Meet the ÉTOILE!

Michael Graves’ IEM collaboration with Volk Audio and Jack Vang.

Jack Vang has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative in-ear monitor designers working today. More than a decade in the making, the ÉTOILE unites Vang’s signature design vision with the mastering expertise of five-time GRAMMY Award–winning engineer Michael Graves. At its core is a custom 10-driver quadbrid system built to deliver nothing less than resolution, accuracy, and truth.

Created for mastering-level listening in the most demanding environments, the ÉTOILE is designed to deliver a transformative listening experience. It is about connection — that moment when playback disappears, leaving only the listener and the music. Bass is solid and controlled, the midrange warm and intimate, and the highs detailed with nuance, texture, and air. The result is a soundstage with true studio-grade depth and dimension.

More information about ÉTOILE can be found here.

From Michael Graves:

Jack Vang and Michael Graves - Seoul, South Korea, August 2025

“In 2013, I met Jack when he approached me with the idea of working together on a set of in-ear monitors (IEMs) he was developing. They turned out to be a game-changer for my audio restoration and mastering work, offering clarity and detail I’d never experienced with over-ear headphones. Over the past 12 years, I’ve worn those IEMs daily. Plus, after nearly three decades of working professionally with sound, I now have a clear understanding of what I’m looking for in terms of sound reproduction.

So in 2023, when Jack invited me to collaborate on his new flagship IEM, I was all in. With years of experience behind us, we worked closely on refining prototypes, sharing a common language around sound. The final version — the ÉTOILE — delivered exactly what I was looking for: sonic truth. I’m so proud of this product and to have my name associated with Jack and Volk Audio.”

Master Wilburn Burchette — The Psychic Meditation Series (Numero Group)

Label: Numero Group
Audio restoration: Jordan McLeod (Osiris Studio)
Mastering: Michael Graves (Osiris Studio)
Reissue producers: Ken Shipley & Rob Sevier (Numero Group)

Some artists leave behind a catalog. Wilburn Burchette left behind a trail—hand-drawn jackets, mail-order mysticism, and a seven-album run of guitar-and-electronic meditations that feel like they arrived from a parallel 1970s. Numero Group’s long-running Burchette reissue campaign reframes these recordings not as novelty artifacts, but as a coherent body of visionary private-press work—equal parts American primitive guitar, kosmische drift, and occult “listening instruction” philosophy.

Audio Restoration and Mastering

Because no master tapes are known to exist, the restoration for the Wilburn Burchette series was undertaken entirely from rare original vinyl copies. Restoring vinyl to a point where it is effectively indistinguishable from a master tape is a core Osiris Studio specialty, but these recordings presented an especially delicate challenge. Burchette’s music often moves through extremely quiet passages with wide dynamic range, where even the smallest artifact can disrupt the listener’s focus.

Jordan McLeod approached the restoration with exceptional care, paying close attention to noise floors, transient integrity, and decay tails to ensure that no evidence of the vinyl source would intrude on the meditative flow of the music. The goal was not simply cleanliness, but transparency—preserving the sense of space, stillness, and intention embedded in the performances. Once restored, the material was mastered by Michael Graves with an emphasis on cohesion across the seven albums, allowing the recordings to breathe naturally while maintaining the immersive, hypnotic quality that defines Burchette’s work.

The Albums: Titles + Original Release Dates

Below are the seven core Burchette albums—released one per year across a remarkable seven-year stretch:

1. Occult Concert — originally released 1971

2. Opens the Seven Gates of Transcendental Consciousness — originally released 1972

3. Guitar Grimoire — originally released 1973

4. Psychic Meditation Music — originally released January 1, 1974

5. Music of the Godhead for Supernatural Meditation — originally released 1975

6. Transcendental Music for Meditation — originally released 1976

7. Mind Storm — originally released 1977

Why this series matters

Burchette wasn’t operating in the normal music economy. He was selling a self-contained world: ads placed in esoteric magazines, a “course” designed to teach people how to listen, and recordings meant to function as tools as much as albums. Numero’s research and presentation contextualize that world without sanding off its weird edges—so the music can land today with the same unsettling clarity it must’ve had when it first arrived in a mailbox.

If you’ve only heard Burchette in passing—through crate-digger lore or the occasional algorithmic rabbit hole—this Numero Group series is the way in: seven chapters, one per year, mapping a complete arc from reverberant guitar incantations to deep-brain electronic immersion.

Family — Southern Avenue

Release Date: April 25, 2025
Label: Alligator Records
Artist: Southern Avenue
Mastering: Michael Graves — Osiris Studio
Production: John Burk
Recording & Mixing: Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell
Recorded at: Royal Studios, Memphis, TN
Recorded: 2025

Family marks a major chapter for Memphis roots-soul band Southern Avenue, serving as both their fourth full-length album and their debut release for Alligator Records. Recorded in 2025 at the legendary Royal Studios, the album draws deeply from the traditions of Memphis soul while embracing a contemporary, forward-looking sound shaped by gospel, blues, funk, and R&B.

Produced by longtime collaborator John Burk and recorded and mixed by Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, Family captures the band in a moment of creative clarity and cohesion. The record centers on themes of connection, resilience, and shared history, anchored by the Jackson sisters’ powerful vocal interplay and supported by tight grooves and soulful guitar work. Songs such as “Long Is The Road,” “Upside,” and “Found A Friend In You” balance emotional intimacy with uplifting energy, reinforcing the band’s identity while expanding their sonic reach.

Mastering at Osiris Studio

Michael Graves worked closely with producer John Burk during the mastering of Family at Osiris Studio. The goal was to preserve the warmth, dynamics, and immediacy captured during the Royal Studios sessions while ensuring consistency, clarity, and impact across all playback formats. Particular care was taken to honor the album’s deep Memphis roots while presenting Southern Avenue’s sound with modern fidelity and balance.

Family stands as a confident and deeply personal statement — a record that bridges tradition and present-day expression, reflecting Southern Avenue’s growth while remaining firmly grounded in soul.

Idaho — The Devil You Know [1992–1996] (Boxed Set) Out Now

Arts & Crafts has released The Devil You Know [1992–1996], a deluxe, limited-edition vinyl box set documenting the formative early years of Idaho, one of the most quietly influential bands to emerge from the 1990s slowcore movement. Spanning recordings made between 1992 and 1996, the collection captures the stark beauty, emotional weight, and spacious dynamics that defined Idaho’s earliest work.

The release coincides with the documentary Traces of Glory: The Musical Journey of Idaho, which explores the band’s history, creative evolution, and lasting legacy. Together, the box set and film present a unified archival portrait of Idaho’s early years, pairing newly mastered audio with historical context and reflection.

Mastering from the original tapes at Osiris Studio

The entire The Devil You Know [1992–1996] collection was newly mastered by Michael Graves at Osiris Studio, working closely with Idaho’s Jeff Martin. Mastering was performed directly from the original tapes, with a focus on preserving the records’ natural dynamics, and emotional immediacy—qualities central to Idaho’s sound. These same masters were also used for Traces of Glory, ensuring a consistent sonic presentation across both the vinyl release and the film.

What’s included

This expansive box set brings together Idaho’s long-out-of-print early catalog alongside a collection of rare material, offering the most complete view yet of the band’s early output.

The Devil You Know [1992–1996] includes:

• Year After Year (1993) — 2LP, 45 RPM

• This Way Out (1994) — 1LP, 33 RPM

• Three Sheets To The Wind (1996) — 1LP, 33 RPM

• The Devil You Know (Bonus LP) — EP and 7" material from the era

The bonus LP gathers rare and hard-to-find recordings—tracks that helped define Idaho’s early identity but were previously scattered across singles and EPs—now presented as a cohesive listening experience for the first time.

Production details

Vinyl lacquers for the box set were cut by Jeff Powell (Take Out Vinyl). The collection also features reimagined artwork by Jonathan Schute, with liner notes by Brian Long and Jack Rabid, adding further historical context to the music.

Released in December 2024, The Devil You Know [1992–1996] is a limited, one-time vinyl pressing via Arts & Crafts, offering longtime listeners and new audiences alike a definitive archival edition of Idaho’s early work—newly mastered and presented with care, context, and intention.

Ray Charles’ Country & Western Recordings Remastered by Michael Graves

Tangerine Records continues its carefully curated return to the catalog of Ray Charles with a focused reissue campaign highlighting several of the most influential albums of his career. Centered on Ray’s groundbreaking country & western recordings, these titles have been newly mastered at Osiris Studio by Michael Graves, with vinyl lacquers cut by Jeff Powell.

These albums are not only cornerstones of Ray Charles’ discography—they are foundational American recordings that permanently reshaped genre boundaries and audience expectations. Mastering this material today requires a historically informed approach, balancing respect for the original recordings with clarity, cohesion, and reliable translation to modern digital and vinyl formats.

The 2024 Tangerine Records Releases

Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, Volume 1
Originally released in 1962, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music is widely regarded as one of the most important albums in American music history. Ray Charles’ reimagining of country repertoire—paired with expansive orchestration and his unmistakable vocal authority—helped dismantle racial and stylistic divisions in popular music. The 2024 Tangerine Records reissue returned the album to vinyl, CD, and digital formats with newly prepared masters.

Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music, Volume 2
Issued alongside Volume 1, Modern Sounds, Volume 2 expands on the original concept with equal confidence and emotional depth. Mastering focused on maintaining tonal continuity and dynamic consistency so both volumes function as a unified artistic statement.

Country And Western Meets Rhythm And Blues
Originally released in 1965, Country And Western Meets Rhythm And Blues captures Ray Charles at the height of his genre-blending confidence. Building on the Modern Sounds framework, the album further integrates country songwriting with R&B phrasing, rhythm, and arrangement. The 2024 reissue restores dimensionality and presence while preserving the warmth and immediacy of the original recordings.

Crying Time
Ray Charles’ 1966 album Crying Time represents a more intimate chapter in his country-focused work. Long out of print in several formats, this reissue restores the album with renewed focus, honoring its subtle dynamics, emotional restraint, and vocal nuance.

Best Of Country & Western
Serving as an accessible entry point into Ray Charles’ country & western recordings, this compilation draws from key performances across the era. Mastered with the same care as the full-length albums, the collection emphasizes musical flow and cohesion rather than a purely retrospective presentation.

Osiris Studio is honored to contribute to the ongoing preservation and presentation of Ray Charles’ recorded legacy, supporting Tangerine Records’ efforts to keep these essential albums available in the highest possible fidelity.

The Lijadu Sisters: Horizon Unlimited Restored — A Landmark Reissue with Numero Group

Osiris Studio is proud to be part of a landmark reissue campaign honoring the legacy of The Lijadu Sisters, one of the most influential and unjustly overlooked acts in Nigerian music history. In partnership with Numero Group, the campaign begins with a newly restored and remastered edition of Horizon Unlimited, available digitally now and on LP/CD beginning September 20, 2024.

This multi-year, multi-album initiative represents more than a reissue series—it is a long-overdue act of preservation, reclamation, and historical correction. As one of the only women-led groups working during Nigeria’s post-independence cultural golden age, identical twins Yeye Taiwo Lijadu and Kehinde Lijadu released five albums in the 1970s while navigating systemic exploitation, copyright abuse, and gender-based barriers. Despite these obstacles, their music endured—traveling across decades and continents to influence generations of artists and listeners.

Extensive Audio Restoration at Osiris Studio

Horizon Unlimited has been newly remastered by Michael Graves, with Jordan McLeod working closely alongside him on the audio restoration. The restoration process was extensive, addressing decades of compromised sources and wear to present the album in the highest fidelity possible. Every track has been carefully revealed with renewed clarity, depth, and impact—allowing the Lijadu Sisters’ harmonies, arrangements, and rhythmic power to be heard as never before.

The physical release also includes first-ever lyric transcriptions in both Yoruba and English, corrected credits, original artwork, and archival materials—further reinforcing Numero Group’s commitment to respectful, definitive catalog restoration.

A Legacy That Continues to Resonate

Blending Afrobeat with funk, soul, reggae, disco, rock, and jazz, The Lijadu Sisters created a sound that was both fiercely contemporary and forward-looking. Their influence can be traced through artists ranging from David Byrne and Nas to Amaarae, Ayra Starr, Jamie xx, and Hayley Williams. As Rolling Stone noted, the duo were “trailblazers whose influence spans many genres and generations,” helping to lay the foundation for African music’s global resonance.

Following Kehinde Lijadu’s passing in 2019, Yeye Taiwo has continued to honor their shared mission—preserving their musical legacy while expanding her work as a spiritual healer and community advocate. This reissue campaign ensures that the sisters’ voices, vision, and message of empowerment remain accessible to new audiences worldwide.

A Comprehensive Discography Restoration

In addition to Horizon Unlimited, The Lijadu Sisters’ complete discography—Urede (1974), Danger (1976), Mother Africa (1977), and Sunshine (1978)—has been restored by Michael Graves and Jordan McLeod, with mastering by Graves. As part of this ongoing partnership, Numero Group will release physical editions of each album over the coming years. The campaign will also include reissues of rare archival material, previously unavailable singles, and promotional EPs—finally giving their music the respect, protection, and recognition it has always deserved.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges

Release Date: April 2024
Label: Deep Digs Music / Elemental Music
Formats: Deluxe 180g 2xLP (Record Store Day), Deluxe CD, Digital
Audio Restoration & Mastering: Michael Graves, Osiris Studio

Osiris Studio is proud to announce the release of Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges, a previously unreleased live recording by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, captured at the Grand Theatre in Limoges, France on November 11, 1966. Long recognized as the Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll, Tharpe’s revolutionary fusion of gospel music, blues phrasing, and amplified electric guitar helped define the foundations of rock music well before the genre had a name. This archival release documents her influence not in retrospect, but in motion—direct, commanding, and fully realized on stage.

By the mid-1960s, Tharpe’s impact on the origins of rock ’n’ roll was gaining renewed recognition in Europe, where audiences embraced her as both a gospel innovator and a guitar pioneer. The Limoges concert presents Tharpe in a solo live performance, stripped to voice and guitar, free from studio production or commercial constraints. What emerges is a masterclass in rhythm, dynamics, and emotional authority—percussive electric guitar lines supporting gospel-rooted vocals delivered with striking clarity and power.

Culturally, Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges stands as a vital historical document. It centers Sister Rosetta Tharpe where she belongs: at the core of rock history, not as an influence filtered through others, but as a primary source. Heard today, the performance feels unmistakably modern, underscoring how deeply her innovations continue to shape contemporary music, live performance, and guitar-driven expression.

Restored and mastered by Michael Graves at Osiris Studio, the audio was approached with a preservation-first philosophy—maintaining the integrity of the source while revealing the immediacy, emotion, and physicality of the room. The goal was not modernization, but access: allowing today’s listeners to experience Tharpe as audiences did in 1966—powerful, fearless, and unmistakably influential.

Credits

Recording Date: November 11, 1966
Producer (Reissue): Zev Feldman
In Cooperation With: Sister Rosetta Tharpe Estate, INA France
Audio Restoration & Mastering: Michael Graves, Osiris Studio
Lacquer Cutting: Bernie Grundman, Bernie Grundman Mastering

Closing

Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges preserves a singular moment in music history—one where the Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll stands alone on stage, shaping the future of electric guitar and live performance in real time. Osiris Studio is honored to have played a role in restoring and mastering this essential recording, ensuring that Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s legacy can be heard as vividly and truthfully as possible.

The Mystic Tide – Frustration

Artist: The Mystic Tide
Title: Frustration
Label: Numero Group
Release date: February 16, 2024
Compilation/Reissue producers: Alec Palao, Douglas McGowan, Ken Shipley, Rob Sevier
Audio restoration & mastering: Michael Graves (Osiris Studio)

Some bands leave behind a tidy catalog. The Mystic Tide left a handful of painfully rare 45s—and a sound that feels bigger than its footprint. On Frustration, Numero Group finally pulls the full arc of this Long Island quartet into one place: a raw-nerved collision of Merseybeat push, surf-noir shadow, and full-tilt garage-psych abrasion that collectors have been chasing for decades.

What makes Frustration hit so hard isn’t just the fuzz and the frenzy—it’s the feeling of a young band reaching past their means and landing somewhere genuinely singular. Numero’s deep-dive story on the group frames it perfectly as “the power of the amateur”: a suburban, middle-class Long Island band with no scandal, no mythology—just an outsized sense of urgency in the grooves.

Restoring Frustration at Osiris Studio

For this release, the goal was straightforward: make these historic sides feel immediate—without sanding off the edges that made them matter in the first place. The Mystic Tide’s original singles were meant to be brash, unstable, and emotionally forward. Bringing them together into a cohesive album required careful restoration and mastering choices, track-to-track consistency, and respect for the violent little bursts of energy that define the band’s best moments.

If you’ve only encountered The Mystic Tide as whispered-about collector lore, Frustration turns the myth into a full-bodied listen—refurbished in best-ever sound and finally presented as the complete statement it always deserved to be.

GRAMMY Number Five!

(L-R) Michael Graves, Deanie Parker, Robert Gordon, Cheryl Pawelski, Michele Smith, and Mason Williams

We’re happy to announce that the GRAMMY award for Best Historical Album went to Craft Recordings’, Written In Their Soul: The STAX Songwriter Demos last Sunday at the 66th Anual GRAMMY Award Ceremony. This will be Michael Graves’ fifth GRAMMY Award . The Award recipients include, Cheryl Pawelski, Deanie Parker, Michele Smith, Robert Gordon, and Mason Williams as compilation producers and Michael Graves for audio restoration and mastering.

More information about Written In Their Soul: The STAX Songwriter Demos can be found here.

And if that wasn’t enough, Deanie Parker and Robert Gordon also received the GRAMMY for Best Album Notes for their outstanding writing!

And the award for Best Album Notes goes to…

Congo Funk!

The making of Congo Funk! - Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa​/​Brazzaville 1969​-​1982) took the Analog Africa Team on two journeys to Kinshasa and one to Brazzaville. Selected meticulously from around 2000 songs and boiled down to 14, this compilation aims to showcase the many facets of the funky, hypnotic and schizophrenic tunes emanating from the two Congolese capitals nestled on the banks of the Congo River, and highlight the bands and artists, famous and obscure, who pushed Rumba to new heights and ultimately influenced the musical landscape of the entire continent and beyond. 

Audio restoration and mastering by Michael Graves here at Osiris Studio.