Our next foray into the world of 12” vinyl sees three classic cuts from Tyrome - aka Kris Vanderheyden and Pascal Deneef, remastered for today’s standard and pressed onto glorious wax for that nostalgic feel. Tyrome formed in 1996 and quickly gained a following with their brand of electronic dance music. Their first outings appeared on the famous Bonzai Trance Progressive label where they’d deliver these three top-notch joints before appearing on other labels. Kris is a Belgian techno and electronic music producer who is considered one of the leading pioneers of the Belgian techno scene. He is also known by his stage name Insider, as well as The Assistant and he belonged to a host of groups including Quick Reverse, Cherry Moon Trax and Tripomatic Allstars to name just a few and he contributed heavily to the Bonzai sound of the 90’s. Pascal is also a name synonymous with the 90’s techno sound in Belgium. He worked closely with Kris on several projects including Indicator, Technodrive, Total Remedy and Quick Reverse. His repertoire also includes the monikers Big Jim and Emoryt (Tyrome spelt backwards) and has appeared on a raft of labels over the years.
On the A-side we get a taste of Tyrome’s most famous groove, the 1998 joint ‘Electric Voodoo’, with its instantly recognisable vocal sample. A highly charged and energetic slice of trance with a nice techno edge that always gets the crowd moving. On the flip, the B1 slot holds the much deeper grooves of ‘Noxious’ which saw the light of day in 1996. Dark and mysterious, the beat mesmerizes as a melodic siren fades up to the backdrop of erotic voices. A definite contender at any late-night session to keep the party flowing. Concluding the release in the B2 slot, the 1997 cut ‘Monkey Way’ has the honours. A feisty number with a driving groove thanks to a powerful bassline and rhythmic percussions. The track is laden with stabbing synths and pent-up energy just waiting to be unleashed onto the floors.
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- 1: Oh I Miss Her So
- 2: The Things Themselves
- 3: Ice Dreaming (Less Is More Mix)
- 4: Not For Nothing
- 5: Kings And Queens
- 6: Oh I Miss Her So (Reprise)
- 7: Oh I Miss Her So (Instrumental)
- 8: The Things Themselves (Instrumental)
- 9: Ice Dreaming (Less Is More Mix) (Instrumental)
- 10: Not For Nothing (Instrumental)
- 11: Kings And Queens (Instrumental)
Coloured Vinyl[22,23 €]
By popular demand, Big Crown Records is proud to present Holy Hive's Harping EP on vinyl for the first time. For their debut EP on Big Crown Records, they decided to start things off with an extended reunion enlisting all of their favorite players from the Big Crown Family and beyond. The backbone for all these songs is the accomplished Harpist Mary Lattimore, who gives her learned heartfelt accompaniment to every song. There are guest vocals from one of their favorite songwriters Sasami on two tracks and a cast of lively characters assemble to add their lines - Dave Guy on Trumpet, Nick Movshon on bass, Katie Jacoby and Kristine Kruta on Strings, Leon Michels on Vibes, and nally Jens Jungkurth, Chris Connors, and Alex Deturk as sound sculptors.
- 1: Oh I Miss Her So
- 2: The Things Themselves
- 3: Ice Dreaming (Less Is More Mix)
- 4: Not For Nothing
- 5: Kings And Queens
- 6: Oh I Miss Her So (Reprise)
- 7: Oh I Miss Her So (Instrumental)
- 8: The Things Themselves (Instrumental)
- 9: Ice Dreaming (Less Is More Mix) (Instrumental)
- 10: Not For Nothing (Instrumental)
- 11: Kings And Queens (Instrumental)
Black Vinyl[22,23 €]
HOLY TURQUOISE COLOUR VINYL
By popular demand, Big Crown Records is proud to present Holy Hive's Harping EP on vinyl for the first time. For their debut EP on Big Crown Records, they decided to start things off with an extended reunion enlisting all of their favorite players from the Big Crown Family and beyond. The backbone for all these songs is the accomplished Harpist Mary Lattimore, who gives her learned heartfelt accompaniment to every song. There are guest vocals from one of their favorite songwriters Sasami on two tracks and a cast of lively characters assemble to add their lines - Dave Guy on Trumpet, Nick Movshon on bass, Katie Jacoby and Kristine Kruta on Strings, Leon Michels on Vibes, and nally Jens Jungkurth, Chris Connors, and Alex Deturk as sound sculptors.
Budget Cuts is honored to present the debut EP from New York’s finest, Alien D. In a commanding vinyl debut, Alien D conjures new worlds on D’s World which boldly traverses the territories of breakbeat, techno, and Baltimore club. Deep subs, slowed breaks, and Hazy stabs. In the eternal words of Alien D: “Another World is Possible”
Daniel Creahan is an artist whose musical output takes many different forms. Creahan formed the noise group Mind Dynamics and went on to release solo material under the moniker Stress on Embalming lately and Bootleg Tapes. The Alien D moniker emerged in 2018 with a focus on amphibious textures. Most recently, Creahan co-created DeKalb Works with and releases a stunning album for Where to Now? In 2020. Creahan is a central figure in the New York underground scene as both an artist and co-founder of Sweat Equity records.
"D's World tones down hard-hitting dance floor cuts with dazed melodies, balancing older sounds with the new” - Padideh Aghanoury (Resident Advisor)
"Hard to pick a fave, between Berger's Breaks, Conga Dance and Magnet Dance, I love the melody of Magnet Dance and the overall mood and groove of the record" - Louise Chen (NTS, Rinse France)
"magnet dance for me" - Posthuman (Balkin Vinyl, I Love Acid)
"Dope EP!" - Santiago Salazar (UR, Dublab)
Money Man (Born: Tysen Jay Bolding), famous with the name, Big Money, was born in New York, but raised in Decatur, Georgia. He attempted to break into the music industry in the early 2010’s but paused to focus on his finances. The rapper emerged in 2016 with three mixtapes featuring the likes of Young Thug, Akon, Gucci Mane and others that earned him a significant following. Over the next few years, this momentum continued with the release of seven more successful mixtapes. Money Man found Top 40 chart success in 2019 with “Paranoia,” followed by more album chart presence with “State of Emergency” and “Blockchain.” “BIG MONEY” features guest artists G Herbo, Nardo Wick, Benny the Butcher, BJ Jroc, Peezy, and Juney Knotzz.
- A1: Slip On Through (Sunflower Original Album)
- A27: Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (The Cotton Song)
- B1: Don't Go Near The Water (Surf's Up Original Album)
- B2: Long Promised Road
- B3: Take A Load Off Your Feet
- B4: Disney Girls
- B5: Student Demonstration Time
- B6: Feel Flows
- B7: Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (A Welfare Song)
- B8: A Day In The Life Of A Tree
- B9: Til I Die
- B10: Surf's Up
- B11: Surf's Up Promo (Previously Unreleased)
- B12: Take A Load Off Your Feet (Live 1993 - Previously Unreleased - Surf's Up Live)
- B13: Long Promised Road (Live 1972 - Previously Unreleased)
- B14: Disney Girls (Live 1982 - Previously Unreleased)
- B15: Surf's Up (Live 1973 - Previously Unreleased)
- B16: Student Demonstration Time (Live 1971 - Previously Unreleased)
- B17: Big Sur (Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track - Surf's Up Bonus Tracks)
- B18: Help Is On The Way
- B19: Sweet & Bitter (Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track)
- B20: My Solution (Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track)
- B21: 4Th Of July
- B22: Sound Of Free
- B23: Lady (Fallin' In Love) (Fallin' In Love)
- B24: Seasons In The Sun (Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track)
- C1: Sunflower Promo 2 (Previously Unreleased - Sunflower Sessions)
- A2: This Whole World
- C2: Slip On Through (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C3: This Whole World (Long Version Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C4: Add Some Music To Your Day (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C5: Deirdre (Track - Previously Unreleased)
- C6: It's About Time (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C7: Tears In The Morning (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C8: All I Wanna Do (Session Intro, Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C9: Forever (Session Highlights - Previously Unreleased)
- C10: Forever (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C11: Our Sweet Love (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C12: At My Window (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C13: Cool Cool Water (Alternate 2019 Mix - Previously Unreleased)
- C14: San Miguel (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C15: Loop De Loop (Track - Previously Unreleased)
- C16: Good Time (Session Intro, Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- C17: When Girls Get Together (Track - Previously Unreleased)
- C18: Slip On Through (Alternate 1969 Mix With Session Intro - Previously Unreleased)
- C19: Our Sweet Love (String Section - Previously Unreleased)
- C20: San Miguel (Backing Vocals Excerpt - Previously Unreleased - 1969-1970 A Cappella)
- C21: Break Away (Backing Vocals Excerpt - Previously Unreleased)
- C22: Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (The Cotton Song)
- C23: Good Time (Backing Vocals Excerpt - Previously Unreleased)
- C24: This Whole World (Backing Vocals Section - Previously Unreleased)
- C25: Add Some Music To Your Day (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased)
- C26: Got To Know The Woman (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased)
- C27: It's About Time (Backing Vocals Excerpt - Previously Unreleased)
- A3: Add Some Music To Your Day
- C28: All I Wanna Do (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased)
- C29: Forever
- D1: Don't Go Near The Water (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased - Surf's Up Sessions)
- D2: Long Promised Road (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- D3: Take A Load Off Your Feet (Alternate Vocal - Previously Unreleased)
- D4: Disney Girls (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- D5: Student Demonstration Time (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- D6: Feel Flows (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- D7: Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (A Welfare Song)
- D8: A Day In The Life Of A Tree (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- D9: Til I Die (Long Version With Alternate Lyrics - Previously Unreleased)
- D10: Surf's Up
- D11: (Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again (Wouldn't It Be Nice To)
- D12: Don't Go Near The Water (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased - Surf's Up A Cappella)
- D13: Long Promised Road (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased)
- D14: Feel Flows (Backing Vocals Excerpt - Previously Unreleased)
- D15: Disney Girls (Backing Vocals Excerpt - Previously Unreleased)
- D16: A Day In The Life Of A Tree (Backing Vocals Excerpt - Previously Unreleased)
- D17: Til I Die (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased)
- D18: Surf's Up (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased)
- D19: I Just Got My Pay
- D20: Walkin
- D21: When Girls Get Together
- D22: Baby Baby (Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track)
- D23: Awake (Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track)
- D24: It's A New Day (Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track)
- A4: Got To Know The Woman
- E1: This Whole World (Alternate Ending - Previously Unreleased)
- E2: Add Some Music To Your Day (Alternate Version - Previously Unreleased)
- E3: Don't Go Near The Water (Alternate Version - Previously Unreleased)
- E4: Surf's Up (Part 1 - 1971 Remake Track With 1966 Brian Vocal - Previously Unreleased)
- E5: Soulful Old Man Sunshine
- E6: I'm Goin' Your Way (Alternate Mix - Previously Unreleased)
- E7: Where Is She
- E8: Carnival (Over The Waves/Sobra Las Olas) (Over The Waves/Sobra Las Olas)
- E9: It's Natural (Previously Unreleased)
- E10: Medley: All Of My Love/Ecology (Previously Unreleased)
- E11: Before (Previously Unreleased)
- E12: Behold The Night (Previously Unreleased)
- E13: Old Movie (Cuddle Up) (Cuddle Up)
- E14: Hawaiian Dream (Previously Unreleased)
- E15: Settle Down/Sound Of Free (Basic Session Outtake - Previously Unreleased)
- E16: I've Got A Friend (Previously Unreleased)
- E17: Til I Die (Piano Demo - Previously Unreleased)
- E18: Back Home (Demo - Previously Unreleased)
- E19: Back Home (Alternate Version - Previously Unreleased)
- E20: Won't You Tell Me (Demo - Previously Unreleased)
- E21: Won't You Tell Me
- E22: Barbara
- E23: Slip On Through (Early Version Track - Previously Unreleased)
- E24: Susie Cincinnati (Basic Session Highlights - Previously Unreleased)
- E25: My Solution (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- E26: You Never Give Me Your Money (Previously Unreleased)
- A5: Deirdre
- E27: Medley: Happy Birthday, Brian/God Only Knows (Previously Unreleased)
- E28: You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (Track & Backing Vocals - Previously Unreleased)
- E29: Marcella (A Cappella - Previously Unreleased)
- A6: It's About Time
- A7: Tears In The Morning
- A8: All I Wanna Do
- A9: Forever
- A10: Our Sweet Love
- A11: At My Window
- A12: Cool, Cool Water
- A13: Sunflower Promo 1 (Previously Unreleased)
- A14: This Whole World (Live 1988 - Previously Unreleased - Sunflower Live)
- A15: Add Some Music To Your Day (Live 1993 - Previously Unreleased)
- A16: Susie Cincinnati (Live 1976 - Previously Unreleased)
- A17: Back Home (Live 1976 - Previously Unreleased)
- A18: It's About Time (Live 1971 - Previously Unreleased)
- A19: Riot In Cell Block 9 (Live 1970 - Previously Unreleased)
- A20: Break Away (Original 1969 Single Mix - Previously Unreleased - Bonus Track - Sunflower Bonus Tracks)
- A21: Celebrate The News
- A22: Loop De Loop
- A23: San Miguel
- A24: Susie Cincinnati
- A25: Good Time
- A26: Two Can Play
Our first vinyl release of 2023 sees two classic tracks from Groove Park take centre stage. Hit The Bang and Carrousel first came to the fore in 1995 as separate releases and, after a few solid remixes, our Bonzai Classics imprint resurrected both tracks along with top-notch remixes in 2002. 21 years later we bring to you the original versions of both tracks on glorious 12” vinyl. André Strässer and Sharam Jey aka Sharam Nickjey Khososi make up the dynamic duo that is Groove Park. They were also the brains behind massive projects such as 16C+, Three n One and Johnny Shaker to name just a few. The tracks found a unique place in clubland, having a diverse structure that spanned genres flawlessly. The A side features Hit The Bang with its hybrid progressive/techno flow. The relentless bass groove, distinct voices and stabbing synths gave rise to a powerful, energetic and mesmerizing moment that lives on. On the flip, Carrousel takes up the B1 slot opening with that infectious woodblock sequence alongside pumping kick drums. A groovy bassline joins the party as old skool pianos come through. The track reels us in with many twists and turns, from wide, epic progressive parts to energetic trance, all wrapped up in a warm, nostalgic glow. A proper piece of dance music history and a must for the serious collector.
If you decide to look up the strict definition of outsider in any dictionary, you'll find that the term is understood as "a person who is not involved with a particular group of people or organization or who does not live in a particular place".
Perhaps this is the most accurate description of Santiago Merino. For a long decade and from his native Medellín, this DJ and producer has always tried to keep his sonic spectrum open. An interdisciplinary artist capable of freely navigating through a myriad of genres is rarely encountered, and that may be the reason why Santiago enjoys a non-negotiable respect in the different scenes that make up the music circuit of his city. On this occasion, Back Door Records is pleased to serve as host to receive one of the most anticipated facets within the range of music produced by this Colombian artist.
The Outsider marks the debut of a new project signed by Merino, a new hunch in which house takes the helm of an EP entitled 4 Club Use. Composed of five tracks, 4 Club Use seems to show us the true essence behind a genre that has almost been trivialized over the years. In this case, El Outsider decided to take the basic ingredients of tech house to produce a recipe much richer in flavors, textures and melodies. "Fire People", for example, leaves the window open for the airs of Detroit techno to come in and cool off any sunny afternoon. "Outsider" and "The Heat", on the other hand, are seasoned by the purest amen breaks, as if it were a blessing intended solely for the dance floor.
But the real deal across 4 Club Use is definitely El Outsider's own edit of Merino's track "Those Days". Raw and forceful kicks, meticulously sampled vocals and pads that seem to wrap them magically, make this bomb one of the candidate tracks to take the absolute podium of 2023.
Brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy and their friend Sean McKenna formed The Mary Wallopers as a three-piece ballad group traveling the length and breadth of Ireland singing & collecting songs. Their early live performances exuded a raw energy and their first five track EP - 2019’s A Mouthful of The Mary Wallopers - perfectly captured their sound and ethos, one filled with warmth, intimacy, chaos and enough sparks ready to light any fire. The band recently expanded to a seven piece for live performances.
Earlier this year, Subwax Bcn made an important contribution to the electronic music community by having the timeless dub techno compilation Vibrant Forms II by Fluxion remastered and reissued. First released in the year 2000 on Chain Reaction, Earlier this year, Subwax Bcn made an important contribution to the electronic music community by having the timeless dub techno compilation Vibrant Forms II by Fluxion remastered and reissued. First released in the year 2000 on Chain Reaction, Vibrant Forms II is widely considered to be one of the greatest achievements in the genre. As it turned out, Vibrant Forms II became one of the last records to be released on Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald's classic label - a suitable swan song if there ever was one. And that's it, right
Well not quite.
If one would search for Fluxion - Vibrant Forms III, Discogs would come up empty and Google would treat it as a misspelling. Until now.
Konstantinos Soublis, aka Fluxion, and Subwax Bcn have decided to pick up the banner and release Vibrant Forms III as a CD as well as four individual 12" records under 2016. It contains everything you could hope for and more: The massive, booming basses, the clicks and hisses, the atmospheric thunderstorms, the opium smoke-scented streaks of reverb and dub echoes. The warmth. Yes, above all else the warmth: Sometimes moist and dripping as in Safe Harbour, sometimes blisteringly dry as in Variant. It's no easy task, giving cold, dead machines warm breaths. And no-one quite does it like Fluxion.
The Reissue of Vibrant Forms II was an act of cultural preservation. It reminded us about the legacy of the Basic Channel label family, in which Chain Reaction played an important part. Without this legacy, the contemporary body of electronic music would look different and make very different sounds. With the Release of Vibrant Forms III, Subwax Bcn takes it one step further. Fluxion's Vibrant Forms III album remind us of the timelessness of truly great music, never mind the genre.
Following up on the worldwide success of their new album Education & Recreation, Surprise Chef drops a must have two-sider for those of us who can't get enough 45s. The A side, "Money Music" is a bassline driven mid tempo tune that catches you from the first note and carries you through all the gorgeous changes. Piano, vibraphone, and guitar trade places over a watertight drum track that builds up, drops down, builds up again, and changes to half time to take it all home. The B side "Suburban Breeze" kicks in the door with an intro that is bound to be sampled and will get your blood racing and your head nodding. They lure you in with the neck snapping intro that is bound to be sampled and bring you from mood to mood as they change the energy from tough as nails to floaty and groovy, and back to tough as nails.
- A1: Yoko Ono – Walking On Thin Ice (1981 Re-Edit)
- A2: Liquid Liquid – Cavern
- B1: Loose Joints – Tell You (Today) (Vocal)
- B2: Ian Dury & The Seven Seas Players – Spasticus Autisticus (Version)
- C1: Material – Over And Over
- C2: Was (Not Was) – Wheel Me Out
- D1: Dinosaur – Kiss Me Again (Original Edit)
- D2: Don Cherry – I Walk
- E1: Common Sense – Voices Inside My Head
- E2: Nicky Siano - Move
- F1: Indian Ocean – School Bell / Tree House
Strut present a new repress of the influential first volume of 'Disco Not Disco' compiled by Joey Negro and Sean P as part of the label's 20th Anniversary.
'Disco Not Disco' was a perfectly timed compilation back in 2000. Released when interest in the myths, history and playlists of original New York clubs like Paradise Garage and The Loft was at its peak, the album drew on the outer limits of leftfield disco championed by Levan and Mancuso, bringing together unlikely dancefloor anthems by rock acts like Yoko Ono and Ian Dury, obscurities from cottage labels like BC and Splash and selected oddities from the unique mind of avant-garde hero, Arthur Russell.
It was essentially a celebration of the sonic melting pot in New York during the early '80s, an era when punk had burnt itself out and disco had become commercial and saccharine; in its place, the post-punk movement threw up brilliant oddities which tore up the accepted rulebook.
The album features full original artwork and Kris Needs' sleeve notes and is remastered and cut by The Carvery.
(7" light blue colored vinyl) Next up in our 7” vinyl series, Honey C aka the late great Philippe Van Mullem and Bonzai stalwart Philippe Toutlemonde, delight with two seminal vocal trance tracks – Stop (The Disease) and Desire.
Next up in our 7” vinyl series, Honey C aka the late great Philippe Van Mullem and Bonzai stalwart Philippe Toutlemonde, delight with two seminal vocal trance tracks – Stop (The Disease) and Desire. Housed on light blue colour 7” vinyl, both tracks were first released in 1993 on the Houze Factory imprint before Stop (The Disease) was snapped up on the legendary Bonzai Trance Progressive in 1997 with a raft of remixes in tow. Desire would make an appearance on Bonzai Classics Digital in 2007, cementing its status as a retro gem. The 2 Philippe's were pioneers of that vocal trance sound and their project Quadran gave rise to the vocal melodic trance scene which still resonates to this day. Between them they notched up quite a few cuts with aliases and groups such as Innertales, Extreme Trax, Oudja and The Gaps among their repertoire.
The A side features the original mix of Stop (The Disease) which intros with a classic build up and explosion before an eerie, almost cinematic sequence takes over. The melodies soon become prevalent as a tight drum section keeps the rhythm flowing. A pulsing bassline holds the track together beautifully as that infectious vocal takes over the groove. On the flip side the Club Mix of Desire resides, taking us into an energy driven experience that sends the nostalgia juices flowing. Classic gated synths stand out as a powerful bassline drives the groove. The vocal is catchy and inviting, striking a perfect balance in the groove. 2 solid cuts for the collectors of fine beats.
Die Musik von Surprise Chef basiert auf dem Hervorrufen von Stimmungen; ihre lebendigen Arrangements nutzen Zeit und Raum, um Klanglandschaften zu schaffen, die den Zuhörer in ihre Welt einladen. Der unverwechselbare Sound des Quintetts speist sich aus der Filmmusik der 70er Jahre, der funkigeren Seite des Jazz und den Samples, die die Grundlage des Hip-Hop bilden. Sie verschieben die Grenzen des instrumentalen Soul und Funk mit ihrem eigenen Ansatz, der durch unzählige Stunden im Studio, das Studium der Meister und - vielleicht am wichtigsten - durch die "Tyrannei der Distanz", die ihrer Musik eine einzigartige Perspektive diktiert, verfeinert wurde. Mit ihren ersten beiden Alben All News Is Good News und Daylight Savings haben sich die aus der Nähe von Melbourne, Australien, stammenden Musiker eine eingefleischte Fangemeinde erspielt und ihren Sound von ihrem Heimstudio aus in alle Ecken der Welt gebracht. Die Band ist nun bei Big Crown Records unter Vertrag und reiht sich damit in eine Reihe zeitgenössischer und klassischer Sounds ein, die die Musik von Surprise Chef seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2017 beeinflusst haben. Surprise Chef besteht aus Lachlan Stuckey (Gitarre), Jethro Curtin (Keyboards), Carl Lindeberg (Bass), Andrew Congues (Schlagzeug) und Hudson Whitlock - das jüngste Mitglied, das von der Percussion über das Komponieren bis zum Produzieren alles macht. Die selbsternannten "moody shades of instrumental jazz-funk" haben von allem etwas: druckvolle Drums, mitreißende Keys, eine Rhythmusgitarre, die man auf einer Studio One-Platte hören könnte, und Flötenlinien, die von einer Blue Note-Session stammen könnten. Aber wenn man einen Schritt zurücktritt und sich die Gesamtheit ihres Sounds und ihrer Herangehensweise anschaut, dann hört und sieht man eine Gruppe, die mehr ist als die Summe ihrer Teile. In vielerlei Hinsicht verkörpert Surprise Chef die Redewendung "the benefits of limits". Ihre Möglichkeiten waren insofern begrenzt, als es in Südost-Australien nicht viele Leute gab, die instrumentalen Jazz/Soul/Funk machten oder darüber sprachen, geschweige denn Platten herausbrachten. So mussten sie ihren Sound und ihre Herangehensweise in einer Art kreativer Isolation entwickeln, in der sich ein kleiner Kreis von Freunden und gleichgesinnten Musikern gegenseitig befruchtete. "Da wir in Australien so weit weg sind, bekommen wir nur flüchtige Einblicke in die Ursprünge dieser Musik", sagt Stuckey. "Aber als wir ein Label wie Big Crown hörten, wurde uns zum ersten Mal bewusst, dass man frische, neue Soulmusik machen kann, die nicht super retro oder einfach nur nostalgisch ist." Dieser Ansatz ist auf ihrem neuen Album Education & Recreation deutlich zu hören. Tracks wie "Velodrome" verbinden klobige Drums mit einer ohrwurmverdächtigen Synthie-Linie, die so klingt, als würde sie auf einer Ultimate Breaks & Beats-Compilation zu finden sein, während Nummern wie "Iconoclasts" zeigen, dass sie ein Händchen für die geschmackvolle Nutzung von Raum haben. Vom erdrückenden Intro von "Suburban Breeze" bis zum schwebenden, sanften Bop von "Spring's Theme" haben Surprise Chef ein Album zusammengestellt, das dich durch Höhen und Tiefen der Emotionen führt. Ein lebendiger, die Fantasie beflügelnder Sound! Dem weiten Spektrum dieser Instrumentalmusiksparte wird mit diesem neuen Album ein modernen Klassiker hinzugefügt.
Hot Hot Heat’s classic debut album, ‘Make Up The
Breakdown’, filled with smart, energetic, dancepunk hits, returns to vinyl with this fully remastered
LP edition.
AllMusic called the album “an addictive, densely
packed pop gem that ranks among 2002’s best
albums,” and Pitchfork agreed, including it on their
list of The Best Albums Of 2002.
Following closely on the heels of their critically
acclaimed ‘Knock Knock Knock’ EP, ‘Make Up the
Breakdown’ is Hot Hot Heat's first full length,
recorded with Jack Endino at Vancouver, BC’s
Mushroom Studios (with engineering help from
Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie).
SPIN Magazine had this to say about ‘Knock
Knock Knock’: “Some retro new wavers hang
themselves on their own skinny ties. While their
peers lip-synch to Cure 45s, these Canucks take
subtler cues from early ‘80s synth disco. It’s not
new-wave worship, it’s the sound of punk teaching
itself to dance.”
‘Make Up The Breakdown’ delivered on the
promise hinted at on the EP. ‘Hot Hot Heat’ (along
with peers like Radio 4 and The Rapture) blended
angular post-punk twitch with danceable pop,
effectively (and finally) persuading white dopes on
punk to get on the good foot in the early 2000s.
Opaque yellow vinyl.




















