Welcome to 2021! We're starting this year with a bang — a bang for your buck. Yes, that's right, our very own electronic duo World News will be releasing a single package for Descenending on Jan 22nd.

"A package?!", I hear you exclaim?

Exactly, and this package includes a music video from visionary cinematographer Brennan Martin, four incredible remixes from Know Itself (Berlin), Paulo Sinski (Toronto), rryrry (Sweden) and Sages (Hamilton), and, finally, a live version of the track recorded with a single but incredibly technical microphonic device left on a bar at the back of the room of World News' most recent performance in Toronto.

Yes! You yourself will be able to take an auditory seat in an audience hall once more, and remember what it is like to drink and be merry.

So set your watches for this Friday 22nd Jan 2021. It's going to be a day, much like many other days, but with an additional Safe Sounds package for your listening pleasure.

Calm down just a little bit. Try not to drink on your own. Do what makes you happy and be kind to others.

The Go-Go Radio Magic Show has just made the recent Bill Cutbill special episode available to stream on their website: listen now.

Bill chats about all sort of things including his experience travelling in South America and some of the weird moments on his trip. Here's a little excerpt to wet the appetite...

"The biggest influence on this record is an Animal Collective EP called Meeting of the Waters. They did sound collaging and they also recorded songs whilst they were there.

"I got it from Rotate This in a bargain bin. Once I got it I listened to it every day for like three months probably. It's nice because it's immersive and the songs aren't really songs... that's something I really like about Animal Collective.

"So that was definitely a big bingo moment: 'I want to be in this place where these amazing soundscapes are so that I can just be there and feel it'. I'm always looking for my next travelling experience - when it comes to the work/life balance I feel like that's an important part for me.

"I went (to Brazil) for a month. I had the first week booked but nothing else booked after that, so I did lot's of research in terms of the Lonely Planet guide and looking up Trip Advisor reviews on all the companies in the Amazon. I reached out to the ones that I thought would be most relevant because that was the main reason I was going. The rest of the trip I left completely open, so some of the songs on the album are about places that people recommended when I was in the Amazon, and then I went there afterwards.

"I bought myself a little microphone, a small zoom that I thought would do a good job."

Thanks again to CJLO and The Go-Go Radio Magic Show.

We're delighted that a 1-hour Bill Cutbill AMAZONAS special will be airing on CJLO's The Go-Go Radio Magic Show! Tune in on Friday 13th November at 6pm to catch tales from the jungle, a discussion on the accompanying Bill's Amazonas Sound Library and more.

Also a big thank you to Ian for being such a wonderful host, and CJLO in general for promoting music, art and creativity in equal measures. Make sure you tune in either via 1690AM radio or via the station website!

Finally, remember that AMAZONAS is free to download via desktop for a limited time (with a suggested donation to the Rainforest Trust).

Your favourite zine — Ultra — has just arrived with Issue 2, featuring your monthly dose of visuals, literature and music from local heroes such as ROY, Peeling and our very own, Bill Cutbill.

Our monthly column features an interview with Bill by Kaleidoscope Horse and Safe Sounds co-founder Desiree Das Gupta. Visit Ultra's website now on desktop to view the digital zine free, or consider purchasing a broadsheet or mobile copy if you want to support the publication.

Bill Cutbill's debut LP, AMAZONAS has arrived worldwide via Safe Sounds (SS108).

The album will raise money for the Rainforest Trust charity to protect threatened tropic rainforests and the species that call them home. As such, it is free to download via desktop for a limited time, at which point you will be prompted to make an optional donation.

Using our incredibly snazzy Artwork Generator (desktop only), you will also be able to create a unique version of the AMAZONAS artwork to accompany your download, consisting of photos that Cutbill took in the Amazon rainforest in September 2019.

To support this release further, you can follow Bill on Spotify and throw the album on repeat. Please also consider sharing this release with your friends, family and worst enemies.

The AMAZONAS LP features a diverse range of field recordings that Cutbill made in a threatened ecosystem. We are therefore pleased to announce the accompanying — Bill's Amazonas Sound Library — which is a free resource of over 100 natural samples recorded in the Amazon rainforest that artists can use in their creations.

These samples have been cleaned and prepared to make them suitable for musicians, filmmakers, artists and more. We hope that this resource will provide an important snapshot of the Amazon rainforest and also give comfort to people who want to immerse themselves within this lush environment, at a time when international travel is almost impossible

Remember, we must all work together to save the Amazon rainforest.