Los Sara Fontán announce second album Consuelo

04 December 2025

Photo: Tamara de la Fuente

Barcelona duo Los Sara Fontán have become one of the most compelling forces in Spain’s experimental underground. Operating with a true DIY spirit, violinist Sara Fontán and drummer/electronic shapeshifter Edi Pou (of ZA!) have spent years collaborating widely, nurturing community spaces, and insisting that music can live outside the usual industry grind. Following years of touring and experimenting, the duo are preparing to release their second album, Consuelo, on February 20th through Aloud Music and Gandula. Bringing together Sara’s blistering contemporary-classical violin with Edi’s polyrhythmic electronics, the upcoming Consuelo is also shaped by their surroundings, and snippets of birdsong, a neighbour’s brush cutter, and even a cuckoo clock can be heard throughout it. With their new record, Los Sara Fontán are trying to imagine a different ecosystem, rooted in small collectives, shared resources, and artistic freedom. The title Consuelo, which means comfort or solace, reflects the world they see outside their studio window, as they try to hold onto care and creative independence. They comment:

“A world that is entering a little dark age where authoritarianism is spreading, large technology corporations and their pursuit of profit at all costs mediate every relationship, neocolonialism is rampant in Gaza and other territories, access to a decent life is becoming more difficult while the richest have never been so rich, and addressing the climate crisis is postponed due to short-term interests”.

The pair have also shared their thoughts on how artists are treated in today’s industry, saying:

“It is a shame that almost all cultural work today has to be mediated by four multinational corporations led by billionaires with far-right ideologies in order to distribute and promote what we do, without much alternative, forcing us to compete with each other for attention and treating us totally unfairly. But the last straw is that this money; ours, the musicians’ and the listeners’—is used to finance AI weapons, as Spotify does. It is urgent to find ways to distribute and promote music that are not subject to these powers. The technological tools to do so exist”.

The pair have now shared the second single from the album, ‘Elektra’, a spiralling and off-kilter drum’n’bass track. Inspired by the Richard Strauss opera, it was first used in a dance piece about death scenes in classical music. The character of Elektra, who dances until she dies, became a symbol of today. “We like to think that she represents that sickly energy that is so characteristic of our times”. They had previously unleashed the album’s debut single, ‘Creer Fuerte’. Both singles are offered with video accompaniments and you can watch them below.


In other related good news, Los Sara Fontán have announced a run of live dates in the Iberian Peninsula, kicking off in Mallorca this Saturday, December 6th, and continuing through cities such as Barcelona, Gijón, Santiago, Madrid, and Porto.

Listen to Erik Hall’s reinterpretation of Laurie Spiegel’s ‘A Folk Study’

03 December 2025

Last month, Erik Hall announced the highly anticipated release of Solo Three, the final album in his groundbreaking trilogy of reinterpretations of contemporary classical pieces, set to arrive on January 23rd through Western Vinyl. As with the previous albums in the trilogy, 2020’s Music for 18 Musicians (Steve Reich) and 2023’s Canto Ostinato (Simeon ten Holt), on Solo Three the Chicago-born and Michigan-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer reimagined iconic pieces from visionary composers, this time extending to four composers: Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and again Steve Reich.

Along with the announcement, Hall had shared a majestic, dazzling and exuberant reimagining of Reich’s ‘Music for a Large Ensemble’ as a first single. Now he is treating us to a brand new single, his gorgeous and exhilarating take on Laurie Spiegel’s ‘A Folk Study’. With his trademark hands-on approach, layering each instrument with no loops or sequencers, Hall brings an entirely new warmth and depth to Spiegel’s minimalist classic. Speaking about it, Hall comments:

“‘A Folk Study’ comes from an era of Laurie Spiegel’s work that used relatively-early electronics as a vehicle for music that is entirely expressive and lifelike, and I’ve always been drawn to that contrast in her recordings. As a means to engage with this music that I love, I decided to flip this idea on its head and attempt an overlay of acoustic performances that embody that certain set of limitations; essentially playing like a machine while inherently conveying the swift emotional course of the piece.”

With January 23rd just around the corner, this new single gives us good reasons to count down the days. Listen to ‘A Folk Study’ (Laurie Spiegel) now.

Woolvs release full length album Large Ensemble

29 November 2025

Brussels-based art-pop collective Woolvs released yesterday their new record, Large Ensemble, an ambitious and magnificent album. Led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Willem Malfliet, Woolvs began its journey in 2016, originally as a solo project before evolving into a 5-piece with Casper Van De Velde on drums, Vitja Pauwels on guitar, Soet Kempeneer on keys and Ruben De Maesschalk on bass. With Large Ensemble, Woolvs brings together 23 musicians from Brussels’ diverse and vibrant music scene. The album is, holistically, a statement of creative ambition, with each musician bringing something distinct to the table. The sense of togetherness that Woolvs describes in their work is evident, and there is a palpable energy that stems from their collaborative approach.

Instantly evoking an incredible sense of awe and wonderment, Large Ensemble is an exploration of human emotions, from grief and anger to euphoria and compassion. Spanning a plethora of genres, the record is described as “album of 16 art-pop songs, served with hefty doses of free jazz, vocal harmonies, electronics, and psychedelia”. The album’s tracks are as diverse as the musicians who helped bring them to life.

Alongside the album release yesterday, Woolvs also previewed a pair of singles, ‘Late September Sun’ and ‘Sleepwalking’, which “highlight the album’s intimate and poetic side”, as Woolvs described, adding:

“Both songs drift by like clouds and, in their content, explore the passing of time, but do so in a completely different tone.

Late September Sun features the voice of an elderly person looking back peacefully—or, possibly, of a young person observing old age with wonder and melancholy. Fragmentary postcard imagery with the unique tranquility of a beach in the off-season, on a bed of whispering clarinets.

Sleepwalking features someone who no longer recognizes themself in their life. Perhaps a young adult, overworked, overstimulated, or existentially numb. The tone is sarcastic, playful, yet deeply weary. Over seven minutes, this song unfolds with increasing textural richness without resorting to obvious pathos. Parallel to the lyrics, the instruments also ultimately reach a point of total dissociation, before returning to a full, expansive final section, featuring a starring role for Hanne De Backer on bass clarinet.”

Large Ensemble is an album that deserves to be heard in its entirety, each track building on the last in unexpected and wonderful ways. We can’t stop listening to it over and over again! Take a listen to ‘Late September Sun’ and ‘Sleepwalking’ below and get a little taster of what’s on offer.


The Woolvs Large Ensemble comprises Adia Vanheerentals (soprano/tenor saxophone), Aiko Devriendt (bansuri, flute, voice), Aili Maruyama (voice), Arto Van Roey (voice), Elisabeth Klinck (violin, viola), Gaspard Sicx (drums, percussion), Hanne De Backer (bass clarinet), Jacob Hus (live electronics), Lander Gyselinck (drums), Laszlo Thiry (bassoon, contrabassoon), Maya Mertens (voice), Mirte Leconte (voice), Nina Kortekaas (synthesizer, voice), Olivier Penu (drums, percussion), Oriana Mangala (voice), Paulien Rondou (voice), Raphaël Desmarets (voice), Ruben De Maesschalck (bass guitar, percussion, voice), Samuel Ber (drums), Soet Kempeneer (double bass, synthesizer, voice), Thomas Jillings (clarinet/alto clarinet, c-melody/tenor saxophone, synthesizer), Vitja Pauwels (electric/acoustic guitars), and Willem Malfliet (voice, guitars, synth, songwriting)

Maryam Saleh returns with new album Syrr سِرّ

28 November 2025

Nearly eight years on from the release of her last album, singer-songwriter Maryam Saleh, who is one of most authentic and beloved voices in Egyptian music, is back with a new album. Entitled Syrr سِرّ, which means “secret” in Arabic, the record is set to be released on March 27th through Simsara Records. After a long break, Saleh has crafted an album that explores themes of memory, loss, and transformation. Syrr سِرّ is influenced by Egyptian and Arabic song forms, including the mawwal, lullaby, madih, muwashshah, and taqtuqa, and it was co-produced by Saleh, Maurice Louca, and Kamilya Jubran, following three years of songwriting, composition, and collaboration with Kamilya Jubran as mentor. Saleh describes the process of writing the album as a way to understand herself and the world around her:

“Writing, for me, was not merely inscription, but a way toward understanding. A search for a private pulse that could hold feeling before it dissolves into noise. Loss began as the first crack, then became a current of energy, and finally an echo that runs between the words— balancing what is spontaneous with what is deliberately remade. Three years of listening, returning, revising, breaking open the text and re-forming it until it revealed itself more clearly.”

Saleh has unveiled the album’s first single, ‘El Fetra الفطرة’, an introspective, powerful and poignant track where traditional Egyptian music forms like the taqtuqa are reimagined with “contemporary production aesthetics and instrumentation”. The single was written and composed by Saleh herself, with keys by Maurice Louca, cello by Zizi Ibrahim, drums by Dylan Hunter Chee Greene and and percussion by Joss Turnbull. Here it is.

Listen to Benjamin Herman’s new single ‘Sugii’

27 November 2025

Get ready for the absolute bang that is ‘Sugii’, the new single from Dutch alto sax virtuoso Benjamin Herman, that pays homage to the legendary Japanese composer, accordionist, bandleader and jazz pioneer Koichi Sugii. A daring track, oozing energy and groove, ‘Sugii’ blends the raw and underground energy of Tokyo’s jazz scene with futuristic sounds. Recorded in Tokyo’s legendary Studio Dede last April, ‘Sugii’ is the first taste of The Tokyo Sessions, Herman’s forthcoming album, set for release in March 2026 through P-Vine Records (Japan) and Roach Records / Dox Records. Whilst we wait for more details to emerge, here’s ‘Sugii’. Play it loud!

St. Barbe announce Shoal EP; share new single ‘Pinch’ (feat. corto.alto)

26 November 2025

If, like us, you haven’t heard of St. Barbe yet, now is the perfect time to get acquainted. Hailing from London, St. Barbe first came together in 2021, and since then, they’ve been making waves with their genre-bending approach to contemporary jazz. The trio draws from a wide array of influences, from jazz and punk to math rock, hip-hop, and electronica, and the result is something that feels fresh and exciting.

St. Barbe have announced the release of a new EP, Shoal, set to arrive on February 18th through Bridge the Gap. A self-produced effort, the forthcoming EP reflects the band’s evolution and as the press release describes, it “showcases a considered approach, balancing rhythmic complexity with melodic intent”.

Alongside the EP announcement, St. Barbe have just dropped ‘Pinch’, a raucous, effervescent and infectious track featuring Glaswegian prodigious multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer corto.alto. Take a listen below.