"In the mid-'70s in Northern New Jersey, some friends and I formed an ensemble called Atomic Squawk, with which we used our extremely limited musical techniques to play the sorts of whacked-out sounds about which none of our fucking peers gave a rat's ass. 'Funny' talking blues, free form skronk, vaguely detourned covers of Beefheart and the Velvets -- these were our stocks in trade, and much happy time was whiled away in Randy Charles' basement drinking and making noise, simply because most all the live music being played in the area was dull as shit; useless unless your only goal was trying to get a sloppy blowjob in the parking lot of Mother's. Fifty miles south, things were pretty much the same for future members of Steel Tips, King of Siam, Strapping Fieldhands, Spy Gods and other future legends of the South Jersey sub-underground. But the active (and semi-active) participants in Bangone Ensemble had access to many more and better musicians down around Rutgers. This meant the Bangone Ensemble's sound was leagues beyond Atomic Squawk's. Still, we shared the same aesthetic impulse. In 1975, Jersey bands like the Laughing Dogs and Another Pretty Face were considered cutting edge. If you knew anything about anything, this notion was a goddamn joke. It sounds to me (factual details are shrouded in mystery) like Bangone Ensemble had up to a dozen players at times, with miles of instrumental width, and chops almost on a par with Ithaca's Zobo Fun Band. There's some seriously good playing going on here, but it's all being done in the name of weirdo-rock as the truest expression of non-idiotic teen rebellion. It's a great damn sound, mixing jazz, art-rock, 'new music' and primitivism in much the same way DC band the Muffins did during their earliest days. The sound is kind of like a child's guide to the avant garde -- from the Mothers to the Soft Machine to the Magic Band to the Arkestra and beyond, with a soupçon of sheer wise-assery stirred in for good measure. Bangone Ensemble's sound is just a great gust of freedom from a time and a place that was pretty fucking square. They unwittingly set a pace not really matched until some of the free-rock post-everything fusion units of the mid '90s. As Mick Farren might have said, 'Give the anarchists a cigarette!' They earned it." --Byron Coley

Arriving in North America on Eremite, the debut recording by The Ancients, the intergenerational coalition of Isaiah Collier, William Hooker, and William Parker formed by Parker to play concerts in conjunction with the Milford Graves Mind Body Deal exhibition at the Institute Of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and now a working group. Across 2 LPs of side-length long-form improvised sets recorded at 2220 Arts and Archives in LA and The Chapel in San Francisco, The Ancients bring the free jazz trio languages first explored by the Cecil Taylor Unit and Ornette Coleman's Golden Circle Band (expanded upon in later eras by Sam Rivers' trio and Parker's collective trios with Charles Gayle/Graves and Peter Brötzmann/Hamid Drake) into their own unique and scintillating realms of expression. As we tumble further into the throes of history's tides, people of hope and creativity rely on the works of our great artists to lift our spirits and focus our resolve. Ascension was recorded less than a year after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and four months after the assassination of Malcolm X. Journey in Satchidananda was recorded the month Reagan was re-elected governor of California. M'Boom made its debut recording weeks after the Watergate scandal broke and a couple months after the Wounded Knee occupation ended. The music of The Ancients builds on these great musical legacies. It resounds with the pride of survival and the joys of making and sharing music. It delivers to us hope and balm. Something real in you, real in history, and real in the music is shared, right on time. When Eremite records commenced operations during the 1990s free jazz resurgence, heavyweight freedom-seeking tenor saxophonists such as Fred Anderson, Peter Brötzmann, Charles Gayle, Kidd Jordan, and David S. Ware were at the height of their powers. Isaiah Collier's tenor playing in The Ancients is bracing testimony that the wellspring lives on. To hear the young Chicago firebrand blowing freely with veteran improvisers in an entirely open-form group music is a revelatory study of his vast talent, personal voice, and the intensity of his expression -- as well as a bold complement to his composition-based albums as a bandleader (including The Almighty, a New York Times' best albums of 2024 selection). I've admired drummer William Hooker since first encountering his music in a Hartford, CT, city park, early '90s (on a double bill with Jerry González and Fort Apache Band). From the man himself right off the bandstand I bought his even-then rare first recording, the 1976 self-released 2LP opus Is Eternal Life (reissued 2019 by Superior Viaduct). An imposing force on his instrument and an intrepid DIY cat, Hooker's been exuberantly swinging in-and-out of free time for 50+ years. Informed by the innovations of Sunny Murray and Tony Williams yet entirely himself, there is no other term for it than "pure Hooker." At age 78, with the Ancients and everywhere else, THE HOOK is in peak form. With a discography approaching 600 entries and 50+ years working across the musical maps, including in the history-defining bands of Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Peter Brötzmann, in his own wondrous ensembles from small group to orchestra to opera, a bastion of compassionate leadership and a poetic champion of his musical community, in tireless service to what he rather egolessly refers to as "the tone world," multi-instrumentalist, improviser and composer William Parker is a living hero of the grassroots and the Black Mystery Musics, not to mention one of the great bassists in the history of jazz. To quote George Clinton, conquering the stumbling blocks comes easier when the conqueror is in tune with the infinite. Free jazz is an enduring high art. Its greatest expressions belong to their particular moment in history, and live on to transcend and refract in amaranthine ways. Inside our present historical moment, we are fortunate to have the master musicians in the ancients bringing us their high-level creation. First Eremite edition of 1,299 copies pressed on premium audiophile-quality 140gram vinyl at Fidelity Record pressing, from Kevin Gray/Cohearent audio lacquers. Live to 2-track concert recordings by Bryce Gonzales, Highland Dynamics. Mastered by Joe Lizzi, Queens, NY. Album and concerts co-produced with The Black Editions Group.

Reissued here for the first time, Cartão Postal is one of the best and most sought-after Brazilian funk-soul albums from the early '70s. It includes some outstanding up-tempo gems like Marcos and Paulo Sergio Valle's "Que bandeira," and the stellar "Esperar Prá Ver," co-written by Evinha's brother Renato Corrêa who also happened to be a member of the Golden Boys. This is a classic Brazilian soul-funk title, right up there with all the greatest albums of the genre. Remastered from the original tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl. This release is part of a new reissue series that will include many other outstanding Brazilian classics. Cartão Postal was originally released on Odeon Brazil in 1971, a few years after Evinha started her solo career. From 1961 to 1968 she was a member of Trio Esperança, alongside her brothers Mário and Regina. In 1969 Evinha won first prize at the Festival Internacional da Cançao Popular and her discography for Odeon took off. Cartão Postal, her third solo album, comprises some outstanding gems. "Só Quero" emanates samba soul sounds while songs like "Por Mera Coincidência" or "Rico Sem Dinheiro" resemble what Trio Esperança was doing at the time: vocal-driven groovy jams spiced with celestial strings arrangements and heavy-duty drums and basslines, which is not surprising since they both worked with the same producers and arrangers, as they were all Odeon artists. Ridiculously rare and expensive now, and at the top of many collectors' wants lists for decades, it's finally reissued here after years unavailable.

Rare islands funk soul. Great soulful vocal ghetto-vibed funkiness from Barbados. Reissued for the first time. Watch out for funky version of Kool & The Gang's "Kool Reggae" and favorite songs of many DJs, such as "World of Tomorrow" or "Making a Living." Licensed by Phil Dino.

Inventive and superbly produced hard-rock with psychedelic, blues and heavy-prog/proto-metal touches by this studio side-project of Mama Lion. Loud fuzz guitars, heavy keyboards (by James Newton Howard), and screaming vocals. Featuring the great Neil Merryweather and Lynn Carey & the Mama Lion musicians. This is their second album, originally released on Artie Ripp's Family Productions label in 1973. First official vinyl reissue. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve with OBI. Sourced from the original master tapes. Includes insert with liner notes, photos, and download card.

Psychedelic hard-rock and heavy blues with loud fuzzed-out guitars, keyboards and inventive studio production/effects by this band led by the great Neil Merryweather and featuring the Mama Lion musicians. This is their first album, originally released on Artie Ripp's Family Productions label in 1972. The Heavy Cruiser project was conceived during the studio sessions for Mama Lion, the band led by Neil Merryweather and Lynn Carey. Artie Ripp always allowed Neil to experiment/jam in the studio and to record any cool ideas and songs he may come up with. Thanks to that creative freedom, Heavy Cruiser was born during Mama Lion jamming sessions. The initial idea was to operate both bands simultaneously with Lynn taking the backseat for Heavy Cruiser but providing vocals and helping with songwriting. Powerful cover versions of rock classics like "C'mon Everybody" or "Louie Louie" show the band having lot of fun in the studio and there was also room for more experimental sounds like "Miracles Of Pure Device." First official vinyl reissue. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve plus OBI. Sourced from the original master tapes. Includes insert with liner notes, photos, and download card.

Originally known as Captain Speed, Turquoise was a psychedelic rock band from Southern California who were managed by pioneering Tri-counties concert promoter Jim Salzer, who also operated the legendary Arcade Record Shop. Their sound was 100% psychedelic with swirling baroque organ, trippy guitar fills and driving percussion, all topped off by front man and Jim Morrison's lookalike Tim Pearson's lysergic lyrics. Turquoise shared stage with big names like Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe & the Fish, The Seeds, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, Jimi Hendrix, and many others. During 1967-68, they recorded two 45s for Jim Salzer's Arcade label and they also laid down material for a planned LP that was never released -- until now. Featuring keyboard player Bill Payne, who later went on be a founding member of Little Feat. Remastered from the original master tapes by Alec Palao. Including their two rare 45s plus eight previously unreleased tracks, 1967-68. Includes insert with liner notes by Gray Newell (Ugly Things/Shindig!) and rare photos/memorabilia. Includes download card.

Soul4Real returns to the south with a selection of eleven songs from Malaco, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and Alarm Records. There is no doubt that in the 1970s and 1980s, Malaco in Mississippi and Muscle Shoals Sound in Alabama were both highly significant in defining the southern soul sound. Malaco's Studio had opened in 1967, while Muscle Shoals Sound Studio opened its doors for business in 1969, when four musicians left nearby Fame Studios to go it alone. Alarm Records, meanwhile, based in Shreveport, Louisiana, provides listeners with four of the tracks on this album. Independent producers and major record companies sent their artists south to record, taking advantage of both Malaco and Muscle Shoals Sound's talented array of musicians, writers and producers. Muscle Shoals Sound, in particular, started to receive artists from Atlantic Records from the get-go; R.B. Greaves, Baby Washington, Sam & Dave, and Solomon Burke led the way, along with Scotland's Lulu. The first release on their own record label was the timeless "It Hurts So Good" by Katie Love. Meanwhile, Stax (amongst others) sent some of their artists to record at both studios, and Malaco would also lease some of its own productions out to Atlantic. Alarm Records was a smaller set-up which also produced some wonderful records. This album opens with the only female singer featured -- Dorothy Moore. Her exquisite "Girl Overboard" has been justifiably popular on the soul scene for decades. The other ten tracks showcase an array of fine male singers, most of whom (Bobby Bland and King Floyd aside), sadly and perhaps unjustly, never really made the big time. It is the first showing on vinyl for three of the tracks here (previously having only been issued on CD), and Jimmy Jules' reading of "Having A Little Talk With Love" has never appeared anywhere before. As always, sit back and savor the music! Also featuring Ray Crumley, George Jackson, Chuck Brooks, Joe Wilson, Ted Taylor, Eddie Giles, and Reuben Bell.

A collection with a very specific criterion: to bring together the best songs that exemplify the model of what would later be known as salsa. Tito's sessions at RCA produced the highest quality and sounding recordings of the epoch, and are up to today's sound standards. 24 tracks compiled from the best dancefloor tracks from Tito's golden era that easily adapt to the aesthetics of modern salsa. Featuring: Santos Colón, Vicentico Valdés, Alfredito Valdés, Vitín Avilés, Yayo "el Indio," and Tony Molina. Complete liner notes Spanish/English by collector and DJ, Pablo "Bongohead" Yglesias. Format designed for DJ's, collectors and general public. Though it may seem obvious or perhaps even a fool's errand to dedicate a compilation to this theme, since everything Tito recorded was full of "salsa y sabor" (sauce and flavor), it's actually perhaps the first of its kind in that every recording here is specifically chosen for today's salsa dancers, in whichever style they choose to dance, with an emphasis on the guaguancó rhythm and mambo arrangement. Tito's RCA sessions produced the most high quality, incredible sounding recordings of the epoch, and they more than hold their own by today's sonic standards. For this reason, Grosso has collected two dozen of Tito's finest golden era nuggets for the dance floor, with a concerted emphasis on midtempo numbers with clear percussion patterns that easily fit the modern salsa aesthetic. Many of these tracks, such as "Cuando Te Vea," "Complicación," "Agua Limpia Todo," "Con Sandunga," and "Guaguancó Margarito" are directly connected to traditional Afro-Cuban rumba or Santería rituals through their original composers, rhythm structure, lyrical content and melodies. Indeed, they could all be performed -- and some were -- as strictly percussion and vocal rumbas, but the real difference is what Tito Puente did with the instrumentation, arrangements, vocals and pacing, turning them into the big band extravaganzas that caused "mambo mania," routinely working his audiences into a frenzy on the dance floor.

2025 repress. Jeff Mills's Waveform Transmission Vol. 3 initially came out in 1994 on Tresor Records. The eight titles on this album marked a turning point for Mills. It indicates a transition from the straightforward sound he had created through the early 1990s, into the different facets and sound palette he would develop through the remainder of the decade. It is a significant piece within Mills's oeuvre.

This is the best Chilean album of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine. It contains the latest compositions by Violeta Parra, including her global hit "Gracias a la vida." Vampisoul are now glad to present Las últimas composiciones de Violeta Parra as originally released in 1966, with remastered sound from the tapes and the original artwork. 180g vinyl. It was recorded for RCA Víctor at the end of 1966, despite the artist had signed a deal with EMI Odeon and released her previous albums on this label. After spending some time in Europe, Violeta Parra was back in Chile and wanted to record her most recent songs, filled with lyrics inspired by personal life's disappointments and social topics. The album contains great songs such as "Run Run se fue pa'l Norte," "Maldigo del alto cielo," "Rin del Angelito" and the global hit "Gracias a la vida." This is the very last album released while Violeta Parra was still alive as she would kill herself only four months later, in February 1967. In 1974 a new version of the album was released featuring string arrangements by Chilean composer Nino García and new artwork, a full-color illustration based on the black and white photo of the original album cover. This became the most popular version of the album available in decades. The ownership of the original master tapes has been the subject of judicial disputes since the late 1990s and until very recent times, which explains the difficulty in having access to the original work, as originally conceived, throughout this period.

Brooklyn Sounds' legendary second album from 1972, full of heavy Nuyorican underground salsa dura propelled by raw trombones, off-kilter piano and in-your-face percussion. A perfect blend of barrio attitude and Caribbean swing, the album proves Brooklyn has sabor y salsa! Pressed on 180gram vinyl, Vampisoul's reissue includes liner notes featuring never-before seen photos. Libre -- Free is the now legendary second album by the short-lived Brooklyn Sounds and is arguably even better than their self-titled debut (VAMPI 297LP), displaying a more mature and practiced sound, no doubt honed by their experiences playing more gigs in support of their first record. Brooklyn Sounds were one of a handful of garage salsa bands from the independent scene that was gathering steam in the early 1970s in the New York boroughs, despite little support or exposure in the mainstream Latin music industry from more dominant labels like Fania, Mericana, Cotique and Alegre. As with many others, Brooklyn Sounds briefly fluoresced in a burst of creativity and defiance, yet flamed out shortly thereafter, dying like a flower among the ruins of burned-out apartment blocks in the barrios of its home city. Though the band only cut two LPs and a couple singles in their brief half-decade of existence, and never really broke out of the cuchifrito circuit in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, their music gradually spread far and wide, eventually becoming a sought-after global commodity by the late 1990s. In contrast to the first album Libre -- Free is up-tempo and ebullient, with fewer slow songs and more confident, creative arrangements, full of heavy Nuyorican underground salsa dura propelled by raw trombones, off-kilter piano and in-your-face percussion.

WRWTFWW Records presents the Pitstop Box, compiling all 24 tracks from Japanese house music pioneer Shinichiro Yokota's two acclaimed albums Do It Again and Again (2016) and I Know You Like It (2019). The collection, available on vinyl for the first time ever, is presented as six 45rpm-cut 12" housed in a superb slipcase box set created by Lopetz, designer, illustrator, typographer, and co-founder of Swiss graphic design studio Büro Destruct. Included as bonuses are two sticker sheets. Previously only available on CD in Japan via cult electronic label Far East Recording, Shinichiro Yokota's album discography finally gets a long overdue vinyl release. With a production style drawing from a rich blend of funk, hip hop, electronic, and Japanese influences, Yokota's music is loved for its simplicity, its hypnotic quality, and, most importantly, its soul -- homegrown '90s soulful melodic club music -- pure love! The Pitstop Box, full of dancefloor treasures and sprinkled with downtempo gems, not only defines Yokota's personal journey but also resonates as an essential contribution to the house genre and Japanese music in general. It includes his house hits, a cover of "Simoon" by Haruomi Hosono's Logic System, and a collaboration with his longtime partner and electronic music hero Soichi Terada. Shinichiro Yokota began his musical history in Tokyo, inspired by electronic music giants such as Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk. He co-founded Far East Recording with the great Soichi Terada (who also worked with WRWTFWW for the Omodaka compilation) in 1990. After releasing the now highly sought after Far East Recording album with Terada in 1992, he took a hiatus from music and, most notably, brought his passion for sports cars to the next level by launching Night Pager, a company he started with his wife, specializing in tuning sports cars and modifying limiters for competition racers. It's this side of Yokota's life which has inspired the design of the Pitstop Box. He triumphantly came back to music with the album Do It Again and Again in 2016, consisting of unreleased '90s recordings as well as new material, and followed it up with I Know You Like It in 2019. His work has influenced generations of producers, and has expanded Japanese house music's reach on the global stage. Experience it on vinyl now.

"Live In Paris is the fourth album from the Austin TX trio USA/Mexico, and their first since 2021's Del Rio. As the title suggests, the album was recorded live at Paris' Le Petit Bain in March of 2024. As on their prior studio albums, the group remains guitarist Craig Clouse (Shit and Shine), bassist Nate Cross (Water Damage, Marriage) and drummer King Coffey (Butthole Surfers). Mastered by James Plotkin."

Black Truffle presents a rare solo release from Konrad Sprenger, alias of elusive Berlin composer-producer-instrument builder Jörg Hiller. A prolific collaborator, Sprenger has worked extensively with icons of American minimalism such as Ellen Fullman (with whom her recorded the gloriously eccentric song album Ort) and Arnold Dreyblatt (as a core member of the Orchestra of Excited Strings since 2009), as well as releasing their music on his impeccably curated label, Choose. As an instrument builder and installation artist, he has overseen the creation of a computer-controlled multi-channel electric guitar and, with Phillip Sollmann, a modular pipe organ system designed to be reconfigured from space to space. Set brings together the various strands of Sprenger's work into a wildly infectious, playful epic, performed by the composer and the mysterious Ensemble Risonanze Moderne. On the LP's second side, listeners are also treated to a guest appearance from longtime collaborator Oren Ambarchi, on whose recent solo releases Simian Angel and Shebang Sprenger has made key production contributions. Ambarchi's signature stuttering, swirling harmonics weave through a sparkling assemblage of electric guitars, acoustic instruments, percussion and electronics -- though, given the deft use that much of Sprenger's recent production work makes of midi-controlled sampled instrumentation, it's anyone's guess where the acoustic ends and the digital begins here. As soon as the needle drops on the first side, listeners are inside a musical world that Set will inhabit for its 33 minutes: sparkling guitar harmonics and palm-muted notes, tuned percussion, crisp electronic drum hits, flashes of horns, and untraceable bursts of synthetic sound are arranged into a skittering polyrhythmic framework calling up the detail-rich percussive constructions of contemporary techno filtered through the pointillism of the post-serialist European avant-garde. Behind this shifting mist of particulate sound, winds and strings sound out held chords, reminiscent of Arthur Russell's Tower of Meaning in their epic yet seemingly aimless drift. The relationship between elements is mysterious, appearing both carefully considered and almost random. Though never straying too far from where it begins, as the piece moves along, it spotlights increasingly bizarre instrument choices as well as momentary liftoffs into motorik propulsion. Set is a fascinating, mercurial thing: at once propulsive and fragmented, essentially static in form yet ever-changing in detail, unabashedly egghead in its construction yet sure to get the feet tapping.

Collector, seeker and storyteller Charles Bals brings his curatorial finesse to Hamburg's Bureau B with Ambientale, a journey into otherworldly sounds from the years 1983-2000. Drifting effortlessly between digital exoticism, mellow fusion, new age groove and library electronics, the pieces range from largely obscure to utterly un-google-able, and coalesce into a stunning soundtrack to tranquil seas, desert sand and starlit skies. Cinematic and enigmatic, Ambientale is a stranger you've only just met but can't stop thinking about. A familiar face to those who dwell in the deep end of the record pool, Charles is an obsessive digger, always on the track of an otherwise unheard sound. Through two trips to "Club Meduse" and star-crossed lovers "America Dream Reserve" and "Black Rain," he's also established himself as a mixtape auteur, weaving together the strange and beautiful into evocative compilations that transport listeners to distinct, imaginative realms. While his previous sets resembled Super-8 vignettes, populated by sun-kissed hedonists and drifting outsiders, Ambientale sees Charles leave the human world behind, exploring all the world's wilderness on the scale of an IMAX epic. Bals opens his sonic travelogue with the bamboo flutes and resonant gongs of esteemed Italian maestro Luigi Ceccarelli, joined by the clean lines and Eastern tonalities of the little-known RanōBoru. The journey deepens with a double-feature from Tokyo composer Akira Mitake, sliding from dreamy New Age soundscapes into the lush groove of floral fusion. Digital rhythms and snaking bass add a Latin accent to the bouzouki of Individual Sensitivity's "Greece Ambientale," while the lilting percussion and shimmering synths of Steve Shehan's smooth jazz rarity "Evening In The Sahara" segue perfectly into a masterpiece of French Balearic from Private Joke. A smoky saxophone rises like mist, echoing through the rainfall on Adriano Maria Vitali's "Velvet Blue Circles," before Masami Tsuchiya pulls listeners into the depths with the aquatic ambience of 1983's "Never Mind," its electronic palette the perfect vehicle to ensure that Akira Mitake's "Spectrum" surprises, rather than startles, with its booming machine drums a superb point of difference. From there, we wander once more into the digital undergrowth, exploring the mystical and magical sounds of the Italian library ensemble Gruppo Sound, along with a rare glimpse of Blue Note new age from Gil Mellé. Police sirens and street noise signal our return to the city, forming the backdrop to the tumbling drums and moody electronic stabs of "Ship Out" by Ferris Wheel, an utterly unknown piece rumored to be a promotional track from a Venezuelan garbage company -- the final twist of intrigue to this otherworldly voyage.

LP version. "If you're already aware of Rüdiger Lorenz, chances are you washed ashore on Southland, his cult kosmische curio graciously reissued by the ever-benevolent Bureau B in the middle of the last decade. Either that, or you're one of the few hundred electronic music obsessives who encountered his work the first-time round, giddily grabbing up the eighteen cassette, vinyl and CD releases the prolific part-timer delivered DIY style on his Syntape and Syncord imprints between 1981-1998. I say this because despite a catalogue both copious and singular, and a renewed interest amongst the switched on and tuned in since his premature passing in 2000, Rüdiger's reception has remained sadly subterranean -- another example of audio inequity. As such, it falls to Synrise, attentively assembled by Rüdiger's son Tim, to shine some rightful light on this unique talent. Although Rüdiger impressed as a member of a local beat group in the seventies, growing exposure to the likes of Neu!, Tangerine Dream, Reich, and Riley pushed him towards the electronic and experimental, a style more suited to his solitary temperament. Unsurprisingly for a man who made eighteen solo albums around his day job, Lorenz was something of a loner, though it's hard to hear that through the emotional resonance of his releases. His search for sonic expression led him to overcome his lack of electrical knowhow, boldly soldering on to create organs, effects units and self-built modular systems, each in service to his specific sound. What then, specifically, is the sound of Synrise? Selected from his first four releases, Queen of Saba (1981), Silver Steps (1981), Wonderflower (1982) and Earthrise (1983), this septet boasts sci-fi anthems and sine wave requiems, nebulous cosmic collages of snapping rhythm boxes, gurgling sequences and synthesized choirs? Though originally released across four different cassettes, these seven tracks all belong to the same sonic universe -- just not the universe we're living in." --Patrick Ryder

"On the Cover: The Velvet Underground -- Lost in Sound -- Multiple features on your favorite band, with rare images and cool ephemera throughout. Here Come The Tapes: A Guide To The Velvet Underground's Live Tape Stash by Tyler Wilcox. Plus, full length reviews of new reissues of cassette tapes by ur-VU drummer Angus MacLise, and a lengthy appreciation by Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Light in the Attic's excellent pre-VU Lou Reed set. Killer Content: "TV on the Radio and the Magic Negro Myth." Martin Douglas on the band's visionary debut LP, Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes -- and the lessons we haven't learned 20 years later. This piece is such a standout, wait until you read it. Punk Diary: Excerpts from Hat & Beard Press' I Feel Famous: Punk Diaries 1977-1980, written by a then-17-year-old Angela Jaeger. This diary was renowned for years and has finally seen the light of day, with multiple images to support it. Sweeping Promises: A very visual look at the great, shimmering guitar-pop band. Their visual aesthetics so perfectly accompany their sound, and that's discussed in detail for the first time. 12XU: Fred Thomas' engrossing talk with Gerard Cosloy about the third major record label he's run, and why it matters. This is the third in a series of columns on record labels. Razor Braids: Raucous, hilarious, uncompromising -- an introduction to the Brooklyn-based band who you're sure to hear more from soon. Antietam Loves Sleepyhead: Two of our favorite bands from the 1980s on how to keep the love alive. Antietam was formed in Louisville in 1984 out of the ashes of the Babylon Dance Band. They soon moved to NYC And released a series of beloved records for Homestead. Sleepyhead formed in 1988 in the basement of their NYU dorm and released beloved albums for the likes of Slumberland. The Sonics: An in-depth look at the fun, new documentary film on the Pac NW garage pioneers. Departmentstore Santas: Wonderful interview with the folks behind the major 1984 self-released DIY effort, At The Medieval Castle Nineteen 100-Year Lifetimes Since, a record on par with the best efforts by Desperate Bicycles, Homosexuals, and V3. Joy Guidry: Ana Gavrilovska on the beautiful music of the contemporary jazz bassoonist. Plus our regular, excellent columns by Mimi Lipson, Lucy Sante, Andy Zax, and others, including the debut of Desert Island owner Gabe Fowler's "Customer Profiles" column..."

Seminal and highly influential album in the history of Venezuelan rock. Ladies W.C. (1968) is innovative in many aspects: from its stunning psychedelic guitars, loaded with fuzz and wah-wah effects, to its repertoire -- made up of original songs -- or even the graphics featured on the cover of the album. As in the case of "Love Depression," this album has become one of the most sought-after and collectible recordings of Venezuelan rock. Munster's reissue includes remastered sound from the original tapes, 180g vinyl and liner notes. Adib founded Ladies W.C. with his friends Jose Maria Arria "Chema" (bass, vocals), Wolfgang Vivas (lead vocals), and Frank Rojas (drums). Their sound was so innovative that it was not conducive to getting many bookings and they barely managed to play a single concert. As a result, all the original line-up, except Adib, upped and left. Soon after, Stephen Scott and Mario and Jaime Seijas replaced them, seamlessly complementing Adib's playing and his growing interest in blues and psychedelic hard rock. The group's first and only album, released by the Venezuelan label Souvenir, was recorded at Continente Studios in just 10 days. Ricardo Landaeta acted as technician, while Adib and Stephen worked out all the structures and arrangements of the songs, as well as the lyrics. They were very intense recording sessions in which they spent full days locked inside the studio. Hector Fuenmayor is the only guest musician on the recording. All the songs are their own compositions, which was unusual on the Venezuelan scene, as groups' repertoires tended to be cover versions of international hits. The sleeve art, displaying a striking illustration instead of the classic covers showing a photo of the band, was also a novel ingredient in Venezuela, as was the distorted sound of the guitars which made great use of the wah-wah pedal, the extensive harmonica playing, and creative use of sound effects, all of which gave the album a unified conceptual feel. The band were only active for only a couple of years from 1968 to 1969.

El Álamo was a cult Peruvian psychedelic rock band that, as other groups in Lima such as Laghonia, Traffic Sound, and Telegraph Avenue did, sung in English aiming to reach the international market. Their only LP was released in 1971 and was recorded under the influence of Hendrix, Santana, and The Allman Brothers. Unavailable for almost two decades, Munster now reissues Malos Pensamientos in its full glory, with gatefold jacket, two bonus tracks taken from their rare 45, and an insert with liner notes. Released in December 1971, Malos Pensamientos is a psychedelia and Latin rock album on the Peruvian Decibel record label. The local rock market appealed to the label, in spite of Santana's expulsion that same month by the nationalist military dictatorship to appease radical university students who protested vociferously that rock was imperialist. The origins of El Álamo can be found in Los Youngers, a group from Huacho, a city 140 km north of Lima, which was sponsored by the local priest to encourage younger parishioners to attend the go-go-style masses churches were celebrating across Peru by 1967. After recording a 45, the guitarist and bassist, Tino Pow Sang and Arturo Montenegro, moved to the Lima district of Maranga and revamped the band with Luis Iturry and Ricardo Allison from Los Shoes Makers joining the line-up. The average age of the group was 20 when they began laying down the instrumental track at a five-hour session at El Virrey studio. The album stand-out tracks include "Malos Pensamientos," a progressive rock song inspired by a Jimi Hendrix riff, accompanied by the atmospheric sounds of the organ; the rock ballad "Good Night," a must at parties with psychedelic lights and blacklights; "Candy," an abridged version of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (Crosby, Stills & Nash); and the psychedelic mantra "Can You See Me."

Sarang Bang Records proudly presents Eternal Afternoons, the latest full-length offering from Auckland-based composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Joe Kaptein. Drawing inspiration from the '70s jazz-funk innovations of Donald Byrd and Lonnie Liston Smith and elements of dub and disco, Eternal Afternoon is an uplifting collection of five original Kaptein compositions -- a joyful antidote to these troubled times. Featuring Kaptein's intricately layered keys and tight ensemble arrangements, the album is augmented by masterful touches of flute and saxophone by Aotearoa New Zealand jazz icon Nathan Haines and backed by local heavyweights Elijah Whyte (drums) and Wil Goodinson (bass), the backbone of Kaptein's regular working band. Seemingly out of nowhere, Kaptein appeared on the Auckland scene a few years ago and quickly made a name for himself owing to his versatility, impeccable taste and musicianship, and has established himself as the go-to keyboardist for the likes of Nathan Haines, The Circling Sun, Princess Chelsea, The Situations, and Muroki. Before recording Eternal Afternoon, Kaptein somehow managed to channel his unrelenting creative energy into three low-key, but brilliant self-released digital albums in between his hectic international touring schedule and session work. These exploratory recordings touch on drum machine and synth-driven psych-lounge, Krautrock, experimental jazz, and Bacharachian pop, allowing the listener a glimpse into the depth of Kaptein's vision and his wide-ranging musical interests.

Gerson King Combo's 1977 album is a masterpiece of Brazilian soul, emerged within the Black Rio movement, which was recorded with União Black as the backing band. It features the kind of full-on funky sound you'd only expect to hear from a rare few American groups of the time. Its ten songs mix political statements, which primarily address issues of racial pride, and dancefloor-oriented music. Remastered from the original tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl. This release is part of a new reissue series that will include many other outstanding Brazilian classics. The Côrtes brothers were born and raised in Madureira. Their careers in music stood away from samba carioca and followed different paths: Getúlio was one of Jovem Guarda's composers (author of hits such as "Negro Gato") while Gerson was involved in underground dance groups and would later (as Gerson King) become a leading figure in the Black Rio movement. This album was produced by Ronaldo Corrêa and features Pedrinho da Luz as artistic director. The album has achieved cult status over the years, becoming one of the most sought-after Brazilian funk records of all times. Ridiculously rare and expensive now, at the top of many collectors' wants lists, it's finally reissued here after years unavailable out of Brazil.

20-year anniversary re-issue! Okie Dokie It´s The Orb On Kompakt the 13th album of one of Britian's most prized cult bands. The music of The Orb only has an intensive effect when taken in as a long-playing full length. And it proves with this lovingly conjured collection of songs brought together like a collage. The first half of Okie Dokie showcase The Orb´s love for minimal techno and Schaffel/Shuffle as it is so obviously present in the foreground, while the second half is only reserved to the classic Orb-ish ancestral domain. There are wonderful guest appearances by Schneider TM and Kompakt´s ambient-guru Ulf Lohmann. As many of you know, there is so much history about The Orb you could write a book. Since Jimmy Cauty and Alex Paterson, in the flush of euphoria invented chill out and ambient house in the first summer of love 1988, an incredible amount of things have occurred. After 2002, The Orb found with Kompakt a new ambient-loving partner and release a row of singles and play live, as the trimmed-down version as Le Petit Orb.

10-year anniversary re-issue! A major slice of psychedelic synth bliss and powerful basslines. 2LP edition. Gatefold double LP version. Iconic electronic music pioneers The Orb return to Kompakt with Moonbuilding 2703 AD, another major slice of psychedelic synth bliss, obscure loops, and deep ambient textures tossed in swinging breakbeats and powerful basslines. Installing a forward momentum rather unusual for a genre-defying project like this, the latest effort from masterminds Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann follows their 2005 album success on Kompakt, the cheekily named Okie Dokie It's The Orb On Kompakt -- as well as several contributions to Kompakt's Speicher and Pop Ambient series -- but, more importantly, it finds the legendary duo at the peak of its creativity, ringing in another essential phase in what can only be called a groundbreaking career. True to form, Moonbuilding 2703 AD features a small track list, but turns each one of its four cuts into a mini-epic in its own right. Opener "God's Mirrorball" hits the ground floating, employing a handful of cozy statics to great effect before finally discharging into an intricate mosaic of atmospheric, melodic sketches and gripping rhythms. With a hypnotic runtime of more than 14 minutes, it immediately establishes a blueprint for the other album tracks to follow, perfectly illustrating the vast extent of the artists' vision and their impressive skills in luring in listeners -- welcome to The Orb's sonic labyrinth, where nothing is what it seems and the unexpected waits just around the corner. Likewise, follow-up track "Moonscapes 2703 BC" presents itself as a uniquely versatile affair sitting comfortably between ambient flourishes and beat-driven focus, holding as many twists and turns as a caper movie, but carefully grounding every single one of its cliffhangers in its impeccable flow. With a runtime of approximately nine minutes, "Lunar Caves" is the shortest jam of the bunch -- and also the most ethereal, keeping its rhythmic content to a bare, pulse-like minimum and opting for enticing, freewheeling synth textures instead. Album closer and title cut "Moonbuilding 2703 AD" introduces a surprisingly jazzy vibe mingling rather well with the wealth of electronic tricks up its sleeve -- even indulging in abrasive bass sweeps and a breathtaking multitude of different rhythm sections constantly switching places. It's a fitting closing act for a full-length as multifaceted as this, as idiosyncratic as possible and as muscular as needed. Cover design by iconic graphic wizards The Designers Republic.

10-year anniversary re-issue! LP version. The Orb, Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann, have become known for their genre-bending curiosity and surprising sonic detours, exploring experimental soundscapes as well as club-friendly beats. COW / Chill Out, World! is a masterful ambient album that branches out in many directions, but unmistakably sounds like The Orb. In contrast to their much-acclaimed previous full-length Moonbuilding 2703 AD, which took years to prepare and fine-tune, COW / Chill Out, World! was produced over the course of only five sessions in six months, directly following the like-minded Alpine EP. Paterson on recording the album: "It got so spontaneous that a track like '9 Elms Over River Eno (Channel 9)' consisted only of material collected at North Carolina's Moogfest in May - second-hand records from local stores, field recordings, live samples from gigs that we liked, and of course an excursion to the Eno River, which actually exists. This geographic intimacy and the spontaneity are among the top reasons why we love this album so much." Fehlmann sees the duo's relentless gigging schedule as a formative influence on the new album: "the countless performances we've played in the last years have brought us closer as a musical unit. The spice of our concerts is improvisation - a fertile process that we've brought to the studio, where we operate with very simple rules of engagement and go wherever the flow takes us." It's an approach that one might expect from traditional acoustic instrumentation, not necessarily an electronic set-up. Once more, The Orb's trademark playfulness is on full display on COW / Chill Out, World! and it doesn't limit itself to the multi-layered sampling and psychedelic sound composites. It's not so much an obscure trope coming full circle as a perfect example for The Orb's multi-timbre approach to sound and meaning - a compelling, immersive journey to diverse places and impressions. Each track title is a conceptual work in its own right, playing with multiple references, some of which remain highly personal and mysterious. But the greatest feat of The Orb's latest outing might just be how all this semantic doodling never gets in the way of the actual listening, at all times directly relating the artists' sonic vitality and cheerful nosiness.

"Some things take a long time. And some things are meant to last. But how you know that, or learn how to find out, that's a more intangible thing. That's A Shaw Deal -- intangible. A communal meeting place for two old friends and their different musics. A Shaw Deal is the first album by Geologist and D.S.. They go back a long ways -- back before Highlife, before Shaw joined White Magic -- back to the early childhood of Animal Collective. Basically, Doug Shaw touched down in NYC around 2003, and he and Brian Weitz have been friends ever since. 'D.S.' first released his own music under the moniker Highlife on 2010's Best Bless EP. Listeners were lifted by the sound -- a vital new transmission imbued by the popular African guitar music, British folk-pop, desert blues and the ritual spirit energy that Doug had been evoking in White Magic with Mira Billotte. If you really know Doug, this incredible alchemy was just one of the amazing ways he could come through on the guitar -- and you probably also know that all his crazy shit is just massed up somewhere, ready to fill up a great album of his own. A couple years back, Doug was posting bits of his playing on Instagram, and Brian found them to be a much-needed escape from reality -- he'd just let them loop for stretches of time, get lost in there, and emerge with recharged energies. He was so inspired by these mini-encapsulations of Doug's spirit that eventually he ran them through his modular system, editing and tweaking and looping as he went, creating new shapes and juxtapositions, instinctively rewiring the sounds to extend the feeling of peace they'd given him. Once it was all together, it would make a cool birthday present to regift to Doug! And once the gift was given, it was sounding like an album too. From start to finish, A Shaw Deal taps into D.S.'s guitar playing and the vibe of his expression, drawing out meditative waves in new forms while exploring the worlds within them. Geologist and D.S. collaborate in a manner that's brought comfort and release to them both. A Shaw Deal leaves no doubt, as it radiates further into the world and beyond -- it will bring a new range of views and feels to everyone who listens in."

Canada's dub maestro Deadbeat makes a welcome return to Echocord to round out the year with his Pressure Double Down EP, comprised of three original cuts. Adopted Montrealer Scott Montieth, aka Deadbeat, has been at the forefront of dub tinged techno and minimal leaning sounds since the turn of the millennium, racking up albums on the beloved Pole helmed scape in the early 2000s before going on to run his own label BLKRTZ where he regularly release material, as well as further releases on imprints such as Wagon Repair and of course Echocord, where he returns here with his latest collection of works. "Too Much Pressure" leads the EP, a fifteen-minute excursion through intricate percussion, choppy, dubbed out stab sequences and psychedelic vocals all infused with Deadbeat's signature subtly unfurling flair and nuanced dynamism. "Double Bubble" follows and lays down an amalgamation of delicately intertwined chord melodies, sub bass tones spiraling echoes and a crunchy analogue rhythm section. "Rattle The Roof Down" then concludes the EP on a more minimal tinged tip, bringing a heavy low-end dub reggae bass groove to the front while spacey percussive delays and murky swells ebb and flow throughout the hypnotic groove.

The debut release of women's brightest hope comes from Polygonia on Mule Musiq. Label artist Simone De Kunovich introduced her to Mule and she sent this excellent unique house music. She sang, wrote the lyrics, and played violin and flute. "Upside Down" is a bit like early Herbert Style. "Eyes Between Letters" is kind of excentric Afro-Brazilian deep house. "Beyond Light and Shade" is like an electronic version of Midori Takada or Mkwaju Ensemble.

"Downstate, the second official Prison stint, stretches to insane new places while pumping out more of some of the toughest jams around. Leap-hogging from one vibe to the next, Prison cop a variety of grooves, from minimalist (like Guru Guru), sweat-shaking (Stooges) and chaotic (No Trend) -- it feels like they're coming from everywhere! They switched it up in almost every way they could this time. But that's just Prison being Prison. At its core, Prison's a multi-headed beast, and Downstate is built to showcase their swarming freakscene. Recording this one in Rockaway meant they could get Prison family and friends to drop in. Going Downstate with core Prisoners Sarim Al-Rawi, Matt Lilly, and Paul Major are guitarists Marc Razo and Adam Reich, bassist Matt Leibowitz, and Dave Smoota Smith on trombone. Also present is the late, lamented Sam Jayne, a fellow lifer whose spirit will act as a guide for the rest of Prison's time. With these many hands on deck, Prison plays all kinds of things, from insane distorted rock to dreamy psychedelia, plus some jazzy and gutsy blues shit too. They got some of the lighter side of Prison in there, of course. It was all recorded in a day, with a couple overdubs, but it took a while to get the mixes right. There were a lot of moments that they didn't know would lead to anything, but when listening back later, then they heard where they were going. All that had to get in there somehow. Another level to the sound on Downstate is in the hard cuts and savvy fades in the edit. Matt Lilly sequenced the mixes at home using two CDJs fed into a Numark DJ deck and dubbed down live to cassette, then they sent the tape to engineer Matt Walsh to duplicate timings and fades and all that. Like trapdoors taking you from where you thought you were standing to someplace entirely different, wondering if what just happened was ten seconds or one million years long. And if you still don't know -- man, it was both!"

A loving embrace for Schlammpeitziger with remixes by Ada, Andreas Dorau & Zwanie Jonson, Bionaut, HJirok, Thomas Mahmoud, Stefan Mohr, and Wolfgang Voigt! At the end of 2024, Kompakt celebrated the release of Jo "Schlammpeitziger" Zimmermann's brand new album Meine Unterkunft ist die Unvernunft on his 60th birthday at Kompakt Recordstore. Now the label presents the accompanying remixes. An illustrious group of long-time companions has come together to pay tribute to the master of electronic eccentricity with remixes.

Restocked. Agartha: Personal Meditation Music is a 7 CD boxed set, originally released on cassette in 1986, at the height of New Age, as an aid for meditation and alignment. Bringing to mind 20th century composers like Eliane Radigue, La Monte Young, or even Brian Eno's Shutov Assembly, the time-stopping, enveloping, electronic music contained in this series sounds eerily modern, mysterious and moving. Characterized by deep analog drones, rising overtones, floating frequencies surfing on sine-waves and intervals with mystic modulation, this is truly moving, vibrational music. In Agartha, the individual notes of each Harmonic Triad proceed in a fashion that is neither improvisational nor chance-based, nor is it generative. Instead, the music flows outward as if being transmitted -- or channeled -- from a place outside human consciousness. There is a profound sense of cosmic depth expanding ever outward as the music fills the listener with waves of emotion, and a palpable somatic response is felt, although there are subtle differences with each unique Triad. Each disc is individually packaged in original replica sleeves and housed in a heavy-duty cardboard clamshell box. Digitized and remastered by Jessica Thompson. Liner notes include extensive instructions for use from the original text and an essay by library music scholar David Hollander. The original edition of Agartha: Personal Meditation Music, featured one-track, 30-minute track per tape repeated on both sides. Subsequent editions had unique Side B tracks on all but two of the seven volumes. Important Records have included all tracks in this boxed set. RIYL: Eliane Radigue, Pauline Oliveros, Eleh, Duane Pitre, La Monte Young, Eno, Larajji, Iasos.

WRWTFWW Records presents its third collaboration with Japanese electronic/ambient/synth-pop crew Interior, this time with the release of band member Daisuke Hinata's forgotten solo treasure from 1989: Tarzanland. The feel-good/smooth ride LP is available as a limited-edition turquoise and light pink vinyl housed in a heavyweight 350gsm sleeve with obi strip. Available on vinyl for the first time ever, Tarzanland is late '80s California sun-soaked kankyō ongaku, minimalistic proto-chillwave, the synth melody of a pleasant Sunday breeze as the ocean waves breathe in and breathe out. Steve Winwood and Steely Dan come to mind as the ambient sound design of an imaginary John Hughes movie unfolds as all pieces of the puzzle come together for a blissful journey of simple pleasures. Daisuke Hinata is a Grammy-nominated artist, composer, producer, and member of Interior. This is WRWTFWW's third release centered around the work of the band, following the reissue of their Haruomi Hosono-produced self-titled debut (1982) and the first release ever of Sculpture of Time (Apocalypse), their rarely heard before commissioned piece for German environmental artist NILS-UDO.

"Ol' Dirty Bastard aka Ason Unique, real name Russell Jones, was truly a one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-imitated emcee. As one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ol' Dirty Bastard released his classic RZA-produced debut solo album Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version in 1995. After the release of Wu-Tang Forever in '97, ODB had several run-ins with the law and was in and out of court and jail, but it didn't stop him from being himself. ODB got back in the studio in 1999 to record his second studio album and with a little help from The Neptunes dropped the hit single 'Got Your Money.' The video for the single was cut with scenes from Dolemite and one scene inspired the name of the album N***a Please which was released on Sept 14th, 1999, and would unfortunately be the last album to be released during Ol' Dirty Bastard's lifetime. The album is full of ODB's lyrical antics backed by a crew of producers including the RZA and Wu-Tang affiliated Tru Master and Buddah Monk along with The Neptunes and Irv Gotti. Out of print on vinyl since it was released 25 years ago, Get On Down is proud to honor the legacy of Ol' Dirty Bastard with a translucent yellow smoke and clear with smoke-colored vinyl pressing packaged in a gatefold jacket with a 25th Anniversary hype sticker."

2025 restock. "The string of albums Culture recorded during the late '70s contained some of the most reliably solid sets from the tail end of reggae's roots era. These early releases for the production team of Joe Gibbs and Errol 'E.T.' Thompson yielded the group's finest work . . . The typically excellent assembly of session men respond to such material with an appropriately light touch: the exemplary rhythm work of keyboardists Ansel Collins and Earl Lindo and guitarist Willie Lindo is kept under close watch by the great Sly Dunbar. The drummer's playing is effortless as he alternates the makeup of a particular pattern or subtly changes up the rhythm, heading into a chorus. Closer attention to the backing for tracks like 'Behold,' 'Tell Me Where You Get It,' and 'Vacancy' reveals the sort of strength, though subtle, that drives the best roots music." --Nathan Bush, All Music Guide

"Pinata: 10 Year Anniversary Edition is presented in a green-in-clear with black and white splatter pressing housed in a variant cover with a collectable 24" x 24" poster. Pinata, the collaborative effort of famed producer Madlib and rapper Freddie Gibbs, changed the course for these two musical mavericks. For its 10-year anniversary the project was issued with a fresh variant cover with the pressing being a half speed lacquered version of this hip hop classic."