Their newest release “For Barney, Who Was A Bad Dog, But A Good Boy, And Very Much Loved” comes from Brooklyn-based Dekalb Works (debut ‘Duologue’ on Where To Now? Records), the collaborative project of Austin Peru (Vision Fortune) & Daniel Creahan (Sweat Equity / Alien D).
The release summarizes a series of experimentations between live performance contexts and sample-heavy collage work. Since starting their residency on Radio alHara, Dekalb Works found themselves drawn to the act of performing, whether as a live act or DJing, and the space between these two often overly rigid modes.
“For Barney…” draws heavily on the sonic palette of American country and western music, treated through the lens of heavy studio processing and the production techniques of dub, ambient, and trip-hop. Recording hours-long live improvisations with guitar, piano, or drum machines and samplers, they pillaged these sessions as source material. Whereas previous work focused on the voice and the interaction of text, voice and music, these recordings pulled from the sounds of musicians playing together in a room. The arrangement process remains the same, chopping and manipulating small samples and momentary gestures into dense, rhythmic collages.
Standard version on 2LP black vinyl in gatefold sleeve. ‘Lefto presents Jazz Cats' is back with volume 3 and still doing what it does best: putting you in the front row of what the thriving Belgian jazz scene currently has to offer and revealing a melting pot of the musical talent.
'Lefto presents Jazz Cats' is back with volume 3 and still doing what it does best: putting you in the front row of what the thriving Belgian jazz scene currently has to offer and revealing a melting pot of the musical talent coming out one of the smallest countries in Europe. Never change a winning team they say, so we're happy to have Belgian DJ and eclectic connoisseur Lefto on board again.
Although you expect thecompilation to be talking jazz, volume 3 explores a broader array of styles, genres, and sounds than ever before, arriving at a point where the 'young cats' of today don't bother no more. It may focus on the Belgian scene, but let's face it, seeing the influences, this one could be compiled from all over the world. From the empowering and bittersweet voices of Oriana Ikomo and Adja, over the more acoustic-electronic productions of Moodprint, Ciao Kennedy, Kassius and echofarmer. It's even expanding the Jazz Cats universe to dub and bass-heavy tracks with Kin Gajo and Le Ministère, Ethio-jazz from Azmari, while sending you back to earth with bodies' swirling sax and drums. That saxophone still rings in your ears when you end up in the orbit of the march-like drums of Bodem, Orson Claeys' piano testing your ability to follow him, slamming the breaks to go smooth cruisin' with HONEY (Morricone meets Khruangbin, anyone?), to crashing in a raging tempo on that last track of Bruno x Soet x Moene. And there you are, back with us.
2018's 'Lefto presents Jazz Cats' included tracks from some of Belgium's biggest hitters, including Black Flower, STUFF. De Beren Gieren and Glass Museum who have all gone on to receive global acclaim. The album was given the accolade of 'Album of the Week' on Worldwide FM and also received further radio support from Jazz FM in addition to numerous glowing reviews. The 2022 follow-up 'Jazz Cats volume 2' paved the way for a new generation inspired by its peers, entering another era of very talented individuals and collectives. Maybe even more so than 4 years before. It uncovered a beautiful balance of more established but also obscure musicians and artists. Opening up to electronics and dance, enter bands like ECHT!, Stellar Legions and TUKAN. Thrilling innovative soundscape grooves and jazz fusion with Bandler Ching and L?p?GangGang, not to forget about the weaving musical odyssey that is M.CHUZI. In addition, there's the balanced unease of One Frame Movement, the laidback 'acoustic electronica' of Boombox Experiments, the classic funky jazz stylings of Cargo Mas and cinematic The Brums, all of these have set volume 2 on the map as an essential release for any jazzhead with a passion for new sounds.
Tastemaker, selector, curator, DJ and producer, these words often get mentioned when Lefto's name pops up in discussions. And rightly so. If you've ever had the pleasure to listen to one of his incredible Boiler Room sets or one of his many radio shows, you'll know why. Famed for his gloriously eclectic taste on the decks, he switches effortlessly between hip hop, funk, breaks, neck-snapping beats, future bass, South-American influences, bruk riddims, some wild African rhythms and of course, jazz.
Growing up as a child, his father would have the sounds of jazz flowing through the speakers. Which led him to bars around town to hear the latest jazz ensembles. Falling in love with the genre, he would later refine his knack for record digging and fine ear for music working at Belgium's legendary Music Mania record store in his hometown Brussels. Which makes that Lefto is consistently a couple steps ahead. He doesn't wait for the next thing to land in his lap, but actively seeking it out.
Lefto on Jazz Cats volume 3:
"Another release in less than two years! I am very impressed by the amount of creative "jazz" talent we've managed to compile over the last couple of years. Thanks to the internet, young musicians find inspiration from around the globe and incorporate diverse influences into their work. Given the history and heritage of jazz in this country, it has managed to create a healthy jazz scene supported by festivals, venues, press, and labels. Therefore, I am very proud to present to you the thirdinstallment of Jazz Cats. This compilation is dedicated to the young and hardworking musicians who are the present and the future of Belgium's jazz scene."
The story of Ultrasonic Grand Prix is one of two vintage 60s guitars and their owners. I love my 1967 Vox Grand Prix guitar,” declares multi-instrumentalist/producer Shawn Lee - creator, among other feats, of the soundtrack for Rockstar video game classic Bully, and one half of Ultrasonic Grand Prix. “It is a serious beast and an important part of my arsenal. Every tone you need…’For guitar maestro Barrie Cadogan - of Nottingham Freakbeaters Little Barrie, best known for the main title theme of ‘Better Call Saul’, The The, Liam Gallagher and playing on the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ - it was the Vox Ultrasonic, also from the same period, that caught his eye. “I first became interested in Vox guitars because of people who used them like Spacemen 3 and the James Brown band of the late 60’s”, he explains, “but it was when I was part of a recording session at Anton Newcombe’s studio in Berlin that I had chance to get to know the Vox gear better. I was borrowing an Ultrasonic from a friend for a while and Shawn already had his Grand Prix. I thought it would be a good name for our project whenever we got it going.’ It was with this shared passion for these weapons of vintage, psychedelic gold that the suave, velvety, and off-kilter cool of INSTAFUZZ was born. While a project born of recent times, the flames of INSTAFUZZ were first ignited all the way back in 2010, where the two met during mixing sessions for Little Barrie’s 2011 LP King of the Waves. Snap forward a decade and we find Cadogan ripping guitar licks on Instagram, the workaholic Lee using these as inspiration to lay down rhythm tracks on analogue drum machines. And not long after that, cut to the two trading files back and forth furiously online, birthing music together in ever more completed forms. And the music that did emerge was weird, startling, and insatiably groovy. With one foot dipped in the organ-warbling garage of 60s psych, and the other vibrating in the mind-expanding fractals of the British Acid House boom, INSTAFUZZ plies the earthly quintessence’s of blues, rock, soul and jazz, against the preternatural discomforts of programmed drums and unhinged synthesisers to produce something distinctly and nostalgically futuristic
Now-Again Records presents catalog-wide reissues of Latin music propellant Joe Bataan’s legendary Ghetto Records. Next up in the series - La Fantastica. This brash, big band Latin orchestra from Brooklyn debuted on Ghetto Records with an underground Salsa album which also contains the beguiling, English-language Psychedelic Soul of "Latin Blues." Ghetto Records was Joe Bataan’s way to get over on “The Man” and out of the ‘hood, a bold move by an artist looking for independence and creative control in an industry that had exploited his talents and treated him like chattel. As Bataan puts it today, “Ghetto Records was part of my journey, a stepping stone to everything else that I’ve done. I learned enough that it enabled me to get out of the box with my thinking, it showed me how to deal with adversity.” Like many dreams and schemes born of the street, this one was audacious, perhaps even reckless to a fault. Hatched from desperation yet full of hope Ghetto Records came crashing down shortly after its inception. The seven albums in its discography languished out of print - until now. These are the definitive reissues of these albums, licensed from Joe Bataan, with his oversight and input into a 16 page oversize book by Pablo Yglesias that details Bataan’s larger-than-imagination life and his little Latin label that could.
California house music maestro Jason Merle returns to Whiskey Pickle in 2024 with a revamped mixdown of his slow burning deep chugger 'Fester' paired with the previously unreleased jackin' house groover 'Can U Handle It'.
On the B side coming in from London town we have ALFOS very own Sean Johnston (Hardway Bros) turning in an absolutely wicked rendition of 'Fester'. Hardcore you know the score, acid house for the headstrong. Whiskey Pickle will make you wiggle!
Early support from Erol Alkan, Space Dimension Controller, Makossa, Eddie Richards, Alinka, Marco Carola, Audio Soul Project, Maceo Plex, Alkalino, James Zabiela, DJ Nova, Paco Osuna, Sam Divine, Cole Odin, Harri, Severino, Bruce Tantum, Hakan Dahlby, etc.
Bread & Souls is a new project dreamt up by Italian entrepreneur and music lover Franco Fusari. Franco invited Mark de Clive-Lowe on board to direct and produce an album of collaborations with some of our favorite artists including the likes of Bembé Segué, Vanessa Freeman, Paul Randolph, Rich Medina, Tommaso Cappellato and more.
Chapter 2 EP continues with more future classics, kicking off with the jazz dancefloor workout Never Gonna Leave featuring the Queen of Broken Beat Bembé Segué on vocals and shredding sax solos courtesy Teodross Avery. In classic soulful broken beat fashion, Bembe reunites again with Vanessa Freeman for Technicolor Sunshine – drenched in MdCL’s signature production sound. Two remixes complete this installment with Mr Scruff and Kaidi Tatham’s downtempo reworking Anybody Out There (check out the original version on Chapter 1) and Italy’s G&D coming through
The package, posted from Inglewood in California, dropped through my letter box…
I was looking forward to seeing this, the VHS of the then relatively ‘unknown’ but now legendary live show at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. But when I fed it into my VHS player, I was disappointed. I could not quite figure out why. The band were tight, each musician sounded great, the product of being on the road, year after year, club after club in the States, sometimes playing five shows a night, all propped up by one of the best soulful voices we had ever heard, the maestro Frankie Beverly.
It took a second play of the VHS to realise what was missing. It was ‘too comfortable’ an atmosphere. A few wealthy customers sat around coffee tables quaffing champagne. It seemed to me that this audience, somehow, did not fit the band.
Paul Fenn at Asgard promotions received the contract from the band to appear live in London and Manchester. I became more and more convinced that his UK fans were going to be a lot more responsive than those from New Orleans.
We put the word out with just a couple of exclusive ‘shout outs’ by Robbie Vincent on his Radio London Soul programme. Those two plugs were enough to sell out all four shows at London’s premier music venue, the Hammersmith Odeon. The ticket office was rammed and the queue six deep, stretched halfway down Queen Caroline Street.
“I have never seen anything like it” expressed the manager of the theatre as he rolled down the shutters and turned on the “Sorry, SOLD OUT” notice above the theatre box office.
I was curious, so I went up and stood in the wings of the Hammersmith stage on that first show. Frankie, introduced to the stage by his sound engineer, Greg Blockman, sauntered past me, strumming his rhythm guitar, dressed in a casual dark green towelling suit, a brown leather visor and flip flops…and then five seconds later, he suddenly stopped. He seemed suddenly to be aware of the thunderous ’Welcome to London Maze’ roar, circling around the theatre about to engulf him. He slapped every black and white hand offered up to him that night, with a huge smile as he circled the edge of that stage. We wanted to get next to him, even if it meant climbing over rows of seats in front of us to do so.
That was the beginning of our love affair with Maze and Frankie Beverly. It certainly wasn’t New Orleans comfort; it was more like a crazy, but friendly, London riot.
Five albums on from the “Live in New Orleans” LP, Frankie sauntered into the California recording studio, probably with the same swagger as in London, to cut the delightful A-side here, “Somebody Else’s Arms”, from his aptly named ‘Silky Soul’ album. Along with the B-side, ‘Love is’ (from the “Back To Basics” CD, 1993) both are so delicious you might want to relax and pour yourself that London glass of champagne, 1983 vintage. Tell your mates your Maze/Hammersmith story too. You deserve it.
For the second journey on ´Future Romance´ the french DJ and producer duo ´Esoteric Circle´ from Paris are delivering 2 masterpieces of melodic house & techno music. The two brothers bring their emotions together in a new innovative style, focussing on elaborating synth melodies and minimal percussive sounds, full of energy. As remixer for this brilliant release we could win the renowned italian duo ´Hunter/Game´, wellknown for their successful releases on labels like Kompakt, Afterlife or LNOE, just to name a few.
Early DJ support by Adriatique, Sasha, Dubfire, Fur Coat, Anii, Dave Seaman, Markus Kavka, Dirty Doering, Undercatt, Zoo Brazil, Dr. Motte and more...
The King of Miami's Cuban music scene, the late Ray Fernandez, is featured here fronting his enormously talented family band on an album that first brought him into the spotlight.
Heavily influenced by deep funk and Latin music, their psych-tinged creations also incorporated many other kaleidoscopic sound infusions, including soul, calypso, Afro-Cuban and salsa. Fronted by Ray Fernandez, his band included his very talented wife and two sons and proved to be a highly influential group on Miami's Latin music scene in the late 70's. What also made them stand out was their versatility; this group could easily shift from Cuban funk to Reggae in a blink. Their instrumentation was also different to the 'norm', and where a lot of similar sounds were saxophone-led, this band used a bass clarinet. Instead of bongos, Ray and His Court played with the unique Osi drums from Africa.
Sampled heavily by DJs worldwide (including DJ Shadow) On High presents a must have piece of music for any serious Latin, funk, or rare groove collector. Remastered and pressed on audiophile virgin vinyl for your listening pleasure.
It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).
“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”
The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.
“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”
“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”
The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).
Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”
The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…
REVIEWS/RADIO/FEEDBACK:
“Starbed is folky, flavoured by pedal steel, cello, and brass. Dust Tears, in stark contrast, is a mini synth-pop rave epic. Part Bicep. Part Human League. Keep Your Eyes Closed summons a mood that’s romantic, but also dark and potentially doomed – like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks meets Cliff Martinez’s Drive score. My pick though is It’s True What They Say, whose interwoven jangle and picking recalls New Order’s more introspective moments (Love Vigilantes, Love Less… ). Drums crashing, cathartic. Guitar raising dramatic arcs. Its chorus a rush, like a reprise of Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart’s ‘Higher Than The Stars’.” BAN BAN TON TON
"Dust Tears sees them sharing vocal duties over a synth foundation reminiscent of Moby’s Go - Artist Of The Week” THE SCOTSMAN
"Woozy pop" NEMONE (Mary Anne Hobbs Morning Show, BBC 6Music)
"Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop" YOUTH (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney, U2, The Orb, Spiritualized etc)
"Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
"I’m enjoying it” TIM BRINKHURST aka LONDON (IKLAN, Young Fathers, Callum Easter)
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"It’s totally my cup of tea with milk and biscuit" BRENT RADEMAKER (Beachwood Sparks/GospelBeach)
"Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Soulsavers, BE)
"Makes me wanna sit in the sun and sip an Arnold Palmer" CHRIS DIXIE DARLEY (Father John Misty)
“Really beautiful - Cocteau Twins / Spiritualized vibes but has its own thing going on, too - worth checking out!” JULIAN CORRIE (Franz Ferdinand, Miaoux Miaoux)
‘Sounded nice on a sunny day, makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ EAMON HAMILTON (Sea Power)
"Dealing in nostalgia, no bad thing at all, great to play that (Dust Tears) for you” RODDY HART (BBC Radio Scotland)
“I'll give the vocal tracks a spin before the release." VIC GALLOWAY (BBC Radio Scotland)
"Rather good!" IAIN ANDERSON (BBC Radio Scotland)
CREDITS:
Lyrics, Guitars, Keys, Synths, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Mandolin, Glockenspiel: Shaun McLachlan
Lyrics, Vocals, Keys by Sarah McLachlan
Guitars, Synths, String Arrangements, Drum Programming, Engineering: Jaguar Eyes Percussion/Drums/Effects, Fire Extinguisher: Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz)
Guitars by Daniel Land
Slide Guitar by Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty)
Brass by Bruce Michie
Keys, pre-production & engineering on “It’s true what they say”: Gavin King
All produced by Jaguar Eyes and Shaun McLachlan and then mixed at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios by David McCaulay (From Scotland With Love, Rick Redbeard, BBC TV’s Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard score).
Artwork: Jamie Walman (Fourteen Admirals)
MORE INFO:
Although Shaun released a pair of solo singles (When We Dance and Give Your Love To Me) during Lockdown, he will be better known to many via his work as the multi-instrumentalist in Edinburgh band Delta Mainline. With two albums released to date, Oh! Enlightened and Bel Avenir, both rapturously received by fans and critics alike, Delta Mainline have developed an international, cult following. Oh Enlightened (2013) achieved widespread critical acclaim on release, earning the band comparisons to Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen, while 2019’s Bel Avenir pulled in references to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and krautrock. A third DM album is currently being mixed and due for release later this year…
On side A, Adam Stegemann presents a stunning new mix of a timeless classic. Stegemann’s No Control Mix is a nine and half minute sing-along party starter and end of night club burner. A Brooklyn based producer, key player and disco DJ since 2006, Stegemann was coaxed out of semi-retirement in 2019 spurned largely by the purchase of a used Ensoniq Mirage sampler. He is currently producing under aliases Video Burnout and My Left Speaker among others yet to be revealed.
Universal Cave brings up the B side with two dubby, downtempo, disco groovers perfect for when any ray of light feels too bright and the walls are starting to move. Up All Night is dedicated to Philadelphia’s legendary Making Time parties, and Too Much is a nightlife testimonial for the ages.
Überkeine sets the tone of his own record label with four esoteric tracks, designed for the club. An obvious intention to establish a radical style with conceptualized sonorities, is revealed throughout the Ep. The sound materials are elaborate, and go straight to the point. Obsessing over the flow of creativity offered by his modular synthesizer, he delivers a very dense techno and already affirms a well-marked identity. Powerful and textured kicks, intricate synthetic sounds contained in an arrangement reduced to the essential. The tracks come to life as the forthright reflection of the thoughts of the producer. Guillotine Whistle instantly plunges into the unbridled world of the Ep. An ominous atmosphere hovers over our heads as it reveals organic and disconcerting tones. A gentle brutality emanates from this whistling guillotine that awaits to cut you up in two. Leading the way towards Drifting Data, a track inspired directly from Jungle Patterns. Überkeine is humbly trying to render DnB to a techno format. The dense, saturated Bassline sustains the idea of breaking the dancefloor in pieces. A hard hitting, broken beat environment accompanied by heavily filtered synthetic chaos. Third track’s the charm, the B side starts with Mirror Moist. A drop-down, wet and straightforward techno track with a carnal Bassline. As sensual as it gets, this track conveys a kinky loop urging intimacy and blasting heat throughout the club. Last but not least, Shaney’s remix of Mirror Moist. Picking up core elements of the original vibe and translating it into the off-beat techno nightmare it deserved to be. Full-on obscure dancefloor piece of equipment.
Diogo Silva, Nuno Fulgêncio and Rui Martins collectively go by the name Bardino. With their sound consisting of an inventive mix of
electronica, rock, jazz, the Porto-based trio are pushing their sound into unchartered waters. A feeling that will be reinforced after
experiencing their new album, ‘Memória da Pedra Mãe’.
Their enthralling music draws upon the imagery of the beautiful and rugged scenery of their home country. ‘Centelha’ , their previous
album (released by Saliva Diva in 2020) was recorded in Chaves,
in the very remote region of Trás-os-Montes. Their 207 EP of the same name was created in the rustic heart of Serra das Meadas. In this
latest offering, the mention of "Pedra Mãe" (Mother Stone), refers to a rare geological phenomenon popularly known as "breeder stones"
found in isolated, deserted, and inhospitable places. On the inspiration of the new album, they explain that they want to refer to "the
importance of collective memory in the cohesion and identity of communities and the process of creating new memories, a process that
is both natural and conflicting, since it mirrors a tension between past, present and future".
The album was recorded in the summer of 2023 at Arda Recorders in Porto and produced by João Brandão and Rui Martins. In this
new material, Bardino's resources expand: Nuno Fulgêncio's drums, Diogo Silva's bass and Rui Martins' veritable arsenal of keyboards
(acoustic and electric piano, various synthesisers) are augmented by the alto and tenor saxophones of Brian Blaker (who stands out in
"Memória" and "Black Mica"), the guitar of Leonardo Outeiro (who features on "Punctum No 2") and, already indicating their affiliation
with the Porto label Jazzego, Hugo Oliveira, who records as Minus & MRDolly (and is a guest on "Pedra Mãe") and Sérgio Alves, aka
AZAR AZAR (who plays piano and Moog on "Tília"). Bardino's entry into the increasingly unavoidable Jazzego catalogue also reinforces
their obvious links to a new wave of projects that have been experimenting with different tangents to the notion of "jazz", taking this
music as part of a wider set of coordinates.
Over the course of eight tracks, and clearly benefiting from the distinct imprint of the recognised quality work of João Brandão, one of
Portugal's current best producers, Bardino presents dense, deeply cinematic music of the highest definition, in which the different
instruments translate a broad emotional and visual landscape, with solos of enormous elegance arranged over grooves that induce the
idea of movement. All the musical coordinates mentioned earlier are present, but perhaps in this new material you can feel a greater
fluidity, certainly the result of honing the vision of the central trio through a vast experience collected on stages all over the country. And
there are even echoes of a decidedly Portuguese songbook, as is so clearly felt in "O Semeador", something new in the range of aesthetic
references embraced by Bardino. This is, in fact, music that thrives on a benign tension between past, present and future, in the sense
that it embraces traditions and history, seeks a new framework in this diverse now and dares to project itself forward. Because the future
is the best of all locations.
The harmonious nature of creation, the search for symmetry, the perpetual motion of bodies. Characteristics that amplify the sensations when we face something bigger than ourselves. In the same way, the lake reveals itself as a mirror for the soul, and the carp begin to flow into our soul, bringing out some "Distance Problems", able to be filled only with music.
KOI008 is brought to you by the enigmatic yet oniric outer-world creator S.O.N. with three mesmerizing original tracks. On the remix duties, Romanian superstar Sublee delights us with his take on "Vanessa", in front of which we must only surrender.
The latest 7" single on Bob Stanley's MEASURED MILE label is a floor-filling double-sider.
The percussion-and-woodwind driven ‘Night Of The Wolf’ has been played out at northern soul nights in the UK, at Brooklyn discotheques in the mid-70s, and originally it was an Italian progressive rock album track. Much loved by everyone. It was issued as a super-rare US 45 in 1975 under the name the Al Foster Band, and this is its first official reissue.
ACT 1's 70s modern soul midtempo classic ‘It’s The Same Old Story’ also got played out in the early discos of New York, Chicago and LA, but it was only ever an album track. This marks its first ever release on a DJ-friendly 7". Get it while you can!
Embark on a sonic odyssey with Foreign Material's latest release on Navigare Audio. Drawing inspiration from the all-encompassing influence of Saturnus, the god of time, transcendence and agriculture. Martins musical universe is both explorative and traditional, taking listeners on unexpected paths while maintaining an innocent and joyful sense of discovery. You can never really expect where he will take you with his new release, you get the sense that he's carving out the path as he's walking. On the B-side, we find none other than brother Toffe, the master of suspense - dubbing it out with a reshape of the title track "Saturnian Dub" in an homage to the deity of the golden age of abundance and peace.
New edits label from the Deep&Disco crew outta NYC. 2 Killer cuts given a revamp and shine for the dancefloor.
Pressed on heavy weight 180g vinyl limited to 300 pressings hand stamped.
DJ FEEDBACK
Craig Smith (6th Borough Project) - Lovely edits, well produced and expertly put together. Good luck with the label chaps
Guy (Sleazy Beats, Monsieur Monod) - What a delightful debut for your new label. Feel The Rhythm is an irresistable boogie groover. We'll be playing these puppies all over the place! All the best with the release and label.
aliOOFT (OOFT! Music) - Being playing this for ages, good to see it being released. Best of luck with the label - I look forward to more Razor N Tape jams!
Sleazy McQueen (Whisky Disco) - Dig it, man!
Onur Engin (OE Edits) - Nice one! I'll definitely support this.
Jimpster (Freerange) - Nicely done. always a good one to have in the bag. cheers for the good edits.
Trujillo (Apersonal Music) - So Tight is a dope warm disco for the dance floor!, will spin it!
The Glue (Kolour) - Great edits both of them, we will keep an eye out for more stuff from you guys for sure!
Leftside Wobble (Futureboogie) - A pair of filtered boogie beauties.
Alkalino (Much Love) - Like both, but "Feel the Rhythm" is my fav.cheers!
Matthew Bandy (Z Records) - Solid edits here, will be getting support on both from me. Cheers.
Sell by Dave (Bedmo Disco, Juno Plus) - Excellent first release lads - enjoying both tracks. The edits scene needs some fresh cuts/styles, and you've delivered on these. Major props - can see both getting plenty of plays in Bedmo Disco sets this summer x
Daz (Get Down Edits) - So Tight never fails but this is my first time hearing Feel The Rhythm & cant wait to play it out its sounds excellent, have a gig @ Disco Deviance this sat & cant wait to play these at it :)
Mike W (Kolour Recordings) - Been looking forward to RNT001 and it does not disappoint one bit! edits that drip with funk & soul .. just like they should. got a nice batch of gigs in the pipes and these will definitely be seeing their way into my rotation as well as the full gambit of chart support! cheers j. kriv & aaron dae .. got yourselves off to a nice & tidy start .. best of returns to ya!
Nelue (Groove Democracy) - Both sound great!
South West Seven (SWS Music) - Love it!
Kid Color (Dollar Disco) - Slammin' work if I could say so myself!
The Beat Broker (Flexx) - So Tight is exactly that. Killer unstoppable groove. Love it!
Harlem's legendary Disco label Queen Constance has long been a cult favourite among fans of underground dance music for decades.
One of many labels operating under the equally legendary P&P family of imprints Queen Constance was operated by one Peter Brown, a truly colossal figure in NYC's music scene, it's catalogue still fascinates music lovers to this day. Covering a wide range of styles including Gospel, early Rap and Disco the label's output continually finds it way into the playlists of respected DJ's and selectors across the globe. The mighty 'Roller Rink Funk' by Shift is the next reissue from the archives and never has a jam been more aptly named!
Another class act from the plethora of uptown groups that were associated with Queen Constance and her orbiting planets, Shift was possibly yet another 'studio' group put together for this one time release. The co-production nous and involvement of long-time associate Bernard Thomas lends these cuts some serious B-boy credentials. Thomas was involved in a lot of the P&P era early Rap material, as well as working with BDP and lending his skills to releases on the cult Rap label Zakia too. Needless to say, this particular release is that magic funky frisson between Disco, Funk and the earliest stirrings of Hip-Hop, an especially rich vein of music. As the title suggests this one is meant to be heard at the roller rink, the syncopated rhythms mimicking the skaters movements and repetitions. As with any good roller-skating Funk record (there are many!) it doesn't take long for you to want to hit the dance-floor, whether it's to skate or to simply get down. An often tricky record to find in it's OG state, commanding 'collectors' prices, 'Roller Rink Funk' is back on the block for all the Disco freaks for 2018. Perfect.
This is a 100% legit reissue, made in conjunction with Above Board distribution and the Demon Music group, lovingly remastered with love by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK.
Das neue Album führt Usher mit seinem Freund L.A. Reid zusammen.
Usher hat die Musik, die Kultur und unzählige Leben verändert. Der mehrfach mit dem Grammy Award ausgezeichnete internationale Megastar, Schauspieler, Tänzer, Unternehmer und Philanthrop wird auch im Jahr 2023 und darüber hinaus für Veränderungen sorgen. Er hat weltweit mehr als 80 Millionen Platten verkauft und Dutzende von Auszeichnungen erhalten. Gleichzeitig hat er auf dem kleinen Bildschirm in NBCs The Voice und auf der großen Leinwand in Blockbustern wie Hustlers brilliert. Darüber hinaus hat er sich unermüdlich als engagierter Menschenfreund hervorgetan, indem er zig Millionen Dollar für verschiedene Zwecke sammelte und mit seiner New Look Foundation die Jugend förderte. Seit 1999 bietet er jungen Menschen in unterversorgten Gemeinden Chancen und ermöglicht ihnen, sich zu entfalten und scheinbar unmögliche Träume zu verwirklichen. Als echter Ausreißer ist er auf der Bühne seiner ausverkauften My Way Las Vegas Residency ebenso zu Hause wie auf einer Kulturmission der Regierung 2016 nach Kuba als Teil des Presidential Committee for Arts and Humanities von Präsident Barack Obama. Dieses Album stellt die kreative Wiedervereinigung von Usher und L.A. Reid dar, die seit dem 2004 erschienenen Album Confessions mit Diamant-Zertifikat nicht mehr zusammen gearbeitet haben. Das Album wurde hauptsächlich in Atlanta, GA mit vielen der angesagtesten Produzenten Atlantas aufgenommen, darunter Sean Garrett, Lil John, The Avila Brothers, Mel & Mus, Tricky Stewart, Rico Love, The-Dream, Jermaine Dupri, D Mile und viele andere. Es gibt Features von Summer Walker, 21 Savage und Latto.
The tom-tom heavy tribal rhythm of “Wela Wela” is one of the rawest, hardest cuts from the band Black Blood, a conglomeration of musicians from the central part of the African continent who were based in Belgium. The group had a breakout single in 1974 with the exotica-leaning “A.I.E. (A Mwana)” but never were able to quite capture the excitement that single generated with their follow up records. We can only guess that songs like “Wela Wela” were simply way too heavy for the pop tastes of the day, since the groove is a beast! — an acid rock tangent of the “Soul Makossa” riff that radiates pure energy. Mr. K aserts “It’s an incredible song to dance to, but was not very DJ friendly, and I never seem to hear other DJs play it... or even talk about it.” Originally debuted on his Grass Roots album, Mr. K's new rearrangement should change that, especially now that it's been made available on this hard hitting, portable 7-inch format.
Originally released the same year as Black Blood’s debut, “Komi Ke Kenam (Fish & Funjee)” was discovered and distributed by a small independent Brooklyn label that featured many other incredible African bands of the 70's. The song opens with a tough breakbeat (subtly extended by Mr. K on our release), and rumbles over a funky bassline and slicing wah-wah guitar before bursting out with a sax-led climax, a gritty get-down jam if there ever was one.
Both cuts have been remastered expressly for DJ play and are loud and clubworthy, in new extended edits that tease every last bit of funk from the originals.
First vinyl issue of the Saint Seiya Anime's cult Soundtrack. Limited Edition.
Seiya is an orphan who, as a young boy, was selected by the Kido Foundation to bring legendary bronze armour back to Japan. He succeeds, along with 10 other orphans. Forced by the foundation to take part in a "show", the knights embark on a tournament before the prize, the golden armour, is stolen. Little by little, they realise that their problems stem from the Sanctuary in Greece, home to the 12 most powerful knights, the Golden Knights, and their leader, the Great Pope. His target is the young Saori Kido, heiress to the foundation and reincarnation of Athena.
The series was a huge success and spawned an extensive franchise, with TV series, films and video games. This album features the best music and songs from the anime, composed and arranged by Seiji Yokoyama (GATCHAMAN).
Cornell CC Carter is back with a new single “The Change”, ahead of a new album on Expansion. The single was launched at his first sell out London date in February and is commercially released in March.
Cornell is from Berkeley, California and raised in San Francisco where his debut album “Vindicated Soul” was released in 2017. Since then he has taken the UK soul scene by storm through further prolific albums “One Love”, “Absolutely” and “Next Life”. Earlier in his career he recorded with The Isley Brothers and performed on stage with James Brown. For Expansion, Cornell has appeared regularly on the “Soul Togetherness” and “Luxury Soul” series and has performed live at the Luxury Soul Weekender in Blackpool. “The Change” is coupled with “Sometimes”, a track produced by Brian Carter that opened the Top 20 National Chart album “Luxury Soul 2024”
After making a mark with their first album together, ""Pineto Connection,"" Lorenzo Fortino and Brody return to the studio to advance their idea of music that remains impulsive yet at the same time more structured. Within this EP, you will hear different influences, all traceable back to an ""Italian mood,"" giving life to an album that will linger in turntables and the minds of many for a long time.
The album opens with ""Amarcord"" (A1), where raw drums, bass, and the pad seamlessly drive the piece, taking the dancefloor into the essence of Italian club culture. On side A, ""Sensazione"" (A2) continues, a soft Italo deep house track with Lorenzo's vocals providing an almost melancholic allure. The B side begins with ""Giacio"" (B1), a tightly wound house track (128 bpm) where straight drums, a compelling bassline, and dreamy synths make it a must-have to keep the dancefloor moving. Closing the album is ""Da Qui Al Mare"" (B2), a single despite being part of the EP, reflecting the idea of giving a distinctly Italian imprint. Brody, Angela, and Lorenzo's voices (almost echoing from the beach) blend in this deep tapestry that mixes multiple genres, aligning with their vision of a more elegant Italo disco.
Bread & Souls is an ensemble of musicians, singers, DJs, producers and most of all, friends: a global family brought together by Franco Fusari under the musical direction of producer/electronic jazz pioneer Mark de Clive-Lowe.
Chapter 1 features vocal and instrumental tracks kicking off with an incredible exclusive: for the first time together on the same track West London Queens Bémbé Segue and Vanessa Freeman deliver a broken beat future classic. Paul Randolph features on a superb boogie tune, while Domu delivers an amazing remix of “Little Did I Know” - after almost a decade’s absence, he’s as brilliant as ever. And all supported by a great band: MdCL (keys), Tommaso Cappellato (drums), Marcus Machado and Landy Shores (guitars), Max Luthert (bass), Taku Hirano (percussion).
Heels & Souls Recordings roll into reissue number eight with a double dose of early '90s UK street soul magic, splitting the sides between two sought-after cuts from Elaine Vassell and 3rd Zone.
Step back to 1993, house music has hit, UK Soul is in full flow and its rawer, DIY street soul sibling is making its mark across the UK’s underground. Fuelled by accessible, affordable production gear and ignited through enthusiasm and an influx of ideas and sounds, two acts drew inspiration from a melting pot of genres they were exposed to, providing their take on soul as they saw it.
Up first, Elaine Vassell - ‘Never Give Up’. A rough breakbeat-driven, mid-tempo groover from a North West London production triple threat, made up of Longsy D, Pinky and Murray. Utilising Pinky’s home studio with its DX7, Juno 106, LinnDrum and 808, they masterminded a track that sits at the intersection between soulful house, hip hop and R&B. Its crunching drum loop, chest-rattling low-end and serene synth lines, lay the foundation for Elaine’s powerful yet emotive voice to take centre stage. ‘Never Give Up’ should have been a future classic, but never quite found its feet.
On the flip side another 1993 gem, as Sansel Ali and twin brothers Mark and Stephen Anglin joined forces to form 3rd Zone. Conceived in Mark’s makeshift bedroom studio, the trio laid down their first foray into recorded music, ‘You Stole My Heart’. Originally promoed as a limited whitelabel in 1991, it officially landed on the group's one and only EP ‘No Real Reason' in '93.
Armed with a handful of synth modules, a drum machine and a Korg M1, Mark, Stephen and Sansel hit with a tough but tender, underground triumph. Part dance, part romance, layering synth strings, chunky breaks and M1 stabs underneath Sansel’s heartstrung vocals and Stephen’s hip house rap interlude, it provides another perfect example of house seen through the street soul prism.
Two timeless tracks that fly the flag for the fact that big studios and big budgets aren't necessary to create songs that really resonate. Each side also contains an alternate version, with the A housing a beatless reprise of ‘Never Give Up’ and the B a tougher, bassier remix of ‘You Stole My Heart’.
Licensed from Pinky Music and 3rd Zone respectively and remastered from the original DATs by Justin Drake.
Broken Techno/Electronica label Theoretical Rhythms is back with another vinyl release. This time it is a 4-track compilation EP called "Confessions". Featuring a carefully curated selection of tracks from diverse artists, "Confessions" takes you on a journey through emotions, melodies, and introspective narratives. Each track serves as a musical confession, laying bare the artists' innermost thoughts and experiences. The compilation opens with Varna's own Virtually J who masterfully sets the tone for the entire collection with his composition. From there, listeners are guided through a sonic landscape that seamlessly blends genres, showcasing the rich tapestry of musical expression. London duo Getae are showcasing their talent with the dance floor filler "Stumble" and Getsu opens the door to another dimension with his story "Otklonenie". With its minimal composition, broken beats and various effects Getsu invites us to divert from our path and experience another world. The EP concludes with Nickel Eye's "Lodi", a story that starts on a darker side with repetitive rhythm to transform to a jazz epos.
"Confessions" is more than just a compilation; it's an exploration of vulnerability and authenticity. Each artist bares their soul through their music, creating a connection with the audience that goes beyond the surface. "We wanted to create a compilation that goes beyond the ordinary, something that resonates on a deep, emotional level," says Nickel Eye, Theoretical Rhythms' head honcho. "This project is about sharing our musical confessions and inviting others to do the same". With its innovative approach to storytelling through sound, "Confessions" promises to be a standout in the music landscape, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in a musical experience that is both intimate and expansive. "Confessions" is a testament to the power of music to connect, inspire, and evoke raw, authentic emotions. Press play and embark on a journey of musical confessions.
Issued on his crescive Afroterraneo imprint, Kiko Navarro reunites with longtime collaborator and friend, Latin-Grammy award winning vocalist Buika, for new single ‘El Silencio’.
First meeting back in 1997 on their native island of Mallorca, Navarro and Buika most recently worked together for the heart-rending Latin House song ‘Lo Siento’, one of the highlights of Navarro’s 2017 album ‘Everything Happens For a Reason’, as well the 2006’s ‘Soñando Contigo’ on Pacha Recordings, which remains an enduring classic.
Originally written in 2010 but never released at that time, ‘El Silencio’ comes complete with a brand new club version, for which Buika has recorded fresh vocals. When the pair returned to the studio in September 2023, it was as if they’d never been apart. “It was like the time didn’t really pass” says Kiko. “We have this connection that doesn’t go anywhere. We know each other so well, and we know what we want. Working with her has brought me many good things, and I’m so excited to share the new music we’ve made together with the World.”
‘El Silencio’ (‘The Silence’) is a slinky, mid tempo groover with subtle jazz-funk touches, accompanying a universal song about love. “It’s about a couple who have loved each other through hard times, and a desire to be together still. There’s a message of hope here, saying ‘let’s try’. No drama, no anger, just love” says Kiko.
Reissue of the 1997 album from Britpop outfit Salad
RIYL Elastica, Echobelly, Sleeper
Critically received as one of their best albums, the album shows a clear development from theirearlier playing days and imbibes a more refined, skilled sound palette
Produced by veteran musician and producer Donald Ross Skinner, guitarist for Edwyn Collins and Julian Cope
Features the tracks ‘Cardboard King’ and ‘Yeah Yeah’
Pressed up on 140g black vinyl
Comes with an exclusive signed print from lead singer Marijna Van Der Vlugt
There are two versions of the vinyl - classic black and triple-color limited Indie Shop edition.
Both have special insert inside with the bands bio and photos.
Generacja JAZZ is a project showing a fragment of the new wave of Polish jazz, treading its own path, creating, touring and jamming across Europe. Borders don't exist - especially musical - the new generation is engaging with nightclubs, festivals and playlists. The time has now come to show its broader perspective. We created a project which involves a handful of groups that have already racked up debut albums and festival wins, as they set out on their musical odyssey. The groups also have other things in common, like their passion, originality and, for the needs of the project, age - all the artists during the recording of this album were under 30 years old. This is the new generation - the Jazz Generation.
For the Jazz Generation record we invited five bands who had already released debut albums: Immortal Onion, Klawo, Rejoin, Twoosty Mayonez and USO 9001. We also reserved two spots on the compilation for the winners of our open call competition, whereby on the basis of the jury's choice (jury: Monika Borzym, Paulina Przybysz, Envee, Wojtek Mazolewski i Marcin Groh Grośkiewicz) we met the winning bands: Kosmos and quietet.
The sleeve artist is Kornelia Nowak, who won our open call for young designers and graphic artists. Here once again we could rely on the opinion of a prestigious jury comprised of: Beata Śliwińska Barrakuz, Bovska, Maciej Animisiewasz Grochot, Grzegorz Forin Piwnicki i Marcin Groh Grośkiewicz.
Generacja JAZZ LP is also a start of the new imprint - U JAZZ ME, which will be focused on jazz from Poland.
And here are the bands from the album:
1. Immortal Onion - A band from the Tri-City playing a broad spectrum of instrumental music.
The band Immortal Onion has already established itself as one of the most interesting projects of the new wave of Polish jazz, and is consistently being labelled as such abroad. After two well received albums ("Ocelot of Salvation" (2017) and"XD Experience Design" (2020) U Know Me Records) they released their third album "Screens" in 2022, which was recorded with the well known Tri-City composer and saxophonist - Michał Jan Ciesielski.
The inspiration behind the band's formation were such artists as: Esbjörn Svensson, Hiromi Uehara, Tigran Hamasyan and Tosin Abasi.
The group's guiding principle from the very beginning was the fusion of often disparate musical styles, which bore "post instrumental aggressive gay pop". Despite the stylistic discrepancies, between which they swim, the group has forged its own identifiable language, characterised by complicated rhythmical structures, energetic riffs and trance beats with lyrical melodies.
The trio has performed its original material at many venues and festivals around Europe and Asia.
2. Klawo - seven adventurous adventurers from Gdańsk, who were brought together by their love for music, halvah and throwing Frisbee. Their self-named début album, released in 2022 on the local label Coastline Northern Cuts, is an amalgam of the inspirations of each of the team members and played backwards contains tips on how to reach the Kashubian pyramids. After a win at the international competition Jazz in the Park, held in Cluj-Napoca in Romania, the band began work on their second album. Meanwhile, they were also travelling the length and breadth of Poland on a mission to infect people with the idea of Baltic Funk.
3. Kosmos is a Łódż based jazz quintet. It was formed in 2020 by Pianist Stanisław Szmigero, Saxophonist Iwo Tylman and Trumpeter Jan Ostalski. However, it wasn't until 2022 that Kosmos found its true form when Kamil Gużniczak (Upright bass) and Kacper Kuta (Percussion) joined the line-up.
Their compositions are influenced by Polish yass bands, electronic music and hip-hop. Kosmos music is a mix of lyricism, space, intensity and elements of experiment.
The band members are all eccentric characters possessing different means of musical expression - looking at them, one could even argue they are a group of oddballs. Despite this, for reasons unbeknownst to themselves, the members of Kosmos complement each other on stage and form a unified artistic vision of the world around them.
Kosmos officially released their début single "Ja" in June 2023. They regularly play concerts across Poland and recently were selected as distinguished artists at JAZZiNSPIRACJE (JAZZiNSPIRATION) - a competition held during the 13th Lublin Jazz Festival.
4. Quietet (formed at the beginning of 2023) is the result of meetings between five talented musicians with a deep passion for musical creation. Its sound is a unique blend of Jazz and classical music with a hint of hard rock. The band is inspired by the Scandinavian approach to making music, which brings a characteristic atmosphere and melodies to their work. Their music captivates listeners with its originality, refined improvisations and flawless technique. Both classical and modern musical trends feed their inspiration when creating passionate and emotional compositions.
Their works are full of sound experimentation, which equally surprise and expose new musical horizons. Through their compositions, "Quietet" aims to share their emotions evoked during performances, creating a musical journey that affects and inspires.
5. Connecting jazz with electronic music in fresh interpretations, six young musicians make up the group Rejoin. The group re-formed in 2020 after a four-year break, playing their debut concert at Lotos Jazz Festival Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The musicians in Rejoin have performed alongside such artists as: Urszula Dudziak, Krystyna Prońko, Marcin Masecki, Szczyl, Kuba Więcek and Paulina Przybysz.
Most of the members of Rejoin are students from the Katowice Music Academy, where they also develop their own projects. Rejoin was a recipient of the Fabryki Norblin Music Masterclass Foundation scholarship.
6. Twoosty Mayonez is something your grandad would listen to with his younger sister. The non-standard approach to jazz alongside a pursuit of strange sounds, culminated in the conceptual album entitled "Carmin". The material was created by Bartosz Wolerta (percussion) and Dominik Kaniewski (bass guitar/synths). "Triceradiplodocus" tells the story of a mechanical dinosaur that lives on the yet undiscovered planet Carmin.
Grens is a Dutch duo who turned the heads of the Vrystaete label head with a self-released tape Geen Mens Die Op Mij Let. As such he has signed them up for this new album De Verborgen Kamer which he says is "a bit darker" than usual, but we love it. It is both organic yet dark electronic and sounds as much like a recording of a live performance as it does a meticulously crafted studio work. The six pieces are all heady ambient works that pair wispy pads and warm, glowing harmonies over occasional broken beats and suggestive rhythms. It's lo-fi, gritty and imperfect but with a very human sense of emotion.
Juic-e, at the time, was an up-and-coming producer, who periodically sent me tracks he’d been working on. Although they somewhat impressed me, they needed a little refinement. After some advice from myself, Juic-e decided he wanted to learn the hands-on approach. I advised him that a sampler would be his best bet. By hook or by crook, he managed to get his hands on one, growing in ability over the months to come. By the time Juic-e had sent me a few different tracks, I felt I couldn’t refuse them any longer, and here they are!
The first bunch of remixes for Kito Jempere's Green Monster. The album itself was a versatile journey thought all music styles and patterns you can imagine, remixes are keeping the same direction.
EP opens with a remix from multi-talented and prolific studio genius Ewan Pearson, the man behind hundreds of remixes, production and studio engineering duties for artists like Tracey Thorn, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, The Chemical Brothers and many many more. And Mr Pearson is taking Kabwato on a journey! Originally recorded as two and half minutes as some say mid-album filler, this boat (kabwato in chewa language) is going deep down the tropical river and through breezy morning rainforest valleys. A perfect trip for your midday staying home alone errands or for your early morning ray of light at the bar with a beautiful panorama.
Same track is getting treatment from the mighty Cable Toy! Unmistakable peak time euphoria manifest - going back to my roots-esque piano meets 90s cable tv dance show house party!
On the flip is the remix by The Dawless. The Dawless are Ramil' Goddeem from LAUD and Sergey Gol'd, producer and owner of GoldxFish Music studio. They recently released their debut album "Broken Aux" on System 108, got remixed by DMX Crew and became residents of LOUD BOYZ label. The project has simple ethics: computers not allowed, only real gear and vibes. The duo has created a true rage rave anthem for Kito Jempere now. Having already been played in a lot of DJ-sets blasting through packed warehouses, now it became available to everyone.
EP closing opus is by Kito's frequent collaborator - UK born and Japan based producer Max Essa. Every Kito's album was accompanied by Max's remixes and this time he's delivering pure beauty again. Creating some Golden-era "8 1/2 weeks" vibes, Max transforms the track into a post-summer voyage anthem.
It's been 40 years since Michal Turtle released his seminal, ground-breaking album "Music From The Living Room" into the world and promptly disappeared back into the aether.
An extremely obscure cult classic known only to deep diggers and aficionados of the finest order, it wasn't until Music From Memory reissued some of the tracks from it via retrospective compilations of Turtle's unreleased music almost 30 years later that his name become more widely known and a new generation were able to discover the artist's unique and pioneering style of experimental electronic music production, the majority of it very much ahead of its time, and to this day, still timeless.
Invisible Inc contacted Turtle in the summer of 2023 about releasing something else by him and it was during this exchange of emails that ideas were expressed about releasing not simply a straightforward reissue of "Music From The Living Room" to mark its 40th anniversary (the album has never been reissued in full) but rather a re-imagined/re-constructed take on the album bringing contemporary techniques, styles and newly recorded vocal and instrument parts into the mix and breathing new life into these wonderful compositions.
Collaborators old and new were brought into the studio and the songs re-created from the ground up. Familiar songs like "Are You Psychic?" and "Village Voice" get overhauled and echo remnants of their original counterparts but simultaneously sound like completely new tracks. The always mesmerising "Phantoms of Dreamland" is represented through a live recording at Café Oto featuring original album vocalist Lucianne Lasalle and regular collaborator HOVE on electronics. The remaining tracks, however, will be completely new to the ears of most people, never having been reissued or heard in these new forms ever before.
Regardless, whether in some way familiar or not, these hypnotic and repetitive pieces of beautiful sound art, all very different in style from one another, have an entirely new identity that even diehard devotees of the originals will fall in love with.
“Holy shit. This record is amazing. 'Are You Psychic?' is really something” dj_2button Dummy Hand / Weirdos Inc.
“What a record!” Cosmo Vitelli I'm A Cliché
“Amazing release. Probably your best release yet! Does everything an amazing record should and more...” Alexis Le-Tan Oddity Radio / Full Circle / Offen Music
Samosa Records quickly follows up the first volume of Afrikano treats with Volume 2; a veritable melting pot of Afro beats and rhythms packed in to an exceptional four tracker.
Kicking the EP off on the A-side is Vincent Galgo and J’ngolo. This hypnotic Afro sizzler takes full advantage of the effortless bass, congo beats, African horns and (subtle) funky guitar. Add the mesmerising chanting and you have a perfect ‘Bunny Chow’ of a tune that will tantalise the tastebuds for a long time after the music has stopped. Second helpings? Why not?
A2 unleashes ‘Zaire’ by the supremely talented Matalo! Dark and broody beats take centre stage with this one, as you’re slowly enveloped in a ritual you never knew you were part of but now you can’t help sway with the rest of the worshippers. ‘Zaire’ is one of those rare tracks that you feel could create fire if you let it. With sweeping synths, tribal chanting and a detached sense of being, this monster lives under your bed and waits for lights out. Beware!
On the B-side Leslie Lello ups the tempo with ‘Alcyone’. Solid, punchy bass, driving guitar and gorgeous piano riff and vocal combine with a synth lead you absolutely need in your life. The track morphs and transforms into a full-on (almost housey) stomper; nailing its tribal colours to the mast with intent. A real beast of a tune.
Closing this superbly diverse EP is label boss De Gama and ‘E.T.A’. You know De Gama doesn’t mess about. You know De Gama wants to hit you with all he has and with ‘E.T.A’ he unleashes his ‘inner Chief. Indigenous beats pound, roll and build up to a Ramkie guitar infused chorus that’s as joyful, uplifting and inspiring as the dawn itself. A genuine, incredible slice of Afrikano from a master of the genre.
Afrikano Vol. 2 proves once again that Samosa Records know this genre like no other label out there. If this isn’t in your record box on release day, then we simply can’t be friends.
A defining time for many musicians pursuing the arts of exploring sonic palettes is the moment of learning a song, an instrument and recording it. The procedure of selection and layering of sounds. The idea of dissolving this mysticism and truly being in control of something. The realisation that there’s a lot more enigma coinciding with simplicity in music that you may not have realised before and discovering new journeys from there on in. The knowledge of its technicality brought with a background in contemporary songwriting becomes a quest for sounds surrounded by layers of storytelling. To establish a sonic aesthetic that represents yourself and what you want to present to the listener.
The recording of Passerella took place at the end of the summer of 2022 over one week of isolation and songwriting in a house on the shoreside of the lake Lugano. Layered with references from a contemporary approach to 80s synth pop, post-punk and dark wave, with subconscious derivations of Canzone Italiana as a foundation for a musical piece derived from Infesta’s childhood listening habits. Bare genuineness, emotional and aggressive at the right places, the way in which music captures the purity of intense feelings. Infesta’s work is presented in a raw quality which intimates the listener with an aspect of humanity grippingly relatable.
Cemented songs with a focussed vision, Infesta’s dark yet familiar world is one confused but shared among us all. The conceptuality of a traditional album dissolving into a musical diary. The music within this record is a rendering of the importance of having these songs compiled side-by-side as a way of storytelling. To keep the same picture of the exposure of a person through their music. Conflicting inner thoughts frolicking side by side. A gentle hand caresse gleaned by an author to its listener.
RAWMoments is back with a collaborative EP; featuring the original artists who brought you that refined house aesthetic sound, combined with a raw, soulful inspired approach that has inspired many of the "in" artists in today's scene. This EP boasts 4 original Paolo Rocco collaborations with Lessi S., Pijynman, and Red Meat Therapy. All 4 tracks are infused with a proper classy house influence fit for any house lover. Let the RAWM series continue!
“Apaga La Luz” has proven itself to be a bonified club hit with the Tony Touchand Pablo Fierro mixes released last summer 2022. A new buzz has beencreated with the brand new 2023 remixes by Two Soul Fusion AKA Louie Vega & Josh Milan, David Morales, Mike Dunn, and David Guetta. Yes you heard correct, these all star super talents have lent their expertise and made it work once again on dance floors worldwide in a big way. Just click on play and let the remixes take control.
Dancefloors at festival and clubs have been blowing up all summer to this sureshot fire choon championed by David Guetta, David Morales, Mike Dunn, Louie Vega, Anané Vega, Seth Troxler, Marco Corola, Paco Osuna, The Martinez Brothers, Pablo Fierro, and many more. Stream it, or load it in digital form, coming soon September 29, 2023 on Vega Records and what a true honor it is to have these leaders in thegame contribute their craft to these incredible remixes. Double Pack 12” Vinyl mastered by the DON of mastering Herb “Pump” Powers and Original cover art by artist RULER conceptualized by Pucci. Get the decks ready !!!
After more than 20 years of studio work, it can be said that this album is the result of long hours of introspection and solitude. The inquisitive, investigative and analytical listening of the earliest works of artists such as Robert John Brown & Sean Booth, Mike Paradinas or Jochem George Paap influenced me a lot during the execution of this EP. The deconstruction or deconstructive process was something I needed to explore and put into practice, giving as a result naked periplos or sound spaces, in which the protagonism belongs solely and exclusively to sounds or textures that for my part deserved a thorough review and analysis, making these periplos a challenge in themselves, giving way to resulting works where the rhythmic section was in the background or simply disappeared. In relation to the cover design, thanks to Julian Schnabel and T?fol Cruz for the inspiration and the final artwork respectively.
Between improv, pop and r&b abstractions, and contemplative balearics, Sam Gendel and Ugné Uma “Tam tikri objektai erdvėje” subtly meanders through a fragile and forward cosmos both inward and out.
Sam Gendel and Ugnė Uma’s Tam Tikri Objektai Erdvėje album sketches a layered, melismatic and intertextual view on what both performers define as a lightness of being. Ugnė Uma’s musical stance is influenced by experimental poetry and Lithuania’s 20th century underground music scene - jazz and folk, resulting from the liberation of the country’s independence movements. Sam Gendel, from Los Angeles, is a saxophonist and producer, proficient on more instruments than the saxophone alone, whose recorded work both solo and collaborative has brought him acclaim as a vital new voice in modern jazz and beyond.
Tam Tikri Objektai Erdvėje is Lithuanian and translates as Some Particular Objects in Space. The six tracks on the album stand for every letter of the word Saturn. They sketch out a sound palette both fragile and full of forward momentum. With hints of improv, sampling their own recorded work and sounds of a childhood’s Yamaha Portasound PSS-290 synth into abstractions of pop and r&b, some of these tracks reach an almost balearic feel, the more contemplative end of it. With lyrics delving into cosmic phenomena, Tam Tikri Objektai Erdvėje is an album about space, whether cosmic or inward or the one in between. It easily surpasses the sum of its influences and the materials and tactics used to produce it.
OOO002 - second, vinyl-only release debuts dark, galactic grooves featuring heavy bass lines and experimental elements from artists Chad Andrew and Len Lewis.
A1: “Battle 303”
Inspired by the soundscape of the 90’s techno scene, Battle 303’s punchy bass drums hold you captive as its sine wave bounce lures you into hypnosis with a progressive rhythmic beat. The track’s rolling 303, pyramid’s a myriad of elements before awakening you to the crisp subliminal vocal, just shy of the midway point. Battle 303’s multidimensional fury of movement refuses to slow its pace, inducing pure cardio for both the mind and body, inspiring peak dance performance.
A2: “Area 15”
Area 15 intros the swirling ambiance of dark, atmospheric, easy listening as it gradually accelerates into a journey of the unknown. Utilizing distortion effects, eerie drones and chimes, coupled with the rhythmic pattern of arpeggiated synths brings about a sense of intrigue that lends the listener the flexibility to determine their personal musical trajectory and experience.
B1: Battle 303 (Len Lewis S!th Remix)
Battle 303 (Len Lewis S!th Remix) is an introspective, sonic journey that slings you through a brooding origin story of tribal, galactic funk that echoes iconic samplings spanning over 5 decades seamlessly merged into one futuristic bop. Maintaining it’s old school, breakbeat roots with a driven, heavy bassline, claps and snares, Lewis remains true to his S!th style, by altering path and speed with his signature, unexpected musical transitions, highlighted by timely breaks and experimental elements. Be prepared to move and groove as this track reaches hyperspeed early on, stimulating intense movement and journey from start to finish.
B2: Battle 303 (Len Lewis G.H.M. Remix)
Battle 303 (Len Lewis G.H.M. Remix) leads with traditional, minimal components and a suspenseful bassline, laced with piercing elements and garbled synth vocals, creating a sense of awareness and urgency that gradually builds in intensity before throwing you into punchy, sinister darkness.
This groove, set against the backdrop of deep space and all its musical element oddities, mimics the drive of the original 303’s rolling bass line while seamlessly exploring Lewis’ S!thstylings of metallic synth scales and spooky drone effects, keeping you captivated as you strut the dance floor
When Cicadas appear in the area they cause a huge uproar. It’s hard to escape the distinctive noise these critters make, reaching up to 120 decibels. The hypnotic, trance-inducing sound disappears with the insects. A few months after Cykada's explosive debut, the world was hit by turbulence and from Cykada there was silence - fortunately only seemingly, because the next cycle began underground, in the privacy of the studio. It was there that the cicadas matured, waiting for a metamorphosis.
The year 2019 was very successful for Cykada, with a brilliantly received debut album, concerts at numerous festivals in the UK and Europe such as Glastonbury, Wilderness, London Jazz Festival, BAM Festival, La Defense Jazz Festival or Love Supreme Festival, along with constantly composing and preparing material for the second album. As the musicians entered the studio, the coronavirus pandemic was already in full swing across the globe. It was clear then that the world would never be the same. With increasing restrictions Cykada went underground, waiting for changes to surface again. Unfortunately the expected change that was happening seemed only for the worse - Brexit and its socio-economic consequences, worldwide disinformation, accelerating climate catastrophe and Russian invasion of Ukraine. The collapse of the old world order is the perfect moment for metamorphosis and with this message Cykada steps out again into broad daylight, matured and carrying a message with their long-awaited second album “Metamorphosis”.
The meaning behind the title is multifaceted. It refers both to changes taking place in our society and changes to our world as nature defends itself from human stupidity and greed. It is also a reference to the personal and musical development of the band members in that difficult period. It all became a foundation to bravely attempt to make new beginnings.
The metamorphosis is also clear in the musical aspect of Cykada. Their debut album was already difficult to shoehorn into specific genres with their sound that balanced jazz, electronics and elements of global music styles. With the second album their eclectic style has evolved into something distinct and innovative, combining folk/jazz song form and improvisation with heavier sounds inspired by sound system culture and rock. The band grew into a septet thanks to multi-instrumentalist Rob Milne, expanding the horn section to 3 instruments and galvanising its sound. But the biggest change that happened compared to the first album is the singing of Cykada leader Jamie Benzies in singles “So Divided” and “The Crack in the Bricks”. Both songs carry an important message, showing us that the changes in the world are already happening and that only we can make it head in the right direction. This unique sonic mix along with the message unleashes a powerful energy that the musicians want to send to and infect every listener.
Jackie Mittoo is one of the most important artists in the history of Jamaican music. As founding member of the legendary Skatalites, as in-house arranger/producer at Studio One and as a solo artist in his own right leading groups such as The Soul Brothers, Sound Dimension and Soul Vendors.
These classic and rare recordings were made in the mid 1960's at Studio One. The Soul Brothers bridged the gap between Ska and the arrival of Rocksteady mixing it all up with Funk, Jazz and Latin styles. The Soul Brothers recorded at Studio One between 1965-1967. This was the transitionary period between Ska and Rocksteady where the music was a mixture of Funk, Latin and Jazz sometimes with a reminder of Ska and the hint of Rocksteady.
The previous era of Ska had been dominated by the Skatalites, the first in-house band at Studio One who created classic hits such as "Guns of Navaronne", "Man in the Street", "El Pussy Cat" and many more. Unfortunately the strong personalities in the group meant that The Skatalites stayed together for less than two years. It was also around this time that the mentally unwell Don Drummond was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, the dancer Margerita.
In August 1965, barely a week after the demise of the original Skatalites, The Soul Brothers (featuring ex-Skatalites members Jackie Mittoo, Roland Alphonso, Johnny Moore and Lloyd Brevitt) were up and running as the new house band at Studio One.
The Soul Brothers were essentially a collective, releasing material under their own name or under a nominal leader (usually Jackie Mittoo or Rolando Alphonso). The group line-up changed over time with Bobby Ellis (trumpet), Bryan Atkinson (bass), Dennis Campbell (Sax), Harry Haughton (guitarist) and Joe Isaacs (drummer) replacing various members alongside the ever present Jackie Mittoo.
REVIEWS
"Jackie Mittoo was a true star of Jamaican music; a founder member of The Skatalites, a prolific composer and the keyboard powerhouse behind many a classic tune. His simple, often hypnotic approach, to ska, rocksteady and reggae made him one of the most distinctive sounding musicians of the era." BBC.
"Jackie Mittoo was one of the great names in Jamaican music, manning the keyboards for the Skatalites, the Soul Vendors, and Sound Dimension-- three of the greatest house bands of the 60's
(and I mean anywhere, not just in Jamaica)." PITCHFORK.
Teenage twins Ruffy & Tuffy deliver an apocalyptic slab of synth drenched Rub a Dub with what could be the first use of Vocoder in Reggae for 1982’s If The 3rd World War Is A Must. This release draws from both the original 12” and the master tapes combining the best vocal cut and dub versions.
Though not prolific musicians, many may recognize the twins sparring in matching red Pony track suits in Ted Bafaloukos’ iconic 1978 film Rockers. Ahead of its time in almost every way, the lyrics dealing with global war and the nefarious use of technology, sadly seem as relevant now as they did in 1982 though some of the actors may have changed. Surrounded by elite reggae musicians from childhood it was nothing unusual for the brothers to be in the presence of elders like Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Augustus Pablo, Jacob Miller and especially Bob Marley at recording sessions and in daily life.
If The 3rd World War was their first venture into the studio as solo artists in 1982 first at Channel One and then Tuff Gong where Wailers alumni Earl Wire Lindo and Tyrone Downie (keys and Vocoder) laid down their space age additions to the track creating a genre bending Reggae /Electro/ Dub concoction that still sounds fresh 41 years later. Wire Lindo & the twins took the mastertapes to Texas based mechanical engineer and producer Stephen “Iya” James who ran Marcus Garvey Records and the label African Unity Productions in the unlikely Reggae hub of Austin Texas. The track was not released until two years later in 1984 as a 12” which had a run of only 500 copies and is no easy find these days.
Wir entscheiden uns aktiv für das Überleben. Wir warten nicht passiv darauf. Stattdessen treffen wir die Entscheidungen, die wir treffen müssen, um das tückische Terrain des Lebens mit intaktem Körper, Geist und Seele zu durchqueren. DYING WISH haben diesen Kampf auf ihrem zweiten Album "Symptoms of Survival" (Sharptone Records) sowohl untersucht als auch vertont. Das Quintett aus Portland, OR - Sam Reynolds (Gitarre), Pedro Carrillo (Gitarre), Emma Boster (Gesang), Jeff Yambra (Schlagzeug) und Jon Mackey (Bass) - schafft den Spagat zwischen beschwörenden, von Schmerz durchdrungenen Melodien und Klanglandschaften, die aus einer chaotischen Kollision von Heavy Metal und Hardcore entstehen. Mit Millionen von Streams, ausverkauften Konzerten und viel Beifall von Brooklyn Vegan, Revolver, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound und anderen, erweitert die Gruppe auf diesen 11 Tracks ihre Vision thematisch und klanglich.
The flesh withers to the pulses of thunderous cave reverberations, while the spirit is united with the psalms of the Glorious Dead, the Ancient Entities that have conquered Death and become Life, dominant, absolute and victorious. This Work consists of a ritual deriving from the darkest corners of the Mind, the deathlike spheres of the Netherworld and the truest essence of the Afterlife, to become a homage to the Force of Life Eternal.
Guided by Her Luminous rays, it is dictated to be experienced solely in chamber-like conditions, below the waxing Moon, accompanied with Myrrh and lunarian incenses and agharbattis, to be properly roamed within its uncharted corridors. Listen, experience and conquer, setting aside the mundane aspects of realities, explore the unmapped pathways, with every preconception burnt to the altars of this Magnum Opus.
SHIBALBA's music is saturated with the mysticism of the East. It's richly detailed and multidimensional, while layered with chanting and broadly defined elements of traditional ritual and shamanic music. Apart from contemporary synths and guitar drones, the band makes use of bones and skulls as percussion instruments, Tibetan Horns, Tibetan Singing Bowls, bone & horne trumpets, Darbuka's (goblet drums) as well as ceremonial bells and gongs, to name a few. The Spirits behind the Shamanic Halls of Shibalba are V.P. Adept & Aldra-Al-Melekh.
CD edition of 300 copies in 6 panel Digisleeve, Matt Lamination. 7 Tracks. Running Time: 43:04
Vinyl LP edition of 300 copies in 3mm sleeve with printed innesleeve, Matt Lamination. 7 Tracks. Running Time: 43:04
Four tracks from '20 Years Of Phonica' on limited 12" vinyl!
At the forefront of jungle’s new wave, Tim Reaper joins forces with Comfort Zone on the drum & bass anthem ‘Subterranean’. One of the heaviest sonic technicians around, Reaper and his collaborator Comfort Zone offer up a quality tune, based around a familiar vocal sample.
Toby Tobias has been a long-time friend of the store, collaborating with the Phonica crew on one of their monthly DJ nights for almost a decade. A prolific produce under many pseudonyms, including Alphonse, and on the Rekids, Klasse Wrecks and Emotional Rescue labels, Toby’s ‘On My Mind’ contribution is a complex house-not-house, bassline-heavy wriggly groover that becomes more compelling at every listen.
NTS Radio presenter and Eglo artist Shy One has been attracting attention with an original sound that is a mixture of live percussion, and funk mixed with UK bass. Here, ’Uncle G’ offers exactly that, combining broken beat, heavy bass and jazz sensibilities for a breezy, refreshing offering.
Finally, our own Kieran Jandu rounds out the 12" with his ‘From My Soul’, a hypnotic house anthem.
Orphic Apparition follow up their inaugural release by RAFRAM, the collaborative project of Toronto's Raf Reza aka Raf Rizzla and UK acid house luminary Ramjac Corporation, with a new two-tracker from the transatlantic bass warriors. Where the RAFRAM 12" gifted us five variations on the same live jam cut from Grow Tottenham, here we have a spontaneous track written by Paul (Ramjac) on the A-side and a fully warped dancehall mix from Raf on the B. (short)
'Press 1 to Repeat' began as an on-the-spot demonstration of the musical self, a natural response to being asked 'What is it that you do?'. Within a few minutes Ramjac had his laptop out and was bashing out a quintessentially English sort of kitchen tabletop version of Kraftwerk - Numbers, the tongue in cheek automated voice on the other end of the line querying his account balance in tow. Proudly showing his friend Ryoko his improvisatory skills, a £10 hifi from a Japanese 2nd hand shop served as the portable monitors whilst the track waited to be brought back to his studio in London. The track is anchored by a bouncy, Irdial-reminiscent percussive workout which punches above its weight for its humble beginnings. Add the dubbed out synth pads and sort of electrical static FX in the background and everything syncs together in cosmic harmony. Hopefully Ryoko now gets the gist!
Raf Rizzla takes the stems and channels some inspiration from the Jamaican movie “Third World Cop” by turning the track on its head with a double-time baseline and half-time melody to craft a big dancehall version with a bit of a modern day On-U twist. Here Raf shows yet another side to his truly versatile production chops which have seen him release house, trance, breaks and downtempo cuts on a variety of Canadian labels prior to starting Orphic Apparition.
“The Soul Of Tommy Youngblood” 1970 Kent LP had many fine tracks, especially ‘Tobacco Road North’ though it was not attributed to the rightful writer, Jimmy Radcliffe, at the time. The music has been sampled for various hip-hop adaptations, including one by Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan, but the original stands on its own and deserves a 7” format.
The Other Brothers ‘Nobody But Me’ is another UK Kent exclusive that sold out on its first Kent Select press and is still highly sought-after and now very expensive.
Balearische Grammophon is back with another EP featuring two previously unreleased remixes of one of Germany's biggest contributions to hairstyle and nylon sales.
To some less reputable musicologists these versions of "Brother Louie" are to the original version what AMG is to Mercedes Benz - pure performance.
B-side refutes any claims that Ketamine might have been less prevalent throughout German recreational circles during the 80s. If not in the streets, surely in the recording studios, whatever happened, this was not meant for radio play. For select dance floors only.
ECHOES OF GLORY return with its second instalment – after the widely received ISSUE ONE – ISSUE TWO see’s SEAN JOHNSTON’S Hardway Brothers guise and GRANT DELL’S Masonic Noodles moniker, meet in fine style. Sean, known for his lengthy residency with the much-missed ANDREW WEATHERALL at A LOVE FROM OUT OF SPACE has also successfully transferred this innate understanding of a dancefloor into studio alchemy. The Hardway brothers mix of ESCAPE ON THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS has all the hallmarks of being a ALFOS classic, a real - lights off – smoke machine on - ready for a heady dubby trip across the dance floor. The Masonic noodles mix takes it down a notch with bubbly acid undertones and good use of the samples, taken from Giorgio Moroder’s score of the classic Midnight express Film. Heavy Heavy stuff ! Only 300 pressed on this vinyl only outing.
Step into a cosmic journey with "Cocaine Kisses," an ethereal album that effortlessly blends spacey synthesizers, moody melodies, and loungey beats. This captivating musical expedition reflects the tumultuous emotions of love and trust issues, resonating with listeners on a profound level. Crafted during a period of personal transformation and isolation brought about by losing management and enduring the trials of quarantine for COVID-19, each track becomes a portal to both introspection and connection. From hauntingly beautiful melodies that mirror the depths of heartache to uplifting rhythms that evoke moments of hope, this album encapsulates the paradoxical nature of human relationships. As the celestial harmonies intertwine, listeners are reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of forging meaningful bonds amidst adversity. Through "Cocaine Kisses," prepare to embark on an otherworldly sonic odyssey that transcends the boundaries of time, welcoming you to a universe where love, loss, and self-discovery collide in a symphony of emotions.
L'estasi Dell'oro returns with 'Back From the Woodshed,' a 12" EP that showcases a finely-tuned sound and improved groove, marking this comeback on Danza Tribale. The opening track, 'The Best Yet,' features the vocals of Crystal Boyd-a familiar voice for those in the know, as she made her debut appearance with L'estasi on Voodoo Down 001 in 2012. Sadie LaPierre Ernst, known for her lyrical contributions on Field Records and Macro Recordings since 2015, lends her voice once again on this release.
Label owner Adiel offers a high-speed remix that complements Sadie's words with a steady gallop. The overall aesthetic of this record is beautifully encapsulated in 'The Marsh Flower, a Sad Human Head,' drawing inspiration from Odilon Redon's original illustration from 1885. The EP concludes with a beatless edit of 'The Best Yet' under L'estasi's resurrected Penalune alias-a project that debuted over a decade ago with two albums released on Something Records by STL, followed by a collection for TvO's Broken20 label.
PWL, gegründet von Pete Waterman, ist ein legendäres und einflussreiches britisches Plattenlabel, das die Musikindustrie nachhaltig geprägt hat. PWL ist bekannt für seine entscheidende Rolle bei der Gestaltung der Popmusiklandschaft der 1980er und 1990er Jahre und war Wegbereiter für einen unverwechselbaren Sound, der sich durch eingängige Melodien, lebendige Synthies und ansteckende Beats auszeichnete. Das Label katapultierte nicht nur zahlreiche Künstler wie Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan und Rick Astley in die Weltspitze, sondern führte auch eine neue Welle von tanzbarem Pop ein, die weltweit Anklang fand.
PWL Extended ist eine Sammlung von 12"- und Extended-Mixes, die die Tiefe und Breite des PW-Outputs perfekt widerspiegelt. Sie enthält große Welthits wie "I Should Be So Lucky" und "Never Gonna Give You Up", neben tieferen Stücken, schwer zu findenden und neu
erschienenen Mixen von Künstlern wie Princess, Blow Monkeys und Paul Varney.
Following a masterful release from SWOY, Sounds of Sirius Music presents their first Various Artist Compilation SOSNZ007 – “Harmony of the Spheres”. Wrapping up 2023 with top notch underground music, joins the musical dots between talented and free-spirited artists working across the globe.
In this edition we have close friends and supportive artists from Sounds Of Sirius, including none other than Mihai Pol (Romania), rising Chilean talent Nibaaldo (Chile), brotherly duo Clay and Heath Ostrer aka Last Pines (UK) and Sevillian talent Alvaro Lamet aka Enzo Leep (Spain).
Harmony of the spheres is a philosophical concept highlighting proportions of the celestial bodies and their movements– the Sun, Moon and planets – as a form of music. These comic mathematical relationships express qualities or "tones" of energy which manifest in numbers, visual angles, shapes and sounds.
Early Support: Mihai Pol, userUNKNWN, Silat Beksi and Herman Saiz.
Nine months after the well received MXMN002, SAMA is back on his own imprint with his third release. 4 tracks, all centered around a general theme; each track consists of textural soundscapes and heavy growl-like sounds, but with vastly different flavours.
Whereas “There’s Not A lot To Say” is the most subdued and atmospheric track, “Benefit The Masses” is the more in-your-face track, driven by a heavy broken-beat kick pattern.
On the B-side, “Fragments Of Distrust” is a more tribal and groovy track, and to top it off “Gentle Reminder” is the most driving track, with a forward-pushing locked groove. Long story short: there should be a track in there for everyone’s needs.
As with the first two releases, the artwork is painted by Argentinian artist Ric Santesteban.
The Amsterdam-based duo of LYMA and Rebiere aka LIKEMINDS follow up their debut album On My Way with versions from its predecessor.
Sometimes life throws you a curveball and you still gotta make it to first base. That’s what happened when Rebiere’s laptop was stolen, along with all the recordings of their original debut album. The pair made a brand new album from scratch, but they kept coming back to the demos from the lost recordings. They started to rework the sound as a whole, adding finishing touches, including additions from Bo Floor and Gino Groeneveld from Jungle By Night. The demos weren’t the same as the stolen tracks, but they learned to love the imperfections all the same.
The Lost Tape takes you on a journey - through low-slung beats, party jams, soulful. melodies and woozy synths, all masterfully woven together with samples and field recordings from Amsterdam’s watery canalways. It’s also the story of how the duo met, at a time when LYMA felt lost at sea with his collection of unreleased tracks, before Rebiere threw him a lifeline and brought some focus and clarity. Sometimes finding a like-minded
friend can make all the difference.
Church Boy Lou was born from a dream in the summer of 2014. A captivating and enigmatic fi gure, created by the innovative, genre-bending, DIRT TECH RECK label head Waajeed. Recently crowned DJ Mag’s Underground Hero and just off the heals of his lead single with Defected’s Dames Brown, he continues to cultivate rhythms from the pews of the Baptist church.
This second offering from Church Boy Lou embodies the same spirit and uniqueness as his first release, Weep EP in 2015. "The Night Is Coming" brings you the first hand experience of a minister leading his church with the Word of God. These heartfelt lyrics warn of the dark times ahead of us. However, “Keep On Praying” brings a positive note and beckons us to the dance floor. “Push Em’ in the Face” skillfully integrates high energy Chicago Jack house and techno. Rolling snares and energetic beats fuse with powerful lyrics to face all challenges head on.
This well composed four track offering has an opener, closer and prime time options for all DJ’s across the board. With a sonic steeping of gospel samples and an authenticity that could only come from Detroit City.
For the third release of FanFar’on, we are travelling into another dimension, more on a Romanian & deep techno vibe from the works of Ciril & Cavale.
Both emerging for the electronic scene of Brusells and close to the Zodiak Crew, Ciril & Cavale brought their vibe with two tracks called « Dracula » & « Marchand de Sable » Definitely spiritual & atmospherics, the music is esthetic & mysterious, the Belgium producers are travelling to some ambient landscapes and experimental textures. To finish the ep ,we will have a completely destructured and almost jazzy remix from the famous Romanian producer : Dragutesku! As we say three is the « magic number » ,welcome to Ciril & Cavale for the third edition of FanFar’on,and let the FanFare begin!
Kwesi Sey aka kwes., geschätzter Produzent und Kollaborateur von Solange, Sampha, Tirzah, Damon Albarn, Kelela, Nubya Garcia und Hudson Mohawke, veröffentlicht nach seiner Musik für die Kurzdoku 'Little Miss Sumo' (Netflix) nun seinen ersten Spielfilm-Soundtrack. 'Rya Lane', das Filmdebüt der britischen Regisseurin Raine Allen-Miller feierte mit begeisterten Kritiken seine Premiere auf dem Sundance Festival 2023. kwes.' Score untermalt den sublimen Trip der beiden Protagonisten dieser schrulligen, zeitgenössischen RomCom im impulsiven und fröhlichen Chaos der Londoner Rye Lane perfekt und ist so süß wie der Film selbst.
- 'The Best British Rom Com to hit our screens in more than 20 years.' - The Sunday Times
Mr Beatnick & Richard Greenan present their debut full length collaboration, "??????". Brought together by their twin residencies on NTS Radio, the duo have forged distinct paths in respective scenes over the last decade - as producers, DJs and label heads of imprints Mythstery and Kit Records.
The strength of their partnership is built on contrasting styles; Mr Beatnick's sound orbits the woozier fringes of house and hip-hop, while Richard Greenan has settled in the cracks between ambient, textural experimentation and the avant-garde. Here, these approaches coalesce in unexpected ways - with violin, harp, guitar and saxophone finding themselves serrated by volleys of percussion and punchily melodic bass.
With much of the music recorded during the pair's residency in Margate, the album documents a weekend toasted and skewed progressively sideways. The opening salvo of cascading synth muscle ("Goodnight Mush") and fragmented acoustic stepper ("Superb Crafty Gardens") could evoke Devo and Pete Rock breaking fried toast over a dirty fry up. Side A's pop sensibilities peak on the lucidly string-laden "Harbour Arms", complete with pristine guest vocal by bb sway.
Then, like the work of a pair of pissed beavers, things start to get pretty weird. Familiar structures ferment laterally, from the midi swamp-hop of "Bellows of the Earth", to the cooked techno-funk stylings of "Bronze Pears". "How to Draw Roger" offers a magma-like credits roll, the sun's purple yolk poached over a hoppy sea of amber.
The 1973 album “El Violento” was the fifth full-length salsa LP led by Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincón, aka Fruko, and the second credited to Fruko Y Sus Tesos. Though it did not contain hits like ‘A la memoria del muerto’ or ‘El Preso’, it’s a collector’s item today in places like the US, Europe and Japan, perhaps precisely because it is obscure yet full to the brim with unrelentingly hard and heavy salsa bangers that never let up from start to finish (hence the title, which translates as “The Violent One”). A mix of originals and interesting covers, the LP is “all killer and no filler”, purposely designed to set the dance floor ablaze. It features Fruko’s two main vocalists that took over from the first pair of Humberto “Huango” Muriel and “Píper Pimienta” Díaz, namely the beloved duo of Álvaro “Joe” Arroyo and Wilson “Saoko” Manyoma. Los Tesos were a talented “wild bunch” who listened to their fearless leader, with Fruko holding down the bottom end on electric bass, Hernán Gutiérrez in the piano chair, the Villegas brothers on hand percussion (Jesús tickling the bongos and Fernando slapping the congas), augmented by Rafael Benítez on timbales and an ace horn section of Freddy Ferrer and Gonzálo Gómez (trombones) and Jorge Gaviria and Salvador Pasos (trumpets). The super aggressive sound comes directly from the South Bronx playbook of Willie Colón. The snarling trombones and soaring trumpet are somewhat sweetened by a nice little Puerto Rican cuatro guitar solo. Sonically lightening the mood somewhat, ‘Nadando’ (‘Swimming’) is a bouncy tune in the ‘Mercy’ genre (basically a hybrid of pop, funky soul, cumbia and salsa, in the style of Nelson y Sus Estrellas), gleefully sung by Joe Arroyo. The beats are complex and ever changing, with a little bit of mozambique, conga, bomba, jala jala and of course salsa thrown in for good measure. The side closes out with a brilliant, uptempo salsa reworking of the venerable ranchera chestnut, ‘Tú, sólo tú’. Side two explodes with the frenetic descarga jam session ‘Salsa na’ ma’—which is exactly that: nothing more than the hottest “sauce” to make the dancers go crazy. Fruko’s tune is dedicated to the Latin community in New York that listens to salsa from everywhere and dances to it so fervently on the weekend. The relentless percussion propels the listener along at breakneck speed as if hurtling down the Bronx Expressway, demonstrating that Fruko y Sus Tesos have mastered the ‘violent’ form of urban salsa that was having its transnational moment in the early 1970s. While “El Violento” may not be as well known as some Fruko records, it certainly deserves a new look and should be assessed on its own merits as a very powerful, confident entry in the historical evolution of Colombian salsa dura.Sleeve
Undoubtedly one of the finest disco songs ever created, “Dance Reaction” emerged as a sensation from Holland, representing a true ‘one-hit wonder.’ The distinguished ‘Siamese’ label in the US and Carrere in Europe both recognized its potential and took it under their wings. This track, clearly inspired by dan Hartman’s “Vertigo”, swiftly climbed the charts across the continent in the spring of 1982.
On the A-Side, listeners are treated to the captivating and sensuous sounds of the Martin Boer version. This interpretation unequivocally showcases Martin’s innate connection with disco, evident in his captivating electro-disco masterpiece. Notably, Martin Boer holds the distinction of being a founding member of “2 Brothers on the 4th Floor,” a Eurodance phenomenon that dominated the 90s, amassing millions of record sales globally. Intriguingly, this release marks his return to remixing records, after a 15-year hiatus; incidentally, Martin embarked on his journey with High Fashion Music in 1990.
Flipping over to the AA-side, Croatian legendary DJ Pucko presents a remix that encapsulates the unique essence of the former Eastern bloc sound. This rendition exudes a raw and forceful energy, characteristic of that regional style. At the behest of High Fashion, the components of his mix were extracted and meticulously reworked and refined through the mastering process. The objective was to preserve the core while polishing the rough edges, culminating in an essential vinyl record that retro and disco DJs alike must acquire to elevate their dance floors.
With the elements in Hip-Hop divided, Pawz One & Preed One return to their grafitti roots with the new collaboration album "Murals & Mayhem". Pawz approaches each song as verbal graff piece that covers Preed One's soulful and gritty background production. The duo bring the color out of topics such as tainted love, friendships, the culture of Hip-Hop and surviving the mayhem of the Los Angeles streets. Adding more to the mural are guests like Guilty Simpson, Copywrite and Ruste Juxx. Blended together each song creates a larger piece that covers the mind walls from top to bottom.
The latest offering from Astral Black comes in the form of the 'Metropolis N' LP, courtesy of Queens, New York's number premier importer/exporter of Jungle & D&B, NIGELTHREETIMES. Having initially garnered a name for themselves as one of New York City's most versatile club DJ's, with the release of their 'Call Of The Void; project in 2020 Nigel also began to build a reputation as a producer in their own right. Resulting in residencies on Rinse FM & The Lot Radio, radio support from the likes of Tom Ravenscroft & Uniiqu3 and press support from Resident Advisor, OkayPLAYER & Mixmag – amplifying their talents throughout New York City and beyond.
With 'Metropolis N' NIGELTHREETIMES distills their eclectic influences through the lens of rolling 160bpm breaks – taking in Jazz, 8-bit game soundtrakcs, science fiction & jump up D&B. Starting off the LP with the rhodes tinged double header of 'TSQ MELTDOWN' & 'EARLY MORNING FROM 103RD STREET', the latter featuring some of the best double bass work heard on a jungle track since 'Brown Paper Bag'. Elsewhere, on 'ROAD2RAILS' and 'PHANTOM SHORES', the producer ditches the instrumentation in favour of oscillated square waves, dubbed out vocal FX & 8-bit melodies, without ever losing site of the projects underlying sense of optimism. On the album closer 'INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION', 3X manages to bring together the influences heard throughout the project, tying together a muted rhodes chords, squarewave basslines, flutters of alien melodies and finely tuned, slices breakbeats into a 5 minute symphony.
The consistency and exacting production skills heard throughout the offering elevate this project from another drop in the digital ocean to a landmark opus, from a producer carrying the torch for this timeless sound and making the project worthy of a spot alongside some of the classics this genre has produced.
'Metropolis N' is available Oct 13th on digital and limited edition vinyl via Astral Black.
'The John Carter and Bobby Bradford Quartet/Quintet were critical to the progressive jazz movement around Los Angeles in the late 60s alongside the likes of Horace Tapscott. Both hailed from the Watts area and trumpeter, Bradford played with a woodshedding Ornette Coleman for two years in the early 60s when the legendary free movement leader decided not to record for a while but wanted to hone his trademark sound on the saxophone. Multi-reed player, Carter also worked with Coleman who brought them together to lead their own band.
Their first outing on Flying Dutchman was “Flight For Four” as the Carter Bradford Quartet that was released in 1969. This is the second album they recorded where Carter and Bradford were supported by Tom Williamson (bass), Buzz Freeman (drums) and another uncredited bass player on four extended improvisations – ‘The Sunday Afternoon Jazz Blues Society’, ‘The Eye Of The Storm’, ‘Loneliness’ and ‘Encounter’.'
The latest by New York-based producer Lamin Fofana further refines his cinematic dialect of fractured soundscapes, displaced rhythms, and tectonic unease. Unsettling scores aptly describes itself: grainy, bristling, and bruised, rippling with dread disguised as grandeur. The collection emerged from an extended reworking of his 2016 composition, “A Symbol of the Withdrawn God,” mining deeper into the piece’s “unvoiced fragments, shards, and utterances.” Other tracks were inspired by recent readings on climate emergency and its “specific implications for Black life, from hurricanes in the Caribbean to mudslides in West Africa.”
Fofana has spoken of his music as part of a “legacy of resistance,” spanning the roots of Detroit techno to the outer reaches of contemporary sound art as championed by his labels, Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Black Studies. His work here vividly embodies that spirit, seven hyper-textural transmissions of rumbling lament, shifting sands, and restless innovation, tracing jagged silhouettes of indeterminate futures: “The instability is worldwide.”
Compiling the follow-up to a very successful first album is always a tricky task, but just 12 months since the release of volume one in the 'With Love' series, miche has excelled himself once again with another glorious, deep dive into the world of rare soul. 15 tracks of independently released music, created by magnificent artists with stories to tell and primed for rediscovery.
The ambition to celebrate under-the-radar artists has remained, but instead of a facsimile of volume one, what we have here is a selection shaped by life changes. Volume two is for the dancers; still soulful, still ultra-rare and slept-on records from the USA, Chile, Brazil and beyond, but the dynamics of the collection have shifted slightly. It represents a move from being immersed in a week in week out environment of beautiful, soulful music in a cosy, dimly lit hi-fi bar to playing livelier, more energetic, dancefloor-focused music in nightclubs. This volume will get you on your feet, make you move and unleash whatever it is that makes you get down.
One of the jewels in the crown of this compilation is a joyous, anthemic gospel version of Stevie Wonder's 'As' by The Family Tree (a project produced by the fantastic Julius Brockington). We are also treated to a rare and sought-after Pennsylvanian funk / AOR bomb by Maxwell, a stunning modern soul tune 'High On You' by Freedom, and self-released Brazilian 45s by Banda 22 and Zé Da Lata. P.J. City's 'Straight Forward (Non-Stop)' is gospel-disco perfection, and we also have 'Dame Solamente Amor’, a sublime, soul beauty from Chile by Rogers Mitchell. Many of these artists featured in this compilation aren't household names, but they deserve their moment to shine, to be heard, loved and appreciated for their artistry.
As Miche says it, “I hope this compilation helps in some way to keep this glorious music alive and play a part in connecting generations of music lovers from the worldwide soul family. As always, it has been made ‘With Love’.”
John Ghost (Ghent, Belgium) is the sextet led by guitarist/composer Jo De Geest. As a group, they draw influences from jazz, rock, and contemporary classical music. Minimalism, electronics, and an overall cinematic quality characterize their instrumental sound. The ensemble's sound can be described as a symbiosis of Hidden Orchestra, Portico Quartet, and James Holden.
After the critically acclaimed “Airships Are Organisms” (4-star reviews in The Guardian and Financial Times, as well as airplay on BBC 6 and Worldwide FM) John Ghost is back with “Thin Air . Mirror Land”, to be released on October 6 via Sdban Ultra, the label of ECHT!, Black Flower, Glass Museum, STUFF. and more.
For this album, they continued their fruitful collaboration with legendary producer Jørgen Træen, known for his work with Jaga Jazzist, Electric Eye, Kaizers Orchestra, and numerous projects on the Hubro Record Label. The result is an album with a slightly more somber tone, focussing on a broader range of instruments and an emphasis on percussive elements."Thin Air . Mirror Land" unfolds as an aesthetic refuge in stormy times. It is a musical urge for introspection in a chaotic reality, and a longing to reconnect with a natural environment.
During the creative process, Jo drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Hans Zimmer, György Ligeti, Magma, The Residents, Disasterpeace, James Holden & The Animal Spirits, Do Make Say Think, William Basinski, and Jóhann Jóhannsson. The album title "Thin Air . Mirror Land" and the song titles are driven by a fascination with the artwork of Edvard Munch. Jo found inspiration in Munch's painting "The Storm" (1893) as a catalyst for the writing process, exploring a dystopian backdrop and the intriguing interplay between comfort and unrest. Heavily inspired by the music, Jaak De Digitale created the gloomy artwork for the album.
Members of the band are Jo De Geest (Endlingr), Rob Banken (Rapidman, HAST), Wim Segers (Compro Oro, PAARD.), Karel Ceulenaere (Black Flower), Lieven Van Pée (Echoes of Zoo, De Beren Gieren) and Elias Devoldere (Nordmann, Elias) who went through a thoughtful studio process, with the result being a conceptual and slightly dystopian atmosphere.
The Sound Of Summer on Acid Jazz - the Humble Souls
sampledelic classic ‘Beads Things & Flowers’ gets its first
outing on a 7-inch single as part of our new Acid Jazz
classics series. A magnificent dance floor classic, ‘Beads
Things & Flowers’ is the result of the creative coming
together of Simon Anniky - previously of Beats International
and Hugh Brooker of the Night Trains and The Hip Joints, an
Acid Jazz fixture since its earliest days. Its seamless blend
of Mod Jazz samples and tight beats is inspirational. The Aside 7-inch was the hit of our ‘Acid Jazz (Not Jazz)’
compilation last year, whilst the vocal version makes its first
ever appearance since its 1991 single release!
You know Krash Slaughta right? The man behind the recent wildly successful DOOM/Sugacubes mash-up LP Sugar-Coated DOOM, not to mention his unofficial remixes of the Wu’s K.R.E.A.M. and P.L.O. Style and collab. 45 with Phill Most Chill, Rebel Base? ‘Is he at it again?’ the monkey hears you ask. Yes, he is at it again, though the closest of the the three aforementioned releases to what he’s about to drop is the Wu remix 45. And what he’s about to drop is Diggin Deeper, not a single this time but a whole remix album of one of his (and the monkey’s!) all-time favourite hip-hop LPs – to wit, Niggamortis – more usually known as Six Feet Deep (especially in the U.S., though minus the best track under that name) by hip-hop supergroup Gravediggaz.
As many will know, this LP with its horror-movie fixated lyrics gave birth to a whole hip-hop sub-genre – that of ‘horrorcore.’ However, none of those who came after seemed to manage the lyrical humour of The RZArector, The Grym Reaper and The Gatekeeper (a.k.a. RZA, Poetic and Frukwan) and the only bit of production by The Undertaker (a.k.a. Prince Paul) that they seemed interested in was the sub-metal rap sludge of the shouty Bang Your Head – i.e. the LP’s one weak spot. But don’t worry, Krash isn’t interested in that sort of thing. Not only does he avoid rap-metal beats for Bang Your Head, he doesn’t use any on the LP at all – hurrah! What he does do is employ, arguably, as eclectic an array of sample sources as Prince Paul on the original – though with an entirely different end result. Bang Your Head with its apparently sixties garage band-derived beat for example is one of the standouts. The skeletal piano skank of 6 Feet Deep is another, while a beat featuring spaced-out eighties synths forms the new musical backdrop to Constant Elevation. Two more of the monkey’s favourites on this one are Here Comes The Gravediggaz, now underpinned by double-bass-led funk and the glorious inappropriately joyous bounce of Blood Brothers. The result? Your favourite cuts on this one might not be the same as your favourite cuts on the original. Two different versions of a much-loved LP, then; it’s why people remix hip-hop. All the vocal stems were created by Krash and the ultimate intention is to do a limited vinyl release. Cover art is by the Dead Residents’ Junior Disprol.
After picking up a camera in 2006 to shoot events at London superclub Fabric, Sarah Ginn started her journey of documenting the dance music scene. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes access at the likes of Fabric, Ultra Festival, Boomtown, Glastonbury, Outlook, Printworks, Creamfields and Hospitality, Sarah captured the sights of UK rave and
dance culture in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
Super Sharp Shooter is a carefully curated selection of over 800 photographs from Sarah’s extensive archives, many never before seen. Spanning drum & bass, dubstep, house and techno, the book showcases festivals, clubs, press shots and record covers, providing an unsurpassed document of electronic music in a colourful celebration of beats and bass.
This deluxe book features artists like Andy C, Skream, Chase & Status, Shy FX, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Goldie, Chemical Brothers, Jon Hopkins, Sub Focus, DJ Zinc, Ben UFO, Craig Richards, Erol Alkan, Miss Kitten, Dusky and many more. Also contained is Sarah’s essay,
The Feedback Loop Theory. A demonstration of how music affects time and energy and makes it a magic entity. Set in colour order to reflect the visible light spectrum, this gorgeous book is a must-have for all music and photography enthusiasts. It has 480 pages in full colour on heavyweight 150 gsm paper. It's available as a book only and as a bundle with an exclusive A2 poster.
“‘I’m looking forward to publishing this book because these actually are my only memories!Research shows that when you take photos it actually affects the way you remember things. So on that note, I hope you all enjoy my crazy spectral journey into sound, the many sights of the rave and everything in between.” - Sarah Ginn
Voted DJ Mag’s Underground Hero in 2022, DJ & producer Lauren Flax has been a fixture in Brooklyn’s electronic scene for two decades. On her latest project Liz & Lauren EP, she teams up with Liz Wight of shoegaze techno duo Pale Blue, whose sultry vocals explore questions of love and isolation to the tune of Detroit house and acidic techno.
Flax and Wight became fast friends in 2021 after being introduced by Pale Blue member & 2MR co-founder Mike Simonetti, who’d enlisted Flax to remix Pale Blue’s “Breathe.” Naturally, when Flax needed a vocalist for some tracks she was working on shortly after, she knew just who to call. “I was in my last year of grad school doing an internship in community mental health helping kids cope with the trauma of the pandemic,” Wight says of the time. She channelled this experience as she wrote and recorded the lyrics to Liz & Lauren EP from her home in Los Angeles.
As a result, the lyrics on Liz & Lauren EP are open-ended musings on connection, isolation, and convention. Lead single “Fix Everything” can be read both as an indictment of the trappings of marriage or, on Flax’s view, a rousing call to action, applicable to issues ranging from the degradation of the environment to the attack on LGBTQ+ rights in America. As the EP progresses, Wight’s airy vocals consider the pitfalls of love, from the destructive power of infatuation to the pain of outgrowing a relationship.
Sonically, Liz & Lauren EP feels like a natural progression from Flax’s first release on 2MR, 2021’s Out Of Reality, which saw her exploring a more minimalist production style for the first time in her work. “I Don’t Want To Hurt You” and “Fix Everything” pulse with bright, dynamic production, while slow burner “Return To Love” takes a sparser approach, anchored by a muted drumbeat and a simple, earworm synth refrain. “I’d Risk It All To Be With You” is a masterful balance of both; it even gets the club treatment on the EP’s closing remix, courtesy of Flax’s friends Mark Archer and Simon Neale (Shadow Child) of MASC.
Liz & Lauren EP is an impassioned collection that showcases both Flax and Wight’s artistry in equal measure. For both artists, it’s a testament to stepping outside the norm (DJing for Flax, performing in Pale Blue for Wight) and collaborating with others, the fruits of which are sure to be felt on the dancefloor for years to come.
With one foot planted in jazz and the other in the township groove of Mbaqanga, saxophonist Sello Mmutung was a powerful crossover figure in the history of popular music in South Africa. Using the stage name Bra Sello, meaning “brother” and used as a term of affection and respect in the jazz community, he came up in the era of shellac 78s as an exponent of the 1960s sax jive sound that brought the swinging rhythm of kwela into the domain of South African jazz. Despite the injection of American rhythm and blues into South African pop in the late-1960s, Bra Sello’s first releases on vinyl on the CBS label saw him backed by the group Abafana Bentuthuko and holding down an unapologetic township sound.
Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularised by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesisers and DJs.
For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent’s output is incomplete without South Africa’s pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection. Afrodelic’s unique edition of Butterfly features a previously unreleased track on Side B.
With one foot planted in jazz and the other in the township groove of Mbaqanga, saxophonist Sello Mmutung was a powerful crossover figure in the history of popular music in South Africa. Using the stage name Bra Sello, meaning “brother” and used as a term of affection and respect in the jazz community, he came up in the era of shellac 78s as an exponent of the 1960s sax jive sound that brought the swinging rhythm of kwela into the domain of South African jazz. Despite the injection of American rhythm and blues into South African pop in the late-1960s, Bra Sello’s first releases on vinyl on the CBS label saw him backed by the group Abafana Bentuthuko and holding down an unapologetic township sound.
Joining the independent Soweto label under producer Cambridge Matiwane in the mid-1970s, Bra Sello recorded two records in the hit-making bump jive style popularised by serious jazz musician Dollar Brand on the one hand and prolific studio group the Movers, operating in funk and soul territory, on the other. Blending modern American and traditional African elements into joyful hip-swinging rhythms, Butterfly (1975) and The Battle of Disco (1977) reflect the vivacity of urban life in South Africa and document an era when dance music was performed by bands as extended jams laced with jaw-dropping solos. With music trends shifting dramatically in the late-1970s, the title of The Battle of Disco was an ironic call to arms in response to the territory that group musicians were beginning to cede to synthesisers and DJs.
For enthusiasts of African music from the 1970s, a full appreciation of the continent’s output is incomplete without South Africa’s pop-jazz sound providing a regional counterpoint to the funk experimentation of West Africa. Reissued for the very first time, Bra Sello returns in 2023 with limited replica editions from Afrodelic using master tape sources from the As-Shams/The Sun collection. Afrodelic’s unique edition of Butterfly features a previously unreleased track on Side B.
Between 2009 and 2013 Kim recorded a bunch of music; in the old tramtransfer at the Kinkerstraat in Amsterdam (now de Foodhallen), in Berlin living in a biodynamic living community in Lichtenberg & in an apartment on the Hoofdweg in Amsterdam, that doubled as a grow-house.
The title ‘Oostwestkruisbest’ is a combination of the sayings ‘oost west thuis best’ and ‘ieder huisje heeft zijn kruistje’. The first translates as ‘home sweet home’, where the second means every home has its own troubles.
‘Infinity hours remaining’ was made during a prolonged period of sleepless nights. ‘Kopievankopie’ features, amongst other things, a guitar Kim borrowed from his sister. It directly translates as ‘copy of copy’. ‘Die Trommel, der Trum’ was made using a Casiotone 701 with a drummer boy in mind. The title is German for ‘the drum, the dream’. ‘Ongecontroleerde Dagrestanten’ was made with an elastic band (a broad one, that in the Netherlands were used by mailmen) and a clarinet without a mouthpiece. ‘Oostwestkruisbest’ features pots and pans from Kim’s kitchen.
Love Love continues the LOVLTD series with a follow up from Bristol based producer Ben Pest. In a similar vein to his previous 12" on Love Love, 'On The Three', it's an all out techno affair with 4 high powered tracks geared for destroying peak-time dancefloors.
DJ support from:
Tariq Ziyad (Life Support Machine), Doc Scott, TMSN, Alland Byallo, Vell (Boiled Wonderland Records), Manfred Reckers, Shcuro, Hassan Abou Alam, Miley Serious, Zoltan Balla, Jensen Interceptor, Luke Sanger, Mumdance, Clouds, Piezo, Elena Rioboo, Jossy Mitsu, Yorobi, Blutch, NVST, Snuffo, Om Unit, Black Cadmium, Kreggo, Prettybwoy, Gene Farris, Timothy Clerkin, Danielle Moore, Sun People, JVK, Mad Miran, Stillhead, Nala, Brown, Monotronique, Syz, Appleblim, SDR, Wes Baggaley, Hrdvsion, Marco Zenker, Hooverian Blur, Roi, Mamiko Motto, Fear E, Giant Swan, Minor Science, Extrawelt, Second Storey, Toshiki Ohta, Hudson Mohawke, Nachtbraker, Mani Festo, Radioactiveman, Formally Unknown
“Mr Pest never ceases to bring the dirt.. Always top notch and 1 step ahead.. :) Proper”
The bright new duo, Marcel Vogel & LYMA, triumphantly returns to Boogie Angst with their sizzling new EP offering, No Time.
Following the recent release of their lead single, Free Time, we're proud to introduce four new, unique tracks to their burgeoning collection of juicy tunes.
Funkiness and abstraction take center stage on this EP. Opening up with the previously released Free Time, featuring filtered vocals and an unconventional structure that blends rich synths with dusty analog stabs and 1990s rave plucks.
The tempo slows down on Easy, a gorgeous song that sounds like a lost Sade demo, featuring subtle beatbox textures, tiny synth plucks, all ending up in a delightful culmination of delayed textures.
Broken Wings begins with a captivating vocal performance, leading to a sturdy Roland bass drum, sustained chords, and resonant arp sequences, with hints of Freestyle.
Flame On creates an almost tropical atmosphere with looping, scattered vocals and an abundance of cowbells. All before the EP closer, You're A Star, rounds things off with clunky basslines, a steady groove and hypnotic pitched vocals.
No Time follows the duo's debut Boogie Angst EP, Games Change, and is a powerful step forward in their young, yet promising catalogue.
A special vinyl edition of No Time will also grace our stores soon.
