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Connoisseurs of 1960s she-pop have been very well served by Ace Records, particularly those with a predilection for American and British artists. But good music, of course, is not exclusive to the English-speaking world, as those familiar with our collections devoted to the female vocalists of Italy will be aware (not to mention similar projects focusing on Japan, France, Sweden, Hungary and Spain). In a country renowned for its song festivals, most notably the prestigious event held annually in Sanremo, highly orchestrated ballads have always been especially popular in Italy. For this celebratory single, however, we present exemplary uptempo decks by Brunetta and Rita Pavone.

Brunetta was one of the first Italian singers to record rock’n’roll. Among her early releases were the appropriately titled “The Explosive Brunetta” and “Ciclone Brunetta” EPs and the frantic ‘Precipito’, which she performed with wild abandon in the film Urlatori Alla Sbarra. New stars Mina and Adriano Celentano also appeared in the movie, so she was in very good company. Fast forward a few lower-profile years, she released the record for which she would become best remembered. Backed by the Balubas combo, she performed the somewhat non-PC ‘Baluba Shake’ at the Pesaro Song Festival in 1966, scooping top prize. These days, the track is an underground dancefloor favourite, original copies of which change hands for a pretty penny.

Half an hour of party tunes that sound like the best bits of '90s R&B.

Her second full-length album, Look Up Sharp , on her own Kallista records. Look Up Sharp is an evolutionary leap from the thick fog and pastoral stillness of her Blackest Ever Black missives, You Know What It's Like (2016) and The Garden EP (2017). Three years since her plain-speaking debut album, the Melbourne-via-Berlin artist finds herself absorbed in London's sprawling mess. The small-town dreams and inertia that preoccupied dal Forno's first album have dissolved into the chaotic city, its shifting identities, far-flung surroundings and blank faces. Look Up Sharp is the story of this life in flux, longing for intimacy, falling short and embracing the unfamiliar. Dal Forno connects with kindred spirits and finds refuge in darkened alleys, secret gardens and wherever else she dares to look. In her own territory between plaintive pop, folk and post-punk dal Forno conjures the ghosts of AC Marias, Virginia Astley and Broadcast through her brushwork of art-damaged fx and spectral atmospheres. The first half of the record is filled with dubbed-out humid bass lines, which tether stoned hazes of psychedelic synth work as on 'Took A Long Time' and 'No Trace.' These contrast with songs like 'I'm Conscious and 'So Much better' that channel the lilting power of YMG and are clear sequels-in-waiting to dead-eyed classics like 'Fast Moving Cars.' The B-side begins with the feverish bass and meandering melody of 'Don't Follow Me,' which takes The Cure's 'A Forest' as its conceptual springboard. It's the clearest lyrical example since 'The Garden' of dal Forno's unmatched ability to unpick the masculine void of post-punk and new wave nostalgia to reflect contemporary nuance. Look Up Sharp reaches its satisfying conclusion with 'Push On' - dal Forno's most explicit foray into an undiscovered trip hop universe between Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn. The album's last gasp finds personal validation in fragility: 'I push on / I'm the Place I'm Going,' a self discovery lifted by reverberant broken beats and glass-blown...

- Composed by Carter Burwell - 140 gram Black Vinyl - Manufactured in Czech Republic A frequent collaborator of THE Banshees OF Inisherin writer/director Martin McDonagh’s, Academy Award®-nominated composer Carter Burwell previously worked on three of his films, starting with In Bruges. He also worked on Seven Psychopaths, as well as his Oscar-nominated score for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, their last collaboration.

For THE Banshees OF Inisherin, McDonagh already had, for one section of the film, a piece in mind that’s performed by a Balinese gamelan ensemble – mostly metallic instruments. Taking that inspiration, Burwell weaved gamelin instruments alongside the score’s three main instruments: the celeste – a keyboard that plays bell sounds, the harp, and the flute to create the film’s highly-acclaimed score.

“The score to Banshees is, like its slow simmering conflict, delicate and nuanced and heartbreaking all at once,” said Mondo Creative Director Mo Shafeek..” It takes small steps backwards and forwards like crashing waves on a lonely island, strings and woodwinds dancing with one another, in a waltz. The whole score plays like a dance between two overlapping voices - occasionally harmonizing, but never connecting. Occasionally beautiful, but always a bit melancholy.”

At the top of 2020, after a year of traversing the globe in support of 2019’s Run Fast Sleep Naked, Nick Murphy began creating music that simply felt good. Though the singer had retired his billionstreaming Chet Faker project four years prior, the new songs he was working on in his New York City studio had an energy reminiscent of his earlier work. Reviving the project “wasn’t on my radar” at the time, Murphy admits, but the next thing he knew, he had a full album. The result is Hotel Surrender, a radiant 10-track LP full of swaggering bass lines and electrifying melodies that reintroduces Chet Faker to the world – and to Murphy himself. Like his debut LP, 2014’s Built on Glass, Murphy wrote and produced Hotel Surrender solely on his own, finishing most of the songs before COVID-19 hit in March 2020. He admits that before Hotel Surrender, he had never approached his process with such ease. This time, as the album title suggests, he surrendered to the music. “There was this, like, unconsciousness—not thinking, but just feeling, letting it come out and letting it steer itself,” Murphy says. “The great lesson for me was that I could write from a place of joy. I was also just being kind to myself. None of this music was hurting, it just felt good. It made me feel better, and it helped me be better.”

'A New Place 2 Drown' is a soundtrack by Archy Marshall (aka King Krule). It scores a book of the same name that Archy made with his brother Jack. Previously released as a digital-only album, 'A New Place 2 Drown' is now available on vinyl. The original digital release was number 33 in Pitchfork's Top 50 Of 2015. The album's restrained, nuanced intelligence is a testament to Marshall's pure talent and compelling persona.

Maryam Saleh, Maurice Louca and Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, names that have turned
heads in alternative Arabic music with solo albums and conspicuous collaborations,
with Lekhfa they give birth to an off kilter sound where layers of grit and beauty
intertwine in and around the dystopian poems of their contemporary Mido Zoheir,
whom they've dubbed the fourth member in this creation and one of the most
talented Egyptian poets of their generation. Mixed by Khyam Allami, Mastered by
John Dent at Loud.

2022 repress

This limited edition set contains the original LP (green vinyl) plus a 10 track bonus LP (amber vinyl) and a bonus 7” (red vinyl) with 2 previously unreleased tracks.
Remastered and pressed on colour vinyl with a reworked sleeve by original designer Andy Royston
Including the singles Boy Meets Girl, So What; Should The Bible Be Banned; Keep An Open Mind Or Else & This Nelson Rockerfeller.
Originally released in 1989. The Enraged Will Inherit The Earth is a musical molotov cocktail that’s a mixture of power chords and virile, virtuous lyrics.
The songwriting is tightly forged and their knack for producing raw pop is at its finest here. The Enraged Will Inherit the Earth is a powerful weapon that didn’t get enough of a user base to make its intended impact. If the question was ever proposed, “can art be a weapon?” I think this album answers with a bold and resounding “yes.”

„Awkward Attraction” captures Monstera Black’s exploration of both embracing and deconstructing pop music. The EP starts off with ‘system’, a piece that echoes a classic song structure while anticipating an unconventional sonic palette, setting the stage for the impending unraveling process that reaches its culmination in the final track, ‘who’s a hoe?’. As the journey unfolds, traditional structures progressively give way to a stream of consciousness, where motif-driven improvisation and softly sung melodies collide with a darker club and experimental soundscape masterfully crafted by alys(alys)alys. The lyrics, infused with provocation and sarcasm, delve into themes of existence and vulnerability, presented through warped vocals and repetitive hooks. „Awkward Attraction“ crafts a taunting atmosphere, challenging listeners to embark on a reflective journey.

Definitive reissue of Nancy’s debut album Includes the bonus tracks, “The City Never Sleeps At Night” and the previously unreleased “For Some”. Newly remastered from the original analog tapes by GRAMMY®–nominated engineer John Baldwin. Vinyl pressed at RTI Q&A with Nancy and GRAMMY®–nominated reissue co-producer Hunter Lea. Never–before–seen photos from Nancy’s personal archive Beautifully packaged and expanded gatefold LP featuring a 20–page booklet.

“Dumb stuff, as Lee used to call it. Dumb doesn’t mean stupid. It means human and understandable. It was the sound of three guitars, drums, and bass. It was simple, very, very simple. I can still see the room, the studio. With Carol Kaye, Glen Campbell, Donnie Owens… I can still see them all sitting there and chunking away. I guess simple was the best way to explain it, uncomplicated.” – Nancy Sinatra

The 1966 debut million-selling debut LP, introduced the sassy, blonde, go-go booted icon. Built around her Lee Hazlewood-penned hits, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” and “So Long, Babe,” the folk-rock era milestone album features songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Hazlewood and more. The catchy and jangly pop hooks performed by the famed Los Angeles session musicians, The Wrecking Crew and Billy Strange’s innovative arrangements provided the perfect sound to help Nancy capture the attention of the world. The new reissue includes two bonus tracks recorded during the album sessions, the non-album b-side “The City Never Sleeps At Night” and the previously unreleased “For Some.”

Following last year’s inaugural box set, Power Corruption & Lies is the next Definitive Edition to chronical the history of one of the UK’s most enduring and influential groups

The box which includes an LP, two CDs, two DVDs and a book, features the album remastered for the first time from the original analogue tape masters on LP, and CD. The Extras CD contains previously unreleased writing sessions from New Order’s Manchester rehearsal rooms and the 1982 John Peel Session for the BBC. The DVDs capture New Order live during 1982 & 83 at The Hacienda and Kilkenny, the 1984 Play at Home Channel 4 TV documentary and other rare live & TV performances. Finally a beautiful 48 page hardback book of rare photos and brand new essay from Dave Simpson completes the Peter Saville designed box.

Power, Corruption & Lies was recorded in 1982 at Britannia Row Studios, Islington and produced by New Order.

Bonus Content:

CD:
Power Corruption And Lies - Extras

Writing Session Recordings
1. Age Of Consent *
2. The Village *
3. 5 8 6 *
4. Your Silent Face *
5. Ecstasy *
6. Leave Me Alone *

John Peel Session
7. Turn The Heater On
8. We All Stand
9. Too Late
10. 5 8 6

John Peel Session Outtake
11. Too Late (instrumental rough mix) *

New York demo #1
12. Thieves Like Us*

Writing Session Recordings
13. Thieves Like Us *
14. Murder *
15. Blue Monday *
16. Blue Monday *

Album Session Recording
17. Blue Monday (Instrumental Outtake)
*Previously unreleased

DVD 1
New Order - Power Corruption And Lies DVD
Live Shows

The Hacienda, Manchester, 1982
In A Lonely Place
Ultraviolence
Denial
The Village
We All Stand
Senses
Chosen Time
5 8 6
Temptation
Everything's Gone Green
Rosehill Hotel, Kilkenny, Ireland 1983
We All Stand
Leave Me Alone
Denial
The Village
Temptation
Confusion
Age Of Consent
Blue Monday
Everything's Gone Green
Ceremony

TV Sessions

Blue Monday (BBC Top Of The Pops, London, 1983)
Confusion (Countdown – 1983
Age Of Consent (Switch – 1983)
Blue Monday (Switch – 1983)
Thieves Like Us (BBC Top Of The Pops, London, 1984 )

Extras
Your Silent Face (The Hacienda, Manchester, 1983)
5 8 6 (The Hacienda, Manchester, 1983)
We All Stand (Recreation Centre, Tolworth, 1983)
Leave Me Alone (Recreation Centre, Tolworth, 1983)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Tower Ballroom, Birmingham, 1983)
Ultraviolence (First Avenue, Minneapolis, 1983)
The Village (Uni-Mensa, Dusseldorf, 1984)
Thieves Like Us (Alabamahalle, Munich, 1984)
Blue Monday (Alabamahalle, Munich, 1984)
Lonesome Tonight (Metropol, Berlin, 1984)
Confusion (Metropol, Berlin, 1984)

DVD 2

Play At Home
Channel 4, 1984 documentary made by New Order
Live Show
The Hacienda, Manchester, 1983
Blue Monday
Age Of Consent
Lonesome Tonight
Your Silent Face
Leave Me Alone
5 8 6
Denial
Confusion
Temptation
Thieves Like Us
In A Lonely Place
Everything's Gone Green

A living room somewhere in southern Germany. Embroidery graces the walls, a veneer side table with little chrome feet stands in front of a beige velour sofa, a minibar awaits. Pride of place goes to the electric organ which majestically occupies the centre of the room, flanked by two oversized loudspeakers. Welcome to the world of OTTO. the two-man band are set to release their long-awaited debut album in 2019 on Bureau B. The eight tracks contain familiar OTTO ingredients, from organ sounds and rhythm presets to disco strings and the monophonic waves of a 1970s synthesizer. Arpeggio and Hohner notes add extra sharpness to the proceedings. Classics from their live repertoire sit alongside brand new numbers, invariably strange synthesizer compositions.

Stone cold Italo classic - reissued from the ZYX Archives!

In the oblivious environment surrounding his hideaway lake cabin he produced an album that is rich and diverse in its sonic palette, ranging from harshly distorted synth-peaks, cinematic soundscapes, all the way to avant-garde contemporary classical, and jazz music. It is an album that invites the listener to explore and discover not just the intimate self: it is also a very personal, intuitive observation and reflection on the world that we are living in today. Certain instruments are very prominent. An old piano that was left in Raz’ apartment by a friend that he found joy in playing. One can hear a certain curiosity in the performance of this newly found, dust layered treasure (Bardot). Sonically the album is an attempt to blend acoustic sound recordings with synthesized sounds, and to blend musical genres into one. It is an acoustic expression of the transformative times we are living in, a realm of mankind being mastered by technology. The gap of this transformational process is a glitchy moment of time. It is portrayed on the front cover image of the album, by glitch artist Azamat Akhmadbaev.

Spirituals is Santigold's first full-length album since 2016's 99¢, and was mostly recorded during the 2020 lockdown. "All of a sudden there I was with three small children out of school_just-turned-two-year-old twins and a six-year-old_I was cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and changing diapers from morning to night, with three little kids coming in and out of my bed throughout each night like musical chairs. I was losing touch with the artist me, stuck in a part of myself that was too small. I felt the other parts of me were shrinking, disappearing." Santigold struggled but succeeded in defining a space in which she could center herself and collaborate virtually with producers and contributors: Rostam, Boys Noize, Dre Skull, P2J, Nick Zinner, Sbtrkt, JakeOne, Illangelo, Doc McKinney, Psymun, Ricky Blaze, Lido, Ray Brady, and Ryan Olson. "Recording this album was a way back to myself after being stuck in survival mode. It wasn't until I made the space to create that I realized I wasn't only creating music but a lifeline," she says. California was on fire, we were hiding from a plague, the social justice protests were unfolding. "I'd never written lyrics faster in my life. After having total writer's block, they started pouring out. I decided to create the future, to look towards where we are going, to create beauty and pull towards that beauty. I need that for myself, but it's also there for whoever else needs it."

Live fm broadcast from the Pink Pop Festival, Holland, June 5th, 1995

This album compiles most of the songs by Sistema de Entretenimiento released on various tapes. Arcade Synth Punk at its best from Barcelona. Recorded between 2020 and 2022 by Skiper at Fast Food Records HQ.

Every once in a while, a record comes along which resonates in a special way, stands the test of time, and brings the same reaction to the dancefloor now as it did all those years ago. 'Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)' is one of those records, a classic in every sense of the word. Originally released in 2000, Defected are, re-releasing this club essential for new and original fans alike in a special, limited edition deluxe remix reissue.

This unique two vinyl pack comes in full colour gatefold sleeve with augmented reality cover that will come to life once you scan the mask image on your phone accompanied by a four page 12” insert written by Spiller detailing the full story of ‘Groovejet’; from original production, early reactions, chart success and new 2021/22 remixes.

The releases features the original versions plus new mixes Purple Disco Machine & Lorenz Rhode, Riva Star, Breakbot & Irfane and Harvey Sutherland. Exclusive to the vinyl are Riva Starr’s Skylight Mix and the Harvey Sutherland Instrumental version.

Originally released in 1978 Limited edition Pressed on 180g black vinyl Yamashita’s 3rd solo record, Go Ahead!, defined the path he would subsequently follow as it a blossomed writer acclaimed for this versatility. The songs “Let’s Dance Baby”, “Bomber” & “潮騒 (The Whispering Sea)” would’ve be featured in his 1982 greatest hits album “Greatest Hits! of Tatsuro Yamashita”. Meanwhile, the song “This Could Be The Night” would get re-recorded in 1984 as part of his soundtrack album “Big Wave”.

Part of The Optic Sevens 4.0 Reissue Series. Limited to 750 copies worldwide. Pressed on Yellow Vinyl. Includes postcard and poster. Before the term Indie Pop had even been invented The Chefs had already nailed it. Formed by Carl Evans and Helen McCookerybook , they first appeared on the Vaultage 79 compilation before releasing 2 singles for the Brighton based Attrix Records. They recorded two sessions for the John Peel Show and one for Richard Skinner briefly changing their name to Skat and then disbanding. Helen went onto success and a major label deal with Helen And The Horns.

Part of The Optic Sevens 4.0 Reissue Series. Limited to 1000 copies worldwide. Pressed on White Vinyl Includes postcard and poster. Edward Ball was a member of cult band The Television Personalities alongside his school friend Dan Treacy before leaving to concentrate on The Times. ‘I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape’ (inspired by cult TV series The Prisoner) Is probably the best known track from them, originally released on the Artpop! label in 1982. The second single from The Times reissued here with an extra track from the 12” (released a year later in 1983). We have also decided to use the same sleeve that was used for the original 12”.

17 Track compilation of all of their studio recordings, remastered and pressed on Electric Blue Vinyl. Presented in gatefold sleeve with never seen before photographs ,a printed lyric inner sleeve and poster. The VIP’s were formed in 1978 while at Warwick University. Within weeks they were gigging at clubs in the Midlands, often on the same bill as THE Specials in Coventry. Soon they found a manager, Clive Solomon, who with Timmy Mallet (now a TV and Radio presenter) and both students at the university, financed the group’s first single the EP ‘Music For Funsters. In the summer of 1978 they built up a loyal following in London. The single was picked up by John Peel, who played it constantly on his BBC radio show through the year. The 3 track EP, featuring ‘I’m Perfect’, ‘I Believe’ and ‘Boys of the City’ was released on Clive Solomon’s own ‘Bust’ label.

As featured cellist on the Cirque du Solei’s Michael Jackson: The Immortal tour, Tina Guo’s unique playing style on both electric and acoustic cello was heard by over two million audience members worldwide. She has worked with some of the biggest names in music including Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Hans Zimmer, released ten albums in her own right, and is featured on multiple games and film soundtracks. Born in China to musical parents, Guo moved to the US when she was five years old. She has had a notable classical career as a soloist for various orchestras including The San Diego Symphony, alongside her more mainstream work. Game On! is her eighth studio album, originally released in 2017 and is themed around her extensive work on games soundtracks. She brings her own dynamic style to a selection of popular themes from The Legend of Zelda to Pokémon. This release brings these powerful recordings to vinyl for the first time.

The 12-track Colored Vinyl LP format opens with Brunetta’s prized dancefloor-filler ‘Baluba Shake’ and closes with ‘Pà Diglielo A Mà’, a dramatic ballad by big-voiced Nada. The prolific Mina - queen bee of Italy’s female singers - gets two tracks: folk rock nugget ‘No’ and ‘Se Telefonando’, a sophisto-pop epic courtesy of maestro Ennio Morricone.

Other highlights include the sitar-embellished ‘Il Mio Posto Qual’È’ by Ornella Vanoni, a convincing cover of ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ by beat girl Caterina Caselli, the pounding ‘Il Geghegè’ by petite dynamo Rita Pavone and breathy-voiced actress Catherine Spaak’s bossa-imbued ‘La Notte È Fatta Per Rubare’.

A nice collection to relax in a warm and cosy musical atmosphere