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After playing in Bodcast with future Yes guitarist Steve Howe, Dave Curtiss and Clive Maldoon formed blues-rock duo Curtiss Maldoon, their self-titled debut released on Deep Purple’s label, Purple Records, in 1971. For the LP, the pair was backed by top session players including Mighty Baby’s drummer, Roger Powell, as well as Howe on the final track; contemplative folk-rock track “Sepheryn” would later be immortalized in altered form by Madonna as techno classic “Ray Of Light,” but is included here in all its original glory, along with four rare bonus tracks from the same sessions, left off the original release, making this expanded reissue the best way to experience the band at their finest. Limited vinyl reissue on 180gr vinyl, featuring 4 bonus tracks.

Svart Records proudly present Tasavallan Presidentti live at the Ruisrock festival in 1971!

Tasavallan Presidentti’s annual performances at Ruisrock in Turku, Finland during the festival’s early years were proof of the band’s rapid ascent from a local band to an internationally renowned group of top musicians. “Pressa” left a lasting mark on many a festivalgoer, and the most optimistic ones were hoping to get these performances on a live album, if recordings existed. They do exist, and what remains on tape of the first ever Ruisrock performance was released on Changing Times and Movements (Svart Records), and the show at Ruisrock 1971 is now coming out on this album.

Arriving in Turku 1971 “Pressa” had completely shed their skin and revamped their set list from the previous year. The group had evolved into something entirely new musically. The festival had a more progressive lineup this year, and Pressa got the chance to prove themselves as part of a well respected international lineup. Some of Ruisrock’s international talent in 1971 included The Jeff Beck Group, The Kinks, Fairport Convention, Canned Heat, Juicy Lucy, Hardin & York, Pete Brown & Piblokto!, Pink Fairies, Stefan Grossman, Niemen Enigmatic, Culpeper's Orchard, Fläsket Brinner and Fruit.

Another proof of the rapid renewal of Pressa’s set list is how they would perform songs under different names, until the final name was chosen when releasing the song on an album. Jukka Tolonen’s composition The Bargain is included twice on this live album. The earlier version is from Ruisrock 1971 and the latter from the Finlandia house in December the same year.

The Bargain was first performed as Better Move On with lyrics by Frank Robson. In the autumn of 1971 the piece was re-christened as Falling Deeper, and this unreleased studio version was discovered and released on The Lost 1971 Studio Session (Svart Records). This was the name the song got for a few months, and was registered with Teosto, the Finnish music copyright association with this title. For whatever reason the song was performed using its older name at the Finlandia house in December 1971. Then, when Eero Raittinen sang the song when Lambertland was recorded, Mats Huldén provided new lyrics and the song got its final name The Bargain. Ramblin’, a familiar tune from Tolonen’s solo career, was at first performed as Feel My Way Through with vocals by Robson. This early version is featured on this live album.

There’s been a lot of talk among fans about a certain cover tune by Tasavallan Presidentti and its discovery and release are long overdue. Well, here it is, King Kong by Frank Zappa, performed by Tasavallan Presidentti at Ruisrock 1971!

Writing on label.

No obi.

Japanese pressing with obi.

We’re doing a deeper dive into fave Lobby LOYDE’s oveure. “Do You Believe In Magic” is obviously not the famous hit by The Lovin’ Spoonful. It is a Lobby original and was in fact one of the earliest Coloured Balls tunes dating from early ‘72. The ‘Balls never ended up recording it. A few months after their split in early ‘75, Lobby recorded it with him on lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, Jimmy Thompson (ex- Vince Maloney Sect, Tony Worley & The Blue Jays and Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs on drums, plus Paul Dixson on sax. This single was issued in December 1975 on the Bootleg label and has never been reissued before. It is an honor and pleasure to keep Lobby’s music alive. Edition of 400 copies on black vinyl.

Japanese pressing, no Obi.

New York's Spa Club ignites in June 2001! This live recording captures punk iconDeeDeeRamonespitting fire in his last NYC show. Raw vocals belt out classics like "Beat on the Brat" and "I Wanna Be Sedated," infused with the spirit of the Ramones. Dive into a sweaty night of pure punk energy - a must-listen for any Ramones fan.

Japanese pressing, no Obi.

On March 26, 2015, a surprising announcement sent shockwaves through the Belgian music scene. Noe?mie Wolfs declared her departure from Hooverphonic, the band she had fronted as the lead singer for over five years. She described it as the end of an incredible chapter in her life and expressed her desire to forge her own musical path, which she did by releasing her critically acclaimed debut album "Hunt You" a year later.

In February 2020, the long-anticipated second solo album by Noe?mie arrived, titled "Lonely Boy's Paradise," brimming with melancholic hues. Taking her time to craft and record this album, Noe?mie delivered a collection of songs that resonated even more deeply with her. At the production helm was Yello Staelens (also known as Yong Yello). With "Lonely Boy's Paradise," her confidence grew, allowing her to embrace risk and unconventional ideas. However, the international lockdown soon threw a spanner in the works, as the society shut down a day after her celebrated sold-out release show at the Ancienne Belgique. Rather than sit by, she therefore retreated to her home studio to work on new music.

Making music from the heart has always been in the DNA of Belgian singer Noémie Wolfs and yet this time it is a tad different as she's gearing up to release her third album, "Wild At Heart," in November. This time around, she joined forces again with her partner in crime, Simon Casier (of Balthazar and Zimmerman), to write and produce the album in their home studio. Despite being in the business for years, the upcoming project also immediately presented a challenge for her because this time she was involved both as a writer, but more importantly as a producer, giving the album an even more personal touch. Everything was done from an emotion or a vision, you notice and hear the love for enchanting arrangements immediately.

The ten tracks on "Wild At Heart" promise a distinct sound, enriched with meticulous attention to detail. The melodies are interwoven with dreamy, melancholic strings and an array of synths, revealing a new facet of Noémie's musical evolution. The new sound of Noémie evolved from a hip-hop-oriented use of samples on her second album "Lonely Boys Paradise" to a more electronic approach, where danceable beats with analog synths join forces with big orchestrated strings to capture the different facets of a love story.

"Strings are actually very hopeful or often form a warm blanket for many people, but can also be very frightening, oppressive, dark, and sad. It might even be my favourite instrument, which is why I definitely wanted to use them on this album. Sometimes you can even hear 42 violins at the same time, with which we wanted to capture the grandeur of Hollywood," she says about including strings.

The upcoming album is not a sonic continuation of her previous albums, but a deliberate exploration of what has always inspired her. "Wild At Heart" tells the story of two lovers who cannot live with each other, but also cannot live without each other. The dramaturgy of the album also reflects itself musically, which is immediately evident with the first single "Lonely Heart". In almost eight minutes, you feel the matchless passion in her music and her voice remains the narrative thread that makes you forget time and space around you for a moment. Noémie Wolfs' new music is therefore the perfect way to take a break from the daily grind and digs deep into all forms of romance.

"Wild At Heart" is Noémie Wolfs' reintroduction and her most personal project so far. For dreamers, lovers, and travelers.

Previously unreleased ‘72/74 recordings by this US hard rock band!

Blind Willie formed in Spokane (Washington) in 1972 and featured terrific guitar player Frank Trowbridge from hard-psych legends Sleepy John.

They carved out a unique niche in the Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington rock scene in the early to mid-’70s, performing original music in a time when doing so wasn’t widespread for regional bands. Within weeks of the group’s formation, they commanded stages with a potent smattering of hard-rock, country-rock and psych.

The band’s history includes a brief courtship with the Doobie Brothers’ Dave Shogren on bass, as well as major label interest from Columbia and Epic Records.

Here’s the first ever release of their amazing studio demos from 1972/74.

Blind Willie’s original lineup of Craig Karp (guitar, vocals), Frank Trowbridge (guitar), Charlie Bieker (bass, guitar, vocals) and Jim Griffith (drums) is represented via slices of incendiary rock ‘n’ roll pomp recorded on a 4-track tape machine in a friend’s apartment in 1972.

Live in the studio tracks from 1974 feature later drummer Mike Garland and bassist Joe Johnson for a fiery radio set at the legendary Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle.

The album’s selected tracks navigate Blind Willie’s wide-ranging sonic explorations, anchored by formidable guitar-forward rockers that stand the test of time, and hold up to any of the more well-known work of their peers from the ‘70s. Writhing in the rock ‘n’ roll milieu, Blind Willie’s musical tributaries run deep, steeped in a spectrum of styles that range from hard blues-rock scorchers like the incendiary “Georgia,” to heartfelt ballads (“I’m Wondering If”) and into the upper echelons of sci-fi psych (“Zolly”), a comet ride through wah-wah geetar spacedust, replete with Rocky Horror cinematic sheen. It’s also easy to imagine songs like the choogle-heavy “Somebody Help Me” illuminating the vibe of parties, bars and theaters all over North America.

slight seam split.

Franco-American artist Cory Seznec is back with his third album, Deep of Time. Co-produced with Jean-Etienne Loose and Geoffroy Dauptain of Tonehouse Studio, this new creation was forged during a strange and unprecedented period that turned our lives upside down. Overnight, Cory, now a stay-at-home dad looking after his two little boys and with little time to devote to music, had to put everything on standby. Then, with a gradual return to "normal", he once again found time to compose, despite opacity on the professional front. With time on his hands he decided to proceed as he had never done before. Each track was pieced together brick by brick with Loose and Dauptain, first as a demo - which in another era may have become the final product - to facilitate the final recording sessions. A handful of exceptional musicians were then brought on board to add their magic touch: drummer Raphaël Chassain, percussionist Renaud Ollivier, sousaphonist/trumpeter Rafgee, guitarist Daniel Mizrahi, double bassist Thomas Garoche, harmonicist David Chalumeau, pedal steel guitarist Paolo Conti, organist Jean-Max Méry... Deep of Time is a contemplative album that delves into that strange elasticity of experience where everything simultaneously slows down and speeds up, where imaginary worlds replace physical adventures lost in time’s gearwheels, where large questions are raised without any clear answers in sight. Through a unique musical universe that draws on American folk, rock and African guitar, Cory expresses his doubts, frustrations and existential crisis in the face of sudden inertia. All this flows through the dreamlike, playful, melancholy and angry work of an indomitable artist who continues to surprise with his ability to fluidify his influences, transforming them into a musical river that belongs to him alone.

Essential ‘60s British beat, R&B, Mod album from 1966 by this band fronted by Art Wood (elder brother of Birds/Rolling Stones/Faces guitarist Ronnie) and featuring a young, pre-Deep Purple Jon Lord on organ, plus Keef Hartley (John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers) on drums, Derek Griffiths on guitar and Malcolm Pool on bass. Now reissued for the first time ever in Mono, just like the 1966 original.

1973 reissue.

After debut LP Lord Of The Dark Skies, London-based acid psych trio Outskirts Of Infinity released Scenes From The Dreams Of Angels on their own Infinity imprint. Heading deeper into space rock, the album had bassist Nick Saloman on keyboards in places and front man Bari Watts on synth, but his ripping is really spectacular throughout and there’s a nod to the Hendrix influence on a killer cover of ‘Spanish Castle Magic.’ Arguably their best album, it has style, grace, and hallucinogenic power, this edition reproducing the inner gatefold lyrics.

12inch release of highly sought after Colored Music edits by Tokyo's, Chee Chimizu (Organic Music). The two cuts originally featured on the the bands seminal self titled album (from 1981) that remained a cult DJ secret weapon, for many years, all over the world. This heavy EP includes an alternative version of 'Heartbeat' that featured on the Japan only "Individual Beauty" LP of 2018 (also compiled by Chimizu)

close to NM

Sabattis were an underground hard-rock band from New York formed in 1968 by Jim Marvin (guitar & lead vocals), Gary Culotta (keyboard and vocals), Larry Wegman (drums) and Rocky Kaler (bass).

Influenced by bands like Deep Purple, Mountain and Grand Funk, they gigged around town playing lot of psychedelic clubs and venues. In 1970, they recorded a demo with the intention of securing a record deal which never came. The demo tape was in fact a fully finished album recorded and engineered by a friend from the band, Mick Gauzaski, who despite using a homemade studio, managed to obtain a real pro sound. No wonder Mick is now a multiple winner Grammy award!

The Sabattis demo remained unreleased until 2011 when Jargon Records discovered the tapes and put out a CD edition with the band involvement.
So we're proud to present a new reissue of "Warning In The Sky", remastered from the original tapes and including an insert with rare photos and liner notes by Klemen Breznikar (It's Psychedelic Baby)

Sabbatis sound is powerful heavy-psych sound with swirling Hammond organ and hard guitar which brings to mind other obscure acts like Jungle.

Kalevala’s classic third album “Abraham’s Blue Refrain”, came out with the band’s revamped, more international name “Kalevala Orchestra”. The album was recorded in the spring of 1977 and produced by Tommi Liuhala together with the band, with lyrics by Jim Pembroke of Wigwam, who also plays the piano in the title track. The overall sweeping tone of this progressive and monumental record is dark and sombre with a spiritual weight to it. The songs themes and lyrics, sung in English which is rare for a Finnish band of the day, are on a grand scale imbued with deep sentiment and sacred intention. According to Lido, the album’s title track: “… actually describes my relationship to spirituality, and the song “Silver Fish” is also a self-portrait: “I’m a Pisces in the horoscope and I made this song to describe myself.”

“Marketbox Street” and “Highland Temple” are Prog rock bangers that illuminate slightly different corners of the world taking the listener through far off valleys of feeling and meaning. With roaring hammond organ and crunching guitars that heap on the fuzz and then take flight into intricate but highly emotional solos from one beat to the next and back, Kalevala Orchestra mean business. “Abraham’s Blue Refrain” won’t let the keen listener down for one second and is altogether much more soul-searching and grandiose than their more obviously rocking “Boogie Jungle” album and remains an underrated cult favourite for that reason. Heavyweight Class-A Prog from Finland, sung in English with lyrics by one of the genre’s originators, Jim Pembrooke, with beautifully soaring guitar and piano, “Abraham’s Blue Refrain” is an unmissable thrill. On a par with bands like Camel, Bo Hansson and countrymates Haikara and Elonkorjuu, Kalevala’s music is an overdose of sentiment and spiritual emotion hammered out through epic Prog for those who know or soon will.

Vinyl with scuffs, hairlines and a couple of deeper marks

Wedge’s new release „Like No Tomorrow” makes for an unholy trinity of Wedge albums in the Heavy Psych Sounds Records back catalogue. The Berlin-based power trio once more is driving their musical Wedge in between many different genres: Garage rock turns progressive while psychedelic guitar lines are tripping over hard rocking riffs. Does this work together? Hell yes! For fans of Deep Purple, MC5, Led Zeppelin or Humble Pie this album is a sure shot. You like fuzz guitars? Hammond organ and vocals trough a swirling Leslie cabinet? More cowbell? You got it. But unlike our beloved rock records from around 1971, which we’ve heard a hundred times before „Like No Tomorrow” has one huge advantage: It’s brand new and the 8 tracks, ranging from 3:00 to 9:00 minutes, deliver a fresh, unspent and unmistakably unique taste to the rock’n’roll menu. In the tradition of bands like The Raconteurs, The Hellacopters, Graveyard or Wolfmother, Wedge are building on that vintage vibe we all know and love but evolve their very own thing and are able to connect it directly to here and now. Also lyrically the tunes are picking up on our zeitgeist, dealing with topics like digitalisation, mass migration and current social issues among others. So it’s no coincidence that the record’s title is a direct hint at our crazy times, in which it feels like the end of the world might be lurking just around the very next corner. But rather than being pessimistic about it, Wedge want to convey a positive message: „When it feels like there might be no tomorrow, just love and live Like No Tomorrow”

A Svart Mondo release. Black vinyl, 500 copies.
Alejandro Medina Y La Pesada was recorded in 1974 and is the only solo vinyl album released by Alejandro Medina. Born on 1 November 1949 in Buenos Aires, Medina had been in big bands since he was a young teenager, joining Le Pasada del Pock and Roll who included some of Argentina’s finest musicians, such as Billy Bond (who handles the production on this album), Jorge Pinchevsky (who plays Violin on this record) and Pappo, among others. Medina recorded four albums with Le Pasada del Pock and Roll who also played at the third Buenos Aires Rock Festival in November 1972, which was recorded in the movie ‘Rock until the sun goes down’. On this, his solo album, he mixes delta style blues, progressive rock and bluesy style experimental ballads that feature sublime guitar work. Eclectic hard-rock guitar journeys with lush violins and powerful vocals. A deep collectors bounty, Alejandro Medina Y La Pesada is a rare Argentinian heavy rock milestone. La Pesada (which means “The Heavy” in English) gives us a good idea of what to expect with this exceptional heavy jewel.

Heavy Psych Sounds Records is really proud to present the Psychedelic-Space split of the century!! "The Intergalactic Connection – Exploring The Sideral Remote Hyperspace" it's a split album that came from deep deep space !!! Here Giöbia meets The Cosmic Dead, two of the best modern space-rock bands you can find. The Italian quartet come with 3 incredible songs, while the Scottish guys deliver a 19 minute long suite. This piece of psychedelic journey is a travel inside the universe, 4 tracks full of heavy psych and space rock riffs that will bring you into a psychedlic vortex with no way out! A must-have for all the space travelers. Fans of Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, UFO and Gong will be more than enthusiastic ...It's a Space Ritual journey !!

All tracks previously unreleased including unheard recordings from Daryl Hall and John Oates, David Johansen (New York Dolls), Terry Allen, Delbert McClinton, Andy Warhol’s Superstar Ultra Violet, Norma Jean Bell, and The Jim Carroll Band Restored and remastered audio by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer, John Baldwin Extensive booklet featuring unseen archive photos, ephemera and label history (LP: 20-pgs, CD: 40-pgs) Liner notes by journalist Joe Hagan with exclusive interviews Double LP pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket ‘Cocktail Party’ Vinyl Color Edition pressed on Clear Wax “Earl was a wonderful man with a great eye for new and innovative art. And such an amusing companion, too.” – Mick Jagger

Earl McGrath was the ultimate ’70s jet setter, an art collector and comic bon vivant who stumbled into the record business between legendary parties in New York and LA and discovered Daryl Hall and John Oates and then Jim Carroll. Atlantic founder Ahmet Ertegun gave Earl his own label, Clean Records, in 1970; Mick Jagger hired him to run Rolling Stones Records in 1977.

Friend to Joan Didion, Andy Warhol, and a galaxy of luminaries, Earl was an inveterate tastemaker. Actor Harrison Ford, who before Star Wars fame was Earl’s handyman and pot dealer, called him “the last of a breed, one of the last great gentlemen and bohemians.”

After Earl died in 2016, journalist Joe Hagan, author of the critically-acclaimed Sticky Fingers, the biography of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, discovered a trove of rare and unheard tapes in Earl’s apartment in New York—literally inside his closet. “I asked for a step ladder and the first box I pulled off the shelf was a master tape of Some Girls, the Stones album,” says Hagan.

Now Light in the Attic Records proudly presents Earl’s Closet, a double album of the treasures discovered inside, including unheard music by Daryl Hall and John Oates, David Johansen, Terry Allen, Delbert McClinton, Warhol “Superstar” Ultra Violet, Detroit sax legend Norma Jean Bell, Jim Carroll and an eclectic cast of undiscovered artists who once vied for fame and glory—folk, rock, country, funk and R&B gems that virtually no one has heard in decades. Whether it’s the almost-famous power pop of Shadow from Detroit, or the Delfonics-style soul of the Blood Brothers Six, Earl’s Closet retraces the dreams of artists who once sent demos to Earl McGrath. Longtime Light in the Attic-affiliated reissue producer Pat Thomas assisted Hagan in tracking down the artists and finalizing the paperwork.

At once an archival mixtape, a secret history and a journey into the heart of an era, Earl’s Closet features a deep booklet of documents, images and ephemera from Earl’s archive, expansive liner notes by Joe Hagan, who tracked down and interviewed the artists, and astonishing photographs by Earl’s late wife, the Italian countess Camilla Pecci-Blunt McGrath.

Good things come to those who wait. The album 'The Children of Scorpio' by Project Gemini aka Paul Osborne is a result of his steeped 30-year musical journey that’s seen him dig deep, study his record collection and re-emerge to fine-tune his craft.

A cinematic musical journey that plays out like a long-lost soundtrack (think cult B-movies of the 60s and 70s); 'The Children of Scorpio’ was formed from Paul's love of a myriad of genres; from European library music, acid folk, psych-funk, vintage soundtracks and the contemporary breaks scene. The album draws on iconic classics such as the masterful cinematic funk of Lalo Schifrin's 'Dirty Harry', Ennio Morricone's 'Vergogna Schifosi’ and Luis Bacalov’s 'The Summertime Killer’, to name but a few. You can also hear the folk sounds of Mark Fry's iconic 'Dreaming With Alice', the Britsh folk-jazz of The Pentangle and the David Axelrod-produced 'Release Of An Oath' by The Electric Prunes, woven into the cultural tapestry of this gem. The influence of these vintage productions of the 60s and 70s is evident; however, it could be argued that there’s also echoes of the funkier psychedelic moments of bands such as The Stones Roses and The Charlatans, alongside contemporaries such as The Heliocentrics and Little Barrie, thus giving the album a broader crossover potential beyond the world of crate digging and vintage soundtracks.

A bass player and musician since the age of 16, the arrival of his first child in 2010 saw Paul move away from live performance and retreat to his home studio, recording a wealth of music that was destined to never be heard. One of the first tunes to be made was a demo entitled ‘The Children Of Scorpio’, inspired by his long-time obsession with Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to violent Clint Eastwood cop classic 'Dirty Harry'. Recorded for fun, the track was fated to sit in the archives untouched. However, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, connections to a wealth of inspirational musicians and labels would re-ignite Paul's musical fire and give him the impetus to develop his slept-on ideas into something more concrete. Firstly resulting in releasing two limited 7'' records on Delights Records and now the long-player for Mr Bongo.

Assisting in the recording of the record were several close friends that have helped spark Paul's musical creativity along the way, including well-renowned guitarist and Little Barrie frontman Barrie Cadogan (who contributes killer six-string guitar to four tracks), Delights Records head-honcho Markey Funk (who adds spooked out keyboards to ‘Path Through The Forest’), Kid Victrola, the chief songwriter and guitarist with French psych girl group Gloria who added wild 12-string to ‘Scorpio’s Garden’, Haifa-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Shuzin who brings the heat behind the drum kit, and Paul Isherwood, co-founder of Nottingham’s The Soundcarriers, who mixed the album on his wealth of vintage gear.

We are delighted to be releasing this slowly-brewed timeless classic that manages to achieve that rare feat of keeping one foot firmly in the past whilst still sounding totally contemporary.

Ripping Storm is proud to unveil another treasure until now hidden in the deep underground. Caligula formed in 1984 in New York City and were part of that legendary wave when punk and metal bands started crossing each other's territory and playing shows together. Caligula raised their banner high playing shows with the likes of Whiplash, Carnivore, Sheer Terror, Crumbsuckers, Agnostic Front, Rest IN Pieces and many more. "Technical Aggression" is their 1987 Demo featuring five songs of fast and violent thrash metal that betrays the hardcore influence only in its speed and in the super-aggressive approach. The LP version features 4 extra never heard before tracks recorded live at the CBGB's in 1987 with an incredibly good sound. The CD version features the whole CBGB's show as bonus and two additional tracks recorded live in 1988, never heard before as well. Mastered at Toxic Basement Studio. 400 copies on black vinyl, insert, A2 poster.

"Those who meditate in silence": it is one of the meanings of the Sanskrit word "Muni", a new musical project by Nicola Caleffi, multi-instrumentalist and founder of the Italian band Julie's Haircut. The debut album "Soma" (the sacred drink of the Vedic cult) was born from a day of studio improvisation which also involved Laura Storchi, a Julie's Haircut founding member, Claudio Luppi and Pierluigi Lanzillotta, the latter two engaged in various projects including the psych-rock outfit Pip Carter Lighter Maker. As invigorated by the properties of the Soma itself - the nectar that brings health and immortality - our four “cantors” unleash their minds to give life to an initiatory journey in deep communion with nature. From the thrilling Fourth-World plots of "Drinking At The River Of Light", which hides jazz-veins inspired by the Miles Davis of "He Loved Him Madly" and "In A Silent Way", to the psychedelic drifts of "Spirit Animal ”, in which horn players Silvia Orlandini and Paolo Campani also participate playing their winds, Muni manage to make spaces and silences resonate, transforming music into an imaginary landscape. Among ethno-tribal textures, in which the Bruce Palmer of "The Cycle Is Complete" era resounds, mystical psychedelia and sidereal excursions, also the tracks "Presence By The Fire" and "Corona Borealis" follow one other, closing the circle of a pilgrimage that Muni travel between heaven and earth accompanied by three very dear texts, which attended during the studio sessions: the Bhagavadgītā, the zen poem Shodoka by Yoka Daishi and the poems by Dylan Thomas."Soma" was recorded and mixed by Gabriele Riccioni and is published by Backwards Records on 300 vinyl copies. Artwork by Juan Ignacio Gimenez.

In 1970, amidst the height of the jazz-rock era, Akira Ishikawa captured the chaotic atmosphere of the time and ventured into what could be called "jazz beyond." This album, Electrum, represents the moment when Ishikawa cut most deeply and incisively into jazz. Amid a sharpened groove, musicians ascended to new heights, competing fiercely. The epic "Electrum," the complexly intersecting vectors of "Revulsion," and the beautifully serene "Speak Under My Breath" are pieces that demand attention for their density and intensity. The participation of two genius pianists and composers/arrangers, Masahiko Satoh and Hiromasa Suzuki, is also noteworthy. This album, hailed as Ishikawa's greatest work, is revived here as part of Victor's series. Text by Yusuke Ogawa (universounds / Deep Jazz Reality)

From the deepest trenches of deadstock 45s and the unsung annals of soft rock infamy, we present Sr4ht02: (Till You're) Back In My Arms.

Universal Cave and the Street Road Band cover Dan Strimer with Insured Sound's cult anthem (Till You're) Back In My Arms which was originally released as a 45 in 1977 on Lost Nation Records out of Guysville, Ohio. When Universal Cave featured Back in My Arms on Soft Rock for Hard Times Vol 8 in 2023, we reached out to Dan Strimer to tell him how much we loved his record, and quickly made a friend who helped us release a cover of his song 47 years after it first came out. Dan is still making music to this day and there are even rumors of some unreleased recordings making their way out in the near future.

On vacation in Hawaii when we released Soft Rock for Hard Times Vol 8, Alex Tebbs Mitchell of Universal Cave kept coming back to Dan's catchy, rural classic rock tune. When Alex returned to Philadelphia, he assembled the Street Road Band to record a laid back, 'southwestern Balearic' cover version with André Ethier on vocals, Charles Simon on guitar, Jesse Spearhawk on Pedal Steel, Alex Tebbs Mitchell on Rhodes and bass, Ryan M. Todd on synthesizers, and Shawn Ryan and Brian Cassidy on additional programming and arrangement. The result is a blissful soft rock ballad inspired by the likes of Chris Rea and Mark Knopfler.

After recording the cover, we called in the UK's finest Balearic maestro's Coyote to take the multitracks to the White Isle and back for a remix worthy of Cafe Del Mar. Coyote send the song into a dreamy, dubby, deep house groove, confirming that the record is, in fact, Balearic.

Mixed by Alex Tebbs Mitchell Mastered by Mat Leffler-Schulman

Music produced in the 70’s in the Basque Country got trapped between two earth shattering artistic currents; Ez Dok Amairu in the 60s and Basque Radical Rock in the 80’s, and unfortunately, most of the lovely discs and tunes created at that magical time have been pushed to a remote (and sometimes even despised) corner of our collective memory. 60’s and 80’s music currents are almost opposite, and both work as magnetic poles with a very strong power of attraction, and maybe also as a burden for any of the later artistic currents. 60’s generation of artists searched within their rich and ancient cultural roots to acknowledge and update them, in proud, hopeful and unforgettable folk songs. The 80’s one on the other hand, worked in a flammable environment in constant social and political conflict and found in punk the perfect way to express their anger and weariness for so many unfulfilled promises and the lack of opportunities into short, noisy, direct and corrosive songs, technically sparse but full of energy and expressive power. Most of the “classic” names engraved in our memory come from one or the other like Benito Lertxundi, Mikel Laboa, Lourdes Iriondo and Xabier Lete or Kortatu, Hertzainak, Zarama, Las vulpes, Eskorbuto or Cicatriz. 70’s generation and their music works somehow as the “missing link” (“katebegia” in Basque) between the two. They loved folky tunes and don’t forget their ancient roots, but they also look outside for inspiration and experimentation. Just as the 80’s boys and girls found punk the 70’s guys found a completely different sonic and aesthetic landscape in the works of Grateful Dead, Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Soft Machine, Gong,… and worked closely with keen souls in other neighboring regions such as Maquina!, Pau Riba or Sisa in Catalonia or Smash and Triana in Andalusia. This resulted in more abstract and poetic lyrical content, much longer psych-folk-prog-jazz tunes, full of complex instrumental passages and mesmerizing structures of sheer ambition and masterful execution in many cases. But, most important of all, they found a voice of their own, rich, unique, and fascinating, and that’s what makes them so valuable to us. Not only to us, but also to lots of vinyl collectors and crate-diggers around the world, who have in many cases paid fortunes for some of the original editions of LPs that are the source of tunes in this compilation. Mikel Unzurrunzaga Schmitz aka DJ Makala, Dj and producer of worldwide scope and wisdom, noticed this fact first and decided to pay homage to these wonderful tunes through this masterful and dedicated selection for your pleasure and as an open invitation to dig deeper into your adventures in the dark and hidden side of Basque popular music. The album Katebegiak, now published by Elkar, contains 13 tunes on double LP gatefold edition from Haizea, Izukaitz, William S. Fischer, Magdalena, Enbor, Itoiz, Koska, Itziar, Errobi, Lisker, Amaia Zubiria & Pascal Gaigne, Gontzal Mendibil & Taldea and Urria, and the CD-Book edition adds an extra bonus track by the great unknown artist Juan Arkotxa. Along with this compilation, and as a sample of the era, we reissued two more little gems of which we have included a track on the compilation.

First LP release of Osamu Okuno's 2003 masterpiece "Utauhito," featuring Takeshi Shibuya, Hiroshi Funato, Ren Takada, Kanji Nakao, and Takero Sekijima. Kyoto singer-songwriter Osamu Okuno was rediscovered by the younger generation during the rock boom of the time with the first CD release of "Osamu Okuno" in 2000 and his first new album in 10 years, "Kaerou." Made in 2003, this is a miraculous album, with deep shadows and youthful songs riding on the ambience-filled playing of Takeshi Shibuya, Hiroshi Funato, Ren Takada, Kanji Nakao, and Takero Sekijima.

Netherworld marks a considerable step onwards from the territory that Louise Patricia Crane explored on her debut long player Deep Blue, crafting audial landscapes that go further into both inner and outer space; hallucinatory and surrealistic yet also grittier and more direct. For all that this stemmed in part from early Genesis and The Beatles, Netherworld also sits in alignment with the luxurious but oddly intimate realm of modern classics, by the likes of Tears For Fears, Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell, with passionate intensity set in a bold, cinematic vista. In realising these romantic and expansive visions, Crane not only wrote or co-wrote the entire album, but arranged, co-produced and played a wide variety of instruments on it. Yet as a supporting cast, she has surrounded herself with a formidable selection of mercurial contributors. Once again, Jakko M. Jakszyk (King Crimson) brings his fiery and mellifluous solo guitar work, as well as contributing backing vocals, keyboards and co-production. Elsewhere, the flute soliloquies of Tiny Bard are the work of Jethro Tull’s Ian Andersonwhile saxophone duties are handled by Mel Collins, whose work with King Crimson marks only one chapter in an incredibly storied life in music. Providing violin and viola across the stylistic expanse of the album, Shir-Ran Yinon (New Model Army / Eluveitie) returns as a collaborator. The rhythm section for the lion's share of the record consists of the dream team of Tony Levin (King Crimson / Peter Gabriel) and Gary Husband (John McLaughlin / Billy Cobham / Allan Holdsworth) with Nick Beggs stepping in on bass for Dance With The Devil and upright bass on Long Kiss Goodnight. Crucially however, even amidst this kind of company, Louise’s voice and vision is never remotely overshadowed—with the talents on offer only serving to make the backdrop to her songs still more vivid, sharp and intense. In as much as Netherworld is a work that exists on a lineage of progressive music and the visionary artists who’ve expanded their boundaries of exploration to form sound-worlds as big as their imagination, it’s also a work of magical realism in the tradition of Pan’s Labyrinth, The Company Of Wolves or the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Haruki Murakami—in which the supernatural and otherworldly, lead to a shortcut to the essence of being human. In this World, Louise Patricia Crane is our Storyteller. Disc 1 (CD)Dance With The DevilTiny BardCelestial DustLittle Ghost In The RoomToil And TroubleThe Red RoomLady Peregrine's ConcubineSpirit Of The ForestBête NoireLong Kiss GoodnightThieves Fools And CrowsMidnight View日本人形 (Japanese Doll) Disc 2 (DVD)Dance With The Devil (5.1 Mix)Tiny Bard (5.1 Mix)Celestial Dust (5.1 Mix)Little Ghost In The Room (5.1 Mix)Toil And Trouble (5.1 Mix)The Red Room (5.1 Mix)Lady Peregrine's Concubine (5.1 Mix)Spirit Of The Forest (5.1 Mix)Bête Noire (5.1 Mix)Long Kiss Goodnight (5.1 Mix)Thieves Fools And Crows (5.1 Mix)Midnight View (5.1 Mix)日本人形 (Japanese Doll) (5.1 Mix) "7 (Boxset only)A Ladies Of The Road (King Crimson) AA Dirty (Johnny Winter)

1992’s ‘Untitled’ brought the band’s third album that re-cemented the duo once again as the progenitors of the “lo-fi” genre. This breakthrough set transitioned "The Trux" into a never ending all-inclusive rotating cast of musicians. Continuing Fire Records’ series of classic remastered albums from Royal Trux, ‘Untitled’ is released on white vinyl and features updated monochrome and silver artwork.

As unpredictable as ever, Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema shook off the next level layering and noise of ’Twin Infinitives’ to embrace the history of rock ‘n’ roll in all its deformed grandeur. Utilizing their ever present mind set of macro-inclusivity, they allowed the subconscious "radio stations" of their lives to infiltrate, lead, and dictate. Culling from their collective minds and memories twisted tunes that touched them. After the blood rush of their much-hailed avant-garde masterpiece ‘Twin Infinitives’ (1988), this eight-song opus added to the lo-fi genre that originated on ‘Twin Infinitives’.

On ‘Untitled’ Hagerty uses his 5-string blues roots and hails rock’s twisted potential, while Herrema slurs and snarls in ecstasy. They sound like they’re locked in a fourth-floor boudoir at the Chelsea Hotel; bottles clink, an album clicks on its run-out groove, the band plays on. In the mix are the characters and casualties of the 90s, a roll call of swaggering misfits. These aren’t superficial sketches, the Trux cut much deeper than that…

“‘Junkie Nurse' isn't just about addiction; it's about the twisted hope that even the most broken people can somehow mend others, even when they're falling apart themselves." Jennifer Herrema, Royal Trux.

With ‘Untitled’ Royal Trux justifiably increased their coterie of convicted followers, becoming the cult heroes for a transgressive generation, and the Rosetta Stone for male/female duos (ie:The White Stripes, The Kills etc... ) over the years inspiring everyone from The Silver Jews (David Berman) & Sonic Youth through to melodic blue-eyed soulsters like Hot Chip - “I urge and encourage you to enter the harmolodic multiverse of their music.” Alexis Taylor, Hot Chip

“Royal Trux were nothing if not fearless.” Pitchfork

As our forthcoming record, we knew we had to go big on Vulture’s Paradise. These songs found the perfect balance of a raw, live sound and psychedelia. Though the lyrical themes revolve around death and destruction, the music is more alive and creative than ever.

Warlung is a Texas rock band formed by longtime friends and brothers in 2016. Inspired by the sounds of old, they wrote heavy, catchy songs with a psychedelic twist. By February 2017, they recorded their debut album, Sleepwalker, which was self-released the following fall. Playing festivals such as End Hip End It Fest and opening for acts like Wo Fat and Dead Meadow, they quickly gained a cult following around Texas.

“They raise the bar for some metal bands, and definitely anyone who's making their blend of metal and psych. The band seems to accept that they don't have to stick to traditional themes and goes for more epic storytelling, helping to further expand their sound.” – David Garrick (Houston Press) Less than a year later, they entered the studio to record their second album, released in February 2019. Immortal Portal went on to hit #14 on Doom Charts and was included on Weedian’s first artist compilation. They continued to host various breweries and festivals like Sxsw, and quickly became a fan favorite within the local rock community. Their audience grew as they opened for bands such as High Reeper, Forming the Void and King Buffalo. “Warlung gasp the airwaves with pneumonic rage, utilizing elements of true doom, heavy metal, stoner rock, psychedelic and occult driven blues. The wicked riffs, dreamlike vocals and sinful solos subdue the listener deep into a deep state of Sabbath fantasia.” – Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

As our forthcoming record, we knew we had to go big on Vulture’s Paradise. These songs found the perfect balance of a raw, live sound and psychedelia. Though the lyrical themes revolve around death and destruction, the music is more alive and creative than ever.

Warlung is a Texas rock band formed by longtime friends and brothers in 2016. Inspired by the sounds of old, they wrote heavy, catchy songs with a psychedelic twist. By February 2017, they recorded their debut album, Sleepwalker, which was self-released the following fall. Playing festivals such as End Hip End It Fest and opening for acts like Wo Fat and Dead Meadow, they quickly gained a cult following around Texas.

“They raise the bar for some metal bands, and definitely anyone who's making their blend of metal and psych. The band seems to accept that they don't have to stick to traditional themes and goes for more epic storytelling, helping to further expand their sound.” – David Garrick (Houston Press) Less than a year later, they entered the studio to record their second album, released in February 2019. Immortal Portal went on to hit #14 on Doom Charts and was included on Weedian’s first artist compilation. They continued to host various breweries and festivals like Sxsw, and quickly became a fan favorite within the local rock community. Their audience grew as they opened for bands such as High Reeper, Forming the Void and King Buffalo. “Warlung gasp the airwaves with pneumonic rage, utilizing elements of true doom, heavy metal, stoner rock, psychedelic and occult driven blues. The wicked riffs, dreamlike vocals and sinful solos subdue the listener deep into a deep state of Sabbath fantasia.” – Bucky Brown (The Ripple Effect)

The two-piece rock band Taika’s (帯化) 3rd album ‘On Chitou Jichi’ (御池塘自治), originally released in 2023, is now available on vinyl. The album’s folkloric vocals and krautrock-inspired repetition swirl together with environmental sounds, creating an immersive atmosphere. The interplay between the post-Fourth World Revival soundscapes and the raw, earthy physicality rooted deep within the music blurs the line between the nostalgic and the novel, each reflecting echoes of the other.

In this album, Taika explores the residual sense of "foreignness" within the now-commonplace rock band format in Japan, re-examining it and injecting new possibilities for "translation" and reinterpretation into those gaps.

This release includes a large poster-style lyric sheet. Additionally, it comes with a download code for the digital version of ‘On Chitou Jichi,’ as well as a code for a destructive remix of Taika’s track “Kouraku Biyori” by the up-and-coming dub techno artist Yo, who is signed to Taika’s independent label, Zōen Keikaku.

Netherworld marks a considerable step onwards from the territory that Louise Patricia Crane explored on her debut long player Deep Blue, crafting audial landscapes that go further into both inner and outer space; hallucinatory and surrealistic yet also grittier and more direct. For all that this stemmed in part from early Genesis and The Beatles, Netherworld also sits in alignment with the luxurious but oddly intimate realm of modern classics, by the likes of Tears For Fears, Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell, with passionate intensity set in a bold, cinematic vista. In realising these romantic and expansive visions, Crane not only wrote or co-wrote the entire album, but arranged, co-produced and played a wide variety of instruments on it. Yet as a supporting cast, she has surrounded herself with a formidable selection of mercurial contributors. Once again, Jakko M. Jakszyk (King Crimson) brings his fiery and mellifluous solo guitar work, as well as contributing backing vocals, keyboards and co-production. Elsewhere, the flute soliloquies of Tiny Bard are the work of Jethro Tull’s Ian Andersonwhile saxophone duties are handled by Mel Collins, whose work with King Crimson marks only one chapter in an incredibly storied life in music. Providing violin and viola across the stylistic expanse of the album, Shir-Ran Yinon (New Model Army / Eluveitie) returns as a collaborator. The rhythm section for the lion's share of the record consists of the dream team of Tony Levin (King Crimson / Peter Gabriel) and Gary Husband (John McLaughlin / Billy Cobham / Allan Holdsworth) with Nick Beggs stepping in on bass for Dance With The Devil and upright bass on Long Kiss Goodnight. Crucially however, even amidst this kind of company, Louise’s voice and vision is never remotely overshadowed—with the talents on offer only serving to make the backdrop to her songs still more vivid, sharp and intense. In as much as Netherworld is a work that exists on a lineage of progressive music and the visionary artists who’ve expanded their boundaries of exploration to form sound-worlds as big as their imagination, it’s also a work of magical realism in the tradition of Pan’s Labyrinth, The Company Of Wolves or the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Haruki Murakami—in which the supernatural and otherworldly, lead to a shortcut to the essence of being human. In this World, Louise Patricia Crane is our Storyteller. Disc 1 (CD)Dance With The DevilTiny BardCelestial DustLittle Ghost In The RoomToil And TroubleThe Red RoomLady Peregrine's ConcubineSpirit Of The ForestBête NoireLong Kiss GoodnightThieves Fools And CrowsMidnight View日本人形 (Japanese Doll) Disc 2 (DVD)Dance With The Devil (5.1 Mix)Tiny Bard (5.1 Mix)Celestial Dust (5.1 Mix)Little Ghost In The Room (5.1 Mix)Toil And Trouble (5.1 Mix)The Red Room (5.1 Mix)Lady Peregrine's Concubine (5.1 Mix)Spirit Of The Forest (5.1 Mix)Bête Noire (5.1 Mix)Long Kiss Goodnight (5.1 Mix)Thieves Fools And Crows (5.1 Mix)Midnight View (5.1 Mix)日本人形 (Japanese Doll) (5.1 Mix) "7 (Boxset only)A Ladies Of The Road (King Crimson) AA Dirty (Johnny Winter)