Suche:funk ho

The master jammer returns! Opal are so proud to release this set of four beautiful, sun filled pieces of pure electronic music. Ged Gengras' Personable project is the boiled down syrup of many years spent learning his craft within synthesis. Captured directly from live home studio recording, each track lives and breathes in it's own space, 'Gambetti' serves a light structure of rattling snares and resonant bass boops dressed up with gorgeous, almost gothic hanging notes. 'Window' is a funked slice of Ged at his best, referencing grime/garage structure but extended out into am 11+ minute epic that conjures buccolic idyll, like funky sunshine. B-side opener 'Oyster' flips the vibe inward into a more paranoid number, similarly long form and rolling but with all melody turning in on itself and riffs decaying away into thin whispers. To close; the stunning 'Cormorant' forms itself from a bed of padded out bliss. Reminiscent of Oval or Pinkcourtesyphone, the track haunts with a breathy sadness which pulses forwards into squash court squeaks and deep forward facing kick drums. Every time I listen to Personable I'm hearing someone who approaches their instruments as a player, no concepts or grand ideas, just playing a synthesiser and doing it so well.

Our sixth release marks the closing of a circle: Lucky Charmz—the man of our first release, Follow Me To Flottbeck Falls'-EP—returns to deliver his second full length effort. LHLT006 is the U Still Coming Over'-EP, a long overdue follow up to his first EP: More than anything else, it's a fresh slice of summer groovers. Opener Faceless Goat' instantly delights with it's majestic opening chords, only to unleash a smashing grandeur of sample fun and lustful grooves. It's a no-vocals-required anthem, rich in texture and yet subtly enchanting. While Faceless Goat is probably best enjoyed blasted out to vast, scenic landscapes on mediterranean costs from the terrace of a ancient estate, it is also tried and tested for Vorzech', houseparties and—of course—any club scenario (it won't fail you). We cannot help but to notice that Latency Jam''s stoic groove recalls the jungle books's march of the elephants, it's spacey synth madness points to outer space and, well, did we mention that It's super funky Yes, it's a funky spacewalk towards jupiter with your awesome, intergalactic elephant friends. Sonically charming with it's rapid fire hi-hat's, bubblegumspongecake melodies and zapping space laser's, that've all trickled out of a Nord Lead Young Lucky once laid hands on, Latency Jam' will also never let you down. On the flip we find Waffle Cut', yet another sun-oozing Lucky Charmz tune. Captivating trickle-down arpeggios radiate warmth, while soft pads sooth you into hypnosis. It's a bit like staring at the big yellow in the sky for too long—you get all frizzy, drizzy and a little silly.

Unshakable integrity, adamant dedication and multi-faceted creativity are all characteristics that define the personality of french electronic artist Marcelus. Following an already fluent relationship with music and a string of single releases on Tresor Records, Marcelus - given name Cedric Bros - thought it would be the opportune moment to dive into his most intimate inspirations and produce Vibrations, his debut album.

This full length project naturally comes at a pivotal moment for Marcelus, his experiences and knowledge coming together to create a homogenous body of work reflective of his expertise as a musician so far. Vibrations is purposefully techno oriented. It is a personal journey through his proficiency in the genre, travelling from techno to house inspired dub techno to futuristic and experimental by the end of the three vinyls.

To calculate the dark, nonetheless melancholic energy of the record, mathematical datas of Pi and Phi were deliberately measured into some parts of the composition of each track. The result is an ever-evolving web of rhythms that redefines pre-established structures.
Through its rich sonic journey Vibrations proves, from A to F, that Marcelus is undoubtedly one of today's most interesting and dexterous producer in the genre, and pertinently lands on Tresor's 25th Anniversary calendar

Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new official album reissue of Shine the Light of Love by Googie & Tom Coppola: A beautiful soaring soul album sublimely produced with a sweet LA groove!

Thomas Wilkinson Coppola (aka Tom Coppola) is a pianist and arranger, known for being a principal member of the funky prog-jazz group Air (not to be confused with the French duo). He began working as a musician in Manhattan in the 1960s, where he met Carolyn Brooks (aka Googie Coppola). If they only released one self-titled album with Air in 1970, and Shine the Light of Love as a duo in 1980, these two amazing talents have collaborated with artists such as Herbie Mann, Lenny White, Flora Purim, Ray Barreto or Jeremy Steig to name just a few.

Shine the Light of Love was also released in 1980 on Columbia, after the couple left Air to become born-again Christian. A real lack of promotion from the label caused the record to disappear, however it was, in many ways, years ahead of their contemporaries. Googie's vocals are an absolute delight - with a Minnie Riperton-esque sort of feeling - and the overall album's got some nice jazzy touches and a sublime, sophisticated approach to the overall sound, while never falling into commercial.

An underrated masterpiece that definitely deserved more attention, which is why Favorite Recordings is deeply honored today to present it in a fully remastered version, housed in a fine gatefold sleeve including original notes.

When Kompakt came across Amsterdam-based Harm Coolen and Merijn Schotte Albers aka WEVAL back in 2014, we were blown away when we heard their slow-burning, darkly emotive tracks.

Their debut EP 'Half Age' on Atomnation featured painfully intimate and surprisingly kinetic electronic chamber pop that convinced us they were a perfect fit in Kompakt's family. Following two widely acclaimed EPs for Kompakt and playing numerous festivals including DGTL, Reeperbahn, Iceland Airwaves and Piknic Electronik, we now see the two tackle their self-titled debut full-length WEVAL. What you have before you is not a mere collection of tracks, but a complete listening experience with organic flow, emotional heft and a narrative thread.
Smitten with WEVAL's uniquely personal and catchy approach to producing dark electronic music, it didn't take much to win us over... and so came WEVAL's acclaimed 2014 label debut EASIER EP (KOMPAKT 318), followed by the bold and beautiful 2015 offering IT'LL BE JUST FINE / GROW UP (KOMPAKT 344) which saw the two soundsmiths digging deeper into the granularities of electronic funk than ever before. However, Harm and Merijn's music - while astonishingly fully-formed even in its earliest stages - always seemed destined for more, a bigger format, more space to explore the nooks and crannies of their rapidly evolving sound cosmos. Simply put, they needed to think about an album and their beloved living room studio wasn't cutting it anymore.
An old school building became WEVAL's new home, repurposed to house small creative businesses - but in the summer of 2015, it was abandoned most of the time, with everybody out in the sun while our heroes turned the building's attic into a sweet spot to make some noise, have 24-hour access and lose track of time. And apart from a sketchy tenant being evicted, the occasional soccer game with friends and live gigs across Europe, there really was no interruption to the focussed vibe. It's not like they were looking for distraction anyway: "working on the album all by ourselves in this bloody hot attic was all we had on our mind", the artists admit. And they decided that their album shouldn't sound too clean: "We try to find the beauty in imperfection. It makes things sound more human".
Weval draw their inspirations from no single genre of music but a cumulation of music that inspires them. The results present an astonishingly coherent vision - cuts like the dramatic THE BATTLE, bass growler I DON'T NEED IT or the trippy epic MADNESS share the same DNA of zestful nostalgia, a knack for immersive sound-sculpting and that certain kink in the groove. They also feed on deeply personal experiences and moods, as exemplified by the haunting electronic ballad YOU'RE MINE, the carefully layered, polaroid-tinted JUST IN CASE or the beautifully voiced closer YEARS TO BUILD. And sometimes, it's just an old, out-of-tune piano that stands in the hallway: "Whenever I'd pass by it, I couldn't resist playing it", says Merijn, "so Harm decided to start recording and it became an integral part of YOU MADE IT (PART I)". No doubt about it: this is WEVAL's most powerful and organic material yet - which means a lot, considering the amount of skill already on display in their small, but weighty portfolio.
(de) Als sich 2014 in Amsterdam Kompakts Wege mit denen von Harm Coolen und Merijn Schotte Albers aka WEVAL kreuzten, waren wir sofort Feuer und Flamme für ihre schwelenden, emotional aufgeladenen Tracks. Ihre Debüt-EP "Half Age" auf Atomnation präsentierte intimen und überraschend kinetischen, elektronischen Kammer-Pop, der wie angegossen zu Kompakt zu passen schien. Nach zwei vielbeachteten EPs auf dem Label und einer Reihe von Festvialgigs (inklusive DGTL, Reeperbahn Festival, Iceland Airwaves und Piknic Electronik) nehmen Weval nun mit dem gleichnamigen Release ihr erstes Album in Angriff. Und legen dabei nicht einfach nur eine Ansammlung von Tracks vor, sondern kreieren eine komplette Hörerfahrung mit organischem Flow, emotionalem Gewicht und einm roten Faden.
Angetan vom einzigartig persönlichen und mitreissend düsteren Klang WEVALs brauchte es nicht viel um uns zu überzeugen... und so kam es 2014 zum gefeierten Labeldebüt EASIER EP (KOMPAKT 318), gefolgt vom kühnen und wunderschönen 2015er Release IT'LL BE JUST FINE / GROW UP (KOMPAKT 344), für das die beiden Soundtüftler tiefer denn je in die Granularitäten des elektronischen Funks abtauchten. Nichtsdestotrotz - und obwohl sie schon von Anfang an ausgereift klang - schien die Musik von Harm und Merijn auf dem 12"-Format stets bestimmt für mehr: mehr Freiraum um auch die äussersten Winkel ihres rapide expandierenden Soundkosmos zu erkunden. Sie mussten schlichtweg zum Langspielformat wechseln, und ihr heissgeliebtes Wohnzimmerstudio konnte da nicht mehr mithalten.
Ein altes Schulgebäude wurde schliesslich WEVALs neues Zuhause, umfunktioniert für kleine Kreativunternehmen - doch im heissen Sommer 2015 stand es zumeist leer, da alle draussen in der Sonne badeten, während unsere Helden im Schweisse ihres Angesichts das Kellergeschoss in ein lärmfestes Aufnahmestudio verwandelten. Mit Studiozugang rund um die Uhr liess es sich bestens die Zeit vergessen. Und abgesehen von der Räumung eines zwielichtigen Nebenmieters, dem gelegentlichen Fussballspiel mit Freunden und natürlich Live-Gigs in ganz Europa, gab es auch keine Ablenkungen vom hochkonzentrierten Kreativfluss. Ablenkungen, die das Duo ohnehin nicht suchte: "ganz allein in diesem verdammt heissen Keller am Album arbeiten war alles, was wir im Sinn hatten", geben die Künstler zu. Und sie entschieden sich, dass ihr Album nicht zu sauber klingen sollte: "Wir versuchen die Schönheit im Makel zu finden. Es lässt die Dinge einfach menschlicher wirken."
Weval beziehen ihre Inspiration nicht aus einem einzelnen musikalischen Genre, sondern eher aus einer Akkumulation von Musik, die sie inspiriert. Die Ergebnisse zeichnet eine beeindruckend kohärente Vision aus - Aufnahmen wie das dramatische THE BATTLE, der Bassknurrer I DON'T NEED IT oder die Trip-Saga MADNESS teilen diesselbe DNA aus schwungvoller Nostalgie, einer Schwäche für immersive Klangschnitzerei und einer gewissen Delle im Groove. Sie nähren sich auch aus zutiefst persönlichen Erfahrungen und Stimmungen, wie zum Beispiel bei der eindringlichen elektronischen Ballade YOU'RE MINE, dem vorsichtig geschichteten, polaroid-gefärbten JUST IN CASE oder dem wunderschön gesungenen Schlussakt YEARS TO BUILD. Und manchmal ist es nur ein altes, verstimmtes Klavier, das im Flur herumsteht: "Immer wenn ich dran vorbei lief, musste ich darauf herumklimpern", erklärt Merijn, "also wurde es ein zentraler Bestandteil von YOU MADE IT (PART I)". Kein Zweifel: dies ist WEVAL's stärkstes und organischstes Material bisher - was durchaus was bedeutet, wenn man das Talent bedenkt welches bereits in schmalen, doch gewichtigen Portfolio der Band steckt.

Najem Sworb brings us the thirty-fifth edition of Wolfskuil Records adding the Strasbourg-based artist to it's roster. Previously releasing on labels such as Clone Basement Series, Technorama, Metis Recordings and the now defunct Ai Records, Najem Sworb has been transforming through various genres of techno since his debut release in 2007.

Rad.Velc EP brings us 4 original tracks playing upon the themes of house and techno. 'K-159' opens the EP with a fierce relentless bass and squeaky pads ending in a harmonic disarray while 'K-166' follows in a smiliar suit rather with a dub inspired rhythms. On the flipside, Najem Sworb switches up the vibe with 'K-abL' which illustrates the artists more house influences with mystical synth lines. However, 'K-177' demonstrates his knack for techno, delivering an explosive device fit for the dance floor. Together in all four tracks Najem Sworb shows his expertise in unique synth work providing a quirky cadence to his beats.

DJ FEEDBACK
early support from
Answer Code Request: Interesting stuff here!
Rødhåd: Downloading for listen.
Anthony Parasole: This is quite good!
Ben Sims: B2 doing it for me.
A.Mochi: A2 is for me!
Angel Molina: K-abL/K-177 as my fav track on here, especially the last one, killer one.
John Osborn: Really strong release - loving A2 & B1.
Isolated Lines: Very cool tracks! I really like A2 and B2. I'll play them.
Jeff Derringer: Sounds very nice! I'll try this in Detroit.
Phone: Love hypnotic tribal sound of K159.
Truncate: Solid tracks all around... but really digging that B1 track.
Orde Meikle: Great release.
Ekserd: Another excellent one on Wolfskuil. Super nice!
Echoplex: Fresh.
AWB: Long time fan of Laurent's work.
Invite: Another great ep on the label! Keep them coming!
Jeroen Search: Yes!
Blawan: Very nice ep! Full support.
Joseph Capriati: Downloading for Joseph Capriati.
Mr. Jones: Always a surprise what new sound Wolfskuil will bring.Like this funky and fresh EP.
Richie Hawtin: Downloaded for Richie Hawtin.
Marcel Heese: Killer!
Randomer: A side bangs.
Robert Lamart: Support.
Svreca: Feeling specially K-177.
Mosca: Love that K-166 synth!
Tensal: B2 is my pic here, nice stuff as usual in Wolfskuill.
Markus Suckut: 166 & 177.
Sinfol: Will try b2.
Ame: Thanks.

Heavyweight soul providers Fat Freddy's Drop are about to take flight once again with the worldwide release of new album Blackbird on 24th June 2013. Blackbird is the third full-length release from the New Zealand band and will see Fat Freddy's Drop exceed half-a-million album sales worldwide, the result of playing over 800 shows in their career-to-date, clocking up 412 appearances in Europe, 27 Australian Tours and over 300 shows in their homeland.

Fat Freddy's Drop celebrate a decade of European touring by releasing Blackbird in East London. The already sold-out show at Village Underground attracted over 4,000 hopeful ticket ballot entries in just 24 hours for only 500 lucky spots.

Featuring nine tracks, Blackbird was written and recorded at Bays, the band's own studio, which was one of the last vinyl pressing plants in New Zealand and then an apostolic church. Fitchie says, 'What you hear on the album is the sound of Bays, the room itself, the vibe of the place and the performance we can get out of the band in there.'

'Blackbird is truer to FFD's musical philosophy than anything else we've done', says Chopper Reeds. 'The song structures are open and unruly - just like our live shows - whilst we've pushed ourselves to deliver rich and deeply layered arrangements that showcase Joe Dukie's exceptional voice. We feel totally at home melding together this unholy mix of disco, rootsy dub, blues, soul and electronic funk - it's what we do.'

Fat Freddy's Drop have released two studio albums, 'Based On A True Story' (2005) and 'Dr Boondigga & The Big BW' (2009), two live albums, 'Live At The Matterhorn' (2001) and 'Live At Roundhouse' (2010) and a stash of limited edition vinyl singles, including the now legendary 'Midnight Marauders' and 'Hope For

All Tracks Written and Produced by S3A
Mastered by Kuniyuki Takahashi

This house project, based on the idea that electronic music is a blend of different cultures and music, started 15 years ago when Max began jamming on analog machines and samplers with different projects from techno (FriendShip Connection) to house (S3A).
It is through this project that he expresses, among other things, his taste for soul and House music. Such as his beloved artists MCDE, Floating Points... he uses the process of sampling as a basis to color his music with sounds of all his inspirations, he always add his own touch and groove to get his own vision of electronic music: dynamic, warm, emotional and dirty.

Although he discovered electronic music in 92 through UK hardcore with DJ as Tanith or Producer, his culture is based on a solid knowledge of house music, soul, funk, hip hop, making him one of the most promising house artists of the French scene since 2009.

He first came to Paris with Zadig to realize his childhood dream: building a studio and later collaboration, Frendship Connection (All is just a matter of time has actually been playlisted by Marcel Dettmann).

His residency at Concrete helped him to confirm his DJ position since the last 4 years adding as well releases on Lazare Hoche Records, Hold Youth, Concrete Music, Local Talk, Phonogramme and Faces. With these releases, his remix for Laurent Garnier on Music Large and his booking request from the French legend to play with him for his residency at Rex club and Concrete, gave him legitimacy and visibility in all over Europe.


In 2014 he decided to make his own label Sampling As An Art Records and focus on finding new-blooded artists and release his very personal music. A perfect definition between underground quality emotional house music and dancefloor efficiency!
In 2015, he released a collaborative EP on Uncanny Valley Label with Max Graef and Cuthead (whom released S3A RECORDS 03 the same year), made his first live representations and currently continue to spread his vision of music.

Last year saw the mysterious Garage Shelter make their debut appearance on Skylax, and little is still known about them! All we know is they are back with some freshness on the Skylax Classic sublabel.
First up is Bring Back Love, a track that will sink its claws in with that infectious vocal sample hook. Sticking with the old school sample vibe is the Lonely Heart dub of Attempt; it's a bit more mellow but still has plenty of groove in it. Friend of the Garage Shelter, DJ La Foudre, appears over on the B side with It's Alright (Signal St Mix). Still on that catchy sample tip, it features one of the grooviest bassline and funky guitar pairings I've heard in a long time. Next up, Perception 66 is a smooth house affair from yet another friend, Asa No Hikari. Rounding out the package is Garage Shelter's own You (Still), a dreamy pad-driven track that may indeed be the pick of the release. While we don't know much about Garage Shelter, we can't help but look forward to what they come out with next!

Janette Jnett Pitruzzello is considered something of a legend in her home city of Melbourne, where she's been DJing for well over two decades. Here, she delivers her debut solo EP, featuring a quartet of tracks co-produced by Maurice Fulton. The latter also delivers a solo mix of opener Reflection", which adds a little leftfield disco sparkle and percussive sweatiness to an otherwise organ-heavy deep house groove. There's a similarly cheery, funky and disco-tinged feel to the rolling, cut-up house goodness of Swangzipani". Elsewhere, the duo gets a little stranger in pursuit of dancefloor thrills, Bubbles Away' is deliciously dark, wonky and intergalactic, while Judge Not' wanders off into head-nodding, instrumental hip-hop territory.

This is the new digitally remastered 2015 expanded edition of Soul Jazz Records' biggest ever selling release, 100% Dynamite! Ska, Soul, Rocksteady and Funk in Jamaica.
Since the album's original release nearly twenty years ago, 100% Dynamite has become a cornerstone of reggae: eighteen killer tracks that show the influence that American Jazz, Funk and Soul music had on Jamaican Reggae.
The proximity of the West Indies to the USA meant that many Jamaican musicians were influenced by American styles of music whilst at the same time defining new styles of their own such as Ska, Rocksteady and Dub.
100% Dynamite features some serious Jamaican funk by Jackie Mittoo, The Upsetters and Toots & The Maytals, the cream of Jamaica's jazz musicians such as Tommy McCook, Cedric Brooks and Lennie Hibbert. Also included here are heavyweight Reggae versions to Soul classics by Marlena Shaw's 'Woman of the Ghetto', Aretha Franklin's 'Rocksteady', Syl Johnson's 'Is It Because I'm Black', William DeVaughan's seminal 'Be Thankful' and more.
100% Dynamite also features revolutionary tunes such as Johnny Osbourne's 'We Need Love', Sound Dimension's 'Drum Song' and Lloyd Robinson's 'Cuss Cuss', songs that helped define a unique sound for Jamaican music in the sixties and seventies. These influences went both ways - check Brentford All Stars massive 'Greedy G', the basis for Boogie Down Productions' 'Jack of Spades', or Willie Williams' 'Armageddon Time', later covered by The Clash.
This new expanded edition features seminal tracks from the greatest Jamaican producers - Clement Dodd, Lee Perry, Winston Riley (Techniques) and many more.
The album is available as CD, heavyweight double vinyl (+download), plus digital.

Trani has been representing the Detroit sound in Italy for some years now, with releases on Minimal Soul Recordings, as well as his own Pushmaster Discs (a label that has also hosted the likes of Ilario Alicante, Myles Sergé and Percyl). His latest outing will be his first full-length, an album inspired space travel, that continues to push Detroit sounds, as well as venturing into some jungle rhythms.

DJ FEEDBACK
early support from
Jeff Mills: I like the Alien Pattern Track!
Robert Hood: nice tracks from Mattia.
Dimi Angelis: Like this! Thanks!
Marcel Dettmann: Thanks.
Thomas Hessler / IMF: Nice one! Thank you!
Darko Esser aka Tripeo: Excellent album, right up my alley!
John Heckle: Thanks, some stuff I really like on here.
Marco Zenker: Sounds really dope! Thank you.
Jonas Kopp: Great stuff, will check carefully! Thanks.
Ben Sims: Plenty of great moments here, nice to hear some Detroit/real techno flavours on an album. Thanks!
Milton Bradley: Very nice tracks, 'Traffic 2 Traffic' is my fav.
Truncate: Downloading, thanks.
Donor: Really looking forward to giving this a good listen after download. Thanks.
Marcelus: Wow that's pretty... Very nice one, great tracks and the all thing makes sense, congratz!
Ben Gibson: Looking forward to having a proper listen to this.
Zadig: Really into electro stuff here, and 'Alien Pattern' is also great. Thanks.
Radio Slave: Great sounds here.

Nearly a year after his acclaimed debut EP, 'Every Inch of You', a musical project meant as an ode to the memory of a once great man, his Grandfather, the enigmatic, Rosas Nievas, steps up to the plate with a sophomore outing for Scissor and Thread, Going Away Soon' On the A-side, the bombastic opener, wastes no time getting its feet moving with charged up percussion, guitar licks, and playful sampling with a clear ode to the likes of Matthew Herbert. Nearly Lost You, Though' sees Rosas Nievas pair up with the singer Poppy Roberts on an emotional house jam primed for a peak time lovers rave . A rock steady kick and shuffling percussion are the anchor, as smooth pads and ethereal, hypnotic vocal snips swirl around the listener before the singer's voice emerges forward with a heartfelt, soulful ode. The b-side takes things down several notches with the funky and loose, Roses are Dead, Violets are Blue,' a hypnotic rhythm cycle flanked by a powerful bass line a reverb-laden piano and a sax ensemble emerging as we are lead with eyes closed on a euphoric early morning dance ritual. The closer, Edge of Keys", continues the shuffling rhythmic patterning of the latter track, but couples with a loose form Rhodes piano, finishing off the EP on a gentle tone, as if coming to terms with loss, bittersweet and full of joy.

Warehouse Find!

Having unleashed the beast that is his debut LP Columbusing, thatmanmonkz grants a couple more heavyweight producers permission to get busy with the sonic manglers for remixes of Turn It Out and Boogie Down. First up, one of the vocalist contributors to the LP Dave Aju (known for his releases on Circus Company) takes on his own track Turn It Out, transforming the original from a backyard BBQ summer jam into some kind of mutant electro P-funk meets broken- beat fusion. A filtered bass line and bare bones 808 kicks are what this track is all about forming the perfect rhythmic union with the vocal.
Flip over for a remix of Boogie Down from talented new UK producer Laurence Guy. Laurence has been making waves the last year since dropping his Kojak EP on Church and subsequently getting played at seemingly every single Move D gig for the following six months! A slew of brilliant releases came hot on the heels on labels such as Cin Cin, Rose and Outplay. For his Boogie Down remix Laurence has opted for a sweet and laid-back affair which compliments Erik Rico's paired down vocals perfectly, conjuring up feelings of warm, balmy nights, dancing under the stars.In addition to the remixes we've included two more originals from the LP - Turn It Out and the dance-floor pleasing For Bae.

'2 Minutos De Um Novo Dia' - pacey samba-funk-MPB that originally appeared on a 7' from 1969 released on Odeon Brazil. Soaring vocals, strings and horns over alternating full and half-time funk drum breaks. Very big indeed.

'Candomble' has been a resident in our DJ sets for a long, long time. A retrained, deeper opening section drops into drum heavy, rich uptempo jazzy-MPB. Super catchy vocal hooks and piano lines sit over the top from start to finish. Taken from their self titled album from 1975 on RCA.

Parisian DJ & producer's duo, Cléon & Jazzy Pidjay, are back as Last Bongo In Paris, with a hot new 12inch filled with Latin & Brazilian soul-funk vibes... With raw drums, heavy breaks and jazzy flavor, these 5 tracks EP should quickly become a hit for all groovers and dancefloors!!

The Roundtable & Northside Records are pleased to offer this long awaited and special Record Store Day reissue of this highly collectible Australian rare groove LP.
If you can imagine the gathering of a group of Australian session musicians channelling the sounds of Herbie Hancock Headhunter's and Marc Moulin's Placebo, recording an album out of hours at a TV studio and then releasing a privately pressed hard hitting jazz funk record then what you have is Arena, one of Australia's most revered and scarce rare groove records.
This was the name given to a pick-up group of session players led by Ted White, a veteran of the British big band jazz scene (an associate of Ted Heath and Basil Kirchin) who had immigrated to Australia in the 1960s to work in the burgeoning television industry. This one-time studio project (recorded only to test out the facilities for a new studio) barely yet thankfully saw an LP release in 1975. Pressed in minute quantities only with limited distribution, the album was subsequently forgotten and obscured by time, only to be resurrected in the 90s by DJs and collectors seeking out lost and rare records.
The album has since become one of the country's most celebrated and collectible jazz funk recordings and has proved to be a pivotal point in Australian jazz, marking a shift from the modern jazz and R&B sounds of the previous decades to the cross pollinating electric jazz funk of the 70s. Characterized by the heavy use of electronically treated saxophone, psychedelic guitar, Moog and spacey Fender Rhodes, the album is a classic of the genre.
While acknowledging the often compiled and sampled breaks track, The Long One, the complete album offers much more, exemplified by its complicated and obsessive jazz rhythms, abstract and middle-eastern horn lines and pulsing electric funk.

Ostgut Ton reissues Acht of Zehn with original tracks by DIN (aka Efdemin and Marcel Fengler), Fiedel and Tobias.
2015 marked Ostgut Ton's ten-year anniversary, celebrated with an extensive 30 track compilation release, titled Ostgut Ton Zehn, spread out over ten 12 vinyl records housed inside a limited box set. This sampler sold out in no time, which is why Ostgut Ton is re-issuing these ten 12"es individually in 2016.
Bubbling synths, a stoic bassdrum, some live hi-hat percussion and synth pads full of bliss - what started as Marcel Fengler's and Efdemin's inaugural collaboration as DIN for 2013's MASSE ballet sees its continuation in form of Mono' on A1. On A2 Fiedel contrasts the opening track's cool sounds with an upbeat contribution: Probe-806 gently brushes Funk, Electro, Acid and even Boogie territory atop the general muscular rhythm.
Analogue synth aficionados are being served by Tobias.: Like A Drug is a minimalist Techno track with maximalist dancefloor effect through its use of haunting, distanced vocal fragments, discomforting alarm tones and crackling background textures. As with every good drug, you don't necessarily want more of it, but rather a longer duration of effect (in this track's case: 8:36 minutes).