Here for the first time from Clock Tower Records is a collection of gems brought back from the '70s: Augustus Pablo's Yard Style Melodica Songs. All tracks produced by Brad Osbourne in the '70s, some of which were only released on 7". Featuring Robert Shakespeare and Aston "Family Man" Barret (bass), Earl "Chinna" Smith (guitar), Carlton Barret (drums), Augustus Pablo (organ, piano, and clarinet), Richard Hall (tenor sax), Bobby Ellis (trumpet), and Vincent Gordon (trombone). Produced by Brad Osborne. Includes poster.

Die Schachtel returns to their long-standing dedication to the historical, Italian avant-garde with Musica Elettronica 1969/1971 allo Studio di Fonologia della RAI di Milano, the first ever release dedicated to the visionary electronic and electroacoustic composer Angelo Paccagnini. Containing some of the most potent and emotive experimental music ever laid to tape -- imbued with the political tensions of the moment -- this collection takes great leaps toward illuminating the brilliant output of one of Italy's most remarkable and neglected avant-garde, electronic and electroacoustic composers of the 20th Century. The first ever release dedicated to this profoundly important figure in the history of European electronic music has been fully restored and mastered by Andrea Marutti from the original tapes, housed in a matt silver cover with silver foil design, specially created by Bruno Stucchi/dinamomilano. It contains some of the most singular and emotive electronic and electroacoustic music ever recorded, which is presented to wide audiences for the very first time. A student of Bruno Bettinelli at the Milan Conservatory, and a collaborator of Bruno Maderna and Luciano Berio, Angelo Paccagnini (1930-1999) remains one of the most unjustifiably obscure figures who emerged within Italy's early Electronic Music scene during the 1950s. While Paccagnini worked with a wide range of instrumentation and sound sources over the course of his career, among the most engrossing of all his works are a series of electronic and electroacoustic compositions created during his early years as director of the Studio di Fonologia Musicale, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, four of which are comprised for the first time across the length of this album. The LP comprises three works; "Flou II," composed in 1971 for tape, piano, improvised percussion, and orchestral groups; "Partner," composed in 1969 for female voice and electronic sounds; and "Underground," composed in 1971 for four synthesizers. Unquestionably drawing on the political ferment of the era during which they were created, each is astoundingly tense in their structural arrangement and tonal and dissonant relationships, culminating as some of the most emotive avant-garde music created anywhere during that period. Historically significant in countless ways, this release takes huge leaps to illuminating the brilliant output of one of Italy's most remarkable and neglected avant-garde, electronic and electroacoustic composers of the 20th Century. 200 copies featuring a deluxe cover with handmade silver foil printed on 450g paper. Includes a 30x30cm double-sided insert with detailed notes, pictures and more.

Furthering the passionate exploration of cinema that has guided her two previous LPs -- 2017's Fassbinder Wunderkammer and 2020's I Should Have Been a Gardener -- the Milanese guitarist/composer, Alessandra Novaga, returns to Die Schachtel with The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle, two sides of shimmering, tense compositions freely inspired by the life and work of the Russian director Andrej Tarkovsky and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Classically trained at the Musik Akademie in Basel, Switzerland, over the last decade Alessandra Novaga has emerged as one of the leading figures within northern Italy's thriving new, experimental, and improvised music scene. Remarkably ambitious and forward thinking, her approach to the guitar embarks upon a relentless deconstruction and rethinking of her instrument's unique properties through distinct applications of structure, resonance, space, and tone, creating in a deeply personal and emotive music, seeking narrative and meaning within the abstractions of sound. The seeds of The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle can be traced to a conversation that Novaga had with Alan Licht relating to the connections between music and cinema, which led her to consider Andrej Tarkovsky's use of Bach's music within a symbiotic framework: how the music illuminates the imagism of the films, and the film illuminates new dimensions of the music. Slowly developing over the subsequent years, the resulting album comprises six individual works, some of which draw directly upon pieces of Bach's music that Tarkovsky used in his films -- specifically "Erbarme dich, Mein Gott," "Das alte Jahr vergangen ist," and "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" -- while others draw upon the sensibilities and moods evoked in the imagination by the director's films. Encountering Novaga moving into fairly uncharted waters, three of the album's pieces incorporate the human voice, including that of the poet Arsenij Tarkovsky, the director's father. Roughly alternating between solo excursions on guitar and bristling electroacoustic pieces, over the course of the album's two sides Novaga weaves one of her most abstract and ambitious bodies of recordings to date, shifting between the complex tonal mediations generated by the six strings of her instrument, and phycological densities activated by the expanded pallet of sonority made possible by the tactics and approaches of musique concrète. The Artistic Image Is Always a Miracle is available on as a limited edition of 300 dark turquoise vinyl LPs. The LP, designed by Bruno Stucchi/dinamomilano, comes with an eight-page insert illuminated by Alessandra's text as well as the lovely and intense photographs of Matilde Piazzi.

WRWTFWW Records presents the first ever vinyl release for the outstanding soundtrack of 1999 Japanese action-political-thriller anime Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade by Hajime Mizoguchi. The epic full-length album is available as a limited-edition LP cut at Emil Berliner Studios and housed in a heavyweight 350gsm sleeve. Legendary animation film Jin-Roh was penned by Palme d'Or and Leone d'Oro award winning filmmaker, television director and writer Mamoru Oshii whose filmography includes Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 2: The Movie, and Angel's Egg -- critically acclaimed works praised worldwide, notably by luminaries such as James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and The Wachowskis. The film was directed by leading studio Production I.G. affiliate Hiroyuki Okiura. The film's score, courtesy of famed anime and TV score composer, cellist and arranger Hajime Mizoguchi, evokes the dystopian world in which Jin-Roh takes place and captures the Little Red Riding Hood theme that carries the story -- a dark, atmospheric, and immensely emotional soundscape that takes you on a grand and immersive journey and stays with you forever. It blends classical, orchestrated ambient, and poignant melodies carried by ominous strings. This new project by WRWTFWW Records follows previous Japanese soundtracks from the catalogue: Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 2, Evil Dead Trap, and Violent Cop.

It's a miracle that some records ever get made. Right in the middle of Ceausescu's ultra-repressive dictatorship, composer Iancu Dumitrescu managed to arrange for his first LP, a compilation of radical new music by Dumitrescu and three of his Romanian colleagues, all older than him: Ocavian Nemescu, Stefan Niculescu, and Corneliu Cezar. Dumitrescu was -- and remains -- one of the most iconoclastic figures in contemporary music. Often referred to as a spectralist (though he distances himself from the approach taken by the French spectralists) and self-described as an adherent of "acousmatic" music (though again he situates himself at a remove from the French electroacoustic composers) and highly influenced by deep studies in phenomenology, Dumitrescu's music often focuses intensely on one sonorous object, penetrating it until it is entirely blown open. He formed Ansamblul Hyperion, a chamber group featuring adventurous young musicians, in 1976. Four years later, against all odds, in a radio studio in Bucharest, they recorded this groundbreaking compilation for Electrecord, the state record company. The program starts with one of Dumitrescu's most important works, the breathtaking, string-centric "Movemur et Sumus" (1978), translated from the Latin as "move and exist." Nemescu's "Combinatii In Cercuri" (1965) was composed for the ensemble together with an electronic component that was added to the piece in 1980. Composed in 1979, Niculescu's "Sincronie" features Dumitrescu himself on piano, as well as conducting, as he does on all the works; written for an indeterminate number of performers between two and twelve (here featuring nine) it utilizes fixed elements in the score together with openly improvised elements, expanding from a core vibraphone part to encompass an almost ecstatic meditation on stasis and motion. Cezar's work "Rota" (1976) combines Romanian, Balkan, and other Eastern melodic resonances with electronics (some of them startlingly video-game-like) and preparations on various instruments, lending an ear to the natural sounds of wind, waves, and seagull calls. This historically charged document, released in 1981 in Romania and available for the most part only there, has never been reissued in any form. Gorgeously remastered from the original tapes, it appears here with its original cover design.

"Originally released in 2011, Julianna Barwick's debut full length The Magic Place is a nine-piece full-length album of magic and solace, bursting joy, and healing tones. Julianna's mostly acapella music is built from her multi-tracked and looped voice, with backing instrumentation, but it's the vocals -- soaring high in reverb-drenched, wordless harmonies -- that matter most here. Layered fragments and pieces become an intricate pattern through electronics; it's the sound of a rising thing, a big group harmony as a splash of sunlight through a car window, a sound that feels like hope and ascendance and patience and intimacy. Out of print for years, this 2024 version has been fully remastered by Heba Kadry, and is available through Julianna's Florid Recordings, the imprint she started in 2006 to self-release her earliest recordings. There's a very particular joy in listening to Barwick's music. Free of the constraints of narrative and traceable language, it's the same joy in giving yourself over to opera in a foreign language, of letting go of your pesky rational mind and allowing the feeling to come through in the voices and performance. The title track is next, a reverb-y beauty queen that soars to Promethean heights and builds its own kind of safe haven in the clouds. Even the gaps between songs are essential to the album's listening experience -- a sigh between stories or silence-as-drone, each second important. The New York Times called the pauses between Julianna's songs, 'the small pleasure of a chance to breathe between the greater pleasures of not wanting to have to.' Meet The Magic Place."

"The Magic Place is music for a specific constellation of feelings. They are real, many people share them, and this album owns them completely." --Pitchfork Best New Music 2011

"The next release in Now Again's Memphis Rap series is Comin At Yo Ass, presented on vinyl for the first time ever. Slithering nightmare raps recorded between carjackings and robberies, the only album by Carmike. This is part of Now Again Records multiple LP series on the History of Memphis Rap, which attempts to capture Memphis and its underground rap scene as it began to produce some of the most distinctive music of the '90s. This was a unique hip-hop strain -- visceral and often vicious. It was a local, low-fi, cassette-tape based movement -- yet it went on to change the course of rap music. These albums have never been pressed on vinyl -- until now. From Skinny Pimp and Carmike to Gangsta Blac and Shawty Pimp, these albums have been relegated to the proverbial bins of history and bootlegged, with unofficial copies still fetching top dollar on the secondary market. These albums were all licensed directly from their original creators, and come on limited edition colored vinyl with artist-approved imagery for their first LP iterations. You can read the story of the Memphis Rap scene in a 12-page, oversized booklet with notes by Torii MacAdams. It captures the story of Memphis rap starting with the city's founding and ending with an auto supply shop that sold these albums over the counter, with all points in between."

The debut album Tiempos de Vencer by Spanish psych folk rock band Esperanto is out on YaiYai Records! Tiempos De Vencer presents a well-oiled band (members of Mohama Saz, Maika Makovski etc.) with a need to transmit a hopeful message with their grooves and arrangements from the East mixing with Chicago free jazz after visiting Berlin kraut rock through Canterbury. From the ashes of Melange rose Esperanto. In 2020, Melange ended their short but intense and successful career. The void that remained was filled by the creative process of three former members of the band; Dani Fernandez and the Ceballos brothers, Serio and Adrean. Esperanto emerged from stolen moments between Maika Makovski and Mohama Saz, the latter from which Javier Alonso was recruited. Tiempos de Vencer is an absolute must have and has arrived at the perfect moment. During these extraordinarily toxic times, the arrival of this record is a crucial injection of high caliber, unprecedented music. Music that transports you from Chicago Free-Jazz to Berlin's Kraut Rock stopping off in Canterbury along the way. Its essence is perceived in every beat, a feeling that comes from times past, from hard work, from the soul. These songs envelope and adorn you with eastern arrangements, they help you find victory, they propel you forward, and they are here to stay. Esperanto has just arrived but, did you not notice that it was already here? These musicians have joined together to create a record that embraces you with a compilation of songs that are more necessary than ever.

2024 repress! Gary Wilson's monumental 1977 LP reissued with the original cover art (care of Owen Maercks's well-loved copy), delicately laid out by Scott Allison. Which makes it, perhaps, the last copy you'll ever need. You Think You Really Know Me (also the title of Michael Wolk's 2005 documentary about Wilson) was Wilson's second LP, but the first he recorded as a vocalist, hewing to his own bizarre vision -- a syncretic collision of romance, new wave cocktail jazz, heartbreak, disco porn-soundtrack music, and experimental tape manipulation. Home-recorded in Endicott, NY, the album found a few fans when released, but subsequently became the exclusive purview of record collectors and the women who tolerate them. Beck namechecked Wilson in 1996, which made a few new people scratch their heads. And the album was reissued in 2002. Rediscovery followed, and records, the documentary, and some odd live shows. Most of Wilson's moves are stamped with his unique aesthetic, and are also documented on other three recommended Feeding Tube LPs -- Lisa Wants to Talk to You (FTR 081LP), Forgotten Lovers (FTR 065LP), and Music for Piano (FTR 192LP). But as bodacious as these three albums are, the real root of Wilson's muse is most obvious on You Think You Really Know Me. It is the sound of a 23-year old oddball from upstate New York wrestling with his demons and actually winning. There's nothing quite like it. And it offers a story of hope to every weirdo who hears it. Hallelujah!

2024 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."

2025 repress. 180-gram LP version with embossed chessboard artwork print and printed inner sleeve. In celebration of the 2016 35th anniversary of the December 12, 1981, recording of Manuel Göttsching's legendary E2-E4, one of electronic music's most influential recordings, Göttsching's MG.ART label presents an official reissue, carefully overseen by the master himself. Includes liner notes by Manuel Göttsching, archival photos, and an excerpt of David Elliott's review in Sounds from June 16, 1984.

"As the story is sometimes told, Göttsching stopped in the studio for a couple of hours in 1981 and invented techno. E2-E4 is the most compelling argument that techno came from Germany-- more so than any single Kraftwerk album, anyway. The sleeve credits the former Ash Ra Tempel leader with 'guitar and electronics', but few could stretch that meager toolkit like Göttsching. Over a heavenly two-chord synth vamp and simple sequenced drum and bass, Göttsching's played his guitar like a percussion instrument, creating music that defines the word 'hypnotic' over the sixty minutes . . . A key piece in the electronic music puzzle that's been name-checked, reworked and expanded upon countless times." --Mark Richardson, Pitchfork

Listening to Jesse Justice's music or hearing the Los Angeles artist play live could mean something different on any given day. He might be shredding the keys with his group Human Error Club, playing a Rhodes alongside revered jazz talent or rocking boom-bap from his trusty sampler. But there's another side to Jesse Justice -- and that's the one behind Temporary. Because Temporary is primarily electronic, Justice plays the dual roles of musician and producer. Yet these songs forgo limitless digital sound design for a carefully chosen palette of old-school synthesizers and drum machines. As a result, the dreamy atmospheres flow from the compositions themselves. Even at its most ambient, the artist's sense of melody rises to the surface. In nu-age LA, ambient is where jazz and electronic music tend to intersect. Justice's music, however, incorporates everything from footwork to house to hip hop without conforming to any of the above. Even "Certain I'm Uncertain," which recalls the broken beat and acid jazz sounds of late-'90s London, remains firmly in Justice's sonic world. Over its eight tracks, Temporary drifts from one motif to the next in the seamless kind of way thoughts and memories trigger each other. Like the title suggests, no single mood sticks around for long, nor are the sentiments easy to describe. At the same time, it's complex without being jazz, electronic without being dance music and atmospheric without being ambient. In other words, it's music from in-between. While today's ubiquitous MIDI packs, plug-ins and producer hacks promise to lend any producer a professional sheen, there's no formula for something like this. Instead, it's the singular experiences and sensibilities Jesse Justice brings to these songs that separate Temporary from the rest.

LP version. Ex-Vöid -- featuring Lan McArdle (Joanna Gruesome, Lanny) and Owen Williams (The Tubs) -- return with their second LP: In Love Again. Joined by Laurie Foster (bass) and George Rothman (drums), the record sees the band flourish from a chaotic power punk group into a fully-fledged pop behemoth. Taking in elements of shoegaze ("Pinhead"), country ("Outline"), '90s indie rock ("In Love Again") and pretty much the entire history of guitar music, In Love Again reveals McArdle and Williams to be true students of perfect pop. The pair have been collaborating for a decade now, having played in Joanna Gruesome as teenagers, and In Love Again sees them both building on the sound they've honed together and embracing a new, unapologetic attitude towards songcraft. Backed by the tight-yet-raucous rhythm section of Foster and Rothman, In Love Again delivers as a huge pop album without sacrificing any of the hardcore propulsion that characterized the band's first album. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Ex-Vöid sound is the sublime blend of McArdle and Williams' vocals: close, folk-indebted harmonies which guide the listener through an onslaught of hooks. And while this is utilized to full effect on In Love Again, the album also sees McArdle make full use of their vocal range. In keeping with their new sound, McArdle and Williams have taken a more autobiographical, nuanced approach to lyric writing this time around, a move influenced by touring with Waxahatchee. The hints of folk and country embedded in the tunes also stretch to this new lyrical approach -- storytelling and heartbreak abound. The band's first LP, Bigger Than Before, received positive coverage in Pitchfork, SPIN, Stereogum, and others. It received airtime on BBC Radio 6, and saw the band support/tour with acts such as Waxahatchee, Speedy Ortiz and Alvvays. Williams also fronts The Tubs -- whose 2023 debut saw them touring internationally and receiving plaudits from Pitchfork, The Guardian and Iggy Pop.

Corbett vs. Dempsey presents And Yeah So (1981-1985), the first ever compilation by Splat! Emerging amid the primo froth of the British post-punk era, Splat!'s lineup included vocalist Dave Parsons, the mastermind behind Ron Johnson Records. The band released its only 7-inch single as the label's maiden record, going on to follow up with a 12-inch EP. These (plus one track on a compilation) were the sum total official output, but the band was active and made loads of fantastic, high-octane, often hilarious and off-kilter recordings, the best of which are collected here, together with their full discography, and made available on CD for the first time. Nineteen tracks that give truth to the title "Jugular Blowjob," a heavy heap of blessed mess that kicks the whole comp off. Dave Parsons tells the full Splat! story: "Splat! were four, sometimes five, misfits from a small town halfway between Nottingham and Derby in the middle of England. Influenced by the likes of the Pop Group, PiL, The Fall, and the Birthday Party but also by all the punk stuff that they had experienced when they were fifteen years old or so. The band played mainly in the local area and got a good reputation for messy live shows that often ended in blood and tears (and some sweat). The band was around in 1982 -- after some pre-incarnations in 1980 and 1981 -- Paul Walker, drums (17 years old), Dave Parsons, voice (19 years old), John Allsopp, guitar (19 years old), Mark Grebby (bass, 20 years old) was the main lineup. A single was recorded at Cargo Studios. The first Splat! single did okay -- it sold most of its pressing of 1000 -- there was an interview in Sounds and John Peel played it a couple of times and plans went ahead for the second release. The 12" EP (RON2) came out in 1984 and did much the same. Soon after that the band split up, with some recorded but unreleased material (some of which is here for the first time in physical form). Dave continued Ron Johnson and the label had considerable artistic/critical success from 1984 to 1988 with Big Flame, A Witness, Stump, the Shrubs, MacKenzies, The Ex, etc. gaining the label a reputation for angular post-Beefheartian guitar noise-pop.

2024 restock. Reissue of this 1981 release, featuring arrangements from Charles Reid played by Sly Dunbar (drums), Robbie Shakespeare (bass guitar), Melodice Gladdy (piano), and others.

2024 repress. LP version. Currently based in Los Angeles, Laurel Halo has spent over a decade stepping into different towns and cities for a moment or more, to the point where everywhere almost became nowhere. Atlas, the debut release on her new imprint Awe, is an attempt to put that feeling to music. Using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation, Halo has created a potent set of sensual ambient jazz collages, comprised of orchestral clouds, shades of modal harmony, hidden sonic details, and detuned, hallucinatory textures. The music functions as a series of maps, for places real and imaginary, and for expressing the unsaid. The process of writing Atlas began back in 2020 when she reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano's physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion and lightness. And when the legendary Ina-GRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency the following year in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she'd recorded over the prior months; these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas. In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton, and vocalist Coby Sey. All of these sounds were shaped, melted, and re-composed into the arrangements, their acoustic origins rendered uncanny. In short, Atlas is road trip music for the subconscious. With repeated listens, it is a record that can leave a deep sensorial impression on the listener, akin to walking at dusk in a dark forest. Its humor and sharp focus would dispel any notions of sentimentality. Completely distinct from the rest of Halo's catalog, Atlas is an album that thrives in the quietest places, rejecting bombast and embracing awe. Fitting that it's the debut release on her new recording label, whose slogan parallels the mood and atmosphere of the album: Awe is something you feel when confronted with forces beyond your control: nature, the cosmos, chaos human error, hallucinations.

2024 repress. Be With Records present a reissue of Jay Richford and Gary Stevan's Feelings, originally released in 1974. Since its original release on Italian label Carosello in 1974, Richford and Stevan's Feelings has been described as the greatest library record ever released more than once. It's a tough funk, street jazz masterpiece coveted for many years by collectors of all musical genres. As the story goes, these were the pseudonyms adopted by Stefano Torossi and Giancarlo Gazzani who wrote the album but couldn't use their real names on the original release for legal reasons. But Torossi himself later both clarified and confused the tale further by explaining that fellow composers and musicians Sandro Brugnolini and Puccio Roelens also worked on Feelings. Infectiously funky, deliciously melodic and with impeccable, elegant production, Feelings record is the showcase for a stunning set of compositions and arrangements and with performances that are nothing short of virtuoso. The record's first side lifts off with "Flying High", soaring brilliant and shimmering with funk licks, menacing strings, and swaggering horns. The string-drenched cop-funk of "Going Home" raises the tempo with quick-fire bass lines and killer electric guitar. "Walking In The Dark" positively drips in blaxploitation-funk drama strings and horn struts, all laced with delicate drums, velvet piano, and more filthy wah-wah. "Fighting For Life" is another funk-fueled workout built around an effortlessly relentless drum track. The loping, open drum break that guides the much-loved "Feeling Tense" is filled out by heavy bass gloss, swirling strings, and ominous horns. "Running Fast" is a fine rollicking chase theme underpinned by frenetic (yet funky) Fender Rhodes and skipping bass and drums. "Loving Tenderly" envelops you in warm, velvety night-time vibes with easy listening horns and slinky strings. The pace picks up on the electrifying "Fearing Much" where strings dart around deep bass, buzzing guitars, and another funky drum break. The lush, melancholic "Being Friendly" is another easy beauty, all warm Rhodes and strings. The climactic "Having Fun" rides a pulsating, bass-heavy drum break with snatches of a funky guitar refrain, some luxurious keys, sweeping strings, and triumphant horns. Groove-laden bass, irrepressible horns, sweet flute lines, warm Rhodes, lush string arrangements, blaxploitation-styled wah-wah guitars and more make Feelings one of the finest instrumental soul LPs of the '70s, if not of all time. Remastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman. Remastered from the original tapes.

LP version. Cités Analogues was the first album released by Lightwave's core duo Christoph Harbonnier and Christian Wittman. Recorded between April and May 1988, and edited and produced in July 1988, Cités Analogues was then distributed through the alternative scene as a cassette. After the experiments and improvisations of their first tape, "Modular Experiments," recorded with Serge Leroy, Lightwave opted for a concept album, comprising of a series of discrete compositions and atmospheres assembled into two continuous tracks. The album was both recorded and mixed live, using a Revox B77 and an Allen & Heath 12/2 mixer. As such the different passages of this album captured the experience of Lightwave's performances, in which Harbonnier and Wittman played off each other with sympathetic improvisations. The instrumentation consists mainly of analog synthesizers, including several modular systems (RSF, ARP, Roland, Oberheim), while the sequences and rhythms are driven by two Roland sequencers. Digital effects help to create an expansive stereo field, in which recordings of urban environments and tape processing form rich experimental punctuations. Cités Analogues is thus a seminal album for the Harbonnier-Wittman duo, laying the foundations for a musical collaboration that continues thirty-five years on, thanks to their complementary skills and sonic universes. Long overdue, this remastered reissue of Cités Analogues, produced by Christoph Harbonnier, documents an important stage in Lightwave's trajectory and reflects the kaleidoscope of their influences at the end of the '80s, encompassing the Berlin School, Brian Eno's ambient work, and a particularly French-style of electro-acoustic experimentation. All tracks composed and performed by Christoph Harbonnier and Christian Wittman at Malibu Studio, Parmain, France (1988). Remix and mastering: Christoph Harbonnie.

2024 restock. "There are very few individuals who command the respect of dub aficionados greater than 'The Dubmaster' himself, King Tubby. On Tubby's venerable 1974 release Dub from the Roots, he introduces us to the 'Shalom Dub', a method of mixing flying cymbals with horns in what he describes as 'going in and out in a dub way'. Borrowing from the forty fives of Johnny Clarke, Jackie Edwards, Cornell Campbell, John Holt, and Horace Andy, King Tubby takes the listener on a journey through a vast array of different emotions, rhythms and soundscapes. One of the standout cuts, 'Iyahta' explores Tubby's use of deep electric basslines to evoke a melodic calmness in the listener, while 'Mine Field' and 'Hijack the Barber' bring you back with the cavernous echoes of stabbing guitars, horns, and cymbals. Though previously released by different labels on a variety of dusty pressings and formats, Clocktower's reissue of Dub From The Roots is the definitive edition of this 'Dubmaster' classic, featuring audio mastered from the original analog tapes."

LP version. Twin Color marks the grand return of Murcof to producing a full-length album in all its glory and generosity, nearly two decades after the release of Cosmos in 2007. Celebrated for his classical, minimalist textures and unique soundscapes, Murcof has established himself as a master of modern ambient music alongside Tim Hecker, Alva Noto, and Johann Johannsson. With this new album, Murcof takes a bold step forward, embracing a distinctly cinematic and dystopian narrative influenced by the great science fiction films of the 1980s. This new direction immerses the listener in atmospheres that are at times dark, at times filled with nostalgic brightness, drawing inspiration from post-punk and synth-wave, while partially reconnecting with his early experiments with the Nortec Collective. Premiered at Mutek Montréal in August 2024, Twin Color is also an unprecedented audiovisual performance, created in collaboration with Simon Geilfus, based in Brussels, who has nourished and colored the album's production. This immersive performance, conceived in the IRCAM studios in Paris in 2022, unfolds the album's tracks against a backdrop of moving natural landscapes, as mysterious as they are fascinating, highlighted in the album's visual elements. This album reaffirms Murcof's unique sonic signature, blending analog synthesizers with modern production techniques to create a multisensory experience, propelling Murcof into an exciting new decade.

Massive free-from psych from the Japanese cult band, three long tracks almost approaching 55 minutes in pure controlled chaos. Formed by band leader Mizutani Takashi, their music remained remarkably familiar over the years, and is best described as high volume, raw lo-fi repetitive feedback-drenched guitar noise fests with nods in the direction of the Velvet Underground and Blues Creation.

This record -- produced by Bomp's Greg Shaw -- is the result of pure teenage exuberance. Garage punk at its best that transports you back to either 1984 or 1966! All Black and Hairy was originally released in 1984 on his label Bomp!, the only LP ever recorded by The Gravedigger V in their short career. Unavailable for over a decade, Munster now reissues this essential '80s garage gem as part of a series of releases celebrating Bomp! 50th anniversary. Includes a booklet with notes by band member John Hanrattie and rare photos. It's been more than 40 years since the Gravedigger V entered Silvery Moon Studios and recorded All Black and Hairy. They had only been a functioning group for about ten months when they entered the studio and had only played a handful of gigs. In March of 1984 the Gravediggers found themselves opening for punk legends the Dickies at The Music Machine in West Hollywood when Greg Shaw showed up early enough to see their concert. A few months on and Shaw call them and say he had booked studio time for the Gravediggers starting the following afternoon for the purpose of making an album. That same year All Black and Hairy, the only LP ever recorded by the band in their short career, was released on Bomp! There are five original compositions on the album, including the great "Tomorrow is Yesterday," "She's A Cur," and "She's Gone." And there are some versions too, like the Omens' "Searching." The album was recorded over the course of two days, and almost all of it was done live in the studio.

Chapter three of the successful compilation series. 14 modern kraut-electronic tracks (three of them exclusive and previously unreleased) inspired by Kraftwerk, Can, Neu!, Cluster, Klaus Schulze and many more. Curated and compiled by Compost artist Fred und Luna. As on Vol. 1 and 2, the collage on the cover was designed exclusively by the fantastic artist Norika Nienstedt from the Kraut metropolis of Düsseldorf. Rainer Buchmüller aka Fred und Luna sadly passed away in January 2024 after a long illness. He was a kind-hearted person, gifted artist, friend and companion. Compost mourns him deeply. A few days before his death, Rainer Buchmüller had along the track listing for Volume 3 (and already ideas for Volume 4), with the request to publish this posthumously, he would be very happy if his fans and all those who will be would receive a "sign of life' from him. It's not at all easy or basically impossible to describe the term "Kraut" stylistically. Nevertheless, Compost Records and Fred und Luna embark on a journey through time to discover the different elements of German electronic music from the 1970s and 1980s and their impact on the more recent German and global music scene. After the great success of Volumes 1 and 2, Volume 3 follows on stylistically from its predecessor and -- as this is one of the basic ideas of the series -- gradually expands the musical spectrum with new krauty elements. Black 2LP with black inner sleeves. Includes three exclusive and unreleased tracks. Featuring Fred und Luna, Philipp Johann Thimm, Niklas Wandt, Christian Nainggolan, Von Spar, Harmonious Thelonious, Benoit B, Salvage Art, Die Orangen, Puma & The Dolphin, Twoonky, Sula Bassana, and Organza Ray.

Classic free jazz album reissued for the first time since the '70s. Old-style Gatefold LP, with liner notes by Ed Hazell. Noah Howard, an alto saxophonist and composer, was known for weaving intricate and innovative musical patterns, often likening his work to "sound paintings." His 1971 album Patterns, the first LP he self-produced on his Altsax label, stands as a testament to his experimental and spiritual approach to music. In interviews, Howard frequently used visual terms like "patterns" and "shapes" to describe his compositions, emphasizing the importance of melody and structure even in highly improvisational settings. For Howard, patterns and melodies were essential to guiding listeners through his explorations without alienating them, maintaining a balance between innovation and accessibility. Howard's quest for an original sound was deeply influenced by jazz greats like Charlie Parker, Ornette Coleman, and Jackie McLean. While he admired these legends, Howard avoided imitation, striving instead to develop his own distinct voice. His sound was unmistakably his own, and he felt a deep obligation to carry the jazz tradition forward through personal expression, not by mimicking others. His music was also rooted in spirituality, a legacy he traced to his upbringing in the Black Baptist Church. He believed jazz had always contained a spiritual essence, from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane, and his work aimed to channel this cosmic, spiritual energy. Patterns was recorded in the Netherlands during Howard's second stint in Europe, where he found a more open, less racially charged environment compared to the U.S. For the album, Howard collaborated with Dutch musicians such as Misha Mengelberg (piano), Han Bennink (drums), and Earl Freeman (bass). Despite the challenges faced by guitarist Jaap Schoonhoven, who felt out of place in the session, the album came together as a powerful mix of blues, jazz, and classical elements. The music on Patterns is a high-energy fusion of American free jazz and Dutch improvisation. Howard's saxophone work alternates between leading with passionate, lyrical lines and blending into the collective improvisation. The album's dynamic interplay, particularly between Mengelberg's dissonant piano clusters and Bennink's thunderous drumming, creates a vivid "sound painting" full of contrasting forms and colors. Patterns remains one of Howard's most unique and celebrated recordings, showcasing his visionary approach to jazz.

LP version. Peter Gall, drummer of Web Web, one of the most accomplished and sought-after German jazz drummers, releases his second solo album. An intense work full of passion for modal jazz, fusion and improvisation. Full support from Gilles Peterson. With highly virtuoso, prominent guests: Wanja Slavin, Rainer Böhm, Reinier Baas, Matthias Pichler, and a live tour in winter and spring 2025. In 2018, Peter Gall's sensational debut album Paradox Dreambox saw the light of day. What began as an experiment became a strong musical statement that met with an enthusiastic response in the jazz world and led to successful tours with a fantastic band. Now finally comes the long-awaited second album: on Love Avatar, the Berliner-by-choice, who was born in Bad Aibling in Southern Bavaria, continues his search for new musical galaxies and paradoxes, emotional eruptions, irresistible grooves and the unreal, the supernatural and the love in music. Love Avatar by Peter Gall and his colleagues is richer, more complex, but also more focused and consistent than its predecessor. Mystical, hotblooded and biting, multidimensional and, above all, with a great focus on rousing grooves. It is somehow not a pure jazz album, there are too many parallel worlds for that. Nevertheless, jazz, the unpredictable, blind interaction and the courage to take risks play the most important role in this conglomerate of post-bop, fusion, baião, anthemic indie rock, melancholy synth spheres and hypnotizing beats.

Captivating, hypnotic, and highly energetic! Prepared -- a free-spirited Munich-based trio in a chamber music line-up that instinctively awakens dance impulses and guides the listener into a trance-like sound space. A pianist who hammers, taps and plucks incessantly on the grand piano. A clarinetist who plays more bass than clarinet in the depths of his bass clarinet. And a drummer who, like a good record, goes on and on, constantly spinning the grooves in circles. Three Munich jazz musicians, united in their contrasts. Where one plays Argentinian tango with Quadro Nuevo, the other plays "folklore-free folk music" with Dreiviertelblut and the third plays German hip-hop with Moop Mama, in their new project Prepared they merge cyclical motifs and cleverly layered patterns in minimalist yet highly virtuoso compositions creating a mesmerizing Gesamtkunstwerk. It's as if Steve Reich, Jonny Greenwood, Nik Bärtsch, and Dawn of Midi had been thrown into a pot. For a "state-of-the-art" immersive music production, the music was tracked "live" in one room without any overdubs. This album has been recorded using high-class 3D recording and miking techniques for Dolby Atmos and was mixed and mastered by highly acclaimed sound engineers. Recorded by Kseniya Kawko at Kyberg Studio, Munich, mixed by Kseniya Kawko at MSM Studio, Munich and mastered by Christoph Stickel at csmastering, Vienna.

Anglo-Norwegian ensemble celebrating the work of Nordic poet, Nils Christian Moe-Repstad. With Jan Bang (live sampling, samples and programming, synthesizer), Michael Francis Duch (double bass), Erik Honoré (live sampling, synthesizer), David Toop (paper, cardboard, leaves, friction, activated objects, air, aerophones, bone conduction, cassettes, vibration, voice), and Mark Wastell (tam tam, gongs, sticks, beaters). Recorded live at Punkt, Kristiansand on 31 August 2023.

Pittsburgh's feral punks Snarling Dogs return to bite the hand that feeds them with their debut self-titled LP Snarling Dogs. This unhinged offering kicks out 11 revved-up, slobbering 77-esque punk tracks that will have wasted, spikey punks diving into the pit never to return. Songs like "Nothing Left" are charged and chock full of hits sounding like a demented mix of Raw Power era Stooges with the speed and aggression of The Damned or The Dead Boys. The record expands from there with songs like "Hour at a Time" -- a locked in dirgy, psychedelic stroll through crime ridden city streets. From there songs like "Enemy" rip through the void with manic energy- fast, raw and visceral almost stepping into early hardcore territory. While the record has these intense dynamic shifts, Snarling Dogs glue it all together with their cohesive live rock n roll energy. Snarling Dogs is the perfect escape from the mundanity of life. Chug that 40 oz on your lunch break, smoke that entire pack of cigs, and take a piss on your boss's car. There are two dogs in you. Now it's time to set the Snarling Dog free.

A gas generator, a hi-fi system, a semi-abandoned house, and 20 hastily printed flyers. That's how, almost without realizing it, Lapsus was born in 2004. Over the course of two decades, the label has ridden a rollercoaster of emotions: from soaring epiphanies, convinced that nothing could stop them, to moments of near defeat when they almost threw in the towel. Making a career out of music is not exactly choosing the easy path. But epic tales aside, today Lapsus look back with pride at having created something that is genuine. To celebrate Lapsus' journey and what lies ahead -- and also keeping an eye on what is yet to come -- Lapsus has gathered some of the artists who have joined along the way, musicians they consider friends and for whom they have the deepest admiration. In a way, VINT (Catalan for "twenty") is like a sonic photo album, a tracklist that tells Lapsus' story better than they could themselves, a collection of unreleased music that celebrates the fact that they've made it this far. Leading this outstanding compilation are forward-thinking producers, with contributions from some of the most respected names in cutting-edge electronic music: CLARAGUILAR, GAZZI, Kettel, Kode9, Le Motel, Lord Of The Isles, Marina Herlop, naemi, Nueen, Pépe, Plaid, Seph, Simo Cell, Suzanne Ciani, Wordcolour, and µ-Ziq.

Teatro Del Metapresente is the debut album by La Nuit Je Mens, a duo hailing from the Parisian suburbs and southern Italy. Now based in Rome, the two artists have crafted a striking sound that merges their DIY ethos with raw, unfiltered energy. Driven by synthetic, minimalist rhythms created on a fleet of analog machines, the seven tracks pay homage to the sound of the '80s -- yet entirely forward-looking and embracing the dancefloor modernity. Blending genres such as EBM, synth-pop and minimal-cold-wave, paired with French vocals, the album delves into themes of underground activities, the slow decay of the club scene and the depths of emotional yearning. Released on the Berlin-Basel-based label Reach Another System, Teatro Del Metapresente follows the previously released 7" and reinforces the duo's own sound and unique identity.

Neue Grafik (known to friends as Fred) has successfully transplanted from Parisian rookie to one-man London Institution. Beginning as a solo producer and DJ, Fred spread his wings upon relocating to South London -- at first with his Neue Grafik Ensemble and later with his now iconic twice-weekly Orii Jam -- the latter of which has given agency to an entire new generation of musicians; spawning an aesthetic, nurturing a unique sound and becoming a launchpad for countless artists. Dalston Tape Vol. 1 is Fred's attempt to fall back in love with beatmaking -- taking it back to the roots of where the project began. Since his early MPC-led productions on Parisian label, Beat X Changers, Fred has learnt to play the keys to a concert hall standard, he has become proficient in double bass and built up a dense network of collaborators who he has composed, recorded, engineered and produced for both at home in SE London and in the iconic Total Refreshment Centre Studios in Dalston. This experience adds unavoidable dimensions to his toolbox -- resulting in something more akin to a miniature-magnum-opus than a simple beat-tape. Yes, there are the influences of Pete Rock, Mad Lib, J Dilla, and Al Dobson Jr, but there is also the musicality of D'Aneglo, James Blake, and live contributions from an ever-growing army of young graduates of the Orii School. Featuring Brother Portrait, Max Mckenzie, and Selina Jones.

On Ghadr, Sandy Chamoun, Anthony Sahyoun and Jad Atoui play with chaos. Built on group improvisation, surges of coruscating electronics and distortion meld with vocals that, while stemming from a background in classical Arabic singing, seek to reroute tradition. The album, whose title imperfectly translates to "Treachery," began on a residency in Switzerland while the trio were touring Europe (Chamoun solo, Atoui and Sahyoun as their duo NP). It was later finished in their home city of Beirut. The five tracks are built on vibrant circuits of guitar and modular synthesis, the former often acting as a trigger for the latter's volatile output. Chamoun's vocals blend her background in classical Arabic music with free-singing, using tradition as a foundation for exploration rather than standards to follow. Apart from "Hayawanon Ghader (treacherous animal)," all the songs' lyrics pull from the archive. About the album's title, Chamoun explains: "On this planet, the only thing that's happening now is treachery. It's the headline of our days." Terror in Gaza, its shockwaves through the Middle-East and its place in longer histories loom over the record. However, while Ghadr reflects the present moment, it isn't consumed by it. The trio agree the album reflects tenderness as much as anger. It's audible in the effortless swings between abstract and soaring. The way Chamoun's lyrics put ninth century odes to a bird and ancient Bedouin love songs next to personal reflections by Al-Domouky or Chaoul on real world tragedies. Sonically and lyrically Ghadr is music of possibility and potential. The five tracks travel through unbounded terrain rather than along fixed paths. While the record reflects their state of mind as residents of Lebanon, and the uncertainty that entails, Sahyoun suggests they're striving to reach beyond it. Ghadr is the first release under the name Chamoun/Sahyoun/Atoui, but the trio's connection is deeply rooted. Sahyoun and Chamoun are members of ecstatic rock collective Sanam. Atoui and Sahyoun's explorations of synthesis, solo and as NP, are long-running. On Ghadr these histories form something new. A charged record which faces the world as it is while offering glimpses of something else.

A limited-edition 4CD box set released to coincide with the cult shoegaze label's 20th anniversary. It features 62 tracks, many of which are previously unreleased, plus rare remixes, showstopping live recordings and a shoegaze Christmas compilation. Includes Slowdive, Andy Bell (Ride), Emma Anderson (Lush), bdrmm, Whitelands and deary, plus remixes by Andrew Weatherall, James Holden, David Holmes, Daniel Avery, and many more. Across the four discs, the box set tells the story of Sonic Cathedral from its humble beginnings as a club night in 2004 to its present-day position at the center of the never-ending shoegaze revival, after playing a huge part in repopularizing the once maligned genre over the past two decades. Also featuring Pye Corner Audio, The Early Years, Mark Peters, Dot Allison, Cheval Sombre, Neil Halstead, Mildred Maude, Yeti Lane, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Horsegirl, Three Quarter Skies, Moon Diagrams, Not Me But Us, MOLLY, XAM Duo, Disappears, Sennen, Dean Wareham, Younghusband, Spectres, A Place To Bury Strangers, Fairewell, Dawn Chorus And The Infallible Sea, and Maps.

With this second record, Shoko Igarashi unveils a new genre called Onsen Music. Each track invites you on a relaxing journey, much like soaking away your troubles in the steamy hot waters of a traditional Japanese spa (Onsen). The variety of songs mimic the variety of onsens, some are salty and scorching, some are smooth and clear, some are bubbly and colorful, and others are a refreshing dip into crisp clear waters. In every instance, there's a sense of satisfaction as soothing and delightful as the tracks themselves. This ode to "relax," while remaining irresistibly danceable, is filled with good vibrations, melodies and hooks that go straight to the heart, saxophone playing virtuosity, intricate electronic compositions, vocals that make listeners dream of new worlds, and beats that could keep them on a dancefloor all night long. Shoko Igarashi was born in Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka city, Japan. An accomplished tenor saxophonist, she is also a versatile flautist and plays alto and soprano saxophone fluently. She has already made her mark as both an arranger and a composer. Shoko grew up surrounded by dreamlike landscapes of abundant nature in the snowy countryside of Tsuruoka, a mysterious and surreal region renowned for producing the best quality rice in Japan, where she says, "the water and the air feel the purest," and where mountains and shrines overflow with ancient mysticism. For fans of: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yellow Magic Orchestra.

"The myths of our Western tradition have often captivated me, whether they be Greek, Roman, or Judeo-Christian. Myths are a transcendent collective narrative; a buried memory, not intellectual but spiritual, alive to all the senses of another world. These stories often describe forbidding passages guarded by terrifying monster-like creatures, which, if conquered, give access to other planes. Door 1 Door 2 are two of these planes, opening to prophecy and kingship." --Christopher Chaplin

Following the release of his powerful and dark album trilogy Je suis le Ténébreux, Paradise Lost, and M, British avant-garde composer Christopher James Chaplin unveiled his latest project in 2021: Patriarchs (FAB 094LP), released to critical acclaim. This project is a musical exploration of the Antediluvian patriarchs, from Adam to Noah, and is another captivating and daring work of art that straddles experimental electronic music and the avant-garde. Chaplin also been wowed audiences with his live performances, releasing the concert album Patriarchs Live to shorten the wait for his newest studio album Door 1 Door 2. It is another powerful work of art, located between electronic music and avant-garde. Once again, Christopher Chaplin breaks genre boundaries and manages to condense experimental and colorful electronics in chamber music in a unique way, transporting the listener into mental and spatiotemporal intermediate states. A completely unique musical microcosm that can also be experienced in his impressive solo live performances.