270 pages. Soft-cover, fully illustrated. 196 x 268mm. Edited by Eva Prinz. Preface by Neneh Cherry. Afterword by Joe McPhee. New York, NY, USA -- musicians Mats Gustafsson, Neneh Cherry, Joe McPhee, and Thurston Moore, along with music writer Byron Coley, have contributed to an illustrated collector's guide to records -- replete with 270 pages of beatific album art, labels, sleeve notes and collector musings on their life-long obsessions of record collecting, with a distinct focus on the recorded history of free jazz and free improvisation. Compiling personal archives of their selections of recordings which could be contenders within a list defined by a parameter of 100 of the most essential releases presented in chronological order, acknowledging the music to be preternaturally noncompetitive, non-hierarchical, and of equal value, Now Jazz Now is a book for all adventurous music lovers, whether ravenous record collectors, avant-garde jazz enthusiasts, students of radical culture, or simply curiosity seekers in wonder to this music's illustrious history and lineage. The gleanings of Cherry, Coley, Gustafsson, McPhee and Moore will enlighten, delight, amuse, and bemuse all who follow their streams of consciousness, knowledge, perception, and, most importantly, unbridled respect and regard for a genre of music dedicated to the dignity of practicing freedom.

Double LP version. Implosion is a crushing split album, appropriately released on The Bug's own PRESSURE label. Mapping out a new form of spectral dub, the sound is deliberately immersive, introverted, and yes, definitely implosive. In pursuit of heavy lids, blurred vision, and merciless bass bin punishment, it's one part meditation, two parts low-end theory, and essentially a confession of devoted sound system addiction. As expected from a tag team featuring British soundlab explorer and "London Zoo" composer Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz -- a long-time graduate of Germany's new school of sound system reggae culture -- the duo approaches their target differently yet share the goal of keeping their sound "raw" and "brutally minimal". Each track illuminates the emotional impact and atmospheric pressure being explored across this deceptively sparse album -- a mastery of tone and texture. This collection might be as reduced, minimal, and deep as The Bug has ever gone, perhaps echoing the solemnity of his recent Kevin Richard Martin Black release and invoking the futurist steppas self-pioneered on his previous Pressure album. Alternatively, Fiedler's Ghost Dubs project ventures into his most heavyweight direction yet, which is no mean feat considering his previous, the critically acclaimed album Damaged, was a monstrously massive triumph of analogue weight and enviable sound design. Implosion is ice-cool, a stark contrast to the warmth and sociability of traditional Jamaican roots and the current trends in digi-dub. Instead, the mood is soaked in tension and intense dread, finding an unexpected melting point where classic dub's stark rhythm attack, isolationist ambience's eerie drift, dub techno's floatation strategies, and even the relentless riffs of doom metal collide. The super heavyweight pulsations, emotive resonances, and bone-rattling vibrations detonated here effortlessly go far beyond the artists' influences. Shadowy and elusive, there's a mysteriousness at this record's core. A haunting moodiness oscillating between nostalgia and future shock. Implosion is a testament to being enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass, and utterly crushed by bass, as The Bug and Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of dub for zonal headz and Babylon seekers. Mastered by Stefan Betke (a.k.a. POLE) at Scape Mastering studio.

LP version. Alongside Joy Division, The Durutti Column were amongst the first artists to be released by Factory Records. Their debut album, produced by Martin Hannett, showcased the filigree guitar work of Vini Reilly, awash with reverb and early experiments with synthesizers. It would be a first album of a five-decade career, in which The Durutti Column would quietly emerge as one of the most influential acts from the Manchester scene and beyond. To celebrate the album's 45th anniversary, London Records revisits the album with new editions, with audio sourced and remastered from the original tapes for the first time since 1980, with vinyl cut at half speed. LP version includes restored "second edition" artwork with textured sleeve. Liner notes by The Durutti Column/Factory Records expert James Nice.

"Broadly speaking, shredders are the pro wrestlers of music, trafficking in overwrought drama but devoid of soul, the realm of finger-tappers, fretboard lubricators, and those prone to viewing music as a competitive brawl. As such, the axe-slinger of conscience steers clear of shredding behavior, albeit every-so-often dexterously running the neck to tip listeners off that, you know, they 'really know how to play.' But for the typical avant-string consumer, shredding is beyond the pale. Which brings us to Cyrus Pireh's new Palilalia release Thank You, Guitar, his latest stab at 'transcendental shred electric guitar music.' Pireh, a self-professed anarchist and presumed enemy of music-as-sport, upcycles the 32nd-note neck sprint into a mesmeric boil played and recorded with little intervening electronic trickery other than a Digitech DD5 and mysterious amp modifications. The end result sounds like Pireh's plugged a quarter-inch jack into each of the listener's eardrums, a quick digital delay ping-ponging across the frontal lobes, the wet and dry signal of his 9-string axe all but indistinguishable. Indeed, Pireh views his maximalist double-handed scrabble as a mirror in which the listener might visualize all manner of details in its rapidly self-propagating tonal and rhythmic tapestry. The title track, its hairpin turns echoing Fred Frith's 'Hello Music' -- another startling LP-opener -- establishes this methodology immediately. But far from languishing in razzle dazzle, each song tracks different tangential vectors, some (like 'Free Palestine') employing tape delay to smear the sounds into a muzzy, proto-psychedelic modality, with others stretching longer feedback times into unison lines reminiscent of Eno's all-consuming Revox (albeit less pitchy). But the true mind bender of the record is 'Amen Family', its fret-tapping and string scraping reinventing the venerable amen break as an electrified freak-folk/jungle opus for fingerstyle guitar that has to be heard to be believed. Ultimately, Thank You, Guitar is a giant step forward in Palilalia's redefinition of the solo guitar record, and one of the first truly novel things I've heard a guitar spit out in quite some time, milking the tension between precision and chaos, never quite veering into one or the other, but maintaining maximum engagement and brimming with action til the end." --Tom Carter

LP version. "There are very few albums in the psych/punk/hard rock/private presses strata that garner the sort of universal awe and accolades that Fraction's almighty Moon Blood album does, and even fewer records in the world that could be dubbed 'Christian Rock' incur such fierce devotion. Indeed some records just meteorically lift themselves out any genre tag with brilliance and sheer defiance -- and Moon Blood is surely one of them. Based in LA, Fraction was a ragged collection of working-class musicians -- the line-up was ringleader Jim Beach (vocals), Don Swanson (lead guitar), Curt Swanson (drums), Victor Hemme (bass), and Robert Meinel (rhythm guitar). Amazingly the recording sessions for the album were recorded similarly on the fly. Particularly noteworthy is Beach's vocals -- as commonly stated, the spirit of Jim Morrison is conjured in his deep baritone, which gives way to unparalleled pained howls, at times bathed in delay which trails into the abyss. Fascinatingly enough, Beach cites the much punker Love as his fave LA band over the Doors, and also gives influence-nods to proto-everything rockers The Yardbirds and to Dylan, whose dark word tapestries surely inspired Beach's lyrics. Whatever the case, the man clearly has a vision, as even the stark sleeve concept is Beach's own. The other members contributions shouldn't be underappreciated though -- drummer Curt Swanson keeps things at a constant simmer, and then boils over when the whole band launches into snarling glory. The band and LP as a whole equals something indescribably intense from start to finish -- comparisons to the Detroit late '60s high-energy bands like The Stooges and MC5 abound, as well as the sort of late '60s damaged spirit lurking in biker clubs and disgruntled Vietnam vets. The song cycle on side one of the LP in particular cuts to the emotional core, with severely charged dark lyrics like 'Extend your thumbs and burn the darkness out of her.' Which leads to the Christian aspect -- it often can confuse listeners. The Fraction/Beach world of religion is complex and perhaps a bit pagan/sinister than most -- fire and brimstone, temptation, and the truth-seeker being burned by this hell on earth. The album was pressed in a run of but a few hundred to little attention in the day, but now inferior bootlegs flood the marketplace, and originals of Moonblood command thousands of dollars. So enjoy this all-inclusive reissue."

LP version. The brilliantly named duo -- formed by Adam Morrow and Jamie Sego -- might be based in "the hit recording capital of the world," Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but somehow, they have made a concept album about the ancient religious outpost off the coast of northeast England. It's a stunning record that mixes fuzzy guitars with folk horror and fantastic melodies -- for fans of Ride, Slowdive, Galaxie 500, Talk Talk, Yo La Tengo and The Clientele. Despite its lyrical inspiration lying thousands of miles away, it comes imbued with the soulfulness of their surroundings -- not least because it was recorded in the old Muscle Shoals Sound studio by the Tennessee River, now Portside Sound, which is run by Jamie. "The story of Lindisfarne gave us a framework for what were otherwise very abstract ideas and emotions," explains Adam. "It became a way to make sense of our own moment in history. We really want our lives and societies to always get better, and to be left alone to make that happen. But we are stuck in these cycles of progress and regression, and I think most people are really driven to make sense of it and assign meaning. Lately, we've lived through a global pandemic, a devaluation of truth and reality, and a resurgence of far-right politics into the mainstream. Not really what I expected out of life in 2025." He is keen to point out that, despite the seriousness of its inspirations, the duo had a lot of fun making the album and really want it to be "a living and breathing thing". "We want people to be able to engage with it regardless of whether they care about it as a concept record," he says. "For me, it's just another reason to expand the pedalboard," concludes Jamie. "We hope you enjoy it. Peace, love and reverb from Alabama."

Footwork pioneer Traxman presents Tekvision Volume 4, the highly-anticipated new album on Teklife. A defining force in Chicago's house, ghetto house, juke, and footwork scenes for over 30 years, Traxman continues to innovate with a cutting-edge release that builds on decades of influence and expertise, featuring tracks that pay homage to Chicago's West Side roots. With Tekvision Volume 4, Traxman reaffirms his legendary status as one of electronic music's most influential figures, delivering an album designed for both footwork veterans and a new generation of listeners ready to experience the genre's next evolution.

LP version. Color vinyl. "Vatican Shadow's 20th Hijacker -- the redacted 'what if' doom electronics loop which dissects the gulf between death as sacrifice vs. reward, anxiety digitalization and universal human commonality -- fear of loud noises and falling for the unspoken lost 9/11 generation. Repeated patterns of low-frequency pulses, coded intervals of silence and insistent machine-like percussive bursts resemble the preliminary stages of coordination. Experts familiar with prior activity of the organization note that these sonic movements align with earlier warnings of revolutionary activity, with networks mobilizing resources for a techno-industrial event of uncertain but potentially catastrophic magnitude and destabilizing influence, felt especially on 'Speed Of Sound' featuring Iggor Cavalera. With an atmosphere of secrecy pervasive, these nebulous communiques have a persistent momentum, consistent with preparations. The density of sound layers indicates reconnaissance -- global photography, encrypted kill webs -- woven into forms that stand to conceal as much as disclose. 20th Hijacker synchronizes post-Desert Storm-era paradoxes between the world's fastest surveillance plane at the time which was unarmed and the guerrilla weaponization of commercial aircraft -- foreshadowing the essence of the ongoing war on terror -- the merger of special operations and espionage within both opposing adversaries. In a climate of inevitability -- never forget war is a force that gives us meaning."

"The long running Brooklyn-based collective Chicha Libre counts members from Mexico, France, Venezuela and the US. Taking inspiration from exotic strains of cumbia, this follow-up to their mostly original tracks on their Canibalismo LP sees the band turning its attention to some well-known classics, applying their psychedelic chicha template to the Clash, Arthur Lee's Love, Los Shapis, and the Danny Eflman theme song to The Simpsons. Originally released on Record Store Day in 2013, it has been remastered and is available once again on vinyl. With this EP, Chicha Libre was closing a loop -- using a sound that was shaped by Peruvian tropical music to pay tribute to its own rockero roots -- and to some of its personal heroes. Jacket designed by Peruvian artist Elliot Tupac, whose posters and murals can be found on the walls of every neighborhood in Lima. Credited with perfecting a Chicha graphic style which has come to represent Peruvian urban culture. His work has been shown all over Latin America."

LP version. Green color vinyl. Underneath The Earth is the debut album from Chimehours; a hauntological music project for the dislocated present day. Taking inspiration from Max Porter's novel Lanny, the album digs into themes of nature, myth and community, with an edge of folk-horror. Drones, drums and gritty guitars are juxtaposed with woodwind, strings and ethereal song. Written and produced between Derbyshire, London and Margate, the album takes musical influence from the likes of Liz Fraser, Broadcast, Beth Gibbons, Bibio, and Jóhann Jóhannsson, and atmospheric cues from The Wickerman, The Fog, and Enys Men. Chimehours is a collaboration between Beck Goldsmith and Jon Dix. The pair have previously performed in bands together and composed music for award-winning film and television. They conjured up this foray into cinematic, horror-flecked contemporary-folk to explore their love of the supernatural and the other-than-human. Here, Chimehours raid the vaults of '70s British cinema and trad folk soundscapes to riff on contemporary anxieties and ecological yearning. They conjured up this foray into cinematic, horror-flecked contemporary-folk to explore their love of the supernatural and the other-than-human. The result is a collection of all things earthy, exquisite and grotesque.

LP version. "Riding in on an eviscerating vocal alarm call and originally released in 1988 as the final installment of her Masque of the Red Death trilogy, Diamanda Galás' You Must Be Certain of the Devil is as unflinching now as it was on release in 1988. It remains a swaggering, furious fuck-you to those who might cast aside the sick and dying in the name of faith and scripture. Often misunderstood as simply dark for its subject matter, You Must Be Certain of the Devil in fact shines a light of such total exposure it leaves nowhere to hide, forensically unmasking the fury and pain of real grief and the vast spectrum of emotions rendered by the AIDS epidemic. It is an album that looks you square in the eye, pins you against a wall and makes you look at and feel the horror the virus visited upon a person, the knowledge of certain death in a hostile environment, and the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Samaritans or protectors. The album twists gospel spirituals into blistering indictments of hypocrisy, using sacred forms to expose the cruelty of churches that damned AIDS sufferers as cursed by God. From the siren-call of 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' through 'Double-Barrel Prayer,' 'Birds of Death,' and the title track, she intones as apostate, reaper, and bar-room brawler, detourning spirituals into prayers to a god invented by despair. Begun in 1984 and haunted by her brother's death in 1986, the trilogy moved from anguish to political knowledge, shaped by Americas mounting AIDS epidemic -- by 1988 over 46,000 dead, antivirals still years away. Dismissed as the AIDS lady and joining Act Up protests, Galás made the trilogy a work begun in 1984 and not completed until the end of the epidemic, refusing closure: for her there is no escape or reprieve. You Must Be Certain of the Devil spears you in the eternal present of trauma, by an artist who calls herself a Greek orthodox atheist: a person certain of the devil with no hope in God. LP is packaged in a gatefold sleeve with euro inner sleeve and poster, with remastered audio by Heba Kadry, vinyl lacquers cut by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering and photography by Emily Andersen."

LP version. Romanian avant-garde composer, Nicolae Brînduş (1935-2023), studied piano and composition at the National University of Music in Bucharest. From 1969 to 1980 he attended the Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt and later he also worked at the IRCAM in Paris and GMEB in Bourges. His compositions have been performed worldwide. This album, originally released on Electrecord's RCM (Romanian Contemporary Music) series in 1986, provides a selection of works which belong to his cycle PHTORA (1968-1972). The cycle comprises five pieces which are five degrees of structuring collective improvisation, leaning towards the spectralist tradition. It's probably the most eccentric record in the whole RCM series, offering a mesmerizing collage of organized cacophony, as a massive but subtly layered whirlwind of abstract orchestral improvisations, Romanian picturesque folklore and free jazz with extensive use of tape manipulation and reverberation. This reissue comes with the beautiful original sleeve artwork by Ana Golici who designed many sleeves for Electrecord.

Peter Beyls (1950) works on the intersection of computer science and the arts. He develops generative systems in music, the visual arts and hybrid formats. Beyls studied music and computer science at EMS, Stockholm, the Royal Music Conservatory, Brussels and the Slade School of Art, UC London. Initially he was active in electronic music, as a composer of tape music. Later on, he developed various analog live electronic music systems. In close partnership with Michel Waisvisz, he designed and built the early prototypes of the crackle box synthesizer at STEIM, Amsterdam (1973-1975). Around the same time, Belgian composers Karel Goeyvaerts and Lucien Goethals were his mentors at the IPEM Studio. Over the years, Beyls' work has primarily centered on generative systems, including an extensive series of machine drawings, human-machine interactive music systems using machine-learning and interactive audiovisual installations on which he has also given worldwide lectures. His work has been widely performed and exhibited at various universities and art institutions. The four previously unreleased tracks on this LP are amongst his first electronic music compositions using the Crackle Box, the Synthi 100 and the VCS3, a combination of live improvised electronics with precise tape editing and effects.

LP version. "Brown Acid: The Twenty-First Trip arriving right on time as the world at large degrades further into disorienting self-absorbed isolation and chaos. Ten powerful early hard rock brain benders, primal energy exploding sideways out of the ash heap of '60s idealism, rocking the darker side of human nature in style! Raw and unfiltered, no compromise, blasting gnarly sound perfectly sequenced to take you on one helluva ride! Every track sounds fresh today because Brown Acid is the real deal when it comes to what matters in music -- communication! Featuring Opus Est, Freedom North, Franki Hart, Accents, Brother Love, River Styx, Maxx, Pump, 29.9, Wakefield, and Peacepipe."

LP version. Color vinyl. "Orcutt Shelley Miller is an avant-rock trio comprised of three highly celebrated figures of experimental music: Bill Orcutt (Harry Pussy), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and Ethan Miller (Howlin Rain, Comets On Fire). Following in the footsteps of the high-firing free jazz and European outer-rock bands of the '60s and '70s and the Pacific Rim's subterranean reimagining of 'rock' form in the '90s, Orcutt Shelley Miller utilize explosive group chemistry, focused intention and chance to pursue the creation of song in its rawest, purest form."

"The landscape Orcutt Shelley Miller inhabits lies deep in the stoner American bedrock, fed by volcanic riffage and hypnotic phrasing with rhythmic nods to the SoCal '60s and atonal slash piled on a mid '80s SST punk-fusionoid substrate, ultimately blasting a 'big rock statement' that treads the line between good times and blown minds." --Tom Carter

"C.L.A.W.S. comes to Dark Entries with a new ripping LP, Splat City II. C.L.A.W.S. is the solo project of musical luminary Brian Hock, who has been a key figure in the Bay Area underground for over two decades via his involvement in projects like Bronze and The Vanishing, as well as helming the record labels Squirrels on Film and Immortal Sin. With C.L.A.W.S., Hock takes on the dancefloor, picking up cues from the Hague's Giallo-dipped electro, the skewed minimalism of Chicago acid, and the mind-rending forays of San Francisco post-punk icons like Chrome and Tuxedomoon. Following 2019's inaugural Splat City EP, Splat City II continues to map the psychogeography of a metropolis both alien and immediately recognizable, one where life is cheap, but so are the thrills. Previously released on Squirrels on Film in digital-only format, this expanded vinyl edition of Splat City II features two new cuts. Things kick off with 'Route 505' and 'One Tear,' a duo of rompers that vibe like Tom Ellard and Chip E locked in a room with a vial of liquid. Next up, Bay Area deckmaster Tyrel lends his editing chops to 'Vigilant Slimy Monsters,' sculpting a moody space disco beast. Squirrels on Film co-founder Solar teams up with Hock for 'Black Magic Carpet Ride III,' a cavernous downtempo banger. The slow-mo pace continues with 'Wild Slugs United,' which features the no wave-esque clarinet work of Paul Costuros. Closer 'Don't Flip the Crystal Ship' pays homage to Bayview venue Bay Area 51 with melancholic strings and a quartz-solid electrofunk bassline. Splat City II comes in a sleeve with artwork by Bert Bergen, which features a vampiric cat and sci-fi cityscapes."

LP version. Something is brewing in the state of Norway! Kronstad 23 are the latest trailblazers from northern Scandinavia: a creative force exploring the boundaries of musical genres, including but not limited to: psych rock, jazz, post-rock and Scandinavian folk music. The group of young players follows the footsteps of Motorpsycho, Elephant9 and El Paraiso's own Lotus, Fra Det Onde and Kanaan, carving out their path through the musical landscape in seemingly effortless ways! One minute you're floating on cosmic Pharoah Sanders waters, the next you're ascending on electrified if-Tortoise-played-Allman Brothers-style jamming. The band describes their approach as: "Sommermørket is an escape from inhumane technology and politics in search of something that feels authentic. The music breathes in the little that is left of old air and rises slowly into the hazy summer twilight like brittle thoughts that try to connect and fade away." Kronstad 23 was formed in Kronstad, Bergen, Norway in the Autumn of 2023. As old friends and musical collaborators, they rekindled a creative spark that had been dormant for over 10 years. Rarely rehearsed and often caught on first take, Sommermørket was recorded live on tape in the studio of Keyboardist Øyvind Vie Berg in Bergen, Norway. The record captures three sessions across one year, from spring and late summer in 2024 to winter of 2025.

Written, produced, recorded, and mixed by Buck Curran at Via Paleocapa, Bergamo, Italy between April 2024 and January 2025. Mastered by Harris Newman, Grey Market Mastering, Montreal, Canada. Curran's ninth solo album finds an elemental, full-form return to his musical roots: a deep love for the ambient and resonant nature of the acoustic steel-string guitar in alternate tunings. In company and reunited (after an 18-year separation) with a rare "Butterfly" Model 1 acoustic guitar made by Stefan Sobell in Northumberland, England in 1990 (previously used to record the first two albums made by his duo Arborea), Curran creates idiosyncratic and ethereal soundscapes through the use of its sonorous fundamental voice, incredible sustain, shimmering overtones and harmonics, and the additional use of a brass slide and EBow. The compositions and improvisations that are presented in this album are intricate and subtly powerful throughout, yet plaintive and mystical sounding. The notes contained within Far Driven Sun are further defined with plentiful space and tonal colors. Far Driven Sun finds Buck Curran ever-evolving on his musical path -- a joyful and creative exploration of aural color and resonance -- reflections and ruminations on the eternal cosmos and life.

Double LP version. Neoclash is DJ Hell's new work. The electroclash of the early 2000s is reconstructed here, its characteristic codes extracted and reshaped into a modern, reflective form. Neoclash is a cultural experiment -- music as a medium of reflection, a structure for space and time, and a vehicle for exploring the tensions between technology, the body, and perception. Electroclash now -- or a manifesto for the aesthetic relevance of electronic club music, combining strong old-school references with a new understanding. DJ Hell, a.k.a. Helmut Josef Geier, delivers a contemporary reinterpretation of the electroclash genre. International Deejay Gigolo Records was the pulse of the movement 25 years ago -- and Hell, its very namesake. Godfather of Electroclash reloaded. 25 years and many milestones later, DJ Hell returns to his roots with Neoclash, proving that electroclash can sound not nostalgic, but forward-thinking and visionary. Neoclash builds a bridge between past and present within electronic dance culture and club music. Italo disco, new wave, indie dance, disco, pop, Chicago house, acid, Detroit techno, and avantgarde music merge here into a bold new interpretation. Featuring Donna Summer and Joyce Muniz.

2025 repress; 2006 release. R.I.P. Ace Frehley. Considered the best of the four solo albums that Kiss released simultaneously in 1978, Ace Frehley does not stray far from Kiss's trademark heavy sound. With future David Letterman band members drummer Anton Fig and bassist Will Lee backing him up, Frehley shows that he is more than a songwriting match for bandmates Simmons and Stanley. In fact, the album yielded a Top 20 hit in "New York Groove."

The incredibly beautiful album Shinsekai, released in 1994, is finally being reissued. Long considered a phantom masterpiece and a cornerstone of Japanese techno, the album had been out of print for many years due to the business circumstances of its original label, Rising High. Now reissued by Sublime and Musicmine.

2025 repress; double LP version. Pioneers in their own musical approaches, Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, began their exploration of sound in the evocatively titled V.I.R.U.S series in 2002. After more than a decade from the release of the collection's final installment with summvs in 2011, NOTON reissues all the five albums between June and October 2022. With its impressionistic atmosphere, in this collaborative project two generations met and shared the idea of electronic music as an inspiration source for new musical structures. Over a series of five albums, Vrioon (2002), Insen (2005), Revep (2006), utp_ (2008), and summvs (2011), the duo has explored blending electronic and acoustic sounds into a meditative whole that is at once expressive, breathing and precision-engineered. Remastered in collaboration with Calyx Mastering, the recordings are made available under the title Remaster, accompanied by exclusive, unreleased compositions and housed in a beautifully designed sleeve with original cover art by Carsten Nicolai.

Sum Variations features two long form studies of Josephine's song "The Sum Of Us All" from 2013. These were recorded in Spain and Morocco, respectively, in collaboration with two different ensembles. These two variations offer a glimpse into the early exploration of the song, which became later embedded in Foster's song cycle, "Godmother" (made into an electric solo album released by Fire Records in 2021). Side A recorded live in the village of Joujouka, Ahl-Srif mountains, Morocco, 2012. Side B recorded and mixed by Gyda Valtysdottir, Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, 2012.

After a long hiatus, Prins Thomas drops his 10th studio album. Picking up where the last record ended, it's an introspective but celebratory and uplifting affair. One-man-band jams turning into mini epics, like coming up for air or seeing the bright lights at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Sanguis is the alias of Berlin-based producer Ludwig Wandinger, a fixture in the city's experimental scene. On his debut album Wounding, dark ambient textures and solo piano improvisations let the listener's attention slip in and out of focus creating a liminal state of dreaming, feeling and drifting through inner worlds and thoughts. Wandinger tries to capture fleeting moments -- all tracks are unedited first takes, some recorded only with his phone in various places, from a friend's flat in Neukölln to his family home in rural Bavaria. Background noises become a part of the music and create a tangible sense of place, urging the listener to keep an ear out for one's own surroundings. Though firmly rooted in the ambient genre, the album is not just about finding comfort. It's an acknowledgement of the ambiguity of our world where menace and beauty coexist, a dichotomy most apparent in nature itself -- a constant source of inspiration for Wandinger. Wounding is about walking alone on damp foliage at night and being handed a blanket by a loved one at the earliest daylight.

Synaptic Cliffs presents the release of the four-track EP Maximalism where pdqb collaborates with DJ Sotofett in the most effective way. pdqb's sleek and melancholic electro originals carry a sexy 1980s reminiscing vibe, not too unknown from classic US electro disco-styled pop music. They meet warehouse remixes from DJ Sotofett, known for his top-notch electro productions on Clone and Tresor, as well as funky breakbeat, afro-dub and all-things-house on his own labels Wania and Sex Tags Mania. The remix of pdqb's electrocognition-beauty 'Giallactrus' has heavier, almost p-funk styled electro beats, live scratching complementing the block party approach while retaining the vibe of the original.

Following the acclaimed reissue of Sa Discossa, Jo Tongo's third solo album Those Flowers returns to the spotlight. Originally released just a year and a half after Sa Discossa, this 1982 gem came out on the small Context label and, in Tongo's own words, the two records are "like twins." Recorded with many of the same musicians, Those Flowers continues the vibrant fusion of disco-funk and reggae -- this time dedicating one side to each, leaning slightly more into his Western influences. But there's more than groove beneath the surface. Tracks like "People Need Peace" and "We Human Beings" channel his enduring themes of resistance, identity, and freedom. The synthesizer at the beginning of the song mimics the ominous drone of warplanes, and lyrics speak directly to global struggles -- reminders that his music is both deeply personal and powerfully political. "I paid for these ideals in my career," Tongo reflects, alluding to the personal costs of his outspoken stance against colonialism and injustice. Still, Those Flowers carries joy at its heart. Songs like "Ain't No Man Like A Real Friend" celebrate trust and loyalty, while the title track offers a tender ode to love and kindness -- "picking flowers from the soul," as Tongo puts it. These songs reveal the inner world of a man who has always viewed music as a mirror of life. This reissue marks the second installment in the African Edge series from The Outer Edge label. Fully restored and remastered, Those Flowers is now set to bloom again -- another vital chapter in the legacy of Jo Tongo.

Figure is celebrating its 150th release with a loaded triple vinyl compilation, showcasing artists both old and new to the label -- a testament to what the Figure sound is today. The cover art has been commissioned from Berlin-based graffiti artist Erik Winkler, whose spray-painted work is adorning the thick triple-pocket sleeve housing three colored records. The compilation features some important recent additions to the growing roster: both Jancen and Arthur Robert deliver their unique take on tunneling techno, be it searing or psychedelic. And Brazilian shape-shifter Vinicius Honorio carves out his own gliding bass frequencies while A-STS relies classic drum machine bleep hypnosis. Label head Len Faki's own energetic appearance echoes his versatile style found on his recent album release. The all-out production featuring strings and quirky synths sits in contrast with Jeroen Search & Decoder -- a pairing of veterans, whose minimal hardware sound slowly builds over trippy acid loops. The flipside belongs to a younger generation of producers, namely IGLO turning out a superb techno roller teeming with life and lush with details. The duo of Munich brothers Glaskin already remixed Faki for his Fusion album, their first original release on Figure comes a skillful blend of distorted stabs and deep grooves. Equally refined but with a harder edge to it, Scheermann practices a dark, minimalist approach where each element gets time to shine for maximum effect. His bleak track is aptly paired with a rare solo release of Obscure Shape whose fractures of a dreamy, twinkly melody make for one of the most emotional moments of the compilation. The final side holds Roman Poncet's seasoned understanding of groove, balancing perfectly the dubby stabs and vocal chops for a dazzlingly perfect loop. The final tones to this milestone release come courtesy of another of Figure's bright new voices: Arkan manages to conjure up a powerful sense of progression, where colorful synths converge in harmonies over an effortlessly bouncing beat. It is a rare moment for an independent label to make to number 150. But to keep finding new talent who help re-shape the signature sound while expanding the family roster, that's a true blessing. This package shows how Figure is growing and adapting as a label, staying relevant as one of the leading voices in modern techno.

Other Stories, born from the collaboration between Pablo Bolívar and Alexandra Savvidi, blends the elegance of downtempo with the depth of deep house. Across its eight tracks, the album explores immersive atmospheres, where gentle pianos and Alexandra's evocative vocals intertwine with broken rhythms, creating a unique listening experience. This record gathers the best of the duo's joint journey, offering a perfect blend of introspection and subtle energy.

"On the cover: 2025 Rewind: The Year in Sound and Music: The Wire's essential guide to the highs and lows of the last 12 months in underground music and culture. Our 2025 Rewind double issue will have twice the shelf life of a standard issue and will include our essential Top 50 Releases of the Year and Archive Releases of the Year charts, both compiled from the votes of more than 60 of our critics and contributors. Other features include cultural reflections from our roster of writers, our specialist columnists' charts and analyses from avant rock to dub, and essays on some of 2025's talking points including DIY radio, slow music for fast times, and the current state of skronk. Inside: Makaya McCraven; After a three year hiatus in solo output, the prodigious drummer, producer and bandleader has released one new studio album, Off The Record via Chicago's International Anthem label, and four EPs, all edited and reworked from extensive live recordings dating back as far as 2015 and featuring contributions from Theon Cross, Ben LaMar Gay and Jeff Parker. In this special feature he is interviewed by Black Rock Coalition bassist Melvin Gibbs; Company was the name the British improv guitarist Derek Bailey gave to the festival he ran in London between 1977?1994, for which he would invite diverse casts of musicians to come and improvise together. To mark the 20th anniversary of Bailey's death, Mark Wastell gives the inside story of what happened when the guitarist revived Company for events in New York, London and Marseille; Hilary Woods; The Irish confessional singer, songwriter and filmmaker returns to the Sacred Bones label with her new album Night CRIÚ, a follow up to 2023's acclaimed Acts Of Light. By Leah Kardos."

2025 restock. 32nd volume in the BYG Actuel series; gatefold sleeve, 180 gram vinyl. "Avant-garde jazz drummer Sunny Murray was a major player in the experimental jazz community throughout the 1960s. After three years as a member of Albert Ayler's band (1964-1967), Murray traveled to France where, after releasing two LPs on the BYG label, he recorded An Even Break, (recorded on November 22, 1969) for Affinity. Although his first release for the Affinity label, this was Murray's third release of the year! Featuring Byard Lancaster, Malachi Favors and Kenneth Terroade."

Restocked. "The successor to 2022's Bajascillators glides easily into frame, but once there, Inland See is deceptively immediate. It's so dialed in, you hardly even feel how present the music (and you the listener) is. Time wharping's always been a resident magic for Bitchin Bajas, as is flow, which is translucent like water here. That's the Inland See vibe, unique unto itself. In turn, each of the four songs here are entirely within themselves, all together forming an essential whole. The coincision'll cause yer breath to shorten, like an exciting and non-fatal kind of exercise! New freedoms, yet more molecular structure in each one. With every successive Bitchin Bajas release, we see that the real key for them is a sense of discovery, that tingle that comes when you feel something breaking through. The sky opening up. The stuff that fills this Inland See holds you up powerfully, as if you're floating, saltwater or helium-wise -- effervescent, effortless, elemental. An increasing sense of the Bajas' physicality -- what's ephemeral, what's mercurial, and what sits inside us after it's all over. This music was mostly written on the road. It's an unusual happening for Bitchin Bajas! They were open for it, though -- the landmarked Bajascillators kept them out there for a while, and when inspiration struck, there they rolling. When it was time to render it to tape and find the record there, they did the whole thing at Electrical Audio. Recording all together in the room there lent a sense of space, which they dug and captured as natural as possible. No reverb at all added after the fact. Everything that's there was in system, directed through the interconnects with cool hands. And once Inland See is flowing toward you, through the hi-fi, you feel it all in the air."

Aoki Takamasa and Tujiko Noriko's 2005 album 28 has become a cornerstone in the artists' respective discographies. 20 years after its initial release, Keplar issues it on vinyl for the very first time. Three years in the making, 28 saw the sound artist and the avant-pop singer-songwriter combine their distinct aesthetics for an album that defied categorization. Their combination of advanced electronic experimentation and pop appeal paved the way for a new generation of artists and turned 28 into an enduring fan favorite. Remastered by Stephan Mathieu, the reissue comes with a brand-new artwork by Joji Koyama and a changed track listing -- authorized by Takamasa and Tujiko -- for the vinyl version to fit it on a single LP, while the digital version remains identical to the original release. Tujiko and Takamasa first shared the stage together after the turn of the millennium. Both were emerging solo artists, with Takamasa a mainstay on the Progressive Form label and Tujiko forging a connection with Mego in Vienna, Austria. They first collaborated in 2002 for two shows at the Fondation Cartier in Paris and at SonarLab in Barcelona, respectively. The first joint piece was a rework of Tujiko's "Fly" from "Hard Ni Sasete (Make Me Hard)" by Takamasa, appearing as the album opener Fly2 on 28. After that, the Paris-based Tujiko and Takamasa, still based in Osaka, worked sporadically and remotely on new material. For the first two years of their collaboration, the two met in the context of live events or Takamasa's visits to the French capital to discuss their process and exchange hard drives while also occasionally sending each other CDrs in the mail. Takamasa used hardware such as the Nord Modular, the Korg Z1, and the Korg ER-1, while also working with different kinds of software and plug-ins as well as Logic. Tujiko was using Cubase, her preferred piece of gear at the time being an AKAI MPC. After Takamasa moved to Paris in 2004, this enabled the duo to finish the album together in person. Starting with its subtle use of glitches to the almost-anarchic way in which it deals with the structures of a song, »28« came to be an incomparably intricate album. 20 years on, it remains timeless because of its flawless synthesis of the cutting-edge avant-garde ideas of early 2000s electronica with an idiosyncratic but accessible pop sentiment.

For 20 years Bart De Paepe has carved a distinctive trace in the realm of psychedelic underground and counterculture. With several outstanding solo albums on a.o. Astres d'Or, Ultra Eczema, No Basement Is Deep Enough and with many studio and concert ventures with Sylvester Anfang's funeral folks, Louise Landes Levi, Timo van Luijk, and Raymond Dijkstra, to name a few, Bart De Paepe developed a wide and sharp spirit within the orbit of psychedelic improvisation. Since 2007 Bart also curates the Sloow Tapes and Sloowax labels with an impressive catalog of music and poetry by a wide range of resonating artists. Bart's visual work (drawing and painting), parallel to his musical universe, has been used on many of these releases. He is a genuinely curious traveler, always discovering new dimensions, which is clearly to be heard on the four tracks of this album. Zürahümnah is an immediate and immersive dive into solitary inner and outer worlds of light and darkness. Zürahümnah is a floating vibration of flickering twilight. Zürahümnah is a mysterious journey through detached time and space. Equipped with Hawaiian guitar, piano, organ and cymbal, Bart De Paepe sets the controls for the heart of the sun.

After a long hiatus, Prins Thomas drops his tenth studio album. Picking up where the last record ended, it's an introspective but celebratory and uplifting affair. One-man-band jams turning into mini epics, like coming up for air or seeing the bright lights at the end of a long dark tunnel.