Territories: Worldwide no restrictions

Format Notes: Hyper-limited (300 only!) ethereal ambient-guitar-soul, originally released on cassette only. 2025 first time ever vinyl release, 140g vinyl.


Track List:

A1 XI
A2 XII
A3 XIII
A4 XIV
A5 XV
A6 XVI
A7 XVII

B1 XVIII
B2 XIX
B3 XX

Release Notes:

On a "Balearic-Jazz trip", the phenomenally hyped Thought Leadership returns with another X ideas: the deck this time chooses the Ace of Swords. In the acclaim garnered by III of Pentacles, there were many whispers of “Balearic” from those in the know. As soon as you drop the needle on XI you will be basking in turbo Balearica.

Originally out on cassette only, we present the first ever vinyl issue. It's a hideously limited pressing of 300 for the world, so don't sleep on this.

The sonic palate has been augmented by the addition of synth and bass; there are more guitar layers, more pedals and more organic drums this time – a much fuller production. Still DIY, and still recorded straight to multitrack, just ever so slightly grander in scale; think a rough-hewn, long-lost Claremont 56 cut and you’ll have some idea of how XI opens this future classic LP.

The touchstones so key to the vision of Pentacles (Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz, Durutti Column) are all still present and correct; XII could be a piece from Extractions, XIII is pure Garlands-era Guthrie and, now with the shuffling jazz drums, XV makes TL even more LC – but more disparate influences are found this time out too. ECM guitar legends John Abercrombie and Pat Metheny in the more considered melodic phrasing and harmonic structure of the ideas and a nod to the cosmic Balearic spirit in the overall vibe, means more is offered to the listener across Swords.

XVI and XVII are the biggest indicators to Thought Leaderships’ new found love of The Real Book and their grasp of jazz chords. The former sounds like if Mike Hedges had produced on a heavily sedated ECM date in the early 80s, whilst the latter is Bright Size Life condensed into a most post-punk shard of Strat conversation. The syrupy Phase 90 on the lead parts lends much weight to the guitar melodies, a beautiful tonal counterpoint to the Vox-ish chimes of the plangent chords we’ve all come to love.

The flip again treats us to three extended, improvised jams. XVIII owes as much to Canterbury as it does to Krautrock, another modal voyage through the stars. Light the incense and drift away, guided by delayed cymbals and weaving ribbons of guitar. XIX has almost a New-Wave/Sophisti-Pop energy to it in tone, if not in structure and execution. Something almost Tears for Fears-esque in the chiming chorus guitars. An interesting outlier that has already received a lot of love from those that have heard it. XX is the starkest idea, and the only piece this time with no drums. What we do get, however, is a free exploration over a two chord-vamp. It’s Harvest Time meets Planet Caravan and a fitting end to this Balearic jazz trip.

Be With is honoured to present the first ever vinyl release of Ace Of Swords, carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francis to ensure it sounds better than ever after its initial tape release. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut at Abbey Road Studios whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry, in Holland. The original tape cover artwork, so crucial to Thought Leadership's striking visual aesthetic, has been rejigged for vinyl issue here at Be With.

The last one flew. You have been warned.

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

2026 repress

Format: 2LP (LP1+LP2)

Tracklist:
A1 / Franz Scala - New Look (feat. Furotica)
A2 / Franz Scala - Echoes Of Love
B1 / Franz Scala - Telephone Boy
B2 / Franz Scala - Light Year Run
C1 / Franz Scala - Saxon Rebel (feat. Local Suicide)
C2 / Franz Scala - Crush Test (feat. Charlie)
D1 / Franz Scala - BIT99
D2 / Franz Scala - Fantasy Bazar
D3 / Franz Scala - Fase Lunare (feat. Acid Gymnastics)


Key Selling Points
Slow Motion Records founder Franz Scala announces the infectious, ground-moving LP 'Cafe Futuro', a follow-up to his highly acclaimed debut ‘Mondo Della Notte’. Homage to the influential Neukolln bar and meeting point for Italo and Cosmic disco heads, 'Cafe Futuro' builds upon a bold and innovative sound, showcasing fellow creators and genre-defining artists, solidifying the Italo Aficionados sound, synonymous with the pioneering greats.


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

Vinyl Only!

The Shaketown series is back with another sunshine-fueled chapter - this time celebrating the blissful, sun-drenched sounds of the Balearic Islands. Following the highly acclaimed
African Shaketown and Caribbean Shaketown EPs, the third installment, Balearic Shaketown, delivers four irresistible edits and remixes of classic ‘80s pop gems - lovingly reimagined by MAGIC JAMS for today’s dancefloors.

Tracklist:

THIS 1 // Cloudbusting (Magic Jams Remix)
THIS 2 // Orinoco Flow (Magic Jams Remix)
THAT 1 // The Space Between (Magic Jams Remix)
THAT 2 // Rule the World (Magic Jams Edit

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

ONLY Europe! NO rest of WW / UK!

When people think of Yacht Rock-those smooth, sun-drenched sounds that once drifted from Californian radio stations in the late '70s and early '80s-they rarely imagine it echoing through rehearsal rooms in Hamburg or Linz. Yet even far from the Pacific coastline, the appeal of shimmering chords, laid-back grooves, and polished production found fertile ground.
This compilation gathers rare and overlooked tracks from Germany and Austria. These artists embraced West Coast aesthetics with sincerity and subtle twists, resulting in music that feels both familiar and refreshingly new-smooth sounds for cloudy skies. So drop anchor, pour something cool, and enjoy this unexpected cruise through the lesser-charted waters of Euro Yacht Rock.

Our journey begins in Austria, where Reflection's Because (1981) set the tone with blue-eyed soul and analogue warmth-a sunlit blend of Doobie Brothers polish and local charm. Its creator, Dieter Heyduk, reappears with Austrian Sky, a heartfelt nod to his homeland that fuses mountain calm with oceanic longing.
From the North Sea island of Föhr, Ara Pacis dreamed of California on their 1979 self-release To the Westcoast. Inspired by Steely Dan and Lake, they turned German rock precision into breezy, melodic sophistication. Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, Mainpoint fused funk and jazz-rock on Frisbee, their 1980 single bursting with rhythmic drive and optimism before the tide of the Neue Deutsche Welle swept such grooves aside.
Bremerhaven's Nuages offered the compilation's only instrumental gem, Strange Weekend (1985)-a gentle blend of jazz-funk and rock and largely lost to time. Its cool restraint captures the European interpretation of Californian ease.
Around the same period, British traveler Gavin James recorded River of Laughter in southern Germany, backed by the blues-rock band Black Cat Bone. His acoustic reflections on water and flow mirrored the soft, meditative pulse at Yacht Rock's core.
Berlin's Top Spin kept things playful with Bikin (1985), a funk-fusion snapshot of urban joy that showcased the city's finest session players. From the Ruhr area, the Jan Pack Band is up next. While not a typical Yacht Rock track, Cable Dance is driven by an effortless, groovy '80s vibe.
Peter Seiler's Goldfinger project reimagined Walkin' in the Sand as a relaxed reggae-tinged track, while Munich's Major Seven closed the voyage with Silverboat, a wistful soft rock ballad gliding between melancholy and light.

Across these hidden harbors of German and Austrian pop, the West Coast dream took on new forms-reflected in rivers, skies, and studio lights half a world away from L.A. Under and Above the Clouds celebrates that spirit: the enduring pull of smooth music, wherever it's made.

Special remarks:
- Co-release with Tramp Records
- First ever German Yacht Rock compilation with a selection of extremely rare tunes
- Fully Licenced
- Thick gatefold sleeve with hype sticker and extended liner notes
- Artwork by Chrisse Kunst
- Pressed on BIO VINYL -> Replacement of petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases
- Manufactured in Germany

Tracklist:

Side A:
Reflection - Because
Ara Pacis - To The Westcoast
Mainpoint - Frisbee
Nuages - Strange Weekend
Dieter Heyduk - Austrian Sky

Side B:
Gavin James - River of Laughter
Top Spin - Bikin
Jan Pack Band - Cable Dance
Goldfinger - Walkin' In The Sand
Major Seven - Silverboat



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

LP - territory: WW- UK/USA/CA/Benelux/AU/NZ/JP

Lp - BLACK VINYL ONLY IN GLOSS LAMINATED SLEEVE

Tracklist:

1. Die Cry Lie
2. Valhalla
3. Swedish Nightmare
4. Classified
5. Long Time No See
6. Fatal Distraction
7. Get A Life
8. Joe Hill’s Last Will
9. How Much Is The World
10. Creeping Beauty
11. All The Way
12. Big Life
13. The Bitter End

The word "amateur" originates from the Latin word "amator," meaning "lover" or "admirer". This Latin term is derived from "amare," which means "to
love". The French adopted "amateur" from Latin, and the English then borrowed it from French, initially retaining the sense of someone who loves or
is devoted to something. Over time, the English usage of "amateur" also developed a meaning related to a lack of professional skill or experience.
How did a word derived from love become a slur? Is love really so defenseless? They say love conquers all, but in reality isn’t love quite ridiculous?
It has no intention, no motive, no agenda. How could it possibly prevail? It can’t be bought or sold, or so they say.Its mere existence can't be proven or
even measured. What an impossible thing. Trying and failing, time and time again, no wonder cynicism always seems to win. I see “amateurism” as a
delighted, even foolish, protest. Protest against everything. Of what’s expected of someone, or expected of someone to desire or strive for. To be elite,
to be expert, to be professional, to be a master, to excel and succeed. Where’s the joy in that? I just want to have fun. I want to want. I want to love.
And keep doing it, forever. I want to have fun, even when it’s tiring and sometimes even heaven is boring as hell. I want to be bad. I want to do my
own thing. “I vant to be alone”. I want to be someone so dedicated to their passion that it starts to seem like there’s something wrong with them. All
the way. We can take it all the way, and never get it back.
” - Molly Nilsson

Amateur is the 12th studio album by Molly Nilsson. Deep in the teeth of a career that threatens to tip into something resembling a “legacy,” Molly
Nilsson celebrates with an album recorded instinctively, quickly and bursting with so many moments of emotional brilliance and clarity it may be her
greatest yet. Hers has been a career spent reaching out, perennially powerful in her earnestness, a warrior ridiculously defenceless and armed with a
glittering sincerity. Shearing herself of the machinations of the music industry, recording at home, writing direct to the heart.
Amateur is a jubilee for losers. A treatise in 13 songs, Amateur states clearly that we should live our life with eternal curiosity, offers us an open hand
of comradeship out of the rat race. The songs on the album are both some of the most personal of Nilsson’s career and the most anthemic. First
single How Much Is The World asks us to re-evaluate value in the face of a Neo-liberal system squeezing the life out of our loves. Pulsing opener Die
Cry Lie satirises the commercialisation of emotion in the form of a shout-along diss-track. With a pounding rhythm track held down by gorgeous chord
changes, heartbreaker Valhalla carries the torch for the main themes of the album: never growing up, making mistakes with kindness, moving on.
When the drums crash in on the line “It’s going to get better now, you’ll see, going to be much better off without me” there is a world of feeling swirling
about in the vocal delivery. One reading of the track might be that it’s a break up song but the subtext is classic Molly Nilsson: by living truthfully,
making mistakes, we’re active agents against the myriad oppressions of the world.

All The Way takes the theme for a run into the eternal sunset. It’s a manifesto for living fully. “Take it all the way, and never get it back” - it’s the
process that’s the important point. The journey not the destination. Big Life, follows on like a part 2: An ode not only to Molly Nilsson’s career of
endless gigs, endless connections with people, it’s a massive ode for following your dreams, doing it yourself. Closer The Bitter End is a powerful
anthem for friendship, another definition of love infused in Nilsson’s work, A beautifully poignant ode to comradeship til the end, it seems to be the
songwriter approaching aging, approaching life’s inevitability with the same vigour and earnestness, the same love of life she enjoyed at the onset of
her career.

There are moments on Amateur shrouded in reverb, slightly out of focus, forcing the listener to step deeper into the Mollyverse.. Nilsson’s open-armed
beseeching to the world permeates every beat, every chord. These are songs exploding with life: the chunky, aggressive bassline on the punker Get A
Life can’t hide its massive, catchy chorus. The sweeping Swedish Nightmare might be a tongue-in-cheek self-reference, but at its heart it’s a song
about the duality of living life large, what is a dream, what is a nightmare? Molly Nilsson says you can’t have one without the other, and why would you
want to?

Here’s to making mistakes.

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