Buscar:funk lab

Tired of reading the words 'classic', 'masterpiece', 'missing link', 'cult', in every press release Just trust us on this one: We have no choice but to use those words and urge you to(re)discover one of the ultimate Afro-Disco lost classics.
How could such a masterpiece stay in obscurity for so long Well, no one knows where N'Draman is. He's presumed dead, and so is Mr Patrick, the label owner, an ex-football player
who turned his focus into fashion after suffering a career ending injury. Selling jeans from an outlet in Monrovia (Liberia), he only ventured in the music business for a short period of time,
releasing a handful of incredible albums on his Cosmic Sounds imprint. The word on the street was that Nigerian legend William Onyeabor was somehow involved with the production of the album, or maybe playing synths on it. Both were inaccurate, although N'Draman Blintch's previous and first record Cikamele, was indeed recorded at Willfilms, Onyeabor's studio. And some of the musicians playing here were also key members in his pool
of session musicians. Cosmic Sounds is many things: Psychedelic, politically engaged, funky to death, full of synths,
with an artwork to die for, a perfect crossover of African and Western culture: Music for the body and soul, Cosmic disco before the genre even existed. Did DJ Danielle Baldelli hear it
Was it ever played by Larry Levan or Mancuso In a pre-internet era, it's unlikely but not impossible. We are extremely honored in carrying the reissue of this gem and have treated the task with
utmost respect: both artwork and audio were restored by specialists, and liner notes were written by Temitope Kogbe, Afro-Funk expert who runs the Odion Livingston label, founded
with legendary producer Odion Iruoje. 38 years after its original release, the world is finally ready to hear Cosmic Sounds in all its glory.

In the '70s, Yan Tregger was far to believe he would become one of the most emblematic artists in the "sound illustration" scene. Yet today, his albums are highly coveted by "diggers" all around the world. At the time, nobody paid much attention to all those records that were classified as sound illustrations, or library music.
Yan Tregger started out in this environment in the late '60s. He was remarked after making several recordings for the credits of TV shows, and received a proposal to compose his first album. It was a small label (Marignan), the sleeve design was skimpy and the track titles were bizarre... Yet when you listened, the sound was seriously groovy. The album was called Freezing Point and a mere 300 copies were pressed. Thanks to this first test, other "illustration" professionals were convinced by Tregger's qualities.
During this period, there was no lack of work but there was no glory on the program either. In the '70s, many different labels such as Neuilly, Montparnasse 2000, or the Italian CAM label, called on
his services. Shortly afterwards, Philips released two of his records under the name Major Symphony, and then Polydor issued the two M.B.T. Soul albums, including one international
success, "Chase". Up until now, despite the interest shown in his discography, no reissue had been undertaken - an
omission that has just been fixed thanks to the release of a compilation that we are pleased to present. Let's start with the main information: the tracks included on the album were selected jointly by a number of collectors and Yan Tregger himself. The selection is rich and surprising. The A side is more "seventies", with an instrumental pop style and a psychedelic vibe, while the B side is more rhythmic and melodious, corresponding more with the funky disco moods of the eighties.7

After the famous Andre Tanker's 'Back Home', Jamwax is very proud to reissue River Come Down in its 12'' version.
Originally released on the Contraband label in 1979 and recorded at famous Semp studio in Trinidad, 'River Come Down' is a blend of islands funk, soul, disco, soca with also a touch of gospel: 'River, the river come down, the river come down, the river down...wind blow like a hurricane...the river come down, washing the right, washing the wrong, washing the weak, washing the strong, the river come down...'
On the other side you will find an obscure synth instrumental released on an impossible to find 7'' in 1986. 'Movin Round' was produced by Andre Tanker for Horace Wilson's Turn of
The Tide. This song was absolutely under the radar and remains a strong banger for any dances.

The man, the myth, the legend ... back in the 80s Jesse Rae, along with Roger Troutman and Bernie Worrell, was part of the P-Funk movement that was hugely influential to Detroit's early electronic experiments. Lesser known is that the enigmatic Scot-funk warrior later produced underground electronic tracks in the 90s. The inaugural release on Glasgow label Southside Shufflers presents two of Jesse's Shufflers on vinyl for the first time on the Global 95 EP- a sampler from his pioneering 1995 album 'Compression'. Ever the innovator, Jesse recorded the album collaboratively using live ISDN technology spanning three continents, with the resultant tracks fusing African, US electro-funk and old Scots influences. 23 years later, Jesse's under the radar Shufflers sound more relevant than ever.
Southside Shufflers are a record label and sports collective based in Glasgow with outposts in London and Amsterdam. SSS- ain't no half steppin'!

Matt Edwards' reissue label R-Time Records presents 'After Dark' this September with three tracks from Mark The 909 King.

Following reissues of excellent music by Sir Lord Commix, FBK and Sanasol (Thor & Yagya), Rekids offshoot R-Time Records now presents definitive cuts from Mark The 909 King. Debuting with the timeless 'Can You Dig It!' on Sex Trax in '94, the producer went on to release via a number of New York house legend DJ Duke's labels throughout the mid-nineties. A huge fan of DJ Duke since the 90s, Matt Edwards even held a Sex Mania night at Berghain in 2009 featuring a rare DJ performance from the Duke himself.

Alongside tracks by Roy Davis JR and Trackman (Jon Cutler), 'After Dark' featured as part of a VA release on the label DJ Exclusive, whilst 'Into Space' landed on Rated X Records, and 'The Loft' appeared on the 'Can You Dig It' album via Power Music Records.

'After Dark' set the tone of the package with a piercing drum groove, airy arpeggios and a funky bassline, before cosmic synths and crunchy snares work alongside scintillating chords in 'Into Space.' Concluding the package, 'The Loft' begins with a hooky bass sequence and filtered effects before soothing melodies come into play.

Label head honchos Rhode & Brown finally debut on their own imprint, Slam City Jams, after putting out music on fellow labels Toy Tonics and Public Possession. Produced over the past two
years, the Wave 100 EP might be the most versatile record by the Munich-based fellas so far.

On the title track we have an euphoric hint of 80s synth nostalgia, slapped bass and banging woodsticks (did someone say Safri Duo!). 'Sparkle' on A2 feels like the joy of a fresh breeze on hot summer days whilst living la vida loca in the clouds - b/w phat bass, sweet flutes & strings.

On the flip there is 'Love Lane', a classic house track with a funked up bassline, shuffling snares and the most erotic vocal in human history. 'Moon Bells' on B2 is the soundtrack to that road
trip you did back in 86' with a Juno 106 arpeggiator bassline, percussive drums and airy synths all around. 'Over Europe' on B3 rounds off this special 5-tracker with beautiful ambient spheres
straight from outta space.

Francis Harris' exceptional run of releases for his own labels Scissors & Thread and Kingdoms now extends to this perfectly formed EP for hafendisko, which sees him rework some of hfn music's finest moments of the last two years. Harris, the Brooklynite whose feel for subtlety and space seems to infuse all his work, takes on three of the Hamburg label's cannon - kicked off with Kasper Bjørke's 'Cloud 9', featuring Urdur. Here Harris deconstructs the original and reforms it into a some quite removed from its origins - shuffling drum machines bring about a Kraftwerkesque feel, before beautiful tones and atmospheres reveal themselves. The track seems to develop along two paths simultaneously, somehow creating a truly affecting piece of leftfield electronica.

Null + Void's huge Dave Gahan-featuring-track 'Where I Wait' has been heavily remixed over the past months, but also gets the Harris treatment. Completely flipped form the original, this is a haunting remix with tough and funky underbelly, utilizing Gahan's vocals only sparingly.

Danish alt-pop trio ticktock have their single 'Hatefuck' refixed also, and Harris zones in on the glitchy vibe and adds layers of claustrophobic depth to the production.

- Direct from Spain and totally lost in time the orchestra Enterprise was a great blend of the ''Disco Orchestral'' and ''Space Disco'' styles.
- Amazing project, wisely conducted by Josep Llobell Oliver, a Spanish keyboard player, composer, engineer and producer.
- Enterprise was the perfect soundtrack to your space trip, that dancing hidden treasure you always wanted to discover.
- Remastered reissue includes pictures and linernotes by Dr. Vinilo (Madmua Records).
#funk #soul #spacedisco #cosmicdisco #josepllobell #oliversplanet #spanishgrooves
In 1975 he was commissioned by the label's artistic director to produce a studio album with a hefty budget. It was his first company and he named it after the intergalactic ship Enterprise. He assigned the bands logo (inspired by the musical group Chicago) to a friend-musician and selected the tracks: Barry White, Chick Corea, the everlasting Beatles, sonidos calientes and other well-known hits, all played by Llobell along with the labels other musicians, all on payroll thanks to Belter. Javier Cubedo, Enrique Tudela, Gabriel Martinez, Kitflus, Ricard Roda, etc. all gave their best on a magnificent first album that would be followed by 3 more, one per year, all including original compositions by the group along with international hits that are currently part of our countries wonderful music library, even though they still haven't received all the recognition they deserve, Garcia Segura, Santisteban, Calderón, Pepe Nieto, José Solà, Manolo Gas, Adolfo Waitzman and Algueró, Ramón Farrán, Miguel Ramos, Albert Peter, Jaume Cristau, Josep Llobell and many others, published albums in the 70's.
Josep has been inexhaustible, for many years he has influenced the career of soloists and bands, modernizing their sound, Manolo Escobar, Peret, Junco, arrangements and productions for Marfil, Bachelli, Ana Reverte, even great artists from 'La Movida' and rock music like Burning or El Último de la Fila.

Butter Sessions proudly presents the debut LP from label mainstay Cale Sexton. Last seen on the imprint with his club-minded EP East Link in 2016, Melondrama accumulates over 12 months work writing in studio.

Having taken a step back from live performance, the album is a marination of Sexton's musicianship, flexing his abilities as a bass-man, and incorporating live instrumentation and drenched arrangements to tell a vivid story. With the new found freedom of playing for himself, his inspired creations span electro-synth, deep milky way ambience and mutant drum machine funk. Produced as a solo act from the bass up, he's only accompanied on Previous Employee, with drums, synth and fx from Maryouss. His zonked imagination is brought to clarity by Corey Kikos' final mix, further animated via Ben Jones' sleeve design.

Full of emotion and adventure, the nine patiently durational earworms on Melondrama are a welcome antidote to the deluge of modern electronica that's designed for speed listening. Find a comfortable seat and let the mind travel.

A Band Called Flash's third EP on the J4J record label continues to expand with a new group of future funk goodies. With the highly anticipated release of the hypnotic dance track 'Dracula' along with the funky vocals 'There Will Be A Time' and 'VSL', artist, songwriter and producer Jared Hines doesn't disappoint. Add to that, the intergalactic groove 'Song For Spike' and you have an EP that will surely satisfy listeners and dancers alike.

Following our 004 EP we present our first VA release with NorthSouth Records bossman and all round Don Henry Hyde (aka Harry McCanna) kicking things off. 'Still Talking' epitomises the forward-thinking sound that is currently coming out of London - a perfect example of our ethos and aesthetic at the label. A tried and tested bomb that will do serious damage on any dance floor.

Kepler is another artist we have been working closely with over the course of 2017, an exceptional year for him bringing his sound to the masses. Happy to be working with him, with plenty more to come in 2018 - you can catch Kepler's solo release in the form of 006 later this year..

On the B Side, a name I'm sure you have all heard & also now officially a member of Entity : London, Lost Act sets the pace with his trademark groove on 'Locked'.

Smoud Beats complete the EP with a funky fresh track primed for the dance floor. The young duo from Italy have been creating some real good music of late and I'm really happy to have them on board to round off this record.

Harlem's legendary Disco label Queen Constance has long been a cult favourite among fans of underground dance music for decades.

One of many labels operating under the equally legendary P&P family of imprints Land Of Hits was operated by one Peter Brown, a truly colossal figure in NYC's music scene, it's catalogue still fascinates music lovers to this day. Covering a wide range of styles including Gospel, early Rap and Disco the label's output continually finds it way into the playlists of respected DJ's and selectors across the globe. Mistafide's colossal old-school rap behemoth 'Equidity Funk' has long been a record that makes the serious collectors salivate and is now here in full 12" form repress, too legit to quit.

Not much is known about the crew behind 'Mistafide', their government names are listed online but this is the only record they put out using this name. Suffice to say, this has no impact on the fury and style with which the MC's deliver their raps, backed with the studio nous of impresario Peter Brown. Across 12 minutes 'Equdity Funk' is a slamming Disco-rap monster, interpolating elements of the evergreen B-boy jam 'Theme From SWAT' it sounds like everyone just got into the studio and went for it. In the style of the times this is the real hip-hop flavour, a live band, some MC's and some death defying bars being dropped, proper old school. A truly rare recording, 'Equidity Funk' has been one of those records fans of the Disco-rap era have been fiending for for decades - often commanding prices over the $1000 mark you can now grab this slice of essential NYC street Funk.

This is a 100% legit reissue, made in conjunction with Above Board distribution and the Demon Music group, remastered with love by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK.

After a triplet of solo 12"s, all courtesy of label main man Rupert Marnie, Hamburg-based imprint The Press Group are set to break 2018 in with the multi-flavoured TPG004 - a versatile debut VA that offers a fine close up on the label's whole cast of operating forces with some choice contributions from TPG's core tetrad including Youthman(29), Ten Letu, DJ Dodo and Marnie himself. Mind your backs!

Shape-shifting yet coherent as a whole, this collective effort puts together a swinging confluence of sounds and aesthetics - clearly aimed at the dancefloor but equally poised for laid-back chill sessions. First release on the label to reunite the entire crew, TPG004 mashes up a wide-spanning array of grooves and tempi in exploded view, giving full vent to each artist's idiosyncratic universe whilst establishing a hyper-modern sound ID, both infectiously funky and undeniably potent.

Casting its net far and wide: from the pared-down astronautical breakbeat of Youthman's 'Aemilia' to DJ Dodo's breezy jacking jazz-footwork hybrid 'The Machine' via Rupert Marnie's lithe ganjah-smelling shuffler 'Health' and Ten Letu's muscle-flexing acid roller 'Ah, You Shot Me!', it's a feast of feelgood beats that you're invited to, neatly connecting the dots between the guys' shared love for video game soundtracks, liquid dubstep, heavy jungle breaks, minimal house and further daydreaming, hazy harmonics to drape yourself into.

Bergsonist is the moniker of Moroccon born and NYC based Selwa Abd. 'Solyaris' follows the self-released '' and a prolific slew of releases for labels such as Styles upon Styles, Borft, and Angoisse amongst others. For Selwa her uncompromising & otherworldly, hypno technoid creations aim to capture a given moment in time, contextualising her often direct, hugely affective, & unpolished approach to production.

Selwa describes 'Solyaris' as 'an ode to the present broken education system that allowed me to sustain my dreams in NewYork', explaining, 'As an immigrant from Morrocco, I felt always fearful of the future, pressured to succeed at school. The only way I was able to channel all that anxiety was through music'.

There's a undeniable physicality to Bergsonist's work, and the idea of expunging anxiousness into her music is felt from the oft as 'Solyaris' strides into vision with it's quickening roaring pulse and scrambled explorative electronic probes. This sense of anxiety eases as layers of rhythm build - heads begin to turn down and lush minimalist swathes eventually envelope bodies in calm unity, Anxiety diverted.

'Conflict in Yeman' opens with a gambit of off-kilter percussive experiments & electronics, conveying a sense of determined urgency. Things grow more & more intricate & immediate as we progress - layers of disruption weave around a reoccurring 140BPM shuffle, anchoring Selwa's constant explorative concrete diversions.

'Former Alien who has been naturalized by a U.S Citizen' brings things down a notch - skittering drums linger below a truly haunting whispered melody, occasionally broken down by collapsed rewinds and thunderously raw in the red beat grit - to dizzying effect. Whereas previously 'Solyaris' had taken its cues from Drexciyan Detroit Electro 'Former Alien...' stands closer to a Fantastic Damage era EL-P instrumental rather than anything aimed at the floor.

The EP rolls out with 'Fidel Gastro', a structured & focused piece of Machine Funk & end of days drop cues, conjuring an effective mix of both euphoria & imminent dread.

Bergsonist cuts a unique figure for electronic music in 2018 as someone explicitly exploring the relationship between head & body music. Although undeniably more than oft aimed at the dancefloor, Selwa's work also holds an equal respect and understanding of the head & heart. From her politically loaded Track titles, to her ideologically aligned guise of 'Bergsonist', to most significantly - her music's ability to elicit a spectrum of finely tuned emotional responses within the confines of each track

2022 repress

currently the rediscovery of long forgotten japanese electronic, jazz and new age music is at a peak like never before. but although many re-issues already flood the record stores around the world: the large, diverse musical culture of japan still got some gems in store that are really missing.

for example, it is still quiet around the the work of japanese bass player, new-age and ambient musi-cian motohiko hamase. when the today 66-years old artist started to be a professional musician in the 1970's, he quickly gained success as a versed studio instrumentalist and started to be part of the great modern jazz isao suzuki sextett, where he played with legends like pianist tsuyoshi yamamoto or fu-sion guitar one-off-a-kind kazumi watanabe.

he also was around in the studio when legendary japanese jazz records like 'straight ahead' of takao uematsu, 'moritato for osada' of jazz singer minami yasuda or 'moon stone' of synthesizer, piano and organ wizard mikio masuda been recorded.

in the 1980's hamase began to slowly drift away from jazz and drowned himself and his musical vision into new-age, ambient and experimental electronic spheres, in which he incorporated his funky medi-tative way of playing the bass above airy sounds and arrangements.

his first solo album 'intaglio' was not only a milestone of japanese new-age ambient, it was also fresh sonic journey in jazz that does not sound like jazz at all. now studio mule is happy to announce the re-recording of his gem from 1986, that opens new doors of perception while being not quite at all.

first issued by the japanese label shi zen, the record had a decent success in japan and by some overseas fans of music from the far east. with seven haunting, stylistically hard to pigeonhole compo-sitions hamase drifts around new-age worlds with howling wind sounds, gently bass picking and dis-creet drums, that sometimes remind the listener on the power of japanese taiko percussions. also, propulsive fourth-world-grooves call the tune and all composition avoid a foreseeable structure. at large his albums seem to be improvised and yet all is deeply composed.

music that works like shuffling through an imaginary sound library full of spiritual deepness, that even spreads in its shaky moments some profound relaxing moods. a true discovery of old music that oper-ates deeply contemporary due to his exploratory spirit and gently played tones. the release marks another highlight in studio mule's fresh mission to excavate neglected japanese music, that somehow has more to offer in present age, than at the time of his original birth.

Fresh from touring with Hugh Masekela ( The Boy's Doin' It'), Gboyega Adelaja goes into the lab to drop heavy keyboard science on his Moog and Fender Rhodes. Its Joe Sample meets the Afro Funk of BLO. With names like Jake Sollo on guitars, Mike Odumusu (BLO, Osibisa) on bass guitar and Gasper Lawal on percussion. This is a top quality, Afro-Funk, all-stars affair that shines from the inspired interventions, masterly arrangements to the sublime production.
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Additional Notes:

I was already following Hugh Masekela when I met him, he was an outstanding musician and I knew of his collaboration with
Hedzoleh, that band brought him nearer to many of us, because he was playing authentic African melodies with the Hedzoleh
sound which was mostly percussion oriented. Yes I knew about Hugh's music before I met him. Infact when we started playing
together, he insisted that I stay with him in our three bedroom apartment, other members of the band had their own apartments,
but Hugh and myself shared the same 3 bedroom apartment'.

We were touring, under Casablanca owned by Neil Boggart, we toured as professional musicians, flying to our gigs. There was
a time when we were touring with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic we had two luxury buses deployed for our use.
We made many friends where ever we went to play, we met many big and popular musicians who came to watch our shows, the
Spinners came to see us in Detroit, we met Wayne Shorter of Weather Report, Freddie Hubbard, we played a gig with Herbie
Hancock at the Carnegie Hall New York City, we toured almost all the 50 States of the US.'

As we celebrate the 25th year of V Recordings, it couldn't be a better time for another release from DJ Patife & Vangeliez. One of the OG's of Brazilian D&B Patife teams up with fellow countryman Vangeliez (formerly one half of Human Factor) once again. Fresh from their last single, as well as features on last year's very well received 'Viva Brazil' compilation released in conjunction with SUNANDBASS, this duo has definitely found their own lane!

* On 'Living Together' they link up with two of the most recognizable voices in the D&B, MC Fats and Stamina MC to create an uplifting summer anthem, that spreads the positivity of music across the globe. These two vocalists need little introduction, but in case you don't know, they are behind some of the most seminal moments in our genre's history, classics like Calibre's 'Drop It Down' , DJ Hype's 'Peace, Love & Unity, DJ Marky & XRS's 'LK', D Kay's 'Barcelona' and so the list could go on... Basically with the coming together of these four names you're in safe hands! 'On The Floor' continues to push a euphoric feeling, but adapts a sub low bass that could tear through any system!

* Teaming up with Manchester's finest for vocals on 'Ain't That Bad', the tracks follow in the vein of their previous collaboration on Soul-R, and DRS delivers a stellar vocal performance that brings the track to life, and is again full of good vibes, definitely something you can never have enough of! 'Unexpected' is dripping with original liquid vibes - think Carlito & Addiction, Calibre, D Bridge Big Bud, Solid State - with a 21st-century twist - one for the those who like it deep.

* Drum & Bass as a genre now has so many different sounds and styles, but one sound that has ridden the waves of fashions and emerged as timeless is on display here as the duo deliver 100% organic, funk-filled Drum & Bass music for the soul.

* LABEL MARKETING: Features on V Recordings Podcast, Dedicated newsletter to 85,000 V Recordings subscribers. 80,000+ Facebook reach through label controlled Facebook and Twitter. Press on websites across the globe.

* Bristol dubstep mainstay Gemmy, a key figure in pioneering the city's electronic music identity alongside fellow 'purple trinity' producers Joker and Guido, is set to release his latest EP 'Unruly' on his World Of Wonders imprint.

* Since his acclaimed 2008 debut with 'Bk 2 The Future' on Peverelist's Punch Drunk imprint, Gemmy has released on respected labels including Pinch's Tectonic, Mike Paradinas's Planet Mu, Soul Jazz and Earwax before forming his own imprint in 2011. The new three-track EP follows on from his 'Bamboozled' EP for World Of Wonders last year and shows off Gemmy's keen talent for crafting purple wave influenced dubstep.

* 'Unruly' offers three tracks that serve as measured excursions in melody and restraint. 'Na Tek Bak Chat' is an intensely rhythmic and darkly spacious production, whilst the searing 'Sonicboom' bristles with funky, grime-inflected rhythm. The propulsive 'Stop Dat!' is a vividly expansive and minimal exploration of bass music.

* 'Unruly' brings another solid release from one of dubstep's most influential producers. World Of Wonders will release 'Unruly' on July 27th.

Tribe pumpin dancefloor newskool sound ! Funky Ixi style:)

If you want to know what Gabe Gurnsey's debut album
'Physical' sounds like, the first thing you should do is forget all
about Factory Floor, the group he co-founded 13 years ago.
Gone are the cold, lengthy, stripped back deconstructions of no
wave electronica and industrial techno, abandoned in favour of
something altogether warmer, torrid and succinct.
'It's a real departure from Factory Floor,' he explains. 'Yeah,
that was the intention. There's only one track over six minutes
long! There's only one crossover point on the song 'Night
Track', which is 6'33' - that's probably as close to Factory Floor
as it gets. What I wanted to get into with 'Physical' had more to
do with exploring songwriting and structure. The album is very
escapist in one sense even though I don't want to escape from
Factory Floor but what I do on my own has to be separate and
it has to explore new avenues.' Gurnsey started writing tracks in his downtime from the group early 2017 and by the start of that Summer he had 30 demos ready for work. He admits he worked very quickly initially but then gave the tracks 12 months to develop fully into a new sound.
And that new sound - a 21st Century take on muscular electro,
Balearic synth pop, EBM, proto-Hacienda militant funk, early
Chicago house and minimal, Neptunes-referencing beats - can
be experienced in full on 'Physical' the album released on Erol
Alkan's Phantasy label. The album features additional production from Erol Alkan, who also mixed the record.
Double LP format includes printed inner sleeves and digital
download code. Press - Reviews in Q, Loud & Quiet, The Quietus, Record Collector, Uncut.
Features in Loud & Quiet, Electronic Sound, Q, Clash, The Quietus, Gigwise, Silver Soundz.








[]I C2 | I Get
[]J C3 | Version