[engl] Austrian band Shake Stew has become something of a phenomenon. With their premiere at Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2016 and their following debut “The Golden Fang” they seemingly exploded into the scene out of nowhere. Since then their high energy mixture of hypnotic afrobeat and jazz grooves has made them enormously successful not only on home turf but across Europe. Led by rising star bassist Lukas Kranzelbinder they quickly became one of the hottest live acts on the circuit, while the impact of their second album “Rise and Rise again” (featuring Shabaka Hutchings) enabled them to spread their unique sound further afield, including an extensive tour of Canada, Mexico, Morocco and stand out shows at prestigious festivals like Montreal, Rochester and North Sea Jazz Festival. The band has also attracted the attention of Germany’s leading newspaper Die Zeit who, in an unusual move, sent one of its writers to spend 5 days with them to cover the formations summer residence at Jazzclub Unterfahrt; the resulting feature was euphoric in its praise: "What I heard blew me away. Captivating rhythms, melting brass, hypnotic funk-beat-swing-afro-jazz-rock-rhythm-and-something. I was glued to my seat and could barely get up. […] Meanwhile I know that other listeners had similar initiation experiences; something comes from this band that is new and special - and very attractive.” Despite being on the scene for only a short time, German Radio NDR already called them a “Cult Band” and everyone who could witness the septet's two-day residency at Viennese Jazz Club Porgy & Bess earlier this year might understand why: Both evenings sold out, a total of nearly 900 listeners, who crowded into the club to hear the latest sounds of a band whose journey has only just started. Riding on all this success Shake Stew are now releasing their third studio album Gris Gris on 1 November. Not content to do anything by halves (their first single was 19 minutes long), Gris Gris is a double album of what they do best: A high-octane mix of fiery jazz and trance-like groove injections combined with mysterious soundscapes and spiritual free jazz eruptions - or as one Austrian newspaper described them “an intergalactic road movie for the ears!”

[engl] C. S. Lewis once said that he believed in a God as he believed that the Sun had risen. Not only because he had seen the literal light, but because of it, he was able to see everything else. Seeing is believing, and so is hearing, “Glory is Coming!” Brothers and Sisters no matter what your faith or belief is, Dog House and Bone Records in France has issued another rare LP pressing of original 45rpm records from the vast archives of Bayourod. Chicago again plays a prominent role in musical history, as the foundation of organized gospel music is born here under the tutelage of Thomas Andrew Dorsey. Dorsey is widely known as the Father of gospel music, as he composed and performed many of our most celebrated gospel songs including, “(There’ll be) Peace in the Valley (for me).” Arriving in Chicago in 1919, in the midst of the great migration of Southern Blacks, Dorsey coined the phrase “gospel songs” in the early 1920’s. He assembled the first gospel choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church on South Indiana Ave in 1931 which still stands to this day. Bo Diddley and many others learned music here. Again, Black Americans give us a uniquely American style of religious song, with its roots in the tradition of Folk music and early blues and jazz. So many of our great singers started in the Church before turning to secular music, learning to play and sing beautifully in the only venue that mattered to so many; the house of God. For those of you who may not have had experienced the absolute harmony and joy of a full gospel Church, you may walk out with your faith and or belief in a God somewhere- regardless of how you walked in. Believe me, you will be moved to tears by a choir of voices like you may never hear at any professional concert. You will hear multiple instrumentalists on piano, Hammond B3, organ and drums. You will hear joy. You will hear love. You will be told by a stranger that, yes, everything will be alright. By the grace of the other worshipers you will be hugged and feel the joy of being with your fellow man. You will brush away pain, sorrow and doubt in this moment. You will indeed believe that love and music really is the answer. In this instant you will not worry about anything. You will not worry about anyone. You are free with body and soul. You are free to thank Jesus. You are free to believe. Music heals broken hearts. Hearing it can make you want to live. Whatever it is, God’s got it. Two of the sides on this uplifting compilation come from the Reverend Charlie Jackson. Born in McComb, Mississippi Jackson preached his brand of guitar evangelism, a genre born in the late 1920’s. Others spreading the Lords word with the guitar at the time were Arkansas born Sister Rosetta Tharpe and New Orleans own Elder Utah Smith. Smith’s style of preaching, singing, and guitar playing is widely influential and incredibly moving. Reverend Jackson was a protégé of Smiths. Smiths’ spectacle of playing and preaching was so influential in fact, that young players like Guitar Slim and Ernie K-Doe emulated it. Both those amazing pioneers of the blues and rock and roll saw Smith perform in tent revivals across the South. Smith inspired Reverend Jackson to “sit down on the guitar,” playing it above his head and with his teeth at times. They frequently traveled, preached, and performed together giving sermons in rural churches, many with no electricity having to power the voice of God, their guitars, with a portable generator. Also, in addition to sides by the Sunset Travelers formed on the streets of Memphis in 1950 featuring O.V. Right, and the Gospelaires from Dayton, Ohio who preached the word with rollicking harmonies, we present a side by what may be Chicago’s most famous and “God’s greatest hit makers,” the Staple Singers. This record was recorded for Epic records in 1967, “It’s Been a Change,” features Pops Staples profound guitar playing on this “protest” record. The Staple Singers cut a slew of these kinds of message songs in the late 1960’s. Pops Staples was born in 1915 in Winona, Mississippi and was playing the blues at an early age. By 1937 he was featured in the spiritual group the Golden Trumpets. In 1941 Pops and his wife moved to Chicago, started a family and by 1953 cut their first side, “These are They,” for his own Royal Record Company. Another single led to a recording contract with Vee-Jay records which lasted from 1956 to 1962. “Uncloudy Day,” released on Vee-Jay would be the Staple Singers breakthrough. Mavis Staples is still very much a force as a singer and is still performing live. Gospel music and this collection can be best summed up by Pops Staples himself who said, “This music was born from soulful voices, social activism, religious conviction and carries a message that moves you.”

[engl] SHAKE STEW is Austria‘s jazz band of the hour. After playing more than 25 gigs during the first months since premiering at Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2016 and selling out their first record „The Golden Fang“ within half a year, the unique septet is conquering the music world with a hypnotic mixture of afrobeat and jazz grooves shaken up by the intense and mysterious soundscapes created with a combination of two drummers and two double bass players! With „Rise And Rise Again“ Shake Stew are releasing their highly anticipated second album in May 2018, which also features Shabaka Hutchings on 2 of the tracks. Everywhere they went so far, the press has been more than enthusiastic, often trying to create new terms and genre-labels to put their live experiences into words and this new release will only further establish their status as one of Europe's most upcoming Jazzbands. Shake Stew brings together seven unconventional musicians, all of them interesting characters of the young Austrian and German jazz scene. They are united with bandleader Kranzelbinder (1988) by the pursuit of new, enhanced sound possibilities and by concepts beyond boundaries of genre, which are by now already considered a guarantee with Kranzelbinder. His own distinct combination of virtuosity, entertainment and uncompromising energy comes out in many of his projects and has meanwhile become a kind of trademark of the hard working musician, composer, and arranger. As the youngest musician so far in the history of the prestigious Jazzfestival Saalfelden, he was chosen to put together a new project for the festivals opening concert in 2016, which is also connected with a 4 day residency. He put together a septet and prepared the festival show for a whole year, before not only recording the debut album “The Golden Fang” within a day of the residency but also playing a concert to remember: Der Standard from Vienna describes the septet’s performance as a „magical opening hour“, to the Kurier Shake Stew sounds „like an intergalactic road movie for the ears.“ The Süddeutsche Zeitung calls the bassist and composer Kranzelbinder a whizz kid and the OÖN added: „The 28-year-old writes fantastic pieces, which optimally feature the exciting instrumentation with its three-part horn section and two basses and drummers“.

[engl] Beat Generation presents a reissue of Pure Hell sole full-length album, recorded in 1978 but not released until 2006. In 1974, on the streets of Philadelphia, a band unlike any other was formed. They called themselves Pretty Poison. They had a sound so ahead of its time that the music industry was not yet ready for it. They coupled the punk sound of the New York bands of the time with a harder, faster heavy metal edge unheard before. Their unique sound was a result of Kenny Gordon's berserk choreography and Preston Morris's needling guitar riffs, while Steel and Spider added synchronized barrage with no nonsense execution to the arsenal. Inspired by the famous fuel-altered dragster, they changed their name to Pure Hell in 1975. Soon after, they moved to New York City where they played with bands like the New York Dolls, Sid Vicious, Wayne County and the Electric Chairs, The Dead Boys, The Stimulators, Richard Hell, The Germs, The Nuns, The Cramps and more. In 1978 Pure Hell headlined a tour of the UK, with bands like the UK Subs, Wilko Johnson, Vermilion & the Aces and more opening for them. While in the UK, their only original record was released. It was a single released by their manager Curtis Knight on his label, Golden Sphinx Records. The songs on the single were "These Boots Were Made for Walking" and "No Rules." The single charted in the top 40 charts in the UK. During the same year, a full length album was recorded but was never released. It did not surface again for 28 years.

[engl] Gil Scott-Heron never had a pop hit single; he was more important than that. With ‘Johannesburg’, ‘Home is Where The Hatred Is’ and ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ he wrote songs that resonated beyond the world of disposable chart-toppers. That’s not to say he didn’t have success, and 1974 was a very good year for him. The album “Winter In America”, released on Strata-East, spawned the radio hit ‘The Bottle’ and several cover versions. Former Columbia Records boss Clive Davis was impressed and made Gil, Brian Jackson and the Midnight Band the first signing to his Arista label later in the year. The streak continued into 1975 when their first Arista album, “Midnight Band: The First Minute Of A New Day”, made the jazz, R&B and pop charts. Gil was certainly making a name for himself. Towards the end of 1974, Gil’s former label, Flying Dutchman, put out a compilation of tracks from his first three albums. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” was no hastily put together cash-in. Instead it became the primer for what many would describe as Gil’s best work. From its striking Charles Stewart cover shot and lavish packaging, it was clear time and effort had been made to get the album right. From the incendiary polemicism of the title track through heart-wrenching contemplations on modern life such as ‘Pieces Of A Man’ and ‘Did You Hear What They Said?’, and back to the anger of ‘Whitey On The Moon’, it captured perfectly what his first three albums were about, revealing not just a performer but a writer every bit as poetic as Bob Dylan. The skill of his collaborators, most notably co-writer Brian Jackson and producer Bob Thiele, and musicians of the calibre of Hubert Laws, Bernard Purdie and Ron Carter, all helped to showcase his songs to their full splendour.

[engl] It's all over town. In 2021 it's time again for a new The Monsters (official) album and thus also for a new Sounds of Subterrania Special Edition. It's time to rewrite the history of the record cover. 2021 is about nothing more and nothing less than giving back Punk the Do It Yourself. Are you ready for the greatest adventure of your life? Are you ready to face the most difficult task of your record collecting life and to turn a phrase into a creed, stitch by stitch? Your set consists "You're Class, I'm Trash" as an English and a Swiss version, canvas, 5,500 cm of thread and a needle. Everything is wrapped in an XL poster with a velvet sleeve and peppered with the irrefutable certainty that you will have to fight this battle alone. It's up to you to bring the artwork to perfection and to prove what only a true fan is capable of. The sets (Janosh, Swan-Lee or the Beat-Man himself) are strictly limited and only available directly from Sounds of Subterrania.

[engl] Released in 2011, Chain & The Gang's second album, like its predecessor, was once again produced by Calvin Johnson at Dub Narcotic Studio. The lineup is also mostly the same, with the small difference that there are now five background singers who answer (in different songs) the calls of Ian Svenonius: Tara Jane O'Neil, Veronica Ortuño, Susanna Patten, Sarah Pedal and Katy Davidson. "Why Not" challenges everyday common sense and the established rules to an energetic blues shuffle. "Detroit Music" sounds like dirty jabs and the Dirtbombs, "Detroit Music II" plays the ball on, towards a heavy monster jam. Brilliant! The title track is then again in a class of its own: to psychedelic laments familiar from the Stooges' "We Will Fail," Svenonius mocks the tastes of the naïve "I actually listen to everything" consumer: "I know you wanna share. But don't!" he spits contemptuously at their feet. In the era of Spotify & Co., Svenonius accepts the accusation of snobbery: "Does a moth know a flame, just because it's drawn to it? "Svenonius sells it all with conviction and a devilish twinkle in his eye. He means what he says, and also knows how absurd it all is. These 12 tracks serve as a bombastic backdrop for Svenonius' treatises on living the life of an anti-capitalist svengali; they're a guerrilla garage rock manifesto imbued with fever, fervour and soul." - The Quietus

[engl] The 2009 debut album from the chain gang led by Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, Weird War) is a masterpiece of primitivism. From dazzling set pieces of R&B and rock'n'roll, the band forms highly melodic songs full of call-and-response chants ("What Is A Dollar"), or invites you to take a walk through the cemetery ("Cemetry Map"), which sounds so spooky as if voodoo master Dr. John had thought it up. Sometimes Svenonius just grabs a wooden guitar to make fun of conspiracy theories like in "Deathbed Confessions": "I faked the moon landing, I saved Hitler's brain. Yeah, it's in Argentina but it controls the USA." Calvin Johnson produced the album at his Dub Narcotic studio and also did a bit of background vocals. The beat lurches and sways as confidently and surely as an old sea dog's gait in a breeze of doppelkorn. The somewhat odd album title is explained by the always conceptually thinking singer as follows: "Everywhere freedom goes, it leaves a path of destruction. Fast food, bad architecture, materialism, unbridled greed, destroyed environment, imperial conquests, class struggle; combined, these phenomena are seemingly synonymous with freedom." When big words often hide only capitalist greed and imperialist war, Svenonius & Co. prefer to slip into the role of dissidents. "Ian Svenonius is an inadvertent pioneer. His career has been a studied attempt to advance the history of punk rock, using influences as tools to build with rather than styles to flaunt and discard." - The Wire

[engl] all 3 records for a special price. Anyone who has already pre-ordered a record can also fall back on the offer. Just send an email.

[engl] Debut record of this post punk band from Vienna, Austria. Tracks taken from the self-released tape, recorded on 4-track, mastered to perfection by Eric Brady. Limited to 500 copies. Post-Punk to dance to, touching the body at the very right places, mostly german lyrics you will know by heart soon even if you are from…

[engl] Los Angeles, CA based PowerPop combo with two new cuts on 45rpm. This double A side banger is another testament of their unique upbeat Undertones & Buzzcocks tinged teenage frustration rock n roll in 2 and a half minutes. More exciting news from the Reflectors will follow soon…. day by day, week by week… stay tuned!

[engl] From the first few riffs of “Fuck Death!”, you can tell that you are in for a special treat. This is not your typical 3-chord punk rock wasteland - this is a very well written post hardcore/punk album. And it took those 4 guys only 6 years to record it... These 12 songs show that When There Is None perfected their sound & songwriting over the past years. The album has more melodies than power chords and more sing-alongs than boredom. Sounding like a hybrid somewhere between the Sainte Catherines, Leatherface and Hot Water Music - this album keeps on growing with every spin. Also, finally a concept we all can agree on. Fuck Death!

[engl] After "Demo Demo Demo" and "Single Single", this is finally the first full length album by one-man-wonder Doug out of Lorient. You may know the man behind the mask from his other exquisite projects SORDID SHIP or COUPE GORGE, in which, above all, he extensively expresses his preference for Oi! On the debut LP, as on the previous singles, he rather shows his passion for synthpunk and then simply combines both preferences into a pretty great and awesome style of Punk. Super melodic synth parts mix with angry Oi Punk and Roll sound. Voilà: CUIR. This LP comes on beautiful rose marbled vinyl!

[engl] With the debut album "Parents + FBI = Cahoots", Shrinkwrap Killers out of Oakland bring a load of paranoia and conspiracies to the picnic table. The sun may be shining, but the melodies in the guise of 80s Dark Wave / Synth Punk are eerily beautiful enough to darken the sky. Yes, you can dance to this, cry, drink and smash the goddamn State to this. All at the same time. A perfect mixture of The Spits, Wipers & Brat Farrar. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you!"

[engl] IconAclass is a passion project from MC/producer Will Brooks. Best known as MC dälek, the front person and co-producer in experimental Hip Hop group Dälek. He has explored the left of center/ wall of noise world ala My Bloody Valentine meets Public Enemy on 8 studio albums and numerous collaborations. Their sophomore full length album Changing Culture with Revolvers features MC dälek back on production and Emcee duties, and recruits long time deadverse massive & Labteksmember, Dev-One on vocals as well. The contrast in voice and rhyme style provides the album with a brand new take on hard hitting gritty East Coast Hip Hop. As always, cuts are provided by Mixmaster Motiv. Changing Culture with Revolvers is poised to open eyes and in?ltrate eardrums. Pure hip-hop, hypnotic, heavy beats serve as more than just a backdrop. They focus a spotlight squarely on the lyrics, and iconAclass has a lot on their mind! 12 tracks with a heady blend of lyrics and grimy East Coast Boom-Bap beats skewed through the Deadverse prism.

[engl] An extract from the novel “Bovver Birds Rool” (…continued) “That must hurt”, said Dave. He hovered over Sue as she shakily tried to return to her feet. “Well help me, then”, barked Sue with a pained expression, “don’t just flippin’ stand there”. “I think this fell off”, said Dave as he handed Sue back her bloodied Marc Bolan rosette. “Great”, snapped Sue, “Steve’s only just given me that… Which way did they go?” “Don’t be daft”, said Dave, “you’re in no fit state.” At Tuesday night’s Stall Street Disco, Dawn and Jane were busy victory dancing to their anthem, Hector’s “Wired Up”, darting hard-faced Knuckle Girl glares at any boy daring enough to comment on their togetherness with an ill-advised wink and a nudge to his immediate neighbour. Meanwhile, Sue had invested her last 2p in a phone call to her best mate “Sand”, short for Sandra. “Sand” was the self-elected leader of the Bovver Birds, the female contingent of The Larkhall Legion, who were beginning to assemble around the entrance to the disco. “Tired of living?” were the last words Dawn heard as her face hit the floor. “You cow!,” Dawn screamed, as she pulled out the remnants of her own front tooth and threw it in the face her towering tormentor. “The Knuckle Girls buckle and the Bovver Birds win. Again!,” announced Sand in a loud but deadpan voice over the continuing Hector music. “We’ll leave you alone now to bury your dead. … “Birds” is still the word, and you’ve should been shat on from a great height. Next time, bitches!” A bow-tied bouncer strong-armed “Sand” from the hall, dragging her by the arms as she still tried to pitch a globule of carefully-harvested spittle over her agitator. “And there’s a greeny for you,” she shrieked with delight as it landed successfully. (to be continued…)

[engl] Somewhere in a remote place called Hawkfield, not far from the city of Stockholm, Sweden, music, dreams, visions, goblins & robots, come to life. There are stories to tell, signs and paths to follow, towards the horizon and beyond. Beyond Louie (Love Jonasson) is a singer and an artist who creates tunes and melodies on synths and guitars. On this recording he’s joined by Frank E. Male (Henry Fiats Open Sore), guitar and bass, Staffan Zeroboy Fagerberg (Vidro), drums and Li Jonasson, backing vocals, the daughter of the artist. Beyond Louie has been an active musician since the 90s as a singer in the Stockholm based garage band Sons of Cyrus, the Berlin band Ray Omega and different music projects like Last Crusade. Beyond Louie is the artists new solo project. This single is the first release, two songs that show two sides of music.

[engl] Can you smell what The Whiffs are cookin? Hint: it’s not Phish, Meatloaf or a String Cheese Incident. Nope – Kansas City’s prodigal sons of power pop are sticking to what they know on Another Whiff, their debut full-length for Dig! Records. Since 2017’s Take A Whiff EP, the band has been busy allowing their auditory aromas to ripen with the addition of Joey Rubbish (of The Rubs) for a fuller, more robust sonic bouquet. While the band can still get it up for Stiff Records – their pop-centric punk remains in full force – the album takes detours down lonelier roads in broken-hearted ballads from the heartland. No rocks left unturned on a journey forged by pioneers like Chilton and later Westerberg, the looming legacy of Petty and the cosmic country harmonies of The Byrds before them. In a year’s span, The Whiffs took their time recording, on and off, in their makeshift basement practice space: Electric Babyland. This pace and environs allowed the new lineup to coalesce, and get tour-tight on the road with La Luz, Bad Sports and Patsy’s Rats. The result is a unique album that is at once sprawling in direction and precise in execution, with all the sonic stank you’d expect from sweaty beer plied basement sessions. Out of the gate, “Shakin All Over” will register to all of the senses, like you’re squatting in the corner of the basement, imbibing with the band and absorbing every hit from Jake’s C&C kit (note the frivolous plug for Jake’s drum company). After untold nights into the wee hours of the morning, 14 tracks emerged as Another Whiff. Expertly recorded by Joey, mixed by Vince Lawhon and mastered by Jordan Richardson; the final package sounds like the sum of its parts, and all the beers in between. Another Whiff shirks a sell-by date and trends de jour, in favor of honest guitar driven, vocally infectious love songs for the ages. Timeless tunes and the triple-threat of Rory, Zach and Joey’s vocals set The Whiffs apart from their peers. Three distinct songwriters with their own personal flavors, delivering three-part harmonies for a unique rotation of upbeat punk belters (“Now I Know”), achy ballads (“She”) and triumphant tearjerkers (“How Could You”) that our troubled troubadours dispense like a Greatest Hits Factory for the last half-century of all of our all-time favorites.

[engl] Haters be damned, and punishers beware; Dancer don’t suffer no fools! Here with an anthemic scorcher of an A-Side: “I’m Not Giving Up”, channels equal parts Cheap Trick & Thin Lizzy, delivering the ROCK GOD goods so convincingly its time to THROW your Kiss records out! Flip it over for “Teenage Punk”, a swirling synth punk slice of misfit solace with words to live by (“all our friends, we don’t have friends”). Six singles in, and Dancer proves there are sick new moves comin’ from the crew responsible for Apache, Glitz, and Slick! Recorded by Greg Ashley in a one and done press featuring awesome album art by the Human Lawnmower’s inimitable Avi Spivak.