Folk 233 Items

This - somehow - mythological album from one of Iran’s top sitarist lurches between traditional Eastern forms and more modern Western styles, blending the two into a fascinating fusion of cultures and flavours. Similar to the work of Indian rare groove master Ananda Shankar, the record brings to life the ultimate marriage of funky drums, lush horns, wah-wah guitars and Eastern harmonies. A necessary re-discovery !

This is the first vinyl issue of Temple IV, arguably Roy Montgomery’s finest solo album, originally released in 1996 on CD. The original album has been enhanced with two newer tracks that constitute side four of the album. Montgomery states: “The two new tracks recorded in 2018 were about asking the question “Can you step into the same river twice?” Heraclitus said you cannot. I say you can…”

From the original press release:

Few recording artists have aligned the quantity and quality of their releases as well as New Zealand singer /guitarist Roy Montgomery has in 1995. Beginning with kranky’s release of the soundtrack for an imaginary film That That Is...Is(Not) by Montgomery’s duo Dissolve early in the year, a series of superb albums and singles have been issued by a variety of labels across the world. Each one of them is a must have. Most recently, the Drunken Fish label released a collection of pastoral drones entitled Scenes From The South Island, singles have appeared on the Roof Bolt and gyttja labels, and further singles are scheduled with Ajax, Siltbreeze and others.

Temple IV is the first solo recording by Roy Montgomery on kranky. The album was recorded by Montgomery on a four-track tape deck and then thickened up with monophonic moog. The tracks on the album are thick with interwoven guitar lines and moog drone, inspired by the Guatemalan rain forests and the mysterious ruins of the temple and ruins Montgomery visited there.

Roy Montgomery spent the past year in New York, Chicago and London before returning to New Zealand. While in the UK he played live with Flying Saucer Attack and collaborated with spoken word performer Kirk Lake. A brief tour across the United States in September saw him performing before enraptured audiences in New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles.

The long overdue recognition of Roy Montgomery as a crucial figure in New Zealand’s musical history as a member of The Pin Group, Shallows and Dadamah, is now augmented by his new recordings. Temple IV will serve to extend and deepen that appreciation.

Mastered from the original analog tapes
All tracks previously unreleased
Booklet with liner notes and rare archive photos
Deluxe die cut Stoughton “tip-on” jacket with embossed lettering
Vinyl pressed at RTI

On March 4, 1975, Jim Sullivan mysteriously disappeared outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His VW bug was found abandoned, his motel room untouched. Some think he got lost. Some think the mafia bumped him. Some even think he was abducted by aliens.

By coincidence–or perhaps not–Jim’s 1969 debut album was titled U.F.O.. Released in tiny numbers on a private label, it too was truly lost until Light In The Attic Records began a years-long quest to re-release it–and to solve the mystery of Sullivan’s disappearance. Only one of those things happened, and you can guess which…

Light In The Attic’s reissue of U.F.O. introduced the world to an overlooked masterwork and won Sullivan, posthumously (presumably), legions of new fans. Those new admirers are in for a real treat: a lavish, first-time release of a previously unheard 1969 studio session.

If The Evening Were Dawn contains 10 acoustic solo recordings that have never seen the light of day. Whereas U.F.O. was bolstered by legendary sessioneers The Wrecking Crew, this is Jim Sullivan on his own terms, stripped down and soulful as ever. Recorded at a Los Angeles studio circa 1969, the session contains acoustic versions of a handful of U.F.O. tracks alongside a half dozen previously unheard songs. This, then, is the closest thing to those fabled Malibu bar performances at which Sullivan was first noticed.

According to his widow, Barbara, this was the album Jim always hoped to record. It serves as an unprecedented glimpse into the mysterious, larger-than-life figure who’s become the stuff of legends.

While Sullivan’s disappearance remains unsolved, his music endures and is finally gaining him the recognition he deserves, albeit long overdue. This recording serves as an unexpected missing piece of the puzzle; this is Jim Sullivan’s true swan song.

Powerfull nice grooves from a series that might be beer named: "Acid folk renaissance " – as most of the work here come from the 70s, and a lot from those great years of the UK and US scene where it also seemed like there was plenty of folk in the music as well! A few of these cuts are downright acid , and all are filled with great instrumenta&on – in an approach that's a nice change from some of the more familiar Brit and US manners of the same genera&on. The &tles include, among the others: Nirvana’s Nova Sketch , Fi.y Foot Hose’s Rose, Pyranha ‘s Clepsydre , Kaleidoscope’s Keep your mind open, and more .

An album whose depth and beauty is, nearly five decades on, still utterly staggering."- Mojo Released by the Kapp label in 1970 and produced by the Oscar-winning Leonard Rosenman, Parallelograms was the first and only album by American psychedelic folk singer Linda Perhacs until the release of The Soul of All Natural Things in 2014. Discouraged by the lack of commercial attention and the label's reluctance to promote the album, Perhacs returned to her career as a dental hygienist. In the 30 or so years that followed, this record gradually developed a cult following. Combining fragile and ethereal melodic acid folk with perfectly rendered electronic effects, Parallelograms consists of what Perhacs herself described as "visual music." The spotlight is placed clearly on Linda's guitar and voice, where echoes of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and even Grace Slick (lead singer of Jefferson Airplane) can be traced. As was common in his work, Rosenman's production ends up shaping a soundscape located somewhere between jazz, classical music and the avant-garde. All Music reviewer Richie Unterberger gave it 4 ½ out of 5 stars, stating that "Perhacs' cult favorite Parallelograms instantly evokes the spare and isolated feel of the songs and the production on Joni Mitchell's first albums. Perhacs is adept at dropping unusual effects and arrangements into the mix, that on occasion have a mildly disquieting and psychedelic vibe. Not all of the record is unusual, though; much of it's just attractively wistful, moody singer/songwriter folk, sometimes with an engaging folk-jazz backup, sometimes just with a guitar, sometimes enlivened by creative smudges of organ and electric guitar.

Melody As Truth founder Jonny Nash returns to action with his first solo album in four years.

Over the course of eleven mesmerising tracks, Nash points the compass gently inwards, casting aside any conceptual frameworks in favour of exploring an imaginative and idealised “personal folk music” that combines elements of traditional acoustic music with the producer’s richly immersive interpretation of ambient, a sound he has been developing for well over a decade.

From the smudged acid-folk bliss of ‘Theories’ and ‘Eternal Life’, to the layered acoustic guitars of ‘All I Ever Needed’ and the delay-soaked, Durutti Column-esque ‘Light From Three Sides’, a wide variety of musical textures weave their way throughout the album.

Point of Entry is much more than a mere ‘guitar album’ – it draws on a rich and diverse palette to achieve its purpose. The delicate saxophone work of ambient-jazz contemporary Joseph Shabason swells on ‘Ditto’ and ‘Light From Three Sides’. Cascading piano lines ripple through the crystal clear sonic waters of ‘Face of Another’, whilst echoes of Nash’s work with Gigi Masin and Young Marco as Gaussian Curve appear in the dancing synth sequences of ‘Ditto’ and ‘Golden Hour’. Nash’s reverb-laden voice also appears for the first time since 2016’s critically acclaimed Exit Strategies, used delicately throughout the album to conjure up a world of dusk and golden light.

Combining the delicate human touch and naivety of earlier Melody As Truth releases with widened scope and vision, Point Of Entry is arguably Nash’s most complete work to date – an album that’s as much a statement of his “personal folk” vision as a future ambient classic.

Another Masterpiece of turkish Psych-Rock by the great Cem Karaca unearthed by Türküola!

When Nathan Salsburg's daughter was a baby, he often sang her to sleep ina rocking chair. At one point, he remembered a song he had taught himselfas a teenager: "The Evidence" by Lungfish, the Maryland band who coined asingular brand of post-punk in the 90s and 00s. Salsburg realized he could playthe guitar part with one hand, singing while holding Talya in his other arm. Though theoriginal version of "The Evidence" is only five minutes long, it's essentiallya repetitive mantra, so Salsburg could extend it as long...

Kora’s most innovative modern exponent bathes in communion with a re-imagined classical guitar, unveiling a new and previously unsuspected musical universe. In a meeting between instruments, not traditions, these maestros emerge from quite different and distant musical worlds. Ballaké Sissoko’s kora tradition and lineage traverse the once powerful West African empire known as Kaabu. South African Derek Gripper’s roots are in European classical guitar but infused with a unique jeli music mastery that takes guitar’s modern history in a captivating new direction.

But we are not hearing these traditions in dialogue: these masters meet on the sonic groundings of the kora, instrument of the griots, resonant vessel of the sacred and profane, sound carrier of history and wisdom. Through two decades of commitment and study, it is to this terrain that Gripper brings his guitar to meet its multi-stringed cousin.

The two men do not share a spoken language, but if it is true that music speaks universally, then they were already involved in profound dialogue long before they met for the series of London concerts which yielded this recording session – a session which matches deep communion with sparkling improvisation, which pushes a living tradition into brand new sonic spaces, and opens a live and direct channel of communication between kora and guitar. In the complex web of theme and variations spun by Sissoko’s twenty-two strings and Gripper’s six, a new African string theory is elaborated.

“Musically we tested each other,” says Sissoko, explaining that the most magical aspect of their encounters are spontaneity. “We have the mastery of our instruments, the technique and a good ear. Derek is very curious, that’s very important.”

“He’s just such a good listener,” says Gripper about Sissoko. “It’s not what he plays, it’s how he plays it. He’s an amazing interpreter, the prime master of timbre.”

Recording by Taylor Pollock at Platoon Studios, London. Mixed, edited and produced by Derek Gripper. Mastered by Murray Anderson at Milestone Studios, Cape Town. Produced for vinyl by Chris Albertyn and Matt Temple at Matsuli Music. Mastered for vinyl and lacquers cut by Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London. Vinyl pressed at Pallas GmbH, Germany. Sleeve notes by Francis Gooding, French translation by Paulo Goncalves. Cover design by Toby Attwell at Twoshoes, Cape Town.

Completely unknown album by Salah Ragab's Cairo Jazz Band vocalist Maha, recorded in Cairo in 1979. Features productions by Hany Shenoda of Al Massrieen. Maha’s “Orkos,” originally released on cassette, is one of these standout musical diamonds that combines Jazz and Egyptian vocal traditions with Funk, Latin and Soul.

Maha’s “Orkos” immediately catches your ear as a unique album. A strong and energetic voice, equally grounded in jazz as well as Egyptian vocal traditions, Maha sings over instrumentals that offer a wide palette of influences, sonically emblematic of the cultural changes that were occurring in the country. The album features rich compositions and productions by renown Egyptian musician Hany Shenoda, who’s group, Al Massrieen, Habibi Funk worked with in 2017 (the release led to sync placements in Hulu’s “Ramy” TV Series).

At the time of its release, however, the “Orkos” cassette quickly faded away among the growing number of releases populating the Egyptian musical soundscape. For more than 40 years, it sat in near obscurity before being given new life in the form of a properly licensed vinyl release. Habibi Funk and Disco Arabesquo are honored to play a part in sharing Maha’s story. Below is a bit more context around the release as well as the campaign schedule.

The arrival of the cassette brought a seismic shift in how music was produced and consumed around the world. Smaller bands and labels were able to release music without the logistical and financial barrier present in vinyl manufacturing. At the same time, in Egypt, a new crop of musicians and composers made their way into the scene, seeking to bring something fresh to what was perceived as the widely monophonic musical traditions of Egypt. Hany Shenoda, Mohamed Mounir, Magdy El Hossainy, Omar Korshid, Salah Ragab and Hamid El Shaeri are some names that come to mind. Many built their sounds combining their own musical upbringing with influences coming from the outside. The success of these projects varied widely, but for each there were numerous lesser-known bands and singers. Many of these often-short-lived projects would release their music on cassettes on tiny labels only to fade into the musical ether.

Maha’s “Orkos” album fits this category. Put out in a small run of cassettes, it’s fair to say that the singer’s sole recording outing was not a financial success when it was originally released by Egyptian label Sout El Hob in 1979. While it may not have found an engaged and open-eared audience upon its release, the first few bars of the album indicate this is a special, timeless album that transcends the musical boundaries that many artists were seeking to break through at the time.

From the funk sounds of “Law Laffeina El Ard” (Single 1, out September 1 with Pre-Order announcement); the moody, mellow sounds of “Kabl Ma Nessallem We Nemshy” (Single 2, out September 23) or “We Mesheet;” to excursions into Latin sounds in the title track “Orkos,” and disco with “Ana Gaya” (Album Focus Track, out October 10) the album is an amalgamation of genres that stands out from the immense creativity present in Egypt at the time.

We connected Maha in late 2021 and she was clearly surprised to have someone call about music she recorded more than 40 years ago. She also seemed interested in the idea in bringing her music back to people’s attention. A few weeks later we were speaking with our friend Moataz, who runs the Disco Arabesquo project and showed him this great new album we found and to our surprise he knew the album, having found a copy of it a year or two before, in Cairo. It was then obvious to team up for a collaboration for this project. You can find Moataz’s story about Maha and her music, as well as extensive interviews with Maha herself, in the booklet accompanying the release.

Cult Classic BY Often-sampled Arabic Diva Warda Recorded IN 1973 With Full Egyptian Orchestra ON THE Label Soutelphan. Reissued ON Vinyl FOR THE First Time, With Remastered Audio, Original Artwork AND TWO Page Insert With NEW Introduction

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue 'Khalik Hena' recorded 1973 by legendary Arabic Diva Warda who has been sampled by Jay Z and J Dilla. The album recorded in public mixes traditional Arabic music with a tinge of 70s grooves. Here Warda delivers a hypnotic performance backed by her full-size orchestra featuring those unparalleled Arabic strings that made recordings by Oum Khalthoum, Farid El Atrache and Abdel Halim Hafez so famous. 'Khalik Hena' is one of her all-time classics, written by legendary composer Baligh Hamdi and the audio has been newly remastered. This release features the LP original artwork with a 2 page insert featuring a new introduction by Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe who curates Wewantsounds' Arabic series of reissues.

Warda is one of the undisputed divas of the Arab world. Born in the Paris suburb from an Algerian Father and a Lebanese mother, she was discovered at 11 by Ahmed Hachlaf, Pathe Marconi's heads of A&R specialising in Arabic music. having honed her singing skills at her father's cabaret in the Latin Quarter, the Tam-Tam (for Tunisia - Algeria - Morocco) she quickly found recognition in the Arabic music circles.

The family relocated to Beirut in the late 50s after the police found arms in her father's cabaret destined to the political group fighting for Algeria's independence and was swiftly discovered there by an Egyptian film producer who brought her to Cairo to record and play in his films. From there, her career took a meteoric rise and she became a star working with Egyptian such stars as Abdel Halim Hafez and composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab.

However, in the early 60s a traditional marriage in Algeria stopped her career for a decade to be a housewife until Algerian President Boumediene asked her to perform for the 10th anniversary of the Nation's independence in 1972. This was an epiphany and after a divorce she was back to Egypt for a triumphant comeback.

'Khalik Hena' recorded in public in 1973 dates back to these glory days. Teaming up with her new husband, legendary composer Baligh Hamdi, she recorded a string of classic albums - hypnotic tour-de-forces stretching over two sides in an almost trance-like mode, enhancing Warda's powerful vocal and ability to mesmerise audiences. Blending traditional and modern instrumentations (electric guitar, organ), the music is both complex and groovy, 'Khalik Hena' is one of her best LPs, sought after by Arabic diggers and collectors alike. An undisputed classic of Arabic Music, which Wewantsounds is glad to reissue on vinyl for the first time since the 70s.

Altin Gün’s breakthrough debut album ‘On’ is being released on vinyl for the first time in the U.S.! This release will have a custom Stoughton vintage style tip-on jacket. It is being pressed on turquoise/white swirl vinyl.

On their debut album, Altin Gun showed what happens when you open the doors between Turkish folk songs and a dirty blend of funk rhythms, wah-wah guitars and analogue organs. Featuring their hit version of “Goca Dünya”!

Türküola gratefully presents an other Barış Manço compilation which gives a full retrospective of the best years of the Turkish psychedelic rock legend. The compilation focuses on the 1967-1971 era of Manço, which is mainly considered as the psychedelic years when the typical Anatolian Pop sound was evolving and Manço was more a rocker than a semi conservative pop folk singer of a neo-Ottoman aura. In the compilation we hear his works with his bands Les Mistigris (Seher Vakti), Kaygısızlar (near in all songs including Bebek, Boğaziçi etc.), Etc (in Dağlar Dağlar 1 &2 , Küçük Bir Gece Müziği (which is a psyche- adaptation Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nacht Musik” and Derule), Moğollar (Binboğanın Kızı, İşte Hendek İşte Deve). “Binboğanın Kızı” explodes a prog- rock bomb with the legendary Moğollar with Hammond solos of Murat Ses, “Ağlama Değmez Hayat” pushes the limits of Turkish traditional music instruments with its raw but powerful groove, “Küçük Bir Gece Müziği” covers Mozart with its powerful guitars with screaming wah wah pedals, “Boğaziçi” (Bosphorus) gives a mystical and psychedelic mood which would later be a signature of Manço in his electronic prog years . “İşte Barış İşte Manço” will be a good start for the absolute beginners, thanks to traditional Türküola quality...

Reissue of German cassette release as vinyl after nearly 40 years. The songs are from the various singles and the debut LP. The title song 'Yuh Yuh' is from Selda's 1977 'Dostum Dostum'/'Yuh Yuh' single. Most of the songs are performed with the Anatolian Rock super group Dadaslar who are known for their works with Ersen. The group consists of Fehiman Ugurdemir (guitars and synthesizer, former Cem Karaca & Kardaslar guitarist), Ozkan Ugur ((bass, former Baris Manço guitarist) and Mehmet Gözüpek (former drummer of Bunalim) and creates a powerful groove with their psychedelic arrangements.

Edip Akbayram’s a frail guy who spent his childhood unable to walk, but once he grew up he was on Istanbul TV in a whitey-fro and knee length colored robes. Akbayram’s voice is big & open, and it took him all across Turkey at the height of Anatolian psychedelia. This 1st album collects precious singles from 1972-74, with dark melodies that descend in loose spirals, seemingly forever. Tunes taken from mystic Sufi poets who played the ba?lama, but retrofitted with hard plowing electric bass lines, funky drums, fuzz-wah guitars and keyboards. Remastered sound, insert / booklet with photos and liner notes by Angela Sawyer (Weirdo Records).

Demeters Döttrar is the new trio of Ida Skibsted Cramer, Charlott Malmenholt and Astrid Øster Mortensen. Søndag I Spejlet was mainly recorded in Gamlestaden, Gothenburg between 2022 and 2023 and consists of 8 tracks that lies somewhere in between 90's lo-fi experimental bedroom music and brash text-sound compositions channeled through the ever-inspiring cassette underground.

Listening to Demeters Döttrar is like stepping into a parallel universe; a tiny unexplored corner with paper-thin walls or a very delicate bubble that is about to burst any moment. The instrumentation is sparse and mainly consists of guitar, vocals, prepared tapes and occasional harmonica. The recurrence of rain in different forms throughout the recording almost functions as a percussive backbone at times, the one thing except for the sound of the actual room that sort of keeps it all together.

With one foot in Sweden and one foot in Denmark, the group is utilizing both countries' language in an uncompromising and peculiarly alluring way. The almost brutal intimacy brings the more mellow Deux Filles moments to mind, though music wise this owes more to Un, early Charalambides and at times groups like Dadamah. A daring, major statement and one of the most beautiful, strange and other-worldly debut albums we heard in quite a while.

Mastered by Lasse Marhaug. Gloss laminated covers, comes with insert. Edition of 500 copies.

* SEE Dan Johnson spy Four Horsemen Riding Fast! * Hear Rhys Evans catch THE Devil Train! * Witness The Revelators Quartet and the great power of the Atom Bomb! * Limited Edition Deluxe Gatefold LP with exclusive scholarly liner notes by Alvin Lucia! * Full dynamic range 2023 remasters direct from the first-generation analogue master tapes! * Limited to 666 copies! * 222 (randomly inserted) ‘Armageddon Red’ LPs / 222 (randomly inserted) ‘Soul Apocalypse’ Splatter LPs / 222 (randomly inserted) ‘Purgatory Black’ Black LPs! Raw Revelations for Rapturous Times... In this era of tumult and strife, shadow and light...take these seeds and let them grow. Apocalyptic Visions and Luciferian Combat, Armageddon Fever Dreams and Biblical Torments, Restless Redemptions and Ultimate Resurrections. Some collected from the acclaimed and out-of-print 'Hillbillies In Hell' series, some newly unearthed into the light of day, some burning with Evangelistic passion, some bountiful with the beauty and peace of the Final Light - all presented in this all-new volume. Spiritual Sleeper Awake! This world is but a kingdom of veils... Years in the making – ‘Hillbillies In Hell: Wake Me Up!' is your Good Book through the uncanny valley of the End Times - a dusty clutch of Hellfire Preachers, Satanic Traps and Tests, Diabolic Jousts, Backwoods Mountain Messiahs, Plagues and Pestilence, the Creator's Smite and God's Blazing Light. A deep catacomb of marginal 45s - some of these sides may be familiar, some are impossibly rare and are reissued here for the very first time. All for your proselytic listening pleasure.

A further exercise in musical curation, Child Of Nature is our latest sonic confluence of self-released tracks from the loners, hippies and outsiders of the 70s and early 80s. A collection of privately pressed music, able to breathe and be created free from the constraints of heavy handed commercialism, yielding a pure vision of artistic expression. Child Of Nature features ten songs of brooding soft rock and psychedelic folk steeped in melancholia. Some ache for better times or past lovers, while others seek spiritual fulfillment or social progress.

A compilation to evoke the raw and unobstructed, to summon the occult, to fundamentally conjure a vivid portrait of our untamed natural environment. Recorded on the north coast of California, Luellen Reese’s ethereal “Silvery Waterfalls” drifts and swirls with electric guitar as her unearthly vocals transcend across a seven minute opus, fit for the golden age of labels like 4AD or Dedicated. “The flowers are dancing just for you …”, Reggie Russell croons over glistening Key Of Creek’s title track “Child Of Nature”, evoking a utopian world of natural harmony free from the present day realities of industrial decay.

Tap into your inner primal being, to embrace wholeheartedly, with frivolity and without reserve, your own child of nature.

City Of Light is the sixth solo album by American composer Bill Laswell, released on July 29, 1997. While it may appear an anachronism in his catalog, fans of Bill Laswell will find City Of Light an extension of ideas he has explored throughout his career. His strong interest in Eastern music and religion resulted in this 1997 collaboration with Janet Rienstra. Part sacred, spoken word, part meditative soundscape, City Of Light takes as its inspiration the holy region of Banaras, India. Said to belong to Shiva, Banaras also contains the Ganges river: a place sought by Hindus for their cremation. Surrounding the texts is some of the most compelling music this genre has produced featuring Trilok Gurtu on tablas, Coil (Peter Christopherson & John Balance) on electronics, sound collages by Tetsu Inoue and vocals provided by Lori Carson.

In 1976, Baris released his third album which was actually also a compilation of songs previously released in 45s, as happened with his debut. For this LP release, and basically because of contractual reasons, we are presenting you this compilation with a few changes: two of the original songs are not there, and we added four new ones. So, what we get here is a scorchin’ collection of funky psychedelics Turkish way in a cool picture disc that will knock you out.

2019 Re-mastered, 180g black vinyl in gatefold cover. It was originally released in 1981. May be the last impressive album of Baris Manco and his band Kurtalan Ekspres which is giving a respect to 1970’s Golden Era of Turkish Rock. The album consists of funk and progressive rock elements from track to track just like their previous release. Hypnotic, cool and clear sound, will make this LP as a reference album.

"Florist" is the self-titled fourth full length record from upstate NY based indie folk band, Florist. "Florist" is the follow up to 2019's critically acclaimed "Emily Alone", and is the strongest album of the band's decade-long career; an immersive work that conveys the magic of the earth and of family, and the whole of the band's heart. For all of June of 2019, amid a hot and rainy summer, Emily Sprague (guitar, synth, vocals), Jonnie Baker (guitar, synth, sampling, bass, saxophone, vocals), Rick Spataro (bass, piano, synth, vocals) and Felix Walworth (percussion, synth, guitar, vocals) convened in a rented house in the Hudson Valley, to live and work together. It was the first time the quartet recorded that way, and for that long. "In the past we'd meet up for a couple of days, or one day here and there," Sprague recalls. "Living together for a month is a really big part of why the arrangements are the way they are, and also why the instrumentals are such a huge part of the record." The result is 19 tracks that feel like the culmination of a decade-long journey, their fourth full-length album, but the first deserving of a self-titled designation. "We called it Florist because this is not just my songs with a backing band," Sprague explains. "It's a practice. It's a collaboration. It's our one life. These are my best friends and the music is the way that it is because of that."

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the reissue of Ziad Rahbani's cult album, "Bennesbeh Labokra...Chou?" released in Lebanon only and mixing arabic music with Jazz, Bossa Nova and other western influences. Hailed as an absolute classic, the album is the soundtrack to his eponymous play and has been highly sought-after by DJs and collectors around the world. Curated by Lebanese-born music expert Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the album is reissued on vinyl for the first time since 1978, featuring original gatefold sleeve, remastered audio and a 2 page insert with a new introduction by Choueiry. When Ziad Rahbani released "Bennesbeh Labokra... Chou?" he was only 22 years old. He had started to make an impression on the Lebanese cultural scene a few years before, while still a teenager, composing and releasing albums under his own name. Born into an illustrious musical family - his mother is the legendary Lebanese Diva Fairuz and his father, Assi Rahbani, was a renowned composer and part of one of the most famous Lebanese groups, The Rahbani Brothers - Ziad quickly gained exposure as a gifted composer and producer. When his father fell ill in the mid 70s, he took over as Fairuz's producer which led to a fruitful collaboration starting with the 1979 album "Wahdon." ?Highly influenced by other genres of music, Rahbani had started bringing modern western influences to traditional arabic music. 1978 saw the release of two key albums by the young musician, the Disco 12-inch "Abu Ali" which went on to become one of the most sought-after Arabic albums on the international DJ scene and "Bennesbeh Labokra... Chou?" which follows "Abu Ali" closely in many diggers' want-list. ?A soundtrack to Rahbani's eponymous play, the album "Bennesbeh Labokra… Chou?" gathers all the musical interludes heard during the play, a social diatribe about the Beirut society underlining the difficulties of living in the tense social and political climate of the Lebanese civil war. Written by and starring Rahbani, the play follows the everyday life and problems of a young couple running a cafe in the heart of Beirut. The play underlying Rahbani's leftist sensitivity was an immense success and the album was released the same year (the complete play was also released over three LPs). ?"Bennesbeh Labokra… Chou?" is a skilful blend of Arabic music and Bossa-nova ("First Introduction" - the recurring theme of the album), groove with the funky beat of "Second Introduction" and the jazz vibe of "Variation 3" and "Variation 4." It's also interesting to hear an early version of "Al Bosta" which would grace Fairuz's 1979 album "Wahdon" in a faster, funkier version also produced by Rahbani." ?with a knack for cinematic orchestrations reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin, Ziad Rahbani also brings more complex arrangements to the album on such tracks as "Variation 5" making the album such a rich listening. Undoubtedly one of the most important albums recorded in the Middle East which Wewantsounds is glad to reissue in its full glory with remastered audio and original artwork.

Pharaway Sounds proudly presents a compilation dedicated to Erkin Koray, the father of Anatolian Rock / Turkish Psych. "Halimem" includes rare single & cassette only tracks (mostly from 1970-72 plus three killer ones from 1987!!).

Famous for their matching, colourful suits and always-happy smiles, Beyaz Kelebekler (White Butterflies) were a mixed-gender Turkish band very popular during the ‘70s. They released one album plus numerous 45s in Turkey and other countries like Holland and Italy. In 1976 during the last day of their European Tour, just after one gig in Cologne, Beyaz Kelebekler visited a studio of a friend which was still in construction. They decided to record a few songs, just for fun and for testing the new studio equipment. It was a very basic, one take recording, using an 8-channel mixer, a few mics and a reel-to reel tape machine.
The result was an amazing example of Anatolian psych-funk, featuring wah-fuzz guitar, flute, heavy drums, joyous male / female vocals…
Unreleased until now, we present the first ever release of these surprising recordings, rescued from the only surviving cassette tape.
Colour insert with photos.

Never before reissued, this legendary 1968 EMI recording is a revered Indian jazz rarity; a collectors’ holy grail.

Raga Jazz Style is an original Indian excursion into Indo-jazz fusion. A one-away recording from the almost unknown Bombay jazz scene, it is among the few jazz LPs to hail from the subcontinent.

A variety of Voodoo Rhythm artists pay tribute to The
Monsters! Featured acts include Urban Junior, King Automatic,
The Devils, Roy And The Devils Motorcycle, Delaney Davidson,
The Seniles, Rolando Bruno, Sudden Infant and others.

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Nils Lofgren in 1997 released a small treasure for longtime fans. "Acoustic Live" captures Lofgren alone in front of an appreciative audience, knocking out such favorites as "You", "No Mercy" and "Keith Don't Go", plus six new songs. Even with the new songs, there are no real revelations, only a selection of little gems that will put a smile on your face as you listen.
Along with his work as a solo artist, Lofgren has marked more than 25 years as a member of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band as well as a former member of Crazy Horse and Grin. Lofgren joined Neil Young's band in 1968 at age 17, playing piano on the album "After The Gold Rush". Lofgren would maintain a close musical relationship with Young, appearing on his "Tonight's The Night" album and tour among others. He was also briefly a member of Crazy Horse, appearing on their 1971 LP and contributing songs to their catalogue. From '71 to '74 Lofgren was active in Grin, the band he founded in '69. Solo albums and tours followed every year through the 1970s as Lofgren established himself as a top guitarist and live performer earning the respect and acclaim of his peers. Bruce Springsteen made the call in 1984 and Lofgren joined the E-Street Band for the "Born In The USA" tour. Lofgren was an instant hit with Springsteens fans through his playing and vibrant on stage persona. Lofgren remains a stalwart of the E-Street Band to the present day.
»"Acoustic Live" is an interesting and charming album from Nils Lofgren in 1997 as he follow on in the Unplugged tradition that became popular in the 1990s. It was actually recorded at The Barns Of Wolftrap, Vienna in Virginia on January 18th, 1997.« — bestlivealbums.com