NEWS ARCHIVE FOR OCTOBER 2015
Radioland: Radio-Activity Revisited
Published 1 October 2015 by BP


Following the blood, static and thunder of the Radioland tour back in March, Matthew Bourne and Franck Vigroux have now committed their vital reinterpretation of Kraftwerk’s seminal Radio-Activity album to tape. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original, they have taken the futuristic, industrial world of ominous darkness and dazzling light imagined by Kraftwerk in 1975, and reconstructed it in this bold new manifestation for 2015.

The beautifully packaged deluxe gatefold vinyl and 24 page hardback book CD edition feature striking imagery from visual artist Antoine Schmitt’s projections which were an integral part of the live show, and liner notes by David Stubbs, author of Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany.

Watch live footage from one of the Radioland performances here and a mini-documentary about the project here.

Released December 4th, Radioland: Radio-Activity Revisited is the perfect Christmas present for the discerning Kraftwerk fan in your life. Pre-order here or here without delay and keep your eyes peeled for more Radioland shows next year.

matthewbourne.com
@mortbutane
facebook.com/mortbutane

The Comet Is Coming
Published 2 October 2015 by DM

“In the sky will be seen a fire, dragging a tail of sparks...”

Just as Nostradamus prophesised in his quatrains, The Comet Is Coming: “The great star for seven days will burn, the cloud will cause two suns to appear and the big mastiff all night will howl.”

End times are upon us people, but Danalogue The Conqueror, Betamax Killer and King Shabaka are here to spread light and joy and fire, for they are Leaf’s new saviours The Comet Is Coming. Marvel! As great jolts of electricity burst forth from their fingers. Gasp! As their lungs expel musical mantras as seismic as an earthquake, as heady as a timeless ritual. Swoon! At the sheer interplanetary vastness of their cosmic explosion of polyrhythmic sound and head-bending colour. And get down with it on their debut EP Prophecy.

‘Neon Baby’ is your first taste of the impending apocalypse. Watch the video here. Download it for free here. Keep it close to you at all times.


Vimeo

Here is the universe in a microcosm; the life-force distilled down to its raw essence: sex and dancing. Sub-bass, slamming analogue, unhinged sax breaks. The rhythm of life.

Pre-order Prophecy from Bandcamp or the Leaf shop.

“There will be fiery explosions in the skies,” said Nostrodamus. “Great slaughter, then triumph and festive celebrations.”

The Comet Is Coming. See it with your own eyes:
Sat 24 Oct - The Troxy, London (with Squarepusher)
Wed 25 Nov - The Shacklewell Arms, London
Thu 3 Dec - Trans Musicales Festival, Rennes

The celebration has begun. For it has been written.

thecometiscoming.co.uk
@cometcoming
facebook.com/thecometiscoming
theleaflabel.com/thecometiscoming

Leaf 20
Published 16 October 2015 by DM


As some of you may recall, 2015 marks our 20th year in business, and we have been promising to do something to celebrate. Autumn is upon us, and it was becoming apparent that we really needed to pull our fingers out. So here it is. This is Leaf 20.

What do we have for you I hear you ask? We have a faintly ridiculous but truly beautiful ten album box set, we have t-shirts, we have posters, we have reissues and we have some gigs.  

It’s fair to say the box set curation and manufacture has been something of a challenge. One we won’t be rushing back into any time soon, so if it’s a Leaf box set you’re after, you’d better get on board with this one. All that blood, sweat and tears will be worth it though. The Leaf 20 box is comprised of fourteen pieces of pristine white vinyl in full artwork and wrapped in bespoke, hand-printed paper covers, accompanied by the ten albums on CD, plus a fold out catalogue artwork poster, a limited edition print, and liner notes by acclaimed writer and journalist Rob Young. This is the finest Leaf document money can buy.

We are manufacturing the box sets to order, up to a maximum of 300 copies. If all goes to plan we will be shipping all the items out in the first week of December, so you should get it in time for Christmas. For all your box set technical specification needs, t-shirts, posters and pre-order details go to our Pledge Leaf 20 campaign page here.

The albums we’ve chosen (with your help, it should be noted) are spread across the years, and most of them have been out of print on vinyl for aeons:

Susumu Yokota – Sakura
Asa-Chang & Junray – Jun Ray Song Chang
Murcof – Martes + Utopía
Caribou – Up In Flames
Colleen – Everyone Alive Wants Answers
A Hawk And A Hacksaw – The Way The Wind Blows
Efterklang – Parades
Polar Bear – Peepers
Wildbirds & Peacedrums – Rivers
Melt Yourself Down – Melt Yourself Down      

As well as the box set, which will only be available as a pre-order on Pledge Music, we are reissuing the ten albums on regular black vinyl (with bonus CDs), also available to pre-order on Pledge and through record shops and online, early next year. Quantities will be limited, so don’t wait…

Of particular note is an expanded version of Murcof’s Martes on triple vinyl, now including the original tracks from Utopía and three bonus tracks. Wildbirds & Peacedrums’ Rivers is available for the first time on a single piece of vinyl.

You can listen to a 10 track sampler of tracks from the box set on Bandcamp or Spotify.

We have a number of Leaf 20 live events taking place in London and Leeds, including a short series of shows at the brand new venue Headrow House. See you at the bar. Let’s get this party started.

Sun Nov 15 - Polar Bear + James Holden - Brixton Electric, London
Wed Nov 25 - The Comet Is Coming - Shacklewell Arms, London 
Thu Nov 26 - Melt Yourself Down - Bussey Building, Peckham, London
Fri Nov 27 - Melt Yourself Down - Headrow House, Leeds
Wed Dec 2 - Polar Bear - Headrow House, Leeds
Thu Dec 3 - Matthew Bourne + Tom Rogerson - Headrow House, Leeds

The Leaf Label - moving the goalposts since 1995

NOTE: Since the conclusion of the Pledge Music campaign, the Leaf 20 box is now available from the Leaf Shop and Bandcamp.

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facebook.com/theleaflabel
twitter @theleaflabel
instagram @theleaflabel
#Leaf20

Julia Kent - Asperities out today
Published 30 October 2015 by DM


“I was thinking about the concept of difficulty. Whether in life or in nature - of conflict, of being troubled. The idea of friction. Also in geology, an asperity is some part of a faultline that doesn’t move which can create an earthquake, which is an evocative concept.”

The release comes today. Julia Kent’s elegant new album Asperities is a tense, contemplative soundtrack for unsettled times. It has been been picking up excellent reviews:

"Darkly evocative"
4/5 Mojo

"The finesse and dexterity of these compositions makes Asperities her most complete record to date. Essential"
Drowned in Sound

"A masterclass in tonal diversity, expressionist narrative and finespun drama… Recommended without reservation, Asperities is an edifying and invigorating spectacle"
5/5 The Skinny

Asperities is available on CD, digital and limited edition vinyl LP + CD on Julia’s Bandcamp and the Leaf store. You can also find it in actual record shops and on your friendly neighbourhood music services. Vinyl production is delayed slightly, we're expecting it in the next week.

While you’re here you should also check out the interview and session Julia did for WFMU and this feature on Bandcamp.

Julia is over in the UK for a couple of shows in London and Leeds, helping us to celebrate Leaf 20… because there is no such thing as too many birthday parties.

Fri 30 Oct 2015 with Stephen O’Malley, La Vecteur, Charleroi, BELGIUM
Sat 14 Nov 2015 Circuiterie, Rome, ITALY
Sun 15 Nov 2015 The Servant Jazz Quarters, London, UK
Mon 16 Nov 2015 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
Sat 12 Dec 2015 The Owl Music Parlor, New York City, USA

juliakent.com
theleaflabel.com/juliakent
@juliakent
facebook.com/juliakent.music

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