For the celebration of their 35th anniversary year of existence in 2016, Belgian electronic music pioneers FRONT 242 decided to re-release several of their albums together with Alfa Matrix, their partner in crime over the last 15 years now… These remastered versions showcase FRONT 242’s innovative and unmatched sound in the best audio quality made possible by today's audio technology.
For the occasion of the re-release of the “Pulse + Still & Raw” album, FRONT 242 also decided to release a deluxe collector box edition of “ Pulse” (a judicious track-list selected by Daniel B. as a kind of DJ set…).
The vinyl-sized carton box features a military camouflage design with a spotted varnish printed FRONT 242 logo and a die-cut “2” across the upper cover (once assembled with the two other limited collector box sets released for the anniversary series, you get the “2-4-2” cut across the 3 box sets).
The “ Pulse” anniversary collector box is strictly limited to 1242 copies and includes the following items:
1 x FRONT 242 “ Pulse” - Gatefold LP (black vinyl - 180 gr)
1 x FRONT 242 “ Pulse” - Carton Sleeve CD (same track list as the vinyl LP)
1 x FRONT 242 « live 2 » (carton sleeve CD) Ancienne Belgique 89. Front By Front : a professionally mixed exclusive15-track live recording from the band’s concert at the legendary Ancienne Belgique in Brussels – Belgium in 1989
1 x FRONT 242 lanyard (white & red printed on black)
1 x laminated « Pulse » live pass
2 x FRONT 242 posters (315mm x 220mm)
1 x V/A - "Sounds From The Matrix 017" (carton sleeve CD): an exclusive Alfa Matrix label compilation featuring 20 label mates of FRONT 242
“Pulse” was originally released in 2003 and is to date the last official studio album of FRONT 242. It gets marketed again this time as a double-CD with the “Still & Raw” Mini-Album as second disc.
Back in 2003, this album really took the FRONT 242 fanbase by surprise, breaking 10 long years of studio silence (besides some side-projects and other live recordings), revealing something new, different and once again absolutely ear-challenging, offering an inspiring look to the future of electronic music. Taking things further and pushing the limits of their machines, the legendary FRONT 242 showed that it was time to move on and that repeating their famous 80’s sound would have been unoriginal and in full contradiction with the band’s adventurous core spirit. “Pulse” being another work of pioneering electronic mastery on which creativity is genuinely abound. A sophisticated album on which the 242 team manipulates their instruments with unmatched dexterity, implementing synths and breakbeats in a quite unique and unpredictable way and bringing unmatched dark and passionate vocals in more subtle and melodic ranges never before demonstrated on FRONT 242 discs…
This is definitely an album that can only be appreciated fully after repeated listens. Simply lose yourself in the atmospheres and rhythms to really decipher and enjoy completely “Pulse” and its accompanying “Still & Raw” mini-Album. So listen carefully…
Third full CD on EE Tapes, honoured and excited!
This charming couple from Wallonia [Benedict G and B. Ghola from Insane Music] started as BeNe GeSSeRiT in 1981 and never stopped making music ever since.
Obviously new studio recording equipment was needed over the years, which remodeled their style but never their true spirit: this is supercool insane music!
We had the privilege to select most of the exclusive tracks for this particular album, a weirdexperience, having no songtitles nor infos at all!
Eccentric ???? Yes Ssssir!!!!
With a little guitar help from Daniel Malempré (M.A.L.) on 2 tracks.
Comes in a 6-panel digipak limited to 400 copies including a 2-sided full-colour photo insert.
Too many careers in rock’n’roll are sprints rather than marathons. Few artists make it past their debut album without having already squandered their life’s quota of creative ideas. Fewer still make it to four albums without hitting some kind of existential crisis, without losing direction, or going on autopilot and resorting to the same old tricks to keep a dwindling fan-base interested.
Meet Band Of Skulls, then, whose fourth album, ‘By Default’, is the sound of a group on the sharpest form of their career, more engaged and focused than they’ve ever been. An album that electrifies with rock’n’roll cut back to its most vivid elements, focusing all their brawny power and maverick invention into choruses, hooks and expertly-sculpted three-minute bursts so unashamedly anthemic and accessible they’ll soundtrack this summer, and far beyond.
After accumulating a sackful of new tunes that had withstood their punishing audition process, the group went into the studio with legendary producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Patti Smith) to commit the new songs to tape. They brought with them sounds sampled in the church, to preserve the magical ambience they’d discovered. They also brought with them some of their strongest songs yet – from the primal brilliance of opener Black Magic and the irresistible dynamics of Killer, to the slow-burning drama of the powerful Embers, to the razor-edged funk of So Good, to the swaggering, steroidal, futurist blues-rock of Little Mama. Norton helped them polish the raw material; more often, though, he encouraged further excursions into the unknown, like the wild freakout that scores the muscular rhumba of Tropical Disease.
‘By Default’ is an album of which Band Of Skulls are understandably proud, but the group know it is more than just their latest record; it’s also the gateway to their future. “This album could have been fifty songs, each one a minute long, because we had so many ideas” says Russell, hinting that the group’s fearsome pace and creative stamina are far from exhausted.
Now, the band’s focus is taking these new songs on the road, to play them before audiences. “For us, it’s like a tightrope thing,” says Matt. “Like, can we pull off this trick?” Smart money says they can, with a killer flourish. “We’re proud of this new album we’ve made,” adds Russell. “We hope it bursts out of the speakers to make that clear.”
‘By Default’ will be released on May the 27th through BMG Chrysalis/8Ball Records and a PIAS distribution.
Live: 14th July, Dour Festival, Dour

Waxwork Records re-issues Bernard Hermann's Taxi Driver score for 40th anniversary
Waxwork Records is honored to announce the 40th Anniversary soundtrack release of director Martin Scorsese’s 1976 cinematic masterpiece, TAXI DRIVER.
Featuring an all star cast including Robert DeNiro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepard, Albert Brooks, and Harvey Keitel, TAXI DRIVER is regularly cited by audiences, critics, and film directors alike as one of the greatest films of all time. The music by legendary composer Bernard Herrmann was his final score before his death on December 24th, 1975.
Nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film was considered “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” by the US Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1994.
Waxwork Records is pleased to present TAXI DRIVER as a deluxe double LP featuring the complete film score by Bernard Herrmann on vinyl for the very first time, ever. Also included is the complete and remastered original 1976 soundtrack release.
Waxwork Records had the massive pleasure of working with legendary director Martin Scorsese on this 40th Anniversary release to which the director provided new, in depth, and exclusive liner notes. The new album artwork by Rich Kelly is also graciously approved by director Martin Scorsese.
Philadelphia, PA’s Mercury Girls features Sarah Schimineck, Kevin Attics, Andrew Hagiwara, Chris Schackerman, and Kevin O'Halloran. Schimineck, formerly of NYC Popfest alums Pet Milk is flanked by the shimmery and adventurous guitar interplay of Attics (Literature, former Pitchfork Media) and O'Halloran (of indie heroes Little Big League, Run For Cover Records). Hagiwara and Schackerman provide a sturdy rhythmic base, creating a sound that's equally lush and driving, using Sarah Records-inspired pop as a basis for savvy de-/reconstruction and sonic experimentation. Despite having only started in March of 2015, the group has achieved a lot. They've collected many endorsements, including those from Chickfactor Magazine, Pains of Being Pure at Heart's Kip Berman and NPR, they've shared the stage with bands such as Expert Alterations, Joanna Gruesome, Beverly, TEEN, Eternal Summers, and their 2016 SxSW visit was a head-turning, mind-melting blast.
Now they cap of their first year with the release of their debut single, Ariana. While their sound uses classic indiepop as a jumping-off point, there are bits of shoegaze, post-punk and DIY punk in the mix that recall like-minded bands like Veronica Falls, Makthaverskan, Fear of Men and Frankie Rose. "Ariana" is gorgeous tangle of chorused, jangling guitars and Sarah's dreamlike vocals. A marvelous two and a half minutes of perfect, forward-thinking pop. On the flip, "All That Heaven Allows" leans more on the band's post-punk inspirations, marked by a careening rhythm and a huge chorus that will stick in your head for days.
Ariana is out May 20th, just in time for the band's engagement at NYC Popfest alongside legends The Primitives and The Chesterfields. The spring is looking to be fully scheduled with shows up and down the east coast, keeping the band busy while they write and record their highly-anticipated debut album.
soundcloud.com/slumberland-records/sets/mercury-girls-ariana-7