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 banger 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.

Danalogue drops debut solo single ‘Sonic Hypnosis’

25 November 2025

Photo: Fabrice Bourgelle

As one of the driving forces behind bands like The Comet Is Coming, Soccer96 and Flock, Danalogue aka Dan Leavers has spent years shaping the UK’s music scene. A core member of East London’s legendary Total Refreshment Centre, he is a trailblazing synthesist, collaborator, and producer-in-demand, who has worked with an array of exciting artists, including Sarathy Korwar, Snapped Ankles, Alabaster DePlume and Rozi Plain, to mention but a few. Now Danalogue is stepping out on his own with his debut solo single, ‘Sonic Hypnosis’. Described as “an electronic mantra for a positive state of change”, the single was “written amidst tumultuous times”. ‘Sonic Hypnosis’ is both a dancefloor dream and a call for healing, wrapped up in a catchy and hypnotic chant. The track is accompanied by a video, created by Innerstrings, the artist behind visuals for the likes of Overmono and James Holden. What’s more, Danalogue has also teased a full-length album, and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more leading up to its May release. Now check out the banger that is ‘Sonic Hypnosis’.


Asher Gamedze set to release new album, A Semblance: Of Return, in February

24 November 2025

Photo: Leila Khan

We’ve been following Asher Gamedze’s musical journey for a while now, and each new release has only deepened our huge admiration for his work. Both his 2020 debut album Dialectic Soul, and his 2022’s Turbulence and Pulse landed on our Album Picks of the Year. A visionary and virtuosic drummer, composer, and activist, Gamedze’s musical world is one of endless innovation and an unyielding commitment to freedom, both in sound and spirit. So news of a new album from him fills us with excitement. Gamedze is gearing up to release his latest LP, A Semblance: Of Return, set to drop on February 27th through Northern Spy Records. To bring the album to life, Gamedze has assembled a new band, called A Semblance, featuring a group of longtime collaborators, to explore what he describes as “practices of assembly”, musical explorations that centre the coming together of individuals to create something larger than the sum of its parts. The ensemble includes Ru Slayen (percussion), Nobuhle Ashanti (keys & synth), Zwide Ndwandwe (bass), and Keegan Steenkamp (trumpet), with Gamedze on drums. Rooted in Pan-Africanism and Black Consciousness, as the press release describes, the album draws from the political and sonic legacies of Cape Town’s underground scene while extending outward, creating sonic bridges that extend beyond geographic and political borders. If past albums were “statements of direction”, the forthcoming A Semblance: Of Return is “a gathering place”, where different ideas, sounds, and struggles meet.

Ahead of the album’s release, Gamedze has shared the staggering and sublime ‘Following Up’, which serves as the first taste from the musical magic Gamedze and his ensemble have in store for us. The track’s title, according to Gamedze, hints at “coterminous existence of multiple intersecting dead lines”, a statement that teases the thematic depth of the album, questioning the intersections of time, place, and collective struggle. Take a listen below.