mort is a work in three parts for anolog Arp synthesizer. The first third of the work, Kyema, is inspired by The Tibetan Book of the Dead and invokes the six intermediate states that constitute the existential continuity of the being. Kailasha, the second chapter, is structured on an imaginary pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash, one of the most sacred mountains in the Himalayas. Koumé makes up the last part of the trilogy and emphasizes the transcendence of death.

2025 repress; LP version. Yīn Yīn's dazzling second album dives even deeper into dancefloor propulsion and space travel atmospherics than their lauded debut The Rabbit that Hunts Tigers (2019). The beautiful, old and somewhat staid city of Maastricht, where the band is based, isn't really conducive to setting up a bustling music scene: and it's a place where the outsiders quickly recognize each other. Yīn Yīn are all "nightlife people", which meant their friendship initially came about through co-organizing and deejaying DIY parties. Things started to move for real when Yves Lennertz and Kees Berkers decided to make a cassette tape that drew on references to Southern and South East Asian music. Once the idea was formed, Lennertz and Berkers wasted no time in taking "a lot" of instruments to a rented rehearsal room in a small village near Maastricht. They asked friends to help out, and they became a full band: with Remy Scheren on bass, Robbert Verwijlen on keys and Jerome Cardynaals, and Gino Bombrini on percussion. A "united against the world" stance is also heard at the end of "Declined by Universe". It's a funny, maybe surreptitious statement of belief in what they do. Yīn Yīn also wanted to create an illusion of strength in other ways: "Declined By Universe" sounds as if there is a large group of people playing, not just the core band. Nods to brilliant, invigorating dance music abound, some of the thumping beats in numbers like "Chong Wang" the title track and "Nautilus" drop some thumping 1990s-style electric boogie and Italo disco chops along the way. Then there is "Shēnzou V.", which plots a stately course between eastern-inflected pop music, Italo, and Harmonia-style electronic meditations. The expansive richness in sound and feel may be down to the fact that more samples, drum computers, and synthesizers are used on The Age of Aquarius than in their previous records, a process that intertwines with real-time playing in the studio. "Faiyadansu", for example, started with a sample found on an old traditional Japanese koto record. Cosmic appropriations of time also crop up in the titles, which may give the lie to some of the band members' preoccupations with the state of the world. An old trope musically the Age is most famously referenced in the hippie musical, Hair. Other direct references to cosmic times are in the track names "Kali Yuga" and "Satya Yuga": the Kali Yuga, in Hinduism, is the fourth and worst of the four yugas (world ages) in a Yuga Cycle, preceded by Dvapara Yuga and followed by the next cycle's Krita (Satya) Yuga.

2025 restock; LP version. "1979's 154 represented the final tableau in Wire's Harvest released '70s triptych and was the first Wire album to be released to a universal set of five star reviews from the British rock weeklies, thus it represented the point when the British 'pop culture establishment' publicly recognized Wire's primacy. '154 makes 95 percent of the competition look feeble' wrote Nick Kent in the NME, 'Wire are achieving a lot of things other--and more recognized--names have been striving for' wrote Chris Westwood in Record Mirror (a paper that had slagged off Pink Flag). 'The album is a musical tour de force' wrote Jon Savage in Melody Maker. Many said it was the album that Bowie and Eno had failed to make with Lodger (as hinted in the RM review), it was on John Lennon's playlist. Without a doubt, even if record sales did not bear it out, Wire had 'arrived.'"

LP version. "In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Dozer present Rewind to Return, a double album of singles, rare tracks and B-sides from across their proliferant history. Neither a chronological document nor a comprehensive assemblage of every non-album track, Rewind to Return is a carefully considered selection of the band's favorites, chosen for their meaning and impact. Brilliantly remastered by Karl Daniel Lidén, this collection was created as the best possible record to commemorate Dozer's vast catalog and untouchable three decade legacy at the forefront of the heavy underground."

"Kris Kristofferson was the true country outsider, a man who single-handedly pushed the genre leftward, changing forever the perception of its songwriters, its performers and its message. He was long-haired, anti-war and sang songs with drug use, sex and violence always lurking as dangers in the margins, at a time when Waylon and Willie were wearing sweaters and playing golf on their album covers. He was the outlaw, in a genre that would soon have people recording his songs, and co-opting his vision for a new version of country, to much greater financial success." (AAA) lacquers cut from tapes by Ryan Smith, Sterling Sound. Pressed on exclusive 180 gram "black and blue" galaxy vinyl. Listening notes by Andrew Winistorfer.

"Townes Van Zandt's work, as far-reaching and as universal as it has become, begs for possessorship. It's a love language understood by all who find it, yet one that remains acutely difficult to translate to those who haven't. No one understood this better than his earliest fans. It's perhaps why his first studio album, For the Sake of the Song, remains a point of controversy among anyone who discovered Townes Van Zandt outside of these LP's grooves. Townes Van Zandt the songwriter was the antithesis of bells and whistles, and so an album with such accoutrements, as this album has in spades, rings false -- however unfairly -- among purists. Taken in context, though, For the Sake of the Song is a gorgeous study in polarity. Each anchor is an artist from wildly different backgrounds, united under the profound effect of songcraft. Heavyweight translucent blue vinyl. Remaster by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering. Exclusive liner notes booklet."

"Rakim is an American rapper best known as one half of the legendary rap duo Eric B. & Rakim. Rakim is considered a transformative figure in hip hop for raising the bar for MC technique higher than it had ever been. Rakim helped to pioneer the use of internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhymes, and he was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down to write intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors rather than the more improvisational styles and simpler rhyme patterns that predominated before him. Rakim is also credited with creating the overall shift from the more simplistic old school flows to more complex flows. Rapper Kool Moe Dee explained that before Rakim the term "flow" wasn't widely used -- Rakim is basically the inventor of flow."

"Hypnotize Minds presents the only studio album by Da Headbussaz, a collaboration between Memphis' Three 6 Mafia and New Orleans' Fiend produced by Juicy J and DJ Paul. The album was originally released on CD in 2002 and is now available for the first time on vinyl."

Other worldly folk music from the Central Highlands of Vietnam performed by some of the most renowned musicians of the region, this exceptional document features small ensembles and solo performers on a variety of unique instruments (many with vocals). This is rare and disappearing music from the Jerai, Banhar, Ede, and Rongao ethnic groups and although the recordings are made during informal settings, they are raw, emotional, dreamy, and transcendent. From Vincenzo Della Ratta's liner notes: "In recent decades, the traditional cultures of various ethnic groups in Vietnam have undergone dramatic changes, leading to the radical transformation or even loss of some long-standing traditions, all of which has also had a significant impact on the musical traditions of the Central Highlands. The recordings on this album reflect this period, in which the last representatives of the old musical traditions have coexisted with a new wave of musicians and performers. This shift has affected the musical instruments used, the functions or contexts in which they are played, the repertoires, and the playing styles. A further characteristic of musical change in the Central Highlands is the influence of Western or Vietnamese music, evident in the way young musicians perform with a clean and measured style, with the standard Western tuning. This contrasts with the traditional playing style of older generations, and both styles are featured on this album. Rather than just being a 'musical postcard,' this album is intended to provide an accurate sonic representation of the musical landscape in the Central Highlands over the past two decades, while still being highly enjoyable. I feel that it is particularly significant, considering the present period of major change, during which the music of the older generations is fading from the villages of the region, making way for new forms of musical expression." Recorded live on location by Vincenzo Della Ratta between 2003-2023, this extremely limited-edition LP includes a four-page full-color insert with photos of the musicians and surroundings, a detailed track list and liner notes by Vincenzo Della Ratta.

3,900 years ago, in 2010, David Tibet and Andrew Liles decided to ReDream and ReName the first six and two-halves Current 93 albums on Steve Pittis' dirty Dirter label. Now, 3,900 years later, to mark The Death Of The Age, Or Æon, Or Arse, Of Aquarius, they have returned with a CD box-set, consisting of the original vinyl albums in the box-set remastered by Master Monster Liles, and an extra CD featuring C93's album Who Is The Sufferer. The box-set has been taken from the original artwork by Saint Rob Hopeye, and also includes five color cards, and one color poster, painted by David Tibet. Limited to 1,000 copies. The material on these albums and single and postcard, that has now been dreamt and redrawn by Andrew Liles, was originally performed and released by Current 93 on her earlier UnVeiled, Rising, MalD'Aurorian, MoonBled, DayBreaking, Faustian, Suffering, and BlackBird albums and singles. Now Dirter Promotions offers to you all: Nature Revealed, Dogs Blood Ascending, The End Of Red Dreams, Dead At Bar Maldoror, Dusk, Haunt Invocation (Apadno), Who Is The Sufferer. The box-set also includes a 7" single in full-color sleeve, featuring "There's No Hiding From The BlackBird."

WRWTFWW Records is boiling with excitement: Pizza Hotline is back! The UK producer and DJ is following up the already classic Level Select (WRWTFWW 078LP, 2023) with another liquid drum and bass with a video game music twist beauty: the Polygon Island album, available in a limited-edition double LP with a majestic 45rpm cut (for louder, bigger, bolder, deeper earth-shaking bass), packaged in a heavyweight 350gsm gatefold sleeve. Home of eight all new slices of delicious atmospheric drum and bass, Polygon Island is the perfect artificial paradise beach for Pizza Hotline to deepen his exploration of modern jungle music liquified through the lens of '90s/Y2K video game motifs and seasoned with the soundtrack essence of PS1, PS2, N64, Sega Saturn & Dreamcast adventures. Bewitching and larger than life, Pizza Hotline's perfect follow-up to Level Select takes listeners (players?) on an endless summer escapade filled with immaculate vibes, crispy beats, and refashioned homages to, once again, LTJ Bukem, Peshay, the Wipeout OST, and Soichi Terada's Ape Escape. It's bouncy, it flows, it's dreamy -- something to dance to, something to reminisce to, something to chill to. Pizza Hotline is back and it feels so good. Press start. Again.

Joanne Robertson follows up on AD 93 with the album Blurrr. Written between painting sessions and also whilst raising a child, Blurrr is a record of loose and playful intuition. Robertson's vocals and guitar drift, murmur and whisper across the record; fostering a deep intimacy as unknown emotions rise up from the well. Robertson's intuitive approach to music making co-exists alongside her improvisatory and collaborative nature. She has collaborated regularly with artists such as Elias Rønnenfelt on Heavy Glory, Dean Blunt on Backstage Raver, and Black Metal, and Sidsel Meineche Hansen on Alien Baby. In Blurrr Robertson turns to previous collaborator and friend: cellist, composer and producer Oliver Coates.

2LP version. Since 2015, Les Disques Bongo Joe have been exploring musical margins with passion and precision -- from rare reissues to bold local projects and international collaborations. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Geneva-based label releases 10 Years of Sonic Explorations, a compilation that captures a decade of handcrafted work, collective vision, and sonic adventures. It's not a "best of," but a vivid snapshot of what drives the label: from forgotten archives to emerging scenes, from Geneva to Bogotá, Istanbul or Lilongwe -- through lo-fi grooves, offbeat percussion, raw vocals and unclassifiable sounds. Spanning the label's earliest releases to its most recent ones, this selection highlights the range of aesthetics Bongo Joe has championed over the years -- always resisting trends, always embracing singularity. A deep dive into a freeform catalogue built on one belief: that music is a force for expression, transmission, and connection. Featuring Alain Peters, Altin Gün, Mauskovic Dance Band, Esplendor Geometrico, Hyperculte, Madalitso Band, Meridian Brothers, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, Nordine Staifi, Cyril Cyril, África Negra, Yīn Yīn, Les Abranis, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, Coco Maria, AMAMI, Lalalar, Nusantara Beat, Yalla Miku, Chouk Bwa & The Ångströmers, Sami Galbi, Baby Berserk, and Dressed Up Animal.

Double LP version. Electronic pioneers Propaganda follow up their acclaimed 2024 comeback with Remix Encounters, a broad and brilliant remix album featuring Moby, Tangerine Dream, Rhys Fulber, Schiller, and more. Released on Bureau B, this remix collection reflects the enthusiasm Propaganda's return after three decades of silence has ignited among contemporary artists, who approached the project with fresh energy and creative freedom.

"Since breaking new ground with their seminal 1985 debut A Secret Wish and its pioneering remix companion Wishful Thinking, Propaganda have thrived on transformation. Yet rather than revisiting the past, Remix Encounters looks forward, building on the vitality of last year's album and celebrating its widespread critical and fan acclaim. What began as a remix request from Finnish electronic maestro Jori Hulkkonen, returning the favor after Ralf Dörper's contribution to his last album, quickly blossomed into an international collaboration, drawing in luminaries such as Moby, Tangerine Dream, Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium), and Schiller. Embracing openness, Propaganda spent the fourth quarter of 2024 encouraging the wide range of musicians inspired by their triumphant return to offer their own interpretations. Each brought their distinctive voice to the material, resulting in a thrilling journey through electronic subgenres, from EBM and industrial to rave, ambient, house, and beyond. Rhys Fulber opens the album with a brooding, machine-funk reinvention of 'They Call Me Nocebo,' evolving from a sleek, sinuous introduction into a relentless pneumatic stomp. Next, Schiller offers a powerful remix of 'Distant' that balances raw electro-house and techno energy with the emotional depth of EBM, before Moby transforms 'Purveyor of Pleasure' into a furious early-'90s rave anthem, fusing breakbeats and rolling basslines that pulse with nostalgic urgency yet feel unmistakably modern. Elsewhere, Finnish polymath Jimi Tenor infuses 'Vicious Circle' with cosmic jazz and dub textures, while Pyrolator, a key figure in Düsseldorf's avant-garde scene, delivers a shadowy reinterpretation of 'LoveCraft.' Cult With No Name also contribute a brooding electro-ballad version of the same track. Propaganda's own Michael Mertens teams up with longtime collaborator Hans Steingen to re-envision 'Dystopian Waltz,' shifting its time signature to a gripping 4/4 and intensifying its ominous mood for darker dance floors. The range of remixers speaks volumes: from industrial punks Gewalt and synth purists Metroland to ambient pioneers Tangerine Dream, Remix Encounters unites an eclectic group of electronic artists bound by a shared reverence for innovation and Propaganda's distinctive voice." --Patrick Ryder

2025 marks 20 years of Tectonic, the pioneering dubstep and electronic label founded in 2005 by Bristol's underground originator, DJ Pinch. The Tectonic Sound compilation lays down the gauntlet for the future direction of the imprint. Split across 6 x 4-track 12"s and double CD, the compilation comprises many producers making their Tectonic debut, including Re:ni, Beatrice M., Yushh, Flora Yin-Wong, and Sicaria, alongside stalwarts like Om Unit, RSD, Peverelist and Kahn & Neek. It's an exhilarating 24-track journey through experimental, bass-heavy electronic music, with almost all tracks created by the artists specifically with Tectonic's sound in mind -- at the intersection where dubstep and techno meet. Across Tectonic's 150-strong catalogue there are seminal releases by 2562, Scientist, and Mumdance & Logos, side by side with appearances from Flying Lotus, Shed, Adrian Sherwood, Riko Dan, and Photek. The label holds some of the earliest dubstep incantations of Skream, Digital Mystikz, and Joker as well as Pinch's own productions. The evolution of the Tectonic sound branches into audio explorations encompassing sub-heavy techno and grimey soundscapes alongside leftfield electronica and future-facing beats. The common thread that binds is Pinch's devotion to pushing underground music ahead of its time, always built to rattle a soundsystem. Also featuring V.I.V.E.K, FJAAK & J.Manuel, Cocktail Party Effect, Appleblim, Gemmy, Sophia Loizou, J.Sparrow, Cortical, Ipman, Distance, Coki.

"The 500th issue of the magazine comes with a special commemorative silver gatefold cover featuring brand new artwork by The Wire's long standing resident graphic artist and illustrator Savage Pencil. The contents of the 500th issue add up to another unmissable monthly despatch from Wire central and include: Natural Information Society + Bitchin Bajas: Natural Information Society, the protean, Organic Music Society inspired collective lead by composer Joshua Abrams, have collaborated extensively with fellow Chicago cosmic drone power trio Bitchin Bajas. The latest outcome of their long-running partnership is this year's album Totality on Drag City. By Emily Pothast and Bill Meyer; OvO: The industrial-infused noise rock duo from Ravenna, Italy mark 25 years of high octane sonic confrontation with the release of their new album Gemma, featuring guest vocals from Duma's Lord Spikeheart, on Canada's Artoffact label. By Claire Biddles; Weston Olencki: The South Carolina born, Berlin based composer and trombonist has worked with composer collective Ensemble Pamplemousse and duo Rage Thormbones while racking up a catalogue of solo releases via Superpang, Tripticks Tapes and Lonform Editions. Their forthcoming new album Broadsides will document an environmental sonic travelogue of the American South. By Daryl Worthington; Fay Victor: The New York jazz vocalist's 2024 album Life Is Funny That Way contributed to the reappraisal of pianist Herbie Nichols as a visionary innovator, under-appreciated in his time. By Stewart Smith; and many more."

"For many bands, having all their gear stolen would be catastrophic. For Third Ear Band, this unfortunate 1968 incident opened a portal to beneficial change. Leader/percussionist Glen Sweeney viewed the heist as a sign to alter Third Ear Band's approach, and they switched to exclusively using acoustic instruments. With electrified psychedelia in full bloom, Sweeney, Paul Minns (oboe, recorder, whistles, flutes) and Richard Coff (violin, viola) struck out on an individualistic path, blending Indian raga with chamber music -- without plugging in. Third Ear Band's 1969 debut album, Alchemy, established them as a solemn, powerful force in the global underground. On Alchemy, Sweeney laid down a steady pulse on hand drums, while Minns and Coff wove in melismatic patterns on oboe, recorder, violin and viola. This approach carried over to Third Ear Band's self-titled sophomore album, often called Elements due to its track titles being named after the four basic components of medieval European alchemists' doctrines. On this 1970 LP, Third Ear Band sounded at once ancient and contemporary, yet they turned on the hippies with their epic, trance-inducing jams that suggested secret knowledge of infinity. Although Third Ear Band flourished during the West's countercultural zenith, they were peculiarly estranged from it on a sonic level. Even outré contemporaries such as Comus and Jan Dukes De Grey sounded like pop groups compared to TEB. Having no traditional front person or electric instruments, Third Ear Band forged a singular path that flowered most vividly on Elements. The long songs here stream forth from their skilled hands, evoking a communal transcendence in sound -- a hypnotic swirl that doesn't swing, but rather wafts and undulates with cloistered beauty. TEB's music exists in an eternal now, a perpetual wow. It is an ouroboros of organic textures, seemingly magicked into the air spontaneously, yet possessing a rigor that suggests long hours in the lab. Without electricity, it somehow burrowed deeper into your consciousness." --Dave Segal

Spanish-born, Berlin-based artist JASSS, presents her third LP, Eager Buyers. It's the inaugural release on her own new platform called AWOS, which also encompasses musical, AV and art collaborations, live events, and a radio show. Eager Buyers is an observation of longing, of memory, of attempted connection, of lost innocence, and irreconcilable dreams. It's the sound of broken promises for a bright future, where rose-tinted glasses have lost their clarity, dirtied with disaffection over time. Across this sultry, smoky, cinematic epic, JASSS attempts to process mixed feelings amidst the modern malaise. Alluringly atmospheric and cerebral, but bold and direct, with high-spec sound design, JASSS spaces each element with expert definition. Searing swathes of noise nestle with crisp breakbeats, billowing bass, dark ambience, prepared piano, phosphorescent electronics and calibrated percussion. A sort of anti-nostalgia, the record lives in a contemporary purgatory of oblique moods which hover in the psyche, somewhere between uncertainty, foreboding, and guarded anticipation. The raw metal of bass guitar strings plays a key part too, ranging from ornate melodic phrases, shoegazy drones, and attitude-riven hard twangs. Vocals come from JASSS herself, plus James K and Alias Error on the track "It's A Hole." The heavy, hauntological atmospherics are in part due to the addition of field recordings -- the discreet, but spiritually-loaded incidental sounds of a place which can capture its history, with the acoustics somehow retaining an emotional imprint of lives long gone. If pressed for descriptive reference points, "masterfully-produced-post-punk-post-rockbaroque-gothy-dubby-trip-hop" might be a starting point, but that doesn't do it justice. Equally spectral in their dream-like quality are the musical signposts, where genre elements are familiar, but somehow also unplaceable, untethered from context, and beautifully strange in their new composite. At points there's an air of strangely dazed calm too -- a kind of frazzled cool in the face of desolation, and even tender, lighter moments, which glint through the cracks.

Double LP version. Hailing from the suburbs of Glasgow, this five-piece are best known for their three starry-eyed albums on the renowned Sarah Records -- this being an expanded version of their first (an eight-track 10" at the time). By the tail end of the 1980s the independent music scene in the UK was turning its back on the polish and over-indulgence of the mid-'80s with its gated drums and wallpaper production. And those who weren't stretching the boundaries of sonic innovation had tuned back to the post-punk ethos of ramshackle charm and zealous melody, even dousing the spirit with some political fervor once more. Influences were more likely to be Television and the Television Personalities than MTV. The Orchids and The Sea Urchins were the first two bands to release 7" singles on the Sarah label having previously begun their recording existence on a shared flexi disc in 1987 (The Sea Urchins went on to become Delta, whose classic album Slippin' Out from 2000 will be the second release on Circuitry). The Scottish five-piece released I've Got a Habit and Underneath the Window, Underneath the Sink as EPs before really finding their feet with Lyceum; the tracks, remastered from the original Toad Hall tapes are included on this reissue as are the three songs from the "What Will We Do Next?" 7" (this collection closes with the frazzled stretch that is "Yawn"). Lyceum was originally released in August 1989. The album opens with "It's Only Obvious" and its gloriously youthful chorus of "who needs tomorrow when all I need, all I needed was you." James Hackett somehow appears both forthright and rejected, something that one of their musical heroes The Go-Betweens also had down to a fine art. It barely takes a breath until midway through side two where "Hold On" (sounding suspiciously like an unlikely objective) descends into the intro of "Blue Light," the counted-in "1, 2, 3, 4" whispered like the most hopelessly dejected rally. If that sounds depressing it isn't. This record by The Orchids was a spirited source of comfort for an 18-year-old at the time and still shudders with the best type of melancholy, one that's spirited not indulgent. If you're not familiar with the band's charm, this is where you should begin.

Limited-edition of 500 worldwide on white vinyl. The first in a series of archival releases from Cranes, the band's John Peel Sessions are collected for the first time. Artwork by feted 4AD/v23 sleeve designer Chris Bigg (Cocteau Twins, Pixies etc). Formed in mid-1980s Portsmouth by the brother and sister duo of Jim Shaw (drummer, keyboardist, guitarist, programmer) and Alison Shaw (vocalist, guitarist, bassist), Cranes first appeared in 1986 with Fuse, a self-released and now highly sought-after cassette of demos. Their debut album Self-Non-Self followed in 1989, catching the attention of legendary DJ John Peel, who invited them to record two sessions for his show in 1989 and 1990, the second seeing Mark Francombe (guitarist, keyboardist, bassist) and Matt Cope (guitarist) join ranks to form the line-up who would go on to record multiple albums for Dedicated including the much-loved album, Forever. Cranes now present John Peel Sessions (1989-1990) on their own Dadaphonic label.

LP version. Stripping away excess layers, Dispossessed lives up to its title. The band went into Causa Sui's Jonas Munk's studio on the last day of February 2025. In an a priori session, the first note played together since 2023's Dens (EPR 075CD) -- the conclusion of a trilogy and a live album all in less than a year. Has something shifted during the silence? Added aggression? Faster tempo? Darker ambiance? The feeling of losing time? Or is it simply the listener whose world has tilted? In a fast-paced world, Edena Gardens shows listeners how to resist and tune to their own inner chord. Edena Gardens deals in subtle shifts that can only be summoned from something played for the first time. From the sludgy blasts of opener "Hiraeth" to the droning ambience of 10-minute ender "Aftenstjerne." As always, the band travels far yet stays in the same internal realm. The band's own Jakob Skøtt has made minor edits to cut a record from hours of free improvisation, and every dubbed ambience has been culled directly from the material recorded that day, bringing into play the band's gestalt in a way that shows their both outer and inner workings: Dispossessed. Edena Gardens is: Jakob Skøtt: drums (Causa Sui); Nicklas Sørensen: guitar (Papir); Martin Rude: baritone guitar and bass (London Odense Ensemble).

2025 restock. Another selection of eight songs following the first compilation released in late 2020 covering the same period but also venturing in the 1990s. Drissi is one of Rai's softest voices. This is more Wah-Wah driven, mid-tempo guitar-based Rai from the city where Rai's "harder' form was conceived. Sad romantic songs about lost loves and other sorrowful tales.

Cyan-color vinyl LP, housed in full color sleeve with polylined inner bag. In November 2024, Japanese quartet Hibushibire flew into the UK for the third time. Heads were banged, minds were blown and a new legion of fans were made. During the tour, the band recorded several shows with the idea to release another of their legendary live bootleg album if the performances were up to scratch. They were! This is a trimmed down version of their set, recorded in both Glasgow and London with no overdubs and no fancy production. It's 100% raw/live Hibushibire as God intended. Crank it up and freak out!

Transparent sky-blue vinyl LP. Housed in full-color sleeve with polylined inner bag and download code. Two fields of existence collide as Nolla (Finnish psych/space rockers) and Mike Vest (maximalist guitar guru, Bong, Blown Out, Drunk In Hell, Artifacts & Uranium, Modoki, Tomoyuki Trio, Mienakunaru, etc) merge their creative visions for the third time, creating a steady and surreal exploration through astral planes. Nolla improvised the ground layer in their signature minimal space-rock style and MikeV wrapped everything up in lavish layers of fuzz, phased and U-Wah layered guitars. Blending octaval tones, around an array of electronics and vocal harmonies. Resulting in a constant trance like psychedelic drone rock. It's time to join the extraterrestrial communion, beyond the skies, convert into the mode of light and pay homage to his mighty eminence.

"The Diary, the legendary lost album and instrumentals from J Dilla, released posthumously in 2016, was the VMP Hip-Hop Record of the Month for November 2022. It's here on exclusive double LP purple and orange marble vinyl. (AAA) lacquers cut from the analog tapes by Ryan Smith, Sterling Sound. 180 gram audiophile vinyl pressed at QRP, Salina, KS. Includes extensive listening notes booklet by Andrew Winistorfer."

"With 1975's Trident, McCoy Tyner finally achieved his true vision for the piano trio. In an era that finally -- and firmly -- established Tyner in the upper echelon of jazz masters, adored by critics, set at the top of festival bills and heartily supported by the record-buying public, Trident stands at the pinnacle of his brilliant album run from that decade. Trident might not seem as ambitious as Tyner's other '70s outings, but don't let its near-monochromatic gray and silver cover of McCoy by the ocean fool you; just beneath its surface is the heaviest, most vivid and deep music of his career. Trident finds him coming full circle, realizing his -- and just about any fantasy jazz fan's -- dream piano trio. Call it Money Jungle for the new decade, only one featuring cogent and telepathic alignment rather than clashing intergenerational conflict. Three titans, three defining masters of their instrument, with thousands of recording dates between them. (AAA) lacquers cut from the master tapes by Ryan Smith, Sterling Sound. Pressed on 180 gram black vinyl. Exclusive listening notes booklet by Andy Beta. "

Berlin-based DJ and producer Moomin (Sebastian Genz) returns with Into The Distance, a deeply immersive album. Expanding on his signature warm, textured sound, the 10-track LP blends deep house, downtempo, and ambient influences into a hypnotic, cinematic journey. Following his acclaimed 2011 debut The Story About You, Moomin has released on labels like Smallville, WOLF Music, OATH, and Aim, while also running his vinyl and tape imprint, Closer. Into The Distance refines his introspective, groove-driven style, with tracks like "Joni" and "A Way Out" pulsing with subtle energy, while "Caught In A Memory" and "Night Moves" evoke dreamy nostalgia. Having stepped away from live shows in 2019 to focus on his mastering studio, Moomin's latest album reflects this period of deep creative focus -- fluid, contemplative, and designed for both personal reflection and sonic exploration.