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Remixes by Brian Eno, Sonic Youth, Orb, Francois K, UNKLE, Carl Craig and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Early and amazing sounds from electronic genius Chris Carter – material recorded in his home studio during the mid 70s – with a style that clearly lays the blueprint for his collaborations to Throbbing Gristle! Yet without any vocals or other noise, you can really hear the Carter component of the music in a wonderful way – different even than his later collaborations with Cosi Fanni Tutti, even when spare – as the whole vibe here is maybe a more condensed version of Krautrock electronics, taken into the space of songs that are just a few minutes long – but which also have a lot more darkness than other electronic work of the time. That sense of darkness is key – as these tracks are subtle, but very different than spacier or more calming music of the type – proof that Carter was really an emotional pioneer when it came to this side of the spectrum. Titles include "Warm Hair", "Nodes", "Head Less", "Jet Age", "Hexfoil", "Black Powder", "Ghost Trains", and "See Sick". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal solo sounds from Chris Carter – best known for his work with Cosey Fanni Tutti, and as a core member of Throbbing Gristle – out here in slightly different territory on his own! Chris follows the spare electronics of his work with Cosey – and some of the tracks definitely have the "beat" promised in the title – but at a level that's nicely subtle, and never sacrifices the overall sonic complexity for the sake of a groove! The record's a very early variant of modes that would later be handled less-skillfully by the end of the decade by so many others – and sounds much better here in the hands of one of the originators – on titles that include "Mondo B", "Moonlight", "Real Life", "Noevil", "Nobadhairdo", and "Beyond Temptation". And be warned – the cover says "this record contains subliminals"! LP, Vinyl record album

The raw, mesmerizing debut of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds! On From Her To Eternity, Cave stalks and staggers right along the line between the aggro caterwaul of The Birthday Party and the haunting moodiness of later records with the Bad Seeds – and it's as distinct and exciting as ever after all these years! The looseness of the Bad Seeds sound is big part of what makes it so amazing, with spare backdrops that always carry the promise of noisy menace to come, and it's all the more exciting with it does – and Cave's mournful, angry testifying is in near peak form here. Includes "Avalanche", "Cabin Fever!", "Well Of Misery", "From Here To Eternity", "Saint Huck", "Wings Off Flies" and "A Box For Black Paul". CD

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... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "I Found That Essence" by Gang Of Four, "Robot" by The Futureheads, "Asbestos Lead Asbestos" by World Domination Enterprises, and "Too Many Creeps" by Bush Tetras. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Wonderfully noisy, messy grooves from the mighty Mark Stewart – working here in the best spirit of the On-U sound years – when just about anything was allowable in the studio! Stewart's equally influenced by punk and dub, but also has a sound that's completely his own – very dark and moody, and filled with political energy from the Reagan/Thatcher era – with instrumentation from a host of other On-U label mates – including musicians from New Age Steppers, African Head Charge, and The Dub Syndicate – brooding under the kind of trippy percussion that only Adrian Sherwood could deliver at the time. A huge bridge between London of the punk years, and England of the Massive Attack/Tricky generation – with titles that include "Liberty City", "The Paranoia Of Power", "High Ideals & Crazy Dreams", "None Dare Call It Conspiracy", "Learning To Cope With Cowardice", "Blessed Are Those Who Struggle", and "Don't Ever Lay Down Your Arms". Features a full bonus album of unreleased material – titles that include "Conspiracy", "May I", "High Ideals", "The Weight", "Liberty Dub", "Vision", and "Cowardice". CD

The title might seem like a joke – given Throbbing Gristle's reputation for intense noise and dark sounds – but at another level, it's actually a great fit for the spirit of the record too! The sound here is a lot leaner than before – almost as if TG is focusing in on the best elements that made their earlier performances so great – exposing a hidden talent for a song, a groove, and even an occasional melody – in ways that almost refine and filter down the whole of German 70s electronics into a spirit of post-punk expression! Subject matter is still pretty darn dark, and vocals are as creepy as ever – thanks Genesis P – but there's also more of the electronics that Chris & Cosey would soon explore on their own. Titles include "20 Jazz Funk Greats", "Beachy Head", "Still Walking", "Tanith", "Convincing People", "Exotica", "Hot On The Hells Of Love", "Persuasion", "Walkabout", "What A Day", and "Six Six Sixties". CD

A really great collection of work from one of the coolest, most compelling groups to record for the legendary Factory Records label – a combo who were contemporaries of Joy Division and New Order, but who had a very different sound! A Certain Ration – or ACR for short – had a wicked approach that was part funk, part punk – but often more soulful than contemporaries like Pigbag or Bush Tetras – a quality that only advanced as the group aged a bit, and learned to play their instruments even better than before! Factory was very committed to ACR right from the start – and in addition to key albums, they also recorded the group in many ways, which also yielded plenty of unusual tracks for singles, and plenty of unreleased material too. This package brings together all the best of those moments – and features 53 tracks that are a huge addition to their smaller catalog of LP releases – titles that include the previously unissued "Houses In Motion (demo)", "And Then Again (another version)", "Piu Lento (Peel Session)", "Nostromo A Go Go (demo)", "Backs To The Wall (demo)", "It's Trippin When I'm Fine", "Mello (JD 800 perc mix)", "Teko 4 An Answer (120 bpm)", "Samba 123 (demo)", "Some Day (ACR rework)", "Say What You Mean (unfinished demo)", "WSLU", and "Happy Meal" – plus "The Planet", "Turn Me On (7" edit)", "Fever 103 (Greetings 4 version)", "Loosen Up Your Mind", "All Night Party", "Thin Boys", "Blown Away", "Funaezekea", "Abracadubra", "Sommadub", "Guess Who (12" mix)", "Tumba Rumba", "Knife Slits Water (12" version)", "There's Only This", "Si Fermir O Grido (Touch cassette version)", "Brazilia (long)", "The Runner (Greetings 4 version)", and "Sounds Like Something Dirty". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Members of Wire/Dome. LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of one of the most forward-thinking, longest living, unique pop music phenomenons of the 80s onward! Although Depeche Mode diehards might bristle at being lumped in with pop music giants, you really can't deny that they're often emotionally raw, even morose songs, married with a range of synth friendly production got over with a huge audience with pretty astounding success. Here where it all started, with Vince Clarke writing all the songs on this one. Titles include "New Life", "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead", "Puppets", "No Disco", "Photographic", "Dreaming Of Me" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Jonah Jones swings nicely with a Broadway theme – yet still manages to keep things in his charming blend of trad, swing, and some groovier elements too! The set's mostly instrumental, although Jonah sings on a few numbers with that warmly raspy voice of his – and as with most of the Capitol dates, a mute is used often – compressing the sound down into the grooves, which are almost upbeat and lively. Other players include George Rhodes on piano, John Brown on bass, and Harold Austin on drums – and titles include "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "Hey There", "Just In Time", "You're Just In Love", "Just My Luck", and "You're So Right For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Live performances of "Dead Souls", "Guts On The Floor", "Circle Of Animals", "Looking For The Oto", "Vision and Voice", "Funeral Rites", "Spirits Flying", "Persuasion USA", "The Process", and "Discipline (reprise)". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A record that comes on with the frenzy of an Ornette Coleman Quartet session – and one with a very similar lineup too – given that Nate Wooley is on trumpet, Chris Pitsiokos is on alto, Brandon Lopez is on bass, and Dre Hocevar is on drums! Yet the sound is freer, and bolder too – as the instruments flurry together in clusters, then burst out into incredible sonic territory as the set moves on – with moments that include Wooley blowing fast and tuneful with a mute, like some speed freak Miles Davis – or hitting these popping, punctuated sounds that are really unusual. The record's one that really keeps us on the edge of our seats – and furthers the sense of surprise that can make real jazz improvisation so special! CD

A set that's hardly background at all – as the tracks here have a lively, forward sort of energy that reminds us of our favorite post-punk experiments from the British and German scenes at the start of the 70s – done with a darkness that really resonates with the album's cover image too! There's hardly any vocals at all on the songs – other than muted, abstracted lyrics that are buried under brooding basslines, echoey drums, and fuzzy work on guitar and keyboards – all with a moody Factory Records sort of vibe – and by that, we mean Factory circa 1980, not the later sunnier years. Titles include "Neo Dancer", "And", "Repeat", "Membership Card", "Romantic Romance", and "Recovery Room". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure bit of boogie from Brief Encounter – a southern soul group known best for their mid 70s sides for the Sound Stage Seven label, stepping out here in a completely different 80s groove! Most tracks are upbeat and dancefloor funky – plenty of bass on the bottom and some sweet electric keys – but often used in a way that's more in a 70s ensemble funk mode than the keyboards you'd hear on other early 80s indie soul. There's a warmth here that's quite nice, and most tracks feature the larger group harmonizing on vocals – in a way that sounds especially sweet on the mellower tracks. And while the recording quality of the original record is sometimes a bit muted, the group themselves sound plenty great – really bouncing along wonderfully with a soaring groove and a sense of tightness that goes beyond their indie roots! Titles include "Sweet Tender Loving", "We Want To Play For You", "Now I Know I Love You", "Rocking", "Since I Met You Girl", "Just For Love", "Open Up Your Heart", and "If You Want My Love". Features the bonus track "Always". CD

An obscure bit of boogie from Brief Encounter – a southern soul group known best for their mid 70s sides for the Sound Stage Seven label, stepping out here in a completely different 80s groove! Most tracks are upbeat and dancefloor funky – plenty of bass on the bottom and some sweet electric keys – but often used in a way that's more in a 70s ensemble funk mode than the keyboards you'd hear on other early 80s indie soul. There's a warmth here that's quite nice, and most tracks feature the larger group harmonizing on vocals – in a way that sounds especially sweet on the mellower tracks. And while the recording quality of the original record is sometimes a bit muted, the group themselves sound plenty great – really bouncing along wonderfully with a soaring groove and a sense of tightness that goes beyond their indie roots! Titles include "Sweet Tender Loving", "We Want To Play For You", "Now I Know I Love You", "Rocking", "Since I Met You Girl", "Just For Love", "Open Up Your Heart", and "If You Want My Love". Features the bonus track "Always". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever Miles Davis albums – and a groundbreaking soundtrack that forever changed the way that jazz music was used in film! According to legend, the sounds here were recorded by Miles on a hot Paris night – late in the studio, after a live performance – in a very intimate setting that had he and the combo creating these little poetic passages along with the action in the film! In addition to sublime and moody muted trumpet from Miles – the small group also features tremendous tenor work from the great Barney Wilen – a French modernist who's at the height of his powers – and beautiful bass from Pierre Michelot, whose rich tones really frame the whole proceedings. The rest of the group features bop pianist Rene Urtreger and American drummer Kenny Clarke – but the real charm comes from the interplay between Wilen, Davis, and Michelo. Titles include "Florence Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "L'Assassinat De Carla", "Diner Au Motel", "Evasion De Julien", "Nuit Sur Les Champs-Elysees", "Le Petit Bal", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac" and "Sur L'Autoroute". LP, Vinyl record album

Moody magic from Miles Davis and Gil Evans – one of the pair's most perfectly poised albums together, and a set with a slight bossa nova undercurrent! Evans' shimmering horn patterns are in fine form here – complicated, but never in cold and too-modern ways – just the right sort of backdrop for Miles' muted solo work – blow with a great sense of space and care throughout! There's almost a soundtrack sort of depth to the record, but the solos still keep the jazz element nicely in focus – and titles include "Summer Night", "Wait Till You See Her", "Aos Pes Da Cruz", "Song #1", "Song #2", "Corcovado", and "Once Upon A Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweeter studio Miles Davis from the 80s – a record that takes the 70s electric experiments and fuses them into a sound that's got a lot more R&B influence than before! The style is a bit poppy at times, but never in a way that's too slick – and often, Davis is using his muted trumpet to state lines boldly in ways that still have a greater sense of depth and craft than most of his contemporaries. A few tracks show some of the gritty New York rock/funk trend of the time, while others are lighter and more lyrical – and titles include covers of "Time After Time" and "Human Nature" – Miles' attempt to find standards in contemporary pop – plus the tracks "Katia", "You're Under Arrest", "Ms Morrisine", and "One Phone Call/Street Scenes". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-titled album from Harry "Sweets" Edison – not just because of its play on his nickname, but because of its overall sound! The set's an obscure "with strings" date for Harry – one that has his trumpet nicely wrapped up in larger backings that have a gentle, laidback feel. The moody, mellow sound is a great complement to Harry's horn – really showcasing his talents on muted ballads – and the album also features contributions from Gerald Wiggins on piano and Leroy Vinnegar on bass. Titles include "But Beautiful", "What Is There To Say", "Green Dolphin Street", "Everything Happens To Me", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Blues For Christine". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout in the Bill Evans catalog for Riverside – and that's saying a lot, given how important all of his Riverside albums are! The session's a rare quintet outing for Evans – one that breaks the mode of the usual trio format by adding in Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Jim Hall on guitar – alongside rhythm players Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – already a unique enough match for Evans' talents. In a way, the record's one of those sessions that Riverside would sometimes do – pairing a key new voice as a leader with others in an all-star group – but in another way, it's also a return to the sound that first brought Evans' to a wider audience in the 1957 and 1958 years – when he was working in non-trio groups with more famous players – adding his unique piano stylings to their (then) better-known solo modes. The pairing of Evans and Hall has been beautifully documented on other records – and sounds equally great here – but the real treat is Freddie Hubbard's horn, which often lays back on most of the tracks, then bursts in with a brashness that really ignites some of the tunes! He's playing a bit muted here, trying to go for that Miles/Evans combination from the late 50s – but that's plenty ok with us, as we love those records a lot. Titles include "When You Wish Upon A Star", "You & The Night & The Music", "I'll Never Smile again", "You Go To My Head" and the Evans original, "Interplay". CD also features a bonus alternate of "I'll Never Smile Again". CD

A real standout in the Bill Evans catalog for Riverside – and that's saying a lot, given how important all of his Riverside albums are! The core session's a rare quintet outing for Evans – one that breaks the mode of the usual trio format by adding in Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Jim Hall on guitar – alongside rhythm players Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – already a unique enough match for Evans' talents. In a way, the record's one of those sessions that Riverside would sometimes do – pairing a key new voice as a leader with others in an all-star group – but in another way, it's also a return to the sound that first brought Evans' to a wider audience in the 1957 and 1958 years – when he was working in non-trio groups with more famous players – adding his unique piano stylings to their (then) better-known solo modes. The pairing of Evans and Hall has been beautifully documented on other records – and sounds equally great here – but the real treat is Freddie Hubbard's horn, which often lays back on most of the tracks, then bursts in with a brashness that really ignites some of the tunes! He's playing a bit muted here, trying to go for that Miles/Evans combination from the late 50s – but that's plenty ok with us, as we love those records a lot. Titles include "When You Wish Upon A Star", "You & The Night & The Music", "I'll Never Smile again", "You Go To My Head" and the Evans original, "Interplay". This double-length set also expands the original Interplay album with even more material from another group session in 1962 – a set recorded also with Philly Joe Jones on drums and Jim Hall on guitar – plus Ron Carter on bass and Zoot Sims on tenor. Titles include "Time Remembered", "Loose Bloose", "Fun Ride", "There Came You", "Fudgesickle Built For Four", and "My Bells". CD

A real standout in the Bill Evans catalog for Riverside – and that's saying a lot, given how important all of his Riverside albums are! The core session's a rare quintet outing for Evans – one that breaks the mode of the usual trio format by adding in Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Jim Hall on guitar – alongside rhythm players Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – already a unique enough match for Evans' talents. In a way, the record's one of those sessions that Riverside would sometimes do – pairing a key new voice as a leader with others in an all-star group – but in another way, it's also a return to the sound that first brought Evans' to a wider audience in the 1957 and 1958 years – when he was working in non-trio groups with more famous players – adding his unique piano stylings to their (then) better-known solo modes. The pairing of Evans and Hall has been beautifully documented on other records – and sounds equally great here – but the real treat is Freddie Hubbard's horn, which often lays back on most of the tracks, then bursts in with a brashness that really ignites some of the tunes! He's playing a bit muted here, trying to go for that Miles/Evans combination from the late 50s – but that's plenty ok with us, as we love those records a lot. Titles include "When You Wish Upon A Star", "You & The Night & The Music", "I'll Never Smile again", "You Go To My Head" and the Evans original, "Interplay". This double-length set also expands the original Interplay album with even more material from another group session in 1962 – a set recorded also with Philly Joe Jones on drums and Jim Hall on guitar – plus Ron Carter on bass and Zoot Sims on tenor. Titles include "Time Remembered", "Loose Bloose", "Fun Ride", "There Came You", "Fudgesickle Built For Four", and "My Bells". LP, Vinyl record album

A late live set from Bill Evans – recorded with a slightly fragmented quality that has Evans' notes on piano stepping out from a general murmur of crowd noise! We're not sure why the folks at the club (unnamed in the notes) were talking so much during the set, but their presence makes for a low rumble that kind of holds back the bass and drums a bit on some numbers – letting Bill's notes ring out in almost solo formation over the top. Bass is by Marc Johnson, who's working in muted shades and tones, when heard on the set – and the drummer for the date is Joe LaBarbera, again relatively restrained here, from what we can tell. Tracks include "Laurie", "Solar", "The Peacocks", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Very Early", and "Re: Person I Knew". CD also features a bonus 1969 recording of "So What", done in Pescara. CD

A serious suite of music from Jackie Gleason – his extended "Tawny" suite on side one of the record, a lush, loving portrait of an imaginary girl! The music is in the more romantic side of the Gleason spectrum – heavy on strings, with some muted horns – and a style overall that mixes mellower moments with a few slinkier, sexier ones. Side two features some more familiar numbers done with Bobby Hackett on lead trumpet – titles that include "Some Day", "Little Girl", "If I Had You", and "I Cover The Waterfront". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Charlie's best albums of the 70s – a beautifully stripped down set of duets with well-matched players that include Alice Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Paul Motian, and Keith Jarrett! The spare format is an extremely wonderful showcase for Haden's expressive bass work – and the intimacy of the tracks is different from some of the ECM recordings made during the same stretch – as the feel here is less a muted exploration of sound than it is a deeply personal interaction with some of the best talents of his generation. Tracks include "Ellen David", "For Turiya", "OC", and "For A Free Portugal". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff from one of Eddie Harris' greatest periods! This one was cut in the late 60s – when Eddie was creating his famous electrified Varitone sound – unique among other jazz players in that it actually added a lot to Eddie's work, instead of detracted from it (as with some other boppers who briefly picked up the instrument.) The Varitone gives Eddie a cool flat tone works extremely well with some of the album's mutedly funky tracks – like the long version of "Listen Here", the groovy "Sham Time", the Latiny "Spanish Bull", or the incredible "Theme In Search Of A Movie", written by the great Charles Stepney. Great bass work by Melvin Jackson, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Mikolaj Hertel may not be a household name, but he certainly knows how to create some great electronic sounds when he wants to – and even on an album as late as this, he comes across with a sound to rival the spacey electronic masters of the European scene of the 70s! The music is spare and open – tuneful, but in a quietly progressing sort of way – and always has the warmth of more analogue electronics, used at a level that rivals some of the bigger name French electronicists of the 70s, or maybe some of the German Sky Records scene, but less ambient overall. Titles include "Atlantydo", "Twarze Melancholii", "Jak To Wyrazic", "Smutek Pamieci", and "Spleen", in three parts. CD

A great little package that brings together the first two rare albums by Index – a group that started as a cover band in the suburbs of Detroit in the late 60s, but quickly found their way to some tremendous music of their own! The trio's got a style that's jamming and trippy at the same time – romping drums, surprisingly deft guitar work, and some muted lyrics that echo some of the darkness in the instrumentation – even though the group seem to often be comfortable without any vocals at all! The songs here are all their own, and come from their Red Album and Black Album – newly remastered from the original tales, with titles that include "Turquoise Feline", "Feedback", "Rainy Starless Nights", "Break Out", "Paradise Beach", "Shock Waves", "Israeli Blues", and "Fire Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

The album's a definite brass city – given that Joe McPhee plays pocket cornet and valve trombone, and just a bit of soprano sax – next to excellent work on slide trombone by the great Jeb Bishop! The players have an instant sympathy with each other – so much so that space and timing are as important as the sounds that emerge from either player – a really sensitive balance that reflects all the great elements that Bishop was bringing to his music at the time, and which seems to take McPhee back to some of the genius of his earliest records too! The set features the seven part "The Brass City" suite – plus "Outpost (For Tom Guaralnick)", "Transmute", and "The Rozwell Incident". CD

A great Columbia Records set from the mighty Lee Michaels – still going strong after an amazing run of albums on A&M, but with a vibe that's maybe a bit more underground overall! Lee's still a hell of a songwriter, but he's also got an approach that's maybe slightly muted – almost as if he's done trying for charming stardom, but more than happy enough to revel in his own skills as a singer! There's a nicely relaxed vibe to the record, and clearly Columbia was more than happy to let Lee do his own thing, his own way – which he does beautifully on tunes that include "So Hard", "Olson Arrives At Two Fifty Five", "Your Breath Is Bleeding", "Went Saw Mama", "Bell", and "The Other Day". CD

Given the coolness of the Swedish jazz scene in the postwar years, we can imagine that the arrival of Charlie Parker on the scene must have set things on fire quite a bit! The album's a great example of the Bird magic even in the most unusual of circumstances – as the settings are less than key, the recording quality a bit muted, and the players all fine, but sometimes not as well matched as they might be – yet none of that matters to Charlie, because he soars out here with the kind of hard-burning solo work that's all-Parker, all the way – pure jazz magic that's still strongly inspiring, even after all these years. The set features live recordings done at Folkets Park and an unknown restaurant, with players that include Rolf Ericson on trumpet, Gosta Theselius on piano, and Rowland Greenberg on trumpet – and titles include "Body & Soul", "Strike Up The Band", "Star Eyes", "Cool Blues", "Fine & Dandy", and "How High The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

An early classic from the Chicago scene – spare, moody, and not nearly as house-thumping as you might think. Jamie's vocals are very light and almost muted, and the tune kind of sparkles with a dark European-influenced sound. 12-inch, Vinyl record