Back catalogue: All genres

Notes: Compiling all ECM New Series recordings in a high-quality 264+4-page paperback edition with large cover-prints, photographs of the interpreters and composers from the archives plus an introductory essay and an interview with producer Manfred Eicher, this compendium serves both as a companion for the musical journey through the label's rich catalogue as well as a snapshot of where the series is at in its 40th year.

Limited edition of 2000 copies.

High-quality print, 264+4 pages
Introductory essay (in English and German)
1986 Interview with Manfred Eicher about the beginnings of the New Series (in English and German)
Complete catalogue including expansive individual artist/composer segments
Archival photographs

Notes: Until we have a feature film in which Bill Callahan's words are spoken by the true and deep characters who exist within the songs, the best format will be this lyric book - wait, no, the best format will always be the albums featuring the songs, since they are sung by Bill Callahan, the author and singer, in his own inimitable and completely individual fashion. I Drive a Valence, however, which spans two decades of Smog/Bill Callahan songs, is a fairly unforgettable look-see; in fact, it's a definitive-yet-concise trip through the mirror, collecting the lyrics to 70 songs and pairing them with 116 dreamy ink-wash images by the man himself.

The nuances and ambiguities within plain-spoke expression are at the exquisite center of Callahan's gift, and the plain fact of words on paper nails them down in a concrete fashion that signals eternity somehow more concretely than sounds in the air can conjure.

I Drive a Valence does this for the listener - makes him/her a reader, while putting Bill Callahan's songs on another shelf where they sit just as entirely as they do on LP shelves around the world.

Notes: For a glorious ten-year period from 1995 to 2005, hip-hop music received a much-needed shot in the arm from a generation of determined and wildly creative rappers and producers. They rallied against the increasingly formulaic and shallow world of mainstream rap, as well as a music industry unwilling to listen.

By releasing music on their own terms as independent artists-many adopting the mantra of being "independent as fuck" as a mission statement-these hungry creatives reclaimed their artistic freedom and wore it as a badge of honour. Most importantly, they also made a lot of excellent hip-hop. What emerged was a vibrant underground music scene that stretched from New York to Los Angeles, with influence reaching across the world.

Independent As F**: Underground Hip-hop from 1995-2005 explores how a generation of rap artists rebelled against the major record labels and made music on their own terms, celebrating individuality and creative freedom. It also traces the history of some of hip-hop's most respected artists, including MF DOOM, El-P, Mos Def, Kool Keith, and Madlib.

"Ben is an archivist of the highest regard. His Grown Up Rap pushes the myth and mythology aside for real powerful hip hop facts." Chuck D

Notes: They say nothing good happens after midnight, but in the case of creativity, that's just not so. The night fosters a different kind of creativity: something urgent, spontaneous, carved out of necessity. Tracking the past, present and future of this complex dynamic, Selling The Night explores what happens when after-dark creativity influences wider culture and converges with everything from media, advertising, design and to gaming, fashion, hospitality, alcohol, beauty, tourism and far beyond. Also, as importantly, the implications of brands taking space within dance music as sponsors and supporters.

Author Andy Crysell speaks to DJs, promoters, marketers, academics, activists, archivists, policymakers, photographers, writers and designers. He samples KFC through to Fiorucci, Absolut and Red Bull, and moves from New York disco to the modern global underground.

Selling The Night witnesses how ideas migrate from subculture to influence the creative industries. It searches for lessons in improving the value exchange between dance music and brands, seeking something more symbiotic and less parasitic. All the while, it celebrates what makes after-dark ideas so special - the unique and democratising role they play.

Notes: Originally released in 1995, this semi-autobiographical novel from Rudimentary Peni singer, guitarist, lyricist, and illustrator Nick Blinko plunges into the world of madness, suicide, and anarchist punk. Lovecraft meets Crass in the squats and psychiatric institutions of early '80s England. This new edition collects Blinko's long sought-after artwork from the three previous incarnations.

Notes: 1994 was a year of fervent resistance against the encroaching Criminal Justice Act in the UK. Amidst the clamour of dissent, three historic demonstrations echoed through the streets of London, challenging the very fabric of authority and transforming the nature of peaceful protest, forever.

Through the lens of Matt Smith (Exist To Resist), witness the raw energy and unity of the protests that shook the capital. Each image in this zine is a testament to the power of the people, capturing not just moments frozen in time, but the spirit of a generation refusing to accept oppressive legislation.

Pages: 68
Size: A5 (21cm x 14.8cm)
Binding: Staple bound
Print: Black & white
Front cover design: Tom Booth Woodger
Interior design: Jez Tucker