Ese puerto existe' is the sophomore album by Venezuelan folk trio, Insólito UniVerso, a psychedelic dream towards sound
and its powers of communication. On it, the band explore the diverse geography, rhythms and traditions of their home
country of Venezuela, through their own distinctive sound. Featuring additional vocals by Stereolab co-founder and solo
artist Lætitia Sadier, and mixed by Meridian Brothers mastermind, Elbis Álvarez and Heliocentrics co-founder and producer,
Malcolm Catto.
On their debut album, ‘La Candela del Río’ (to be reissued VERY soon), the band created a magical Latin American sound
of their very own, leading to critical acclaim from the likes of Songlines, Bandcamp, The Wire and many more; as well as a
nomination for Best Group at the Songlines Awards in 2020.

TRACKLIST:
A1. Ese puerto existe
A2. Pajarillo con chipola
A3. Tiento de batalla
B1. El chivo feat. Laetitia Sadier
B2. Goyo tuyero
B3. Ventana honda
B4. Fulia del cacaotal

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Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Established in 1948 by César Roldán, Discomoda is one of the earliest record labels of Venezuela and the oldest family operated label in the country. Home to one of the most complete folkloric and popular music catalogues of Venezuela, the label also invested heavily in Afro-Caribbean and tropical rhythms that became popular in the 60s and 70s.

In the 1960s and before the Salsa era truly kicked off, Venezuela had a significant dance orchestra and big band movement. Unlike local record competitors dedicated to selling foreign productions, Discomoda achieved its leading position by recording the most important national bands, including Los Megatones de Lucho, Orquesta Sonoramica and Super Combo Los Tropicales; all featured in this compilation.

Later on, surrounding the festivities for the 400th anniversary of Caracas in 1967, the word "Salsa", which had been recently coined by famed radio host Phidias Danilo Escalona, was formalized to identify an Afro-Caribbean musical style with growing popularity in Venezuela and beyond. By then, the country was among the top 20 music markets in the world, with the local label Discomoda leading the way, responsible for one out of every five records sold in the country.

With the prolonged celebrations approaching due to the 400 years of the city, Discomoda and other labels began to capitalize on this new musical style by betting on both established and new local bands, such as Nelson y sus Estrellas, Los Kenya, Principe y su Sexteto and Los Satélites. As a result, this would kick off what could be considered a golden era of Salsa in Venezuela and which lasted until the mid-70s.

As we approach the 80s and with the emergence of new musical styles and bigger multi-national record labels funded by larger pockets, a lot of the previously popular bands begin to disband or choose to leave the country. Nonetheless, a few artists, like Rodrigo Mendoza, La Renovación and Grupo Yakambu, were still pushing out quality music.

We are thrilled and honored to celebrate one of Venezuela's and, equally, Latin America's most significant record labels, and to share a slice of their enduring influence in advancing Venezuelan-made Salsa music.

A1 - Los Megatones de Lucho - El tumbaleque
A2 - Sonora Venezuela - Pero en Caracas
A3 - Los Megatones de Lucho - Muñeca
A4 - Al Ramos y su Orquesta - El candidato
A5 - Orquesta Sonoramica - Oye como suena
A6 - Microbanda Marabina - Maracaibo
B1 - Principe y su sexteto - Salsa de Guaguanco´
B2 - Genaro y sus All Stars - Mambo tema
B3 - Orquesta Universidad - Atado a un recuerdo
B4 - Los Kenya - No salgas de tu barrio
B5 - Nelson y sus Estrellas - Disparo goajira
C1 - Los Kenya - Pa' Puerto Rico
C2 - Principe y su sexteto - Analiza
C3 - Supercombo Los Tropicales - Juana Guaguanco´
C4 - Los Satélites - El tostao
C5 - Johnny Sedes y su Orquesta - Algo diferente
D1 - Los Satélites - Fiesta en Venezuela
D2 - Rodrigo Mendoza - Lija
D3 - La Renovación - Mi redención
D4 - Los Blanco - Corta el bonche
D5 - Grupo Yakambu - Si eres tú

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Tracklist:

01. Song With No Words
02. Offscreen
03. I Knew It — feat. Kate NV
04. Glance
05. How Are You — feat. Sessa (Como é que vai você)
06. Beige Days
07. Morning Moon (Lua da manhã)
08. Force of the Wind
09. Weather Report

Some records just stop you in your tracks. They resonate with you and feel instantly familiar like an old friend, even on the first listen. SOYUZ's third album ‘Force of the Wind’ is one of those records. It holds all the trademarks, beauty, and eccentricities of classic Brazilian recordings, from the 60s and 70s, that we have come to love. Think artists such as Milton Nascimento, Lô Borges, Burnier e Cartier, Arthur Verocai et al. But this record wasn’t made in Brazil and is in fact a brand-new release.

SOYUZ (which translates as 'union') is a creative collective from Minsk, Belarus, led by composer, arranger, and singer, Alex Chumak, multi-instrumentalist, Mikita Arlou, and drummer, Anton Nemahai. SOYUZ's previous albums explored and reimagined the legacy of jazz-oriented, non-English-language pop music of the 20th century. For their third album, there is a stronger focus, and it is influenced by 70s Música popular Brasileira and building bridges from it to present-day Belarus. Alex notes that from the moment he first encountered Brazilian music, he found in it a kind of concentrated emotion that felt as if it were familiar to him from his childhood. This non-verbal emotion and connection between the listener and musician echoes in the music, regardless of understanding of the language the album is recorded in.

‘Force of the Wind’ includes songs sung in Russian and Portuguese as well as instrumental compositions. Its musical palette is both acoustic and electroacoustic: rich warm Rhodes piano, soaring string arrangements, and a controlled drum swagger sounding both relaxed yet super tight. Alongside Alex's sublime vocals, that grace the majority of the tracks, the album features guest performances by multi-talented musician and vocalist Kate NV and rising Brazilian star, Sessa. Alex also recently arranged a number of tracks on Sessa's highly praised 2022 album 'Estrela Acesa'.

On the album, the trio is joined by a cast of friends; NY-based musician of Turkish origin percussionist, Cem Misirlioglu, classically trained composer, Simon Hanes, who aided with string arrangements and conducting the string players, Netherlands-based Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, Gabriel Milliet, on flutes. With the collaboration of these friends SOYUZ have created nine songs/suites that are subtle and plenitude and like the best albums, leave you aching for more.

‘Force of the Wind’ is an enigma, Brazilian yet not Brazilian, vintage yet still contemporary, out of sync with modern culture yet completely relevant and necessary.

Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

Established in 1948 by César Roldán, Discomoda is one of the earliest record labels of Venezuela and the oldest family operated label in the country. Home to one of the most complete folkloric and popular music catalogues of Venezuela, the label also invested heavily in Afro-Caribbean and tropical rhythms that became popular in the 60s and 70s.

In the 1960s and before the Salsa era truly kicked off, Venezuela had a significant dance orchestra and big band movement. Unlike local record competitors dedicated to selling foreign productions, Discomoda achieved its leading position by recording the most important national bands, including Los Megatones de Lucho, Orquesta Sonoramica and Super Combo Los Tropicales; all featured in this compilation.

Later on, surrounding the festivities for the 400th anniversary of Caracas in 1967, the word "Salsa", which had been recently coined by famed radio host Phidias Danilo Escalona, was formalized to identify an Afro-Caribbean musical style with growing popularity in Venezuela and beyond. By then, the country was among the top 20 music markets in the world, with the local label Discomoda leading the way, responsible for one out of every five records sold in the country.

With the prolonged celebrations approaching due to the 400 years of the city, Discomoda and other labels began to capitalize on this new musical style by betting on both established and new local bands, such as Nelson y sus Estrellas, Los Kenya, Principe y su Sexteto and Los Satélites. As a result, this would kick off what could be considered a golden era of Salsa in Venezuela and which lasted until the mid-70s.

As we approach the 80s and with the emergence of new musical styles and bigger multi-national record labels funded by larger pockets, a lot of the previously popular bands begin to disband or choose to leave the country. Nonetheless, a few artists, like Rodrigo Mendoza, La Renovación and Grupo Yakambu, were still pushing out quality music.

We are thrilled and honored to celebrate one of Venezuela's and, equally, Latin America's most significant record labels, and to share a slice of their enduring influence in advancing Venezuelan-made Salsa music.

A1 - Los Megatones de Lucho - El tumbaleque
A2 - Sonora Venezuela - Pero en Caracas
A3 - Los Megatones de Lucho - Muñeca
A4 - Al Ramos y su Orquesta - El candidato
A5 - Orquesta Sonoramica - Oye como suena
A6 - Microbanda Marabina - Maracaibo
B1 - Principe y su sexteto - Salsa de Guaguanco´
B2 - Genaro y sus All Stars - Mambo tema
B3 - Orquesta Universidad - Atado a un recuerdo
B4 - Los Kenya - No salgas de tu barrio
B5 - Nelson y sus Estrellas - Disparo goajira
C1 - Los Kenya - Pa' Puerto Rico
C2 - Principe y su sexteto - Analiza
C3 - Supercombo Los Tropicales - Juana Guaguanco´
C4 - Los Satélites - El tostao
C5 - Johnny Sedes y su Orquesta - Algo diferente
D1 - Los Satélites - Fiesta en Venezuela
D2 - Rodrigo Mendoza - Lija
D3 - La Renovación - Mi redención
D4 - Los Blanco - Corta el bonche
D5 - Grupo Yakambu - Si eres tú

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Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

A counterculture movement united by an expansive, experimental and deeply soulful sensibility, Japan’s rebel protest music challenged the status quo and changed the country’s music industry in the process.
The birth of Japan’s nascent acid folk scene was rooted in the messy and invigorating political climate of the late 1960s. It is a story of Dadaists, communists, pharmacists and cult leaders, led by a young generation of upstart students, artists and dreamers hellbent on turning their world upside down.

Born on the campuses of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and centred around newly formed independent label and left-wing stronghold URC, this uniquely Japanese form of folk expression provided an outlet for musicians who were tired of aping Western sounds and instead found ways to sing in Japanese and integrate traditional forms in new ways.

At the forefront of this movement was Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haroumi Hosono, a polymath innovator whose band Happy End released the first Japanese language rock album, and whose influence would go on to be felt across Japanese music for decades. Alongside, and informed by the Kansai scene’s Takashi Nishioka and Happy End collaborator Ken Narita, they experimented with cadences and accents of the Japanese language to open the door for others to experiment with their own forms of psychedelic folk too.

Some, like Nishioka, were more inspired by Dadaism than drugs, while others, like Kazuhisa Okubo, would ultimately find work as a chemist, having founded two further folk groups that flirted with varying levels of success. Obstinately uncommercial, relentlessly creative, the music featured on Time Capsule’s Nippon Acid Folk represents a broad church of influences.

Perhaps the wildest addition to this congregation however was Hiroki Tamaki, a classically-trained violinist and committed iconoclast, whose synth-prog odysseys hinted at his obsession with the divine. Subsumed by the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, he penned an album in praise of the infamous religious leader of which two superbly mind-bending tracks are featured on this compilation.

Charting the decade from 1970 to 1980 as the dreams of political and spiritual liberation seeded in the ‘60s turned to dust, Nippon Acid Folk surveys a little explored corner of Japanese music history, but one which ultimately laid the foundations for an independent music industry, launching the careers of Hosono and others in the process.

Nippon Acid Folk 1970-1980 is pressed on 12” vinyl and represents the start of Time Capsule’s deep dive into Japan’s rich history of folk and psychedelic soul music.

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System Music is pleased to welcome Italian supernova Ago to the label with an incredible 4 track EP showing his mastery in diversity within the 140 bpm realm. A break-from-the-norm EP that encapsulates the refined character of the producer. The title track "Your Eyes" opens the EP with moving chords and swirling futuristic arpeggios that brings to light Ago's amazing melodic prowess. An intense track that evokes distant memories and resolves into an anthemic second drop that has been a true dancefloor favourite all over the world in recent years. Crippling follows with sinister synths pulses that stumble into a 2-step groove, enriched by shuffling percussion and Ago’s signature bleeps and sound design. The dreamy bridge temporarily elevates the track into a new melodic realm before falling back into ringing pulses and deep atmospheres. Eight Times Eight takes the listener into a dark room dense with experimental patterns. Pounding techno kicks, airy hi-hats, scattering percussion, strobing melodies and obscure samples that gets the head nodding and the feet stepping. To be listened to the very end. Riverwind is in the name. The final tune flows like water across a beautifully crafted ethereal sound that is encompassed around floating percussive drums, occasionally awakened by sudden effects. Intertwined visions of air and water take us to the banks of new digital rivers.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More