New releases last two weeks: All genres

Review: Pioneering Japanese psychedelic rock Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (AMT) were formed in 1995. Their relentless output has spawned various offshoots over the years, such as Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno and Acid Mothers Temple SWR, synthesising and alien cosmo-grammar in sound, one that perhaps only the most acid-casualtied tongues can interpret or speak. Now present through Rolling Heads comes their latest album for 2025: Holy Black Mountain Side comprises three psychedelic pieces, reticulating a series of recording sessions held down between 2021 and 2023, at one point reinterpreting a traditional folk song, and throughout enlisting guest bass from Taigen Kawabe of Bo Ningen. Each record comes wrapped in unique artwork by lead improvisor Kashiwagi Ten, adding an extra layer of veiled mystery to each: no two records are visually alike.

Review: Given his long-held love of fusing elements of different musical cultures from around the world, Auntie Flo (real name Brian D'Souza) is almost the perfect Multi-Culti artist. It's something of a surprise then to find that this is only his second outing on the label. He begins in confident mood with 'Esperanto', a delightfully melodious, bubbly and synth-heavy slab of chugging sonic joy, before wrapping waves of mind-altering electronics and sun-bright synths around a slipped Afro-tech beat on 'Unua Libro'. Over on side two, D'Souza takes us to a deeper and more immersive place on 'El Heine', explores hybrid cosmic/ambient soundscapes on 'Ho Mia Kor', and doffs a cap to the new age ambient pioneers of times gone by on blissful closing cut 'Mia Penso'.

Review: It has been a full half a century since legendary Brazilian outfit Azymuth made their debut and their new album, Marca Passo, reaffirms their place as legends of jazz-funk. It was recorded in Rio and produced by Daniel Maunick and is the group's first album since drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti's passing, with bassist Alex Malheiros now the sole founding member. He's joined by Kiko Continentino and new drummer Renato Massa to continue Azymuth's tradition of blending samba soul, funk and cosmic jazz. Highlights include a tribute to Conti, 'Samba Pro Mamao,' and a refreshed take on 'Last Summer In Rio.' The album is a vital, heartfelt continuation of Azymuth's enduring legacy.

Review: Released 50 years after their self-titled debut, Azymuth's Marca Passo feels less like a comeback and more like a confident continuation, with the legendary Brazilian outfit carrying its past into the present with all the same vigour that marked their winding career. The formula remains intact: Brazilian jazz-funk, dreamy synths, and loose but locked-in rhythm. There's something moving in how naturally the trio i with Alex Malheiros still at the helm i navigates loss, memory and legacy without turning sentimental. 'Samba Pro Mamao' is a tender nod to Ivan Conti, but the record never lingers in nostalgia. Daniel Maunick's production keeps things warm and fluid, and there's joy in hearing Incognito's Bluey drop in on the rework of Last Summer in Rio. Not flashy or forced. Just a deep, grooving reminder that Azymuth's music still flows from somewhere timeless.

Review: Tonal treasures and "three-man orchestra" Azymuth mark fifty years of service to the progosphere with Marca Passo, largely a conduit through which to reflect on the of loss of their founding drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti in 2023. Now with only bassist Alex Malheiros as the last surviving original member, and joined by longtime keyboardist Kiko Continentino and new drummer Renato Massa, the new record deepens Azymuth's signature blend of samba, jazz-funk and 70s MPB studio textures. A rework of 'Last Summer In Rio' is an especial great, as it brings in Incognito's Bluey as a nod to Bertrami, while 'Samba Pro Mamao' honours Conti.

Review: Game-changing samba king Jorge Ben's 1963 debut album Samba Esquema Novo marked the beginning of a legendary career in Brazilian pop. Featuring the iconic tracks like the oft-imitated but never bettered 'Mas Que Nada' and 'Chove Chuva,' the agenda-setting album showcases Ben's early blend of vibrant bossa nova rhythms, rich choruses and his distinctive minor-key guitar style. While not yet embracing the Afro-rock influences of his later work, this release highlights a light yet energetic sound with big-band arrangements adding punch to the infectious melodies. It's a timeless album that remains a joyful and essential listen and captures the roots of a unique musical voice destined to shape Brazilian music for decades.

Review: A striking departure from the classic piano-bass-drums format, this 1962 session brings together a rare quintet configuration, weaving trumpet and guitar into the fabric of post-bop elegance all based around New Jersey-born pianist Evans. The interplay is both literal and musical between the musicians. With trumpet lines that alternate between burnished lyricism and bursts of fire and guitar passages that glide with subtle precision, the ensemble creates a sound that is both spacious and tightly knit. The repertoire leans into standards, yet each tune is rendered with a fresh rhythmic spark and harmonic sophistication. 'I'll Never Smile Again' shimmers with wistful melancholy, while 'When You Wish Upon a Star' is recast with a gentle yet cerebral charm. Fans of more intimate trio settings might initially find the added instrumentation unfamiliar, but there's an undeniable allure in the expanded sonic palette. The drummer drives the group with crisp energy while the bassist anchors with subtle authority and the collective chemistry elevates the session beyond typical quintet fare. This is a bold, beautiful detour in the legacy of modern jazz and one that rewards the listener. A reissue worth revisiting, or discovering anew.

Review: New York's Joe Claussell offers three blistering takes on 'So In Love' by Black Rascals, the early 90s project from Blaze. This red-label 7" is a pricey one, but the contents justify it: deep house from the source, reworked by one of its most spiritual selectors. 'Rough Mix 1' leans into swirling vocal loops and expansive FX, full of Claussell's signature dynamics, while 'Rough Mix 2' dials back the drama slightly for something more floor-focused. Flip it for 'Drums', a stripped-down tool that reimagines the track as raw percussive hypnosis. Essential NY house lineage, revived in style and pressed loud-just don't expect it to hang around.

Review: This has been described as Shelflife for Calibre's 120-140 material. If you know the means, methods and magic of Dominic Martin, you'll already have this in your basket. But in case you need a little extra info or new to the abyssal vaults of Calibre, the Shelflife series is a regular collection of projects and unreleased material he's made over the years. While best known for his d&b, his house, techno and dub material is just as prolific, deep and mesmerising. As is the case here as we range from steppy, curmudgeonly techno ('Front Loader') to funky electro style breaks ('The Saki') to bumping shufflesome house ('Ukrained') to vast spacious dub ('Come With Me') Complete with many other deep and reflective shades between, this is yet another fantastic body of work from one of electronic music's most unique and revered artists.

Notes: In only 12hp, Axis condenses all the classical blocks for the audio amplitude management, redefining the classical envelope -> vca -> mixer path. The idea is to manipulate a sound over three axes: its length, its volume, and its place inside the stereo field.

Axis is a dual envelope generator that features an integrated VCA, a crossfader, and a voltage-controllable mixer section. The initial concept was to combine digital control over an analog VCA to closely emulate the classic Vactrol sound. After more than a year of refinement, Axis has evolved into more than just that. It offers exceptional versatility, providing a wide range of waveforms and the unique capability to simulate the natural percussive qualities of different materials. All this is in a complete analog path.

For the function generator section, we choose a faster method over the classic AD/ ADSR style: a selection of waveforms studied to give back a precise musical effect can be selected with the shape knob. The function length is independent from the actual wave shape and can be settled with the fader timeX from 30hz to 15 seconds. Also, setting the timeX fader at its maximum level will leave the VCA open.

A more typical collection of envelopes can be found in the first half of the dial. All kinds of sounds, from plucked notes to long volume swells passing through lead-friendly lines, can be obtained here.

More unusual, the last section of the knob is thought to simulate the acoustic vibration of a percussed object. Starting with a triangular envelope, from this point on, the more you turn the knob, the more rebounds will be added, simulating the natural ring of a material. Using this section at low rates can generate complex envelopes that could also be suitable for the vibrato-style AM effect. The envelope generator section includes a mode switch (cycle,trigger,hold), a trigger/gate input, an EOC trigger out, a function output, a CV for the envelope shape selection, and one CV for time.

As a cherry on the cake, a crossfader is placed at the end of the chain, blending both Axis halves. With a dedicated fader and CV control, raising it will invert the L/R output, creating nice stereo effects or moving the voices around the stereo field.

The VCA section is more straightforward: it has an audio input/output[1] and a VCA CV input[3].

You can plug the audio I/O to use Axis in its completeness and eliminate a lot of cables and mess!

Soundwise, here at Clank, we are all about vactrols LPGs, but since we knew it's not the most versatile option on the market, we came up with a different design. Blending together a VCA with a not-so-step filter, we obtained a VCA with a nice mild LPG flavor: enough to sound not so "clicky" but not too slow to inficiate really fast sounds.

By default, the envelope created by the function generator is normalized to the CV in of the VCA. Plugging a cable into the VCA in breaks the normalization, in this way you can use a different source to control the VCA and free the function generator for LFOs or modulation duties.

The range Y fader sets the strength of the envelope, but you can also see this control as a volume fader, which is nice since you won't necessarily need an additional volume for your voice after the Axis. Take into consideration that since the Axis VCA is actually a low-pass gate, lowering the rangeY fader also affects the cutoff frequency. The range fader also has its CV control to program dynamic changes to the sound. Basically, it's a VCA over a VCA that permits every note to be at different intensities. Last but not least, Range CV can also be fed by a unipolar modulation CV to obtain vibrato effects or audio rate AM modulations

Notes: Thererec is a 6hp smart dual-function generator based on a different approach! Two modern proximity sensors have replaced all the Attack/Decay thing, and this not only saved a lot of space but also turned Thererec into a whole new thing: a fusion between THEREmin gestural expressiveness and a tape RECorder,

Thererec, indeed, can quickly capture your hand movements and translate them into complex Envelopes and LFOs, adding a lot of expressiveness to your set. Once recorded, your movements can be mangled in both time and amplitude; they can be cycled or triggered in one-shot mode, letting you create complex but synchronized control voltage streams.

A straightforward movement with immediate feedback: move your fingers, listen, and connect yourself to the environment. Your body will do the rest.

Thererec sensors will track your movements to generate a voltage flow, and the LEDs and the CV outputs will reflect those movements.

Review: Two powerful soul sessions from Alice Clark's eponymous debut 1972 album. "Don't You Care" is a hard-hitting soul standard (that became very popular in acid jazz scene in the early 90s) where Alice opens her heart for all to see while her incredible band ebb and flow with Clark's emotions. "Never Did I Stop Loving You", meanwhile, languishes in sentiment at a slightly lower tempo that allows her to really dig deep for those low notes. The real fun happens as we reach momentum towards the end and every band member brings out their A-game and bounces off each other - backing up Alice every step of the way. You will care about this.

Review: On a remote, gravel-covered spit along the east coast stand the remains of a Cold War-era government weapons testing and radar facility. In the mid-1960s, this site hosted the creation of an over-the-horizon radar-a groundbreaking system designed to bounce signals off the ionosphere to monitor distant nations. Its success depended on a complex interplay of frequency, solar cycles and atmospheric conditions but yet persistent interference plagued the system and rendered it ineffective. Despite multiple investigations, it was decommissioned and dismantled by the early 1970s. Today, the once-ambitious Cobra installation lies dormant, reclaimed by nature as a quiet, unlikely wildlife refuge and these are sounds inspired by it.

Review: The work of London-based Suffolk lad Dalham (Jon Michaelides) often comes accompanied by textual musings on existential themes, and his latest record And The Sun is no exception, hearing him quip on the mooted tulip that is generative AI: "As humankind strives to create artificial intelligence what will faith, love, or morality look like to a nascent consciousness? Will it be capable of understanding its creators who often hold logic and superstition within themselves?" So do questions of climate, macro-scale recklessness, and internal contradiction abound on this new record; an eight-track sublime that fits in well with the label's retromodernist, sometimes neo-pagan aesthetic sensibility. A weird Western ambient odyssey, where one abstract electronic artist's resident Suffolk surroundings merge with the same piano-led, drum machine-mapped scenes, not also long ago explored in 2024's 'Alive In Wonderland'.

Review: Auckland-born, London-based duo Manuel Darquart draw from the silkier ends of Italo, house and Balearic breaks on their latest five-tracker for Munich label Permanent Vacation. The opener, 'Sunshine Coast', cruises through airy pads and FM piano with the warmth of a lost VHS holiday clip, while 'Soft Energy' folds ambient textures into a weightless groove built for sunrise slots. Things get tougher on 'Global Business', which hits a sweet spot between acid and electro-funk, and 'Fantacity' continues in a similar mode - dense but clean, with a breaksy snap underlining the chords. 'Forza' wraps it all up with a slow-builder that sits somewhere between high-definition trance and plush downtempo. The palette feels nostalgically late 80s, but there's no pastiche here - just a well-gauged, detail-rich record that knows exactly when to lean in and when to hold back.

Review: Dexter Gordon's Lullaby For A Monster returns on 180g audiophile vinyl, spotlighting the legendary saxophonist in a rare, stripped-down trio setting. Recorded in June 1976 with Danish rhythm greats Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (bass) and Alex Riel (drums), the album represents Gordon at his most uninhibited, free from the piano's harmonic framework. His solo on 'On Green Dolphin Street' is often described as one of his most liberated, and with fresh liner notes by C. Andrew Hovan to rack up an already clamorous crock of acclaim by international critics, this reissue offers renewed appreciation for a lesser-known but electrifying entry in Gordon's discography.

Notes: Heavyweight 100% cotton t-shirt made in the USA with a silkscreen print of the Disk Union logo.

Review: Brazilian Jesse "Dreams" Pimenta has been roaming around underground circles for a decade plus. He has a stylish sound that is about heady excursions into deep rhythms. 'Losing Control' opens up with a warped and flabby baseline over buoyant drums for peak time deployment. 'Dangerous When Wet' is a tightly programmed and kinetic cut with flappy drums and snares, aliens in the machines and psychedelic vocal swirls. 'XTC Messenger' then hits hard with thudding kicks and hints of 90s tribal techno. Last of all, 'Pressure Points' flips out with broke beats and dubby undercurrents.

Review: A masterclass in stark 'Kontrast' comes by way of producer Elektrotechnik, whose latest 12" here for Gladio Operations does unsurprisingly well to contrast his prior digital-only issue for A-Traction Records. Through glommy, paralytic, salivary sound design, 'Sigma' and its corresponding remix by Larionov mission-state the EP: one pronouncedly unafraid of weight or womp, and yet which still scoops out a mercurial feel akin to a volatile solder metal prior, pre and post-solidification. 'Kontrast' and 'Die Bestie' on the B-side sound like said reflowed solder chucked through a giant techno kaleidoscope, as both tracks move increasingly hypnotic and heavy.

Review: Brian Eno's career has always been about explorationiof sound, technology and the emotional power of music. After pioneering ambient music, Eno has consistently sought out new ways to blend different genres and voices and his latest collaboration with Beatie Wolfe continues this tradition. Wolfe, a British-American artist with an innovative approach to music and activism, complements Eno's atmospheric world with her emotive, alternative vocals. Their work, recorded in London, moves seamlessly from the meditative to the experimental, with tracks like 'Big Empty Country' offering stark contrasts between the brightness of the day and the shadows of the night. This release is not only a nod to Eno's sonic experimentation but also a testament to his lasting influence as an artist who always seeks to connect art with broader societal issues, especially the environment.

Review: Brian Eno, legendary master of ambient music and Beatie Wolfe, the LA-based conceptual artist known for her innovative blend of the physical and digital, unite for a collaborative sonic exploration. Throughout 2024, the two artists recorded material that bridges the boundary between deeply personal emotions and universal experiences, creating an evocative soundscape. The work pulses with the distinctive energy of Eno's ambient prowess, while Wolfe's haunting vocals add a layer of intimacy. On tracks like 'Milky Sleep' and 'Hopelessly At Ease', the listener is swept into a dreamlike state where time feels suspended. These moments of calm are balanced by the more urgent, yet still deeply meditative, 'Suddenly', which sways between serenity and tension. The delicate interplay between light and shadow becomes even more palpable on 'A Ceiling and Lifeboat', where the quiet sense of stillness gives way to a profound sense of rebirth. There's a sense of movement throughout the releaseiparticularly on 'Breath March', where rhythm and texture converge with palpable energy. Eno's atmospheric layers create space for Wolfe's voice to become a thread, guiding the listener through these reflective, almost sacred-feeling sonic spaces, where every note invites introspection and feeling.

Review: Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe join forces on a dual release infusing two distinct musical visions rooted in shared environmental concern. Their new joint release unfolds across two sides, with Luminal offering a vocal-led collection leaning into alt-pop ambiances and timbres, before Lateral rears itself in counterpart as a seamless ambient composition, making up a study in contrast and connection. Recorded in London, the project reflects Eno's lifelong exploration of mood and atmosphere, alongside Wolfe's ongoing push to blur the lines of digital innovation and tactile experience. The project builds the activist art works of Wolfe, a British-American concept artist based in Los Angeles, named by WIRED as one of "22 people changing the world," and tracks the expression of music beyond language or form.

Review: The latest album from Chicago composer and improviser Ben LaMar Gay is his most fluid and assured to date. Backed by his long-time quartet of Tommaso Moretti, Matthew Davis and Will Faber, Yowzers ripples with rhythmic intuition and emotional weight, moving between playful sketches and hymn-like vignettes without ever breaking its spell. Tracks like 'the glorification of small victories' and 'I am (bells)' are recorded live, capturing the spatial intelligence of the group's shared language - an ensemble sound built through years on the road. 'for Breezy' and 'leave some for you' find Gay in a balladic register, unafraid of simplicity, while 'John, John Henry' retools folklore through polyrhythmic loops and group chant. The result is at once free and tightly woven - a folk-rooted sound that spirals into cosmic territory. Rob Frye's flute and a mini-choir add further texture, but it's Gay's ear for structure and storytelling that binds it all. These aren't just compositions but musical rituals, alive with history, invention and care. It's not jazz, not quite, not only - this is music that trusts its players as much as its audience, carrying old knowledge forward with lightness, humour and reverence. A quiet triumph.

Review: Ben LaMar Gay expands his musical lexicon with mala-morphemic glee on Yowzers, a wide-berthing new LP trading in exp points racked up as a soloist, bandleader, and key player in Chicago's music scene. Conscripting his long-running quartet (Tommaso Moretti, Matthew Davis, Will Faber) for dispatch on a new instrumental regiment, the record snaps the intimate language they've developed through years of live performance, captured here in a rare set of real-time recordings. As always, Gay pushes outward from folkloric roots, incorporating choir arrangements, in-studio experimentation, and contributions from frequent collaborators like Rob Frye and Ayanna Woods, be that through the looped minimalism of 'Yowzers' to the mournful swing of 'For Breezy' and the guttural blues of 'John, John Henry.'

Review: Some may argue that Dimitri From Paris and Tom Moulton have already provided the definitive remixes of Ron Hall, the Muthafunkaz and Marc Evans' 2006 gem "The Way You Love Me". This Glitterbox 12", which features alternative versions of those two legendary reworks, proves that they're wrong. Dimitri's "Glitterbox Retouch" of his Philadelphia International-inspired TSOP Version is a little more focused and tightly edited than its predecessor, but naturally incredibly similar. It's Moulton's "Philly Regrooved Mix", though, that's the real stunner. A near perfect example of Moulton's classic mixing skills, it sees the original disco mixer give space to each instrumental solo before unleashing the now oh-so-familiar vocal. The result is 13 minutes of unashamed disco bliss.

Notes: ADSR (Attack-Decay-Sustain-Release) is a module designed to generate a voltage, which acts as the envelope with the adjustable stages. This envelope, generated in response to the incoming gate signal or manually pushed button, can then be used to shape the sound amplitude via VCA, modulate filter's cutoff frequency or any other parameters expecting CV control.
It features exponential Attack, Decay and Release stages, switch to select fast/slow operation mode, push button with led indicator to manually activate the envelope.

Review: 2002's Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane always felt like the odd jewel in the Belgian outfit's catalogue i part concept album, part theatrical detour, wrapped in lush strings and Bond-theme bravado. The 2025 reissue brings it back into focus, and it's certainly worth revisiting. There's drama i torch songs, twisted pop, and trip-hop filtered through a cinematic lens i but also a tangible sense of melancholy beneath. Tracks like 'Sometimes' and 'Human Interest' still land with weight, while the nocturnal psychedelia of 'Jackie's Delirium' and 'Shampoo' adds hallucinogenic depth to the collection. It's all very stylised, but that's part of the charm. You can hear the ambition, the restlessness. Not quite cool, not quite kitsch, but somehow it works.

Review: The always excellent Minimal Wave presents a rare EP from Greek electronic pioneers In Trance 95 here. Alex Machairas and Nik Veliotis formed the duo in 1988 and very much helped define Greece's early electronic scene with their minimal synth and EBM-inspired sound, all of it usually marked by analogue warmth, hypnotic melodies and a futuristic sensibility. This release captures their innovative spirit and cult legacy across six unreleased tracks recorded between the late 80s and early 90s in Athens. It sounds magnificent and is a long-overdue glimpse into their visionary archive for new fans, or a fine reminder of their roots for those who have always been tuned in.