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Eight releases in, Leonidas & Hobbes have honed a mutual love of soundtracks, disco, jazz, house, techno, acid, psychedelic, African and dub sounds.
Web Of Intrigue is one part tribute to lost 70s soundtracks, when music was created on the finest analogue hardware, featuring full bands, session players and lush orchestrations, one part tribute to 70s disco gods Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (Chic) and one part mid-tempo but nonetheless cosmic house. The three parts fuse to form an instrumental track sounding as fresh as a whole meadow of daisies in 2017 and one that's been going down extremely well with international DJs who have road-tested the material.
Heavy Weather flips the script for a deeper workout in a 3/4 time signature - more of a cosmic waltz. Taking its main cue from 70s jazz fusion heroes Weather Report and The Doors' Ray Manzarek, it incorporates rich African percussion, spaced-out flourishes exhibiting the duo's love for the dubs of Lee Perry, King Tubby et al, and a good old fashioned arpeggio of an acid line - definitely a more esoteric number, all told.
The 'Dawn' and 'Acid Rain' mixes push different buttons for the heads, as suits the mood. It all adds up to a very Balearic confection, fitting snugly in with the burgeoning revival for this somewhat ineffable sound - a trend that seems to be getting stronger/bigger every year, popping up every time the sun gets his hat on and we all remember how to party like the lucky residents of that infamous White Isle....
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London/Edinburgh analogue electronic duo Leonidas & Hobbes released debut EP "Machines, Tapes & Electronic Setups" via the Hobbes Music label back in May 2013, picking up plaudits and support from the likes of Resident Advisor, Mixmag, Erol Alkan, Ashley Beedle, Alan Braxe, Shadow Child, Jimpster, Nick Warren, M.A.N.D.Y., Leftside Wobble, Mr G, Auntie Flo, Sasha, John Digweed and many more... The duo were consequently commissioned to remix the Pet Shop Boys.
Second EP "Mo' Machines" came out on the label in April 2014 and received equally high praise, with i-D Magazine inviting the duo to record a DJ mix which has to date chalked up a whole lot of love on Soundcloud.
Leonidas has released two other collaborative EPs with London-based Japanese DJ/producer Kay Suzuki via his Round In Motion imprint, equally winning fans worldwide, with a track now forthcoming on new label YAM Records' You And Music Volume 1 EP plus much more in the pipeline for 2017. Leonidas also has his own lovetoparty label, releasing edits of much-loved disco tunes on limited edition 12" vinyl format and free download. Previously, Leonidas made a name for throwing word-of-mouth parties around east London on his audiophile 'lovetoparty' sound system (providing some of the inspiration for much-admired late-night watering hole Brilliant Corners).
Equally, Hobbes ran the widely acclaimed Trouble nights for ten years in Edinburgh/Scotland, working with the great and the good from across the soul/jazz/dance spectrum since '02, and championed up-and-coming live talent via his Limbo 'gig-in-a-club' nights at The Voodoo Rooms for nine years since '07. Hobbes has toured his DJing style to the various corners of the dancing planet, including gigs in the Far East, much of Europe and across the UK. The Hobbes Music label has otherwise featured artists as diverse as Auntie Flo, JD Twitch (Optimo), Neil Landstrumm, Craig Smith (6th Borough Project), Ali Renault, iO Sounds, Joe Howe, Debukas, Fudge Fingas, Marco Bernardi, Dimitri Veimar, Mick Wills and Nightwave, with further support from Ben UFO, Justin Robertson, Motor City Drum Ensemble, KiNK, The Revenge, T.E.E.D, Kiki, Groove Armada, Maceo Plex, OOFT!, Domenic Capello (Sub Club), XDB, Ben Mono, Masa Sutela, Bawrut/Scuola Furano, Numbers, John Heckle and many more...

My Favorite Robot welcome the collaborative outfit of Rodion & Local Suicide for their next EP, which comes boosted by
remixes from Los Mekanikos, Moscoman and Fairmont, as well as artwork that is made up 3D prints of the act.
Rodion is an Italian classical piano player and acclaimed producer whose albums and EPs for the likes of Gomma, Nein
& Nang have helped to reshape modern disco. Also one half of Alien Alien and boss of the Roccodisco label, he is a real
studio visionary who for ten years has mixed up classical, trance and psychedelic sounds. He makes everything from
chamber music to computer game soundtracks, has remixed Giorgio Moroder and counts the likes of Tim Sweeney, Erol
Alkan and DJ Hell as fans. Berlin-based duo/couple Brax Moody and Vamparela aka Local Suicide have been
collaborating together since 2007, either as a DJ duo, in bands, or as remixers and producers. They have played all over
the world and are in favour with the likes of XLR8R, Thump and Mixmag for their fusions of slow techno, post disco and
acid.
These original analog tracks were recorded between 2014 and 2016 in Rodion s vintage studio in Berlin. They came about
when they all met following one of his gigs just after he moved there, and after being in touch online for a while. During
one of the nights, Rodion brought friend, producer and singer Ali Bey (part of the Belgrade DJ collective Beyond House
and a famous record digger) to contribute.
Impressive opener Abu Dhabi includes samples from field recordings from all over the world. The most prominent is the
recording from an airport in Bangkok where Brax Moody and Vamparela were waiting to catch their plane to Saigon
and it ended up being the main vocal hook. The alluring track is a wonky feeling number with gurgling synth lines and
gentle releases of white noise lulling you into the groove. A searching synth line and distant siren add urgency and the
whole thing feels urban and futuristic.
Comprised of Mexico City producers Max Jones and Eddie Mercury, Los Mekanikos combine raw hypno-rhythm tracks
with pumping grooves that pay homage to Chicago, Detroit and Berlin. Their special remix is another late night and
unhinged number that encourages you to freak out amongst the panning and paranoid synth patterns and robotic grooves.
Then comes the brilliant True Love Floats with Ali Beys singing and Vamparela s vocoded vocals. The interplay between
the two is tense and alien and makes for a perfectly inhuman groove with popping bell sounds, undulating pads and spooky
deep space ambiance.
Remixing this one is Berlin via Tel Aviv artist of the moment and Disco Halal label head Moscoman, whose raw machine
grooves have impressed on labels like ESP Institute, Correspondant and I'm a Cliche. His slow and purposeful version is
deep and psychedelic with disorientating vocals and blistered synths wallowing in a menacing urban landscape. Buy it
digitally and you will also get a fine remix from label regular and Canadian Fairmont. He runs the Beachcoma label, has
worked with cult outlet Border Community over the years and mixes up dark disco and goth into his own fresh sounds. His
remix here is more direct and driven, with powerful drums and well sculpted synths making it another great rework.
This is a unique sounding package featuring plenty of heavyweight names and marks another cultured outing from the
always considered My Favourite Robot label.

Mercury Prize-nominated Portico Quartet has always been an impossible band to pin down. Sending out echoes of jazz, electronica, ambient music and minimalism, the group created their own singular, cinematic sound over the course of three studio albums, from their 2007 breakthrough 'Knee-Deep in the North Sea', and 2010 John Leckie produced 'Isla', to the self titled record 'Portico Quartet' in 2012. Now rebooted as Portico Quartet after a brief spell as the three-piece Portico, the group are set to release their fourth studio album Art In The Age Of Automation this August on Manchester's forward thinking indy jazz and electronica label Gondwana Records. It's an eagerly anticipated return, with the band teasing both a return to their mesmeric signature sound and fresh new sonic departures in their new music. So much so that their four-night run at Archspace E8 (June 22-25) sold out in less than an hour as fans from around the world scrambled for tickets to hear the return of Portico Quartet. Support from Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and similar minded DJs around the world. Airplay from TSF France. Features in Jazzism, Jazzthing, Jazzwise and beyond. Reviews in the Guardian, Mojo, Uncut and more. Full servcing to the Gondwana Records international DJ and radio mailing list.

Breakbeat Paradise Recordings is turning back time to the early 70s when funk music was made by talented musicians joining forces in bands with the objective to create the next big funk anthem. So many big tunes and classic funk productions came out of this era and it also harnessed a new breed of funk bands across the globe who is dedicated to continuing the legacy of the funk music in the new millennium.

Breakbeat Paradise Recordings has proudly collected 4 bands to represent the new era of funk from various parts of Europe. German based Grand Slam, Swiss funk band Grand Mothers' Funck, Nasa Funk from Greece and A Man About a Dog from the UK has all provided original funk jams to this groovy 12" vinyl.

Leading the way on the a-side is Grand Slam who has created a big summer tune which sits in well with some of the current radio funk jams and will be sure to bring the ladies on the floor. Grand Slam has been around since 1985 by incorporating various flavors from Rock, Jazz, Soul and Hip Hop. The Get On Down jam from their upcoming release due May 2017 shows just how its done to do classic oldskool P-Funk which sounds as fresh as anything else on the radio here in 2017! Produced by (and featuring) veteran P-Funk legend Gary "Mudbone" Cooper!

Grand Mother's Funck means business on the straight up funky The Dog tune taken from their brand new album Take The Money. A special edit was done for this release as they are celebrating their 12th album release from a legendary veteran funk band who has been tearing up the Swiss funk scene for over 23 years now.

On the flipside the funk is riding equally high as Nasa Funk rolls in their Stand Up jam. Straight outta Thessaloniki, Greece comes this 5-man band with vocalist George Perin leading the way. This tune is produced with old friend of label Basement Freaks.

Last but certainly not least we turn our attention to the UK where the band A Man About a Dog has cooked up a latin-inspired and jazzy funk tune called Pollos.

That sums up the first all original funk release to be dropped on Breakbeat Paradise Recordings. After digging in a sampling so many great funk tunes over the years, this seemed like only right way to pay our respect to the genre of music we love and cherish so much.


[B] A2 | Grand Mother's Funck - The Dog (Throw Me A Bone Mix)

Awa Poulo is a singer of Peulh origin from Dilly commune, Mali, near the border with Mauritania. Largely pastoral and often nomadic, Peulh- (or Fula-)speaking peoples are found from Senegal to Ethiopia but predominate in the Sahel region of West Africa. Awesome Tapes From Africa is proud to release Poulo's newest recording of highly virtuosic folk-pop, fresh from the studio, broadcasting her vision of Peulh music beyond the grazing grounds and central markets of her remote home region in southwestern Mali. It's not very common to find a female singer performing publicly among the Peulh. But Poulo's mother's co-wife is Inna Baba Coulibaly, who is a celebrated singer most Malian music fans know. Coulibaly herself was brought into music by forces outside her control when a regional music contest required an entry from her village and she was chosen to be a singer. So, set in motion by a surprising series of events, young Poulo's entree into the music world was auspic ious as she gained popularity across the region. After several locally released tapes and CDs, this record is Poulo's first internationally-distributed record. On Poulo Warali, she and her band combine the hallmarks of Peulh music—warm flute floating over cross-rhythmic n'goni (lute) riffs and resonant calabash gourd hand percussion—with broader Malian sounds like lightly-distorted guitar and a heavier, rollicking inertia. Shapeshifting layers of rhythm and woody overtones match Poulo's commanding voice in a jocular yet deliberate dance. This is a relatively rare example of Malian Peulh music played in a modern, cosmopolitan context, reflecting the mixed society of Dilly, where Bambara, Soninke and Peulh-speaking people live among each other. Poulo's conscious lyrics about community concerns speak to the distinctive identity of her broadly-flung people. While Peulh represents less than 10% of Mali's melting pot of languages, the dynamic music here powerfully resonates well beyond the linguistic borders.

It means Noisy Stars'' - Fergus Lawrie.

So it's coming up for the 20th anniversary of the We Are Urusei Yatsura' album, so what better time to look back at the broken Woolworths guitars, damaged eardrums and bleeding knuckles of Glasgow's lo-fi, Tokyo dreaming geek rock quartet

You could say it all began at the Glasgow Sound City event, when legendary BBC DJ John Peel came along to check out Urusei Yatsura at the 13th Note at the invitation of future Franz Ferdinand front-man Alex Kapranos. Liking the chaos that he saw, Peel invited the band to record a session for his show, asking live on air while guitarist and singer Graham Kemp was visiting the studio to talk about his Kitten Frenzy' fanzine the next day.

Peel arranged for us to record the session in Glasgow' says Kemp, We didn't have any amps or any money to get to London.' Producer Stewart Cruickshank told the band that it was the first Peel Session recorded outside of Maida Vale since the Undertones. So no pressure there then.

This began a long association with John Peel and the BBC, which saw the band record 5 Peel Sessions, 3 Evening Sessions for Steve Lamacq, play live to air for Mark Radcliffe, and appear regularly on Radio Scotland for John Cavanagh and Mark Percival. Digging through old C-90's that had been partly taped over with that week's charts, the band have pieced together a compilation of the best tunes for you, the discerning 90's indie rock aficionado.

..they sounded a bit like the Saints' - Thurston Moore, SELECT

Some of the recordings we did for the BBC, I think, are better than what eventually made it onto vinyl. We did Kewpies Like Watermelon' live in the control room for Radio Scotland and we had just learned it so it sounds really fresh and exciting. The version of Siamese' is the best we ever captured, and I love the Dice/Nae Dice' tune we wrote especially for Peel'. - Kemp

The challenge of recording and mixing four songs in a single day brought out the best in the band, and suited their impulsive, DIY rock n' roll spirit. The album, available on CD and vinyl, features 11 songs, including session versions of 6 singles, choice album tracks and live favourites from the only band who have been threatened by both the Yakuza and the Mafia (the latter incident generating the hilarious headline Nerds Threatened With Death' in the Sun newspaper'). The band have decided to call this hand-picked selection of the highlights of an eight year career', You Are My Urusei Yatsura, BBC Radio Sessions.

Other highlights of said career include, a number one indie single with a video shot in a Star Trek themed bar (Phasers On Stun), a Peel Festive Fifty placing (Kewpies Like Watermelon) an actual top 40 hit (Hello Tiger), numerous chaotic tours of Europe, UK and USA ,narrowly surviving a collapsing stage at Benecassim and a tent fire at Phoenix Festival, releasing three studio albums and 13 singles (including splits with Mogwai, the Delgados and the Blisters), taking Mogwai, Eska and Pink Kross on their first UK tours, supporting Super Furry Animals, Pavement and Teenage Fanclub, playing at Roskilde, Reading and T In The Park festivals, The CMJ festival in New York and MIDEM in Cannes.

The band consisted of the writers Fergus Lawrie (guitar and vocals) and Graham Kemp (guitar and vocals), with brother and sister rhythm section Elaine and Ian Graham on bass and drums respectively.

Britsh quintet Me and My Friends are set to release their captvatng and mesmerising second album,
Hide Your Way, on Soundway Records this summer. A unique and singular blend, it's the sound of Eng-
lish folk colliding head-on with the golden-era music of 1970s West Africa and the West Indies.
Towering vocal harmonies, soaring cello and clarinet lines, colossal basslines and drum paterns
combine on an exquisite rollercoaster-ride of the emotons from euphoria to melancholia and back
again.
Bound by a mutual love of the sun-drenched vintage sounds of afrobeat, soukous, highlife and roots
reggae, the UK-based 5-piece re-invent these infuences around the instantly recognisable voice and
fnger-style guitar of songwriter and singer Nick Rasle. The band's sound involves a meetng of diverse
musical backgrounds: Fred Harper's gospel-infuenced drumming and James Grunwell's deep basslines
provide the bed for Sam Murray's growling clarinet tone and Emma Coleman's strident cello and faw-
less ear for vocal harmony.
Having enthralled festval audiences across the UK with their breathless live show, Hide Your Way sees
the band embarking on a deeper exploraton of the playfulness and rhythmic agility which has come
to defne their sound. A rich and varied pool of musical ideas sits alongside a plaintve lyricism, as the
songs tell tales of regret, corrupton, loss and deceit. The result is something fresh and original, mar-
rying the emotonal vocal power of folk music with early jazz and delta-blues singing and the driving
rhythms of West-Africa's golden era and the heart and soul of the great roots-reggae songwriters.

Series-A was the duo of Sam Anderson aka DJ Maestro and Dave Webb aka Kid Fresh. Sam and Dave both grew up listening to the sounds of the Electrifying Mojo on WJLB in Detroit. They met in 1983 at a DJ gig that they were both hired to play. In 1986, they collaborated on the Nu-Sound II Crew project. After developing a friendship with Juan Atkins, they became hip to the emerging new club sounds that were to become electro and techno.Their subsequent project, Series-A, was named after different car model numbers, but also hints at the evolution of humankind into a new species.

In 1987, Series-A recorded the single Evolution 5 Technology' at Spectrum Sounds Studio in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Their set up was a vocoder, E-mu Emulator III, Roland 909 drum machine, and an Otari 24-Track recorder. They landed a record deal with Satellite Records in Burbank, California, which had been founded by Pete Moore of The Miracles. After pressing 50 promotional copies, the label ran into financial problems, and the record never reached a full release. Taking cues Kraftwerk, Grand Master DST, Grandmaster Flash & Jam Master Jay, Series-A created dark electro beats in an era when sampling appeared to be the future of music. Lyrically the song addresses our species' entry into the technological age. For this EP reissue, the 7' Mix and Dub Mix are included on the A-side. On the flip is a new remix by prolific Ann Arbor producer JTC, an alias of Tadd Mullinix (aka Dabrye, SK-1, & Charles Manier). JTC speeds up and expands the song to seven minutes. Drawing on influences from Ron Hardy to Jeff Mills, he drives around suburban techno landscapes while simultaneously launching the listener into deep space.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket is specially designed by Eloise Leigh and features a cyborg fossil motif with RGB color band and gradients. Each copy includes a post card with with notes.

Cute Heels is the solo project of Victor Lenis, a contemporary artist living in Barcelona, Spain. He grew up in Bogotá, Columbia during the 1990s, surrounded by the radial punk scene. Over the years, Victor's passion and fascination for synthesizers and drum machines to produce and compose resulted in various digital-only releases as well as his debut album Spiritual" for Dark Entries in 2014. Cute Heels has been called ''the new blood and spirit for the next step in techno music'' by Electro/Techno pioneer Juan Atkins. Third Skin' is a 4-track EP that connects the dots between Detroit techno, early Chicago house and Belgium electronic body music. Inspired by equal parts Liaisons Dangereuses, Drexciya and Black Devil Disco Club. On the A-side are two fresh compositions recorded in 2015. Third Skin' kicks things in a metallic EBM funk with a pounding bottom end. Lipstick Information' takes the listener on a dark, psychedelic and twisted journey through thrillingly intense arpeggiations. On the flip we present two remixes. The first is from Steffi, House and Techno DJ and producer born in The Netherlands and residing in Berlin. She picks up the pace for an uplifting, percussion-driven, DAF-eque dystopian stomper. The second remix comes from Michel Amato aka The Hacker, French born DJ and producer and frequent collaborator with Miss Kittin. His early musical influences of bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle and Front 242 shine through on this pumping and sophisticated remix ready for any dance floor.
All songs have been mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record comes in a custom-made jacket designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a photograph by Corinne Schiavone printed with hi-gloss finish. Each copy includes a postcard with with notes and image for fetish lovers

Soul Jazz Records' new 'Studio One Dub Fire Special' brings together 18 heavyweight dub cuts, all recorded at 13 Brentford Road in the 1970s.
Featuring a stellar selection of dub cuts to classic and foundation songs recorded at Studio One with music from the legendary in-house bands - The Sound Dimension, New Establishment, Soul Defenders and Brentford All-Stars - featuring the likes of reggae's finest musicians - Jackie Mittoo, Leroy Sibbles, Cedric Brooks, Freddie McGregor and more.
These fresh dub sounds employed the mighty mixing desk skills of The Dub Specialist, aka Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd, Sylvan Morris and Scientist to full effect. Studio One Dub Fire Special features our latest chapter of raw, stripped-down bass and drum sounds direct from Studio One, 'the University of Reggae'.

Released as CD with slipcase and heavyweight 2xLP vinyl (with free download code).

Who would have thought that Gerd Janson and Phillipp Lauer, aka The Tuff City Kids, delivering a 'Rocker' mix for Alter Ego, wich is not only one of their best up to this date remixwork, but also probably one of the biggest electro-summerhits in 2016. The Tuff City Kids production work is quite similary eclectic like in Roman Flügel and Jörn Elling Wuttke's original version. They know exactly how to juggle with different styles, until they come up with a fresh new sound that transforms an ordinary rave into an unforgettable happening. In this case they are mixing real performed krautrockdrums, 90's prototrance-balearicstrings and an unexpectedly new, enthusiastic way of working with Alter Ego's trademark melodyhook. This melody-theme is dripping formally out of every programmed bass and synthesizer line without beeing to cheesy, superficial or over the top. Even their 808 electro-remix for the track Gate 23 is keeping to the premise of the legendary New York punk rock band The Ramones, that a good party track should not illustrate the effects of psychedelic drugs, the music has to be the pill itself. The rich details and playfulness of the mixes are showing Gerd Janson and Phillipp Lauer as real fans of the original versions.In the same spirit, they are trying to melt pop-appeal, art-sensibility and clubhit-function in one piece of vinyl.

It's time for another limited release from Absys Records. This time we're offering a brilliant EP by Hatti Vatti & Lady Katee - a duo recognized well on both Polish and global electronic music scene. You can be sure about the quality of the release - after, all Hatti Vatti is a producer recording with e.g. Synkro, and his tracks have been remixed by Andy Stott and ASC, for instance, Lady Katee, in turn, is known for her vocal endeavours as part of her post-rock band called Little White Lies. 'Farba Wszystkich Zdarzen' labelled as ABSLTD006 is a pink-coloured 10inch vinyl EP containing 4 tracks, constituting a smooth combination of fresh electronica, characterized by a mixture of depth, subtlety and gentle sound of contemporary electronic music and a delicate layer of vocals. As a whole, the EP seems to be hitting the rather more positive, upbeat notes, but still far from simplicity or tackiness, which is an undeniable asset, especially in terms of escaping the ever-expanding mainstream. Interestingly enough, the title track - 'Farba Wszystkich Zdarzen' (check out the official video! (youtu.be/2vCu5wKYXeI) - is the only track recorded by the duo, where you can hear Lady Katee sing in Polish. A small tribute to the duo's motherland, if you may.

This is France in the Mitterrand years: fashions fleet as fast as governments. In the early eighties, the happy-go-lucky gather the nectar of each and every new release.
Believing in a bright future for videotex, and loosened up by the sexy talks broadcasted on the budding pirate radios, the new generation dreams of dance floors and holiday clubs. French Boogie, which preserves the spirit of these years of boodle and bunkum, is the ideal soundtrack to their dreams.

What the web now refers to as French Boogie is some synthetic funk reflecting the spirit of those days when nothing was impossible, or so it seemed. Its syncopated flow heralded the dawning of French rap. Often considered as some kind of post-disco, inspired as much by black music as by new wave, this carefree pop music with bawdy lyrics indulged in simple pleasures: holidays, swank and sun were recurrent themes. Totally in tune with its time, it incidentally glorified luxury, success, and a certain consumerism embodied, for instance, in Bernard Tapie.

In popular clubs such as La Main Bleue in Montreuil, or L'Echappatoire in Clichy-sous-Bois - where Micky Milan could be seen behind the decks - an enthusiastic audience discovered this new sonic wave, influenced as much by French pop as by Sugar Hill Gang or Kurtis Blow. The artists who first launched the movement engaged in it wholeheartedly, but as often the case with new music trends in France, humour and casualness quickly became a decoy to impose a new style. This explosive mixture, in which startling and typically Frenchy French lyrics go along New-York-style tunes, is sometimes reminiscent of the kinky comedies directed by Max Pécas or Claude Zidi. On this prolific scene, partly originating from the Jewish community, everybody was looking for success, trying to hit the jackpot with what was to hand. Famous media personalities, one-hit wonders or John Does in quest of fame, all had a go at French Boogie - more or less successfully. Apart from « Vacances j'oublie tout » by Elégance, « Un fait divers et rien de plus » by Le Club, or « Chacun fait ce qui lui plaît » by Chagrin d'amour (produced by Patrick Bruel), very few songs became hits: the story of funk in France is that of a half-baked robbery.

In this myriad of new musicians, the very young François Feldman and Phil Barney pioneered a fresh and hybrid style. Other well-known artists like Gérard Blanc from Martin Circus (Attaché Case), Richard de Bordeaux (Ich), or Jean-Pierre Massiera (Anisette, Pirate Scratch Band, Mandrake, Scratch Man...) added an eccentric touch to this sound-wave, making it often entertaining, and sometimes showy.

Capture d'écran 2015-10-26 à 12.55.43Singers like Agathe (the author of 'La Fourmi' and of the hit song 'Je ne veux pas rentrer chez moi seule') were far more than just window dressing. They even tried to give an ironic and subversive twist to this rather harmless genre. The very vindictive rebel Gérard Vincent shared in this spirit, but as a whole, French Boogie became associated with nonchalance and sauciness. Thus, Stéphane Collaro, Gérard Jugnot, Alain Gillot Pétré and other TV clowns would clumsily contribute to this French variation on funky sounds. In a few but intense years, French Boogie gave all the tips to party with style.

If some hits made it possible for the happy few to get a real house under truly exotic palm trees, the wave actually ebbed away very quickly, leaving quite a few musicians stranded on the shore. Whether they were sincerely motivated, or simply opportunistic, they had failed. In 1984, French Boogie was already breathless, and got merged with other genres: on the one hand, rap and breakdance adapted its flow to a more urban world, especially with Sydney's show, H.I.P.H.O.P, and Dee Nasty's broadcasts on Radio Nova; on the other, italo, new beat and house began to rule over dance floors, even more strongly asserting the will to develop music for clubs.

Squeezed in between the age of disco and that of modern electronic music, French Boogie was a transitional phase, but it remains an amazingly refreshing testimony to the intermingling of pop and underground cultures. The genre was hastily categorized as anecdotal in spite of its pioneering synthetic groove and matchless bass lines. An attentive ear will discover the poetry of the ephemeral beyond the eccentricities of the genre, as well as a certain unexpected avant-gardism. At the origin of major music trends, always cheerful and catchy, French Boogie is what you need to party.

Be With Records are honoured to present the hyper-limited (200 for the world) farewell single from cult Balearic maestros Korallreven. We've been enormous fans since the beginning so we are delighted to be collaborating on this special release. As per the band's specific wishes, we have created a special one-sided, full colour 7" flexi-disc. Over to the guys themselves for their parting words:

"It has been a trippie trip, sort of a dream come true, sort of a dream become shattered. Kinda incredible how Korallreven, with this weird name in Swedish, snowballed from bedroom recordings in Stockholm into a headline US tour, festivals around Europe, amazing collaborations and all this love we have felt from all around. It's been magic. But there is a time for everything and an end to everything too, also with Korallreven.

So, enjoy this single, as you would the last drop of fresh water in the jungle. It sort of underlines exactly everything we wanted to do from the beginning but never yet achieved. Lifelovingness, big words and melancholy in three and a half minutes, for the last time.

Following the huge success of the lead single "Settle Down" (played twice on one show by David Rodigan!), Blend Mishkin and the Roots Evolution band deliver their stunning debut album "Survival Of The Fittest" for NICE UP! records. Having spent most of his professional career behind either a computer screen or pair of turntables, Athens based producer Blend Mishkin (real name George Mantas) has been putting in work since the mid 90s with releases on labels such as Pork Recordings, Tru Thoughts, Shadow Records and many more. For this, actually his 8th studio album, he decided to do something a little different and step out from behind the computer. A chance meeting with some like minded musicians led to a conversation about them re-creating some of his past tracks for a potential live show, but after much thought it was decided that something brand new and fresh was needed. After numerous sessions and jams, a collection of tracks had begun to take shape. Recorded live and then taken back to the lab for mixing and dubbing, "Survival Of The Fittest" is the fruits of these sessions. The next step was to scout for vocal performers to bring the rhythms to life, with the focus on using both international and local talent to give a wide breadth of influences and themes. Lining up are Rebel Salute show-stopper and Juno award winning Exco Levi and seasoned veteran Skarra Mucci from Jamaica, UK reggae/dancehall don Gappy Ranks, Italian raggamuffin KG Man, Mandinka Warrior from Denmark and fellow Greek BNC amongst many others. Retaining an authentic vibe whilst keeping it current, "Survival Of The Fittest" is a truly modern roots reggae album.

Over the past few decades, there has been a seismic shift in Brazil's musical landscape. A plethora of varying musical undergrounds has developed across the nation. While Rio and São Paulo have been overwhelmed with networks of talented musicians for a long time, creative life is now bursting all over the country. Amplificador exists to document and propagate the wonderfully diverse music currently blossoming from Brazil's vivacious and geographically varied musical undergrounds. Presenting an up-to date insight into Brazilian music, this compilation draws together some of the components of 'Novíssima Música Brasileira' (brand new Brazilian music), ranging from afro-grooves to rock, to modern samba and MPB. The music reaches back across Brazil's incredibly rich musical and cultural traditions, while also taking in influence from other movements around the globe.



Having begun life in 2012 as a Brazilian music blog run by Marcelo Monteiro, Eduardo Rodrigues, Mateus Campos, and Ricardo Calazans, the aim of Amplificador is to document and propel to wider audiences, Brazilian music of the '00s and '10s generation. This is a task made more significant by obvious changes in the way music is consumed. 'People are no longer obliged to listen to what the radio and TV are presenting. There is a whole new generation that wants to listen to new bands and new sounds and we try to connect those bands with other bands, producers, fans and even the mainstream.' These changes in technology and the way music is discovered and shared have developed parallel to the proliferation of these emerging scenes. The ostensible decentralization of the music industry means the promoting and filtering work of journalists and blogs, like Amplificador, have become increasingly important, as people try to keep up with the tsunami of new music and media flooding the country on a daily basis.



Marcelo uses the example of the Mangue Beat movement to explain a trend in contemporary Brazilian music that looks both inwards, to Brazil's own musical traditions and outwards, to movements around the world to create a novel, localised identity: 'The 90's Pernambuco art-social movement was inspired by Coco, Maracatu and Forró all mixed with modern riffs and grooves. The mythical

revolutionary Chico Science, his Nação Zumbi, Mundo Livre, Siba, and many others do this blend perfectly. There are also the references to the older generations and masters - Gil, Caetano, Luiz Gonzaga, João Gilberto, Tim Maia, Jorge Benjor - as a constant inspiration for all bands.' This is very much the case for the Brazilian artists of today.



Music is unquestionably informed by place. Brazil has always been famed for its regional differences in this sense. Indeed there are still pronounced variations between the scenes of Rio, Sao Paulo, Natal, Goiânia, Belo Horizonte and Belém for example, there are also great divergences within cities and while technology has brought changes to the way musical influences are shared, there are cultural differences, rooted in folkloric traditions, that aren't going away. Expressing his appreciation for this fact, while highlighting the potential of Brazil's spread of musical flavours, Marcelo explains that 'what we have now is new ingredients to make an even better mixture.'

This compilation heavily features music from a scene in Brazil's current musical make-up, which draws inspiration from African music, particularly Afro-beat music. Abayomy Afrobeat Orchestra from Rio formed because of their shared love of the music of Fela Kuti, uniting initially in 2009 for a jam session in his honour. But what sets Abayomy apart from other groups of a similar nature, is the fact that their sound also brings with it the songs and rhythms of candomblé. In this sense, Abayomy was the first band of its kind. The thirteen members of the orchestra have a palpable current of Rio's musical heritage - its rhythms and culture - running through them. So while their sound is distinctly African, it is also inherently Brazilian. Similarly, Zebrabeat Afro-Amazônia Orquestra draw upon traditional guitarradas and carimbos from the state of Pará and fuse these with the poly-rhythms of Afrobeat to create another regional hybrid, which stays true to both its Amazonian and African roots, yet which results in a very fresh, Brazilian sound. From Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais), Iconilli are another key band on Brazil's Afro-groove scene. With influences as varied as funk, jazz and psychedelic rock, congado, mining harmonies, maracatu, coco, ijexá, carimbó, Iconilli somehow manage to balance all of these sounds in such a way that makes it impossible to pin them down. From the Northeastern city of Joao Pessao, Parayba, Burro Morto's pshychadelic afro sound leans more towards rock and funk influences, with hint of regional Brazilian rhythms such as frevo and forro. They add another flavour to the Brazilian afro-groove scene: just one of the many exciting facets of Novíssima Música Brasileira.



While African-inspired music features heavily on the compilation, it is just one of the many styles within. Ive Seixas has a fresh approach to MPB, based on traditional rhythms and instrumentation, punctuated by a pop sensibility, coupled with a powerful female vocal. As an artist she is a product of a 'Do It Yourself' outlook to creativity, taken from her love of rock growing up. In 2013 she embarked on a project of street performance: wandering, like a lonely troubadour with just her guitar. Ive and her project began to gain notoriety and shortly after, her first EP was recorded, featuring some important names of South Rio's underground scene. 'Cervejas Populares' taken from the EP, is a beautiful, sombre piece of modern Brazilian pop, with a traditional samba rhythm. Another artist of the new MPB scene is Fabricio, from the city of Vitoria, who's 'Feito Tamborim' melds rock and funk and is also clearly reminiscent of the old Brazilian masters. It's an appreciation for the national musical heritage, alongside a keen ear for melody and an acceptance of foreign influences that results in these promising new sounds of Brazilian MPB.

Sao Paulo's super group of the underground 'Passo Torto' have been at the helm of an emerging scene in the city: an innovative approach to samba which draws in and experiments with afro grooves, jazz melodies and rock structures. Their sound is naturally very Brazilian, but the nylon twang of Faira Lima Pra Ca, interspersed with ominous strings and light rolling percussion, seems reminiscent of Captain Beefheart or Tom Waits, as the band lament their frustrations with their native city through their music.



The Future of Novíssima Música Brasileira looks very bright. The main challenge (and purpose of this album) is to get the music beyond Brazil's underground and into view of international audiences. In the last 10 years this goal has become somewhat more attainable, as the Brazilian government has begun to see the internationalisation of the nation's culture as a strategic objective, with public projects gaining increased investment and backing. The continuing project of Amplificador is to reinforce this international bridge by writing, filtering and promoting the scene as a whole. There is a wealth of great music currently blooming in Brazil and using new media tools, Marcelo and the team, alongside many others, will passionately continue to get the voices of Brazil's underground heard.

The enigmatic Amara Touré from Guinée Conakry finally getting a well deserved compilation showcasing all of the 10 songs ever released between 1973 and 1980. Cuban influenced music of a different kind featuring amazing spaced-out guitar works!! Analog Africa compiles a complete collection of Amara Touré's Afro-Cuban compositions, originally released between 1973 and 1980."Lamento Cubana and Temedy are the two finest Afro-Cuban compositions ever recorded. As if they were played in a smokey, poorly lit ballroom where dark rum was sipped ever so slowly" - Vikram Sohonie - Ostinato Records
Analog Africa to release a compilation by Amara Toure, the enigmatic Afro-Cuban musician from Guinea-Conakry, showcasing all of the 10 songs he ever released between 1973 and 1980.
"Latin music, is it really foreign to us Africans I don't think so. Listen to the drums, to the rhythm. It all seems very close to us - it feels like it's our own culture," declared enigmatic singer Amara Toure. It is the late 50s, and Senegal is going crazy to the groove of Son Montuno and Patchanga. Brought to West Africa by Cuban sailors in the early 40s, these styles were immediately adopted by a flourishing music scene that did not hesitate to embrace the Caribbean sound, mixed it with their own Folklore, and, in the process, created something new. Through the unique cultural fusion of West African and Caribbean influences, Latin music took on a new and unique sound - the format was reinvented. Producer Ibra Kasseì and his Miami nightclub acted as the spearheads of this movement. They brought a breath of fresh air into Dakar's nightlife, further energising one of West Africa's most exciting cities. The demand for ballroom parties and live acts exploded, attracting numerous musicians from surrounding countries. One of the musicians who answered this call was percussionist and singer Amara Toureì, from Guinea-Conakry. Spotted by Kasseì while performing with Dexter Johnson, Toureì was asked if he would like to be part of a new project. Little did he know that this project would become a phenomenon.Immensely important for the development of Senegalese modern music, Le Star Band de Dakar, led by Mady Konate, became a sort of musical incubator and workshop, where many musicians learned and practiced their trade before moving on to become stars in their own right. Toureì's talent on percussion was undeniable, but it was his powerful and raw voice that captivated the producer. The fascinating way Toure interpreted Cuban music was unparalleled, and it was this feature that encouraged Kasse to recruit the unknown artist.
Although already brimming with incredible talent, Amara Toure's joining of Le Star Band de Dakar in 1958 began the band's meteoric rise to the top. The band quickly became Dakar's number one orchestra, and it cemented the reputation of the Miami nightclub as the hottest spot in the country. The place was packed nightly, and Dakar was boiling.
Amara Toure's Senegalese adventure lasted for ten years when he received an irrefutable offer and in 1968, joined by a few talented Senegalese musicians, headed to Cameroon and immediately formed the Black and White ensemble. Many live gigs later and it was time for the first songs to be recorded. A total of three singles were produced between 1973 and 1976. These singles, representing the first six songs on this compilation, fully epitomise and distill the essence of what Toureì had learned during his career. His Mandingue roots fused with the Senegalese sound that he had mastered - the perfect foundation for the Toureì's Cuban interpretations.
If Toure's intention was to create the most sensual music ever recorded in Africa, he might very well have reached this goal. The musicians on the recording sound like they are playing in a smokey, poorly lit juke joint, where dark rum was sipped ever so slowly, and the pulse of the music took up a life of its own. How many couples have danced, swayed, and melted together to the distinct sound of Amara Toure Nobody can say for sure ...
Amara Toureì's success poured across the borders of Cameroon, and in 1980 he went to Libreville, Gabon, to team up with the powerful Orchestre Massako. Toureì recorded an LP at that time which is hailed by many music aficionados as one of the very best African albums. The songs from that LP are the last four on this compilation. It took only ten songs for Amara Toureì to become a legend. These ten treasures, representing Toure ìs complete discography, have been carefully re-mastered from original session tapes and vinyl records, and will be released by Analog Africa on 22 June 2015. After the release of his LP in 1980, Toureì seems to have disappeared. Apparently he was last seen in Cameroon but it is unknown if he is still alive today. His music though is definitely alive.

Hailing from Berlin, but spiritually from Chi-town, Snuff Crew are back in your area with some freshly served up basement goodies once again. Following on from Basement Jams #1, from all the way back in 2011, the boys bring us tracks with the same playful nature as before but, dare I say it, they go even harder this time. Stalwart fans of the first release can stop reading now because it will almost certainly be a blind-buy for you; four tracks obviously engineered for use in the club, whether its the massive kick in 'What It Is' or the ravey acid lead in '88cents'. The jams on the B-side may do the most damage. 'Remember' holds absolutely nothing back, with its arpeggiated bassline lead and crisper than crisp 909 drum programming. Analog is a term that gets bandied about all the time nowadays, ever since so many young producers became enamoured with tape compression and hiss delay plug-ins. I know Snuff Crew are real analog guys though, in sound and mentality, so hearing Basement Jams #2 for the first time had me so excited once again.

Given its short gestation, it is striking how far removed the new album is from its predecessor . After the dark complexity of recent output, Same As You is startlingly fresh, as inclusive and accessible as the title suggests, while still maintaining the playful experimentation on which the band has made its name.

Originally conceived as a single longform piece, the tempo remains constant but does not prevent the band from producing swells of raw, joyous, life-affirming energy within these self-imposed limits

The vocal performances and the heartfelt, spiritual lyrics are an inspired addition to the rich instrumental mix: Pete Wareham and Mark Lockheart (tenor sax), Tom Herbert (double bass) and Leafcutter John (guitar, electronics), with Shabaka Hutchings (Sons Of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down) making a guest appearance.

The album's lead single 'Dont Let The Feeling Go' sees Rochford take on vocal duties alongside a choir of friends and collaborators: it's Polar Bear at their most direct.

The use of vocals may catch the ear but that should come as no surprise given that Rochford has enjoyed working with singers as diverse as Beck, Spoek Mathambo, Paolo Nutini and Rokia Traoré over a 15 year career that has seen the drummer, composer and producer emerge as a pivotal figure in contemporary British music

Recorded by Rochford in London, and mixed in the Mojave Desert with Ken Barrientos late last year

Polar Bear will tour Europe from February (see confirmed dates below)

Celldöd is the solo project of Anders Karlsson, well known in the EBM scene for his involvement in the band The Pain Machinery and as a live member of Severe Illusion. Celldöd strips EBM down to it's core, eliminating vocals and any superfluous details. Celldöd offers a raw, minimal, and purist vision of EBM; hardware tracks recorded live to tape using just a handful of machines. Celldöd's bare bones dance cuts are dirty and primitive, but manage to steer clear of retro trappings, sounding fresh and contemporary.

LTD. FULL COLOUR SLEEVE 12' (500 COPIES ONLY) INCLUDING FULL RE- LEASE DOWNLOAD
Fantasma, the latest project of South African innovator and creatve pioneer Spoek Mathambo, is a fve-man collectve which weaves together electronica, hip-hop, traditonal Zulu maskandi music, shangaan electro, South African house, psych-rock and punk to form a unique, original and fresh hybrid.The godfather of 'Bacardi House', producer DJ Spoko joins with former Machineri guitarist André Geld- enhuys, drummer Michael Buchanan and maskandi mult-instrumentst Bhekisenzo Cele to complete
the line up. Fused by Spoek Mathambo's futurist vision, Fantasma pulls inspiraton from all corners of South Africa:
the sounds and spirits of townships and cites as well as the rural countryside. It is diverse not only in its membership but also in its forward-looking music. The band will be in the studio this summer recording their debut LP set for release early 2015. Watch
this space.

With his new album "What's Fruit", Schlammpeitziger touches the dancefloor more than ever before in his 22-year long career. Yet his dancefloor is a playful one. The Cologne based composer's sounds electrify with their multi-layered melodic structures. He weaves countless details in perfection, to a high density of musical activity, always focusing on the slow, driving beats which hold everything together. Each of the eight tracks represents shades of the unique humour we love about Schlammpeitziger: The tricky question about what's those things we call fruit, or his mantric German lyrics on "Schneid ein Stück aus der Zeit" are charming messages which never fail to be heard in the guise of those lovely synth hooks. This new Schlammpeitziger disco has its source in a situation which does not quite promise relaxed creativity: In the past year Schlammpeitziger's studio in Cologne has been surrounded by construction works. Locked up in his private space between massive hums, squealing saws and pulsating jackhammers, he delivers this indeed relaxed album with eight tracks. It comes across with the freshness of a debut work. Contrary to his previous records which had been mostly made with analogue synths, this album has been produced with iPad synths at 90% of the time, before taking the mixes to Stefan Mohr's (ex- member of the band "Workshop") mixing console.

Traversing with an understated technical assuredness, the ambitious shapes of Steely Dan, the popping lounge funk of McDonald era Doobie Brothers, the sweet mourning of the Stylistics and Delfonics, and the exquisite song-craft and flawless harmonising of CSNY, Daniel Collas (The Phenomenal Handclap Band), Bart Davenport and Quinn Luke aka Bing Ji Ling have recorded an absolute darling of an album under the name Incarnations. They are three friends with enough musical guises, side-projects, collaborations and production jobs to fill the annual itinerary of your average musician twice over. When three CVs like these get together on a regular basis, it's only logical they speculate and hypothecate on the possibility of an album together. But, how to make those congested diaries synchronise? Bart lives in Oakland and Quinn and Daniel are in New York, all three of them are on tour for the better part of the year. One sunny day in Madrid, Spain, a plan was hatched and a proposal was made. Lovemonk, a small, eclectic and affable Spanish label, dangled the carrot that clinched the deal; 'find two weeks between gigs/productions/recordings and head down to this little place we know in Tarifa, Southern Spain'. A family-run studio, in a house 5 minutes from a wild beach and a short ferry ride from the coast of Africa; the perfect ambience for the fleeting melody and sultry grooves of the Incarnations debut album, "With All Due Respect". Arriving with bits and bobs of half-songs, grooves and melodies, Daniel, Quinn and Bart, sketched and improvised their way to the most intensely evocative songs you'll hear this year. Punctuated by a day trip across the water to Tangiers, all 9 songs were written and recorded inside a fortnight in October 2009 and laid to rest while our protagonists jetted off to their respective diary appointments. Whether it was the beach, the soft weather, the fact that you can smell Africa from the studio, the home cooked Spanish food or the relaxed environment of the recording room, when the band returned to the songs at a New York studio earlier this year, they found an album as fresh and resonant as the moment it came into being. Quickly mixed down with no over-dubs or re-records, "With All Due Respect" captures the combined gifts of Tarifa and the three very talented friends that paid a visit. Incarnations are: Daniel Collas: DJ, drummer, organist, and one half of production team Embassy Sound Productions, the minds behind The Phenomenal Handclap Band. Plays - drums, percussion, organ and synthesizers. Bart Davenport: Collaborator with Greyboy, General Elektriks and The Phenomenal Handclap Band; Singer-songwriter with The Loved Ones, The Kinetics and Honeycut, and most recently a touring member of the Kings Of Convenience. Plays - guitar, bass and vocals. Quinn Luke a.ka. Bing Ji Ling: Part of The Phenomenal Handclap Band, one half of DFA recording artists Q&A and long time member of Tommy Guerrero's band; Solo artist on labels Ubiquity and Lovemonk among others. Plays - guitars, keyboards, vocals The band are named after Encarnacion "Nini" Sagrista, owner of the recording studio in Tarifa, who housed and fed them during their stay.

you secretly believe that all of the best dance music has an undercurrent of melancholy then you are in for a treat. 0.5, the debut EP from the Fascination Movement, doesn't skimp on either the dancefloor rhythms or the windswept yes-we-remember-New Pop romanticism. The Fascination Movement is looking forwards, not backwards: just because this is music that adapts the same vocabulary created by bands like New Order or early Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark doesn't change the fact that from the first arpeggios of "Just Pretend" you feel the shock of the new. Of course, you may be too busy humming along to the choruses to notice how slyly the band makes a classic sound fresh again...