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Homer Steinweiss has an incredibly storied career in music that started when he was just a teenager. He's drummed for nearly every "retro soul" group that mattered and his distinctive stickwork helped blend the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream via the likes of Amy Winehouse & Sharon Jones. He’s now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with Jonas Brothers, Clairo, Solange, Adele, and Bruno Mars to name a few. With his debut solo release Ensatina, Homer is stepping to the forefront as both musician and producer. His new record is a reflection of who he is now and a testament to how struggle often brings about a needed change. In 2020 Homer had to reckon with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a personal relationship of 20+ years fell apart putting Homer in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. "I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows," Homer describes. "And being in all that, it's just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it'll be ok." But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life. The first song from these sessions, “Now That It’s Over” perfectly sums up Homer’s triumph through those tough times. It's a song of changing perspective and contemplation with haunting vocals from Hether and Flikka. "Paul (Castelluzzo—aka, Hether), as a friend, saw me through these highs and lows," Homer points out. "I only had the one line, 'Now that it's over, I'm alright,' but he felt that lyric so much that he wrote all these sections and lyrics and basically completed the song. It was like he was writing to me." Hether also features on album standouts “Deep Sea”, a modern love song, “Start Select”, a juxtaposition of inspiration and melancholy, and “Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever” which is an incredible contemporary take on the B side soul ballad. Homer uses his innate gift for bringing seemingly opposing energies together on “Racecar Driver”, pairing the vocals of Hether & long time friend and collaborator KIRBY to make a genre challenging banger. KIRBY also graces the album opener “Rollin’”, an airy, warm-weather invoking song that her raspy voice perfectly compliments. He puts his drumming front and center on “So Get Up!”, a bottom heavy infectious track that MINOVA’s vocals turn into an instant hit that is sure to smash speakers. On “Wishing Well” & “Hide It Behind the Light I’m Shining Through” Homer is joined by girl named GOLDEN, who’s unique voice effortlessly finds the pocket in each tune. The man on trumpet, and fellow Big Crown label mate Dave Guy, puts his incomparable playing on the album closer “Goldie” which Homer says is the part of the movie where the credits roll. Making this album was a refuge for Homer and it put him back on track. Ensatina is a glimpse into the different energies and influences that make Homer tick. To say he was always much more than a drummer would be an understatement, and this first solo offering is just the beginning of his next chapter.

Homer Steinweiss has an incredibly storied career in music that started when he was just a teenager. He's drummed for nearly every "retro soul" group that mattered and his distinctive stickwork helped blend the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream via the likes of Amy Winehouse & Sharon Jones. He’s now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with Jonas Brothers, Clairo, Solange, Adele, and Bruno Mars to name a few. With his debut solo release Ensatina, Homer is stepping to the forefront as both musician and producer. His new record is a reflection of who he is now and a testament to how struggle often brings about a needed change. In 2020 Homer had to reckon with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a personal relationship of 20+ years fell apart putting Homer in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. "I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows," Homer describes. "And being in all that, it's just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it'll be ok." But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life. The first song from these sessions, “Now That It’s Over” perfectly sums up Homer’s triumph through those tough times. It's a song of changing perspective and contemplation with haunting vocals from Hether and Flikka. "Paul (Castelluzzo—aka, Hether), as a friend, saw me through these highs and lows," Homer points out. "I only had the one line, 'Now that it's over, I'm alright,' but he felt that lyric so much that he wrote all these sections and lyrics and basically completed the song. It was like he was writing to me." Hether also features on album standouts “Deep Sea”, a modern love song, “Start Select”, a juxtaposition of inspiration and melancholy, and “Forever and Ever and Ever and Ever” which is an incredible contemporary take on the B side soul ballad. Homer uses his innate gift for bringing seemingly opposing energies together on “Racecar Driver”, pairing the vocals of Hether & long time friend and collaborator KIRBY to make a genre challenging banger. KIRBY also graces the album opener “Rollin’”, an airy, warm-weather invoking song that her raspy voice perfectly compliments. He puts his drumming front and center on “So Get Up!”, a bottom heavy infectious track that MINOVA’s vocals turn into an instant hit that is sure to smash speakers. On “Wishing Well” & “Hide It Behind the Light I’m Shining Through” Homer is joined by girl named GOLDEN, who’s unique voice effortlessly finds the pocket in each tune. The man on trumpet, and fellow Big Crown label mate Dave Guy, puts his incomparable playing on the album closer “Goldie” which Homer says is the part of the movie where the credits roll. Making this album was a refuge for Homer and it put him back on track. Ensatina is a glimpse into the different energies and influences that make Homer tick. To say he was always much more than a drummer would be an understatement, and this first solo offering is just the beginning of his next chapter.

This time, one of the diva who caused the boom of Mor lam new generation idols in the 70's, Hong Thong Da Oudong, is the best selection for the first appearance outside Thailand. The definitive edition with sound source recording, commentary and translated poems that have not been made into a CD even in Thailand!

Beloved for her petite, baby-faced, and pretty personality, Hong Thong has been active in the middle of the two major genres of Morlam (* 1) and Luk Thung (* 2), and has become a model for next-generation singers since the 1980s. On the other hand, it is a mysterious diva who suddenly retired at the height of popularity.

Her music was known to fans as an early masterpiece of big-name producer Doi Inthanon, and she presented a challenging work in this combination. In this album, her true (really sweaty) wide repertoire with Morlam / Luk Thung on her crotch is extracted by the reliable Soi48 song selection, and its charm is conveyed in an easy-to-understand manner.

From upper tunes such as the bizarre blockbuster "Bump Lam Phloen" that incorporates disco into mor lam, her representative song "Hongthong Khanong Lam", Luk Thung disco, a phantom self-produced single (the best content), and that "apple" Also includes a beautiful cover of "Oiwake". Another highlight is Soi48's commentary, which is based on a direct interview with Hong Tone, revealing an unknown story. Come and experience what Hontone was the new wave of Thai music!

Honour’s debut album is a ligament stretching from Lagos to London and to New York, curling across the diaspora and brushing the darker hues of blues, hip-hop, free jazz, ambient, gospel with Christian mythology and Yoruba folklore. As cinematic as it is painterly, Àlàáfíà is a meditation on themes of life, death and love that pulls inspiration from the poetic profundity of God, remembered dreams, unexpected casual conversations, field recordings, literature, ephemera, and personal archives. The result is an impressionistic vision in Black and Blur that both exhausts and implicates language and that sublimates boundaries between everywhere and nowhere; history and the present; the individual and the universal.

Honour’s debut album is a ligament stretching from Lagos to London and to New York, curling across the diaspora and brushing the darker hues of blues, hip-hop, free jazz, ambient, gospel with Christian mythology and Yoruba folklore. As cinematic as it is painterly, Àlàáfíà is a meditation on themes of life, death and love that pulls inspiration from the poetic profundity of God, remembered dreams, unexpected casual conversations, field recordings, literature, ephemera, and personal archives. The result is an impressionistic vision in Black and Blur that both exhausts and implicates language and that sublimates boundaries between everywhere and nowhere; history and the present; the individual and the universal.

Out of time, alone sometimes, wide awake, thinking, I must have been here before? In a dream, or vision of a memory, and it’s hard sometimes, but I wrote this for you to ease. Something to carry with you on and on, seasons change, but the bite of Scorpio remains…. ‘So let it go, don’t be a cell to yourself.’ ‘Scorpio’ and its dubby anagram, ‘Ether,’ are brought to you by hoodie x james K. Made together, from across the ocean, this 10″ comes in the balm of heat, just before the fall. _____________________________________________ hoodie is Naemi and Shy: Naemi is a Berlin-based artist whose work encompasses a broad range of sonic aesthetics and philosophies of musical composition by way of a handful of aliases. They are most known for their work as exael, which seeks to examine the digital fragmentation of identity of contemporary life by way of alchemical reconfigurations of genre and composition. Their focus in the past few years has slowly shifted more into the vein of classic songwriting, implementing more organic instrumentation and vocals, via collaborations such as Hoodie and Baby Bong, as well as material released under their own name. Special Guest DJ/Shy "if you know, you know” 3XL cowboy, party rockin' head knockin', cyberdub hi-fi, bass n sci-fi, fast/slow, outer rim/inner edge. Michigan born, Berlin based. Resident DJ at kwia. Parties Past Present and Future: Headbangers Ball, luckY lottO, spin cycle, Dance Tutorial and Vague Music. aka Caveman LSD, fka uon, aka DJ paradise, as xphresh w/ Ben Bondy, hoodie w/ Naemi, sofa w/ Ulla. Part of cypher & thru on Appendix.Files, Critical Amnesia & Ghostride The Drift on xpq? A version of James K was born. Comprised of bones, reactive metals and a larynx with freckled eyes that catalyzes that mix, she can now see through all the schemes. This is the truth. When she chews gum, it's not clear which one of her personas does it. Since their first release in 2013, describing them separately is grunt work as they switch places, cosplay each other and would most likely lull you into a lonesome dream. Together, they know how to produce, sound, film and edit. Thus, they are brought to the table, performing and DJing in clubs and theaters, along composers and children alike. They release on Incienso, AD 93, PAN, among others, and continue to operate her label She Rocks! K provides shows for NTS, has collaborated with artists such as Yves Tumor, Beta Librae, Drew McDowall, crimeboys, and slayed her band SETH twice. She produces music that makes temporary haven for indomitable lyrics – and these are in constant flux. You can check what they are here: [917 908-1173]. It's only a part of her fairly detailed world. A world that she abandons and then builds upon.

Get Wise gathers ten standout tracks from Horace Andy, recorded between 1972 and 1974 with producer Phil Pratt. Originally released in 1975 on Pratt’s Sunshot label, this collection features a string of expressive early singles, including alternate takes on classics like ‘Root Of All Evil’ (‘Money, Money’) and ‘I Don’t Want To Be Outside’ (‘Zion Gate’). With his unmistakable falsetto—shaped as much by Otis Redding and Smokey Robinson as Alton Ellis—Andy had already marked himself as one of reggae’s most distinctive voices. Backed by the ever-reliable Soul Syndicate Band (featuring the likes of Sly & Robbie, Aston “Family Man” Barrett and Earl “Chinna” Smith), the tracks were recorded at legendary Kingston studios Channel One, Black Ark, Dynamic Sound and Randy’s Studio 17, with engineers including Lee Perry, Errol Thompson and Ernest Hoo Kim. Get Wise is a vital document of early Horace Andy—soulful, rootsy and essential listening for fans of classic ’70s Jamaican music. Liner notes by JR Gonne.

limited Green vinyl LP with Obi. 10 brand new recordings from the legendary Jamaican singer and longtime Massive Attack collaborator, Horace Andy, produced by Adrian Sherwood.

Midnight Rocker has been approached in a similar fashion to the late-career quality that Sherwood coaxed out of Lee "Scratch" Perry with the Rainford and Heavy Rain albums, assembling a crack team of players and spending many months perfecting performance, arrangements and mixing. The result is a remarkable suite of tracks that sparkle with superb musicianship, carefully crafted production and Horace’s beautiful vocals.

The material includes revisiting and updating a few classic Horace Andy songs such as “Mr. Bassie”, but the bulk of the tracks are brand new compositions with contemporary messages, such as “Watch Over Them” and “Materialist”. The pair have also versioned “Safe From Harm”, a much-loved early single by the group that Andy is most associated with – Massive Attack.

“On-U Sound are very proud to present a truly wonderful album with one of the all-time great singer-songwriters in the rich history of Jamaican music, Horace Andy. This is a true gold star performance, and I’m very proud of it.” Adrian Sherwood

Music is wonderful because it can inspire people. You can't do that with flimsy music. Put your heart and soul into it, and you'll be able to make something that comes right out of the speakers. And if you feel exhilarated then you've accomplished something - Adrian Sherwood
A legendary singer who became loved by reggae fans all over the world with numerous masterpieces such as "Skylarking" and "Money Money" produced in the 70's and 80's on labels such as "Studio One" and "Wackies". , Horace Andy. Since the 90s, he has shocked the non-reggae scene by participating in Massive Attack's work, participating in all of their studio albums, and has been active as a main member who always supports their tours. It continues to captivate music fans. "Midnight Rocker" released from by Adrian Sherwood as a producer was accepted by the media and fans as a new Horace Andy masterpiece. It has been revealed that the edition "Midnight Scorchers" will be released on September 16th.

Horace Andy has always commanded a place high on the list of reggae singers from Jamaica. His distinctive, haunting vocal style stands strong on any rhythm, song, or style he chooses to cover. He has managed to crossover to a new generation of listeners due to his individual style, helped also by his collaborations with the likes of Massive Attack. Born Horace Hinds in 1951, Kingston Jamaica, he began his musical career at Coxsonne Dodd's Studio One. So impressed with the young Horace, Coxsonne decided on a name change and named him after his top songwriter at the time, Bob Andy. His first tune for Coxsonne ("Something on My Mind") was a slow burner in Jamaica, but his belief in his young protégé paid off later with "Skylarking," a tune that put the singer all over the radios and sound systems of Jamaica. After numerous singles and two albums worth of material, Horace moved on to work with many of the topflight Jamaican producers, among them Keith Hudson, Augustus Pablo, and Niney the Observer, but it was his work with producer Bunny Lee in the '70s that produced most of his hits, which we have compiled for this set. Some of his late '60s classics are recut in the popular 1970s style, working with the rhythm kings themselves, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. They have added some shine to "Something on My Mind" and "Skylarking" and made them hits all over again. Horace also adds his signature to covers of Delroy Wilson's version of the Tams's "Riding for a Fall," the Heptones' "My Guiding Star," John Holt's "Man Next Door," and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." A bass-heavy cut of Bob Marley's "Natural Mystic" is also present. This fine set of 1970s classics represents some of the best music ever made in Jamaica.

333 reissues a serious all-timer of an LP from the peak of reggae/dancehall's mid-to-late 1980s digital era, in the form of Horace Ferguson's Sensi Addict - recorded for Prince Jazzbo's Ujama label and originally released back in 1987. Produced & arranged by the late great Jazzbo (and issued here under license from the foundation deejay & producer's family) the Sensi Addict LP pulls together a selection of vocals recorded between 1984 & 1987 at Michael Carroll's Creative Sounds studio in Kingston, recorded by engineer (and singer & producer in his own right) Paul Davidson. Horace's infectious falsetto can be found riding a collection of Jazzbo's digital rhythms - from the inspired Replay version on 'Jah Order', to the updated take on the foundational Sleng Teng rhythm track on 'Tranquilizer' - representing some of the most forward-thinking production of the period outside of Jammys and King Tubby's Firehouse stables. The bulk of these rhythm tracks were performed by revered multi-instrumentalist Tyrone Downie (a long-time member of Bob Marley & The Wailers since the mid 70s, who sadly passed last November) alongside Tony "Asher" Brissett - another massively undersung session musician perhaps most notable for laying down the initial Sleng Teng rhythm track for Jammys in 1984. Also on display here are a couple of choice early 80s rhythms, recorded for Jazzbo by Errol "Flabba" Holt's legendary Roots Radics backing band. All of this comes paired with sympathetically reproduced artwork - featuring images of Horace by photographer and reggae documentarian, Beth "Kingston" Lesser.

333 reissues a serious all-timer of an LP from the peak of reggae/dancehall's mid-to-late 1980s digital era, in the form of Horace Ferguson's Sensi Addict - recorded for Prince Jazzbo's Ujama label and originally released back in 1987. Produced & arranged by the late great Jazzbo (and issued here under license from the foundation deejay & producer's family) the Sensi Addict LP pulls together a selection of vocals recorded between 1984 & 1987 at Michael Carroll's Creative Sounds studio in Kingston, recorded by engineer (and singer & producer in his own right) Paul Davidson. Horace's infectious falsetto can be found riding a collection of Jazzbo's digital rhythms - from the inspired Replay version on 'Jah Order', to the updated take on the foundational Sleng Teng rhythm track on 'Tranquilizer' - representing some of the most forward-thinking production of the period outside of Jammys and King Tubby's Firehouse stables. The bulk of these rhythm tracks were performed by revered multi-instrumentalist Tyrone Downie (a long-time member of Bob Marley & The Wailers since the mid 70s, who sadly passed last November) alongside Tony "Asher" Brissett - another massively undersung session musician perhaps most notable for laying down the initial Sleng Teng rhythm track for Jammys in 1984. Also on display here are a couple of choice early 80s rhythms, recorded for Jazzbo by Errol "Flabba" Holt's legendary Roots Radics backing band. All of this comes paired with sympathetically reproduced artwork - featuring images of Horace by photographer and reggae documentarian, Beth "Kingston" Lesser.

Available on vinyl for the first time in 40 years, Outernational Sounds proudly presents a crucial document from the Los Angeles jazz underground - the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra at their most together, stretching out on home turf in 1979, with the legendary Horace Tapscott at the helm.

Horace Tapscott is one of the unsung giants of jazz music. A gifted composer and arranger, a boldly original pianist, and above all a visionary bandleader, Tapscott's recorded footprint is small, but his legacy continues to vibrate through the Los Angeles music underground. From Freestyle Fellowship to Build An Ark, Kamasi Washington and Dwight Trible, it all traces back to Tapscott. The pianist was an organiser, and instead of chasing a successful recording career, he wanted to build a community band that would act as 'a cultural safe house for the music.' 'I wanted to say, 'This is your music. This is black music, and I want to present a panorama of the whole thing right here'' said Tapscott in the late 1990s. 'We would preserve the music on our ark, the mothership...' That mothership was the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra - the Ark. As a culturally radical, communal big band with a visionary approach to American Black music, Tapscott's group is second only to the other famous Arkestra, that of Sun Ra.

Tapscott had founded the group in 1961 as the Underground Musicians Association (UGMA). It changed its name to the Pan African Peoples Arkestra in 1971, and through the seventies the players lived, played and worked together. Community work and political consciousness were at the heart of the project, and for two decades they played in street, park and coffee house. With Tapscott as their guide and mentor, the Arkestra worked with theatre groups, poets and revolutionaries, ran music workshops and teaching sessions for children and adults, and played fundraisers, benefits and rallies for political and social causes both global and local.

From 1973 to 1981 their main rehearsal and concert space was the Immanuel United Church of Christ (I.U.C.C.) on 85th St and Holmes Ave. The Arkestra played there every second Sunday, developing their sound and hipping new audiences to their vision. Live At I.U.C.C., recorded in early 1979, was the only live recording the band released. In full flow, and at the height iof their powers, the group recorded here features original 1961 UGMA members Linda Hill, David Bryant and Alan Hines, alongside the powerful voices of a new generation including Jesse Sharps, Sabir Mateen, and Adele Sebastian.

Showcasing spiritualised classics from Arkestra's songbook, including the heavy modal groovers 'Desert Fairy Princess' and 'Macrame', Live At I.U.C.C. is a rare chance to hear one of the most important, foundational bands in the music stretching out on their own thing. With the great Horace Tapscott at the piano, this is the rarely captured sound of the mothership in full flight!

A wonderfully fine-feathered free jazz zinger from L.A., 1978, Horace Tapscott and the Pan Peoples Arkestra’s ‘The Call’ is reissued by DJ Harv’s Outernational Sounds for the first time 

“Our Music is contributive, rather than competitive” - Horace Tapscott. Working under the right kinda steam, Tapscott and company play a blinder here, sending us reeling with the deliciously complex, rolling syncopation and flighty horns of ‘The Call’, then seducing with the mellifluous appearance of Adele Sebastian in ‘Quagmire Manor at Five A.M.’ before erupting into needlepoint bebop, and back out to Adele. Percussion fiends will then be in their element with the lithe, Afro-latinate swing and frenzied paso-doble vamps of ‘Nakatini Suite’, before they switch up and out again with the heady sway of strings and wind, hunched breaks and searching clarinet of ‘Peyote Song No. III.’

Fans of Coltrane will certainly dig this historical 1970s spiritual jazz album from Argentina which left an everlasting imprint in the local jazz scene. From the eerie "Blues para un cosmonauta" —which could easily fit in the Twin Peaks soundtrack—, to the majestic "Líneas Torcidas" or the mid-tempo groove of "Mi amigo Tarzán", new landscapes in jazz are explored without hiding, at moments, the musicians' bebop pedigree. Venturing into uncharted dimensions, the album breaks with traditionalism and combines jazz and new electronic instruments into a contemporary concept that is both cosmic and sensual, a sound where timbre and space play a crucial role. Here, no track sounds like the other. The charismatic, multifaceted saxophone player Horacio "Chivo" Borraro is joined here most notably by Fernando Gelbard —who pioneered electronic keyboards and analog synths in Argentina, playing here Fender Rhodes and Minimoog— and Brazilian musician Stenio Mendes —who plays the 12-string craviola and contributes two tracks. Jorge González on bass and Néstor Astarita on drums —both part of Gato Barbieri's rhythm section in the early 60s— and Chino Rossi —responsible for much of the unusual percussion and special effects that give the album its unprejudiced aura— complete the line-up of Blues para un Cosmonauta.

A discreet but essential figure in the field of musical creation, Horacio Vaggione has been crafting an ambitious, precise and highly significant body of work for over the last fifty years, coupled with a demanding research activity. This disc offers four purely electroacoustic pieces which illustrate, each in their own way, this singular and fascinating grammar developed by Horacio Vaggione, a complex but fertile grammar which establishes a very special relationship between structure and texture, between matter and formula, to create a fascinating musical space, made up of polyphonies and metamorphoses.

funcionário delights in the freedom of creating freeform music for the first time in his career. On “horizonte”, he loosens the reins, his sound follows a wavy, organic structure rather than a rigid, formal one. If it feels freer and more colourful, that’s because it truly is.

Eight years ago, when we first encountered his work, he was composing soundtracks for imaginary video games and crafting sonic landscapes that felt like destinations for sci-fi anime characters. With “Cavalcante” (2022), he broke away from that past. It marked a turning point, he was ready to explore a “fourth world” in both sound and concept. The feedback was overwhelming.

Three years later, “horizonte” marks another evolution. He sends us music regularly, but this album stood out immediately. It felt right: more synth-driven, more open to improvisation. As he put it: “It’s like using oil pastels for the first time and discovering new possibilities. In a way, I’ve found new ways of creating using the same colours.”

Listening to "horizonte" is like waking up from a dream. Again and again. The opening track, “nascer”, suggests a new dawn, but it’s in “pássaros” that the vision fully takes flight: less processed, more raw, yet still detailed and expansive.

Finding new ways with the same colours has been his quiet mission all along. What’s new here aren't the tools, but the feeling. The movement. The invitation to travel with him. You can hear - and feel - his sense of wonder. Every sound radiates joy. Every moment sparks a new thought. The music moves quickly, but breathes slowly.

Tracks like “renascer” and “o caminho do regresso” echo the spirit of late-70s/early-80s Vangelis, in deep reverence. And just as you approach the end, “fantasma” arrives - a stunning closer, reminiscent of Eno’s “An Ending”. By then, it’s clear: the “fourth world” is behind him. funcionário has moved on. To where? We’re about to discover.

"Technically speaking, the word “funcionário” translates to “office worker” or “civil servant,” but in everyday language, it’s not exactly a term of endearment. More often than not, funcionários are viewed as overly rigid clock-watchers, and certainly wouldn’t be celebrated as a reliable source of imagination. Given that, the word makes for an unusual artist moniker, but that didn’t stop Pedro Tavares from adopting it anyways. His new album horizonte is a decidedly low-key affair, yet there’s nothing cold or bureaucratic about it. Primarily dealing in homespun ambient and wavering soundscapes that sound like they’ve been set adrift hundreds of kilometers from the nearest shoreline, the LP peaks with the glimmering tones of “o caminho da estrela,” a song that calmly glides into Fourth World territory and invites everyone in earshot to take a soak in its gentle waters." Shawn Reynaldo at First Floor

Extended Field unites Horse Lords and Arnold Dreyblatt for the eighteenth volume of FRKWYS, an intergenerational collaboration of adventurous musicians drawn to the sonically radiant world of just intonation—an ancient tuning system in which scale intervals are derived from whole-number ratios. Dreyblatt first immersed himself in this approach in New York during the 1970s, while Horse Lords began exploring and applying its possibilities nearly four decades later. Together, they create a vibrant harmonic environment, fueled by a shared devotion to rhythm, achieving a marriage of discreet but related aesthetics for the ages.

Horse Lords bring the fervor and fury of their live show to the confines and comfort of your trusted playback device with As It Happened: Horse Lords Live, a collection of recordings that capture the quartet’s galvanic energy as never before while toying with the trope of the live album. Captured at a series of concerts across Europe spanning Horse Lords’ multiple 2022 and 2023 tours, As It Happened is a mediated, sometimes obviously edited presentation of a live performance that strives for a certain level of idealization. With performance at the center of the band’s practice, and elements of chance colliding with Horse Lords’ tightly composed and complex music, As it Happened works as both provocation and total jam.

Horse Lords return with Comradely Objects, an alloy of erudite influences and approaches given frenetic gravity in pursuit of a united musical and political vision. The band’s fifth album doesn’t document a new utopia, so much as limn a thrilling portrait of revolution underway. Comradely Objects adheres to the essential instrumental sound documented on the previous four albums and four mixtapes by the quartet of Andrew Bernstein (saxophone, percussion, electronics), Max Eilbacher (bass, electronics), Owen Gardner (guitar, electronics), and Sam Haberman (drums). But the album refocuses that sound, pulling the disparate strands of the band’s restless musical purview tightly around propulsive, rhythmic grids. Comradely Objects ripples, drones, chugs, and soars with a new abandon and steely control.

The latest album from Horse Vision, the experimental indie rock unit based in Stockholm and crafting music across Europe, now arrives on vinyl. Positioned at the intersection of pop/indie sensibilities and dreamy electronic ambient, the record quietly dwells on themes of “everyday fluctuations and the slippage of memory and emotion.” Its intimate, introspective sound—shaped by post-rock and emo influences—feels attuned to the stillness before dawn or the moments when city lights continue to flicker. A graceful work where rich imagery emerges through resonance and ambiguity, filling the quiet spaces within the listener.

Combined with the planet’s leading Afrocentric confectionary and its derivative beverage, more than a few light bulbs were set to go off in newly christened practice spaces globally upon Hot Chocolate’s inevitable suggestion. Little did Ragland know, an interracial band of musical Englishmen were eyeballing the same nom de chanson in their native Brixton. They approached John Lennon for clearance for their reggae cover of “Give Peace a Chance,” but the powerful Beatle liked their interpretation so much, he added them to the band’s Apple Records roster, thrusting the Brits ahead in the race to make Hot Chocolate a household name for something other than dark, sweet beverages. Despite the potential confusion—and perhaps in hope of capitalizing on it—Lou Ragland began filling his mug with a host of recordings that would make up his Hot Chocolate’s eponymous debut. The album would be released on the oh-so-cleverly-named Co-Co label in 1971 and bankrolled by a five-pointed council that included Ragland, Lyman Moffat, Loretta Walker, Tom Threat, and Leonard Jackson. Executed at Agency Recording and engineered by longtime Ragland associate Don White, the seven-song affair is a team of vocal numbers and instrumentals in search of a leader. Volcanic Eruption’s James McClain showed up to provide vocals for the chorus to “Ain’t That A Groove,” but the rest of the record is all Hot Chocolate. After a solid year on stage, the group had many originals in their repertoire, but they chose to mint songs that Trina’s patrons had indicated, by ballot, they’d like to hear on the LP. Designed to capture the impulsive nature of the live show, most of the material ignores the industry-standard three-minute mark, a feature that might’ve appealed to disc jockeys craving a cigarette or sandwich—had the record been serviced to anyone outside of Cleveland. Dick Dugan, the Cleveland Plain Dealer sports illustrator who’d later conceive iconic mascots for the pro baseball Indians and pro football Browns during his career, was commissioned to sketch out the Hot Chocolate cover for a paltry $100. Working from a photograph, Dugan penned an imaginative rendering of the group, performing in a mugfull of their namesake dessert drink. The album was intended primarily as a keepsake for Trina’s patrons, who scooped up the 1000-copy pressing before slamming down another round.

'Apodelia' is Hotspring's second solo release on Mood Hut, and is partly a further exploration of song forms, studio techniques and instrumentation explored on 2020’s 'Obit for Sunshade'. 'Apodelia' explores lifting into revealing; scouring fidelities, playing with emotion, and improvising by night.

Raw, deep and spiritual Gnawa music from Morocco to carry you through the night...

Recorded in a single late night session in a house in Casablanca, using a Tascam field recorder and 2 microphones, Dead of Night is the incredible new solo album from Maalem Houssam Guinia, the son of Maalem Mahmoud Guinia, and one of Morocco's most exciting young Gnawa masters.

The album was recorded live on the night of 3rd January 2022 in a relaxed session that lasted into the early hours of the next morning, and it captures Houssam at his most natural, singing and playing the Gnawa songs that have been with him since his birth, completely solo and free without percussion or backing vocals. Houssam described the album as containing the songs he knows best as these were the pieces his father would play and sing late into the night in their home when he was an infant.

What you'll hear on Dead of Night is raw, deep Gnawa music in its purest form played by a young Maalem who has been immersed in the culture his whole life and is a master of his craft. The whole performance has been beautifully and sympathetically captured by bassist and producer Karl-Erik Enkelman.