Nu-Jazz | Broken Beat Vinyl Sale 39 Items

People of Earth shakes things up for #016 with a Limited Edition 12” from Charolastra entitled Karuna. Only 200 copies pressed of this continuous play, crossover jazz release. Brought to the realization with some of ATLANTA’s most talented instrumentalists. It is an amalgamation of genres but the underlying emotions are immediately recognizable. Grief, loss, regret and the transcendental power of the spirit to overcome these hardships. Blending elements of jazz, IDM, broken beat, drone, and dub, while it may be difQicult to put your Qinger on Karuna it doesn’t make it any less enjoyable-

Glenn Astro returns to Tartelet Records with Purple, a four-tracker of minimal slow burners and futuristic dance music, marking the label’s 50th 12-inch release. Since releasing his second album Homespun in late 2020, Glenn Astro has been quietly channeling his funky instincts towards new production approaches. Purple, a four-piece compilation of mutant future-boogie daubed in Rogers-Nelson hues, comes through with emotional heft. It also marks the 50th 12" release for Tartelet Records. “Following up on Homespun, I wanted to try out some more dancefloor- oriented tracks again,” says Glenn Astro. “Keeping it simple and practical, while not being too predictable. I incorporated a lot of modular synth bits and experiments, with ‘Flux’ being an almost exclusively modular-based jam.” Incorporating tricky sound design and fluid structures, Astro’s new lines of enquiry never come at the expense of the groove. From the opening thump of ‘Penduloop’ onwards it’s apparent that his rugged rhythmic kinks are present and correct to hook in the dancers, while the melodic drops later in the track edge in a little melancholic flavour to take the mind somewhere else entirely. On this opening track, the artist explores new territory with his version of early naughties minimal house – a welcome slow burner. The EP title track ‘Purple’ slaps with purpose, not least in the Linn-esque drums and melodic bassline, but it’s a positively dreamy piece which skips on crooked beat formations and floats upwards via a multi-timbral tapestry of yearning synth shapes and robotic vocals. On ‘Out Of Office’ Glenn Astro provides a generous dose of electro nostalgia when he amps up the heavy-hearted feeling with aching string pads and electro-informed machine logic. The track becomes alive with its deep un-synced rhythms and dark bass notes, pushing further into the abyss. ‘Flux’, with its tooly feel, takes the electronic mantra further and sheds light on the source of much of Astro’s new sound palette. Crucially, even in its techiest moments, an irrepressible humanity shines through across Purple. Glenn Astro’s soul is the binding agent which links his early, sample-heavy house to his more explorative new angles, and it comes through in abundance on this fully-formed release.

Cratere Centrale are back from Etna for the second chapter of the ‘Excursions’ series of 7" EPs. On the Aside "What You See", a bonus track of their first Ep called "Cratere Centrale", with the help of the beautiful, warm & deep vocals of Derane On the Bside the remix of "My Guitar" (original version included on their debut ep) by producer and musician K15 who gives us a bruk banger!

Future Jazz Ensemble is a project from multi instrumentalist Nicola Penna. With Future Jazz Ensemble, Nicola is exploring of the intersected sonic paths of jazz, ethnic and electronic music; trying to recall the past and evoke the future. His previous two Future Jazz Ensemble releases; The Mankind's Place 12" LP and Art For Art's Sake 7" were limited runs and are now very sought after. We are very proud to have Nicola releasing music on Ten Lovers Music and look forward to future projects.

Sounds Familiar returns with the latest instalment of 7InchNails - its home-grown series of 45s, filled with unique jams from some of the most exciting producers around.

Following on from releases by Kaidi Tatham and Dego, up steps London-based DJ and producer K15 for two timeless and sophisticated pieces of future jazz. On the A side, ‘Demo Of Heart’ opens with a dazzling keyboard riff, recalling the sunset vibe of fusion giants like George Duke, Herbie Hancock or Azymuth’s Jose Roberto Bertrami, before breaking out into a syncopated, serpentine jam that feels just about ready to melt into the horizon. On the B Side, K15 brings a Latin heat to the table, with clipped and skittish percussion dancing around a set of lush chords that open into a lysergic stepper, buoyed, as the title ‘Tomorrow’s Promise’ suggests, by a sense of hope and moving on.

The release comes on 180g vinyl. For the second 12” of the series we’ve enlisted two of the most on-fire producers in Germany: Max Graef and Glenn Astro, along with one of the UK’s brightest ascendant producers. Back fighting, kicking and beating as strong as or perhaps even stronger than ever before, Ivan ‘Mamao’ Conti is releasing a brand new solo album next year. Now fitted with a new iron hip- thanks to the immense generosity of his fan base who crowdfunded the operation – the Azymuth drummer still remains one of the greatest and outright funkiest drummers alive anywhere in the universe as he enters this new bionic era. As people of earth are not yet quite ready to hear the explosively ethereal cosmic samba of his new album just yet, we’re easing into it with a series of appropriately propulsive percussive jazz-headed remixes. For the second 12” of the series we’ve enlisted two of the most on-fire producers in Germany: Max Graef and Glenn Astro, along with one of the UK’s brightest ascendant producers.

Volume 2: Another healthy dose of iconic reworked, retouched and edited tracks steamily rising up from the unique and magic poolside of Pikes Hotel (Ibiza). A trusted taste that has lead to Jazz N Palms warm-up the monthly exclusive Ronnie Scott's (London) jazz concerts held at Pikes. Jazz music fused sartorially with Latin, funk, rock and international sounds to be enjoyed under the palms and sun of the Mediterranean Sea.

2000black returns with two slices of ’23 grooves.’Soursop-Mango’ is afro beat house funkified the mr ranks & mr mensah way. Whilst ‘Straight Forward Side Steps’ is the minimal techno runnings that dj’s love to ride in the mix.

London-based artist, musical director and producer Amane shares ‘Moments Of Solace’ via Música Macondo. Introspective and contemplative from the outset, the 6-tracks EP meanders between the hypnotic pulse of electronic percussion, nocturnal pads evoking elated epiphanies and calming synths. Echoes that fade and return, an ecstatic wave of sound. For Amane, the music collected on ‘Moments Of Solace’ is the physical answer to a world that seems to become darker every day. A creative way out, a sonic world where ambient excursions à la Boards Of Canada coexist with thumping beats that could have rolled out of a Floating Points’ set at Plastic People. On ‘Moments Of Solace’ Amane distills ambient electronica, idm, jazz, crafting music that reflects his global pursuit - a non-stop touring creative able to soundtrack night drives on the Pacific coast highway, clubbing in London or a meditative trip on the Shinkansen.

Following a collaborative release on Sherelle and Naina's Hooversound Recordings and EPs on Sneaker Social Club, Wncl Recordings and his own Club Glow (ran alongside Denham Audio, LMajor and Borai), contemporary UK breaksmith Mani Festo readies four typically lairy cuts of gun-finger, rush-in-the-rave energy.

Mani Festo has become something of a breakbeat assassin in recent years with a deserved spotlight being shone on the producer as one of the brightest artists to emerge from within the dark 'n' dutty UK breaks and electro scene. What you see is what you get from Mani Festo; what you're getting is a screwface and a smacked jaw.

'Leviathan' kicks things off with its stripped-back, grime-like textures - distorted kicks, frantic claps and growls from the belly of the beast blend on a minimal-breaks sequence that packs quite a punch despite its uncluttered soundwaves. 'Tethys' follows in a similar vein; distorted screams come from a brass-creature deep in the darkness, scattered percussion and step-tipped production blur the lines between garage, breaks and electro.

Large wubs and basslines guide the listener front left (just make sure you've got your protective earplugs in!) on 'Night Drive' before 'With U' strays down an emotional and introspective route with its otherworldly atmospherics, jungle tones and contemplative stillness - a creative combining of both heaven and hell.

Earl's back on his own imprint Melange. This time around, he has the U.K's finest - Mr Kaidi Tatham - on Flute and Guitar duties. Side B includes 2 versions of title track 'Higher. Take ya pick!! Artwork by frequent collaborator and good friend, Ral Duke. Ral has been behind artwork for the likes of Griselda Records( Westside Gunn, Conway, Benny the Butcher), Alchemist, Ghostface Killah, among a whole heap of others. Keep a look out for some weighty merchandise to accompany the release. We got some goodness coming your way.

Ethyos 440’s Electrifying Fusion Blends Genres in New EP «Aquila Rift“. Prepare to embark on a musical journey like no other as Ethyos 440 introduces their exciting and awaited 2nd EP «Aquila Rift,» set to release on Stone Pixels on the 3rd of October. Blending elements of electronic music, trough Dj Laxxiste A. ́s radical and incisive approach to production with L’Eclair’s love for cinematic soundscapes and ethereal melodies, Ethyos 440 has created a captivating fusion that questions the boundaries of the electronic scene, seamlessly merging the worlds of house music and rock’n’roll. The EP opens with the pulsating energy of the first single due on September 6th «Escape from 440» before entering the dystopian dub trip of «Fattuale». The Madchester trance-hit that is “Tobisha“ follows and takes you directly to the Paradise Anthem outro of EP closer «Mos Eisley». Ethyos 440 has crafted a collection of bangers that will ignite any club settings. «Aquila Rift» is not just for the dance floor. It is a psychedelic expedition for expert listeners, with layers of complexity that reveal themselves with each listen. The multidimensional sonic experience crafted by the band’s use of heavy cross-fading breakbeats, never-ending fat bass lines mixed with crunchy wah-wah’s and sci-fi like synthesizers aims to transport their audience into the depths of their own mind

The Mental Traveller - A Soundtrack by Noa Erni If music can take our mind to any imaginable place, on endless individual journeys, Noa Erni’s “The Mental Traveller” is the infinite soundtrack. A soundtrack for mental wandering and soul searching, a blend of rap, jazz and hip-hop beats. “The Mental Traveller", an album assembled like a literary anthology, offers musical arrangements and unique narratives where epilogue and prologue of each track merge seamlessly. Far beyond the horizon of compiling single tracks, “The Mental Traveller” is a journey of sound and unity. Inspired by David Axelrod and William Blake, Ahmad Jamal and Flying Lotus - just to name a few - this work aims to be a tribute to these legends’ legacies of past, present and future, detached from trends, norms and classical narrative structure. Swiss-born producer and computer conductor Noa Erni has been crafting obscure jazz and hip-hop behind closed curtains (a.k.a. his flat in Berlin, Germany) for years - free from external pressure and as an adjunct to his day jobs as sommelier and co-owner of local fine wine store “Friedenauer Weinhandlung". On April 30th, 2021, Kommerz Records will release Noa Erni’s debut album “The Mental Traveller” on 12″ vinyl as well as on all digital platforms. The project features internationally renowned artists such as Count Bass D (alternative rap pioneer, who worked with Snoop Dogg, MF Doom (R.I.P.) and Retrogott), Miles Bonny (New Mexico-based singer and trumpeter), S. Fidelity (hip-hop producer signed to German tastemaker label Jakarta Records) and more. Erni’s guests meld seamingly with this unapologetic and experimental album showcasing stand out performances on vocals, instruments and production. While the album sounds like it was played by a jazz outfit with years of stage experience, the truth surprises and is even more exciting: Noa crafted the songs in countless hours of experimenting with a midi keyboard, various instrument plugins and perfected.

Tawoyame Orquesta celebrates their 15th Anniversary with new 7inch release from their new project! The guest remixer features Takeshi Nakatsuka. The band's signature song "Suteki na Ongaku", which was included on their first album, is newly sung by the leader Tomoko Okamura on the original track from 10 years ago!! The flip side features a remix track for the first time. "odo Latin" from the latest full-length album, "Shukuen Fifteen" (urdc82) is remixed by Takeshi Nakatsuka, a wizard of live sound. The remix is a swingin' and breakin' floor-ready tune!!

Mad genius and longtime member of Urban Tribe, Kemetrix unleashes eight tracks of pure, raw, anthemic, futuristic techno from the streets of Detroit. A clinic in the sacred and profane, the horror and the beauty, that can only be brought to you by someone that has truly lived it.

With his debut EP Mo Wrights delivers a jazz-focused and narrative-driven record navigating the inner dialogue of a creative struggle of inferiority, abstraction and commitment. The story finds him enlisting some friends along the way to advance from one act to the other.

With the title track - ‘things2proof’ - Mo tries to combine his myriad of influences in a 6-minute record that weaves together elements of jazz, broken beat, acid jazz, fusion, hip-hop and hints of rock. The coherence comes from his poignant narrative, which resembles a four-act structure, telling the story of alienation and his internal experience of inferiority, creative frustration, and his eventual recognition of a solution, concluding by finally permitting himself to simply ‘be’. And for that we thank him!

The b-side ‘proof of concept’ follows the title track, Mo embraces a more laid-back approach, sitting sonically closer to his beloved broken beat sound. Amsterdam-based pianist Misto Kay delivers a long soul-felt piano solo that carries the track into untold dimensions of groove. With this offering the soul feels both heard and yearned for. It’s as if desire and satisfaction are in conversation with one another. You can’t help but be gripped, pay attention, and listen.

As a co-founder of the Amsterdam-based music platform Steppin’ Into Tomorrow, whose ethos is anchored in the principle of collaboration and unification of the Dutch scene is a deeply felt sentiment throughout Mo’s EP. He enlists a slew of emergent local legends, such as Quanza, drummer Jamie Peet, flutist Han Litz, bass player kotokid and pianist Misto Kay to embellish and remix his creation. The remixes also illuminate other bright creatives the local scene has to offer, with remixes by the likes of - Kofi the Unknown, Lyma, Misto Kay and Jazz n Dance.

Meeting Point bring us four slices of moody but musical experiments from the point at which broken beat and bass culture meet. The slow motion of skeletal skank of 'Brass Beat' shows that the duo are capable of tempting plenty of character out of their machines, while 'Morning Air', with its highly pitched synth glories and stop start drums, also show they're not in the least bit bothered about fitting into existing genre frameworks. Fascinating stuff.

After reissuing Hedzoleh by Hedzoleh in 2022, a collaborative effort by Meakusma and Soundway, this new 12inch features remixes by Jimi Tenor, Mark Ernestus, Gavsborg and Waltraud Blischke, transporting and transfusing Hedzoleh's tracks into new spheres and circumstances. Hedzoleh Soundz were one of the first and most original ‘Afro’ bands from 1970s Ghana, playing an unusual mix of traditional music and western rock as part of the West African Highlife scene. The music for the Hedzoleh album was used by legendary South-African trumpeter Hugh Masekela as the backbone to his afrojazz classic, “Masekela – Introducing Hedzoleh Soundz”. The Hedzoleh Soundz Remixes 12inch features an eloquent, deep, deeply poppy even, dub by Mark Ernestus, Jimi Tenor taking the original Rekpete track into even more joyous territory, adding some subtly hypnagogic touches at the end, Gavsborg transforming Y Yes Baa Gee Wo into a beat-based drone of sorts, a toolin the right hands, and a majestic experimental twist by Waltraud Blischke, sampling one Hedzoleh track and one unreleased solo track by Sascha Todd, son of Hedzoleh bass player and vocalist Stanley Todd.

This record came about with the support of Ostbelgien.

Afrotronic is the new album by legendary Dutch dance pioneer and producer Eddy de Clercq, inspired by African rhythms and atmospheres.

All songs on the Afrotronic album are influenced by music from Southern to North Africa. Largely recorded in South Africa, not only electronically but also with an instrumentation of typical African instruments played live, such as the mbira (kalimba) and traditional drums and percussion. Exotic instruments adding a fresh characteristic sound to the music, not programmed via any existing electronic soundbank.

The plaintive vocals of a muezzin on 'Ibrahim' and the melody of 'Topaz' are unmistakably North African. The funky dance track 'Miss Ghana (Afro Baby)' is sung by the Ghanaian singer Consular. Although not typically African in origin, the didgeridoo, perhaps the oldest wind instrument on earth, plays the leading role in the North African-inspired instrumental 'A Track Called Africa'.

Inspired by his travels through South Africa and his love for the African languages of that country, Eddy wrote texts that he had translated into Xhosa. 'Coral Reef' was the first song recorded with South African singers Yemu Matibe and Alungile Sixishe, supplemented with classical arrangements for cello and piano. The original English text describes the loss of coral reefs worldwide due to climate change.

Afrotronic has ultimately become an adventurous, electronic, jazzy album, in which influences can be heard from Afro-pop, Dub Step, Deep House and South African Amapiano.

Ever since he remixed Abimaro & The Free’s ‘Mark’ back in 2014, NuNorthern Soul boss Phil Cooper has kept in touch with Daniel Stenger, the producer and self-taught multi-instrumentalist behind the Flashbaxx project. Cooper was always convinced that Sanger would be capable of crafting a very special release for the label but was willing to give him time to come up with something special.

With Take Care My Friend, a mini-album inspired by the German producer’s deeply rooted love of jazz-funk, Stenger has repaid the faith shown in him. He’s delivered a collection of quality cuts marked out by audible warmth, effortless musicality and memorable, sun-soaked songs.

As he makes clear in the liner notes included with the vinyl version of the mini album, the project began with the recording of luscious, Rhodes-laden opener ‘Alright’. After staying up all night recording the track, Stenger not only decided to continue recording with the same relatively limited set of instruments (think bass and electric guitars, drums, piano, electric piano, organ, hand percussion and a handful of synthesizers), but also stick to a hybrid sound that added a subtle Latin shuffle to his Balearic-minded take on jazz, funk and soul fusion.

We’re biased of course, but there’s no denying that Stenger’s creative choices have resulted in a superb set of tracks. While the restricted kit list provided focus during the music-making process, there’s still plenty of musical variety across the six tracks that make up the set.

For proof, compare and contrast the jazzy, loose-limbed headiness of ‘It Just Happens’, where simmering synth-strings, twinkling melodic motifs and glistening guitar licks rise above smooth jazz-funk bass and a gentle broken beat rhythm, and the slow-motion soul brilliance of ‘Strangers’, where Kathryn Kempf’s evocative and poignant lead vocals rise above a sumptuous downtempo groove and heart-aching piano lines.

This subtly varied but musically coherent vibe continues across the mini album. Stenger indulges in a bit of New York daydreaming on ‘Brooklyn Love Boat’, a wonderfully musically detailed chunk of 1970s style jazz-funk heat that offers knowing nods to Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock and the jazz-fusion stylings of Azymuth, before opting for a deeper, slower and even more seductive sound on the Hammond-sporting bliss of ‘Take Care My Friend’.

Closing cut ‘City Lights’, a gorgeous, soft-focus affair smothered in echoing Rhodes riffs and immersive chords, has the feel of an underground classic in waiting: a stirring, string-drenched future sing-along whose emotion-packed lyrics are delivered brilliantly by Glasgow-born singer/songwriter Chris Pookah.

Despite the song’s subject matter – the painful final breakdown of a relationship – there’s something strangely uplifting about the combination of Pookah’s pitch-perfect vocal delivery and the absorbing warmth of Stenger’s comforting and sonically detailed music. It provides a fittingly impressive finish to a mightily immersive mini album.

Gayance joins forces with Rhythm Section for her debut album ‘Mascarade’ - a swaying dance that moves between poetic, soulful odes to the past, accounts of the Afro-diasporic feminine experience and playfully energetic dance floor grooves.

Mascarade is a collection of dancey, broken rhythms, interwoven with heartfelt stories and bright, unapologetic outpours of joy. In her own words, “It's the story of my 20's. I wanted to pay homage to this kid everybody knew, but not deeply. It's about taking back a power that is mine and was always in my hands...It's about making peace with the past and moving forward”.

Gayance (real name Aïsha Vertus) takes her alias from the Haitian creole word for joyfulness.Based in Amsterdam, born and raised in Montreal-Nord, she started as a DJ in 2013, and has toured the world with shows in Paris, Brooklyn, Marrakech, Berlin, Sao Paulo and more, bringing electrifying and contagious energy wherever she goes.

Her own production is influenced by underground UKG and the respective house scenes of Detroit and New York, with nods to the vivid, sun-soaked colours of Latin America. Shades of blues, jazz and gospel can also be heard in her newest project, pulling together styles from each corner of the world. Following her catalog of entirely self-released projects, Gayance announces her full-length debut album on Rhythm Section, bringing some fellow Montrealers along for the ride.

The Dutch icon Orlando Voorn is releasing his second album for Deeptrax Records sublabel Contrafact! Having started his career in the early 80s with major influences of Parliament, Kraftwerk, Motown and P funk, he is now widely recognized as an ingenious (Detroit) house and techno producer with former releases on Juan Atkins’ Metroplex records and Kevin Saunderson’s KMS. "The Master 2" is an album that is heavily influenced by the deeper sounds of soul and funk.. Orlando Voorn has used aliases in the past to present and release various styles of music without limiting himself and is one of the most versatile producers out there. We are proud to team up with Voorn and release this album that captures soulful jazz, funk rhythms and perfectly fused with passionate vocals in a real jazzy Detroit vein.

"Offworld"is back after 20 years with a new album called "The Guru Walk" on Tasty Treats Records. This release is a real walk into Offworld music experiences where from the first track to the last one, he works to create a collection of electronic jazz tracks with different influences and moods. A side contains three EDM tracks including the title track "The Guru Walk" that is a real midtempo gem with deep chords,light percussion section and warm ambient pads. On the other side there are the longplay "tought vision" and the acid jazz influenced track "Ruzena". C side contains the hypnotic track "Lagos 3000" with afro influences,warm organ and synths and deep pad. The soulful "Siofra's Star" complete this side with broken vibes and melodies. On D side there are the deep and warm "Wahpanio" that is a dancefloor oriented track with latin influences and last but not least "Holy Portal" a jazzdance track with a groovy and powerful bassline,breakdrum and soulful chords.

The Amsterdam-based duo of Lyma and Rebiere aka Likeminds follow up their debut album On My Way with versions from its predecessor.

Sometimes life throws you a curveball and you still gotta make it to first base. That’s what happened when Rebiere’s laptop was stolen, along with all the recordings of their original debut album. The pair made a brand new album from scratch, but they kept coming back to the demos from the lost recordings. They started to rework the sound as a whole, adding finishing touches, including additions from Bo Floor and Gino Groeneveld from Jungle By Night. The demos weren’t the same as the stolen tracks, but they learned to love the imperfections all the same.

The Lost Tape takes you on a journey - through low-slung beats, party jams, soulful. melodies and woozy synths, all masterfully woven together with samples and field recordings from Amsterdam’s watery canalways. It’s also the story of how the duo met, at a time when Lyma felt lost at sea with his collection of unreleased tracks, before Rebiere threw him a lifeline and brought some focus and clarity. Sometimes finding a like-minded friend can make all the difference.

One year after his surprising debut, Agosta, the Catania musician-non-musician and Space Echo Records return to the point with “Reworks and Remixes”. Which from the very title disengages itself from the industrial 'album+remix album' chain and on listening reveals itself to be a record capable of moving, in total autonomy from its antecedent, on three different levels of reading. For, at its base, we would say, there is a much more stimulating idea than the simple compulsion from alternative versions, b-sides and so on. Point 1, transfiguration. Because, contrary to the genre stereotype, the remix mode allows songs to express themselves in creative and experimental ways. Point 2, the Rorschach Test. Because, on those songs, there is the personality, that is, the result of the cross-vision with experience, of the individual producers being measured against itself. Point 3, the stage backdrop. That is, its ability to show a cross-section of the current electronic scene in Etna. Agosta wanted some of the pillars of Catania's black-minded electronic scene with him and, together with them, reinterpreted songs from his first album. The result is a work that is as multifaceted, in terms of the specific weight of the artistic individualities involved, as it is homogeneous, in their idea of a sound that is as physical as it is mental and, above all, in terms of a totally Mediterranean underlying taste with which every single track is imbued. Whether it is the pensive house of “Apple 65” or “Lady G” (Butterfly Agosta's Rework) as much as AN-AN's dub on “Varanni”, between Grace Jones and Adrian Sherwood, or Galathea's more psychedelic and twilight Trip-Hop on “Three Chestnuts”. The Shaft-esque swagger of Salvo Borrelli and Reverend James, the donwnbeat pop of “Cellars” by Go.Soul.Map. and the caress of “Hearing The Call” (Lady G In A Rainy Day Version) by The Invisible Session, in which spoken and what they once called nu jazz flirt. Don’t Miss It!!!!

Deep jazz & hip hop meet on "DAYS PAST", a new LP from THE PETER FRANKS GROUP. Produced by SIMON S, "DAYS PAST" incorporates a lush, live vibe with hard drums, deep basslines, organic keys & standout solos alongside dusty samples. Remixes include stellar work from QUIET DAWN,BUSCRATES & MECCA:83.

Fate is a funny old thing. One day in 2011, DJ/producer Tom Trago found himself sharing a train journey with Steven Van Lummel, a DIY musician, artist and co-founder of PIP, an underground nightclub and cultural hub in The Hague. Over the course of a rambling, open-ended conversation, the idea of making music together came up; a few weeks later, Trago travelled to van Lummel’s place – a former industrial unit that was now home to a rotating cast of artists and musicians – and didn’t leave for a month.

Cossetted away from the outside world in van Lummel’s loft, with multi-instrumentalists Janneke Nijhuijs and Wieger Hoogendorp joining them to create a musical four-piece, Mega Wega was born. Over the course of four weeks, the quartet embarked on an almost continuous creative session punctuated only by impromptu parties and mixing sessions. Life-long bonds were made and over 70 tracks recorded before the mundanity of day-to-day life came calling.

For one reason or another, the project never saw the light of day, with tracks sat gathering dust on hard drives for the best part of a decade. During the madness and loneliness of the Covid-19 pandemic, Trago rediscovered the tracks. Delighted by what he heard, a collective decision was made to add finishing touches and release the resultant album on van Lummel’s PIP Records imprint. Further instruments and vocals were added over two days at Hoogendorp’s studio, before mutual friend Tom Ruig got on board to mix the album.

So, what can you expect from Haunted, Mega Wega’s debut album? First and foremost, it’s the sound of pure creative expression – the distillation of a freewheeling, no-holds-barred, spontaneous musical journey variously inspired by the do-it-yourself ethos of musical counterculture, shared inspirations and influences, epic jam sessions, distant stars (Wega, sometimes known as Fidis or ‘the harp star’, is one of the brightest in the night sky), imaginary journeys across dusty deserts, and the comradeship of four new friends.

Enchanting and alluring, it’s an album that gleefully denies lazy categorization and ploughs its own eclectic, atmospheric musical furrow in vivid sonic detail. It’s a collective exploration of heady musical eclecticism unified by saucer-eyed vocals, low-slung bass, loose-limbed beats, sweaty percussion workouts and hazy electric piano motifs.

Haunted begins with the woozy and hallucinatory slow-burn soundscape of ‘Get Things Done’ – an effects laden shuffle akin to lying flat on your back tripping under an intense desert sun – and ends with the creepy, mind-mangling post-punk funk of ‘Brain Carpaccio’; in between, you’ll find spaced-out, low-tempo lo-fi soul (‘Move Around’, ‘Haunted’), deep and off-kilter opioid jazz (‘Copenhagen’), intoxicating psychedelia (‘Last Night on Earth’), piano-laden dream-pop epics (‘Shake Or Fall’), and Latin-infused, percussion-powered hedonism (‘Chopping Heads’).

Born out of spontaneous collaboration and immersive, almost endless recording sessions, Haunted is an album shot through with imagination and boundless energy, captured for posterity by four friends and collaborators at the top of their game.

Melts In Your Mind is the mercurial new LP by Healing Force Project, aka Italian producer Antonio Marini.

An amorphous, shapeshifting, intangible proposition, Melts In Your Mind represents Healing Force Project at it’s most fluid and alchemical yet, a melon-twisting amalgam of jazz, dub and acid house tropes mulched and rearranged in inimitable style. Seemingly live and erratic polyrhythms, liquid basslines and expressive roving keys combine with kitchen sink sample hits and rogue licks for a thrilling, constantly shifting, alive sound. It’s music that’s difficult to grasp on first or even fourth listen, and as such continues to reward on repeat. Rather than going somewhere, tracks just go, rarely repeating motifs but riffing on, digging into and working out.

Behavior Of Waves sets the scene discretely enough, a simple bass refrain that is eventually overcome with an urgent rhythm that stumbles over itself into a post-dub cavern. The title track resembles a scramble of disparate earthly sounds - lurking synthesizer, restless popping drums, West African balafon and a muted vocal sample - sucked into the same swirling black hole and dropped into another dimension, completely cohesive. Equator acts as loose-limbed palette cleanser, an unmoored drift gently driven forward by an insistent snare roll and improv piano stabs. Inharmonious Layer stands out on the record for being less reliant on samples and by it’s relatively predictable unfolding, a queasy acid lope from the darkest corner of a deviant dancefloor, while on Diaphonization Marini flexes his aptitude with drum sampling, a bouncing excursion in sampled loops interrupted by unironic jazz cliches, the product of an omnivorous lover of the genre’s high and low. Melts In Your Mind closes on the droning tambura, ethereal pads and scattered rhythm of Two Waves In The Dark, a suitably metaphysical and ultimately peaceful resting place for a record that challenges perceptions from the outset.

Marini has released records as Healing Force Project on Firecracker, Berceuse Heroique, Bedouin and most recently Beat Machine Records. He’s based in Treviso, Italy.

Melts In Your Mind was written, produced and mixed by Antonio Marini. It was mastered by Chris Wang. Art and design by Ginji Kimura.

Mr. Fingers second part of the Around the Sun series of albums!!! Larry Heard's (under his most notable monniker) continuation on the path from last years "Around the Sun part 1". Encompassing all his influences from Jazz, R&B to Techno and Ambient these lush tracks with a feel that no one else expresses quite like him. No need to further elaborate... Larry Heard at his finest.

Diogo Silva, Nuno Fulgêncio and Rui Martins collectively go by the name Bardino. With their sound consisting of an inventive mix of electronica, rock, jazz, the Porto-based trio are pushing their sound into unchartered waters. A feeling that will be reinforced after experiencing their new album, ‘Memória da Pedra Mãe’. Their enthralling music draws upon the imagery of the beautiful and rugged scenery of their home country. ‘Centelha’ , their previous album (released by Saliva Diva in 2020) was recorded in Chaves,

in the very remote region of Trás-os-Montes. Their 207 EP of the same name was created in the rustic heart of Serra das Meadas. In this latest offering, the mention of "Pedra Mãe" (Mother Stone), refers to a rare geological phenomenon popularly known as "breeder stones" found in isolated, deserted, and inhospitable places. On the inspiration of the new album, they explain that they want to refer to "the importance of collective memory in the cohesion and identity of communities and the process of creating new memories, a process that is both natural and conflicting, since it mirrors a tension between past, present and future".

The album was recorded in the summer of 2023 at Arda Recorders in Porto and produced by João Brandão and Rui Martins. In this new material, Bardino's resources expand: Nuno Fulgêncio's drums, Diogo Silva's bass and Rui Martins' veritable arsenal of keyboards (acoustic and electric piano, various synthesisers) are augmented by the alto and tenor saxophones of Brian Blaker (who stands out in "Memória" and "Black Mica"), the guitar of Leonardo Outeiro (who features on "Punctum No 2") and, already indicating their affiliation with the Porto label Jazzego, Hugo Oliveira, who records as Minus & MRDolly (and is a guest on "Pedra Mãe") and Sérgio Alves, aka Azar Azar (who plays piano and Moog on "Tília"). Bardino's entry into the increasingly unavoidable Jazzego catalogue also reinforces their obvious links to a new wave of projects that have been experimenting with different tangents to the notion of "jazz", taking this music as part of a wider set of coordinates.

Over the course of eight tracks, and clearly benefiting from the distinct imprint of the recognised quality work of João Brandão, one of Portugal's current best producers, Bardino presents dense, deeply cinematic music of the highest definition, in which the different instruments translate a broad emotional and visual landscape, with solos of enormous elegance arranged over grooves that induce the idea of movement. All the musical coordinates mentioned earlier are present, but perhaps in this new material you can feel a greater fluidity, certainly the result of honing the vision of the central trio through a vast experience collected on stages all over the country. And there are even echoes of a decidedly Portuguese songbook, as is so clearly felt in "O Semeador", something new in the range of aesthetic references embraced by Bardino. This is, in fact, music that thrives on a benign tension between past, present and future, in the sense that it embraces traditions and history, seeks a new framework in this diverse now and dares to project itself forward. Because the future is the best of all locations.

noquestionsasked & Vanishing Berlin present: »Diskothek Harmonie«

An ode to places we will remember with wistfulness, even though we had no idea we would ever miss them. A homage to a sub- and neighborhood culture that threatens to disappear. Nothing lasts forever!

Diskothek Harmonie was created in cooperation with photographer Alexander Steffen's Vanishing Berlin project. The cover comes in five variations: One photo motif from each of the districts of Neukölln, Schöneberg, Mitte, Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg. Framed by a handmade screen print, with individual coloring. Each motif is limited to 50 copies.

The vinyl EP's four tracks are held together by short atmospheric soundscapes and spoken cut-up lyrics. In the titular track, the warm voice of actress Barbara Philipp invites us to dance with the time signs and slogans of the present. The remaining tracks by Projekt Freizeit come from their archives of the last 15 years. Created between long gone wastelands and brick walls, pressed on vinyl to last forever.