Upperground Orchestra by Ruggero Pietromarchi

After a two-year hiatus, Rabih Beaini’s Morphine Records will return with four new albums later this year. 

Up first is Upperground Orchestra, the hybrid jazz band of Rabih Beaini and his fellow musicians Tommaso Cappellato (drums), Piero Bittolo Bon (woodwinds / electronics), and Alvise Seggi (Bass / Oud). Euganea, a five-track album recorded during the Musica Veneta residency, follows 2012’s The Eupen Takes and is said to merge deep roots of original fusion (tape music, electronics and synths, processing) with the free spiritual jazz sound of Upperground Orchestra.

Then comes Stefan Fraunberger‘s Quellgeister#3. The album is the third instalment of the series by the Austrian artist, and a piece of archaeological sonic research recorded on a deteriorating organ discovered in a Saxon church in Transylvania, Romania. 

In November, the label will release AMA from MA. The Japanese artist comes from Tokyo’s hip-hop scene but has evolved into more experimental beat-making. He blends ritualistic ancient Japanese lyrics and vocal methods, and the result is alienating, weird, and haunting but at the same time fascinating and futuristic. 

Finally, trumpet player Sabine Ercklentz, pianist Andrea Neumann, and Mieko Suzuki on electronics and turntables, will release a debut, self-titled record as Contagious. 

The four albums will hit the shops in October and November 2019, but early copies will be available at a label showcase at Berghain, taking place on October 10 and 11, where the artists will be performing alongside other artists set to release on Morphine or collaborate with the label in the near future.

Morphine launched in Italy in 2005, and has since released music from the likes of Metasplice, Madteo, Hieroglyphic Being, and Container. 

Euganea and Quellgeister#3-Bussd will land on October 7 and 21 respectively. AMA and Contagious are due out November 4 and 18. Meanwhile, you can stream clips of each release below.