Forced Exposure

STARTLED INSECTS The Antenna Years ⠀ forthcoming LP via WRWTFWW RECORDS ⠀ “WRWTFWW Records presents the first ever vinyl release for the Startled Insects’ 1984-1985 abstract/synth-pop/post-punk/electronic run compiled into one album: The Antenna Years. The Bristol music must-have comes as a limited-edition LP with astonishing artwork, liner notes and a heavyweight sleeve. The Antenna Years compiles the independent EPs/mini-LPs the Startled Insects released in 1984 (self-titled) and 1985 (Underworld/Black Spring), with two bonus unreleased tracks that were only ever played in their live shows (“W.W.W” and “What A Waste,” both amazing). Astonishingly futuristic when they landed in 1984, the Startled Insects sounded like they came from another planet while staying rooted in Bristol’s underground. Abstract electronic, leftfield synth-pop, dub science, gamelan heat, post-punk edge, cinematic atmosphere: The Antenna Years delivers one beautifully odd voyage into the sonic unknown. In the ‘90s, the band released two albums, including the classic Curse Of The Pheromones via Antilles New Directions (Island Records), then evolved into The Insects: film composers for BBC/National Geographic, Emmy winners, and key architects of the ‘90s Bristol orbit, working with Massive Attack, Goldfrapp, Tricky, and members of Portishead. Four decades on, The Antenna Years still hits like a transmission from the future. Dive in with no fear.”

LOREN CONNORS & ALESSANDRA NOVAGA Live at Issue Project Room ⠀ forthcoming CD via ALARA MUSIC ⠀ “Recorded in January 2022 in Brooklyn, NY, this album traces the map of an extraordinary musical dialogue. Two guitars, two territories, a moment suspended in time. Loren Connors, an iconic figure in avant-garde blues for 50 years, and Alessandra Novaga, a unique voice in experimentation, come together here for an improvised performance that is both fragile and intense. A moment of deep listening to be shared beyond the boundaries of sound: in the communication between two artists of great sensitivity. A live event captured on record: mystery, emotion and improvisation combine to create the magic of this improvisational piece The concert was part of a season-opening evening at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, New York, which also featured Kim Gordon alongside Loren Connors seven years after their first duo, already immortalized on record in 2022 by the same label, Alara. This duet between Connors and Novaga is like an almost whispered conversation between two guitars, opening up spaces for listening, suspension and revelation. What this record captures is not simply a concert — it is an immersion in the solemnity of silence, the tension of almost nothingness, the delicacy of sound gestures that are sometimes as if sprinkled. On stage, Connors and Novaga’s interventions are overlapped and calibrated, with each silence itself becoming material. The guitars sometimes align in a beam of micro-details: quivering harmonics, subtle glides, dissolving attacks, minimal melodic droplets almost like piano notes. Their timbres blend — Novaga’s high-pitched grains, Connors’ spectral depth — to create a soundscape of subtle density. These emotions, bordering on the infinitesimal, do not impose themselves through intensity or crescendo, but through contained tension, attentive listening, and suspended moments.”

LIGHTNIN’ HOPKINS Nothin’ But The Blues: The Decca & Herald Years 1953-58 ⠀ forthcoming LP via ACROBAT ⠀ “Time to immerse yourself in the deep, soulful world of Texas blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins. This powerful LP captures the raw, unfiltered essence of a true blues master, presenting a definitive collection of his work from a golden era. The album showcases his iconic guitar work and deeply personal lyrics, seamlessly moving from the mournful lament of ‘Cemetery Blues’ and ‘The Blues Is A Mighty Bad Feeling’ to the hard-driving rhythms of his instrumental boogies. It is a masterclass in the artistry of a one-man band, with Hopkins commanding the listener’s attention through every track. Experience the blistering energy of tracks like ‘Lightnin’s Boogie,’ ‘Movin’ On Out Boogie,’ and the playful ‘Grandma’s Boogie,’ which demonstrate his complete command of the instrument. Alongside these are the heartfelt ballads and storytelling that were his hallmark, including the classic ‘Evil Hearted Woman’ and ‘I’m Wild About You Baby.’ The LP also features hidden gems like the sentimental ‘Remember Me’ and the swinging ‘Hopkins Sky Hop.’ From the classic ‘Nothin’ But The Blues’ and the heartfelt ‘I Had A Gal Named Sal,’ to the hopeful ‘Finally Met My Baby’ and the poignant ‘Lightnin’ Don’t Feel Well,’ this collection is an essential document of one of the most important figures in the history of American music. It is a journey through the heart of the blues, a raw and honest portrait that every fan of the genre should own.”

LENNY KAYE Lenny Kaye’s Nuggets Live At The BBC (White Vinyl) ⠀ forthcoming 10” via CADIZ MUSIC ⠀ “Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group, original Nuggets LP compiler) took his all-star Nuggets Band featuring Rat Scabies (The Damned), Dave Treganna (Sham 69, Lords of the New Church), Marty Love (Johnny Moped, Wingmen), Doctor Clive Jackson (Dr & The Medics), and Jim Jones (Jim Jones All Stars, Thee Hypnotics) to the BBC to record a session for Marc Riley and Gideon Coe at 6Music and here it is on 10” colored vinyl.”

CLUSTER Sowiesoso (50th Anniversary Edition) ⠀ forthcoming LP via BUREAU B ⠀ “Cluster — Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius — occupy a central position in the evolution of European electronic music, moving from early experimental noise into more open, melodic forms without losing their exploratory edge. Released in 1976, Sowiesoso finds the duo working with a new sense of clarity and restraint, shaping gentle, cyclical pieces from a small set of tools and a deliberately reduced studio setup. The music unfolds with quiet precision, balancing repetition and variation while maintaining an understated rhythmic flow. Marking its 50th anniversary, the album is reissued as a limited LP edition on 180g vinyl, hand-numbered and restricted to 1000 copies. A defining work from Cluster’s mid-1970s period, presented in a carefully produced anniversary format. Sowiesoso follows on from Cluster’s most highly acclaimed album Zuckerzeit. Michael Rother’s influence was clearly audible on the latter, Cluster already having recorded two albums with him under the name of Harmonia. 1976 saw the duo looking for new musical forms. More than any other Cluster album, Sowiesoso represents the utopian vision of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius, its mellow transparency evoking the landscape of the Weser Uplands where the two musicians lived at the time. Sowiesoso is not the work of fanatic dreamers who have fled the metropolis, but the reward for their tenacious search for a new musical language. The LP’s seven cuts were recorded in their own studio with modest equipment — a fourtrack tape machine, two Revox A77 stereo tapedecks and a simple 8-channel mixer. Cluster were thus completely independent, able to work where and when they wanted, at their own pace. With no guest musicians, sound engineers or producers to accommodate, Cluster thrived on their new-found autonomous freedom. Sowiesoso captures them at the peak of their creative development, with the limited range of recording equipment enhancing the clarity of their vision, allowing them to concentrate on the music without drifting into narcissistic muso territory.”

LEE “SCRATCH” PERRY & SUBATOMIC SOUND SYSTEM Super Ape Returns To Conquer (Red Vinyl) ⠀ forthcoming LP via ECHO BEACH ⠀ “Red color vinyl. After falling out with Sir Coxsone, the legendary head of the Kingston label Studio One, Lee Perry first founded his own band and then, in 1973, set up his own studio in his backyard. What was born out of necessity developed into a unique success story. With both the Upsetters and the Black Ark, Perry made music history — most notably with the 1976 release of the album Super Ape, on which he made the genre of dub bubble and boil from the mixing desk in previously unheard ways. For Perry, the studio is like a living organism. Whether he truly experiences it that way or simply lets too much ganja go up in smoke, for Perry the equipment is organic, empathetic, and intelligent. The catch is that the results sound exactly like that as well. Long before sampling was invented, he layered tracks of deep basslines, echoes, and reverb with various self-recorded sound sequences — often played in reverse — on top of, into, and beneath each other. In other words, Perry was the first producer who made the music instead of the band. Among other things, this earned him the title “Salvador Dali of Dub.”

BOURBONESE QUALK My Government Is My Soul ⠀ forthcoming CD via KLANGGALERIE ⠀ “Bourbonese Qualk were an experimental music group from England who where active from 1979 until 2003. The group were always obsessively and uncompromisingly focused on controlling their work — they ran their own record label, recording studio, tour organization and music venue (the legendary ‘Ambulance Station’) — they refused to integrate into the commercial music racket turning down publishing deals from major labels — stubbornly opting for total independence. Bourbonese Qualk were also known for their political activism which was formed in the crucible of the 1980s Britain. They saw their music as a revolutionary cultural force — a belief that radical musical forms must be part of positive social change. Despite this position, the group avoided dogma, cliché and propaganda, preferring to let their audience come to their own conclusions — their work was often ambiguous and directly critical of cynical power-politics of any color — often irritating members of the traditional ‘organized left.’ In 1984 Bourbonese Qualk occupied a large empty building on the Old Kent Road in South London which they turned into a base for their activities and a co-operative for artists, musicians and writers as well as a center for radical political activism — specifically as a coordinating center for the ‘Stop The City’ anti-capitalist riots of 1984-1986. They never recorded in a ‘proper’ studio (not that they could ever afford to), choosing instead to work with their own extremely basic equipment If Bourbonese Qualk have a legacy, it is that ‘culture’ should be reclaimed, re-defined and owned by the people, wherever they are, however small and not by the state or the market and that ‘culture’ is a vital vehicle for debate and radical change. My Government Is My Soul was the band’s sixth album, originally released by Fünfundvierzig in Germany in 1989.”

NAISSAM JALAL Landscapes Of Eternity ⠀ forthcoming LP via LES COULEURS DU SON ⠀ “Landscapes of Eternity is the profound result of a spiritual and musical quest undertaken by Naïssam Jalal across North India. After months spent walking sacred landscapes and studying under the legendary bansuri master Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the artist presents a repertoire where classical Hindustani music meets a deeply personal, contemporary vision. The album unfolds as a sonic tapestry, with each piece rooted in a specific Raga — the melodic modes of Indian classical music — corresponding to a particular time of day or sun position. From the dawn echoes of ‘In the Rice Fields at Dawn’ to the introspective ‘Inner Landscape in Raag Kafi,’ the music is anchored by the warm, enveloping harmonics of the tanpura. Naïssam Jalal’s flute becomes the vehicle for this voyage, supported by a distinctive line-up featuring sarod, tablas, piano, and drums. Born from a period of extreme personal transformation, this project explores the capacity of time to accommodate eternity. Inspired by the 15th-century mystic poet Kabir and the philosophy of Alain Badiou, the work navigates the space between suffering and surrender, finding a state of inner peace where the self dissolves into the environment. More than a jazz or world music record, Landscapes of Eternity is a hymn of praise and gratitude. It is an invitation to a new way of listening to the world — a song of prayer to the spirit that saves, and a vibrant testament to a wounded but resilient heart.”

THE UNDERGROUND SET The Underground Set ⠀ forthcoming LP via MORGAN BLUE TOWN ⠀ “LP version. “The Underground Set is a cult Italian psychedelic and early progressive instrumental album originally released in 1970 and produced by Gianfranco Reverberi. Performed by members of Nuova Idea under a pseudonym, the record blends Hammond driven psych rock with film score influences, fuzz guitar and distinctive rhythmic motifs. Long sought after by collectors of Italian rock and European soundtrack adjacent recordings, the album stands as one of the strongest examples of the era’s ‘psychploitation’ sound. This re-issue edition preserves the original material while presenting it to a new audience discovering early Italian progressive music.”

CRANES Future Songs (Yellow Vinyl) ⠀ forthcoming LP via MUSIC ON VINYL ⠀ “Cranes is a dream pop/shoegaze band formed by siblings Alison and Jim Shaw who rose to stardom following a world tour with the Cure in 1992. After the influential Dedicated label folded in 1998 they went on a two-year hiatus after which they set up their own label Dadaphonic. Here, they released three studio albums between 2001 and 2008, of which this record is their first. Between 1986 and 1997 Cranes released a steady stream of records on Bite Back! and of course Dedicated, and when the latter folded, the Shaw siblings took a relatively long break from recording. Then, in 2001 they returned with a different bassist and drummer, their new Dadaphonic label and a fantastic new record to go along with it. A breath of fresh air, Future Songs acts as a bridge between their somewhat brusque approach to shoegaze from the ‘90s and electronica-infused sound from the zeroes. A remarkable effort, especially considering the Shaws recorded almost everything on their own. Future Songs is available as a 25th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on yellow marbled vinyl and includes an insert.”

FREDDIE MCGREGOR Mr. McGregor (Orange Vinyl) ⠀ forthcoming LP via MUSIC ON VINYL ⠀ “Jamaican singer born in Clarendon, Jamaica on June 27, 1956. At age seven, he started singing backup for a local ska harmony duo called The Clarendonians and did his first recordings aged 10 years with the name ‘Little Freddie’ or ‘Young Freddie,’ and as a duo with Ernest Wilson aka ‘Freddie & Fitsy.’ McGregor stayed at Studio One for much of the ‘70s. He sang lead for groups like Generation Gap and Soul Syndicate, and also recorded off and on as a solo act during the ‘70s. In 1975, McGregor converted to Rastafarianism. Freddie McGregor’s debut album Mr. McGregor was released in 1979. The album opens with ‘We Got Love’ featuring a Tower of Power influenced horn section underneath McGregor’s tale of love conquering all. The classic ‘Rastaman Camp’ combines muted horn and an earthy, Nyahbinghi-like chorus for one of producer Niney’s deeper constructions, but the lightweight fare is equally welcome as the easy strolling and not too sugary version of ‘Brandy’ displays. Mr. McGregor is available as a limited numbered edition of 750 copies on orange colored vinyl.”

RICHARD BAND & JOEL GOLDSMITH Laserblast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1978) ⠀ forthcoming LP via MYSTIC VAULT RECORDS ⠀ “1977 sci-fi drive in cult classic Laserblast original motion picture soundtrack LP. Directed by Charles Band, score composed by Richard Band and Joel Goldsmith. This is the first-ever original film score by two veterans in the sci-fi film and TV genre: Band later became known for such works as Metalstorm, Re-Animator, Pit And The Pendulum, Ghoulies, Puppet Master as well as television episodes of Stargate Sg-1 and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Joel Goldsmith, son of legendary maestro Jerry, later went on to score films such as Kull The Conquerer, Watchers, and Vamperella. Joel also handled the regular scoring chores for such TV series as The Untouchables, Stargate Sg-1 and Stargate: Atlantis. For Laserblast, Richard and Joel employed innovative electronic techniques which pre-dated the use of MIDI and other digital mediums. Also included are several ‘70s rock and roll style source cues which have also been tracked in another cult horror favorite, The House On Sorority Row.”