[engl] Back when they started out as a side project of Melbourne's goth punk band - MASSES, UBIK described themselves as "Catchy brat-beat with a little sprinkling of anarcho goodness". That still rings true but with a slight lineup change and a couple years of practicing/gigging, they've gotten 100x tighter and traded most of the goodness for a bit more snarl. The catchiness remains strong and deliberate. This band rules, we can't wait for you to hear their best work. 125 translucent lime green, 125 creamsicle orange and 350 on black vinyl housed in a custom diecut 24pt reverse board jacket with insert and download card included. Sounds and mastering by Mikey Young. Art by Sam McKenzie.

[engl] There are new bands which catch your attention like a gripping face coming out of nowhere. The kind of unexpected phenomenon which might even make you like surprises. UNDER 45 probably says nothing to you but it’s only a matter of time before you get charmed by this very unique form of musical expression. Some might describe it as post-punk or try to assign to it a wide range of influences from different time periods, styles or scenes but it’s not the point. We just want to invite you to let yourself be seduced like we’ve been seduced ourselves from the very first seconds. Seduced by the sarcastic but clever poetry, by the bright guitars and by the persuasive bass lines. Anyway, we can give you some names to set up the scenery if you need : THE FALL, PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED, UK DECAY… UNDER 45 is leaded by Jake, refugee from Brexit and also drummer in BLEAKNESS who teamed up with his BLEAKNESS compagnion Phab and Pascal who you may already know as guitarist in FAUX DEPART.

[engl] "All Of Them Naturals” is a fully realized, inclusive world of faux-corporation sponsored surrealist new wave punk music rife with satire and discordance. Robotically tight. Delightfully warped. Ideas as vast as Nebraska’s GMO cornfields and as lethal as the pesticides they spray on them. Did the Sunbelt Chemicals Corporation invent DDT? Maybe. Did they invent man? They think so. Did they invent the wheel? No, that was URANIUM CLUB. Truly, our generation’s DEVO. An important group.

[engl] Originally released as a cassette, the debut from Minneapolis' Uranium Club is now widely available as an LP. Uranium Club play a kind of minimalist, agitated, catchy punk rock that reminds us of Wire before they released 'Pink Flag', but with an extra snotty attitude and bundles of energy. For a more recent comparison try early Total Control or the Shitty Limits. Each of the seven tracks on here explode from the vinyl, with each track more energetic than the one before, and they'll all be stuck in your head for weeks afterwards

[engl] You're being urgently, naughtily rushed up the tallest, steepest stairs you've ever climbed. Smile cautiously as the Uranium Club welcomes you into their stinky apartment. You've been here before, right? Oh, that must have been some one else. Do you have a brother or sister? One of the members mumbles some deceptively eloquent bullshit as he hands you a drink. His lips are dark red and chapped; he looks really bad. But the drink is wet, and those stairs had been tall. Sit down, lean back, sip it. There's salt in it, some pulp, some pebbles. It rolls around your tongue, hides between your teeth, a perfectly TV-worthy combination of pleasure and mischief. Swallow it. But spit it out... Spit it out now! It's supposed to go into your ears! How crazy is that? Such a sensation of taste, transmogrified for the realm of sound? Is it Sprite, or is it... music? Careful, engaging, and dare-I-say theatrical vocals over hyper bass-and-drums while other boingy-boingy instruments puke all over it, all over the whole show. That's called synesthesia. Gentle lectures, dangerous storytime, eerie fast-and-slow nightmare riffs, and a taut, bound-and-gagged rhythm section. Boingily-boingily, that's phantasmagoria. That's the Uranium Club's latest album, "The Cosmo Cleaners." So swish around some mouthwash and plug in your AirPods, kid, it's time to drop that needle!

[engl] "Uranium Club return with a brand new single on Static Shock / Lumpy Records and a taster for their second album. Who Made the Man? is like a gang of aliens landing on planet earth, finding an extensive back catalogue of Wire and Devo and deciding they want to form a band. The track builds and builds with peaks, odd noises, different parts that come out of nowhere and an instant vocal. It's five minutes plus because there are so many ideas in one song. It comes in sleeves hand stamped and embossed. This 7" features an alternate take of Who Made the Man? and an exclusive b side Small Fry."

[engl] This compilation features songs chosen from the sadest list of british post-punk, dark- punk, death-rock and early goth bands. Twelve tracks released between 1982 and 1985. This selection aims to describe a crucial period in english musical history. It is taking place in the early 80s, it deals with those years when punk bands slowly darkened their sounds and imageries to give birth to what would become a major music movement : Gothic Rock ! For its 30th release, Restless Empire is proud to collaborate with french artists Førtifem for the design of the gorgeous cover art. Førtifem are well known for their records and merch artworks for many bands in diferent kind of dark music (Carpenter Brut, Alcest, Gost, Emperor, Igorrr, Perturbator, Regarde les Hommes Tomber, Sylvaine...) High quality vinyl repress housed in black inner sleeve, thick outer sleeve and including insert sheet with infos and pictures. First orders get limited smokey / marble colored vinyl !!

[engl] Having spent exactly ten years living off the small change and 45 adapters of each others pockets, Finders Keepers/Cache Cache Records co-founders Andy Votel and Doug Shipton spread their wings and pool their DJ bags for a new series of sporadic various artists compilations focussing on the global punk and makeshift electro records that have kept their beer soaked dance floors and distorted sound systems moving in recent years. Meet the younger sarcastic sisters of some of the classic Finders Keepers family and their spotty friends then watch what happens when jazz punk underdogs cock their legs to their overqualified elder brothers.Plastic Dance presents ten unacquainted and elusive slices of synthetic squat pop, angular funk, teapot kosmische and fraudulent disco from self-propelled imprints and global co-ops. Named after Günter Bernas obscure DIY anti-band this ongoing series combines rare, unknown and untravelled wax nuggets of night club punk, art school Zeuhl and quasi-political pop united by soldering irons, C-60s and sarcastic synth tones. Featuring a cross section of unobtainable unreleased unknown and unwanted reluctant punk and snide synth pop with sleeve-notes by respected DJ/Haç hack/Situationist addict John McCready and artwork by airbrush legend Terry Pastor (Ziggy Stardust/Soft Machine/Arthur C. Clarke) Plastic Dance becomes flexible under heat.

[engl] Greetings sisters and brothers. Let’s talk about reductionist revolution and the kicking in of doors. Let’s talk of iconoclasts and culture bombs. Let’s talk about moral panic and censorship. Let’s talk about punk rock.

[engl] I could tell you about the beginnings, about this email from Keith from the late Scratch record store that allowed, very concretely, to launch everything. But I really don't know where to start to talk about the 20 years - sorry 21 years - of the label. It's a joyful jumble of fanzines, concerts, meetings and a total absence of plans. There is simply a desire, parallel to that of trying to write about music - something that always seemed impossible to me - to push some bands or artists that move me. The idea is not to make each release a surprise nuclear inspection but to contribute, on a small scale, to prolong the existence of initiatives that come more from the guts than from the symbols, more from the basement of a bar than from the official places carried by a music industry that should have died a long time ago as it doesn't support the artists anymore. The guiding thread, if there is one, is to find density in lightness, to tirelessly dig into any form of curiosity, to listen again and again and to try to open new horizons for the bands I defend. I dream of a label with bright red flashes, melting in a thick layer of milky golden clouds or running in the middle of the cold night in an old industrial area where nature has regained its rights. Cultivating dilettantism, savoring latencies, provoking coincidences, tracking down melodies from the depths of the bones, pushing the sublime fins hidden in the ashes of passion....yes, I know it's a lot, but there's a little bit of all that. And a lot of laughs too. Each record...is potentially a life base. After "Flottante tension d'éclipse" for the 10th anniversary, there was the desire to mark the occasion with a new compilation, this time entitled "Spasmes du hasard". We find there ten rare or unreleased tracks. It's a punchy piece of Pierre & Bastien that opens the record followed by a psychedelic flight signed by the valiant Vince Posadzki, present since the beginnings of the label and who makes his return here with his Lost Delegation. Then follows the equally twisted and captivating "Anna Karina" by the newcomers Leopardo - who just released their third album on SDZ - and the fascinating Australians of EXEK and their experimental post-punk/dub. Let's not forget the very strong "Drill Homage" from The Rebel, also a long time companion. On the B side, Rose Mercie unveils the heady and too rare "Marie-Toi-De-Moi" - classic of their live set - immediately followed by the newcomers of Marie Mathématique with the charming "Holopherne" and our favorite troubadour, Nathan Roche, with the track "Opium". Finally, out of the ranking for ever, the brilliant Èlg and his friend Mim and then the super-talented Ricardo Dias Gomes who closes the record. I hope you will enjoy listening to this compilation as much as I did preparing it! Max Dembo

[engl] Once again, at the crossroads of our wanderings there is a dark, bottomless well. From this the true horrors of the world arises over and over. It is also the source of our fantasies, either dreams or nightmares, and the world of imagination in which we all grew up. That darkness reveals our common humanity, that speaks of our very creation and finitude. Today, tenderness is our only guide through the unfamiliar night now thick with multiple states of unconsciousness that extend beyond our vital need and into the unknown. Thus we are all insiders and investigators to understand what is reality and what is beyond us. In line with its previous compilations - but this time on vinyl - the Crudités label, affiliated with SDZ Records, today presents "Tendres Ténèbres", fifteen variations on the themes of lullabies and sleep.Within a song, complex landscapes are built in the shadows of our waking life. The songs are sometimes delicate (Gabrielle Maes of Shake Shake Bolino, Charlene Repetition of Rose Mercie, Renka of Kartei or Space Blue and Mulan Serrico whose albums were released on Crudités), sometimes cosmic explosions (Jolie Boue, a new band formed by Èlg & Catherine Hershey, Hess of Feeling of Love), sometimes intense nocturnal insights (Ray Yours & The F, new project of 11ieme étage; Kaput) sometimes displays of furious insomnia (Nicolalala, ex Bobpopkillers, Maria Violenza ex Capputtini I Lignu) or deep tranced melancholic meditations (Elatu Nessa, Discombobulatrix). The listener enters a world inspired by lullabies and formulates the visual dreams that would usually follow. In doing so, they gain a new perspective and experience carrying them back into the real world. "the sleeping man, his regard extinguished, dead to himself, seizes the light in the night" (Heraclitus)

[engl] Founded in 2003, Ventura is a rock trio mainly inspired by the nineties. Among their influences, you may cite Superchunk, HUM, Failure, Shellac maybe a touch of Hot Snakes and why not a little Nirvana. Ventura have released numerous splits, a debut record called "Pa Capona" (Get A Life!) in 2006, a second one, "We Recruit" (Africantape) in 2010, year that also saw them collaborating with David Yow (Scratch Acid, The Jesus Lizard, QUI) for a seven inch single. The new album, "Ultima Necat", was once again recorded by Serge Morattel (Brazen, Knut, Tantrum) at his RecStudio in Geneva in October 2012, and was mastered at Golden Mastering in January 2013. This is a darker and heavier record than its predecessor but manages to preserve its melodic side. A stormy album which nevertheless contains sunny intervals.

[engl] Vision 3D is a 3-dimensional Franco-Belgian band, exploring the boundaries of the guitar-bass-drums combination with a clear focus on melodies and energy. Lulu and Ced were previously active in the garage band Thee Marvin Gays, while Calamiti used to drum in the noise-punk trio Maria Goretti Quartet. They decided to join forces to create a new band, with a stripped punk sound, supporting Lulu’s powerful female vocals, sung entirely in French. Expect influences as varied as the Buzzcocks and the Slits, with raw guitar riffs that will definitely make you want to “pogo-pogo” like there's no tomorrow. Their first record, containing 9 songs illustrating their trademark sound.

[engl] Second album by croatian trio VLASTA POPI? brings more of their beloved signature indie-punk-noise-nowave-pop expression, but this time with a darker, more sinister edge to it. The record sounds more ambitious, thought-out and coherent compared to the earlier release, and it does so by utilizing much dirtier, distorted and noisier playing and production. The combined female/male singalongs and shouts add true energy to occasionally melodic, oftentimes jangly atmosphere created by the underlying instrumental psychedelia. As far as similarities and influences go, “Kvadrat” may be related to quite a few artists such as Repetitor, Fugazi, Shellac, Nikki Louder, etc.

[engl] Formed in Sydney in 1976, VOIGT/465 was a truly unique band from the exciting days of the Australian post–punk scene. Heavily influenced by such luminaries as the Velvets, Stooges, Syd Barrett, Pere Ubu, Can, Faust, Henry Cow, Slapp Happy and Eno’s Roxy Music, they created an abrasive sound in which Krautrock, DIY, avant–garage, post–punk, psych, art–rock and free improv–noise combined to form a sound unlike any other. In 1978 Voigt/465 released one of the first DIY 45s from Australia, "State" / "A Secret West", which showed their "pop–psych" side and was played by John Peel in the UK. The following year, their bass player Lindsay O’Meara decided to leave the band and join Crime & The City Solution in Melboune. Before parting ways, Voigt/465 decided to record one last album as a testament. "Slights Spoken", saw the light in 1979 and it’s without doubt one of the most fascinating albums from the post–punk /DIY era. Here it is including the two tracks from their first 45 as bonus tracks. It comes with free download coupon, featuring the complete album plus five studio / live bonus tracks from ’78–79, including killer covers of Faust, Can and Roxy Music.

[engl] “There seemed a strange stillness over everything; but as I listened I heard as if from down below in the valley the howling of many wolves. The Count’s eyes gleamed, and he said: ‘Listen to them—the children of the night. What music they make!’” Dracula. Bram Stocker. 1897. “It’s just a big trash can. And the trash can has been full for so long, That there’s no more room for our own waste. That’s Paris.” Paris. Taxi Girl. 1984. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. This is the inscription seen on Dante’s Gates of Hell; but these are also the opening words of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho – scrawled in red-blood lettering on the side of a building full of yuppies dressed in Armani. All the themes are there: pop occultism, the Passion of the Christ, and a synthetic view of the world, here’s what this Vox Low record is about. An outline of Vox Low’s history: some Parisian disco and punk fans who took their shot as Think Twice during that hysterical period of Parisian ‘French Touch’ in the early 2000s. This movement, then marketed as an unprecedented musical revolution in the country of baguettes and saucissons, turned out to be no more than a bling swindle worthy of Christophe Rocancourt : whatever you do, the bourgeoisie will always get by fine in the end. In spite of its sound credentials, Think Twice’s music did not find any resonance at the time. 2018, times have changed: who feels like having fun yet? Jacques Chirac is losing his marbles, bedridden in a mansion in the 6th arrondissement of Paris behind heavy velvet curtains; Daft Punk are hiding baldness under motorcycle helmets, and everybody now listens to music on their Bluetooth devices by way of monthly digital subscriptions. Enough with right-wing hedonist disco, let’s put our Donna Summer records away – not in the mood anymore – and dig out Éliphas Lévi’s big black book: Can, The Fall, or Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. This is a time for punk urgency, for depressed minimal Krautrock, for the great shamanic hypnosis. This bunch of greasers from the Porte de St Ouen area now perform as Vox Low, with Jean-Christophe Couderc (vocals and synth) and Benoît Raymond (legendary bass guitar, guitar, synth), later joined by Mathieu Autin (infernal drums and voodoo percussions) and Guillaume Léglise (savage SG guitar, synths as well) for setting up live performances. Indeed for Vox Low, stage performance is a founding act. It even has to do with pure ceremony, which quickly brought the band its cult aura. Seeing the combo on stage is an act of faith, a celebration of dark forces. Far from lazy live performances on Ableton, Vox Low is like an acid-house version of the Jesus & Mary Chain on stage. After having been the heartthrobs of Andrew Weatherall (whom they’ve remixed), after being remixed by the black angel Ivan Smagghe, after releasing maxi-singles on Jennifer Cardini’s techno label and on the brilliant Evrlst, Vox Low is now turning up on an insolently rock’n’roll label. Which is just logical, being one of the few bands able to stylishly surf between 60s rockabilly influences and cold, minimal techno from around Cologne or Berlin’s Zoologischer Garten Station. Vox Low stands straight under a freezing acid rain, facing adversity, and from the outset of this first LP the message is clear; time for an OK Corral showdown with the opening title “Now, We’re Ready to Spend”: “It costs so much, but now we’re ready to spend.” These children of the night gatecrash the court of the Crimson King, climb onto the tables and piss on the silverware. A superb black mass for a bunch of hippies high on mandrax and dressed in rags and sheepskins. Vox Low manages to set a ‘Sauerkraut’ Morricone-Rock atmosphere of its own, hypnotic and druggy. Krautrock – never boring, always exciting – with an inimitable 60s bass sound, a trippy discarnate voice combined with some Moe Tucker-style drumming. Rock’n’roll attitude in the body of exhausted 90s ravers. Vox Low removed the bland and indecent house from acid-house, only to keep the dark acid side, like the Holy Chalice of Zaragoza. Later in the album comes the song You Are a Slave: “You are a slave/but you don’t remember” – a punk, nihilist topic for a straightforward cold-as-a-razor-blade title. There are hits as well, such as Something Is Wrong, their anthem for a jilted generation coming down from MDMA, for those who hate dancing, in the back. A song like Some Word of Faith places the record under the seal of the Gospels, the Holy Scriptures, and Depeche Mode’s “Songs Of Faith and Devotion” album. Half muggy industrial, half leather rockabilly: like Frankie Goes to Hollywood covering Led Zeppelin – nothing less. Because, more than the filtered-disco years, the matter here is eternal oh-so-exciting new wave, from which TRUTH emerges when the spotlights from Top Of the Pops go out and you find yourself alone in front of the mirror of your sordid dressing room: in front of you, make-up, New Romantics, cocaine. Fade to Grey. In Rides Alone, Vox Low conjures up the suicided body of INXS’ Michael Hutchence, found dead in room 424 of Sidney’s Ritz-Carlton – naked, lying on the carpet among empty champagne bottles, a black studded leather belt around his neck. With Trapped in the Moon and It’s Rejuvenation, the Parisians deliver a certain idea of modernity: a cardboard western feel à la Morricone, as goth as the Sisters of Mercy, and VHS retro-futurism. Vox Low delivers the record nobody expected anymore, one that captures the spirit of the world in motion, for the attention of a crowd of social rejects who have one knee in the gutter but refuse to surrender to the prevailing cynicism. A dark, poisonous, nihilist and erudite piece of work for those who worship Primal Scream’s “Screamadelica” and Gary Numan, who stand in line at the Berghaim with their pockets empty but their heads full of ideals.