Diamond D is back with his 3rd installment of his Diam Piece series, The Diam Piece 3: Initium. Vol. 3 will be broken down into 3 separate parts with Initium being the 1st of 3.
With Diamond on the tracks, Initium boasts features from KRS-One, RJ Payne, Skyzoo, Torae, Bishop Lamont, Sauce Money, Lord Tariq, Fat Man Scoop, Static The Prodigy, Royal Flush, Agallah, David Bars, Inspectah Deck, Shyheim, 38 Spesh, E-A-Ski & Bonecrusher.
Emilia Sisco returns with a stunning new vinyl single, "Your Girl" b/w "Too Late" featuring two captivating tracks written by Sisco herself and performed by the exceptional Cold Diamond & Mink studio band. On the A side, "Your Girl" introduces listeners to a breezy and mellow soul ballad that radiates warmth and optimism. This track showcases Sisco's ability to craft heartfelt lyrics paired with a soothing melody that effortlessly captures the essence of a perfect soul record. Flipping to the B side, "Too Late" offers a more somber and introspective ballad, characterized by its minor key mood. This track continues Sisco's tradition of delivering emotionally resonant music that speaks to the complexities of love and heartache. The subtle yet powerful arrangement by Cold Diamond & Mink provides the perfect backdrop for Sisco's poignant vocals, making it a standout addition to her growing discography on Timmion Records. With these two new songs, Emilia Sisco solidifies her place as a forceful creator in the contemporary soul scene. "Your Girl" and "Too Late" highlight her ability to convey deep emotion through her music and pave the way for more upcoming work together with the Timmion crew. Sisco's voice alone is starting to signify a stamp of quality that makes this record an essential addition to any soul buffs collection.
Two seminal 12" mixes of a pair of Michael Wycoff heavy hitters from 1982. One a two-step favourite and one a Loft classic, these sought-after versions have never been paired on the same record.
Side A features the smooth-gliding anthem "Looking Up To You". The unmistakable snap of that sighing intro is unlike anything else. As such, it's no surprise that Leon Ware, celebrated master of the unexpected chord, has his fingerprints all over the track. Co-written with Zane Grey, "Looking Up To You" stands among the very best of Leon's staggering bank of compositions, both solo and with Michael Jackson, Minnie Riperton and Marvin Gaye. It's such an influential track, serving as the sample foundation of a massive top five R&B hit for Zhane in 1993, but it has never been bettered upon. Original 12" copies - if you can find them - go for over £50 today, making this side worth the price of admission alone.
If that wasn't enough, it's arguable that the B-Side wins again. A staple of David Mancuso's New York Loft parties, the Tee Scott mix of uplifting boogie gem "Diamond Real" is on another level entirely. A DJ legend of infamous clubs Better Days and Zanzibar and a trailblazing innovator, Tee Scott mastered the art of the reconstructive club mix.
For maximum destruction of discerning dancers, we've opted for here for his heavenly dub. 7 minutes of devastatingly slick dance floor dynamite, at once polished and dilapidated, its ecstatic charm is universal.
Devout lovers of modern soul have long worshipped the rapturous, sophisticated funk of Michael Wycoff. In combining that richly elegant voice, redolent of Donny Hathaway, with the production of keyboardist and arranger Webster Lewis, it's no surprise that both of these tracks became vital club classics of the early 80s R&B scene. Clear, full-bodied and bright - the 12" versions of these tracks are notoriously punchier than those featured on Wycoff's LP, and feature boomin' low end and neck-snapping drums. Buy on sight.
Get a taste of everybody's favourite terrestrial with something extra, Jimi Tenor and his fresh brand of galactic balladry with two single versions from his upcoming album on Timmion Records, "Is There Love In Outer Space?". On the A-side, the title track effortlessly merges cosmic synth flourishes with a soulful backbeat, Jimi's smooth vocal and flute stylings, delivering a splendid questioning continuum to Sun Ra's similarly named statement. Flipping to the B-side, the mostly instrumental "Orbiting Telesto" launches us to the outer rings of Saturn with a healthy helping of vintage sci-fi movie soundtrack and library music themes. Accompanied by the down and dirty energy of Cold Diamond & Mink, Jimi's seasoned artistry shines through, showcasing his ability to blend celestial sounds with gritty moondust funk. With these two tracks, Tenor teases our appetite for the two cosmically themed albums in the pipeline for 2024. These songs crafted together with the Timmion crew serve as a testament to Jimi's unique ability to create captivating moods that transcend the usual.
The soulful instrumental mastery of Cold Diamond & Mink takes center stage in this release that versions two essential tracks from their collaboration with the singer Jonny Benavidez. Both songs are lifted from the album My Echo, Shadow and Me that the group recorded together with the golden-voiced Chicano soul brother for New York's Daptone Records. On the A-side, you get to immerse yourself in the enchanting crossover soul beats of "My Echo, Shadow and Me", the instrumental rendition complementing the previous gems by Benavidez and the band on Timmion Records. Flipping the record exposes another soulful groover in "Playing The Fool" that showcases Cold Diamond & Mink's love for iconic `60s and `70s indie soul by groups like The T.S.U. Toronadoes and The Commands. The whole My Echo, Shadow and Me LP is getting an instrumental treatment on Timmion, and this single shows that even without the vocals Jonny Benavidez's strong influences from Texas Chicano soul shine through loud and clear.
One of the prominent growing voices in Timmion Record's roster, singer Emilia Sisco blesses your turntable with another deep soul ballad. Joining hands with Cold Diamond & Mink, Emilia pours a generous helping of deep soul magic into "Let Me In", gliding over the southerntinged beat with melodic grace. It's almost impossible to remain ambivalent to Emilia's talent when the spine-tingling chorus with its clever twists rolls in. The bittersweet love song's timeless feel pours over the listener like the flooding Mississippi, anthemic but understated. Flipping the single, we get to revisit Emilia's previous single "Love Can Carry Me" but this time in instrumental mode, titled as "Way Past Midnight". It's not just a vocal strip down, but this time Cold Diamond & Mink has equipped the track with a jazzy Grant Green styled lead guitar. Tasty. You would have to be a cold-blooded robot not to feel something from this soulful double sider. Forget the dance floors and bedrooms for a minute, these songs are the best fertilizer for your personal mind garden.
One of the prominent growing voices in Timmion Record's roster, singer Emilia Sisco blesses your turntable with another deep soul ballad. Joining hands with Cold Diamond & Mink, Emilia pours a generous helping of deep soul magic into "Let Me In", gliding over the southerntinged beat with melodic grace. It's almost impossible to remain ambivalent to Emilia's talent when the spine-tingling chorus with its clever twists rolls in. The bittersweet love song's timeless feel pours over the listener like the flooding Mississippi, anthemic but understated. Flipping the single, we get to revisit Emilia's previous single "Love Can Carry Me" but this time in instrumental mode, titled as "Way Past Midnight". It's not just a vocal strip down, but this time Cold Diamond & Mink has equipped the track with a jazzy Grant Green styled lead guitar. Tasty. You would have to be a cold-blooded robot not to feel something from this soulful double sider. Forget the dance floors and bedrooms for a minute, these songs are the best fertilizer for your personal mind garden.
Chicago's Black Diamond debuts on We Jazz Records with their new album Furniture Of the Mind Rearranging on 26th July. Co-led by Artie Black and Hunter Diamond (composers, saxophones, and other woodwinds), Black Diamond appears in both quartet and duo formations. The first three album sides present the quartet, complete with long standing band members Matt Ulery (double bass) and Neil Hemphill (drums), under the heading Furniture Of the Mind. The remaining two tracks on side D fall under the title The Mind Rearranging, with Black and Diamond presenting a meditative duo encounter of two tenor saxophones.
Furniture Of the Mind Rearranging is an assemblage of new compositions and improvisations that develop the band's established sound and exemplify the way in which this band folds into the Chicago creative music community. The quartet traverses their familiar aesthetic ranges between driving off-kilter groove, plaintive minimalism, and intimate chamber music, with the everpresent spirit of small-group jazz and a hovering influence of Chicago’s improvised music culture. And while this collection represents three previous
albums and more than a decade of close kinship and artistic evolution between co-leaders Black and Diamond, neither are too precious about any one element on the album. This is very simply the latest work in what continues to be an expanding body work founded on a guiding principle: cultivation without expectation.
The four sides with two formations flow together in a natural way, forming an idiosyncratic musical entity that is sure to grow with each new spin on the turntable.
Sulo Karlsson is probably most well known as the frontman of the long serving Swedish glam boogie rockers Diamond Dogs but he's far more than that. Besides forming bands with UK guitar legend Chris Spedding (The Piggyback Riders) and former members from
The Clash and Sham 69 (The Crunch) he has been releasing numerous of solo albums and collaborated with artists such as Paul Young, Maria Mckee, Terry Reid, Janis Ian etc.
A well-kept secret and a lost pearl in the collection have been his first ever solo album "Rough Diamonds" that came out in a limited edition in 2003 and since the been out of stock for a long time and never released on vinyl or as download. Until now!
The complete debut including 13 tracks recorded between 1997-1999 at the legendary Sunlight studio and produced by Tomas Skogsberg (Hellacopters/Backyard Babies etc) will now be re-released together with an extra album of 12 never before released tracks. With guest like Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters), Dregen (Hellacopters) and his old band mate Boba among others "Rough Diamond" is a distorted display of Punky glam numbers that really points out the future for Sulo's career.
There are certain occasions when you can truly feel the stars align. One of these is when the interstellar voyager of cosmic soul Jimi Tenor finally lands his spaceship at full force on a Timmion recording. In 2024, he will be serving us two spaced out album sessions recorded together with Cold Diamond & Mink. Jimi is no stranger in these space ways as he has operated behind the Timmion scenes for years, furnishing several of the label's artists with his flute and reeds artistry. The first album out is titled "Is There Love In Outer Space?", which begs the question with the force of five extended tracks that are guaranteed to blow your mind to the stratosphere. The pieces are loaded with whooshing and glistening synth noises and span from lofi space funk to cinematic soundscapes. The sweetly floating title track is like some of those galactic ballads that rare soul collectors are spending their pensions on. At the other side of the spectrum, album closer `What Are You Doing?' sounds like Sun Ra sat down at a JBs session, and is straight up meant to get that booty moving. Combined with the raw soul prowess of CD&M, Jimi is able to refine new shades from his already impressive repertoire of talent. Even if you are a friend of his previous work you might not have heard him get down quite like this.
Get a taste of everybody's favourite terrestrial with something extra, Jimi Tenor and his fresh brand of galactic balladry with two single versions from his upcoming album on Timmion Records, "Is There Love In Outer Space?". On the A-side, the title track effortlessly merges cosmic synth flourishes with a soulful backbeat, Jimi's smooth vocal and flute stylings, delivering a splendid questioning continuum to Sun Ra's similarly named statement. Flipping to the B-side, the mostly instrumental "Orbiting Telesto" launches us to the outer rings of Saturn with a healthy helping of vintage sci-fi movie soundtrack and library music themes. Accompanied by the down and dirty energy of Cold Diamond & Mink, Jimi's seasoned artistry shines through, showcasing his ability to blend celestial sounds with gritty moondust funk. With these two tracks, Tenor teases our appetite for the two cosmically themed albums in the pipeline for 2024. These songs crafted together with the Timmion crew serve as a testament to Jimi's unique ability to create captivating moods that transcend the usual.
