alasdair roberts spoils album features alasdairs old hands from appendix out (tom crossley and gareth eggie) as well as free percussionist xtraordinaire alex nielson, noted baroque guitarist gordon ferries, emily maclaren, niko matti ahti (of finnish free pop duo kiila), and david mcguinness and alison mcgillivray (both of scotlands concerto caledonia), bringing a loose and lively mixture of drums, bass, piano, flute, glockenspiel, harpsichord, harmonium, viola, synthesizer, dulcimer, psaltery, hurdy gurdy, fiddle, and of course guitars and voices. spoils has a lot on deck, but its meted out evenly and with an intense energy, always in service of the songs, which are marked with some of alasdairs finest melodies. additionally, spoils ingratiates new compositions in a deeply personal manner with the world of traditional music that has sunk beyond the horizon for too many of us. it is a gift to these latter days that a man like roberts exists, to sing us back to our ancient home.

tabernacle aren t as known for their reissue work, but here they ve made an exception to shine a light on a truly astounding hidden gem lost in the dry ice haze of the early 90s. phuture classical appendix a originally came out on cassette in 1992 on drome tapes in the netherlands, showcasing a low key selection of artists exploring the limits of deep, dark techno and house. now spread across three 12inch releases, these treasured curios now get the widespread release they deserve, leading in with the haunting self-titled track from paradize disowned before the gritty techno throb of gee lee by dj zero one. considered in their execution and immensely evocative of the underbelly of early rave culture, these releases are ones that discerning old-skool heads will not want to miss.

the mysterious usio project first showed its bewitching janus-face in 2013 with the release of kuwa huru, a star-striking collection of electronic blues for the dance floor that also constituted the first full-length album to appear on studio barnhus. kuwa jasiri is a follow-up and an appendix and something entirely new these four tracks stem from intense rehearsals of usios emotive, energetic live show (coming soon, if youre lucky, to a dark basement/dewy forest floor near you). the breezing funk of opening track gonna make it, the freakish stomp of planet dust, over the andes in all its precipitous acid-jammin glory and contemplative, elegant closing track pamoja have all captivated us at studio barnhus. its a beautiful night outside so we thought it might be time to let these birdies fly.