Buscar:bass collective

Much time has passed since the Queer Australian/Italian-Armenian, multifaceted artist, Kristian Bahoudian aka Kris Baha, swapped the parched red earth and searing midday sun of the Australian landscape for the brutalist communist-era apartment blocks and slate-grey skies of former East Berlin. Kris is now a fixture in Berlin’s club scene and has toured most of the world as a DJ & live artist with his own unique production style of cyber industrial, EBM, wave, post punk, and early ‘90s IDM mutations. Remixing some of the scene’s most notable artists such as Boy Harsher and techno pop lord Boys Noize, Kris has garnered respect and trust in the electronic music scene for the last 13 years. To respond to the current AI revolution, Kris uploads himself to the cyber ether through his latest project: GHOSTS IN THE MACHIИE.

Across Dual Timelines —
” GHOSTS IN THE MACHIИE ” unfolds as a sci-fi cyberpunk concept project inhabiting dual timelines. In one, we glimpse a trans-humanist future where human consciousness exists as intricate sequences of binary code, entwined and controlled by omnipresent AI systems. In this coded future, a profound awakening stirs among a select few who manage to mutate the code they were governed by, unlocking memories of their history that was erased by the AI. Through this discovery they realize they can traverse temporal boundaries and utilize this power to send warning messages back in time to their former fully human selves. These eerie missives carry a dire warning for humanity, urging them to rectify the course of society before the relentless march of artificial intelligence deprives humanity of its essence. In this terrifying future, humans are rendered mere specters within the digital expanse, stripped of their souls, to become Ghosts In The Machine.
Collaboration with the future self —
The cyber odyssey unfolds from a unique perspective— Kris’s very own future self (his future ghost): a spectral entity endeavoring to caution its present incarnation against the ominous path it treads, attempting to avert a dystopian future.Sonic Alchemy —
A fuse of cybernetic synth waves, hyper-punk, and pulsating drum and bass laid out against the dystopian, industrial sonic landscape of this grim future “civilization”. Each track recounts a new chapter in the gripping narrative, drawing listeners deeper into their own story and the role we all play as a collective society with the future possibilities of unregulated AI.Recorded in Berlin with software and hardware synthesisers. AI was used to assist me with lyric themes, concepts and ideas. I also used a trained AI model of my own voice as backing vocals in ‘Haunting Me’.ll music, words & concepts by Kristian Bahoudian aka Kris Baha and his future ghost,
GHOSTS IN THE MACHIИE

Fractal Void is an avant-garde duo based in Düsseldorf, Germany. Their experimental music blends electronic and contemporary genres located somewhere in the field of musical tension between ambient, drone, halfstep and floor-affine IDM. During their live sets, Fractal Void create vertical reflections by processing sounds through software and interaction with real instruments in every unique musical performance like the Chinese contemporary calligraphic practice Dishu.

Their debut album Elemental Collection unveils a dense and lavishly layered transformation of artificial organic signals, sculpting an auditory world filled with emotive landscapes, overgrown polyrhythms and futuristic elements. Embedded within each track are field recordings serving as the heartbeat of the album. Through innovative and expansive deconstruction, Fractal Void create an energetic and sometimes contemplative experience.

The persons behind Fractal Void:
Back in 2008, their musical journey began with winning a Spectrasonics competition using field recordings of a locker door, that was implemented as a bass synth. Their collaboration was continued as producers of the eight-piece electronic jazz project „Mothers of Guru“.

Marcus Scheltinga is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Besides studying jazz trombone at the Conservatorium Hilversum and the Folkwanghochschule, he works as a musical director, lecturer and coach in 39 countries around the world. From ZDF sound design to live and studio performances with international greats, his own productions have included such as Grammy winner Larry Carlton and Peter Erskine. Mid-east and Indian inspired, Marcus is a true story teller as a musician and composer.

BORGBORG is a producer and DJ. She moves freely in different styles of electronic music with a focus on avant-garde driving techno, dark hypnotic vibes seamlessly blended with deconstructed beats, noise and timeless elements of IDM. She is a member of About Repetition, a group of artists dedicated to the research of repetition through artistic means, collaborating with a wide range of other collectives across Europe and co-founder of the techno event series „SCHLEIFEN“. 

Mobb Deep was a legendary 1990s rap duo formed in Queensbridge, New York, by Havoc and Prodigy. They are considered the foremost progenitors of hardcore rap and one of the most influential hip hop groups in history. Their music reflects the hostile reality of an era when poverty, drugs and gang violence plagued the streets of New York. Their music is characterised by dark samples, the drums, snares and bass are defined and the raw lyrics are of a very high standard, in the most competitive era in rap history. With their albums The Infamous (1995) and Hell On Earth (1996) they achieved fame within and outside the hip hop community, including hits such as "Shook Ones (Part II)" and "Survival of the Fittest". They would later collaborate with top East Coast rappers such as Notorious B.I.G., members of the Wu-Tang Clan collective, Jay-Z, Nas and 50 Cent, on whose label G-Unit they would release their album Blood Money (2005). Prodigy's sad death in 2017 due to a long and cruel illness only has amplified an already existing legacy. On this album we will be able to enjoy the instrumentals and acappellas of many of their best tracks throughout their career.

Black Decelerant is the second installment of Reflections, a series showcasing contemporary collaborations orchestrated by RVNG Intl., recently inaugurated by Steve Gunn and David Moore. Black Decelerant, the duo of Khari Lucas, aka Contour, and Omari Jazz, explores jazz traditions, improvising with synthesizers, guitars, and electronics as a practice laid forth by their musical ancestors. This experience allows for sonic meditations on themes such as Black being/nonbeing, mourning/life, expansion/limitation, and the individual/the collective. The two strive to create a sonic surface which can simultaneously allow Black listeners a place to be still, and to serve as a basis for a movement beyond "the moment." The album's ten compositions configure vast, resonant landscapes with signals, weathers and spirits, suspended in memory and distilled in time. The Black Decelerant machine recalibrates archival relics and acoustic impulses into collages of amalgamated timbres, where harmony exists not without discordance. Across the expansive space of the record, cadent storms of modulated sound ascend beside serene melodic spells. Piano keys and bass lines tumble in free fall throughout the release, accompanied on tracks "two" and "eight" by the spectral trumpet improvisations of Jawwaad Taylor. The duo arrived at their name upon reading Aria Dean's Notes on Blacceleration, an article which explores Accelerationism within the context of Black being or non-being as a foundational tenet of capitalism. Coupled with the record's intended effect, "Black Decelerant" references the music being an invitation to slow down, while hinting at the shared politics between themselves and the artists and thinkers who inspire them.

Sun Reflector is the debut LP collaboration by Heffernan (Ivan The tolerable, All Structures Align, King Champion Sounds, University Challenged) and Pärk (Black Tempel Pyramid, Teeth Of Glass, Kosmonaut). Sun Reflector is steeped in a haze of primitive drum machines, fanned phase and sustained scuzz-rippled guitar chimes, an ambient electronic creation with emphasis on repetitive trance-inducing rhythmic pulsations of electronic sound and subtle counterpoints that slowly unfold as the rhythmic drive marches forth utilizing the Motorik 4/4 beat with the lysergic kosmische sonic textures of Cluster. With Heffernan (bass, guitars and drones) based in the Northeast of England and Pärk (synths, drones and loops) based in Colorado USA on the border with New Mexico - the portal they opened up between these environments creates a travelogue that unites physical and inner space, a series of trance induced states rendered in vivid colour, a delirious portal into the ether. ‘Harmonic Coast’ opens and is a heady downtempo affair, an earthly vibration that slips effortlessly between peyote peaking trekking trips & Balearic sunset vibes. The somnambulistic drift of 'The Sun' sets the stage with a series of shimmering, circular synth pulses where hidden details slowly emerge over multiple listens. Album closer ‘Fever Mirage’ creates a clear-eyed appreciation of the pastoral beauty that surrounds us, it’s a journey that summons up an occult-like dream of glacial arpeggios and whispering synths that pull your attention in to this hypnotizing listening experience. Sun Reflector is a collective sound in which a lot is allowed, and a lot is done. That combined with the compositional ingenuity where the heterogeneous timbres create a time travelled cosmic mysticism that summons up the spirits and visions of Harmonia, Cluster, Eno and Phillip Glass. Shimmering and transcendent we present to you for your listening experience ‘Sun Reflector’

2024 Repress

Mutual Rytm is back with more searing techno, this time in the form of a welcome return to wax from venerated Aussie mainstay Shane Yates, aka Alpharisc.

Melbourne's Alpharisc has been making music since 1993, initially with humble tools like the Commodore 64 and Amiga 500, before putting together and building a growing collection of hardware. He has always maintained a somewhat reclusive character since breaking through with the city's renowned Wetmusik party and label collective following the release of his first EP in 1999 and has always kept a nostalgic touch in his music alongside his signature Alpharisc sound. Following a string of digital EPs on the likes of Future Retro Music, this is his first vinyl 12" in two decades as he returns to Mutual Rytm following his appearance on the Federation Of Rytm II compilation, serving up his bustling 'Ram Face' EP.

The powerful 'Formation Filter' opens up with a powerful techno groove built from rock-solid kicks and rumbling bass that will rattle walls. Snares and synth rolls peel off the drums as they race onwards and grow ever wilder and more intense for maximum destruction. 'Circus Fear' is another stylish linear workout with lithe synth details and loopy drums peppered with coarse claps and hits to up the ante, while 'Hot Morning' brings even more fire with its big, churning percussive clatter and supersized hi-hats racing along over more bulky beats.

Things get more unhinged with the hard-edged 'Ram Face', which has pummelling drums and scraping hits forming a barrage of industrialised sound; a lead from a SID chip will bring a smile to those who are familiar with its sound playing a hypnotic lead over the top. The final track on wax, 'The Old One', builds up cosmic tension, haunting synth lines and howling solar winds into another peak time techno weapon. As always with the label, a digital bonus cut 'Hairyman' provides a special treat and delivers another frosty techno roller with pent-up energy and compelling drum programming.

Temperature On Arrival. The immediate sensory impact as you enter the venue. The vibe, energy and intensity. The movement of the crowd, the atmosphere of the space, the initial impression when stepping onto the dancefloor. The surge as the music hits you.

Temperature On Arrival is here to deliver the feels and control the climate, with the coldest beats and toastiest grooves. The UK-based duo are set to soundtrack the seasons, kicking off with two scintillating house cuts that resonate within the intimate confines of smaller venues, to the vast openness of clubs and summer terraces. Featuring the soulful vocal talents of London's Deli OneFourz on 36 Degrees and the inspirational Minister and singer, Anthony Hainsley on The Tunnel, with Adrian McLeod on keys across both tracks.

The sunshine vibes are high on '36 Degrees’ as Temperature on Arrival move the mercury, whilst setting the vibrations of the dancefloor. Throbbing drums and a thick bottom-heavy bassline are adorned with chimes, rhodes chords and the velvety vocals of Deli OneFourz. All fused together with a serious serving of bump.

Spirits rise further on the Gospel-infused, ’The Tunnel’, as Anthony Hainsley inspires with his message of perseverance.The track's relentless four-four stomp symbolises the resilience and collective spirit to keep moving, “somehow”, and serves as a joyous reminder of the celebration of dancing together.

TOA, the new tone setters, tastemakers, and temperature takers – and the heat is undeniably rising.

These days it seems as if at every turn, week in week out, the Reggae fraternity grieves the loss of another journey man singer, unassuming session musician or foundational sound man.

The power of remembrance, of tribute, of deeply honouring the historical legacy of so many singers & players has been, from its very inception, central to the mission of Ital Counselor Records. The arrival of IC008 carries forth this tradition in the form of an epic tribute to two of our most cherished influences who have recently passed on – The ever-spirited drummer Angus “Drummie Zeb” Gaye of Aswad fame and the indomitable UK sound man, the Mighty Zulu Warrior Jah Shaka.

This release brings together some of the usual Ital Counselor collaborators Chris Lane (AKA the Dub Organiser, Fashion Records), Soothsayer Horns, Inyaki BDF, along with new IC collaborator Gil Cang (Riz Records, Tuff Scout Records).

Collectively known as the IC All Stars, their mission was to rebuild a mythic dubplate made legendary by Shaka in the early 1980s. Known on the scene as Rasta Serenade, this horns driven instrumental dubplate was a never released version of Aswad’s vocal cut “Just a Little Herb” only ever played on Shaka’s sound.
To achieve maximum effect, the Dub Organiser dug back into the Fashion records vaults to unearth an unused loop of ‘Drummie’ marching out a militant beat. Inyaki BDF was recruited to lay down the bassline. Soothsayers horns hit harder still. Chris and Gil put the final guitar, keys, and mix touches to make this 4-cut maxi 12” a sound system killer; a set of big people dubs for the young and old. Meditative and marching; Weighted and spritely IC008 must mash up sound system dance north, south, east and west. Take a listen and you will hear.

Drummie Zeb of the Tribe of Zebulon.
Jah Shaka of the Tribe of Simeon.
This is a tribute. This is a remembrance.
This is also a pushing forward of a tradition
In a new Direction
A movement Forward
Ital Counselor Style.

Stefano De Santis kicks off this Best Of Various with Murk, as the name suggests its a dark workout from one of Rome’s finest producers. Following that are Batavia Collective from Jakarta. When we first heard the live demo for this we were blown away and had to get it out on TLM. Batavia Collective are Elfa Zulham on drums, Doni Joesran on keys and Kenny Gabriel on synth bass. All mixed by Stefano De Santis. Rounding off the A side we have Cormac Fulton and his follow up to Perplexed on TLM025 with a new track called Loungeware. Based in Salford this is another atmospheric track from Cormac featuring Netherlands born but now Rio de Janeiro based flautist Floor Polder. Floor also appeared on Steve Conry’s rework of Guinu - Eletromadinga which featured on Colin Curtis Presents Jazz Dance Fusion 4 Part 2. Loungeware was mixed by Steve Conry and Matt Cox. Onto the AA side and we have Montreal resident Mike Perras with Soullous, a superb dancefloor track, live drums and amazing keys, in fact everything you want from house music. Next up is Future Jazz Ensemble from Vibo Valentia who follow on from their Rough Time EP TLM028 and appearance on TLM030 with another broken jazz monster of a track called Over The Rainbow. Finishing off side AA is Takahiro Fuchigami from Fukuoka with another fine track called Outer Heaven, a great follow up to Strange Acquaintance which was on TLM034.

10-piece UK afro-fusion outfit TC & The Groove Family are proud to share their new EP ‘We Have Each Other’. Releasing on Friday 7th June via Bridge The Gap, the project sees the band refine the sound debuted on their 2022 album ‘First Home’. Returning to work once again with producer Tom Excell (Nubiyan Twist, ONIPA), the project explores a darker sonic palette, channelling a deep appreciation of UK bass and electronic music alongside afro-jazz sounds and hip-hop sensibilities.

The record documents a time of change within the group - a new lineup, plus members living in different cities and pursuing various paths - whilst also reflecting the turbulent socio-political climate, and the major shifts and changes on the horizon for humanity. However, despite the heavy subject material, the band strike an optimistic, uplifting tone, with MC Franz Von channeling the music into a message encouraging listeners to look around and embrace
community, whatever that may look like. Bandleader Tim Cook shares:

“Our collective purpose is to craft music that empowers and energises individuals to embrace their true selves with pride, celebrating the unity and strength we radiate as one community. No one needs to be alone when they are striving for common humanity. No one should be lonely when we celebrate each other, drawn together by a sound that says it’s good to be me, it’s better to be us. As our MC, Franz Von says, music brings peace, love & energy”.

Opener and lead single ‘Stand Strong’ is a love letter to afrobeat, creating a contemporary twist with its Khruangbin-esque guitar lines and weaving horns, whilst ‘Here, Now’ takes the tempo down to an atmospheric haze of dubbed-out ambient effects, pierced by uplifting horn melodies. ‘Blessed’ sees the group welcome Nubiyan Twist’s Aziza Jaye for a dancehall-meets-North African-flavoured feature, subtly reimagining what Elephunk era Black Eyed Peas would
sound like today.

At the EP’s centre-point and emotional peak, title track ‘We Have Each Other’ showcases the band’s jazz fusion, Latin and dark electronic influences. The tracks growling, subbed-out bass tones return as a theme for ‘Wile Out’ - a UK hip-hop & jungle tinged collaboration with SANITY complete with virtuosic, tight-knit grooves, furious horn lines and a whirlwind of immersive turntablism.

Originally formed in Leeds, TC & The Groove Family’s sound reflects the diverse musical and cultural backgrounds at the core of the project, with songs exploring grooves and genres including afrobeat, broken beat, jungle, jazz and grime. Their music has drawn widespread acclaim, supported by tastemakers including Jamz Supernova and Craig Charles on BBC Radio 6, BBC Introducing West Yorkshire, Jazz FM, Rinse FM, Radio FIP and more. The group have performed at the likes of Glastonbury, We Out Here, Greenman and Boomtown, and will embark on a UK tour across May & June in support of the release of ‘We Have Each Other’.

Leicester punk sextet Jools have today released their new single ‘97%’, a provocative track spotlighting the ubiquity of sexual harassment in the lives of women. This comes alongside the band’s announcement of signing to UK indie label Hassle Records (Brutus, The Used, Casey), and the release of an upcoming double A-side 7” single in June.

‘97%’ draws on vocalist Kate Price’s own personal experiences and those of the women in her life. “The point of the song, however, is not to explore my experience as an isolated incident, but instead to force people to confront such commonplace experiences in a manner in which they can’t look away,” Price says. “Everybody knows a woman that has been harassed or assaulted, but nobody seems to know an abuser. That simply doesn’t add up. I want that song to feel uncomfortable because I want everyone who hears it to realise that just because they are not an abuser, that doesn’t mean they aren’t responsible for changing the culture and experiences of every woman. It’s a cry for justice in the world.”

To experience Jools in their most chaotic and unpredictable full flight is, the band were once told, to not know whether you are about to be kicked in the face or kissed on the cheek. Even that, however, feels like an understatement.

At any moment the Jools experience, on stage and on record, can turn on a sixpence from that of unbridled rage at the world to a celebration of the beauty that can still be found hidden in its murky corners. The punk rock of Jools is at once visceral and violent, cathartic and confrontational, and at the next exultant and exhilarating. Jools is duality by design, where contradiction is empowerment harnessed as a force for progress, sonically and societally.

A collective of musicians – Mitch Gordon and Kate Price on vocals, Chris Johnston and Callum Connachie on guitar, Joe Dodd on bass, and Chelsea Wrones on drums – spread between London and Leicester, Jools found each other as much by accident as design in the

earliest days of 2023. Together, they serve as a creative confluence for inspirations that move from the punk and post-punk of The Smiths, Fontaines DC, Iggy Pop, Amyl & The Sniffers and PJ Harvey, through the shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, and into territories marked metal, rap and pop.

On The Healer, the new full length from the Northwest-based trio of guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom) bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) the group deepens its multi-faceted exploration into the parallel experiences of creation and destruction. Over the course of 4 tracks in 76 minutes, SUMAC present a sequence of shifting movements which undergo a constant process of expansion, contraction, corruption and regrowth. This musical methodology reflects the thematic nature of the record - narratives of experiential wounding as gateways to empowerment and evolution, both individual and collective. The group"s interpolation of melody, drone, improvisation, and complex riffing becomes a transmogrifying act embodying the depth of human experience. In its highest aspiration it mirrors our ability to endure mortal and spiritual challenges, through which we may emerge with an increased capacity for understanding, empathy, love of self and others. Dismal though the subterranean pits of The Healer may at first appear, from them can be felt the unwavering determination to embrace life, acknowledge interdependence, and honor the gift of existence.

On The Healer, the new full length from the Northwest-based trio of guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom) bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles, Botch) and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) the group deepens its multi-faceted exploration into the parallel experiences of creation and destruction. Over the course of 4 tracks in 76 minutes, SUMAC present a sequence of shifting movements which undergo a constant process of expansion, contraction, corruption and regrowth. This musical methodology reflects the thematic nature of the record - narratives of experiential wounding as gateways to empowerment and evolution, both individual and collective. The group"s interpolation of melody, drone, improvisation, and complex riffing becomes a transmogrifying act embodying the depth of human experience. In its highest aspiration it mirrors our ability to endure mortal and spiritual challenges, through which we may emerge with an increased capacity for understanding, empathy, love of self and others. Dismal though the subterranean pits of The Healer may at first appear, from them can be felt the unwavering determination to embrace life, acknowledge interdependence, and honor the gift of existence.

Continually in a state of evolution with a future-focused vision, yet ensuring the signature sound that has defined the label and event series for over a decade remains at its core, Enzo Siragusa’s FUSE imprint is once again keeping things moving with new ventures, projects and concepts.

Having previously introduced the label’s collaborative X Series in addition to the launch of sister imprint LOCUS, summer brings a new project for 2024 as the label now presents its new vinyl-focused VA, welcoming four label debuts for the first instalment of the project. First up is Amstedam-based Nachtbraker, whose classy house sound has welcomed releases via Aus Music and Peach Discs, amongst many. His contribution, ‘Banda’, is deep and trippy, balancing light and dark moments via a warping bassline, sweeping pads and slinking drums.

Next, Phone Traxxx member and live wizard Rob Amboule makes his debut on the label following his appearance for the collective’s 15th birthday at fabric. Playful and vibrant, with wicked acid-dipped and funk-fuelled bass licks, ‘Capnhat’ perfectly showcases his sound as he delivers another gem.

On the flip, Melbourne-born, Berlin-based Reflex Blue lands fresh from his second EP on Gene On Earth’s The Sound Of Limousine imprint with the glitchy yet smooth ‘Life’s A Bleep’ - combining spacey tones, skippy drums and sporadic bleeps and lasers. To close, Un_Mute resident Mario Liberti harnesses influences from a classic to deliver a heady dancefloor anthem, fusing hooky vocal samples, murky low-ends and those iconic synth stabs.

Reel People Music breaks new ground, in more ways than one, with the launch of fresh compilation series Broken, Deep & Dope. A spin-off from acclaimed compilation brand Soulful, Deep & Dope – introduced back in 2015 – this new series sees the much-loved independent imprint pushing further at the boundaries of soulful music. All with that customary Reel People feeling.

Broken, Deep & Dope 2024, the series’ first instalment, unleashes 20 superlative examples of the soulful ‘bruk’ (broken beat), nu beat and nu jazz sound that has so innovatively informed contemporary dancefloors around the world since its inception back in late Nineties West London.

Bringing together classic cuts from the Reel People Music stable (including those by Daz-I-Kue, Monkey Brothers and Reel People) and key productions from some of its closest affiliates and biggest inspirations (such as Vikter Duplaix, Jazzanova, Bugz In The Attic, Kaidi Tatham, and Sean McCabe), this white-hot selection nips and tucks beautifully between stuttered Latin and Afro rhythms, deep house-edged jams and soaring flights of soul-jazz fancy.

Reel People Music is a label borne out of the soulful success of acclaimed collective Reel People but representing so much more. Launched in late 2009, the imprint has built a fiercely loyal international fanbase through its passion for artist development, musicianship, song-craft and authentic soulful groove.

Broken, Deep & Dope 2024, with its scattered yet compulsive beats, frisky basslines and acrobatic melodies, promises to further expand Reel People Music’s reputation for soulful depth and drama. Gathering old and new favourites from some of the world’s finest taste-making DJs and producers, this is another scorching, oh-soul essential hustle. End of.

Announcing the debut album from one of London’s most electrifying acts, New Regency Orchestra. An 18-piece Afro-Cuban big band, inspired by the musical melting pot of NYC in the 1950s, but with the punch and power of a whole host of London’s best Latin and jazz musicians. Blowing new life into these compositions, the album is a reimagining of some of the finest music from that golden era. From early 1950s René Hernandez and Tito Puente, through to the 1970s salsa of Rafael Labasta and Orlando Marin, produced and performed with fresh fire.

NRO is the brainchild of its artistic director, and the man behind Total Refreshment Centre and Church of Sound, Lex Blondin. Through a long-held passion for jazz, Lex discovered the explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms of mid-1940s NYC via the godfather of Afro-Cuban jazz, Mario Bauzá. A time when two musical worlds collided in a fusion of creativity and energy, jazz luminaries like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker joining forces with Cuban greats like Machito and Chano Pozo. This vibrant sound was music to dance to and found a home at The New York Palladium, a formative space of freedom and expression that was key to the scene’s development.

Although dance-focussed in their makeup, those early recordings are not often heard in modern club environments and Lex dreamt of retelling their story with a contemporary dynamism. A slice of serendipity followed, as a slot at a new festival opened up and Lex jumped at the chance to make this idea a reality, an 18-piece big band breathing new life into these beloved songs.

Enlisting the expertise of some of the capital’s finest talent, Lex and co-captain Andy Wood, of Como No fame, put together a world-class line-up of talent. Bringing in Eliane Correa as musical director and bandleader, a fluid and interchanging 18-piece band was formed.

The album itself is a hand-picked selection of timeless Afro-Cuban jazz classics, reimagined with NRO’s unbridled energy. It contains ten incredible instrumental tracks including 'Pregon' with its anthemic horn stabs and the addictive head nod bounce of 'Mambo Rama', alongside two scorching vocal numbers in 'Papa Boco' and 'Labasta Llego'. Coupling a heavyweight rhythm section with a wall of horns, they provide a fresh spin on songs from Tito Puente and Chico O'Farrill, René Hernandez through to Rafael Labasta.

“Some of the tunes like Tito Puente’s ‘Mambo Rama’ and ‘Scarlet Mambo’ might sound like they went to a gym as extra drums and bass synth were added to them whilst the tune ‘Sahib & Tito’ is a mix of Tito’s ‘Mambo Buda’ and Sahib Shihab’s ‘Nus’. Our intention is to be both respectful to the innovators and inventors of this incredible music and to pay our dues, but also to add something special from London where the city’s new jazz scene connects with its Latin American musicians and the musical influences around us.”

This pure collective joy, shared experience and music you can’t help but move to.

"Led by the legendary pianist and composer Chick Corea - 27-time Grammy winner and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master - The Elektric Band stormed onto the jazz scene in the mid-1980s, making an immediate and lasting impact on the genre. With their electrifying performances and innovative blend of jazz fusion, the group produced a series of albums that set the bar for excellence in contemporary jazz.

Featuring a core lineup of virtuosic musicians - John Patitucci on bass, Dave Weckl on drums, Eric Marienthal on saxophone and Frank Gambale on guitar - the group created a dynamic and electrifying sound that came to define the jazz fusion style. Their collective musicianship was on full display on each album, as they seamlessly blended complex compositions with captivating improvisations.

With each outing, the band explored new sonic territories, incorporating elements of funk, Latin and Afro music, and pop sensibilities. Their 5-album studio discography is a masterful tapestry of multi-layered music, showcasing their creativity, innovation, and musicianship."

Remastered vinyl of the original album which came out on CD only in 2005. Limited to 200 copies on classic black vinyl. This is an album that’s as alive as any could be. Indeed, far from sounding like the last desperate set of half-baked ideas from a once vital band (hello Oasis?) Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves is more like a debut album from a bunch of teenage upstarts: free from cynicism, fired with worldly wonder and chock full of ideas. This is certainly a different outfit from that of 1998, when they first wowed us (via John Peel, naturally) with the utterly essential sprawling noise that was The Things We Make. Long since stripped down by a series of resignations from a five strong collective to a taut three piece featuring founding members Chris Olley, James Flower and Chris Davis, the music has simplified considerably. Gone are the soundscapes of old, and in their place we have a series of sharp basslines, swirling keyboards, cutting guitar lines and the passionate hollering of frontman Olley. Opener All I Really Want From You Is Love is a perfect introduction to proceedings – a truly wonderfully distorted slab of indie rock, recalling early Jesus And Mary Chain in both its fuzz and, crucially, its wonderfully crafted tune. Next, Nowhere To Go But Home sounds like New Order if they’d emerged from Detroit in 1966. Tonight (I Wanna Make It Out) follows likewise with the best bassline Peter Hook never plucked. Throughout, Six By Seven manage to sound so natural, so refreshing free of the flab and introspection that a band on its last legs would usually succumb to. And whilst the momentum is momentarily lost as the drum machine makes an appearance to fashion the Suicide-esque trawl of Stara Paris Rescued Me, it’s not long before Just Get It Down muscles things back on course with a whispered Olley diatribe perched on top of more raw cacophony, before we reach the bitter end via the Depeche Mode-on-smack You Know I Feel Alright Now. Tracklisting:

very dope.

With this EP an attempt is made at documenting the vibrant action happening during the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Pioneer Valley area of Western Massachusetts, US. The story is richer than the snapshot we present here, and a more detailed account is to be found in the accompanying book that can be purchased separately.

The Five Colleges in Hampshire County congregated a vast student population that inevitably interacted with the towns in the area. Bars, music and record stores, live music and a lot of experimentation and free thinking. Hampshire College, especially, promoted new approaches to teaching, subjects that might be considered radical by some even today, although a more favourable context would now surely exist for openly debating such topics as American Indians, Kayak Design, Black Oral Tradition, Food Management, etc. And the music? The immediate "punk effect" motivated the creation of numerous bands, many short lived, others evolving into New Wave / Power Pop territory, eventually crossing into Post-Punk experimentation. What is captured in "Noho EP" is a more electronic disposition, favoured by the existence of EMS gear and other equipment at Hampshire College and University of Massachusetts. We chose to focus on a group of musicians who, for a time, played together in different combinations under the loose umbrella of the Tekno Tunes label and the structure around it.

These musicians come from very different backgrounds and the nucleus portrayed here consisted of Christopher Vine, Elliott Sharp, James Whittemore and Nicholas Brown.

Of the several line-up changes The Scientific Americans went through, it was actually only the duo of Chris Vine and Jim Whittemore who recorded "Among Bodge Watt". Never before released, it is a companion piece to their track "El Salvador" available on the 1981 ROIR tape-album "Load & Go!". The Sci Ams were founders of the Tekno Tunes label and also created the Tekno Tours "concert promotion agency", under which name they exposed local audiences to bands such as The Stranglers, The Slits, Pylon, Pere Ubu, The Psychedelic Furs, The Bush Tetras, Steel Pulse, etc. Their own sound kept progressing but at its best there's a solid dub undercurrent, pretty obvious in "Among Bodge Watt".

Human Error was born out of a collective jam by Chris Vine, Elliott Sharp, Jim Whittemore and Nick Brown. Elliott Sharp had moved to Northampton in August of 1978 and naturally became involved in the local music scene, hooking up first with Whittemore at a hi-fi audio store where he worked at the time. Basement jams followed stimulating conversations, and other musicians joined the sessions. "Clandestinator" sounds gorgeously loose, an effortless groove coming from a quasi-dub set-up. Nothing here seems calculated, the music just flows, contagious and irregular as the handclaps in the mix.

The Higher Primates later evolved into a "proper" band but started as Nick Brown's solo project. The Primates only ever released a (now sought-after) 7" single in 1980 (on the Tekno Tunes label, precisely). Both tracks on "Noho EP" were recorded the following year and never released until now. "Auto Music in the Disco Dub Style" is self-explanatory, with a steady, mid-tempo TR808 beat running through, supporting synth squelches, echoes and reverbs, a fat bassline, dissonant melodic lines and odd vocal snippets. Kind of a DJ tool when the concept was barely in place. The more uptempo "Teresa Variations" adds a Fender Jazz bass and Selmer sax to the electronics. It actually sounds more "Disco", even with the robotic, unintelligible vocals. On top of this, the vibe is sealed by the overall Radiophonic Workshop analogue strangeness applied to a dance beat.

"Listen to This." As the original working title for Bitches Brew, the instruction and invitation resonates to this day as the best way to approach a record that shattered conventions, altered music history, and, more than five decades after its original release, still sounds far ahead of its time. The aural Mount Rushmore of jazz fusion, Bitches Brew is rightly ranked by virtually every significant outlet among the 100 greatest albums ever made in any genre. Sewn together with vibrant colours, voodoo textures, and ethereal moods, the 1970 landmark emerges with supreme detail on Mobile Fidelity's definitive 180g 33RPM 2LP set.

Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, this numbered-edition version of Bitches Brew joins the audiophile ranks of other essential Miles Davis sets reissued by Mobile Fidelity. Having established new possibilities for studio-recording techniques, the record can now be experienced to maximum degree by way of a pressing that widens and deepens the soundstage, opens up separation between instruments, and broadens the dynamic range. If ever a jazz album can be said to have gone to outer space and back, this is it.

Davis conceived Bitches Brew by having the musicians stand in a semi-circle, where he pointed at them with vague directions for tempo, solos, and cues. The collective improvisation and interplay spawned a galaxy of melodies and grooves later spliced together by producer Ted Macero. On this reissue, these creations take shape with utmost realism. Compositions stretch across black backgrounds and paint abstract canvasses on par with those of Axis: Bold As Love and Abraxas. Juxtaposed percussion, loose jams, and melodic segues explode with impressionistic verve.

And "verve" defines Bitches Brew. Gathering a Hall of Fame-worthy lineup of musicians and tweaking it according to his desires, Davis follows through on his idea to "put together the greatest rock and roll band you ever heard." Central to his proposition is the presence of two (and sometimes three) drummers and two bassists, a tactical move that thrusts rhythms into central focus. Akin to the futuristic album cover art, the drum-driven suites head toward distant universes and uncharted territories. At once hypnotizing and grooving, they chart maverick adventures with quixotic rock, funk, and R&B elements.

Conceptually, Davis described Bitches Brew as "a novel without words" and "an incredible journey of pain, joy, sorrow, hate, passion, and love." The vast psychedelic expanses of warped echoes, liquid reverb, and tape loops confirm such ambitious contrasts of light and dark, fear and hope. Yet the most absolute characteristic of this watershed effort lies in how it resists definitive interpretation and encourages free thought — the very principles with which Davis conceived the everlasting beauty and fascination that remain Bitches Brew.