"Maggot Brain is a full-color, quarterly magazine edited by noted Detroit scribe Mike McGonigal: 100+ pages packed with phenomenal content -- art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more -- with a simple promise to only exist on the printed page. Contents: Luc Sante on 'Crawdaddy' magazine; Debut publication of often hilarious and always droll memoirs by Stuart Moxham (Young Marble Giants, Gist, solo, etc); Murat Cem Mengüç' dramatic tale of when Sun Ra and the Arkestra visited Istanbul, Turkey in 1990; The fantastic and true story of electro-pop pioneer, runway model, and Eve Babitz-ish character Ann Steel, which has never fully been told before now; In conversation with comedy guru Tom Scharpling in advance of the publication of his moving and hilarious new autobio; Archival interview by Steve Lafreniere with 'Honeymoon Killers' star Shirley Stoler; Overviews of new music from David Nance, Patricia Brennan, and Pharoah Sanders with Floating Points. We're so enamored with the Floating Points/Sanders collaboration that we had no less than Andy Beta go off on it at length, for what is our first 'real' record review (as we're a quarterly, that's not something we'll do too often but the stars aligned.)"

Monster Mélodies presents Concert Théâtral, an unpublished public recording by Brigitte Fontaine and Areski Belkacem dating from 1973. Areski Belkacem and Brigitte Fontaine, major artists of the French counterculture, were often be censored or deliberately ignored by the media due to their libertarian positions. Obtaining success at a late stage, it was not until the album Kékéland in 2001 and Rue Saint Louis en l'Ile in 2004, for Brigitte Fontaine to earn gold records. At the turn of Brigitte Fontaine's career, when breaking away from the Jacques Canetti team she made new encounters. After collaboration with Jacques Higelin, she meets Areski Belkacem. She then met Pierre Barouh who supported the Fontaine/Areski duo, by producing a handful of cult albums on his label, Saravah. As well as meeting Jean Karakos, boss of the BYG label. They became the first musicians in France blending free jazz with their own musical production in recording with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Their free music accompanies the free inventive and provocative poetry of Brigitte Fontaine. Theater remains the first passion of Brigitte, who began to perform on stage at the age of twelve in a play by Marivaux before continuing with classical repertoires Audiberti, Molière, Giono, Vian, Genet. Constantly active, Areski and Fontaine went on the most improbable tours scouring small provincial theaters, playing in prisons and psychiatric hospitals, losing themselves in confidential and financially catastrophic tours, including in Canada and in Algeria in 1970 only ten years after the conflict. The record Concert Théâtral was recorded in 1973. A year which was a turning point in the career of the duo, the two artists decided to perform on stage without musicians to accompany them and in a stripped-down staging. The songs here are all filled with the inventive and offbeat poetry of Brigitte Fontaine, accompanied by atypical music created by Areski, they appear on their various albums published between 1971 and 1973 but are here interpreted in their simpler expression, on stage, without the help of other musicians, the duo accompanying themselves on guitar, percussion, and accordion. A recital taking as much of the singing as of the theater, or happening such as the two artists produced between 1973 and 1979, in a unique way and of which it remains here the only testimony. The recording of this concert at studio 102 of the Maison de la Radio dating May 21st 1973, had been broadcasted on "France Culture" on November 2nd 1973 but remained unpublished until now. Edition of 1000 on color vinyl (numbered).

Reissue of Brij Bhushan Kabra's Scaling New Horizons With Guitar, originally released in 1976. In the 1920s, Tau Moe (pronounced mo-ay), a Hawaiian musician, arrived in India and introduced Hawaiian music to the sub-continent. After settling in Calcutta in the early 1940s, Moe and his family performed, taught and introduced Hawaiian music by building and selling guitars to the local musicians. Indian filmmakers and composers quickly fell under the spell of these instruments and sounds and made them suitable for playing ragas -- the melodic patterns and modes in traditional Indian compositions. Soon these hot-rod guitars were accepted as legitimate instruments for performing Indian classical music, and a new breed of virtuosos emerged to write yet another chapter of the guitar's unpredictable evolution. Brij Bhushan Kabra was one of the Indian musicians who heard the steel guitar's siren call, but his vision went beyond adapting Hawaiian sounds to popular music. Instead, he saw the instrument's potential for playing ragas. To pursue this dream, Kabra began studying with Ali Akbar Khan, whose fretless sarod offered a sonic example for Kabra to emulate with his lap-slide guitar. Kabra's instrument was a Gibson Super 400, modified with a drone string and a high nut to raise the strings off the fretboard like a lap steel. Seated on the floor in the traditional style of Indian musicians, Kabra played his guitar horizontally, using a fingerstyle plucking technique and a bar to contact the strings. His approach set the standard for virtually all Indian slide guitarists. He is rightfully considered a master musician and regarded as one of Indian classical music's most renowned ambassadors' to the rest of the world. Scaling New Horizons With Guitar is considered by many one of Kabra's masterpieces. Released in 1976 and out of print for over 45 years, this is the first reissue in any format. Newly remastered for this edition, limited edition pressing.

"Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of Speak Down the Wires, a re-mastered four-disc clamshell box set of the four albums issued by the Edgar Broughton Band/The Broughtons between 1975 and 1982: Bandages, Live Hits Harder!, Parlez Vous English and Superchip: The Final Silicon Solution. From the release of their debut album for EMI's Harvest label in 1969, Wasa Wasa, the Edgar Broughton Band were trail blazers for the counterculture and rock music with a social conscience and could even be seen as godfathers and influencers of the later punk movement. Hailing from Warwick and featuring Edgar Broughton (guitars, vocals), Steve Broughton (drums, vocals) and Arthur Grant (bass, vocals), their hard-hitting approach over a series of albums for the Harvest label earned them many loyal fans and several hit singles (including their anthem 'Out Demons Out!')."

"What's round on the ends and high in the middle? Why, the new LP by those proud Buckeyes, Sex Tide, of course. Ohio is the first album they've recorded with a full quartet line-up. Bassist Phillip Park and saxophonist Ryan Mcauley join the core duo (drummer/vocalist Aurelie Celine and guitarist Chris Corbin) to create a new fat-ass sound that continually conjures up visions of the 1970 Stooges. As with the previous Sex Tide LPs we've done -- Possession Sessions (FTR 325LP, 2017) and Flash Fuck / Vernacular Splatter (FTR 436LP, 2019) -- a lot of the vibes here are generated by Aurelie's relentless pounding and reckless vocals, along with Chris's truly unhinged guitar. With Park's bass holding things down in an entirely new way, and Mcauley's alto wailing for the ghost of Steve Mackay, Celine and Corbin are allowed the freedom to go even further out than usual. And this is a challenge neither of them can pass up. The new width of Sex Tide's sonic contextualism is evident from the start. 'Everything That Happens in the Dark' is outlined by blasted saxophone lines and riven down the middle by a bass line as thick as the trunk of a Buckeye (the state tree of Ohio.) And if the start of 'State Medical Board' doesn't make you think of a Funhouse-era remake of 'Real Cool Time,' you better sit down and have a cold compress. Once your bean is chill, you might well be able to appreciate the wildly crunching ebb and flow of the four tunes on side one. It's a massive event. And the flip is even more amazing, if you ask me. Over a bottom resembling the one created when the Cramps broke open the bones of Bo Diddley and Link Wray, things start with a freaked-out blues wail, before lurching into a something like a distended re-imagination of 8-Eyed Spy's version of Nancy Sinatra's 'Lightning's Girl.' The music just goes on riffing and wiggling from there, and the whole side flows together like a hot lava sundae from the volcano of your choice. And 'experts' may tell you the last volcanic activity in Ohio was back in the Devonian Period, but I suggest you fuck both them and the horse they rode in on. Ohio is nothing if not a large scale and very molten happening." --Byron Coley

Limited 2021 repress . Just what you need in these end times -- Cardinal Fuzz (Europe) and Feeding Tube Records (N. America) -- a vinyl issue of the killer CD comp that SS Records released way back in 2004 with a couple of added treats. Brace yourself for some stellar hair-singeing, full-throttle wipe outs across four slabs of heavy black vinyl. Monoshock was one of the best bands of the '90s and if they were from Seattle and not Illa Vista and Oakland, California you would already know that. During their six years they released a handful of 7"s, served as a backing band for Von Lmo, and created one of the classic psych albums of all time, Walk to the Fire (1996). In the last few years, they received praise from around the globe, raved up by Julian Cope as one of the great unknown bands of the '90s and cited as an influence by current heavy favs, Comets on Fire, as well as a whole slew of Japanese psych bands. Monoshock is fuzz-fuel, wah-wah damaged, riff-crazed punk rock which draws in Hawkwind, the Stooges, Simply Saucer, and other psych-punk gods. This double-LP collects all their 7"s and comp tracks together with seven previously unreleased tunes and two songs from their ultra-rare 1989 demo tape and two added digi bonus live tracks from their reunion shows. Fans will be overjoyed. Virgins will become fans. The band's stellar Walk to the Fire has been acknowledged as one of the classic psych albums of all time. Comes with a folded A3 double sided insert.

2021 repress. Originally released on CD in 1996, now reissued on A Recordings, Anton Newcombe's own record label. Released on 180 gram vinyl. The Brian Jonestown Massacre's obsession with the Rolling Stones continues unabated on the brilliant Take It from the Man!; where the group resurrected psychedelic-era excesses on the previous Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request, here they jump further back in time to the Stones' mid-'60s period, with even more superlative results. From the opening "Vacuum Boots" onward, Take It from the Man! is gritty, swaggering R&B-influenced rock, delivered with remarkable assurance and attitude; singer Anton Newcombe is half-madman and half-shaman, and he commands each delirious moment with absolute mastery, emerging not so much a disciple of Mick Jagger but as a serious threat to the throne.

Repressed. Be With Records present the first ever official reissue of Kimiko Kasai with Herbie Hancock's Butterfly, originally released in 1979. The positively sublime and very rare Butterfly LP, recorded in Tokyo in 1979 by Japanese songstress Kimiko Kasai and jazz legend Herbie Hancock. Due to its super-rare status as a Japan-only release, this exquisite collection of covers never got the recognition it deserved at the time, despite incredibly inspired performances from Kimiko, Herbie, and the supremely talented musicians assembled for the project. From heavenly drummer Alphonse Mouzon and renowned organist Webster Lewis to bassist Paul Jackson, reedman Bennie Maupin, and the master percussionist Bill Summers, the legendary performers crafted amazingly good vocal versions of Herbie/Headhunters jazz-funk. Unsurprisingly, it has been heavily in demand for many years. The LP opens with Kimiko's highly desirable version of "I Thought It Was You", an elegant take on Herbie's own anthem. Other superb re-workings include the delicately soulful "Butterfly", jazzy groover "Sunlight", the smooth and sexy "Tell Me A Bedtime Story", and the beautiful ballads "Maiden Voyage" and "Harvest Time". A wonderful example of perfectly understated and masterful jazz-funk soul fusion that shouldn't be missed, the set closes with a jaw-dropping version of Stevie Wonder's "As". This lovingly curated reissue enables a long overdue reappraisal of this hitherto unavailable masterpiece. The stunning artwork which adorned the original jacket -- complete with obi strip and sumptuous four-page folded insert -- has been faithfully restored. Mastered by Simon Francis, and pressed on 180 gram vinyl.

RIP BARBARA ESS (1948?2021). The only release of her music we have on hand is this old/classic 2002 CD on ECSTATIC PEACE. Radio Guitar is nine tracks of fantastic music and noise utilizing radio sound and electric guitar as realized by artists Peggy Ahwesh and Barbara Ess respectively. Filmmaker Peggy Ahwesh came of age in the 1970s with feminist politics and the experimental film underground. She started working with Super-8 film in her teens and went on to make feature films, including Splice This (1999) and Girls Beware (1997). Her work has been shown at Rotterdam, Osnabrook, and The New York Film Festival. She is a recipient of the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the NYSCA Film Production Grant, Jerome Foundation Grant, and a grant from Art Matters, Inc. She has taught at Bard College since 1990. Barbara Ess has been performing music in NYC since the 1970s w/ such famed no-wave groups as The Static and Daily Life as well as The Glenn Branca Ensemble and Y Pants, a trio of women playing music on toy instruments. She has also been a member of Ultra Vulva. She has also worked as a publisher of Just Another Asshole -- a series of anthologies of artists works in various formats. She also works as a visual artist, making and showing large-scale photographs. A book of her photo work, I Am Not This Body, was published by Aperture in 2001.

"Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the re-press of Tangerine Dream's classic live album Pergamon. Recorded in January 1980 at the Palast der Republik, East Berlin, the album was originally released in East Germany in 1981 under the title Quichotte. The documented performance was one of the first by a western band in East Germany and earned Tangerine Dream many new fans in Eastern Europe. Featuring a line-up of Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and newly recruited member Johannes Schmoelling, the album was later released outside of East Germany under the title Pergamon (after the impressive museum in East Berlin). This Esoteric Reactive edition features the original album artwork and includes a lavishly illustrated booklet and essay."

"Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a new clamshell boxed set featuring all four of Curved Air's classic albums recorded between 1970 and 1973. The Albums features newly remastered versions of Air Conditioning, Second Album, Phantasmagoria and Air Cut, along with bonus tracks 'It Happened Today' (single version), 'What Happens When You Blow Yourself Up' and 'Sarah's Concern', all originally issued as singles."

2021 restock; 2003 release. Originally released on Lovely Music in 1998. Double CD of all five of Elaine Radigue's songs in tribute to the Tibetan saint and poet from the 11th century. Two of the tracks dates from Radigue's first release in 1983, two are previously unreleased and the final 62-minute track was previously issued as a sole CD in 1987. The material is performed by Radigue (synthesizer and recording), Robert Ashley (English voice), and Lama Kunga Rinpoche (Tibetan voice). Radigue was born in France and has studied under Pierre Shaeffer and Pierre Henry; her music has an extremely organic and mystical electronics vibe, and has been previously documented on Phill Niblock's XI label, as well as Metamkine and Lovely. Milarepa is a great saint and poet of Tibet who lived in the 11th century. Through years dedicated to meditation and related practices in the solitude of the mountains, Milarepa achieved the highest attainable illumination and the mental power that enabled him to guide innumerable disciples. His ability to present complex teachings in a simple, lucid style is astonishing. He had a fine voice and loved to sing. When his patrons and disciples made a request or asked him a question, he answered in spontaneously composed free-flowing poems or lyric songs. It is said that he composed 100,000 songs to communicate his ideas in his teachings and conversations.

Fire! tracking new paths and reaching new levels of excellence, still honoring their 12-year-old vow of presenting a fresh approach to improvised music. Their debut album, You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago, was released in 2009 to wide international acclaim. "The basic strategy of pairing the expressive energy of free jazz with a sturdy sense of groove has yielded something potent and self-contained" --New York Times. Between this and Defeat there´s been five albums, including collaborations with Jim O'Rourke (2011) and Oren Ambarchi (2012). No two Fire! records sound the same, but with Defeat they have taken their biggest leap so far, with Mats Gustafsson giving the flute a prominent place in the sound image, a surprising and most successful move, his both expressive and ornamental approach given ample room to breathe, especially on the two long tracks bookending the album. In places more subdued than on previous efforts, but with the distinctive bass figures and hypnotic mood fully intact. There are some lively stretches with guests Goran Kajfes and Mats Aleklint, bringing to mind their big band offshoot Fire! Orchestra, albeit on a smaller scale. For over 20 years Rune Grammofon have made a habit of releasing music that is beyond easy classification, in later years typified by Hedvig Mollestad, Elephant9, and Krokofant, but cemented by Fire! and their exploratory curiosity and deep love of music in general. Many have tried to compare the trio to other groups, but listening to Defeat you realize how futile this is. Given the above there´s no doubt there are many influences at play, but the resulting brew is in a class by itself. Personnel: Mats Gustafsson - flute, baritone sax, live electronics; Johan Berthling - electric bass; Andreas Werliin - drums; Goran Kajfes - quartertone trumpet; Mats Aleklint - trombone, sousaphone, horn arrangements.

"Considered to be one of two Holy Grails on Strata Records, Maulawi Nururdin, 180 Proof presents a stellar reissue featuring a previously unheard instrumental version of 'Street Rap'. This 180 Gram vinyl album has been remastered from the original reel to reel master tapes and is presented with an alternate cover artwork done by Ge-ology and Mr. Krum."

Warehouse find, last copies... "Avant-garde composer and sound installation artist Takehisa Kosugi (musical director of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company) has led the Japanese avant-garde music scene since the early 1960s. In 1969 he formed the Taj Mahal Travellers, a musical collective that travelled the world in a VW minibus creating Fluxus-influenced improvised multimedia sound events. This double album (divided into two LPs), recorded live at the Nippon Columbia Studio in Tokyo in 1974, was the group's final effort before disbanding. Here Kosugi and the Travellers blend Eastern and Western instrumentation, vocal chants and electronics to create free-form psych-laden drones. This historic album is an essential and influential piece of Japanese avant rock." Part one, on clear vinyl in clear plastic sleeve with black lettering. Limited edition 500 copies.

ESP-Disk present a vinyl reissue of Henry Grimes Trio's The Call, originally released in 1966. It has occasionally been assumed that Henry Grimes got this December 28, 1965 recording date as a reward for his long service in the avant-garde of jazz. Having already honed his musical conception with a varied range of players, from Benny Goodman and Arnett Cobb to Lee Morgan, Gerry Mulligan, and Sonny Rollins to McCoy Tyner, Steve Lacy, Albert Ayler -- including Spirits Rejoice (ESPDISK 1020CD/LP)--, Don Cherry, and Cecil Taylor (to name just a few), the service was certainly there, but he got this gig fully on his merits. For The Call, Grimes teamed with highly original clarinetist Perry Robinson (as label owner Bernard Stollman has noted, "a virtuoso who merits far wider recognition...and this recording reflects both of their contributions, in equal measure") and stalwart drummer/ESP-Disk' regular Tom Price. As a bassist, Grimes's melodic style is well up to the task of being co-equal voice with a horn, resulting in a thoughtful and texturally rewarding LP with a level of quality far above the rote sideman session cliché, and far away from equally clichéd ideas of unrelentingly full-bore free jazz. It offers the sound of three excellent musicians listening to each other and responding superbly. The Juilliard-trained Grimes appeared on six other ESP LPs besides those already mentioned. He retired at some point after the last of them, 1967's Marzette Watts LP, and went so far off the scene that it was rumored that he had died. Happily, that was not the case, and he reemerged in 2003, moved back to New York, and returned to his prolific ways until illness slowed him down and then took him from us earlier this year (2020). 180 gram vinyl featuring original artwork; edition of 500.

Legendary Sun Ra bassist (Ronnie Boykins 1935-1980) stepped out on his own for his first and only release as a leader on The Will Come, Is Now. He was invited by ESP in 1964 to record his own album, and in February 1974, he told ESP that he was finally ready, and the session took place later that month. This recording not only features Boykins's solid abilities as a bassist, including his marvelous arco work, but also his talents as a composer and arranger. In addition, one is treated to an all-natural bass sound, a rare sound during this particular era of jazz history. In septet format, Boykins's six originals create a variety of moods and textures that not only evoke the music of Sun Ra but also reflect Boykins's own sensibilities as an artist. Original pressings, made just before ESP-Disk' went on hiatus for forty years and thus less common that other ESP LPs, often go for upwards of $150. 180 gram vinyl features original artwork; edition of 500.

Hospital Productions announce the unreleased, would-be-classic from Japanese noise hero Painjerk. Originally recorded immediately after the canonical Gallon Gravy classic, this is pure -- definitive -- loop-heavy noise energy and dynamism that would become the signature of Kohei Gomi's electronic studies having influenced two generations of underground electronics since. Hailing from a background of Japanese punk, Kohei Gomi stayed true to the fierce ethos of independence and experimentation that reached its peak in Japan in the late '90s. But make no mistake, Mr. Gomi never stagnated into a single platform, having worked with such diverse labels as Alternative Tentacles, Relapse, Editions Mego, and so on. Composed with a mysterious configuration of constantly flowing noise hardware -- always recorded live without overdubs, Gomi went on to risk taking computer explorations into the roots of avant-garde compositions inspired by the likes of Pan Sonic and David Tudor. Having reached cult status and maintaining an air of mystery after an onslaught of now classic and highly collectible tape-only releases, such as the monstrous Cacophony Of A Thousand Pleasures 3xCS which was been cited as an influence for Mika Vainio. Never settling for stale genre collaborations, Kohei Gomi further went on to such divergent ends as the insane collaboration with Russell Haswell, psychedelic commune pioneers Smegma, and power violence royalty Bastard Noise. Hospital Productions now unleash this critical document onto the world, one that 20 years on can easily sit alongside the classics of its day. Raise a fist in solidarity for the inimitable punk noise of Painjerk. Double-LP wide spine jacket with inner printing and gold metallic ink.

2021 repress. All 20 volumes of the legendary Rubble Collection are now collected in this 20-CD box set. Inaugurated in 1984 with the release of its first volume, Rubble is among the first and best psych compilations ever put together. Each and every volume is a mind-blowing treasure trove of acid rock and pop from the late 1960s, and comes housed inside a slipcase card replica of the original LP artwork. Featuring famous names such as Blossom Toes, The Pretty Things, and Soft Machine, alongside a myriad of lesser-known acts like Pregnant Insomnia, The Barrier, and Cherry Smash, and compiled and sequenced by leading collectors, the series has long been a byword for the best in psychedelia. All 317 tracks are presented here, complete with two fully-revised and overhauled full-color booklets (86 and 96 pages, respectively), featuring updated band histories, rare photographs, and full discographies (incorporating a mass of information not included in previous editions), making this the most comprehensive and authoritative psych boxed set ever assembled. Includes tracks by Blossom Toes, The Pretty Things, Soft Machine, Pregnant Insomnia, The Barrier, Cherry Smash, Wimple Winch, The Mirror, Caleb, Martin Cure & The Peeps, The Living Daylights, The Misunderstood, Open Mind, The Dakotas, The Craig, Unit 4+2, Hush, The Mindbenders, Mode, The Parking Lot, Keith West, Shotgun Express, Executive, The Talismen, Bo Street Runners, The Sons of Fred, The Idle Race, The Spencer Davis Group, Gordon Waller, Brain, Focus Three, Bamboo Shoot, Wild Silk, Mark Wirtz, The Lemon Tree, The Koobas, Aquarian Age, Chances Are, Ipsissimus, Edwick Rumbold, Penny Peeps, Tomorrow, Jason Crest, The Mirage, Kaleidoscope, The Cymbaline, Finders Keepers, Californians, Rings & Things, The Fox, Tempus Fugit, The Poets, The Attack, Flies, Game, Score, The Mark Four, Fire, Gene Latter, Keith Shields, Dream Police, Fairytale, The Kinsmen, Ice, The End, Turquoise, Pudding Maker, The Accent, Elastic Band, Two & a Half, Life 'n' Soul, The Falling Leaves, Tinkerbells Fairydust, Orange Seaweed, Glass Menagerie, Orange Machine, Carnaby, New Formula, Onyx, Flying Machine, The Primitives, The Ivy League, Epics, Factotums, Erky Grant & The Earwigs, Velvett Fogg, Yellow, Sharon Tandy & Les Fleur de Lys, Eyes of Blue, Rick Price & Mike Sheridan, Jigsaw, Skip Bifferty, Methuselah, Norman Conquest, Dantalian's Chariot, Mashmakhan, The Mike Stuart Span, Serendipity, Second Hand, Dragonfly, Peter & The Blizzards, Group 1850, Tower, Outsiders, Sharks & Me, Short '66, The Motions, Sandy Coast, Zipps, Bumble Bees, The Young Ones, St. Giles's System, Q 65, Supersister, Baroques, Golden Ear-Rings, The Clique, The Montanas, Floribunda Rose, Turnstyle, Kytes, Fresh Air, 5 a.m. Event, Writing On the Wall, Felius Andromeda, Plague, Les Sauterelles, Bulldog Breed, Virgin Sleep, Tintern Abbey, 23rd Turnoff, The Human Instinct, East of Eden, World of Oz, Denny Laine, Timebox, People, Outer Limits, Warm Sounds, Buzz, Boys Blue, Deejays, Southern Sound, Act, Force Five, Answers, French Revolution, Arizona Swamp Company, Attraction, Peep Show, George Gallagher & The Pathfinders, Espirit de Corps, Truth, Our Plastic Dream, Rupert's People, Groove, Curiosity Shoppe, Ghost, Nirvana, Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, Boeing Duveen & The Beautiful Soup, Strawberry Children, Science Poption, Syn, Sub, Noah's Ark, State of Mickey & Tommy, House of Lords, John Fitch, Tuesday's Children, Jackpots, Sound Barrier, Wallace Collection, Wonderland, Gary Walker & The Rain, John Bromley, Lovin', Chasers, Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, The Sea-Ders, Dreams, Ace Kefford Stand, Remo 4, Carriage Company, Staccatos, Mint, The Oscar Bicycle, Gentle Influence, Andwella's Dream, A New Generation, Christopher Colt, Lion Tamers, Philamore Lincoln, Afex, Nicky James, Acid Gallery, Argosy, Calum Bryce, Lyons & Malone, Fruit Machine, Andy Forray, Russell Morris, Octopus, Doomsday Machine, Infantes Jubilate, Still Life, Dee & The Quotom, St. David's Road, Time Machine, Rameses & Selket, Lion of Judah, Moving Fingers, Cinnamon Quill, Scots of St. James, Icarus, Fourmyula, Portobello Explosion, Hayden Wood, Together, Apple, David, Kate, Bump, Adjeef the Poet, Pandemonium, Chapter Four, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Beautiful, Art, and The Beatstalkers.

OTOROKU reissue Evan Parker's first solo LP Saxophone Solos. Recorded by Martin Davidson in 1975 at the Unity Theatre in London, at that time the preferred concert venue of the Musicians' Co-operative, Parker's densely woven and often cyclical style has yet to form; instead throaty murmurs appear under rough-hewn whistles and calls -- the wildly energetic beginnings of an extraordinary career. Reissued with liner notes from Seymour Wright in an edition of 500.

"The four pieces across the two sides of Saxophone Solos -- 'Aerobatics 1' to '4' -- are testing, pressured, bronchial spectaculars of innovation and invention and determination. Evan tells four stories of exploration and imagination without much obvious precedent. Abstract Beckettian cliff-hanging detection/logic/magic/mystery. The conic vessel of the soprano saxophone here recorded contains the ur-protagonists: seeds, characters, settings, forces, conflicts, motions, for new ideas, to delve, to tap and to draw from it story after story as he has on solo record after record for 45 years. 'Aerobatics 1-3' were recorded on June 17th 1975, by Martin Davidson at Parker's first solo performance. This took place at London's Unity Theatre in Camden. 'Aerobatics 4' was recorded on September 9th the same year, by Jost Gebers in the then FMP studio in Charlottenburg, Berlin. Music of balance and gravity, fulcra, effort, poise, and enquiry. Sounds thrown and shaken into and out of air, metal and wood. It is -- as the titles suggest -- spectacular." --Seymour Wright, 2020

"Terrestrial Funk's sixth release explores over a decade of Armenian disco, funk, and soul. Compiled by Darone Sassounian who spent three years tracking down the records and artists; fulfilling a calling to lift his people's voice, a people that have always faced the threat of erasure. The music was made a generation after the Armenian Genocide, a testament to perseverance. The seven tracks featured are incredibly inventive and unique in their interpretations of Western seventies sounds. This compilation comes at an urgent time as 2020 set the stage for Azerbaijan and Turkey to perpetuate genocidal rhetoric as they invaded Armenian borders and bombed civilian cities eventually resulting in the loss of lives and land stewarded for millennia. All while the western world paid little notice. It is with great gratitude and purpose that Terrestrial Funk rebirths this music and uplifts the voice of the Armenian Diaspora."

Originally released in 1971. Reissued In 2012; 2021 repress. "Ubiquity Records presents a limited repressing of Awakening" by the legendary Pharaohs which is highly sought after and has been out of print for several years. Awakening was originally released in 1971 and re-issued by Luv n'Haight in 1996 and quickly became a must-have for collectors of spiritual, deep, Afro-centric jazz."

"The Band That Can Do Anything -- that's the literal English translation of the name of a band whose creativity, productivity and influence ran far and wide during the notorious era of racial oppression in South Africa. The Makgona Tsohle Band was easily the most popular and highly productive instrumental team in the African music business of the 1960s and '70s. Assembled by formidable talent scout and producer Rupert 'Bops' Bopape, Makgona Tsohle provided musical accompaniment on literally hundreds of Gallo recording sessions, as well as creating some of the biggest dance hits of the era. They are often credited with the invention of that staple township music, mbaqanga. A big boast -- but only a slight embellishment. Makgona Tsohle's members were utterly crucial to the style's formation and development, reinforcing the more modern, danceable, electrified jive as the leading force in township music until the mid-1970s. Makgona Tsohle Reggi was issued only once, in May 1970. It quickly became a collector's item. This sought-after album now makes its welcome return to African record stores as well as its debut in the international market. The stunning diversity of the Makgona Tsohle Band's musical genius spans pure sax jive through to swinging '60s soul, ska and even hints of rocksteady and 'reggi'. This is the authentic sound of Soweto as demonstrated by the experts!"

2021 repress. "dead prez may have been slightly ahead of their time during their golden years, but that is definitely meant as a compliment. Sermonizing Black Nationalism, Pan-Africanism and the benefits of a healthy and just lifestyle during the height of the Bad Boy / Roc-AFella era of nihilistic excess in the late '90s, they also signed to a major label (Loud / Columbia) despite leaning much more towards the burgeoning indie aesthetics of the day. But this was a good thing -- using major label muscle to wake up righteous hip-hop fans who might have fallen asleep at the wheel. The group itself -- consisting of MCs stic.man and M-1, who produced or co-produced most of the duo's music -- was formed in Tallahassee, Florida in the early 1990s (M-1 originally hailed from Brooklyn). By later that decade, the duo had started making significant waves, having their music heard on the soundtracks to Soul In The Hole and Slam, as well as appearing on albums by Big Pun and The Beatnuts. By 1998, they released their first official single, the serious, stark 'Police State,' on Loud, appropriately brought to the label by Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian. After building a solid rep over the next two years with fiery live performances, in 2000 they unleashed their debut album, Let's Get Free. The album was a welcome return to provocative and often radically political rhetoric that hearkened back to hip-hop forebears including The Coup, Public Enemy and KRS-One (as well as poetic descendants like the Last Poets and Watts Prophets). Let's Get Free was critically acclaimed and benefited from multiple singles, including the infectious, thick analog drive of 'Hip-Hop' (which became the de facto theme song for 'Chappelle's Show'); 'It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop,' with a remix co-produced by a young Kanye West; 'Mind Sex' (with Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets); and the poignant 'I'm An African.' But the singles weren't the only worthy songs, as just about every cut here has deeper meaning than most full albums by their early 2000s peers. Highlights: the thought-provoking, anti-drug album opener 'Wolves'; 'We Want Freedom' (co-produced by frequent collaborator Hedrush); 'They Schools' and 'Propaganda' (co-produced by Lord Jamar, one of five songs he assisted on). All in all, this is one of the more underrated and possibly Top 5 fully-realized political hip-hop albums of all time. If you don't agree with the previous sentence, give Let's Get Free another listen... you might be surprised at how well it has held up over the years."

"NYC's 75 Dollar Bill began its prolific career in 2012, after percussionist Rick Brown -- a veteran of the indie underground (Fish & Roses, Run On, V-Effect) -- and noise scene guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Che Chen -- connected via MySpace. Since that initial jam session, when Brown began experimenting with his signature plywood crate drum rhythms, they have released three LPs and a clutch of self-released cassette and digital releases. Last year's double album I Was Real received serious critical acclaim -- The Wire calling it 2019's Album of the Year. On their first live album, Live At Tubby's, 75 Dollar Bill assembled a unique 'little big band' [Sue Garner on bass, Cheryl Kingan on sax, Steve Maing on guitar, Jim Pugliese on percussion and Karen Waltuch on viola] for the small Kingston, NY club show. Recorded on the last day of their spring tour, the record puts a new perspective on themes from their body of work: a little more intimacy, a little more freedom, a little more controlled chaos. Brown's idiosyncratic rhythms are all the more hypnotizing in Tubby's cozy setting, and Chen's furious guitar work cuts and hums with sounds seemingly only attainable on stage. It's an album both challenging and immediate. The expanded 75 Dollar Bill's affinity for improvisation and the avant-garde even leads to a rousing take on the Ornette Coleman classic, 'Friends And Neighbors' that feels right at home in their own repertoire. The listener can't help but feel present and part of the communal joy and catharsis being shared here in this room. This performance at Tubby's turned out not only to be the last show of their tour, but the last show possible as the pandemic hit. Originally offered as a digital only release on 75 Dollar Bill's Bandcamp, Live At Tubby's now documents a highlight and closure of sorts; this kind of musical improvisation and community interaction being on hold for the foreseeable future. This double album on Grapefruit will have to tide everyone over until it can all happen again."

"MF DOOM is the man in the iron mask. The most mysterious figure in hip-hop has also become one of the most popular, supplying beats and rhymes for Gorillaz, De La Soul, Madlib, Danger Mouse, and Wu-Tang Clan, and drawing praise from heavyweights like Just Blaze, Nas, and Mos Def. Since 2002, DOOM has released numerous volumes of Special Herbs, one of the longest-running instrumental series in hip-hop history. Now, the seventh and eighth volumes in the acclaimed series are available on CD for the first time in years. With obscure loops and dusty samples galore, Special Herbs Vol. 7 and 8 is a must-have for any DOOM fan or hip-hop head."

Naomi Yang has been threatening to get this book together for years, but the Trump Virus shutdown finally goaded her onto action. Inspired by oddball community cookbooks through the ages, this is a heavily annotated collection of recipes involving simple techniques and common ingredients. In this instance, the community represented is the musical sub-underground of Western Massachusetts and beyond. Mr. Coley is a home cook, whose professional restaurant experience mostly involves dishwashing. But over the last quarter century he has fed family, friends, traveling musicians and large events at his house, the Yod Space, Feeding Tube Records/Rox Art, and various other places. Accompanied by his own commentary, as well as that of those who have et his vittles, this book should be as useful as reading material in the bathroom, as it is for instruction in the kitchen. Designed by Naomi Yang, contributors include Steve Albini, Elisa Ambrogio, Kristin Anderson, Alan Bishop, Julie Cafritz, Benoit Chaput, Ben Chasny, Addie Coley, Hud Coley, Chris Corsano, Beth Crawford, Dave Crouch, Alison Darrow, Abby Drake, Lauren Dunn, Lili Dwight, Valle Dwight, Ilene Gerhardt, Tom Givan, Jim Glaspole, Kim Gordon, Emily Hubley, Georgia Hubley, Michael Hurley, Dan Ireton, Pat Ireton, Glenn Jones, Elaine Kahn, Heather Kaplow, Andrew Kesin, Maria Kozic, Matt Krefting, Damon Krukowski, Michio Kurihara, Willie Lane, Ted Lee, Tom Leonard, Lida Lewis, J Mascis, Cynthia Meadows, Amy Mehaffey, Roger Miller, John Moloney, Coco Gordon Moore, Thurston Moore, Bill Nace, Alden O'Donaghue, Kerstin Park-Labella, Charles Plymell, Lauisa Reichenheim, Wayne Rogers, Aaron Rosenblum, Kevin Sahagian, Dave Schramm, John Shaw, Jacqueline Sheridan, Nora Smith, Jack Tieleman, Matt Valentine, Kate Village, Naomi Yang. Ringbound; 194 pp.

Sunbeam Records present a double-CD reissue of Wizz Jones's self-titled release, originally released in 1969. An undisputed giant of modern folk and one of the finest acoustic guitarists Britain has ever produced, Wizz Jones has been cited as an influence by stars including Rod Stewart and Keith Richards, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Folk Awards in 2019. His first solo LP appeared 50 years earlier, and receives its first-ever reissue here. A beguiling mixture of standards and originals with his outstanding playing to the fore throughout, it's unlike anything else he ever recorded. It's presented here in both its mono and stereo mixes, together with an insert containing background notes and rare images, and a repro shop flier from the original time of release. Double-CD digipack with eight-page booklet.

Listening to these nine tracks it is hard to believe that this version of Fleetwood Man had only a few weeks left to run. An acid-damaged Peter Green would leave six weeks after this gig and they would never sound this good again. This high-quality BBC recording includes contemporary hits such as "The Green Manalishi" and "Rattlesnake Shake" as well as album tracks featuring the melodic skills of Danny Kirwan ("World In Harmony", "Underway") and some unreleased rockers from Jeremy Spencer ("Tiger", "Great Balls Of Fire"). Full sleeve notes and credits included.

Red and purple vinyl. Italian producer Clap! Clap! returns to Bristol's Black Acre with his third album, Liquid Portraits. Born and raised in Florence, Cristiano Crisci's musical career extends back to the mid-90s where he started out as a rapper, before picking up a saxophone and exploring both jazz and jazz/punk fusion with Trio Cane, and then returning to his electronic roots with A Smile For Timbuctu project. By 2008, Crisci decided to strike it out on his own as Digi G'Alessio, channeling the same hip-hop meets electronic music energies as those animating the nascent Los Angeles beat scene. Soon Crisci hit upon a new formula when he started combining samples from the African continent with energetic drum programming. The results led to the birth of Clap! Clap! in 2013, which has since been recognized and supported by the likes of Paul Simon and Gilles Peterson. Crisci released his first and second albums Tayi Bebba (ACRE 006LP, 2014) and A Thousand Skies (ACRE 009LP, 2016) via Black Acre. Clap! Clap!'s third album once again deploys his inimitable technique in fine style, however with new eyes as this new project signifies a definite shift in his work having spent the last few years learning the art of mixing which has led to some breakthroughs: "In recent years I've spent a lot of time studying essential mixing techniques. I then built an acoustic-treated room and set up my new studio. I started to convert digital into analog and vice versa with good converters and achieved sounds that I've never heard before from my speakers. This had a huge positive impact on my mixes and result on my music." Entitled Liquid Portraits, the album -- as the name suggests -- is a collection of sonic paintings, an attempt at capturing furtive, subconscious memories through sound. The tracks reference trips Crisci took and people he met -- from southern Italy to Hokkaido via the Kif Mountains of Morocco -- as well as more abstract ideas of loss, calmness, and childhood. Having been approached by Paul Simon to work on his 2016 album Stranger To Stranger after Simon discovered Tayi Bebba through his son, Clap! Clap! is no stranger to collaborations and this album features a small cast of talents, such as Italy percussionist Domenico Candellori ("Southern Dub"), Belgian artist Martha Da'ro ("Moving On"), harpist Kety Fusco ("Rising Fire"), and Piero Spitilli ("Liquid Portraits").

Herself is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist Gioele Valenti, also known as JuJu in more recent years (Fuzz Club) or as part of the psych project Lay Llama's. Herself's work was described by critics as the harmonious meeting between Sparklehorse, Gravenhurst, and Will Oldham. Valenti's songwriting takes inspiration from low-fidelity apocalyptic folk, crooning and pop; boasting a rather extensive discography. Well rooted in tradition, his music often ventures in the realms of subtle experimentation. Rigel Playground prepares the listener for a journey through cosmic folk, in which traditional Brit pop flirts with an alt vein, as if the Beatles and Sparklehorse would meet the torments of Nick Drake and the intimacy of a Mike Scott. Continuing a long list of illustrious collaborations (Amaury Cambuzat of Ulan Bator, John Fallon of The Steppes, Capra Informis of GOAT, among others), the prestigious guest on this record is Jonathan Donahue from Mercury Rev, a group of absolute prominence in the international indie panorama, which in addition to having lent his voice to the single "The Beast of Love" -- as Herself says -- informs the essence of the entire record. Not surprisingly Mercury Rev chose Herself to support them during their Italian tour in 2019.

LP version. Perhaps best known as the upside-down, guitar-wielding front man of psych-legends The Entrance Band, and solo albums released under the ENTRANCE moniker, notably 2004's country blues epic Wandering Stranger (Fat Possum), 2006's self-released cult classic, Prayer of Death (which led to the formation of The Entrance Band), and most recently 2017's Book of Changes (Thrill Jockey), Guy Blakeslee has typically used his own name to release his most experimental and confounding records. Postcards From The Edge is no exception. Nearly two decades into a lifer's voyage of shapeshifting through shadowy realms of the American underground, Guy Blakeslee, poses these and other conundrums on his dramatic new album, Postcards From The Edge. Recorded in New Orleans at the house studio of Preservation Hall Jazz Band, with former Sonic Ranch engineer and producer, Enrique Tena Padilla (Oh Sees, Wand), and featuring appearances from singers Lael Neale, Hale May, Rachel Fannan, and drummer Derek James of The Entrance Band, Postcards From The Edge is electrified by the spirit of sonic experimentation, and the fervent desire to chart a map into unknown territory. Across the record's seven tracks, Blakeslee's questing lyrics teem with stormy emotion, his plaintive voice finding succor in richly-textured melodies that soar over lushly-produced soundscapes, always on the verge of collapse. A wandering soul who has spent the better part of his musical life on the road, Blakeslee, a Baltimore native and LA transplant currently residing in the wilds of Virginia, has supported the likes of Spiritualized, Beach House, Cat Power, Mazzy Star, Interpol, and Father John Misty to name a few. "Seven tracks of questioning, tremulous, occasionally beautiful gospel-psych" --Uncut Magazine.

2021 repress. "Debuting in 1988 as a self-released 8xCassette boxset, Chapter Eleven collects the solo recordings (1976 - 1987) from one of the earliest members of the US Industrial Noise scene, coalescing a wide swath of influences and culling experimental techniques into inventive new terrain. Carefully remastered from the original tapes, this deluxe reissue is a long-awaited rescue from obscurity. 4xCDs -- Over 4 hours of music. Remastered by John Wiese. Co-Released by Hanson Records and Helicopter." "Turman seemed to have taken over where the last of the great synth based kraut artists left off in the 70's, infusing the spiritual meditation music with his own brand of loop hypnosis, slowly moving drones, industrial patterns, guitar fuzz, and even some in-your-face 80's style synth work" --IMPOSE Magazine.

University Challenged are Ajay Saggar ("Bhajan Bhoy"), Oli Heffernan ("Ivan The Tolerable"), and Kohhei Matsuda ("Bo Ningen"). The trio began in 2019, playing shows in Holland, where they gained a reputation for delivering highly dynamic sense-rattling shows, ranging from gentle melodic orchestral spinouts to epic power jams, all backed by beautiful self-made films in the background. The plan had always been to record an album, and get the collective musical force and spirit cemented to vinyl. Many months of hard work and focus paid dividends with the majestic eight-track double album Oh Temple! ready to be delivered to the world at large. Mixed and produced by Ajay Saggar at his Soundation Studio in Holland in the summer of 2020, and mastered by Oli Heffernan in England. This is a beautiful collection of tracks where the pioneering spirit of the three artists allowed them to cross musical boundaries with their bold and accomplished playing to forge eight unique and mesmeric numbers. While there is commonality in the artists approach to music, there are a wide variety of styles -- kosmische musik, electronic experimentation, deep spiritual jazz, modern classical, pastoral guitar soli, and more. These tracks sound fresh and revealing now, and will certainly do so for a long time to come.

Modern sounds for the 21st century featuring modal, progressive and esoteric contemporary jazz from the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Finland, USA, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Germany, and Italy. The first 12 volumes of Jazzman Records' hugely popular Spiritual Jazz series have unearthed a wealth of historic recordings in the genre, collating a variety of works from the '50s to the '80s by artists from all around the world. And so, with Volume 13, the label turn their attention to what's happening NOW. Over the course of 24 tracks and spanning two sets, Jazzman Records present an overview of the contemporary exponents of spiritual jazz; musicians who are intent on bringing something personal to the table, as much as they recognize the importance of those who have paved the way for them. We feature music recorded within the past 20 years and from 15 different countries, including modern classics from veterans Steve Reid and Idris Ackamoor, providing a vital link between the past masters and the enlightened new generation. It's pioneers such as John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, et al, with their innovations in reaching another plane of consciousness that was and remains uppermost in the minds of exponents of spiritual jazz. Fittingly, several of the artists featured on this compilation, such as Cat Toren and David Boykin, are practitioners of the art of music therapy and sound healing, and have absolute conviction in the role of song as solace. The pioneers may no longer be with us, but their saintly selves loom large, shining a light in the darkness, inspiring many a brave new disciple today, as this album will testify: the new wave of jazz is gathering pace and still sounds fresh, vibrant and as relevant as ever. Extensive liners with pictures. Features Benjamin Herman, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids, Nat Birchall, Chip Wickham, Jimi Tenor And Kabukabu, Black Flower, Darryl Yokley, Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble, Oiro Pena, Cat Toren, Shabaka & The Ancestors, and Makaya McCraven.