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- Utopia Music are extremely proud to present UM022, Hydro's debut album 'Lateral Thinking'. - Spread over 3 plates (4 including the sampler), Hydro manages to really showcase the variety and musicality that he's known for. With over 20 years of experience, he manages to comfortably wear his many influences whilst offering something both fresh and new at the same time. The palette covers light and dark, warm & cold, ambience, jungle, funk, soulful, techy, rolling, half time, 130 & 140 bpm, hip hop, jazz, tribal, and even meditative vibes. Inspired by a lifetime of music, travel and memories the aim was to deliver an eclectic album that could satisfy both the DJs and the headz whilst also being able to transport the listener elsewhere on an emotional and cerebral level. Dance music that can work beyond the dance floor.

- Hydro has been releasing incredible music since 2003 on almost all of the big labels. Since his production beginnings collaborating with Break, he has continued to work on many different styles and with many other different producers. He's become known for his musical diversity and his name is synonymous with quality & finesse. It's an absolute honour to be able to introduce his debut album to you. This project also features War, who again establishes himself as one of the best engineers in the game. Since first collaborating in 2011, Hydro & War have proven to be a formidable team, known for consistently delivering essential releases, including for Utopia. The only other artist featured on the album is Mateba, who joins in for two of the more uplifting tracks. A talented French producer and a long time collaborator of both Hydro & War.

Available on vinyl for the first time in 40 years, Outernational Sounds is proud to present a masterpiece from the Los Angeles jazz underground - Horace Tapscott's burning, spiritualised 1978 set, The Call.

One of the unsung giants of jazz music, the composer, bandleader, arranger, pianist and community activist Horace Tapscott was the undisputed keystone in the grassroots Los Angeles jazz scene. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, his radical community arts and music formations the UGMA (Underground Musicians Association, later changed to UGMAA - Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension), and his protean big band, the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, were at the epicentre of music, culture and politics in the Los Angeles area.

From their 1960s base at the Watt's Happening Coffee House on 103rd St, to their decade-plus- long 1970s residency at the Immanuel United Church of Christ on 85thE St and Holmes Ave, Tapscott's groups were the beating heart of underground music in LA. Hundreds of musicians passed through and played their part. Major figures in LA jazz such as Arthur Blythe, Azar Lawrence, Jimmy Woods, John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Sonny Criss, Ndugu Chancler and dozens of others all paid dues or just got down with Tapscott, not to mention the core Arkestra regulars who have since become celebrated names - Nate Morgan, Jesse Sharps, Adele Sebastian, Dadisi Komolafe, Gary Bias, to mention only a few.

Tapscott and the Arkestra were down on the ground - playing fundraisers in park and street, organising teach-ins and workshops for young and old, mixing it with radical theatre groups, firebrand poets, political radicals, Black separatists, community groups and churches. They lived communally, and built an ark for the Black arts in the heart of the city. But as a result of this grassroots community focus and Tapscott's antipathy to the music industry, the Arkestra didn't record for nearly two decades. That only changed when long-time jazz fan Tom Albach started Nimbus Records. The label was initiated specifically in order to document Tapscott and his circle, and the first three records showcased Horace and the Arkestra.

The Call was put together from two studio sessions in April 1978, one at Hollywood Sage and Sound, one at United Western - the latter session had the addition of a string section, who can be heard on the moody Cal Massey composition 'Nakatini Suite' and Jesse Sharps' swinging modal trip, 'Peyote Song No. III', with its swirling soprano solo. In keeping with the communal nature of the Arkestra, the other two compositions, 'The Call' and 'Quagmire Manor at Five A.M.' are also by Arkestra members. But at the centre of the music is the builder of the Ark, the visionary whose original call to action started a movement whose legacy continues to this day - Horace Tapscott.
Heed The Call!

One of Brazil's most prolific artists, Eumir Deodato has participated in the creation of over 450 albums, racked up 16 platinum records, won a Grammy (and received two more nominations), and sold over 250 million records in the USA alone. Over the course of his career, he has written for, arranged music by and played with artists including Frank Sinatra, Tom Jobim, Kool & The Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire, Marcos Valle, Aretha Franklin and Bjork, among others.

At the height of Deodato's productivity in the early 70s, Os Catedraticos 73 was recorded between Rio de Janeiro and New York, featuring a Brazilian rhythm section comprising Azymuth drummer Ivan 'Mamão' Conti, percussion master Orlandivo, and Sergio Barroso on bass, while the horn section features some of the big apple's top players from the CTI in-house brass.

A firm favourite with rare-groove enthusiasts and fans of Latin jazz alike, Deodato melds the musical sensibility of post-bossa nova Brazilian jazz with North American soul & funk, and the explosive Latin influences of '70s New York. Os Catedraticos 73 certainly swings harder than some of Deodato's earlier releases and opening track 'Arranha Ceu' (Skyscrapers) is a euphoric dance floor classic, which has been lighting up clubs for years.

With the blessing of Deodato himself, this official Far Out reissue has been remastered and pressed to 180g vinyl, with replica original artwork from the OG Equipe release.

**UNRELEASED AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ**

Afro-Cuban Jazz of the highest orderl! And even better, these two songs have remained UNRELEASED for the past 52 years! Vibraphonist, flutist, and band leader Ulysses Crockett was a big name on the Bay Area latin-jazz scene of the 1960s. He started out with his own group Afro Blue Persuasion which included a very young Paul Jackson on bass who later became famous as a member of Herbie Hankock's fusion-jazz masters The Headhunters.

"Cuban Fantasy" and "Poinciana" were both recorded live in 1967 but remained unreleased until now. Both songs are taken from the soon to be released 33rpm record titled "Live at Haight Levels" which includes more unreleased material as well as the full length version of both of these two edited tunes.

This 7" runs at 33rpm to provide the best sound quality possible.

Recorded Between The Release Of Sand (1977) And Lost Secrets(1981), Symphonic Songs Is A Formerly Unreleased Work That Chronicles The Dynamic Shift And Development In Experimental Swedish Composer Ragnar Grippe's Canon.

Following His Seminal Release Sandin 1977, Swedish Experimental Composer Ragnar Grippe Worked On Various Art And Performance Commissions, Often Returning To Stockholm During The Summer Months To Focus His Efforts On His Compositional Practice. It Was There At The Famed Ems Studioswhere He Began Employing The Buchla Synthesizer And The Facilities Multi-tracking Capabilities As New Instruments To Map His Mining Of Sound And Movement.

During The Late 1970's, Grippe Formed A Creative Collaboration With Choreographer Susan Buirge, Specifically Writing Compositions For Her Works restes And tamis, Thus Pushing Grippe To Start Working In A More Intricate Studio Environment. These Passages Inspired Grippe Into A More Complex Layering Process That Focused More On Placement And Structure, Rather Than The Aural Floods And Flourishes Of His Previous Sand Album, Eventually Germinating In His First Full 24-track Composition Entitled orchestra.

After Debuting orchestra In 1980 At The Electronic Music Festival In Stockholm, Grippe Holed Up At Ems Studios With Those Lessons And The Fussy Buchla Synthesizer, In Which Grippe Affectionately Recalls needed To Be Tuned And Calibrated Every 20-30 Minutes. He Emerged With A New Commission For Susan Buirge Later Formally Titled Symphonic Songs And Used In Her Avant-garde Theater Piece ci-déla Which Debuted In Paris In 1981.symphonic Songsshowcased Grippe's Sound Au Courant, Pushing Dense Against Sparse, Calm Into Cacophonous, Using Each Track As Its Own Intersecting Plane. Using The Machinations Of Studio And Structure To Drive Symphonic Songs' Voice, Grippe Culled A Haunting, Often Cinematic Electronic Work That Dots And Darts Into Unexpected Corners With Curious Aplomb.

Listen To The Words, Both Terms Have Their Root In Classical Music, But Not In Its Form But Because Now I Had So Many More Stems Or Voices That Could Be Played Simultaneously Compared To My Earlier Pieces. Coming From A Classical Background, But With Big Nostrils For Pop And Jazz Music, I Can Now See A Thread In Which Classical Got A New Costume, Dressed Up In Buchla Synthesizer And Real Bass Sounds Grippe Says. Since Its Live Theater Debut Over 37 Years Ago, Dais Records Releases For The First Time Symphonic Songs, One Of Grippe's Most Ambitious Compositions, As A Deluxe Double Vinyl Lp (with Limited Edition Color Variants) And On Digital Formats. Artwork Packaging By Artist J.s. Aurelius (ascetic House) With Reflective Linear Notes By Ragnar Grippe.

Hot on the heels of the Jaxx Madicine remix of Kyoto Jazz Sextet on Local Talk, Tommy 'Tubojazz' Garofalo - goes on a solo adventure once again.

His previous EP "Unbreakable" had equal parts of soul, jazz and funk blended together with a house twist.
The follow-up "Night Colors EP" shows both that and a deeper electronic side.
Opening track 'Two' is a clever number with its changes & sonic wizardry throughout.
Turbojazz makes the perfect blend between house and techno dipped into one big pot of deep Detroit vibes.

Next up is 'The Joint', a track that wears the distinct Turbojazz trademark throughout with its playful keys and sequenced drum programming at full tilt.

Nyami Nyami Records present a lost piece of Zimbabwean musical history: the only album from local legends the New Tutenkhamen, combining Jazz, Soul, Folk and Township rhythms. There are only 2 known copies of the original LP - this reissues make the music available again for the first time in over 40 years.

The New Tutenkhamen included many stars of Zimbabwean township music: Elisha Josamu was an alumnus of the fabulously-named Hallelujah Chicken Run Band (alongside Thomas Mapfumo), and Green Jangano's long-running Harare Mambos, and would later form Two Plus Two with bassist Christopher 'Chex' Tavengwa. Jethro Shasha played the drums, and would arguably become the New Tutenkhamen's most famous export, making continental waves working with likes of Salif Keita. Paul Sekerani played the rhythm guitar, with Amos Chatyoka on the organ, while the enigmatic Maggie Mbuli provided vocals and F. Manda played the sax.I WISH YOU WERE MINE was recorded at Teal Records and was produced by Crispen Matema, a talented jazz drummer in his own right who had played drums on the all-time classic 'Skokiaan', and had backed Louis Armstrong on his 1960 Rhodesia visit. Combining the heavyweight producing talents of Matema and the writing chops of Josamu, the New Tutenkhamen band created an album showcasing various musical styles popular at the time.

From the afro-jazz jam session aesthetics of 'Tutenkhamen Theme', 'Big Brother Malcom' and 'Forever Together', to the almost Van Morrison-sounding 'Sunday Morning'; from the upbeat rock ballad 'True Love', to the funk-infused dance song 'Togetherness'; from the bouncy jazz exhortations to work hard in 'Ane Nungo', to the brassy, raunchy foot-stomper 'Me & Dolly'. The title track 'I Wish You Were Mine' is a ska-infused ballad that wouldn't be out of place in post-war Birmingham, while the star of the show is 'Joburg Bound', itself a fast-paced rock piece with Motown undertones and funky guitar lines.

Classic Brazilian album from master drummer, Ronald Mesquita, originally released in 1972. Featuring songs by Jorge Ben, Antonio Carlos-Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Edu Lobo and others.
Mesquita is probably most well-known for playing with Luis Carlos Vinhas and his 'Bossa Tres' outfit, along with his own group, 'Ronie E A Central Do Brasil', that he formed after his return from the US in the early 1970s. He also played on several songs on Tenorio Jr.'s 'Embalo' album that Mr Bongo recently reissued.
The killer track 'Balanca Pema' was very big in the Jazz Dance scene in the 90s and also featured on the Mojo compilation 'Dancefloor Jazz Volume Four'.
Madlib sampled 'Balanca Pema' on his Medicine Show Number 2 'Flight to Brazil'.

Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed courtesy of Universal Music Group Limited.

Johnny Clarke & King Tubby & Dillinger & Prince Jazzbo feat. Tommy McCook & The legendary Aggrovators & The Mighty Diamonds - Soul Jazz Records presents Bunny Lee: Dreads Enter the Gates with Praise - The Mighty Striker Shoots the Hits!

Soul Jazz Records presents this new collection featuring the heavy 70s roots reggae of Bunny
Lee - a living legend, one of the last of the great Jamaican record producers who helped shape
and define reggae music in the 1970s from a small island sound into an internationally
successful musical genre.
From teenage fan to young record plugger for Duke Reid, Sir Coxsone and other early
pioneering Jamaican musical entrepreneurs, Lee has spent his whole professional life inside the
Kingston music industry. In the 1970s he rose up to become one of the major record producers
in Jamaica alongside Lee 'Scratch' Perry and the other 'small axe' producers who broke the
dominance of the 'big tree' producers that had ruled Jamaican music in the 1960s.
Featuring some of the heaviest Jamaican artists, including Johnny Clarke, King Tubby, Dillinger,
Prince Jazzbo, Tommy McCook, The legendary Aggrovators (featuring Sly and Robbie), The
Mighty Diamonds and more, the album is a rollercoaster ride of rare, deep and classic 1970s
roots, dub and DJ sounds.
During this era, 'flying cymbals', crashing reverbs, dark echoing thunderclap gunshots and
other 'implements of sound' filled his record productions as Bunny Lee explored the outer limits
of dub with his friend King Tubby in the mix on wild versions that accompanied any 45. A
Bunny Lee record provides a creative and mysterious hidden guide to reggae music itself, a
double-sided three-minute intangible history lesson etched in wax.
Bunny Lee was one of the first Jamaican producers to travel to England in the late 1960s, at
the beginning of the nascent British reggae music industry as record companies such as
Trojan, Pama and others began licensing Jamaican music in the UK to supply the expanding
West Indian communities living up and down England. Lee encouraged other Jamaican
producers to do the same, including Lee Perry, Harry J and Niney The Observer and also
became a conduit between the British music industry and numerous younger Island-based
producers - a frequent flyer reggae ambassador, a musical courier exchanging tapes for
royalties.
Bunny Lee's first recordings in the late 1960s were mainly rock steady but as the 70s
approached the music soon began to mutate and slow down into 'reggae' as the sound became
heavier, more rootsy and the sound itself began to change with the explosion of dub.
Lee was at the forefront to this dramatic musical shift into roots reggae and by this time had
become a major producer, capable of working with whoever he chose as world-famous singers,
DJs and musicians lined up to work with the charismatic man. Lee also employed a fluid but
stable set of crack session musicians who he named The Aggrovators.
Most of the recordings featured here come from the mid 70s, a time when Bunny Lee was
definitely in the zone, releasing heavyweight singles at an almost unstoppable rate. Bunny
Lee's career stretches over five decades and he has upwards of 2,000 production credits on
vinyl.
This album comes with extensive sleevenotes, an interview with Bunny Lee and exclusive
photography. The album is available as a CD pack with 24-page booklet, massive triple LP vinyl
with digital download code, house inner and full notes, as well as digital album.

First Word Records are thrilled to announce a brand new addition to the label - LA beatmaker and producer 14KT.

Known for his deft, soulful hip hop production, KT has broadened his palate for his FW debut to create 'For My Sanity', the first offering from his jazz-influenced project IAMABEENIE.

The album will be released in early 2019, but we couldn't wait that long to share this taster of what 14KT created as a form of escaping from his "normal" ways of making music. Case in point: the first single taken from the project - 'The Power of Same' feat. Muhsinah.

Strongly rooted in KT's spiritual practice, 'The Power of Same' is a bass and synth-heavy ode to consistency and unconditional love, laced nicely together by his signature drum lines, harmonious guitar riffs (played on the track by Stro Elliot) and the unmistakable sound of James Poyser (The Roots). Vocal powerhouse Muhsinah adds layers of emotion via her endearing delivery of the core message, and, deep in the background you can hear KT sharing a very personal routine with us all - giving thanks to God.

How much of a personal project this is, in 14KT's words "This was inspired by a bible study plan I was reading called The Power of Same. It spoke about the power of being consistent in our lives. I thought about how consistently God's love and my family's love have gotten me through my journey of life. Once I made a "skeleton" of the song, I reached out to the brother James Poyser who I was extremely blessed to work with. My brother Stro Elliot was living right down the street from me at the time. One night he walked over to my house, I played the record for him, he picked up my electric guitar and played the first thing that came to mind - which was perfect. I played the record for my brother Tall Black Guy, who suggested I reach out to Muhsinah to add vocals. I sent the record to her and two days later she sent me exactly what you hear. Amazing. That was definitely the spirit of God working. Huge shout out to my Playlist family. Love y'all."

To date, 14KT has released seven solo albums, as well as his collaborative hip hop album, 'Takin' Ls' with emcee Ozay Moore, R&B/soul album, 'Saturn Return' with singer/songwriter AB, and 'The Big Knock', together with Mayer Hawthorne as Jaded Incorporated.

Last year saw another duo collaboration album with Michigan rapper Ro Spit, entitled 'RSXGLD', a project held in high regard by the global hip hop community.14KT is also part of Jazzy Jeff's Playlist Retreat, alongside our very own Eric Lau, Tall Black Guy and Kaidi Tatham, who also turns out an unmistakably dope remix on this 7" single.

A very warm welcome to the family, KT!

'The Power Of Same' is available on 7" and all digital platforms on March 1st 2019.

Long time unsung UK techno artist Aubrey is to release Gravitational Lensing, a first artist album since 2001 and his third in all. It lands in early 2019 on Out-ER and across 12 tracks it finds him getting more personal and instinctive than ever before with jazz, techno, broken beat and house all colouring this most coherent of musical adventures.
Aubrey s discography dates back to the early nineties, when he was a key part of the UK scene on labels like Solid Groove, Textures and Mosaic. Up there with the greats from Chicago and Detroit, he has turned out a steady stream of music that marries perfect dance floor functionality with real musical invention. Always inspired by anything deep with a good groove, everything from synth band Japan to funk king George Clinton, electro break beats to Jean Michel Jarre all inform his work.

As a DJ, he cut his teeth playing the biggest raves in the UK with names like Carl Cox and Eddie C having been swept up by the acid house records that hit English stores when he was just 15. Add in a love of jazz, ambient and US house, and you have all the eclectic influences that this criminally under-the-radar artist has drawn on for his latest album.

It is one that finds him really put his personal stamp on his sound. It s a chance to be more who you are and what you feel without pressure to conform to a particular sound, it s a chance to be free, says the artist of the album process. It was partially produced at Out-ER s studio in Nard , Lecce over the course of a year s worth of studio jam sessions, and is his finest and most cinematic work to date.

Things kick off with the ambient synth modulations of Aerglo Visible before exquisitely loose jazz drums and sci-fi pads suspend you in the cosmos on Floating to Rigel. There is an experimental feel to the off grid drums, rippling chords and drunken keys of Doctor Portia that keeps you brilliantly off balance, and the first deep techno trip is Journey To the Blue Planet , which has gorgeous ambience swirling over rolling, dubby kicks and soulful Detroit synth work. Carrying on through more lush, musical synth work and inventive drums, there are moments of heads down dance floor power and hi-tech soul, serene techno landscaping and chord-laced deep house that is superbly cerebral throughout the album.

In all, it makes for a complete and storytelling record that draws on a rich variety of genres and reworks them into something deep, multi-layered and hugely emotional that works as well in headphones, at home, as it will in the club.

Two sun shine soaked, Latin infused Eddie Palmieri joints from the 1978 album Lucumi, Macumba, Voodoo get the official, remastered reissue treatment - with original copies of the 7' trading hands for upwards of £60.

Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, multi Grammy award winner Palmieri is a stratospheric salsa master. And for the Lucumi, Macumba, Voodoo LP he assembled a powerhouse, 30 strong jazz orchestra, featuring the likes of Dom um Romao, Steve Khan, Lew Soloff, Jon Faddis, Hiram Bullock and Palmieri's brother Charlie.

In an era dominated by disco, 'Spirit Of Love' took to the dancefloor, drawing on the glamour and magnetism of the late '70s. Palmieri's distinctive style still weaves its way through though, melding Afro-Caribbean rhythms with modern jazz. 'Spirit Of Love' is full to the brim with striking vocals, cow bells and big horn sections, blended with psychedelic guitars that riff off against clavinet touches and expressive Montunos melodies. Spirit of the salsa, for the disco dancer!

On the flip 'Lucumi, Macumba, Voodoo' is a masterpiece of Latin fusion, with Palmieri's unique arrangements squeezing that Puerto Rican flavour out of every added instrument. Trumpet blasts and sax solos marry with woops and whistles and Latin chants. Couple that with sensuous piano melodies and irresistible percussive elements and it's a recipe of Caribbean spice that'll liven up any record collection.

The Seeds of Fulfillment by David Drazin (November 2018)

Andrew Venson founded Seeds of Fulfillment (SOF) in early 1978. In the 1960s he had played electric bass with Arthur Conley, and later the original Peaches and Herb. On the same bill with Big Brother and the Holding Company, he hung out backstage with Janis Joplin. Yes! Vince was hoping SOF would get all of us to the top. He composed three tunes for the band, and we always had a ball playing them.

Roger Myers is a marvelous drummer. We co-composed Namaste. Roger would settle on a drum pattern of four measures at a time that he wanted to keep, and I'd put chords and melody right on top of his pattern. When he layered a second drum pattern on top of the first one, we'd get two melodies at the same time. We thought we were going to collaborate on more songs this way, but it didn't happen.

Lee Savory is a very inventive jazz man. He's musically literate, and wrote excellent transpositions. I remember Lee's asking for my input while he was composing Tight Squeeze, but it was clear he had it down. Once when I was visiting a DJ who played the album in a local radio station, the total of checks next to Tight Squeeze for number of plays was by far the highest!

Randy Mather's sax playing always knocked me out. I could hardly wait to hear him solo. When he left SOF to go with Woody Herman's orchestra it was amazing, but true.

Jeanette Williams had recorded 45s for the Duke and Peacock label when she was 17 years old. Her powerful singing was incredible to me. When we needed an original for Jeanette, Vince composed it, and Roger's wife Linda wrote the lyrics.

In 1978 I was in my senior year at Ohio State University when I met Vince. He came into a bar called My Brother's Place where I was playing with a trumpet player named Bobby Alston. When I was a freshman at OSU I'd played in an off campus band called Akadama. Before that I played in my home town of Cleveland, Ohio in the Brush High School Stage Band and a jobbing band called The Midnight Combo.

Everyone in the band contributed something to Egg Cartons in a composition jam session. We rehearsed in Vince's basement, and he had covered the walls with egg cartons to make the room sound more like a recording studio. The Provider was inspired by Country Preacher by Joe Zawinul. In those days I especially admired the way Zawinul would get his soulful feelings across, but also loved Herbie Hancock and to a lesser degree Chick Corea too. It took two years (with a break of several months) for the band to conquer Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. It shows you what consideration and dedication is, that ultimately they felt it was worth learning.

We recorded at Fifth Floor Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio. While we were there I got to shake hands with Bootsy Collins, who was recording in the rooms downstairs at the same time. Years later, Fifth Floor burned down and all the master tapes were destroyed.

It's that time again. The skies are calling and its time to board our trusty jet for the 5th outing of Africa Seven's premiere class compilation Africa Airways. For volume 5 its time to brace yourselves for 10 slices of Afro boogie goodness.

We up the boogie time groove with The Black Bells Group (the first band of lead singer Sidney 'Patrick Duteil' who went on to become the godfather of French hip-hop and a well know TV presenter. Here the groove is swinging... the perfect opener. Next up is German-based Cameroonian musician and cousin of Manu Dibango, Charly Kingson with this bass-synth boogie stomper. Big brass and jazzy trumpets add layers of sparkle too.

Next its time for some highlife inspired boogie from Ghanian Gyedu Blay Amboley. Highlife fused with reggae, disco, boogie and jazz just as the lyrics say.

Next we pair up with Africa Seven friend Eko once more under his Dikalo guise. The Cameroonian master musician is on fine form with his heavy brass and deep percussion with a driving afro boogie groove. To round off Side A its off to Cameroon again to groove with Jean 'Mekongo President'. Think Bernard 'Chic' Edwards on the bass with some African style and you can see it's the bottom end groove and afrobeat drums that power this gem along.

We open the second side slowly and purposefully with the highly sought after 'French Girl' from Fotso. Drippy bass synth grooves and a wondrous percussion and drum shuffle pair with piano riffs to make this a unique sounding track. Our friend Tala AM is next with the foot-stomping 'Sugar Lump'. JK Mandengue is next with most definitely the catchiest chorus you will hear today. Nigerian Jide Obe gets synth and clavinet rich with his doe to sensible dating advice 'Too Young'. We close off the album with a track from label good friend Jo Bisso under his Mulamba guise. Sounding like a long lost TV theme from a late night TV show circa 1977. Let's get down and boogie with the brand new dance in town folks... the Dashiki.

Until Volume Six takes flight it is time to unbuckle those seat belts folks.

Big news on the Apparel Tronic side. We're here to celebrate another step forward of our newest label introducing the 7th release on the catalogue & 2nd on vinyl, by an artist we really admire and we're delighted to have on board with us: Julian Habib aka Inkswel, on this project with his alias 'That Dude Inkswel'. The man himself created an 8 tracks LP which truly represents our spirit of experimentation, this time round steering towards a more jazzy influenced hip-hop, shaped up staying true to the sound we love. 'The Sound' LP features dope collaborations such as the Detroit vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Brownstudy singing on the opening and title track, the amazing progressive artist Maia Von Lekow giving her voice for B1 track 'Mother' alongside Mista Monk, the superb Han Litz's flute and Trujillo on Kellin' it & also Divine Species on 'Galaxies' and Mr. Shem rapping on A3 track 'Dedicated to Mr. Schem'. This work is a bold and captivating selection of different styles belonging to the same soul orchestrated by Inkswel and his musical mastermind, listening to 'The Sound' is like jumping on a caravan for a journey where every track is a different stop: crunching beats, deep bass lines, psychedelic melodies. The ingredients for this amazing recipe are all coming from different parts of the planet, a place that Inskwel seem to have written on his palms seen his capability of bringing different music influences under the same roof, where he finally invited Apparel Tronic to hang for a bit.
racks such as 'Snooker Club' and 'Viejos' delve into more caliginous, IDM territory. The result is a rich and varied collection that demonstrates Apparel Music's unwavering ability to continue to keep listeners guessing.

Limited Edition: 500 x 2 LP Gatefold Pressing. Bentley Rhythm Ace formed in Birmingham in 1996 when ex Pop Will Eat Itself bassist Richard March and DJ Michael Stokes discovered a shared love of obscure, oddball and eccentric tunes. Utilising lo-fi cut and paste sampling techniques combined with analogue synths and some wild turntable action their debut EP was picked up by Fatboy Slim's Brighton based Skint Records and released to widespread acclaim. The BRA live show added Fuzz Townshend on drums and James Atkin (ex EMF vocalist) on keyboards and the latter years of the 90s saw BRA firmly established as festival favourites with appearances at Glastonbury, Reading, V, T in the Park, Montreux Jazz and Fuji Rock amongst many others. Their irreverent approach mixed with big beats, thundering bass, wild synths and esoteric samples proved to be a hit with fans and critics alike. 1998 saw Bentley Rhythm Ace crowned 'Best Dance Act' in that year's NME awards. Their eponymous debut album was given a worldwide release after the Bentleys signed to Parlophone records and the band toured extensively in the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia and USA. As well as releasing a highly regarded DJ mix album on Ministry of Sound, and releasing a second album for Parlophone (featuring vocals from Black Grape/Ruthless Rap Assassins frontman Kermit), BRA also produced well received remixes for the Beastie Boys and Supergrass as well as soundtracking several TV shows and adverts. This "21st Birthday - Bonus Tracks Edition" of the album has been compiled by Richard March of the band and includes the original 11 track album along with 2 bonus tracks remastered and repressed to vinyl for the first time in almost two decades! Presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve, complete with original artwork and comprehensive sleeve notes for all thirteen tracks written for this release by Richard March. Bentley Rhythm Ace (21st Birthday - Bonus Tracks Edition)

22a presents a collaborative project with the Polish jazz septet EABS and featuring Tenderlonious on flute and soprano saxophone. Strictly limited to 1000 copies worldwide, this 12' of deep jazz is housed in colour sleeve and

includes an insert containing sleeve notes and photos. The Electro Acoustic Beat Sessions collective (EABS) are without doubt the most accomplished jazz group in the world right now. They have a unique and

innovative approach to music, fusing elements of Polish and classic jazz with hip hop, funk and folk. Their debut album 'Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda)' is a dedication to Polish Jazz legend Krzysztof Komeda that focusses

on compositions by Komeda between 1962 and 1967. The album explores Komeda's lesser-known compositions featured in ballet etudes, movies, short films, documentaries and animations.

'Kraksa/Svantetic' is the final part of a dedication to Krzysztof Komeda, recorded straight to tape at Radio Opole in Poland. Polish jazz has had a big influence on 22a and Tenderlonious and working with

EABS became a priority after hearing their album. Tenderlonious was therefore delighted to accept their invitation to go out to Poland to perform with them.

Our final physical release of 2018 at First Word comes courtesy of Souleance, aka the DJ producer duo consisting of Soulist and Fulgeance, with a double A sided single, and a glimpse into one of our forthcoming 2019 releases, 'French Cassette' which follows on from Souleance's acclaimed 'La Beat Tape' release from 2013, and again delves into crates of samples with a distinct French flavour.

'François' is a track dedicated to the one and only François de Roubaix, legendary film score composer, jazz aficionado and one of the duo's biggest French influences. A delectable slice of 100 bpm instrumental boom bap, built around a seriously infectious jazz-funk groove, and chopped-up vocals.

'Sète' heads to the south of France, to the beautiful Mediterranean city where Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Festival takes place. A region that the duo have had love and appreciation of, for many years. This one touches up the tempo a little, with some sun-glazed boogie riding beneath ethereal vocals, samples and sizzling synths.


With a decades worth of collaboration between them, and persistent party rocking across Europe, Souleance continue to create tried & tested nuggets of magic for the dancefloor. This double-sided 7" is no exception, and should give you an idea of what to expect from the full beat tape next year. Meanwhile, here's another essential one for the record bags.