MUSIC

In mulling over their career, it’s staggering to realize that Sonic Youth not only delivered a healthy slab of releases as a unit but also have a myriad of shelved material still waiting for broader ears. While the group’s current Bandcamp abode lays out a generous amount of it, a bunch more has yet to surface. And it’s a massive mountain to chip away at in the sense of the group output alone; individual members’ projects are a whole other game, needless to say. "In/Out/In" ably delivers a new slab of mostly-unheard Sonic righteousness, with a scope on the post 2000-era band in especially zoned/exploratory regions. The 80’s and 90’s continually saw Sonic Youth reminding everyone that their jams ran free alongside song craft and visible development album to album; there were Peel excursions, dipping toes into soundtrack work starting with 1986’s "Made In USA", and of course great impromptu expansive takes of tried and true previous material onstage. The millennial establishment of home turf studio spaces in NYC then NJ greatly egged on forays into improvisation and composition on their own clock as evidenced in "Goodbye 20th Century" and the plethora of SYR releases that trickled out side by side between major release albums. At this juncture they had already created a cultural template for a whole new breed of rock heads who, in turn, entered a feedback loop to SY itself, which cultivated more of its own new moves informed by the very fandom they had for their acolytes all the while pushing the band outward to uncharted fields. Jim O’Rourke’s residency had already influenced the band’s material in part into denser, longer, meditative paths. Mark Ibold’s entry for their swan song "The Eternal" also allowed for more of this exploration with Kim Gordon having more room to commit to third guitar. However "The Eternal" also took more cues from Ibold’s bottom-end swing and perhaps dialed back the expansiveness of the "NYC Ghosts and Flowers" and "Sonic Nurse" era a notch in a cool way, making it one of the best group efforts for me, anyway. Perhaps this fueled some of these tracks here, in an already comfortable zone with a new lineup and new drive to take sideroads to even more outer realms. "In/Out/In" reveals their last decade to be still heavy on the roll-tape and bug-out Sonic Youth. Not all recorded in one session but rather spread out over 2000-2010, the sequencing here is especially well thought out. Opening with the 2008 “Basement Contender” we get a super-unfiltered glimpse of the band at Kim and Thurston’s Northampton house creating a gentle springboard of Venusian choogle, with phased Lee lappings at cascading Thurston figures forming a simmering soundtrack. “Machine” offers another instrumental track from "The Eternal" sessions and is a steamy exercise in stop-start rhythmic grunt amidst a jungle of chiming and upward spiraling chord progressions. We’ve also got the extended score offering “Social Static” from the Chris Habib/Spencer Tunick film of the same name, draping white sheets of noise over your head then descending into a gauzy maw of car-alarm guitars and ambient-yet-disruptive turbulence that eventually subsides into a smoky coda. Two more tracks round out the set both culled from a Three Lobed box set of various artists from 2011 called "Not the Spaces You Know, But Between Them": “In & Out” quietly resembles Can in a cave with dripping stalactites of Kim’s wordless tone rumble and was recorded at a soundcheck in Pomona California and their home Hoboken turf in 2010. “Out & In” from 2000 was done in their late downtown NYC studio and serves to close out this LP’s last 12 minutes as a reminder of what they got up to with O’Rourke there. More gentle time shift chord framework erupts into molten fury three minutes in, before mutating into the sonic equivalent of a slowly collapsing star. Casting an audio net over the entire instrumental/outtake oeuvre of Sonic Youth’s long history isn’t something easily committed to a single release without a doubt. Hearing these tracks in comparison to, say, 1986’s "Made In USA" material shows the massive leaps they took over the years. Whereas ’86 showed them freshly discovering their go-with-the-flow instrumental abilities for a soundtrack, their last decade showed them complementing the ambience with assured twists and turns that only came to be through their inimitable and rooted telepathy. That, plus the freedom to compose in more comfortable environs other than dank Ludlow Street rental spaces (hard to believe "Daydream Nation" was created in a claustrophobic practice basement) most assuredly was a component in their continued paths of discovery. Shifting on the drop of a dime from quiet/deep forays into full on noised-out Autobahn stomps with Steve Shelley at the wheel, they painted detailed and varied brush strokes and continually created organic sounds that undoubtedly carried the signature sound of the band, while ringing loud with their continual drive to free themselves from just that. Enjoy this capsule. -Brian Turner, 2021-

The album’s title refers to the creation story of the Yoruba people, a West African ethnic group with a revered tradition. Songs on Primordial Waters tell stories of deities and divinities, with Jamael drawing a through line between his tradition’s origins and contemporary jazz. “Èṣù” is a jazz interpretation of a traditional Yoruba spiritual melody, and “Ṣàngó” tells the story of the popular king deity, god of thunder and lightning. These sit alongside songs inspired by Jamael’s black Los Angeles community. “Galaxy In Leimert”, influenced by Alice Coltrane’s “Galaxy Around Olodumare,” pays celestial homage to Jamael’s rapidly-gentrifying South L.A. neighborhood, Leimert Park. Jamael’s hip-hop influence comes through in the album’s second half, with Jamael assuming his hip-hop alter ego Jasik to rap over beats he created entirely by sampling the jazz material on the first half of the album. Jamael invited his regular collaborator, vocalist Sharada Shashidar, and Mekala Session from his local music community to perform on the album. Jamael is a seasoned collaborator: he currently leads music collective The Afronauts, has participated in the Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra, and has played with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Niño.

A 22-year-old genius jazz pianist who also works with Kamasi Washington, Thundercat and Carlos Niño, including his grandfather legendary soul jazz drummer Donald Dean, Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and more. A young Jamael Dean who needs attention to be influenced by. The long-awaited official debut work is fully released from the prestigious ! Currently, he leads the music group The Afronauts and participates in the legendary black jazz "Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra". It is a two-part album consisting of 10 hip-hop songs produced under the name of his own nickname "Jasik" using jazz performances by his group and beats sampled from them. Sharada Shashidhar and Mekala “Mickey” Session, who are also enrolled in Brooklyn's female singer and have collaborated with Jamael Dean many times, participated. The title comes from the Genesis of the Yoruba, a West African ethnic group. Both sides are fertile and superb!

A split sided album on clear vinyl with Chris Watson and Georgia Rodgers, pairing two artists whose works here show different but complementary new forms in the use of field recording in composition. Both were originally multi-channel installations before the release of these stereo versions.

Notes From The Forest Floor was originally premiered in a different form in July 2015 at the ICA as part of an evenings event dedicated to the work of Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi. It was recorded in La Selva tropical rain forest reserve in Costa Rica.

Line Of Parts was originally premiered at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2019 as part of the Huddersfield Professional Development Programme for Female Composers of Electronic Music project. It was recorded in the Cairngorms and North London.
artwork by Chris Bigg
photography by Chris Watson/Georgia Rodgers

This is the first analog reissue of a masterpiece that was originally released only on CD by 12k in 2004. The publisher is Germany's Keplar, which has recently reissued masterpieces by Vladislav Delay, Giuseppe Ielasi, Arovane and many others. This is the ultimate in ambient music, where minimalism and nostalgia melt together in the universal and timeless longing of electronica. It is truly one eternity. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu and cut by Loop-o, the quality of the vinyl is perfect. Limited edition of 500 copies.

A timeless masterpiece left by the Japanese fusion / urban pop giant. From city pops such as Hiroshi Sato, Junko Hirotani, Etsuko Sai, and Piper to Yumin and Seiko Sawada, and a number of sharp anime records such as "星へ行く船" and "夢の碑", this person in the history of Japanese music. The original was a super rare album released from in 1982, but the long-awaited first analog reissue from , which is also known for the reissue of Japanese ambient / ambient music such as Takashi Kokubo and Yas-Kaz. A masterpiece aerobic record produced as a soundtrack to TBS TV's "Aerobics" by Ken Morimura, who is known as the keyboardist of the salsa band Orchestra del Sol! A masterpiece that will surely fascinate disco boogie-city pop and Balearic lovers. Come on while this is! Limited to 500 copies.

Italy's New Age / World label Black Sweat reissues 80 years of unknown electronic music from Italy.
A cassette work of a project called Futuro Antico. A meditation synth and a bewitching flute unfold, which is good because it has a gentle, violent, piercing sound. It's also reminiscent of Terry Riley and Don Cherry's legendary live performances in Cologne.

In an industry always pinning its hopes on the next big trend, Benny Sings is in it for the long haul. The Dutch artist has honed a signature sound while creating a colorful catalog of essential pop gems that have led to loyal global following. Music is Benny's 8th full-length album, and his second on Stones Throw after City Pop (2019).

City Pop is Benny Sings's sixth album and first for Stones Throw in 2019. Limited color vinyl LP will be released in 2021. (the original LP is sold out)
A sum of Benny's real-life observations and insights on love, held together by his soft rock- inspired songwriting, jazz instrumentation, leading piano and distinctive vocal. The album was inspired by and written in cities all over the world, including New York, LA, Tokyo, Paris and Benny’s hometown of Amsterdam. The album celebrates collaboration, with Mayer Hawthorne, Cornelius, Sukimaswitch (the “Japanese Steely Dan”), Mocky and Faberyayo among the featured artists.

Keyboardist and composer Weldon Irvine is among the most celebrated Jazz-Funk artists of all time. Throughout the 1970s, Irvine released a series of seminal albums full of deep, soulful, funky grooves. The Sisters is a collection of lost tracks and demos from his late-1970s studio sessions with fellow Jazz-Funk luminary Don Blackman.iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1EuQGnOUXog" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen>

Pressure Sounds 77th album is Jesus Dread! Yabby You, a great roots musician, and King Tubby, the king of dub, are the strongest tag team! It's a mystery! The long sought after track Tr.8 "Deliver Dub" has been called King Tubby's masterpiece!

Nineteen beloved tracks culled from precious 45 rpm dub plates. Vivian Jackson, aka Yabby You, embodied the "struggles" of the streets and was instrumental in raising the spirit of Rastafari in Kingston and establishing roots reggae at its peak. Deeper Roots" reflects the Rasta spirit of the 1970's with King Tubby and is an irreplaceable legacy of Yabby You as an artist and producer, featuring rare singles and dub plates from the era. This album is a record of Yabby Yu's golden years, from which we can hear his unique spirituality, his life in the ghetto, and his music that resonates deeply with the Rasta spirit. The album has rocked sound systems not only in Kingston, but also in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and around the world. His special relationship with King Tavi resulted in the golden age of his career.

01. Valley of Joeasaphat - Smith & The Prophets
02. Joeasaphat Rock - Smith And The Prophets
03. Thanks and Praise - King Tubby
04. Don’t Touch I Dread - Barrington Spence
05. Tutch Dub - The Prophet All Stars
06. Fighting Dub - Tommy McCook & King Tubby Deeper Roots
07. Deliver Me - Yabby You
08. Deliver Dub - King Tubby & Yabby You
09. Milk River Rock - Don D Junior & The Prophets
10. Dip Them Bedward - Prince Pampidoo
11. Dub Them Bedward - The Prophets All Stars
12. Dub Vengence - King Tubby & The Prophets
13. Forward on the Track - King Miguel
14. Caymanas Rock - King Miguel & The Prophets
15. Love Sweet Love Drums - King Tubby & The Prophets All Stars
16. Lazy mood - The Prophets All Stars Deeper Roots
17. Open Your Hearts - King Tubby & The Prophets
18. Poor and Needy Dubwise - King Tubby & The Prophets All Stars
19. Cleo’s Dub - Hot City All Stars

Jon Hassell, a genius who just released a remastered version of the famous experimental music history "Vernal Equinox" in March of this year as a memorable debut work, "Listening To Pictures (Pentimento Volume One)" The latest work, "Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two)" has been released!

"Pentimento" means "in a painting, the original image, format, and brush flow that has been modified or overlaid reappear." The term accurately describes his innovative style of "painting", creating a new, indescribable, addictive palette by layering subtle differences.
Given the traditional Hassel, this title can be interpreted in many ways. But perhaps the most plausible interpretation at this point is the human instinct to sing and have fun in the face of repeated difficulties. It's the future blues that sang uncertainties and ever-changing shapes. On this album, Hassel is once again adventuring to create new forms and variants of music, incorporating elements of the "fourth world" of the past. It's a thrilling window-like work where you can see what the world's music will be like in the future.

"Jon Hassell is the most influential composer of the last 50 years. His invention, called'Fourth World Music', gives a deep respect to the music of different cultures around the world. He paved the way. His work had a great influence on other artists, through which his musical tastes changed dramatically. His unique intellectual contribution is also noteworthy. He is a patient and eloquent theorist and a great musician. "-Brian Eno

Jon Hassell's greatness in contemporary music history is comparable to Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, or The Velvet Underground. --The Wire Magazine

King Tubby's Dub from the Roots album was originally released in 1974. Osbourne "King Tubby" Ruddock was born in Kingston, Jamaica on January 28, 1941 and grew up in the High Holborn Street area of downtown Kingston. He studied electronics at Kingston's National Technical College and also in two correspondence courses from the U.S.A. When he had qualified, Tubby began repairing radios and other electrical appliances in a shack in the back yard of his mother's home. His work in the early days included winding transformers and building amplifiers for Kingston's sound systems. Tubby built his first sound system in 1957 playing jazz and rhythm & blues at local weddings and birthday parties. His reputation as a man who knew and understood both electronics and music grew steadily, and as the '60s drew to a close, Tubby purchased his own basic two-track equipment. He installed this alongside his dub cutting machine, a homemade mixing console, and his impressive collection of jazz albums in the back bedroom of his home at 18 Dromilly Avenue which he christened his music room. Lovingly restored, these releases were the first to carry the name of King Tubby and the first to credit the great musicians that contributed so much to the rhythms that made these albums possible.

Definitely ahead of their time, A.T.R.O.X. were one of the first bands to move beyond typical new wave styles and introduce strong electronic elements, not too far from works of their contemporaries Tuxedomoon and Minimal Compact. "When we recorded Water Tales I was thinking of the sea as the only escape for mankind. I proposed this idea to the rest of the band and all of them were just thrilled". Probably it is the only new wave concept-album that was ever released. The sound, compared to the first album, is more influenced by the lessons of Eno and David Byrne, who were enriching their compositions with amazing and intriguing musical phrases and rhythms. Of course, we did not forget the lessons of NEU! and Faust. The Andreoni brothers and Marchini were both brilliantly creative and yielding, and they were responsible for all the musical themes upon which Benvisi carved the acoustics. Water Tales is a sincere album, then the season changed and suddenly we were 'every man for himself' almost without realizing it." --Francesco Paolo Paladino

Stunning compilation of great soul songs. The third in a six part series of compilations following a similar logic as Harry Smith’s Anthology Of American Folk Music – only where Smith covered folk, blues, gospel and old timey, this compilation covers just American soul music recorded between 1955 and 1972. Many deep ballads and a few rockers. Features extensive 12 page liner notes with lots of photo’s as well as a real special bonus insert. Cover has gold foil printing, and the records are housed in classy black sleeves. Super fancy limited edition double LP not to be missed.

Stunning compilation of great soul songs. The third in a six part series of compilations following a similar logic as Harry Smith’s Anthology Of American Folk Music – only where Smith covered folk, blues, gospel and old timey, this compilation covers just American soul music recorded between 1955 and 1998. Many deep ballads and a few rockers. Features extensive 12 page liner notes with lots of photo’s as well as a real special bonus insert. Cover has gold foil printing, and the records are housed in classy black sleeves. Super fancy limited edition double LP not to be missed.

A double LP with 42 pages of full color 12" X 12" liner notes bound into a gatefold LP with a shiny silver foil front cover. Printed inner sleeves and 180 gram vinyl. "Strange World" is a compilation of cosmic and earthly doo wop and R&B from Jamaica and America. The songs are mostly sparse, beautiful and spacey. Features unreleased demos as well as hard to find songs found only on 45's from the 1950's. The liner notes feature unseen photos and cosmic art. Pyramid Records is a new label focusing on deluxe very small pressings. The goal is to make "dream records" that speak of an alter destiny better than what we got going these days.

An important title is coming from Constructive, a new offshoot of SN Variations, a hot label in the UK that includes Chris Watson, Richard Skelton, and Lucy Railton. The latest album released just a few days ago was one of the strongest of the year, and now we have another new release. Last Afternoon" is a masterpiece of this year by Japanese composer Takuma Watanabe, who is known for his many film scores and collaborations with big names such as Relativity, UA, and David Sylvian. This is a rework of that album by Vladislav Delay aka Delay. Against the backdrop of tranquil and languid ambience, a mass of intense sounds pours out. Designed by Joe Gilmore of SUPERPANG, a new sanctuary for current Italian experimentalism, and mastered by Joe Talia! Limited to 500 copies.

Prog Rock & Obscure Groove from Indonesia...! Djauhar Zaharsjah Fachruddin Roesli (1951-2004) was a singer-songwriter from Bandung, Indonesia, who played rock and blues in his early years, dreamed of becoming a writer like his grandfather, the famous writer Marah Roesli, and left behind many unpublished poems, and even wrote acoustic protest songs inspired by Bob Dylan. Djauhar Zaharsjah Fachruddin Roesli (1951-2004), a singer-songwriter from Bandung, Indonesia, who even wrote acoustic protest songs inspired by Bob Dylan. This is a miraculous reissue of a 1976 cassette album by Harry Roesli, the legendary rock band he led!

After releasing an album with the band, he studied at the Jakarta Art Educational Institute and went on to the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. After returning to Indonesia, he started an avant-garde project that mixed the sounds of Xenakis, Cage, and Stockhausen with the poetry of Indonesian writer Yudhistira ANM Masardi. The group's activities have been multifaceted, including international performances in collaboration with such luminaries as novelist Putu Wijaya and filmmaker/actor Nano Riantiarno. With nearly 20 performers, the album is a miraculous blend of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, funk, and other sounds with Indonesia's unique grooves, using not only traditional Indonesian instruments such as gamelan and choir, but also western instruments such as synthesizer and guitar. It's a miraculous balance of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, funk, and unique Indonesian grooves!

Limited one-time pressing! Double LP and bonus 7” single!! O.V Wright is one of the greatest soul singers of all time, and here we have a two record and one single set that covers all his best material! Producer of these session's Willie Mitchell (who also produced Al Green and Ann Peebles) stated that O.V. was the best soul singer he ever heard. Otis Redding felt threatened by O.V's talent. O.V could keep an audience hypnotized without moving a muscle and just using his pure pitch perfect voice. He is a singer of mythic proportions and we believe this LP proves it. The first record of this set is a straight repro of O.V's best and hardest to find release - Nickel And A Nail And Ace Of Spades. We spared no expense to get the best sound possible. The second LP is a "best of" O.V titled "Everybody Knows The Best Of O.V Wright". It collects songs released on O.V's singles recorded between 1964 and 1972. Some real hard to find songs as well as some well known hits... The record also comes with a bonus 7" by The Sunset Travelers, a Gospel band featuring O.V before he went secular and the great Johnnie Frierson (Wendy Rene's brother, writer of "After Laughter Come Tears" and artist behind the all time great LP "Have You Been Good To Yourself"). The A side, "Aint' That Good News", is the Gospel prototype for O.V's secular "Everybody Knows". The B side, "Another Day Lost", is a Gospel tune that was later turned into a soul hit by soul legend Reuben Bell. If you like soul music, there is no way you can do without this record, and the price is right for a double LP with a bonus 7". Limited one time pressing.

Emily A Sprague’s Hill, Flower, Fog is an illumination of consciousness across six modular meditations. A place, a poem, and a homespun ode to existing in “this cone of time in our universe,” Hill, Flower, Fog channels the here and now and fosters a far-reaching connectedness, or lifeline, from the everyday to the cosmos.

Sublime Frequencies finally unleashes it’s ESSENTIAL compilation from 1970’s Egypt. Modal instrumental tracks from Baligh Hamdi - one of the most important Arabic composers of the 20th Century (writing for legends Umm Kalthum, Abdel Halim Hafez, Sabah, Warda, and many others). Features his legendary group the “Diamond Orchestra” with Omar Khorshid on guitar, Magdi al-Husseini on organ, Samir Sourour on saxophone, and Faruq Salama on accordion. All of these musicians were discovered and recruited by Hamdi to interpret his vision of a modernized, hybrid Arabic music. Under Hamdi’s direction, this orchestra charted a new melodic direction and created a new musical language. This compilation is culled from a specific era of Hamdi’s long career, a decade where he fully realized an international music which incorporated beat driven Eastern tinged jazz, theremin draped orchestral noir, tracks that feature searing guitar solos from none other than Omar Khorshid, and a selection of buzzing, sitar driven, Indo-Arabic tracks establishing a meeting of mid-east and eastern psychedelic exotica, and a vision that created some of the hippest music coming out of the Middle East from the late 1960’s and throughout the 1970’s.

There was something in the air in the urban corners of late ‘60s Japan. Student protests and a rising youth culture gave way to the angura (short for “underground) movement that thrived on subverting traditions of the post-war years. Rejection of the Beatlemania-inspired Group Sounds and the squeaky clean College Folk movements led the rise of what came to be known in Japan as “New Music,” where authenticity mattered more than replicating the sounds of their idols.

Some of the most influential figures in Japanese pop music emerged from this vital period, yet very little of their work has ever been released or heard outside of Japan, until now. Light In The Attic is thrilled to present Even a Tree Can Shed Tears, the inaugural release in the label’s Japan Archival Series. This is the first-ever, fully licensed collection of essential Japanese folk and rock songs from the peak years of the angura movement to reach Western audiences.

In mid-to-late 1960s Tokyo, young musicians and college students were drawn to Shibuya’s Dogenzaka district for the jazz and rock kissas, or cafes, that dotted its winding hilly streets. Some of these spaces doubled as performance venues, providing a stage for local regulars like Hachimitsu Pie with their The Band-like ragged Americana, Tetsuo Saito with his spacey philosophical folk, and the influential Happy End, who successfully married the unique cadences of the Japanese language to the rhythms of the American West Coast. For many years Dogenzaka remained a center of the city’s “New Music” scene.

Meanwhile a different kind of music subculture was beginning to emerge in the Kansai region around Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. Far more political than their eastern counterparts, many of the Kansai-based “underground” artists began in the realm of protest folk music. They include Takashi Nishioka and his progressive folk collective Itsutsu No Akai Fuusen, the “Japanese Joni Mitchell” Sachiko Kanenobu, and The Dylan II, whose members ran The Dylan cafe in Osaka, which became a hub for the scene.

Even a Tree Can Shed Tears also includes the bluesy avant-garde stylings of Maki Asakawa, future Sadistic Mika Band founder Kazuhiko Kato with his fuzzy, progressive psychedelia, the beatnik acid folk of Masato Minami, and the intimate living room folk of Kenji Endo.

Nearly 50 years on, this “New Music” is born anew.

A beautiful album celebrating Hawaii’s warmth and spirit. Enterprising composer and musician Eddie Suzuki made his own path throughout his lifetime. Born on October 4, 1929, Suzuki worked as a young shoeshiner in 1940s Honolulu, saving enough money to take piano lessons. In high school, he led a big band orchestra of 16, and sometimes up to 40 members. By the age of 18, he owned a piano shop that pivoted to become Honolulu’s top guitar store. For Eddie Suzuki, music always came first. In 1973, after performing and composing songs for many years, Eddie Suzuki and his group, New Hawaii, recorded the now impossibly rare album, High Tide. The LP isn’t a rock-outfit, local music journalist Wayne Harada ruminated in a 1973 review. Rather, it’s one man’s vision and version of the now Hawaii. A seasoned mix of psych, Hawaiian, and pop sensibilities, the music on High Tide gave the listener a look into Eddie’s singular vision celebrating the sights and sounds (and spirit) of Hawaii.