Low Distance is Deaf Center´s third full-length studio album and perhaps the most focused effort by the Norwegian duo to date. After their last record Owl Splinters (2011) was quite an eclectic endeavor, Erik K Skodvin & Otto A Totland draw their sound back into something more quiet and minimal.
The record starts with a piece of sweeping analougue electronics. It´s a spacious, yet dynamic opener that leads directly into the static tones and piano motivs of Entity Voice, which balances a new sense of abstractation with the classic Deaf Center sound. It´s warm and close while sounding like it´s set in the outer horizon. Overall Low Distance feels both alien and familiar with its atonal synths, close pianos and drowned out noises.
After meeting in studio for the first time since 2011, the recordings came out of a 3 day session in 2017. It was then mixed at both EMS Stockholm and at Erik´s home studio over a longer period to create a blend of deeply layered as well as stripped down pieces. Both Erik & Otto have been active individually since their last meeting as Deaf Center: Otto released 2 solo piano albums, while Erik has furthered his descent into musical abstractation both under his own name and as Svarte Greiner. It´s long overdue to hear them connect their personalities into something new. Low Distance is a welcome return replete with beauty, mystery and uncertainty.
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Over the last decade, we’ve come accustomed to Jason Letkiewicz releasing material under a dizzying array of aliases, each utilized to explore a different side of his multi-faceted musical persona. Now, some 14 years after he made his recording debut alongside Ari Goldman as Manhunter, Letkiewicz has joined forces with Into The Light Records to release his first album under his real name.
The Reflecting Pool sees Letkiewicz exploring the uncomplicated and uncluttered in the pursuit of pure aural beauty. While his recent album as Opposing Currents was dense, dark, urban and industrial, The Reflecting Pool is stripped back, quiet and melodious. The contrast between the two projects is marked, with The Reflecting Pool drawing more on Letkiewicz’s love of crystalline ambient, slow burn synthesizer soundscapes, early ’80s library music and the kind of obscure electronic new age music that has been a hallmark of Into The Light’s releases to date.
The set’s 12 tracks gently ebb and flow, with Letkiewicz making great use of dusty old drum machines, effects units and a range of vintage analogue and digital synthesizers. It’s a set-up that results in a range of complimentary mood pieces and interludes, from the delay-laden military drums and lilting lead lines of “Out of Body Experiences”, to the drowsy, sunrise bliss of “Sunspot”, the bubbling Tangerine Dream style shuffle of “Mind Awake Body Asleep” and the outer-space atmosphere of “The Kill Fee”.
Throughout, Letkiewicz showcases his seemingly intrinsic grasp of mood, atmosphere and melody. It can be heard within the glacial guitar motifs, occasional beats and elongated chords of “The Reflecting Pool”, the rhythmic bustle of “Numb Drums”, the glassy-eyed melancholia of “Arhythmia” and the cinematic paranoia of “Burning Off The Morning Fog”. It’s also evident amongst the classically beat-less ambient of closing cut “Weightless”, whose alien electronics, effects-laden pulses and opaque chords recall established masters of the genre.
With The Reflecting Pool, Letkiewicz has provided us with a much-needed dose of stress-free musical escapism, at the same time offering hope that in these troubling times, love may still save the day.
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Old time something come back again! Victor Axelrod at the controls, taking an early Daptone classic from the Lee Fields & Sugarman 3 repertoire into the world of 60s ska – featuring a new singer we think everyone will be talking about once they hear this simply because... this man is on FIRE! We present to you Leon Dinero. Some might recognize the flash of his gold tooth glimmering in the dark dances between Jamaica and Brooklyn and now we have him on record with more to come!
The vocal “Lover Like Me,” snake-charms you into what could easily fool some to be an unreleased Alton Ellis cut that was long lost in Prince Buster’s tapes. Leon gives nods to Lee’s original vocals while taking the vibes to another island. The flip “Conscience is Heavy,” has The Inversions capturing the powerful Blue Beat kick-drum punch and organ bubble that is sure to keep a dancefloor shuffling and the know-it-alls guessing.
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Unsurprisingly for a creator as prolific as Muslimgauze’s Bryn Jones was, when he was asked for a contribution for any sort of group project, he would tend to provide more options than necessary. In the case of longtime label Staalplaat’s 1996 compilation Sonderangebot, where Jones would find himself in the company of everyone from Charlemagne Palestine to Reptilicus, the selected track was the characteristically headspinning “Kaliskinazure”, nine minutes of insistent digital percussion bouncing the listener back and forth between samples of wailing women’s voices and a trebly, blurry little whirr that traces the percussion. It’s distinctive enough even among the vast Muslimgauze corpus, but as the continued excavation of DATs Jones submitted to his labels continues, sure enough there’s more to that track’s story, too.
An extended “Kaliskinazure” makes up the second of four tracks on Babylon Is Iraq, although it’s been lost to the mists of time whether an outside editor excised the more drifting, less needling coda that makes up the extra six minutes found here, or whether Jones simply submitted both versions of the track at different times. This more complete version of “Kaliskinazure” is surrounded by shorter tracks, with the opening “Kaliskinazure — Momada” sounding not very much like either track it references (instead being a barely-there wisp of far-away sampled wind instruments and what sounds like treated cymbal sounds) and the title track constantly coming to a full, roiling digital boil. The lengthy “Momada” closes out the album with a different, more tersely internal arrangement surrounding the same percussion pattern that will be familiar to any Sonderangebot fans, although the way the quieter atmosphere transforms the feeling of that rhythm indicates once more than Jones’ way of reconfiguring his pieces over and over was perhaps more purposive and even more effective than he’s sometimes given credit for. The result is a fascinating expansion on one of Muslimgauze’s strongest stand-alone moments.
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Zru Vogue is a two man post punk avant-pop group from Palo Alto, California, combining the talents of Andrew Finkle and Rick Cuevas.
The band began in 1980 as a four member group: Rick, Andy, Tom Sanders and Nancy Miller. Tom and Nancy left the group shortly after the first single, "Nakweda Dream", was released by independent San Francisco label Adolescent Records in February 1981. Inspired by rave reviews and heavy airplay on alternative radio stations, Andy and Rick went back into the studio, now as a duo, to record some new ZRU tracks.
The self-tilted LP was released on the band’s Zero Risk Records in 1982. It contains eight compositions blending African tribal and Middle Eastern rhythms, avant-garde rock, minimal electronics, and funk-rock guitars.
The duo’s sound is inspired by the art and anti-art movements of Dada and Surrealism. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Each copy is housed in a replica of the original jacket, which features artwork by the group members, and includes the original 2-sided lyric sheet.
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Following the mighty rendition of "I Want You", Soul Sugar (a.k.a. Guillaume 'Gee'
Metenier) is back with another massive Soul-Reggae version, this time taking on Luther
Vandross' "Never Too Much".
Fearlessly taking on such timeless classics is serious business, and Leo Carmichael
delivers, once again, with a maximum dosage of finesse and feeling. Seductively delicate
backing vocals from Carl Lee Sharshmidt and Karene Brown keep it as warm and
intimate as one would hope, while Thomas Naim's tasteful guitar licks and Gee's minimal
production allow the song to breathe and flow steadily on its own.
Recorded in Paris, Kingston, Miami and London, the resulting blend of Soul and Reggae
riddims has rarely felt so natural. On the A-side, Gee's "Discomix" dubs a generous dose of
the sultry backing vocals over a minimal, bassy groove that dips, dives and flows on into the
sunset. UK producer Adam Prescott lets loose with an infectious 90's dancehall rerub,
aiming straight for the dancefloor... ladies' choice! Finally rhythm legends Sly & Robbie
drop the BASS with a heavy dancehall treatment, taking it low, letting it ride, while the
vocals float on... Never Too Much!
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One half of esteemed house duo Waifs and Strays, Amos, launches his new alias: Part Time Lover. Debuting on Crosstown Rebels with Don’t Hesitate, the EP is a stunning six track release that features vocals from Danielle Moore and Oli Gosh, as well as remixes from PBR Streetgang.
The EP opens with Don’t Hesitate. A pure house groover, Oli Gosh’s vocals provide the track with a seductive flare, whilst the swinging bassline rolls alongside dynamic pulsing keys. Second up is the dub version of Don’t Hesitate. Stripped back yet still wholesome, the mix features whirring pads. Tied comes next, as Danielle Moore’s incredible soulful vocals coat the record with a dance-ready warmth. PBR Streetgang are first up on remix duties, providing
an acid-flecked reinterpretation of Tied that harks back to the 80s with electro-like synths and distorted kicks, before their dub mix continues in a similarly driving vein.
English vocalist Oli Gosh has featured on Dutch house music label Armada Deep. Danielle Moore has been the lead singer of Crazy P since 2002, releasing on the likes of Wolf Music Recordings and Smoke ‘N’ Mirrors. PBR Streetgang released their standout album Late Night Party Line last year on the esteemed Skint label.
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With more than 220 million cumulated streams in 2013, Poldoore is far to be unknown from international future-beat and hip-hop scenes. His new record, Mosaïc, comes back confirming to be the spearhead of a booming music genre, where beatmakers emerge from the shadows to the light, to assert themselves as artists in their own rights. Coming from Belgium, more precisely Louvain near Bruxelles, Thomas Schillebeeckx began to explore his parents record collection at age 5, when the family moved to the US. Since, the will to combine this musical heritage to his more modern surrounding sounds never left. Because Poldoore music has a credo: assembly the era with sampling, mixing the genres to create a new musical touch.
Since his beginning in 2013, with the album The Days Off, the young musician talents gave him the opportunity to perform for an international tour with famous venues such as Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Festival, Dour Festival, or the giant Tomorrowland. Everything you need to create a huge fanbase, one that never let you down through your musical evolutions. At this stage, Poldoore is already ahead of his time, playing a music focused on the future, making his place among lasting artists by getting to the top sales on Beatport. Six years after, he's still here, more than ever.
The following of his career brings him to Bulgaria, Spain, Turkey, Germany, Greece, and developing remixes for international artists such as Selah Sue, Wax Tailor, Declaime or Talib Kweli.
He is also nominated at the Red Bull Elektropedia Awards in Belgium, for both Album of the Year and Best Newcomer of the year, mostly thanks to the hit: the remix of the classic Fugees song, Fu-Gee-La. Everything to set the stage for his second album, The Days Off in 2016. The natural identity of Poldoore music rings out more than ever, and allows him to sign several projects and EPs on prestigious labels: Chinese Man Records, Nowadays, Cold Busted or Darker Than Wax.
His forthcoming album Mosaïc is a pure exploration of genres. The offbeat hip-hop, beautifully embodied by the track Lessons About Life, the electro-funk with Darts Is Not A Sport, his beloved jamaïcan sounds on A Brand New Day (featuring ASM and Balkan Bump), or the break-electronic on Solace. But it's mainly his unusual ability to give a second groove to 70s soul samples and epic strings, that makes this record truly essential. The whole tracklist is haunted, whether on the excellent Walking Through A Sunlit Forest or on Melatonin, last of the 13 tracks. Always seeking to marry different musical periods, always linking the past and the future. With Mosaïc, Poldoore is not only showing us his talent, but takes the listener through out Time. And isn't it what the music is supposed to do
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The Analogue Cops are back on Memento, after their acclaimed remix of Francesco Farfa “Synchronicty 13”, with “Lucretio versus Marieu Vol. 1”.
This will be the first chapter of a series dedicated to a tidy compromise-less selection of their most groundbreaking club oriented tracks. On Lucretio’s side, “Accelerating Osc” is a minimalistic relentless techno cut that explores algorithmic sequencing and the boundaries of real-time delay manipulation in Kyma; pounding away, “Neon 3” is a furious peak-time ride with jacking drums, sharp hi-hats and worrisome hypnotic synthesizers.
Marieu’s side is a slower paced groove affair focused on his distinguishing seductive use of sampling: “Alterate Indigo” festive bass line and enthusiastic cymbals blossom with an enchanting blues piano and an handful of filtered quirks, while “Room Mate” combine hot vocal hooks and a funky bass-line with a massive kick-drum.
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This Ltd edition vinyl release see’s a 50 track digital album whittled down to an 8 track sampler encompassing what label bosses Vinyl Junkie and Rachael E.C have determined to be the tracks that represent them best. The selection is predominantly on the junglist tip with a sprinkling of Drum & Bass here and there, which is basically what their label Ghetto Dub is all about.
The proceedings are kicked off by Birmingham born but Bristol based jungle overlord, the man they call Aries, who comes in with a real deep and bass heavy roller called Pre-Rolled, guaranteed to get everyone on their feet and feelin’ the vibes. This is followed by a rising star of the UK jungle scene; Java, who brings in the amens with a ragga style vocal lick for his track Screwface, which has been slaying dancefloors on dub for the last couple of months. Another artist that is really making a BIG name for himself lately is Veak. He comes in HARD with his first offering Lawd A Mercy which is a definite pull up track with a filthy bassline that will nail your head to the dancefloor. X-E-Dos concludes the first vinyl with Feel For Me which is a hard hitting but atmospheric drum fuelled workout, keeping the vibes rolling and maintaining the energy levels perfectly.
Enter the second vinyl and Veak is back, this time teaming up with another UK jungle don; Kumarachi. The combination of these two production masterminds has manifested something quite special in this awesome track Chrome Siren. Punchy in your face amens laced with more killer bass riffs and a mesmerising female vocal make this a definite for the front of your box. Sypmtom steps up next and adds that dark techy vibe like only he knows how; Come Mash Up maintains the jungle vibe but goes on a journey into the realms of drum & bass. Galvatrons track, Buss Up Shot is pure jungle, no doubt about that. Chopped up amens and a deep rumbling bassline are complemented with a beautifully melodic piano section. Last but by no means least, the man like SR takes the limelight with another wicked amen workout. Special Ops VIP gives a nod to the mid 90’s for sure… Wicked oldskool vibes and a sure fire hit with all the junglists that remember those times.
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"I love it. SO beautiful"
Josh Rosenthal [Tompkins Square]
Songs For A One-String Guitar is the debut instrumental acoustic guitar LP from Jonny Dillon. Better known for his analogue electronic music productions and all-hardware live sets under the ‘Automatic Tasty’ moniker [Lunar Disko, CPU, Wrong Island], Jonny’s records (bearing heavy acid and electro influences), along with live appearances at venues like Berlin’s Panorama Bar and Kiev’s Closer belie the fact that he has been quietly exploring the musical landscape of the guitar for nearly twenty years.
Recorded as a series of sketches over the last 10 years, Songs For A One-String Guitar represents a snapshot taken over a long exposure; one individual’s private response to a variety of currents and inspirations both musical and emotional. While informed in large measure by the world of Irish traditional music and song (of Sweeney’s Men, Planxty and Seán Garvey) along with that of primitivism and the American Spiritual (of John Fahey, Hank Williams and Mississippi John Hurt) these songs are equally a personal attempt to give expression to an inner landscape, from the experience of sorrow and loss to the promise of redemption and renewal.
The LP opens with ‘Turning Invisible In An Imaginary Rose Garden One-Evening’ a contemplative piece played in free-time; “I’ve been playing this piece for years, and it’s gone by so many different names in that time. It’s a sort of shoe-staring daydream, to my mind at least. I want people to disappear when they hear it, and think it suits the LP to open up slowly and reflectively”. While a contemplative strain underpins some of these songs, others are informed more directly by the experience of grief; “I wrote ‘A Requiem For Joe Dillon’ at the death of my uncle. He used play lots of wonderful songs of his own at family gatherings when I was a child, and while a very gifted and sensitive soul, was also troubled by his own demons. The last time I saw him alive was at my family home with my father; I was going out to see some friends and Joe called me back, gave me a hug and made the sign of the cross with his thumb on my forehead, to bless me. It still chokes me up when I think about it. A song of his ‘Light A Penny Candle’ I included to finish the piece in his honour.” A sense of longing and hope is present in other pieces; “Songs like ‘Again But With Feeling This Time’ and ‘Start Again (Carry On)’ come from a sort of hopeful yearning feeling which is always within me; a melancholic sort of joy in search of redemption. For me, music has the strange capacity to express contrary positions simultaneously; to console, redeem and offer transcendence while also expressing suffering and pain. I don’t know what any of this means, but feel as though I’m trying to find my way home by writing the same song over and over again.”
Songs For A One-String Guitar may seem to represent a departure for those who know Dillon for his electronic productions alone, though the reality is that these songs merely represent a new opening onto an old landscape; they are an invitation to more fully share in one individual’s yearning to find meaning through creative expression. “These songs are very personal to me, so there’s a certain nervousness in my seeing them released. I hope that they prove of some use, and that they do some small good to those who hear them.”
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New LP from French beat-makers La Fine Equipe featuring Illa J, T3, 20Syl, Mr J Medeiros, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Fakear ...
Let's be clear: La Fine Equipe is a band. The numerous hats wore by its four members are so various that it could mislead one's. Indeed, surrounding Blanka, oOgo, Chomsky and Mr. Gib, there are recording studios, collaborations, lives, side-projects... There is also and especially a whole universe built during the past ten years around their passion for beatmaking, embodied by the release of « 5th Season », new album.
So yes, La Fine Equipe is a band, but it's also much more than that.
Since their creation in 2006 and their first album « La Boulangerie » two years later, the four producers became inevitable when you think about a new scene breaking the barriers between musical genders. Hip Hop is at the heart of their craft, corner stone of their musical background and inspirations where the paths of J Dilla, Madlib, Flying Lotus, Kaytranada and the turntablists A-Trak, C2C and Birdy Nam Nam are crossing ways. Two things gather La Fine Equipe and those big names, the constant need of collaboration with other artists, and this thirst of discovery, main feature of the digger.
From 2008 to 2014, La Fine Equipe mastered its craft with the « Boulangerie », compilation gathering 34 beatmakers on 113 tracks. They also work on the creation of the label Nowadays Records (Fakear, Skence, Unno, Clément Bazin, Leska, Douchka...) and released more than 75 EPs and LPs in five years.
With an outrageous number of shows across the world, tour in Asia, South America, collaborations with several international artists... Their success changed the game: Whereas many producers coming from this environment where isolated, La Fine Equipe federated a growing scene and became its reference.
After years spent paving the way for other artists and creating a structure that could support the growth of a musical scene, they decided to go further and launch a new era with « 5th Season ».
Because the band works with eight hands and four brains, there's nothing surprising in the fact that the album sounds like a condensed of each and everyone inspirations and experiences, from hip hop and sampling, to electronica, jazz and Latinas inspirations. If homogeneity is the new trend, La Fine Equipe isn't ready to sacrifice its wishes to fit the mould.
« 5th Season » is also a glance at the world looking over our planet's current state, the cosmos, the vegetal and these things that are greater and stronger than us, and the things and behaviour that could led to our loss.
It's an almost apocalyptic vision of our future, but full of optimism at the same time. There is something solar and cinematographic in this album, a format that goes beyond the one chosen before, closer to playlist and compilations such as the three Boulangerie opuses remind us.
Loyal to their status of ambassadors, the four beatmakers keep on inviting other artists to complete their universe. Illa J and T3, respectively brother and partner (Slum Village) of the late J. Dilla, make the connection between a glorious past and the future embodied by La Fine Equipe on the track « The Source ». With « Aurora », it's the solemn and mystical voice of Madjo that take this electro-pop track to another level. The American rapper Mr. J. Medeiros on the boom bap anthem « What Eva », the Montrealer ZeFire on « Typical », each and every artists brings its stone to the edifice of « 5th Season », giving to the album a limitless and freed musical richness.
But to release an album isn't enough. In parallel, each member of La Fine Equipe continues to fulfil its multiples tasks and work on a new concept live show bringing a scenic and visual show in addition to their music. It is what the artists looking toward the future do, and La Fine Equipe is looking straight ahead.
AURORA (Ft. Madjo)
Already remixed by the quatuor on the beautiful track « Choose The Heart », it's Madjo's turn to be invited by La Fine Equipe for a collaboration. Her mystical voice, which fragility paradoxically seems to strengthen its power, turns the track into an epic pop anthem.
NOBU (Ft. Grems & 20syl)
The association of these three names seems obvious, like a family reunion. Grems did the visual of the anniversary box of La Boulangerie, 20syl (C2C, Hocus Pocus) was one of the beatmakers who took part in the project.
This time, the two big brothers are side by side behind the mic, for the first French speaking collaboration of La Fine Equipe.
On this trapy/footwork beat, the two rappers ring the alarm before it's too late to save our house, the earth.
THE SOURCE (Ft. T3 & Illa J)
In the family of Hip Hop jewels of 5th Season, here is one coming from the USA. Fans of J Dilla and Slum Village since the first hour, La Fine Equipe pays its respects to its influences by inviting T3 and Illa J. Respectively member of Slum Village and brother of the legendary Detroit producer, these two MCs build a bridge between the eras and let their sharpened flows confuse our perception of time.
5TH SEASON (Ft. Fakear)
A second collaboration with their little brother from the Nowadays Family, Fakear. Eponymous title, it represents the universe of both entities, true road trip through Fakearians melodies and La Fine Equipe's funk declined in five seasons.
TYPICAL BOY (Ft. ZeFire)
With « Typical Boy », La Fine Equipe express its love for House music with chopped rhythms and a heavy but swaying bass line. The freed track oscillate between power and lightness. A beat that quickly becomes ZeFire's playground. The Montreal singer, already heard on Her's tracks, brings a missing r'n'b touch to create the perfect chemistry.
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SOLAR02: Antonio Ruscito - Seclusion Of The Human Being 180 grams incl. Aleksi Perala remix
SOLAR03: Roberto - Into The Blue 180 grams incl. Peverelist Remix
SOLAR04: STL - If Time Would Move Backwards [180 grams]
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fter Liquid Liquid disbanded in 1985 I continued to record electronic music at my home studio inEdison,New Jerseybut I decided to mix the songs for "Concepts" at another studio so I could have another set of ears to help with the mixes. I was lucky when I looked in the local music ads that I to find Gabriel Farm Studios inPrinceton,New Jerseyowned and operated by Andy Gomory. Andy was a true talent, a keyboardist and arranger, we hit it off immediately. After he recorded my mixes we would record songs together. Andy played drum machines and keyboards while I played percussion, keyboards, & guitar and we both sang. When Andy and I parted ways in the late 1980's I decided to add both drums and percussion as well as overdubs from guest musicians many of which are included on this album. The albums timeframe ends in the year 2004. The later recordings have a jazz feel to it yet still had dance music elements mixed in. The title track "Primitive Substance" really sets the tone as you hear the great playing of Michael Gribbrook on Frugel horn/Trumpet and Gerry Carboy on bass. Also, my favorite song on the recording "Forgiveness" has David Axelrod (not the famous one) playing beautiful melodic bass guitar thru out.
Special thanks to Euan Fryer of "Athensof the North" for releasing this album. As I listened to the songs I decided to use for this recording it brought back memories of the hours spent adding the extra sounds and instruments to the point where I wanted to listen to them again and again to see what I missed hearing . Keep a close ear this might happen to you after hearing "Primitive Substance".
Thanks for listening!
Dennis Young/April 2019
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Claiming Montreal as his new home town, Brussels-born Senz Beats has been building an impressive body of work with underground veterans from both coasts of the US (Dave Dub, Megabusive, Lex Boogie From the Bronx..) and beyond. Cappo, Nottingham's very own veteran MC, needs no introduction having already made waves at home and abroad with his impeccable string of solo albums as well as his work with the Nottingham super group VVV.
Here, Senz Beats and Cappo join forces to present a stark reminder of where humanity is headed if we continue to place our values in capitalist ideals. The raw, driving energy of the beat offers the perfect backdrop for Cappo to deliver his warning to those caught up in the materialistic rat-race: the tidal wave is close approaching.
4 experts in their field offer up remixes of this epic track. Boot Records very own Jazz-T (Jehst, Lee Scott, J-Zone...), ex-Def Jux engineer and artist Uncommon Nasa (Vast Aire, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif...), Lex Boogie From The Bronx (Marq Spekt, Rass Kass, Vordul Mega...), and R.E.D.A. (Insight, Main Flow, M. Sayyid...) each give this track their own distinctive flavour to devastating effect.
Lastly, on the bonus track Fool's Gold, J Lawson echos Cappo's Tidal Wave warnings concerning lusting after riches at the expense of everything else, also produced by Senz Beats. One of the few remaining songs from over 2 years of collaboration roughly 10 years ago, this song has stood the test of time and is ready and eager to be presented to the world.
[a] 1. Tidal Wave [clip]
[f] 6. Tidal Wave (Instrumental) [clip]
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“Every time I play Cour T.’s “Black Magic” the room changes. The entire vibe of the party goes from hands in the air to grinding, sexual energy. This track has arcane properties on the dance floor. I wish I had 10 tracks with this vibe because nothing else sounds like it and when I play it, I always wish I could keep the vibe for longer.
Selfishly, I asked our label manager to hold back this track for 6 extra months just so I could have it all to myself. That’s how much I’m into it. For all the DJs complaining about how everything sounds the same right now, take a risk and drop this one in your sets.”
-VonStroke
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This classic DANNY STYLES track was originally released on LUCKY SPIN RECORDINGS and the masters have long been lost. Danny has managed to find the original disks and has painstakingly recreated the original using those old AKAI S1000 & ATARI disks with a borrowed ATARI 1040STE and AKAI S1100 (Thank to Peter Argyle for this!). There was also a previously unreleased mix of LIFE IS A ROLL on the disks which has also been brought back to life and can now be heard for the first time in 25 years.
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A Sagittariun’s third album chronicles the journey back to Telepathic Heights; an expedition that encounters many obstacles along the way. The feuding parties of the two planets make for a journey of determination and self-discovery for our techno lone ranger that will ultimately deliver him to the sacred site on which Telepathic Heights stands. Conceived as a space western soundtrack to the cinematic interpretation of this tale, Return To Telepathic Heights delivers ten chapters that journal the ultimate mission to reach the imposing tower of Telepathic Heights, where dream telepathy has become the primary communicative tool amongst its peaceful and harmonious community who have opted out of the planetary war that continues to rage, seemingly with no armistice anytime soon. The score fittingly winds its way through the trials and tribulations of this journey, blending minimal and harmonic rhythms, industrial funk, dreamy synthwave and transcendental techno into the rich tapestry of music that documents the ‘Return To Telepathic Heights’. The album features original artwork by Johnny Bruck, fully licensed, and taken from the legendary German science fiction novel series, ‘Perry Rhodan’, which ran weekly from the early 1960s, and was the most successful sci-fi book series ever written.
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Stellar new EP on the way from Dutch producer Qindek. The rising star has been on the up as of late having released on labels on such Wolfskin Records and Invite's Choice Records. This time he's releasing on vinyl only label Dreiklang who have had some scintillating cuts from Edit-Select (who appears as one of the remixers on this EP) and Claudio PRC.
Qindek has really been honing his skills and is known as much for his flowing DJ sets as he is for his masterful live sets. This level of technique is truly standing to the artist as we can see from his comfortability with hardware shine through on this project.
'Come Closer' will be the fifth release from the label: it features the original mix Come Closer and three remixes from VOLTMAR, Edit-Select, and KUF, which show the different facades of the track. The original cut is a primal, tribal number merged with club elements. It enters with a bongo-like drum that is followed by a hi-hat for some pace. A surreptitious synth floats in and levitates back and forth, which is coupled with fluctuating keys and toms. It's a mesmerizing number with an understated tempo, bringing the forest to the club.
Cologne based artist VOLTMAR takes the first remix. Known as a DJ for many years now, he has performed in clubs across Europe. He tends to enjoy a deeper sound and this is prevalent in his take on the cut. The percussions are deeper and more hollowed, which creates a different kind of sway. It feels more tribal, with more jungle elements to it. It has less synth and more of a heavy bassline, designed to connect people on a primal level.
Next to feature is none other than Edit-Select. The British native is well established in the club scene and does not disappoint with this remix. A more complex sound, he takes the track and elongates it. It's a consistent sound with underground elements and a slight bit of tempo. It has this divine gothic synth that oscillates with a certain lilt to it. The beat is enchanting as the cut slowly diminishes.
The last stand is by Swedish artist Kuf. Known for his energetic sound, this cut does not disappoint. It's a high-velocity all-out assault club banger. It has rolling beats, speedy hi-hats and a tempo that is driven forward by hand claps. It has a skeleton aspect to it, whereas instead of using builds, they add and subtract elements inject an ever-changing pace.
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Over the years, Claremont 56 has played host to some memorable collaborative
projects, most notably Bison, an unlikely super-group whose members included
Holgar Czukay, Ursula Kloss, Liquid Liquid’s Sal Principato, Ben Smith and label
boss Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy. Now Murphy is at the helm of another collaborative
outft, Hillside, whose seductive debut single contains two deliciously pie eyed
instrumental workouts.
Hillside is very much a family affair, with Murphy joining forces with two old
friends: bassist/guitarist Alex Searle and percussionist Patrick Dawes. The trio
has a collaborative history that stretches right back to Murphy’s time in Akwaaba
in the mid nineties. For their debut outing, Hillside has also welcomed a very
special guest musician: award-winning jazz violinist and long-time Bert Jasch
collaborator Mike Piggott.
As opening gambits go, “Hidden Port” is an emphatic statement of intent. The
audio equivalent of sailing slowly around a cluster of sun-baked islands in
search of shelter from an approaching storm, the track sees Searle wrap bluesy,
Peter Green style guitar passages around a shuffing, Latin-tinged groove rich
in Dawes’ distinctive percussion patterns and Murphy’s languid electric piano
and synthesizer lines. As the track progresses, Piggott steps up to make his
mark, with his undulating electric violin lines complimenting Hillside’s impeccable
instrumentation while adding extra emotional weight to proceedings. It’s a
stunning beginning to the Hillside story.
Piggott also makes a big impression on accompanying cut “The King’s Tun”,
delivering fuid and energy-packed solos that weave in and out of a bright
and breezy instrumental track rich in jangling acoustic guitars, subtly spacey
electronics, freside-warm bass and more sparse-but-intricate percussion
courtesy of the effervescent Dawes. Searle’s eyes-closed, rock style guitar solos
cap another memorable excursion from Claremont 56’s latest in-house band.
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We’ve got something a bit different from usual for our next release: Meeting of Waters by Josiah Steinbrick.
Back in 2017 the unassuming Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist and producer released his first collection of solo pieces and we’ve been listening to it compulsively since then. Given that its initial release was only in North America, both on cassette with Leaving records and in an extremely limited vinyl self-release via BANANA editions, we felt that this meticulously crafted, essential work righteously deserved to get a proper spin in Europe too!
The album is composed of what you could call nine sculptural environments, each a mixture of organic sketches and improvisations, recorded rapidly and more or less free of any processing. Each piece is based on up to five simple elements - electronic and/or (tonal) percussions - used to create subtle evolving patterns and harmonies. The sounds explore the wilderness of jazz in a concrete setting, devotional in nature, creating a timeless cartography.
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Low Distance is Deaf Center´s third full-length studio album and perhaps the most focused effort by the Norwegian duo to date. After their last record Owl Splinters (2011) was quite an eclectic endeavor, Erik K Skodvin & Otto A Totland draw their sound back into something more quiet and minimal.
The record starts with a piece of sweeping analougue electronics. It´s a spacious, yet dynamic opener that leads directly into the static tones and piano motivs of Entity Voice, which balances a new sense of abstractation with the classic Deaf Center sound. It´s warm and close while sounding like it´s set in the outer horizon. Overall Low Distance feels both alien and familiar with its atonal synths, close pianos and drowned out noises.
After meeting in studio for the first time since 2011, the recordings came out of a 3 day session in 2017. It was then mixed at both EMS Stockholm and at Erik´s home studio over a longer period to create a blend of deeply layered as well as stripped down pieces. Both Erik & Otto have been active individually since their last meeting as Deaf Center: Otto released 2 solo piano albums, while Erik has furthered his descent into musical abstractation both under his own name and as Svarte Greiner. It´s long overdue to hear them connect their personalities into something new. Low Distance is a welcome return replete with beauty, mystery and uncertainty.
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Copenhagen’s Echocord welcomes YWF onto its roster this June with the ‘Replaced’ EP, backed with remixes from Berlin’s Freund Der Familie. YWF is a Copenhagen based Techno producer and DJ, most notably known for his output on the Freund Der Familie imprint, the founders of which step in to remix his work here, and Baum Records, the label run by Resoe, a good friend of Echocord label boss Kenneth Christiansen and with whom he forms the group Pattern Repeat. It seems it was only a matter of time before YWF became a part of the family. Title-cut ‘Replaced’ opens the package via a sturdy rhythmic foundation, wandering synth licks and winding modulations before ‘All Is Temporary’ embraces a cinematic aesthetic, edging in elongated sub drones, emotive strings and delayed percussive hits. Freund Der Familie take control on the latter half of the package, delivering two interpreations of ‘Cutoff’, first up is ‘Fdf’s Reshape’, employing an airy asmtopheric feel amongst fluttering low-end and dustry drums while the ‘Days Of Doom Remix’, as the name would suggest takes a darker approach, laying focus on menacing bass, expansive delays and menacing voices alongside heartbeat like pulses of low-end drums.
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sychosis-inducing’ club tracks from Moscow. Ushi333 shares Green EP on PG TUNE, label by Philipp Gorbachev. The 4 track vinyl version of the EP is balanced with both functions: a fresh idea for DJ peak time moments and laid back Detroit influenced soundscapes. The digital version of the EP has three more tripped-out tracks: Space Mania, Tribal 1and Ophiuchus. Ushi333 is a Moscow based low-profile producer and this material was recorded live with hardware machines in the years 2018 – 2019.
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Last delivered 7 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
‘Just rain! Tell that to the dolphins!’
The brand new first-time vinyl edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to
the Galaxy: Quandary Phase comes on heavyweight blue vinyl,
packaged in the lavish style of the preceding Primary Phase,
Secondary Phase and Tertiary Phase LP releases.
Here, for the first time ever on vinyl, are Episodes 19 to 22 of the
BBC radio series. First broadcast in 2005, the Quandary Phase is
based upon the Douglas Adams’s fourth novel So Long, and
Thanks for all the Fish. This is the first ever publication of the
original radio edits of the Quandary Phase, as heard on their
original Radio 4 broadcast.
Hitching a lift back to Earth after it miraculously reappeared, Arthur
Dent returns to his cottage and tries to resume normal life. But an
encounter with a striking woman named Fenchurch leads to a
series of unanswered questions. Why has the planet’s entire
population of dolphins vanished, leaving behind them some very
charming crystal bowls? Who is Wonko the Sane, and what is
God’s Last Message to His Creation? Meanwhile Ford Prefect is
Having revelations of his own, and as for Marvin the Paranoid
Android…well, just don’t ask. Suffice to say, things may never be
the same again.
Starring William Franklyn as The Book, with Simon Jones as
Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect, Bill Paterson as
Rob McKenna, Jane Horrocks as Fenchurch, Sandra Dickinson as
Tricia McMillan and Stephen Moore as Marvin the Paranoid
Android, with a guest cast including Arthur Smith, June Whitfield,
Stephen Fry, Jackie Mason, Rula Lenska, Patrick Moore and
Christian Slater, with music by Philip Pope and Paul ‘Wix’
Wickens. Adapted, Directed and Co-Produced by Dirk Maggs
Two 180g heavyweight coloured vinyl discs are presented in
illustrated wallets inside a rigid, bound 20 page book, including a
moving tribute to Douglas Adams written by Stephen Fry and
sleeve notes by Jem Roberts, Adams’s official biographer.
‘Whoooo…I’m flying…’
The inventors of lo-fi indie rock return with a 15-track blast of melodic melancholy, all delivered by the smudged middle finger of Dinosaur Jr original Lou Barlow…
“The auteur of the subterranean lovesick blues.” Houston Press
Their first studio album since 2013’s ‘Defend Yourself’ and their first release with Fire Records, Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein and Bob D'Amico return with a smorgasbord of beautifully dysfunctional tunes harking back to their finest college rock anthems.
It’s Barlow at his introverted songwriting best; matter-of-factly delivering a stream of self-questioning stories, punctuated by detuned guitars, spine-tingling time changes and throwaway one liners.
A grainy post grunge postcard wrapped in bittersweet melodies with an aftertaste that’s pure heartbreak.
More songs about growing up wrong for those who continue to act surprised at life itself - all illegibly handwritten and lovingly submitted to vinyl.
Bogwoppa is back with some serious tunes recovered from DAT! This time we bring you a 4 tracker of some of the tracks from Secret Squirrel . These tracks are all from the original 1992 releases on the Bogwoppa label but includes 2018 remix of "It's Outrageous". Ltd to 300 copies!
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As a winemaker hailing from the Palatinate, Florian Hollerith understands a thing or two about vintage. It's something that also comes through when you sample his music - rich, full bodied with just the right level of acidity. 2018 was already a good year with Ohrenzirkus featuring on both Sven Väth's Sound of the 19th Season mix CD as well as this year's Dots and Pearls vol. 5 compilation. Florian certainly announced his arrival on the scene in style, so it's only fair that he gets the chance to demonstrate his full range of skills on his very own Cocoon Recordings release. 2019 however, has a darker, more complex flavour...
Florian certainly knows a hookline when he finds one. On the EP's title track Perlas, he's working from the inside out with complex layers creating a vortex of sound. This dense sonic mesh is playful yet dangerous, with ethereal voices and jagged chants adding to the disorientation of the opening exchanges until the congas and skipping bassline give us something to hold onto. The dance floor melts under our feet as a raw, tripped out groove takes hold before the bass suddenly morphs into a brassy acid line that spreads its wings and soars. It's music for the headstrong, a celebration of the timeless tribal ceremonies that have come to define us.
Love Summer adds a contemporary twist to the melodic joys that drenched the early nineties in pure ecstasy. The soulful vocals soothe the mind as horn stabs punctuate the sensual groove, generating power and passion in equal measures. It's a straightforward approach, revolving around a familiar yet eminently seductive riff that just keeps on rolling, propelled forward by the force of its own momentum. There's no need to fuss when you hit on a winning formula like this.
More retro futurism abounds on Electro Indianer as arpeggiated bleeps usher in another vast, sprawling soundscape designed to induce a collective trance on the dance floor. Whistling, circular effects wash back and forth increasing the tension notch by notch as we're led deeper into the wormhole. Finally, the track deconstructs slightly, creating enough space for classic Casio-style bleeps and percussion to embellish a beautiful blissed out ending that trails off into the sun rise, as ancient Native American pipes pick out a haunting melody in the distance.
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After a long Pause Full Pupp are finally back - and with New Oslo Talent Supreme.
Jaeger Club´s resident Ivaylo returns here to Prins Thomas' always on-point Full Pupp label for a release defined by its imaginative take on contemporary house and techno. Featuring three peak-time dance floor tracks, Syklon is a release that speaks to discerning dance floor connoisseurs in emphatic fashion.
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• Freda Payne’s Band Of Gold is the debut album for Invictus Record's’ first lady of soul
• Features a slew of hits including; ‘Band Of Gold’ (UK no.1 for 6 weeks), ‘Unhooked
Generation’ and ‘The Easiest Way to Fall’
• Soul masterpiece reissued on 180gm heavyweight classic black vinyl with printed inner sleeve
• Recorded for Holland-Dozier-Holland’s Invictus Record label, under former Motown
powerhouse writers and producers
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'When you put on the first track on the album 'Antisocial Background 2017 - 2019 by Mythologen your likely to think: 'this is THAT kind of an album', and fell happy with that. But Mythologen aka Alexander Palmestal is not 'THAT' kind of an artist and this album reflects his broad musical background. It spans from Japan to USA, from the 70s to the 00s and from cold concrete floors to fluffy cotton clouds. Palmestal, with a background in bands such as Pistol Disco and Iberia now releases his second full-length album on Hoga Nord Rekords
The album is a play with emotions and genres, with unexpected meetings between major and minor keys and is a collection of tracks where Jungle, Electro, House, Synth and Big Beat are deconstructed and put together as relevant contemporary dance music. The production on 'Antisocial background' sometimes sound like a more electronic version of Boredoms but most of the time it puts the listener on the British isles and in the 90's. Palmestal pays respect to his masters but he is not in any way too careful with their legacy and let, just as on his debut album, influences from the 1970's and 80's Nigeria and Soweto.'
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Having burst onto the scene with his stunning debut release on Influence back in July, and with Aaron Jay’s label continuing to fly the flag for this exciting producer, Easy returns and this time with partner in crime – Geeks. This Belgium duo are beginning to create a stir in the dnb scene with heavy support from Fabio, who played three of the forthcoming tracks from this ep on his Rinse FM Show in October 2018. Also getting support from LTJ Bukem and radio play/premiere of Steady from Skank and Bass plus Big Bud and Stunna were showcasing some of the tracks at this year’s Sun and Bass Festival in Sardinia. The future is looking bright for these two talented producers!
elected DJ feedback:
Fabio – ‘Wkd tunes’
LTJ Bukem – ‘Feelin Natural and Shadows’
Doc Scott – ‘Thanks for the beats’
Random Movement – ‘Wow these tracks are fire’
Ben Soundscape – ‘Nice EP, fav track is Shadows’
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A year after Floyd Lavine & David Mayer served up the afro house bomb ‘Sondela’ from the EP of the same name, it now gets remixed by a carefully selected list of names including Jimpster, Auntie Flo, Tunnelvisions and Kususa. First up is deep house master and Freerange label boss Jimpster, who serves up the sort of quality you would expect on his remix. His cool and immersive journey brings new soul and feeling to the original with timeless melodies that have a lasting effect. Dutch duo Tunnelvisions are an act on the rise and always bring plenty of Afro, Latin and Caribbean vibes to their sounds. Here they masterfully flip the track ‘Xi’ from the Sondela EP into a percussive groove with psychedelic warmth and melodic bass that goes deep. Kususa are also rising stars of the South African scene who have Black Coffee supporting their work and have mixed the upcoming Africa Gets Physical vol.2 album. Here they pump up the beats: their percussion, arps and big synths will get hands in the air and as the bassline envelops you in warmth you cannot help but feel it deep inside. Highlife artist and recent album man Auntie Flo brings his authentic understanding of worldly groove to a fantastic remix that oozes beauty and quality. It is understated and stripped back with delicate hand percussion and an otherworldly aura that brings real mystery to the EP. An acapella version is also included as an exclusive addition to the vinyl release.
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Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Far Out Recordings proudly presents two albums of previously unheard Azymuth demo recordings from 1973-75
Since their debut album release in 1975, Azymuth have risen to rank alongside the world’s greatest jazz, funk and fusion artists. As young men in Rio de Janeiro, they stood out for both their exceptional talent as musicians, and their wild rock ‘n’ roll antics in the predominantly middle-class worlds of bossa nova and jazz. Their signature ‘Samba Doido’ (crazy samba) sound ruptured the tried and tested musical structures of the day, resulting in what can only be described as an electric, psychedelic, samba jazz-funk hybrid.
Before they became Azymuth, José Roberto Bertrami (keyboards), Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti (drums), Alex Malheiros (bass) and Ariovaldo Contesini (percussion) played backing band to just about every major artist in Brazil. Bertrami was also contracted as an arranger and songwriter at some the biggest labels of the era: Polydor, Philips, Som Livre, and EMI being just a few. Azymuth’s name can be found on record sleeves by the likes of Jorge Ben, Elis Regina, Marcos Valle, Ana Mazzotti and countless others. But at the dawn of the seventies, fascinated by developments in improvisational music - from jazz in the US, to progressive rock in the UK and of course samba, bossa and tropicália on home turf - the energetic young group were inspired and ready to move forward. Any spare moment in which they weren’t in sessions and writing music for other artists, they would be carving out their own sound.
These previously unheard recordings took place between 1973-75 at Bertrami’s home studio in the Laranjeiras district of Rio de Janeiro. At the time of recording, there was nothing in Brazil, less the world that sounded anything like them, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that when Bertrami presented his demos to the record companies he had been working for, he was turned away, and told in effect that the music was ‘wrong’.
One of the demos ‘Manhã’ would be picked up by Som Livre and Azymuth released their seminal debut album in 1975. Throughout the late seventies and eighties, the group released a series of now classic albums for Milestone Records, before taking an indefinite hiatus to pursue their individual careers.
When English producers Joe Davis and Roc Hunter arrived in Brazil in 1994 to record the first Azymuth album in over a decade, Bertrami dug out the demos which had sat virtually untouched for over twenty years. Joe recalls how he was “blown away by the freedom and intensity of the music, as well as the genius of the ideas musically.” Beginning a long and fruitful relationship, ‘Prefacio’ would be the first track Azymuth recorded for Far Out Recordings and was released on the Carnival album (1996).
Along with ‘Manhã’ and ‘Prefacio’, only a handful of these demos were ever professionally recorded and released, making this the first opportunity to hear many of these early Azymuth compositions in their raw, original form.
On every track the frenetic energy in the studio is palpable, giving the recordings a beautifully personal feel and a sense of the phenomenally creative vision Bertrami, Malheiros and Conti were realising at the time. Fifty years on, Azymuth’s earliest recorded music retains an ineffable, futuristic quality, standing amongst their most captivating and moving work.
Credits:
Keyboards: José Roberto Bertrami (Mini Moog Series One, Arp Omni, Arp 2600, Arp Solina Strings, Fender Rhodes 88, Hammond B3 with box speaker, Clavinet with Wah Wah)
Drums: Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ariovaldo Contesini
Produced by Azymuth and Jose Roberto Bertrami
Recorded at José Roberto Bertrami’s home studio in Laranjeiras, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil between 1973–1975.
Issue and project co-ordinator: Joe Davis
Tape transfers by Roc Hunter (thanks to Simon Hitner)
Mastered by Daniel Maunick at the Sugar Shack, Lanark, Scotland
Mastered by Frank at Carvery Cuts
All tracks published by Far Out Music Publishing/Westbury Music LTD
out of Stock
Last delivered 10 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Far Out Recordings proudly presents two albums of previously unheard Azymuth demo recordings from 1973-75
Since their debut album release in 1975, Azymuth have risen to rank alongside the world’s greatest jazz, funk and fusion artists. As young men in Rio de Janeiro, they stood out for both their exceptional talent as musicians, and their wild rock ‘n’ roll antics in the predominantly middle-class worlds of bossa nova and jazz. Their signature ‘Samba Doido’ (crazy samba) sound ruptured the tried and tested musical structures of the day, resulting in what can only be described as an electric, psychedelic, samba jazz-funk hybrid.
Before they became Azymuth, José Roberto Bertrami (keyboards), Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti (drums), Alex Malheiros (bass) and Ariovaldo Contesini (percussion) played backing band to just about every major artist in Brazil. Bertrami was also contracted as an arranger and songwriter at some the biggest labels of the era: Polydor, Philips, Som Livre, and EMI being just a few. Azymuth’s name can be found on record sleeves by the likes of Jorge Ben, Elis Regina, Marcos Valle, Ana Mazzotti and countless others. But at the dawn of the seventies, fascinated by developments in improvisational music - from jazz in the US, to progressive rock in the UK and of course samba, bossa and tropicália on home turf - the energetic young group were inspired and ready to move forward. Any spare moment in which they weren’t in sessions and writing music for other artists, they would be carving out their own sound.
These previously unheard recordings took place between 1973-75 at Bertrami’s home studio in the Laranjeiras district of Rio de Janeiro. At the time of recording, there was nothing in Brazil, less the world that sounded anything like them, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that when Bertrami presented his demos to the record companies he had been working for, he was turned away, and told in effect that the music was ‘wrong’.
One of the demos ‘Manhã’ would be picked up by Som Livre and Azymuth released their seminal debut album in 1975. Throughout the late seventies and eighties, the group released a series of now classic albums for Milestone Records, before taking an indefinite hiatus to pursue their individual careers.
When English producers Joe Davis and Roc Hunter arrived in Brazil in 1994 to record the first Azymuth album in over a decade, Bertrami dug out the demos which had sat virtually untouched for over twenty years. Joe recalls how he was “blown away by the freedom and intensity of the music, as well as the genius of the ideas musically.” Beginning a long and fruitful relationship, ‘Prefacio’ would be the first track Azymuth recorded for Far Out Recordings and was released on the Carnival album (1996).
Along with ‘Manhã’ and ‘Prefacio’, only a handful of these demos were ever professionally recorded and released, making this the first opportunity to hear many of these early Azymuth compositions in their raw, original form.
On every track the frenetic energy in the studio is palpable, giving the recordings a beautifully personal feel and a sense of the phenomenally creative vision Bertrami, Malheiros and Conti were realising at the time. Fifty years on, Azymuth’s earliest recorded music retains an ineffable, futuristic quality, standing amongst their most captivating and moving work.
Credits:
Keyboards: José Roberto Bertrami (Mini Moog Series One, Arp Omni, Arp 2600, Arp Solina Strings, Fender Rhodes 88, Hammond B3 with box speaker, Clavinet with Wah Wah)
Drums: Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ariovaldo Contesini
Produced by Azymuth and Jose Roberto Bertrami
Recorded at José Roberto Bertrami’s home studio in Laranjeiras, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil between 1973–1975.
Issue and project co-ordinator: Joe Davis
Tape transfers by Roc Hunter (thanks to Simon Hitner)
Mastered by Daniel Maunick at the Sugar Shack, Lanark, Scotland
Mastered by Frank at Carvery Cuts
All tracks published by Far Out Music Publishing/Westbury Music LTD
out of Stock
Last delivered 10 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Collocutor to release new single ‘The Angry One’, announce gigs at Jazz Cafe and We Out Here Festival
Tamar Collocutor is back with her Collocutor ensemble for On the Corner’s first 7”
’T.A.O’ is a rage, a visceral expression of what gathers within, and the counter-reaction to our times. Verve, distorted psych guitar in combat with a flaming, rolling, discordant, flowing barrage of horns. This single is the anomaly from Collocutor’s forthcoming third album. Rooted in personal loss, it is a scream of bewilderment that builds to encompass the social, political and environmental crisis of our times.
The flip sees Tamar and Magnus P.I. (ex-Collocutor) sparring in an in-the-moment sonic Rumble in the Jungle. Lunging off of T.A.O’s bass line, Tamar tares hard up-river to follow the calling of ancestral drums into a cacophonous parade. Trance inducing rhythm and screams. Across winds of wood and brass Tamar’s voice weaves a rich vein of quality throughout the resurgent UK jazz/instrumental music scene.
The forthcoming LP (autumn 2019) is Tamar’s most personal yet, a reflection about grief. Artistic vision stewed in an emotive concoction. Loss, life changes and ‘Continuation’ paralleled at the macro level with unimaginable political malaise.
The record is an attempt to give voice to the (sometimes surprising) emotional states of being experienced, coloured further by the discordant machinations of our times.
From the inner microcosm of self to the (macro) overarching societal crisis Tamar has fulfilled her vision ‘of writing music that wants to be written’ with her ensembles third LP.
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Last delivered 6 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Moonshoe Records has bowled over first listeners by presenting this new side of their sphere - Air Space Ark’s debut, “All Rivers Lead” charts the course of divergent streams of contemporary ambient music, downtempo rhythms, and electroacoustic experimentation, arriving at a calming confluence of these sources. Across the 6 songs on these two sides, they evoke a calming and contemplative headspace
333 is an exquisite study in balance - the intermingling of bird song water sounds that could equally be field recordings or synthesized foley - the ambiguity adding a delightful trompe l'oreille effect - and crystalline keys ; these airy sounds weighted by washes of subbass.
BLANK PAGE is almost like a version of the previous track, retaining the nimble birdsongs and heavy sub, but foregrounding a lolling, stumbling hip-hop beat and placing more emphasis on the effects wizardry as abstract sounds careen across the track in wipes and wisps, before stripping down to a beautiful coda of birdsong, piano plinks and a textured backdrop.
The celestial keys, flute-like thrums and gentle chimes of WORDS BETWEEN SELF evoke the golden age of spiritual jazz, but the hazy ambiance and shuffling beats transmute the other elements around them into something more introspective and personal than jubilant praise. Lyrics aside, the subtle funk coupled with the pensive, meditative air channels the spirit of Stanley Cowell’s classic TRAVELLIN’ MAN.
LOFT IN 7 Is the most “out” moment here. It has echoes, literally, of jazz. Like decaying tape reels disintegrating in real time, we feel the tape buckling and warping under the weight of time as the sounds of a synthetic band warp and shift against electronic impulses and glitches, eventually leaving just a lingering, ghostly imprint. .
DUST SONG veers the closest towards a straightforward instrumental hip hop cut - a submerged sounding breakbeat coupled with a tender piano melody - but is buoyed by drifting pads and a dense, hallucinatory bed of effects.
CONCRETE closes proceedings. Charged with a crepuscular energy, it’s all-together as mercurial and magical as the transition from day to night. Different elements swirl and coalesce, honing in on dense, textural moments across a horizontal drift. The end effect is hypnotic yet captivating, so much so that when the track eventually blooms into silence at the end you’re struck by the brevity of the whole experience. Thankfully you can listen to it again!
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Last delivered 7 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Nippon Afro-Groovers AJATE are back with two dancefloor bombs teaming up with French Garage Funk providers NY.KO!
180g heavy vinyl
Limited edition of 500 copies
Fresh from their highly acclaimed KEXP live session!
Includes two remixes by beatmaster Deheb
New Ajate album to be out late 2019!
Formed in 2011 by band leader Junichiro "John" Imaeda, Ajate consists of 10 Japanese musicians who play a unique blend of afro-groove dance music mixed with Japanese traditional festival music called "Ohayashi". Their album Abrada is out in 2017 on the 180g label, selling out immediately and being followed by two highly acclaimed European tours. Teaming up this time with French groovers Ny.Ko, Mammamelie and With Regularity are two dancefloor destroyers announcing Ajate's brand new album to be out late 2019!
[b] 2. Mammamelie (Deheb Remix) [feat. Ny.Ko]
[d] 4. With Regularity (Deheb Remix) [feat. Ny.Ko]
[b] a2. Mammamelie (Deheb Remix) [feat. Ny.Ko]
[d] b2. With Regularity (Deheb Remix) [feat. Ny.Ko]
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Last delivered 7 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
'Boomerang' was first recorded in 1979, when the Broomfield Corporate Jam leader was attempting to plot a solo career. It was the first cut Aaron Broomfield recorded under his own name - Initially, at the family band's home studio, Kilimanjaro, and later at professional studios in L.A and Miami - but it was never released.
'I always wanted to be able to share 'Boomerang' with my fans some day - I didn't release it back then because I thought the time wasn't right,' Broomfield explains. 'It was so different to what was considered commercial then and felt ahead of its time.'
Before deciding against releasing it, Broomfield had two test pressings made. It was the accidental discovery of the
one remaining record by digger Arun Brown (the other perished when Broomfield's Kilimanjaro studio was damaged by a fire in 1996) that set in motion the chain of events that finally led to its release.
The jacket boasts a written essay by Broomfield himself, telling the remarkable story behind the song. The wax
features the two versions of Boomerang, of which both were meticulously restored and re-mastered by celebrated
Australian sound engineer, Dan Elleson.
Head to side A for the 'test press' version, a cosmic, starry-eyed chunk of elastic Miami disco-funk where the
Broomfield family's killer instrumentation - all rubbery bass, deep space synths and crunchy Clavinet motifs - arcs
around the sound space like a boomerang in flight. The vocal arrangement, in which Aaron Broomfield's conscious
lyrics come through loud and clear, brings it home. On the flipside, you'll hear how dynamic the band was through the
'Demo Version' - a relaxed, loose and spacey groover that sounds as ahead of its time in 2018 as it would have when it was recorded in 1979.
Under the alias Ciel, Xi'an-born/Toronto-based producer, pianist, DJ, and Discwoman affiliate Cindy Li embodies the social conscience of progressive electronic music. She is at once a local and global artist, having flourished at the fringe of cutting-edge club culture since 2015, firmly rooted in her adopted city while reaching increasingly outward, her sets echoing from Berlin’s Berghain to Chicago’s Smartbar to Lisbon’s Lux Fragil. Back in Toronto, she co-runs the label Parallel Minds and event initiative Work In Progress, an extension of her radio show in both name and M.O. to improve female representation in the scene. She’s helped write safe space policies, hosted DJ workshops, and applied activist pressure on promoters through varying methods with a single-minded resolve. Those efforts have evoked responses, which Li has spent time reckoning with over the past two years. Now, manifesting as a self-guided reaction to her experiences as an artist and activist is Ciel’s Spectral Sound debut, Why Me?, a deeply personal and physical work.
Ciel’s stylistic pocket as a producer remains that of “soft-touch slammers,” but fans will note the material on Why Me? hits harder. “I wanted to write something that was heavy,” she says of the title track, the result of processing the noise leveled at her specifically after she amassed a database of female and nonbinary talents to highlight the lack of bookings amongst a subset of clubs in the community. “I was dealing with a lot... anger, despair, paranoia, feeling unjustly targeted.” She channeled these antiphons into her art. The cut’s namesake is sourced from the foregrounded sample, a snippet of dialogue from an old film about a man who believes he’s been abducted by aliens. Pulsing metallic drum patterns steer through the hypnotic passage; permeating beneath the beats are lush pads, washing the rattled urgency with unease.
Hardware-built tracks “Go Fish” and “Uri’s Song” came together over studio time with friend and occasional collaborator Colin Sims aka Wiretapping. Ciel brought her sampler to the sessions, with Sims contributing additional drums, which she’d arrange further at home, adding synth parts and basslines and effects, distilling it all down to its most potent core. The latter track — an effervescent minimal techno exercise both tender and tough — expresses Li’s reflections on today’s cyclical conditions for activism, dissension, and, ultimately, optimism. “These are harsher sounds but they also have elements that are really beautiful about them. I wanted to communicate that nothing is permanent, that there’s always hope for understanding and resolution.”
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