Category Archives: Blog

The Heliocentrics & Melvin Van Peebles’ long-awaited collaborative album out in October

11 August 2014

The Heliocentrics & Melvin Van Peebles - The Last Tranmission

Exciting news from The Heliocentrics keep on hitting us. First, and as we recently reported, the London based psychedelic funk jazz collective are set to release a collaborative album with Nigerian saxophone legend Orlando Julius next month. Now, news have emerged of another heavenly collaboration and one that has been in the works for the last six years, with eccentric and prolific filmmaker, playwright and musician Melvin Van Peebles. Their joint effort, The Last Transmission, is being released as a double album on October 7th via Now-Again.
According to the label, the forthcoming album “is an interplanetary space/love odyssey told in twelve chapters”. Whilst disc one is presented as a vocal album, the second one serves a bonus disc featuring expanded instrumentals of some selected tracks. “The band considers it their defining work, the result of more than a decade of playing and recording together”, as the album’s blurb describes. “They’ve found a voice as a band, one that meshes with Van Peebles,’ as he weaves an intergalactic “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.””
An instrumental version of ‘Chapter 05 The Cavern’ taken from the bonus disc is the first taste to be let loose and is being ofered as a free download. If this is any inclination of what’s to come, we just can’t wait to hear more.

Primus return with Willy Wonka-inspired album, share first single ‘Pure Imagination’

09 August 2014

Primus - Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble

Legendary prog-rockers Primus have announced their return with the release of a new album. And what’s more, this come back sees their classic line-up featuring bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander reunited for the first time in nearly two decades. Entitled Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble, the upcoming album pays homage to the 1971 cult film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
“The idea was to combine the Frog Brigade and Primus, and do this record”, said Claypool. “I really wanted to pay homage to a film that was very important to me as a kid and very influential to me musically. So that’s what we did. And as opposed to just going in and recording the songs and playing them the way they are in the film, we twisted them up a bit…twisted them up a lot.”

Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble arrives on October 21st via ATO Records and is currently available for pre-order via their webstore.

Coinciding with the release, and in support of the new album, Primus are set to embark on a US-tour in October. If you’re lucky enough to attend one of their shows, you can get your hands on one of their very own Primus chocolate bars. You can check all their tour dates here.

Seems like a long wait till October, but they have already shared ‘Pure Imagination’, the first taste of what they’ll be throwing at us. Have a listen now.

Fold release new single ‘Human Again’

08 August 2014

Fold - Human Again

Leeds based downtempo / trip-hop quartet Fold, led by Seth Mowshowitz, who is also a social activist, together with Josh Gardziel, Ben Walsh and Kane Rattray, are an inspired and inspiring bunch allying their talent with their social consciousness. Having already shown proof of this by conveying messages through vocal samples extracted from speeches from Martin Luther King, Kurt Vonnegut and Jimmy Carter for instance, and by donating three quarters of all their sale profits to humanitarian charities Kiva and the Tax Justice Network, they continue this engagement. Fold have just released a new single, ‘Human Again’, in support of medical aid to civilian casualties in Gaza. The single can be purchased via their bandcamp and all the money made will be donated to the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).
In an accompanying statement, the band wrote the following:

“We do not align ourselves with political entities – we align ourselves with human beings”.

‘Human Again’ calls to be heard. Here it is.

Bitchin Bajas share new cut from upcoming somophore album

05 August 2014

Bitchin Bajas - BueuWe’re only three weeks away from the release of Bitchin Bajas‘ eponymous second album, following their 2013 excellent debut, Bitchitronics. Now a trio with the addition of Dan Quinlivan and Rob Frye, Bitchin Bajas started as the side project of CAVE’s Cooper Crain nearly five years ago. Whilst we wait for the forthcoming record to drop. relax and enjoy the first transcendental and calming cut, ‘Bueu’. The track comes with a video created by Nick Ciontea. Watch it now and grab Bitchin Bajas when it drops on August 25th via Drag City.