Upcoming releases
A White Horse Is Not a Horse
"There was a school of philosophy in ancient China whose core theory stems from a debate entitled “A White Horse Is Not a Horse.” In a book by Gongsun Long (公孫龍 320-250BC, about 200 years after Confucius) in the Warring States Period, two persons argue if a white horse is a horse: the protagonist argues it is not, because ‘white’ is the color of a (particular) horse while a ‘horse’ is a shape and a generic term. It’s a linguistic/logical paradox, or sophistry. Ridiculed by his contemporary philo…
Realism
Joe Morris's recording career began in 1983 and has made him one of the most revered avant-garde jazz guitarists. Down Beat magazine dubbed him "the preeminent free music guitarist of his generation," while The Wire magazine called him "one of the most profound improvisers at work in the U.S." His revelatory 2012 book Perpetual Frontier/The Properties of Free Music (Riti Publishing) is a detailed and rewarding accounting of his approach to improvisation. He has been on the faculty in the Jazz an…
Kompakt 500
Over the decades, the image of Kompakt as a pirate ship has taken root in our minds, braving the dangers of the seven seas of the music market. Sometimes it glides with a tailwind through calm waters, sometimes it has to survive violent storms. When we set sail in 1993, we never would have dreamt that our journey would still be going on after more than three decades and with 500 releases to date.
In our fast-paced business, the 500 mark is rarely reached, so we want to celebrate it with a lavish…
Sotto Il Vestito Niente
For the first time on CD and vinyl, the soundtrack of the cult Italian Giallo film Nothing Underneath composed by Pino Donaggio. This soundtrack perfectly represents Pino Donaggio's style, capable of transitioning from terrifying and sharp symphonies to sweet and sensual electronic pieces. The atmospheres are reminiscent of films such as 'Body Double' and 'Dressed to Kill.' A limited edition not to be missed, for all lovers of Italian thrilling giallo and for all fans of Brian De Palma's films.
Hard Sell
"Sloping like a jello tower block - open the bellows!! His laconic oration cuts through gauzy pigment canopy over dissolute scenes, precisely shipwrecked. For a unit so put together, Giulio Erasmus and his End of the Worm band do the do exquisitely dismantled. Standing lean and lugubrious in what is no less than the direct continuation of the hallowed Factory-Benelux-connection lineage, here the instantly recognisable sinister-yet-seductive basslines and suavely disaffected voice of Erasmus hims…
A mirror where the image and the mirror wholly coincided
When does new hope arise from the ruins of yesterday, and when does hope for the future fall apart into ruins? When does that moment come? Can we catch it, tune into it, hear it? Adam Badí Donoval is no stranger to these stark and abandoned landscapes. Some of them were already captured on his debut album Sometimes Life Is Hard And So We Should Help Each Other (2022, The Trilogy Tapes). His approach hasn’t changed — he remains a master of sculpting frozen time, of capturing those moments when th…
Underground Wave Volume 4
Limited reprint of the sold-out Volume 4 from the Underground Wave series, featuring Belgian and Dutch wave, synth, and minimal artists. Most tracks were previously only on cassette. Walhalla Records is dedicated to reviving the 80s/90s cassette scene by releasing rare material, often for the first time
Underground Wave Volume 3
Limited reprint of the sold-out Volume 3 from the Underground Wave series, featuring Belgian and Dutch wave, synth, and minimal artists. Most tracks were previously only on cassette. Walhalla Records is dedicated to reviving the 80s/90s cassette scene by releasing rare material, often for the first time
Memory Lane
Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, played a part in the development of jazz rock in Japan. This work, "Memory Lane" recorded in 1980, was the final work under the same name. Inagaki said about this work, "We tried to create this work while predicting the fate of fusion music" and it is true that the sound is completely different from ordinary fusion. The mellow and emotional "Memory Lane" the stormy and refreshing "I Will Give You Samba" and the groovy and edgy "Take My Hand". The sound that was c…
Funky Stuff
*2025 much needed repress!!* Fresh reissued magic of Funky Stuff, formerly a rare exquisite by jazzmaster Jiro Inagaki, originally released in 1975. An enduring, pioneering fusion of jazz, funk, soul and rock - the album features some of the best and most acclaimed Japanese musicians of the time, enlisting the talent-wares of Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Akira Ishikawa on drums and Takeru Muraoka on sax.
In The Groove
*2025 much needed repress!!* Since it's formation in 1969, Soul Media had been advocating a fusion of jazz and rock. The next step along that line was this album, In the Groove, recorded in 1973. The sharpness of jazz is brought to the forefront, with rock melting in to give it an edge, and funk injected to imbue it with power and resilience. The result was a strong, sophisticated, and simply "cool music" that could not be categorized within existing genres such as jazz rock, jazz funk, or fusio…
Belghi Kull Mawaidi
Following its highly sought-after Zamaan Ya Sukkar compilation, Souma Records once again presents a collection of 3 singles with inimitably groovy Egyptian and Lebanese exotica, unearthed from the hallowed vaults of Sono Cairo and Voix De L’Orient’s archives. These rare gems, born from a time of boundless musical experimentation in the Arab world, capture the vibrant, ever-evolving soundscapes of Cairo, Beirut, and beyond. Each track invites listeners onto a sonic voyage where the familiar and t…
Mazzika Nicab
Following its highly sought-after Zamaan Ya Sukkar compilation, Souma Records once again presents a collection of 3 singles with inimitably groovy Egyptian and Lebanese exotica, unearthed from the hallowed vaults of Sono Cairo and Voix De L’Orient’s archives. These rare gems, born from a time of boundless musical experimentation in the Arab world, capture the vibrant, ever-evolving soundscapes of Cairo, Beirut, and beyond. Each track invites listeners onto a sonic voyage where the familiar and t…
Zamaan Ya Sukkar
Following its highly sought-after Zamaan Ya Sukkar compilation, Souma Records once again presents a collection of inimitably groovy Egyptian and Lebanese exotica, unearthed from the hallowed vaults of Sono Cairo and Voix De L’Orient’s archives. These rare gems, born from a time of boundless musical experimentation in the Arab world, capture the vibrant, ever-evolving soundscapes of Cairo, Beirut, and beyond. Each track invites listeners onto a sonic voyage where the familiar and the avant-garde …
Love
Thanatosis Records (Stockholm) and Corbett vs. Dempsey (Chicago) are pleased to announce a joint release titled Love, the second record by the quartet Das B. The lineup features Maya Magdas on piano, Mazen Kerbaj on trumpet, Mike Majowski on bass, and Tony Buck on drums. Taking structural and dynamic cues from the classic John Coltrane record A Love Supreme, Das B totally reinvents the music and in the process meticulously subverts the notion of the tribute or songbook. The release includes both…
Kalpa
Kommun, led by Swedish guitarist Finn Loxbo, resides in the tension between the experience of circular time; an elongated now, and the expectations contained within our linear perception of time. The ensemble explores the tension between the individual’s own lines and the collective meaning-making. Every sound is equally important, concrete in itself, as much a building block as a decoration. The ensemble collectively improvises phrases that are formed together as a singular element. They are di…
Anasýnthesi
Herzog | Muche | Nillesen is a trio featuring Matthias Muche (trombone), Etienne Nillesen (extended snare drum), and Constantin Herzog (double bass). Their music operates in the liminal space between improvisation and composition, where shifting textures and microtonal structures unfold in slow- motion transformations. Drawing on minimalist, spectral, and extended instrumental techniques, their sound is less about individual gestures and more about emergent sonic phenomena— where the interplay o…
Fuse Modulations
Composed by Fredrik Rasten for the quartet Asterales, the long form piece Fuse Modulations unfolds through a series of modulations in extended just intonation harmony. With a deep collective attention to real-time intoning on their instruments, the quartet dwells in sustained timbral fusion and slowly sculpted melodies; shaping the tetradic harmony of the piece into a spectral unity of tactile brightness and spacious bass. In a state between long-form minimalism and an imagined or slowed down ea…
On a Tuesday and a Wednesday
*200 copies limited edition* Blickwinkel presents ‘On a Tuesday and a Wednesday’, the first collaboration between Pierre Bastien and Casper Van De Velde. The album captures what the duo has been working on during a 2-day residency at Werkplaats Walter (Brussels), invited by the label. In their improvised sessions, they quickly found a way to merge Bastien's renowned mechanical sound sculptures with the playful and detailed style of percussionist Casper Van De Velde. The result is a blend of intr…
É Soul Edits
Kicking off a new edit series on É Soul Cultura, head honcho Luke Una hands over the keys to three secret weapon edits of transcendental dancefloor tackle. Having spent a lifetime getting his hands dirty digging in crates, Luke’s collection of off-the-beaten-track gems is second to none. For this three-track É Soul edit release, Luke delivers a one-way ticket to the outer reaches of the universe soaking up sounds from Barbados, the UK and Cameroon along the way. Strap in for a triple threat of s…