Àbáse & Kacsó Hanga unveil collaborative new track ‘Fekete Szem / Black Eye’

07 July 2026

Àbáse‘s Awakening was one of our Album Picks of 2024, so we’re naturally excited to hear he has a new single out. ‘Fekete Szem / Black Eye’ finds the Berlin-based Hungarian producer, composer, improviser and keyboardist reconnecting with the folk traditions of his native Hungary, blending Hungarian folk music, jazz, hip-hop, electronic and avant-garde classical music. ‘Fekete Szem / Black Eye’ brings together an inspired cast of collaborators, including Hungarian folk singer Kacsó Hanga, cimbalom virtuoso Jenő Lisztes, bassist Petter Eldh, drummer Silvan Strauss and saxophonist Otis Sandsjö. Built around the music of composer Márta István, it also draws on Mihály Vörösmarty’s 1830 poem Fekete Szem and a folk melody collected by Béla Bartók, all reworked through Àbáse’s distinctive musical lens. Speaking about the starting point for the track, Àbáse says:

“I started researching Martaʼs work and came across his 1985 ‘Heartsʼ LP. As soon as I heard the opening track, I immediately heard these drums over it, and as soon as I hit the studio I did the draft idea. At its initial instrumental form, Mártaʼs composition is practically the core of the track, with added drums and bass that later received added layers and depth from Hangaʼs vocals and Jenoʼs cimbalom playing.”

On expanding the piece with the wider ensemble, he adds:

“Returning to Berlin, we had a two day session at the Brewery Studios where we further developed my beat ideas and demos on tape. It was important to me to involve international musicians so the Hungarian storyline gets a contemporary and outsider twist. Thatʼs how we developed the second section and improvised over Jenoʼs solo.”

Take a listen to ‘Fekete Szem / Black Eye’ below.

‘Fekete Szem / Black Eyeʼ is out now through Bridge The Gap & Oshu Records

Vanishing Twin set to release new album, Archives, in October; share two new cuts

03 July 2026

London supergroup Vanishing Twin have announced the release of their fifth full-length album. Entitled Archives, the record finds the trio of songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer and percussionist Valentina Magaletti, and bassist and multi-instrumentalist Susumu Mukai continuing to push the boundaries of their singular sound, effortlessly weaving together psychedelic pop, avant-garde, jazz, kosmische and experimental influences. As the press release describes, Archives is “a collage of postmodern songcraft that finds transcendence in the shared experience of creation”. The album’s title reflects Vanishing Twin’s distinctive creative process of assembling and reshaping recordings, improvisations and musical sketches into richly textured compositions. Lucas describes the process as “gathering material together, riffing with it, turning it around on itself, trying to put the pieces together and create a story with it”. With Lucas now living in rural France and Magaletti and Mukai based in London, the trio exchanged songs and instrumental fragments remotely before transforming them into a cohesive whole. The result is another shapeshifting record that embraces experimentation and collective creativity, with “concepts of authorship and ownership dissolv[ing]” as the three musicians swap instruments and ideas throughout the recording process. As Magaletti notes, “music is just an energy, it doesn’t belong to anyone. No one channels it. It is bigger than the sum of its parts.”

Archives arrives on October 29th through Fire Records and ahead of it Vanishing Twin have let loose two singles from it, the title track and ‘Bring Me The Axe’. Speaking about the latter, the band says it is “loosely based on the story of Lizzy Borden, famous for the 1892 Fall River Murders. It’s about extremes. Extreme acts, extreme heat, and sonic extremes, the folkloric and the industrial.”

Listen to both cuts below.


Marina Herlop teases upcoming album, Dja Dja, with lead single ‘Jaque’

01 July 2026

Photo: Silvio Deiaco, Danilo Gambara & Christian Kondić

The first time we saw Marina Herlop perform was at Le Guess Who? in 2022, where her intricate vocal work, layered compositions and unconventional approach to songwriting quickly drew us into her singular musical world. The Catalan composer, vocalist and pianist blurred the lines between contemporary classical music, experimental electronics and pop, creating a performance that was as disorienting as it was captivating.

Now, and following the piano-centred minimalism of 2016’s Nanook and 2018’s Babasha and the adventurous electronic explorations of 2022’s Pripyat and 2023’s Nekkuja, Herlop has announced the release of Dja Dja, her fifth album. Arriving on October 9th. the new record brings together those different strands while also introducing new elements, including brass arrangements and Balinese gamelan. Developed over the past three years, with most of it written, recorded and produced by Herlop in her home studio, Dja Dja was conceived as a single, interconnected work, with each composition forming part of a larger whole. It also marks Herlop’s first self-released album, reflecting the independent approach behind its creation.

Alongside the announcement, Herlop has shared the the lead single, ‘Jaque’, an utterly gorgeous and wildly exhilarating and absorbing piece. Take a listen below.

Firas Zreik unleashes video for second single ‘Ambivalent’

27 June 2026

Palestinian composer and kanunist Firas Zreik is just weeks away from releasing his new full-length album Tarabesque, arriving July 31st through Amir ElSaffar’s Maqām Records. The New York-based musician is one of the instrument’s most inventive contemporary voices, expanding the expressive possibilities of the kanun.  On the upcoming Tarabesque, Zreik brings the kanun into conversation with a jazz quartet, a hybrid ensemble and an Arab takht ensemble, creating a rich musical landscape where modal traditions and contemporary harmonic ideas coexist with ease. After introducing the record with the gorgeous and compelling ‘Fields of Figs’, Zreik has now shared a second preview in the form of ‘Ambivalent’, another beautiful and engrossing track. The single comes with an accompanying live video recorded live at Figure-8 Recording and you can watch it below.

Lenna Bahule and Ben Jacov release debut collaborative single ‘Derege’

26 June 2026

Photo: Laio Araujo Rocha

Brazil-based Mozambican singer, multi-instrumentalist and cultural activist Lenna Bahule joins forces with Berlin-based producer and composer Ben Jacov for a brand new collaborative project. Bahule has long stood out for her singular vocal approach, weaving together powerful vocals, rich rhythmic traditions and her own unique artistic language, while Jacov’s work moves between adventurous club music, film scores and sound art. The pair have unveiled their debut single, ‘Derege’, an exhilarating club cut born from improvised sessions during an artist residency in São Paulo, combining Jacov’s fractured electronic grooves with Bahule’s striking rhythm language. Rather than singing in an existing language, Bahule uses a vocal language she created herself, shaped by sound, rhythm and intention instead of literal meaning, making her performance all the more compelling. Released through Altin Village & Mine and KANN, ‘Derege’ is the first taste of an upcoming EP from the duo. Take a listen below.

Tyondai Braxton unleashes new single, ‘Oslo’, from forthcoming fifth album Splayed Werks

26 June 2026

Another taste of Tyondai Braxton‘s forthcoming album Splayed Werks has arrived, and every new glimpse only makes us more excited. The prodigious composer and producer has unveiled ‘Oslo’, the third single from the record, ahead of its release through Erased Tapes on August 21st. As we mentioned when the album was first announced, Splayed Werks marks Braxton’s return to pure electronics, following his 2022 symphonic record Telekinesis. Across fifteen tracks and more than 70 minutes of intricate electronics and fearless sound design, the album promises another bold and uncompromising statement from one of the most daring, ambitious and brilliant artists working today. Speaking about the new single, Braxton says: “I played in Oslo at the Henie Onstad Art Center a few years ago and it was a great time. I titled the piece to commentate the experience.” Listen to ‘Oslo’ below.