A new album by composer Oksana Linde presents new electronic pieces, composed between 1986 and 1994, that have remained unreleased. This set of electronic pieces explores more ambient and meditative sounds. Travesías, her second album released by Buh Records, features pieces created in her private studio in San Antonio de Los Altos, Venezuela. These works belong to the same creative period as the pieces included in her acclaimed debut album, Aquatic and Other Worlds (BR 160LP, 2022). Born in 1948 in Caracas to Ukrainian immigrant parents, Oksana Linde's journey is an example of resilience and innovation. After abandoning her career as a chemist due to health problems, Linde devoted herself to music, experimenting with synthesizers to create a deeply evocative sonic universe. She produced a vast number of recordings during the 1980s, many of which remained unreleased until the publication of Aquatic and Other Worlds. This new collection of pieces, taken from the extensive archive of cassette tapes preserved by Linde, unveils yet another perspective of her work. The pieces "Mundos Flotantes" (Floating Worlds), "Horizontes Lejanos" (Distant Horizons), and "Arrecifes en el espacio" (Reefs in Space) were specifically composed for the show Travesía Acuastral (Aqua-Astral Journey), presented by Linde in February 1991 at Casa Rómulo Gallegos as part of the 3rd Encounter of New Electronic Music. This event, produced by Maite Galán in collaboration with the Musikautomatika group, was a milestone in shaping an experimental electronic music scene in Venezuela, one of the most active in Latin America at that time. Linde composed a series of pieces for use in meditation sessions, four of which are included in this compilation: "Luciérnagas en los manglares" (Fireflies in the Mangroves), "Estrellas I" and "II" (Stars I and II), and "Kerepakupai Vena." The latter refers to two words from the Pemón Indigenous community in southeastern Venezuela, meaning Angel Falls, the name of the world's tallest waterfall. Travesías solidifies Oksana Linde's position as an essential figure in electronic music and furthers the effort to bring to light one of the most fascinating archives of electronic music produced in Latin America. This compilation is released through Buh Records in a limited edition of 500 copies. Compilation and liner notes by Luis Alvarado. Mastered by Alberto Cendra at Garden Lab Audio. Cover photo by Elisa Ochoa Linde. Art and design by Gonzalo de Montreuil. This album was made possible thanks to the Ibermusicas fund.

Double LP version. One of Peter Brotzmann's final concerts, presented on Otoroku. When the label invited Peter to do a residency at Cafe OTO back in February 2023, it had no idea these would be his last ever shows and he played with such power it would have been hard for anyone present to believe he would never play publicly again. Recorded over two nights this grouping of Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone, John Edwards on bass, and Steve Noble on drums feels especially resonant and personal to Cafe OTO. The first time Peter performed at the venue back in 2010 it was in a trio with John and Steve, so it feels fitting that the last shows he ever played here should also have that trio at its core. There are moments of tenderness to Brotzmann's playing that feels specific to this small group -- one that cuts across three generations -- and in a space that's come to feel like home. Of course, there is dizzying, forceful, single-minded playing, but even amongst a relentless chorus of cymbal splashes and busy vibraphone clusters the lyrical, spacious moments are savored and held onto. As he remarked after at the end of the group's first visit to OTO, "the Quartet is, for us, a great adventure." Peter clearly wanted to play to the end. It was Peter's wish that these recordings should be made public and he was due to finalize the cover design on the week he passed away. Otoroku would like to thank Peter's family for working to fulfil Peter's wishes to release this material. Recorded live at Cafe OTO by Billy Steiger on 10th and 11th February 2023. Mixed by James Dunn. Mastered by Giuseppe Ielesi. Photos by Dawid Laskowski. Pressed in the UK by Vinyl Press. Artwork by Peter Brötzmann. Design by Untiet. The 2LP version is an edit of the music played on both nights. It comes as a gatefold 12" printed in reverse board outersleeves and includes a pull out with photographs from the residency by Dawid Laskowski.

For the first time, a representative anthology of Eduardo Polonio's early electroacoustic works is available in vinyl format. This compilation also serves as a review of the history of Spanish electroacoustic music, featuring works created at the Phonos Laboratory in Barcelona, the Alea Electronic Music Laboratory in Madrid, the Electroacoustic Music Cabinet in Cuenca, and the composer's private studio in Barcelona. The anthology Eduardo Polonio: Obra electroacústica 1969-1981 revives the early stages of the innovative composer with a curated selection of eight restored pieces. A limited edition celebrating his profound impact on Spanish experimental music. Eduardo Polonio (1941?2024) was one of the foundational figures in the emergence and development of electroacoustic music in Spain. From the raw electronic textures of "Para una pequeña margarita ronca" (1969) to the timbral subtleties of "Flautas, voces, animales, pájaros" (1981), this collection showcases Polonio's artistic evolution and highlights different facets of his work as a composer and musician. The included works reflect this multifaceted aesthetic. "Oficio" (1969) is a real-time improvisation recorded using two low-frequency generators and a modified electric guitar amplifier for sound modulation. Rabelaisiennes (1969), for prepared guitar, explores minimalism and instrumental experimentation. "Continuo" (1970), a piece for electric guitar and bass, anticipates ambient music while engaging with free jazz and psychedelia. "Me voy a tomar el Orient Express" (1976) stands out for its rhythmic and harmonic interplay between the lines forming the sonic texture. "Valverde" (1981) offers a microscopic study of a distinctive way flamenco guitar concludes bulerías phrases. "El reclinatorio en el tejado de la lejana abadía" (1971) is structured as an imaginary soundscape in the form of a suite. Polonio's life and work parallel the history of electroacoustic music in Spain. From his beginnings at Alea, Spain's first electronic music laboratory, to his collaborations with figures like Horacio Vaggione and Josep Maria Mestres Quadreny at Phonos, Polonio carved a unique path in the history of Spanish experimental music. Eduardo Polonio: Obra electroacústica 1969-1981 is presented by Buh Records as a limited double LP edition and in digital format, in collaboration with the Asociación de Música Electroacústica de España (AMEE). The audio in this edition has been restored and mastered directly from the master tapes by Víctor Aguado. The album includes extensive liner notes written by Víctor Aguado and Ramón del Buey, with artwork and design by Gonzalo de Montreuil.

"Regarded as one of the greatest blues albums of all time. Cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Recorded in 1969, this album, as McDowell's titular quote suggests, is not just a collection of songs but a significant piece of musical history. It's a masterclass, a confessional, a musical statement, and a history lesson all in one. Despite its seemingly simple nature, it's a profound work. Regarded as one of the greatest blues albums of all time, I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll is a must-listen, a testament to one of the greatest musical forces that has directly influenced The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Black Keys, and Bonnie Raitt (to whom McDowell taught slide guitar). In 1959, McDowell's talent was first captured by folklore musicologist Alan Lomax, and from there, he quickly rose to stardom with his live recordings and festival appearances across the US and UK. This album is a testament to McDowell's unique voice and guitar style, dominating the air and filling it with raw power and authenticity."

Modern Obscure Music presents Pierre Bastien and DJ Low's Swing Low, a work that fuses the poetic inventiveness of Pierre Bastien with the visionary legacy of the late DJ Low (Tom Deweerdt), a central figure in Belgian independent music and founder of the influential Lowlands label. This album, which interweaves memory and experimentation, represents Bastien's debut on the Barcelona label's catalog and a testament to the creative bond between the two artists. The album, composed of seven pieces, stands out for its hybrid nature: five reinterpretations of Bastien's previous works, some of them coming from his influential Mecanoid (originally released by Rephlex), and two unreleased improvisations, "A Pupa" and "Reviver," which seal the unique character of the project. Pierre Bastien, recognized as a composer, inventor and builder of sound machines, has been a tireless explorer of the frontiers between the mechanical and the musical. From his contribution to the Belcanto Orchestra, his collaboration with the PRSNT project to his participation in Pedro Vian's Earth, Our Planet or his collaboration with Tomaga for the Other People label, his career illustrates a constant commitment to experimentation and the intersection of disciplines. Among the artists he has worked with are names such as Robert Wyatt, Jac Berrocal, Jaki Liebezeit and designer Issey Miyake. His works have found homes on iconic labels such as Marionette, Morphine and Discrepant to name a few. The album is presented with a visual design by Koen Bruyneel, reinterpreted as a tribute to Tom Deweerdt, a decade after his departure.

Aguaturbia's second LP Volumen 2 (1970) is an essential album to understand the construction of what is known today as Chilean rock. The album is as raw and dynamic as their debut LP, featuring even heavier rhythms, distortion, and exceptional phased female vocals reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane. Comparisons with the Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish and Led Zeppelin can be drawn. Splendid heavy psych and proto-stoner tracks make this album a pioneer recording in the history of South American rock. Aguaturbia's debut album was originally released in 1970 and showcases one of South America's most significant psychedelic bands from the late '60s and early '70s. In July that same year the band recorded this Volumen 2 that delivers even heavier intensity than their debut LP. The LP showcases breathtaking moments, like the psych-blues "Heartbreaker" or "I Wonder Who" where guitarist Carlos Corales shines. When he played solos at the gigs, the effect on the audience was silence and euphoria at the same time. In fact, Carlos Corales (guitar) and Willy Cavada (drums) were both professional musicians who had made a previous career in rock and roll bands. Controversy accompanies the release of the album once again. In this case the cover artwork, a tribute to Salvador Dalí, scandalizes the most conservative sector of Chilean society.

From Lawrence English: "I like to think that sound haunts architecture. It's one of the truly magical interactions afforded by sound's immateriality. It's also something that has captivated us from the earliest times. It's not difficult to imagine the exhilaration of our early ancestors calling to one another in the dark cathedral like caves which held wonder, and security, for them. Today the ways in which sound occupies space, the so-called liquid architecture, holds just as much wonder, albeit one that is often dominated by functionality and form. Beyond those constraints however, how sound operates in the material world is something that exists at the fundament of our understanding of music, and moreover within the broad church we know as the canon of sound arts. Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds is a record born out of these relations. In a direct sense, the record is the product of an invitation by curator Jonathan Wilson to create a sound environment, reflecting on the Naala Badu building at the Art Gallery Of NSW. The building's name, which translates from the Gadigal language to 'seeing water', was opened in 2022 and this piece was offered as an atmospheric tint to visitors walking through the building throughout the year following its opening. It's also a record born out of a recognition for the porousness sound affords, especially as a device for collaborative endeavor. This composition is one born out of generosity and acoustic solidarity. Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds is comprised not just of my sounds, but also that of an incredible array of artists who have also operated in the orbit of the Art Gallery Of NSW. The players include Amby Downs, Chris Abrahams, Chuck Johnson, Claire Rousay, Dean Hurley, Jim O'Rourke, JW Paton, Madeleine Cocolas, Norman Westberg, Stephen Vitiello, and Vanessa Tomlinson. The piece was constructed around two long form sound prompts that each musician responded and con-tributed to. These materials there when digested into the final piece you hear. The work could not exist without the substantial offerings these artists made, and I am immensely grateful to each of them."

From Theresa Wong: "The inspiration for these pieces comes from the Chinese folklore of Guanyin, a deity whose name translates to 'the one who perceives all the sounds, or cries, of the world.' Also known as Guanshiyin 觀世音, she is the embodiment of infinite compassion. I grew up knowing of Guanyin as a female deity, but recently discovered that she had transformed through the centuries from the male Hindu bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara. I instantly found an affinity for this gender-fluid figure, who was said to have attained enlightenment through meditation on sound. These pieces offer an imaginary story of a humble seafarer (Guanyin is a popular matron saint of fisherfolk), who returns from the tumult of the sea one evening at dusk. They journey into a seaside cave in a cliff nearby to find solace in prayer to Guanyin. Deep within the chambers of this glistening cave, an encounter with the mystical deity brings comfort and healing while the churning of life outside persists. Perhaps it was out of a premonition that I created these pieces, which became one of the few things I could listen to during an intensely challenging year of my life. All the music is played on solo and multi-tracked acoustic cello. Many pieces are created around the repetition of simple phrases, like a sonic mantra repeated to focus and ease the mind. The cello is tuned down to a fundamental of A=216 Hertz, and the harmonies are composed in just intonation, a tuning system based on the natural overtones of resonating frequencies. In tracks 5 and 7, the lower strings are detuned extremely to a precise tension, creating a drone that contains both noise and specific overtones. In this manner of playing, I often have the feeling of 'splitting the sound open' into a composite of rhythm, harmony, melody and noise through playing beating frequencies, fingered overtones, implicit melodies emerging out of undulating harmonics, and the pure growl of the slackened string. I hope the listener will find rest and repose -- in this music, amidst the ever-compounding churning of our present world. My deepest thanks to Lawrence English, Janet Oh, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Emily Harvey Foundation for supporting this work."

After digging deep into the overwhelming archives of Discos Fuentes and Codiscos in the previous volumes, this third instalment in the series Cumbia Cumbia Cumbia!!! comprises a selection of 28 Peruvian cumbia bangers for the dance floor from the deep vaults of Discos MAG, all of them originally released between 1964 and 1987. 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 are nebulous and imprecise. The mythology surrounding it suggests an ancient past when Amerindian, African and European musical sounds were mixed together. MAG had released porros since the label was set up, and by 1957 it was already selling records by the Colombian Lucho Bermúdez, a leading figure in porro and cumbia in orchestra format, from Buenos Aires. Colombian cumbia has come a long way in Peru since those years and put down its own roots, just as it has in other Latin American countries. This third volume of the series Cumbia, cumbia, cumbia demonstrates how the rhythm has persisted over three decades of Peruvian recordings, ranging from versions by orchestras and ensembles to original cumbias with electric guitars, with lingering echoes of Caracas-born Hugo Blanco, Tulio Enrique León, Los Teen Agers and Amparito Jiménez. Featuring Carlos Pickling Y Su Orquesta, Los Chicoques, Los Demonios De Corocochay , Los Felcas, Sonora Casino De Hugo Macedo, Sam Brasil, Volada 5, Otto De Rojas Y Su Orquesta, Silvestre Montez Y Sus Guantanameros, Ñico Estrada, Freddy Roland Y Su Orquesta De Moda, Los Avileños, Joe Di Roma Y Su Conjunto, Los Rumberos Del Solar, Los Pavos Reales, Nilo Espinosa Y Su Orquesta, Tito Chicoma Y Su Orquesta, Nelson Ferreyra Y Su Sonora, Los Kintos, Manzanita Con Los Cañeros, and Los Belking's.

Kuunatic's hotly anticipated second album Wheels of Ömon takes another adventuresome deep dive into their self-made fantasy mythology, proposing whole new worlds of psychedelic drama and ritual. In addition to their core sonic palette of tribal drums, pulsing bass, atmospheric keyboards and grouped female vocals, the acclaimed Japanese psych-rock trio played an array of Japanese traditional instruments on Wheels of Ömon. The result is a thrilling, kaleidoscopic album that brushes against tradition as it whirls into an other-worldly future. Kuunatic are the trio of Fumi Kikuchi on keyboards, Shoko Yoshida on bass and Yuko Araki on drums. All three of them also sing. They formed in 2016 and released an EP and 7" single before, in 2021, dropping their debut album, Gate of Klüna (GB 117CD, 2021), on an unsuspecting public. Wheels of Ömon builds on the story of Gate of Klüna with more tales of prophecy, mysterious powers and magical healing lakes. Kuunatic's imaginative flights of visionary fancy achieve the same kind of epic, science-fiction world-building as legendary French jazz-prog heroes, Magma. But their inspirations come from further afield. "The three of us listen to completely different types of music so our ideas and influences come from all different places," they say. "We create fantasy stories," they say, "but it's deeply influenced by historical events that happened on Earth. So, when we stayed in Switzerland, looking at the Alps and Vallée du Rhône, they made us imagine vast histories of a grand Earth and times of several hundred million years ago. Perhaps it's this majestic natural setting that has imparted to the new album a deep connection to folk traditions, to human stories, to the very roots of storytelling. It's a mood that manifests most powerfully in the album's varied use of Japanese traditional instruments. Throughout the album, Kuunatic play chappa (hand-sized cymbals used at temple rituals or festivals), sasara (a percussion instrument of 108 wooden plates strung with a cotton cord), ryuteki (a flute used in gagaku), kagurabue (a flute used for Japanese traditional shrine music) ougidaiko (a fan-shaped hand drum), kokiriko (small bamboo stick instruments), and wadaiko (a huge traditional drum that has been used for rituals or festivals since ancient times)."

"Grumbling psych played on a whirring blender of guitars, synths and traditional Japanese temple instruments" -- The Wire

Actress presents Tranzkript 1. First pressing of 300 units.

Shredding up definitions of electro-acoustic opera, spectralist chamber musique and concrète rave, Demdike hit square between the eyes/ears of film music vernaculars on a startlingly strong addition to their unique oeuvre, now in its 16th year of elusive psychoacoustic strafes and jump-cuts across putative borders. The 13-part, hour-long album dislodges source material made for the experimental film To Cut and Shoot, by Kristen Pilon, an NYC-based musician and filmmaker, to farther refract the film's themes of serendipity and the nature of ghosts and dreams with a flickering flux of sound-imagery and aleatoric weirdness appropriate to her original meditations, but also freely messing with their forms. Situated just a few miles north of Houston, Cut and Shoot is a relatively insignificant Texas town with an unforgettably bizarre name. Pilon grew up not far from Cut and Shoot, and it's there where she ran into 65-year-old machinist and motorcyclist Robert Lewis Stevenson, better known as Bobbo, who's pictured on the album's cover. Responding to Kristen's initial piano and operatic vocal recordings, Demdike return a volley of discrete parts tilting from typically cantankerous mayhem to quieter, more clandestine buzzes sliced with crazed interstices of the imagination, all marbled with the plasmic contrails of the paranormal which have long been peculiar to their work. With a poetic flair reflecting Pilon's own phrasing and melding of mediums, Demdike unfold and expand her melodic fragments into temporal mazes. The storyline wickedly frays and loops into itself with a non-linearity that recalls the mid-to-latter stages of Lynch's Mulholland Drive or waking from a sweaty fever dream only to pitch back into its thorny bush of ghosts, often within the space of one track. It's testament to the ever-tighter binds of Demdike's symbiotic vision that the results nevertheless hold a thread of logic that weaves in everything from their Jon Collin jams to reams of mixes and Gruppo edits with an unresolved, open-ended quality. RIYL: The Caretaker, Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, Nate Young. Mastered by Rashad Becker, art by Andrew Lyster.

LP version. Mute is an album that explores distance, speech -- and the lack of it. It's a series of musings on people, places -- and leaving. The record began life with the core of El Khat -- multi-instrumentalist el Wahab, percussionist Lotan Yaish, and organist Yefet Hasan -- recording in an isolated village underground shelter. "My state of mind at the time affected the compositions even before I wrote the music," el Wahab notes, "and the isolated location gave us a chance to make sense of that." Following those sessions, in the summer of 2023 the group emigrated to Berlin; a far cry from Jaffa, where they'd largely grown up. The move was an expression of the nomadic urge that has been a constant in el Wahab's life, one that flows directly into his work. "These songs are about emigrating, leaving someone or somewhere. I don't think I've stayed in any one place for more than a year. For us Arab Jews whose families were forced to leave Yemen, it really began with that big move and our families' arrival in Israel, a land with a constant muting of the 'other'." Mute, he feels, is "a big and meaningful record." It's a story of endings and new beginnings. "But that's true of all our albums" el Wahab insists. "They're about relationships and the struggle to see two sides as a whole and not something that ends with muting and conflict. The songs here are about old loves, country, family. They are about feelings and identity." And all of that inevitably brings up many questions. El Wahab keeps reinventing himself: even his career has been an act of self-invention. Unable to read music, he still managed to talk his way into the Andalusian Orchestra, playing cello by ear until he learned music theory. And instruments he uses on his albums, like the blue gallon (actually a jug) or the kubana (named after a type of Yemeni bread) are also self-invented. These handmade, one-of-a-kind instruments sit at the heart of Mute. He's always made music from the items others discard. Everything recycled and reused, nothing wasted.

LP version. This album title translates as "One more chance to succeed in life." Not that they need it. The trio of guitarist Eblis Alvarez, bassist Mario Galeano, and drummer Pedro Ojeda has been successfully carving out a wildly idiosyncratic musical world since the release of their debut album in 2010, pushing the boundaries of instrumental Latin tropical music with bold infusions of psychedelia, dub, minimalism and more. But their journey started a long time before that. All three attended the same high school and have been playing together for three decades, since they were around 15 years old. "We started with punk and heavy metal," Ojeda recalls. "Then we were very interested in Colombian tropical music and traditional music from Colombia and Latin America, and that led us to focus on African music. It's been a long road." Along the way, the unfettered, spontaneous improvisation of jazz has been a crucial touchstone. "When we started playing in an improvised setting, we were very influenced by free jazz from the '60s," says Ojeda. "But now we are more into making music for the dance floor and music that has a beat and a strong feeling to dance to -- especially in this latest album." The music on Una Oportunidad stems from the venerable tradition of the groove-based jam session. "All of the tunes 100% come from improvisation sessions," says Galeano. "With this album," Ojeda elaborates, "we went to the studio in the morning every day for a week. Each of us would bring one or two ideas and we would start jamming, experimenting with those ideas. By lunchtime, we had one or two pieces based on those ideas and then, after lunch, we would record them. By the end of the week, we had the eight tracks that are on the record." Recording for the first time in the relaxed surroundings of Galeano's studio, with Alvarez once again mixing and producing, Una Oportunidad luxuriates in a relaxed intimacy. And, more than any other album they've released so far, it captures the immediacy of a live performance, with no overdubs or studio magic, just raw, in-the-moment invention.

Grey Interiors was made in collaboration with Actual Objects and is an absorbing animation and navigation of those post-human ideals that have prompted Darren J. Cunningham to his best work across the preceding two decades. In its hypnagogic symphony of the elements, he short-circuits distinctions of classical music's metric freedoms and the hyperspatial sensuality of concrète/electro-acoustic and ambient music with an artistic license that has come to distinguish his work in the contemporary field, and arguably identified him as this generation's most vital electronic abstractionist. The first half of the album is bewitchingly airless, materialized in a twinkling vacuum. Naturalistic environmental recordings and a half-heard piano swirl around nauseous airlock whooshes and eerie bass drones. It's all pulverized to a powdery, shimmering residue; if Actress's music is defined by its character and texture -- that sweet spot between the bedroom and the soundsystem -- then this one advances the narrative without losing its backbone. And like a lot of his best work, it comes into its own on the back of zonked eyelids, conjuring a play of shifting geometric patterns within its imaginary physics and nuanced narration of ephemeral melodic phrasing and vaporous textures. At about the halfway point, that dissociated piano finds its groove, coalescing into a jerky drum machine rhythm popping like bubbles in the stifling atmosphere. Listeners can draw some intersecting lines here thru electronic music lore -- traces of vintage AE, Push Button Objects, UR -- but Actress always leaves an indelible fingerprint on anything he touches. Even when he's rubbing against the gallery-industrial complex, he manages to fill a stagnant space with electricity and wit. A post-industrial symphony landing somewhere between nutopian ambient, kankyō ongaku and sawn-off bass science. White vinyl pressing -- one-sided vinyl, edition of 500 copies. Mastered by Noel Summerville. Art by Actual Objects.

Recorded at the Philharmonie de Paris and one and a half a year after releasing his magnum opus Music For Animals -- described by PopMatters as "a musical waterfall of monumental proportions" -- Nils Frahm shares a new live album on his Leiter label. In what's becoming a tradition, it follows 2013's Spaces, a Pitchfork Album of the Year taped at shows over the preceding 18 months, and 2020's Tripping With Nils Frahm, also released as a film. Paris is Frahm's first live album from a single night, March 21, 2024, and contains ten tracks over a running time of 84 minutes. Frahm's performances have always been known for expanding upon his studio recordings, and Paris is no exception. Drawing on his substantial catalogue, the German composer and producer reworks tracks from Music For Animals ("Right Right Right" and "Briefly") before less recent material from 2009's The Bells ("Some"), and 2012's Screws ("Re," originally recorded with just nine fingers after Frahm broke a thumb). There's also "Spells" from All Encores and "You Name It" from Day, while the brand new, luxurious and strangely gripping "Opera" sets the stage for "On The Roof" from his heart-rending, award-winning score for 2015's widely acclaimed, one-camera, one-take German thriller, Victoria. Frahm's instrumental range has expanded to include a mountain of vintage synths and keyboard instruments. These include a custom-made organ as well as the final glass harmonica constructed by Gerhard Finkenbeiner, a master glassblower who, in the 1980s, resurrected the instrument -- first invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761 -- and then died in 1999 in mysterious, still unresolved circumstances. Frahm's grasp of dynamics and tension has likewise expanded, and not only does he reinvigorate his work during concerts for this wider range of possibilities, but he also keeps developing it as he tours. If he leaves the stage to the same uproarious jubilation with which he was initially greeted, Paris makes it clear why he's been so in demand. Paris is a vital document of this ingenious, gifted musician's endless pursuit of fresh perspectives.

Anoushka Shankar, the acclaimed sitar player, producer and composer, has confirmed details of the third and final instalment of the trilogy of mini-albums she began with Chapter I: Forever, For Now in October 2023, and followed by the Grammy-nominated Chapter II: How Dark it Is Before Dawn in April 2024. Chapter III: We Return To Light comes via Leiter. "Three chapters, three geographies," Shankar scribbled in a diary at a café in Goa on New Year's Day in 2023, manifesting an ambitious trilogy that she hoped would span multiple geographies with nods to her roots, across continents and collaborators. Looking back now, it's safe to say that the 11-time Grammy Award nominee has outdone herself. Chapter I was recorded in Berlin acknowledging Shankar's European heritage (she was born and lives in London), while Chapter II was captured in California, where she moved aged 11 and lived for over 15 years. Central to Chapter III is the mindfulness of India at the root of all her music.

"Open Vocal Phrases, Where Songs Come in And Out and Sketches For World of Echo (AU 1029CD) offer two intimate unedited Arthur Russell solo live performances recorded at Phill Niblock's Experimental Intermedia Foundation in Downtown NYC on 12/20/85 and 06/25/84. Phill curated and produced with Arthur both concerts at EI that would become part of the foundation for the World of Echo album. These extraordinary performances were recorded 18 months apart between 1984/85 by Steve Cellum and overseen by Phill and Arthur. Arthur would later edit sections from both concerts merging it with studio material recorded at Battery Sound to finalize the World of Echo album released in 1986. The double vinyl LP for Open Vocal Phrases, Where Songs Come in And Out includes the complete nineteen-minute-plus version of 'Tower of Meaning/Rabbit's Ear/Home Away' along with the previously unreleased songs 'That's The Very Reason,' and 'Too Early to Tell.' Side four includes two instrumental performances from the 06/25/84 Sketches for World of Echo performance, 'Changing Forest' and 'Sunlit Water' along with a full color insert and liner notes from Audika Records and Arthur Russell archivist Steve Knutson."

LP version. Şatellites' self-titled debut album received international acclaim. The record earned support from outlets such BBC Radio 6 Music and FIP in France, and they were invited to record live sets for both Gilles Peterson's Worldwide FM, and KEXP in Seattle. Since their debut, Şatellites have evolved from a studio project into a full-fledged touring band. Over time, the lineup has shifted, enabling the group to recreate their studio sound live. Their expanded lineup now includes Tsuf Mishali on keys and synths, known for his work in proggy psych bands, and the animated Tal Eyal on percussion. Şatellites blast back into orbit on Aylar, delivering a bold evolution on the psychedelic folk-meets-groove sound they established on their acclaimed debut album. Rotem Bahar has also stepped up as the band's full-time vocalist and frontwoman, adding a fuller, grittier edge to the group's sound. Behind the drumkit, Lotan Yaish brings dynamic energy to the rhythm section. After two years of touring, this cohesive and reinvigorated lineup entered the studio with renewed purpose and closer musical bonds. Aylar (Turkish for "moons" or "months") showcases more ambitious arrangements, extended compositions, intricate harmonies, and unexpected twists, reflecting the band's commitment to innovation and their passion for the original wave of Turkish psychedelic music. Kluger's saz and Mishali's synths intertwine seamlessly, underpinned by Ariel Harrosh's infectious basslines and Yaish's dramatic drumming, all culminating in Rotem's husky, emotive vocals. The album's most ambitious cover is their cosmic folk-funk rendition of Hakki Bullut's ballad "Ikmiz Bir Fideniz," followed by the original instrumental "Beş Kardeş" ("Five Brothers"). If Şatellites' self-titled debut laid the blueprint for their sound, Aylar marks their transformation into a fully realized musical force. With this album, Şatellites step confidently out of the shadows of their Anatolian psych heroes to craft a modern yet timeless record, expanding their influences while deepening their connection to their roots.

"Open Vocal Phrases, Where Songs Come in And Out and Sketches For World of Echo (AU 1029CD) offer two intimate unedited Arthur Russell solo live performances recorded at Phill Niblock's Experimental Intermedia Foundation in Downtown NYC on 12/20/85 and 06/25/84. Phill curated and produced with Arthur both concerts at EI that would become part of the foundation for the World of Echo album. These extraordinary performances were recorded 18 months apart between 1984/85 by Steve Cellum and overseen by Phill and Arthur. Arthur would later edit sections from both concerts merging it with studio material recorded at Battery Sound to finalize the World of Echo album released in 1986. Double CD digipack with full color insert and liner notes. 2CD contains the complete Sketches performance."

Thought Leadership's III Of Pentacles is an instant classic and glides into the pantheon of timeless guitar-soul totems. Originally out on cassette only, Be With presents the first ever vinyl issue. It's a hideously limited pressing of 300 for the world, so don't sleep on this. Thought Leadership has already garnered big support from such tastemakers as Ruf Dug, Jason Boardman, Nathan Gregory Wilkins, J Walk, Evan Woodward, Justin Robertson and Heavenly's Jeff Barrett. They reside in Stockport and are obsessed with ethereal guitar records. Captured on a multitrack recorder in a terraced house in Stockport, this is as DIY as it gets. Glaringly obvious is a love for classic Factory and early 4AD. Perhaps it is the proximity to the River Mersey where the ideas arrived, and there being but three miles between where this and the Durutti Column's classic LC was recorded, as the two operate across a familiar aural plain. Be it geographic or otherwise, limited by a true economy of means, namely guitar, pedals and drum machine, the fruit borne from these humble tools has been indelibly shaped by the perma-gloom that hangs low over the Manchester and Stockport environs. Think Sensations Fix or Göttsching at his most peeled out. Drones, ambient drifts of broken chords and distorted lead lines all swirl round the mix. Carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francisco to ensure it sounds better than ever after its initial tape release. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry, in Holland. The original tape cover artwork, so crucial to Thought Leadership's striking visual aesthetic, has been rejigged for vinyl issue here at Be With. Its stark presentation befits the music contained within. RIYL: Durutti Coulmn, Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz, Sensations Fix, Spike.

1999 DJ Tool: "Cassius 1999," "La Mouche," "Feeling For You" and other classics tracks as never heard before. Unreleased double vinyl album featuring eight exclusive extended versions of the most iconic tracks from the album 1999, and a short story-liner notes by Boombass. 1999 DJ Tool has never been released before ? it was only sent to some VIPs years ago as a promo vinyl boxset while the 1999 album was released. "Daft Punk's groundbreaking album Homework had just opened the door for French electronic music to reach global audiences. For artists rooted in DJ culture, this was a turning point. French acts were finally being invited to play at burgeoning festivals and iconic clubs. The British audience was the first to embrace us, and weekend after weekend, we toured the UK. Inspired by those nights behind the decks, we suggested releasing a vinyl featuring extended versions of tracks from 1999. Designed as a promotional DJ Tool, it celebrated expansive, long-form tracks reminiscent of the ones we loved to play, an homage to our early experiments with endless loops, like Dinapoly from 1996. The vinyl was pressed in an extremely promo limited series, echoing our early maxi-singles and the rare records we used to hunt for as collectors. For fans, it was a chance to own something truly unique; for us, it was a final opportunity to re-explore the album's music. Produced in the style of La Funk Mob's EP, with the two of us in a recording booth surrounded by floppy-disk machines and two or three synths, the album's songs were structured and mixed directly in stereo on a DAT (digital audio tape). "Most tracks, originally very long, were edited into a coherent, hour-long listening experience. The DJ Tool was assembled from those original mixes, as a final, free-wheeling variation of our three weeks of fun in the studio. Holding that vinyl today brings back vivid memories of those early travels, the nightclubs at the cusp of transformation, the crowds getting younger at new parties, and the vinyl records that were just starting to fade from DJ booths."

Limited restock, last available copies. "Snockument is a vinyl sampler of some of Michael Hurley's favorite covers of his songs, spanning 30 years or more, threaded with a love and admiration for the songs of Hi Fi Snock. Some tunes were recorded specially for the occasion (Calexico, Cass McCombs, The Hackles, dbh and Little Sue) while others were picked up along the way (Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, The Chicken Chokers, Vernon Tonges and Jason D. Williams). They have been mastered specially to create a fine unity of all the selections as though all were performed in the same place on one day. This limited-edition vinyl LP on the Blue Navigator label includes a gatefold insert featuring art by Snock himself. Produced by Michael Hurley (USA), Brendan Foreman (Ireland) and Sarah Illingworth (New Zealand), with thanks to Steve Peters and Jonathan Scheuer (Nonsequitur) and Byron Coley (Feeding Tube Records)."

LP version. "This album has been a long time coming. We were lucky enough to do a tape in 2022 with Jeremy Hurewitz (aka Rootless) called what the truth leaves out. But this is the first time we've been able to work with long-time fave, Matt Lajoie, who appears with Ash Brooks as half of the no-longer-active duo, Starbirthed. The idea for this pairing was presented to us by Jeremy, who recorded the album at his cabin in southern Vermont in 2019. Jeremy's Rootless project generally features at least a soupçon of acoustic guitar (often combined with electronics or other things) and Starbirthed was initially canted towards producing music for meditation, although their instrumentation -- voice, bass, guitar, synth, bells, etc. -- also meant that some of the recordings possessed more of a gentle free rock heft than anything overtly new agey. Anyway, soon after the session, the Plague hit, the members of Starbirthed decided to go their own ways, and everything got sorta dragged down in the torpor of the times. But Jeremy persisted in wanting to get the session finished and together, and he succeeded quite admirably. The music on Rootless & Starbirthed is a glorious celebration of what I'd describe as a rural utopian vision of possible futures in which the world does not go straight into the shitter. This is music that glows with kind of positive energy that might be galling if it didn't sound so great. Both Rootless and Starbirthed (as well as Matt's many other projects -- Herbcraft, ML Wah, etc.) are about creating an atmosphere in which beauty thrives as much as anything else. And this great collab LP flows like a newly discovered river, carrying us away from the anxiety and insect paranoia of our quotidian reality. Positing something better, just around the corner. Something we are not yet able to see, but which might. just. save the day. This might sound like old man hippie thinking, but that's cool. I've been called worse. And so have you." --Byron Coley

Thirty-two artists honor the extraordinary legacy of Suzanne Langille through interpretations of her vast songbook. Langille is best known as an acclaimed avant-garde singer-songwriter and collaborator of guitarist Loren Connors. They ventured into electrified blues and abstracted artsongs across more than a dozen albums since the mid-1980s. Langille's songs, with Connors, solo, or other collaborators, are marked by distinct and captivating depth. Her evocative lyrics, layered with themes of loss, longing, and the natural world, defy conventional boundaries, blending poetry with potent melodies. Her work embraces the uncertainty of life and the delicate spaces between joy and sorrow. The double CD includes a 20-page booklet with artist bios, rare photos, and liner notes tracing Langille's roots from a cappella harmonies to 1980s protests through today. This Connors-produced collection is a joint release by Family Vineyard and Feeding Tube Records. The Suzanne Langille Songbook features a diverse array of artists who reinterpret her music, showcasing its timeless and transformative power. Contributors include Kim Gordon & Bill Nace, Jim O'Rourke, Heather Leigh, Lee Ranaldo, Zoh Amba, Sarah Davachi & Sean McCann, William Hooker, Daniel Carter, Alan Licht & Angela Jaeger, David Grubbs, Alison Farrell, Byron Coley, Ras Moshe Burnett, Loren Connors, Tom Carter, Ronnie Yates & Gabriel Martinez, Neel Murgai, Novaga, John Kolodij & Jane Hesser, Kim Gordon & Bill Nace, Andrew Burnes, Dean Roberts, Boris Hauf & Andrea Belfi, Laura Ortman, and Adam Casey & the Liminal Choir with Katherine Walsh.

Originally released 2022. Following the release of his recent debut album Moon in Earthlight, Wolfgang Tillmans drops "Insanely Alive" with remixes by the legendary Pet Shop Boys alongside producer Total Freedom, in a collaboration with Sami Baha. Tillmans, a life-long fan of the Pet Shop Boys, directed the music video for their 2002 single "Home And Dry," and contributed the cover artwork for the third iteration of their remix series "Disco 3." In 2015, Tillmans met Ashland Mines aka Total Freedom for the first time at Mike Q's club night at Escuelita in New York. Earlier that year, Tillmans had researched the DJ and producer's tracks for Playback Room, his sound installation focusing on the sounds of American producers. For this remix single, Tillmans invited both the Pet Shop Boys and Total Freedom to put their hands on the catchiest song of his album, resulting in a classic PSB Maxi Mix, an additional radio edit and Total Freedom's pulsating rework of "Insanely Alive."

Two killer tracks of erotic psychedelia with a jazzy twist and touches of acid rock by the French cabaret star Rita and Chilean rock pioneers Aguaturbia. A perfect soundtrack to an imaginary sexploitation film, half-way between the classic sound of library records and a progressive and hypnotic musical journey driven by fuzzy guitars. Reissued on a 45 for the first time. French actress, model, dancer and singer Rita Cadillac, local star at well-known Parisian cabarets like Crazy Horse or Folies Bergère, recorded several 45s in the 1960s. In 1969, and most likely following the success of the Welsh band Man, released this song that could have easily worked as the perfect soundtrack for a sexploitation movie. Rita's sensual voice is wrapped in a piece of background music that could have been taken from a classic library record from the KPM, Chappell or Montparnasse 2000 catalogues. Hammond-driven prog jazzy passages, subtle fuzzy guitar solos and a contagious bassline all delivered by some anonymous studio band accompanied by Rita's provocative whispers and moans. What better than another song in a similar vein and identical title, "Erotica" by Chilean rock pioneers Aguaturbia, to complete this single? Denise's alluring vocals dance harmoniously with Carlos' electrifying guitar loaded with fuzz and wah wah effects, building up a progressive and hypnotic musical journey. This song was included in their much sought-after debut LP and it is presented here again as the perfect accompaniment to the sensual Rita. Both songs are reissued on a 45 for the first time.

In 1996, Dakar-based group Pee Froiss released Wala Wala Bok?, a groundbreaking album that helped define Senegalese hip hop. Alongside groups like Positive Black Soul and Daara J, Pee Froiss became champions of Senegalese hip hop, inspiring an entire generation by linking hip hop with political struggle. Dubbed "an African Public Enemy" by the BBC, Pee Froiss channeled the fundaments of hip hop and reggae into a sound deeply rooted in the realities of Dakar. Originally exclusively released on cassette, Wala Wala Bok? fell out of circulation despite being a touchstone of Senegalese hip hop history. This remastered reissue of Wala Wala Bok? restores the album's legacy nearly 30 years after its original release, presenting it for the first time in high-quality formats. Accompanied by a 48-page booklet with rare artist photos and new liner notes, the release celebrates the singularity of Senegalese hip hop and its contribution to the larger history of African hip hop. RIYL: Positive Black Soul, Daara J, Black Noise.

I Know the Number of the Sand and the Measure of the Sea is the first collaboration of Lea Bertucci and Olivia Block. This collaboration was set into slow motion some years ago, in 2017, when Lea and Olivia connected through an interview facilitated by writer Steve Smith. In 2022, the artists finally had a chance to collaborate, performing an improvised set at Pioneer Works in New York City. Since then, the New York based Bertucci and Chicago based Block remotely built out ideas stemming from their live performance, passing sounds back and forth, until I Know the Number of the Sand and the Measure of the Sea was forged into existence. The title is a famous utterance of the Oracle of Delphi, a cult of female priestesses who would inhale the poisonous vapors of nearby volcanic vents to induce mystical visions for their seekers, often changing the course of civilization. Getting high from the earth. That is what this album hopes to achieve for our listeners. This collaboration sees Block playing synthesizer and tape, and Bertucci using her own voice processed through reel-to-reel tape, as well as microcassette collage of field recordings. Recorded and mixed by Olivia Block and Lea Bertucci. Mastered by Lawrence English at Negative Space Special.

Four new and ultra deep Italo-deephouse cuts from Jacy aka Giacy Bozzi from Bari in Southern Italy. Jacy is running his own label Home Of House Records and is well-known in his comfort-zone, the very Underground. May it be for his contributions to the amazing Welcome To Paradise compilation series on Safe Trip, being featured on Volume I, II and III or his records on Kalahari Oyster or Hot Haus Records. All of these come with Jacy signature sound -- timeless and deep tunes to stay, intense Balearic feels that guide you through the night and revive the golden-era of house music. Smallville 68 as always comes with a full cover artwork by Stefan Marx.

As the leader of new outfit Sarter Kit, saxophonist Tara Sarter is creating a unique form of minimal, experimental jazz drawing on humanist principles and shared experiences. Her uncluttered and emotionally heavy debut album What I am and What I'm Not creates an open, instrumental soundworld, where breaks and silences command equal gravitas as the notes and beats. The masterful drumming of Lukas Akintaya dances between oblique patterns in odd meters, into rolling grooves and afrobeat inspired rhythms. On keys and synth, Elias Stemeseder creates tension and releases, with lingering chords and fragile melodies. Stemeseder's synthesizer work throughout the album is subtle yet masterful. Stalking the silence between the sax, drums and piano, creating a haze of digital textures within the margins of the music. Much of the album was recorded live, preserving the raw, unedited energy of their performances. Beyond its musical qualities, What I am and What I'm Not is a reflection of Sarter's belief in the power of music as a form of human connection. For Sarter, music is not about proving technical prowess but about creating something meaningful, something that transcends barriers and speaks to the shared experience of being human.

For Dancers Only is the legendary club night organized by Bill Kealey, the hard-drinking and bustling collector and hunter from Dublin. Virtually every weekend he is on the road with his 7" vinyl case, delighting the masses. As he has been doing this for a few decades now, he belongs to the absolute champions league of those who deal with rhythm & blues of the '50s and all its varieties. This is his first compilation and we claim that it is one of the best that Stag-O-Lee has ever released. Featuring Mercy Baby, Willie Nix, Schoolboy Cleve, Willie Egans, Lightnin' Hopkins And Ruth (Blues) Ames, Otis Spann, John Lee, Little Hudson, Donnie Williams, Ervin Rucker, Lonesome Lee, Willie J. Charles, Eddie King, Jimmie Raney & Slim Slaughter, Gladys Tyler, and Harmonica 'Blues King' Garris.

To speak to Luca Daniel Schwarz aka LDS about his music is to be enthusiastically guided into a complex world of his own creation: clean and powerful techno which pulses with life from the textured patterns and drum sequences that have fills and accents that would make anyone who's picked up a set of drumsticks envious. Yet this ecosystem of noise is deceptive; Schwarz's process for making music is very different to how a live drummer would create the same subtlety of performance. Forever researching new technology, Luca got deeply interested in different programming languages, and created a series of probability-based music tools for maneuvering sounds and sequencing. Manipulating those probabilities takes a skillful alchemy, needing understanding of both musical structure and how the tools he devised work. To return to the drummer analogy, if the drummer is focused and intentional in the moment of playing, then the method used in LDS tracks is almost diametrically opposed, with all of the intention coming in the assembly of the instruments, potential paths, and gateways; once play is pressed the music flows, following all the rules that were set in advance, not unlike a domino run or Rube Goldberg machine. And like a domino run, the results are fascinating and, ultimately, fun: staccato vocals pop in and out in "zipp prompt"; laser-like synths pulse; background noises sweep across the aural plane of the dub techno of "diff, blockmix" and "pow" adding texture that brings vitality all-too-easily missed out when complex mathematical processes become entwined with music creation. The high sensitivity to texture and rhythmic detail in "Stadion Progg" is multiplied further on Jean Redondo's remix -- whose track, "Hypersonic," was the backbone of 2023's yet compilation on Tresor. The balance between technology and a sense of fun might also come from the maker; it's not easy to overstate Schwarz's passion for what is now his favorite way to make music, "it never gets boring. There's always a moment of anticipation to see what actually emerges." And the true Power Of 2 comes into play when the resulting music can be fed back through the system again and again, potentiating the music in exponential ways.

"There's no discussion when it comes to the (undeniable) fact that The Damned are one of the best punk bands to ever do it, and this smokin' collection of the first three Peel Sessions the band recorded (between 1976 and 1978) is all the proof you need. The energy level is over the top and you can feel the band exploding through the speakers in a pandemonium of absolutely perfect raw and loud Rock'n'Roll, a MUST!"

2025 price reduction, last copies... LP version. Blackest Ever Black presents Sleep Heavy, the debut album of broken-hearted, downtempo R&B/street-soul and supremely atmospheric, introspective electronics from Jabu: a trio comprised of vocalist/lyricists Alex Rendall and Jasmine Butt, and producer Amos Childs. The group was born out of Bristol's Young Echo collective: an ecosystem unto itself which has birthed and nurtured a number of other notable soundsystem-rooted projects and artists to date, including Kahn & Neek, Sam Kidel, Ishan Sound, Ossia, Asda, Chester Giles, and Killing Sound (Childs with Kidel and Vessel). Jabu's previous 7" singles, though arresting, barely hinted at the level of accomplishment and emotional heft that Sleep Heavy delivers. It's a future Bristol classic with a universal resonance, with songs that are highly personal but deeply relatable, and a tripped-out, time-dissolving sound design that both haunts and consoles. It is, first and foremost, a meditation on grief, loss, making sense of separation, and death; but it also looks forward to what might come after the aftermath: healing, acceptance, the chance to begin again. Childs is one of the most gifted producers of his generation and his work here, grounded in hip-hop but floating free, is a thing of sustained wonder: crepuscular, melancholic, subtly psychedelic, and heavily dubwise, but always concise and purposeful. Stitched together from deep-dug and beautifully repurposed samples, it draws on influences from US R&B to Japanese art-pop minimalism -- Mariah to Mariah Carey, if you will -- and a rich seam of underground UK soul, boogie, DIY/post-punk, library music, and lovers rock. There is also of course a distant connection to the Bristol blues of Smith & Mighty and the sultry urban gothic of Protection-era Massive Attack (1994), but Jabu's orchestration of womb-like ambiences, cold synth tones, and brittle beats feel entirely sui generis. They provide the perfect setting for Rendall's wounded, imploring and carefully weighted vocals, which are no less extraordinary: nodding to giants like Teddy Pendergrass and The Temptations in terms of phrasing and front-and-center vulnerability, with something of The Associates' Billy MacKenzie in there too; defeated but defiant. Meanwhile, Jas's heavenly interventions, sometimes leading but more often parsed and layered into tremulous, gossamer abstraction, draw a line between the Catholic choral harmonies of her childhood and the ethereal, oceanic sweep of Cocteau Twins. By its end, Sleep Heavy's world-weariness is intact and scarcely diminished, but some light has been admitted, and is visible from the sea-floor.