Teenage Lontano and roygbiv&b, from 2008 and 2011 respectively, comprise two key works by composer and artist Marina Rosenfeld. Both works are choral compositions imagined for and enacted by teenagers. Premiered in New York's immense Park Avenue Armory, Teenage Lontano is Rosenfeld's groundbreaking "cover version" of Hungarian composer György Ligeti's 1960s classic for orchestra. Teenage Lontano is reimagined as an immersive sound environment bisected by a column of teenagers in headphones. Beneath a loudspeaker rotating at the phonographic speed of 33 1/3 rpm, the teens' collective voices produce a hauntingly vulnerable account of Ligeti's dissonant polychords. Teenage Lontano has been performed on three continents, including a French premiere in 2020 as part of Musica Strasbourg. In roygbiv&b, asynchronous, sometimes raucous incantations of song fragments swell and dissipate, loosely organized around a purposeful mis-hearing of the acronym ROYGBIV: in Rosenfeld's version, "r" evokes "are" (as in, "Are you that somebody..."); o is "oh" ("Oh, oh, oh?"); y becomes "why" ("Why should my heart...); g is "je (sus)", and so on. The extra "b" in the work's title pays homage to the "blue(s)" of r&b. Rosenfeld's punning, spectral composition had its debut performance at the Museum of Modern Art in 2011. The recording featured on this edition took place at the South London Gallery in 2014 realized by local south Londoners, the recording highlighting their style and genre affiliations. Both works have remained unpublished until now.

"2021 Rewind: The Wire's essential annual guide to the year in sound and music is upon us, as we consider where we are now after a tumultuous 12 months of underground activity, recovery, false starts and new beginnings. Our specially extended Rewind issue includes our Top 50 Releases of the Year and Archive Releases of The Year charts, cultural reflections from our extensive roster of writers, and our specialist columnists' charts from avant rock to noise. This year the Rewind section also includes essays by Clive Bell on how new tunings are breaking the stranglehold of Western music; Neil Kulkarni on the complex and problematic legacy of the Fourth World aesthetic in contemporary sound; and Rob Turner on how music formats from LP and tapes to downloads and streams are still changing the way we listen. Invisible Jukebox: Vocalists Loré Lixenberg and Elaine Mitchener take The Wire's mystery record test. Global Ear: James Gui spends a week in Seoul as the underground music scene opens up after Covid. Unlimited Editions: Robert Barry profiles publishing house and event organiser Grapheme as it explores the role of notation and scoring in music. Unofficial Channels: Punk 'zine archive Contextual Dissemination. Inner Sleeve: Reiko and Tori Kudo choose record sleeves that have influenced them. Epiphanies: Haley Fohr aka Circuit Des Yeux on lessons learned in quarantine and the isolation of a Robert Rauschenberg residency. Plus full page interviews with Matthias Muche, Klankvorm, Giant Claw, and Saadet Turkoz."

Stargazing from the sands of the Niterói beach, Tempos Futuros is low-end-led Brazilian futurism from one of Brazil's most prolific and influential bassmen. As one third of legendary trio Azymuth, Alex Malheiros has pioneered a unique fusion of space-funk, samba and jazz since the early seventies. His playing can be heard on the records of Jorge Ben, Milton Nascimento, Roberto Carlos, Marcos Valle, and Mark Murphy (to name a few), and he's performed and toured with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Chick Corea. Written and recorded in Niterói, Brazil, overlooking Guanabara and the beaches, mountains and forests of Rio de Janeiro, Tempos Futuros has deep roots in Brazilian soil. The rhythms of Malheiros' homeland have always permeated his music. But just like the Oscar Niemeyer designed Niterói Contemporary Art Museum which stands spaceship-like over the water, Tempos Futuros - while inspired by terrestrial forms, reaches out, deep into the great unknown. Produced by acclaimed London-based producer Daniel Maunick, who has worked with Marcos Valle, Azymuth, Terry Callier, and Ivan Conti, the funk comes full circle. Daniel's father Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick and Alex Malheiros shared a reciprocal stream of influence throughout the '80s, between London and Rio; Azymuth and Incognito; brit-funk and samba-funk. But just as with Azymuth's music, you can also hear the influence of stateside jazz-funk masters like Roy Ayers, Weather Report, Lonnie Liston Smith, Mtume and Pleasure. Tempos Futuros features Alex's daughter, a Brazilian star in her own right, vocalist Sabrina Malheiros, Brazilian percussion master Sidinho Moreira, London based saxophonist Sean Khan, Marcos Valle's go-to drummer Massa, and Brazilian keyboard player Dudu Viana. Featuring the late Azymuth keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertami on Fender Rhodes, the title track "Tempos Futuros" was originally recorded as a demo in 1995. On this finished version, Alex Malheiros used Bertami's original keyboard take, explaining the posthumous release.

"Somewhere between the first and second Harry Pussy singles, Adris and I worked up a set's worth of 30-second 'songs.' I doubt we ever played the whole thing live, but we did record it over a couple of nights at Rat's studio around the corner from our Michigan Ave apartment on Miami Beach. Our occasional bandmate, Ian Steinberg, a teenage accordionist whose mom dropped him off for the session, showed up on the second night to contribute vocals and fuzz accordion on several tracks. Of all the songs recorded, only 'HP Superstar' was ever released, on 1995's What Was Music? compilation, though 'No Hey', 'Youth Problem' and 'Prelude' appeared in other versions elsewhere. Live renditions of some of this set are also captured on the 'Live in Chapel Hill, 1993' single." --Bill Orcutt

"Almost as if The Germs had the diligence of Minutemen. Sounds like a crazy idea, but this record is nuts!" --Byron Coley

Adris Hoyos: drums & vox; Bill Orcutt: guitar & vox; Ian Steinberg: accordion & vox (1-21, 31-32) 1-21 recorded at Sync Studios, Miami Beach 1993 by Rat Bastard. 22-29 recorded live in Chapel Hill, NC, 1993. 30-33 recorded in rehearsal at the Alliance Cinema, Miami Beach. Some tracks previously released on Superstar 7", Live in Chapel Hill 7", and What Was Music? CD (Siltbreeze). Expanded 12" gatefold LP version of the last year's surprise hit EP -- 33 songs, includes ten unreleased tracks, live versions, rehearsal recordings, cover songs, accordion mixes, extended edits and studio outtakes.

2022 repress. Double LP version. Includes 12" 12-page booklet. "Habibi Funk is dedicated to re-releasing a style of music that historically never existed as a musical genre. We use the term to describe a certain sound that we like from the countries of the Arab world. The songs we chose were created in places quite far from another and under very different circumstances. Some were written and recorded during war times, others in exile. Despite the differences we think there is a musical connection between them. Essentially, we are interested in the musical endeavors, in which artists from the Arab world mixed local and regional influences with musical interests that came from outside of the region. Even though the name suggests it's all about funk music, our focus is more than just that. Often these influences might be inspired from Western popular music such as soul, pop and rock but it's not limited to that either. Some of our favorite records are best described as Arabic zouk (a genre originating from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe) like Mallek Mohamed's music, Algerian coladera (a popular musical style from the Cape Verdean islands) or Lebanese AOR, which means the process of musical influences displayed on this compilation was much more versatile than just taking Western music as a blueprint and translating it with a local accent. The compilation features 15 different artists. Some you might already know thru Habibi Funk's releases like Fadoul, Ahmed Malek, Dalton or Al Massrieen, while others are meant as an introduction to artists like Kamal Keila, Sharhabeel Ahmed, Attarazat Addahabia & Mallek Mohamed who will all release full length albums on Habibi Funk in 2018."

LP version. Tender tonkori melodies, meditative dub excursions and hallowed folk vocals combine on Tonkori In The Moonlight, an 11-track collection of mostly traditional songs performed by indigenous Ainu musician OKI. Born on the Japanese island of Hokkaido in 1957, OKI's released his debut album in 1996 and since then he has recorded 11 studio albums both solo and with his Dub Ainu Band and toured internationally -- from WOMAD in the UK to the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington DC via festival appearances in Singapore, Australia and across Europe. OKI is one of only a handful of musicians who play the tonkori, a five-stringed Ainu harp, which is both the pulse of this record and the force that unifies the disparate sounds he introduces such as reggae, dub, Irish folk, throat singing, African drumming and music from Central Asia. Tonkori In The Moonlight features Umeko Ando and Kila. For fans of: Midori Takada, Siti Muharam, Minyo Crusaders, Les Filles De Illighadad, African Head Charge, Mamman Sani.

"Supercool Japanese minimalism" --The Observer.

"Like nothing you've ever heard before" --The Wire.

"The edgy cool of Jamaica meets the kitsch cool of Japan... charming and compelling" --The Independent.

"The Tribe co-founder's debut, lacquered directly from his master tapes in an all-analog transfer by Bernie Grundman. The definitive reissue of this spiritual jazz album which set the stage for his Vibes from the Tribe. The Tribe label, one of the brightest lights of America's 1970s jazz underground, receives the Now-Again reissue treatment. This is your chance to indulge in the music and story of one of the most meaningful, local movements of the 20th Century Black American experience, one that expanded outwards towards the cosmos. In the words of the collective themselves, 'Music is the healing force of the universe.' Included in an extensive, oversized booklet, Larry Gabriel and Jeff 'Chairman' Mao take us through the history of the Tribe, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. The booklet features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe's mid-1970s heyday."

Wewantsounds reissue Omar Khorshid's highly sought-after instrumental album Giant + Guitar originally released in 1974 in Lebanon and recorded at Polysound Studio by famed Lebanese engineer Nabil Moumtaz. The album features Khorshid's unique electric guitar sound mixed with Arabic melodies over superb psych arrangements. Omar Khorshid's life, if short (he died age 36 in a road accident), was extraordinary. Blessed with a great talent for music, the Egyptian musician and actor became one of the best guitarists of the Arab World accompanying the greatest stars of the '60s and '70s, including Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez and Farid El Atrache. To avoid the political troubles of the time in Egypt, and to fulfil his artistic ambitions, Khorshid moved to Beirut in Lebanon in 1973 and started recording a string of superb albums experimenting with oriental music. He recorded for several labels including Voice of Lebanon, one of the key Lebanese labels of the time. He released his first album Giant + Guitar for the label in 1974 and it was an instantly popular in the Arab world. The front cover sees Khorshid on his motorcycle in the busy street of Hamra, one of the most vibrant Beirut neighborhoods where he was playing most nights in residence. (The album was also released internationally as Rhythms from the Orient with a different artwork focusing on belly dance). The sound is both bold and accessible, displaying Khorshid's unique guitar sound, accompanied by a small band mixing traditional and modern fuzzed-up arrangements. The mesmerizing opening track, "Rakset El Fadaa", composed by Lebanese musician Nour Al Mallah, is a perfect example of Khorshid's artistry. Starting with a long, hypnotic guitar intro, it then speeds up with the backing of a groovy organ, Oriental percussion and the psych sound of an early synthesizer to great effect. The album continues on the same mode blending traditional oriental music with inventive arrangements as showcased by the Mohamed Abdel Wahab standard "Leilet Hob" popularized by Oum Kalthoum, which sees Khorshid and his musicians shifting pace several times over eight minutes. One of the peaks of the album in terms of sonic experiments is undoubtedly Korshid's own composition, "Taqassim Sanat Alfein", with Khorshid's superb guitar in full bloom accompanied by a few touches of synth. Wewantsounds' series of Arabic music reissues are curated by Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Newly remastered; includes original Voice of Lebanon artwork and a two-page insert featuring liner notes by DJ Ernesto Chahoud.

Cardinal Fuzz and Feeding Tube Records bring your way The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol's Ensemble 8/3/2016. Recorded of the floor in August 2016 in the spiritual setting of Birdman Sound -- eight players made up the iteration of the always mutating ensemble cast, who were as follows -- John Westhaver, Nathaniel Hurlow, Bill Guerrero, Jason Vaughan, Dave Reford, Scott Thompson, Mark McIntyre, and Eric Larock. The session for Ensemble went down at their spiritual home of Birdman Sound in Ottawa in August 2016 where what you hear on record was recorded direct from the floor (and mastered/tweaked by Chris Hardman). The whole session (and note this is an edit to fit the constraints of vinyl) flies by with a reckless, organic abandon, as at times eight players fly off in different dynamic directions of abstract playing and improvisation with trumpet player Scott Thompson much to the fore and blowing wild. At times the feel of this recording is like a collision between some out there '70s German avant rock band who have been transported to a San Franciscan Ballroom is '68 where the whole audience are peaking on "Orange Sunshine" as ensemble finishes up like a beautiful trip, well taken.

Volume 1 of two volumes split on two LPs (alongside HONEY 039LP), this is Thelonious Monk's complete concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival in August 1965. At the head of his last great quartet featuring Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums, Thelonious "Sphere" Monk was in top form delivering a strong set of angular tunes including originals such as "Straight No Chaser", "Evidence", "Epistrophy", "Blue Monk" and a rare interpretation of a classic standard like "April in Paris".

2022 restock. Legendary German post-rock band formed in 1971 by undisputed noise pioneer Uwe Nettelbeck, Faust garnered an immediate following due to its artistically extreme experimentations with music cut ups and other mixed sources hinging on cacophony and distortion. Don't miss their 1971 cult classic debut, now reissued with its original clear printed sleeve on 180 gram clear vinyl.

2022 repress; black vinyl. "This special edition 2LP package comes housed in an all new exclusive jacket featuring Doom's infamous metal mask icon embossed out of a metallic silver foil. An absolute must have for the Doom completist. The long awaited reissue of Doom's first solo gem, Operation: Doomsday. Remastered from the original Fondle 'Em 1999 issue. Side A is listed as 'Side Zero'. Side B is 'Side One'. And so forth. Underneath his mysterious metal mask, MF DOOM hides the cachet underground legends are made of. After KMD (his first group)'s 1994 sophomore album Bl_ck B_st_rds was shelved by Elektra in 1994 and his blood brother Subroc (one half of the sibling rap duo) passed away, surviving frontman Zev Love X mutated into the MC Avenger known as MF DOOM and the Rap world is better for it. This 19-cut deep album is ridiculously dope, in a bizarro Ol' Dirty Bastard kind of way. Doom sounds either high or drunk on most of the tracks, his self-produced beats are gritty, and his rhyme styles are almost indecipherable."

2022 repress. With Magma, Faust was one of the most important of all the European groups of the '70s. Compiled from "lost" and unreleased material, originally released as Munich & Elsewhere on the tenth anniversary of their disbandment (including prophetic pre-dub mixing) as well as most of the unreleased Faust Party 3 LP. Intense, eccentric, hypnotic, a true timeless classic. 71 Minutes marked the second in ReR Vinyl's series of Faust reissues. 180 gram vinyl.

Flare Blues reimagines two of Merzbow's long out-of-print EPs from 1994, Flare Gun and White Blues. Revisiting the original pieces and adding previously unreleased materials recorded during these sessions, Flare Blues tethers together a set of Merzbow's most exploratory work, creating a visceral linkage between a pair of vital works. Originally recorded in June 1994, Merzbow's Flare Gun is a pulsating and hammering collection of pieces that grinds ever forward with a sense of bludgeoning determination. By contrast, White Blues recorded the following month (which draws its title from several of the samples used as raw material that originate from blues inspired British rock bands), maintains a more unsteady sense of movement and musicality, matching degraded samples against a flurry of theremin and electronics which are overdriven and saturated in ways that would later go on to become some of the trademark sonic actions of Merzbow's live performances. On Flare Blues not only are the pieces remastered by Merzbow, but they are recontextualized and when heard together with the previously unreleased bonus materials open up a new sense of his studio experimentation at the time. What marks these recordings as critical is they trace a line through a period of significant discovery and refinement for Merzbow. Having been recorded just months after Venereology, this set of works bares the marks of Merzbow's deepening awareness of extreme forms of distortion, compression and also his dynamic mixing approaches that simultaneously allow multiple or singular elements to occupy the entirety of the available sound spectrum. Ultimately, these works are morphic, often churning and erupting with a magma like quality. When they do fall into waves of pulse, those patterns are never held long and the intense sense of cutting into the sound creates a feeling of endless anticipation as Merzbow guides you through an ever-evolving sound world that is uncompromisingly restless and relentless.

Array expresses the experience of a remote Antarctic research station through the convergence of sound, site and performance. The result is an immersive and affective experience of the spaces, protocols and conditions comprising the bracing polar environment. Array is a companion piece to Polar Force, a performance-installation work by Philip Samartzis and Eugene Ughetti, presented by Speak Percussion. Array features recordings of radar and scientific instrumentation used for upper atmospheric research and terrestrial communication. These sounds reveal the sophisticated technology and architecture used and heard within the Australian Antarctic Territory. Many of the recordings focus on the way the built environment is transformed through stress and fatigue caused by extreme climate and weather events including freezing temperatures and high velocity winds. Together with the field recordings are layers of live performance using custom built instrumentation to produce a unique series of textures, rhythmic cycles, resonances, and timbral phenomena. The application of tension and pressure upon the assorted instruments recalls the distressed state of highly specialized infrastructure found within the perimeters of a research station. A polar research station comprises many types and volumes of prefabricated space. In dialogue with this are the unique spaces used to record the instrumental performance. By merging different spaces, Array brings into focus various industrial resonances, spatial characteristics, timbres of metal and concrete, and sonic artifacts produced by hard and permeable materials and surfaces. In three parts, Array presents Antarctica as a liminal space oscillating between representation and abstraction to challenge often repeated tropes. The intent is to blur the relationship between the recorded and performed to produce a hyper-realistic encounter of the powerful forces that operate at the margins of our planet. One hears the precariousness of a remote research station contorted by unrelenting stress, compressed air forced through waterborne fipples and the volatility of weather events. Life on remote research stations is progressively resembling the broader contemporary experience, in which strict protocols are used to govern and preserve life. The resilient communities who live and work in these places have learnt how to coexist with an increasingly hostile environment, along with its unknowns and necessity for hyper-vigilance. Rather than consider it as a place on the edge of elsewhere, Antarctica and its assemblage of durable, super modern colonies provides an archetype for an uncertain future in anticipation of the volatility that awaits.

Restocked; double LP version. Tip-on gatefold jacket. Sublime Frequencies finally unleashes its essential compilation from 1970s Egypt, produced and compiled by Hisham Mayet. Modal instrumental tracks from Baligh Hamdi -- one of the most important Arabic composers of the 20th Century (writing for legends Umm Kalthum, Abdel Halim Hafez, Sabah, Warda, and many others). Features his legendary group the Diamond Orchestra with Omar Khorshid on guitar, Magdi al-Husseini on organ, Samir Sourour on saxophone, and Faruq Salama on accordion. All of these musicians were discovered and recruited by Hamdi to interpret his vision of a modernized, hybrid Arabic music. Under Hamdi's direction, this orchestra charted a new melodic direction and created a new musical language. This compilation is culled from a specific era of Hamdi's long career, a decade where he fully realized an international music which incorporated beat driven Eastern-tinged jazz, theremin draped orchestral noir, tracks that feature searing guitar solos from none other than Omar Khorshid, and a selection of buzzing, sitar driven, Indo-Arabic tracks establishing a meeting of mid-east and eastern psychedelic exotica, and a vision that created some of the hippest music coming out of the Middle East from the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Includes extensive liner notes by Hisham Mayet with rare photographs.

Double LP version. Gatefold sleeve featuring never-seen photos from the Mainstream vaults and new liner notes by UK journalist Paul Bowler. Wewantsounds continues its collaboration with Bob Shad's venerable jazz label Mainstream Records, and present a selection of 12 turntable-friendly tracks recorded between 1971 and 1975 and showcasing the label's superb blend of spiritual jazz, funk, and soul.Mainstream Records is one of the key independent jazz labels of the early 70s, together with Flying Dutchman, Strata East, CTI, and Black Jazz. Founded by legendary label man Bob Shad (who had been head of A&R at Mercury Records and set EmArcy in the '50s), the label concentrated on psychedelia in the '60s before switching back to Shad's jazz roots in the early '70s, signing a new crop of jazzmen fed on John Coltrane and Miles' electric experiments. Thus, was born the cult Mainstream "300 Series" with its distinctive artwork and outstanding music from which this selection is largely drawn. Giving their chance to many young jazz players and a few old friends, Shad recorded some of the most exciting jazz of the early '70s, mixing spiritual influences with funk and soul. It is interesting to note the Mainstream sessions included many of the hottest session players of that time such as Ron Carter, Eddie Henderson, Airto, Mtume, Earl Palmer, Mickey Roker, Merl Saunders, Cedar Walton, to name but a few. Shad also had a long-standing association with jazz divas showcased here with the opening track by Sarah Vaughan, a funkified version of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" recorded the same year as the original in 1971. Mainstream Funk also includes a selection of superb tracks by young Turks who'd cut their teeth as sidemen for Blue Note and Prestige in the late '60s and were given a chance to record their own music on Mainstream. Buddy Terry's "Quiet Afternoon', Dave Hubbard's "Family Affair", and LaMont Johnson's "M'Bassa" are prime examples showcasing the label's desire to give these talented newcomers a chance to shine. Seasoned musicians from the Bebop scene were also welcome, such as trumpetists Blue Mitchell -- who'd released a string of great albums for Riverside and Blue Note in the late '50s and '60s -- and Johnny Coles who'd played with Gil Evans, Charles Mingus, and Herbie Hancock. Shad also released pure soul music on the label such as Sugar Billy's "Super Duper Love" which was released on his Fast Track sub-label in 1974, arranged by Jimmy Roach and featuring Marcus Belgrave in the line-up. Also features Prophecy, John White, Mike Longo, Barry Miles, and Pete Yellin.

Double LP version. Following the recent success of the Tokyo Dreaming (WWSCD 040CD/WWSLP 040LP), Wewantsounds comes with another compelling set, this time compiled by city pop expert DJ Notoya who has dug the rich Nippon Columbia catalog to bring a breezy selection of funky gems. Nippon has amassed an incredible back catalog over the decades. Particularly strong in the '70s and '80s, the label was one of the main purveyors of great music at a time when Japan was entering its greatest economic boom and labels had budgets at hand to create the highest quality music. As Notoya explains in the liner notes "Back in the day, the record companies had big budgets and could afford to have many great musicians playing on one record, plus strings and horn sections, top drummers and keyboardists. It all made for a very rich sound, which is generally very different to today's music." Keen to emulate the music created in the US by their American counterparts, Japanese musicians came with their own blend of funk, boogie and soul that has come to be known as city pop. The selection on Tokyo Glow is full of such gems and starts with "Kimugare" a relaxed, mid-tempo track by Kumi Nakamura, famous actress who only recorded one album in 1980 for Columbia. The set continues and flows effortlessly with the sunshine grooves of Miyuki Maki, Hatsumi Shibata and cult keyboard player Hiroshi Sato before the pace starts going faster and funkier with New Generation Company, Kengo Kurozumi -- with his superb boogie, "Juggler" -- and one of the queens of the genre, Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama with "Tuxedo Connection". Tokyo-based DJ Notoya is from a new breed of Japanese DJs there focusing on nippon music and is an expert on funk, modern soul, and boogie from the Island. With Tokyo Glow, Notoya says he "focused more on the slightly more underground tracks from the era, rather than the bigger, well-known releases. For me that was a more fun and satisfying approach." Another fine example on the set is the mid-tempo groove of "I Wander All Alone Part III" by New Generation Company, an aggregate group of some of the best Japanese session musicians led by arranger Katz Hoshi and including Hiroyuki Namba, Kazuo Shiina, and Yutaka Uehara. Tokyo Glow showcases the diversity and specificity of Japanese city pop during the late '70s and '80s. Also features Haruyoshi Yamashina, Sumiko Yamagata, Makoto Iwabuchi, Arakawa Band, Kiyohiko Ozaki, Ken Nishizaki, Jadoes, Midori Hara, Mizuki Koyama, Haruo Chikada & Vibra-Tones, and Mitsuko Horie.

Exclusive liner notes by Dr. John. Published in 1970 on the small imprint Tiffany Records, the self-titled debut album by Brethren still deliver the goods half a century upon its original release. Way long before the genre Americana was certified, even before the "blue eyed soul mania" arose, this talented combo pave the way for an intense songwriting. Girl group The Blossoms was on board for several tracks on backing vocals, while the almighty Dr. John played keyboards as a guest and wrote some intense liner notes. Folk rock mixed with some country and a dash of gospel, that was the original essence of the album, a serious runner up in the Little Feat/Allman Bros category. But if you look further this band could have been easily described as the US answer to Steve Winwood's Traffic. "Midnight Train" has a southern rock feel while the vocals and composition on "Don't Talk Now" could pass as a tune from The Band. "I've Been Provided For" would fit in at a church revival while bluesy numbers such as "Outside Love" and "Success Brand Oil" have an uncanny jazz rocking instrumental feel. Fully remastered and licensed. 180 gram vinyl; edition of 500.

Finally, the LP reissue of one of the most loved albums by Italian progressive rock connoisseurs in a limited edition with gatefold cover like the 1972 original released for Kansas (the same label that produced Capricorn College Orfeo 2000 and EA Poe Generazioni). The Flashmen, a quartet from Cremona formed in 1967, have a wide and interesting discography but Pensando is at an absolutely superior level as regards creativity and maturity. A remarkable record worthy of the best groups of their contemporaries and aligned with that "thirst for new" that pervaded the period in which it was made. With the superb organ of Silver Scivoli in the foreground, the distorted guitar of Luciano Spotti, and the powerful drumming of Roberto Caroli which in the record demonstrates all its caliber the Flashmen (whose name derives from the Italian film Flashman of 1966) give their best blending rock prog, hard blues, psych, and gothic. A limpid and vigorous execution, an over-the-top recording, scratchy and modern lyrics as well as solid and original in its song structure enclosed between an "Ingresso (Entrance)" and a "Sortita (Sortie)" just like in the best concept albums make Pensando an essential album in the genre.

Capricorn College was a sextet created by composer/musician Mario Barigazzi known as Barimar and very active since the 1960s. Orfeo 2000, originally released in 1972, is the first of the two LPs they produced (both on Kansas) and certainly the most interesting with jazz and prog cues especially in the instrumental tracks and a melodic sang typical of those years in Italy. Masterfully recorded by maestro Vittorio Paltrinieri at his Fono-Play Studio. A hidden gem of extreme rarity to be rediscovered. First reissue ever in a limited edition.

LP version. "Habibi Funk presents a selection of works by Algerian-born, Amazigh artist Majid Soula. Majid's music blends the best of Arab-disco, highlife and groovy funk into something wholly unique. Born in Kabylie, Algeria -- a place that remains fundamental to his career -- Majid Soula is a self-made musician, artist and producer. With no formal music education, Majid's tenacity has led to a career that is still blossoming. His synths, driving drums, guitar & strong lyrics make a unique sound. A strong proponent for the rights of the Amazigh, he has a band that to this day plays shows, most linked to cultural events of the Amazigh diaspora in France, as well as in Belgium, Russia the UK and Sweden. He was part of a new wave of widely popular and successful Kabyle artists in the 1980s, such as Ait Menguellet, Lounès Matoub, Takfarinas, Idir and many more. Habibi Funk as a label is dedicated to re-releasing music from 'The Arab World', but this release shows how reductive this term can be, as the countries from North Africa and West Asia being summarized under this term include a vast number of languages and identities. Obviously, headlines sometimes come with limited space, and one can't avoid using terms that paint a half-finished picture. That being the case, however, we are even happier that Majid Soula liked our idea to work on a release of a selection of his music with us. The tracks here are incredible and need to be introduced to a new generation of listeners. For Majid Soula music is more than just entertainment. He considers himself an activist through music, and foremost a 'chanteur engagé', as he says of himself: 'I take my inspiration from the daily life of my people and I share all their aspirations, mainly the official recognition of Tamazight as a language, culture and identity.' He still works on new music in his small home studio in Belleville and occasionally plays concerts for the Amazigh community of the city. We sincerely hope that for you reading this and listening to Majid's album, his music will have the same revelatory feeling it had on us, and that this will be part of a momentum that will allow Majid to keep on working, playing, and sharing his message for many years to come."

"Another gem from the extensive Flipper Music catalog, more precisely from their Flower sublabel, Dreams For Sax is possibly one of the most stand-out productions from their studio ensemble Gruppo Sound, this time around featuring saxophonist Paolo Russo with keyboardists Stefano Galante and Vittorio Quattrini. First released in 1987, the songs recorded for Dreams For Sax are a beautiful mélange of easy-listening electronic and jazzy vibes, from mellow tunes such as 'Dawning' and 'First Class' to some killer floor-filling Italo disco bangers such as 'Walking On Air' and 'Dance Power'. A groovy Italian library banger from the '80s now available on vinyl for the first time since its original release as a limited edition of 500 copies."

Cassette version. "Music by Madlib arranged by Kieren Hebden. Gil Evans to Miles Davis... Holger Czukay to the ensemble known as Can... Jean Claude Vannier to Serge Gainsbourg on Histoire de Melody Nelson. That's the only way to explain the specificity of Four Tet and Madlib's collaboration, in this special album that showcases a two-decade long friendship that has resulted in an album that follows Madlib's classics like Quasimoto's The Unseen, Madvillainy and his Pinata and Bandana albums with Freddie Gibbs. 'A few months ago I completed work on an album with my friend Madlib that we'd been making for the last few years. He is always making loads of music in all sorts of styles and I was listening to some of his new beats and studio sessions when I had the idea that it would be great to hear some of these ideas made into a Madlib solo album. Not made into beats for vocalists to use but instead arranged into tracks that could all flow together in an album designed to be listened to start to finish. I put this concept to him when we were hanging out eating some nice food one day and we decided to work on this together with him sending me tracks, loops, ideas and experiments that I would arrange, edit, manipulate and combine. I was sent hundreds of pieces of music over a couple of years stretch and during that time I put together this album with all the parts that fitted with my vision.' --Kieren Hebden AKA Four Tet"

"Madlib reissues his collaboration with legendary Brazilian drummer Ivan 'Mamao' Conti, propellant for lauded jazz fusion archetypes Azymuth, on his own imprint. Alternate cover artwork, photography by B+. When Madlib went to Brazil in 2002 with Mochilla to participate in the production of the Brasilintime documentary, his one mission was to meet Ivan 'Mamao' Conti, the drummer of the legendary trio Azymuth. Madlib had made an Azymuth tribute record he wanted to play for him. On a rainy night in Rio, Mamao and Madlib went in the studio. Several hours later the rhythm tracks that make up Sujinho were laid and the process began. Featuring the music of Madlib, Mamao, Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Luiz Eca, Baden Powell, Vinicius De Moraes, Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Dom Um Romao, Airto Moreira and even George Duke... and with guest vocals by Thalma De Freitas -- Sujinho is a unique and classic record. Filled with the angularity and edge of a Madlib production and underwritten by the polyrhythmics of Mamao -- Sujinho takes Brazilian music into places it has never been, bringing oft forgotten classics like 'Upa Neguinho' to 21st century ears."

2022 repress; LP version. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album Thousand Knives Of, originally released in 1978 on the sought-after Better Days label. Save for a small-scale release in 1982, this is the first time the album is being released on vinyl outside of Japan. 1978 was a key year for Japanese music. Haruomi Hosono, one of the country's most innovative musicians had just formed Yellow Magic Orchestra pursuing the sonic experimentation he had started with his solo album Paraiso. The album, recorded between December '77 and January '78, featured both Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. Hosono quickly invited both musicians to form YMO but before the group could release their first album, Sakamoto entered the Nippon Columbia studios in April 1978 with a plan. Sakamoto had become an in-demand session musician after studying composition at the Tokyo University of Art and had played on many key albums of the time, such as Taeko Ohnuki's Sunshower (1977) and Tatsuro Yamashita Spacy (1977). This led to an invitation by Hosono to feature on Paraiso. A penchant for avant-garde and improvisation had gotten Sakamoto interested in electronic music early on, and with Thousand Knives he decided to get Hideki Matsutake on board as he had mastered the art of synth programming following a stint with Electronic Music pioneer Isao Tomita. Thousand Knives took several months to record as Sakamoto would be busy during the day with his session work and would only record at night. Named after Belgian-born poet Henri Michaux's description of a mescaline experience, the album is a reflection on how synthesizer technology might come to change the face of music. The first side conceived as a long suite opens with the title track and a recitation of the Mao Zedong poem "Jinggang Mountain" filtered through a vocoder, before morphing into a mid-tempo synthpop instrumental. It is followed by "Island Of Woods", a ten-minute track buzzing with insect-like synth sounds. Side one ends with "Grasshoppers", a beautiful acoustic piano melody underlined by a subtle synthesizer soundscape. Side two opens with "Das Neue Japanische Elektronische Volkslied", acknowledging the influence of the German sound spearheaded by Kraftwerk. The track features a mid-tempo metronomic beat skillfully intertwined with a Japanese folk sounding melody. The album ends with two catchy up-tempo synthpop tunes in the form of "Plastic Bamboo" and "The End Of Asia", which both became staples of YMO's and Sakamoto's live shows. YMO's sound included various influences from its three members but there is no denying Thousand Knives paved the way for the group's Computer Music sound. Remastered from the original tapes by renowned producer and engineer Seigen Ono.

Beat Records release on CD the original soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone for the 1971 giallo movie Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura (aka The Cold Eyes of Fear), directed by Enzo G. Castellari with a screenplay by Enzo G. Castellari, Leo Anchóriz and Tito Carpi. Photography by Antonio L. Ballesteros, editing by Vincenzo Tomassi, and starring Giovanna Ralli, Gianni Garko, Fernando Rey, Julián Mateos, Karin Schubert, Frank Wolff, Franco Marletta, Leonardo Scavino. The plot -- Peter Badel, the young son of a judge, arrives back home with his girlfriend Anna and is held captive by two criminals who'd been lying in wait after killing the servant. The older of the two criminals, who'd been sentenced by Peter's father to fifteen years in jail, plans to kill the judge when he returns home by blowing up the house with an explosive device. Peter and his girlfriend try everything in their power to communicate with the outside world, but their efforts are in vain. Desperate, the young man causes a short circuit that leaves the house in complete darkness. In the ensuing climactic fight scene, the two criminals and the girlfriend are killed, and Peter, the only survivor, battered and bleeding, awaits his father's return. The music -- Ennio Morricone composed a score of the experimental kind, conducted by Bruno Nicolai and performed by Gruppo di improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza. With just a few instruments performing a sort of conversation, the maestro effectively creates an avant-garde atmosphere, suspended and rarefied, alternating with other violent clashes of sound that provide the ideal background to the situation of pure terror in which the protagonists find themselves. For the making of this CD, the stereo master tapes of the original session were used, providing another discographic tribute to the musical art of Ennio Morricone and the cinematic art of director Enzo G. Castellari. Liner notes by Fabio Babini, mastering by Claudio Fuiano, and graphic layout by Daniele De Gemini.

2022 restock of Bureau B's 2009 reissue. LP version. Originally released in 1978 on Sky Records, After The Heat was the second collaborative release by Brian Eno with Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius (Cluster). Produced once again by Conny Plank, After The Heat is a suite of micro-managed organic and electronic instrumentation that features recited and sung vocals by Eno on 3 tracks. As Asmus Tietchens writes in the liner notes: "Cluster & Eno can, with the benefit of hindsight and without overstating its case, be seen as the first ambient album to have been produced in Germany. The second LP, After The Heat, is, however, a completely different story. Whilst Cluster & Eno bears the hallmark of a Cluster composition guided by Eno's ambient concept, After The Heat is more of an Eno album bearing stylistic characteristics of Cluster music." Sweet, slow-moving and airy, with a modern classical/prog appeal.

Take the freaked-out, punked-up soul of The Stooges and MC5 mix that with '60s garage trash, blend in Sabbath, AC/DC and heavy rock n' roll and then hot wire that sound to a handful of freaks located in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Here it is that Angered Wrecks were located -- in an old Victorian style house in downtown Fredericton. It was here they set up a permanent rehearsal space on the main floor taking up the dining room and living room area with a full P.A. system and the long parties would begin as the Angered Wrecks cranked out an unholy primal serving of mind-numbing, eyeball-popping guttural pure rock and roll. Lucky for us, the Angered Wrecks had a primitive DIY recording set up as they recorded live off the floor with one cardioid mic taped to the ceiling to capture the entire room sound and straight into a cheap Alpine cassette deck. The results of these previously unheard recordings capture the essence of trashy rock n' roll at its finest, delivered with pure dereliction, and always a side of extra sleaze. Keeping warm in the winter at another old salt box style house they would later rehearse and play gigs in, a large circle was cut in the floor so that the rising heat from the pottery kiln downstairs would (along with the right mixture of beer and "Purple Jesus", weed and often speed and hot dogs) keep these boys fueled long enough in sub-zero temperatures to keep pumping out the rock n' roll savagery. The last show they played was in the fall of '81 at the Bug Shack after the household was served an eviction noticed with the house to be entirely demolished (just like Stooge Manor aka The Fun House). They got a gig together the weekend before demolition, packed the bottom floor and played a blazing set. At the very end, walls were kicked apart, old cans of paint strewn about, general wanton destruction to furniture, doors, windows etc. The bug shack had come to an end and shortly thereafter, the Angered Wrecks. That these tapes have survived to this day is all thanks to John Westhaver's archival hoarding (even though the loss of a 90-minute session of the Angered Wrecks still haunts John to this day). Includes full-size two-sided history insert and download code with five bonus tracks; edition of 400.

"'Popcorn' is presented on 7" vinyl for the first time ever. Originally released on The Upsetters' 1970 full-length Eastwood Rides Again this Jamaican funk instrumental by Lee 'Scratch' Perry and the Upsetters is an incredible up-tempo breakbeat instrumental, predating everybody else by years, a dancefloor bomb full of syncopated beats, bass and drums. Awesome and absolutely unstoppable! On the B Side, The Upsetters very rare 'Tight Spot' with Dave Barker on the microphone. Another deadly dance floor gem up-tempo proto dub, full of hypnotic organ, sharp guitars, with several layers of sounds completed by Barkers' manic laughs and screams. Do not miss the exotic clarinet somewhere in the background... A truly unique and magical Scratch dance floor creation!!!"

LP version. 180 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve; printed inner sleeve. The Redskins debut album Neither Washington Nor Moscow recently turned 35 and now is remastered for the first time for deluxe reissues on London Records. With their trademark mix of punk and northern soul, the lead singer and guitarist Chris Dean once cited his ambition was to have the band "sing like The Supremes and walk like The Clash." Loved by John Peel and Billy Bragg the album includes the singles "Lean On Me", "Bring It On Down" and "Kick Over The Statues". Famously members of the Social Workers Party the bands politics remain as relevant now as then.

Radiation Roots present a reissue of Early B's Sunday Dish, originally released in 1985. Earlando Arrington Neil became Early B on the Jamaican sound system scene, working his way through Soul Imperial, King Majesty, and other sets before coming to prominence in the early 1980s on Kilimajaro, where he became known as "The Doctor" for unleashing his lyrical cures on the mic. Recording for various producers from 1981, Early B reached another level upon linking with deejay-turned-producer Jah Thomas in 1984, the humorous hit "Sunday Dish" leading to this explosive LP of the same name, an enduring classic of early dancehall that also features the equally hilarious "Learn Fi Drive". All killer, no filler.

Radiation Roots present a reissue of Junior Keatting's Weekend Lover, originally released in 1980. During the late 1970s, deejay-turned-producer Jah Thomas played a key role in the emerging dancehall movement, harnessing the Roots Radics at Channel One studio for rough-edged futuristic rhythms that became platforms for songs of everyday life. Junior Keating's solid debut LP Weekend Lover gathered popular singles such as "Watch What You Do", which implored upright living, and lovers' laments "Long Long Time" and "Something Is Bugging Me"; "Conquering Lion" showed that the versatile singer was also adept at deep roots tunes. With a tough mix by Scientist at King Tubby's studio and additional editing by Bullwackie, this superb offering is of massive appeal to all fans of late roots and foundation dancehall.

Finally available, the second -- unreleased -- album by iconic Italian post-punk outfit Rats. Born in 1979 as Sextons, in 1980 they became Rats and in 1981 they published their classic debut C'est Disco. Set to release in 1982 on cult label Italian Records, the record didn't make it due to several diatribes with the company itself. Here's your chance to taste this precious moment in Italian wave revolution. Includes 24pp booklet.

Restocked; single LP version. Obi strip; four-page insert. Wewantsounds present the reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto's third solo album Hidari Ude No Yume (Left Handed Dream), originally released in 1981 on the Alfa label. Save for a small-scale Dutch vinyl release in 1981, it is the first time the album's original Japanese edition is released outside of Japan (the European release on Epic Records included significantly different tracks and mixes). Hidari Ude No Yume was recorded at the legendary Alfa Studio "A" in Tokyo during the Summer of 1981. it came after B-2 Unit in 1980 and his debut album Thousand Knives Of... in 1978 (WWSCD 024CD/WWSLP 024LP), the very year Sakamoto was invited by Haruomi Hosono to join Yellow Magic Orchestra alongside Yukihiro Takahashi. In 1981, Sakamoto decided to record an album rooted in pop, following the more experimental B-2 Unit and his landmark electro debut. Sakamoto invited British producer Robin Scott to co-produce. They entered the Alfa studio in July 1981 with his fellow YMO musicians Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, keyboard programmer extraordinaire Hideki Matsutake who'd been on Sakamoto's first two albums and became YMO's unofficial fourth member, violinist Kaoru Sato, saxophonist Satoshi Nakamura, and American guitarist Adrian Belew (David Bowie, The Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club). Together, they created a fascinating mix of pop, ambient and electronic music with elements of avant-garde and traditional Japanese music, the whole firmly rooted in a solid groove. From the funk of "Relâché" to the new wave feel of "Venezia" and the ambient minimalism of "Slat Dance," the album is remarkably consistent while displaying a wealth of global influences. The album was released in Japan in 1981 and Epic Records picked it up for Europe a year later but decided to release it in a significantly altered version. The sequencing was completely reshuffled and two tracks, "Saru No Ie" and "Living In The Dark" were completely dropped while three others, "Relâché", "Tell 'em To Me", "Venezia" were heavily remodeled with English lyrics and different names. Last but not least, a new English-sung track, "The Arrangement," was added, making the album nine tracks instead of ten for the Japanese edition. Newly remastered from the original tapes by renowned engineer Bernie Grundman. Comes with original artwork featuring cover shot by famous photographer Masayoshi Sukita. Four-page insert with new introduction by journalist Anton Spice.