Born Herman Poole Blount in Alabama during 1914, Sun Ra first emerged on the Chicago jazz scene during the late 1940s. One of the great avant-garde composers of his generation -- leading the way on piano, organ, and (eventually) synthesizer -- beginning in the mid-1950s and lasting until his death in 1993, led the Arkestra, a band through which a near countless number of important artists passed and collaborated with, and many remained for the duration of their careers, notably Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and June Tyson. Known for their wild costumes and theatrics, Ra's eccentric image and claims that he was from Saturn was deeply political, imagining an alternate social order, history, and future for African Americans that rests as a pioneering force in the Afro-Futurist movement. Recorded live at Teatro Giulio Cesare on March 28, 1980, comprising an astounding 27 compositions, including the highly celebrated "Astro Black," "Mr. Mystery," "Romance of Two Planets," "Space Is the Place," "We Travel the Spaceways," and "Calling Planet Earth." High among the greatest live gigs by the Arkestra captured on tape, carefully mastered by Matt Bordin at Outside Inside Studio, Live in Rome 1980 is a near perfect snapshot of the band's versatility and range, including many of their most notably and famous songs, as well as striking renditions of the Horace Henderson penned Benny Goodman number "Big John's Special," Fletcher Henderson's "Yeah Man!," and "Limehouse Blues," displaying Ra's willingness to address and rework the entire, diverse history of jazz in a single go. Heard in its totality, perhaps what makes Live in Rome 1980 most striking is the way in which the concert plays out. Roughly the first half encounters the band locked in some of the most out-there, free jazz fire that can be imagined, weaving a startling sense of interplay and furious energy into a brilliant tapestry of writhing sonority, the likes of which were only really achieved by this band. The second half, with only moments of exception that return to the furious energy of the first, is a very different affair, easy toward the vocal standards, led by June Tyson's vocals and the joyous collective chanting of the band, for which they have become so widely celebrated, threading the sounds of off-kilter big band swing with heavy grooves and imagines of outer space.

A selection of 28 Colombian cumbia bangers for the dance floor from the deep vaults of Codiscos and associated labels Costeño, Zeida and Famoso, all of them originally released between 1962 and 1983. Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! combines well-known classics and rarities that are difficult to find in their original formats. An invitation to enjoy and be amazed, above and beyond ethnographic and academic concerns. The historical origins of cumbia in Colombia are nebulous and imprecise. The mythology surrounding it suggests an ancient past when Amerindian, African and European musical sounds were mixed together. The main record companies in Colombia such as Discos Fuentes, Discos Tropical, Sonolux, Zeida-Codiscos, Silver, Ondina, Discos Atlantic, Vergara and Curro were created between Barranquilla, Medellín, Cartagena and Bogotá from 1936 to 1954. All of them, without exception, recorded Colombian tropical music that over the years was given different names such as porro, gaita, fandango, paseaito, merecumbé, mapalé, bullerengue or, of course, cumbia. After digging deep into the overwhelming archive of Discos Fuentes in the previous volume, this second instalment in the series Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! comprises 28 Colombian cumbia bangers for the dance floor from the deep vaults of Codiscos and associated labels Costeño, Zeida and Famoso, all of them originally released between 1962 and 1983. Legally established on July 1, 1950, Zeida (later Codiscos) was one of the companies that consolidated Medellín as the epicenter of the Colombian recording industry in the central decade of the last century. Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! combines well-known classics and rarities that are difficult to find in their original formats. An invitation to enjoy and be amazed, above and beyond ethnographic and academic concerns. Featuring Los Hermanos Martelo, Los Trotamundos, Antonio León Y Su Conjunto, Antolín Y Su Combo Orense, Francisco Zapata, Crescencio Salcedo, Sonidos De Gamero, Los Teen Agers, Miguel Villalba Y Su Conjunto, Calixto Ochoa, Alfredo Gutiérrez Y Los Caporales Del Magdalena, El Michi Y Su Combo Bravo, Los Graduados, Gabriel Mesa, Adolfo Pacheco Y Su Conjunto, El Conjunto Miramar, El Combo Cienaguero, La Sonora Universitaria, Orquesta De Marcial Marchena, Rita Fernández, Jaime Llano González, Los Arko, Aniceto Molina Y Su Conjunto, Los Bobby Soxers, Catalino Y Su Combo Negro, La Cumbia Moderna De Soledad, Alejandro Bernal, and Grupo La Droga.

Boston/Tenor/Index presents for the first time some of the earliest works by the American composer Phil Niblock, including the three never before released "Index" (1969), "Tenor" and "Boston III" (both from 1972), thus making it possible to discover Niblock's starting point as a composer. Until now, it's been impossible to encounter Niblock's compositions from earlier than the '80s, a reality thankfully rectified by the long overdue publication of this Boston/Tenor/Index, now on CD from Alga Marghen. "Tenor" (1972) represents the first evolution of Niblock's musical thought towards the aesthetics of microtones, overtones, and drones which the composer would develop in following decades. The piece was recorded by the photographer Martin Bough on tenor saxophone and gradually dubbed back and forth by the composer in his New York studio. The audio materials activated in "Tenor" through technologically de- and re-composed sounding textures, became a vehicle for those sound anomalies that would determine Niblock's audio poetics. Performing gestures are deconstructed though disseminating and editing processes by the imperceptible gestures of the composer. With its smooth flowing structure, "Boston III" (1972) stands at the very beginning of this illusion. It was recorded at the Intermedia Sound studio in Boston with Rhys Chatham (flute, voice), Martin Bough (tenor saxophone), and Gregory Reeve (viola, voice); the composer himself also contributed with his voice. "Index" (1969) is an improvised sound performance by the composer himself. The listener is lucky to listen to the movements of the artist's fingers hitting a guitar string and the soundboard in breathtaking tempo. The piece itself represents early minimalism in its virgin state, untouched by distancing technology. Guitar (both its body and strings), fingers and fingering fuse in a vehement action around which barely listenable sounds and resonances vibrate. This CD also includes "Boston I" (1972), or the first chapter of the "Boston" series. This 25-minute bonus track is less massive than "Boston III," but this version is much richer in dynamics and presents a more recognizable voice of each instrument. The music changes according to the loudness of playback. The interaction of the upper harmonics changes especially, with much richer overtone patterns being produced at louder levels. Edition of 300 copies in digipak sleeve, including an eight-page booklet with photos and liner notes.

Abul Mogard and Rafael Anton Irisarri's partnership unfolded serendipitously at the sold-out opening of the SoundSet Series at Madrid's Condeduque cultural center in 2023 -- a program that featured performances by legends such as Autechre and younger artists like Caterina Barbieri and KMRU. The duo's encore that evening, recorded for Spain's Radio 3, resonated deeply with the audience, igniting a creative spark that propelled them to work remotely in their respective studios. At the heart of their effort lies a delicate balance of restraint and innovation, evident in the live concert track "Waking Up Dizzy on a Bastion." This piece, inspired by their musical sensibilities, serves as a testament to their shared vision and mutual respect. Utilizing a familiar parallel chord progression, the track builds from a simple melodic motif played live on synths that transforms into a call-and-response interplay between Mogard's synth lines and Irisarri's bowed guitar loops, creating a dialogue-like interaction between the musicians. Building upon the energy of that live performance, Mogard and Irisarri crafted "Place of Forever," a companion piece that combines Mogard's Farfisa organ and modular synthesizers with Irisarri's signature guitar tones and looping techniques at his Black Knoll studio in New York. Starting with a somber and minimal tone, the track gradually evolves, unfurling layers of deep bass tonalities draped in blissful gauze as it progresses during its 17-plus minute duration. The resulting album exudes a profound sense of alchemy, effortlessly weaving intricate soundscapes that feel simultaneously faraway and intimate. The cover artwork, by Marja de Sanctis, depicts a vase sculpture made of unfired clay. Created and photographed by herself, it reflects lights and shadows of fragility. Daniel Castrejón's design responds to the image transforming the shape of the vase into lines and empty spaces. Through these joint pieces, Mogard and Irisarri have created a work that encapsulates the dichotomy inherent in its title: Impossibly Distant, Impossibly Close.

LP version. The explorer Walter Maioli makes his most amazing adventure, the journey to the center of the Earth. Retracing the exploits of the Platonic demiurge, he identifies in the cave the deepest meaning of myth. Primordial sounds, not shadows, are at the center of this magical path straddling geology and Paleolithic polyphony. The recordings between 1985 and 2002 capture the sonic imperceptibility of the great subterranean womb, investigate the secret dialogue between the trickling of pond waters and the faint percussive reverberation of stalactites and stalagmites. Rocky sediments are played as tubular organs, glockenspiels, xylophones or stone marimbas. Crystalline timbral variations and subtle microtonal passages recall the chimes of Tibetan gongs and bells, of the scales of Java and Bali. Amidst muffled pauses and silences, trills and rings, echoes and tremolos, hisses and pops of vibration, Maioli builds his most imaginative niche of sound, a magnetic and telluric chant that is pure symphony and archetypal synesthesia. Co-produced with Holidays Records.

The work of Bolivian composer Cergio Prudencio (La Paz, 1955) is indissolubly linked to the project of the Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos (Experimental Orchestra of Native Instruments, OEIN), which he co-founded in 1980 and of which he is the emeritus director. It constitutes one of the most challenging adventures in the music that has emerged in Bolivia and Latin America. The OEIN is the result of the incorporation of Aymara musical traditions into the realm of contemporary music to produce a new sonic world. This incorporation is not only based on using native instruments but also involves integrating their socio-historical context and philosophies from the Andean indigenous world. The release of Cergio Prudencio's Antología 1: Obras para la Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos allows listeners to delve into this wealth of thought and sounds, into the work of a fundamental and radical artist, for whom decolonization is also an opening to experimentation and the new. These compositions project a historical memory into the present, constructing new horizons. This is evident in the works included in this album, such as "La ciudad" (1980), which marks the beginning of an understanding of highland urban soundscapes, a geography that cannot be understood without the groups of sikus and led to the formation of the OEIN. On the other hand, there is a piece like "Cantos insurgentes" (2012), composed from materials used for the soundtrack of the film Insurgentes by Jorge Sanjinés, a Bolivian director and founder of Grupo Ukamau, with whom Prudencio has had a long collaboration as the creator of music for his films. Prudencio's work has followed multiple musical paths, including music for conventional Western instruments, music for film and video, electroacoustic music, chamber opera and more. The album is completed with compositions such as "Tríptica" (1985), "Otra ciudad" (2005), and "Cantos funerales" (2015), offering an artistic and vital journey in Prudencio's trajectory as well as that of the OEIN. Limited edition of 300 copies. Includes a booklet with notes written by Cergio Prudencio. The recording, editing, and mastering were done by Gustavo Navarrete. Art and design by Gonzalo de Montreuil.

The Italian early electronic music scene has been at the core of Die Schachtel's activity since their very beginnings in the early 2000s. The Milanese label now returns with a new chapter in their celebrated Silver Series, a long-due first-time reissue of Musica Elettronica/Computer Music 1966-1972 by SMET (Studio di Musica Elettronica di Torino). Augmented with three previously unreleased bonus tracks, this is early '70s Italian electronic avant-garde music at its best. The SMET was born in Turin in 1964, from an idea by Enore Zaffiri. In the beginning the Studio worked with rudimentary equipment, aiming to disseminate knowledge of this avant-garde musical sector through conferences and auditions and, at the same time, developing its own sound experiences. The year of this (nowadays super rare) vinyl's publication was a turning point in the evolution of electronic music in Italy. 1972 saw the publication of Introduction to Electronic Music by Armando Gentilucci, the first volume written by an Italian, in Italian, to examine technological advancements, by the renowned publishing house Feltrinelli. During this period, Pietro Grossi, Enore Zaffiri, and Teresa Rampazzi had the opportunity to develop their most significant compositional experiences. They engaged in a variety of activities, and this vinyl release marked a turning point in the evolution of electronic music in Italy, such as exchanging works, collaborating with each other, participating in itinerant exhibitions, traveling, writing, and organizing broadcasts. Zaffiri and SMET's shared ideology is clearly summed up on Musica Elettronica/Computer Music 1966-1972: electronic music, with its meticulous control over sound and form, is the only way to break free from the constraints of traditional compositional methods and instrumental mastery. It is an experimental endeavor that can only be achieved through a spirit of exploration and collaboration. Originally issued in 1972, and featuring the unmistakable sound of the iconic EMS VCS3 synthesizer along with tones generated on an IBM 360 computer, Musica Elettronica/Computer Music was privately pressed in a handful of copies at the Fonit Cetra studios. Carefully remastered, this collection now features three previously unreleased extra tracks. Pressed on black vinyl in an edition of 210 copies, the album comes packaged in a deluxe cover with handmade silver foil printed on 450g paper, and also includes a 30x30cm double-sided insert with detailed notes and a SMET/Enore Zaffiri exhaustive chronology.

"So excited and honored to finally release the vinyl document of my realization of John Cage's Rozart Mix. Back in the extremely strange year of 2020, I was approached by Wave Farm and John Cage Trust to stage a performance of this seldomly performed piece that Cage wrote for Alvin Lucier. The piece is comprised of 88 tape loops (one for each key of a piano), spliced together with multiple non-musical sounds played back on 12 reel to reel machines. In January of 2021 I spent a wonderful and intense week researching Rozart Mix at John Cage Trust at Bard College. It was the first place I had visited during the pandemic. On October 23, 2021, with the assistance of Rose Actor-Engel, Twig Harper, C. Lavender, Quintron, Robert Turman, and John Wiese, I presented a six-hour performance of Rozart Mix at the John Cage Trust. Six hours of 12 individually amplified reel to reel tape machines, placed around multiple floors of a house, playing 88 tape loops spliced together by 5 to 175 splices, created an overwhelming and joyous environment of cacophonous sound. The performance culminated with John Wiese touching a frog for the first time as the final sound croaked through the speakers. The frog contact was just one of many magical moments that occurred during the preparation and presentation of the piece. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed performing it. Special thanks to Galen Joseph-Hunter of Wave Farm and Laura Kuhn & Emy Martin of John Cage Trust for trusting me with this material." --Aaron Dilloway, May 2024

Edition of 500 copies, screen printed cover. Includes two inserts: a replica of the original insert and the English translation. Henry Krutzen is a relatively shadowy figure in the history of experimental sound. Between the early '80s and the 2010s, there are only a handful of albums that bear his name, and very little information about them. A multi-instrumentalist and composer who studied percussion, saxophone, and harmony in various schools and jazz clinics across Belgium, over the years he played in a diverse range of musical projects across the idioms of jazz, new wave, heavy metal, experimental, chanson française, world music and progressive rock, before relocating to Brazil during the early 2000s. Silances, originally released by Igloo Records -- the Belgian imprint founded in 1978 by Daniel Sotiaux -- sitting alongside astounding and remarkably unique albums by Leo Küpper, Jacques Bekaert, Henri Chopin, Arthur Pétronio, André Stordeur, and numerous others, is an entirely singular gesture at the borders of sound poetry, musique concrète, and radical electroacoustic practice that draws upon disparate elements of drone, jazz, minimalism, ecstatic tribalism, and various traditions of music from across the globe. Decades on from its original release it remains as striking, unique, and compelling as it did upon its release. In a note that Krutzen penned in 2022 when he was contacted for the reissue of Silances, Krutzen recalls: "Since I was 16, I had been experimenting with concrete music with a technician friend and we used all a teenager's room could offer to make sounds into music: faucets, glasses of water, metal springs on ladders, objects of any kind? I had hours of recordings I pitched to Daniel [Sotiaux], to see if he was interested in making an album. I also had other ideas I wanted to be able to develop. What a joy when he accepted to work on the project! So I got to work. First, I set up a vocal improvisation quartet, and we spent long afternoons rehearsing using input I provided? We went into the studio and recorded almost two hours of improvisation, from which I then chose the best moments for the final product."

Disperú is the first independent record label in Peru and South America that was founded and run by a woman. In the space of five years Rebeca Llave turned not only Disperú into a successful company but also transformed it into an amplifier and showcase for unique Peruvian popular music projects including the raw, wild and visceral sound of Los Saicos, '60s punk pioneers. This compilation comprises 14 amazing tracks, ranging from cumbia or boogaloo to beat and garage, to celebrate the music legacy of this unique pioneer woman. Disperú was founded at a key moment for Peruvian popular music. In 1965 young Peruvians were gaining prominence in society and the entertainment industry. The hangover of the "new wave," with its balladeers, persisted on the radio and television, but rock bands were also emerging, inspired by what was happening musically in Liverpool and on the beaches of California. Guided by her ability to spot talent and target what she perceived as commercial prospects, Rebeca signed up an impressive lineup of artists. Several of which would move on to bigger labels, after "the girl with the charming smile" had set them on the recording road to fame. Besides gathering young rockers (Los Saicos, Jean Paul El Troglodita) and new wave bands (Los 4 Brillantes, Golden Boys) under its umbrella, Disperú also ventured into coastal and Andean music from Peru and tropical music (Chano Scotty y su Combo Latino, Toño y sus Sicodélicos). This compilation celebrates the music legacy of this unique pioneer woman. Also featuring Gloria Travesí Y Sus Hijos Cantan, Claudio Fabbri, Los Peruvian Brass, Los Guajiros Del Ritmo, and Alicia Estrada Y Su Orquesta.

Launching into the early, wintering months of the new year, the brand-new imprint Oblio -- the latest adventure in the Die Schachtel/Blume family -- delivers their debut LP, the first ever fully remastered vinyl reissue of Maurizio Bianchi's seminal 1982 album Regel. A startling bridge between 1950s and '60s avant-garde electronic music and the legacies of punk, originally released on Bianchi's own Mectpyo Sounds imprint under the moniker M.B., for decades it has been hotly pursued as one of the great cornerstones of early '80s Italian experimentalism and industrial music. In 1979, Maurizio Bianchi turned his focus to making music of his own, initially self-releasing four cassettes under the moniker Sacher-Pelz, before beginning to work under his own name or the abbreviation M.B. in 1980. He was regarded as a foundational project in the movements of Italian industrial music and noise, as well as a crucial link between the Milan scene and similar artists working in other parts of the world. Of these, M.B.'s 1982 album Regel, originally released in a tiny edition of 300 copies by Bianchi's own Mectpyo Sounds imprint, remains one of the most celebrated and sought-after. Comprising two, untitled, side-long compositions, M.B.'s Regel stands among the best illuminations of the tangible links between the early electronic avant-garde and certain forms of music that blossomed from the cultural revolution of punk. The first piece draws upon manipulated sound sources, threaded with synthesizer or theremin, which collectively gather an almost post-apocalyptic sensibility. Using a similar sound palette, the album's second side delves toward a more markedly tonal realm, utilizing deconstructed melodic elements, striking harmonic collisions and pulses, placed within a cavernous sense of space and texture that achieves thrilling seductiveness. Regel is made up of two sprawling, long-form sides standing in stark contrast to M.B.'s more aggressive, industrial-oriented works. Instead, what unfolds is a classic of austere musical hypnotism. A high-water mark of early '80s Italian experimentalism. Fully remastered by Andrea Marutti and issued in collaboration with the artist. Limited edition of 300 copies on black vinyl.

On Stone, Suzuki expounds his approach of "throwing and following," casting out sounds and gestures into space and catching their returns. Each of the pieces explores the materiality of his chosen objects and the space within which each is activated. The recordings catch this process of sonic offering, and receiving, that characterizes the generosity of his relationship with sound, space and time. Originally recorded in 1994 in Berlin, this 30th anniversary edition features a new booklet with text by David Toop and photo documentation, some of which has not previously been published. The edition is also entirely remastered from the original recordings. From David Toop (excerpt from the Stone booklet): "With concentration, or elevated tension as he has called it, Akio Suzuki enters completely into the substance of sound, its emergence and its passing. What he does with sound may propose a rarefied world to many people, and yet it possesses a persuasive quality of rightness. One of the most difficult aspects of music and soundwork to explain is the concept of 'right action.' How is that music can be evaluated almost immediately, just as quickly as a fire alarm or a baby's cry? When Akio performs, certain qualities (grace, warmth, a quiet authority of mind and action, an engagement with the vessel of nothingness through which sound can emerge) are evident as presences, as soon as he begins. He begins from a state we call silence, by listening, yet at the same time raises questions about our ideas of what this silence might be. Time passes; fixity gives way to destruction; visual perfection is relinquished within the faintest of sound fields. As for the work, this ceremony returns us to nothing, 'to the feeling of not knowing exactly what is before us,' so to the uncanny, to the shell-like ear found by the sea, the 'ungraspable phantom of life,' the record of a haunting, time regained. The sound is a parabola, a finger tracing on skin, a brush point, bird in flight." Recorded in Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Studio I on 11, 12, 13, and 17 October 1994. Mixed by Hans Peter Kuhn. Recorded by Junko Wada. Mastered by Lawrence English at Negative Space.

Brooklyn Sounds legendary 1971 debut album, full of heavy Nuyorican underground salsa dura propelled by raw trombones and in-your-face percussion, born of the barrio streets and the band's Caribbean heritage. Fully authorized by producer Bobby Marin, with liner notes detailing the Brooklyn Sounds story, featuring never-before seen photos and pressed on 180g vinyl. In the bustling rhythm-filled streets of 1970s New York, where the Latin music scene pulsated with energy, one clandestine project emerged from the shadows to become a hidden gem of raw, unfiltered musical brilliance -- the legendary Brooklyn Sounds! album. Crafted by the audacious Bobby Marin, a maestro with an appetite for risk, this masterpiece is not just an album; it's a sonic rebellion that echoes the untamed spirit of the city. The iconic album cover, a creation of the visionary Charlie Rosario, is a testament to the band's urban roots. A stark, black-and-white photograph of a snow-clad fire escape, rendered with high contrast, encapsulates the hard realities of the city that birthed Brooklyn Sounds' unmistakable sound. It's not just an album cover; it's a visual manifesto, a slice of New York's gritty soul frozen in time. As the reels rolled in the studio, capturing the essence of guaguancó, son montuno, bomba, and Latin soul, the band's music spoke to the streets, telling tales of broken romance, Santería, Puerto Rican roots, and the unbridled revelry of the city that never sleeps. The recording exuded a savage, smoggy vibe, full of heavy Nuyorican underground salsa dura propelled by raw trombones and in-your-face percussion. Released under the audacious Salsa Records -- a name that turned heads and raised eyebrows -- Brooklyn Sounds! broke free from the mold, refusing to be confined by mainstream expectations. The LP became a sought-after treasure, transcending its low-budget origins. This hidden jewel, with its relentless rhythms and untamed spirit, never succumbed to the airwaves controlled by the big labels. It's a rebellion against the establishment, a testament to the band's refusal to conform. While Brooklyn Sounds may not have soared to mainstream heights, its impact echoes through collector circles worldwide, from Toronto to Tokyo, where enthusiasts crave the rare, the raw, and the rebellious. So, dive into the infectious beats, feel the authenticity pulsating through every track, and let Brooklyn Sounds! take you on a journey back to the untamed streets of 1970s New York.

Guaracheros was released on MAG, in Peru, at the end of 1961 and includes six versions, four of them are of Cuban origin, and also original compositions masterfully performed by Nelson Ferreyra's Sonora. Nelson Ferreyra's career went from strength to strength, and was publicly recognized as an international figure of tropical music. This album is a brilliant reflection of MAG's tagline: "Si su fiesta le fracasa, discos MAG faltan en casa" ("If your party flops, you're missing MAG records at home"). First time reissue. The records Nelson Ferreya recorded at the MAG studios display his passion for Cuban music and particularly for guaracha, accompanied by the pianist Cano Romero, a personal friend who had played with him from the early days of his career, and would go on to find his own orchestra some years later. Kiko Hernández, the lead singer, joined Ferreyra in almost all his future projects, until his early death in the seventies. Few countries outside Cuba embraced Guaracha as enthusiastically as Peru. Pancho Acosta, Króffer Jiménez, Oswaldo Barreto, and Nelson Ferreyra himself kept the genre alive with their compositions in the sixties and, in the following decade, several of the classics of the Peruvian cumbia movement are really guarachas composed in different parts of the country. "Guaracheros" (Kiko Hernández and Pablo Villanueva) opens the LP, a highly crafted composition by Cano Romero. Maintaining the dance level, two songs by Nelson Ferreyra follow: "Con cencerro y timbal" and "Fiesta en el aire." The references to Venezuela in the lyrics are not accidental, as the LP was also distributed there, where it sold very well. Nelson Ferreyra's career went from strength to strength, and he went on to tour Panama, Chile and Ecuador. In the latter, he was publicly recognized as an international figure of tropical music.

"Freddie McKay's Creation album, expertly produced by Ossie Hibbert showcases a well-chosen blend of original, soon-to-be classics 'longside a selection of inspired anthemic do-overs. It's a measure of the quality of this release that these inspired interpretations stand up as equal to the Burning Spear and Dennis Brown originals. The selection of subtle dub versions of the songs included serve to highlight the brilliance of the musicians playing in the classical 'rockers' style that dominated the latter half of the seventies."

2024 repress. "J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun stated, 'For all the roughneck aggression meted out by most dancehall stars, it's worth noting that Jamaican pop still has its sweet side, and few singers can put that point across as convincingly as Dawn Penn does on 'No, No, No'.' He also noted the way her 'languid, drawling delivery plays off the slow, hypnotic pulse' of the track. Larry Flick from Billboard felt that Penn's 'sultry vocal presence on this sailing, instantly memorable dancehall jam belies the pensive nature of the song's story of lost love. An easy-paced groove chugs along with a hip-hop-ish vibe that could prove accessible to crossover and urban formats.'"

Jules Archive is a project founded by Marco Marzuoli and Marco Mazzei in 2016. By employing various technologies, instruments, and approaches, the duo strives to craft a mysterious and fantastical persona named Jules. Through this persona, they aim to immerse listeners in a dreamlike atmosphere, transcending reality and dwelling in imaginary spatiotemporal dimensions. Platonic Tales is the second chapter of Jules' journeys, more anthropocentric than the first album Adventures & Explorations (Volume 1), but equally exotic and dreamlike. The musical intention of this record was to rework a set of five (plus one) melodic tape loops, already structured in "song form", through detailed arrangements. The treatment followed an experimental-pop-oriented production approach. Recorded entirely at home by the artists, the music on the album features analog cassettes containing loops dating back to around 2016. The remaining arrangements were composed during the 2020 pandemic lockdown. Several international guests collaborated on the album: Lino Capra Vaccina, the legendary Italian percussionist/minimalist composer, and Jefre Cantu Ledesma engaged in a musical dialogue on "An Ontological Novel." Andrew Weathers contributed his voice to the tracks "A Superior Truth" and "Exodus." Christina Vantouz participated in "Exodus" and concluded the album with a string composition arranged and conducted by Minna Choi, performed by Magik*Magik Orchestra. 12" 180-gram vinyl record in poly lined inner sleeves, 33RPM, black vinyl. Limited to 400 copies.

Splatter color vinyl version. The Loons of Southern California have been playing their uniquely original brand of psychedelic garage and freakbeat for more than 25 years. With Memories Have Faces they've created their most impressive batch of songs to date, along with an intense version of the Pretty Things' "Cries from the Midnight Circus." The Loons keep growing, learning, creating, evolving but never compromising. Formed in San Diego, The Loons have recorded and released five albums along with a slew of singles, and played gigs in more cities around the world than they can keep count of. They've collaborated with original '60s music icons like Glenn Ross Campbell of The Misunderstood, Dick Taylor of The Pretty Things, Randy Holden of The Sons of Adam and Blue Cheer, and Michael Stuart-Ware of Love. Mike Stax, who also publishes Ugly Things magazine, is the lead singer. Anja Stax plays bass and sings backing vocals. Marc Schroeder and Chris Marsteller play guitars, and Chris Cancelliere is on drums. Mike Stax was already a veteran of several other San Diego bands, including The Crawdaddys and The Tell-Tale Hearts, when he first formed the Loons in 1997. Ebbot Lundberg of The Soundtrack of Our Lives produced the group's debut album, Love's Dead Leaves, released by Get Hip Records in 1998. Anja joined on bass after relocating to California from London, where she'd been playing with The Diaboliks, and Marc Schroeder and Chris Marsteller joined soon afterwards. Chris Cancelliere became the group's new drummer at the end of 2018.

Rare debut LP by the eccentric Peruvian singer Jean Paul "El Troglodita", known for his wild performances and extreme way of life. Often labeled as a nueva ola artist, he rather saw his performance style as a solo artist as following in the footsteps of Los Saicos, also signed to Disperú. This album includes Spanish sung versions of British beat songs and covers of the American songbook as well as various international hits. Enrique Roberto Tellería made his Peruvian television debut in 1965 under the stage name Jean Paul "El Troglodita" and wearing an imitation leopard skin suit. He would switch from melodic calm to shouting wildly or suddenly drop to the floor on his knees and smash the furniture like crazy. At the age of 19, DisPerú signed him to the label on the strength of these early performances. His first single included a freely translated version of "Secret Agent Man" in Spanish. He began to work on the eleven cover versions that would feature on his first LP immediately, writing all his own lyrics and accompanied by the beat band Los Steivos. Despite the predominance of English beat music in Peru, the album only included three songs directly related to the British invasion: "Bus Stop" by The Hollies, also played in raga rock style; "Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones; and "The House of the Rising Sun," which follows the arrangement recorded by The Animals. El Troglodita's association with the so-called nueva ola, indicated on the back cover, needs clarification. In Peru, nueva ola was a mixed bag rather than a specific musical style and encompassed slow rock, twist, bossa nova and all the styles that the record industry produced to tame the wild rock 'n' roll impulses of teenagers in the early sixties. Jean Paul's "hippie" lifestyle got him arrested by the new de facto military government in 1968, who accused him of promoting drug consumption and corrupting the Peruvian youth. The charges were soon dropped but his reputation was tarnished, and he ended up emigrating to Central America.

Almost a decade on from his last full length for the label, the religiously themed Teopatia, Marco Papiro returns to Planam with Con un occhio aperto, his most challenging and ambitious work to date. Known as one of the most dedicated contemporary investigators of the potential of analogue synthesizers, the musicality and personal touch of Papiro's work stand apart from a field dominated by gear fetishism and nostalgia. In recent years, one of the unique ingredients of Papiro's music has been his use of synthesized human voices, often lending his productions a dimension of uncanniness. Here, he pushes this aspect of his work much further, presenting a suite of four pieces where most listeners would be hard pressed to trace the sounds they hear back to electronic sources. The opening title piece, "Con un occhio aperto" (i.e. "With One Eye Open"), begins with metallic textures, similar to bowed cymbals or gongs, which are soon joined by waves of percussive sound, both drum-like and metallic. Irregularly rising to the surface and receding into the background, at times reminiscent of natural rhythms of rain, wind, or sea, these percussive textures are accompanied by haunting voice-like tones, at once strikingly realistic and disorienting in their non-human patterns of articulation and attack. Perhaps the closest parallel to these overlapping waves of rattling, pulsating percussive sounds and eerie extended tones is Jon Gibson's classic "Visitations," where the line between instrumental, electronic, and natural sound is blurred in a mesmerizing drift. Threaded through this hypnotic arrangement are recognizable synthesizer figures, alongside long tones performed on alto flute and bass clarinet by Christoph Bösch and Toshiko Sakakibara (members of Basel's Ensemble Phoenix). Like Teopatia, Con un occhio aperto arrives in a sleeve bearing beautiful and comical self-portrait photographs of his father. While on the earlier release, he styles himself as a saint, here he appears as a fur-clad hunter: a fitting image for this singular, exploratory music, which, like the photographs, is at once playful and primal. Edition of 300 copies.

New volume of the Avant Marghen series issued in a numbered edition of 80 copies only. This luxury black boxset edition actually includes the fifth group of seven LPs previously issued for the VocSon series and now sold out. Each individual LP record includes a numbered Avant Marghen inner-sleeves. LP 1 features Jean-Louis Brau's Instrumentations verbales. Jean-Louis Brau (1930-1985) approached everything in an explosive way, sometimes achieving some major results, like his sound poetry, as demonstrated by "Turn back nightingale" (1972). Also included on this one-sided LP are "Elégie Elémentaire" and "Ataloche Roche," both recorded in 1961, as well as "Instrumentation Verbale" and "Cantate pour l'interdiction de Mandrake," both recorded in 1963. LP 2 features Maurice Lemaitre's Poemes et musiques lettristes et hyperphonie. An exceptionally wild sonic art and poetry document, Poemes et musiques lettristes et hyperphonie was recorded between 1952 and 1968. Also included on this LP is a previously unreleased torrid "concerto" titled "L'alcove" for a lettrist male chorus and female solo orgasms, followed by "L'ascension du Phenix M.B." a sound collage from 1967. LP 3 features Ulises Carrion The Poet's Tongue LP. All pieces from this LP, recorded at the Instituut voor Sonologie in Utrecht between September and October 1977, have in common their refusal of discursiveness. LP 4 features Anton Bruhin's 11 Heldengesänge und 3 Gedichte with four-page insert. 11 Heldengesänge und 3 Gedichte is a sound poem which takes listeners into a medieval world of minstrels and errant knights. LP 5 features Gil J Wolman's Wolman et son double. Wolman et son double, a previously unreleased recording probably from the late '70s, is Wolman's most theatrical -- as well as musical and lyrical -- piece. LP 6 features Eduardo Kac and Porn Art Movement's Pornéia, also including an LP-size 40-page full-color book. These previously unissued recordings from the Porn Art Movement (1980-1982) include five performances recorded live on Ipanema Beach in 1982, as well as a selection of previously unheard studio recordings of Eduardo Kac yell-poems. The LP also includes the Manifesto Pornô (1980) and four recordings of Flatographic Poems from 1982 LP 7 features Jose Luis Castillejo TLALAATALA with a dark-grey sleeve, only available with this boxset edition. A killer reading of Jose Luis Castillejo TLALAATALA book by Fernando Millan, recorded in Madrid in 2001.

A floating drift toward a mysterious reality, between nature and cosmos, poised between sleep and wakefulness, temporal co-presences and impossible spatial ubiquities. In this phantasmagorical saga, inspired by TV science-fiction as well as '60s and '70s horror movies, Nicola Giunta/Lay Llamas creates a miraculous balance between original inserts and retrievals of freely chosen fragments from old audio documentaries on vinyl, perfecting the art of sound collage in an absolutely psychedelic way. Nonlinear dream textures become labyrinths of sudden openings, empty rooms, interstellar platforms, narrating voices from other worlds or ghostly churches from beyond the grave. A piercing electronica of cosmic synths, dense with the mists and dusts of distant times, past and future at the same time, where lysergic percussions merge with echoes of flutes vibrating in endless tropical forests and natures. Until the final awakening, in the reality of the first light of dawn.

After their debut album, the most multifaceted and unpredictable musical collective in Italy -- Addict Ameba -- come back with their sophomore album, Caosmosi. Faithful to the aim of bringing together different paths, traditions and horizons in their music, the band moves between desert-blues and Afrobeat landscapes, with Latin rock rides and Ethio-jazz parentheses. The vision of the album is further enriched by two absolutely valuable features: Joshua Idehen, Anglo-Nigerian poet and singer and pen of Sons Of Kemet and The Comet is Coming, is the author and lead voice in "Look At Us," a poem -- or perhaps it would be more correct to say a prayer; Rabii Brahim, Tunisian actor and musician, who in "Ya Bled" gives birth to a love song for his land, telling the nostalgia and disorientation of migrant, even when he returns to his homeland. To approach listening to this album, you should project that state of melancholy euphoria that you would experience when taking part in the last great party before the disappearance of the human race. Caosmosi!

Directions Out Of Town is the latest and teased as (possibly) the last LP by DIY electronic abstract pop wizard Finlay Shakespeare. Directions Out Of Town is a fierce mix of headstrong pop bangers. There is simply no one else traversing the field that Shakespeare is exploring. It can be lonely in the desert. Lyrically, Directions Out Of Town is dealing with loss; personally, geographically, politically, culturally -- a general decay of everything. This new record is heavily inspired by structural film where the results unravel a method where metaphor is removed from the act of sound synthesis, production and mix of the tracks. Fiercely independent and brimming with integrity this is a deeply effective journey through machines of the human experience. The track titles are telling: "Away," "Get," "Direction," "I go for a walk," etc. This is sentiment via complex synthesis wrung through patterns of pop. One also finds ways out that only turn out to be false/untrue. What is ostensibly an electro pop record reveals a multitude of layers and depth as one man and his machines wrestle with the reality of this tangled matrix. If the charts had brains this would be album of the year. Finlay Shakespeare is an electronic musician working in the UK. His fascination for synthesized sound was born out of his parents' record collection, leading him to explore the electronic music of decades past throughout his teenage years. While starting to write and record his own tracks, he also began learning analogue electronics, which led him to design and build his own equipment. To date, he has released work on Editions Mego, Superpang, and his own GOTO Records.

Frank London writes in his liner notes: "Spirit Stronger Than Blood pays homage to some of the recordings that shaped my musical-spiritual aesthetic: Charles Mingus's Changes 1&2, Booker Little's Strength and Sanity, Pharaoh Sanders's Peace and Love, Clifford Thornton's Gardens of Harlem, Alice Coltrane's Ptah, The El Daoud. Each of these artists, as different as they are from each other, shared a commonality of intention that set me on my life and career path. Their music is spiritual, political, romantic, at turns angry and peaceful, and inspires us to transcend and challenge the inequities of quotidian existence in order to make the world a better place, to heal the broken world (tikkun olam). Some of the songs are inspired by Jewish texts -- 'Let There Be Peace' from the prayer Oseh Shalom, asking the Almighty to bring us peace; 'Abundant Love' is in the Jewish prayer mode, Ahava Raba, acknowledging God's infinite love for all of us. 'Poem for a Blue Voice' is a poem by Davida Singer, whose partner Isabel Deconinck never let her blood cancer quash her indominable spirit. 'Resilience and Resistance' are attributes that we need to get through the trials, tribulations, and indignities life can throw at us. Healing of course from disease, but also from trauma, from blind obeisance to dogma. I was recently diagnosed with myelofibrosis, an extremely rare and fatal blood cancer, and dedicate this recording to my dear friends and colleagues who have passed away from blood diseases and other cancers -- Lester Bowie, Thomas Chapin, Adrienne Cooper, Isabelle Deconinck, Jewlia Eisenberg, Ron Miles, and my namesake, Frank London Brown. Check out all of their work and be inspired." --Frank London, April 2024

The Elders are: Frank London, trumpet; Marilyn Lerner, piano; Hilliard Greene, bass; Newman Taylor Baker, drums; Greg Wall, sax (tracks 2,3, and 4). Produced by Frank London. Recorded and mixed by Andy Taub at Brooklyn Recording in July, 2023. Cover photo by Anna London.

"2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop and Get On Down continues to honor the artists and albums that had a significant impact on the culture. The label now presents a long overdue reissue of KRS-One's 1995 self-titled album, KRS-One. Two years after the release of Return of the Boom Bap, KRS-One got back in the studio and behind the boards and enlisted for additional production DJ Premier, Showbiz, Diamond D, Norty Cotto, and Big French Production. In August of '95 KRS-One dropped the Preemo-produced lead single 'MC's Act Like They Don't Know' with 'Represent The Real Hip-Hop' featuring Das EFX on the B-side of the 12-inch, boasting KRS-One's lyrical skills and backing up his status as one of the best live performers in the game. KRS-One knocked it out of the park on his second solo effort with another Premier single about the current state of hip-hop on 'Rappers R, N. Dainja' and straight-up Boom Bap rap on the Fat Joe assisted track 'De Automatic.' He offers political and social commentary on 'R.E.A.L.I.T.Y.,' 'Hold,' and 'Free Mumia' with Channel Live and continues to diss sucker MCs on 'Wannabemceez' with Mad Lion. Get On Down presents this deluxe reissue packaged in a gatefold jacket with a new interview by Check The Technique author Brian Coleman, complete with a foldout lyrics sheet."

Glossy Mistakes announces the upcoming release of Momento Claro, the latest full-length album by Portuguese artist funcionário. Momento Claro, inviting listeners to embark on a profound auditory exploration. Following the success of his previous work Cavalcante, released on Hozulam, funcionário returns delving deep into the realms of ambient and Fourth World, inspired by the likes of Jon Hassel, Brian Eno, and Japanese environmental artist such as Hiroshi Yoshimura and Takashi Kokubo. Momento Claro offers a sonic tapestry rich with textures and layers, evoking a sense of spirituality and introspection. A split second. At the heart of the album lies a collection of eight tracks, each a testament to funcionário's craft. The journey begins with "Esperança," a mesmerizing nine-minute meditation adorned with the soothing sounds of the ocean, setting the tone for the ethereal voyage ahead. From the tranquil atmospheres of "Retrato" to the contemplative depths of "Momento Claro," each composition invites listeners to immerse themselves fully in the sonic, dream-like landscape crafted with care and depth. Here a glimpse into the intricacies of day-to-day experiences and interactions collide throughout a collage of organic layers, atmospheres and approaches, Momento Claro serves as a poignant reflection on the contemporary working society, where "the power of sound as a bridge between memory and the imagination that interprets it." Mastered by Damian Schwartz, Momento Claro achieves a sonic clarity that enhances the album's immersive qualities, ensuring that each note resonates with precision and depth. Prepare to be transported to a realm where time stands still and the boundaries between reality and reverie blur. A deep journey that promises to captivate the mind and nourish the soul.

The History of Unheard Music hail from lower Manhattan and were founded at the absolute dawn of the 1980s. The founders, Books Williams, Charlie Mendoza, and Beo Morales combined their individual and common interests in music from all periods of all cultures, active analytic listening, state-of-the-art music technology and low-tech devices. These interests were applied to highly developed composition and raw free-form improvisation. Access to the then-nascent computer aided compositional tools of sampling and synthesis, pre-and-post MIDI sequencing and a fearless appetite for sound-as-event, synthesizing historical styles, formats, sonic triggers, and traditions allowed them to strike a nerve in the listener resulting in responses ranging from confusion and bewilderment to appreciation and inspiration and beyond. A neutral response to the music or the live performances was not an option. Here is an unheard selection of some works of that mind-boggling New York band. All tracks selected from the '84-'85 hidden tapes and LPs: History of Unheard Music on Staatplat, Drop it on Harmonic Ranch, and Chapter One on Rockgarage Records. Music that ranges exclusively in the absurd. Art-rock, grotesque comedian pop, bouncing sounds from post-world influences and electronic proto dance music, pure avant-garde. Here Us Again for Whatever Reason touches hidden chords in a decomposed and critical message towards a dimensional state of total disorientation against the established order.

"The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series Entry #12: DJ Muggs takes the Soul Assassins approach to source music -- deep, dark, dank. The Madlib Invazion Music Library Series was created by Madlib and Egon to give their creative friends a chance to stretch out and indulge in whatever type of music they wanted. This music was created for easy, one-stop clearance in film and television synchronization usage and for sampling. You can also enjoy these albums in the way that many do with the best of the best vintage library catalogs -- listen, ponder, repeat."

After the Dead Boys, Stiv Bators embarked on a musical journey that saw him touch upon power pop during a brief solo career. This is the first Bators single to emerge from Greg Shaw's Bomp! Records (1979) and includes a stunning version of The Choir's original "It's Cold Outside" and the original "The Last Year" on the B-side. This is the first time the single gets an official reissue in its original format. This is an essential power pop classic! As the frontman for the Dead Boys, Stiv Bators terrorized audiences with his snotty, in-your-face punk rock style. This is an essential power pop classic!

A chaotic and intense Craig Leon-produced hybrid of Dolls, Stooges, and most of the Nuggets bands by Jeff 'Mono Mann' Conolly's pre-Lyres group DMZ. Unavailable for over three decades, Munster is happy to reissue this garage rock's essential gem, originally released in the early days of Greg Shaw's Bomp! label. DMZ was a predictable proposition, sporting obvious glam roots and an eccentric but dedicated rock and roll fan in lead singer, Jeff 'Mono Mann' Conolly. With killer cuts like "Busy Man" and "When I Get Off," their 1977 EP captured the DMZ zeitgeist considerably better than the album they would later record for Sire.

"Anthology of Zamrock musician Mike Nyoni's funky, psych-rock and folkloric 1970s recordings. Zambian guitarist and singer/songwriter Mike Nyoni's music is Zamrock only because he came of age during the country's rock revolution. He preferred wah-wah to fuzz guitar, James Brown to Jimi Hendrix. His '70s recordings -- often politically charged, and ranging from despondent to exuberant -- are amongst the funkiest on the African continent. He was also one of the only Zamrock musicians to see his music contemporaneously issued in Europe. This anthology collates works from his three '70s LPs -- his first, with the Born Free band, and his two solo albums Kawalala and I Can't Understand You -- and presents a singular Zambian musician on par with celebrated artists Rikki Ililonga, Keith Mlevhu, and Paul Ngozi."

Church Andrews and Matt Davies weave intricate patterns from Fibonacci sequences on new mini-album, Yucca. Producer and composer Church Andrews (aka Kirk Barley) and drummer Matt Davies return to explore the outer limits of rhythm on a six-track suite that is at once angular and fluid, natural and systematic. Drawn to the restrictions of working solely with one synth and live drums, the pair found creativity in limitation, developing a compositional dialogue between the sonic timbres of Kirk's productions and Matt's percussive practice. Evoking the primitive yet complex form of the plant from which it takes its name, Yucca features tracks that are built around rhythmic ratios of the Fibonacci sequence. Mirroring spiral patterns exhibited in nature, each track evolves like a cellular structure of its own, from the livewire syntax of "Chirp" and the deconstructed ebb and flow of "Ferns," to the mini-album's title track, where crisp grooves flit between modulated electronics like fireflies. "I've always been inspired by music that is complex without sounding complex," Matt explains. He maintains a sense of bounce amid the intricate phrasing and cites drummers Roy Haynes and his grandson Marcus Gilmore as inspirations, alongside sabar drummers from Senegal and Mridangam drumming of South India. With a shared background in hip-hop and the swung beats of J Dilla and Flying Lotus, Kirk Barley and Matt Davies were also inspired by the minimalism of Terry Riley and the sparse palette of dub techno. Written and recorded in Lewisham in the spring and summer of 2023, Yucca follows the release of Axis in 2022, with the duo having also performed at festivals such as Rewire and Waking Life, and recorded live sessions for FACT magazine and Worldwide FM. The third release on Yorkshire-based Odda Recordings, following Kirk Barley's Marionette and Flaer's Preludes, Yucca confirms the label's reputation for championing music on the unstable ground between the organic and the synthetic.

"Criminal Minded is now available as a double LP in a gatefold jacket with extensive liner notes. In listing the greatest albums in hip-hop history, one title never seems to stray from the upper echelons, no matter how many years pass: Boogie Down Productions' undisputed classic from 1986, Criminal Minded. Released amidst a battle between BDP and MC Shan that would redefine the New York rap landscape as it was then known, the album, which features the songs 'South Bronx,' 'Criminal Minded' and 'The Bridge is Over,' captures the excitement, urgency and raw power that embodies hip-hop culture as we know it, with KRS-One's aggressive yet intelligent lyricism backed by Scott La Rock's hard-hitting, stripped-down beats. A true classic, Criminal Minded has been recognized by Vibe Magazine, The Source, and Rolling Stone as one of the most important albums of all time."

The Damned's debut album, Damned Damned Damned, released in 1977, captured the raw energy of punk. With its frenetic pace and rebellious spirit, this cassette edition allows fans to experience the brilliance of tracks like "Neat Neat Neat" and "New Rose" on the go. An iconic punk record, a cherished relic.