Double LP version. Transparent vinyl. New York-based artist James K returns with Friend. This album is full of electric pop anthems that blends ear-worming melodies with peak-time breaks, buzzing powerpunk guitars and a classic rave pulse, with K's signature enchanting vocals playfully spitting emotion. It's a hallucinatory pleasure, tearing through your body and mind. "Play" rushes with a rebellion of friends -- an electro fever daydream waking up everywhere you go. Hot off extensive tours worldwide, playing the likes of Pitchfork Festival, Dekmantel, iii Points, and Mutek, following in the footsteps of her last two critically acclaimed singles Friend comes on AD 93. RIYL: Cocteau Twins, Yves Tumor, Prodigy, Oklou, Grimes.

The Vestige is the first fruit of a new intergenerational collaboration between Giuseppe Ielasi, a quietly prolific key contributor to the European experimental music scene for over twenty years, and Jack Sheen, a young composer-conductor-sound artist from Manchester whose recent projects have seen him moving seamlessly from enigmatic chamber music composition and installations to conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Their materials and working methods differ significantly, with Ielasi having focused for many years on electro-acoustic techniques alongside his ongoing commitment to the guitar, and Sheen primarily composing for traditional instruments. More important, though, is what they share: a fascination with what Sheen calls "mysterious, liminal musical material," using irregular repetition and cyclical forms to create structures at once alive with activity and almost static, as well as a rigorous exploration of spatial diffusion and the interaction of sound event and environment. Working individually with a library of acoustic instrument sounds from Sheen's recent projects and Ielasi's guitar, the pair eventually met for several days at Ielasi's home studio in Monza, sculpting the fourteen pieces that make up The Vestige. Like Ielasi and Sheen's solo works, the record shows an exquisite attention to details of sequencing and pacing, the sound palette and compositional approach consistent throughout while each piece asserts its own identity. Ielasi and Sheen sketch dimensions of the ambiguous space, where distinctions between pitch and noise, repetition and irregularity, electronic and acoustic remain pointedly unclear. The Vestige shows an unusual degree of attention to frequency range as a compositional tool, something it shares with the hyper-subtle variations of Ielasi's electroacoustic works and the deliberately "unbalanced" midrange-heavy ensemble of Sheen's Sub. Here, movement between episodes is as much about adding or removing a frequency band as it is about changes in density, harmonic content, or instrumental texture. Tracks are marked by the sudden appearance of subbass or exaggeration of high frequencies in otherwise similar material, contributing to the sense that these fourteen pieces are like different views on a scene that listeners can never quite see clearly. While calling up a range of past music, from the early works of Rolf Julius to Simha Arom's recordings of layered polyrhythms embedded in the background sounds of central African villages to the temporal distortions and layered hiss of DJ Screw, the alluring and disconcerting world of The Vestige is entirely its own.

LP version. Al Bilali Soudan sparked by passion, and experience generate an improvisational tour de force melding tradition, rhythm and scale. From Tombouctou, Mali, these bravura players have performed together for generations. Pairing blazing strings with insistent percussion, Al Bilali Soudan's cultural roots represent the source of trance desert blues. Al Bilali Soudan delivers Takamba in its rawest form -- the original desert sound. These masters command the tehardent, a three-stringed lute buzzing with hypnotic power, propelled by deep calabash rhythms. Their music is tradition unleashed: unrefined, immediate, and pulsing with the spirit of Saharan gatherings. Recorded during informal rehearsals, this session captures Al Bilali Soudan's essence. Two extended tracks stretch beyond 13 minutes, locking into relentless trance inducing grooves. Abellow Yattara leads with tehardent work that's both virtuosic and deeply rooted, proving why he's revered as a keeper of Mali's musical legacy. This is desert music at its most primal. No studio effects, no concessions -- just real, raw resonance of strings, skin and voice. For those who think they know African blues, here's the deeper truth.

Two decades ago, an all-star assembly of Chicago improvisers started a new band, drawing its name from an 1841 book by Charles Mackay: Extraordinary Popular Delusions. With weekly gigs at a spot in Chicago called Hotti Biscotti, Jim Baker, Mars Williams, Brian Sandstrom, and Steve Hunt honed their sound, which could be ferocious or nerdy or diffuse, as they moment required. After a couple years, the quartet moved to a regular Monday session at Beat Kitchen, where they were resident band for more than fifteen years. Williams was from time to time called away on tour, frequently enough that the band invited another horn player, the venerable Edward Wilkerson Jr., to substitute. This inevitably led to quintet convenings with both Williams and Wilkerson, the likes of which are now legend. Without question, although they have only released two previous records, EPD is one of the signal ensembles of Chicago creative music. Mars Williams (1955-2023) had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer when EPD booked a concert at Elastic Arts Foundation at the end of August, 2023. Williams, who lived less than three months more, was on the bill. Nobody expected him to play the way he did. More than an honorary appearance, this was Mars at the top of his game, playing, as it were, for his life. With Sandstrom switching between bass, trumpet, and electric guitar, Wilkerson doubling on saxophone and clarinet as well as oud and didgeridoo, Baker on ARP synthesizer and piano as well as violin, and Hunt on all sorts of percussion, Williams' table of toys and his blazing soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones were in perfect company -- a band that could freely improvise open structures and instantly compose unforeseen suites, while maintaining a level of intensity and intrigue on par with the saxophonist's mastery. Long term relationships extending outside this group, including those with NRG Ensemble, Mars Williams' Ayler Xmas projects, as well as a variety of ad hoc and shorter-lived amalgamations, made this one of the most fertile environments for these players, and this final quintet bore the marks of a classic concert. Which it was. Fortunately, Dave Zuchowski was there to brilliantly document it in all its two-set glory. Corbett vs. Dempsey is pleased to present the entire concert on two CDs, as the fourth installment of CvsD's Mars Archive series, with a cover painting by Timothy Howe.

"Eiko Ishibashi and Jim O'Rourke toured Europe for two weeks in 2023, a wonderful passage through France, Switzerland, Italy and Ireland; Pareidolia, the duo's fifth collaborative release, is a remix made up of resonances from those shows. The movement of sound in each performance and the relationships of sound between them; a dynamic medley of color and shape to pulse through earbuds, speaker cones and the air immediately surrounding you. Improvisation is the preferred collaborative mode for Eiko and Jim. They both prepare separately, without discussing anything beforehand. The dialogue in the moment determines the performance; anything that takes place is a possible point of departure, allowing for a unique experience each time they play. These 2023 shows marked the first time Jim and Eiko had played together outside Japan. Perhaps the flow of parts unpacked from their respective computers was inspired by the experiences of the tour: the nature of the assembled audience, the quality of the meal on the day at hand. Additionally, Eiko played flute and they both played a bit of harmonica intermittently throughout the performances. These live acoustic signals were routed back to the hard drives, to provide further material to play with -- and as they traveled, recordings of the previous nights' shows were among the materials for the next performance. With all this to play with, there was much fun to be had every night. Pareidolia's final mix is one further rearrangement of the elements -- comping -- say, a bit of Jim from Paris against Eiko in Dublin for a minute, before bringing them both back into the same room for a spell before another set of interactions comes into play. The choices and edits represented here make yet another unique dialogue, as well as a kind of "best" version of what they were doing on the tour. The sense of inevitability in the parts as they flow together might suggest structure; happily, this occurs without Eiko and Jim really committing to anything of the sort. Their available sound sources could present as a hot-wired noise onslaught, with all faders up full. Endless possible interpretations to be had on either side of the experience! This is one of several ways that the LP title and sequence of song titles come into play. Listeners hearing something more should have a good look in the mirror and perhaps consider the old saying: 'Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.' It could only help."

"The third time's the charm! Or perhaps -- the third time's another charming excursion into the seemingly infinite universe of rhythm spontaneously created whenever guitarist Oren Ambarchi, bassist Johan Berthling, and percussionist Andreas Werliin plug in together. However you choose to look at it, several years into their collaborative endeavor, and a little more than a year on from Ghosted II, Ambarchi, Berthling and Werliin are back with a new finding, constituting fresh developments of their sound -- if not their album-titling ambition (in other words, if you can't guess it's called Ghosted III, you're just not paying enough attention!). In actuality, the sound of this trio has been all about new developments since they first started playing together. That's something to be simply expected when dropping the tonearm on any of their records, which is a very nice thing. There's also something to be said for constancy, especially when it produces such stimulating variations of tone and mood within the trio format. So, all good -- since there wasn't anything broke, there was no need to fix it. Instead, just do it again. With that credo, Ambarchi, Berthling and Werliin returned to Stockholm's Studio Rymden to continue the incredible standard of capture that distinguished both Ghosted and Ghosted II. Although they took more studio time than ever before (three whole days!), Ghosted III's new development is an increased immediacy in their performances, something a little looser and wilder than their first two albums -- and something, no doubt, that's been developed by their encounters during the several dozen-plus gigs played since their debut. Thus, their ability to lock in and focus, hanging on to the smallest of details, is here enhanced by an expansive lightness of being. Such potentially polar skill sets could well make for uneven chemistry -- but in the hands of these three, a sparkling variety of new jams occurs. They seem to be available to try anything these days, at times playing with the exuberance of prog-rockers or new-wave popsters, alongside the eternal energies of their established styles: ambient neo-jazz, postkraut, minimal funk. In the end, their shared instinct shapes the varied emissions into structure reaching ever further into the ether -- giving Ghosted III a singular quality belonging only to the trio that is Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin."

"Feeding Tube Records is excited to present the first North American release by this amazing Japanese sound artist. Yosuke Fujita goes by the name FUJI|||||||||||TA, perhaps so he won't be mistaken for the guitarist of the same name who plays with Better Days, or perhaps because he just likes to hear people try to figure out how to say, 'FUJI|||||||||||TA,' properly. Either way, FUJI|||||||||||TA is a wonderful avant-garde project that has been active for almost two decades. In its current iteration, performances involve spontaneous compositions on a mutant pipe organ which is operated by air pumps rather than keys. Using a variety of gestural means to create the long tones that are the basis of his work, FUJI|||||||||||TA's performances (such as this one at an old church in Brattleboro VT) have a choreographic element to match the sonics. As an element for this live session (the first he has released), the artist was also able to weave in sounds from Epsilon Spire's own 1906 3' manual Estey pipe organ. The sonic mix is both organic and ghostly. The process by which FUJI|||||||||||TA works has a deeply spiritual quality that blends seamlessly with instrumental sounds sometimes recalling Charlemagne Palestine at his most oceanic. When FUJI|||||||||||TA adds vocals, things get even better. Sometimes using a technique where he pushes himself to a place where he utters sounds that are beyond his actual range, at others singing long wordless passages with prayer-like qualities, the music is beyond easy description. There are three tracks on the LP, each with a slightly different instrumental approach, but all of a piece. The first has both FUJI|||||||||||TA's mutant organ as well as the church's. The second features the church organ and voice. The third is church organ and a Japanese free reed instrument called a shõ. Some parts have a single drone line, others commingle multiple sources for extra pleasure. But the entire album is something like waking up in the middle of a very strange and beautiful dream, not exactly certain where you are or even who you are, just drifting on clouds of serendipitous sounds. All we can say is, 'dream on.'" --Byron Coley, 2025

Restocked; USA tour happening now; LP version. "Violence Dimension is our seventh full length release. We have come quite a distance in time and space since we released Horseback in 2010. One thing that binds us all is violence, be that within a video game, or in a movie or on the daily news. Violence affects our daily life, perhaps more than love or kindness ever will. We are all bound by death, whether we like it or not. This release explores the hinterland between being scared to live and bring scared to die, and punches holes in the idea that we must live our life by one set of rules. We all live in the violence dimension, and there is no escape." --Conan. Also available in CD (HPS 341CD), red vinyl (HPS 341LTD-LP), and orange/green/yellow vinyl (HPS 341ULTRA-LP).

Kuniyuki Takahashi -- one of Japan's, if not the world's, most remarkable producers -- originally released his debut album We Are Together on CD in 2006. Nearly two decades later, the album is finally seeing a vinyl release to commemorate the 300th title from Mule Musiq.

"Kuni is a true artist -- an artist that I love and respect. His music displays true emotion and life and when I listen to his music I can feel his soul, but most importantly it's his own music. Kuni, thank you for giving our planet your music, spirit, and heart. Peace, love and respect." --Joaquin Joe Claussell

Losoul is back on Slices Of Life with two minimal house gems! Frankfurt-based DJ and producer legend Losoul is renowned for his unique sonic language and deep, captivating grooves. On his latest release for the Berlin imprint, the tracks take listeners on a journey back to the roots of minimal house. "Post Service Pop" on the A-side flows deep and funky, spreading pads like hot oil, topped with subtly modulated vocal snippets. "Modesty Bump" on the B-side dives into rawer territory with high-energy sounds and edgy sonic sparkles.

2025 repress. First-ever official reissue on vinyl since 1975. Ash Ra Tempel is the eponymous debut studio album by the Krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel. It features guitarist Manuel Göttsching with drummer Klaus Schulze and bassist Hartmut Enke. Engineered by Conny Plank, it was recorded in March and June 1971 on Ohr Records. This 50th Anniversary Album will be released in memoriam of all the musical contributors to this release and on Manuel Göttsching´s MG.ART label.

"On our album, the track 'Amboss' represents the first layer. Conventional instruments communicate familiar music which is in part expanded through electronic means. In the second track of the album -- 'Traummaschine' -- the actual basic sound approach is dissolved into an electronic Nirvana which no longer allows the concrete identification of actual instruments. Innocent, virgin listening, free from any and every association, can finally begin -- and the music can be absorbed and processed free from the limitations of categorization. That is the purpose of our music: To convey freedom without any predetermined criteria or traditions. Thank you for your attention." --Manuel Göttsching (Taken from the original A-R-T Bio 1970)

Available on 180gram Black Vinyl (MGART 611LP) and 140gram Limited Transparent Vinyl (MGART 611TV-LP). Sticker, 50th Anniversary RE-Edition, Re-Cut carefully overseen by Manuel Göttsching. 350 gram Quadro Fold Out Sleeve that exactly replicates complex/original OHR die-cut jacket, A2 Poster, 2x (German and English) A4 Inlay with Original Bio Sheet written by Manuel Göttsching (1970). Pressed at Optimal, Germany.

A note from Peter Knight: "Ŋurru Wäŋa traces notions of home, belonging, and displacement. In the two parts of the title track, Sunny Kim intones the words of Korean poet Yoon Dong Ju's poem, Another Home, in counterpoint to Daniel Wilfred's song, sung in the Wáglilak language. Ŋurru Wäŋa (pronounced Wooroo Wanga), translates as 'the scent of home', and as we travel we long for that fragrance, passing the bee, guku, making the bush honey while the crow circles calling overhead. This theme -- this search for a sense of belonging -- is at the heart of what drives Hand to Earth, a group of five people, who come together from different backgrounds, different birthplaces, and different musical approaches to share our songs, and by doing that to create something new. The six tracks on this album map our respective journeys into the now and express the connections that have developed within Hand to Earth over the years we have travelled and played together. We each have our own relationship to this place, its difficult history, its contended present, its clouded future. This music is perhaps a way of thinking through this, written in the scribble of electronics, in the sighs of the clarinet and trumpet, in the broad-brush strokes of the yidaki, and the snap of the bilma. The songs that sit at the heart of Ŋurru Wäŋa were recorded mid-tour on a day off in Melbourne. Daniel had a spontaneous urge to record songs from the song line of Djuwaḻpada who is an important figure in Wägilak dreaming. Djuwaḻpada walked through the land starting in Daniel's country, Nyilipidgi, in central Arnhem Land and ending at the coast at Lutenbuy singing the place and everything that lives there into existence. Daniel's song cycle traces the flight of the birds, the Mäḏawk and Wäk Wäk. It describes the seasons, and the Stringybark tree, Gaḏayka, that supplies the bark for painting, and the wood for the bilma (clapping sticks). With the exception of 'The Crow,' which was recorded in New York, these songs landed in single takes in one session recording just the voice, bilma, and yidaki with some synth drones and other materials. The rest of the sounds came later in separate iterative recording sessions, in which the settings for the songs were developed through spontaneous layering and rubbing back. This process reflected the approach we take to live performance but stretched across time, our voices calling to one another. Creating connections -- resonating, blurring, vibrating."

After years in aesthetic exile, Wolfgang Voigt returns as Wassermann -- for the first time on These Eyes. An elegant escalation, a technoid homage to The Palace in Gstaad -- alpine glamour meets minimalist rigor. Between champagne flute and fog machine, Voigt draws his unmistakable lines: precise, cool, hypnotic. High society meets high fidelity. Alpine views in 4/4 time. Vinyl comes with insert.

2025 restock. Originally released in 1979. Edited by Brad Osbourne at Bullwackie Studio. A collection of tunes recorded between 1976-78 and somewhat of a US issue of Delroy Wilson's True Believer In Love LP released on Carib Gems in the UK in 1978 and on Micron in Canada the following year. Brad's collection features just one number from the former and the complete B side from the ladder. On the back sleeve: "Delroy Wilson has a lot of very special things going for him, things that made him the 'big soulful vocal star' that he is and the most consistent vocalists today in Jamaica. Perhaps the foremost of these qualities is an elusive commodity called soul, which is feelings, emotions, expression. Well to me, Delroy doesn't just sing -- he feels the song from within. Some might say he is one of the finest of one of the best reggae singers, but I think a little different, because I know Delroy can sing anything and sing it well. Soul, funk, reggae, shot music anything he's got the power, the know-how, the soul to mash it up..." Personnel: Robert Shakespeare - bass; Carlton "Santa" Davis, Sly Dunbar - drums; Chinna, Tony Chin - guitar (lead); Bobby Ellis, Dirty Harry, Tommy McCook - horns; Burnard "Touter" Harvey, Ossie Hibbert - organ; Ansel Collins - piano. Producer: Bunny Lee.

"1999 ska heavy album from Toots & The Maytals. Wicked pacing and inspired playing and singing set this one as a high-water mark in the Maytals' discography."

2025 restock. Recoiled is a rambunctious alchemy of magikal Coil sensibilities and hi-tech home circa '90s mixing technique, all fused in the cave-like early studios of Danny Hyde/Peter Christopherson. These were the unrestrained PRE-BIG studio-mix-downs of four songs which long-time Coil admirer/collaborator Trent Reznor requested Coil to remix. Reznor sent over the original multi-tracks and DATs to Hyde/Christopherson, who independently mixed versions and then met to synch both creations, molding them into these master versions. Recoiled includes a fuller, more opulent version of the track "Closer," which eventually made it onto the opening credits of the movie SE7EN. These five lengthy compositions (just under 40 minutes) are pre-Ableton/laptop generation-type priest-song creations, with the use of baby alarms and numerous wires to create bespoke effects. These legendary tracks were always rumored to exist and, only the due diligence of a dedicated NIN forum who hunted them down, are released/unleashed for your listening pleasure. Four of the tracks were released on the download-only Uncoiled. A bonus, previously-unheard track from the same sessions closes the album. Jhonn Balance is also manifest on this gilded constellation. Beautifully remastered.

2025 restock. An expanded reissue of Sun Ra's Continuation, originally released in 1970. A special two CD reissue of the hyper-rare El Saturn Records album, recorded in 1963, early in the Arkestra's New York period, paired with a full disc of extra material. Loaded with John Gilmore, one of the greatest and rarest slabs of Sun Ra vinyl, on CD for the first time. Recorded on March 10, 1963 at the Choreographer's Workshop in New York City. Remastered from the original tapes by Michael D. Anderson; Reissue produced by John Corbett and Adam Abraham.

2025 restock; El Palmas Music and El Dragón Criollo once again leave their skin immersing themselves in the musical archives of the "Venezuelan Saudi". In addition to the search for that Holy Grail of "one's own identity" in the midst of the international explosion of musical trends, the need arises to express the consequences that the urban explosion and unbridled growth had on society. Color de Trópico Vol. 2 confronts you with a new expressive rebellion, that of the new heterogeneity, the diversity of the new social organization and the struggle for survival. New styles raise their voices, in the face of all this urban complexity we already know that traditional genres, far from reacting passively, returned to the charge of cumbia, joropo, merengue coexisting against rock and roll, but this rock and roll opened the doors and it evolved with them in the form of rock (just), pop, soul, jazz, highly sophisticated funk. But, as you can see in Color de Trópico Vol. 2, the influence of Caribbean modernity also stomped on with new rhythms such as ska, rocksteady, reggae, originating in Jamaica and represented in Venezuela by the group of brilliant good vibes such as Las Cuatro Monedas and its theme "Buena Suerte". Salsa also arrives, still grown only in New York, San Juan, and Cali but which now extends to Caracas and of which the tasty "María La Bella" by Nelson y sus Estrellas stands out. The mixture is the reality of the social network of the city, chaotic, dynamic, incessant, recipient of massive migrations from all parts of the country, mainly from rural areas to the capital, but also from Colombia, the Caribbean, Europe, everything to a speed faster than it could have the ability to be assimilated. Groups like the psychedelics of Grupo Almendra add Latin percussion to their rock band flirting with trends such as disco music or even samba in "Tutti Frutti" and the powerful brass section of the reference jazz band in Venezuela, such as La Retreta Mayor, with its funky jazz "Líquido Elemento", a spectacular vision of a Caracas that never sleeps between textures of saxophones and trumpets in its wide avenues. With Color de Trópico Vol. 2, El Palmas and El Dragón Criollo show the versatility that musical groups usually have in Venezuela, in which the sophistication and vision that they already had at this very important moment continues to surprise. Also features Los Kings, Mario Y Sus Diamantes, Orquesta La Playa, and Anselmo Y Su Conjunto Pajueliao.

2025 restock. One of the rarest psychedelic garage albums ever, the Kaleidoscope album was recorded in the Dominican Republic by this Boricuan/Dominican band but released only in Mexico in 1969 as a tiny pressing, housed in a fantastic psychedelic sleeve designed by Bodo Molitor. Acid fuzz guitars, organ, demented vocals. Impossible to find in its original form, here's a welcomed reissue. Remastered sound. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve. Includes insert with detailed liner notes by Enrique Rivas and rare photos.

"Recorded in Italy in 1985, this is a valuable record of a unique trio -- saxophonist Larry Stabbins, pianist Keith Tippett, and drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo -- playing at the very top of their game. Larry Stabbins, after years of playing with many of the greatest improvising musicians of the '60s and '70s (John Stevens, Chris McGregor, Keith Tippett, Mike Westbrook, Tony Oxley etc) had recently exploded onto the pop world with the bands Weekend and Working Week and was quite famous in Italy. Not to be outdone, Louis Moholo-Moholo turned up to this gig in full 'warpaint' and all three play like the clappers. Both Louis and Keith are in their prime here, and the level of playing by all three is off the scale."

2025 restock; LP version. Pharaway Sounds presents a reissue of Barış Manco's second proper studio album, Nick The Chopper, originally released in 1976. Recorded in Belgium with help from session musicians related to Placebo, Janko Nilovic, and Mad Unity, among others, Nick The Chopper features lyrics in English, huge orchestral sections, and re-arrangements of many of the melodies from his 1975 masterpiece 2023 (GUESS 038CD/106LP). Barış spent his whole life trying to communicate to the wider world outside Turkey. This was his last attempt at doing so with an album before turning to a travel television show to visit faraway places and talk to the young and old, one on one. Every production trick of the glorious 1970s was deployed to push Barış Manco up the European charts, and now Pharaway Sounds pushes him right into your brain instead. Presented with newly designed artwork, remastered sound and an insert with photos and liner notes.

2025 restock. The second release on Sealed Records is Can't Cheat Karma, a 13-track round-up of the first five singles by Zounds. Their debut single from 1980, Can't Cheat Karma was released on Crass Records and 39 years later still stands as one of the finest singles both politically and musically. For the next three singles, Zounds worked with Rough Trade Records, who also released their debut album The Curse of Zounds (1981). 1981's Demystification was a tense and stark masterpiece; it was followed by the haunting Mikey Dread-produced Dancing and then the more straight-up pop of More Trouble Coming Everyday (both 1982). The final single here is La Vache Qui Rit, released on Belgian label Not So Brave in 1983. It was originally supposed to be a split single with The Mob but ended up being two scratchy studio tracks and two rough and raw live tracks recorded in Holland in 1982. Every home should have these essential Zounds recordings.

2025 restock. Victory present a reissue of Pacific, originally released in 1978. Reuniting the best session musicians Japan had to offer to make an album that would evoke the atmospheres of the South Pacific islands, the kind of places Japanese people spend their vacations. Pacific is a treat to the ears; its theme of the southern Pacific ocean and its warm cerulean waters relax its listeners with a fusion of city pop, soft jazz, and that good old 1970s funk while remaining surprisingly fully instrumental throughout all contributions from artists Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, and Tatsuro Yamashita. A true cult LP and an inspiration for a lot of so called "vaporware" music. LP includes insert.

2025 restock. Although Warhol, who was listed as producer on the album, allegedly gave the Velvets free reign over their sound, it was on his insistence that Nico performed on this album. However, this does not detract from the fact that when this album was made the Red Sea parted, and the Velvet Underground crossed into the Promised Land. Deluxe gatefold jacket with peeling banana and "Chelsea Girls" bonus track on B5

Norman Connors' Mr. C is a masterclass in sophisticated modern funk and boogie-infused soul that was way ahead of its time. Originally released in 1981, the album finds the renowned jazz drummer/producer at a creative crossroads, boldly diving deep into street-level boogie-funk without losing his soulful, jazzy touch. What once might have puzzled jazz purists now delights soul/funk aficionados; it has quietly become a cult favorite and now, nearly 45 years later, Mr. C sounds fresher than ever. Brimming with infectious heavy funk, lush arrangements and soul-stirring performances, it's an album that flirts with perfection, ensuring its enduring significance in the boogie/jazz-funk-soul canon. From its opening moments, Mr. C makes one thing clear: this is Norman Connors at his funkiest. The majority of the album is a straight-up party: think dancefloor-ready beats complemented by punchy horn riffs and slick early-'80s boogie vibes. There's heavy use of synths and drum-machines, demonstrating Connors' gleeful embrace of contemporary funk trends. Each track shines in uniquely thrilling fashion, showcasing Connors' versatility and happy knack for blending genres whilst crafting unforgettable melodies. Lush string accents and horn stabs weave through funky basslines, while the vocals (handled by a young Beau Williams) soar with gospel-tinged emotion. Over four decades later, it endures as a masterpiece. The fusion of Caribbean rhythm elements into an R&B context demonstrates Connors' willingness to experiment with global sounds while keeping things soulful and danceable. Bringing a real quiet storm swagger, "Sing a Love Song" slows the tempo ever so slightly into a sexy, swaying jazz-funk gem, featuring a young Glenn Jones on lead vocals. The arrangement is elegant, built on warm keys and an undeniable groove. The celestial "Love's In Your Corner" is all about soulful uplift. Featuring the legendary Jean Carn's powerhouse vocals soaring over a brass-kissed driving funk, it's an R&B burner. On release, Mr. C flew under the radar but time has been exceptionally kind to this record. DJs, collectors and soul connoisseurs alike have since rediscovered its magic. As ever, this crucial reissue has been lovingly remastered by Simon Francis, cut by engineer of the year Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios and pressed to perfection by Record Industry in Holland. Norman Connors was something truly extra. He was a visionary. And Mr. C is proof.

Originally released by Jah Thomas's Midnight Rock label from Jamaica, in 1982; now repressed by Clocktower. Ranking Toyan was already a seasoned veteran of Kingston's soundclash scene, having apprenticed with a number of smaller outfits before becoming earning a slot with Henry "Junjo" Lawes's Volcano Sound and winning widespread acclaim for his effortless, patois-laden delivery and his gruff putdowns of rival DJs. Though Toyan had already cut a number of outstanding sides for producer Don Mais, his collaborations with Lawes are undoubtedly his definitive recordings. Ghetto Man Skank stands as the very best of these. It boasts a set of simple, punishingly hard rhythms from the ace studio band The Roots Radics, which Toyan dominates with ease. His ability to spill forth unending streams of wordplay, streetcorner boasts, and infectious slogans is truly remarkable, enlivening every song on this set. Though Toyan didn't receive the same acclaim as fellow Volcano Sound DJs like Yellowman and Eek-A-Mouse, his outstanding performances on Ghetto Man Skank prove he was their equal in every respect.

Get ready for the rawest, dirtiest rock NYC has to offer! Taxidermy Girls, a band featuring legendary talents from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Television, Mercury Rev, Speedball Baby, and Five Dollar Priest, is back with a new LP that will blow you away. Rte 209 Blues delivers gritty, powerful sound straight from the streets of New York City -- pure, unfiltered, and full of that authentic underground energy. Once known as Taxi Girls, this band has evolved but still carries that rebellious attitude and raw edge that make them stand out. From gritty riffs to catchy melodies, each track is a trip through NYC's underground scene, where dirty, honest rock reigns supreme. Don't miss out on this release -- a record that proves the spirit of NYC's rock scene is alive and kicking stronger than ever.

LP version. "After a storied first year as a band releasing and touring behind their critically acclaimed debut album Today, Galaxie 500 closed out 1988 with a quintessential performance at New York City's famed CBGB with every bit of their signature intimacy and autumnal bombast on display. The unusual bill which also included Sonic Youth, B.A.L.L. and Unsane was a benefit show for the zine shop See Hear. Captured here in a raw but inspired board mix by Kramer and restored and mastered from the analog source by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, CBGB 12.13.88 is a live snapshot of a Galaxie fully formed, punctuating the end of their first chapter while poised to step into their next with On Fire the following year."

"Chickasha, Oklahoma is not a place known for producing a lot of original proto-punk bands. In fact, there is, to Superior Viaduct's knowledge, only one: Debris'. Formed in 1975 by bassist Chuck Ivey, guitarist Oliver 'Rectomo' Powers, and drummer Johnny Gregg, the trio created some of the most art-damaged outsider rock 'n' roll this side of MX-80 Sound. When a local studio offered the package deal of ten hours for recording and mixing as well as pressing 1,000 LPs and two-color jackets, Debris' came in well-rehearsed -- nailing all eleven of their songs in just one take. In April 1976, the same month as Ramones' debut album, Debris' would release their lone record onto the world. Opener 'One Way Spit' could easily be mistaken for a lost KBD single -- from Chuck's bizarre count-in to the band's trashy start-stop rhythms, unfurling a Dadaist flag around Johnny's visceral vocals. On 'Tricia,' a reference to the then-current Patty Hearst trial, Oliver's gruesome groans are sardonically juxtaposed with an electric saw. These LSD-tinged tunes are a potent mix of Beefheart-ian controlled chaos and the genuinely weird avant-rock associated with the mid-'70s Cleveland scene. Enhanced by analog synthesizers and electronic effects, the album sounds like Eno-era Roxy Music or Stooges' Fun House buried deep in the red Oklahoma dirt. While punk would spark a handful of bands who boldly straddled the line between the primal and the experimental, the relatively unsung Debris' were one of the first to do so. Debris' had a standing invitation to play New York at Max's Kansas City and CBGB in 1976, although they never made it out of Oklahoma. The private-press edition of their self-titled album (also known as Static Disposal, which was actually the label name printed on the original front cover) has since become a collector's item and is even namechecked on the infamous NWW list."

2025 restock; tracks by Scientist, Barrington Levy, Johnny Osbourne, Linval Thompson, Wayne Wade, Wade Brammer, Barry Brown, Sammy Dread, and Wailing Souls. Produced by Brad Osborne.

Black vinyl version."Debut 1969 album by New Orleans funk legends The Meters. Sourced From the original 1969 analog master tapes. Cut by Kevin Gray of Cohearant Audio. Features the hit song 'Cissy Strut.' Limited color vinyl pressing."

"Jackpot Records presents a re-issue of this revered reggae album, 1976s War Ina Babylon by Max Romeo & The Upsetters. Originally released on Island Records, the album is considered one of the greatest Reggae albums of all time and was a massive influence on the UK punk movement that was just starting to bubble to the surface. The record's incredible power belies an unlikely partnership between one of the world's greatest producers (and experimenters in sound), Lee "Scratch" Perry, and vocalist Max Romeo (who by 1976 had performed on over 120 7" singles) Romeo had been transforming from his 'rude' records to writing lyrics with social themes as the era in Jamaica was rife with poverty, gangs, and politically motivated killings. As he was looking to produce protest music at its most powerful alongside music that would never leave the listener's souls, Lee Perry and Max Romeo started collaborating together. Recorded in two weeks in 1976, utilizing Lee Perry's kitchen sink production, War Ina Babylon is considered part of Lee Perry's 'holy trinity' Black Ark produced LPs released by Island Records (Junior Murvin's Police and Thieves and The Heptones' Party Time being the other classics LPs in the trinity), this LP continues to find new fans with every passing generation. Sourced from the original master tapes. Mastered by Kevin Gray."

Swiss percussionist Julian Sartorius and UK electronic artist Dan Nicholls team up as Clay Kin, presenting their debut record on Squama. They had never planned to make an album, yet through pure improvisation and spontaneity, Clay Kin have crafted Vevey. An album of seven tracks, distilled from over seven hours of improvised percussion and electronics. Recorded mostly outdoors -- on pedalo boats, up mountains and deep in forests near the namesake Swiss town of Vevey, it is imbued with the soft fascination of birdsong, rushing water and chattering children. Vevey resists genre. As musicians, Sartorius and Nicholls bridge the divide between acoustic and electronic soundscapes. Sartorius' raw, organic percussion interweaves with Nicholls' keyboard-triggered samples and harmonic landscapes, creating a dialogue where the lines between rhythm, melody and noise dissolve. Clay Kin identify their outfit as an audio-visual collective, with visual artist Lou Zon (Louise Boer) rounding out the group, creating videos to accompany both the recorded music and the live experience.

Remastered recordings of these Northeast Wisconsin underground rock trailblazers, originally released on cassette in 1992. An obscure gem of powerful '90s music with one foot firmly planted in the American Midwest tradition of Twin/Tone Records bands like The Replacements and the other in loud, fiery, high energy rock'n'roll. Includes a fold out insert with the story of the band. Limited edition of 300 copies.

For Synaptic Cliffs, it's an extraordinary honor to present these three "Scape One" variations of the original song "Diskmind" (first released on The Electrifying Dojo, 2025). Each masterpiece was recorded in different future decades of the 21st century (of course with the help of the Diskmind time travel machine) and reflects the corresponding trend in electronic music. A1: A timeless, pristine Electro composition from the year 2035. A2: An IDM marvel from late summer 2075, recorded in the Zero gravity of Space Station 775. B: An Experimental Electronica symphony recorded at pdqb's Studio 577 on Mars Outpost 47A. Only musical equipment that doesn't currently exist was used for this release.