Fika Recordings is 5!

Back in early 2011, with very modest ambitions, Fika Recordings launched with 4 handmade cassette releases from Lisa Bouvier, Horowitz, Lost Summer Kitten and Moustache Of Insanity. We've certainly grown and learnt faster than we expected, and over the past 5 years we've racked up 50 releases, taken bands to tour in the US and in Europe, heard our tracks on BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music, met many, many wonderful new people in the process. There's plenty more to come over the next year (and hopefully over the next 5 too), but to make some space at Fika HQ (aka known as what's left of my spare room), we're having a little sale. 555 We've selected 5 of our favourite albums, one from each year we've been going, and we're selling them for £5 each, just for the next 5 days. So if there's some back catalogue you've been meaning to pick up, now's your chance to do it on the cheap!

Year One: Moustache Of Insanity - Album Of Death [LP/CD] Just £5!

Year Two: Tigercats - Isle Of Dogs [LP] Just £5!

Year Three: Azure Blue - Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt [LP/CD] Just £5!

Year Four: Making Marks - A Thousand Half Truths [LP/CD] Just £5!

Year Five: Stanley Brinks and The Wave Pictures - My Ass [LP/CD] Just £5!

Prices go back to normal on Sunday night, so don't hang around...

Pre-order Beneath The Hill I Smell The Sea now

Azure Blue

“Beneath The Hill I Smell The Sea” is the final chapter of an ambitious trilogy, emerging from the sombre and introspective earlier chapters of the trilogy to embrace a host of guest vocalists for this finale. In total, seven vocalists join Azure Blue on this record, including Amanda Mair, César Vidal (Caesars) and Per Magnusson (Sportsman).

This time around, Azure Blue produced the album himself over seven months in his Stockholm studio. It has a cleaner sound; it is significantly crisper and more modern than the records that precede it, incorporating textural nuances of both classic hip-hop and dance music in to the lush, analogue escapism that links all three records. Think The Go-Betweens meets Prebab Sprout, dragged kicking and screaming from the depths of New Romanticism in to 2015.

The vinyl LP comes on 12" transparent azure coloured vinyl, in a thick reverse board sleeve and includes a download code. The CD comes neatly tucked in to a gatefold digifile card sleeve. Both are due in shops from the 15th of June. The digital version is available worldwide from May 13th - all physical orders will get an immediate download of the digital album too! For a limited amount of time, you can order both the new album and Azure Blue's previous record Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt for the bargain price of £18 for both LPs or £15 for both CDs. Pre-order here!

Third album from Azure Blue coming soon...

Azure Blue is back! It's been a year and a half since we released the second record from Azure Blue, Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt, on vinyl back at the end of summer 2013. And we're really rather excited to be able to announce we'll be working with Azure Blue again.

Take a listen above to Tragedy & Changes, the first track from his third album Beneath The Hill I Smell The Sea.

We'll have a confirmed release date for you shortly, once we've negotiated the increasing turmoil of attempting to manufacture a record within the 6 months either side of Record Store Day (who's bloody buying the tens of thousands of U2 deluxe box sets that's constipating the vinyl pressing plants these days?!)... but put a reminder in your diary for late May to get very, very excited...

Time Is On Our Side video

An absolutely dreamy pop song from Azure Blue with a video to suit, I'm still overwhelmed by this song, and by the album. Having been listening to it for several months now, the palpitations of hearing it for the first time are still there every time the vinyl goes on to my turntable - its a record for lying back on the sofa and dreaming of the thrill of summer road trips, the lush grassy meadows and the brisk late evening swims under the sunset... The album is out now on LP/CD/double gatefold LP.

Azure Blue "Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt"

The new album from Azure Blue is finally out! Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt is the follow up to the Swedish Grammy award winning Rule Of Thirds (where previous winners have included Fika favourites The Knife, Jens Lekman and El Perro Del Mar).

Here in the UK we're putting out the LP: it comes on delicious maroon coloured semi-transparent 12" vinyl, inside a wonderfully textured reverse card sleeve and includes a download code. Our friends at Hybris are in charge of the CD and digital in Europe, with Matinee Records handling the same duties for North America. Anna Logue in Germany are also issuing a double gatefold edition, containing both the new LP and Azure Blue's debut LP on vinyl for the first time.

Copies of the vinyl LP are shipping now and we'll have copies of the CD shortly. We'll also be taking some copies of the gatefold double LP, which is available to pre-order now; we're expecting to receive this from Germany later in the autumn.

Buy Azure Blue - Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt

Vinyl LP

Azure Blue

The latest addition to the Fika Recordings roster is Swedish synthpop master Azure Blue, the new project from Tobias Isaksson (Irene, Laurel Music). After his delightful debut album last year, Rule Of Thirds, we're joining the Swedish label Hybris to bring you Azure Blue's sophomore album Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt on 12" maroon vinyl. Matinée Recordings will be releasing the CD in North America, while Anna Logue Records will be releasing a double LP featuring both the Rule Of Thirds and Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt LPs.

Listen to the singles from the upcoming album below, and then pre-order the new album on vinyl here

Beyond The Dreams There's Infinite Doubt is out September 30th 2013.

Azure Blue has grown into the hearts of music lovers around the world with his debut album Rule Of Thirds and a promotional tour of 10 countries. His debut received critical praise, winning a Swedish independent grammy award, Manifest, (previous winners include The Knife, Jens Lekman and El Perro Del Mar) for the best pop album in 2012.

"Nostalgia fuelled pop harking back to the heyday of Factory Records, Isaksson's material is deeply romantic with a deft production slight of hand that can single-handedly break your heart and indeed heal it in one fell swoop." The Line Of Best Fit (UK) "The best electro-pop record in recent memory." Blurt Magazine (USA) “His touch is tender and light, and the album’s best songs always swing to the sky, riding up on decades of learning from drum machines and tangled relationships” The Fader (USA)