Various Artists - Tapioca: Brasil Diverso (Various Artists) - VINYL LP

One of Canada's hottest industrial acts is Encephalon from Ottawa. The project featuring Matt Gifford, Sam Mainer (programming, production) and keyboard player Alis Keller (keyboards, visuals, multimedia) is now finally rounding up to present the much anticipated successor to their debut album InchThe Transhuman ConditionInch released by Dependent in 2011. Since then, the band has performed at various festivals in Canada and the US, fortifying their Inchup and comingInch status with energy-bursting live shows. Three years in the making, Encephalon's second album InchPsychogenesisInch possesses a far darker outlook towards the future than it's optimistic counterpart InchThe Transhuman ConditionInch. The new album is focusing on how the luxuries of technology could ultimately weaken the human experience, on nano-phobia, and the grim possibilities that may await those who would attempt to attain immortality at all costs. A soundscape of thunderous orchestras merging with searing electronics weave a vision of organic and mechanical lifeforms colliding as vocalist Matt Gifford's ominous yet versatile narrations let the tracks become chapters in a larger story continuing throughout the album.

Atenção! Novos Sons do BrasilInch (Attention! New Sounds of Brazil) is a compilation produced in collaboration between online audio journal Aquarium Drunkard and Org Music. This is not your typical Brazilian music compilation. These ten songs capture a new wave of musicians who are reinterpreting their country's musical heritage in bold and divergent ways, generations removed from the familiar sounds of breezy bossas or psychedelic tropicália. While these songs don't sound like bossa nova or Tropicália, they share the tradition of cultural collision, mashing styles from abroad and home indiscriminately, tearing down genre barriers. The features the artwork of celebrated visual artist Robbie Simon, and includes an insert with extensive liner notes by Brazilian music scholar Allen Thayer.

13 years in the making, Mr Bongo proudly presents a new compilation of beloved Brazilian disco and boogie finds from the legendary London disco connoisseurs, Horse Meat Disco. A labour of love, it showcases a tantalising cross-section of disco, funk, boogie, samba and MPB, from past to present. Unearthing tracks from the seemingly endless gold mine of Brazilian gems, the compilation features legends such as Jorge Ben, Gretchen, Marcos Valle and Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, alongside unsung heroes including Zé Carlos and Carlos Bivar. Over 20 years ago, the Horse Meat Disco crew (James Hillard, Severino Panzetta, Jim Stanton and Luke Howard) began their weekly residency at Eagle London back in 2003. That same year, Luke made his first visit to Brazil, beginning a musical love affair that is still going strong. InchI had always wanted to go to Brazil since I was a kid, and when I finally had the opportunity to go with Princess Julia, I was just blown away. I've visited Rio every year since 2003, and in that time, I've learned Portuguese and tried to discover as much as I can about Brazilian music and popular culture. I learned to dance samba with the Paraiso School of Samba in London and paraded three times at Rio Carnival. Brazilian music was a brand-new world for me to explore and get excited about a whole universe of genius musicians, singers, and styles.Inch 9 years later, Mr Bongo invited Luke down to their Brighton HQ for a listening session of some of his favourite Brazilian boogie and disco 7Inch finds. A compilation was green-lit, but multiple licensing delays and the of other HMD compilations meant that it lay dormant for years. Fast forward to 2024, and with the help of esteemed, Rio-based record collector Tee Cardaci, along with suggestions from HMD's James Hillard, the dream of an HMD Brazilian compilation finally materialised. It's a carefully curate