{"title":"Catalogue","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"when-will-we-land","title":"Barry Can't Swim - When Will We Land?","description":"\u003cp\u003eMulti-faceted Scottish artist Barry Can’t Swim releases his debut album ‘When Will We Land?’ on Ninja Tune, out October 20th. His broadest and most diverse project yet, the 11-track project moves from deep house to jazz, from ambience to the percussive charge of afrobeat. It’s all held together by his singular sense of purpose and that trademark vivacity; deftly finessed, it’s an album that works as a form of musical autobiography.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe debut album is led by new single ‘Woman’, a fantastic blend of digital production and organic musicianship. A warm bed of notes pirouettes around an emphatic vocal from Låpsley, resulting in a song that moves between the cavernous house of Moodymann, say, and the neo-psychedelic tones of shoegaze. “I sent it out,” he recalls, “Lapsley came back immediately with this unreal vocal. I chopped it up, re-arranged it… it’s one of those things that fell into place.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Woman’ follows the emphatic success of recent single ‘Sunsleeper’, which landed in the opening weeks of 2023. A dextrous and ambitious talent, Barry Can’t Swim embraces the energy of club music while also blending this with organic elements. “For me, I want it to have musicality to it,” he says of his debut album. “I wanted it to have the energy of electronic music but also with a more organic live element. I feel like I’m more of a musician than anything else. I’m a producer but I like writing music on instruments.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExpanding on this early promise, Barry Can’t Swim doubles down for his debut album, producing a work that feels complex but intricately unified. Utilising afrobeat drum loops for the title track, he works with choral harmonies on ‘Always Get Through To You’, and samples seminal Brazilian group Trio Ternura on joyous album highlight ‘Dance Of The Crab’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You only get to make your debut album once,” he points out. “So I want to showcase all the elements of the things I enjoy and love in music up to this point.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ninjatunemerch","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44554910072991,"sku":"ZENCD291","price":12.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":44554910105759,"sku":"ZEN291","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cassette","offer_id":44554910138527,"sku":"ZENCAS291","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/when-will-we-land-main.jpg?v=1746164461"},{"product_id":"aheddnl019","title":"Stories From Far Away On Piano","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eContemporary pianist James Heather presents his debut album - 'Stories From Far Away On Piano', via Ahead Of Our Time - Ninja Tune founders Coldcut’s first label. This follows the successful release of the album digitally in August 2017, reaching No.2 in the classical charts on iTunes and nearly 20 million plays on Spotify. Since the release, Heather has been playing live shows ranging from the Greenpeace stage at Glastonbury to the National Concert Hall in Dublin. He was also handpicked by Laura Marling to support at her Brit Awards\/War Child gig, whilst other supports have included Jóhann Jóhannsson and Lubomyr Melnyk (Erased Tapes).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the surface ‘Stories From Far Away On Piano”s solo minimal piano pieces have a simple, innate beauty, but there’s also a stark intensity simmering within, as the emotional landscape shifts from harrowing, sad, optimistic, to fascinating. Heather has spent many years honing composition before stepping out and making his fresh take on solo piano public. He takes influence from electronic music in structure, ambience and melody, whilst also utilising a classical and jazz grounding. The album’s concept meanwhile centres on Heather’s interpretations of real world stories he read in the news, while composing. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIsis jihadists hijacking the Facebook account of an executed female activist in Syria, the British Empire’s imprisonment of Boers in South African concentration camps and the undiscovered remains of a disappeared Malaysia Airlines jet in the Indian Ocean, were sources of inspiration translated into abstract musical forms. Other catalysts include the terror suspect who had a change of heart at the last minute on taking part in the Paris attacks, and the Los Angeles man freed after 16 years in prison, having been wrongly identified by having the same teardrop tattoo as the offender. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe black and white album art by Suki features layers of Indian ink bled into newspaper print, repeatedly scanned and treated to interpret the recirculation of information. It also plots the nine latitude and longitude locations where each story came from, forming an abstract world - reinterpreting place into something less literal and more expressive. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe only piece breaking from the world news-based theme is ‘Pathos’, where Peckham in London is given as the location and the area where the album was recorded. The piece, as Heather explains, encapsulates an aim of the album. \"Pathos is an appeal to emotion, a way of bringing the listener in, to evoke an empathetic response,” he says, adding “this is my interpretation of stories I discovered. The stories themselves are not the focus, but the piano assimilation is, as the album is about viewpoint, opinion and perspective.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerspective is something Heather has in abundance; he nearly died in a traumatic road traffic accident in 2008, leaving him in a coma in intensive care and then off work for an textended time. One permanent injury was his finger, which became skewed in the crash. He was unsure if he’d ever be able to play to the same standard again. “When I eventually started to recover I began taking my musical sketches more seriously. I found solitude channeling my feelings into compositions.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJames Heather is one of the new school set of ‘post classical’ artists flourishing in the wake of the long, steady but recently accelerated success of figureheads like Max Richter and Nils Frahm, and the wider public’s overdue but now burgeoning relationship with this varied genre.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44932793630879,"sku":"AHED019","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44932793663647,"sku":"AHEDCD019","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/stories-from-far-away-on-piano-main.jpg?v=1736247281"},{"product_id":"aheddnl034","title":"Invisible Forces","description":"\u003cp\u003eContemporary pianist and composer James Heather announces his second album ‘Invisible Forces’ out on the 22nd April via Ahead of Our Time, Ninja Tune founders Coldcut’s first record label. Influenced by the sensibility of electronic, ambient, orchestral and post-rock music but channelled through solo piano and his classical and jazz grounding, the album follows the release of the critically acclaimed ‘Modulations: EP2’, released in 2021.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeather’s new album is about becoming aware of invisible forces around us to help deepen understanding of self and our connection to the world, from tuning into the natural world and getting lost in its patterns and energies to gaining more knowledge around ancestral lines such as the concept of epigenetics. It’s about looking that bit deeper into things, into areas that are not instantly visible but are all around us to achieve this. “Composing these songs gave me an anchor to feel more present in life after some troubling times and sent me on a journey to rediscover a kind of wonderment with the world. I hope the Invisible Forces universe will bring warmth to other people too.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded, mixed and produced by Heather in his new home studio on a refurbished Bosendorfer 200 grand piano utilising various microphone techniques, ‘Invisible Forces’ is a love story to the instrument that was his first love. A step forward compositionally from his 2017 debut album ‘Stories From Far Away On Piano’, the songs are grander, deeper and broader in emotional range and are developed through a series of improvisation techniques rarely seen in the often notated world of classical music. He describes his music as “pulse music” with each track performed in a single take and with their roots in this live improvisation, often honed on the road where Heather moves between tender to more propulsive, trance-inducing dynamics. He memorised each movement, then subtly adapted, adding more complexities and compositional dexterity over time before committing to the final take. His approach to the new compositions, finds him playing freely, with no metronome or official notation to recall or dictate the piece but instead using just his muscle memory, feel and instinct to decide where each track will go.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA deeply personal and autobiographical album, the first four tracks on ‘Invisible Forces’ come from inside, about life dreams that end up becoming devastatingly flawed (or not) as in ‘Meant to Be’, to complications around the sharing of grief and moving on in ‘No Time Limit to Grief’. Elsewhere, the loss of the “sixth” sense of balance in Heather’s father due to a brain tumour is addressed in ‘Balance,’ while Heather acknowledges trusting in his inner being to overcome life’s difficulties and look out once again with positivity in ‘In Your Spirit’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeather’s profound sense of awe at the big wide world outside of the self is considered in ‘Ultraviolet’ – the realisation that everything is connected in the universe, often in unseen ways, like a magic that surrounds us while ‘Forgotten Cities’, is a dreamlike interest in lost civilisations who built at one with nature and the stars above to cities today affected by war, nostalgic for peaceful times, hoping their city won’t be forgotten. ‘Invisible Forces’, the core of the album, absorbs all the albums messages, and connects different stages of Heather’s own compositional history from childhood to now. “I feel like one of the messages in my music is an activism for peace and equality for all, it is political but just done in a minimalist way. It’s about learning to love ourselves but also to love others even more.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the closing stages of ‘Invisible Forces’, Heather questions the journey towards the end of a life, a feeling transcending perhaps even joy. A feeling of connecting back to ancestors long since gone and the realisation they might be effecting him now in subliminal ways as in ‘Ancestral Future Now’, to ‘Beginnings,’ which looks at the evolvement of the natural world around us. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmpathy and compassion are two key themes underpinning the album, in particular with the most personal song in ‘Hidden Angel’, a letter of forgiveness to a missing lorry driver who put Heather in a coma in 2008 whilst he was cycling and may not know that he miraculously survived the episode. A topic which Heather has never addressed before in song, he was given just a 5% chance of survival and he endured both the mental and physical challenge of adjusting back into life, changing him fundamentally as a person through many highs and lows as he battled back to full fitness, an experience that he now looks at as a positive. ‘I am lucky that at last my life is now filled with a joy I could never have dreamed of before, dealing with the aftermath of such trauma can take time. The driver couldn’t be located some years later and I always wanted to let him know I survived, in case he didn’t know, and to tell him I’m ok and that I hold no anger. The whole experience has given me an increased empathy to people that may be going through something heavy and to face mortality head on at such a young age, whilst a shock, has deepened my understanding of life.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album concludes with ‘Immortal Beloved’, a song about the treasuring of love, and a reference to the famous letter Beethoven, an early influence on Heather, wrote and never sent to someone unnamed. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album artwork is by long-time collaborator Suki and is a representation of the many invisible layers of our inner and outer worlds. Inspired by the structure of earth, each layer or journey is connected to the next through implied space and time transcending to unknown depths. ‘Invisible Forces’ is as much about emotional growth as it is physical awareness. The album art interprets this tension through a series of contrary emotions where wonderment and solitude, awe and isolation, contemplation and silence can be found in equal measure. Informed by real world invisible forces, the art is designed using computational techniques. Procedural materials and the movement of light create hyperreal terrains that feel both familiar and unfamiliar.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44932793696415,"sku":"AHED034","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44932793729183,"sku":"AHEDCD034","price":12.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/invisible-forces-main.jpg?v=1736247279"},{"product_id":"zendnls463","title":"Bicep - Aura","description":"","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44932802445471,"sku":"ZEN12463","price":13.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/aura-main.jpg?v=1736247278"},{"product_id":"zendnl244","title":"Bicep - Bicep","description":"\u003cp\u003eBicep - the Belfast-born, London-based duo of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson - are pleased to announce their self-titled debut album, a record that truly encapsulates their history and the distillation of their passion for music and club culture since their first release in 2010, via Ninja Tune.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n \r\n\u003cp\u003eWith the announcement, they share lead single (and album closer) ‘Aura’; a complex and propulsive club track that channels their love for all things synth related. Until now, Aura has simply been tagged as ‘Unreleased Bicep’ on countless bootleg recordings from recent gigs with thousands of streams, uploaded by fans trying desperately to ID and get their hands on the track.  “It was a happy experiment… you might call it an accident,” they explain. “We’d been playing with this specific and very complicated gear-chain for a while but nothing worked, or didn’t feel musical enough… then it all just fell into place and ‘Aura’ appeared.”\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n \r\n\u003cp\u003eBicep are first and foremost music lovers with a deep-rooted knowledge and passion for music of all varieties. Having been introduced to electronic music through the likes of Aphex Twin and Laurent Garnier, they started digging deeper into IDM, italo, techno, electro, jungle \u0026amp; everything in between. \r\n \r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver the span of their 10-year career, they have celebrated the music that inspires them via their Feelmybicep blog, initially an outlet for, and now a contributing factor to, their intense record collecting habit. Founded in 2008, its runaway success (it now sees over 100,000 visitors a month) spawned a record label of the same name, a club night, and took the duo out of the UK and embedded them on the international stage via highly sought after DJ sets that reflected the eclecticism celebrated on their blog - an impeccably curated blend of upfront tracks and exclusive edits mixed with deep-dug house and disco cuts (rediscovered, dusted off and given a new lease of life). Accordingly they are venerated as trusted and esteemed curators in electronic music today. \r\n \r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCutting their production teeth with releases on Throne Of Blood, Traveller Records, Mystery Meat and Love Fever, Will Saul then snapped up the duo for a string of releases on his Aus Music imprint, including the now certified classic “Just EP” bearing the dazzling and ubiquitous title track that became the undisputed club track of 2015 and earned Bicep both Mixmag and DJ Mag’s ‘Track of the Year’. The duo have also collaborated with another trailblazing UK duo Simian Mobile Disco and remixed for the likes of Disclosure, Blood Orange and 808 State.\r\n \r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe formidable DJs (#8 in Resident Advisor’s 2016 poll) have toured the world over, curating and selling out a long list of Feel My Bicep parties including Manchester Warehouse Project, a 12-week residency at XOYO and their annual Italo Disco parties. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n \r\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2016 Andy and Matt built and tested a roof-raising live show - a powerful counterpoint to their much loved DJ sets that not only highlights the breadth and depth of the Bicep discography, brings to the fore both their skilful production and formidable engineering chops, but again reinforces their genius curatorial flair. Earlier this year they took Coachella and Primavera festivals by storm and sold out their recent London show at Village Underground in 3 minutes flat. Following the album’s release, they’ll embark on an extensive live headline world tour including a stop at Electric Brixton in London. \u003c\/p\u003e\r\n \r\n\u003cp\u003eThe album “Bicep” is the perfect summation of the duo’s career to date - it’s a sonic tour of their history touching the cornerstones of underground club culture. Matt and Andy have pulled off the rarest of feats, to make a singularly unique electronic record founded on the blueprint of classic house, techno, electro and Italo disco, but flipped and morphed into a fresh design bearing the unique Bicep sonic signature. It’s a perfectly succinct album: loose, raw and energetic enough for the dancefloor, yet refined, artfully composed and contemplative enough for home listening.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n \r\n\u003cp\u003eTheir spirited, daring approach brings them into the Ninja Tune fold. “For us it’s important to be part of a label that looks broadly at music,” Matt says. “We felt no restrictions at Ninja to be pigeonholed,” continues Andy. Displaying a theme of technical experimentalism and a deft melodic touch which runs throughout the entire record, it’s this openness and no-rules approach to music making which has allowed Bicep to establish a unique position all their own on an increasingly crowded global dance stage. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44932802511007,"sku":"ZENCD244","price":11.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44932802543775,"sku":"ZEN244","price":30.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/bicep-main.jpg?v=1736247277"},{"product_id":"zendnls466x","title":"Bicep - Glue EP","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs the waves of praise for Belfast-born, and London-based duo Bicep’s eponymous debut continue -- steadily securing its position as one of THE electronic albums of the year -- their latest release, the “Glue” EP, drops digitally today and on vinyl on 3rd November via Ninja Tune. The EP features two new tracks, ‘Metro’ and ‘DLR’, both embodying the same throttling yet atmospheric tunes featured throughout the full length. With ‘Metro’ whose propulsive build takes cues from earlier single ‘Glue’ and the winding, acid-tinged groove of ‘DLR’, the duo continue to seamlessly minimize the divide between raw, big-room dance cuts and artfully crafted, often times deliberately restrained tracks fit for home listening. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInspired by the song’s homage to the rave era, Bicep also share the video for ‘Glue' by Joe Wilson. It is a series of landscapes which revisit the sites once brought alive by now infamous raves but today sit desolate and empty, retreating back to their former state with little to show of their impact they had on UK music culture. The static shots offer space to reflect on the importance of these locations and how an abandoned lido, remote airfield and disused warehouse helped to shape the lives of a generation. Juxtaposed with the images are the hazy, fragmented recollections of those who were there, lifted from Youtube comment sections of the genre’s most defining sounds. Perhaps the most beautiful and poignant pieces of evidence from the time, they eulogise over a time of unity and euphoria, and a longing to be returned for just one more night.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith support in from Four Tet, Ben UFO, and The XX -- who recently played album single ‘Vale’ on their Radio 1 Takeover -- as well as a 10-page cover story in Mixmag, Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson have honed their skills as both producers and prolific selectors. The result of which is a sonically sprawling record that appeals to the most dedicated of headsy club-goers and bedroom listeners alike. “Bicep” has quickly climbed the charts, landing at an impressive #20 on the UK album charts and at #7 on the UK Vinyl charts. Their unique approach to this record, founded on the blueprint of classic house, techno, electro, and Italo disco but stamped with the signature Bicep sound, has won acclaim from Pitchfork, Resident Advisor and The Guardian, and was chosen as BBC 6Music’s ‘Album of the Day’ upon its release. The duo’s second single ‘Glue’ was a hit straightaway, racking up over 1.6 million streams on Spotify, a first play from Annie Mac, with further support from, Gilles Peterson, Lauren Laverne, and landing at #1 on the BBC Radio 1 Specialist Chart with Phil Taggart. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44932802576543,"sku":"ZEN12466","price":11.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/glue-ep-main.jpg?v=1736247276"},{"product_id":"zen12488","title":"Bicep - Opal (Four Tet Remix)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFour Tet has remixed Bicep’s ‘Opal’, taken from the Belfast duo’s 2017 debut album, a crowning work (so far) from a decade-long career, distilling the influence of halcyon days club culture into their own unique sound. Likewise, Four Tet (aka Kieran Hebden) brings a distinctive track record to remixing. His rework of ‘Opal’ sees subtle rhythmic tweaks and additions: overlays of texture and hinted melodies, giving the track a more tender, contemplative feel. He also extends its running time, drawing out each of its component parts, and giving them space to breathe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eMuch-celebrated for his own work as a producer, Four Tet’s remixes have always brought his identifiable, idiosyncratic approach to his source material. His recent remixes include Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Todd Terje and Rihanna.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eReleased on Ninja Tune, ‘Bicep’ was heralded as one of the best-realised dance music albums of 2017, going in at #20 in the UK album charts. The record was framed by impeccable design across the campaign from Portuguese collective Royal Studio. It channeled a many-sided, personal gamut of club music influences – including (but not limited to) house, garage, ambient and breakbeat – into an album that’s as innovative as it is well-schooled in music, successfully striking that elusive sweet spot: making dancefloor-minded creations that work just as well for home listening.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe duo are soon set to embark on a run of tour dates, bringing their sleek, carefully-honed new live show venues around the world for the first time. In Europe, they’re bringing their live set to Sonar, Reading \u0026amp; Leeds and Nuits Sonores, plus a sold out night at London’s iconic Roundhouse. The latter will feature extra eye-popping production, to mark a significant benchmark. In the US, they’ll be stopping by FYF Festival and Panorama. And they’re touring Australia, too, including dates at festivals Days Like This and Pitch. Finding spare time in-between their hectic schedule, they’ve recently moved studio and are currently working on new music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44932802609311,"sku":"ZEN12488","price":11.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/opal-four-tet-remix-main.jpg?v=1736247275"},{"product_id":"zen12541","title":"Bicep - Atlas","description":"\u003cp\u003eHaving been teased in numerous DJ sets over recent  months—and predictably leading to much excited anticipation among their fans online—Bicep announce their new single ‘Atlas’, on Ninja Tune. Their first new music since 2018’s ‘Rain’ EP, the track was originally set to be released in the same week as their sold-out back-to-back shows at O2 Academy Brixton—with those now taking place on 7th \u0026amp; 8th of August 2020. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It would've been unthinkable to foresee the circumstances this track would be released in when we were making it. Our frame of mind was so positive then, fresh off the back of our live tour, full of excitement for the next phase. ‘Atlas’ was our attempt at summing up some of the euphoric moments we experienced on that tour across those two years. It feels like those moments are very far away for all of us right now, but we hope this serves as some form of distraction amidst all this chaos.” - Matt \u0026amp; Andy (Bicep)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\"\u003eRecorded in their new studio space, ‘Atlas’ is 6 minutes of unmistakable Bicep. With synth lines that ebb and flow across broken percussion and ethereal vocal snatches, the track was conceived as they toured their immense live-show across the globe. Learning and experimenting—often on-the-fly—with how the elements of each track work in a live setting has given them a new way of approaching their workflow back in the studio. “What we enjoyed most from playing tracks live is how flexible it was,” they explain. “For instance how an element from a track could be interpreted in many different ways and not be reliant on the rest of the original tune. Having the songs broken down in this way means we can really perform them in a drastically different way, based on the setting”.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the live music \u0026amp; touring industry in a state of flux, Bicep are currently scheduled to perform at a run of festivals, including headlining London’s Field Day—where they will play the festival’s huge 10k capacity Drumsheds venue—Primavera, Parklife and more, and their Brixton shows which saw all 10,000 tickets going in a matter of minutes—will now take place later in the year along with additional headline dates across the UK, EU and US. The shows will present a fresh chapter for Bicep and are set to contain a wealth of new, previously unheard material as well as immersive new visuals from studio Degrau (previously The Royal Studio) and Zak Norman of Black Box Echo, who were the creative teams behind their previous album artwork and live show production. Please see below for up to date rescheduled tour dates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBicep’s eponymous 2017 debut—which reached top-20 in the UK album charts—was lauded by the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian, NPR and Mixmag, who picked it as Album of the Year and put them on their front cover. It achieved that rare balance, working as well at home as it does on the dancefloor. A series of well-received singles, including ‘Glue’—a track and video that would become certified touchpoints in electronic music that year—‘Rain’ and ‘Vale’ reinforced their ascendance and a remix of ‘Opal’ by iconic producer and DJ Four Tet made for one of the year’s big dance 12”s. A subsequent live-tour took them around the world, across revered festival stages such as Glastonbury, Coachella, Sonar, Pitchfork Festival and Primavera, as well as sold-out headline shows across the UK, Europe, North America and beyond. Culminating in a triumphant three-night sold-out run of shows at Printworks in London, the finale of which was recorded by Resident Advisor for their ‘RA Live’ series, with over 1 million views to date.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44932802642079,"sku":"ZEN12541","price":13.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"12\" \u0026 LP Bundle","offer_id":44932802674847,"sku":"ZENBUNDLE541","price":33.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/atlas-main.jpg?v=1736247275"},{"product_id":"zen261","title":"Bicep - Isles","description":"\u003cp\u003eBelfast-born, London-based duo Bicep (Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson) release their hotly anticipated second album, “Isles”, on 22 January 2021 via Ninja Tune.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo years in the making, “Isles” expands on the artful energy of their 2018 debut “Bicep”, while digging deeper into the sounds, experiences and emotions that have influenced their lives and work, from early days in Belfast to their move to London a decade ago. “We have strong mixed emotions, connected to growing up on an island” they say, “wanting to leave, wanting to return”. “Isles” is, in part, a meditation on these contradictions, the struggle between the expansive and the introspective, isolation and euphoria.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe breadth of music they’ve been exposed to in London during this time informs “Isles’” massive sonic palette; both cite the joy of discovering Hindi vocals overheard from distant rooftops, snatches of Bulgarian choirs drifting from passing cars, hitting Shazam in a kebab house in the vain hopes of identifying a Turkish pop song. But time away from home has also made the pair more reflective about the move between islands which led them here.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor two natives of Belfast, any talk of islands, communities and identities will also have other, more domestic connotations. Before this project, it was an aspect of their lives they’d been reluctant to talk about.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s always been an unquantifiable topic for us” says Matt. “We’re not religious, but we're both from different religious backgrounds. There was always a lot of interest in us talking about that part of things in the early days, but we weren’t interested. We always felt that one of the things we loved about dance music was that freedom it gave you to be released from talking about those things. It provided a middle ground. I think we took for granted how much that meant at that time”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Isles” is, perhaps, a chance to explore this background in ways that don’t conform to the stale, sensationalist narratives about Northern Ireland that predominate elsewhere; to ground those experiences in reality, and reflect on the gaps music can and can’t bridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You’d enter the club and it would be people from both sides of the tracks and they’d be hugging” says Andy, referring to massively influential Belfast club Shine, where both cut their musical teeth. “And the following week, they’d be with their mates rioting. It felt like the safest place but, on paper, it should have been the most dangerous”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMusically, too, they find echoes of those days in their work. “It was like being smacked in the head with a hammer” Matt says, of the tunes that defined that scene, and which find expression in “Isles’” most raw and energetic corners. “It was either very intense, in-your-face Italo tinged electro or really aggressive techno”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Atlas’, the first track drawn from the record, speaks to these roots. Released to massive acclaim in March, making both the Radio 1 and Radio 6 playlists, its euphoric energy and bittersweet heft hit all the harder in uncertain times. It is, as Resident Advisor called it, “music that commiserates with you while you try to dance out your anxieties”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLead single ‘Apricots’ has a similar feel, steeped in a shimmering bath of warm synths, its spare percussion and arresting vocals bring the big room chills of 90s rave, while still evoking something lost or forlorn. It’s a tone perfectly captured in ‘Apricots’ soulful and disorienting video by Mark Jenkin, fresh from winning 2020’s Bafta for Outstanding Debut by a British Director for his film ‘Bait’, or the album’s striking, explosive artwork by Studio Degrau, creators of the iconic imagery for the duo’s first album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The previous record was written from a very happy and almost naïve place” says Andy. “On your first album, you can finally express what you can’t on an A-side or an EP. But, touring it for three years, you figure out what makes a good song; what gives it longevity”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on this experience, the pair wanted “Isles” to be a “a snapshot in time” of their work in this period, rather than a start-to-finish concept album. To do this, they drew from a massive pool of 150 demos. Whittling the record down to ten tracks was their first major challenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“That’s the creative element in the beginning” Matt says. “The blue sky approach; stitching stuff together and jamming over the top. But then you get to the next phase where you tell a story with what you’ve got, get them to communicate what we feel when we listen to them. We’d spend a week working on a track and find a breakthrough moment where it would work in so many iterations. It comes alive as a piece”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“On an album, you want loads of detail for people listening at home” adds Andy. These details are everywhere on “Isles”. ‘Saku’s two step polyrhythms and Clara La San’s honey-sweet vocals feint toward UK Garage before diving, chest-first, into cosmic synths. Like 90’s RnB channelled through peak John Carpenter, it’s a track that demands, and rewards, multiple listens, suffused with the melancholic undercurrent that gives “Isles” its cathartic punch. ‘Cazenove’, another standout, pairs pitch-shifted choral elements with moody pizzicato strings and rave synths, combining to form a slowly building retro-futurist soundscape, Studio Ghibli one moment, Studio 54 the next.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis globe-trotting sound was forged as their own rapid ascent through the musical ranks began. After starting their legendary FeelMyBicep blog in 2008, its humble trove of Italo, house and disco deep cuts grew into a runaway success, regularly chalking up over 100,000 visitors a month. Once the blog had spawned a record label and club night, the duo were propelled on to the international stage via sought-after DJ sets that reflected the eclecticism of their online curations. Following success with productions for Throne of Blood and Aus Music, Bicep were signed to Ninja Tune in 2017, where they released their wildly acclaimed self-titled debut album the following year, attaining a Top 20 entry in the UK charts, and a cover feature in Mixmag to add to the magazine’s gong for “Album of the Year”. Tracks like ‘Opal’ — and the subsequent Four Tet remix— as well as he record’s lead single ‘Glue’, with and its iconic Joe Wilson-directed video, became touchpoints for electronic music in 2017, with the latter named DJ Mag “Track of the Year”. The ‘Glue’ video, alongside Bicep’s RA Live performance were also recently included in the lauded ‘Electronic’ exhibition, first shown at the Philharmonie de Paris last year and most recently at London’s Design Museum.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album was followed by a massively successful tour, which saw them raise the roof at Primavera, Coachella and Glastonbury. The pair sold out their two forthcoming Brixton Academy shows in a matter of minutes, and amassed a 10,000 person waiting list once tickets were all gone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlans for an extensive “Isles” tour in 2021 are still in the offing, with the duo offering only cryptic clues as to what it will entail.\u2028\u2028“This is the home listening version”, says Matt, “the live version will be much, much harder”.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBicep’s booked events will now take place as and when venue schedules become more clear, with additional headline dates across the UK, EU and US hoped for in 2021, including a headline slot at Field Day in London, as well as performances at Parklife, Roskilde, Creamfields, Primavera, MELT! And more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the live music \u0026amp; touring industry in a state of flux, Bicep recently undertook a one-off ticketed livestream performance—one of the first of its kind for an electronic artist—broadcast across 5 different timezones, and watched by people in over 70 countries, with visuals by close BICEP LIVE visual collaborator Black Box Echo. Bicep will also launch their ‘FeelMyBicep Radio’ show on Apple Music in October, giving listeners an insight into the music that has shaped everything in the world of Bicep, with shows set to continue monthly throughout the coming year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBicep are also ambassadors for Youth Music, a charity working to change the lives of young people through music and music production. 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Rather this dystopian acid takes influence from pioneers like \u003cstrong\u003ePlastikman\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ePhuture\u003c\/strong\u003e's \"Cocaine\/Your Only Friend\", \u003cstrong\u003eAphex Twin\u003c\/strong\u003e etc… and twists it into Kevin's own perverted take on classic dancehall. Harkening back to when \"Sleng Teng\" refined Jamaican music as we know it, the Acid Ragga imprint will forever scar the face of raggamuffin reggae. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst up is \"Can't Take This No More\" which finds the legendary \u003cstrong\u003eDaddy Freddy\u003c\/strong\u003e slowed down to a menacing crawl, on a countdown to self destruction. The flip features \u003cstrong\u003eInga Copeland\u003c\/strong\u003e (Hype Williams) on \"Rise Up\", sounding like Donna Summer on smack, crooning inna deeper shade of blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe debut Acid Ragga release will be swiftly followed by single 2,  \"Ganja Baby\" feat. 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Performing a new, cutting-edge audiovisual show, they’ll be using Coldcut-built audio and visual apps to deliver performances touching on their innovative legacy – while facing firmly forward to the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis new single ‘Kajra’ (taken from the LP released in May), accompanied by Shobhan Shah’s artwork, is given the full dub and rework treatment in a bumper-pack of mixes. A reimagining of Hindi-Urdu love song ‘Kajra Mohabbat Wala’, it features vocalist Hamsika Iyer (whose credits include Bollywood films and trance act Juno Reactor), recruited and recorded for the track by the late, legendary Mumbai guitarist Babu Choudhary. Seeking to work with something that captured the spirit of Bollywood music, Babu, a friend of Matt Black’s wife who is from Mumbai suggested this track. The single includes an extended 10” mix, a ‘Maximum’ dub, a ‘Cosmic’ dub, an acapella and a remix from psychedelic dub don Ott that’s digi-only. 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The grandmasters of UK cut ‘n’ paste and founders of the Ninja Tune rebel alliance return with a new cocktail of music, words and images that Black describes as “dissentertainment”. The new EP sees the revival of Ahead Of Our Time, the label name Matt and Jon chose for their first records.\r\n \r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne Coldcut hallmark has been their skill at choosing collaborators, and the “Only Heaven” EP is no exception. First up, they recruited super producer Dave Taylor (Switch \/ With You.) to work with them. Best known for his stint as Major Lazer with Diplo, Taylor has also produced for M.I.A., Santigold, Beyoncé and many more. The new music here was recorded with him at the Woodshed Studios in Malibu, California. 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Gabor herself has never sounded better.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nThis being Coldcut, audio is always combined with visual - and with politics. Cover art is by Kim Rugg a fine artist whose painstaking analog cutup techniques to 'tidy' newspapers meshes perfectly with Coldcut’s own. Astute observers will recognise the samples in her sharp observation on mass media's noise to signal ratio, a small-p political strategy with its roots in William Burrough’s cut-ups. Kim is from the RCA, continuing that institutions tradition of creating provocative pop art covers, and Coldcut have been working with RCA students to re-imagine cultural activism in an ongoing program. The cover art forms the basis of an interactive meme player that can be shared to encourage engagement on positive political causes linked to the content like StopFundingHate.org. 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This is something much more special than the average collaboration, and it shows in the result: Coldcut x On-U Sound’s ‘Outside the Echo Chamber’ via Ahead Of Our Time (Coldcut’s first label) – a thrilling sonic adventure, and an album of freshly-minted, electronic dub-pop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough Coldcut and Sherwood could have come together at any point in their long, fruitful histories to make a record together, there’d have been no better time to do so than now, in 2017. Uniting an array of global musicians and vocalists including Roots Manuva, Junior Reid, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Ce’Cile – to name but a few – and made in London, Ramsgate, Jamaica, and Los Angeles – where co-producer and fellow dance heavyweight Dave Taylor (Switch \u0026amp; With You.) is now based – ‘Outside the Echo Chamber’ is a timely rallying call for Britain’s musical melting pot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the beating heart of this album are some of the most talented players in music’s recent history – long time On-U Sound collaborators Skip McDonald on guitar and bassist Doug Wimbish. These two formed part of the house band for the pioneering rap label Sugar Hill, providing the music for some of the most seminal records of the era like Grandmaster Flash's ‘The Message', and many others.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe trajectories of Coldcut and Adrian Sherwood take in some key moments in U.K. music. Coldcut’s origins are in the fertile hotbed of late ‘80s London, and the pre-commercial dance music that evolved from it. They were ‘the first Brit artists to really get hip-hop’s class-cutup aesthetic,’ introducing rap to ravers, creating a heady blend of hip-hop production aesthetics and proto-acid house grooves, and becoming a precursor for scenes as diverse as electronica, breakbeat and ambient.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir early 12”s, ‘Say Kids, What Time is It?’ and ‘Beats and Pieces’ changed the face of emergent dance,. A notorious remix of ‘Eric B and Rakim’s ‘Paid in Full’ took their radical sound mainstream, and they introduced Yazz and Lisa Stansfield to the world in a wave of chart success.  Their mid 90s 'Journeys by DJ' is regarded by many as the top DJ mix of all time. When their left foot approach found itself at odds with the conservatism of the major label system, they founded the iconic indie label Ninja Tune, which will be 27 years old in 2017, Coldcut themselves celebrate 30 years since their first release in 2017.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor 40 years now, forward-thinking sound scientist and mixologist Adrian Sherwood has been blowing minds and speakers alike. Producer, remixer, and undisputed patriarch of the British dub collective\/record label On-U Sound, Sherwood has long been regarded as one of the most innovative and influential artists in contemporary dance and modern reggae music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst surfacing during the mid ’70s, he formed On-U Sound in 1981. His talent for creating musical space, suspense, sensations and textures have enabled him to pioneer a distinctive fusion of dub, rock, reggae and dance that challenges tradition not only in roots circles, but also in the pop world at large. He’s worked with a dizzying array of legendary artists, including Depeche Mode, Primal Scream, Roots Manuva, Peaking Lights, Einsturzende Neubaten, Ministry, Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails. It could be argued that along with Mad Professor and Dennis Bovell (who produced Black’s earliest work), Sherwood was the key dub musician around. Three decades of relentless work has seen him release three solo albums – the latest in 2012 – and begin an ongoing collaboration with electronic don Pinch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore important than the individual histories, though, is the one that these two artists share. Long before Coldcut even existed, Jon More and Matt Black were buying On-U Sound releases. “The On-U Sound records were a unique and powerful influence on us,” Black says. More remembers that “the first On-U Sound record I picked up was Prince Far I. I bought it in High Wycombe when I lived there, at Art College in 1979.” Black summarises the influence the collective had on he and More as young men: “Me and my mates used to collect the records, the design of On-U Sound 10 inch black and white sleeves were so cool. Without On-U there would be no Ninja Tune.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Jon and I both went to High Wycombe technical college,” Sherwood says. “There was a blues club The Shabeen, Jon and I saw Prince Far I there.” The globally-minded, reggae sound of ‘Outside the Echo Chamber’ has its origins in this period. Sherwood adds, “My school had Pakistani, Indian, Polish, Irish, Italian people. At the time we all liked pop music, soul and the reggae was coming in. Early on I liked the rude ones, Prince Buster, Lee Perry, then the gimmicky ones, then the DJ ones. And then I got into the songs.” More and Black loved reggae from an early age too. “In Thame where I was born, 13 miles from High Wycombe, they had a country fair,” More says, “and that’s where I first heard reggae.” Black had a similar experience: “Mine was Banbury fair,” he says. “They used to have great loud soundsystems!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese early influences found their way into Coldcut’s own music. “The whole Coldcut mash up thing was partly inspired by On-U,” Black says. “When we made a Go-Go style record ‘Stop That Crazy Thing’ for our first album and put reggae vocalist Junior Reed (who features on ‘Outside the Echo Chamber’) on there, that was the On-U influence. Adrian made connections, he also did a remix of it.” And Coldcut’s pioneering hip-hop made sense to Sherwood too. “I ended up going to NY and staying with Tommy (Silverman, of Tommy Boy) in 1984. I was squatting with Neneh Cherry and Junior Williams at the time. Duke Bootee (The Message), Melle Mel, Krs-1 were all around. NY was really bubbling.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHip-hop, like reggae, is at the heart of ‘Outside the Echo Chamber.’ In fact, the Coldcut and On-U vectors meet at the UK’s finest practitioner of the genre, frequent Coldcut collaborator and Ninja stable-mate, Roots Manuva. “He’s one of the leading British poets,” Black says. “His lyrical take is unique, he has that bittersweet thing going on. He’s honest about the nature of existence.” “I was lucky to work on Roots’ last album ‘Bleeds’,” Sherwood adds. “I knew I was working with a great artist.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a properly diverse album. Rodney opens up ‘Outside the Echo Chamber’ with the brilliant ‘Vitals,’ a song that sets out the album’s sonic stall and lays its rebel heart bare. Deep bass, an elephantine groove and reflective coruscating bars. ‘Make Up Your Mind’ feat. 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Featuring an incredible lineup of new ambient and classical recordings, all released for the first time as part of the ‘@0’ compilation with music from: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Suzanne Ciani, Steve Roach, Juliana Barwick, Imogen Heap—whose ‘The Happy Song’ is remixed by Coldcut—A Winged Victory for the Sullen, Laraaji, Sigur Rós—with close collaborator of the band Paul Corley providing a ‘Liminal’ re-work of ‘Rembihnútur’—Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Helena Hauff, Skee Mask, Daniel Pemberton \u0026amp; FSOL, James Heather, Specimens, Nailah Hunter, Rovo \u0026amp; System 7, Ned Scott (The Egg), Noodreem, Mira Calix, Obay Alsharani, David Wenngren, ill-esha, Yak Herder, NDiPA X Flex Machina, Double Cushion, Irresistible Force, FRKTL, ANNA and Coldcut themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpeaking with Matt Black (one half of Coldcut) on the project and its creation he explains that: “‘@0’ refers to that liminal state experienced many times where my mental and emotional stability was not solid and it felt like teetering on a zero axis about to fall into depression, or more rarely, mania. 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Imagine then, that elite robot agents aligned to the New World Order were sent in to rescue him with laser cannons, unaware that the kidnappers were in fact an underground cell of benefit-cheat Jedi. Imagine hip hop recapturing the sheer brutality of classic-era Public Enemy without it becoming a retread. Imagine if 'urban' music was made not for the charts but the heart. Imagine 'Two Fingers'.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eTwo Fingers are Brazilian beat-adventurer Amon Tobin and Joe 'Doubleclick' Chapman. The pair met when Tobin lived in Brighton and bonded over an interest in music that ran way beyond the boundaries of 'electronica'. In Montreal they applied production techniques associated with UK styles like drum \u0026amp; bass to the template of hip hop. It was an experiment with explosive results. MOBO-winner Sway (now signed to Akon’s Konvict label in the US) heard what was brewing he was so taken with it, he flew straight out to Montreal and recorded seven tracks with them, showing a harsher, more serious side to his personality whilst offering wry social commentary on everything from the way young Black men are treated ('What You Know') to crazy girls who do too many pills ('That Girl'). The remaining rhythms were voiced by sometime Missy protégé Ms Jade and dancehall legend Ce’Cile. A couple of instrumental rhythms were added and this, the first stage of a continuing project, was complete.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e'Two Fingers' is a project unlike anything that any of the three main players has ever made before, a unique, utterly uncompromising, brutal and beautiful record that could only have grown out of the UK and the internationalism of those involved. If it’s not hip hop as we know it, then nor is it drum \u0026amp; bass or grime. 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The 26 year old South Londoner has been through the mill both before and since she started working on this set of recordings. The oldest song on here is called 'Finish This Album'. It was the tune she first played when she visited Big Dada almost five years ago. Its theme is that she has to hold it together, look after herself and try to get the record done, as if the act of finishing will somehow liberate her from the problems in her life. It’s both intimate and epic, moving back and forth between the personal and political, the mundane and the spiritual. It’s a journey acoss London and a journey across her life thus far. Speech is both young and old beyond her years. At the age of twenty five her fragile voice can make her sound like a teenager, but she’s packed in enough experience to last most people forever.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut now, finally, everything has come together and the record is here. 'Speech Therapy' is a statement of intent. Speech doesn’t need to shout to make that clear. This is a record which sounds like no hip hop record has sounded before. Its sonic palette is informed by the intimacy of her thought and the fragility of her voice. She always knew what she was trying to do but it took time to find the tools to make what she heard in her head.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSpeech was at Big Dada one day when she was introduced to Wayne Lotek. As well as his own Lotek Hi-Fi project, Wayne has produced for Roots Manuva since 'Brand New Second Hand'. Now he was living with a girl out in Melbourne and over for a month or so to visit his family. The two of them hit it off and decided to put down a track. The result was 'Searching'. Acoustic guitar played by Wayne’s brother, the brushed drums syncopating her flow, it created the perfect atmosphere for Speech’s reflections on hostel life and the hustles involved in getting by.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt was pretty clear what had to be done. In November 2007, Speech flew out to Australia and there, with a bunch of live musicians Wayne knew locally, plus the additional producer Plutonic Lab (responsible for the clarinet-fanfares of single 'The Key' as well as the widescreen drama of 'Better Days') laid down most of what would become 'Speech Therapy'. She used the opportunity to pour out all kinds of emotions, to dwell on bad memories and fears, as well as funny incidents and sharp observations. 'Daddy’s Little Girl' is a scathing attack on an absent father held together by organ and dub bass. 'Working Weak' is a funny tale of office life in London. 'Bad Boy' looks unflinchingly but also non-judgementally at the attitudes and outlooks of the yout’s Speech grew up knowing. 'Wheels In Motion' takes a sociologist’s eye to life in London and beyond. 'Buddy Love' is a funny, bouncing look at what happens when you start shagging your mate. The combination of microscopic detail with Big Picture pronouncement, dryly funny jokes with real soul-searching, is what makes Speech’s worldview so compelling.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eOn returning to London, while Lotek worked on editing down and mixing the sessions, Speech continued to make connections. Roots Manuva agreed to write and sing a beautifully melancholy chorus for 'Wheels In Motion'. Micachu came through and matched him on 'Better Days'. Mike Lindsay from Tunng heard some of the demos for the tracks and wanted to get involved. Over a number of sessions he and Speech came up with the sunny avant-pop of 'Spinnin’' and the airy wistfulness of 'Live \u0026amp; Learn'. Her old friend and sometime guitarist in her band, Dread Keys, fashioned an acoustic slow burner which was perfect for the break-up lyrics of 'Go Then, Bye', where Speech, like the greatest of soul divas, blazes half hurt and half defiant: “So take your X-Box and go long”.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBut it’s the very last track of the record, the title track as it happens, which perhaps sums up what Speech is all about better than anything else she has written, sums up why the reaction to her music has been so strong, so heartfelt: “I’ve made some mistakes in this life I’m not proud of, see?\/ But I hope that doesn’t mean now I’m trying it will be harder for me\/ I’ve been hurt and it’s not an excuse but it’s a reason\/ It’s like some things happen in life for a lifetime or a season\/ And I’m just now learning how this world really works\/ It’s a law that says you get back what you put forth.” Speech Debelle is putting forth everything – her thoughts, beliefs, mistakes, love, anguish, humour. Now she’s just waiting to get it back.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934129877151,"sku":"BD137","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934129909919,"sku":"BDCD137","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/speech-therapy-main.jpg?v=1736247246"},{"product_id":"bd145","title":"Roots Manuva - Do Nah Bodda Mi","description":"","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44934129942687,"sku":"BD145","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/do-nah-bodda-mi-main.jpg?v=1736247245"},{"product_id":"bd155","title":"Two Fingers - Two Fingers","description":"\u003cp\u003eBearing in mind the producers involved, it was inevitable that Two Fingers would produce an instrumental version of their critically-acclaimed eponymous debut. What was perhaps less inevitable is that a twelve track album would become a twenty-two track instrumental record.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAmon Tobin and Joe 'Doubleclick' Chapman have provided instrumentals to the ten vocal tracks on the original record and then doubled up with another ten new instrumentals, all as glacial, exhilarating and hard as the beats on the original release.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe pair met when Tobin lived in Brighton and bonded over an interest in music that ran way beyond the boundaries of 'electronica'. In Montreal they applied production techniques associated with UK styles like drum \u0026amp; bass to the template of hip hop; it was an experiment with explosive results. When MOBO-winner Sway (now signed to Akon’s Konvict label in the US) heard what was brewing he was so taken with it, he flew straight out to Montreal and recorded seven tracks with them, showing a harsher, more serious side to his personality whilst offering wry social commentary on everything from the way young Black men are treated ('What You Know') to crazy girls who do too many pills ('That Girl'). The remaining rhythms were voiced by sometime Missy protégé Ms Jade and dancehall legend Ce’Cile. A couple of instrumental rhythms were added and this, the first stage of a continuing project, was complete.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e'Two Fingers' is a project unlike anything that any of the three main players has ever made before, a unique, utterly uncompromising, brutal and beautiful record that could only have grown out of the UK and the internationalism of those involved. If it’s not hip hop as we know it, then nor is it drum \u0026amp; bass or grime. 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This producer and MC has recruited some of the brightest and most recognisable names from the scene he helped to create and then molded their contributions so that the album is clearly the work of one man’s vision.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eSo there are vocal contributions here from Skepta, JME and Frisco (the Boy Better Know legends turning up on '10 Man Roll'), Newham Generals ('Bad Mind People') and Jammin and Hainsy ('One 4 Me'), plus two standout chorus performances from his cousin Camalot (himself a member of BBK), a superb reggae vocal from Lickle J and more soulful contributions from Kivanch and the now very sadly deceased Shiv Lizzy. Meanwhile, production assistance has come from Toddla T (who as well as producing 'Party Animal' co-produced the club banger 'Back To The ‘90s'), Rapid ('Better Than…'), Mumdance ('10 Man Roll’) and Redlight ('Get It In'). Meanwhile, Jammer showcases a new polyrhymthmic depth to grime on his own productions like 'Murkle Mode' and 'Walking Duppy'.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eJahmek Power aka Jammer is one of the true pioneers of the grime scene. A builder of bridges and peacemaker rather than a loose cannon, Jammer is one of the few people in London who can count both Dizzee Rascal and Wiley amongst his friends and who has worked with Kano, Tinchy, Chipmunk and just about everyone else, underground and overground. And if none of them have a bad word to say about him, that’s because, at heart, Jammer believes more in music than he does in ego. Now, at last, he has the chance to prove it with a uniquely varied, hard-edged, uncompromising set.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130008223,"sku":"BDCD161","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/jahmanji-main.jpg?v=1736247243"},{"product_id":"bd165","title":"Roots Manuva vs. Wrongtom - Duppy Writer","description":"\u003cp\u003eFire up the barbecue, crack a Dragon Stout, mix up yer Guinness punch, carry out whatever cliched act of Caribbeanism you can think of, because a new Roots Manuva album is here! And with artwork from the legendary Tony McDermott (who was responsible for the illustrations on Greensleeves classics by the likes of Scientist, Mad Professor and the famous 'Carnival of Reggae' 12” sleeve) it’s a thing of beauty.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eOkay, let’s clarify that ‘new’ a little. What you hold in your hands is in fact largely a series of re-works by a talented producer who, for reasons best known to himself, goes by the moniker Wrongtom. Big Dada first came across Wrongtom a few months before the releaase of Roots Manuva’s album, 'Slime \u0026amp; Reason'. The DJ and producer (whose previous credits includes work for Lynval Golding’s Pama International, Trojan Records and his Staines homeboys Hard Fi) got in touch asking if he could bash out a dub version of the lead single for that campaign, 'Buff Nuff'. As it wasn’t costing and we’re cheap like that we said he could have a go on spec. When we heard the result we immediately commissioned a series of mixes which, turned round in about a fortnight, became the bonus disc for the limited edition version of 'Slime \u0026amp; Reason'. The responses we received were pretty ecstatic so we asked Tom if he would be up for expanding the work into a full album.\u003c\/p\u003e \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eTwo years on and Tom, with moral support from Mr Manuva, has turned in an album which covers all four of Roots Manuva’s main albums, plus tracks from 'Dub Come Save Me' and 'Alternately Deep' and a brand new collaboration with Mr Manuva and Ricky Ranking on lead single 'Jah Warriors'. Tom decided to re-imagine each track as if his re-work was in fact the orignal version of the tune from a previous decade. Hence 'Motion 5000' becomes classic roots groove 'Motion ’82', whereas something like 'Rebuff' sees 'Buff Nuff' return as vintage digi-dub. The project is approached with such conviction and skill that many of the tunes become hard to place in their orignal context, so it really does feel as if these funky, skanking, shuffling little numbers are in fact the ground zero of the Manuva experience.\u003c\/p\u003e  \r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eAnd while this album is, in effect, a bit of fun to keep us all satisfied until Roots comes through with a whole new batch of material, the re-works are so well done, and lock so tight with Rodney’s vox that they actually achieve more than anyone could hope for. Often when people are dealing with Mr Rodney Smith they’re so concerned with his ground-breaking productions, his convoluted back story and his 'Genuine UK Maverick' status that it’s easy to forget just what a good MC he is, how clever with words, how funny and insightful, how relaxed and easy and plain beautiful he sounds on the beat. It’s all here, one of the best UK lyricists and voices of the last decade as you’ve never quite heard him before, but probably secretly always wanted to. Sit back and enjoy…\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934130204831,"sku":"BD165","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130237599,"sku":"BDCD165","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/duppy-writer-main.jpg?v=1736247242"},{"product_id":"bd168","title":"DELS - Trumpalump","description":"","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44934130270367,"sku":"BD168","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/trumpalump-main.jpg?v=1736247241"},{"product_id":"bd179","title":"DELS - GOB","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“I’m a bird, I’m a tree, I’m a bike, I’m a plane, I’m the ground \r\nunderneath your feet, I’m the rain in the sky, I’m a cloud, I’m the sun,\r\n I’m a star, shoot hoops through Saturn’s rings, world’s in my palm, I’m\r\n a bear, I’m a dog, I’m a chair so get off, I’m an action figure, but \r\nI’m not trapped in a box, I’m free, free with the world at my feet, \r\nhumming A-Team theme as I’m running down the street.”\u003c\/em\u003e – “Shapeshift” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKieren Dickins aka DELS is a new type of rapper (which is another way of\r\n saying that he’s more than just a rapper). Applying the kind of \r\nattention to detail, micro-management and macro-vision which Jay-Z used \r\nto build a business empire, DELS makes art. Popular art mind you, but \r\nart all the same, an album of emotional peaks, musical innovation and \r\nsurreal, brilliant lyrics, held together by such a unique, such a strong\r\n vision that it sounds almost silly to suggest it’s just a debut. \r\nAlready causing a stir with the tasters “Shapeshift” and “Trumpalump” \r\n(and the videos he masterminded for them), everything is now ready to \r\nshow how these pieces fit into the bigger picture. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDickins recorded \u003cem\u003eGOB\u003c\/em\u003e with just three producers, all of whom he has \r\ncollaborated with for a significant amount of time and all of whom are \r\nmore interested in creating something with him than in giving him a beat\r\n to rhyme on. Micachu is perhaps best known for her “indie” work with \r\nher band The Shapes but her interest in grime and hip hop is as well \r\ndocumented in a series of mixtapes and videos on YouTube. Together she \r\nand DELS create the bad-trip anthem “Melting Patterns” and “Violina,” \r\nwhich catches all the disorientation and anger of a relationship \r\nbreak-up. Longtime mentor and friend Joe Goddard of Hot Chip is \r\nrepresented by both “Trumpalump” (featuring his own beautifully \r\nmelancholy\/hopeful chorus) and Shapeshift, plus a brand new track, \r\n“Capsize,” which dissects something of the current political situation \r\nin the company of Roots Manuva (the only guest MC on the record) – a \r\nkind of “Ghost Town” for a new generation. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the album, though, comes from Kwes. Already known for his \r\nsingles on Young Turks plus production work for the likes of the \r\nInvisible and the XX, in Kwes DELS found his perfect foil. In a suite of\r\n tracks ranging from “Hydronenburg,” through the truly remarkable \r\n“Moonshining,” and on into the insanely ambitious “Eating Clouds” (an \r\nearlier version of which was first heard on Ninja Tune’s XX compilation \r\nlast year), DELS and Kwes lay out the sheer, revolutionary extent of \r\ntheir ambition early. But it’s in the last three tracks of the record, \r\n“DLR,” “Droogs” and “GOB” that the record reaches its fruition. A track \r\nabout a homeless woman (“DLR,” featuring a beautiful vocal contribution \r\nfrom sometime bandmate Elan Tamara) and a true story of rape and child \r\nabuse told in reverse (the Nadsat-titled “Droogs”), this could be a \r\ndownbeat end to a record if it wasn’t for the brilliance with which the \r\nsubjects are treated, both musically and vocally. And if it wasn’t for \r\nthe last track, “GOB.” “GOB” shows Dickins, angry, battered, but \r\nultimately hopeful, rising up through all the shit of the world \r\ndetermined to triumph, succumbing neither to the nonsense around him or \r\nhis own quest for perfection, gradually lifted aloft on a monster of a \r\npiece of music (it would be doing it a misservice to call it a ‘beat’) \r\nfrom Kwes. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s a superb end to what is sure to be a breakthrough record for DELS, \r\none which he can take a huge amount of credit for, having been \r\nintimately involved in every aspect of its creation, from artwork and \r\nvideos, right down to the fonts. Despite the title of his record, DELS \r\nis no loud mouth. He talks quietly, in measured tones, but when he talks\r\n we listen…\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130368671,"sku":"BDCD179","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934130401439,"sku":"BD179","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/gob-4-main.jpg?v=1736247240"},{"product_id":"bd190","title":"Roots Manuva - 4everevolution","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e4everevolution\u003c\/em\u003e is just a few seconds under an hour long, consists of seventeen tracks and covers every style from wonky reggae through pop-funk, street spitting, straight up hip hop, sung ballads and epic death-disco. It deepens much of what Mr Manuva has already achieved over a glorious decade of innovation, but also throws in enough new ideas and adventures to last most creative artists a lifetime. We think it's his very best work since \u003cem\u003eRun Come Save Me\u003c\/em\u003e. We're wondering (whisper it) whether it might be his best album ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/files\/images\/roots-manuva\/two\/SDC10311.jpg\" height=\"430\" width=\"430\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMuch of \u003cem\u003e4everevolution\u003c\/em\u003e was made in conjunction with various members of Smith’s Banana Klan crew. Production for “Revelation” and string arrangements on Smith’s own “Skid Valley” came from Gibbs King, Ollie and Olmino produced the monster-funk number “Beyond This World”. Meanwhile, current and former band members play drums, guitar and bass on a variety of tracks (as did Mr Manuva himself), while longtime side-man Ricky Ranking crops up with vocal contributions on “Wha’ Mek” and the darkest of toasts on “In The Throes Of It”. DJ MK, meanwhile, adds chorus vocals to “Banana Skank” – a croonsome new direction for the veteran turntablist! – and Daddy Kope spits in the style of UK hip hop’s finest on “Crow Bars”. The only other productions on the record not from Manuva’s own hand arrives via the antipodes. Producers Dizz1 (“Here We Go Again”) and Monkeymarc (“Who Goes There?”) show how much of Manuva’s unquantized lope has been absorbed by producers on the other side of the world. In addition to Ranking and MK, vocal contributions come from Skunk Anansie’s Skin (on the state-of-the-nation diatribe “Skid Valley”, which also features Skunk Anansie’s legendary bass player, Cass Lewis), new talents Rokhsan (on both first single “Get The Get” and “Beyond This World”) and Elan Tamara (“The Path”) compete for glory with the beauty of the voice of a veteran like Spikey Tee (“Here We Go Again”). Perhaps the most touching singing on the record, though, comes from Manuva himself, who flexes his melodic jones on a trio of tracks which perhaps reaches its peak on the loping, self-effacing ballad “Wha’ Mek?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/files\/images\/roots-manuva\/two\/rootsmanuva-4everpackaging.jpg\" height=\"253\" width=\"430\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall, despite the presence of this or that guest, the vision remains that of one man. Roots Manuva has honed his craft across four previous studio albums, picking up a MOBO, plus Brit and Mercury nominations along the way. This record, though, represents some of his freshest, most urgent work. Whether castigating politicians or his own failings, joking about girls or spinning yarns about men in love with their computers, ruminating on the void at the heart of \"urban\" music or bigging himself up, crooning an apology or growling ridiculous sex rhymes, Roots Manuva remains one of the foremost lyricists and musicians of his generation. Cherish him – he’s the very best we’ve got.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934130434207,"sku":"BD190","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130466975,"sku":"BDCD190","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/4everevolution-main.jpg?v=1736247240"},{"product_id":"bd193","title":"Speech Debelle - Freedom Of Speech","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwo years since winning the 2009 Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, “Speech Therapy,” and having ridden a rollercoaster through life since then, Speech Debelle is ready to drop her second collection of music. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEntitled “Freedom of Speech,” the album sees Speech turning from introspection to stand up, face and engage with the world around her, spitting confident themes of revolution and love. Still brutally honest, yet a more mature and exciting record with lyrics to match, the new sound was shaped in collaboration with Kwes, a young South London producer who already boasts production for DELS, a record contract with Warp and a recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of Damon Albarn’s DRC project for Oxfam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA first taste of the album came in the aftermath of this summer’s riots, when Speech reacted immediately, leaking the track “Blaze Up A Fire,” (also featuring Roots Manuva and Realism), a track about political revolution written months before. Going on record about the causes of the riots in a statement and on twitter gave rise to heated debate, yet as the dust settled, there remained respect for her speaking out with insight, while others chose to stay silent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo now the build-up begins to the release of “Freedom of Speech” in early February 2012 with the free download of the track “Studio Backpack Rap.” From political to musical revolution, Speech describes the track as being \"all about virtual instrumentation and an ode to Kwes the producer. For the writing stage of the album he would take out his laptop and midi-USB keyboard and that would be it. We’d start working and I couldn’t believe what we could do with so little equipment.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOver a catchy, bumping, jostling piece of music which pays tribute to the essence of hip hop without feeling the need to sound too much like it, Speech lays out clever, witty lyrics about the high-tech, low-gloss DIY attitude which has relevance far beyond just creating music. Optimistic, sly, funny and an undeniable head-nodder, it’s a long way from “Speech Therapy,” while showcasing just one aspect of her remarkable new album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130499743,"sku":"BDCD193","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2xLP","offer_id":44934130532511,"sku":"BD193","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Japanese CD","offer_id":44934130565279,"sku":"BRC318","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/freedom-of-speech-main.jpg?v=1736247239"},{"product_id":"bd242","title":"Kae Tempest - Everybody Down","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere’s a strong, vibrant formal tradition in hip hop: the story rhyme.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Rather than the bragging and boasting of many raps, in a story rhyme the MC presents a narrative – a street update of Ovid or Homer if you want to get hifalutin about it. Traced back by some to “The Message” by \u003cstrong\u003eMelle Mel\u003c\/strong\u003e, few would dispute that it reached some sort of a peak with \u003cstrong\u003eSlick Rick\u003c\/strong\u003e’s first album, and was carried forward by the likes of Biggie and Eminem. It also had a profound influence on rap in the UK, with artists like \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/roots-manuva\"\u003eRoots Manuva\u003c\/a\u003e using the form to represent themselves and their city in a myriad of new ways.\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\n\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eKae Tempest\u003c\/a\u003e is best known as a poet, perhaps a performance poet or a spoken word artist. She has a novel coming out next year with \u003cstrong\u003eBloomsbury\u003c\/strong\u003e. But ask \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eKae\u003c\/a\u003e what she is and she’s more likely to say she’s a rapper who writes. That’s her first love. Listen to her voice, her cadences, the accent, and you’ll hear more of \u003cstrong\u003eSkinnyman\u003c\/strong\u003e than Seamus Heaney, a veteran of Deal Real’s legendary Friday night rap battles but also someone at home doing a book reading at Foyles. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eKae Tempest\u003c\/a\u003e understands the story rhyme, loves it. Which is why \u003cem\u003eEverybody Down\u003c\/em\u003e is something like a “novel rhyme” – twelve ‘chapters’ telling one long, complex story, a unique, one-off project, almost unique in the history of the form.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cstrong\u003eDan Carey\u003c\/strong\u003e aka \u003cstrong\u003eMr Dan\u003c\/strong\u003e is one of the UK’s best known and most highly-rated producers. He’s worked with or remixed \u003cstrong\u003eBat For Lashes, Toy, MIA, Chairlift\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eHot Chip\u003c\/strong\u003e (and just about everyone in between). When the two met, Carey invited \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eTempest\u003c\/a\u003e to come through to his South London studio to muck about on a track or two. In a burst of intense creativity, they put down the whole twelve track album in a fortnight having spent almost a year developing the characters and story.\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\nThe result is a revelation. \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eTempest\u003c\/a\u003e takes the tropes of the hip hop story – drugs, money, gangsters – and brings them to life in a whole new way, a London way, but also a completely personal way, where she inhabits the different characters and shows the boredom and fear in their lives rather than some faked glamour, shows more than anything their need for love. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarey, meanwhile, sculpts soundscapes that pay tribute to the roots of hip hop while melding into the themes \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eTempest\u003c\/a\u003e addresses, tough and gritty but intensely musical, the sound of a wet winter’s night out in London. He even got US singer-songwriter \u003cstrong\u003eWilly Mason\u003c\/strong\u003e to contribute a chorus! In the end we get an audio story Dickens might have tried to write, one which is, in \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eTempest\u003c\/a\u003e’s words, quite simply about “loving more.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.UzP-O61_vKw\"\u003eKae Tempest\u003c\/a\u003e has released records on \u003cstrong\u003eGreco-Roman\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSpeedy Wunderground\u003c\/strong\u003e and for a long time fronted the band \u003cstrong\u003eSound Of Rum\u003c\/strong\u003e (Sunday Best). She won the \u003cstrong\u003eTed Hughes Poetry Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e for her play \u003cstrong\u003e“Brand New Ancients,”\u003c\/strong\u003e which led \u003cstrong\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/strong\u003e to describe her as “one of the brightest talents around.” Her forthcoming novel for Bloomsbury features the characters and the world built in \u003cem\u003eEverybody Down,\u003c\/em\u003e with a chapter correlating to each track. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut it’s here on this stunning, sustained piece of work, where each track works on it own, that music fans will hear beyond doubt just what a talent she is.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cimg src=\"\/files\/images\/kae-tempest\/two\/Kate-Tempest-Product-Shot.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"254\"\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44934130598047,"sku":"BD242","price":18.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130630815,"sku":"BDCD242","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/everybody-down-main.jpg?v=1736247238"},{"product_id":"bd243","title":"Congo Natty - Jungle Revolution in Dub","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Dub was the soundtrack to my youth,”\u003c\/em\u003e remembers Mikail Tafari aka \u003cstrong\u003eRebel MC\u003c\/strong\u003e aka \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/congo-natty#.ViZN0hNViko\"\u003eCongo Natty\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003cem\u003e“Going to a hall and hearing my favourite dub tunes through some double 18inch speakers was my addiction. Sometimes I would not move from those speakers for hours. The bass would vibrate through my whole body.”\r\n\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConsidering the centrality of reggae in the very DNA of jungle music and considering the role of Jah Rastafari in \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/congo-natty#.ViZN0hNViko\"\u003eCongo Natty\u003c\/a\u003e’s life, it’s appropriate that his already-classic 2013 album \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/release\/congo-natty\/jungle-revolution\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eJungle Revolution\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e should now have been re-tooled by this UK legend and his associates to reflect an even broader swathe of that great heritage.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/congo-natty#.ViZN0hNViko\"\u003eCongo Natty\u003c\/a\u003e has drawn on dub-soldiers new and old, UK-based and beyond, for this project. Digidub legends \u003cstrong\u003eDubkasm\u003c\/strong\u003e and the one and only \u003cstrong\u003eAdrian Sherwood\u003c\/strong\u003e rub shoulders with Glasgow’s \u003cstrong\u003eMungos HiFi\u003c\/strong\u003e and Hungary’s \u003cstrong\u003eDJ Madd\u003c\/strong\u003e, with the likes of \u003cstrong\u003eConscious Sounds\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eVibronics\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eJinx in Dub\u003c\/strong\u003e all bringing their own unique flavours. Meanwhile bass music stalwarts like \u003cstrong\u003eKing Yoof\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSukh Knight\u003c\/strong\u003e sit alongside a new generation of dubstronauts, \u003cstrong\u003eHylu \u0026amp; Jago\u003c\/strong\u003e taking their place with the scions of UK dub royalty, \u003cstrong\u003eJoe Ariwa\u003c\/strong\u003e (Mad Professor’s son) and \u003cstrong\u003eYoung Warrior\u003c\/strong\u003e (Jah Shaka’s son!).\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYears in the making, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/congo-natty#.ViZN0hNViko\"\u003eCongo Natty\u003c\/a\u003e’s \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/release\/congo-natty\/jungle-revolution\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eJungle Revolution\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e was welcomed by junglists and bass heads as a kind of Second Coming when it was released in 2013, with the press enamoured of its \u003cem\u003e“street-tough urban sermons”\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/strong\u003e) and the \u003cem\u003e“postivity [which] oozes from every groove” \u003c\/em\u003e(\u003cstrong\u003eThe Times\u003c\/strong\u003e). Since then, \u003cstrong\u003eTafari\u003c\/strong\u003e has been performing all over the world, keeping the flame of the jungle movement very much burning.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on over thirty years of British bass music, \u003cem\u003e“Jungle Revolution in Dub”\u003c\/em\u003e is a unique take on the dub album, somewhere between traditional dub, versioning and remixing, a kind of echo chamber of styles and sounds. They all share one thing in common, though, and you won’t be surprised to hear that’s bottom end. Let’s hope your subwoofers can handle it.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cimg src=\"\/files\/images\/congo-natty\/two\/Revolution-In-Dub-Vinyl-2.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"322\"\u003e\r\n\u003cimg src=\"\/files\/images\/congo-natty\/two\/Revolution-In-Dub-Vinyl-4.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"286\"\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130663583,"sku":"BDCD243","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":44934130696351,"sku":"BD243","price":18.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/jungle-revolution-in-dub-main.jpg?v=1736247237"},{"product_id":"bd253","title":"DELS - Petals Have Fallen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/files\/images\/dels\/two\/IMG-8166-edit-copy_2.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"286\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\r\n\u003ciframe width=\"430\" height=\"300\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fHpv0jcJNXk?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKieren Gallear aka \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/artist\/dels\"\u003eDELS\u003c\/a\u003e returns with his second album, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/release\/dels\/petals-have-fallen\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePetals Have Fallen\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and makes the step up from potential contender to full scale champ. Delivering on the potential he displayed on his first album, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/release\/dels\/gob-4\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eGOB\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/artist\/dels\"\u003eDELS\u003c\/a\u003e has developed his own unique take on hip hop – intensely personal and poetic but also funny, scuzzy, raw and sonically adventurous. All the elements were there with his first record, but no one could have expected him to display them with such consistency, such delicacy and such supreme confidence. His explanation of the title of the record perfectly sums up Gallear’s aesthetic, plus providing a handy definition of what it is to make art: \u003cem\u003e“the urge to protect something precious that will ultimately fall apart.” \r\n\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere’s plenty that you could pick out individually from this record. From the sung opening of “\u003cstrong\u003eLimbo\u003c\/strong\u003e” there are spine-tingling moments galore. The hard rhyming over an epic beat on “\u003cstrong\u003eFall Apart\u003c\/strong\u003e”. The combination of \u003cstrong\u003eKerry Leatham\u003c\/strong\u003e’s vocals, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/bonobo\"\u003eBonobo\u003c\/a\u003e’s beat and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/artist\/dels\"\u003eDELS\u003c\/a\u003e’ wordplay on “\u003cstrong\u003ePulls\u003c\/strong\u003e”. The free-rolling exuberance of “\u003cstrong\u003ePack of Wolves\u003c\/strong\u003e”.  The delicacy of “\u003cstrong\u003ePetals Have Fallen\u003c\/strong\u003e”. Plus, of course, re-works of the brilliant “\u003cstrong\u003eBird Milk\u003c\/strong\u003e” and “\u003cstrong\u003eYou Live In My Head\u003c\/strong\u003e”, both of which were included on the \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/release\/dels\/black-salad\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlack Salad\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e EP last year and hammered by \u003cstrong\u003eZane Lowe\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAnnie Mac\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eHuw Stephens\u003c\/strong\u003e, amongst others. \r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut just as impressive is the consistent feel of the record as an album, where moods and images and sonics develop and mutate but hold together as a whole. Some of this comes from the deployment of \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/artist\/dels\"\u003eDELS\u003c\/a\u003e’ long-term collaborator, \u003cstrong\u003eKwes\u003c\/strong\u003e in the role of Executive Producer and “reducer.”Only one of the tracks is produced solely by \u003cstrong\u003eKwes\u003c\/strong\u003e, with beats provided by Bonobo, Micachu (fresh from her triumph as the soundtracker for \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnder the Skin\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e), \u003cstrong\u003eBlue May\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eEli-T\u003c\/strong\u003e and others. But \u003cstrong\u003eKwes\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/artist\/dels\"\u003eDELS\u003c\/a\u003e took every track back to his studio to provide additional production and an overall feel to the whole album. Throw in guest performances by some of the most exciting singers in the UK today (\u003cstrong\u003eKerry Leatham\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eRosie Lowe\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eTirzah\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eBila\u003c\/strong\u003e and Elan Tamara) and you have a palette which has been extended even further.\r\n\r\nMore even than any of that is the leap in \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/artist\/dels\"\u003eDELS\u003c\/a\u003e’ own abilities. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePut simply, Gallear has developed the confidence to be exactly and only himself – at times sensitive and romantic, at others sarcastic and funny, even ready to take the piss out of himself: \u003cem\u003e“Some say I’m anxious\/ I just think I need to eat cheese less.”\u003c\/em\u003e Gallear has talked about how he uses visuals as well as music to inspire his writing and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/release\/dels\/petals-have-fallen\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePetals Have Fallen\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e is a record which you almost see as much as hear, one in which moments in time are suspended in images like prehistoric insects in amber. Already hotly-tipped as an MC and carving out a successful career as a designer and video director, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.ninjatune.net\/artist\/dels\"\u003eDELS\u003c\/a\u003e brings together all his interests and talents on this, a stand out album, which delivers and then some on The Times’ verdict that he is \u003cem\u003e“the future of UK hip hop.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\r\n\u003ciframe width=\"430\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/playlists\/57735583\u0026amp;auto_play=false\u0026amp;hide_related=false\u0026amp;show_comments=true\u0026amp;show_user=true\u0026amp;show_reposts=false\u0026amp;visual=true\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934130729119,"sku":"BDCD253","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":44934130761887,"sku":"BD253","price":18.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/petals-have-fallen-main.jpg?v=1736247236"},{"product_id":"bd254","title":"Kae Tempest - Circles","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cstrong\u003eCircles\u003c\/strong\u003e\" is the third single from \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.VBBcGmRdW0k\"\u003eKae Tempest’s\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/release\/kae-tempest\/everybody-down\"\u003eEverybody Down\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, which is being hailed from all quarters as a masterpiece; a beguiling record that rewards its listener in spades. The Guardian called the album \u003cem\u003e\"A stunning literary treatise,”\u003c\/em\u003e whilst Mojo said this \u003cem\u003e\"debut is one of the most unique, startling and powerful you'll hear.” \u003c\/em\u003e A narrative hip hop album -a modern-day London fable- that is enhanced and subverted by \u003cstrong\u003eDan Carey's\u003c\/strong\u003e sculpted production. No more so is that encapsulated than on \"\u003cstrong\u003eCircles\"\u003c\/strong\u003e!\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing on from the singles \u003cstrong\u003e\"The Beigeness\"\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003e\"Lonely Daze\"\u003c\/strong\u003e, it is one of the few tracks that is outside the narrative of the album; both giving context to the story while drawing on the universal themes of love, loss, returning, regret and truth that the album explores. With its whirring, intense beats and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/kae-tempest#.VBBcGmRdW0k\"\u003eKae\u003c\/a\u003e's lyrical turn of phrase and imagery being at their sharpest, it is one of the most exciting tunes on the record. Witness the gorgeous description in the opening verse \u003cem\u003e\"My heart's...Trying to start wars on the bus\/ Dumb chunk of a muscle with its claws out\/ Throwing its oars out the dinghy in the middle of a gale\/ Making whirlpools the way I chase my tail.\" \u003c\/em\u003eand be blown away. The Guardian claimed that live \u003cem\u003e\"Circles blossoms from paranoid playground chant to fully fledged club anthem.\"\n\n\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe single will include remixes by \u003cstrong\u003eMicachu\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eMike Skinner\u003c\/strong\u003e, underlining how exhilarating this track is. It manages to be darkly atmospheric, joyful and redemptive, everyday and ephemeral, visceral and true - all at the same time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":44934130794655,"sku":"BD254","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/circles-main.jpg?v=1736247235"}],"url":"https:\/\/merch.ninjatune.net\/collections\/catalogue.oembed?page=2","provider":"Ninja Tune","version":"1.0","type":"link"}