quête:before the show

Tapper Zukie's 'Man from Bosrah' album still stands up today many years after its initial release, as only great music seems to do.
Tapper was one of the few Jamaican artists in the late 1970's that crossed over with the emerging punk/new wave audience.
Punk poet Patti Smith had practised her poetry over the rhythms from Tapper Zukies 'Man Ah Warrior' album, before reworking them as songs with her band.
Acknowledging this influence she brought Tapper on stage with her at the Hammersmith Odeon 23 October 1976 and introduced Tapper to a whole new audience. An audience that accepted Reggae as a music that also dealt with struggle and oppression.
The great cover shot shows Tapper standing at the back gates of the school yard in Trench town which was opposite his own yard...so sit back and hear what was happening back then that made this such a time defining album....

LP is available on 180 GRM black vinyl The KVB release their new immersive and hypnotic album 'Minus One' on November 18th via A Recordings. The album follows hot on the heels of outstanding stand alone single 'Run Away' released on Ample Play Records last month. The KVB is the audio/visual project of London youngsters Nicholas Wood & Kat Day, who combine reverb heavy wall of sound guitars, minimal haunting strings and grinding bass synths, messed up motorik drum machine beats and delay drenched vocals with a backdrop of imagery to accompany the symphony, that's nothing short of life affirming. 'Minus One' is in fact The KVB's third album, their second full length LP 'Immaterial Visions' which came with an accompanying remix EP, featuring mixes from underground techno pioneers Regis and Silent Servant was only released in February this year. The KVB is a group with a sense of urgency about it, to do what they need to do, with full commitment and without delay. It's a tangible attitude that runs throughout 'Minus One'. Indeed this year they have undertaken more extensive touring, including shows in Russia & the Ukraine and November 2013 will see them playing the last ever ATP before supporting The Brian Jonestown Massacre across Australia in December.Dates For The UK 23 Nov 2013 Electrowerkz w/ Dead Skeletons, London UK & 29 Nov 2013 ATP Festival, Camber Sands UK

More extra-terrestrial, technoid vibrations from the Ill River nucleus.
This latest transmission delivered by the one and only Hakim Murphy; and received through biosynthesized artefacts planted on Earth by the higher civilizations during the Great Experiment.

Reports of strange noises in the sky have been circulating since 2010, posing many questions as to their origin.
Secretly, III Rivers have been communicating with the space beings, securing their place in the interstellar Shangri-la when at last we finally transcend the cosmos.

"Smog" is the initial signal to land - beginning with cascading bleeps and sonars before a buzzing sawtooth assumes first contact. Proceeding to encapsulate all Earthlings with its electromagnetic hum - it's no wonder people are rushing to the top of apartment blocks to try and bootleg this shit on their phones.

"Vortex" is next, taking us right through the wormhole into the domain of machine-elves and humongous multi-headed entities, all eager to show us the porthole to paradise. A blissful bubble of ricocheting snares, delectable synth rubs and celestial goodness awaits.

“Spanking Tables” concludes the set and sees Hakim display his amazing control of percussion and unusual sounds; comfortably easing us in with our new galactic friends. Synthetic toms, drifting pads and sharp hats all converging on our bodies.

Beautiful stuff. Maybe the Maya were just a year too early….

Vinyl Exclusive Version Vidis brought us a handful of hidden gems last year. A selection showcasing the under-estimated and often overlooked Lithuanian House scene. After months of sifting and sorting, Vidis came to what has become 'Silence Please!' - a 14-track compilation that surprised many and turned more than a few heads with a unique taste of Vilnius House. We now present a very special vinyl edition - featuring tracks hand-picked by Vidis, tracks he felt deserved a wax debut. Vital Sales Points: - A sampler showcasing some of the nicest tracks featured on Silence Please! compilation - Includes dance floor destroyer Mario & Vidis - Warung (Downtown Party Network Remix) - All the tracks have never been released on vinyl before

[B] A2 | Mario & Vidis - Warung (Downtown Party Network Remix)

*A pure slab of noise... a ruckus on vinyl! A limited edition piece of wax featuring remixes by the Circus Records superstars Funtcase & Genetix.

*Funtcase has been producing since being inspired by d&b as a kid growing up in Bournemouth. In 2009 he created his dubstep alias Funtcase and released his first single on 4:20 Records. The following year he signed with Circus Records and released the killa 'So Vexxed/Matress Punch'. He is also known for his standout remixes, including mixes for Plan B, Camo & Krooked, The Wideboys & Skizm.

*For this remix Passenger organised Spyda (Pendulum 'Black Tarantula'/Knife Party 'Fire Hive') back into the vocal booth to lay down some fresh vocals for the remix. A former Passenger vinyl buyer, Funtcase is no stranger to the sounds of the label and adds his own nod to its history by flipping some breakbeat twists and turns to proceedings to create what many are saying is his best remix to date!

*The flipside remix is from fellow Circus Records crew members and Bournemouth badmen Genetix. Following a similar path to Funtcase, Matt & Rich started off making d&b before switching the tempo and laying down some filth at 140. With regular appearances on the MistaJam's radio show, guest mixes on KissFm for Hatcha and Crazy D and remixes for the likes of Bassline Smith & Drumsound and Kelly Clarkson, to name a few, these guys are continuing a south coast tradition of bass noise and terror.

*With the label instructions to 'make it as heavy as you can, Genetix took the vocal of Sporty-O, recorded at DJ Lethal's (House Of Pain/Limp Biskit/La Coka Nostra) studio in LA back in 2007, and brought it up to speed with a track that flips from militant dubstep into some proper 808 trap biz.

Belgium, not the first place you'd think of when it comes to Latin or Afro funk. Yet one of the greatest records to blend both styles came from the small northern European country, masterminded by Nico Gomez and his Afro Percussion Inc.

Ritual was originally released in 1971 on the Dutch label Omega International (Gomez was born in Holland before moving to Belgium in the late 40s) and is being reissued by Mr Bongo in 2013, bringing its blazing funk grooves to both new ears and those already tuned in to this masterpiece's legacy.

Across its 11 tracks Ritual delivers the kind of production, arrangement and musicianship that rightfully belong in a dictionary next to the definition of professional. Gomez' band was tight and they knew it, showing it off on their covers of Perez Prado's 'Caballo Negro' and 'Lupita' by injecting the originals with a deep funk that blends both Afro and Latin influences. On 'Samba De Una Nota So' and 'El Condor Pasa', another pair of covers, they switch to soulful downtempo with mesmerising ease. The title cut remains one of the album's highlights, a devastating dancefloor groove with horns to match that has aged beautifully and was heavily sampled by Liquid People for 'The Dragon'. 'Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!' adds touches of rock with fuzzy guitars for one of the album's headier experiences.

DVA started off Hyperdub's barrage of albums in 2012 with his brilliant 'Pretty Ugly', and now closes the the year with the 'Fly Juice' EP's bumper selection of machine tooled tracks, each created for optimum dancefloor damage and road tested by DVA, Kode9 and a select bunch of DJs. These four tracks are a brilliant example of what he's been describing as 'power house' for a while, a colourful chunky techno sound that switches up every 8 bars like grime and has plenty of shuffle and offbeat swing as a counterpoint to the 4/4 drums. 'Fly Juice' opens with sweet jazz funk Rhodes before dropping into weightless bouncey chopped vocals and stuttering drums building through 8 bar patterns - with the Rhodes as a sweetner, it's bliss! 'Do It' runs a stuttering voice, a huge deep bassline and relentless building stabs against shuffling drums. On 'Walk it Out', the repetition of the title over a pummelling two note melody is positively dumb, but pitched against swirling effects and whooshing chords the effect is epic. 'Long Street' features a collaboration with South African producer Big Space, and echoes the sound of early UK bleep and bass with a stern melody, breaking down into swirling Detroit-like chords, while shuffling along on a crisp, scissoring rhythm. After the sweet and sour songfulness of his album 'Pretty Ugly', the 'Fly Juice' EP shows DVA returning to his dancefloor roots. As an amazing DJ/producer, you can expect more of this in 2013.

Boris Werner is known for producing quality music and filling venues with crowds who can't get enough of his energetic and inspiring sound. These are a couple of the reasons why Boris Werner stands with us here today and proudly presents the Slow Dancin' EP, and we think you are really gonna love it. Strings and a relaxed rhythm user in the title track, complete with ambient vocal samples. Then, all at once the bass hits and the kick fills the void; instant groove. A jumpy synth dances over the track and invites friends to the show. Before you know it you've got a full track on your hands. Don't be fooled by the title, as it is indeed misleading. There will be no slow dancing to this gem. 'Missing Out (Dedicated to Ed & Emma) is a bit deeper, but with a warm feel (e-piano on reverb). Then, like 'Slow Dancin'', it catches you off guard with the beat. This is a feel good track, perfect for evenings, deep nights, and early mornings. Not to mention some of the years last open-air festivals. 'Did It In Miami' opens with caution, an indecisive kick with other percussive elements slowly build into an invigorating tech house beat. Grimy vocal samples creep in and the bass line slips under the beat, holding up the track well on a packed dancefloor.

One can hardly imagine the genre-busting, culture-crossing musical magic of Outkast, Prince, Erykah Badu, Rick James, The Roots, or even the early Red Hot Chili Peppers without the influence of R&B pioneer Betty Davis. Her style of raw and revelatory punk-funk defies any notions that women can’t be visionaries in the worlds of rock and pop. In recent years, rappers from Ice Cube to Talib Kweli to Ludacris have rhymed over her intensely strong but sensual music.



There is one testimonial about Betty Davis that is universal: she was a woman ahead of her time. In our contemporary moment, this may not be as self-evident as it was thirty years ago – we live in an age that’s been profoundly changed by flamboyant flaunting of female sexuality: from Parlet to Madonna, Lil Kim to Kelis. Yet, back in 1973 when Betty Davis first showed up in her silver go-go boots, dazzling smile and towering Afro, who could you possibly have compared her to? Marva Whitney had the voice but not the independence. Labelle wouldn’t get sexy with their “Lady Marmalade” for another year while Millie Jackson wasn’t Feelin’ Bitchy until 1977. Even Tina Turner, the most obvious predecessor to Betty’s fierce style wasn’t completely out of Ike’s shadow until later in the decade.



Ms. Davis’s unique story, still sadly mostly unknown, is unlike any other in popular music. Betty wrote the song “Uptown” for the Chambers Brothers before marrying Miles Davis in the late ’60s, influencing him with psychedelic rock, and introducing him to Jimi Hendrix — personally inspiring the classic album Bitches Brew.



But her songwriting ability was way ahead of its time as well. Betty not only wrote every song she ever recorded and produced every album after her first, but the young woman penned the tunes that got The Commodores signed to Motown. The Detroit label soon came calling, pitching a Motown songwriting deal, which Betty turned down. Motown wanted to own everything. Heading to the UK, Marc Bolan of T. Rex urged the creative dynamo to start writing for herself. A common thread throughout Betty’s career would be her unbending Do-It-Yourself ethic, which made her quickly turn down anyone who didn’t fit with the vision. She would eventually say no to Eric Clapton as her album producer, seeing him as too banal.



Her 1974 sophomore album They Say I’m Different features a worthy-of-framing futuristic cover challenging David Bowie’s science fiction funk with real rocking soul-fire, kicked off with the savagely sexual “Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him” (later sampled by Ice Cube). Her follow up is full of classic cuts like “Don’t Call Her No Tramp” and the hilarious, hard, deep funk of “He Was A Big Freak.”

Kenny Gino and Big Mike a.k.a. the Solid Gold Playaz both started playing records in the late 70's/early 80's. Having family from Chicago, who were DJ's and down with some of the big guys at the time, "heavily influenced our music and production styles" both say. "Living so close to the city, we could go down to all the legendary night spots. The Rainbow and the Warehouse, the Box, the Shelter... places where you could just feel the vibe. And you could hear guys like Farley Funkin' Keith, Ron Hardy, and Jammin' Gerald (the Chicago DJ/producer who is Kenny's cousin) play these incredible records". They both were hooked on the house sound, and would bring it back to their home, a small city named Racine, Wisconsin, located about an hour and half north of Chicago. They continued to develop their DJ and production skills into the 90's, but musically, weren't taking things very seriously until they met Chicago producer Louis Bell. He introduced them to many of the people who were building the mid-90's Chicago sound. "Louis gave us access... access to places we hadn't been before. He took us into the offices of Cajual/Relief Records and Underground Construction, and suddenly we were face to face with guys who were doing what we wanted to do... Cajmere, Paul Johnson, Glenn Underground... showing us that we could do this too. We did a few releases just to get our name out, and soon we had some pretty big named DJ's playing our music. We had DJ's actually looking for our records, and telling us how much they liked our sounds... that just blew us away, especially with very little promotion and in the limited numbers we were pressing... our music just started to build a name for itself."