Cerca:g swing

First Word Records is very proud to present the triumphant return of the UK's finest Hip Hop Soul duo, Children of Zeus, with a double-header of brand new material.

Since the release of 'The Story So Far' EP in 2017, Konny Kon and Tyler Daley have proceeded to draw in the attention of tastemakers across the world, receiving big ups from Hip Hop, Soul and dance music royalty, such as US legends Jazzy Jeff & DJ Spinna, and UK heavyweights Stormzy & Rag'n'Bone Man.

In addition to relentlessly rocking stages and studios all over Europe, Children of Zeus have somehow found the time to write and produce their debut album proper. This is the first taste..

'Slow Down' is a sure-shot Summer anthem, with a twist. A deceptively soulful slow jam that lulls you into a false sense of filtered smoothness, before a floor-shaking beat & trill hats drop in from above, as if thrown in via a thunderbolt from Zeus himself. On the flip, we have the uptempo boom-bap steppa, 'All Night'. Konny sets this one off on some straight b-boy isht, riding a rhythm that's guaranteed to make grown Hip Hoppers reminisce, before Tyler's sweet swing-tinged vocals glide into play to keep you firmly steppin' - this one again illustrating the Mancunian duo's craft of creating timeless Hip Hop Soul music.

Manchester has been riding a wave of immense creativity & musical prowess in recent years. Children of Zeus exemplify the heart and soul of Manny's now-movement - but don't get it twisted - the vibe is universal, and they definitely ain't new to this. Two decades on from the inception of Broke'N'£nglish and Hoodman, Tyler and Konny have consistently persistently held their corner, stayed true to the music they love and nurtured their own unique sound. It's almost time to drop that album... But for now, here's more future classics.

"Theoretics, the theoretical part of a science or an art. Hugely inspired by early house & garage, Berlin based Nat Wendell serves up 3 raw-emotive, straight to the point house joints to launch his new imprint; Depth of My Soul - which is his art in physical form. With swinging snares and it's subby bass; "The Way (Part 2)" is an energetic, club ready track with a driving kick & consistent lead that's progresses as the track builds. Theoretics kicks off the B-side and delves deeper whilst still maintaining its dancefloor-ready appeal. The subtle euphoric vocal samples & prominent chords give you something to hold onto, whilst the rhythm keeps you moving. Providing you with a more soulful offering, "Release Your Soul" is reminiscent of a classic 96' style house track, with all the right elements to match. Snappy snares, smooth chords and a warm baseline.

Aus Music follow up a string of exclusive releases from Primitive Trust with Tee Mango (one half of PT) Having released on Clone in 2017 Tee Mango comes back to AUS for his second EP in as many years. EP#2 carries forth much of the the same classiness he's well know for. A side 'Come A Little Closer samples a personal favourite 'Make It Last Forever' by Inner Life which is paired with playful drum rhythms and smooth rhodes chords. Prototypical opts for punchy drums and a swinging bass, a track that would work as well peak time as it would warming up. Wazoo rounds off the perectly balanced EP a deep cruiser with a pinch of acid.

Swingrowers are known for their mixture of JAZZ, SWING, POP and ELECTRO, they have extensively toured Europe and North America, opening sell-out shows for Parov Stelar, Chinese Man & Caravan Palace. On top of delivering official remixes for Caro Emerald and Swing Republic, Swingrowers also boast musical collaborations with The Lost Fingers, Gypsy Hill, DJ Pony Montana and have had their own songs remixed by Bart&Baker and Jamie Berry.

Following on from their debut album 'Pronounced Swing Grow'ers' in 2012, Swingrowers have released their second album 'REMOTE' in early 2015, followed now by 'OUTSIDEIN', the band's third full-length studio album. This new release shows their expert musicianship and most meticulous production to date, mixing genres from jazz to electronica, from gypsy-swing to full-on rock'n'roll with a melodic pop sensibility.

Melting the swing to the raving old school sound, this Bingo dig in the right direction !

From the redwood forests of Big Sur and the industrial warehouses of downtown Los Angeles comes PFEIFFER, a label dedicated to quality and a diverse musical output. Pfeiffer follows in the footsteps of labels such as Svek and Kompakt, known for releasing a wide range of techno and house with a common thread of unique and unpredictable energy. Looking to bring this type of eclectic curation into the modern era, Pfeiffer draws inspiration from the raw simplicity and effortless magnetism of its namesake location on the central coast of California.

The sophomore release from Pfeiffer is here, and with it new sounds and styles from the label's anonymous lead producer. 'Forgot' kicks things off with an off kilter, swinging groove and clever zany synth work to match. Shifting basslines bounce under classic Robert Owens vocals, evolving into a huge riff over the course of the tune. On the flip, 'Feel The Love' follows suit with a sub-heavy, stomping groove, staying in the deeper end of the spectrum. A playful synth riff grows throughout the track, weaving throughout the combination of chopped vocals, analog sounds and hand played percussion.

2x12"

Losoul returns to action with his first long player in almost ten years, and delivers a stunning collection of compositions for the Hypercolour released 'Island Time'. Otherwise known as Peter Kremeier, the German producer has mesmerized us for many years with his organic and emotive house music, largely released on the influential Playhouse label, but of late has seen him release singles for Karat and Tardis Records, as well as his very own Another Picture label. Fans of Losoul won't be disappointed, as a diverse yet utterly familiar sound aesthetic pours out over the album's seven tracks in his own inimitable style. The jazzy broken beats of 'Gold Tooth' shine with their micro-sample chops, whilst 'Mean Time' is a dense and dubby slow stomp, teasing the drums with space echo and injecting sparse bass work where it matters. Inventive, spongy house grooves are delivered on 'Boppin Lower' and 'Square Down Smoother' whilst the album closer, 'Lava In You' is a master class in ambient sonics and shimmering keys over a lo-fi swinging groove. It's been over 20 years since Losoul's signature single 'Open Door', and the German producer continues to pour out honest and rewarding music.

Swinging, "weightlessly" drifting, UK "intelligent" & Detroit schools reminiscent Techno

Bergen is the next, and natural step in the expanding career of Dutch producer Tom Trago. The acclaimed producer behind Voyage Direct will release his fourth LP, with the label and crew he's built a close relationship with over the past ten years - Dekmantel. With a new studio and approach to music, Bergen is Trago sounding at his very finest, returning to his roots with a focussed, and dedicated production ethos.
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'If you change your environment, your music will also change with you,' Trago reflects on the new album. A staple in the Amsterdam club scene, Tom Trago has been a familiar face at the Dekmantel events for over ten years. 'I was even playing Dekmantel parties, before they were even called Dekmantel,' he states. Tom Trago's collaboration with Dekmantel has allowed him the space to grow and finish his most accomplished, and honest album to date. Bergen is an LP that connects his legacy, family, and commitment to dance music in one resplendent package.


Having relocated from Amsterdam, Tom Trago set up his new studio in the coastal town of Bergen, located in the northern Netherlands. Recorded in his family house, with the sea at one side, and the countryside to the other, the resultant record is a craftful piece of art, full of space, and the classic machine-driven, house music aesthetic that has come to represent Trago's sound. Bergen was made with the aim of re-creating a global-music sound, along with the music that has influenced him throughout his life, with a new approach influenced by Trago's immediate natural environment. 'I would take long walks in-between tracks,' explains Tom about the music making process, "and the creative ideas would happen in the forest."

The spacey-passively-paced LP intro 'Bergen' was the first to be picked up by Dekmantel's Casper Tielrooij, who upon hearing the track stated - 'now we are talking album business'. Yet it was the electro- orientated 'Zeeweg' that became the template for the rest of the record. 'The LP was built around this track,' Trago states. The b-boy electro vibe, with its melodramatic synth melody was influenced by the road that leads to his scenic retreat - with slow, steady curves, and a gentle, upward trajectory, Zeeweg and its album namesake, twist and turn in fluid synchronicity. 'The Creation of Lalibela' plays on this world music vibe, with ethereal and fun key patterns, influenced by the work of Mulatu Astatke. 'Always be with you' is one of the LP's standout tracks, epitomising the new album's country settings, and featuring his girlfriend on vocals; it swings at a steady, up-beat pace, rich with harmony, colour and melody. Elsewhere on the album, Trago sticks to his dance floor roots, 'Faith Belongs to Us' is moulded in a Chicago-to- Amsterdam house style, while album closer 'Working Machines' plays with resonance and atmospherics, creating a moody, pulsing yet stylish rhythm.

Having been raised in a musically-driven, and open-spirited household in which the producer grew up learning the piano, it didn't take long for Tom Trago to be indoctrinated into the new school of Amsterdam producers. Studying at a private jazz school while still a teenager, Trago would eventually come to cross paths with the hip-hop loving Dutch duo Rednose Distrikt, who left a permanent imprint on his approach to music. 'They showed me a world of music making using the MPC,' Trago says. 15 years later, the Dutch producer still sticks to this template. Looking to recreate this production approach that influenced him from the very beginning, Trago stripped down his studio to a simple setup with just a few, key 'weapons of choice'. Removing the computer from the setup, the MPC 2000 XL once again became the heart of the music making process. Bergen's analogue tools lend to its organic sound, one honed and crafted by its natural surroundings, and matured approach by one of the Netherland's most accomplished producers.

'Katalox' is Christian Jay's second 12" for Idle Hands, following on from 'Contrail' in 2016. That release made its mark with a distinctive blend of swinging UK Garage and a deftness of touch usually associated with the best minimal techno. A sound befitting this former Bristol resident and now Berlin dwelling artist. This new 12" picks up where the last one left off. 'Katalox' is propelled by a crunchy, understated breakbeat. 'Del's Kicks' is the more meditative cut.

Originally released on Prestige in 1957, this is the third LP from NYC street performer and avant garde/minimalist composer Moondog. Perhaps the least accessible of his early releases, this album is made up of percussive jams, usually on instruments of his own creation, street sounds, poetry, and Far East melodies, despite opening with a swinging number that is, oddly, the most bizarre thing on the album. Another classic from Moondog reissued with its original Andy Warhol artwork. Limited edition of 1,000 on purple and green starburst vinyl.

On 30thMarch, Wah Wah 45s will release ORANGE WHIP, the new album by their latest signing, Honeyfeet. The outfit, who have received praise from the likes of The Guardian, have also set festivals alight up and down the country with their unique melange of sounds.

For the last couple of years the Honeyfeet (who name from a line in the Blues Brothers film) have been a conduit for the ideas and expressions of an exotic mixture of Manchester based musicians. This genre-defying band incorporate styles including jazz, folk and hip hop into their music. Someone once called it Folk-Hop and Barrelhouse-pop, and that's just vague enough to make sense.

The band are fronted by Ríoghnach Connolly - also known for her work with Real World artists Afro Celt Sound System and The Breath - "a remarkable singer and flautist who...can ease from Irish traditional influences to soul" (The Guardian). The line up is completed by Rik Warren (vocals/harmonica), Gus Fairbairn (tenor sax), Biff Roxby (trombone/vocals), Ellis Davies (guitar), Lorien Edwards (bass guitar), John Ellis (keyboards) and David Schlechtriemen (drums).

ORANGE WHIP finds the band at their most incredibly diverse. Opening with recent single Sinner (received radio play from the likes of 6 Music and BBC Manchester), which showcases Ríoghnach's extraordinary agile and emotive voice, the album moves with dizzying swagger on songs covering a wide range of subjects. Quickball tells the story of being so infatuated with someone you want to eat them, while Whatever You Do addresses the fear-mongering of the press over folk-hop and oom-pah, and Demons deals with love and redemption on a blast of harmonica-driven country, sung by Rik Warren.

Rik also takes lead vocal on a re-working of Robert Johnson's Love in Vain, a song showing Honeyfeet's more reflective side, his Skip James-esque drawl bringing an eerie quality to the lyrics about a doomed relationship. The band reshape the progression too, swinging the tune slowly and creating a little underground blues club in the midst of the recording.

Elsewhere the band go all New Orleanian on Colonel Hathi's Trunk Juice, a sinister tale inspired by trombonist Biff Roxby's horn riff recalling one of the elephants of The Jungle Book. Further showcasing their virtuosity, on one of the album's best moments - especially the nuanced vocal performance by Ríoghnach, who was raised on Irish folk - on Hunt and Gather the band do their own take on prog-folk, with a flute and cello melody running alongside a brass counterpoint.

Ríoghnach turns in another incredible vocal on the album's final track - future single Meet Me On The Corner. With a pounding beat, it is one of the album's main highlights. Guitar and brass propels Ríoghnach to sing lyrics that could be straight out of the playground, but suggest something deeper, possibly mystical even, in it's demands for a dalliance on the street. It closes the album on a high note, for a band who have that rare ability to distil all their disparate influences, while always sounding like their unique selves.

ORANGE WHIP heralds the sound of a remarkable band going overground.

Black Truffle is pleased to make Oren Ambarchi's Grapes from The Estate available once more on vinyl. Originally released on CD on Touch in 2004 and reissued on Southern Lord as a limited double LP in 2006 during Ambarchi's tenure as a member of Sunn O))), Grapes from the Estate was a landmark release for Ambarchi, seeing him expand his sonic palette beyond the clipped, bass-heavy electric guitar tones he was known for at that point. Incorporating subtle layers of strings, keyboards, percussion over a bedrock of his signature guitar tones, in retrospect this album can be seen as the beginning of a broadening and evolution in Ambarchi's work that would lead to his acclaimed, densely layered epics for Editions Mego, Quixotism (2014) and Hubris (2016). Beginning with the shuddering pure tones of opener 'Corkscrew', which looks back to previous guitar-only releases such as Suspension (2001), the album's next two pieces show a progressive broadening of the instrumental palette and a corresponding move away from textural abstraction and sustained tones towards more traditional notions of musicality. This reached its high point on the album's third piece, the fifteen-minute long 'Remedios The Beauty', where guitars, both acoustic and electric, strings, piano, and bells build from a murmur to an interlockinging web of repeating melodic patterns over gently swinging brushed snare and cymbals. The epic closer, 'Stars Aligned, Webs Spun', returns us to a space populated only by the electric guitar, but unlike everything Ambarchi had produced up until this point in his career, the piece has a liquid, psychedelic edge that looks forward to the shimmering harmonics of his more recent work. As Brendan Walls wrote at the time of the original release, this is 'another outpouring of personal, intimate and enduring music from Oren Ambarchi'. Presented in a stunning gatefold sleeve featuring the original artwork and design by Jon Wozencroft. Redesigned by Stephen O'Malley Remastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin.

Portuguese artist Ka§par gives Parisian label Escapade its third release. The four tracks span across a wide range of electronic sounds, telling a story that calls on many emotions. 'Wail Of A Loon' opens the record with an experimental atmosphere. After this laid back introduction, Ka§par goes into a much stronger style: 'Rigged's energy and catchy, twirling melody make it a total banger. On the B side, the mood gets much warmer and groovy. 'Vital' is the perfect tune to warm up a dancefloor, thanks to a swinging rhythm, mesmerizing vocal samples and funky synth lines. 'Alma D'Ouro' rounds up the record with strong jazzy vibes. Beautiful chords and piano solos never dissapoint!

Tim (aka Jean Marie Tiam)and the sadly departed Maurice Foty who died in 2011. The musical cousins hails from Bafoussam in Cameroon. Their signature vocal harmony sound may be the first thing you hear, however they also have produced a host of funkiest African funk around. They sing in their native language Ngomâlah, as well as Duala and English.

We start the album off slowly with the scene-setting and largely instrumental "Douala By Night". Tight guitar and choppy clavi drive this song along. The groove is so deep even Missy Elliot couldn't resist a cheeky sample. "Funky Bafoussam" carries on the theme and expands it to include a kick-ass horn section. "More And More" is next and here the vocals burst forth over this up tempo punchy pop-funk track. With "Love Is Light" the pair show their versatility with a smooth English-sung soul ballad.

The hopelessly upbeat "Aie" is next with its earworm keyboard riff, slice guitar and catchy falsetto vocal. "Not So Bad" brings on the boogie. "I Love Yaounde" is a smooth swinging boogie-ballad with a killer chorus hook. "Eda" is a hit from early in their career. We close of the comp with the disco funk of "Funky Boogie Love" and synth grooves of "Eya Mba".

The songs on the comp represent only a 2 year period but some of the finest from the duo. These days Tim keeps the Tim and Foty flame alive. He currently lives between France and Cameroon. A musical flame that most definitely is burning bright.

Autoreply begins its 10th year with a 12" from one of the scenes favourite ambassadors, Dana Ruh. Equally happy co-running Brouqade and her own Cave Recordings, dropping LP's for Underground Quality or stepping up to Ostgut Ton & Cocoon, hers is a story of emotive, reduced floor-theory. The "Round 2 Reel EP" delivers three such movements kicking-off with an undeviatingly playable A-Side displaying her prowess for swinging, stripped-back house complete with discreet sound design and compulsory bass. The B-Side concentrates on the deeper, dubbier aspect of her sound displaying unparalleled levels of warmth and texture. Written & produced at Polynomstudio, Berlin, recorded to tape for your listening pleasure!

Out of nowhere, here comes Villee with his debut EP chock full of dancefloor gems. From the very first listen we knew we had something special that we needed to release on Pressed For Time. It's a difficult thing to reference classic tracks and artists without sounding like a carbon copy - however Villee manages this with aplomb. Referencing Larry Heard (check the chords on 'The Inventor'), Cajual records, french house and the DIY free party sound - we think this EP is fantastic! Think warm, analogue, looped up, MPC house with swing and you're on the right track

'Despojos cósmicos' ('Cosmic Debris') is Julio Tornero's debut at Femur. A plea in favour of dark, sullen, wretched, repetitive and miserable music. Four tracks swinging between mechanical dance, decadent experimentation and a trip to that place, which was abandoned long time ago.

Selection of obscure and underrated Country-Funk, Blue-Eyed-Soul, and other swinging Rhythm & Blues oddities from the Sixties and Seventies. The tunes on this album are as good as those by famous artists like Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Jones, or Jack Hammer.

Mopo, a trio of sax, bass and drums from Finland, has been on the radar of international tastemakers already for a while thanks to their unique blend of jazz, punk, and inpisration from the Finnish nature. Now the trio of saxophonist Linda Fredriksson, bassist Eero Tikkanen and drummer Eeti Nieminen is set to release their fourth album on Helsinki's We Jazz Records.

"Mopocalypse", a highly flammable mix of rough-around-the-edges jazz and melodic songwriting, is the remarkable next step for one of Finland's most potent exports. Mopo swing, grind, drive hard, and slow down with an impeccable sense of dynamics. Their music is raw and beautiful.

The vinyl version of the album is housed in an "old-style" high gloss tip-on sleeve. The album comes with the first issue of "Mopo Zine" (12 pages), edited by Mopo, plus digital download with 2 bonus tracks.