Vocalist, composer and avant-garde icon Diamanda Galás has announced the release of two new albums, her first since Guilty, Guilty, Guilty (2008).

All The Way, a collection of radical re-workings of traditional and jazz standards, and in concert at Saint Thomas The Apostle Harlem, recorded at the titular church during the Red Bull Music Academy Festival 2016, are out on 24 March and will be released on Galás’ own label Intravenal Sound Operations.

All The Way features remarkable, radical takes on familiar tunes, including the seminal ‘The Thrill Is Gone’ and a solo piano interpretation of Thelonious Monk’s ‘Round Midnight’. The album’s centrepiece is the American traditional ‘O Death’, which has become a staple in live performances, and concludes with ‘Pardon Me I’ve got Someone To Kill’ by country singer Johnny Paycheck.  All The Way includes both electric live recordings (recorded in Paris, Copenhagen, and East Sussex) and studio recordings made in San Diego, CA.

At Saint Thomas the Apostle Harlem documents Galás’ volcanic May 2016 performances at Saint Thomas the Apostle church in Harlem, NY, described by the New York Times as “guttural and operatic, baleful and inconsolable, spiritual and earthy, polyglot and wordless, nuanced and unhinged”. The concert, produced by Intravenal Sound Operations and Red Bull Music Academy, was composed exclusively of what Galás calls “death songs”. Sung in Italian, German, French, and Greek, the performances include Galás’ dramatic settings of death poems by Cesare Pavese and Ferdinand Freiligrath, as well as renditions of songs by Jacques Brel (‘Fernand’, ‘Amsterdam’) and Albert Ayler (‘Angels,’ sung by Galás, who has always believed that Ayler’s work is also vocal music).

Taken together these albums showcase the work of an artist at the height of her power and creativity, demonstrating mastery not only of her voice (for which she has become so well known), but also of the piano, and as a composer. Diamanda Galás will be touring these “death songs” around North America and Europe this spring, will full dates to be announced shortly.

Technotronic alumnus Eric Martin releases his new single ‘Be’. Martin seems to have been born with headphones on. Gifted with skills that can’t be measured by degrees of education, his contribution to the growth of house music as a global phenomenon is undeniable.

Starting as a programmer for Zomba/Jive Records, Martin came to fame as an original member of the seminal ’90s house act Technotronic, co-writing their classic Pump Up The Jam multi-platinum album. Selling over 14 million copies worldwide, sales figures don’t even do justice to the stature of anthems Martin created.

A true production czar, his musicianship and stage skills have seen him release two hip-hop projects as Me-One, working alongside immortals such as Guru and The Roots. Equally at home with reggae and blues, Martin has also written and produced for Maxi Priest, Capleton and Jeff Beck.

In an ever-changing industry, Eric Martin re-enters the stage with new sounds and new ideas with his new label, Hypernation Music. ‘Be’, which features the sweet and soulful voice of Lifford, is the first of his new releases.