Buscar:b soul

Two standout versions from the Lewin sisters, now available back-to-back on 45 for the first time. Classic soul turned reggae grooves produced by guitarist John Kpiaye and Adrian Joseph aka DJ Smokey Joe.Recorded in the mid-80s, a decade after the first advent of UK lovers rock and tailor-made for bass-heavy sound system playback, Christine Lewin’s cover of Tyrone Davis’s ‘In The Mood’ transformed his sensual after-hours classic into a female-led hit, that became a staple on Lovers playlists both then and now. Similarly, Tricia Dean’s sought-after cover of Jean Carn’s soul favourite ‘Don’t Let It Go To Your Head’ follows the same formula from Kpiaye and Smokey, synth-led rhythms reflecting the times rooted firmly in a local London scene.

A Wide ranging, eclectic and progressive musical outlook has always been the Lack of Afro approach. His latest material follows suit as he harnesses disparate musical styles ranging from funk, soul and hip-hop to create a contemporary yet vintage musical escapade of superb songs.


On his 4th studio album for Freestyle Records, the influences, sounds and musical textures are more eclectic than ever. Below, Adam talks us through some of the his favourite moments on 'Music For Adverts'.


First out of the box is the steaming funk killer Freedom: This time around I knew I didn't want an intro or a skit to start the album - I needed a strong, heavy opener - I had the melody for the chorus floating around in my head. It was then just a case of working with Jack Tyson - Charles on the rest of it and getting the vibe that the song required.


Long time Lack Of Afro collaborator Herbal T features on Brown Sugar: I had an idea of doing a disco track with an emcee on it, which you don't really hear often. This is actually the first time I've sung on a Lack of Afro track, adding my backing vocal warblings on the choruses! Special shout to George Cooper for the howlin' Hammond solo at the end too.


Of the gritty instrumental No Guts, No Glory Adam explains: I wanted to include 3 instrumentals as I always have a soft spot for them & it's what people know me for. The 'choir' was recorded by layering up my own voice in different octaves, nothing is auto-tuned, its all real. The studio allows me to do stuff like that but I could never sing live - I'll leave that to the proper vocalists.


'Proper vocalist' Jack Tyson - Charles again features on The Gypsy, which as Adam explains uses the classic song format to great effect: One of my favourite LOA tunes to date, Its in keeping with the album mission statement of wanting to write 'proper songs' instead of just grooves.

*Repress*

Low Key Source drops a limited edition AA side 7 inch vinyl release featuring tracks by Tall Black Guy x Allysha Joy and Children Of Zeus x Black Milk.

Tall Black Guy’s production for “Sip Of You” has it’s feet firmly planted in the golden era but all the while still managing to sound futuristic and of the moment. Allysha Joy laces the jazz influenced production effortlessly with her own signature soulful vocals, pulling the listener gently in.

On "Won’t End Well" Manchester's Children Of Zeus depicts a neighbourhood entranced by drugs and how good kids seduced by this way of life learn how to become a part of the cycle despite the advice of their parents knowing it won’t end well. Black Milk’s hard kick and crisp snare mimic the darkness surrounding this type of environment in a predatory and cunning manor.

For the second release in our Re-Issue Series we've teamed up with London duo Euphonic for a cherry picked deep dive into their back catalogue exploring some of their finest works, fusing Jungle, Breaks, and Down Tempo with unique programming, bass lines and traditional jazz/blues instrumentation.

The "Low Orbit Archives" 12" features a number of artists whom they have collaborated with since the project's inception back in 1997, including dr. Israel, Soothsayer, Kirsty Rock and Neech. Euphonic is led by producer Rob Henry and former Graffiti artist turned DJ Nick Trimm.

Following Part 1 of the project, the recently released 10" vinyl "Jah Science", the full LP follows, featuring an additional 5 tracks with Part 2 offering a wide spectrum of music for audio lovers and record collectors. All tracks have been taken from CD, Vinyl and DAT, unearthed and newly remastered.

After three years of work, Nigerian-born neo-soul singer Wayne Snow returns with a new album Figurine. Written between Berlin and Paris, this album is based on a simple question: "Who is the real you?" - and leads Wayne Snow to explore renewal, individuality and his origins. Produced by Crayon - an artist signed to Roche Musique - with the participation of jazz guitarist Oscar Jerome on the track "Magnetic", Wayne Snow uses a range of sounds that showcase his songwriting talent. Preceded by the singles "Seventy", "Nina" and "The Thrill", the album Figurine will be released on Roche Musique on September 24, 2021.

Soopasoul is an enigmatic producer, who's purist approach to jazz, funk and soul music has resonated with DJs, break-dancers, music connoisseurs, critics and casual listeners alike. Since furthering his legacy by creating a hugely successful edits series, Soopasoul returns with some more original cuts in the shape of 'A Wild Mad Beat' and 'Swing Down'.

'A Mad Wild Beat' does exactly what it says on tin. Kicking things off with a tough break that knocks so delightfully hard, this energetic vibe moves swiftly into a lead sax being given the freedom front and centre to flow over tight horn stabs, guitar licks, percussion and a monster of a bassline.

But it doesn't stop there. 'Swing Down' switches things up on the flip, with it's up-tempo feel-good rare groove. The band are in full swing here, deftly providing the playful call-and-response to the sexy call-to-action found in the lyrics, all skilfully delivered with the intention to get the dancefloor into the right mood to party all night long.

This summer, Saft welcomes Dubbyman after a three-year hiatus from releasing music. He serves up a gorgeous new EP in the SAFTX series that features a remix from Detroit mainstay FIT Siegel.

Dubbyman is a master of the deep. As a DJ and producer, he explores warm and heady soundscapes that are rooted in house and techno but decorated with much more. His musical synths and compelling rhythms have resulted in countless vital EPs on labels like Ferrispark, Soul People Music and the Deep Explorer label he co-runs. Now, after a break, he is back and in brilliant form.

Opener 'En La Ciudad' is an effortlessly loose and languid house track. The hip-swinging claps and funk bass riffs bring a sunset vibe, with wordless vocals from Carlito Brigante Rojo and dreamy pads really soothing the soul. Remixing is legendary FIT Sound label head, FXHE associate and pillar of the Motor City scene FIT Siegel. His famously no-nonsense approach results in a track here that is laced up with smoky soul. The dusty beats roll deep, the twisted synth work brings light and lush pads soften the whole groove with a real sense of heart.

"Up Again" strikes another perfectly seductive pose with its jazzy keys, soulful vocals, and rough-edged beats that make you want to dance. It's a tune packed with feelings and irresistible funk, and is sure to be the soundtrack to many outdoor parties this summer. The Deep Explorer Mix is a little more direct, with dynamic house drums, sunkissed motifs and warm pads taking you straight to the Mediterranean. Last of all, "Tropic" featuring Arturo Sanchidrian on bass is a downtempo classic, with beachy vibes, gently breaking synth waves and soft-focus melodies sinking you deep into a
reverie.

This is an EP of life-affirming, heart-warming house sounds that take you to a better place.

Lava Love is the new album by Zoe’s Shanghai. Led by singer Zoé Renié Harris, the band has
made a splash into the crowded neo-soul scene with their debut EP A Mirage (Meant To Last
Forever) released in 2019 - a deeply evocative sound and Zoe’s extraordinary voice gained them
immediately the spotlight as ones to watch (“a worthy torchbearer for heady and hearty soul music”-
Earmilk).
Following a successful string of EPs and singles, the Barcelona & Paris-based four-piece band is
now ready to share with the world their first full-length album.
Lava Love was recorded in an old stable in the French region of Auvergne - known for its mountain
ranges and dormant volcanoes, this region could not have been a more apt setting.
Lava and love portray in fact a dynamic flow of memory and meaning pouring out of Zoe’s
Shanghai’s heart. In and out of the metaphor, Lava and love can be powerful, frightening, beautiful,
dangerous and at the same time are essential elements that create fertile change and growth.
Through the 11 songs, the band evoke memories and pose questions - inner dialogues, life stories,
encounters and relationships – the album depicts a kaleidoscope of moods and feelings, prompting
the listener to open to the conversation: while each song presents a microcosm on its own, the album
manifests itself in the shared musical experience - immersive music to listen to and enjoy with your
loved ones.
Produced with Oli Barton-Wood (Nubiyan Twist, Joe Armon-Jones, Nilufer Yanya), the sound of
Lava Love brings together hypnotic melodies, groovy rhythms and thoughtful lyrics - fusing the
essence of multiple music styles and forging Zoe’s Shanghai unique contemporary soul.
The album follows the critically acclaimed EP ‘A Mirage’, which garnered the support of Gilles
Peterson & Huey Morgan (BBC 6 Music), Jamz Supernova (BBC Radio 1Xtra), Worldwide FM and
Earmilk to name a few.

A Civil Rights activist who marched alongside Jesse Jackson, preacher for Earth Wind & Fire, Stax recording artist, “Family Feud” contestant, Stephen Curry soundtracker, high school drop out, and Kanye samplee, Pastor T. L. Barrett stuffed a dozen lives into one. His signature 1971 spiritual soul jam “Like A Ship” has transcended its humble South Side Chicago beginnings, rediscovered by Leon Bridges and Beck and described by Radioheadʼs Colin Greenwood as “The most euphoric celebratory music that makes you want to jump around the house and explode with joy.” This box is the definitive statement on Barrettʼs two decades of recordings, 49 tracks spread across five LPs, including Like A Ship, Do Not Pass Me By Volume 1 & 2, I Found The Answer, plus a bonus album of singles and sermons, a 10,000 word blow-by-blow, and illustrated discography.

Effortlessly hopscotching between vintage acid and 80s Rn’B, insouciant Francophone pop and twinkling electro house, Lou Hayter has delivered something at once utterly unique and defiantly timeless with her much anticipated debut solo LP, released on Skint Records. It has been a long time coming for London native Hayter, who first made her mark professionally as keyboardist for New Young Pony Club, one of THE bands at the epicentre of the white hot day-glo nu rave scene alongside the likes of the Klaxons and Test Icicles in 2006. But, to fully place her debut album in context, it is necessary to rewind a little bit – to the very beginning in fact, with Hayter growing up on a diet of Bowie, Prince, Human League and Jellybean-era Madonna while concomitantly learning classical piano from the age of five. The flames of this deliciously varied musical palette were further stoked by trips to record shops in Soho with her brother (Soul Jazz was a particular obsession), but it was while studying in Cambridge that the match was well and truly struck – she used her student grant to buy a set of Technics and started putting on club nights, before moving to London and working at Trevor Jackson’s seminal Output Recordings, placing Hayter smack bang in the middle of all the action, with disco punk fever hitting full force and bands like the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem first breaking out.

The hugely successful, Mercury-nominated New Young Pony Club followed shortly after, but it’s through her subsequent output that she started to distil and refine her idiosyncratic tastes. And certainly, you can hear hints of both the New Sins, the 80’s New Wave duo she formed with Nick Phillips, and Tomorrow’s World, the swooning Gallic pop act she fronts alongside Air’s JB Dunckel, in her remarkable debut. Full to bursting with evocative electro-soul love letters to her home town of London alongside addictive disco torch ballads, it’s like Kylie meeting Mr Fingers or, Jam & Lewis producing Jane Birkin – something beautiful and melancholic yet sharply modern and new. From the warm, woozy, lysergic harmonies of opener “Cherry on Top”, which sound like a beloved old cassette unravelling, to the fizzy, infectious “Cold Feet”, which calls to mind Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam at their most heartworn, taken in toto the album perfectly nails the essence of gorgeously nostalgic synth-pop with a twist; crisp, stylish and sophisticated music which heralds the next chapter of Lou Hayter quite nicely, actually. Her retro-futuristic results will give 2021 the pop fix it so desperately needs.

2024 Restock

Space Afrika follow last year's heartbreaking x perception-bending mixtape "hybtwibt?" with an anxious patchwork of drill bass, reflective musique concrete and after-hours surrealism >> singular deep headspace exploration to file alongside Mark Leckey, Perila, Burial or Klein.

Assembled to accompany a short film from Manchester-born visual artist, poet and filmmaker Tibyan Mahawah Sanoh, Joshua Inyang and Joshua Tarelle’s newest is a cinematic audit of identity and ancestry. In the film, Sanoh works hard to visually illustrate an honest and vulnerable picture of her soul. Inyang and Tarelle respond by doing the same with sound, collaging disparate elements together in a way that should be familiar to anyone who heard "hybtwibt?" or their jawdropping RA mix from earlier this year.

Warped field recordings, overdriven rhythmic pressure, syrupy pads and disorienting vocals are cut and pasted over each other, generating a living, breathing study of the duo's Northern working class Black British reality. Unlike the duo's acclaimed "Somewhere Decent To Live" full-length, elements mutate and transform: mushy noise bends into street sounds, haunted vocals into echoing drill melancholia and muffled howls into shattered digital remnants.

The main event is the full 10-minute soundtrack, that's layered with Sanoh's disorienting and deeply personal poetry and echoes Mark Leckey's recent "In This Lingering Twilight Sparkle". Then the EP is bumped up with three sketches from the same sessions, two of which never made it to the final mixdown. 'Version 3' is a particular highlight, pasting heartbreaking piano and blowtorched vocal loops over winding drill bass > sounds like Burial remixing Unknown T into pure syrup.

a 1. Untitled (To Describe You) OST feat. Tibyan Mahawah Sanoh 10:50

a 1 | Untitled (To Describe You) OST feat. Tibyan Mahawah Sanoh 10 50

Songs Of Loss and Separation, the sprawling second album from TIMES OF GRACE is insistent in its bluesiness, bleeding distortion and emotion, weaving effortlessly between pensive, heavy, midtempo rock riffs and atmosphere. The band's sophomore effort and first since 2011 channels a haunting romanticism and deep spiritual yearning that collide in beautiful melancholy. The vocal interplay of Adam Dutkiewicz and Jesse Leach makes for a rich, dense, and enthralling concoction, powering through various trips through dark nights of the soul and mind-expanding excursions into the wild.

Native from south of France, Ogmah is a DJ/Producer of industrial and noisy techno, embellished with hardcore influences. Founder of the label Askorn Records, his music is raw, hard hitting and harsh, and his mixing style is fast, hard and precise.

A1) This first track deserves a powerful broken beat rhythm, combined with some aggressive noises & FX and a stormy atmosphere. Sounds like an unchained monster in a disaffected metallurgic factory.

A2) Pure violence into this hard hitting 4x4 industrial track. Collapse of the business techno. Heavy hammering kick with some organic noises, perfect soundtrack for a sacrifice.

B1) Keepsakes brings his famous crazy groovy drums patterns in this one! Boxing kick, scary atmosphere & disturbing synth, perfect for dancing until you die in a gloomy & wet Berlin cellar.

B2) Noisy as hell remix with a crazy sound design by Exome! Dark & violent, this track is a fucking tank that will crush your soul and chase you in your scariest nightmares...

B3) This last remix by Alessandro Nero will make you broke into a furious gallop! Metallic noises with a recognizable modular style, this track will make you remember some good old schoolish hardcorish vibes.

“After many years and EP released, the idea of working on something bigger was growing in me. This project is a natural way for me to introducing myself by showing my musical signature, a generous & mesmerizing sound, taking influences into ethereal colors in order to impact the listeners with a powerful & vibing sound, also by bringing some ideas I never dare to put here. “

Nikitch is a versatile musician, making his unique signature by using classical music as much as Jazz & electronic music. He rapidly get supports by tastemakers Gilles Peterson & Laurent Garnier, playing his music all around the world, and also working with labels like Ninja Tune, Brownswood or Soulection. France based but open to the whole musical world, his projects and collaborations goes from Brussels based producer Kuna Maze to french Rapper Grems passing by UK singer Andreya Triana. After a bunch of remixes ( DJ Cam, Submotion Orchestra, Ghost Of Christmas) and some releases on prestigious labels as Chateau Bruyant, Cascade Records or Tru Thoughts, he just joined the Casamance team to release his first LP, which will be out in September 24th.

Along with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic, Sly & the Family Stone virtually invented 1970’s funk. Their fusion of R&B rhythms, infectious melodies, and psychedelia created a new pop/soul/rock hybrid. The impact of Sly’s music has proven widespread and long-lasting. For instance, Motown producer Norman Whitfield patterned the label’s forays into harder- driving, socially relevant material (such as The Temptations’ “Runaway Child” and “Ball of Confusion”) based on their sound.

The pioneering Stone had a major influence in the 1980’s on artists such as Prince and Rick James. Legions of artists from the 1990’s forward - including Public Enemy, Fatboy Slim, Arrested Devellopment, Beck and many others - mined Stone’s back catalog for samples.

For those not familiar with Sly this 2LP set is a great introduction and an invitation to dig deeper into Sly & The Family Stone’s catalogue. This 20 track compilation covers all the hits & fan favourites from the 1968-1974 period.

The Best Of Sly and The Family Stone is now available as a limited edition of 2000 numbered copies on transparent pink vinyl.

"One of the quintessential Charles Mingus recordings regardless of label, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus finds a mini-big-band playing some of Mingus’ best-known compositions – albeit with new titles! Features Mingus favorites Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin and Jaki Byard among its all-star cast.
Mainly recorded during the sessions for the Black Saint And The Sinner Lady, this 1964 classic featured many of Mingus’s greatest compositions including ‘Celia’, ‘Theme For Lester Young’ and ‘Better Git Hit In Yo’ Soul’
Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging."

Digitmovies is proud to release on LP the OST by Ennio Morricone: "Noi lazzaroni" (aka "We Rascals”). Ennio Morricone has composed a very "rural" score with the sounds, that represent the life of the protagonist. Although integrated within modern society, the soul of this man is always directed to his past, to his land, to the teachings of his father which he could never leave behind. This adherence to the homeland is expressed through deliberately wild and almost enraged vocal performances of Edda Dell'Orso. Ennio Morricone has composed music which reflects the bucolic atmosphere of this tale through a series of archaically flavoured themes played by instruments like recorder and mandolin. Among the recurrent themes there are a mysterious motif, dramatic music for dissonant strings and a lounge theme with the typical Morricone sound. The main theme is reprised for recorder and guitar and there is Baroque music for the puppet theater played by woodwinds and percussions. Our LP contains two bonus tracks, unreleased alternate takes of the original album versions which will surely be quite attractive for fans and scholars of the music of Ennio Morricone.

Black Country Communion the rock supergroup comprised of vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper) and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa.

Their debut album “Black Country Communion” was originally released by Mascot Records in Europe in 2010. Three Black Country Communion albums will be re-issued as part of the Black Country Communion Glow In The Dark Vinyl Series: On September 24, "Black Country Communion" and "2", and on October 22, 2021 their latest studio album "BCCIV".

On "Black Country Communion" most songs are sung by Glenn Hughes, with the exception of 'Song Of Yesterday' and 'The Revolution In Me' which are both sung by Joe Bonamassa. Hughes and Bonamassa share lead vocals on the songs 'Sista Jane' and 'Too Late For The Sun'. Also included on the album is a new version of Medusa, the classic rock song that Hughes originally recorded with his first band Trapeze. Black Country Communion initially came to fruition when Kevin Shirley saw Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa join forces on stage in Los Angeles in November 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center’s King of the Blues event. Shirley then recruited powerhouse drummer Jason Bonham and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. The band is named after the industrial area in the British Midlands where both Hughes and Bonham were born and raised.

From the UK, South Africa, France and Australia, Inner Shift Music presents their Collective Continents II release, with Mark Hand, Platform 001, G-Prod and Leo Gunn. The Ep starts with Take Some Chances which has Jazz influenced pads, chords and changes with an addictive hook, by Mark Hand who has recent releases on Soul Print and Apollo. Next comes The Last Letter by newcomer Platform 001 - a deep house track with some funk style house chords and an inspiring spoken word poem, which holds the listener's attention throughout.

On the B side we have the Gaugain brothers G-Prod (who have releases on R&S and Nightflight), with their track Horizon which has a more techy feel with its moody pads, melodic lead and subtle but driving bassline.AAThe EP is complete with a whole other level of head-nodding deepness and warmth, with Aheeoo which you would come to expect from Leo Gunn, who is noted for his multiple appearances on Deep Explorer.

Deep, jazzy, techy, warm and diverse, this EP is everything there is to love about deep house.

Around the year, the sturdy red brick walls of an old Cable Factory stand there like a mountain, facing weathers of all kinds rising from the Gulf of Finland. It might be freezing winter winds whipping the whole shore line into submission, fog heavy as concrete, or the relentless sun of the summer months, softening the asphalt to a boiling point. Whatever the weather may be, the narrow courtyard of the old factory embraces those musicians, who are looking to get down. They gather from all directions, making their way towards a pair of doors that lead towards a flight of stairs, again through a few doors all the way to the last portal, where an open padlock and a loosely hangin crossbar signal that Cold Diamond & Mink are inside, locked in a groove.

Who could it be with them this time, perhaps the jazz prophet Jimi Tenor beaming out of his space ship, maybe it's the golden voiced knight of soul Tuomo "Pratt" Prättälä, the number one trumpet wielding dandy Jukka Eskola or the saxman Pope Puolitaival, who loses nothing in coolness compared to the former? The reel to reel is always there in the monitoring room, catching each analog layer of sound, even the silences and banter between takes. Seppo lays down the guitar and tries to catch the riff on organ instead, Jukka throws a rare tune on the turntable, hoping to guide their unit through that wobbly chorus, Sami waits there bass in hand, maybe already thinking about the next production.

After a whole lot of playing instruments, arranging and taking care of business, after the moon has travelled around the old industrial building for some rotations, Carlton Jumel Smith comes waltzing through those same doors. There's a handful of unnamed tracks waiting for him. He sits there listening and then starts writing, maybe echoes of soul classics from his own record collection in New York projecting inside his mind. Then the tape is rolling again. Starting with a short intro rap Carlton lets it out, singing on the edge of shouting "Woman you made me...". After the vocals are in the can, Carlton ascends out of the basement and heads out to entertain an audience somewhere. Some months later, after the mix is said and done, there's the question of the instrumentals. It seems they're pretty good as they are. And here they are.




d 04: Help Me (Save Me From Myself) Instrumental