Buscar:get this

Exciting classic and rare afro jams get retouched and cut disco single style. With this unknown entity masquerading as AFRICAN DUBPLATE, it seems very obvious the source is most likely that. Apparently very limited stock so grab it while you can. Random
colored vinyl.

Dexys live album celebrating the band's triumphant 2023 tour in support of The Feminine Divine, plus a selection of Dexys classics. Recorded across the course of the tour.

First reissue since its original release in 2014. Features by Sean Price, Guilty Simpson, Blu with production from DJ Premier, Illmind, Black Milk, Oh No & more.

The collaboration album from Brooklyn MCs Skyzoo and Torae is available once again after its original debut in 2014.

For years, fans of both Skyzoo and Torae asked the two to collaborate on a full-length LP, following the multiple singles they released together over the years. Classics such as the DJ Premier-produced "Get It Done" and "Click," and the !llmind-produced "Barrel Brothers" off Skyzoo's 2010 "Live from the Tape Deck" have been highly anticipated by their followers since 2006. The idea behind "Barrel Brothers" is what the people have asked for and come to know: the two wordsmiths for pure lyricism.

Skyzoo, known for his picturesque storytelling and jazz/orchestral background, and Torae, known for his gritty Coney Island depictions of life with a vintage yet modern lyrical approach, have briefly put their normal fortes to the side and crafted this album with one game plan in mind: lyrical exercise over hard New York City soundscapes. The current resurgence of NYC hip hop is the perfect grounds for two of its premier flag holders to continue doing what they never stopped doing in the first place: representing the city.

"This is a 10 year anniversary edition expanded to a 2LP set of the band's second studio album and first on Fueled By Ramen. The album was originally released on January 21, 2014.
The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard US Top Rock Albums and #7 on the Billboard 200 and included the hit song, ""It's About Time,"" which peaked at #2 on the US Alternative Chart and #17 on the US Rock Chart. TikTok has made “Mind Over Matter” one of their top songs since the release.
The album has not been repressed on vinyl since the original release. LP2 includes 4 previously unreleased demos courtesy of the band: Mind Over Matter, Camera, What You Get, and Metropolis. The 2LP set comes in a gatefold with a printed insert"

Warehouse Find!

As I-Robots launches a new compilation series that celebrates the roots and influences of Italo disco in Turin and the Piedmont region, the Opilec Music boss also offers up various singles from it with some special remixes and edits. After an EP from Johnson Righeira last summer comes the latest one featuring the legendary Captain Torkive and two of his tracks as well as some special versions by I-Robots. Captain Torkive is Daniele Torchio, an Italian artist active in the late seventies & early eighties who got his nickname from a love of UFOs and space, in fact the titles here are inspired by the Superman DC Comics classic.
He has worked with the likes of Valero Liboni and all the material here is officially licensed from Ponzo Records master tapes. His tracks here are some of the most rare 7" Italo space disco tunes from Turin's rich history and feature synthesizers and electronic effects that he made himself, as well as guitars and keys he also played. Up first comes the I-Robots 1979 Reconstruction of Flying Saucers To Krypton which marries both tunes into a lush retro space odyssey that shimmers and rockets through the cosmos with live drums and jangling bass. Rounding off the A side is 1979 original version of Krypton' which is just as dazzling and spaced out with layers of synths and arps all sounding squelchy beneath some robot vocals. Kicking off the B side is the I-Robots 1979 Space Reconstruction of Flying Saucers To Krypton that strips some of the layers and keeps one lead synth line and some ascending spaceship sounds, as well as a lovably loose groove that really stomps along with real character. Last but not least is the original 1979 version of Flying Saucers, a cosmic tune with sci-fi sounds and melodies shooting about above big disco grooves with the keys and synths that carries you away to another galaxy. This is another essential package from Opliec Music that shines a light on an artist and era that deserves all the attention it can get.

Mobb Deep was a legendary 1990s rap duo formed in Queensbridge, New York, by Havoc and Prodigy. They are considered the foremost progenitors of hardcore rap and one of the most influential hip hop groups in history. Their music reflects the hostile reality of an era when poverty, drugs and gang violence plagued the streets of New York. Their music is characterised by dark samples, the drums, snares and bass are defined and the raw lyrics are of a very high standard, in the most competitive era in rap history. With their albums The Infamous (1995) and Hell On Earth (1996) they achieved fame within and outside the hip hop community, including hits such as "Shook Ones (Part II)" and "Survival of the Fittest". They would later collaborate with top East Coast rappers such as Notorious B.I.G., members of the Wu-Tang Clan collective, Jay-Z, Nas and 50 Cent, on whose label G-Unit they would release their album Blood Money (2005). Prodigy's sad death in 2017 due to a long and cruel illness only has amplified an already existing legacy. On this album we will be able to enjoy the instrumentals and acappellas of many of their best tracks throughout their career.

Stefan Ringer serves up his finest ATL house bounce on this stellar link up with Jazz musician and fellow ATLien Marquinn Mason, pushing their sound into new unchartered territories. Journeying through House, Broken Beat and even a lil' Latin Jazz, the two talents compliment each others styles beautifully. The EP joyfully creates a new dynamic, without skipping a groove or missing a beat. Impossible to ignore on Stefan’s step by step instructional call to the dance floor on title track ‘Bounce Lesson’, a definite delight for the dancers. That bounce then rattles through the EP’s other two tracks ‘alltogethernow’ and ‘Lead Walk', where the grooves get even looser, deeper and more bugged out.

For those unfamiliar, Stefan Ringer is a pillar of Atlanta's electronic music scene and is a long time collaborator with house music OG and NDATL label boss Kai Alcé as well as with Ash Lauryn and Ben Hixon. Under his previous Rekchampa moniker he has released a number of classic EP’s through the infamous Peoples Potential Unlimited label.

LOS ANGELES—To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the celebrated Talking Heads and Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense, the set will be re-released as a 2LP and 2CD/Blu-ray set this summer.

Released last year, the sold-out Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack will return as a 2-LP black vinyl on Rhino and 2-LP crystal clear vinyl at retail. Both variants feature a 12-page booklet with liner notes from all four band members –Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison—and band photos. The 2CD/Blu-ray version includes the entire 28-page booklet from last year’s Deluxe Edition and a Dolby Atmos mix of the complete concert, mixed by Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren, who also mixed the original release. Both will be available on July 26. Pre-order now.

The band appeared together for a sold-out screening and Q&A last night at the Pantages Theater, the same theater at which Stop Making Sense was recorded. They were joined by Blondshell, who performed “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel.” Another special screening with the band will occur in Brooklyn at the King’s Theater on June 13, with the Q&A hosted by Questlove and The Linda Linda’s performing “Found a Job.” The two events cap off a banner year of celebrations for what many consider to be the best concert film of all time.

The inspiration for Stop Making Sense came when director Jonathan Demme saw Talking Heads perform during the band’s 1983 tour for Speaking in Tongues. Afterward, he approached them with the idea of making the show into a concert film. They agreed and worked together over the next few months to finalize the details. Ultimately, Demme filmed three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 to create Stop Making Sense.

The concert film presents a retrospective of the band up to that point, with a performance that weaves together songs from all six of its studio albums. The show progresses methodically, opening with Byrne onstage performing “Psycho Killer” alone with a drum machine. After each song, he’s joined by a new band member until Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison are all on stage with him. The group continues to grow throughout the concert as members of the stellar touring band are added: keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Steve Scales, guitarist Alex Weir, and backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt.

The band performs 18 songs in Stop Making Sense, including its recent single at the time, “Burning Down The House.” That summer, the song was in heavy rotation on radio and MTV, helping the song become the band’s first top 10 hit in America. It was, however, a different song from Speaking in Tongues that was destined to deliver one of the film’s signature moments. Talking Heads would perform “Girlfriend Is Better” wearing the now iconic, oversized suit inspired by costumes worn in traditional Japanese theater. For good measure, a picture of David Byrne in the suit also graces the album cover.

Stop Making Sense focuses mainly on music by Talking Heads but does include a few songs recorded outside the band: “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club, “What A Day That Was” and “Big Business” from Byrne’s 1981 album, The Catherine Wheel. Limited edition vinyl versions of both of these albums, along with Harrison’s The Red And The Black, were released for this year’s Record Store Day.

When it arrived in September 1984, Stop Making Sense was an artistic and commercial triumph. The film had people dancing in theatre aisles, and the soundtrack sold over two million copies. Just last year, the Library of Congress added Stop Making Sense to the National Film Registry in recognition of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

Weymouth praises Demme as a collaborator: “…Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy who was just as good a listener as he was a talker and collaborator. From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined. Being team players, that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!”

Harrison says the film still holds up today: “To me, Stop Making Sense has remained relevant because the staging and lighting techniques could have been created in a much earlier time period. For example, Vari-Lights, lights with motors to re-aim them, had just come into vogue. Had we used them, there would have been a timestamp on the film, and it eventually would have felt dated...The absence of interviews, combined with the elegant and timeless lighting, created a film that can be watched over and over.”

Byrne says it’s interesting that this album was – for many people – an introduction to Talking Heads. “We had done a live album before this, but coupled with the film, and with the improved mixes and sound quality, this record reached a whole new audience. As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the studio recordings, so maybe that’s why a lot of folks discovered us via this record.”

Frantz recalls the sheer joy surrounding the entire Stop Making Sense experience. “I’m talking about real, conscious, transcendent joy… I’m talking about what the Southern gospel people call ‘getting happy,’ which means ‘to be filled with the Spirit.’ That is what happened to us onstage every night, and from my seat behind the drums, I recognized that this was happening to the audience too. Joy was visible in front of me and all around me every night.”

Amazingblaze returns to home label KNTXT with an exhilarating new release that shows another subtle evolution in his style. His Touch The Sky EP features four standout new tracks that are sure to make a global impact.

Amazingblaze emerged as a pivotal tastemaker in the new school scene, marking his debut on KNTXT in 2022 with his Venture EP. Last year, he further solidified his presence on the label, with the release of two EPs and a remix of Charlotte de Witte’s single ‘High Street’. He has been obsessed with music since a young age and that shows in his productions which blend the inspirations of his youth with plenty of fresh contemporary style. His releases consistently aim to leave a significant mark on the club scene, and this latest EP is no exception. With powerful grooves and emotive synths, it sets the stage for another impactful experience.

Amazingblaze on his new EP: "Touch The Sky is a blend of emotions of early trance with the shape of a modern look. From start to finish it's catching you with pleasant pressure and doesn't let you go. Really proud of this one!"

Charlotte de Witte adds: “Amazingblaze is back and I'm just obsessed with these four tracks. They're all masterpieces, representing his very unique and distinctive sound. I'm very proud to be able to welcome him again on the label and continue to be a place he can call home.”

Opener Touch The Sky is a high speed and fresh techno sound that is laced with euphoric trance synths and a heartfelt vocal. It is sure to get hands in the air and dance floors locked into its spell. Kaleidoscope ups the ante further with more scintillating hard techno drums and flashes of synth that will chime perfectly with strobe-lit clubs. A spine-tinging breakdown features angelic vocals before the drums kick in and power things to the next level. Thank You, God Always is more straight up with hard edge drums and synths that spray about the mix with bright rave energy and futuristic soul and last of all is Habits, an urgent and high speed wave of lush trance techno with a classic vocal stab and more celestial voices drifting up to hypnotic effect.

This is another big release from Amazingblaze that shows he has plenty of new tricks up his sleeve.

On his new album, Samurai, Lupe retreats inward to give fans one of his most personal albums in his deep catalog. “I sometimes get tagged by my fans as not doing personal records,” Lupe says, “but I always tell people there's me in there if you listen closely enough. This album is one of my more personal records to date. It's not a full biography, but my personal experiences are tied up in all of my music. A lot of the records are me. Some are from the POV of a character. and some are me. The album weaves things from my life as an artist, touching on things other artists go through.” The narrative follows a battle rapper through various moments in his career, starting with how they honed their battle rap skills, following their career through different moments. Musically, the new album finds Lupe delighting in the simple pleasures of assembling assonant syllables into playful and poignant narratives. The 8-track album is smooth, yet cerebral, brimming with ideas, but always radiating Lupe’s pure love for the art of emceeing and committing himself as a servant of the rap game. The album was produced in full by longtime collaborator and friend, Soundtrakk (“Superstar,” “Kick, Push,” “HipHop Saved My Life”), their second time linking up on a full album after 2022’s DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, and is also the first time Lupe, Trakk, and longtime manager Charles “Chill” Patton were in the studio together since Patton’s release from prison in 2023. “It felt great to be back in the studio again as a family,” Lupe says. It’s the first time they’d worked together in the studio since Lupe’s seminal album, The Cool in 2005. “The word ‘samurai’ means to serve,” Lupe says on the album’s title. “My relationship to that word has always meant that you need to be at the service of other people, either in the overall community, or in this instance, the rap community at large that I’ve been a part of for years. You have some duty, some purpose to serve. The title alone is very important to me. Before rap even, martial arts was my whole life, and it still plays a huge role in my life. The album is me, but also inspired by a quote I heard from one of my favorite artists. The overall themes of the album speak to the constant fight and the battle one goes through being in the entertainment industry. Some of the things we need to defend.”

The opening track to the Alan Parsons Project’s Eye in the Sky remains the most recognized instrumental in sports—fanfare inseparably tied with introducing NBA legend Michael Jordan and his six-time world-champion Chicago Bulls mates before games, and still used by many teams as an energy-raising prelude. Indeed, the subdued grandiosity, cosmic bluster, and lights-out wonder of “Sirius” sets the table for the band’s smash 1982 album, whose hallmark smoothness, lushness, and balance extend to the music’s exquisite song writing, dreamy emotions, and underlying orchestral scope. Credit for the record’s craft, cohesiveness, and accessibility also falls to Alan Parsons and creative partner Eric Woolfson’s knack for recruiting session pros that translate their visions with unquestioned feeling—particularly, vocalists who include former Zombie leader Colin Blunstone and soul singer Lenny Zakatek.

Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s RTI pressed 180g 45RPM 2LP version of Eye in the Sky features succulent warmth, magnificent balance, low-end heft, and see-through transparency that take you into the studio with Parsons at Abbey Road Studios. Each note seems perfectly placed, every sequence painstakingly considered. Boasting front-to- back depth, concert-hall-level separation, realistic presence, and bang-on accuracy. This release will test the capabilities of the world’s finest stereo systems. There’s more information, more texture, more nuance— more of everything to be experienced. British progressive rock would never again sound so sophisticated, suave, or steady.

Last month, Chase and Status returned to the limelight unveiling their hard-hitting and trailblazing singles “When It Rains” ft. BackRoad Gee, complete with a Jack McMullen starring, Hector Dockrill-directed cinematic visual and the addictive smash “Don’t Be Scared” ft. Takura. Today, the duo are making a true statement of intent for the year ahead, with the announcement of their sixth studio album, What Came Before. Created by Crown & Owls, the accompanying artwork captures a truly special and magnetic live moment. Speaking on the concept, Crown & Owls state:

“We wanted to create an image that captured the very human compulsion to gather in a dark room and dance and sweat. Such scenes have a different weight to them after they were off the table for a good while, and we were very interested in capturing a moment of collective catharsis in the shadow of a period of history that pushed isolation on so many. We were really interested in the stories of the individuals in the image - what drives them to want to be in that room? The whole campaign kind of works backwards from that moment in the photo really - the intersecting stories of the dance floor, and the sense of freedom and release it brings to the individual. The record sleeve, the single covers, visualisers and elements of the music videos were all captured at this special night - it’s been a joy to work on.”

Landing alongside the album announcement is new single “Mixed Emotions” - a euphoric and recognisably brilliant dose of true Chase and Status energy that landed alongside an incredible video, filmed in two halves and directed by UKMVA-winning Femi Ladi (Pa Salieu - “My Family”). Femi Ladi states:

“On nights out like this, sometimes you just want to get fucked up. Trying to get to that moment, when you’re out of your head and completely in the moment. Sometimes music gets us there, sometimes drugs and alcohol, sometimes it’s a combination of all 3.

I want to connect our camera to the chasing of that high. A visual metaphor for trying to reach that euphoria. Each time she takes a bump, a line or a pill, the camera closes in on her. The closer she gets to that euphoric moment, the closer the camera gets to her.

By the end I want the audience to have an uncomfortable and claustrophobic feeling as our hero goes slightly overboard, a feeling that most of us know but won't dare to admit.”

Consisting of 13 tracks, What Came Before distills 15 years of unparalleled experiences into a bold, invigorating sixth album; informed by global tours, sold out headline shows, five albums, multiple awards, chart success, underground kudos, top tier collaborations and remixes, and, above all else, that unwavering dance floor energy that remains as tangible and transformative now as it has since the very beginning. This pure, unadulterated exhilaration is the glue that binds all of these experiences together, cultivating a legacy of positive vibes, unforgettable moments and the continued progression of British club culture.

For trailblazers Chase and Status, the story is cyclical - a constant process of regeneration and refinement that comes full circle. Everything that came before, from their inception point to now, has brought them back to their essence.

Landing in the wake of their critically acclaimed specialist album RTRN II JUNGLE, and the more recent news of their headlining ParkLife festival this Summer, Chase and Status’s musical return is highly anticipated. After a series of teasers were published on their social media, the duo directed their fans to whatcamebefore , unveiling a plethora of forthcoming Summer festival dates.

The forthcoming album marks the inception point for the duo’s next phase; while on forced hiatus they also went back to square one with their live show. With What Came Before Chase & Status prepare to embark on the next chapter of their illustrious career as a seasoned act ignited by the same excitement

Things are getting better is a bold statement to make in a time when the world seems to be on the verge of world war 3 and the cost of living is rising beyond most of our reach. Five years ago when I started the Voices of Creation with Jack I knew the world would need new songs, new mantras and prayers for this new day that is dawning. We would need more faith, we would need love, we would need vision, and we would need each other. A part of every beginning is an ending, this is an observable law of nature. So it is with unyielding faith and a hopeful heart that I look out at this world and find reasons and ways to keep moving forward with love; making music that echoes with the sparks of this new world I’m working to see come into view. Things may be falling apart, old ways of being becoming unsustainable; death, war, chaos, genocide, famine, and floods; symptoms of the internal combustion of a society wracked with fear and given more access to weapons than to their own feelings.

This collection of songs are my testimony in a way, a sonic exploration of finding my faith and figuring out how to use my faith to navigate life and this great big old world after losing family (my mother Betty and my brother Keith) and in a way losing my sense of hope for what my future could even be. Through the writing and singing of these songs I healed myself of the doubt and mistrust of the unknown. I found a way to forge my faith into what is now a mighty sword of song, community, and ministry with the intention of healing myself and others. I’ve always felt as though melody and language were tools that could be agents of change and healing if used with intention and integrity. To witness the expanding joy and shared purpose grow within the choir and to see the contagious nature of faith and togetherness through our rehearsals and shows showed me how necessary it is to the human experience. This has been truly revelatory, further anchoring me in what I feel my purpose is on the planet; and that is to sing and bring to life more joy, peace, love, community, unity, faith, and praise. With more of those energies flowing around the planet, things will surely get better and better and better…ad infinitum. Word to Nina, Jimmy & Betty, and all my angels and ancestors riding wit me. We still here and God is still good.

"An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times." Nina Simone

There are certain occasions when you can truly feel the stars align. One of these is when the interstellar voyager of cosmic soul Jimi Tenor finally lands his spaceship at full force on a Timmion recording. In 2024, he will be serving us two spaced out album sessions recorded together with Cold Diamond & Mink. Jimi is no stranger in these space ways as he has operated behind the Timmion scenes for years, furnishing several of the label's artists with his flute and reeds artistry. The first album out is titled "Is There Love In Outer Space?", which begs the question with the force of five extended tracks that are guaranteed to blow your mind to the stratosphere. The pieces are loaded with whooshing and glistening synth noises and span from lofi space funk to cinematic soundscapes. The sweetly floating title track is like some of those galactic ballads that rare soul collectors are spending their pensions on. At the other side of the spectrum, album closer `What Are You Doing?' sounds like Sun Ra sat down at a JBs session, and is straight up meant to get that booty moving. Combined with the raw soul prowess of CD&M, Jimi is able to refine new shades from his already impressive repertoire of talent. Even if you are a friend of his previous work you might not have heard him get down quite like this.

2024 Repress

Physically and mentally draining in the best way possible, Wet Will Always Dry is maybe the most complete statement from Blawan to date, and as such should be ignored at your peril. This becomes evident from the album-opening 'Klade,' a dizzying, tumbling flight of pure energy over overlapping fields of electrified menace. This sets the stage for 'Careless,' which retains the hazardous, crackling atmosphere but dials back the intensity just enough to make room for a new feature, Blawan's eerie and disembodied vocals.

'Tasser' ratchets up the tempo and the frenetic energy yet more, slinging chunks of audio shrapnel and grinding factory noise over the kick-heavy beat, only letting up the tension every now and then for a convulsive breakdown. By the arrival of 'Vented,' a more steady, cycling groove has set in along with the accompaniment of suspenseful melodic swells, but the element of surprise is far from gone: there still seem to be spectral entities lurking around every corner, and there's no shortage of intriguing tumbril weirdness blowing around the imaginary streets that this track conjures up.

The slamming 'North' keeps alive the record's persistent, darkly humorous feeling that things are about to go off the rails at any moment, using wildly contorted sequences and granular debris to shift between total abandon and regimented strictness. A moment of relative calmness, along with the return of the atmospheric vocals, comes about with 'Stell,' a faintly dubby track that leaves an impression like watching streams of traffic progress underneath rolling, deep grey clouds.

'Kalosi' brings back the percussive motif of 'Tasser' and 'North,' this time partnering it with loops that bring to mind radioactive bass strings. 'Nims' then shuts things down with infectious harp-like sequences, fuzz-shrouded percussion and an 'everything but the kitchen sink' mentality towards filtering and processes which will get the attention of all but the most jaded soundhead.

Whisper it quietly, but Andrew Meecham’s ninth album as The Emperor Machine, Island Boogie, may well be the long-serving producer’s strongest set to date. Of course, all his albums ripple with vintage synth sounds, colourful lead lines, dub-flecked electronic disco grooves and lashings of cosmic intent, but this one just feels a little more special. Island Boogie is certainly special. Meecham’s “most personal” full-length to date, it was inspired by his experiences at the Rotation Garden Party – a beloved micro-festival promoted by a group of friends (including sometime Bizarre Inc and Chicken Lips partner Dean Meredith), renowned for the quality of its custom-built Klipschorn soundsystem. “The album’s title sums up the vibe that you get from Rotation,” he explains. “It may be held in a landlocked venue but it gives a wonderful sense of isolation – it is an audiophile paradise.”

Meecham road-tested rough versions of the album’s eight tracks at Rotation 2023, with the feedback and dancefloor reaction guiding the sound and arrangement of the final mixes. Fittingly, Meecham will return to the event to showcase the album at Rotation 2024 this July. Given the inspiration he’s drawn from previous editions of the festival, that will be a very special occasion. Musically, Island Boogie offers the most fully functioning and expertly constructed expression of The Emperor Machine sound yet, a style Meecham describes as “electronic cosmic disco-boogie”. It’s a sound that takes cues from early ‘80s NYC punk-funk and dub disco, vintage electro, proto-house and left-of-centre synth-boogie, but one that’s instantly recognisable to those who have followed Meecham’s career over the last three decades.

Island Boogie also sees Meecham continue his blossoming working relationship with Severine Mouletin, whose stylish and distinctive vocals previously graced his popular ‘Dance Por Amor’ and ‘Your Own Style’ singles. Here Mouletin features on four tracks: the acid-flecked retro-futurist wave-boogie of ‘La Cassette’ (featuring additional percussion by Rupert Brown); the infectious, bleep-sporting headiness of recent single ‘Devoilez-Vous’; and the squelchy analogue synth-funk of ‘Wanna Pop With You’ and ‘Vas-y-Le Chat’. Meecham also finds space for a cover of Fox’s 1976 pop-rock classic ‘S-s-s-single Bed’, one of the Stafford-based artist’s all-time favourites. His version, featuring headline-grabbing lead vocals by Michelle Bee and guitar from Dave Atherton, re-imagines the track as a subtly Chic-influenced slab of infectious electro-pop rich in kaleidoscopic synth sounds, sing-along choruses and shuffling drums.

The instrumental foundations of the classic Emperor Machine sound come to the fore on the album’s three other cuts. There’s the jazz-funk-flecked warmth of the LP-opening title track; the sparse squelches, bleeps, TB-303 style bass and brightly coloured electronics of ‘Walk The Dog’; and the exotic, slow-motion cosmic electronica of ‘Cha Murrah Etem’, a warm but poignant affair dedicated to his late father. Heady and intoxicating, with hints of Balearica and digital reggae, it offers a fittingly beautiful and tactile conclusion to Meecham’s most expressive and accessible album yet.

Next up in Mr Bongo's Groove Merchant Records reissue series, sees an outing for a much-loved and heavily sampled funk/soul/blues album by Junior Parker. Originally issued under the title The Outside Man on Capitol Records in 1970 with an alternative cover, this reissue replicates the Groove Merchant release titled Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On featuring the car cover released in 1971.

The Mississippi-born, Memphis-based blues singer, harmonica player and songwriter Junior Parker (aka Little Junior Parker) had a stellar career in music. Since the early 1950s he released records on labels such as Duke, Mercury, United Artists Records and more. Sadly though, Parker died at the young age of 39 during surgery on November 18, 1971.

Originally released under the alternate title a year before his untimely death, Love Ain't Nothin' But a Business Goin' On is drenched in Parker’s trademark buttery vocals and soulful grooves, swaggering between smokey blues, raw funk outings and orchestrated soul ballads (with sublime arrangements by Horace Ott).

The album also features three Beatles cover versions in the form of ‘Taxman’, ‘Lady Madonna’ and ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. For 'Taxman', Parker completely reinterprets the song taking into a New Orleans funk realm, a sample of which was used as the main hook line on Cypress Hill's classic 'I Wanna Get High'. Elsewhere, 'Tomorrow Never Knows' is flipped into a tripped-out, psychedelic soul-swamp blues ballad, whilst 'Lady Madonna' is given a funky blues makeover.

As shown with Cypress Hill’s use of ‘Taxman’, since the ‘70s Parker’s legacy has been immortalised for future generations through the deep well of samples that his music has become a source of. Tracks from Love Ain't Nothin' But a Business Goin' On have been sampled by some of the biggest names out there, such as A Tribe Called Quest, DJ Shadow and De La Soul.

A seriously smooth album oozing with soul and emotion from a Blues Hall of Fame inductee, Junior Parker’s Love Ain't Nothin' But A Business Goin' On is a superb example of the early ‘70s crossover funk/soul sound.

As deep as it comes, two unwinding cuts of beautiful deep house..

Hand scrubbed textured record sleeve, with custom stamp by Ciaran Birch.

“Escape” from abusive family ties is almost a cliche in modern media. In practice, the threshold for self-informed decoupling from said abuse is often socially out of reach for those that have in fact been abused, both physically and/or psychologically.

We feel shame for even entertaining the idea of getting rid of people in our lives that are joined to us by blood. Instead of genuine mutually-assured connection, we feel duty-bound to them - no better than a minimum wage retail job without which we would become homeless. Had these people been anything other than family, we would have ditched them long ago. I encourage a decoupling from the family unit and giving up on any hope you had for improved relations.

This record has been mastered without compression in an attempt to counter the over saturation of three minute, brick-walled, max-energy production trends in contemporary dance music.

The quality of the songs, including IMPRESSIONS, is also endorsed by the songs provided to CURTIS MAYFIELD and CHI-LITES, and the euphoric upsurge from the light guitar cutting to the percussive beats will get the floor going at once! Free soul full of killer songs including "DISCO CITY"!

Meditation Blue" was produced in Minneapolis in 1977 by Ernie Story, an SSW & producer who provided songs for The Impressions, The Chi-Lites, Curtis Mayfield, and many others. The simple jacket of this private pressing is very tasteful, but the high quality sound of this album has always been sought after! The album features the superb free soul "DISCO CITY" (A5) with its light cutting guitar and percussive groove, the instrumental number "The E Groove" (B2). The album is now finally being reissued and includes many gems such as "Chain Gang" (A4), a song with soulful vocals and a groovy band sound!

Baltimore’s Doubt are on your head with their new EP, Held In Contempt. With their single “The Hard Way,” the newest Get Better Records (HIRS Collective, Open City) band kicks the door in from the first second with fast, pummeling drums as vocalist Claire Abila contemptuously snarls at objectification. Each portion of the song is optimized for the dancers, as Doubt evenly pairs fist-pumping punk with slamming mid-tempo hardcore. There’s nothing missing from this song, or the entire EP. If you don’t feel the need to move to this, check your pulse.