Drowned By Locals marks its fifth anniversary with a three-volume digital anthology and a limited printed manifesto, Black Circle, written by Ian Bruner and published by Drowned By Public.

drownedbylocals.bandcamp.com/album/porn…c-tantalus

Rather than serving as a retrospective, the anthology traces the label’s evolving sound, its expanding cohort of misfits, and its unfolding trajectory. Across the three volumes, DBL assembles new works, long-buried material, and contributions from artists connected to the label through releases, radio, dormant ideas, or future intentions. Taken together, they form a portrait of the label’s instinctive curatorial logic — pairing worlds that should not, by any reasonable measure, coexist.

Release Schedule 
Volume I: Pornographic-Time, Vol. I — The Pornographic-Tantalus — November 28, 2025 
Volume II: Pornographic-Time, Vol. II — The Continuous Present — December 19, 2025 
Volume III: Pornographic-Time, Vol. III — The Horizonless Interface — January 30, 2026

All volumes draw their titles and thematic direction from Black Circle. The manifesto describes “pornographic-time” as a condition in which desire is continuously activated but never fulfilled. It’s the experience of being pulled outward by images, demands, and expectations faster than one can return to oneself. You remain visible, but rarely seen.

Each volume adopts a different facet of this state.

Volume I — The Pornographic-Tantalus
“Each gesture toward conclusion makes the object recede. Tantalus stands beneath bowed fruit trees, but as she moves to consume, the branch bends away. With each pang of thirst, the water ebbs further.”

Volume II — The Continuous Present
“Because of its accelerated pace, pornographic-time both appears and vanishes instantly—a cybernetic loop, a continuous present. Overfull and empty. Life collapses into micro-moments that disappear as soon as they arrive.”

Volume III — The Horizonless Interface
“Both the targeted individual and the pornographic-Tantalus occupy the time-space of the horizonless interface, hived in algorithmic neurological pathways and pathologies, resulting in a bare life layered with compulsive and neurotic loops of behavior.”

Black Circle expands these ideas into print, combining Bruner’s text with visual contributions from more than twenty artists. Released in a hand-numbered run of 100 copies, it will be available independently or bundled with the anniversary T-shirt. All physical editions include the full three-volume digital anthology.

releases November 28, 2025

Mastered by Rashad Becker at Clunk Studio, Berlin
Artwork & design by Giovanni Murolo
Curation by Laith Demashqieh
Manifesto: Black Circle — text by Ian Bruner (published by Drowned By Public, printed edition: hand-numbered run of 100 copies)

DBL42DLI

Pornographic-Time, Vol. I: The Pornographic-Tantalus

Betty Hammerschlag - Wiggle Wiggle

https://divineglintmusic.bandcamp.com/album/making-sick-in-the-alley-of-permanence

Betty Hammerschlag - My Lavigne

Sam Bell is a musician and visual artist from the south coast of the UK. Sam has long been a part of the scene, starting labels such as videogamemusic and oob, as well as having a show on NTS. Last year, he released album of imagined minecraft music for the label quern. Following his tradition of quietly self-releasing music and his love for video games, he released ‘hey’ in August 2024. Weaving through video game OSTs and piano roll tutorials, Sam Bell manipulates and stretches audio into a sound all his own. Now, we will be re-releasing this beautiful project on Portraiture! 

100% of profits from this release will be split between Refugee Action, supporting refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK, & Hope Not Hate, a charity tackling the rise of organised far-right movements and the issues and policies responsible.

www.refugee-action.org.uk
hopenothate.org.uk

samb_rules - medium

phantom step

ABRI MIX12: bivou4c b2b ceny4

Barbara Morgenstern & Robert Lippok - Gammelpop
Takao - Images
Ming - Subculture
Sex Week - Coach
Soffy O - Maybe A Dog
eden2001 - 锁链
徐浩東thewaterguy, 張小泉Syd Bastard, 苦海男雙龍 - 熄火 FLAMEOUT
Sex In Dallas - Clerk Work
AlunaGeorge - Kaleidoscope Love
CAPSULE - Get down
Forma Norte & ángela - Katz
HTRK - Chinatown Style
Prefuse 73 - Back In Time
Anna Oxygen - Fake Pajamas
Naoko Gushima - まどろみ
pham foo - supercargo
Paula - Ich Denke Nicht Oft An Dich

OB0593 — 1DLK

Shanghai, China collective 626 Company, headed up by Jackzebra deliver monthly broadcasts from the collective and their friends.

From the host: _"Shanghai, China collective 626 Company, headed up by Jackzebra deliver monthly broadcasts from the collective and their friends."_ 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/jackzebra/episodes/jackzebra-12th-december-2025

626COMPANY RADIO W/ JACKZEBRA & MALAYIKA 121225

at the oscillator diner

all my friends are going to be strangers (prod. Joseph)

Buchla Music Easel and Make Noise 0-Coast, Strega, 0-CTRL live improvisation (+ delay and reverb), with a little bit of DAW editing later.

25-12-19 Buchla MakeNoise Easel 002

:)
produced & mixed by xtclvr
9:45, 17:20 featuring @okayno & @990x
mastering blessings @bb948
pic by sasha
https://xtclvr.bandcamp.com/album/alien-plugg-mxx

#alien.plugg.mxx

xtclvr