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Light in the Attic Records proudly presents Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996—the first comprehensive collection of Ukrainian music recorded prior to, and immediately following, the USSR’s collapse. From subtly dissenting Soviet-era singles to DIY recordings from Kyiv’s vibrant underground scene, the compilation chronicles the development of Ukraine’s rich musical landscape through rare folk, rock, jazz, and electronic recordings. “This record is a labor of love and a long time coming,” says label owner Matt Sullivan. Over the course of the last five years, Sullivan, alongside producers David Mas ("DBGO”), Mark “Frosty” McNeill, and Ukrainian label Shukai Records worked tirelessly to compile a carefully curated, chronological playlist. But behind the scenes, ongoing war & politics would shape the evolution of the tracklist, which originally featured both Ukrainian and Russian artists. “We found ourselves in the midst of a larger political issue; what began as a broader overview of a sonically underrepresented region suddenly became quite the controversial project,” Sullivan continues, “so we decided to pivot and focus only on Ukrainian music. There were times when it felt impossible to bring this project to fruition, so to be sharing it with the world today is truly humbling and long overdue.” Guiding listeners through the physical editions of the album are insightful liner notes and track-by-track details by Vitalii “Bard” Bardetskyi—a Kyiv-based filmmaker, DJ, and writer. The 2xLP is housed in a beautiful gatefold package showcasing Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko’s beloved and iconic folk paintings. The vinyl edition features a 20-page booklet with artist photos & liner notes in both English and Ukrainian, pressed on Clear Blue Sky & Sunflower Yellow wax; the CD edition features bonus content housed in a deluxe, 64-page hardbound book. Light in the Attic will donate a portion of proceeds directly to Livyj Bereh, a Kyiv-based volunteer group working to rebuild in the regions affected by ongoing war in Ukraine. “Music has always pulled Ukrainians out of the abyss,” writes Vitalii “Bard” Bardetskyi in his liner notes for Even the Forest Hums: Ukrainian Sonic Archives 1971-1996. “When there is no hope for the future, there is still music. At such moments, the whole nation resonates under a groove. Music, breaking through the concrete of various colonial systems, is an incredible, often illogical, way to preserve dignity.” While the songs collected in Even the Forest Hums were recorded during periods of immense societal and political upheaval—and certainly reflect the resilience of the Ukrainian people—they are rooted in the universal spirit of exploration: from post-war teenagers seeking fresh rhythms and artists experimenting with DIY recording technologies to an entire nation being introduced to decades-worth of previously-embargoed albums. Yet, until now, it has been nearly impossible for anyone outside Ukraine to explore the country’s flourishing music scene for themselves. Much of this can be attributed to Soviet-era restrictions. Music, much like any other commodity, was tightly controlled before the fall of communism. “Only state-authorized performers who had gone through hellish rounds of the permit system could record at the few monopolistic, state-run studios,” explains Bardetskyi. While many of these compositions were released and performed to mass audiences, however, they weren’t necessarily what they seemed. “Some of the artists managed, even under difficult ideological circumstances, to build a whole aesthetic platform which was essentially anti-Soviet.” Bands could slide under the radar by changing the lyrics of rock songs to reflect Soviet ideals or by performing traditional folk music with subtle outside influences. “This resulted in a whole scene that combined central-eastern Ukrainian vocal polyphony, Carpathian rhythms, and overseas grooves,” writes Bardetskyi, who refers to this era of music as “Mustache Funk.” Examples featured in Even the Forest Hums... include 1971’s “Bunny” by Kobza. While the folk-rock group was known for their polyphonic vocals, this particular composition is an instrumental waltz, which blends elements of traditional Ukrainian music with progressive rock, British beat, and jazz-rock. Another example of “Mustache Funk” comes from the latter half of the decade, with the Caribbean-influenced “Remembrance” by Vodohrai. While the group—which included some of the best jazz musicians in the country—had a multitude of traditional hits, inspired jams like this one could, for a lucky few, occasionally be heard live. While the 70s proved to be a golden age for Ukrainian music (complete with pop stars, large-scale tours, and legions of adoring fans), the excitement was short-lived. “The Soviet system finally understood that funkified beats quite strongly contradict[ed] [its] principles,” notes Bardetskyi, who adds that by the 80s, “The once prolific scene was almost completely colonized, appropriated, and largely Russified; the state radio and TV waves were occupied by banal VIAs and cheezy schlager singers.” With tighter restrictions, however, came the rise of the underground. While the decade leading up to Ukraine’s independence was marked by great turmoil—including the political reform of Perestroika in the USSR and the Chernobyl disaster—it also marked a time of incredible creativity. Mirroring global trends, the first half of the decade found many composers and producers experimenting with electronic music. Among them was Vadym Khrapachov, whose scores have appeared in over 100 films. His moody, Moroder-esque “Dance” (written for Roman Balaian’s iconic 1983 film, Flights in Dreams and Reality) is notable in that it was recorded on the USSR’s only existing British EMS Synthi 100 synthesizer. Producer Kyrylo Stetsenko, meanwhile, was reimagining traditional songs for the dancefloor. Among them is 1980’s “Play, the Violin, Play,” by Ukrainian pop star Tetiana Kocherhina. Stetsenko, who produced the album for Kocherhina, created a hypnotic remix of the folk tune that was fit for a disco. Stetsenko is also featured here with 1987’s “Oh, how, how?,” in which he transforms a melancholic ballad by Natalia Gura into a synth-forward, breakbeat jam. As the fall of communism approached, the scene continued to diversify—particularly as music from around the world became increasingly available. Kyiv, in particular, became an epicenter of creativity. In the early days, bands like Krok offered a preview of what was to come. Described by Bardetskyi as “The first real Kyiv supergroup,” Krok was led by guitarist Volodymyr Khodzytskyi and featured musicians from local Beat bands. In addition to backing the biggest pop acts of the day, the versatile collective explored a spectrum of styles in their own recordings, including fusion and electro-funk. They are represented here with the mellow “Breath of Night Kyiv.” By the late 80s, Kyiv “was buzzing like a beehive,” recalls Bardetskyi. “It was a period of very active socialization and exchange of musical information and ideas; local musicians evolved with supersonic speed, absorbing decades of the world's musical background and transforming it into their sound.” While rock bands comprised much of this era’s first wave, artists continued to expand their repertoire as new influences pervaded the scene. The global rise of DIY recording technology and electronic instrumentation, meanwhile, also contributed to the growing sonic landscape. Highlights from this period include the avant-garde improvisations of violinist Valentina Goncharova. Recordings like 1989’s “Silence” were created by a series of layered tracks and custom pickups. Similarly, composer Iury Lech paints a warm ambient soundscape with 1990’s “Barreras.” On the other end of the spectrum is the industrial “90” by Radiodelo (the project of Ivan Moskalenko—aka DJ Derbastler), which combines frenetic drum machine beats and haunting, reverb-soaked instrumentation. Post-punk was also thriving, with acts like Yarn (a large, loosely based collective) dominating the scene. “The interests of [Yarn’s] members extended all the way to medieval chamber music, which would clearly be noticeable in ‘Viella,’” writes Bardetskyi. The track features two of Yarn’s co-founding members: multi-instrumentalist and graphic designer Oleksander Yurchenko (who became a significant figure in modern Ukrainian music) and Ivan Moskalenko. Yurchenko is also represented here as part of Omi, a parallel project by the chart-topping electronic group, Blemish. 1994’s dramatic “Transference” (which features contributions by legendary Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and American singer-songwriter Diamanda Galas) serves up horror-movie-soundtrack vibes, particularly with the addition of eerie vocalizations. Cukor Bila Smert’ (which translates to “Sugar White Death”) were also major players in the Kyiv underground. Interestingly, Bardetskyi notes, “In the reality of the general dominance of post-punk, the aesthetic message of Cukor Bila Smert’ was countercultural to the countercultural process itself.” For their contribution to the compilation, the experimental quartet provides 1995’s “Cool, Shining.” In the years following Ukraine’s independence, Kyiv’s underground scene continued to flourish, particularly as Western trends became more accessible and Ukrainians found themselves at the forefront of their own cultural output. While the country’s music would largely evolve in new directions throughout the 90s, the final entry on Even the Forest Hums... provides a glimpse at what the future held. The album closes with 1996’s “Lion,” by Belarusian transplant German Popov, whose project, Marble Sleeves, was “one of the few Kyiv formations that tried to master jungle/drum-n-bass,” per Bardetskyi. Though this compilation only scratches the surface of Ukraine’s vast and diverse music scene, Even the Forest Hums offers an in-depth overview of a significant period in the country’s cultural history and unites a number of influential figures in the same collection for the first time. As Ukrainian artist Oleksandr Schegel writes in the foreword, “This is our Ukrainian treasure. It is impossible to lose and impossible to win.”

Exploring late-night, after-hours meditations on sound; ‘Everything Above The Sky (Astral Travelling with Luke Una)’ is a new compilation by the titular DJ, promoter and enigmatic cultural curator. Off the back of the E Soul Cultura phenomena, this compilation comes at a timely point in Luke’s rich career as he soars the heights of playing all over the world. Avoiding any chance of his sound being pigeonholed, Luke has put together a tracklist of songs and music that have a transcendental feel, after coming off the grid, going back to source, outside the city walls . Music has long been believed to aid out of body experiences and many of us have searched long and hard for a combination of those elusive ingredients that might alleviate some of the monotony of everyday life, our daily routines and obligations, and those things that seem to block us from the spirit of the universe. In this collection, Luke selects music with all the right ingredients in just the right quantities, allowing the listener to engage in an esoteric journey of enlightenment through sound. Being a prolific collector of music, Luke initially delivered enough tracks to compile several compilations, making the licensing process the biggest effort to date for the label. The music moves softly and slowly, never becoming too intrusive, exemplifying the wonderful elevating properties of simple songs played from the heart. Luke’s Everything Above The Sky manifesto reads, “Astral Travelling in the meadowlands with acid folk, spiritual jazz, around midnight hocus pocus, cosmic psychedelic soul, magical spellbound whirling swirling love songs, Brazilian ballads of light into machine soul gospel utopia dreaming, Balearic bossa, Outer Space ancient African drum, the breath of trees, escaping the big bad modern world, gathering round winter fires, walking amongst the bracken in Padley Gorge in late summer twilight, overlooking the Hope Valley, escaping ego, detaching and finally letting go amongst the stars with the slowly floating people. It’s beautiful beyond. Everything above the Sky”. Beginning his career as an original Sheffield house young blood in the mid 1980s, Luke’s move to Manchester and partnership with Justin Crawford saw the birth of Electric Chair, a cornerstone cult night in the UK underground club scene. Then came Electric Elephant, a Croatian festival paying homage to their wild eclecticism from Balearic to Brazilian to É Soul, house, disco and techno. Luke’s much loved, long-running Homoelectric night and more recently Homobloc sell out festival for 10,000 souls has been at the forefront of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ cultural landscape. Luke’s Friday evening show on Worldwide FM captured imaginations and became a cult four-hour must-listen monthly journey for fans all over the world. Today, Luke remains, as ever, at the forefront of a changing milieu, pairing the momentous legacy of Manchester’s 80s and 90s scene with the delivery of what today’s club communities need to get down.

Celebrating our tenth release, we proudly present "Feeling Everything, All At Once" - a compelling VA compilation featuring music from our current label family and introducing some talented debutants from Scotland. RED010 marks a powerful statement of intent as we look to the next five years and beyond whilst reflecting on our achievements so far, what we aspire to accomplish and how we can continue to push the sounds that resonate with us. Although it has taken time to reach this milestone, our commitment to quality over quantity remains unwavering. This compilation serves not only as a collection of club-ready tracks but also as a longform piece suitable to more passive listening. With a total of 14 tracks, it stands as our most extensive release yet, expanding our label family to well over 20 artists. The digital release will be complemented by a physical cassette, perfect for playing in the dusty tape deck of your mate's Vauxhall Corsa as you head to that mad rave in the countryside everyone is talking about. We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with the Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) on this project with all the profits being donated to this cause. Both Lewis & Ethan have their own personal experiences with mental health difficulties and strongly believe that SAMH is absolutely vital in facilitating the provision and promotion of mental health care, support & information. A massive thank you to all those involved in making this happen and their generosity in donating their time and talent to the project.

Ambient field recordings collected across the Western Sahel. Sounds of desert oases, late night radio broadcasts, village calls to prayer, and riverboats drifting down the Niger river. A nice companion piece to the musical work from the blog, this an hommage to the sounds that don't always find their way onto records.

Long-awaited reissue of this rare Jamaican compilation, originally licensed in 1964 on local imprint Soulsville Center. Prince Buster is the obvious matador here with five exclusive tracks. Also featuring ska stalwarts The Maytals, Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, The Skatalites, Gaynor & Errol, Millie Small & Roy Panton, and Owen Gray.

Our survey of folk music traditions in Northeastern Brazil, originally broadcast on NTS Radio in 2019, becomes the latest to be committed to cassette as part of our 10th anniversary series. It specifically focuses in on the spur-of-the-moment improvised "duelling" poetry of the repente, embolada & aboio styles that are unique to the Nordeste region.

Featuring amazing covers of tracks by artists such as Leon Ware, Mtume, Archie Bell, The Gap Band, Lowrell, Prince, Starvue, Bobby Caldwell & The Isley Brothers, there is not a filler in site, essentials all the way.

The project has taken almost 2 years with the help of many musicians, singers and producers from the scene. A special shout out goes to Peter 'Honeyvoice' Hunnigale for going the extra mile and doing many introductions.

Featuring amazing covers of tracks by artists such as Leon Ware, Mtume, Archie Bell, The Gap Band, Lowrell, Prince, Starvue, Bobby Caldwell & The Isley Brothers, there is not a filler in site, essentials all the way.

The project has taken almost 2 years with the help of many musicians, singers and producers from the scene. A special shout out goes to Peter 'Honeyvoice' Hunnigale for going the extra mile and doing many introductions.

BACK IN PRINT! This is a soul version of Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music, a collection of gorgeous soul music selected with a keen aesthetic eye.

From the archives vol. 13, released by Counter Culture Chronicles, gathers rare recordings from key figures such as Lawrence Weiner, Ulises Carrión, Michael Gibbs, and others. This collection traces the porous boundaries between conceptual art and sound, where language, gesture, and environment intersect in works both fleeting and resonant.

With From the archives vol. 13, Counter Culture Chronicles continues its excavation of overlooked and ephemeral sound works from the conceptual art milieu. This volume assembles recordings by Lawrence Weiner, Ulises Carrión, Michael Gibbs, John Baldessari, herman de vries, Jacob van Donselaer, Terry Fox, Maurizio Nannucci, Marinus Boezem, Hamish Fulton, and Georg Winter. Each artist extends the possibilities of sound as material, whether through spoken word, minimal interventions, or conceptual gestures that hover between the audible and the imagined.

Rather than a traditional compilation, the release functions as a collective document of practices that redefined the relationship between art and sound in the latter half of the 20th century. The pieces presented here embody a range of strategies: the taut precision of Weiner’s language-based constructions, Carrión’s playful subversions of form, Baldessari’s wry performativity, and Fox’s meditative listening experiments.

From the archives vol. 13 preserves fragile traces otherwise consigned to private recordings, underscoring the cross-disciplinary energy of a generation more concerned with ideas than categories. By making these works accessible again, Counter Culture Chronicles confirms the enduring relevance of artists who approached sound not as music or text alone, but as an unstable, vital field of thought and experience.

Bongo Joe celebrate their 5 year anniversary with FUTUR ANTÉRIEUR, a digital compilation of 19 brand new tracks, created by Bongo Joe’s contemporary artist community, who provide their own stamp and interpretation of tracks that have previously been released as part of the label’s celebrated re-issue catalogue of archaeological discoveries. The anniversary and compilation release coincides with the re-opening of the Les Disques Bongo Joe’s record store, relocated to a new home on the banks of Lake Geneva, which opened for trade in March. Re-affirming the label’s disregard of genres and boundaries, the compilation sees artists like Bogota and Colombia’s pioneering and eccentric cumbia artist Meridian Brothers take on Extranos Juegos by the Spanish group Zombies (LA CONTRA OLA: Synth Wave & Post Punk from Spain 1980-86), the Geneva residents-en-psych-groove L’Eclair take on Mauritian singer Allen Meller on Moin Qui Bizin Travail (Soul Sega Sa! Indian Ocean Segas From The 70s) and Turkish outfit Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek reinterpret Ay Dili Dili from Azerbaijan guitarist Rüstem Quliyev, whose retrospective album Azerbaijani Gitara was released in 2020. Founder of the label, Cyril Yeterian, half of Cyril Cyril, recollects, “Looking back to our past 5 years' mixed catalog of music from the past and the present made us immediately think about bridging these musical worlds into one. Several bands we have on our roster told us our reissues inspired their music so it sounded like the obvious thing to propose, to all our current bands on the label.” In just five years Bongo Joe has established itself as a label on a mission, doing things on their own terms, without hierarchy making sense of the world and industry from their community base and record store/cafe/DJ and event space in Geneva Switzerland; and it’s a method that has garnered much respect, with audiences and artists alike. The present compilation is the result of this vibrating energy coming from the shores of Geneva Lake. Definitely time to support musicians : all benefits will go to our artists

Ylia—aka Susana Hernández—had a remarkably productive 2020. In addition to releasing her debut album, Dulce Rendición, on Barcelona’s Paralaxe Editions, she penned compilation tracks for Lapsus Records, Hivern Discs, and Super Utu/Stars on Earth. But professional success can be deceiving: The following year was, personally speaking, terrible. Her grandfather died. Her father died. Her cat died. And she ended a relationship. “That’s a lot of things all at once, no?” she says. Her second album, Ame Agaru, is not necessarily a record of that year, but it is, she says, a response to those life events—a record of grief. The new album is clearly a continuation of the ambient investigations of Ylia’s debut, but it differs in key ways. Where Dulce Rendición was exploratory and faintly cosmic, Ame Agaru—a Japanese phrase meaning, roughly, “the rain lifts”— captures a melancholy sense of stillness. And where her debut was largely electronic, on the new album, Ylia has folded in a number of acoustic elements, even when they are not recognizable as such. Her partner, Alejandro Lévar, lends fingerpicked acoustic guitar to the glowing dronescapes of “Todos los Cuerpos”; multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Tete Leal adds flutes, clarinet, and soprano saxophone to “Ame Agari”—or “after the rain”—which opens the album with a moment of contemplative calm, the kind that follows an extended deluge. One track, the dub techno-influenced “Flowers in June,” grew out of Ylia’s live sets, but the rest are the fruit of improvisational sessions at home in Málaga, five minutes from the beach—jamming and then refining, searching for the ideal expression of a feeling as it was first captured. Searching for the spontaneity behind the stillness. In places, Ylia even incorporates piano, an instrument she has played since she was 10, yet has never included on one of her recordings before. For the most part on Ame Agaru, she seeks ways to fuse piano with synthesizers and electronic processes. But on the closing track, “El Único Adiós Posible,” she leaves us alone with the instrument in all its stark, unadorned beauty. It is a profoundly moving conclusion to an album defined by its economy of means and purity of expression: a cycle of life counted out in the passage of storm clouds and clearing skies.

A North American road trip of coming of age garage soul mapped by Ivan Liechti, Ghost Riders is Efficient Space’s latest narrative compilation, hovering in a liminal emotional ravine between moonlight melancholy, teenage heartache and unchecked, unrealised ambition. Across 17 open hearted ballads recorded 1965-1974, the 2LP collects and connects dots between British Invasion fanatics, child prodigies, the loners and the luckless, in a kind of trans-continental survey of those swept up in rock’n’roll mania and buoyed by local newspaper ads promising fame and gold records. From the tangerine dreams of 8th grade all-girl combo The Mod 4 to the tri-state jukebox aspiring echoes of The Tempters, The Yardleys' poetic Farfisa vamp and lilting folk pop, and The Landlords’ weepy break up b-side blues, these are mostly one shots by dreamers whose experience was brief before being checked back to the reality of suburban normality and realistic career options. Hailing from the regional backwaters of Illinois, Arkansas, Nevada, Massachusetts, Ohio, Idaho, Texas and beyond, the licensed artists were scouted by way of local fire departments, spiritualist fellowships and animal welfare centres, often barely a stones throw from where their contributions were originally laid. A barely teenage Dennis Harte's ‘Summer’s Over’ perhaps best taps the collection’s essence. A gut-wrenching lament of the passing of the season as if it was the last on earth. Flanked by players from The Left Banke, Harte, a now-piano tuner to the stars, is from the minor segment that found longevity in showbiz. Likewise with Michigan icon Lyn Nowicki who cast her ghostly voice over Beatles cover song chameleons The Common People and Jerry McGee, The Ventures member and conduit of Dr. John’s ‘Twilight Zone’. Ghost Riders simmers with the scent of youthful summers, the pang of schoolyard romance, and the excitement (and disenchantment) of teenage naïveté, delivered via a deceptively simple and frequently wonky garage band set up. The vision of record collector and graphic designer Ivan Liechti, these eternal psych-folk howlers are further crystallised by Colin Young’s fastidious audio restoration, the original artwork of Elise Gagnebin-de Bons and an aptly penned foreword from Sonic Boom.

Classic tracks from the early years of highlife in Ghana – a time when the guitar-based styles and lively rhythms of the genre were first coming into play, and mixed with some of the more jazz-based styles of years before! The mix here is almost a West African equivalent to the rise of western swing in the US at the end of the 30s – a way of mixing older instrumental ensemble styles with some more contemporary, more regional elements – sounding wonderful her in some key examples of the style! The package features a full side of work from Ramblers International – titles that include "Odansanyi", "Ahomka Won", "Woman Wanko", "Akokonini Abankwa", and "Wgya Saman" – plus other tracks that include "School Girl" and "You Call Me Roko" by ET Mensah & The Tempos, "Son Of Africa" by Kwamalah Quaey Sextetto Africana, "Obaa Amponsa Pandogo" by The Black Star Band, and "Fancy Baby" by John Santos Martins.

“The silence is burning… ignited by a melody”

Going back to sleep… a lovingly gathered suite of windswept, heart-bursting DIY indie-pop and folk-indebted songs from an ensemble of contemporary luminaries. Centred around a node of antipodean artists predominantly recording and performing in intimate spaces, its ambition and sentiment extends to likeminded souls around the world.

The opening strum by Glenn Donaldson's The Reds, Pinks and Purples sets the breezy yet bittersweet atmosphere, its lavish tones and textures swirling beneath one of contemporary indie's most distinct voices. "There was a light in my head / wanted to die but I burned instead", he laments with a soaring baritone to revelatory effect. His Fruits and Flowers companions The Gabys, a low-key UK-based duo who first landed in our orbit with their self-titled cassette in 2021, follow with a burst of combustible energy. Despite being predominantly instrumental - untuned, overdriven riffage the order of the day - there lies an unshakable melodic impulse.

Devotees of Dutch group Lewsberg will recognise immediately the voice of frontman Arie Van Vliet, who appears here as new duo The Hobknobs with Yaël Dekker. The interplay between Van Vliet's and Dekker's voices works unexpectedly well, striking the perfect balance between heartfelt tenderness and the wry matter-of-factness that Lewsberg fans have come to love. New kids on the block Who Cares? were our most cherished discovery last year, their sound encapsulating a woozy pastoralism and their lyrics a sense of something deeply sinister yet darkly humorous: "you got your feet chopped and I’m here to stay, estranged, on this sunken rock..."

The Sprigs, Chateau, I Can I Can't and the Volcanic Tongue-backed Drunk Elk are evergreen exemplars of DIY primitivism and their songs are the fruits of impulsive budget recording. Act now, think later. From the uncanny gonzo-folk of 'Leagues of Marsh to Swallow Towers' and 'How Long on the Platform' to the reckless yet brutally tender 'Personal Favourite' - "recorded in the dark sometime around 2009" and released under a working title, for it was never meant to see the day - a sense of nervy sleep-deprivation and self-destructiveness emerges. Controlled chaos that culminates in the void-dwelling rush of 'Euros', a propulsive meditation on momentary hues and everlasting greys: "make it happy, make it sad / your gift is all I ever had".

The prolific David West returns under his Rat Columns guise with a ballad that feels like reconnecting with an old friend, a voice you've known your entire life. A balmy autumnal breeze that perfectly compliments the subdued elegance of The Lewers, who make their first appearance since their rapturous 518A debut, and who's lyrics perfectly capture the compilation's sentiment: "the wound that never heals / so deep but hard to reach". Time stands still with the arrival of Daily Toll, their bruised yet ultimately optimistic meditation on love and loss a weightless, atmospheric masterpiece. Lead Kata Szász-Komlós looks inward during a sublime instrumental section before a painful confession: "writing names across your neck / made it home but now I am a wreck".

Concluding the suite is Carla dal Forno's first single since Come Around (2022). An effortless, elegant reverie daubed with cautious desire, her voice soars over a delicate Foresteppe instrumental and was recorded during rehearsal sessions for her forthcoming album. A testament to chance and an unexpectedly beautiful moment during the songwriting process.

These songs capture a feeling of introspection that seems impossible to achieve when recording for anyone but yourself. We see it as a traversal through the now wonderfully diverse international pop underground, but more simply, a group of wide-eyed yet world-weary music makers performing on our imaginary stage.

自国のソウル、ゴスペル、ファンクにとどまらず、ニューエイジ・ミュージック始祖ヤソスや日本からは原マスミまで、世界各地のオブスキュアなサウンド&グルーヴを掘り起こしてきた米国の大名門〈Numero Group〉からは2010年にリリースされた大人気ゴスペル・ファンク・コンピ・シリーズ作品『Good God! Born Again Funk』が14年振りにアナログ・リプレス。ミシシッピ州のデルタ地帯から北に向かって歩いてくるブルース歌手なら誰しもが奏でる、暑く、汗だくで、土っぽい密造酒のリズムの中で生み出されたスピリチュアルで珠玉のゴスペル・ファンク満載の大傑作コンピ盤！

Greasy Mike is back with LP number four! Another rambunctious array of wigged out mayhem! Don't worry, there aren't any silly jokes on this record. It's all music with a wiggle and a giggle. In fact, it's 14 frantic flippers fraught with frivolous fun-filled frolics. All good clean fun. Featuring: Pat & the Wildcats, Bobby Bunny & the Jackrabbits, Jim Doval & the Gauchos, Johnny Beeman, Diablito, Adolphus Bell & the Up Starts, The Apollos, The Royal Jokers, Lue Renney, The Zanies, Hank Mankin, Sid Ramin, Jim Backus and Friend, and The Fabulous Continentals.

When Greasy Mike returned from his travels in East Asia he brought back sixteen slices of sizzling spices in a sleazy Szechuan sauce... he may be greasy but he's certainly not greedy - all are shared with you here! No artificial flavourings required, this is raunchy rott n' roll with a rambunctious mix of sweet, sour n' saucy - tasty treats from our friends in the Orient!

A new series from Jazzman featuring selections from Greasy Mike, the notoriously shady Super Spiv from the dark underworld of super rare records! After many years in hiding, Greasy Mike has finally opened up his vinyl dungeon, and we were first to raid it! What did we find? Only the lowest of the lowball schlock n' roll 45s never known to exist! We have left no box untouched, no crate unrummaged, no pile unpilfered! Just the greasiest and grimiest, the most shocking and sordid 45s have made it onto our selections. Watch out for more!!! But first - and just in time for your Halloween Horror Shock Hop - Greasy Mike has unearthed his all-time all-hallowed Halloween Monsters: The Zombie Walk, Night Sweats, the Chiller, Prowler and Screaming Vampire! Putrid pieces of raucous rot n' roll records direct from Greasy Mike's manky mitts! Not to be missed! Oww-ooooh!!!

The sublime, seductive sound of the smooth & sultry songstress: melancholy & mournful jazz, popcorn & blues "Sometimes me and the opposite sex just don't get along. I mean, we do and we don't. Take this last one. She and I were getting on just fine. We went to the movies, I took her to shows, I took her out to fancy restaurants. The whole works. I treated her real good. She was a class act too. Blonde hair, blue eyes. A smile to die for. Then all of a sudden, she went cold on me. Cut me off. Why do they do that? What gives?" "I mean, I'm an OK guy. I'm clean, smart, I shave every day. I wear the best suits, I use the best Cologne. OK so I don't have what you'd call 'a regular job', but I got plenty of dough, and I know how to spend it. I like the finer things in life. Restaurants, Cuban cigars, fancy cars. The whole caboodle. What's not to like?" "I'll tell you what. These dames don't know a good thing when they see it. They meet a guy like me and they don't know what's hit 'em. I take them out, I wine them and dine them and they just can't handle it. They'd rather go for some kinda Joe Schmoe than a classy guy like me. And that's what I don't understand. So what gives?" Greasy Mike in an interview circa. 1958 with jazz jock Slim Jenkins

The third in a new series from Jazzman featuring selections from Greasy Mike, the notoriously shady Super Spiv from the dark underworld of super rare records! After many years in hiding, we've finally persuaded Greasy Mike to open up his vinyl dungeon, and we were first to raid it! We have left no box untouched, no crate unrummaged, no pile unpilfered! Just the greasiest and grimiest, the most shocking and sordid 45s have made it onto our black wax long player vinyl editions. Watch out for more!!! In this adventure Greasy Mike finds himself lost in the wilderness; hot, thirsty and alone under the unforgiving desert sun. He's been days without food and water; the heat of the day stifling almost beyond endurance, the cold of night a trial of torment. Survival seems impossible - or does it? Staggering across the sandy plains, the eerie yet unmistakable sound of a snake charmer's reed curiously winds its way into his ears. Instinctively he turns his head towards the sound - and lo! An oasis just ahead! Music, laughter - and belly dancers!!!

More in the new series from Jazzman featuring the lowest of the lowball schlock n' roll 45s never known to exist! After many years in hiding, notoriously shady Super Spiv of the record world Greasy Mike has finally opened up his vinyl dungeon, and we were first to raid it! We have left no box untouched, no crate unrummaged, no pile unpilfered! Just the greasiest and grimiest, the most shocking and sordid 45s have made it onto our selections. Watch out for more!!! On this occasion Greasy Mike reminisces about the time he was shipwrecked and washed up all alone on a remote island in the South Pacific. But, ever the resourceful, our man did not despair! Grooving to the beat in the tropical heat, his desert island discs kept him cruising while coconut moonshine kept him boozing. Dig this, swashbucklers!

An overflowing chalice of funky gospel gems from the Forest City. You could start a church with this thing. PULPIT NOT INCLUDED. </p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gY8kHiS3-SM?si=YmcIoXsiViov2LFb" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J61aMfKyik0?si=Xy0yDGMecKsLuzw3" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Originally released in 2014, Strut re-introduces Hardcore Traxx: Dance Mania Records 1986-1997, the&nbsp;highly sought-after definitive retrospective of one of Chicago’s most important and innovative house music&nbsp;labels.&nbsp;Emerging as a raw alternative to the powerhouses of Trax and DJ International during the mid-‘80s, Dance&nbsp;Mania continued to represent street-level Chicago club music into the ‘90s, helping to pioneer the Ghetto&nbsp;House sound.&nbsp;Hardcore Traxx traces the full story of the label from its heyday. Founded in 1985 and managed by Ray&nbsp;Barney from Barney’s Distribution HQ on Ogden Avenue (moving later to West Roosevelt Road), Dance&nbsp;Mania hit the ground running with its second release in ’86, the incendiary ‘Hardcore Jazz’ EP by Duane &amp;&nbsp;Co. Barney quickly became a trustworthy outlet for early house and acid productions by upcoming Chicago&nbsp;artists such as Lil Louis, Marshall Jefferson and Farley Keith aka Farkey “Jackmaster” Funk.&nbsp;The label set out its stall with a series of landmark Chicago releases including ‘7 Ways’ by Hercules, Li’l&nbsp;Louis’ ‘The Original Video Clash’ and international smash ‘House Nation’ by Housemaster Boyz. During the&nbsp;‘80s, it cemented its reputation for uncompromising club records and DJ Tools with sounds spanning raw&nbsp;garage (Victor Romeo’s ‘Love Will Find A Way’), acid trax (Robert Armani) and quality house (Da Posse).
Into the ‘90s, Barney unleashed the groundbreaking ‘Hit It From The Back’ by Traxmen and Eric Martin,&nbsp;ushering in a primitive new sound around faster, stripped down rhythms and X-rated party-starting lyric lines.&nbsp;Barney remembers, “Guys used to call in and ask for music on Dance Mania – they were saying, ‘gimme&nbsp;some of that ghetto stuff’.’ Dance Mania producer DJ Slugo adds, “when we made Ghetto House... we&nbsp;made music for the b*tches. Music for the grinding sh*t and all of that.” The sound spawned a whole new
swathe of homegrown producers releasing a fast flow of no-compromise dancefloor bangers: Paul Johnson,&nbsp;DJ Deeon, DJ Funk, DJ Milton, Waxmaster and Slugo all became leaders of the scene. The influence of&nbsp;ghetto house became widespread, not least for Daft Punk, whose track ‘Teachers’ from their ‘Homework’&nbsp;album in 1997 was effectively a tribute to Dance Mania. The new wave of productions also paved the way&nbsp;for the later Chicago juke and footwork scene&nbsp;Now revitalised under the leadership of Ray Barney and Parris Mitchell, Dance Mania remains a cornerstone&nbsp;of Chicago’s dance music culture. With Hardcore Traxx, Strut delivers the ultimate tribute to the label,&nbsp;featuring a meticulously curated compilation of its classics, Ghetto House anthems, and hidden gems. The&nbsp;release was produced in collaboration with Dance Mania and compiled by Conor Keeling (creator of the&nbsp;popular Daft Punk-inspired Teachers mix) with contributions from Miles Simpson of Ransom Note.