Various
MDR 14.1

Always a pleasure to get our hands on a fresh box of Empty Head Rich Heart goodness, and this even more so when there’s some Bristol action involved ! This deep blue ‘Shelter’ cut from Cold Light operators Gus & Dean aka Withdrawn, and the badass O$VMV$M remix have been on heavy rotation in O$VMV$M sets at Young Echo nights and around town for some time now, so it’s great to see EHRH do the honours and press the music up onto the 1&only 7″ format – pressed up in Hamburg, DIY style, and presented with heavyweight art by Bokeh Versions bossman Miles Opland.Stick on the clips for a taste, but let us tell you that those pads will be whirring around your brain for days to come – It’s a deep earworm and a really infectious rhythm, one that you’ll be coming back for in years to come.Edition of 100, vinyl-only.hand-stamped and numbered.Served with printed translucent paper DIY sleeve design by Bokeh Edwards.

C’est ainsi que le regretté écrivain musical et critique d’art Greg Tate a commencé ses nouvelles notes pour ce numéro d’Americana. « LE PROJET MUSICAL DE KANE RETOURNE AUX ORIGINES DE LA MUSIQUE NOIRE, PARCE QUE LES EXPLORATIONS ET LES RÉALISATIONS MUSICALES DU GROUPE SONT EXCEPTIONNELLES, BIEN QUE VOUS NE LE SAUREZ PAS D’APRÈS L’ACCUEIL QU’ILS ONT REÇU. »Rudy Tambala et Alex Ayuli, les esprits musicaux derrière A.r. kane sont « deux aristos à peine légaux d’ascendance malawi/britannique et nigériane élevés à cockney-sprechen est de londres », comme l’a fait référence à eux : « deux dope boyz qui s’étaient revendiqués par télépathie comme meilleurs amis vers l’âge de 8 ans et qui, en 1986, ont revendiqué toutes les caractéristiques susmentionnées de l’aliénation noire, de la rage noire, du silence noir, du bruit noir et du ragga noir comme leur propre sonore et lumineux.il n’est pas exagéré de dire qu’A.R. kane était l’un des groupes les plus importants de la fin des années 80 et du début des années 90 : ils ont lancé la tendance shoegaze, ils ont inventé la dreampop…Et pourtant, quand est venu le temps pour les masses de se rallier autour d’eux, les grillons.L’industrie de la musique est dans une ère de redécouverte – nous regardons et écoutons tous, déterrons des chefs-d’œuvre négligés et reconsidérons leur importance maintenant. il est temps pour A.R. d’être reconnu.Les révolutions et les évolutions de Kane, des radicaux libres discordants et dissidents du rythme et du bruit noirs aux romantiques de la danse de chambre, des transformations audacieuses et autodéterminées.

Faithful to the ethos of the label to put new talents on the map, the second E2-E8 release comes from newcomer Hems. A regular punter at underground festivals such as Freerotation and Labyrinth, Hems spends some of his time making great electronic music in his East London cave… And we are very happy to be the first to put his music out.A fine connoisseur of ambient and electronica, Hems has sometimes featured on the line-ups of Astral Industries parties. This release covers a wide spectrum of his sound. The almost beatless title track Post Radiance opens things up, followed by the subtle dub techno of I Know This Road and by the raw and relentless beat of Dirty Chords. On the B side, Let It Go is a suspended 15-minutes journey clocking in at 140bpm – arguably the highlight of the EP, sounding like little else out there. Madsituation closes the EP, with a nod at lighter atmospheres and a hint at Detroit-influenced strings.Techno heads will be pleased to hear that the record has already got praises from techno talent Refracted, who loves Let It Go, and from Jane Fitz.

Queer + Black serves as an introduction to Grove's experience of the world. Tunes to get sweaty in the dance to, as well as contemplate sexuality, class + race.
The range of influences for the tracks span from the power felt in decolonising our spaces (with the toppling of the Edward Colston statue), to the feeling of euphoria during a rave for queer people of colour, to calling for a focus on how landlordism + classism is keeping inequality rife in society. All soundtracked by dark dance, hip-hop and dancehall-infused beats.

Mov Clsr' is the third and final piece in a trilogy of releases, exploring the libraries of Spaceks recent hard drives. Encompassing House, Footwork, Techno, Garage and Broken Beat the legendary vocalist and producer has amassed a wealth of tracks created mostly on iPhone and iPad. South London to the core yet globally inspired, his off kilter swing and free flowing approach to music has always set him apart from the pack. From his work with J.Dilla (Eve/Dollar) to his collaboration with Mark Pritchard as one half of Africa Hitech, Steve Spaceks creative output has always been a million miles ahead.

250 copies only. Antwerp’s Stadspark: a once-thriving triangular cruising ground, and still an occasional recreation site. These days, however, the only flash you are likely to get is that of a police badge. Linger on a bench too long and brave the consequences; to fester at home is best. But the animals just proliferate. Unwanted domestic pets – gerbils, rabbits, mice – dumped in the night in Logan’s Run; no one knows how and when this unsavoury practice was begun. To his astonishment, The Administrator once reported seeing a raven swoop clean from the trees and scoop up a guinea pig in its claws. The guinea pig was not heard from again. Reborn real estate: in the bushes, militant structures don sportswear shades, and a club scuppered by arson emerges as a generic phoenix –the Grand Café Capital. That chip on the shoulder of second cities. Not to deny the park its stately airs: fin-de-siècle street lamps, precious steel suspension bridge and the whole beguilinglyprehistoric as seagulls soar and light irradiates the lake. Desiccated one summer, pumped artificially after protest, sans the resident black swans. A former fortress now offering fourteenhectares of jogging excellence. The playground is cordoned off with crime tape.