Francis and the Lights // LIME

1993

The illustrious, London-based duo Kit Sebastian, aka Kit Martin and Merve Erdem, return with a limited edition 7” single. It features ’L’addio’, a breakbeat driven, sultry ballad, and ‘Hayat’, a hazy, psychedelic scorcher that delves into the band’s Turkish and Azerbaijan influences.

‘L’addio’ saw the band perfecting their production and orchestration, with strings, horns and double bass, and an Italian synth found in a French dump. The music was greatly influenced by Italian soundtracks and Italian female singers, such as Mina or Rita Pavone. The track announces itself with a break that is guaranteed to get samplers twitching. The tone of the melody and lyrics is heartfelt and aching. It has a beautiful, intimate sadness like the closing scenes to a love affair, and it exquisitely rides over the slow, psych-funk-dramatic backing track. The lyrics are inspired by a flat opposite Merve's window that's occupied by drug addicts, with many guests coming in and out every night. Merve elaborated “Being both neighbours and strangers, and with the boredom of a post-tour everyday domestic life and a pinch of urban voyeurism, it was hard not to wonder what was happening in that flat. The words imagine an addict before her/his golden shot as if it's a love relationship between them that comes to an end.” 

Having spent much of 2022 touring and writing, ‘Hayat’ was the first original composition the band recorded since their October 2021 album, ‘Melodi’. Here we see them weaving a psychedelic tapestry of Mugham melodies, organ-driven grooves, and jazz-pop harmonies in classic Kit Sebastian fashion. Recorded to Fostex 1/4” tape, the essence of the production is perfectly balanced between being brand new and retro, which is a feat very hard to pull off. 

‘Hayat’ is sung in Turkish and the title translates as ‘Life’ in English. The song examines our desire to find one's place in the world and the provisionality of existence. Merve's searching lyrics ask “Where are you? Where is the universe?”. Her vocal delivery perfectly reflects the lyrical focus, its texture is probing and ethereal, almost as if sung from looking above us.

Kit Sebastian - L'addio

Buck Ramble — When the Money Ain’t Never Over

Found in dusty reels marked “Goodnight Trail Sessions,” these are the long-lost recordings of Buck Ramble — the saloon singer turned silver-screen storyteller who lived long enough to see cowhands become celebrities.

Every track is a campfire sermon in rhythm: part truth, part tall tale.
He sings about lawmen, outlaws, faith, denial, women, whiskey, and the strange mercy of knowing too much.
By the time the record closes with the title track, Buck’s world has shifted from trail dust to camera lights — but the heart’s still out there under the same sky.

Restored by Volant Records (All Worlds Reserved®).

Genre: Frontier Folk / Western Blues / Spoken Americana
Runtime: ~50 minutes

“Stories are cheaper than bullets — but hit just the same.”

I Ain't Your Angel, Honey

Self Sacrifice

Waves is the third release from Manchester's Juliper Sky.

Juliper Sky - Waves

Made by mmmonika in Los Angeles



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I Can't!

Cantora is a music company that invests in and develops artists, startup technologies and live entertainment experiences. Cantora is known for signing bands like MGMT and Bear Hands, investing in and executing the music industry strategy for startups like Sonic Notify and BioBeats, and for creating live event properties like Smartwater’s Music Tech Smartlounge and the immersive events brain trust Mainframe Group.