304 pages. Hardcover. Omniverse - Sun Ra by Hartmut Geerken and Chris Trent. Expanded and revised hardback third edition. Published by Art Yard. Over thirty years after its first publication, Art Yard present the revised third edition of Hartmut Geerken's Omniverse - Sun Ra, a definitive hitch-hiker's guide to the Sun Ra galaxy. This new revised edition features a fully revised discography by Chris Trent, co-author of The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra. Includes hundreds of images of Sun Ra album covers, posters, handbills and ephemera, including reproductions of rare hand drawn and colored LP sleeves. Bound in French fold cover, metallic foil blocking on blue Faimei cloth hardback. Comprehensive pictorial and annotated discography, including chronological discography and alphabetical record title, composition, personnel and record label indexes. Also features jackets and label indexes and hundreds of photographs of Sun Ra and His Arkestra in New York 1966 and Germany 1979 by Val Wilmer and Hartmut Geerken from Heliopolis Cairo Egypt 1971 an updated discography by Chris Trent, co-author of The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra. With essays, photo documents by Hartmut Geerken, Val Wilmer, Amiri Baraka, Robert L. Campbell, Chris Cutler, Gabi Geist, Salah Ragab, Sigrid Hauff, and Karl Heinz Kessler.

LP version. Recorded in June 1978 during a sweltering Paris summer, Ose's Adonia captures a rare alignment of intellect, imagination and emerging technology. At just 26, Hervé Picart was living three parallel lives: scholar of rhetoric and ancient languages, journalist for the French music press (notably Best), and guitarist /bassist in progressive garage bands. Drawn increasingly away from British prog toward keyboards and synthesizers, he began envisioning a more spatial music situated somewhere between Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, and Kraftwerk. That triangulation would define Adonia. Ose itself was conceived as a variable-geometry project devoted to concept albums, with narrative and composition as guiding forces. Picart imagined a platform that could accommodate shifting collaborators and literary or interplanetary themes. For Adonia, the collaboration formed close to home. Through his journalism he had befriended Richard Pinhas of Heldon, a fellow academic and near neighbor in Paris' Latin Quarter. Their shared philosophical and musical affinities created a natural bond. Picart invited Pinhas not simply as a guest but as a key creative partner, overseeing electronic arrangements and contributing guitar and synthesizer work. Heldon drummer François Auger completed the trio, valued for his remarkable ability to play tightly against sequencers without losing fluidity. Arriving with detailed demo tapes, Picart had mapped much of the material in advance, yet the studio remained a site of invention. Sessions took place at night in Barclay's large studio on Avenue Hoche, by day home to a grand orchestra, prompting moments of astonishment when classical musicians encountered the trio's imposing array of synthesizers, including the Moog 55 modular system. Recorded in a week and mixed in three days: a focused, pre-digital intensity emblematic of the era. Conceptually, Adonia fuses ancient myth and speculative fiction. Over time, the album attained cult status, its sonic freshness undimmed. Standing at the crossroads of Berlin School electronics, progressive rock and early synth-pop, Adonia refracts these currents through a distinctly French sensibility and Pinhas' singular presence. Nearly half a century on, its fusion of myth and modernity remains vivid, a testament to a fertile moment whose echoes continue to resonate.

LP version. When Conal was released in 1981 on the Norwegian independent label Uniton Records with an initial run of 4,000 LPs, Schnitzler had already long been known beyond the borders of the Federal Republic of Germany and was now appreciated worldwide as a media artist and musician. In addition to the many cassette and LP editions he released himself, international labels were now increasingly releasing his music. In the same year as Conal, for example, the album Control was released on the American label DYS, followed in 1986 by Concert in the USA and Consequenz 2 in Spain. Schnitzler worked tirelessly and his total work of art, including his music, was becoming increasingly multifaceted. Conal is a good example of this development.

"The two tracks, each around 21 minutes long ('N1' and 'N2'), are not cast from the same mold, but consist of several parts blended together, which are not noted as such in the credits. This sequence creates the character of a narrative divided into several chapters, which, however, does not offer the listener a concrete plot. Schnitzler was not a storyteller. When he divides long pieces into clearly distinguishable sections, as he does here in Conal, it is in order to create a kind of panoramic view of his current work phase in condensed form. The complexity of the individual sections and the extraordinarily skillful and technically flawless crossfades and layering suggest that Conal was once again produced in Peter Baumann's studio. Although the good relationship between the two musicians never led to a musical collaboration, Baumann repeatedly made his extremely well-equipped Paragon Studio available to Schnitzler. It is also conceivable that Baumann and his brilliant sound engineer Will Roper provided useful technical suggestions for the realization of Schnitzler's music. Conal is one of those albums that, when it was released in the early 1980s, astonished Schnitzler listeners in a positive way: Schnitzler had once again dared to take an artistic step forward. It is hard to comprehend that this restless, uncompromising artist released one high-caliber album after another in relatively quick succession. For he was not only a musician, but also a media artist, performer and author of art theory texts. Fortunately, Conal is one of the treasures from his catalogue of works, and I have already asked elsewhere: How many other treasures are waiting to be rediscovered. The grand mosaic that is Schnitzler still has gaps, even when the contours are clearly visible." --Asmus Tietchens, 2025

LP version. With Sowas von Egal Vol 3, the Hamburg-based Damaged Goods DJ team continues its compilation series on Bureau B, once again turning its attention to the underground scenes of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in the early 1980s. The selected tracks originate from a period in which, alongside the commercial Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW), a number of innovative and often more abrasive bands and artists operated outside the mainstream. They combined influences from new wave, synthwave, post-punk, and the avant-garde with German lyrics -- and occasionally other languages -- releasing their music in very small editions on indie labels or entirely DIY. As a result, many of these records are now rare and highly sought after. The tracks emerged in a cultural climate strongly shaped by the rupture brought about by punk. Five years after the second installment, the search for hard-to-find artists and rights holders began again. Thanks to the cohesion and supportive network within the scene, it has once more been possible to assemble a carefully curated and lovingly compiled selection. As with the first two volumes, part three follows an approach closely aligned with the DJ repertoire of the Damaged Goods nights. The focus is on captivating, danceable, and catchy tracks. Songs that often reveal their full impact on first listen in a club setting. The aim is to make forgotten or hard-to-access pieces audible and available again. The artwork is once again by Biljana Tomic, drawing on an industrial-apocalyptic sensibility and referencing the iconic facades of Horten department stores, evoking a visual aesthetic of the 1980s. The sound has once again been carefully remastered by Tom Morgenstern. Sowas von Egal Vol 3 seamlessly continues the series and presents itself as a lovingly curated snapshot of a highly productive yet often overlooked phase in German, Austrian, and Swiss pop history. Featuring Guyer's Connection, Starter, Bergtraum, Die Shadocks, Isolierband, Bizarre Leidenschaft, Ziggy & Eno, André Szigethy, Zero Zero, JaJaJa, Ti-Tho, Vorgruppe, X-Beliebig, Trick 17, Die Egozentrischen 2, and Tommi Stumpff.

200 pages. "Eternal Rhythm: Conversations & Travelations with Don Cherry and Graeme Ewens offers an intimate, free-flowing portrait of a legendary improviser and musical visionary. Drawn from priceless cassette-taped interviews gathered since 1979, the book is woven together by writer Graeme Ewens -- a confidant, travel companion, and close friend of Don Cherry. Through Ewens' vivid storytelling and Cherry's own reflections, Eternal Rhythm traces a life lived in constant motion -- artistically, spiritually, and geographically. The result is an unfiltered insight into the evolution and working life of a musician globally recognized as one of the most unique, innovative voices to emerge from the '60s free-jazz movement. It's a rich exploration of creativity without borders, capturing the essence of Cherry's expansive global musical journey. Printed in black and white and color.

Pioneering compilation/concept album from 1968 featuring key psychedelic bands from San Francisco. A real fest of fuzzed-out psychedelia , garage and folk-rock. Conceived by legendary (and controversial) producer Matthew Katz, Fifth Pipe Dream Volume I is a groundbreaking psychedelic album from 1968 that blurs the line between compilation and concept record. Featuring a rotating cast of Katz's San Francisco Sound artists, it encapsulates the creativity and experimental spirit of the Bay Area at its lysergic peak. Rather than a traditional various-artists compilation, Fifth Pipe Dream was designed as a unified listening experience -- multiple bands contributing to a single, flowing psychedelic journey. At a time when this format was virtually unheard of, Katz assembled a genre-defying release that still feels ahead of its time. The album brings together key underground acts from the late '60s psychedelic scene from San Francisco. The album moves seamlessly across styles while maintaining a cohesive, trippy atmosphere. Released in November 1968 under Katz's San Francisco Sound imprint, the album reflects both the creative explosion -- and the business controversies -- of the era. Katz famously controlled band names and recordings, leading to miscredited tracks and ongoing legal disputes with artists like Moby Grape and Jefferson Airplane. Despite (or because of) this, Fifth Pipe Dream stands as a fascinating snapshot of a scene in flux -- where artistic ambition, experimentation, and industry tensions collided. Though no follow-up volume ever appeared, Fifth Pipe Dream remains a cult cornerstone of the original San Francisco psychedelic era. Carefully remastered sound. Original artwork in gatefold sleeve. Four-panel color insert with detailed liner notes and photos/memorabilia. Featuring It's A Beautiful Day, San Francisco Sound House Band, Tripsichord Music Box, West Coast Natural Gas, and Black Swan.

Whatever Happened To...? by Dave (a duo comprised of Peter Harknett and Russell Elliott) has become one of the most elusive and sought-after modern psychedelic records among collectors of DIY and late-'60s-inspired psychedelia. Recorded in a converted garage studio in North London by two vinyl-obsessed friends operating under complete anonymity, the album offers a rare balance of lo-fi intimacy, homemade experimentation and authentic psychedelic vibe. Deeply inspired by psychedelia, folk-rock and krautrock (think Pretty Things, S.F.Sorrow, Barret-era Floyd, Gene Clark, Popol Vuh, Hawkwind, Koobas), the record feels less like a retro revival and more like a lost private press artifact from another era. Dreamy vocals, fuzzed out guitars, effects, long tracks, stoned vibe -- It will appeal equally to fans of '60s-'70s psychedelia, '90s shoegaze and bands like Spacemen 3/Flying Saucer Attack. The original album was mixed live by four hands straight from the mix desk without any studio gadgets. It was subsequently pressed in a homemade edition of 50 copies with help from Brian Carroll (cutting engineer at I.B.C. Studios: Factory, Five Day Rain, etc) but without Peter Harknett's (one half of Dave) knowledge / involvement. The cover featured Peter's neighbor Dave on the front. On the back, they included a blurry photo of their Italian friend Marco (from Rock Bottom Records), who used to buy and trade original psych albums from Russell and Peter. The original pressing of the album suffered from excessive duration on each side, affecting the sound quality. This has been fixed for our new reissue, expanding it to a double LP including two previously unreleased tracks from the album sessions. Also, all the tracks have been newly and carefully mixed from the original multi-track tapes by Peter Harknett, sounding better than ever. Featuring extensive liner notes and reflections from co-creator Pete Harknett, this long-overdue reissue finally brings the album beyond collector lore and into the wider psychedelic canon. Includes insert with liner notes by Klemen Breznikar (It's Psychedelic Baby) and photos. Features two previously unreleased bonus tracks from the original album sessions, as well as download card with the full 2LP plus one digital only bonus track.

LP version. The story of The 2nd Coming begins in the late 1960s, when psychedelic music was sweeping across America. While California became the epicenter, a parallel scene was quietly exploding in Florida -- fueled by young musicians inspired by the British Invasion and artists like Hendrix and Cream, yet searching for a heavier, more original sound. In Sarasota and Bradenton, a tight-knit group of players gathered around a small venue called Club Toro. Among them were Larry Reinhardt, Reese Wynans, Richard "Hombre" Price, Berry Oakley, and Dickey Betts -- musicians who would soon help shape what the world would later call Southern rock. What started as cover bands quickly evolved into something louder and more experimental. Out of this scene came two interconnected bands: The Load and The Second Coming (featuring Dickey Betts and Berry Oakley). By 1968, both groups had relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, sharing houses, stages, and an emerging musical vision. Their live shows -- especially at legendary local spots like the Forrest Inn -- became marathon jam sessions, drawing crowds of up to 2,000 people and attracting players like Duane Allman, Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe. These collaborations would ultimately lead to the formation of The Allman Brothers Band, while the remaining members continued forging their own path -- raw, heavy, and deeply rooted in blues, psychedelia, and improvisation. In April 1969, a new, revamped line-up of the Second Coming -- rechristened as The 2nd Coming -- and featuring Larry Reinhardt (guitar), Reese Wynans (organ), Richard "Hombre" Price (bass) plus two drummers (Monty Young and John Meeks), entered Sound Laboratory in Jacksonville to record what would become the Evaluations album. But when the band couldn't pay the $6,000 studio bill, the album was shelved. A failed trip to New York to secure a deal sealed its fate, and the band soon dissolved. The master tapes were left behind -- lost and forgotten for decades. The legend might have ended there -- until the late 1990s, when the original master tape was rediscovered in a storage archive. Purchased by the former band members, the recordings were finally back in their rightful hands. After years of remaining unheard, the project has now been fully restored and released in collaboration with Guerssen Records, bringing this powerful, long-lost recording to light for the very first time. Sourced from the original masters, featuring artwork in silver foil by artist Fez Moreno. Includes insert with liner notes by original member Richard 'Hombre' Price. Includes download card.

Writing On The Wall were a legendary Scottish underground psych/prog band whose explosive live reputation rivaled the early UK heavyweights of the late '60s/early '70s. From Edinburgh soul rebels to theatrical psychedelic warriors, they were signed to the Middle Earth label, releasing their sole album, The Power Of The Picts, in 1969. Sadly, despite critical praise, major live popularity and opportunities to break internationally, the band's career became trapped in management disputes, failed label deals and bad luck, leaving much of their finest material unreleased for decades. This compilation gathers some of that material: their killer non-LP "Lucifer Corpus / Child On A Crossing" 45; early psych stuff including the rare Jury acetate; the 7-minute Mellotron-fueled "Buffalo" and rare TV broadcast recordings. Comes in hard cardboard period sleeve. Includes insert with track-by track annotations by original member Jimmy Hush and rare photos.

One of the most sought-after albums from the US Xian rock scene, originally released in 1971. Hard psychedelic rock with male/female vocals and loud fuzz-wah guitar, imagine a mix between the Stooges and Jefferson Airplane. Sourced from the original master tapes. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve. Includes insert with liner notes and photos.

Alberto Continentino's bass is a trademark sound, and he has already been part of the rhythm section of artists such as Caetano Veloso, Ed Motta, Marcos Valle, Ana Frango Elétrico, Bala Desejo and many more. The instrumentalist's characteristic groove is present throughout the work, in which Alberto plays not only bass, but also synthesizers, electronic programming, piano, and acoustic guitar. Cabeça a mil, Corpo Lento brings together a lineup of collaborators and guests that includes Ana Frango Elétrico, Domenico Lancellotti, Kassin, Silvia Machete, Nina Becker, Negro Leo, and Dora Morelenbaum. Alberto Continentino is one of the most dynamic musical forces in Brazil -- an extraordinary bassist, innovative composer, and visionary producer who bridges generations of Brazilian music. Born into a family of musicians, he grew up immersed in jazz and MPB, discovering the bass in his teens and quickly becoming one of the most in-demand musicians in the country. By the age of 20, Alberto was touring the world with Caetano Veloso, launching a remarkable professional career that includes collaborations with Brazilian legends and contemporary stars. As a key musician and producer, he helped reshape Brazilian pop in the 2000s. Now stepping firmly into the spotlight as a solo artist, Alberto's work reveals the full range of his creativity. His third album, showcases his evolution into a bold frontman, crafting dreamy experimental jazz-pop from the abstract poetry of collaborators such as Silvia Machete and Negro Leo. The album highlights his multi-instrumental talents (bass, synthesizers, arrangements) and features mesmerizing female vocals, with mixing by Kassin and Mario Caldato. Beyond his own projects, Alberto continues to shape Brazil's musical future as a producer of emerging artists and a composer whose works have been recorded by icons. Whether laying down the groove for music royalty, reinventing MPB traditions through his genre-blending solo work, or mentoring the next generation, Alberto Continentino remains at the center of Brazilian music's ongoing evolution -- always honoring its roots while fearlessly moving forward.

Italian hard-rockers who chased the dream to London in '73 and recorded a full album in the very same studio and with the very same engineer as Led Zeppelin. Never released at the time, here it is in full hard-rock/proto-metal glory. Moby Dick were a fierce, English-singing rock band born in Naples in 1968, driven by zero compromises, and a motto that said it all: "no drugs, no bullshit -- just music." Blending Mediterranean fire with a hard-rock sound deeply inspired by Led Zeppelin, they carved out a reputation on the Italian live circuit before cutting a now-legendary, long-lost album in London in 1973. Formed in the Vomero district of Naples by guitarist Toni Di Mauro and bassist Enzo Petrone, the band came together with drummer Adriano Assanti and, after a relentless search, vocalist Sandro Coppola. Early rehearsals shook the walls of a tiny apartment, while their live shows -- explosive, chaotic -- earned them a cult following across Italy. They tore through clubs and festivals from Naples to Rome, Milan, and the Adriatic coast, known for wild performances, pyrotechnics, and sheer sonic power -- often for little or no pay. Backed by their loyal road manager Bruno and championed by promoter Maurizio Mauri, Moby Dick built their reputation the hard way: on stage. By 1973, against all odds, they secured a deal to record in London with a top engineer linked to the British rock elite. For the band, it was the dream realized: two intense weeks of rehearsing, refining, and recording their definitive statement. Despite the momentum, the album was never released. Industry hesitation, internal fractures, and shifting fortunes saw the band dissolve shortly after returning to Italy. Members drifted apart, opportunities pulled them in different directions, and the recordings were left behind. Featuring remastered sound from the original master tapes. Includes insert with liner notes and photos. Also includes download card including the full album plus four killer bonus tracks recorded in 1970. RIYL: Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, early Balletto Di Bronzo, '70s hard rock, proto-metal, underground European hard-rock.

2026 repress. "Water Damage don't play songs. They invoke states. It's not rock and roll, it's ritual repetition therapy, like if Glenn Branca got stuck in a feedback loop with La Monte Young and they both forgot what year it was -- Texas 2025 or Berlin 1972 or maybe just eternity's parking lot. This isn't music for driving -- unless you're driving into the sun with your eyes rolled back and the gas pedal held down with a cinderblock of intent. Captured in Utrecht, Netherlands at the almighty Le Guess Who? Festival, where churches tremble and strobes reflect off every holy surface, Live at Le Guess Who? is a document of sustained sonic immolation. Eight members. Two drummers. Multiple stringed instruments. One saxophone. All hammering away at 'Reel 25,' captured live here shortly after the recorded version which would end up becoming the lead track on their most recent double LP Instruments. A single idea drilling into the molten center of your skull with the grace of a jackhammer ballet. It's not a show. It's a slow-motion landslide with amps. And for this particular descent into the drone abyss, Water Damage were joined by two very special fellow travelers and honorary members: Ajay Saggar (Bhajan Bhoy, University Challenged) adding six-string sorcery and smolder, and Patrick Shiroishi, the free-reed exorcist himself who is a guest on Instruments and just happened to be at Le Guess Who? as well, channeling ghosts through saxophones like he's trying to crack the sky. As if Water Damage weren't already enough of a wall, these two brought the ceiling and the floor. Water Damage, the Austin psych-drone monolith with the un-Googleable name and the wall-of-amplifiers ethos, doesn't just flirt with chaos -- they drag it behind the van and mic up the gravel. Their motto? 'Maximal Repetition Minimal Deviation.' Which sounds like the world's most menacing yoga class or a commandment from some amp-fried cult, and maybe it is. This ain't no avant-noise chin-stroke either. It's hot and dense and loud like a steel mill hallucination, and if you find yourself dissociating mid-set, that just means it's working. This is music that doesn't 'build' -- it grinds. It gnaws. And then it blooms. If you're lucky, it leaves you somewhere softer. Le Guess Who? handed them the altar. Water Damage, Saggar, and Shiroishi set it on fire."

"Black 2LP. Double LP set featuring two live shows recorded in 1971 and 1972 plus the complete 1-10 (with a touch of 11) album, recorded in 1972 and previously only released in short excerpts. As they became The Residents, San Francisco's most treasured sons produced a number of experimental tapes, and even ventured beyond their studio to perform on stage. This set captures both those live shows and a previously-unheard-in-its-entirety studio recording, 1-10 (With A Touch Of 11). Raw and unsophisticated, and deeply experimental with regards the studio material, all three recordings shine a light onto the group's early, intrauterine period, capturing them performing together, and represents an invaluable part of their formative story. Part of the band's ongoing pREServed series, providing an accompaniment to a collection of vinyl reissues of their better known 1970s recordings, Warning: Uninc bears little relation to the rest of recorded music history, a pattern The Residents have continued over the 50 years since these recordings were made."

"Glorious vinylization of this 2022 ­duo session, originally issued as a cassette, documenting the first time Suzuki and Noyes ever collaborated. Ayami Suzuki has become known to cognoscenti for her brilliantly imagined vocal improvisations, through recordings with like-minded folks such as French vocalist/polymath Delphine Dora and avant hurdy gurdy player, TOMO. Rob Noyes has developed a parallel reputation as a master third-generation acoustic guitarist in the post-Takoma tradition. Originally based in the U.S. he wisely relocated to Tokyo several years ago. Which is where this meeting took place, and while I initially assumed the music had been composed to some degree. Rob assured me that was not true. He says, 'I think the recording can seem like something we took a lot of time with and discussed/composed to some degree, but we actually just agreed to meet at a rehearsal studio. It took a little more than an hour to track it all, without ever having played together before or even really discussing the approach we were going to take. I just tuned my guitar to a different tuning for each one and we let it roll.' The results kinda speak for themselves, but I was blown away by the notion they had never collaborated previously. The intimate nature of their blend recalls such long-time collusionists as Tim Buckley & Lee Underwood or Loren Connors & Suzanne Langille. Rob's delicate instrumental arcs create a perfect net for Ayami's vocals, which are usually wordless (although they always feel weighted with emotional content). It's a mesmeric pairing of voices. Which I can only hope is the first of many. Classic Fevers and Chills is a perfect soundtrack for spring, unconditionally magical." --Byron Coley, 2026

Hailing from Baltimore, United Sates Of Existence were one of the first neo-psychedelic bands. Formed in the late '70s highly influenced by '60s psychedelia and garage (Electric Prunes, Blues Magoos, Association) as well as more obscure stuff like Harumi and the Mainstream label bands, they were championed by people like Greg Shaw of Bomp! and Phil Smee at Bam Caruso. The anthemic "Return To The Psychedelic" was first included on the legendary Battle of the Garages compilation back in 1981. The electrifying "Shadows of Rainbows" was originally also included on another cult compilation, The Rebel Kind in 1983.

The Zelda Suites: a modern jazz reinterpretation of the music from the Legend Of Zelda, on special-edition gold vinyl. We Release Jazz presents the release of a limited-edition gold variant vinyl for Casimir Liberski ReTRio's The Z Suites, a full-length jazz album reinterpreting the music from iconic Nintendo video game series The Legend of Zelda. The epic Z-Jazz journey comes as limited edition of 300: 180g half speed mastered gold vinyl double LP housed in a heavyweight sleeve with obi. Casimir Liberski reimagines the golden era of video game soundtracks with jazz versions of Zelda favorites The Legend of Zelda (1986), A Link to the Past (1991), Link's Awakening (1993), and Oscarina of Time (1998) -- plus a few Easter eggs! Dancing between nostalgia and avant-garde, the Brussels-born pianist and composer crafts a sonic world of pixelated folklore where melody and improvisation coexist in harmony.

2026 repress. Originally released in 2014. "Nine years after Lookaftering, her last album of new material, legendary British singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan returns with a breathtaking new LP. Recorded largely in her home studio, Heartleap is a unique and entrancing collection of ten songs comprising what Vashti is adamant will be her final album. Vashti's third album follows her rediscovery after thirty years in the wilderness, with the 2000 re-release of Just Another Diamond Day and the critical success of 2005's Lookaftering. Heartleap has a classic sound and is the first album where she herself has been in control of the whole process, from writing and arranging to playing and recording. Crafted predominantly from a studio setup in her Edinburgh home, the record was slowly pieced together, and reveals an artist at her peak, capturing her songs within fluid settings that masterfully marry content and form. Both Just Another Diamond Day and Lookaftering saw Vashti's songs arranged and framed by others. Joe Boyd's production and Robert Kirby's arranging of the former remain timelessly classy, while Max Richter's bold production of the latter was enhanced by contributions from a raft of supporting artists (including Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver and Adem), all eagerly adding their colors. Vashti is justly proud of Lookaftering, but Heartleap is an equally strong and even more personal record, standing solely on the merits and patient endeavor of its author rather than being buoyed by and filtered through the cachet and collaborative creativity of a powerful supporting cast. Recording her vocals when no one else was around to overhear freed Vashti up to deliver more confident performances. At the same time, the absence of studio deadlines enabled her to work slowly and lovingly in her own time, weaving together tracks out of numerous takes. Predominantly guitar- or piano-led, with additional instrumentation building throughout, the songs have no underpinning bassline or percussion, giving each instrument and voice the chance to pace itself. It took in total seven years to put together these ten songs. The first was written in 2007, the last just two months before mastering. A hiatus in recording came with the untimely passing of Robert Kirby in 2009. Robert had arranged three songs on Just Another Diamond Day and the pair had just reconnected and planned to work on new arrangements together -- just weeks before he died. It would be another two years before Vashti took the decision that she must arrange the music herself, with Robert always in mind. The subsequent three years saw her gradually picking the thread back up and working with renewed purpose. Slowly more songs found their way out of her. Seven became ten. The right final mix frustratingly eluded her until the album magically came together in a week in May 2014 -- when it was balanced and mastered beautifully. Like the deer on the cover painting, Heartleap moves gracefully, enchantingly. Overcoming adversity through sheer willpower, its very existence is a dazzling triumph."

Japanese edition. Originally released in 2021. After having released Don Cherry's Cherry Jam as a limited Record Store Day title in the Autumn of 2020, Gearbox presents this essential release. Cherry Jam sets the scene in '60s Copenhagen, a city which at the time proved instrumental in the hosting and development of jazz musicians both local and American. Cherry had performed and recorded there with Archie Shepp in 1963, toured with Albert Ayler in the autumn of 1964, and would go on to have a residency at the hip Cafe Montmartre in 1966. This recording is taken from the original tape of a 1965 radio broadcast, programmed by Denmark's national radio station (Danmark's Radio.) It was in this same year that Cherry would record his landmark Blue Note recording, Complete Communion, with Leandro "Gato" Barbieri on tenor saxophone, Henry Grimes on double bass, and Edward Blackwell on drums, as well as feature on fellow American expatriate George Russell's live album George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall. This particular line-up however, consisting of Danish musicians, has never been heard after its original broadcast date, and neither have the three original Don Cherry compositions that are featured on the recording credits. These four pieces show Don Cherry in the midst of his transformation from pivotal sideman in New York's avant-garde jazz scene to leader of his own groups and world traveler. His endless curiosity, free-thinking openness to different cultures, and rejection of musical boundaries paved the way for future creators in jazz, world music, and beyond.

"Hip as hell" - The Wire

"It captures a really interesting period in his career... This is my favorite sound. It is just so chill and smart and just cool." - Robin Hilton, NPR Music

2026 restock; LP version. "Wire's first three albums need no introduction. They are the three classic albums on which Wire's reputation is based. Moreover, they are the recordings that minted the post-punk form. This was adopted by other bands, but Wire were there first. It has been a number of years since these albums were readily available. The aim with these new vinyl and CD releases is to approximate the original statements as closely as possible, but with remastered audio. The vinyl releases have the same covers and inners as the originals (minus the Harvest logo). The digipack CDs have identical track listings to their vinyl counterparts. These versions should be considered Wire's classic 1970s albums, pure and undiluted. Usually contextualized against a backdrop of two years of the growing cultural importance of punk rock--Wire's debut Pink Flag, released in December 1977 on EMI's progressive label Harvest was in fact was something 'other.' To the keen cultural commentator, the timing and label of its release will register two essential facts about it. Firstly, too late (a year after the Pistol's debut release) to be part of UK punk's first flush and secondly that the band were signaling something beyond punk by their choice of label. Further investigation would reveal twenty-one tracks, some of them clocking in at well under a minute and covering a range of tempi well beyond the buzzsaw rockabilly that had become, even by the second half of 1977, punk's staple."

2026 repress. Double LP version with printed inlays. The ocean -- the infinitude, the beauty, the color, the sound -- a truly seductive place. With the sound of ocean waves, Smallville's beloved artist Moomin invites audiences to enter his second full-length album, A Minor Thought. A selection of wonderful house tracks that have made for some great moments at Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson, and, of course, the Golden Pudel, among many others. In addition to his fantastic collection of analog synths and drum machines, Moomin is always on the hunt for the most delicate samples. Following his big first album, The Story About You (SMALL 004CD, 2011), and a number of beautiful works on his own Closer imprint, Moomin returned in 2015 with a 12" on Smallville's Fuck Reality sub-label. Of course, Moomin was also part of the 2015 Smallville Ways: Ten Years compilation (SMALL 010CD), which he followed with his Aquarama 12" for the label. Now he appears with another string of beauty: A Minor Thought. Artwork by Smallville's one and only Stefan Marx. Mastered by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering.

2026 repress. Be With Records present a reissue of DJ Quik's Safe And Sound, originally released in 1995. Complete with "Tanqueray", the hidden track from the original CD release. DJ Quik is a giant of West Coast hip-hop. With 1995's Safe + Sound, he scaled new levels of musical magnificence with his signature new age P-Funk/laconic G-Funk. A quintessential, sun-scorched LA album, this is pretty much essential. A preternaturally gifted producer/rapper, DJ Quik has produced scores of LA gangsta rap classics. He's released platinum and gold records of his own, as well as helped craft them for the likes of Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr Dre. Quik has always been quirkier and more interesting than his gangsta rap peers, both musically and lyrically. An old-school funk producer at heart, he's also incredibly nice on the mic. His raps often deal in boasts, jokes and good times but also cover his beefs, his trials and his trauma. Partying and pain, all mixed up. DJing and producing hype beat tapes from age 14, Quik's tracks blended the languid funk and rubbery synths of Zapp and George Clinton with a gangsta aesthetic, creating a more danceable foil to Compton's more typical nihilistic hedonism. Ultimately, his records sound custom engineered to drift out over sun-soaked barbecues. By the time of his third album DJ Quik was a household name on the West Coast -- California's premier rapper/producer not named Andre Young. Released on Profile in 1995, Safe + Sound was certified gold. Less reliant on samples and more focused on live instruments, it elevated him from producer to fully-fledged composer. This sound -- the quick, winding basslines, tinny high hats, smooth instrumental solos, soulful pipes, and Roger Troutman's talkbox -- defined him. This is an album of full-blown masterpieces. Rich soundscapes and masterfully arranged orchestrations with dense layers of sounds, intricate rhythms, and well-balanced songwriting. Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and pressed at Record Industry.

2026 repress. Initially conceived as a short-run cassette for Altered States Tapes, YL Hooi's nameless collection of textural apparitions oscillate between icy DIY minimalism, FX-drenched atmospherics, and nang chamber dub. A ghost-like transmission, Hooi's voice serves to anchor an array of sonic abstractions and impressionistic melodic motifs as a sense of purgatorial ambience dominates throughout. Co-produced with alleged fellow Kallista Kult member Tarquin Manek (LST, M. Quake), Untitled's ultimate sensation is its halfway state, as if caught between worlds. The album's final form speaks of its origins, recorded intermittently over a two-year period (2017-2019). The extended time passage seeps into the song structures, spiraling and mutating from the same center -- the elegiac pulse of opener "Title" presages the hymnal lilt of "Straight Thru", before birthing the inverted bossa nova of "W/O Love". The result is a constantly shifting tableaux of shared liminal spaces. These songs seemingly emerge in plumes of smoke, magician's tricks conjured from the ether. It's a vision that ossifies at Untitled's midpoint with a cover of Love Joys' "Stranger", the lovers rock original morphed into the transportive intimacy of Hooi's own hazy inner space, a totem of the LP's amorphous and ultimately sensuous qualities. The sound from both down under and way out there in subspace, Untitled is an inspired masterstroke of experimental mystics. This 2021 Efficient Space edition is remastered and robed in new artwork that honors the Melbourne-based earth dragon's Chinese and Russian heritage. Includes download code.

LP version. Japanese edition. New York-based trumpeter, composer and educator Charles Tolliver presents Connect. Recorded to tape at RAK Studios last November by Tony Platt (Bob Marley, Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Abdullah Ibrahim), the line-up features top musicians from the New York jazz scene who have collectively played with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Nancy Wilson, and Chick Corea. Forming as the Charles Tolliver All Stars, the band includes Jesse Davis on alto saxophone, Keith Brown on piano, Buster Williams on double bass, and Lenny White on drums. The album also bridges together New York and London by featuring leading British saxophonist Binker Golding on two tracks, (Binker & Moses, Moses Boyd Exodus, Zara McFarlane). Active since the 1960s, Charles Tolliver has been carrying the torch for jazz through his activities as accomplished trumpeter, educator at The New School, arranger for big band, and founder of the iconic Strata-East label which was responsible for releasing albums by Gil Scott-Heron, Clifford Jordan, Charlie Rouse, and Shirley Scott. As an entirely self-taught musician, he has collaborated with renowned artists such as Roy Haynes, Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, and McCoy Tyner.

"His sound is big and fierce and raw -- defined by heady intellectual content and an animating inner fire." -- Downbeat

"Triumphant" -- The New York Times

"Inquisitively lyrical" - The Wire

2026 limited restock. Outre-National Records present the first time vinyl reissue of Henri Guédon's Karma, originally released in 1975. Henri Guédon is an artistic legend from Martinique. Musician, painter, sculptor and one of the main architects of modern Caribbean/Antilles music. Taking the music to truly new and progressive territory from the late 1960s onward. Karma, his second album, is one of the holy grails of the Caribbean cosmic Latin/jazz scene, near impossible to find in this day and age. Released in 1975 on a small Parisian label, La Voix Du Globe, a label releasing Algerian, Moroccan and Egyptian records, the album was an anomalous release in their catalog. Karma was a convincing and unswerving statement following his stunning landmark debut LP (Cosmozouk Percussion). Incorporating African, Latin, and West Indies styles (Gwoka, Mazouk, Biguine, Bel-Air, Bomba...) with cosmic synths swirling all over intense roots percussion. The songs are propelled with a spiritual jazz vibe mixing with deep ethno-folk music from Martinique and Guadeloupe. The LP belongs to the same vein as as Marius Cultier, Louis Xavier or William Onyeabor for its totally original take on a hybrid music.

2026 repress; four LP version. Gatefold sleeve; includes six-page insert, an engraved side, and download code. Function's long career has seen him uncover a vast range of sonic identities, a mainstay through house, techno and industrial with collaborations with the likes of Regis, Damon Wild, alongside his highly influential Infrastructure imprint. With influences deeply tied to pop art, rave, and gay scenes, and early memories of block-parties emitting Kraftwerk and Strafe, he found himself seeking out the undercover illegal nights of the '90s on a quest of sexual unearthing, mixing the ever-yearning escapology mission of disco with the influential DJ sets of Jeff Mills. For his new album Existenz, he marks a clear step away from the corporeal techno of his recent releases. Pivoting around themes of religion, sexuality, trauma, and healing, it is a work expansive and celebratory, a clear liberation from a deeply internalized past. Formed from a collection of recordings made in a period from late 2016 to mid-2019, Existenz takes the form of a creative outburst in reaction to a number of traumas. Life partner Stefanie Parnow assisted the production process in its entirety, providing inspiration, spiritual healing, and featuring vocal contributions. Cosmic synths soar and swoop in "Pleasure Discipline" through towering stacks of rhythm that stutter and creak to a halt before rebooting, a firm robotic response to human intervention. "Zahlensender" reflects a spatial Tetris of urban life, as digitalization set within an XYZ matrix confronts the sprawling city. "The Approach" recalls the unification of the self, a state of delirium non-subjective and smooth, as all connections and functions give way to simple intensities of feeling, crossing the threshold into spirituality. "Golden Dawn", featuring Stefanie Parnow, marks a further elevation of dubbed-out euphoria. His ode to the effortless short-trip urban navigation "Kurzstrecke" finds Function in motion, upfront, and bold, snapshots of conversation and flickers of light. "Ertrinken" finds metallic bass jabs swamping snipped synthetic voices, with hidden stores of emotion set as a nod to the history of vocoders as a tool for encrypted military communication. House icon Robert Owens features on "Growth Cycle" and "Be", entrenching a celebratory atmosphere over Function's clubwise leanings. "Downtown 161" reflects the unmistakable filtered and squashed interjections of television, and sampled dance vocals -- a sound for the curious, dreamers and dancers. With Existenz, Function reveals an essential body of work -- thought experiments on the role of identity and spirituality after a lifetime of upheaval and trauma.

2026 repress; LP version. As the first entry in its catalog, French label Akuphone presents a reissue of Lily Chao's Chinese Folk Songs, originally released by Four Seas Records in 1968. This edition includes four previously unheard titles and exclusive liner notes containing Lily Chao's biography and lyric translations. Chao Xiao-Jun aka Lily Chao was born in Taiwan in 1948, while mainland China was rapidly undergoing major changes immediately following the end of the Chinese Civil War. After experiencing hard times in her girlhood, she ventured out into singing quite unwillingly. Indeed, at age 19, Lily Chao was compelled to give up her studies to support her family and start a career as a singer, after passing an audition at the Taipei Cabaret in Taiwan. The cabaret industry was in full swing at the time, offering destinations for popular entertainment, and Lily Chao's efforts to launch her singing career immediately attracted producers' attention. Her appearances at the Taipei Cabaret as part of its shows, which combined music in Mandarin, poetry, drama, magic, and other fine arts, soon earned her a reputation. Despite the immediate success that her numerous stage performances and appearances on the national television channel won her, Lily Chao led a chaotic and painful private life. As she smiled very little and tended to appear distant, the audience dubbed her the "Ice Queen," a nickname that she would keep for the rest of her career. This barely-concealed melancholy can be felt throughout Chinese Folk Songs, as well as in her very particular way of singing, which is both jerky and perfectly fluid. The album stands halfway between Mandarin folk songs and rock singing inspired by The Shadows, all surf guitar and garage sounds recorded with pinpoint precision and enhanced by saxophone and organ touches, while Lily Chao's intoxicating vibratos bring a pinch of soul to the music. An outstanding achievement of timeless pop music from the 1960s.

Color vinyl version. A cornerstone in European experimental and popular modern composition. Formed around the core of jazz vibraphonist Christian Burchard and drummer Dieter Serfas, the group started his career in Munich in 1969. More than 300 musicians have passed through their ranks, from their colleagues in Amon Duül II (Lother Meid, Chris Karrer, Jimmy Jackson), Xhol (Hansi Fischer), Between (Roberto Detree, Peter Hamel) to renowned jazzmen (Charlie Mariano, Mal Waldron) and countless musicians from around the world (Yoruba Dun Dun Orchester, Okay Temiz & Oriental Wind, Karnataka College Of Percussion, Mahmoud Gania, Xizhi Nie), making Embryo an ever-changing but always interesting collective of musicians. This is where it all began. Originally released by Ohr in 1970, Embryo's legendary debut was an inventive piece of progressive jazz-rock spiced-up with free moves and soaked in a late '60s psychedelic atmosphere. Miles Davis was right, Embryo was more than a unique experience. While talking with Charlie Mariano (the saxophone player was one of the most impressive collaborators of the band) one day he stated: "Embryo -- they are these crazy creative musicians playing really weird stuff." When you get the blessing from the prince of darkness itself, nothing can go wrong, so here's the story. Opal was the beginning of all things to come, the record was released in 1970 and licensed by pioneering early Berlin rock/jazz/experimental music label Ohr. It was quite a shock!

115 pages. Hardcover. Each book contains a QR code for a direct album download and stream. The third release in Greyfade's FOLIO format -- a full-length music edition in hardcover book form -- is Josh Mason's Kicking A Dark Horse. For his Greyfade debut, musician and sound artist Josh Mason presents an ambitious multi-modal work articulated across sound and text: a nine-track electronic album alongside a book-length work of experimental writing. Across both forms, Kicking A Dark Horse is governed by controlled instability -- chaotic structures that cohere without repetition and evolve without resolution. The text unfolds in fragments -- part diary, part landscape study, part fever dream -- extending the disjunctive, textural logic of the music into literary terrain rarely inhabited by a music edition.

London Records presents a new compilation Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story, a double CD featuring 40 classics. Released alongside a new major podcast Hit That Perfect Beat: The story of London Records (5 episodes), the compilation showcases the incredible success, breadth, and variety of the London Records with over 40 top 40 hits, 20 top 10 hits, 15 Top 5s and 5 number 1s. Featuring select tracks from the '80s, '90s and '00s, Hit That Perfect Beat traverses synthpop (Blancmange, Bronski Beat), rave and D'n'B (Orbital, CJ Bolland, Goldie, Armand Van Helden) Britpop (Menswear, Gay Dad), antidote pop groups (All Saints, East 17), Y2K pop (Sugababes, Dannii Minogue) and monster global hits (Fine Young Cannibals, Bananarama, Shakespeares Sister) and more (such as Happy Mondays, Brand New Heavies, Echo & The Bunnymen, Flowered Up). Featuring liner notes from journalist Siân Pattenden (former writer for Smash Hits, The Face, Select Magazine), who is also the presenter of the podcast, this is the perfect introduction to the one of the world's most exciting and dynamic labels. Also featuring The Bluebells, Total Contrast, Carmel, The Communards, Hothouse Flowers, D Mob, Cookie Crew, Jimmy Somerville, Voice of The Beehive, Flowered Up, Utah Saints, New Order, Marcella Detroit, Berri, Stretch & Vern, The Mike Flowers Pops, Lisa Marie Experience, The All Seeing I, Asian Dub Foundation, Artful Dodger, and Sugababes.

"The Miller Brothers, Roger (Mission of Burma, etc. etc. etc.), Laurence (Destroy All Monsters, etc. etc. etc.) and Benjamin (Destroy All Monsters, etc. etc. etc.) grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan in a musical family. When the Beatles hit in 1964 Roger was 12 and Laurence and Benjamin were 10, all three ready to rock. Their first band, which covered 13th Floor Elevators, Love, Kinks, Yardbirds, performed two shows summer 1967. In 1969, their spontaneous improv. session Freak Trio Electric sealed the fate towards Sproton Layer. With a complete belief in weed as the doorway to an alternate universe, Roger began a furious bout of composing that spring. There was a lull in the summer, but in the fall, with the addition of Harold Kirchen (brother of Bill Kirchen, Commander Cody) on trumpet, they were off and running again. A few recordings were made in 1969 with one mic on the ping-pong table, and Mark Brahce, set up his first session with the band. The best of these recordings make up the '1969' side of Press Your Hand and the Whole Room Fluctuates. At the end of August 1970, Mark Brahce recorded their album With Magnetic Fields Disrupted in the Miller family recreation room, and the band promptly folded when they got no notice or response. Their brand of psychedelia was on the wane. They reformed briefly in 1971 as an instrumental trio but played only two shows before disbanding in that incarnation. They reformed for a series of five shows in 2013 with Steve Smith on trumpet. The '1969' side of Press Your Hand and the Whole Room Fluctuates consists of songs that didn't make it onto With Magnetic Fields Disrupted, and the '1971' side are all spontaneous Free Rock/Space Jams, with their very unique take on this matter. After Sproton Layer folded, all brothers kept extremely active and continue creating music to this very day. In chronological order, after the demise of Sproton Layer: The Fourth World Quartet, Empool, Destroy All Monsters, Mission of Burma, Nonfiction, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, GKW, M3, Larynx Zillion's Novelty Shop, No Man, Mister Laurence and his Play Money Band, The Alloy/Anvil Orchestra, Solo Multiphonic Guitar, Binary System, The Mister Laurence Experience, Third Border, M2, Transistor, Trinary System, The Sensorium Saxophone Ensemble, Exploded View, Porcelain Hammer, The Sensorium Chamber Ensemble, Tinn Parrow, and his Clapfold Platune, Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble, and many many more."

Includes new album Rotation (LP 1), High Low presented on vinyl for the first time (LP 2), debut album Trickfinger I on green vinyl (LPs 3 and 4), and Trickfinger II on red vinyl (LP 5). "When I recorded the first two Trickfinger records, I had recently discovered that you could make electronic music in a room with a bunch of synced machines going at the same time, record it on a CD burner and have a finished track. I've heard this process described as 'overdubbing into the air.' I wasn't trying to be good, or original. I was just excited that music could be made that way; it felt like I was a whole group of musicians playing together, or like I was jamming with ghosts of myself. In 2007, I started doing it myself, which resulted in what was eventually released as Trickfinger, and Trickfinger II. I was just home from tour and was still in the middle of recording The Empyrean. A couple of years later I started making music by overdubbing onto a computer, but using the same machines. I tried to make music that didn't sound like anything else. I saw a way of combining progressive rock and synth pop which nobody had done. And I was combining my songwriting and guitar playing with these old machines in a way which I was sure was unique. I had reached a point where it was more important to do something original than to do something good. Some of this music did not get a proper release, and is compiled here as the vinyl record High Low. I don't think I have ever tried so hard at making music as I did during that period. This in contrast to those two Trickfinger records, where I wasn't trying at all. I was really pushing myself on High Low. Looking back, it was as if I had an audience inside myself, driving me to go beyond my abilities, while at the same time I had a total disregard for any concept of an actual audience. It was one of those periods in life where things come together in a certain way that feels natural at the time, but seems foreign in retrospect. It felt like I was going to die if I didn't do something musically different. The fourth record in this box is me breaking in a new mixing console, making live-to-stereo music. The record is called Rotation, and it is all new music. These tracks are more in the 'not trying' category, since we're on that subject. I had just come home from tour, and was just really glad to be in the studio with my machines. Acid Test thought it would be nice to do a box set commemorating the 10th anniversary of the release of Trickfinger, and so we put together this box set, with homemade cover art." --John Frusciante, 2026

Featuring DJ Anderson do Paraiso, DJ Sandrinho, Jonas Albrecht, Xexa, Felinto, Gabi Guedes, Sávio de Queiroz, Vincent Taeger, and Kimia. Upon their arrival in Brazil after the traumatic Atlantic crossing, enslaved populations from West Africa sought to reconstruct their sacred cultural and spiritual systems within a profoundly hostile environment. Five centuries later, the vitality of terreiros (ritual grounds) across the country bears witness to a living and adaptive religion that continues to evolve while remaining deeply rooted in ancestral traditions. Today, Candomblé is celebrated throughout Brazil and increasingly recognized internationally, far beyond Afro-descendant communities. The project Candomblé: Sacred Rhythms in Brazil, articulated around the publication of a book and a double LP combining original sound archives with newly commissioned compositions, seeks to honor this tradition by documenting its historical foundations while offering a critical and artistic reflection on its contemporary transformations and future trajectories.

"The German-British progressive rock band Message was formed in the fall of 1968 by bassist Horst Stachelhaus (who later played with Birth Control from 1977 to 1979). In the spring of 1970, British musician Alan Murdoch joined the band. Murdoch brought his friend and fellow countryman, saxophonist Tom McGuigan, into the band. With guitarist and singer Billy Tabbert and drummer Gerhard Schaber, Message eventually became a quintet. Billy Tabbert had previously played in a band with Derek Moore and Ron Howden, who would later become founding members of Nektar. Message debuted in 1970 with the single 'Sunshine Girl' (B-side: 'Bubble Gum'). This was released on Bellaphon. For their second single, 'Smile' (B-side: 'Painted Lady') from 1971, the band switched to the new progressive rock label Bacillus, which was distributed by Bellaphon. Under the direction of producer Peter Hauke (Nine Days Wonder, Pell Mell, Nektar, etc.) and sound engineer Dieter Dierks, the debut album The Dawn Anew Is Comin' was released in 1972. Nektar keyboardist and singer Allan 'Taff' Freeman appeared as a guest musician. Critics and audiences responded enthusiastically to Message's debut album. Yet despite the success, Schaber and Tabbert left the band. In August 1973, Message released their second album From Books and Dreams for Bacillus, once again with Hauke and Dierks at the controls. The band was now a quartet with Günther Klingel on drums. On their second LP, the band celebrated Krautrock-influenced hard rock with progressive and experimental elements. Both albums are being released remastered with bonus material as a double CD in a digisleeve (eco pack)."

Blue Hour is the most recent release from Friday Night Plans, recently signed by Modern Obscure Music. The project marks FNP's shift from their "pop" roots towards a more experimental and ambient sound. Friday Night Plans is pioneered by singer/songwriter Masumi who has collaborated on this project with acclaimed Japanese producer Ena. Together, they have created a collection of songs that represents the quiet introspection and emotions of the AM hours, using improvisation during the production process to create a cyclical record that is described as "dreamlike." Masumi attributes the project to a journey consisting of fragments of memory through each song; a reflection of how nostalgia and recollection connects listeners to emotions.