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This 3 track EP comes out of Ibiza Record's vault called Archives Vol 6. Each of these tracks represents hardcore and the merging of jungle breaks in the early developments of Jungle musik from the early 90s.

A.DOWN WITH YOU - This track produced by Two On A Tip was made back in 1993-94 and was never released on Ibiza Records back then. The sic intro with the RnB n Ragga samples with stretched vocals alongside synthesized piano stabs merged with some wicked Jungle patterns giving a groovy feel.

AA. WALK ON BY - This unreleased track made in 1993-94 produced by 2 On A Tip on the label has a sic synthesized piano stabs intro n rolls into a wicked set of rolling drum n Jungle patterns. Wicked instrumental showcasing how versatile Jungle musik was becoming way back then.

AAA. KEEP SKANKING - This track produced in 1993-94 by 2 On a Tip has a classic reggae sample n stretched vocals sitting over the drum n jungle patterns with rhythmic high hats stabbing through.
Giving that jungle essence with the heavyweight basslines that connect straight to the core.

Gigantic producer/DJ from Scotland, Creep Woland, lands back on the Astral Black heli-pad with his 'Chamberlain' EP. Four blistering breaks-led, club ready, jungle tracks intended as an ode to the rolling bass and rainy days that raised him. Picking up near enough where his Close Reading debut left off, Chamberlain sees a more refined and honed execution of the hard hitting electronica Woland has become known for.

Informed by the experience of playing to dance-floors, as well as educational journeys down to London for radio sets, these new tracks are fine tuned and bass heavy - perfect for existential club experiences or the driving of sports vehicles. The subdued intrigue of EP opener 'Imposter Syndrome' sets the mystical and reflective tone of the record, while down the line junglist anthems 'Medieval Draw' and '0800-Falkirk Triangle' call for slow motion gun finger. Written at a time of personal hardship and mastery of oneself, the hopeful promise of closer 'Lord Chamberlain' acts as a sonic representation of the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of this particular time in Woland's life.

Recently, Chamberlain EP's 'Imposter Syndrome' has been receiving early radio support from Rinse FM's Jossy Mitsu & Impey on NTS, whilst his debut release Close Reading received radio support from the likes of Josey Rebelle (in her award-winning Essential Mix), Om-Unit and JD. Reid as well as critical acclaim from FACT, CLASH & Hyponik. In addition to its various accolades, Close Reading also lead to Woland being handpicked by Lanark Artefax as the opening act for his 'Enter The Gateway' performance, and has since performed alongside the likes of Om-Unit, Proc Fiskal, DJ Storm and more.

"BRUK" is a new platform for fresh variations on the soundsystem ethic, in particular where high-end sound design intersects with formidable bassweight. It's an artist-focused endeavour geared towards producers with range, depth and ingenuity in their sound.

The first transmission comes from "FFT", the latest alias from accomplished producer Josh Thompson. Thompson established the Super Hexagon label with long time friends J. Wiltshire and Arthur Scott-Geddes and he's also released on heritage label R&S (as Alma Construct) and the excellent offbeat techno upstarts Power Vacuum, and more recently developed the FFT moniker via essential drops on The Trilogy Tapes as well as Super Hexagon.Thompson helps launch BRUK with a two-pronged attack that shows off the breadth of his artistic scope.

The lead 12" is a dynamic club release that pivots between razor-sharp drum programming, hyphy synth acrobatics, breakbeat science and dub-loaded atmospheres. If there's one constant that runs through all Thompson's work, it's a resounding confidence with melody, and that comes through even in the rowdy chops of "Month" – a track that exudes hope even in its gnarliest bars. From the dreadweight minimalism of "Fask" to the expansive electronica shock out of "Sacrifice (The Truth Mix)", this is a head-twisting release that feeds into the vital new energyreverberating around the 150+ axis.

Accompanying that 12" is a cassette album which provides that polar opposite side to FFT – a collection of compelling beatless ruminations under the banner of Total Self-Fulfilment. Gliding from low frequency industrial textures to expressive synth modulation, this is far from static music, even as it moves without the aid of a traditional rhythm section.

It's a strong first chapter for BRUK, with future releases lined up from artists similarly poking at the fabric of contemporary club music to find their own unique spaces for expression.

Part I (Disc 1)

The Taiwanese artist Yutie Lee covers six Chinese folk songs about Flowers.
Tuberosa, Rose, Jasmine, Plum Blossom, Orchids & Chamomile all are odes to the beauty of the plant. The flower also being a metaphor for something we are desperately longing for, but can never quite get. However you may want to interpret the songs, they are all telling a story of something pure and indestructible. In the end nature will prevail?
Romantic thoughts created in a time long before the current state of the world.
By artificially mutating her voice, Yutie Lee successfully manages to transfer the songs into 2020s arguably much more complex, dystopian reality. She does this not without a bow to the past, prevailing something of the original songs sweet essence, even adding a layer of humour… in the end leaving the listener with a feeling of good hope.

Part II (Disc 2-3)

To complete the package Yutie Lee’s versions have been remixed by, Alva Noto, Bell Towers, Laura Groves, Oceanic and Suzanne Kraft.

Eklo is starting 2020 with a new record from the owner Seuil, it will be released in 2 volumes, some lost unreleased tracks put together to build this 2 parts. Here is the first one, 4 tracker, Breaks, Acid, Deep , D3 Vibe, a panel of what he likes as a Dj, great for the floor. Essential 12”

Music With Soul returns with another genre-defying instant classic, expanding the limits of the Tropical Dance music universe.

Staying true to the label's essence, founder Alex Figueira places a high bet with this new release, introducing a brand new breed of traditional “Hindoestan” (Indian diaspora in Surinam) music and Cumbia. Taking the music of underground Surinam musician and empresario A. Bechan for an explorative excursion into the depths of the Colombian caribbean coast, this explosive combination raises the bar unquestionably. Equally weird, groovy and trippy, this 45 will turn any party upside down, regardless of any factors. The only problem you will encounter is what to play after. The solution is right on the other side. Just flip the record and give them the Instrumental version, featuring electric guitar, an alternative percussion set up and the beloved classic Juno-60 synthesizer in the leading role for another 4 minutes of dancefloor catharsis.

Something is stirring in downtown Tucson. That's no great surprise perhaps: Calexico have been sending out missives from the desert for 20 years now, Giant Sand for even longer than that, and the Green on Red revival is surely overdue. Let us remind ourselves that this isn't a big city in the American sense, but that its hinterland is indeed as big as it gets. For an hour south, Mexico starts. And this is where things get interesting.

Born in Nogales, Arizona, raised in Nogales, Sonora, multi-instrumentalist and band-leader Sergio Mendoza grew up listening to the Mexican regional styles jostling for headspace in a young, music-mad mind - cumbia mainly, but mambo, rancheras and mariachi too. The border is always a fierce arena of exchange, both commercial and cultural, and so there was American music too. At one point 'rock and roll, the classics', as Mendoza himself deadpans, seemed to win out and he stopped playing those 'Latin styles' for a good decade and a half.

The return to those sounds was a strong one in 2012's Mambo Mexicano, co-produced by Mendoza and Joey Burns of Calexico - a band for which Mendoza has become an increasingly integral touring and recording member. While that record had a studied air, tentative in parts (as befits the renewal of an old love affair), ¡Vamos A Guarachar! is another beast entirely: by turns raucous ('Cumbia Volcadora', featuring Mexican electronic pioneer Camilo Lara), tender ('Misterio', surely Salvador Duran's finest moment with the band so far) and plain serious fun, as in 'Contra La Marea' and 'Mapache', it also bears a robust electronic edge, a keen pop sensibility and all the hallmarks of Mendoza's love of 60s rock, with the closing track, 'Shadows of the Mind', sure to be included if anyone decides to update the Nuggets collection for the 21st century. This is roundabout way of saying that it appears to have everything, but never too much of anything. Focused, fierce and beautifully executed by a superbly drilled set of musicians, it is a record that fully matches the band's explosive live performances.

You could, of course, take the trip to Tucson yourself, to the home of this essential set of field recordings. The scene hangs out together, so ... if the stars align and their frantic tour schedules permit, you might see any number of folks from Calexico, Giant Sand or up-and-coming cumbia rockers Xixa deep in conversation somewhere in town with a quiet young man in black. That's Sergio. Right now, in this endless game of Tucson tag, Orkesta Mendoza are IT.

The Garden is another timelessly classic album from a seminal electronic band and an essential soundtrack to any laidback listening.

NORTHERN SOUL ESSENTIALS!!! 2020 finally sees the long-awaited follow-up to the mega-succesful Frank Wilson 45 in our ‘Soul Essentials’ series. And they don’t come more “essential” than The Tempests “Someday”. What a fabulous record and a top notch dancer to boot! For many, “Someday” is the Northern Soul sound of the millenium, and it is! But we have to go much further back in time to find it’s roots on the scene. Back another twenty years in fact, back to the eighties to the “discovery-city” of Stafford where it was first played to an astonished and eager audience. It was originally released as an LP-only track on the album ‘Would You Believe’ on Smash Records in 1967. And what an incredible album it is offering up a number of potential B-sides for our single: the title track, plus a very credible rendition of “Ain’t No Big Thing”, “Happiness”, “I Cried For You” and “What You Gonna Do” – all totally fantastic. But, we went with the stunningly sublime and pleading “I Don’t Want To Lose Her” dripping in tortured emotion that sends shivers across the dance floor! The Tempests were originally an all-white 10-piece outfit formed in the early-Sixties in Charlotte, North Carolina. They went through a number of personel changes over the years but by the time they signed to the Mercury owned ‘Smash’ label their unique sound featured black vocalist, Hazel Martin. It is Martin’s implouringy desperate delivery that resonated instantly with the Northern Soul scene propelling the band to iconic status. Now, over fifty years on, the two standout tracks from the album are available back-to-back for the very first time! Also available the No.1 oldie “Do I Love You” by Frank Wilson.

Rio meets Romford on Forest Law’s EP, the Essex-raised, London-based artist’s debut on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label. He was first discovered through Future Bubblers, Peterson’s programme for new and unsigned artists, and this release is an assured introduction to the singer and multi-instrumentalist’s tight, groove-driven sound.

The EP features Esa Williams (Soundway, Rush Hour) on the berimbau on ‘Keep an Eye Out’, his mentor through Future Bubblers and bandmate in Esa’s Afro-Synth Band.

A bright, Brazilian-tinted sensibility runs through every track which Forest Law creates. From Hornchurch, Essex, and now based in London, he makes warm, eclectic compositions in his garden shed. He takes groove as his driving force, building outwards in kaleidoscopic directions.

Two essential and eternal classics from New York Hammond legend Larry Young with vocals by the talented Linda "Tequila" Logan.

Rare groove standard "Turn of the Lights" I would hope needs no introduction, I well known album track that does actually exist on a rare promo arista 45 but it is HARD to find and goes for around $250+ when it turns up once in a blue moon (probably more now people know it exists).On the flip Linda's amazing free vocal on "Fuel for the Fire" is cut on 45 for the first time, one of those out there records you play on a good night when people are feeling open and it all comes together. I have spun both these records for over 20 years and no format surpasses the cut done here by Timmion Lab from the new Sony masters, I'm very happy I don't have to break out the album tracks any more.

Larry died in 1978 from untreated pneumonia and Linda disappeared from music apart from a few writing credits on 90s pop artist Betty Boo's tracks. If you love that voice be sure to check out her great vocal on Tony Williams Lifetime track 'You Make It Easy', great folky Jazz.

Titonton Duvante's long and more than essential Residual Recordings clocks up a fantastic 25th release in the form of a fifth volume of the famous Refraction series. This one draws on another masterful mix of names including Nachtbraker, Christopher Rau, Titonton himself as well as a rare killer outing from veteran S-Max. Reaching a milestone in style...

Nachtbraker opens the EP with a swirling house cut that is riddled with FM bass, twinkling keys and balmy pads that reach for the heavens. Christopher Rau goes for a more raved up house cut with feel good energy chords but a nice deep bassline and pensive synths on his Give It. Titonton does as he does best - keeps it deep, loopy yet driven, with a slick tech cut that is dubbed out and perfectly atmospheric as well as being hugely infectious. Last of all, S-Max comes correct with the slick boom bap of his stripped back house roller Lil' Lightyear Wants to Ride, with its dreamy pads and sci-fi feels.

Residual is by now, and for many years been a key label for lovers of tasteful house, as this latest collection proves they are showing no signs of slowing down.

Massaroni Record (MSR) was born with the collaboration between the distributor Ermanno Massaroni and the disc jockey Roberto Onofri, who was also a radio and television presenter. "Let's Go Out" captures the essence of the very first Italo-Disco in its most genuine and melodic form where it's not easy to understand the vocal part but this gives to the song a certain ambiguity and a rare case in which the vocoder is fine. In addition to original, radio and the essential instrumental version there is a well structured and strong M.B. Roller Disco Edit by Massimo Berardi (former Harlem Hustlers) useful to give greater balance to the entire release.

In October 2018 DJ Rocca and Almunia member Leo Ceccanti joined forces to deliver “Rhythm Collision”, a three-track EP of jangling, sun-kissed grooves, psychedelic dub disco and Afro-Cosmic flavours on Really Swing. 18 months on, one of that set’s standout cuts has been given a new lease of life courtesy of fellow Italian producer Alessandro Pasini AKA Deep 88. Since making his debut a decade ago, Pasini has earned a reputation as one of house music’s understated heroes – an artist whose hardware driven, retro-futurist take on deep house tends towards the timeless, melodic and atmospheric. With a deep love of turn-of-the-90s dream house, Larry Heard productions and sun-baked chords, his dancefloor-focused productions have often been called Balearic.

It’s perhaps fitting then that his reworks of Rocca and Cecanti’s “Ever Changing Bubbles” are as Balearic as they come. His “Balearic Mix” sets the tone, with Pasini layering trippy, dubbed-out and ear-catching elements – Ceccanti’s eyes-closed electric guitar solos, jangling acoustic guitar chords, warm dub disco bass, echoing spoken word samples, fluttering flute solos, drowsy organ motifs and the pair’s delay-heavy vocals – atop a crunchy, head-nodding, live style beat. While it deviates from the duo’s original version, it inhabits a similar sonic space – albeit in a more dancefloor-friendly way. Pasini excels himself on the accompanying “Balearic Dub”, stripping the cut back to its raw essentials – drums, metronomic bass –while toughening up the percussion and adding delay-laden instrumental snippets. It’s warm, woozy and otherworldly, with echoing voices, tactile musical motifs and restless delay trails combining to create a suitably hazy and intoxicating mood. By the time the touchy-feely flute and acoustic guitars begin to dance across the sound space, you’ll be lost in the groove and too happy to notice.

Nina Simone was an exceptional artist. She was gifted with a precocious talent and she played music at home and in church. Nina originally counted on becoming the first black female classical pianist ; her plans were thwarted and that frustration no doubt permeated almost her entire career. Yet she became a diva capable of combining the jazz world with those of the classics and soul, and among other titles she recorded are some of the most vibrant and moving performances of Wild is the Wind or You Can Have Him, I don’t Want Him.

She was one of the greatest artists of her time, and her fervour and rigorous demands concerning the quality of her music took her to the highest summits, whether in her compositions or in her vocal and piano performances. For all that, she never forgot her condition as a black woman in the America of the Sixties, and her active commitment to defending the rights of the black minority was exemplary - and at times even excessive, for which she was often reproached.

She has left us some of the most beautiful chapters in jazz and soul music, among them the 23 titles that appear in this album.

What can be said about this monstrous Disco Funk extravaganza from 1982? Well, plenty actually... the only entry in the mighty Prelude back catalogue from Michael Wilson, 'Groove It To Your Body' is what this music is all about, a proper dance record, drenched in the funk, a groove that just doesn't stop.

The A-side is incredible, but it's really the b-side dub mix that steals the show. Francois Kevorkian, who was Prelude's A&R man at the time, mans the desk on both mixes, but for a truly stellar work-out the dub flips all of the essential ingredients into a stew of rumbling synth and tape feedback and deep space delay and echo.

This mix could be seen as the template of what was to come, and is an all-out dancefloor wrecker. Try it! It doesn't get any better than this.

A Disco essential. 2nd hand copies of this nugget go for serious wedge these days, now's your chance to snag an *official* licensed reissue from Prelude direct. All totally Above Board! Do it!

Apparel Music is the platform, Chevals the protagonist, vinyl the material, end of March 2020 is the period of time decided for the landing of the Frenchman’s first solo body of work for the “lovers dogs” label. “Be Yourself” is the title of the four tracks EP by the artist which, by the headline itself, sounds like a declaration of intentions, an acknowledgement of his qualities as a producer, shaping up four different aspects of his creative attitude in a remarkable musical effort. The EP takes off with the title track which is a perfect display of Cheval’s capabilities when it comes to the art of developing intersecting harmonies and melodies, setting up the perfect ground for a smooth vocal line that keeps on repeating the concept in a hypnotic loop: “just be yourself”! With “Keep On” the Bpm increases to design a beat driven track that winks to northern European rhythmics in an apotheosis of upbeat acid lines, a vibey overlapping of loops we advise against light-sleepers! Side B starts with a more rhythmically classic composition called “Good Good” which is also the last of the three original tracks; here the strings section mashes up with the vocals, as usual expertly crafted by Chevals and again some hints of acid bass line to form a proper dance floor hit. B2 is dedicated to Madcat’s remix of “Good Good”, where the French producer explains his point of view with a more funky oriented version of the track but keeping the essential parts intact. Impossible not to be excited by this EP by the Parisian producer who finally slams his fist on the table in what is his best musical statement so far. Bare with us until the end of March to listen to this pearl.

Setting the tone with the first release on Lossless in the new year 2020 is co-owner and omnitalented Mathias Schober.
Mathias is opening LL1222 with the title track „The Fall“ on which he invited Jas of the duo Atelier for a vocal appearance showing a new side of his unique voice.
The sparse instrumentation of the the track, built around handclap rhythms, creates the perfect fundament for the vocal highlights. Additional snare drum and synth hits will do the rest to make you move.
Second track of the EP, “Will Make A Difference” sure does make a difference. It’s a 4/4 not 4/4 kinda track with an ever growing huge synth sound that takes you all the way to the middle part where it bursts into emptiness leaving space for some fierce
bass tones. The track has a certain pop-appeal to it but doesn’t at the same time. This doesn’t make sense at all? Just give it a listen and you’ll know. The third and final track is an instrumental version of “The Fall”. A simple reduction.
The essence of beautifully crafted rhythms and synth atmospheres. It simply feels right.

Unreleased album from 1981, a collaborative project by David Behrman, Paul DeMarinis, Fern Friedman, Terri Hanlon and Anne Klingensmith recorded at Mills College in 1981.

Previously known only to cognoscenti through an obscure self-released three-track 7”, this is the first publication of the complete album, an outrageous confection that mixes art-song and theatrical monologue with live electronics. Starting life as a performance art piece described by the artists as ‘Western Performance Noir’, the record centres on a series of texts written by Friedman and Hanlon in which female narrators comically embody a series of iconic roles (The Recording Artist, The Former Movie Star, and The Rancher). Other lyrical themes include recurring references to the notorious cannibal pioneers, the Donner Party, an ironic take on Japanophilia, and the luscious “Archetypal Unitized Seminar,” a satirical poke at self-help culture, whose lyrics are rendered in Indian raga style to the accompaniment of electronic glissandi and toy noisemakers. Delivered by Friedman, Hanlon, Klingensmith and special guest Maggi Payne in forms ranging from spoken monologue to Country & Western waltz, the texts are accompanied by instrumental and electronic contributions by Behrman and DeMarinis. Musically, She’s More Wild is truly unique, demonstrating these two pioneers of live-electronic performance adapting their signature processes to something approaching a ‘pop’ format: we hear the gliding, frequency-sensitive electronics familiar from Behrman’s classic On the Other Ocean and the mutant hacked Speak n’ Spell heard on DeMarinis’ Songs Without Throats propelled by drum machines and twisted into song forms. Perhaps comparable only to the David Rosenboom and Jacqueline Humbert’s contemporaneous Daytime Viewing in its interweaving of performance art tactics, high-tech electronics and pop sensibilities, She’s More Wild is an essential document, both immediately gratifying and ultimately thought provoking.

Max Graef and Julius Conrad are Ratgrave. ‘Rock’ is their
second album - ongoing transmissions of Electronic PFusion from Earth. It follows a stellar debut on Funkineven’s imprint Apron. The duo’s sound palette draws inspiration from 80's funk, soul, rock and electronic but through a contemporary lens from two versatile multiinstrumentalists.

 In their own words: “Rock is the essence of energy and
vibration we felt in different styles of music, almost like a
parallel component connecting all things we like. In the
process of recording the new album we kept coming back
to this essence no matter what style the original idea was.
There was the raw and brutal energy of Jazz-Rock, a lot of
video game influences that somehow adhered this essence
just as well as quieter Pop and Psychedelic passages that
we recorded. Among other things we absorbed a lot of
heavy music during the time of the recording like Blue
Cheer, Black Sabbath, Frank Zappa or Jimi Hendrix and
realized while writing our own music how much impact
they had even on quieter songs. This is why ‘Rock’ felt like
the perfect title although the music ranges from P-Funk
and Spiritual Jazz to various styles of Pop and beyond.”

 Max Graef has previously collaborated with Glenn Astro on
records for Ninja Tune and both artists have previously
released on Tartelet.

 This marks the fourth official album on Black Focus, a
London label founded by Kamaal Williams.

 4pp digipack. 180g vinyl LP in reverse board printed sleeve
with 3mm spine and digital download card.

12". LP pressed on 140g Vinyl.
Stealth Mission returns for it's fourth drop with four tracks of red-raw cuts from Postbhuman, Naked Eye People, HVL pres. Kiyadama and Do the Du. Also fearturing a Ben Sims edit, this is essential dancefloor weaponry.

Kareem Cali & LaRosa link up for a debut EP on Sidney Charles's hard hitting Heavy House Society this March, while groove master Nick Beringer serves up a superb remix.

Kareem Cali & LaRosa have linked many times before on originals and remixes that have helped define the house agenda in recent years. They have a laid back but warm style that is functional but full of subtle detail and studio charm.

Opener B21 is a brilliantly off-kilter tune with warped synths and tripped out details all making it perfect after party fodder. The drums are driving underneath it all, so will be irresistible to the floor. Over Ground is more stripped back but just as punchy, with rubbery kick drums and squelchy synths making for a hugely dynamic groove that is infectious and restless.

Rubisco label owner Nick Beringer then steps up after establishing himself as a real underground talent thanks to cult EPs on the likes of Raum, Berg and Taverna Tracks. His version is perfectly hazy and dazed. The balmy pads swirl around like a warm wind, the hi hats are delicate as they spin above the kinetic kicks, and the whole thing oozes warmth and class.

This is another essential EP from this already standout label.

This is an essential part of the legacy of the White Stripes!

This LP resonates with the label on many levels. The originals, true to
LUMs sound and nature display his inner world, "LUM is above all a
spiritual encounter, a ritual séance for the acquisition of one’s essence, a ceremony...". Well rounded and truly individual are the remixes that complete the release. SIS, a tech house hero with many hits behind his back, delivers a signature dancefloor pleaser. Julio, debuts with a heavier darker take on the original. Ohm Hourani, hailing from Montreal take the original under his analog wings and delivers two live jam versions set as vinyl and digital only respectively.

Tripeo collaborates with fellow Dutch artist Cadans on his self-titled imprint with three original cuts entitled ‘Non Perfect Drone Replication’.

Over the years, Darko Esser aka Tripeo has become a truly respected figure within the techno world. Widely known for helming his acclaimed Wolfskuil Records, BALANS and self-titled label where he’s released an array of his own impressive productions, Darko continues to edge out a corner of the techno sphere through a regular gig and release schedule that’s been of consistent quality for over 20 years. ‘Non Perfect Drone Replication’ marks Tripeo’s first release of the new decade seeing him link up with Dutch producer Cadans who has releases on Clone, Neighbourhood and Hardgroove (when not producing drum and bass as Icicle).

‘Drone’ begins with tense atmospheres and haunting leads underneath the humming percussion and oscillating synths that surge as the track progresses before ‘Non PC’ employs energetic rhythms underneath wavering modulations and spectral tones that keeps this peak-time cut enticing through till the end. To finish, ‘Perfect Replication’ offers up an electro cut that’s peppered with a nostalgic yet modern feel through breaky grooves, alleviating pads and stabbing tones.

The compilation "Celestial Birds" reveals and focuses on the widely unkown electronic compositions of the AACM founder and jazz pianist MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS. #5 in the Perihel Series, curated by zeitkratzer director REINHOLD FRIEDL.

Anybody interested in jazz knows that Chicago has always been an impressive hot spot for new talents – and still is. One essential landmark in the history and development of jazz was the founding of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) in May 1965. This non-profit organization was a melting pot (and starting point) for artists like ANTHONY BRAXTON, ROSCOE MITCHELL, GEORGE LEWIS or LESTER BOWIE and his ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO but one of its actual founding members is known only to the deep connaisseurs: MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS (1930 – 2017).
The autodidact pianist and composer left music school and university, deciding to learn music by himself.

From 1961 on, the EXPERIMENTAL BAND was his first ensemble, but it soon turned out that ABRAMS' interests went beyond jazz and that he was open to the avant-garde and new music and most of all: electronic music. Which led to a double problem: On the one hand, black musicians had almost no access to the rare electronic music studios located in and funded by universities or broadcasting corporations. On the other hand, there were strong reservations regarding electronic music in the black music community.

In his important book "A Power Stranger Than Itself – The AACM and American Experimental Music" GEORGE LEWIS writes that "the use of electronics … proved controversial and widely misunderstood in a world of jazz in which acoustic instruments became conflated with musical, and eventually, cultural and even racial authenticity." ABRAMS' response was to actually "hide" his electronic pieces on the B-sides of his albums, and this compilation focuses on some of his best electronic experiments: the 22-minute long epic "The Bird Song" from 1968 in its original version incl. the reverb that was removed on the later CD reissue on DELMARK, the synthesizer compositions "Conversations With The Three Of Me" (1989) and "Think All, Focus One"1995) plus " Spihumonesty" (1980) with a 2nd synthesizer played by GEORGE LEWIS and YOUSEF YANCEY on theremin.

"Celestial Birds" casts a new light on the underrated experimenter MUHAL RICHARD ABRAMS, his innovative approach to composition and pieces that lay dormant for way too long!

The first Be With foray into the archives of revered German library institution Selected Sound is one of our favourites on the label - the super in-demand Japan from Victor Cavini, originally released in 1983.

Rare and sought-after for many years now, this is one of those cult library LPs that never turn up. With Daibutsu the giant Buddha of Kamakura’s presence gracing the hefty front cover, this is a record bursting with dope samples for adventurous producers: it’s koto-funk madness!

Victor Cavini was the library music pseudonym of prolific German composer and musician Gerhard Trede. He was known for exploring instruments and styles from around the world (he played over 50 different instruments himself) and Japan is
his collection of 14 musical sketches painted with traditional Japanese wind and string instruments. These are the sounds of traditional Japanese folk music re-interpreted through Western ears, with the occassional contemporary twist. Contemporary for 1983, of course.

These “Pictures of Japan” are hypnotic, sometimes frantic, but always beautiful. The first twelve tracks offer airy explorations of koto and flute, with other strings and percussion being added and then given their own space. Indeed “Pictures of Japan XII” is just drums.

And then “Pictures of Japan XIII” seems to come out of nowhere. But the subtle sleaze of its full band sound still doesn’t quite prepare you for the towering climax of “Pictures of Japan XIV”.

This is Japan’s undoubted standout piece, completely and wonderfully at odds with the rest of the album. It’s the reason this has become such a must-have record. It keeps the traditional Japanese instruments but combines them with shuffling funk breaks, electric bass high in the mix and a Godzilla-sized psychedelic fuzz guitar sound that might actually be a traditional reed flute pushed to its limits. Whatever it is, it sounds awesome.

Recalling both Rino de Filippi’s Oriente Oggi and Giancarlo Barigozzi’s Oriente, the track’s a real head-nod groove for b-boys and b-girls alike that sounds straight out of a late 70s Yakuza film. Indeed, if you were told The RZA or Onra had cooked this up in the lab this century, you’d be convinced. It’s crazy that this dates from 1983.

The audio for Japan has been sensitively remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis to keep all the character of the original recordings. Richard Robinson has handled the careful restoration of the original Selected Sound sleeve. Essential.

For years, Rhythm Buro and Zadig have maintained a special relationship. The French DJ and producer (real name Sylvain Peltier,) became involved with the Ukrainian institution when he headlined their first party in Kyiv back in 2014. In the few years since, both Sylvain and Rhythm Buro have developed into strong international brands that have become well-known and trusted. They are thus ready to present another form of collaboration: Zadig's debut record on the Kyiv-based label. "Takara-machi" EP is the sixth release in Rhythm Buro's catalogue, following previous releases by Haze, Na Nich, Cyspe and a few VAs on the imprint.

RB006 is particularly notable for its sonic diversity. Zadig, often known for his uncompromising and hard-hitting techno ventures, explores a deeper musical side here, and delves into his wide range of influences and inspirations. A good example of this is found in the manga series "Amer Beton", with the excellent soundtrack by Plaid, hence the Japanese name for the record's title track. At least three of the six tracks on the record follow this influence precisely and are rather cinematic: these are A and B sides' closing tracks; "Shores of Sorrow" and "Kuro & Shiro". Both of which play to a certain dreamy ambient field. The title track on B2 exemplifies Zadig's passion towards an old-school 100 bpm-ish tempo.

And then there's the more dancey side of the record. The EP's opener, "No-face" on A1, and its following tune on A2, "What We Become" are both a clear take, albeit more modern, to classic Detroit techno. Rich with melodies and 909 patterns, both A1 and A2 are conscious in their reference to Detroit, and pay homage to the master minds that spawned the genre in their studios 30 years ago and started it all. The B-side's opening track is another dance floor friendly stomper, although in a different way: "A World of Children" may be best labelled as "slower-electro". Its synth-heavy, almost naive essence, describe its name perfectly.

Despite its aforementioned diversity of sound and tempos, Zadig's "Takara-machi" EP still possesses and maintains a unique commonality and voice across the spectrum. It is dreamy, it is soulful, it puts substance over form. In other words, it has something the vast majority of today's techno palette is missing. Rhythm Buro doesn't miss the mark in unearthing and releasing pure quality for those who know and care.

Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba’s double-bill Lesotho concert was a daring, defiant and ultimately dazzling act. For the first time since its limited release in South Africa in 1981, Matsuli Music is proud to re-issue this gem of a pan-African, funk-infused, extended audio double album with unpublished photographs and new liner notes from Atiyyah Khan. The Christmas-weekend stadium-filled concert deeply challenged and disturbed South Africa’s apartheid regime. Makeba and Masekela were banned from entering South Africa, yet tens of thousands of their South African fans invaded Lesotho to party with their musical heroes. Live in Lesotho documents an inspired Hugh Masekela and his stellar New York band putting a new spin on crowd favourites. Another South African jazz gem from Matsuli Music’s growing catalogue of essential high-quality reissues. For an artist as prolific and famous as Hugh Masekela, it is a real surprise that this particular recording took so long to resurface.

WE JAZZ RECORDS presents ' Pu: ', the boundary-breaking solo debut of bass player Ville Herrala, to be released on 21 February 2020. Utilising only the double bass but looking at the instrument from various different perspectives. The end result is an inspired set of 14 miniatures, each pushing the concept forward in a highly personal way.

The first single "Pu: 12" presents a rhythmic approach with echoes of from the world of minimal classical music and electronic music. Bowed tracks such as "Pu: 2" offer another perspective, as does the second single "Pu: 10", going back to the essence of the instrument and opening new doors while doing so. Each of the tracks is a compact musical adventure unto it's own.

Ville Herrala (b. 1979) is one of the most higly-regarded bass players working in the Finnish scene. He's known from the ranks of such top ensembles as PLOP, Jukka Perko Jazztet, U-Street All Stars, Jukka Eskola Orquesta Bossa and UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, to name but a few.

2x12" 180 grams / white vinyl

"The universe,
purity, simplicity and deceits,
profundity, solitude and hardness.
A brilliant yet dark setting.

A place of fleeting ephemeral encounters, real and intense nonetheless, where the forces sustaining it all are neither dark matter nor dark energy, but rather the outcome of the explosion of infinite ancestral love between the creation and its creator, in an era where one was still everything.

Gravity Darkening is an astronomic phenomenon, in which the light emanating from a star is distorted to the eyes of the beholder. A bridge of playful mirrors between reality and its perception in a binary code world, where man can dream unconditionally when reflecting himself in the absence of light.

This album is an expression of the allegorical essence of my lived experience and its resulting analysis, projected into another timeline, parallel to ours".
- Specialivery

ISAN’s Robin Saville reveals an ambient album, which merges the Electronica aesthetics of his main project with field recordings, drones and acoustic instrumentation.

A lot of things have been written about what happens to the mind when the body starts moving. Instead of reciting poems of the inevitable self-help books, let’s get straight to the point: For many, taking walks on a regular basis is both liberating and empowering. It is not necessarily so much about the exercise, but rather finding one’s own rhythm in life. Robin Saville – of ISAN fame – is such an ambler His walks inspired him to base his third solo album – his first one for Morr Music – on the out of the way places he came to see and experience while being out and about.

Clocking in at just under 40 minutes in total, "Build A Diorama" is both a subtle culmination and a poignant antipode to what Saville has achieved together with Antony Ryan as ISAN. While the aesthetics might seem similar in places, Saville opts for a decisively different pace when it comes to writing and producing. Progress is steady, and change, however, is slow – like looking at a diorama for a long period of time in the ever so slightly changing light or as a flaneur focussing on one particular spot, a found object so-to-speak, waiting for the mind to orchestrate it appropriately, giving it sense and meaning.

Built around quiet field recordings, Saville’s six compositions transform this highly personal and, therefore, difficult-to-convey experience into a comprehensible exploration of beauty. Where ISAN almost exclusively uses electronics, Saville deliberately expands this well-established palette with acoustic instruments like bass guitar, chimes and glockenspiel, aiming for an even more suitable musical manifestation of what the walker sees and feels once he fully engages in his passion. Ranging from blissfully pulsing pads allowing for complete associative freedom ("The Deepdale Halophyte Economy") to the playful minimalism of an orchestra dominated by busy bells ("Bosky"), Saville’s "Build A Diorama" is not just a valuable addition to his musical output, but an essential audio guide for those striving to explore, learn and understand.

London-based folk-psych-country band The Hanging Stars return with their eclectic third studio album, A New Kind Of Sky, due out on 21 February 2019. Carrying on their exploration of transatlantic psychedelic folk and cosmic country, the new album blends twelve-string, harmony-laden lullabies with soft rock anthems to create a guilded box of bucolic folk-rock. As well as the band’s signature wistful pastoral escapism, there are lyrical concerns about the recent past; the systematic division of people, values, facts and humanity in The West in general - and the UK in particular. The band weave the same thread they have always woven but this time with a more unified vision, creating a kaleidoscopic poncho for these times.

The Hanging Stars comprise songwriter, singer and guitarist Richard Olson, Sam Ferman on bass, Paulie Cobra on drums, Patrick Ralla on guitars, keys and vocals, and renowned pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte. Returning guest Collin Hegna from Brian Jonestown Massacre plays an instrument called a Marxophone on “Choir of Criers”. They also welcome Sean Read of The Rockingbirds and Dexy's Midnight Runners, who adds horns to “Three Rolling Hills” and “I Was A Stone”.

The main bulk of the recording for the new album was done live in the studio at Echozoo in Eastbourne with Dave Lynch. For the first time, the band decided to dive straight in to the recording studio following their German tour in 2018. Having lived in each other’s pockets and playing their new songs every night, the band were as tight and primed as they could possibly be. There ensued a few, very long, days of recording, capturing the essence of the band in their element.

The songwriting process was even more collaborative for this album, with the usual co-writes between Richard Olson, Sam Ferman and Patrick Ralla enhanced by Joe Harvey-White’s arrangements and Paulie Cobra’s harmonies. The biggest difference is that Sam Ferman sings lead on the first single “‘(I’ve Seen) The Summer in Her Eyes”, a song about lost love and self doubt channeled through two and a half minutes of garage pastoralism.

The album’s title track “A New Kind of Sky” tells a story from the point of view of somebody who idealises a past that never existed. The band go glam-rock on the stand-out track “I Will Please You”, a tale of a cult leader/world leader and his irresistible (for some) charm from the point-of-view of his most recent victim and “Heavy Blue” is a country music tale of drunken debauchery seen through the eyes of an inexperienced young man. The triumphant trumpet-driven song “These Rolling Hills” is a minor-key tale of a journey into the hills of Marin County, California undertaken by Paulie and Richard to visit friends Asteroid No. 4, with a most interesting outcome.

The Hanging Stars released their debut album Over the Silvery Lake in 2016, which received plaudits from broadsheets such as The Times, who described it as; "An album with enough of a hazy, sun-dappled charm to make the capital's dreariest weather bearable”, as well as The Guardian, who said; “Mersey-laced harmonies and just a whiff of the Gun Club.” They picked up a good amount of support at 6 Music and “The House on the Hill” scored a much-coveted 10/10 by John Robb on Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable.

Their second album Songs For Somewhere Else in 2017 received critical acclaim from the likes of Uncut (Revelations article), Shindig (several features and 4* review) as well as The Quietus and The Line Of Best Fit, plus radio support from Gideon Coe and Bob Harris (they performed an Under the Apple Tree Session for Bob Harris in January 2019).

Whilst playing their own successful sold-out headline dates, the band were invited to share the stage with Teenage Fanclub, The Clientele, Wolf People, The Long Ryders and GospelbeacH, as well as playing festivals such as Liverpool’s International Festival of Psychedelia, Red Rooster, Ramblin' Roots, UK Americana Festival and The Long Road.

Paella Hair Sex is the beginning of a new chapter in Alexis Raphael’s musical story. The first two EPs will be from the label boss himself, kicking off with ‘Digital Music Almost Killed Me EP’. Then attention turns to new artists joining the PHS family - please email demos to paellahairsex

Alexis came to prominence in 2011 with his seminal track ‘Spaceship’ and followed with a series of lush, sexy and warm house records that gained universal praise and put Alexis’ sound all around the world with fans from Australia to Peru. As the music and scene evolved, so too did Alexis’ sound becoming somewhat harder whilst still retaining some of his signature elements; references to acid house, hardcore and jungle, deep pads and sweet vocals.

However, by 2016, Alexis had become somewhat disconnected with the path of the music and scene he was involved in. It took a long time to put together what was wrong, but what followed was a three year path to this point now of launching PHS.

A return to and playing vinyl at the end of 2016 was the first step to finding his love again and feeling good about the music. This was followed by a halt to gigs where the music expected from him was different from what he wanted to play and a feeling of disconnect from the crowd. Then came the gradual move away from constant social media output.

The final and most important part of this transition was going back to making music simply without any thought of where it can fit or who can play it, or what label it will go into. In essence this is a return to how Alexis started - making music solely from the feeling inside.

And so PHS returns to some of that more sexy, emotive house music that Alexis was originally known for, but with a fresh sound for the new decade.

Paella Hair Sex is set to be a representation of the music Alexis loves, both his own and other artists.

The first EP: PHS001 – Digital Music Nearly Killed Me kicks off with the main room groover ‘Respect & Belief’ . A jazz-infused bass line underpins chunky rolling beats, punctuated with vocal samples calling for unity and love and laden with floating classical pianos and warm pads. A definite party banger !
.
The second A side track “Sex Appeal” references back to Alexis’ original signature House sound. An emotive and sexy track bound to get temperatures rising on the dance floor .

Flip to the B-side and find the after party brother of Respect & Belief - ‘Liberty’. A seminal minute long speech paves the way to the single breakdown moment of the track when lush Jupiter-8 chords make way for an epic moment as the beats drop back in. A unique piece of minimalistic House music for the after hours .

The bonus track, House of Chorge. ends the EP with a bang. An upbeat cheeky groove that stays in your head long after the turntable stops spinning. But who is Chorge.?

Rarely does a record so perfectly encapsulate the essence of Hawai‘i.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Hawai‘i’s live music scene was at its peak. Countless clubs, lounges, and bars filled the islands. Musicians embraced and experimented with all manner of ideas.
Among them were Steve Ma‘i‘i and Teresa Bright, a harmonizing guitar-and-bass duo that floated somewhere between nostalgia and an unassuming island sound. They could fill a concert hall or bring the family together at a backyard kanikapila with their music.
Both singers share backgrounds rooted in native Hawaiian culture; Steve once the bassist for musician/ activist George Helm, and Teresa the daughter of hula dancer Carol Bright and musician Daniel Bright. Together, they crafted a refreshing approach to jazz standards, traditional Hawaiian tunes, and hapa-haole classics.
Steve and Teresa enchanted every listener they encountered, including engineer Rick Keefer, who convinced the pair to record at his Sea-West Studios in nearby Hau‘ula.

Repress

Kali Malone presents a quietly subversive new album featuring almost two hours of concentrated, creeping organ pieces governed by a strict acoustic and compositional code. It’s a major new work with ultimately profound emotional resonance.
‘The Sacrificial Code’ takes a more detailed approach to ideas first sketched out on last year’s ‘Organ Dirges’, which featured canon exercises spontaneously captured without much prior technical planning. By contrast, the recording of ‘The Sacrificial Code’ involved the more careful micing up of several organs in such a way as to eliminate acoustic impurities as far as possible - essentially removing the large hall reverb so inextricably linked to the instrument. The pieces were then performed free of gestural adornments and without expressive impulse - an approach that
flows against the grain of the prevailing musical hegemony, where sound is so often manipulated,
and composition often steeped in self indulgence. The question posed; can this strict methodology still speak to the listener in meaningful terms?
The answer is both obvious and entirely surprising; with its slow, purified and seemingly austere qualities ‘The Sacrificial Code’ guides us through an almost trance-inducing process where we
become vulnerable receptors for every slight movement, where every miniature shift in sound becomes magnified through stillness.
As such, it’s a uniquely satisfying exercise in transcendence through self restraint - a stunning realisation of ideas borne out of academic and conceptual rigour which gradually reveals startling
personal dimensions. It has a perception-altering quality that encourages self exploration free of signposts and without a preordained endpoint - the antithesis to the language of colourless musical platitudes weíve become so accustomed to.

Album features Ernie K Doe’s ‘Here Come The Girls’, The Meters, Eddie Bo, Professor Longhair, Lee Dorsey, Wild Magnolias and more.

This is the definitive collection of New Orleans Funk featuring acknowledged masters next to some of the earlier artists who shaped the meaning of funk. The album is also filled with many rare, sought after and undiscovered funk tracks. It covers the period from the emergence of New Orleans Funk in the early 1960's through to the mid-seventies.

The record is an essential part of anyone in any way interested in Funk's record collection. It has some vital ingredients in it that you can't find elsewhere. With the sound of the New Orleans Funeral March Bands, Mardi Gras Indian Tribes and Saturday Night Fish Fries all as inspiration New Orleans Funk developed into a unique sound.

New Orleans is a port town. Originally owned by the French, this was where many slaves were brought from the West Indies. Many of these slaves came from Haiti and brought with them the religion of Voodoo and its drums and music. It became one of the first parts of America to develop a strong African-American culture leading to the invention of Jazz in the early 1900's.

A main feature of Jazz in New Orleans were the Jazz Funeral Marching bands. Solemn Brass bands accompanying a coffin would, on burial, be joined by a second line of drummers and dancers which would turn the event into a celebration of the spirit cutting free from earth. This African tradition is strong in New Orleans and still goes on to this day. The backline drums play a syncopated style that is neither on the beat nor the off-beat. It is these rhythms that are the basis of New Orleans Funk.

The album comes with a booklet presenting a historical explanation to how and why this music came about, and with lots of information about the people involved.


Reviews: "A Perfect Primer For Funk Fans" Q (Top 5 albums of the year). "Probably the finest compilation that Soul Jazz has released. Essential" Time Out.

Peter Brown is one of the ultimate in Harlem underground music business entrepreneurs. From the 70's, all through the 80's he had a stream of releases on a plethora of labels, but ultimately under the
P&P banner. From soul, to disco to the birth of hip hop, he covered all the street sounds of New York and in a series of comps Demon are exploring his legacy. P&P soul and funk covers the 1970's with a number of rare, sought after masterpieces and some
equally essential obscurities.

From the former category we have the magnificent ESP by Four
Below Zero, Dennis Mobley's Rare Groove instrumental version of Superstition and Florence Miller's soul floor filler 'The Groove I'm In' Super rare funk is present from Wild Honey, Smokey Brooks and Flame & The Sons. The roots of disco is well represented with Magnetic Touch's original version of Ain't No Big Thing and Ella Hamilton's I'm Gonna Fool You.

reissue

R.A.N.D. Muzik Recordings remasters and reissues Martin
Bond’s, ‘Liquid Echoes’, first released in 1994 on San
Franciscan psychedelic house label, Visible Records. Includes
the amazing Aqueous Mix by Seofon.

Wah Wah 45's are proud to present "Cages", the third album from southern soul boys The Milk. Having released "Favourite Worry", their critically acclaimed sophomore album and first for independent label Wah Wah 45's, in 2015, the band are able to trace the seeds of the latest LP back to their recording sessions with producer Paul Butler (Andrew Bird, Michael Kiwanuka, Nick Waterhouse) almost five years ago, blending elements of soul, funk and rock together to create their own unique sound, inspired by some of their favourite artists such as Bill Withers, Traffic and the Isley Brothers.

"I can't wait to hear you write songs that look outward" - these words from Paul subconsciously had a lasting impression on the band. To atone for more inward-looking sentiments on "Favourite Worry", there had to be a shift in perspective. During the formative stages of the new album The Milk started pursuing a Nichiren Buddhist practice. The values and principles they discovered during this have informed every aspect of the record.

"We wanted to write an album that looked outside of the walls, to people, society and the environment - embracing real freedom in musical expression by utilising more complex rhythmic structures, extended harmony and dissonance to paint an original and authentic-sounding record" explains If their debut, "Tales from the Thames Delta", was inspired by hedonism and "Favourite Worry" by introspection, "Cages" is an impassioned conversation with the world. Racism and division are all on the rise. British society is being pulled apart by forces that seek to divide us and rip the compassion and empathy from our minds and hearts. We have become distracted from the more urgent challenges of boundless consumerism, climate change, and the mental health emergency reeking havoc on our streets.

We are the birds in the cage, tied by cheap thrills and fake news to a limited world vision that is no longer fit for purpose. The good news? We can all choose to challenge this view. "Cages" is equal parts the dark black shadow of how far we've fallen and the blazing sunlight whose rays of hope can still change the world. Four life-long friends, Ricky Nunn (vocals), Mitch Ayling (drums) Luke Ayling (bass) and Dan Le Gresley (guitar) formed their first band when they were still at school in Essex, playing countless working men's clubs, and finally became The Milk.

The band have built up a following of dedicated fans around the UK, which has resulted in them selling out venues such as Scala, Koko and Shepherds Bush Empire. Keen to get back on the road where they feel most at home and where the guys really shine, the band offer up a compelling set of diverse styles, matched with an ability to effortlessly intertwine songs together, gives their music a continuous feel to it. Since signing to Wah Wah 45's, the band released their second album "Favourite Worry", which became one of BBC 6 Music's albums of the year, sold out London's Union Chapel, toured with the Fun Lovin' Criminals and completed a sell-out UK tour climaxing at London's KOKO in Camden town. ... More live dates coming very soon!