Buscar:brass

A long-in-the-works project of ours, here comes A Tribe Called Kotori's first foray into full-length territories, as the immensely talented Rampue takes us on a melancholy-riddled ride across his phantasmatic mindscapes. A true sound explorer, deftly steering his ship down the junction of electronica, abstract and balearic-infused prog house, the Berlin-based vibist has us transfixed and elevated throughout the twelve cuts that form the backbone to this lushly textured promenade in sound - at times understatedly euphoric, at others rivetingly exotic.

Of the creative process that lead to 'Bubblebath Trance', Rampue explains "It all started and ended in the same moment: my cherished feline companion, my laptop awash with an unintended bath, and alas, a dearth of backups. The resultant calamity, an echo of chaotic tranquility." Under the generous layer of irony lies some unaltered truth about Rampue's debut long-player for A Tribe Called Kotori: this sense of serenity that goes with stepping into this warm and bubbling primitive chaos of sorts infuses the listening experience far and wide. Distantly emulating the "euphonious strains" of iconic PS1 video games soundtracks from his youth days, the album has us surfing a constant paradox of emotions, wistful but not abandoning itself to sorrow, dynamic yet suspended in some sort of mind-expanding stasis. As if you were looking at the world beneath you in exploded view, conscious of all thing, slowly moving up the many layers of our atmosphere towards uncharted skies.

A paragon of Rampue's most poignant take on classic electronica tropes, 'Harmonie' blazes with a poetic fire that engulfs about everything in its wake. Just figure yourself riding a chocobo across the sand-covered expanse of North Corel (toasting to the FFVII nerds here) as this blasts out in the distance. From this trancey bubblebath emerge lots of musical shades and nuances, from the nicely dubbed-out, brass-heavy coastal jazz of 'Schattenschranz' to the choppy, trip-hop-adjacent future electronics of 'Inside', via the exuberantly joyous mess of faux-organic number 'Tripomatic' and cinematic charisma of 'Ich hasse Sonne' high-flying orchestrations.

Connecting the dots between that trance-indebted ebullience and further downtempo-friendly attraction, 'Verfahren' perhaps encompasses best what 'Bubblebath Trance' is about: gracefully walking the tightrope in-limbo nostalgia-soaked inner movements and a powerful outward thrust, burning to let the feelings ooze out from the shell that holds them.Clad in purely 90s-compatible breaksy motion, 'Salz' is another attempt to reconcile emotional and physical dissonance, like kneading all states - solid, liquid and vaporous - into an impossible mega-vibe of its own; malleable, strong and enveloping in equal measure. Borrowing from two-step and UK garage, 'Take Away' is a definite high in Rampue's master unfolding of musical twists and turns, summoning a Boarder Community-esque atmosphere and clashing it alongside floor-ready footwork motifs to fascinating effect.

An ode to his studio companion, 'Buchla Trip' finds Rampue's exploring his machinic friend's quirky yet soulful array of electronic potentialities - making it sound like a conversation you'd have with R2-D2 in the heart of a Sandcrawler, whereas 'Kajal' beams us up to a fragmented headspace, halfway altered PC-Pop and arps-loaded electronica on amphetamines. Effusive and transporting, the title-track 'Bubblebath Trance' could well figure as the album's no.1 medley in essence: a bountiful lucid dream of dancing forms, colours and sentiments to wrap your head around, confidently drifting from a liminal state of consciousness down the rapids of one's troubled inner workings.

Rounding off the package, the languid ambient finale of 'Die Leiden des hungrigen Fruehstuecks' rubber-stamps the feeling that 'Bubblebath Trance' belongs to that rare category of albums. The ones that mint their own alphabet aside from typical norms and expectations, teaching you the ropes of their new language as it unreels between your ears - real and unreal, elusive to any other meaning than the one your guts and brains will be inclined to give it to, in real time. A crystal-pure object if you will, that shall not reveal its secrets, even after a thousand listens and just as many wowing moments.

It contains all the signatures of her best lyricism: delicate and precise phrasings, moments that flicker between beauty and banality, meaning that forms through the accretion of observations, memories, and unexpected adages. This is an album that is at once post-theistic and devoted to a relationship with the divine, each song blinking in and out of "the fragile plane," a place Krieger describes as "a middle ground in the universe," both abstract and peaceful, where time, bodies, and names don't exist.

Krieger initially collaborated with Luke Temple and Jeremy Harris to record her vocals and guitar to tape at Panoramic Studios in West Marin, CA. As the album continued to form, Krieger envisioned instruments - like the French and English horn (Nancy Ranger and Priscilla Reinhart), electric guitar (Jacob Drab), and pedal steel (Kevin Copeland) - as characters which would walk in and out of the soundscape. What emerged from conversations with composer Sammy Weissberg, are brass parts that have a dark, almost surreal logic: horns arise to emphasize a word or phrase, fall out completely, only to rush back with dissonant orchestrations that gesture simultaneously toward deterioration and generation.

While Krieger takes inspiration from Elliot Smith's honesty, Judee Sill's cosmic reaching, and Joni Mitchell's sharp noticing, the dream-like association, harmonic dissonance, and angular melodic ascensions in each song are singularly and delightfully Krieger's.

"I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane" is a daring collection of songs by an artist who scries with both the cold glass eye of truth and the beating heart of empathy; who portrays life in all its twisted complexities.

ÁTTA ist das erste neue Studioalbum von Sigur Rós seit zehn Jahren, ihre bisher intimste und emotional direkteste Platte.



Nur wenige Bands durchdringen den Lärm und die Ablenkungen der Welt, um eine reine, elementare Wahrheit oder ein Gefühl zu vermitteln wie Sigur Rós. Wie man auf ÁTTA hören kann, hat die Band durch die neue Besetzung eine neue Kraft und einen neuen Antrieb bekommen. Der Multi-Instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson ist zurück in der Band - nachdem er sie 2012 verlassen hatte - und schließt sich Frontmann Jónsi und Bassist Georg Holm an.



Aufgenommen auf mehreren Kontinenten - im Sundlaugin-Studio der Band in Island, in der legendären Abbey Road in Großbritannien und in mehreren Studios in den USA - tendiert ÁTTA stark zum Orchestralen und berührt alles, was Sigur Rós zu einer der ehrgeizigsten und am meisten gefeierten Bands der letzten Zeit gemacht hat, mit fast zehn Millionen verkauften Alben, während es gleichzeitig eine aufregende und expansive Möglichkeit für ihre Zukunft signalisiert. Auf ÁTTA spielt das London Contemporary Orchestra unter der Leitung von Robert Ames neben den Bläsern, die von den langjährigen isländischen Kollegen Brassgat í bala gespielt werden, eine herausragende Rolle. Das Album wurde von Paul Corley, einem weiteren häufigen Mitarbeiter der Band, gemischt und mitproduziert.

If you dig deep enough into the underground you will find the most precious jewels and it ain't that much of an effort these days to turn on the computer and trip through the colorful World Wide Web. But beware for not all the glitter is gold. I stepped by some dark and dusty back street club in Atlanta / Georgia, USA and some enchanting music tempted me to enter. A powerful raspy voice screaming out the pain of the world no matter if it were big or small affairs. "California dreaming on such a winter's day", wow, when the MAMAS AND PAPAS sang this in a sweet folk manner it was a light and joyful anthem for all hippies and hipsters back in 1966, like a call to love. Lee Moses' version is more of a desperate cry for sunshine and freedom. And it goes on this way. His voice has this special phrase showing determination, pain but also sheer joy of life. His 1971 album is a steady groover with a steaming hot band performing , which includes a brass section of divine greatness. These devoted players build up a massive wall of groove and melody on which Lee Moses can unleash his voice like a volcanic eruption. The groove itself stays quite relaxed but definitely hypnotizing throughout the whole album and clears up your mind for the message of love Lee Moses raves about. The high skills of Lee's backing band gets showcased in a steaming instrumental version of THE FOUR TOPS' "Reach out (I'll be there)", which appeared on an early 7" first and got added here as a bonus track. They don't stop for THE BEATLES' "Day tripper" either and next to "California dreamin'" you can find another heart warming version of "Hey Joe" on the regular album. Not as extraordinary outraging as Hendrix' turn on this classic Lee and his mates make it a slightly more epic effort. All in all this is a soul album with very few covers and even more classic anthems of this genre that should actually be worshipped by lovers of the late 1960s Motown sound. Especially the bonus tracks will drive you wild. Go for it, brothers and sisters.

1979 Linda Williams gold from the Arista archives gets a much welcomed official, remastered reissue.

With an intro that does exactly as its title suggests, 'Elevate Our Minds' became a huge rare groove record in the mid to late '80s. Produced by the late, great Richard Evans who worked with the very best in the business, from Gene Chandler and Marlena Shaw, to Ramsey Lewis and Ahmad Jamal, it's supremely arranged, blending a Bossa Nova beat and trumpet trills with Linda's distinctly New York authenticity that comes through in the vocals. Like a trip to the blissful beaches of Rio whilst bringing a touch of the New York disco glam along for the ride. Exotic yet familiar, all in the same breath.

On the flip, 'City Living', a straight up New York disco killer - oozing with funk, dripping in brass blasts, off beat hats and spruced up synths, it's a primetime ode to the hustle and bustle of the city. Williams' glorious tones, assisted by a majestic troupe of backing singers, glisten alongside the classy drumming and polished bass badness that lays behind it.

The Undertones formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1975 and released their third album ‘Positive Touch’ in 1981 which peaked at #17 in the UK Charts.

The Undertones' Positive Touch marks the departure from speedy pop-punk of their first two debut albums though the songwriting remains as tight and lively with plenty of hooks that keep you listening.

The punk-derived energy is almost entirely gone, replaced by a more varied and softer instrumental palette that features new textures like piano (courtesy of Paul Carrack, then in Squeeze) recorders and brass instrumentation.

Features the lovely "Julie Ocean" which has an undercurrent of anxiety, as well as much faster tracks like the pounding opener "Fascination" and the near-paranoid "His Goodlooking Girlfriend" are downright nerve-wracking.

This reissue is an exact replica of the embossed original sleeve and has been pressed on white colour vinyl for the first time.

Sababa 5, Tel Aviv’s funkiest export, upgrade their signature Middle Eastern psychedelic funk with the addition of Hoodna Orchestra’s dynamic brass section, another essential 45 from Batov Records’ Middle Eastern Groove series.

Labeled by the likes of Truth & Lies as a “serious contender in the world of instrumental funk”, Sababa 5 have created a modern sound, fusing funk, disco, and psychedelic rock with a wide range of Middle Eastern influences, culminating in last year’s acclaimed self-titled debut album, Named after their new studio address on the border of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, “Eilat 22” & “Elifelet 23” spring from the same sessions that delivered us the enormous ‘Funk #1 / Funk #2’ 45, as championed by the Nostalgia King, Skeme Richards, BBC Radio 6 Music host, Huey Morgan, and influential music portal, Music Is My Sanctuary.

Sababa 5’s tight-as-ever instrumental grooves are enriched by the bright bass sounds of The Hoodna Orchestra brass section, comprising Bar Ashkenazi on trumpet, Eylon Tushiner on tenor, and Elad Gelert on baritone saxophone. Hoodna are renown for their energetic take on Afrobeat, and have been touring and recording recently with Ethio jazz legend Mulatu Astatke, and here they supply a touch of JB’s meets Africa ‘70 energy.


On the flip “Eiffelet 23” grooves along like a Dap Kings funk nugget, except in this case there’s room for Eitan to improvise across the jam with a microtonal organ sound reminiscent of legendary Egyptian musician Magdi el- Husseini.
Due for full release on vinyl and digital on 2 June, “Eilat 22” & “Elifelet 23” open another page in Sababa 5’s rapidly diverse and ever-engaging discography, with two songs destined to head light up dancefloors over the coming months.

Men at Work already had an album in the Top Ten when the Australian ensemble released Cargo, which continued the momentum gained by its record-setting debut. As ambitious and even more diversified than its initial salvo, the 1983 effort firmly established the band as new-wave pioneers – a group whose goofy playfulness, sharp hooks, brass accents, and memorable choruses helped define the decade's landscape. Any doubts about Men at Work's quirky sensibility were promptly answered by the iconic cover art gracing this multi-platinum set.

Mastered on our world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI, this LP not only brings the artwork back into full-scale glory but also takes the enjoyably melodic pop-rock to new sonic heights courtesy of improved imaging, separation, and balance. Previously obscured details jump to the surface, and leader Colin Hay's unique voice takes on life-like dimensions that hover between the speakers.

While remaining true to the approach that garnered them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Men at Work expands the creative palette on Cargo by giving guitars a more prominent role and increasing the rhythmic textures. With the sweeping ballad "Overkill" and politically savvy cynicism of "It's a Mistake," the band furthered their radio domination and extended their run of Top 10 singles. A third hit, "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive," cracked the Top 30. Well-tailored melodies and whimsical imagination definitely had a place in the public's consciousness, and no group understood this more.



As the final album captured by the original lineup, Cargo remains an indelible piece of the 1980s audio terrain and a reminder of the era's endless fun. Bolstered by lively saxophone solos, self-effacing humor, and instantly catchy refrains, the album is as good as excuse as any to turn on the stereo, sit down, forget your worries, and dance to leisurely pursuits so perfectly captured by this beloved group.

After the success of the earlier releases, The TFunk Collective teams up with Atomphunk for his debut track for Regulate Recordings on the labels fifth release. Atomphunk has deep house roots and productions on labels such as Toko Records, 3AM Recordings, Deepfunk Records (USA) and more recently Manuscript Records and he brings his A game to the flip side for this release.

‘Since I fell for you’ takes its influence from classic 90s street soul. It blends classic horns, phat drums, a Jupiter synth base line, delicious keys, all layered with a delightful vocal to create an upbeat summer anthem.

‘Come Boogie’ has a classic 70s disco vibe with its infectious brass and strings driven along by solid drums and a funky rhythm guitar and a squelchy bass line.

Terror in Tokyo! Godzilla is back and is determined to cause as much damage as possible in GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA. After the "Big G" delivers a crippling blow to the JXSDF (Japanese Xenomorph Self-Defence Force), the government decides to build a new weapon to defeat Godzilla. Their solution: Kiryu, aka Mechagodzilla, a metal monster packed with all the firepower needed to put Godzilla down. But things go awry when Kiryu malfunctions and turns on the JXSDF, thanks to its use of the original Godzilla's DNA. Can they get back control and put an end to the "Big G"?

Selected to score GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA was Michiru Ōshima (GODZILLA VS MEGAGUIRUS, STAR WARS: VISIONS), who brought an exciting and heroic musical aesthetic to the film. Employing the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Ōshima's music sounds as enormous and powerful as the kaiju themselves, with a new menacing theme for Godzilla that uses the lower registers to bring across the monsters immense force. In contrast, Ōshima's theme for Kiryu uses high brass for an almost superheroic feel, with both themes working beautifully in counterpoint to each other when the two titans have their rumble. As scary as it is thrilling, Michiru Ōshima's GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA is one of the most significant scores to emerge from the hallowed halls of Toho. - Charlie Brigden

Composed by Michiru Oshima
Artwork by Luke Preece
Manufactured in Czech Republic

When he first came on the scene, Phil Woods was often referred to as
"The New Bird," in a nod to the legendary Charlie Parker - A testament to
his genius on the saxophone to be sure
But while obviously indebted to Parker - as all modern jazz saxophonists of a
certain era were - there is no question that Phil Woods was an original. After
earning a degree in music from Juilliard in the early 1950's, Woods found himself
in the orbit of the great Quincy Jones. At Jones' invitation Woods joined Dizzy
Gillespie's infamous Jazz Ambassadors - a tour sponsored by the US State
Department as part of a global cultural diplomacy initiative - and subsequently
became a member of Jones' own touring band. This recording, his 9th album as a
band leader, consists entirely of Woods' five- part Rights of Swing Suite. An
ambitious large-scale composition based solidly on jazz traditions. A culmination
of the influences the then 30 year artist had absorbed. Arguably considered one
of Woods finest recordings, the record features a stellar section made up of
Wood's fellow Quincy Jones band members. (It should be noted that these same
musicians, for the most part, are also the section on Benny Bailey's Candid
Records recording, Big Brass, recorded a a few months prior in November of
1960). Recorded at the Nola Penthouse Studios in New Your City on two dates in
January and February of 1961, and conducted by Quincy Jones. The LP includes
extraordinary liner notes by Candid A&R man and producer Nat Hentoff, and indepth commentary from Woods himself, giving a context and insight that adds to
the experience of hearing these extraordinary performances

Italian DJ and producer Sourires (aka Andrea Antognoli) joins the Samosa stable for his debut with an explosive release that will take your breath away.

The EP kicks off with the title track, Pampasosa - a furiously groovy number which gets up right in your face from the get-go. Like an unstoppable train, Pampasosa hurtles along at 127bpm with its horns blaring and furnace blazing. De Gama is on the Re-Groove here, expertly applying the bells and whistles to this all powerful locomotive stomper.

A2 brings us ‘Liam’, which sounds like a track very close to Sourires heart. Think of glorious evening sunshine after the rain for this emotionally charged piece of music. The bass has you hypnotised, the strings make you soar and the vocal haunts your dreams. It bares its soul to you and you can’t help but love it for that.

On the B-side, ‘Keep Rolling’ (De Gama Re-Groove) gives no illusions as to what its intentions are. A rolling, bass-driven start builds to filtered vocals and punchy brass - we’re in house territory but it’s so much more than that. A prime-time fist pumper of a tune, this will have dance floors offering their souls to Sourires in exchange for good times.

Finishing off this four tracker is ‘Flavor’ (De Gama Re-Built). At 124bpm, it sneaks past you and taps you on the shoulder. Continuing the house vibe, Sourires brings us a swinging beat accompanied by dreamy vocals and subtle filtered keys. Strings and delicate guitar licks build to a glorious breakdown which reveals itself in full technicolour. Summery, sassy and sexy stuff.

Sourires has deliverdd a modern classic with the Pampasosa EP. This has to be in your record box for the summer - just watch the dance floor go!

Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, or simply Bardo, is a 2022 Mexican epic black comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The film stars Daniel Giménez Cacho alongside Griselda Siciliani and follows a journalist/documentarian who returns to his native country of Mexico and begins having an existential crisis in the form of dreamlike visions.

Bardo premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in competition for the Golden Lion. Critics praised the performances, cinematography, and direction. It received a nomination for Best Cinematography at the 95th Academy Awards.

Bryce Dessner, of The National, made the score and wrote; "We recorded the score in Mexico at the beautiful Sony Music Studios in Mexico City and Topetitud Studio in Coyocan. The process of recording the music for Bardo and working with amazing Mexican musicians, including Brass bands from Oaxaca and musicians from the National Symphony, in the studio was an incredible joy for me and something I will remember for the rest of my life."

The soundtrack of Bardo also contains songs by David Bowie, Genesis, José José a.o. The 2LP is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on green (LP 1) and white (LP 2) coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold sleeve and includes 2 printed innersleeves.

[n] B7. Alain Goraguer – Les Hommes [La Grande Co-Existence]

An incredible 45 of Latin disco – recorded in Peru during the late 70s by funk pioneers Black Sugar, and right up there with the best from New York and LA of that era! It’s taken over four decades 'Baila' to become a winner spin at international events in the soul and disco scenes, a sought-after collector's item and, above all, the dancefloor hit that should have always been. First time reissue. Black Sugar is a Peruvian band, considered a pioneer group in Latin America in mixing funk influences with rock and Latin rhythms. In 1976, following their gig at Coliseo Amauta in Lima, opening the night for the legendary Spanish band Barrabás, they started to show a growing interest in disco music, resulting in some line up changes with members leaving the project due to their lack of interest in the new sound and new ones joining in. Word is that Sono Radio, home to a bunch of local Tamla MoTown releases for the Peruvian market, thought that Black Sugar's prestige, and their credibility in the new orientation towards disco sound, would benefit from seeing their new single pressed with the labels of the famous record company from Detroit. And so it was. Under certain lights and shadows, ‘Baila’ was finally released in Peru only in 1978, sporting the same look as the releases of the likes of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Commodores or Thelma Houston. A clever marketing ploy that however failed in boosting the sales of the single…Only a few original copies have survived to this day, of either the first and the second edition from 1979 released on the US label Libra, and reached the collectors market. It’s now, over four decades later, when the interest on this recording has gone stronger and ‘Baila’ is getting regular spins at international soul/disco scene events, having become a very sought-after collectors item and, on top of that, the dance floor anthem that should have always been. The stunning piano arrangements of the intro, the outstanding brass sections —faithfully copied from the disco recordings coming from the States—, a very catchy chorus… ‘Baila’ has all the necessary ingredients to become an addictive invitation to join the dance floor. On the B side, a cover version of Barry White’s hit ‘Sha La La (Means I Love You)’ —as appeared on the original issue of this record— shows what the interest of the band was at the time. First time reissue. TRACKLIST Side A Baila Side B Sha La La (Means I Love You)

REAL, DEEP FUNK WITH A PSYCHEDELIC NUDGE.

Representing Seattle Funk. The Oscillators' debut 45 RPM single is deep, raw and energetic. Led by drummer oLLi kLoMp, the line up features members of the polyrhythmics, Rippin' Chicken, the Pulsations, Lucky Brown, the Trueloves, 45th Street Brass, The S.G.'s, and more...

This 45 RPM single is limited to 300 copies and contains two non-album tracks.

Taken from the album ‘Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit – Reimagined by Jazzanova’, BBE Music, DJ Amir and 180 Proof records present the 3rd single from this monumental project. This release features remixes by Japanese Club Jazz pioneers Kyoto Jazz Massive, and Genre Blending New Yorkers, musclecars. Kyoto Jazz Massive were enlisted to remix the Jazzanova reimagining of Sam Sanders’s iconic song Face at my Window. Their mix adds an intimate Jazz Club feel to vocalist Sean Haefeli’s recording, which highlights the dynamics of Sean’s voice. The subtle tempo increase maintains the feel of the original and adds a punch to the brass section, making the track an entirely new experience. musclecars add that traditional New York / Chicago House vibe to Jazzanova’s reimagining of Kenny Cox’s ‘Beyond the dream’, and the result is a skippy afro/latin dancefloor filler which can go on forever. musclecars demonstrate their genre blending superpowers on this mix which adds a garage swing to a jazz record, definitely going to be a jam for the dancefloors in 2023. Both remixes showcase the importance of DJ Amir's unearthing of these strata gems, and Jazzanova’s reimagining, how they have breathed new life into one of Detroit’s hidden gems - Strata Records. They will definitely on board new audiences to the treasure trove that is Strata, and the iconic stories surrounding the often overlooked record label.

Representing Seattle Funk. The Oscillators' debut album is deep, raw and energetic. Led by drummer oLLi kLoMp, the line up features members of the polyrhythmics, Rippin' Chicken, the Pulsations, Lucky Brown, the Trueloves, 45th Street Brass, The S.G.'s, and more...

REAL, DEEP FUNK WITH A PSYCHEDELIC NUDGE.

As of yet, as these words were written, the Oscillators is not a band. the Oscillators is an experimental recording collaboration that turned out swimmingly.

Our gauge was this: "Do we like it?" No agenda or goal. The main mode being simply; create what we like out of thin air. Yet the air was heavy therefore create what we like out of thick air. Magical, gravy-thick air. Molecules, olli'cules. Alchemically thick. Apparently, we needed to sample something out-of-the-ordinary… the process is called, "stackin- phat". Minimal gear, maximum vibe. In fact, this process and this gear would make most educated sound engineers cringe but the players know.

Pushing the tape…yes, tape! 4 track to be exact, pushing the tape to it's edge. First, stack two drum tracks. bounce them to one primal track. Sometimes one drummer, sometimes two; "a great drumbeat already contains melody." This is your first layer of phat. Generally, unless the muse says otherwise, you wanna bring in your bass player next, gently caress guidance and encouragement (maybe a beer or a hit a grass), then he or she can stack the next layer of phat. The next few layers are where things really take off. Maybe it's guitar then horns, maybe keys. Maybe just horns. Whatever the tune calls for. Whatever the muse "calls" for. Everyone stacking is simultaneously inspired, while hindered, by the previous layer; "constricted genius" works of magic from thin/thick air.

Most of the time the players weren't in the same room at the same time, and in some cases, haven't seen each other in years, but it sounds like a family and feels like a band. Create what we like.

The natural unfolding of this creation was affirming, in that the process of creation proved most relevant. An expression of faith and appreciation of the experiMENTAL process with no preparation for something else. Beyond fortunate for the allowance of time. "never underestimate the power of positive thought"

-Ned Blanski

ME LOST ME led by Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent announces a new album RPG via Upset The Rhythm on 7th July, and is touring across the UK including support dates with Pigs x7. RPG (recorded in Blank Studios with Sam Grant of Pigs x7) is ME LOST ME’s fourth outing as a collective, having transitioned from an ambitious solo project in 2017, Jayne now regularly collaborating with acclaimed North-East jazz musicians Faye MacCalman and John Pope.
ME LOST ME delights in experimenting with songwriting and storytelling, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully weave together disparate genres, drawing influence from folk, art pop, noise, ambient and improvised music. Hauntological in part, RPG is concerned with tales and with time - are we running out of it? Does insomnia cause a time loop? Do the pressures of masculinity prevent progress? Jayne Dent asks these questions and more on RPG, her homage to worldbuilding and the story as an artform, calling back to those oral traditions around a campfire, as well as modern day video games - bringing folk music into the present day as she does so.
ME LOST ME presents sound reaching in opposite directions, straddling time towards the archaic and timeless traditions of folktales, and towards the possible and potential futures of pastoral Britain and the world at large. Part speculation, part reminiscence, what results on the new album RPG is music that sounds ultimately displaced and yet omnipresent, adjacent to a hapless Vonnegut hero whose life is scattered throughout time and history, but full of wonder and curiosity rather than fear.
On track “The Oldest Trees Hold The Earth”, we see time stretched out between the branches of impossibly old beings in the woods. This track was co-written in Aarhus, Denmark with fellow Newcastle folk musician (with Danish heritage) Ditte Elly. The pair wordlessly passed a sheet of paper between each other to write the lyrics, inspired by Højbjerg and Mosegård, the woods they were sitting in. “How long should I wait/Before the moss grows?/On my skin, on my outstretched arms,” the lyrics are sung in a round, the close harmonies delicate and detailed.

A central thesis of this album is the joy of creation, something which is paid homage to in the album’s final track, “Science And Art” (Not because we need it to last/just because we needed to make it - so we invented the words/this language). It is also reflected in the definition that Jayne gives for “folk” itself. She comments, “To me, folk is quite an expansive idea. I think of it as creative work that's often made ad-hoc, with things that are at hand and more often than not it's born of a DIY ethos. It is songs and stories of the people, as in the traditional sense, but also creative coding, game design etc. Whatever outlet someone has for their creative expression could be described as folk. It's the things we make because humans need to make things, and the stories we tell about ourselves and the world around us.”
Crucially, on latest album RPG, Dent expands her songwriting and looks towards the unreal locations of worldbuilding in video games for inspiration. She comments, “I think the main similarity is the importance of a song's setting/environment to inform its narrative and textures, I'm often most inspired when out walking in the natural landscape, in cities and travelling to places I've never been before - the environment I'm in really impacts the work I make. While writing this album, however, I found myself inspired by imaginary landscapes, those in video games, paintings, etc. I was writing stories into these unreal locations instead. Even the songs inspired by real places, like The Oldest Trees Hold the Earth, have a very surreal quality to them in the songs, like they're being warped and turned into something not of this world. I think that's the main difference for me in terms of the thematic content and inspiration behind this album - I've been getting more and more interested in balancing surreal and fantastical environmental elements with ordinary and everyday settings.”
RPG upends the concept of the eternal return - we may be in the midst of inevitable repetition, but we tell stories whilst awaiting the passage of time.
"Being familiar with, and a fan of Jayne's earlier work, it was great to get the opportunity to work with her on the production of her new record. I had in mind a sense of what the record might be, but what came of the sessions, led by the vision Jayne had for the record, totally exceeded my expectations. As far as albums go, it has a breadth of writing and a sonic depth that made it a truly brilliant record. Having Jayne join us on a leg of the Pigs x7 tour in April is going to be ace. The creative nature, the sincerity and bold strokes of ME LOST ME put it in that space outside of any genre pigeonholes, and between our two sets I imagine the audience is going to have a proper sonic bath..."
Sam Grant, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, 2023
“The music of Me Lost Me is beguiling, idiosyncratic and cinematic - or should that be video-game-omatic? This suite of songscapes often hits the sweet spot between ancient and modern with its masterful blend of stark folk, neon electronic burbling and unusual arrangements. Jayne's singing is refreshingly straightforward and nuanced - it's exquisite! - and perfectly punctures the nebulae of synths and brass which billow around the old wooden frames of the songs. Whilst listening I had images in my mind of what Northumberland might look like through the eyes of Simon Stalenhag - foggy moors, a robot looking across the sea to Lindisfarne, twinkling lights on metal towers.... that sort of thing. It's a really great album.”
Richard Dawson, 2023

One of Japan’s most riveting artists follows that KAKUHAN mindmelt from last year (our number 5 album, 2022) with an engrossing suite of wild field recordings and polymetric percussion featuring a whole raft of additional players weaving drums, wind and brass instruments, cello and electronics into a bewildering Acousmatic matrix. Highly recommended listening if you’re into Marginal Consort, Beatrice Dillon, Will Guthrie, Mark Fell, François Bayle.

Having made his mark on these pages over the last few years with appearances as part of Japan’s cult entities Goat and YPY, Koshiro Hino’s turn last year as KAKUHAN took things to a whole other level with an album that felt like some alchemical mix of elements borrowed from Autechre, Photek, Arthur Russell and Mica Levi - a complete stylistic futureshock that worked as well in the club as it did fuelling extended flights of the imagination.

For 2023, Hino takes us into a completely different headspace, assembling a cast of 11 players - the mighty Joe Talia and KAKUHAN’s other half Yuki Nakagawa among them - for a suite of untamed field recordings, clanging percussion, brass and synthesis that are about as far removed from the diaristic ambient de jour as you could possibly imagine. Instead, the ensemble conjure vibrant sound ecologies teeming with detail, mirroring the natural world and communal traditions to form shapeshifting, organismic soundworlds.

‘Geist II’ was written for 20 speakers, referencing François Bayle’s acousmatic music and David Tudor’s electro-acoustic environments. It paints a richly detailed scene of a nocturnal rainforest, replete with avian hoots and a skin-crawling patina of insectoid chatter that moves around the soundfield, stealthily growing in density with a more “musical” presence of super low end drone and drums converging form the peripheries to a ritualistic climax. In the second part, focus shifts to remarkably pure percussion-like tropical rain, invaded by swarms of scuttling and winged invertebrates that give way to a water music-like polymetric slosh, resolving to ringing tones and more mellifluous gestures that hark back to GRM’s most poetic, romantic urges.

It's a deeply psychedelic experience that harmonises tiny electronic fluctuations with bird calls and scraped, resonant drones that phase in-and-out of the mix. It's sound you can practically chew, and another crucial despatch from the contemporary Japanese avant-garde.

De Brassers were one of the most notorious bands in the Belgian new wave/punk history. With their no nonsense attitude they scared the shit out of the local catholic community of Hamont. De Brassers were a local mixture of the Sex Pistols (in the lowest gear) and Joy Division (they always performed a cover version of Joy Division’s Shadowplay), combining a criticism of bureaucracy and politics with experiences of psychological and existential tensions. The doomed sound they produced tells a lot about the dark atmosphere of the late seventies and early eighties: the fear of atomic bombs, cold war pessimism, police violence against squatters, the first cases of AIDS, and the grim years of Reagan & Thatcher.

This compilation takes you back to that time. All tracks from their first 7″ "En Toen Was Er Niets Meer” & their self-titled 12″, plus rare & unreleased tracks taken from various live performances & the cassette “Levend”. If you’re in for a raw slice of Belgian history let de Brassers immerse you in a cold wave of punk.

A wild and funky collection of Afro grooves that was ahead of its time in 1977 and has become a collector’s item in recent years, especially due to the growing international interest in Colombian picó sound system culture. Fruko and his studio bands Wganda Kenya and Kammpala Grupo treat us to a diverse set of African and Caribbean styles, laced with crazy synths, psychedelic guitar and infectious pan-African polyrhythms. By the time Discos Fuentes released the album “Wganda Kenya Kammpala Grupo” in 1977, Wganda Kenya’s discography was expanding with many 45 singles and appearances in various artists collections. The group’s 1975 debut record “África 5.000” was a full length LP in the U.S. and a various artists compilation in Colombia, which was followed by the self-titled long player the following year. However, Kammpala Grupo, which shared the album’s title and was credited to three songs on the record, had never appeared before, yet was basically the same studio group as Wganda Kenya. Most likely the creation of this short-lived studio band was just a ploy by the label to make it seem like there were more groups playing the type of exotic afro tracks favored by the picotero DJs of Colombia’s Caribbean coast (especially in Barranquilla and Cartagena). 1974 Discos Fuentes’ management had sent musician, band leader and producer Julio Ernesto “Fruko” Estrada to the coast on an A&R mission to discover what people were dancing to in the verbenas (communal open air neighborhood parties) run by the owners of picó sound systems (decorated mobile DJ rigs). Always game for an adventure, Fruko was tasked with bringing some popular examples of these esoteric, hard-to-find African, French and Dutch Antillean records back to Medellín to serve as inspiration (or to outright copy) so that the label could enter into the growing regional market and spread its popularity to the interior of Colombia and other Latin American countries via its own studio creation, Wganda Kenya. Fuentes was always returning to exploit the rich African-rooted culture of the coast as it had with the cumbia and other regional genres before, so in a way it was not surprising that they were attuned to this particular niche phenomenon from a marginalized sector of the population. The most popular genres with the champeta dancers in the 70’s and 80’s were styles like Congolese rumba, highlife, afrobeat, juju, mbaqanga and soukous as well as the music of Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Curaçao and Dominica, all of which were fiercely guarded by the DJs who had managed to acquire them often through extreme means of travel, barter and intense digging. The record kicks off with the joyful ‘El Gallo Africano’ which features exquisite interplay between Sepúlveda’s highlife style guitar and an authentic-sounding African style saxophone, perhaps played by Carlos Piña. In reality it was ‘Go Call Police Chief’ by prolific Nigerian highlife guitarist Chief Oliver Sunday Akanite, aka Oliver De Coque. Next up is Kammpala Grupo’s ‘La Yuca Rayá’ (‘Grated Yuca’), written by Isaac Villanueva in a style he termed son haitiano which sounds much more like Zimbabwe Shona mbira music. Wganda Kenya’s ‘Caimito’ (star apple, a type of tropical fruit), on the other hand, is actually a cover of a relatively well-known Haitian merengue song. Kammpala Grupo then takes us from the French Antilles to the multi-cultural discotheques of Paris, where a cover version of Black Soul’s Afro-boogie anthem ‘Black Soul Music’ is retooled and renamed ‘King Kong’, perhaps in a nod to the 1976 remake of the monster flick of the same name. Side two introduces us to the infectious merengue rebita of Angola via ‘La riphyta’ with “Paparí”, aka Mariano Sepúlveda, doing the vocals and faithfully replicating the Angolan guitar style. ‘La Trompeta Loca’ (‘The Crazy Trumpet’), probably the nuttiest track on the album, is an ingenious cover of ‘Ye Gbawa Oo Baba (Tribute To Nigeria)’ by Joe Mensah of Ghana. As with all their covers of African tunes, this rendition tightens up the original with some pop sheen, more consistent drumming and higher production values, remaking it into a powerful slow-burning dance floor filler. This is followed by one of the most powerfully original songs to come out of the entire Wganda Kenya project, Mike Char’s reggae anthem ‘El Nativo’ with Joe Arroyo on vocals. The record ends on a more authentically Caribbean sounding note with the instrumental ‘El testamento’, a cheerful islands banger with bright brass, syncopated calypso beats and chunky cuatro guitar (or ukulele). The original was in the mento genre and titled ‘Sweet meat’, written and recorded by Jamaican trumpeter Bobby Ellis. First time reissue. 180g vinyl.

New studio album from Zion Train, featuring the world renowned Zion Train brass section, along with three passionate, politically aware songs from singer Cara Jane Murphy, and featuring Paolo Baldini playing guitar and bass on several tracks - alongside veteran musicians Trinny Fingers, Blacka Wilson, Dreada One and (from Crete) Professor Skank. For this album Zion Train return to their roots, with copious amounts of analogue Dub mixing performed by producer Neil Perch on his vintage TAC Scorpion desk. Artwork is by the acclaimed anarchist artist Marko Gin from Croatia.One of the most unique and enjoyable live dub acts on the planet, their use of dynamic onstage dub mixing whilst performing alongside acoustic instruments and exceptional vocalists, make Zion Train one of a kind.

This second volume of Mangle Rojo is a tribute to the spirit of celebration and diversity that reigns in the festivities of Colombia´s town squares. We created this compilation in vinyl format, in which we continue to explore the traditional sounds of the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, which have a rooted Afro tradition.

We begin this journey with field recordings of traditional groups such as Sexteto Tabalá from Palenque de San Basilio, who plays the sextet format heir to the Cuban Son and Los Alegres del Telembí, exponents of the marimba music of the Colombian South Pacific.

We continue this voyage with proposals that fuse traditional rhythms with modern instruments and musical genres: The popular singer Nelda Piña makes a featuring with the afrobeat orchestra La BOA and the marimba band Saborimba, from a small town on the Pacific coast, collaborates with urban musicians.

In addition, we find new protagonists like the big band formats that have been popular in Colombia since the beginning of the 20th century: the Papayera band (Calentanos Brass Band) and the Chirimía format (Chirrimía Balsámica), this last one with the collaboration of the renowned singer Alexis Play.

Finally, we invite artists who use traditional rhythms to develop electronic proposals, such as Ghetto Kumbé and the well-known singer Nidia Góngora.

First single to be taken from Skinshape’s ‘Nostalgia’ album. For fans of Khruangbin, El Michels Affair, Tame Impala and Bonobo. Despite the drama insinuated on ‘High Tide, Storm Rising’, Skinshape aka Will Dorey takes it easy with one of his signature laid back lolls featuring tenderly strummed guitar. “The strings in unison, arranged by Jon Moody, almost have a 'Bollywood' feel” says Dorey, completing the contentment with brass melodies that truly set the track adrift on memory bliss. ‘Theme for Lazarus’ is the album’s opener expressing wide-eyed wonderment; expanding upon the delicate, folk-edged setting in which the track sits, his vocals echoing in the distance like somebody you used to know, Dorey offers that “you often get themes for characters in film soundtracks. For the music, I wanted to create something that had elements of classic Skinshape, but also to add some new ideas that I hadn't used before such as the pizzicato strings”.

Repress!

Leeds soul and funk label ATA Records are proud to announce the new single from The Sorcerers. Available on 7" vinyl and Digital Download from Friday 30th March, this single is a driving Ethiojazz track aimed squarely at the dancefloor, backed by the Yorkshire Film & Television's original recording of "The Anderson Spectrum" (Later re-recorded and re-named by The Sorcerers as "The Viking Of 5th Avenue")

Taking influences from Ethiopiques Ethiojazz as well as the soundtracks to the European horror films of the 60s and 70s, The Sorcerers seamlessly blend these disparate elements into one cohesive package. Based in ATA Records' home of Leeds, The Sorcerers are made up of the cream of the city's jazz and world scene. Forming the backbone of the ATA Records house band they incorporate bass clarinets, flutes, and vibraphone alongside bass, guitar organ and drums, providing Ellingtonian textures on top of a solid rhythmic foundation.

Initially inspired by the work of Ethiopian composer Mulatu Astatke, The Sorcerers have developed their sound from the foundations laid out on their debut LP "The Sorcerers"."In pursuit of Shai Hulud" eschews the atmospheric textures of their previous material, replacing them with driving percussion and propulsive bass. Organ and flute tear into the melody as temple blocks beat out an insistent rhythm throughout.

The B-Side ("The Anderson Spectrum") is the original track from The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra that The Sorcerers re-recorded and re-named "The Viking Of 5th Avenue" when they recorded it for their debut. Tremolo-fuzz guitar and heavy brass place the track firmly in the sonic realm of 1960s British Library Music, bringing to mind the work of John Barry and Portishead rather than Mulatu Astatke.

The Big G is back, but has Godzilla bitten off more than it can chew? 1992's GODZILLA VS MOTHRA is a triple threat treasure, with Godzilla battling the legendary Mothra and its dark doppelganger Battra, unleashed by a meteorite and is intent on destroying Mothra and, subsequently, the world. Throw in a rogue archaeologist, his ex-wife, and a multinational company exploiting the minute Mothra Cosmos twins, and you have a thrilling kaiju adventure with a stunning score by the original Godzilla composer, the brilliant Akira Ifukube. GODZILLA VS MOTHRA is undoubtedly one of Ifukube's most outstanding scores, bringing together the traditional booming brass and bass that accompanies Godzilla and Battra with a more ethereal sensibility for Mothra and her mission to save the Earth. Godzilla's theme is stomping in the foreground, and Battra gets similar material with a gigantic doom-laden motif for his destructive power. But the "Sacred Springs" theme for Mothra is a match for any of them, with Ifukube using it in minor and major modes, with a gorgeous rendition with a female chorus at the climax of the score, illustrating once again that when it comes to the music of Godzilla, Akira Ifukube is the master.

Brazilian soul, psych, bossa and jazz, reimagined from Berlin, via the Dead Sea, on Moriah Plaza’s dreamy first album for Batov Records.

Moriah Plaza co-founders Tamir Chen and Moosh Lahav first encountered and fell in love with the beautiful and hypnotic sounds of Brazilian bossa nova and samba as children in Tel Aviv in the nineties, via the many local bands and tribute groups that had sprung up since the first wave of bossa had hit swept across the world. Likewise
they developed a fascination with elevator muzak, film soundtracks, and even the hotel pianist performing day-by-day in the lobby of the Sheraton Moriah where Tamir’s mother worked, overlooking the Dead Sea.

Relocating years later to the vastly different environment of Berlin, capital of a country that enjoyed its own Brazilian moment, Tamir and Moosh’s shared passion for Brazilian music would encourage them to create their own songs inspired by the warm pulse of Brazil, albeit a world apart, through a vastly different lens.
Whilst the initial inspiration for Moriah Plaza can be traced back to Tel Aviv and the Dead Sea, the band itself was conceived by Tamir and Moosh in Solarium Studio, Berlin, from the broken fragments of their former shoegaze band, Soda Fabric, who had the honour of backing outsider legend Daniel Johnston. They would go on to write and record their debut album in close collaboration with two Brazilians and fellow Berlin residents,, poet and singer Cecília Erisman, and singer, songwriter, synth operator and Tropical Disco Club founder Flavia Annechini.

The album opens with “Desendereçada”. Dirty drum machine beats thud away under flutes and extraneous noises and a spoken word commentary. The oddness and allure of the intro is a perfect introduction to the world of Moriah Plaza.

The pace picks up on “Mais Amor”. A beautiful Brazilian soul jazz number with a sublime vocal from Flavia Annechini that will surely appeal to the global dancefloor jazz scene. “Te Peço” daws us in deeper with sweetest jazz vocal over an irresistible bassline and bossa drums that transforms halfway through into a modern soul rhythm crowned by flute and horns. A flute solo from Moosh Lahav leads us into the final uplifting refrain.

The Pharoah Sanders meets Ravi Shankar in Rio grooves of “Estelar”
have that fresh feeling that will certainly appeal to fans of modern favourites Rebecca Vasment and Ruby Rushton. Next up, the mysterious “Lagoon de Merim” is practically two songs in one, the first half an atmospheric string-topped number somewhere between Arthur Verocai and Cinematic Orchestra, before snappy drums beats and playful organ chords introduce a slow brassy samba that fills the whole sonic room.

“Teu Porto” is a must for all DJs, mixing calypso, highlife and house, lilting guitars and smooth vocals by Cecilia Erismann.. The deep samba house grooves of “Samba Moosh” close us out. The rich blend of sweet vocals, soaring flute and gritty synths carry us off into the sunset.
Moriah Plaza’s self-titled debut album is a major addition to the global soul and jazz scene. providing the perfect summer soundtrack for music lovers around the world.

Bringing their story to the present, The Boo Radleys new single, "Seeker", introduces the band’s eighth album. Where last year’s album, joyful in tone yet brooding with heavyweight lyrical themes, came together as an exploration of the isolated ideas of each member, Eight is, according to vocalist and co-songwriter, Sice formed of songs recorded “purposefully to appear together on an album.” Before adding, “There is also a greater depth of integration, which means that it’s more difficult to tell which member of the band the song originated with.”

Reflecting on "Seeker", the new album’s opening track, written about leaning on those we trust to share life’s highs and lows, bassist and co-songwriter, Tim Brown says: “This song started out as a three-chord synth pop tune and mutated into a brassy bop courtesy of trumpeter, Nick Etwell. The electric guitar flourishes were added by Louis Smith before Sice added layers of backing vocals which help drive the song along and bring it to its joyful conclusion.”

A kaleidoscope of harmony vocals - as Crosby, Stills and Nash might have sounded with a funky back beat. Delicate acoustic fingerpicking, warmed by a swell of brass before a drama of electric unfolds. Guitar band music, delivered with the sensibilities of someone who knows how to make you dance. Sun-kissed blue-eyed soul, reminiscent of Ned Doheny, but emanating from a beach far from California.

These are the sounds of Jim, as heard on debut album 'Love Makes Magic'.

Debuting in 2021 on the folk-informed 'Falling That You Know' EP, Jim is the latest alias of songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and renowned DJ Jim Baron. Famed as co-founder and musical director of festival-stunning favourites Crazy P, his latest Jim project is a musical journey unlike anything he has done before.

Unlike Julie's debut "Flowers and Candles", which she released alone at the age of 15, this album now involved more than a dozen musicians, including a string quartet and a brass section. Nevertheless, Julie still penned all the songs. The elaborate production of the album was made possible by the Frankfurt label Jazz Montez Records and thanks to a generous grant from Initiative Musik. For the first time in the history of this artist funding program by the German government, the application of a musician under the age of 18 was successful.

Tenderly propelling and full of haunting melodies: Studio Mule re-issues Sakura Tsuruta’s so far digital only, self-released debut album “c / o” from november 2022.

An evocative first long player by Tokyo based artist, who was trained in classical piano during childhood, played with brass instruments, studied music production, and is today active as a composer, live performer, and versatile dj.

With “c / o” she expressed her personal history in a fluid, around 43-minute long light flooded, yet dark-ish musical vision. eight profoundly composed tracks, melding complex rhythms with emotional airs, tripping arpeggios, and ghostly sounds, slightly influenced by some of her fa-vorite artist like björk, holly herndon, or kaitlyn aurelia smith.

“c / o is a love letter for the experiences, people, and memories i had in the last two years that i spent producing this album. i also like that the letter “c” looks like an incomplete circle, whereas the letter “o” is a full circle.

The atmospheric aquatic adventures of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASPs) provided the perfect grounds for the evolution of Barry Gray’s own musical odyssey. After navigating otherworldly vistas with experimental minimalism in Fireball XL5, Gray anchored Stingray’s underwater exploits with a cannon of earth-bound incidentals. Employing flutes and gentle woodwind sounds to set the scene, Gray’s music drew attention to the wonder of the series premise, employing lush heavenly strings for the series’ closing theme, ‘Aqua Marina’ (a croon brought to life by in-demand vocalist Gary Miller). The off-duty exploits of the WASP characters also allowed Gray to return to his jazzy routes, with the production team adding a loving reference to the composer in the episode Tune of Danger with a ‘Graystein’ Piano. Episodic melodrama was once again brought to life with bold brass, and driving military marches would establish the WASPs’ base, Marineville, and an unforgettable Match of the Oysters (in The Secret of the Giant Oyster). The DNA of the which would foreshadow the iconic theme for the Andersons’ next series…

White vinyl 7” is for Indie stores only. For Fans Of... Quantic, Erykah Badu, Fela Kuti, Antibalas. Unique blend of Alt. R&B and afrobeat. Smokey, soulful vocals, lush hom section and percussion. "Never Knew" features Divina Jasso's illustrious vocals over a heavy backbeat marinated in distorted farfisa, percussion, and a dynamic 3-piece horn section; a meditative groove that will keep your head nodding and hips swaying. On the flip, we have "Impala", a dark and hypnotic afrobeat tune that is mixed somewhere between Fela and Dr. Dre. Thick drums and bass with insistent percussion and scolding hot brass melted on top. Also Available From Mitchum Yacoub: Cumbia Divina 7”. Tracks: A: Never Knew (Feat. Divina Jasso. B: Impala (Inst. Feat. Bradley Nask)

What a record! The outstanding Solar Plexus, the much-loved third album from Ian Carr and Nucleus, was first released on Vertigo in 1971. Inevitably, original copies are now very tricky to score and, like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well. This Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.

Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.

Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has kept relevant. To steal a line from a review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”.

We'll let Ian describe this one: "I wrote Solar Plexus' last year with the help of an Arts Council grant. It is based on two short themes which are stated at the beginning (Elements I & I1). The first theme is angular and has a slow, crab-like movement: the second theme is direct, simple and diatonic. CHANGING TIME and SPIRIT LEVEL explore the first theme and BEDROCK DEADLOCK and TORSO explore the second one. SNAKEHIPS DREAM tries to fuse both themes. (The title is a reference to the famous dancer 'Snakehips' Johnson)."

Solar Plexus features the same lineup as Elastic Rock and We'll Talk About It Later, but they're augmented by six guests, three of which play brass. Carr himself had almost full control of the writing and it does feel very different to the previous albums. It's more of a jazz record loosely based on a rock foundation rather than jazz fusion jamming.

The haunting synth-and-bass soundscape "Elements I and II" opens the album in dramatic, experimental fashion. It gives way to the bright, funky feel-good jazz of "Changing Times". An elegant onslaught of horns, courtesy of guests Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett, ride a solid groove for the duration. How the brass refrains have eluded samplers is beyond us. The melancholic "Bedrock Deadlock" features the brooding majesty of Jenkins' oboe and Clyne's mournful, skittering double bass. Wah wah guitar, drums and funky percussion then take over before the horns ride us out over frenetic beats. The dark, angular "Spirit Level" is a real highlight, by turns harmonic and beautiful then dissonant and wayward. Wonky jazz with no apparent structure or melodic bones. Regardless, it represents a great showcase for each virtuoso performer.

The breezy soul of "Torso" feels like a breath of fresh air, skipping along in the uptempo style with guitar, horns, drums and bass. A track which truly sounds scintillating, featuring sax solos, fantastic propulsive interplay from all the group around the halfway stage before Marshall gets his chance to really shine in closing out with a polyrhythmic drum solo. Final track "Snakehips' Dream" stretches cooly out over 15 minutes to round out a spellbinding album. An epic, suave groove, it's a relaxing piece with warm electric keys, laconic guitar and languorous horns. Truly sophisticated soulful jazz. An absolute masterclass. We could easily listen to this all day long.

This Be With edition of Solar Plexus has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Cicely Balston's cut at AIR Studios to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The stunning gatefold sleeve has been restored to complete this sensational package.

Nucleus's Elastic Rock is undisputedly a milestone in Jazz-Rock. A beautiful and vital debut album, it was first released on Vertigo in 1970. Original copies are now very tricky to score and, like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well. This Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.

Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.

Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has kept relevant. To steal a line from a review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”.

The very title Elastic Rock could be regarded as the group's MO, describing a melting point between their rock and jazz impulses. Indeed, housed in a memorable gatefold jacket designed by Roger Dean, the die cut molten teardrop shape on the front sleeve opens to reveal a fiery volcanic crater. On the back, Dean's drawing has Carr with saxophonist Brian Smith, guitarist Chris Spedding, drummer John Marshall, bassist Jeff Clyne and sax, oboe and pianist Karl Jenkins in a circle, the central core of a movement and the basis for its activity.

Recorded over four days in January 1970, Elastic Rock didn't sound like any other British jazz album. Exploding out the gate, "1916" opens with Marshall's frantic pounding before melancholic horns enter. The smooth title track, "Elastic Rock" is just a gorgeous electric blues track. Light drums, gentle melodic horns, piano and a solid bassline serve as the perfect bed for Spedding's graceful bluesy guitar melodies. The serene "Striation", a Clyne and Spedding collaboration, is led by bowed bass and is the epitome of calm before the late night laid back vibe of "Taranaki" breezes along sweetly and smoothly with great trumpet and tenor.

The truly emotional "Twisted Track" is elegant with horns, while guitar is gently played with drums and bass. Initially deeply soothing, it gradually builds with various solos and duets. "Crude Blues (Part 1)" features an excellent oboe part by Jenkins with laconic guitar helping out. "Part 2" is livelier, with a heavy backbeat and great wind parts. "1916 (Battle Of Boogaloo)" features a steady bassline and great call and response parts from the horn section.

The highly-charged centrepiece of the record, the mesmeric epic "Torrid Zone" features an hypnotic bassline and hi-hat with some of the ensemble's best soloing. Brilliantly encapsulating the jazz fusion aesthetic so desired by the group, the rhythm section is rock-influenced but magically retains a laid-back jazz vibe. Just perfection. Spacey jazz in the style of In a Silent Way, the semi-ambient "Stonescape" features smooth, muted brass, warm, smokey keys and a barely-there rhythm section. Heavenly.

The bubbling, fragile restraint of "Earth Mother" partially utilises the "Torrid Zone" bassline but takes the energy in a different direction with Marshall's frenetic drumming and Spedding's unpredictable riffing. Next comes the very idiosyncratic drum solo track by Marshall in the appropriately-titled "Speaking for Myself, Personally, in My Own Opinion, I Think." The album closes with the raucous "Persephones Jive", a track that ends the album frantically, riotously, just as it began.

This Be With edition of Elastic Rock has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Cicely Balston's cut at AIR Studios to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The stunning die-cut gatefold sleeve has been restored in all its molten glory.

African Singer-songwriter Blick Bassy is back with a fifth album, again sung in the Baasa language of Cameroon. Madíbá brings together twelve songs in the form of fables, dedicated to the theme of water, in which his high and angelic voice dominates, carried by delicate guitar, synthesizer melodies, and sober brass arrangements. The cuts are diaphanous and nevertheless modernist songs, which testify to a contemporary and poetic Africanity at the crossroads of soul, folk, and electro.

Blick Bassy’s albums have a humanist and universal dimension. His fifth and new solo album, titled Madíbá, which means water in the Douala language of Cameroon, comes in the form of songs close to the fable, in which Bassy explores "a theme shared by all” of water, the source of life.

The fables of the album, all born in the imagination of Blick, explore in a more concrete way different themes related to water, its rarity, its necessity, its energy or its vital power. The twelve songs all bring together a series of figures, animals, or various characters, embodied in turn by Blick Bassy. "I have fun stepping into the shoes of a bird, a cat conversing with an elephant, a flower worrying about its declining beauty, a monkey looking for a spring or a storyteller with his grandchildren. In these texts, water can even take on a human appearance.”

Beyond the tale, the texts of the album also refer to our climate crisis, or to the problems of access to water, a way for the artist to approach serious subjects through a poetic form which avoids didactic or moralizing speeches.