Folk /
Life Is A Constant Journey Home
Originally released in 1968. Jerry Moore was working as a folksinger in Greenwich Village when ESP-Disk' artist Randy Burns brought him to the label's attention. Recorded in August 1967 at Impact Studios, NYC, the soulful Life Is a Constant Journey Home (also issued at one point as Ballad of Birmingham, acknowledging its most famous and important song) is so legendary that we'll just let the press quotation below describe it. But please also consider this: that's a heckuva band Mr. Moore's backe…
Ali Toure Farka
On Ali Toure "Farka", the legendary Malian guitarist and singer presents a nuanced journey through desert blues, crafting hypnotic grooves and lyrical vignettes that connect tradition with a restless creative spirit. Touré's mastery lies in the interplay of voice and guitar, exploring personal and cultural landscapes across languages and styles.
Flyin' Shoes
** 2025 stock ** This is another stalwart collection from Townes Van Zandt, and not a dud in the bunch. The melodies here are strong, the lyrics full of Van Zandt's razor sharp insight, and the production is sparse and to the point, bringing to mind the inconspicuous polish of High, Low and in Between. The feel here is a balance between folk and country, with Van Zandt's voice and guitar up front, letting the songs speak for themselves. The tunes are full of heartbreak and hopelessness, making i…
West Virginia Snake Handler Revival "They Shall Take Up Serpents"
West Virginia Snake Handler Revival "They Shall Take Up Serpents" marks the arrival of a landmark record, documenting the last, snake handling church in Appalachia. Featuring hillbilly rock guitars, trance-like rhythms, and howling vocals, this album was recorded 100% live and without overdubs by Grammy-award winning producer and author, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Zomba Prison Project). The first release of American music ever by Sublime Frequencies, Brennan states, "As much …
I'm The Only One Around
*2025 stock* For over 50 years, Kan Mikami has stood as a master of the Japanese blues and outsider folk. His unmistakable, powerfully evocative voice and surrealistic poetry reveal a gritty, transgressive life on the margins shot through with evocations of sex and violence, religion and romance. Released in 1991, I’m the Only One Around was Mikami's first album with Tokyo's legendary P.S.F. Records and heralded an artistic renaissance. It marked the beginning of an incredibly productive and wil…
Is Noise Vol. 1
TAKAAT (pronounced tuh-cot), meaning “noise” in the Tuareg language Tamashek, is the trio of Ahmoudou Madassane, Mikey Coltun, and Souleymane Ibrahim, also known as the rhythm section of Mdou Moctar. TAKAAT is sonic chaos, improvisation, freedom of exploration, and the punk styles of bands such as Fugazi and Unwound, all mixed together with the guitar music from the Sahel.
TAKAAT started during soundchecks while on the road with Mdou Moctar when the trio indulged their shared love for amps crank…
In France (Live At The 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival)
2025 stock In France: Live at the Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival (1977) is a previously unissued live recording from the legendary bluesman B.B. King captured by the Ortf in France on October 7, 1977 and released on producer Zev Feldman’s Deep Digs label in partnership with Elemental Music and INA France. The limited-edition 180-gram 2-lp set will be mastered and cut by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, and include rare photos by Thierry Trombert, Val Wilmer, Jan Persson and more; plus line…
Extra Width
"Extra Width," released in 1993, is the third album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Fusing punk blues with garage rock and rockabilly, it captures the band's raw energy and innovative sound. With standout tracks like "Afro" and "Soul Letter," the album solidified their reputation for wild, groove-driven rock.
Vol. 1 : Clarity Music Sessions - April 1969
A masterclass of intimate electric blues — every bit as immediate and gripping as the much-revered Muddy Waters “Real Folk Blues” LP.
Umwelt, Room
*300 copies limited edition* With Umwelt, room, An’archives releases the first vinyl LP by Japanese singer, songwriter and guitarist, Kotonashiso. An elegant collection of seven slow-moving, free-ranging song forms, Umwelt, room is reflective, pensive, and yet has a great, expansive sense of movement, each song’s parameters feelingalmost infinitely flexible. Born in Tokyo in 1984, Kotonashiso began playing music in 2000. After taking a long break from making music between the years 2005 to 2016,…
Earl's Closet (The Lost Archive of Earl McGrath, 1970 to 1980)
2025 stock “Earl was a wonderful man with a great eye for new and innovative art. And such an amusing companion, too.” – Mick Jagger Earl McGrath was the ultimate ’70s jet setter, an art collector and comic bon vivant who stumbled into the record business between legendary parties in New York and LA and discovered Daryl Hall and John Oates and then Jim Carroll. Atlantic founder ∫ gave Earl his own label, Clean Records, in 1970; Mick Jagger hired him to run Rolling Stones Records in 1977. Friend …
1971-72
For the very first time on vinyl a mandatory compilation with both rarities and unreleased tracks, showcasing their second line up! At the end of January 1971, lead vocalist Linda Hoyle and organist Lynton Naiff left Affinity. Instead of going separate ways, the other three members recruited vocalist Vivienne McAuliffe (Principal Edwards Magic Theatre) and ex-Tornados keyboardist Dave Watts. Reminiscent at times of Sandy Denny, Vivienne's voice was a natural addiction to the new incarnation of t…
Bert And John
Donovan includes a hearty shout-out to his contemporary, Bert Jansch, with the tracks “Bert’s Blues,” and “House Of Jansch”. This collaboration between English folk guitar legends Bert Jansch & John Renbourn of Pentangle fame is astonishing from first note to last. You can sense the intense pleasure of two gifted men not only matching one another as they play, but combining their talent to create something more than the admittedly impressive sum of its parts. It’s rare to hear two guitarists so …
Special Biennale Du Mali: Le Jeune Chansonnier Du Mali
Second LP by the legendary Ali Farka Toure and one of 5 LPs being reissued for the first time ever. Vinyl pressing company derived from runouts.
Ali Toure "Farka"
First LP by the legendary Ali Farka Toure and one of 5 LPs being reissued for the first time ever. It comes with a replica of the original cover. Label design has been recreated based on the original release. Vinyl pressing company derived from runouts.
Ali Toure Dit "Farka"
Vinyl pressing company derived from runouts. Fifth LP by the legendary Ali Farka Toure and one of 5 LPs being reissued for the first time ever.
Ali Toure Farka
Fourth LP by the legendary Ali Farka Toure and one of 5 LPs being reissued for the first time ever.
Éthiopiques 14: Negus Of Ethiopian Sax
*2024 stock* Probably the most revered veteran of Ethiopian saxophone, Gétatchèw Mèkurya is the 'inventor' of an extremely distinctive musical style. Amongst Ethiopia's numerous vocal genres, there exists a form of singing that is purely warlik: epic and declamatory, harsh and hoarse-voiced, it is known as 'shellela'. This bellicose thunderbolt, quite strictly vocal, was improvised before each attack. Gétatchèw Mèkurya had the brilliant idea of transposing the genre to his saxophone, and here we…
Éthiopiques 10: Tezeta - Ethiopian Blues & Ballads
*2024 stock* Emptiness, melancholy, nostalgia; doom and gloom, morbid musings; heartache or homesickness: such is the stock in trade of the misery and mournful memories expressed by the song Tezeta - Ethiopia's majestic hymn to the blues. Etymologically, the word itself means memory, nostalgia, and several Ethiopian authors have used Tezeta as the title for their memoirs. For Ethiopians, it is the Tezeta genre that seems to capture the essence of the blues.
Folksongs And Instrumentals With Guitar
Elizabeth Cotten's 1958 debut album Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar, (aka Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs and Tunes) is best known for containing the earliest recording of her classic "Freight Train." The breadth of her repertoire and her endearing style have captivated generations of guitarists and fans of traditional American music. Cotten's self-taught, upside-down, left-handed playing style on the guitar and banjo made her a true original. Many of her deeply persona…