Blawan returns with ‘BouQ’, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2023 “Dismantled Into Juice” EP; one that was heralded by Pitchfork as “dazzling… part of a long, proud tradition of UK club tracks that turn the dancefloor on its ear” and Resident Advisor as “mind-melting… truly unchartered territory.” “Fires”, the first single revealed from his freshly-announced new EP, has received global support from the likes of Four Tet and Skrillex over the summer, and sees Blawan push his distorted, syncopated productions into a new broken-pop lane, his own vocal creating an intense, visceral hook that rips through the track's multi-layered, pulsing beats.

A1 NPCs Making Hot Dinner [2m 35s]
A2 Fires [3m 39s]
B1 Done Eclipse [3m 30s]
B2 BouQ [3m 23s]

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Repress!

Physically and mentally draining in the best way possible, Wet Will Always Dry is maybe the most complete statement from Blawan to date, and as such should be ignored at your peril. This becomes evident from the album-opening “Klade,” a dizzying, tumbling flight of pure energy over overlapping fields of electrified menace. This sets the stage for “Careless,” which retains the hazardous, crackling atmosphere but dials back the intensity just enough to make room for a new feature, Blawan’s eerie and disembodied vocals.

“Tasser” ratchets up the tempo and the frenetic energy yet more, slinging chunks of audio shrapnel and grinding factory noise over the kick-heavy beat, only letting up the tension every now and then for a convulsive breakdown. By the arrival of “Vented,” a more steady, cycling groove has set in along with the accompaniment of suspenseful melodic swells, but the element of surprise is far from gone: there still seem to be spectral entities lurking around every corner, and there’s no shortage of intriguing tumbril weirdness blowing around the imaginary streets that this track conjures up.

The slamming “North” keeps alive the record’s persistent, darkly humorous feeling that things are about to go off the rails at any moment, using wildly contorted sequences and granular debris to shift between total abandon and regimented strictness. A moment of relative calmness, along with the return of the atmospheric vocals, comes about with “Stell,” a faintly dubby track that leaves an impression like watching streams of traffic progress underneath rolling, deep grey clouds.

“Kalosi” brings back the percussive motif of “Tasser” and “North,” this time partnering it with loops that bring to mind radioactive bass strings. “Nims” then shuts things down with infectious harp-like sequences, fuzz-shrouded percussion and an ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ mentality towards filtering and processes which will get the attention of all but the most jaded soundhead.

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Pitch language - Modular synth wizard Blawan brings his brand of distorted, syncopated electronic productions. Toast introduces the EP with a playful head bopper with ethereal sounds and menacing overtones. One of the biggest acts in dance music playing international festivals such as Pitchfork 2022, ADE, Nuit Sonores. Plays from Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6 music and coverage from Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, Dekmantel, CRACK, The Face “losing himself in modular synthesis without ever sacrificing soul for science”

1. Toast
2. Panic
3. Monstera Black - You Can Build Me
4. Body Ramen
5. Monstera Black - Dismantled Into Juice

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New 2x12" from Blawan on Ternesc
No words to describe how good this record is.

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Debut for Blawan on Clone records! This is his first 4 track Ep containing cuts that are more straight forward compared to his early releases. 4 relentless tracks. Big one!!!



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RE-RELEASE: R&S welcome another newcomer to the family. With only one release behind him on Hessle Audio and a wicked remix for Warp (The Hundred In The Hands) Blawan finds his new tracks in demand from the likes of James Blake, Jackmaster, Untold, Ben UFO, Ramadanman and Pariah.

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A limited edition first ever pressing of Arca’s iconic @@@@@ mixtape, the scorching of earth that preceded the launch of her KICK series. Delivering 62 minutes of quantum states, this is some of her most delicate and astonishing work to date - hard, soft, emotional, brutal, sincere and playful. Presented on double vinyl with an etched D-side.

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Four Tet lands on XL with one of his most sought-after gems from the last few years.

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The Passionate Ones is the second album by Nourished By Time, and his first released through XL Recordings, following his 2024 EP Catching Chickens. Crafted between Baltimore, London, and NYC, The Passionate Ones is a sermon, a twelve-track catharsis, howled from the underbelly of late-stage capitalism, a blueprint for building your own altar in the ruins of the American Dream. The album showcases Marcus Brown’s singular sound, shaped by his hometown of Baltimore’s rich and eclectic musical heritage where jazz, punk, indie, hip hop, electronic and R&B collide in raw harmony. On The Passionate Ones, Brown tackles love, labor, existentialism, dreams, disillusionment, and hope through the lens of metamodernism, documenting an American story of an artist exploring creativity to keep himself afloat while he follows his dreams.

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Ltd. Crystal Clear Vinyl Edition.

The Passionate Ones is the second album by Nourished By Time, and his first released through XL Recordings, following his 2024 EP Catching Chickens. Crafted between Baltimore, London, and NYC, The Passionate Ones is a sermon, a twelve-track catharsis, howled from the underbelly of late-stage capitalism, a blueprint for building your own altar in the ruins of the American Dream. The album showcases Marcus Brown’s singular sound, shaped by his hometown of Baltimore’s rich and eclectic musical heritage where jazz, punk, indie, hip hop, electronic and R&B collide in raw harmony. On The Passionate Ones, Brown tackles love, labor, existentialism, dreams, disillusionment, and hope through the lens of metamodernism, documenting an American story of an artist exploring creativity to keep himself afloat while he follows his dreams.

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The Smile's latest remix compendium is a striking one, with two eminent producers reimagining tracks from the British rock band/Radiohead offshoot's latest and third album, CUTOUTS. This remix-set takes the core of the band's genre-blend sound, from art rock to experimental electronica, and contorts it into yet another division of volatile allotropes, this time welcoming light show IDM extravaganzist James Holden and East Kent musician Robert Stillman. Both versions are full displays of productive talent, humanisti, but still cognitively vector-mapped out in digi-space ahead of time, mirroring the abstracted, rather listless and amoral lyrics heard in the title track ("And your force means nothing...")

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Everything Is Recorded, the collaborative music project centred around producer Richard Russell, have announced their third studio album, Temporary. Releasing 28 February 2025 on XL Recordings.

Temporary features an incredible roll call of collaborators including Sampha, Bill Callahan, Noah Cyrus, Florence Welch, Maddy Prior, Berwyn, Alabaster Deplume, Jah Wobble, Yazz Ahmed, Laura Groves, Kamasi Washington, Rickey Washington, Roses Gabor, Jack Penate, Samantha Morton, Clari Freeman-Taylor and Nourished By Time.

On Temporary, Russell reboots his musical DNA, letting the rhythm take up less space and bringing melody to the fore. Some songs are inspired by the sonic thought experiment “what if folk music had ‘gone digital’ in the 80s, just as reggae had?”, while spiritually and lyrically the themes encompass grief and loss.

The album's second single Losing You is out now. It features the project's longtime collaborators Sampha and Laura Groves alongside contributions from composer and trumpeter Yazz Ahmed, and bass hero Jah Wobble.

The single is accompanied by a music video by Ed Morris featuring Russell, Sampha, Ahmed, Wobble, Tic, and Mary In The Junkyard’s Clari Freeman-Taylor.

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Reissue via XL Recordings!

'Erotic Probiotic 2' is Nourished By Time’s debut album on Scenic Route, following up from last year’s two track EP, Erotic Probiotic, which had support from Jamz Supernova on BBC 1Xtra and NTS shows; Yaeji, Shy One, Macca, Anu, and more. 2023 has already been a busy year for the singer/songwriter/producer, supporting 4AD’s sardonic post-punk band, Dry Cleaning on their 20 stop tour of North America. As well as remixing their playful album track, Gary Ashby, dropping on March 1st. Nourished By Time also collaborates with progressive electronic artist Yaeji on her debut album, With A Hammer, out on April 7th on XL Recordings.

Erotic Probiotic 2 showcases the range of this rising Baltimore pop star, telling his transformative story through impeccable songwriting, infectious ear worm melodies, vivid storytelling and intimate DIY production. The album traveresses a broad spectrum of sound, allowing his songwriting to dictate the ever changing mood he orchestrates; whether it is love or loss. Sitting somewhere between indie, pop, alternative RnB, ultimately carving out a fresh sound defined by his vulnerable vocals, raw guitar licks and undeniable groove. Quantum Suicide is the lead single with a bitter sweet sentiment brought to life through fuzzy shoegaze guitar riffs, glimmering synths and beautiful melancholy vocals, leaving you with a dizzying sense of possibilities.

The album was recorded mostly in 2021 - 22 in his parents basement in Baltimore. “At this time, I was in a beautiful and formative relationship that was running its course. Songs like ‘Unbreak My Love’ and ‘Rain Water Promise’ come from that place of dealing with the end. A story of lovers parting and making sense of the battling feelings of resentment and longing. As well as the existential aspect of having to end of a relationship. All while with dealing long-time depression, songs like lead single “Quantum Suicide” and “Shed That Fear” exhibit the importance of choosing to live and that getting out of pits of despair requires tremendous amounts of effort and intention and is a very difficult lifelong task. Whilst other tracks such as ‘The Fields’ and ‘Daddy’ and ‘Workers Interlude’ are attempts at trying to aim my anger at productive targets like Capitalism which both songs are a critique of.”

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LTD. Pink Coloured Edition!

Irish indie rock sensation Fontaines D.C. return with new album ROMANCE, their debut on XL Recordings, out on August 23rd. Recorded shortly after their tour supporting Arctic Monkeys, it seizes on the momentum of 2022’s Skinty Fia, which firmly established them as one of today’s most exciting rock bands. ROMANCE represents a bold sonic and stylistic evolution for the band and lead single “Starburster” shows the band at their most electrifying to date, as Chatten’s swaggering stream of consciousness collides with explosive production.

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Black Vinyl!

Irish indie rock sensation Fontaines D.C. return with new album ROMANCE, their debut on XL Recordings, out on August 23rd. Recorded shortly after their tour supporting Arctic Monkeys, it seizes on the momentum of 2022’s Skinty Fia, which firmly established them as one of today’s most exciting rock bands. ROMANCE represents a bold sonic and stylistic evolution for the band and lead single “Starburster” shows the band at their most electrifying to date, as Chatten’s swaggering stream of consciousness collides with explosive production.

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Thom Yorke composed the original score for Daniele Luchetti’s film Confidenza, an adaptation of the Italian drama based on Domenico Starnone’s novel of the same name. His original soundtrack will be released digitally on April 26, with vinyl and CD to follow on July 12. Confidenza sees Yorke working again with Sam Petts-Davies as well as the London Contemporary Orchestra alongside a jazz ensemble which included Robert Stillman and fellow The Smile bandmate Tom Skinner.

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Peggy Gou has ascended from underground sensation to global icon by sticking to her own unwavering vision, becoming one of the most in-demand electronic musicians and DJs in the world. Having performed to over a million people worldwide in 2023, the self-managed South Korean-born, Berlin-based producer and artist has blazed her own trail as the first Korean DJ to play Berghain, the first female DJ to headline Ushuaïa Ibiza, and the first woman in over 20 years to appear within the Top 10 of DJ Mag’s annual Top 100 list.

Since 2016, she’s forged a singular blend of club music that’s as forward-thinking as it is nostalgic, finding her global breakthrough with 2018’s Once EP, which birthed hits like “It Makes You Forget (Itgehane),” and “Han Jan.” An essential tastemaker, she runs her music and design label Gudu, through which she issued her 2019 critically acclaimed Moment EP, designs her Kirin and Peggy Goods fashion lines, and sold out her own London Pleasure Gardens festival for four consecutive years. 2024 will see her biggest ever headline London show when she performs to 25,000 people in August

She’s collaborated with everyone from house legend Maurice Fulton (2020’s “Jigoo”) to South Korean counterculture hero OHHYUK (2021’s “Nabi”), and was enlisted for a 2022 remix of Kylie Minogue’s iconic “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” Referred to as “the world’s hippest DJ” by The Guardian, Gou has graced the cover of Vogue Germany, Vanity Fair Italia, GQ Middle East and Korea, Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia, and others, while boasting collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Hyundai, Ray Ban, Samsung, and Authentic Beauty Concept.

She made 2023’s international song of the summer with “(It Goes Like) Nanana,” which topped singles charts in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Greece, as well as the Billboard Dance Airplay chart. The balmy club hit appears on her highly anticipated debut album I Hear You, which arrives in June on XL Recordings. Also featuring her Lenny Kravitz collaboration “I Believe in Love Again,” the LP sees Gou boldly claiming her voice through the kaleidoscopic lens of ‘90s house music.

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Blue Vinyl!

Peggy Gou has ascended from underground sensation to global icon by sticking to her own unwavering vision, becoming one of the most in-demand electronic musicians and DJs in the world. Having performed to over a million people worldwide in 2023, the self-managed South Korean-born, Berlin-based producer and artist has blazed her own trail as the first Korean DJ to play Berghain, the first female DJ to headline Ushuaïa Ibiza, and the first woman in over 20 years to appear within the Top 10 of DJ Mag’s annual Top 100 list.

Since 2016, she’s forged a singular blend of club music that’s as forward-thinking as it is nostalgic, finding her global breakthrough with 2018’s Once EP, which birthed hits like “It Makes You Forget (Itgehane),” and “Han Jan.” An essential tastemaker, she runs her music and design label Gudu, through which she issued her 2019 critically acclaimed Moment EP, designs her Kirin and Peggy Goods fashion lines, and sold out her own London Pleasure Gardens festival for four consecutive years. 2024 will see her biggest ever headline London show when she performs to 25,000 people in August

She’s collaborated with everyone from house legend Maurice Fulton (2020’s “Jigoo”) to South Korean counterculture hero OHHYUK (2021’s “Nabi”), and was enlisted for a 2022 remix of Kylie Minogue’s iconic “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” Referred to as “the world’s hippest DJ” by The Guardian, Gou has graced the cover of Vogue Germany, Vanity Fair Italia, GQ Middle East and Korea, Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia, and others, while boasting collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Hyundai, Ray Ban, Samsung, and Authentic Beauty Concept.

She made 2023’s international song of the summer with “(It Goes Like) Nanana,” which topped singles charts in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Greece, as well as the Billboard Dance Airplay chart. The balmy club hit appears on her highly anticipated debut album I Hear You, which arrives in June on XL Recordings. Also featuring her Lenny Kravitz collaboration “I Believe in Love Again,” the LP sees Gou boldly claiming her voice through the kaleidoscopic lens of ‘90s house music.

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CD!

Peggy Gou has ascended from underground sensation to global icon by sticking to her own unwavering vision, becoming one of the most in-demand electronic musicians and DJs in the world. Having performed to over a million people worldwide in 2023, the self-managed South Korean-born, Berlin-based producer and artist has blazed her own trail as the first Korean DJ to play Berghain, the first female DJ to headline Ushuaïa Ibiza, and the first woman in over 20 years to appear within the Top 10 of DJ Mag’s annual Top 100 list.

Since 2016, she’s forged a singular blend of club music that’s as forward-thinking as it is nostalgic, finding her global breakthrough with 2018’s Once EP, which birthed hits like “It Makes You Forget (Itgehane),” and “Han Jan.” An essential tastemaker, she runs her music and design label Gudu, through which she issued her 2019 critically acclaimed Moment EP, designs her Kirin and Peggy Goods fashion lines, and sold out her own London Pleasure Gardens festival for four consecutive years. 2024 will see her biggest ever headline London show when she performs to 25,000 people in August

She’s collaborated with everyone from house legend Maurice Fulton (2020’s “Jigoo”) to South Korean counterculture hero OHHYUK (2021’s “Nabi”), and was enlisted for a 2022 remix of Kylie Minogue’s iconic “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” Referred to as “the world’s hippest DJ” by The Guardian, Gou has graced the cover of Vogue Germany, Vanity Fair Italia, GQ Middle East and Korea, Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia, and others, while boasting collaborations with Louis Vuitton, Hyundai, Ray Ban, Samsung, and Authentic Beauty Concept.

She made 2023’s international song of the summer with “(It Goes Like) Nanana,” which topped singles charts in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Greece, as well as the Billboard Dance Airplay chart. The balmy club hit appears on her highly anticipated debut album I Hear You, which arrives in June on XL Recordings. Also featuring her Lenny Kravitz collaboration “I Believe in Love Again,” the LP sees Gou boldly claiming her voice through the kaleidoscopic lens of ‘90s house music.

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Nourished By Time follows up his 2023 critically-acclaimed, breakout album Erotic Probiotic 2 with his debut EP on XL Recordings: Catching Chickens, set for physical release on May 3rd. Written between 2022 - 2023 in his home studio in Baltimore, and along his world travels this past year, Catching Chickens is derived from the film Rocky, and the iconic scene in which Rocky’s trainer makes him chase and catch a flock of chickens as a test of agility. With tracks like “Hell of a Ride,” in which Nourished By Time contemplates the fall of the American empire and late-stage capitalism loneliness, and “Hand on Me,” which traces the paranoia from distrust in a post-traumatic world, Nourished By Time chronicles his own test of agility as he weaves through the motions of his newfound notability.

Tip!!

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The Smile’s new album Wall Of Eyes is the follow up to the band’s 2022 debut LP A Light For Attracting Attention, which received critical acclaim from the likes of The Guardian, Pitchfork, The Observer, The Needle Drop, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, Uncut and MOJO, and more.

The Smile played a series of brilliantly received live shows in the US and Mexico in June and July of this year and released “Bending Hectic” from the new album in June, having initially debuted the song at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2022.

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TIP! - Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=monJkVSJUQ0

Highly anticipated would be an understatement; since their inception Overmono have purposefully cultivated a fanbase that heralds them as one of the UK’s most original contemporary live electronic acts. A run of ground-breaking club EPs between 2020 and 2022 built momentum and culminated in their breakthrough club single, ‘So U Kno’, which encapsulated the hearts of clubbers and went on to become a bonafide phenomenon as dancefloors re-opened; featuring in end of year lists published by Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, DJ Mag and Mixmag.

Since then, Overmono have been named ‘Best Live Act’ at the prestigious DJ Mag Best of British Awards, taken their custom audio-visual live show to the most credible festivals across the globe, including Glastonbury, Movement Festival, Dekmantel, and produced innovative releases including their instalment of their ‘Fabric Presents’ DJ mix series and collaborations with Joy Orbison. Now, Overmono return to present their most ambitious release to date. Across the twelve-track project, Overmono journey through a powerful distillation of their musical career so far; incorporating “So U Kno” alongside new music that propels them beyond the dancefloor. “Good Lies” remoulds and interweaves captivating vocal cuts into a series of multi-genre electronic sounds that flits effortlessly between euphoria and melancholy in the same 4-bar loop.

Tracklist:

1. Feelings Plain
2. Arla Fearn
3. Good Lies
4. Good Lies (Outro)
5. Overmono feat. St. Panther - Walk Thru Water
6. Cold Blooded
7. Skulled
8. Sugarushhh
9. Calon
10. Is U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=monJkVSJUQ0
11. Vermonly
12. So U Kno
13. Calling Out

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Strictly Limited Crystal Clear Vinyl Edition!

TIP! - Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=monJkVSJUQ0

Highly anticipated would be an understatement; since their inception Overmono have purposefully cultivated a fanbase that heralds them as one of the UK’s most original contemporary live electronic acts. A run of ground-breaking club EPs between 2020 and 2022 built momentum and culminated in their breakthrough club single, ‘So U Kno’, which encapsulated the hearts of clubbers and went on to become a bonafide phenomenon as dancefloors re-opened; featuring in end of year lists published by Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, DJ Mag and Mixmag.

Since then, Overmono have been named ‘Best Live Act’ at the prestigious DJ Mag Best of British Awards, taken their custom audio-visual live show to the most credible festivals across the globe, including Glastonbury, Movement Festival, Dekmantel, and produced innovative releases including their instalment of their ‘Fabric Presents’ DJ mix series and collaborations with Joy Orbison. Now, Overmono return to present their most ambitious release to date. Across the twelve-track project, Overmono journey through a powerful distillation of their musical career so far; incorporating “So U Kno” alongside new music that propels them beyond the dancefloor. “Good Lies” remoulds and interweaves captivating vocal cuts into a series of multi-genre electronic sounds that flits effortlessly between euphoria and melancholy in the same 4-bar loop.

Tracklist:

1. Feelings Plain
2. Arla Fearn
3. Good Lies
4. Good Lies (Outro)
5. Overmono feat. St. Panther - Walk Thru Water
6. Cold Blooded
7. Skulled
8. Sugarushhh
9. Calon
10. Is U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=monJkVSJUQ0
11. Vermonly
12. So U Kno
13. Calling Out

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A limited edition first ever pressing of Arca’s iconic @@@@@ mixtape, the scorching of earth that preceded the launch of her KICK series. Delivering 62 minutes of quantum states, this is some of her most delicate and astonishing work to date - hard, soft, emotional, brutal, sincere and playful. Presented on double vinyl with an etched D-side.

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Swan Song

The vinyl LP at the heart of this éthiopiques 31 [tracks 2 to 11] was one of the very last vinyl records ever released in Ethiopia. But above all it represents, we felt, the absolute masterpiece of the Ethiopian Groove – the Swan Song of Swinging Addis. The album leaves a clear idea for posterity of the level of sophistication and mastery that modern Ethiopian music had achieved, before being crushed under the Stalino-military heel of the Derg – as the bloody revolution that was unfolding came to be called.

Ethiopia1976.

The Revolution that broke out in February 1974 rolled on in a ruthless march. The whole of Ethiopian society was utterly stunned. The bouquets of flowers handed joyfully to the first tanks of the coup d'état were to wilt very rapidly. From September 1976 to February 1978, 18 months of Red Terror (the name given by the junta itself) spilled blood throughout the country. This fratricidal conflict took its heaviest toll among students and youth. The shift from feudalism to a cruel and primitive Stalinism left the country's citizens deeply traumatised, and snuffed out any pretence of activism, whatever the sector of society. This ice age was to last for seventeen long years.

Mulukèn Mellèssè Muluqän Mälläsä

It was three tracks by Muluken that served as the opener for éthiopiques-1 more than 25 years ago. Seven more tracks appeared on éthiopiques-3 and 13, all accompanied by The Equators, which was soon to become the Dahlak Band.

The first track, Hédètch alu, also the very first piece that Muluken ever recorded, left audiences both unsettled and amazed. Reflecting the singer's extremely young age (he was just 17 at the time), this angelic voice mystified many, who thought they were in fact listening to a feminine voice. He was not yet 22 when he released his last vinyl record in 1976 with Kaifa Records (KF 39LP), one of the very last to be issued in Ethiopia, before the cassette tape became the dominant medium for music distribution – and before the new revolutionary regime put a stop to all independent musical life, via an unspeakable barrage of prohibitions and other persecutions.

Mulu qèn, literally, “A well filled day”. This tender maternal intention wasn't enough to ward off the cruelty of fate. His mother's premature death drove Muluken to leave his native Godjam, in northeast Ethiopia, to live with an uncle in Addis Ababa. Born Muluken Tamer, he took his uncle's last name – Mèllèssè.

The spelling Muluken appeared in his administrative records. Transcription of Amharic to the Latin alphabet, both in Ethiopia and for scholars, gives rise to controversies and quibbles that can never be neatly settled. French allows for a closer approximation of the original pronunciation, thanks to its battery of accent marks, confusing as they may be to anglophones.

Between rather accommodating administrative record-keepers and the various versions that pop up in interviews given by the artist, Muluken's year of birth oscillates between 1953 and 1955…

1954? One thing is certain: the artist's talent made itself known very early indeed, because he got his start in 1966-67, at the age of 13 or 14. Photos from the period attest to his extreme youth. It's a strange sort of initiation for a very young teenager to become a sensation in the heart of Addis's nightlife at the time, Woubé Bèrèha – the Wilds of Woubé. And what's more, in the club of the Queen of the Night, the Godjamé Assègèdètch Alamrèw herself, the very same that was portrayed by Sebhat Guèbrè-Egziabhér in his novel-memoir Les Nuits d’Addis Abeba2… The legendary female club owner who is remembered to this day by the capital's ageing boomers.

Muluken first tried his hand at the drums, before he grabbed the microphone. He emigrated briefly to the Zula Club, across the street from the old Addis Post Office, one of the ground-breaking bars of the burgeoning musical scene, before joining the Second Police Band in 1968, for around three years. He spent a few months with the short-lived Blue Nile Band founded by saxophonist Besrat Tammènè. As the musical scene grew increasingly successful, and pulled slowly but decisively away from its institutional ties, Muluken released his first 45rpm single in February 1972 (Amha Records AE 440). It was included in two LP Ethiopian Hit Parade compilation albums in September of the same year. All in all, Muluken released eight two-track 45s and the same number of original cassette tapes between February 1972 and 1984, the year that he departed for permanent exile in the USA. After converting to Pentecostalism in 1980, Muluken gradually abandoned all secular musical activity. In 1985, at the end of a concert in Philadelphia, he decided to quit concerts and recording for good. Mèlakè Gèbré, the historic bass player from the Walias band who was playing with him that night, recalls that everything appeared so irredeemably diabolical in Muluken's eyes, that it was to be the end of his contribution to Ethiopian Groove.

The end of the story, the beginning of a legend.

Dahlak Band, forgotten by History

Aside from his personal history and vocal talents, it must be remembered that Muluken Mèllèssè was one of the biggest names in the musical innovations that marked the end of the imperial period. These éthiopiques aim to convince those who are just discovering this hidden gem... As for Ethiopians themselves, they are to this day captivated by this singular and atypical figure in the Abyssinian pop landscape – even though he withdrew from public life some 40 years ago. Incorrigible devotees of poetic twists, of more or less hidden meanings, Ethiopians appreciate above all the care Muluken took in choosing his lyrics and the writers who penned them, such as Feqerte Haylou, Alemtsehay Wodajo and, here, Shewalul Mengistu (1944-1977). Love songs, written by women, a far cry from the conventional drivel that pleases sappy sentimentalists.

Muluken is equally acclaimed for his perfectionism when it came to music, the opposite of the overly casual approach that is all too common. He remained a faithful partner of musicians who came from a lineage that borrowed from several inventive and pioneering bands (Venus, Equators, Dahlak). Amongst them were certain artists who began their musical lives with Nersès Nalbandian at the Haile Sellassie Theatre and who come of age in around 1973 – at just the wrong time, you might say. Among them were the pillars Shimèlis Bèyènè (trumpet), Dawit Yifru (keyboards) and Tilayé Gèbrè (sax & flute). Most notably Tilayé Gèbrè, certainly one of the most important musicians, composers and arrangers of his generation, of the end of the imperial era, and of the early years of the Derg.

It was only in 1981 that a miraculous opportunity arose for Tilayé to escape the Stalinist paradise of the dictator Menguistou Haylè-Maryam. Once again it was Amha Eshèté (1946-2021) who provided a solution. The spirited and courageous producer, who had been in exile in Washington since 1975, succeeded, thanks to his incredible perseverence, in bringing the Walias Band to the USA. It was, in fact an extended Walias Band comprising ten musicians3, six of whom chose to slip away after a few concerts and the recording of an LP (The Best of Walias, WRS 100). Tilayé Gèbrè was one of these. He has been living in the USA ever since. There he joined the then-nascent Ethiopian diaspora, which lived largely unto itself, and was making only very modest headway in the American musical market. It seems unfair that Tilayé Gèbrè and the Dahlak Band were not able to benefit earlier from the public recognition that they do deserve.

A similar draining away of the top-rate talents would lead to the reorganization of the major groups of the “Derg Time”. The remaining artists spread themselves around between Ibex Band (renamed Roha Band), Ethio Star Band and a remodeled Walias Band. That spelled the end of the Dahlak Band.

With this record, produced by the essential Ali Abdella Kaifa a.k.a. Ali Tango, we can appreciate everything that the Derg not only destroyed, but also prevented from flourishing. This gem of Ethiopian-style afrobeat came out in 1976 (and, by way of a parenthesis, before the FESTAC 1977 in Lagos, which was attended by an impressive delegation of Ethiopian musicians — although Fela was already personna non grata in his own country). Despite everything that might distinguish this ethio-groove from Fela’s music – no colonial axe to grind, no question of political confrontation with the authorities, no claims to negritude or Africanism for the Ethiopian musicians, and less extrovertion! –, this LP fits beautifully into the saga of intense and electrified soul of the new “African” groove that Fela and Manu Dibango embodied so well from that point onwards.

In restoring this record to its place in the afrobeat epic, it can be seen that, if nothing else, the timeline bestows a legitimate pedigree and a historical primacy to works that had no international impact when they were originally released.

Warning! Masterpiece!

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Tracklisting
A1 Human Safari - Mouse On Keys
A2 Human Safari - Fragments
B1 Human Safari - Classique
B2 Human Safari - The Labyrinth
B3 Human Safari - A Rainy Day in Bogota

Sales Note
Maltese talent Human Safari debuts on Mutual Rytm with jazz-influenced techno EP, 'Culture Shock'.

Human Safari is a key player in his native scene in Malta. He's a resident at Glitch Festival, has played cult spots, and has a dynamic sound that brings jazz improvisation to techno, often featuring live instrumental elements. His music has found its place on top labels like R&S Records, and most of this new EP for SHDW's Mutual Rytm imprint was produced during his Colombian summer tour last year - written and recorded amongst inspiring and unusual settings with just a laptop and headphones.

"This EP represents embracing new beginnings that, though might bring uncertainty and fear, the
light always guides you to where you were always meant to be." - Human Safari.

Opener 'Mouse on Keys' has been a key cut for the label boss across the past year, a unique track that peaks curiosity from dancers to DJs whenever it's played. Its cantering techno rhythm is overlaid with delicate, heartfelt piano keys straight from a smoky jazz bar, making for a great counter to the physical drums. 'Fragments' is a deeply personal track dedicated to the artist's late grandfather. It's a funky, soulful techno roller with blissed-out and sunny chords full of hope.

Next, 'Classique' gets more gritty with loopy drums and bass and glitchy percussion that fizzes with energy, while 'The Labyrinth' features piano motifs recorded in just one take. It brings a dark paranoia in the uneasy, off-grid keys which dart about with nervous energy over the booming low ends. There is just as much intensity and edge to the unresolved keys that loop over the raw drums on 'A Rainy Day in Bogota', before digital bonus cuts 'Dorian' and 'Phantom' bring more jazzed out techno madness with warped keys and expressive elements bringing great invention.

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The first volume of Napoli Segreta is a selection of the rarest and most sought after compositions of the 70's and 80's Napolitan disco and funk scene.. Check!

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Blawan returns with ‘BouQ’, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2023 “Dismantled Into Juice” EP; one that was heralded by Pitchfork as “dazzling… part of a long, proud tradition of UK club tracks that turn the dancefloor on its ear” and Resident Advisor as “mind-melting… truly unchartered territory.” “Fires”, the first single revealed from his freshly-announced new EP, has received global support from the likes of Four Tet and Skrillex over the summer, and sees Blawan push his distorted, syncopated productions into a new broken-pop lane, his own vocal creating an intense, visceral hook that rips through the track's multi-layered, pulsing beats.

A1 NPCs Making Hot Dinner [2m 35s]
A2 Fires [3m 39s]
B1 Done Eclipse [3m 30s]
B2 BouQ [3m 23s]

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Invigorating Stomping Chakra Grounding

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[OAM] Records continues its exploration of sonic duality — where raw emotion meets precise groove. Ludmila Di Pasquale, Bermani and Lydia Eisenblätter deliver a powerful blend of hypnotic rhythms, inner tension, and untamed energy.

This EP moves through moments of subtle resistance and deep ignition, capturing that elusive point where control slips and instinct takes over.

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Repress coming on the 19th of December!

Format:
- Limited edition petrol blue 2x12” vinyl LP.
- Housed in PMS printed inner sleeve, featuring custom fonts by No Format and spot gloss abstraction of the original album artwork.
- Accompanied with a double sided 2-panel insert and double sided 4 panel poster.
- All sleeved in a custom PMS reverse board outer sleeve with die cut square centre panel and belly band.

Sakura is without doubt the most loved and lauded entry in Susumu Yokota’s catalogue.

The music unravels like cascades of petals falling from the eponymous cherry blossom trees. Yokota intended to ‘express ki-do-ai-raku (the four emotions; joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness) through music’, and throughout Sakura, the effect fluctuates between profound tranquillity, hesitation, melancholy and joy with ease, addressing the fickle nature of human emotion, while transcending the inclination to label moods entirely.

Sakura became Yokota’s best selling album. It was greeted with universal acclaim, lauded by Philip Glass and Brian Eno and launched Yokota internationally.

‘A bittersweet beauty, heightened by the sadness that all things must one day end.’ - Martyn Pepperell

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Next up in Mr Bongo's Groove Merchant Records reissue series, we present the only solo album saxophonist Ramon Morris recorded as a bandleader. Having cut his teeth playing with the iconic band Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and working with other jazz greats, including Reuben Wilson, Shirley Scott, Rashied Ali Quintet, and Woody Shaw, 1973 saw Ramon take the step into solo territory. The resulting album Sweet Sister Funk became a certified classic and a landmark showcase of the cherished ‘70s jazz-funk sound, later sampled by the likes of DJ Premier, The Alchemist and DJ Shadow.

Originally released on Sonny Lester's iconic Groove Merchant record label and produced by Lester himself, Sweet Sister Funk is a jazz-funk masterclass. It features a slick line-up including Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, Mickey Roker on drums, and Albert Dailey on electric piano. Rich and beautiful, the seven songs ebb and flow in energy, fusing jazz funk and soul jazz with style and swagger. There are bags of groove with Ramon and Cecil trading off on sax and trumpet in an effortless conversation throughout the LP, supplemented by brilliant solos from the rest of the players.

A gold mine of sampling material, the album includes a sublime cover version of The Stylistics' much-loved 'People Make The World Go Round', which was sampled by DJ Shadow on Blackalicious's 'Swan Lake' in 1994. Elsewhere, the percussion and bass intro of the opening track 'First Come, First Serve' is a sampler's delight - a deep, heavy groove with a fine saxophone workout by Ramon. Head to 'Don't Ask Me' and you’ll find the swinging horn intro that formed the basis of 'You Came Up' by Big Pun featuring Noreaga from 1998, whilst 'Wijinia' has echoes of ‘70s indie jazz by labels such as Strata East & Black Jazz.

Here at Mr Bongo, we are proud to be delving into the vaults of Groove Merchant Records once again, reissuing this iconic LP from Ramon Morris.

Housed in a tip-on sleeve.

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