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Deep'a & Biri curate a bevy of much-respected underground techno specialists to further unravel and reimagine the vital and sophisticated sounds of 'Dominance', their full-length LP released earlier in 2018.

Midnight Operator, the collaborative project of Mathew and Nathan Johnson, begin the set with their trippy and transcendent take on 'False Memories'. A rare remix from the pair, their return has been worth the wait; an expertly executed techno excursion, it simultaneously burrows deeper into the psychedelic textures of the original, while providing a club-centred kick.

Further blending the experimental and the physical, Peter Van Hoesen provides a typically complex and compelling take on Voltage, deconstructing the original and expanding each element in myriad, rave-specific directions.

Deep'a & Biri enlist rising Dutch DJ-producer Deniro contributes a rolling, hypnotic version of Dominance's spectral centrepiece, 'Alpha Cephei', while Z.I.P.P.O. charges down a tense, big-room industrial tunnel for his interpretation of 'Seeking Solace', hitting on a cathartic groove after a passage of uncompromising noise.

Concluding the EP, Steinlac'h Records founder Wice reimagines 'Theories of Loneliness' in dubby but propulsive fashion.

London's FYI Chris joined Toy Tonics!

After releases on Rhythm Section, Church and West Friends - the 2 DJs, producers and record shop dons from London/Peckham chose the German Toy Tonics label for their next release.
The guys know what's fresh in club culture. They been store managers at one of London's coolest record stores: Rye Wax/Peckham for the last 2 years. And they are becoming one of the most interesting names of the post-house scene of London.
Their first encounter with Toy Tonics was though label boss Kapote. They quickly realized that there are big similarities in their musical vision and way how dance music should develop... so what makes more sense to make an EP together

So here it comes: FYI Chris next level electronic funk music! MPC style.

Have fun!

The body never lies. Every dance is a graph of the heart. Nothing is more revealing than movement.

These are the words of Martha Graham, one of the greatest American dancers and choreographers of the 20th century. Massimiliano Pagliara might as well have them tattooed on his chest, close to his heart, being an accomplished dancer, too. He has studied contemporary dance in Milan and Berlin, and went on to dedicate his life to transforming experience into movement, be it musical, physical, or spiritual. Massimilano's message is clear: Don't stand still. Don't keep looking back. Know where you are coming from, but don't remain petrified by the past. Take a chance at Endless Change, instead. Move on! Just like Massimilano did.

Stemming from Lecce province, an area at the south-eastern-most tip of Italy, Massimilano has been based in Berlin for several years where he's been one of the main forces behind recombining the city's hardboiled techno scene with an often overlooked sensibility for the soft and the tender. Call it underground disco passion. Massimilano's last and sophomore album, With One Another, released in 2014, was about celebrating the joy of human encounters and in parts seemed like a big get-together with like-minded artists and friends (among them nd_baumecker, Lee Douglas, and Credit 00). The record quickly hit the number one spot in Groove magazine's album chart - and its creator hit the road.

Besides his busy DJ schedule and far from the usual club circuit routines, Massimilano dedicated himself to intense travelling and exploring the world anew. 'I felt like I have lived more than ever,' he states. 'Getting to discover all these beautiful places around the world and meeting so many lovely interesting people, has inspired me in many different ways. I feel enriched.'

The result of these experiences is Feel Live, Massimiliano's third full-length endeavour. It was recorded in several intimate, sometimes improvised studio settings between Los Angeles, Portland, and Massimiliano's homebase in Berlin as well as at airports and on intercontinental flights high up in the sky. Featuring vocals by Private Agenda, Peaking Lights, Kim Anh and instrumental contributions by Fort Romeau, Tim K, and Jules Etienne, Feel Live is Massimilano's most playful and imaginative work to date. It's as emotional as sensual, as vibrant as the first ray of light after a thunderstorm has cleared the air.

Is it awkward or odd to call this record jazzy Presumptuous to pinpoint its spacial, almost orchestral qualities Unfair on the ruling Cosmic powers to highlight its aspirations of founding a new land of Balearic Harmonia and getting down at a huge fertility rite with electro enthusiasts and house lovers Not one bit. Feel Live is pure grandeur and elegance. It feels like an eternal movement.

Martha Graham has dedicated her whole life to dancing. 'It's permitting life to use you in a very intense way,' she said. 'Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless it is inevitable.' Massimilano couldn't agree more. His advice when facing the inevitable: 'Live what you are feeling, feel what you are experiencing, good or bad, it is an experience.'

Well renowned bass player extraordinaire, Osynlige Mann (URAN GBG, The Exorcist) from Gothenburg releases long awaited new solo material On Hoga Nord Rekords. This 7inch contains high voltage material; 'Airports' and 'Exodus' brings tense seventies synth and early eighties electro to the table.

The A-side 'Airports' is a Kraftwerk inspired elegy over the lumpenproletariat of the machines - aeroplanes. 'No sleep for the big machines, no rest for the sad machines'. The B-side, 'Exodus' carries more obvious characteristics from Osynlige Manns other projects and sounds like a more electronic version of URAN GBG!

Man and machine can live in peace. But a machine never forgets..

Ever since Onom Agemo & The Disco Jumpers broke the dreaded curse of the difficult second album by releasing "Liquid Love", a cocktail so spicy and delectable that it could warm the cockles of the grumpiest man alive's heart, even in the most Arctic conditions, everybody wondered how the Onom crew could top that one. But now you have an opportunity to whip out your "Magic Polaroid" as proof that this wasn't an impossible Project. Never before has the band so successfully captured their full-on live sound as they do here, thanks to three days of recording frenzy at Daniel Nentwig and Sebastian Maschat's Butterama studio, a haven of analog hardware hidden in a remote part of Berlin's Neukölln district. The exploding kaleidoscope of styles that make up this album, perfectly reflected by the stunning cover artwork from Nick Henderson and photography by Christoph Rothmeier, means that they can no longer be confined to their early description as an "Afro-Funk Quintet" or merely described as a lively tribute to the artists which have influenced them: their sound is 100 per cent pure uncut Onom Agemo, even though every track feels like a new beginning. The presence of a charismatic in-house vocalist who brought her own lyrics along has also boosted their confidence considerably and provided a further knock-out punch to their onstage performances.
And no one will be disappointed as soon as the first bars of "The Trumpets Of Denmark" stomp on stage like a boisterous fanfare, with Johannes Schleiermacher's impressive wall of sound production making the musicians sound like a much bigger band than what their line-up suggests (with Maria Schneider from Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra adding some extra percussive clout) and just the right amount of dizzying cross-rhythms to steer it away from potential bombast. When Onom Agemo's powerhouse vocalist Natalie Greffel starts chanting what at first sounds like a string of Onomatopoeia, it soon becomes clear that she's laying down her manifesto for a nostalgic Space-Age yet to come, with a few key words serving as Mantra (Focus, patience, tears and creation): an invitation to drive off the Information Superhighway and its endless litany of polite noises, to redirect our gaze inside ourselves and learn to understand and sometimes question how others perceive us.

Major Keys is a brand-new audiophile label focusing on fully licensed reissues of jazz classics, pressed on 12' for a fuller, louder version compared to the original album cut. What better way to kick of the series than housing Herbie Hancock's imitable 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man', loud and proud on either side of a 12' - remastered and cut by the engineer of the original Head Hunters LP from 1973.
They don't get much more iconic than 'Chameleon'. Nestled on the incredible 1973 'Head Hunters' album it's a 16-minute exploration of legendary jazz funk - having all the sensibilities and solos of a jazz record, yet grounding its rhythms in funk, soul and R&B. Even, as its title suggests, morphing from a low slung slow jam into a full-on, fast paced spiritual gem. Lock in for one of the most iconic basslines around courtesy of Paul Jackson, alongside some of the sweetest synth and Rhodes playing you're likely to hear from Herbie, all tied together with Harvey Mason's mythical drumming. Sampled the world over by the biggest and the best this is a truly timeless and hugely influential piece of music.

On the B side, the equally intriguing 'Watermelon Man'. This version, again taken from the Head Hunters LP, differs from the Blue Note bop '62 original, with Hancock developing it into a jazz fusion expedition. Bill Summers top and tails the track with a style of beer bottle blowing imitating a type of whistle playing found in Central African Pygmy music, giving a unique flavour to Hancock's jazz funk stylings that focus on the rhythmic interplay between each instrument. From Dilla to Digable Planets, Madonna to Massive Attack it's a classic that's sampled time and time again for good reason.

"In 1978, Nova performed for Obama. Well, kind of: Nova was the band for the Punahou School prom in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a young student named Barack (known then as 'Barry') was in attendance.

Backtrack to 1976, and Nova was the opening band for Donald Byrd at the nearby Blaisdell Arena. The day was Sunday, June 27. The following day, Isaac Hayes would perform on island for the admission price of $1.

Nova, led by singer Checo Tohomaso, was one of several go-to party bands during the golden era of Hawaii funk and soul music in the mid-1970s through early 1980s.

The band's infectious gospel-funk-disco can be heard on their sole release, a self-titled 1980 LP that feels like one big party recorded live in the studio. (Check out the Marvin Gaye-inspired 'I Feel Like Getting Down' on the 2016 'Aloha Got Soul' compilation on Strut Records).

The story is all too familiar, however: funk band releases LP, the music goes dormant in years to follow, and today original copies sell for hundreds online.

Not long after the album's 1980 release, Checo met Marvin Gaye, who was living on Maui (where George Benson also resided). Shortly after, Marvin invited Checo and his counterparts to join his multi-city tour across Europe. Videos of Checo rocking keyboards, percussion and singing background vocals for Marvin Gaye's last European tour can be found online.

Checo, born in Florida yet raised in lush Manoa Valley as well as Okinawa, Japan, now resides in Vancouver, Canada, where he leads the VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir and continues to deliver his signature sound: high energy, positive, 'sweet soul' music.

AGS-7010 features two non-stop groovers with a 7' edit by Roger Bong on the A-side. LP reissue in the works!"

Nova Gain Records returns with the purple side of disco life. Mr. Konfuze deliverers a funky nu-disco anthem with big beat-ish drums, soulful vocals and massive dancefloor bass. Colour up your dj bag musically and physically and get one of these limited 7 Inches!

LP,180g, 2018 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART

Veteran library musician Alan Parker recorded with session vocalist Madeline Bell for his Themes International Music label and the result was 1976's The Voice of Soul.
The sensational uptempo dancer 'That's What Friends Are For' is probably the most well known track on the record, and is a big hit on the rare groove scene, but it is by no means an anomaly. The Voice of Soul is essentially a perfect, sophisticated soul album with heaps of swagger and sass from beginning to end.
Its once generic-sounding title is now deservedly defnitive.
And the whole LP oozes sex. It oozes sex so much that it could have soundtracked a period porn flm. Indeed, parts of it did. 'Love Is All' and 'You've Got What It Takes' both featured on the infamously banned Pretty Peaches from the same year.
As is usual with library records, The Voice of Soul was hard to get even when it was frst released. It's next to impossible now. So here's your opportunity to own what is in our opinion one of the fnest rare soul LPs of the late 70s, and a superb example of Madeline Bell's superlative vocal talents.
But that's not the whole story. As well as pitching the record as 'a varied selection of modern female vocal features which are equally suitable for background or radio programme usage', the original release notes go on to explain that 'the corresponding backing tracks are issued on TIM 1022 The Sound of Soul. Therefore it is possible to edit from vocal to instrumental version and vica versa where commentary or scene changes occur.'
So yes, all of the backing tracks from The Voice of Soul were released as The Sound of Soul, and we couldn't re-issue one without re-issuing the other.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for The Voice of Soul comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity.

LP,180g, 2018 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART

Released in 1976, Distinctive Themes / Race To Achievement is legendary arranger Nick Ingman exploring the two distinct ideas of 'impressive themes varying in style from 'Basie to Elgar'' and 'a study in the pressure and rewards of achievement'.Distinctive Themes is a veritable indulgence of variously-tempoed, full orchestra, big band workouts, from relaxed swing to more propulsive themes. The progressively building 'Expanding Markets' is a true highlight, with its rolling pianos, contemplative electric guitar solos and moody horns over skipping beats.
The dramatic 'Against The Odds' is another stand-out.
Race To Achievement is all rugged funk with stabbing chords and strutting horns and it's probably our favourite side. Of course we have to acknowledge the fantastic 'Tense Preparation', sampled by Prince Paul and Dan The Automator for Handsome Boy Modeling School's seminal 'Magnetizing' with Del Tha Funky
Homosapien. But the whole side's range from tense underscores to fast and punchy chase themes makes this is a gem of the KPM catalogue.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Distinctive Themes / Race To Achievement comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current
custodian of KPM's brand identity.

The journey continues... deeper into the unknown universe, stretching the seams of time and space.

The maiden voyage for this new label out of Birmingham was a success. The second release is a collaborative effort from Nicky B (Simple Elements/HOG) and fellow Brummie, Anthony Ellis - working together as Koheziv Mindz.

The tracks are the result of years of tuning in to the sounds seeping out of the speakers in choice local clubs and buying the latest imports on vinyl from Europe, Chicago and Detroit.

The day-to-day living in Birmingham has certainly etched into their creative consciousness, the hustle, bustle and alien like chorus of a vibrant environment resonates through their work, from a city that never sleeps.

Emotive, incredibly lush and shot through with the kind of romanticism displayed in the work of second generation Detroit pioneers Kenny Larkin and Carl Craig. This is a glimpse through a keyhole, a snapshot of two producers taking steps into a bigger world, a whole galaxy.

There are two remixers on board, hand picked to see how the artists would interpret the originals - Darren Nye (Firescope/polarity) and Mihail P (Verdant Recordings/Distant Worlds)- both artists add weight to their already impressive back catalogue of work and display why they are hot and tipped for the top.

Submerge your mind into the rich celestial tapestry of sound, safe in the knowledge you're among good company.

With MEL013, Melodies International are extremely proud to bring you at last, a disco anthem from Detroit that was originally recorded in 1980 and dedicated to the 'King Of The Champion Fighters': Le Stim - A Tribute to Muhammad Ali (We Crown The King).

Le Stim was a band formed by lead vocalist Donald Jennings in the late 70s. Now an ordained deacon back in Detroit, Jennings was brought up in a gospel environment and was said to be born to sing. Growing up picking up songs from the likes of Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald or Sam Cooke, Jennings frequently performed for family and friends and went on to sing for audiences in New York, St. Louis and all around Detroit.

We Crown The King is a song written in the mid 70s by the late Herbert Andrei Duncan, also from Detroit. Duncan approached Jennings with the song who was initially reluctant to sing it because it took him out of his usual vocal range. However, Duncan finally (thankfully!) managed to persuade Jennings after five years to record a tune that would prove to become a party anthem decades later.

Remembering Duncan, Jennings says: 'Andrei was positive..inquisitive.... and determined. I was only 18 or 19 years old at the time and remember Andrei coming over to my house.... He had a cellphone in his car!.. I remember going to Andrei's house, and he said he wanted to do the track. Andrei did not take no for an answer! The answer had to be yes! However Andrei didn't have any money to record the song with. So we made a deal. In exchange for the use of his P.A., Loc (the drummer) provided the seventeen musicians for Le Stim to record 'We Crown The King'. The session itself was recorded at a studio in Southfield, Michigan.
According to Jennings, Muhammad Ali did hear the track back then and liked it! Le Stim were in touch with Ali's management and were about to meet him on a number of occasions which unfortunately didn't work out.

Licensing this record has proven to be Melodies' biggest research effort as of yet and has involved visiting it's author, Duncan's former house in Detroit only to discover it had burned down and that his family had moved years ago. It wouldn't have been possible without the invaluable help of Jeremy from Rain&Shine records (NZ) who then managed to track down the family back in Texas!

Officially licensed, remastered and cut to half-speed lacquers at 45rpm (instead of it's original 33rpm format) to bring the shine out of the top end - MEL013 comes forth in it's original 12' vinyl format with exclusive Melodies stickers and digitally too.

A trio of guitar, bass and drums, Elektro Guzzi overcome the boundary between analogue versus digital, performing techno live with the drive of a machine and the sonic detail of an instrument - without any computers or loopers. For their upcoming album Polybrass, Elektro Guzzi have drastically expanded their sonic repertoire: both in the studio and on stage, they are joined by an ensemble of three trombonists, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities. With Hilary Jeffrey, Daniel Riegler and Martin Ptak, the band are joined by three brass heavyweights, each of them well renowned for both their solo ventures as well as projects such as The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Sand and Zeitkratzer. By treating the three trombones not simply as a set of extra instruments but rather as one coherent body of sound on its own, Elektro Guzzi dissociate the brass instruments from their conventional use and repurpose them into something completely different: a modular synthesizer, with each trombone representing one oscillator. In doing so, Elektro Guzzi add new layers of depth to their music, emphasizing a more cinematic side of their music: like the soundtrack for a movie, Polybrass is bigger, darker, more dramatic, more intimate. Warm and fuzzy textures float weightlessly above fragile soundscapes and complex sonic fragments. At the same time, the band's signature sound runs distinctly through the entire album: solid percussive grooves, stripped down to the absolute minimum it takes to make your body move. Hypnotic repetition, building tension and suspense up to a point where the energy of the music gets so intense you feel like you can physically touch it with your hands, interlaced with organic patterns of sound, constantly changing and evolving, pulsating and oscillating. Vinyl: heavy sleeves + heavy printed inner sleeves, 180g vinyl with download code.

Bear Bones, Lay Low links up with Pizza Noise Mafia's Carrageenan and comes with a monster of a miniLP. BIG TIP!
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Matthieu Levet (Carrageenan / Pizza Noise Mafia) and Ernesto González (Bear Bones, Lay Low / Tav Exotic / Maitres Fous ...) are two musicians based in Brussels who have cut their teeth in the city's freeform underground for well over a decade. Having spent time at numerous shows and parties together, they solidified a friendship after a two week tour around Europe with fellow electronic explorer , Accou, in April 2017.

It was shortly after this moment that the label Random Numbers approached the two with the initial intention of releasing a split cassette with music from their respective solo projects. Several exchanges later, the plan quickly changed into realizing a full-fledged collaboration between both musicians who, while having deep respect and interest for each other's music since they first met, had never found the opportunity to create something together.

The result is the CARCASS IDENTITY EP: a combination of Levet's raw and dub-infused electronics with González's kosmische psychedelic touch. This is music meant for strange parties: the kind where dancing and laying down are equally accepted and ncouraged, where there might be more silence than talking between participants, where small gestures and events reveal their transcendental meaning...

REPRESS!

Big Release by the Mastermind Author!

Limited Edition White with Red vinyl w/DL
For fans of Electronic / Jazz hybrids like: Anenon, Arve Henriksen and RinneRadio

Transformation is the debut album from Parisian multi-instrumentalist Axel Rigaud.
Rigaud's style as a whole is the exploration of the crossroads of electronic music and jazz. By blending steady big bottomed analog synth arpeggios, shuffling beats, and swirling jazz influ- enced reed instruments Rigaud makes the juxtaposi-tionional a compelling and interwoven whole.
Only a few moments on the album does one genre eclipse the other. Even when this happens one finds that the sax or flute are being electronically manipulated or the elec- tronics have that all to special swing.
While seemingly new ground for n5MD Miles, Coltrane and Weather Report are often in the rotation at n5HQ. So it makes perfect sense that Rigaud has found a home for his debut on n5MD.

After two visionary LPs for his own tiny Nodlew label, Weldon Irvine signed to RCA for Cosmic Vortex (Justice Divine), exploring the deeply spiritual and political terrain of his previous efforts on the kind of grand musical scale that major-label funding accommodates.

This is a big, bold record by any measure, with a startlingly pronounced focus on lyrics and vocals. At the same time, however, the melodies spread out like tentacles, informed by the improvisational sensibilities of jazz and the deep-groove spirit of funk. Jason Ankeny/AMG

Bastard Jazz is proud to present the next installment of our long running Tempo Dreams compilation series. As with previous volumes of the compilation, we've tapped an established artist that we're big fans of to shine a light on their personal favorite producers, and compile an album up of all unreleased music from emerging & underrated young talent. And with Volume 5, we're happy to welcome in the Los Angeles based but globetrotting selection of Free The Robots.

Rooted in Santa Ana, CA, Chris Alfaro aka Free the Robots has spent over a decade taking his craft to audiences around the globe. Known as one of the pioneering artists to come out of LA's infamous beat movement, the energy and technical skill behind his live performances have landed him among the greats, sharing stages with Dj Shadow, Prefuse 73, Flying Lotus, to Afrika Bambaataa. Crafting stories to tell with his ever-evolving solo project Free the Robots, he has always had the ability to jump in and out of other worlds inspiring a unique signature sound that hints at jazz, psych, electronic, and hip hop, while remaining un-genre-fiable.

Staying almost permanently on the road, Chris has come across an array of artists and scenes around the world. Different tours and temporary living situations have landed him in the middle of both the DIY underground and more mainstream clubs and stages. Some artists he's connected with have either kept it proudly local or breached international borders. Underrated, unknown, or already on the brink; these are just a few of the people that have crossed paths with Free The Robots. He's chosen these songs as a representation of some of the vibes that inspire his music: Jazz, Psychedelia, Dirtwave, Beats, and a little bit of Future Funk make up Volume 5 of his Tempo Dreams series.

As with all previous volumes, the compiler has produced a track exclusively for the album, which Chris delivers in the bass heavy, South East Asian vibes of "Nasi Goreng" (also available on a limited edition 7" with another unreleased FTR track). Other producers included on the album include Mophono, Never Ending Echo, Kuromoji, RSI-MSK, The Breathing Effect, Cazal Organism, Lefto, Chubby Boss, Caliph8, TITLE, Nois IV, The Heavy Twelves, Mu. and Markey Funk.

The Missing ink between her Barry and Columbia singles, 'I Can't Stant It' b/w 'Only Yesterday' is Thelma Jones with her back against ther wall of an empty and indifferent Holidsay Inn lounge and nothing to lose.Washed out of thde recording business by the age of 30., Jones and her then-husband/manager James Hazley relocated to Tampa to work the hotel circuit and figure out what- if anything- was next. Following a cvhance encounter with Blair Mooney, Jones was invited to workshop a few stray originals at his studio 70 compound in 1972. 'He seemed to believe in me more than I did at the time, 'Jones remembered of the Tampa Studiop impresario. Jones signed with Columbia a few years later and hightailed it out to The Big Guava, leaving two sides of country-politican soul on the shelp to be forgotten about. This Eccentric Soul 45 is a first time issue, carrying the banner of Mooney's Gimp label and mastered directly from the original analog tapes.

Originally released in 1980, it was Bush's first number 1 album and was also the first ever album by a British female solo artist to top the UK Albums Chart. It features the UK Top 20 singles 'Breathing', 'Army Dreamers' and 'Babooshka', the latter being one of Bush's biggest hits.