|
|
browse New Releases
week of
...new releases are checked in daily throughout each week
|
|
|
viewing 1 To 23 of 23 items
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LP+CD
|
|
BEC 5543433
|
2025 repress; LP version. First vinyl edition; 180 gram vinyl; printed inner-sleeve; Includes CD. Because Music present a reissue of JJ Cale's Closer To You, originally released in 1994. The album was published under the independent French label Delabel and distributed by Virgin Records. Personnel: JJ Cale - vocals, guitar, synthesizer; James Cruce - drums; Tim Drummond - bass; Jim Karstein - drums, percussion; Christine Lakeland - guitar, vocals (background); Bill Payne - keyboards; Don Preston - guitar.
"On the two albums that preceded Closer To You, Travel-Log (1989) and Number 10 (1992), JJ Cale adopted a more basic musical approach. This album continues the trend. Cale plays a few songs alone (though the overdubbed parts sound remarkably spare), including the title track. Closer To You finds him electronically treating his vocals, a technique that surprisingly makes him sound as down-to-earth as ever." --All Music
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2LP+CD
|
|
BEC 5543437
|
2025 repress; double LP version. First vinyl edition; 180 gram vinyl; printed inner sleeves; includes CD. Because Music present a reissue of JJ Cale's Live, originally released in 1996. This live album features 14 classics, including "After Midnight", "Cocaine", and "Old Man". All tracks were recorded across several different shows: Carnegie Hall (New York, 1996), The Philharmonic (Munich, 1994), Flynn Theater (Burlington, 1993), The Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, 1994), The Hammersmith Apollo (London, 1994), The Sommerville Theater (Sommerville, 1993), and Park West (Chicago, 1990).
"Cale's live performance style does nothing to quell his reputation for laid-back but pristine guitar playing and reserved Mississippi John Hurt-style delivery. A man who truly appreciates the value of restraint, Cale leaves plenty of room for his immaculate guitar lines, even to the point of irony on an ambling version of the previously insistent 'Mama Don't.' This collection, which was gleaned from an assortment of live shows dating from 1990-1996, finds Cale allowing his songs to unfold organically." --All Music
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
BB 500CD
|
In 2025, Finnish musician and composer Jimi Tenor celebrated his 60th birthday. He couldn't have imagined a better place to do so than on stage, and so Tenor came to Hamburg with his band in March, not only to celebrate his personal anniversary, but also to record new music. Partly with Hamburg producer Tobias Levin at his Electric Avenue Studio, and partly at Lauri Kallio's Kiikala Center of the Universe Studio Complex, Selenites, Selenites! -- the first album by the Jimi Tenor Band -- was recorded in spring 2025. Tenor can now look back on numerous collaborations, including with Tony Allen, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Kabukabu and Freestyle Man. The band, consisting of Eeti Nieminen, Heikki Tuhkanen, Ekow Alabi Savage, Lauri Kallio and Jimi Tenor, has played numerous club and festival gigs together, but had not yet released an album up till now. Recording for the band's debut began at Lauri Kallio's studio in Kiikala, Finland -- an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere that has been converted into a recording studio aptly named Kiikala Center of the Universe Studio Complex. While the band was recording, Lauri's parents cooked for them using ingredients from the Finnish forest: chanterelle mushrooms and moose meat. After two initial sessions, the recordings were sent to Bureau B in Hamburg, who invited the band to join Tobias Levin at his Electric Avenue Studio for another session lasting several days. As the band had already tried out and internalized most of the songs through live performances, the recordings went smoothly and often required only a single take. This quickly resulted in the eight songs that now make up Selenites, Selenites! As so often in the world of Jimi Tenor, it's about space, dimensions and -- of course -- love, conveyed in that energetic and captivating way that makes it impossible to resist this music. Also featured on the track "Shine All Night" is Tenor's second collaboration with Florence Adooni, the queen of Ghanaian frafra gospel. Selenites, Selenites! is an impressive debut that showcases a group of virtuoso musicians in absolute joy of playing and exploring new sonic connections. This is not just any Afro-jazz album, but an extraordinary journey into a raw and unadulterated sound, as if you were standing right in front of the stage while listening to the record.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
DC 965LP
|
"On Beacon Hill: at twilight we find Anthony Moore, roots winding backwards to the halcyon days of Slapp Happy and the '70s progressive art rock scene, at guitar and piano. With the atmospheres and accompaniments of AKA & Friends, he breathes infernal new life into songs from his six decades of multivarious music making. This new delivery system is unto a séance, a communal incantation, twining Anthony's avant and pop traditions together in a darkly radiant coil of folky chamber music; a rope to lower the listener through cobwebs and murk, unveiling new life beneath Anthony's mad old lines. AKA are Anthony Moore, Keith Rodway and Amanda Thompson. A pagan family of sound worshipers hailing from that unholiest of all places: Hastings UK, home of Crowley and Turing. Like their sinister forbears in that infamous tradition, this latest trinity shares a passion for subverting pattern and number, factoring unlikely permutations arising from sea and horizon, greensward, the southerly aspect, and the planisphere as half-world. Their equatorial shore speaks of a planet of water and earth, fire and air. AKA's humble tools of choice for this endeavor are guitar, piano, organ, synthesizer and vocals. The Friends of AKA are Tullis Rennie, trombone and electronics; Olie Brice, double bass; Richard Moore, violin; and Haydn Ackerley, guitar. They too navigate the shoreline of the south coast, haunt the same taverns and regularly play together in whatever combinations fit the bill. Leaving the drums (and their drummer) at home to realize anew these dream-laden songs, AKA & Friends ensure that the notes fall around the beat and not on it, so as to define the pulse with absence. Anthony Moore with AKA & Friends manifest a sensuous post-devastation lounge act, seeking to re-invoke natural orders by naming -- rather than cursing -- the darkness in its many guises. Like final-phase Johnny Cash on a lost episode of Twin Peaks, Anthony's innate gravitas is a light through the surreal landscape, as the players combine themselves again and again, their efforts rising and falling in shared space. Their gothic jazz orchestra carves delicately through Anthony's songs, releasing the melodies and the melancholy to drift upward, like smoke against a sooty and scorched backdrop. Fantastic, prophetic journeys, dry eyed but deeply affected, through the shadow depths of Anthony Moore's mirror."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
Cassette
|
|
DC 966CS
|
Cassette version. "Glyders been dreaming up this sound for ages -- over years, with different players, countless shows and many late nights at the tape machine. It's been a long ride to Forever -- but now that they've arrived, the vibe's lightning and the blink of an eye. Guitarist/vocalist Joshua Condon and bassist Eliza Weber started up in 2014, but even when they put together their 2023 album debut, Maria's Hunt, they still had a revolving door on the drums. Then they met Joe Seger, who fit on the kit like a glove and in their sound like a brother. Since then, the three have ridden together, building up Forever while playing shows all around the US and Europe. This makes Forever's spirit high and tight, its sinews rumbling with communal joy. The song nugs of Forever sprouted branches and spokes on the road, the increased physicality driving their mellow licks and riffs with a great depth of rolling bottom, its groove taking them further into their own thing. After all this time, the streamlined new chassis feels mighty fine, making this the first real band album for Glyders. These sweet tunes punctuate and emphasize the wind and rain in the hair of Forever's driving jams. Glyders like to keep shuffling the deck. Taped at their own Studio 'G' in Chicago's Humboldt Park, with Josh getting the sounds they like, then mixed by Cooper Crain at Sweat Loge Studios down in Pilsen, Forever is super rich, crackling with the raw details of real life. The title comes from a battle cry within the band, something they hear at shows too. Eliza's amazing art emphasizes this for life credo, mixing classic roots with punk collage style drawn from years of flyers. It's like a family/club vibe, the kind of thing you get tattooed into your skin. Forever lands smooth, its lightning-quick 37 minutes leaving you plenty of time to live. Flip it over and let it go again, then!"
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
DC 966LP
|
"Glyders been dreaming up this sound for ages -- over years, with different players, countless shows and many late nights at the tape machine. It's been a long ride to Forever -- but now that they've arrived, the vibe's lightning and the blink of an eye. Guitarist/vocalist Joshua Condon and bassist Eliza Weber started up in 2014, but even when they put together their 2023 album debut, Maria's Hunt, they still had a revolving door on the drums. Then they met Joe Seger, who fit on the kit like a glove and in their sound like a brother. Since then, the three have ridden together, building up Forever while playing shows all around the US and Europe. This makes Forever's spirit high and tight, its sinews rumbling with communal joy. The song nugs of Forever sprouted branches and spokes on the road, the increased physicality driving their mellow licks and riffs with a great depth of rolling bottom, its groove taking them further into their own thing. After all this time, the streamlined new chassis feels mighty fine, making this the first real band album for Glyders. These sweet tunes punctuate and emphasize the wind and rain in the hair of Forever's driving jams. Glyders like to keep shuffling the deck. Taped at their own Studio 'G' in Chicago's Humboldt Park, with Josh getting the sounds they like, then mixed by Cooper Crain at Sweat Loge Studios down in Pilsen, Forever is super rich, crackling with the raw details of real life. The title comes from a battle cry within the band, something they hear at shows too. Eliza's amazing art emphasizes this for life credo, mixing classic roots with punk collage style drawn from years of flyers. It's like a family/club vibe, the kind of thing you get tattooed into your skin. Forever lands smooth, its lightning-quick 37 minutes leaving you plenty of time to live. Flip it over and let it go again, then!"
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
EFFICIENT 033LP
|
Syncretic marks the debut full-length from Australian duo Bhairavi Raman, a Western and Carnatic violinist, and Nanthesh Sivarajah, a mridangam player and versatile percussionist. Both artists share a Tamil heritage, a current that hums across the album. Raman, from South India, and Sivarajah, from Sri Lanka, draw lines that connect Western practice and Carnatic tradition. This hybrid is central to Raman's approach as a violinist, an instrument itself caught between East and West since the late 18th century. Her playing folds history, lineage and experimentation into music that acknowledges inheritance while gently rewiring its circuitry. Expanding on traditional music can be a precarious practice, but Syncretic never feels heavy-handed. Raman and Sivarajah exercise measured restraint, letting the Carnatic framework breathe even as it is refracted through contemporary tools. Delays, looping, subtle layering and synthesized harmonies tilt tradition into a new light without disguising it. Even within a contemporary framework, Raman's rigorous Carnatic training under gurus Sri S. Varadarajan (India), Sri Murali Kumar (Australia) and Sri Gopinath Iyer (Australia) is unmistakable. She captures the spiritual and emotional essence of each raga: on "Seven," the playful raga Bahudari becomes both centerpiece and conduit, while on the traditional piece "Thunbam Nergayil," drawn from a Tamil poem, listeners hear a deeply personal iteration, a weeping euphony of mixed emotions hitting all at once. Tradition here is absorbed, expanded and reframed. Sivarajah's command of the mridangam, honed by his gurus Sri Jambunathan (Sri Lanka), Sri Balasri Rasiah (Australia) and Sri T. R. Sundaresan (India), is central to his original composition "Guardian." He sustains tradition while extending it through layering and sound-spatialization. The mridangam here functions as both a structural and ornamental force, mapping continuity between inherited form and contemporary sonic architecture. Syncretic resonates as a space where Tamil heritage, diasporic memory and contemporary practice coalesce. Culture, like sound, circulates, transforms and persists. Tradition is not an archive but living material, a soundworld that lingers in the ears and the imagination.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
EPR 082CD
|
Something is brewing in the state of Norway! Kronstad 23 are the latest trailblazers from northern Scandinavia: a creative force exploring the boundaries of musical genres, including but not limited to: psych rock, jazz, post-rock and Scandinavian folk music. The group of young players follows the footsteps of Motorpsycho, Elephant9 and El Paraiso's own Lotus, Fra Det Onde and Kanaan, carving out their path through the musical landscape in seemingly effortless ways! One minute you're floating on cosmic Pharoah Sanders waters, the next you're ascending on electrified if-Tortoise-played-Allman Brothers-style jamming. The band describes their approach as: "Sommermørket is an escape from inhumane technology and politics in search of something that feels authentic. The music breathes in the little that is left of old air and rises slowly into the hazy summer twilight like brittle thoughts that try to connect and fade away." Kronstad 23 was formed in Kronstad, Bergen, Norway in the Autumn of 2023. As old friends and musical collaborators, they rekindled a creative spark that had been dormant for over 10 years. Rarely rehearsed and often caught on first take, Sommermørket was recorded live on tape in the studio of Keyboardist Øyvind Vie Berg in Bergen, Norway. The record captures three sessions across one year, from spring and late summer in 2024 to winter of 2025.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
FTR 812LP
|
"46 years after I first heard Stare Kits on a cassette, they finally have an LP. About time! This NYC quartet's name often comes up in discussions of the No Wave era, which make sense. The members -- Angela Jaeger, Amy Rigby, Michael McMahon, and Bob Gurevics -- were all fans of the scene, and involved with various aspects of TR3, one of No Wave's pre-eminent showcases. UT played their first gig opening for Stare Kits. Rick Brown (Blinding Headache, Information, etc.) played guest sax with them. Julia Gorton used Amy as a photo model almost as often as she used Lydia Lunch, and so on. But despite such connections they were not a No Wave band. Stare Kits's music certainly use instrumental elements in line with No Wave's ethos, but these're part of a much larger mix. The band's basic approach is much rockier and punkier. Bob's guitar parts are more in the tradition of Quine and Reed than they are Lydian, the McMahon/Rigby's rhythm section is more primitive than martial, and Angela's vocals are goddamn melodic. Closer musical comparisons might be made to a various aspects of UK bands from Penetration to Wire to Deaf School to X-Ray Spex. There's a soupçon of a '79 UK DIY rattle to some of the tunes as well. But there is an ineffable something lurking in their collective soul that keeps Stare Kits's instrumental sound grounded in the NYC art-punk/street-rock continuum. Angela's vocals may resemble Penelope Houston's at moments but there's not much overt political content in Stare Kits's lyrics. An eclectic mix of elements? Yeah, and it sounds fucking great. The saga of Stare Kits was laid out pretty well in Angela's excellent book, I Feel Famous (Hat & Beard Press 2025) and was also part of Amy McMahon's equally dandy Girl to City (Southern Domestic 2019). Now's your chance to hear what their hubbub was all about." --Byron Coley, 2025
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
FTR 831LP
|
"Shutaro Noguchi didn't set out to make a farewell album, but On the Run captures a moment of profound change. Recorded just weeks before moving back to Japan after 20 formative years in America (spent primarily Louisville, Kentucky), the album reflects a life in motion -- rooted in memories, yet reaching toward the unknown. In Louisville, Noguchi had built a creative home with a tight-knit crew, crafting beloved records that ranged from the country-rock swagger of Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band to the mutant grooves of Equipment Pointed Ankh. Meanwhile, he released compelling solo work, including the full-band psych rock gem Love Super Terranean on Feeding Tube Records. With On the Run, Noguchi joins The Roadhouse Band once more for a searching, expressive collaboration -- an album made at a threshold between past and future. The opening track "Olympic 3.5" begins with Noguchi in solitary introspection: "Now the wind is blowing / It's passing me by -- I'm getting a little too used to watching this sunset." He's soon joined by the syncopated rhythms and lilting synths of The Roadhouse camp, constructing a warped odyssey that intertwines the cosmic spirit of Gong with the melodic, pop-driven abstraction of Ryuichi Sakamoto. Noguchi returns with Wyatt-esque wordless vocalizations before the song spirals into a dark, abstract descent. Jazz-tinged numbers like "Apocalypse/Calendar" and "River Dagger" highlight Noguchi's singular compositional voice. His relaxed vocals float over otherworldly arrangements, while "Drive My Cape Cod" -- a voice memo captured during a long car ride and completed in the studio -- offers a candid glimpse into his melodic daydreaming, in a move reminiscent of Maher Shalal Hash Baz, where casual, unpolished moments reveal deeper emotion. Some tracks lean into groovier, more danceable territory, with production touches that echo Japanese contemporaries like Shintaro Sakamoto, Fishmans, Cornelius, etc. "Melody" pairs a nostalgic City Pop feel with the band's forward-thinking sound. The bubbly rhythm of "Time With You" feels almost weightless beneath the album's perhaps only guitar solo, played, oddly enough, not by guitar wiz Noguchi himself but by bandmate Ryan Davis. Amid the breezy lightness, he accepts the chaos of an uncertain future: "It's beginning to change / The time of the world / Eventually we'll see it." Noguchi's reflections on uncertainty are deeply relatable and bittersweet -- especially in this moment. With On the Run, Shutaro Noguchi and The Roadhouse Band show us how they face the unknown -- together, embracing uncertainty with both resilience and camaraderie." -- Kryssi Battalene, 2025
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
FTR 818LP
|
Leeds is burning again, and the match is called Self Immolation Music. Their new LP, Strange Worship, isn't a record so much as a rite -- forty minutes of distortion, drone, and devotion from a band who don't so much play songs as build temples out of amplifier hum. Recorded inside an old converted police station, the walls still humming with ghosts of interrogation and authority, a low frequency vibration has been rattling the cells -- that's Self Immolation Music, summoning their new LP Strange Worship into existence like a feedback séance. Guitars roar like collapsing stars, basslines pulse like a migraine heartbeat, and drums hammer out the sort of trance you can't fake. This is not a record you listen to -- it's a record you enter. Forty minutes of holy distortion and electric devotion, channeled straight from the lineage of Spacemen 3, Loop, and the endless cosmic engines of Hawkwind. Where their last transmission (Infinity Trip) was a relentless surge into the void, Strange Worship is a ritual circle drawn in fuzz. The riffs don't just play -- they throb, they loop, they dissolve you. Imagine repetition as religion, feedback as incense, a mantra made of distortion. That's the sound of Strange Worship: heavy, hypnotic, and strangely beautiful in its ruin. Self Immolation Music don't deal in nostalgia or polite psych revival. They deal in immersion and Strange Worship is music for surrender. This is the deep end, the psychic throb, the sonic flame you can't look away from, a devotional noise meant to be felt in the gut and the teeth. Put it on loud and you'll understand: the worship is strange, but the faith is absolute. Strange Worship is not a product -- it's a possession. Approach with open ears, a steady pulse, and the willingness to lose yourself in the noise. Strange times call for strange worship.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
LMS 1725560
|
Northside were key players in the "Madchester"/baggy/indie-rave scene of the early '90s. Chicken Rhythms includes the indie dancefloor fillers "Take 5," "Shall We Take A Trip," and "My Rising Star." Featuring restored artwork by Central Station Design. Expanded CD edition features six bonus tracks: rarities, single edits, and two remixes by The Reflex and Leo Zero. Includes 12-page booklet.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
LMS 1725562
|
LP version. Green color vinyl. Northside were key players in the "Madchester"/baggy/indie-rave scene of the early '90s. Chicken Rhythms includes the indie dancefloor fillers "Take 5," "Shall We Take A Trip," and "My Rising Star." Featuring restored artwork by Central Station Design. Expanded CD edition features six bonus tracks: rarities, single edits, and two remixes by The Reflex and Leo Zero. Includes 12-page booklet.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
LMS 1725576
|
LP version. Alongside Joy Division, The Durutti Column were amongst the first artists to be released by Factory Records. Their debut album, produced by Martin Hannett, showcased the filigree guitar work of Vini Reilly, awash with reverb and early experiments with synthesizers. It would be a first album of a five-decade career, in which The Durutti Column would quietly emerge as one of the most influential acts from the Manchester scene and beyond. To celebrate the album's 45th anniversary, London Records revisits the album with new editions, with audio sourced and remastered from the original tapes for the first time since 1980, with vinyl cut at half speed. LP version includes restored "second edition" artwork with textured sleeve. Liner notes by The Durutti Column/Factory Records expert James Nice.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
LUMB 039CD
|
The latest album from Michael Cashmore (formerly of Current 93 plus known for his work as Nature and Organisation) collects ten pieces which, as with the previous album, Until the End of Vibration, released by Lumberton Trading Company, draw from that magical place where crepuscular and moody soundtrack work converges with the kind of synth lines Tangerine Dream made a name for themselves with. Along the way, there are piano-led melodic swells, a couple of surprisingly serrated edges and sparingly used percussion veering between the bombastic and more emotionally charged. Between each of the compositions, there's an overarching sense of sadness or resignation while carefully woven refrains point to the simple beauty one derives from staring at a night sky or the sun's rise or setting over a serene sea apparently untouched by man. Sophisticated yet unostentatious, this is music that's bold, minimal and utterly deserving of the attention of the film that will doubtlessly play out in your head as you lock yourself in to everything it promises.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
MENT 014LP
|
2025 restock; LP version. Mental Experience present a reissue of Galactic Explorers' Epitaph For Venus. Another album from the Pyramid label shrouded in mystery and produced by Toby Robinson in Cologne, circa 1974. Kosmische and head sounds with plenty of Minimoog, analog synths/keyboards, effects, loops, tape manipulation, treated percussions, etc., courtesy of Galactic Explorers, an electronic, minimal, ambient krautrock trio featuring Reinhard Karwatky (Dzyan). Take a trip to the inner regions of your mind, see ancient solar systems forming, and listen to cosmic winds and vibrations while sine waves of pure bliss will give you total peace of mind. RIYL: Terry Riley, Popol Vuh, Sand, Peter Michael Hamel, Tangerine Dream, Baba Yaga, Cluster, Cozmic Corridors, Brainticket. 24-bit domain remaster from the original tapes; Insert with liner notes by Alan Freeman, head boss at Ultima Thule and author of The Crack In The Cosmic Egg (1996).
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
SCR 355CD
|
The brilliantly named duo -- formed by Adam Morrow and Jamie Sego -- might be based in "the hit recording capital of the world," Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but somehow, they have made a concept album about the ancient religious outpost off the coast of northeast England. It's a stunning record that mixes fuzzy guitars with folk horror and fantastic melodies -- for fans of Ride, Slowdive, Galaxie 500, Talk Talk, Yo La Tengo and The Clientele. Despite its lyrical inspiration lying thousands of miles away, it comes imbued with the soulfulness of their surroundings -- not least because it was recorded in the old Muscle Shoals Sound studio by the Tennessee River, now Portside Sound, which is run by Jamie. "The story of Lindisfarne gave us a framework for what were otherwise very abstract ideas and emotions," explains Adam. "It became a way to make sense of our own moment in history. We really want our lives and societies to always get better, and to be left alone to make that happen. But we are stuck in these cycles of progress and regression, and I think most people are really driven to make sense of it and assign meaning. Lately, we've lived through a global pandemic, a devaluation of truth and reality, and a resurgence of far-right politics into the mainstream. Not really what I expected out of life in 2025." He is keen to point out that, despite the seriousness of its inspirations, the duo had a lot of fun making the album and really want it to be "a living and breathing thing". "We want people to be able to engage with it regardless of whether they care about it as a concept record," he says. "For me, it's just another reason to expand the pedalboard," concludes Jamie. "We hope you enjoy it. Peace, love and reverb from Alabama."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
SE 4617X-LP
|
2025 restock. "The album was produced by the band themselves, and issued in two different stereo mixes. The more widely distributed mix is the one done by MGM/Verve staff engineer Val Valentin. The other mix was done by Lou Reed, boosting his vocals and guitar solos, while reducing the level of other instruments. This version was dubbed the 'Closet Mix' by Sterling Morrison, because it sounded to him as if it had been recorded in a closet. The most dramatic difference is that the two versions use entirely different performances of 'Some Kinda Love', both taken from the same recording sessions."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
VAMPI 320LP
|
Repressed; on 180g vinyl. In Everybody Loves the Sunshine (1976), Roy Ayers seamlessly blends genres, creating a timeless sound that continues to influence musicians and DJs around the world. He makes the vibraphone the central instrument, a jazz-funk approach that defines his unique style. Over time, the album has remained an essential reference in Roy Ayers' discography and in the history of '70s Black music. Summertime soul classic! This album not only solidified Ayers as a key figure in the world of jazz-funk but also marked a milestone in soul music and contemporary jazz. It features a sophisticated blend of irresistible grooves, smooth melodies, and a unique sound that has endured over the years, becoming a reference for multiple generations of musicians and listeners. By the mid-'70s, Ayers had already established his reputation with his band, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, and his distinctive use of the vibraphone, which became his personal trademark. However, with this album, Ayers ventured into a smoother, more accessible sound, partly in response to the rise of disco music and the growing interest in more experimental sounds within the music scene. Throughout its ten tracks, Ayers managed to create a sonic atmosphere that evoked both the warmth of summer and the sophistication of jazz from that era, set against a backdrop of modern soul. The production was carried out by Ayers himself, along with his producer and friend, David R. Williams, and features the wonderful sound of Phillip Woo's Fender Rhodes and the powerful energy of the rest of the band, achieving an unmistakable authenticity and freshness. Some of its most well-known songs include the title track, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine," "The Golden Rod," and "The Third Eye," which quickly became classics of jazz-funk and soul. This album is crucial in Roy Ayers' career, as it demonstrates his ability to remain relevant and creative in an ever-changing music industry.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
WWSCD 112CD
|
Wewantsounds presents the release of Tokyo Funk Diva, a compilation highlighting the work of Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama, one of Japan's leading funk voices of the 1980s. Blending funk, boogie and soulful grooves, Penny brought a distinctive energy to Japan's music scene during the decade. Compiled by Nick Luscombe -- who previously curated Tokyo Dreaming for the label -- the set marks the first time Hitomi's music has been compiled outside of Japan. Featuring newly remastered tracks and liner notes by Luscombe, the release offers fresh context to Penny's work and its role in the evolution of Japanese funk and groove culture. Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama was one of the few female singers to fully embrace Japan's burgeoning funk and boogie movement of the 1980s. Born in Okinawa in 1957 and raised partly in California, she developed a cosmopolitan outlook that would shape her music. At a time when the country's pop scene was shifting toward slick, funk-oriented productions, Penny crafted a distinctive style that fused boogie, disco, and funk with her confident, soulful delivery. Her albums for Nippon Columbia recorded in the '80s capture this vibrant moment, combining sophisticated studio craft with the pulse of Tokyo's nightlife. The selection includes cult classics such as "Sexy Robot," "Love is the Competition," and "Instant Polaroid," with lesser-known gems such as "Exotic Yokogao" and "I Love You Shika Omoitsukanai." Together they showcase the singer's versatility, moving effortlessly between syncopated upbeat floorfillers and chilled mid-tempo grooves. While her music earned recognition at home, these releases were never widely available outside Japan and slowly became prized finds among DJs and collectors. Tokyo Funk Diva presents highlights from this catalogue for the first time in an international release. Compiled by broadcaster and tastemaker Nick Luscombe, the selection has been newly remastered and comes with Luscombe's liner notes, retracing Penny's career and her role in the evolution of Japanese boogie and disco. As he writes in the liner notes, "It's this deep musical craftsmanship -- both in the songwriting and performances -- that gives Penny Tohyama's work its lasting power. Her music feels as fresh and relevant today as it did when it was first released." With its mix of sharp production, irresistible rhythms, and Penny's unmistakable presence, Tokyo Funk Diva serves both as a long overdue introduction to one of Japan's original funk queens.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
WWSLP 016LP
|
2025 repress; LP version. Obi strip; Includes two-page insert. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Akiko Yano's Tadaima., originally released in 1981. The first release Wewantsounds' ambitious program to release Akiko Yano's albums outside of Japan Tadaima. ("I'm home" in Japanese) is Yano's fifth studio album and a synth-pop masterpiece, co-produced by her then husband Ryuichi Sakamoto and featuring all the musicians from Yellow Magic Orchestra (Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Sakamoto), the group she was touring with at the time. Japan's best kept secret, Akiko Yano is one of the most ground-breaking artists to come out of the '70s Japanese music scene along with Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto. A piano child prodigy, Yano started her solo recording career in 1976 at just 21, recording her debut album Japanese Girl with no less than Little Feat as the backing band. This album created a stir on the Japanese scene and Yano was on the map. She went on to record a series of superb albums mixing funk, electro, and city pop featuring the cream of Japanese (and sometimes American and English) musicians; The fact she was producing, writing and composing herself made her a true maverick in a very male-dominated industry. These albums, incredibly, have never been released outside of Japan to this day. Tadaima. is Yano's first attempt to leave the acoustic piano aside and delve into the synth sounds of the early '80s. The result is a fascinating electro pop masterpiece showcasing her talent as a writer, musician, and singer, creating her own unique universe. Mixing Japanese and English lyrics, Yano crafts perfect pop songs such as "Tadaima.", "I Sing", "Harusaki Kobeni" (which became one of her most famous songs after its use in a Japanese cosmetics ad), while "Taiyo No Onara" is a suite composed of nine short stories written by children. Contributors on Tadaima. also include Shigesato Itoi, one of Japan's most famous copywriters (for Studio Ghibli among others) who wrote two tracks on the album and his friend legendary illustrator Teruhiko Yumura -- aka King Terry -- who revolutionized underground manga in the '70s with his "heta-uma" (bad-good) style, as showcased on the album's striking artwork. Tadaima. is the perfect entry point to Akiko Yano's unique body or work. This reissue includes original artwork by cult illustrator King Terry and a new introduction by renowned DJ Joakim.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
WWSLP 112LP
|
LP version. Wewantsounds presents the release of Tokyo Funk Diva, a compilation highlighting the work of Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama, one of Japan's leading funk voices of the 1980s. Blending funk, boogie and soulful grooves, Penny brought a distinctive energy to Japan's music scene during the decade. Compiled by Nick Luscombe -- who previously curated Tokyo Dreaming for the label -- the set marks the first time Hitomi's music has been compiled outside of Japan. Featuring newly remastered tracks and liner notes by Luscombe, the release offers fresh context to Penny's work and its role in the evolution of Japanese funk and groove culture. Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama was one of the few female singers to fully embrace Japan's burgeoning funk and boogie movement of the 1980s. Born in Okinawa in 1957 and raised partly in California, she developed a cosmopolitan outlook that would shape her music. At a time when the country's pop scene was shifting toward slick, funk-oriented productions, Penny crafted a distinctive style that fused boogie, disco, and funk with her confident, soulful delivery. Her albums for Nippon Columbia recorded in the '80s capture this vibrant moment, combining sophisticated studio craft with the pulse of Tokyo's nightlife. The selection includes cult classics such as "Sexy Robot," "Love is the Competition," and "Instant Polaroid," with lesser-known gems such as "Exotic Yokogao" and "I Love You Shika Omoitsukanai." Together they showcase the singer's versatility, moving effortlessly between syncopated upbeat floorfillers and chilled mid-tempo grooves. While her music earned recognition at home, these releases were never widely available outside Japan and slowly became prized finds among DJs and collectors. Tokyo Funk Diva presents highlights from this catalogue for the first time in an international release. Compiled by broadcaster and tastemaker Nick Luscombe, the selection has been newly remastered and comes with Luscombe's liner notes, retracing Penny's career and her role in the evolution of Japanese boogie and disco. As he writes in the liner notes, "It's this deep musical craftsmanship -- both in the songwriting and performances -- that gives Penny Tohyama's work its lasting power. Her music feels as fresh and relevant today as it did when it was first released." With its mix of sharp production, irresistible rhythms, and Penny's unmistakable presence, Tokyo Funk Diva serves both as a long overdue introduction to one of Japan's original funk queens.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
WRWTFWW 109LP
|
WRWTFWW Records presents the limited-edition vinyl reissue of Natural Sonic, the groundbreaking 1990 environmental percussion album by Japanese composer and performer Yoshiaki Ochi. Long a hidden gem of the kankyō ongaku movement, Natural Sonic finally returns in its full analog glory, housed in a heavyweight sleeve with obi and carefully remastered from the original archives of Wacoal Art Center/Spiral's visionary NEWSIC label. Originally released only in Japan at the dawn of the 1990s, Natural Sonic is a mesmerizing exploration of earthly sound and rhythm -- a sonic tapestry woven from wood, water, and stone, and skin. Ochi, who at the time was the in-house composer and performer for world-renowned designer Issey Miyake, created a series of elemental pieces that blur the line between avant-garde percussion, ritual music, and environmental sound art. The result is both deeply physical and profoundly meditative -- an album that breathes with nature itself. Echoing the organic minimalism of Midori Takada's Through the Looking Glass and the ecological grandeur of Geinoh Yamashirogumi's Ecophony Gaia, Ochi's compositions open portals into primal landscapes, evoking forests, rivers, and stones in flux. Part of NEWSIC's celebrated experimental catalog -- alongside Yoshio Ojima's Une Collection des Chaînons, Motohiko Hamase's #Notes of Forestry, and Satsuki Shibano's Rendez-Vous -- Natural Sonic now finds new life for contemporary listeners seeking sound that feels both timeless and vital. A singular album of resonance and restraint, Natural Sonic is a treasure from the golden age of Japanese environmental music, finally available again over three decades later.
|
viewing 1 To 23 of 23 items
Next >>
|
|