Ashee’s epic Oxytocin which has been ringing across big rooms across the globe, is finally getting a vinyl only release.
Oxytocin encapsulates everything that keeps the dancefloor going straight on till morning - the rolling bassline and haunting vocals keep you intrigued as the track progresses and builds become increasingly intense, relieved by a punchy and face-melting climax. This track has been getting bodies moving all over with its infectiousness - it truly is a dancefloor weapon and has been road tested by everyone from DJ Tennis, Carlita, Kiimi and many more. On the flip side is Ashee’s pumping rendition of Motomami, another dancefloor weapon exclusive to this vinyl package.
Ashee has already graced labels such as Aus, Life & Death and Circoloco and played live at everywhere from Gotwood to Sonar. Here he delivers an exclusive vinyl only double Aside with floor-filling effect.
More
Trent is back on BLESSYOU with another EP. 3 new tracks further deepening his explorations in masterful sample collages borrowing heavy percussive elements from his refined library of sounds juxtaposed with patterns of wild vocals, trippy sound effects and offset sax solos. Taking you to unforeseeable places with this rhythmic whirlwind of force much in tune with the artwork featuring a 17th century wind chart for aiding sailors in nautical explorations. Powerfully mastered for grandiose club adventures.
Easy Star All-Stars return with their first new tribute album in over a
decade! This is the first single from the upcoming April 2023 release of ZIGGY STARDUB, a reggae re-imagining of David Bowie's entire The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album
his first single features the legendary Maxi Priest on vocals. As usual, the All stars bring an unparalleled attention to detail and creativity to their version of this timeless Bowie classic.
Georgina's Rumba is a magnum opus in the field of latin music in the broadest sense. Gabriele Deiana Sardinian guitarist, composer, arranger, producer and lyricist brings together 36 musicians for this work, including the winners of the Latin Grammy 2021 Alain Perez and Ivan "Melon" Lewis. 15 Cubans, 12 Spanish gypsies, 5 Spanish and 3 Venezuelans give life to a musical biographical journey that ranges from latin jazz to bolero, salsa, flamenco-jazz, tropical, nordic
argentine style, son montuno and modern flamenco.
The record also features former members of the Paco de Lucia sextet including Jorge Pardo and Carles Benavent. The best of the best of each genre. The vinyl format is gatefold and contains a 6 pages insert 30cm x 30cm with photos and the history of the album.
A true and fascinating novel in that began in 1992. The cover is a hand-painted watercolor by the illustrator Gianluigi Concas and contains an encrypted rebus that can be solved by reading the novel in the insert.
Das neue Album nach jahrelanger Pause setzt sich im bekannten Seven Impale-Stil fort und vermischt Jazz und Progressive Rock mit heftigeren Einflüssen zu vier kolossalen, epischen Tracks die auf die Namen 'Hunter', 'Hydra', 'Ikaros' und 'Sisyphos' hören. Ohne den Wahnsinn der Vorgänger von 'City Of The Sun' und 'Contrapasso' ganz hinter sich zu lassen, gibt das Album der Musik und den Texten den Raum und die Zeit, die nötig sind, um zu fesseln und zu blenden.
Für Fans von: Jaga Jazzist, King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Meshuggah u.s.w. Klassisch schwarze LP-Version!
Monstrous mid-tempo Disco groovings on this one, giving the Avergae White Band a run for their money.... Doc Severinsen, the renowned Jazz hornsman dropping some tight ass Funk on this rare as hens teeth Epic white label promo. This is a fully legit reissue borne out of an Above Board / Sony music collaboration, repressed from the official sources. The original 1976 promo 12" had the same track on both sides as promos often did back then so we've decided to include a special version on the flip, a lovingly tweaked re-edit from the cult leader himself - DJ Harvey. Harv's edit has been around for a minute, but this version backing the OG 76 Disco mix makes this 12" a bonafide 'must grab' for all Disco enthusiasts! Do not snooze. This one's a winner!
Twin Cosmos is not only the name of the musical output of fraternal twins Morihito & Yasuhito Ito, but more philosophically, an album that encapsulates, “the universe of twins”.
The pair were born 1953 in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. A port city 50 kilometres west of Nagoya, famous for its chemical plants. Despite their surroundings, they grew up in an environment that fostered learning and self-expression. From an early age, they began to carve out their own paths.
Morihito was fascinated with scientific endeavours, space travel and spirituality. His father, an electrician by trade - motivated him to build his own musical equipment. This led him to attend an acoustic engineering school in Tokyo from 1972-1974, after which, Morihito returned to Yokkaichi where he worked in the instrument and audio section of a department store. This helped him keep up to date with the latest equipment, while allowing him to simultaneously work on his own musical endeavours.
Morihito’s side of the ‘Double Action’ LP is a cohesive piece, which effortlessly drifts from one song to the next through samples of flowing water and rockets launching into space ,that were recorded while visiting his brother in the States. His music is carried by flowing vocal harmonies, guitar strums, and floating synths to create an eternal dreamlike ambiance.
In contrast, Yasuhito gravitated towards philosophy and the arts and in 1976 followed his Englsih teachers’ advice and moved to the ‘foreign world’ of the United States. It’s here that he further explored his interests in Christianity, sadomasochism and poetry. He was exposed to artists like John Cage and Sun Ra, as well as a variety of ‘Do It Yourself’ recording techniques that enabled him to record remotely.
Using samples, poetry, and an original approach to traditional folk & rock songs, he recorded his side of the LP. The outcome being provocative, dark and confronting realisations, which solely used English lyrics to represent his experiences in the ‘Western world’. In 1980, Yasuhito was wooed back to Japan by his brother and the prospect of a combined record release.
The self-released album ‘Double Action’, was completed at Victor studios in Japan. Without a distribution network, the release was sold mostly to family and friends and fell into obscurity. Despite not reaching commercial success, the pair have continued to make music over the past four decades, crediting it as their driving force in life. This 2022 release includes an insert with archival images & liner notes in both English & Japanese.
Formed in 2016 by transatlantic buds Nick Mitchell Maiato and James
Toth, One Eleven Heavy is a band designed as a Venn diagram of the
pair's shared musical loves Crazy Horse, Grateful Dead, and Dylan come to the fore when listening to their joyful third album, Poolside, but the influences go much deeper.
Toth says, We were lucky to have our touring drummer, Jake Morris (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks) at the ready to play drums. Nick's pal, the fantastic Guy Fowler, plays bass on the record.
Guided by mysterious producer Colin Sick, One Eleven Heavy spent
a year writing and recording the tracks that form Poolside, an album that feels like a gothic western romp through cartoon dreams of escaped criminal ciphers ( Tyrant King ), rebound coke binge recollections ( Rizzo In The Wig ), and tales of sasquatches crossing state lines ( Bama Yeti ).
Foundation is set in the future when the world is barely remembered and humans have colonized the galaxy. The record introduces Donnie Ozone, a brilliant visionary rapper and psychohistorian whose job is to use lyrics and rhymes to predict the future. It is divided into six chapters, each showing a part of the bigger picture portrayed on the outstanding cover by Infidel.
Teslasonic gathers together the galaxy's top scientists and artists on a bleak outer planet and sets out to preserve the accumulated knowledge of humankind and begin a new human galactic empire based on Art, Science and Technology. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation and designs it to withstand a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that he predicts will last for a long time.
Let the celebrations begin, 10 Years of a vision Anané created and called Nulu, her independent label letting the world know about a genre we now know as Afro House, today after many years of dedicated work you'll find it as main stream.
Nulu means 'Nothing Ultimately Leaves Us' and just in time for Winter Music Conference in Miami Nulu presents a special vinyl sampler including 4 tracks representing 'Past, Present & Future' of the labels sound.
Side A includes an elegant and melodic remix of 'Ubatuba (Roots Mix)' by Grammy Award winner Louie Vega & Agev Mungsen feat. Anane, originally produced by Brazilian Soul Crew, where the fusion of Afro House and Soul help to soothe the spirit, followed by the African duo AMRoots aka Filipe Narciso and Fresh Nunas who deliver a fantastic combination of melodies and sounds ready to make dreamers dream with a fresh remix of their original release back in 2009 'Old Times At Barracuda (Cielo Roots 09 Remix)' and was also the first release for Nulu.
Side B includes a superb beat and unmistakable touch of Dj Angelo, bringing you straight to dance floor on a journey you'll wish to never leave and finish this 4 track sampler is the incredible talent of Manoo always setting the contemporary route of Afro House music with his modern style, creativity and authentic sound. The special vinyl sampler will be available exclusively at Winter Music Conference 2019 in Miami, and later for all Nulu followers. Take your time to know the Past, experience the Present and understand the Future of Nulu, a pioneering label of Afro House Music.tti
For our ninth journey on ´Future Romance´ the aspiring and promising german duo Add-us are delivering 3 top notch productions called "Change of direction", "Faces of the moon" and "Play of shades" packed with strong synth lines and emotional moments for the deeper dancefloors.
The DJ and producer duo which consists of the two friends Robert and Patrick teamed up in 2018 for the project Add-us. Since then they´ve released their music on labels like Parquet Recordings, Renaissance or 3000 Grad, just to name a few.
Early DJ support by Tale of us, Camel Phat, Fideles, Einmusik, Anii, Hunter/Game, Raphael Mader, Markus Kavka, Ron Flatter and more.
First ever vinyl release of Jodey Kendrick's first album from 2007 by his +10 moniker, "Grace" was thought out with a Chicago vibe in mind in the hope that Ron Hardy might play some of it but mostly showcases Kendrick's already distinctive braindance skills. Selected by Aelfric Michael Avery from 500 tracks given by the prolific artist, each of these timeless picks was already foretelling of a budding talent on the rise. To be (re)discovered without further ado.
At long last, hi-tek whizz-kid Metrist returns to Timedance with the third addition to the ‘Pollen’ series and brings his epic trilogy started in 2019 to a breath-catching end.
Elevating an already unique approach of sonic craftsmanship to whole new levels, the London based producer delivers some of his wildest and most dramatic compositions to date while pushing further his signature blend of 22nd century dancefloor pyrotechnics.
From the angelic vocal cascades of opener « Leven Lever Liver Love » to the heart-wrenching heights of « Bullet Time », a playful and intricate display of cross-pollinated emotions shines through this collection of boundary pushing tracks, giving them a life of their own while bringing a stormy cycle of auditory experiments into human nature to completion
As thunderstorms form, pollen grains often ascend into clouds, soaking up humidity to a point they inevitably burst out, liberating innumerable particles that tumultuous winds send back to ground-levels.
With a false sense of distance and safety, we sit back and watch the lightning strike in complete awe, unaware of pollen slowly descending from the skies, making its way through our lungs and deep into our bodies ; the storm may be over, but Pollen has now fully become a part of us.
After an international tour of over 100 dates, French 79 is ready to unveil his third album entitled TEENAGERS. This opus gives us such unique and strong sensations, partly because the synths were recorded at Jean-Michel Jarre's studio in Paris and the tracks were mixed and mastered by Damien Quintard a Miraval studios.
TEENAGERS alternates between signature songs like the masterful opening song, as well as unsuspected romantic and nostalgic songs, epic and flamboyant
tracks, tracks with liberating harmonies, sensational electronic swirls, pop gems ("You Always Say" feat. Prudence, the singer of The Dø) and sumptuous introspective tracks ("Walking on Mars"). Not only does this opus reflect his wide range of talents as a songwriter and producer, but also it definitely takes us on a very powerful sensorial and introspective journey.
Half Grand Records’ second release makes it more clear that their target is squarely between the dancefloor and headphones. This unpredictable playlist spans genres, from Golden Science’s buzzy boom bap to Jon Doppler’s sub shaking hardcore, with layers of analog goodness that seem to glow with the first days of rave. Electronic music veteran Proswell contributes a real viber, replete with growling basslines and bells. Round it out with a sprawling, spastic workout from Sweden’s A Stantz (Peel MD) and you have a chronicle that would fit perfectly in the collection of fans of early Warp Records, Tobacco, and millennium era Merck Records. Check it out!
Finally back on tape, officially reissued. Must have! 3 Feet High and Rising is the debut studio album by hip hop trio De La Soul and was released on March 3, 1989 It marked the first of three full- length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical and commercial peak of both parties. Critically, as well as commercially, the album was a success. It contains the singles, "Me Myself and I", "The Magic Number", "Buddy", and "Eye Know". The album title came from the Johnny Cash song "Five Feet High and Rising". It is listed on Rolling Stone's 200 Essential Rock Records and The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. When Village Voice held its annual Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1989, 3 Feet High and Rising was ranked #1. It was also listed on the Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Released amid the 1989 boom in gangsta rap, which gravitated towards hardcore, confrontational, violent lyrics, De La Soul's uniquely positive style made them an oddity beginning with the first single, "Me, Myself and I". Their positivity meant many observers labeled them a 'hippie' group, based on their declaration of the 'D.A.I.S.Y. Age' (Da. Inner. Soul. Yall). Sampling artists as diverse as Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and The Turtles, 3 Feet High and Rising is often viewed as the stylistic beginning of 1990s alternative hip hop (and especially jazz rap).
Since Interstellar Space, John Coltrane's posthumously released duo album with Rashied Ali, the combination of sax and drums has received an aura of sublime spiritual ambition. It is where tireless truth seekers come together to aim for something transcendental. Something too big for words. Of course, a lot has happened in the meantime.
The available options - philosophically, stylistically, temperamentally - are endless. Musicians are aware of those historical turning points, yet they also try to add their own twists and interpretations. Some of them succeed. One of reed player Mattias De Craene's many projects - MDC III - is a project involving drums and saxophone. A striking difference: De Craene invited two drummers (Simon Segers, Lennert Jacobs), that have been active in the worlds of jazz, pop, free improvisation and experimental music. They are the ideal foil for De Craene's vision, which seems to exclude no opposites. While the use of a recorder, electronics and percussion steers the music beyond the classic acoustic limitations, the result becomes strikingly rich with contrasts. What is abstract and introspective the first moment can switch - gradually or abruptly - to moments of fierce ecstasy the next.
The music feels free (free from limitations, free to choose its own logic), but also invites. Shifting moods and textures are combined with intricate rhythmical patterns, as the drummers lock together in dense, complex and/or ritualistic grooves. A minimal pulse, accompanied by murmuring hisses of brushes and a serenading sax is contrasted with moments of exuberance. The result is many things at once, but despite these wildly varying colors, sounds, textures, rhythms and moods, they are all linked, part of a generous, iridescent whole.
The trance-inducing trio MDCIII is back. And that equals yet another delicious load of modular drums, wildly processed saxophone sounds, improvisation & pulsating grooves.
After their first EP, MDCIII ft. Sylvie Kreusch, and their subsequent first (internationally) acclaimed album 'Dreamhatcher', the 'double drums' saxophone trio with Mattias De Craene, Simon Segers & Lennert Jacobs is all set to show what angle rock 'n roll can really come from. On their new album 'Drawn In Dusk' (release: end of September via W.E.R.F records) the trio delivers a whole new palette of sounds that are just as mystical, energetic and wild as 'Dreamhatcher'.
Grammy Award Nominated 'Solace' LP pressed on 180gram vinyl with a gatefold jacket.
It is through this seamless transcendence of styles that their own sonic realm has unfolded; a landscape painted with the club culture of yesteryear and a poignant yet infectious ability to be ever in the moment.
The Age newspaper called Solace "a triumphant record", writing that "Electronic music is often thought of as harsh and unlistenable, but Solace is delicate and incredibly sophisticated in its production. The lyrics hinge on one central theme of yearning, whether that be for change, company or space."
Loved by parents and children for its heartfelt and funny portrayal of young family life and celebration of play, the season follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog, who loves to play and turns everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.
Bluey ‘The Album’ was released in January 2021 in Australia and the US and was a phenomenal success reaching #1 in the Australian ARIA charts and #1 in the US Billboard Kids Album Charts.
The initial pressing of the vinyl exclusive to Australia Record Store Day 2021 sold out.
Now the chart topping album is available on vinyl globally for the first time. Pressed on 140g blue coloured vinyl, the album features 17 songs, all original compositions from Season 1. Housed in the original album artwork this release includes an A3 colour poster of the
family neighbourhood.
Highlights include music from fan favourite episodes such as ‘Keepy Uppy’, ‘Here Come The Grannies!’, ‘Pool’ and ‘The Creek’. Two versions of the catchy theme tune are included – as an
extended version and ‘Instrument Parade’.
Side A features upbeat songs to get the whole family dancing like ‘The Claw’ and ‘Taxi’. Side B takes a tranquil tone with highlights ‘I Know A Place (The Creek Song)’, vocals by Helena Czajka & Jazz D'Arcy, and ‘Camping’. This is the perfect album for Bluey fans of any age.
‘At the turn of the 1990s, there were few more successful New York house producers than Victor Simonelli. Under a dizzying array of aliases – Solution, NY’s Finest, Groove Committee, Critical Rhythm and Cloud 9 being amongst the better-known – the Brooklyn-born DJ/producer delivered a string of underground club hits during the city’s early ’90s house boom.’
BTG presents “Victor Simonelli: The Early Years Vol 1” a collectors edition double Vinyl release - 2 X 12’s in each Vol
Launching the first Behind The Groove collectors edition vinyl series is New York’s finest Victor Simonelli with ‘The Early Years Vol 1 & 2’ double Vinyl releases. Featuring seminal house tracks such as Cloud 9’s ‘Do You Want Me’, Solution’s ‘Feel So Right’, Instant Exposure’s ‘Wanna Be With You’ and rare mixes of Raiana Page and EZ-AL, this collection brings together classic and rare Victor Simonelli cuts that reflect the early raw energy and buzz of the New York House scene. With ‘Vol 2” scheduled to follow shortly after, this is the most comprehensive collection of rare Simonelli cuts that firmly establishes his esteemed role in 90s House Music as well as introducing new fans to his inimitable sound.
Victor Simonelli is one of the early kings of NYC sampling In house music. The real deal - Victor danced at the legendary David Mancuso’s Loft sessions and developed a serious appreciation for good music. He interned for Arthur Baker at his renown Shakedown Studios (where Arthur worked with the iconic Afrika Bambatta on the seminal dance floor ’Planet Rock’ track) and went on to release hugely influential releases on seminal NYC labels 4th Floor and Nu Groove. Victor’s music was championed by the hugely celebrated iconic House Music DJ pioneers, Larry Levan and Tony Humphries at Paradise Garage & Zanzibar/WBLS/Kiss FM respectively.
Revered as a New York house heavyweight and prolific producer since the turn of the 1990s, Victor Simonelli grew up in Brooklyn, NYC, nurtured by a music loving family, with an avid record collecting father who also worked as a local party DJ. He took music lessons in piano, drums, guitar and bass, before discovering his first love, tuning into NY’s Radio Mix Shows on WBLS, WKTU and WRKS,98.7 Kiss FM) where he discovered the art of mixing and in his own words, ’I just simply got lost in the music’.
Graduating from NYC’s Centre For Media Arts, Victor got an internship in the legendary producer, Arthur Baker’s Shakedown Studios. Soon graduating to editing, mixing and then producing he worked for artists David Bowie, Quincy Jones, Debbie Harry, Sinead O’Connor and Talking Heads. Teaming up with fellow NYC producer Lenny Dee to become the Brooklyn Funk Essentials, they released records ‘Critical Rhythm’ and ‘Subliminal Aurra’ on 4th Floor before Victor went solo as Groove Committee releasing the classic ‘I Want You To Know’ on the legendary Nu Groove Records. Paradise Garage legend, Larry Levan broke ‘I Want You To Know’ rocking 2 copies on his last tour of Japan whilst King of NY House Music,Tony Humphries broke Victor’s new ‘Feels So Right’ across New York on his WBLS/Kiss FM Mastermix show and at his legendary Zanzibar club sessions. It was only a matter of time before Victor’s name became synonymous with quality House music ensuring a worldwide platform for his productions.
In the early 90s alongside his own productions, Victor Simonelli worked on high profile projects, including James Brown’s album, “Love Overdue” BeBe and CeCe Winans single featuring Mavis Staples “I’ll Take You There” and Quincy Jones’ “I’ll Be Good To You” featuring Chaka Khan and the legendary Ray Charles. Never straying too far from his clubland roots, Victor worked with Danny Tenaglia on his classic “The Harmonica Track”.
DJ gigs across the world started flooding in and Victor found himself recording for a dizzying array of labels including Tribal America, Sub-Urban, Bassline, King Street Sounds and Vibe, under a wide range of aliases. He also produced, wrote and remixed for artists such Nile Rodgers (Chic), Afrika Baambata, Hall & Oates, Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandler, Madonna and Michael Jackson. Famed for his own productions “It’s So Good” by Creative Force, “I Know A Place” as Sound Of One - the first release on Roger Sanchez One Records -, “Dirty Games” as well as the “Street Players Vol 1 EP”, Victor went on to set up Suburban Records with Tommy Musto and Bassline Records with two other partners. Notable releases on this label include “Do You Feel Me”, Connie Harvey’s gospel inspired, “Thank You Lord”, Urban Blues Project’s “Deliver Me”, Colonel Abrams “Not Gonna Let”, and Mone’s “Better Way”. Never ceasing to produce, DJ, run his own label and host radio shows like Groove Lift, Victor has worked with virtually every NYC producer and has nurtured a next generation talents including Angel Moraes, Jazz ‘N’ Groove, Urban Blues Project, Harlem Hustlers, Jay Jay and Julius Papp. Victor’s releases have also been used on M&S’s “Salsoul Nuggett” hit and Eddie Amador’s underground smash ‘House Music’.
In the late 90’s Victor launched his new Westside Productions, notable for the “Latin Impressions 1 & 2” releases, opened up a studio in Italy as he found himself increasingly working in Europe and now divides his time between New York and Italy. Suffice to say his unique sound of uplifting and spiritual music has kept him at the forefront of House Music and he is credited as one of its leading exponents with his string of classic releases and remixes.
Behind the Groove, branches out from its digital platform to embark on a programme of releases from the iconic pioneer producers of House Music. Esteemed for their high quality features and mixes that continue to explore, celebrate and venerate the contributions of highly respected, scene-shaping Labels, Artists, DJs and Special Events, BTG seeks to bring these talents and tales to the attention of the wider community. Unlocking the stories surrounding the pivotal roles they played and continue to play today in shaping the underground music scene we have come to know and love.
BTG presents “Victor Simonelli: The Early Years Vol 1” a collectors edition double Vinyl release, released on May 12th 2023. ‘Vol 2” follows on May 26th 2023 . These releases are the most comprehensive collection of rare Victor Simonelli cuts that firmly establish his esteemed role in 90s House Music and introduces new fans to his carefree sound.
For the second release, the Swiss Label present a classic Dub techno track produced by AudioChain (A duo composed by the Label owner Brenno Della Vecchia and his friend Luca Gaggetti). A timeless track with a deeper groove born directly from the Alps!
The remix otherwise, is a faster interpretation remixed by the Dub techno producer from S. Francisco, Federsen. A wonderful relaxed track full of details able to bring you inside Kelly's rhythm.
Revolver, die die Band 2020 auf ihr Cover setzten, bemerkten, dass AUGUST BURNS RED "den Schmerz so gut annehmen". Eine Wahrheit, die nie offensichtlicher war als auf "Death Below", ihrem atemberaubenden neunten Studioalbum. Aufgenommen mit den langjährigen Produzenten Carson Slovak und Grant McFarland.
In anticipation of Kerri Chandler’s forthcoming album Spaces and Places, his first in 14 years, that sees the New Jersey legend celebrating club and soundsystem culture by recording, writing and performing a track in twenty-two of the worlds most distinguished nightclubs, Kaoz Theory drop the second in a series of vinyl album samplers.
Sampler 2, a sublime gatefold, double 12 inch package sees Kerri soak up and channel the atmosphere of Dublin’s District 8, Glasgow holy grail Sub Club, NYC’s Output and Lisbon’s crowning jewel Lux into four trademark Kerri cuts, doubled up with a further mix of each track for good measure too. Piano-laden deep house, heads-down groovers, vocal-tinged soulful gems, recorded directly from each space, it’s brimming with future classics from start to finish.
fter 1 EP, 2 albums acclaimed by the national press and a marathon tour around the world, the French band Grand Blanc decided to take some time.
Time to recharge their batteries, time to rethink the band, time to strengthen their ties even more by isolating themselves for almost a year in a house in the Picardy countryside. It is this new place and the daily contemplation of nature that gave the band this new mutation.
A new album carried by a renewed instrumentation like harp, folk guitar, pedal-steel, electronic goldsmiths in the service of a dystopian tale, of a quest for colour in a world that has become pale. Here is the return of Grand Blanc, on new territories that they have patiently tamed, signed on their own label called PARAGES.
KAU is an instrumental project based in Brussels consisting of André Breidlid (drums), Matteo Genovese (bass) & Jan Janzen (keys). Representing various European backgrounds, their coming-together is in the spirit of the city they grew up in.
Taking inspiration from jazz, they create a head-bobbing atmosphere using bassy beats and catchy melodies. By implementing acoustic instruments, the trio stays true to an organic and rich sound, granting themselves the liberty for improvisation & spontaneous happenings. Influenced by artists like BADBADNOTGOOD & Christian Scott, their music is contemporary, powerful, and audacious.
The EP "III" is the collaboration between the three core members of the band and Maxime Dereux, talented French saxophonist already guested on "II". Having built strong musical ties over the course of the last years, the idea to make more music together arose naturally without a shadow of a doubt.
The result is a 4 track EP with a high concentration of powerful riffs and sharp themes. The title song 'Mad Max' perfectly represents madness incarnated. On "Moonwalker" they go to new places with ever-changing melodies and sax lines. 4 minutes of holding on to your seat in anticipation of the next measure.
This EP also features Brussels born and bred rapper "Jay MNG" who has made a name for himself around many concert halls & festivals in Belgium. Having collaborated notably with Commander Spoon and Kuna Maze, the polylinguistic rhymes of Jay MNG left a mark on this emerging music scene. Enraged, banging in whatever language that may be, Dutch, French or English, he manages to make a massive impact on the atmosphere of the tracks and add his own flavour.
KAU is an instrumental project based in Brussels consisting of André Breidlid (drums), Matteo Genovese (bass) & Jan Janzen (keys). Representing various European backgrounds, their coming-together is in the spirit of the city they grew up in.
Taking inspiration from jazz, they create a head-bobbing atmosphere using bassy beats and catchy melodies. By implementing acoustic instruments, the trio stays true to an organic and rich sound, granting themselves the liberty for improvisation & spontaneous happenings. Influenced by artists like BADBADNOTGOOD & Christian Scott, their music is contemporary, powerful, and audacious.
"II" is the second EP released by KAU. After experimenting with beats and live instruments, this second opus marks the evolution towards a more hybrid and powerful sound defined by their willingness to create extended compositions. The trio adds a unique flavor to each track by inviting guest artists to take part in the production. The bobbing and gritting atmosphere reigning in this EP is in the continuum of their first release, keeping in touch with their identity.
Full Dose is back! Once again exporting their distinctive brand of mutated dub directly from Glasgow's Southside. The label's 13th release is the work of a new name: Brollachan - "a shapeless darkness that craves bodily form".
As the name would suggest, the music itself evokes a certain eeriness. Brollachan fuses this with the metallic textures and airy rhythms commonly heard on Full Dose records. Tracks like "Hall" could well be written by a smoked-out mythical being, with deep subs and spring reverb-laden tones throughout. Quality stuff.
This juxtaposition of influences continues throughout the release. "Graze" has a particular aquatic feel. Sonar-esque synths punch through the haze and sustained synth sounds keeps the track in midwest territory.
Despite the obvious variety on show here, Brollachan of course keeps fans of the Full Dose sound on-side. "Mad Dawg" is a grimey take on this. General MIDI style sounds appear throughout the intro. This is complimented by intricate drum programming and a growling bassline, to give us a track straight from the 22nd century.
13 releases in and the tight-knit crew behind Full Dose continue to promote a sound that is both unique and reliable - Brollachan is no exception!
Far Out Recordings proudly presents the self-titled debut album by Rio de Janeiro born multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Tunico. Honing Brazilian roots rhythms like maracatu, xanadu, and samba, to combine with a global contemporary jazz outlook, the newcomer adds a modern classic to the ever rich vein of Brazilian instrumental music.
Consider it a natural evolution from the legacies of greats like Quarteto Novo, Hermeto Pascoal, Banda Black Rio, Tamba Trio, and Dom Um Romão, Tunico’s debut brings together an eye catching ensemble of talents from the Rio jazz community, with whom he performs on a weekly basis at celebrated live sessions and jam’s at venues like Macuna and Comuna Lapa, which often go on all night.
Released in 2022, the album’s rip-roaring lead single “Galope” features the effervescent vocals of Katerina Assef, as well as consummate solos from all over the band, as Sounds & Colours put it “…it exudes distinction and promise”. “Sambola” calls on the signature swagger of Far Out favourite Antonio Neves, indulging us in irresistible swinging samba-funk, undeniably reminiscent of the aforementioned Banda Black Rio in their late 70s heyday.
Born and raised in an artistic Rio household, Antonio Secchin aka Tunico’s father was the painter Guilherme Secchin, whose original work is lovingly repurposed to create the album’s cover. Antonio learned his trade on guitar from a young age, which remains his primary method for composition, but at the age of eighteen he started to gravitate towards the saxophone, and in particular the soprano sax, from which he now leads bands despite being entirely self taught. He would develop his skills busking on curbsides and metro stations before becoming a mainstay player in venues and clubs around the city.
When the pandemic struck, Antonio retreated to his family home in the Rio countryside. With time and space to breathe and reflect in a natural environment, he set to work at fleshing out the compositions he’d written throughout his musical life into full bodied works. His affinity with his rural surroundings is reflected in the luscious, blossoming feel of this groovy, mystical and poignant instrumental debut album.
Tunico will be released on vinyl, CD and digital platf
Global pointing Brazilian jazz trio releases their new album Agôra, that sparkles with electric funk and Herbie-esque eclecticism. It features a myriad of guest vocalists and musicians including Brazilians Xênia França and Zé Leônidas, Jembaa Groove's Ghanaian singer Eric Owusu and South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo
Re-wiring the concept of 'fusion' for 2023, Agôra is Brazilian trio Caixa Cubo's resurgent new record with the title referring to 'now', based upon the intuitive and fluid nature of the trio's method, and this inspired recording. With shoots to black music culture, from Brazil to Brooklyn, Ghana and South Africa, Agôra is the group's ninth album yet is their first where they've invited guests, mainly singers, onto each track and follows their last, Angela from 2020, released on Heavenly Records, which won a BBC 6 Music Album of the Year (Huey Morgan's selection) granting them much deserved international recognition.
The core musical elements of Caixa Cubo are Henrique Gomide (keys), João Fideles (drums) and Noa Stroeter (bass), all from São Paulo, Brazil and where they met as teenagers and would continue their friendship and musical bond at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands. Now all in their mid thirties, João and Noa live back in the city where it all started but Henrique has settled in Cologne, Germany where the recording of Agôra took place, over the course of 3 days, at the home cum studio of Chris 'Dusty' Doepke, their friend and owner of the label they signed to, Jazz & Milk.
In line with all their creations where flow and energy provide the magic, allowing what the moment provides, the album shines not only for its virtuosity but for its minimalism, the depth of space, and for the first time, the ability to figure in and outside of the jazz fold, as the trio decided, for the first time, to bring in singers and add a new aesthetic to their sound.
"Agôra is a wake-up call to reality, a reminder that the infinite possibilities of technological progress should not disconnect us from the earth, from eye-to-eye relationships, and from moments lived in person" the band are keen to point out. "And that we must not be consumed by greed, for all we truly possess.... is the NOW."
Turning hope and metaphor into music, the debut single Sábado, an electrified future- jazz-fizz reflects perfectly the spontaneity that permeated the entire recording of the album. "When we got to the studio, we had no idea what we were going to record. We started playing a groove, kind of inspired by Gilberto Gil's 80s albums, and our drummer João started singing this funny song 'Sábado Barrigudão' (Big Belly Saturday) alongside the bass groove and that was that". Inspired by their city of birth, São Paulo, it features long time collaborator and vocalist Zé Leônidas, with cuicas, tamborim, agogo and shakers providing the most obvious Brazilian affect from the album.
Dreams is the band's first foray into R'n'B melding the group's simple and sporadic instrumentation of drums, keys and bass into a Jill Scott inspired song that could have been born in Brooklyn yet sung by Brazilian singer and Grammy nominated Xênia França and Zé Leônidas in both English and Portuguese. Xênia recently performed online for hip-to-it website Colors and it's her latest collaboration with Caixa Cubo, having first met in 2009 for a series of live performances.
South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo come to the record with a wholly different approach on Ndiyakhangela, providing spoken word and vocal refrains on top of an Afro-Brazilian percussion jam with a delivery and verse in Xhosa, Zula and Ndebele. Asase is the album opener and features vocals of Eric Owusu who is part of highlife pioneer Pat Thomas's live band and most recently, co-leader of Jembaa Groove, an Afro-soul band from Berlin. It's a synth wig out with djembe grooves and offers a brand new take on Afro-soul-jazz.
Other contributions come from Cologne based jazz singer Rebekka Ziegler (Oblique Sunshine), São Paulo based guitarist Eduardo Camargo (Caio & Eric) and trumpet player Matthias Schriefl on Kismeti, a gorgeous and rolling number that ebbs and flows, exemplifying the group's effortless ability to craft a sound energised by a belief in one-self and the idea of having faith without the need to look at each other for verification.
As drummer and percussionist João Fideles perfectly surmised upon arriving for the recording session, "What drums do you have? Whatever you have, I'll use it". Agôra is testament to nearly 20 years of camaraderie, friendship and most importantly, trust.
CHRIS CLARK
Ms. Clark is often cited as the Dusty Springfield of Motown, a white soul singer with a black Southern voice. And she is no stranger to the Northern Soul scene with songs like “Love’s Gone Bad”, her version of Frank Wilson’s “Do I Love You” and the unreleased “Something’s Wrong”. But Clark’s Motown legacy continues surprise with the 2018 discovery – “Whenever I’m Without You” – originally recorded in 1968. Finally making its vinyl debut 55 years on!
THE TEMPTATIONS
The Temps need no introduction, they were, of course, Motown’s most successul male vocal group scoring 18 No.1 R&B/Hot 100 singles and 3 Grammy’s. “All I Need Is You Love To Me” is another 1968 recording that eluded release at the time and is one their best, how could this slice of Motown magic escape. Finally making its vinyl debut 55 years on!
On April 7th electronic luminary Nathan Fake presents the new longplayer ‘Crystal Vision’ on his own Cambria Instruments imprint, which features collaborations with Clark and Wizard Apprentice.
This is music for music’s sake – recorded without angles, agendas and themes – so Fake was free to simply continue honing his craft and express himself non-literally. Aptly titled, there’s a clarity of execution and ambition, and a peak effectiveness to the record that just sounds right.
Continuing to set a personal bar higher and topping his own best, the mark of master craftsperson is everywhere, but that doesn’t mean it’s polished; There’s plenty of rawness evident, with spiky sonics keeping ears on high alert – full of endorphin-flooded rave energy.
Following a short, scene-setting ‘Arrival’ – a simple major chord arpeggio played on a Jupiter 6 which sounds like curtains opening at dawn, things begin apace with ‘The Grass’, which hurtles like a precision-tuned bullet train through Arctic tundra. The undulating effect of compression is emphasised by the classic techno trope where 2 rhythms jar yet interlock, creating an exquisitely disorientating strobe-like flutter. On the track’s guest, Fake comments, “I fell in love with Wizard Apprentice's ‘I Am Invisible’ and felt our musical styles were similar. Their vocals are smooth and clear and sharp at the same time. They’re like a calm within the storm.”
Inspired by Italo disco but sounding wholly alien and futuristic, ‘Vimana’’s fizzing buzzsaw arpeggiated bassline, popping snares and bright whirling melody are equally an electro trance melange, with an effervescent major chord Arp that kicks in midway.
Reminiscent of what used to be called ‘funky techno’ but with sparklier sounds, ‘Boss Core’ blinds like sunshine bouncing off ice. Using his trusty Boss DR550 drum machine, and inspired by Autechre's ‘Vose In’, the track peaks by reaching that melancholic/euphoric axis for which he is loved.
With chugging slow breakbeats not a million miles from Board Of Canada or trip hop, ‘Crystal Vision’ rolls along, with the melody opening up, revealing more hidden notes as it progresses, building into a fractal, kaleidoscopic mosaic.
An emotional outpouring with serotonin surging through the circuitry, classic breakbeats and layers of lazers, ‘Bibled’ has all the hallmarks of a classic. This is a bonafide festival-set closing, hugging-your-mates, moment – or, with its guitar solo, “a power ballad” – as Nathan calls it.
A minimalistic moment of calm midway through the album, ‘CMD’’s gently comforting dreamscape is conjured with FM stacked and detuned sine waves which are left to breathe, whilst the chunky Chicagoan house jack of ‘Hawk’ brings to mind classic Relief records, but even more detuned and wibbly, and laden with synths.
As the title suggests, ‘Amen 96’ is in Fake’s own words, “me having a go at jungle. I grew up listening to it, and I remember as a teenager it sounded like the most intense and otherworldly music ever. It still does. This track is an experiment to see how my melodic style works against amen breaks”. Closer to the braindance end of the spectrum than ‘proper’ jungle (and all the more interesting for it), Fake channels the spirit of Squarepusher but makes it his own, brimming with melodious twinkle.
A collaboration with Nathan’s close friend and genuine musical hero Clark. ‘Outsider’ finds this dream team alchemising pure gold that’s bigger than the sum of their parts. Skittering, intense, far-reaching end epic, the pair close proceedings on a grandly dramatic note. In 2020 Nathan released the album ‘Blizzards’, which was described by The Quietus as “his best work”, and “his best LP yet” yet by Resident Advisor. The equally well received ‘Blizzards Remixes’ EP which featured Afrodeutsche and Irene Dresel followed in 2021, as did a nationwide UK tour.
An in-demand remixer, Fake has added his magic to tracks by Radiohead, Clark, Perc, Jon Hopkins, GoGo Penguin, Dominik Eulberg, Christian Löffler and Damian Lazarus, working for labels including Ninja Tune, Domino, Warp, Blue Note and Kompakt.
"Le Disque De l'Art Gué" highlights in a 10-track compilation the avant-garde and dreamlike work of Fizzè, in between medieval ballad, acoustic industrial and psychedelic world music. It includes original tracks from "Kulu Hatha Mamnua" and "Manoeuvres d'Automne" albums released in 1987 + unreleased materials and remixes by Fizzè.
Compilation, concept and production by Fizzé, Orsett & Fischer
Analog mastering by Tim Stollenwerk
Drawings, obi strip and insert layout by Anne-Marie Gratton
The record cover represents the acrylic painting "Till" by Alex Rabus
