What a privilege to start a new record label with an album of such quality. As we're sure most of you will know, Tom was the front man of the legendary US psychedelic/folk band PEARLS BEFORE SWINE. Recording for the ESP label in the 60s, then moving to Reprise, PBS left us a legacy of strange, beautiful music. In the early 70s Tom went solo, recording more albums for Reprise and Blue Thumb. As a schoolkid he came third in a talent show in which fellow schoolboy, Bobby Zimmerman (yes, that Bobby Zimmerman), came fifth! He played gigs with Pink Floyd, Crazy Horse, Patti Smith and many more before calling time in 1976, and becoming a Civil Rights lawyer. Renewed interest in Tom and PBS in the late 90s led to him making some staggeringly good live appearances. Then in 1999 he released his first album for over 25 years. The prophetically titled 'A Journal Of The Plague Year'. Featuring appearances from Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang (of Galaxie 500 fame) and Masakai Batoh of Japanese band Ghost, came out on the British label Woronzow to great acclaim. This is the first ever reissue of 'Plague Year' and it comes with the original artwork and lyric insert, as a limited vinyl edition of 400 and a CD version of just 200. Tragically, Tom died in 2018 aged 70. It was a joy to count him as a friend. Blue Matter would like to thank Lynn Madison-Rapp & Ade Shaw for their help with making this reissue a reality.
Not a great deal is known about this talented artist having released only 4 albums in a recording career that started in 1993. Raised in a musical family by piano playing parents he began learning the instrument at an early age, later concentrating on the saxophone, but became a multi-instrumentalist by the time was signed to Verve Records, playing most forms of keyboards, synths, vibes, as well as sax and flute. He moved to Florida, from his native New York, shortly after graduating from studying music at university in New Jersey, and played in local rock bands whilst developing his love for jazz, and was working on a demo to try and get a record deal.
Disaster struck when he was involved in a serious boating accident in which both hands were badly crushed and he was unable to play an instrument for many months, during which time he developed a skill for singing and composing. Turning adversity into opportunity is the best way to describe the outcome.
So why is a soul label interested in releasing some of his material? Both tracks selected, "One" and "Sweeter", are released on vinyl for the first time and come from his third album, "Lights On", released on his own label Eaak Records following a break of 7 years which was devoted to raising his children. The sounds are undeniably late night make-out music, lush, sophisticated and sensuous.
The majority of plaudits for his work previously came from the world of contemporary jazz and, dare I say it, smooth jazz, and was largely ignored by the soul magazines and radio stations. His captivating falsetto vocal style, reflects his influences by Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. All his material is self-penned and the albums were co-produced with drummer Guy Eckstine. There is an underlying 70’s feel to the contemporary arrangements and his work is clearly deserving of greater recognition.
Steve Hobbs (Solar Radio, Totally Wired Radio)soul
In an age where most contemporary bluesmen strive to mimic the past and pattern their music after the greats, Keb' Mo' is content to be himself. Original, charismatic, and immensely gifted, the guitarist/vocalist (born Kevin Moore) brings country blues in the late 20th century on his stunning self-titled Epic debut, which quickly climbed the charts and turned the former backing instrumentalist into a household name. Replete with gritty textures, close-up vocals, and resplendent acoustics, Mobile Fidelity's scintillating version of this 1994 set finally possesses the fidelity that brings Mo's Delta strains out of the backwoods and onto a lively back porch.
Half-speed mastered from the original tapes, this numbered edition 180g LP represents the very first time that Mo's watershed album has been given a much-needed sonic facelift. Gone are the hazes that obscured his singing, artificial ceilings that blunted the highs, and digital fog that interfered with the multitude of illuminating tones, details, and notes. What's revealed is startling intimacy and soothing emotion, Mo's gorgeous vocal timbres and inflections given equal space with his guitar, harmonica, and pace. Finally, a great-sounding contemporary blues record that doesn't resort to derivative recycling and bland revivalism.
The son of Southern parents, Mo' channels his heritage via a batch of superb folksy songs that relax, refresh, and regale. While he's since traveled in a more commercialized pop-oriented direction, Mo's initial salvo is nothing but raw, pure blues played with unbridled passion, tremendous conviction, and what is best deemed the essence of heart and soul. Keb' Mo' engages with a compelling mix of tradition and modernity, the headliner refraining from any attempt at assuming an artificial personality and instead basing his reputation on quality songs. As such, Mo's material resonates with deep, mellow vibes and extraordinary National steel guitar work, which complements his fluid, acoustic finger-picking and soulful strumming.
Mo' occasionally teams with an ensemble. But this record is mostly all about the basics: guitar, voice, and harmonica. Tunes such as "Victims of Comfort" and "Angelina" testify on behalf of his phenomenal country-blues songwriting; his covers of Robert Johnson's "Come On In My Kitchen" and "Kindhearted Woman Blues" speak to his reverence for the past. Shuffles, ballads, dance songs – Mo nails them all.
Keb' Mo' remains one of the finest blues albums made in the post-Stevie Ray Vaughan era. Don't miss this American gem that so many have since tried to copy.
At last, ‘In the Shadow of the Bomb’, the pummelling new single from Rat Cage is back in print after a limited lathe run on Lughole Records last year. The A side is a Burning Spirits style ripper, inspired by a trip Hiroshima and witnessing the devastating long lasting effects that nuclear war has on a city and country. ‘In the Shadow’ sonically nods to classic Japanese hardcore, but still maintains the typical Rat Cage blend of Scandi/UK punk. On the flip side, ‘Scared Of The Truth’, is a political mid pace stomper that rumbles with power in a State Violence, State Control fashion, while somehow also sounding like Out Cold at their most rocking. A glimpse through the cracks as to what’s coming next from Rat Cage in 2023.
The Owners are a band from Washington DC, featuring Dante and Catherine Ferrando, Alec Budd and Laura Harris.
Over the years, they have played in bands ranging from Iron Cross, Gray Matter, The Shirks and Ex Hex. Their first full-length is a split between Red Room Records and Dischord
The vinyl is a limited edition pressing on splatter vinyl.
The trashed hotel room and communal living depicted on the cover of the J. Geils Band's sophomore album tell you all you need know about the music, spirit, and energy spilling from within The Morning After. Shot through with raw, lean rock n' roll sparked by juke-joint blues and loose rhythms, the 1971 set comes on like the most fun, party-still-raging hangover any group in the 70s enjoyed. And now it rolls with an abandon that takes you inside the sweaty, smoky roadhouses and wall-to-wall-packed clubs the group dominated in its heyday.
Mastered from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI, and limited to 3,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's 180g vinyl LP achieves a sonic acumen that brings you face-to-face with the sextet's white-hot instrumental prowess and magnetic personalities. It's always been difficult to single out just one member of the band given the cohesive bluster the ensemble achieves as a whole, but this collectible audiophile edition allows you to do just that if you so choose, by way of superb imaging and separation. As for the band's trademark dynamics? Here, they feel like they're on the verge of exploding.
So go ahead. Twist the volume knob to the right as much as you want. You'll lose none of the focus, detail, placement, or presence no matter how high the decibels climb. The Morning After spills forth with previously unheard tonalities, ranging from the distinctive swells of Seth Justman's slow-burn organ to the live-wire spark of Geils' own downed-power-line-jumpy guitar work to the mooring hi-hat/cymbal/snare combinations of arrangement-steadying drummer Steven Bladd. Friends, this is raw rhythm n' blues, this is how it should feel, and, man, this is how it should sound.
Not for nothing did the Massachusetts-based collective name the album The Morning After. The music within doesn't abide by rules, ignores speed limits, flips the bird at curfews, and digs deep down into America's blues roots to yield organic material at once fresh, exciting, traditional, and original. The back-porch punch provided by the combination of "Magic Dick" Salwitz's searing, melodic, snake-like harmonica and vocalist Peter Wolf's animated, barely controlled deliveries is alone enough to make anyone with a faint pulse to stomp their feet, climb atop a kitchen table, and kick their boot heels until the neighbors call the cops.
Just witness the deceptive smoothness of the snake-like "So Sharp" or Maxwell Street zest of the aptly titled Magic Dick showcase "Whammer Jammer," which will leave you gasping for breath before it even ends. J. Geils Band also knew its way around deep-cut soul. The ensemble's Top 40, howling, adrenaline-to-the-heart rendition of the Valentinos' "Looking for a Love" and swirling, romantic take on Don Covay's "The Usual Place" seamlessly balance drive and emotion. Coupled with rafter-shaking originals such as "Floyd's Hotel" and the riff-propelled "I Don't Need You No More," sent up with typical Wolf vocal flair, and the record parks the band's all-night festivities and go-for-broke attitudes right on your front lawn.
One last word of warning to the uninitiated: The Morning After is not the slick-pop J. Geils Band of "Centerfold." And that is a very good thing.
Earlier this year, Subwax Bcn made an important contribution to the electronic music community by having the timeless dub techno compilation Vibrant Forms II by Fluxion remastered and reissued. First released in the year 2000 on Chain Reaction, Earlier this year, Subwax Bcn made an important contribution to the electronic music community by having the timeless dub techno compilation Vibrant Forms II by Fluxion remastered and reissued. First released in the year 2000 on Chain Reaction, Vibrant Forms II is widely considered to be one of the greatest achievements in the genre. As it turned out, Vibrant Forms II became one of the last records to be released on Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald's classic label - a suitable swan song if there ever was one. And that's it, right
Well not quite.
If one would search for Fluxion - Vibrant Forms III, Discogs would come up empty and Google would treat it as a misspelling. Until now.
Konstantinos Soublis, aka Fluxion, and Subwax Bcn have decided to pick up the banner and release Vibrant Forms III as a CD as well as four individual 12" records under 2016. It contains everything you could hope for and more: The massive, booming basses, the clicks and hisses, the atmospheric thunderstorms, the opium smoke-scented streaks of reverb and dub echoes. The warmth. Yes, above all else the warmth: Sometimes moist and dripping as in Safe Harbour, sometimes blisteringly dry as in Variant. It's no easy task, giving cold, dead machines warm breaths. And no-one quite does it like Fluxion.
The Reissue of Vibrant Forms II was an act of cultural preservation. It reminded us about the legacy of the Basic Channel label family, in which Chain Reaction played an important part. Without this legacy, the contemporary body of electronic music would look different and make very different sounds. With the Release of Vibrant Forms III, Subwax Bcn takes it one step further. Fluxion's Vibrant Forms III album remind us of the timelessness of truly great music, never mind the genre.
If it's really a post-genre world, why does everything sound the same? The two halves of Tampa rap duo They Hate Change_Dre (he/him) and Vonne (they/them)_first came together in front of the apartment complex where they both lived as teens. Dre had just moved down from Rochester, NY; Vonne was trying to sell him bad weed. It was clear from the start that the two listen to music differently from most people_they're sonic omnivores, obsessive deep-divers, lovers of rare and radical sounds. Starting as kids trawling the internet for tracks, they've been collecting music from around the world and across the decades, amassing a shared sonic knowledge so deep that "encyclopedic" barely begins to cover it _ not just the East Coast hip-hop that Dre grew up on, or the hyperlocal bass-music variants like jook (the Gulf Coast's twerkably raunchy answer to house) and crank (think "Miami bass meets NOLA bounce"), but also drum `n' bass, Chicago footwork, post-punk, prog (they're, like, seriously into prog), grime, krautrock, emo, and basically any genre on the map. Once they graduated to DJs on the Tampa DIY scene _ which includes everything from punk rock house parties to the black "teen nights" that pop up in rec centers and ballrooms _ they figured out how to pull all these disparate sounds together into a cohesive style. More importantly, they figured out how to make it something people will actually move to. When they made the transition to rapping and making beats, they brought that pleasure-seeking approach to sonic experimentation with them. "With this album, Vonne says, "it's really like, okay, you know how you talk about the internet breaking down borders? Here's what that actually sounds like. It's not just a hip-hop record with a couple more weird sounds. You want homegrown DIY? This is a record that was written, produced, and recorded in a 150-squarefoot bedroom from the least cool city you could think of." Finally, New is what a truly post-genre musical landscape is supposed to be: building deep connections that transcend outdated distinctions between them, spilling over with the joy of exploration and possibility, and daring other artists to think broader, go deeper, take bigger risks. Let the rest of them keep playing by the old rules_They Hate Change will keep changing the game.
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Marijus Aleksa is a Lithuanian cross-genre drummer and music producer who has spent his last decade touring and in session with some of the contemporary jazz greats including Joe Armon- Jones, Ashley Henry, Bill Laurance, China Moses and many more. Manfredas is a key figure in Lithuanian electronic music community, internationally acclaimed club DJ, owner of Radio Vilnius, music producer and remixer on releases by Andrew Weatherall, Metronomy, Erol Alkan and more.
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After the trilogy of King Sporty & The Ex-tra's EPs in 2018, Emotional Rescue returns to the music of Noel Williams with this first ever single release of his 1976 reggae disco bomb, Safari, backed with a special discomix by Lexx.
Taken from William's debut album, Deep Reggae Roots, it can be considered a culmination of his career to date, from growing up on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, to his first singles for Studio One and Trojan, his relocation to Miami and the birth of his Konduko label and moves to incorporate the local clubs growing affiliation with funk and disco.
Prescient to the coming wave, Williams enlisted some of Miami's finest in George Perry and Clay Cropper (Chocolate Clay), Ron Smith (KC & The Sunshine Band) and legendary producer Alex Sadkin (Compass Point, Bob Marley, Grace Jones, Talking Heads).
The stand out from the album, Safari, with it's hazy, low slung groove of razor sharp rimshot, guitar licks and funk bass is topped with an incessant chant 'Disco, Safari'. Criminally brief, the choice of Lexx to step in the mix was a simple one. His dubbed rework is perfect, laidback, letting the groove roll and King Sporty's mantra shine.
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"Bunn DeBrett Quintet is back with volume 2 of the eponymous album series of contemporary Jazz. Following on from the success of the critically acclaimed first album released in 2021 which sold out its vinyl run, volume 2 builds on the artistic and creative expressions of Volume 1 to bring together a group of artists to perform on Stephen Bunn and Jon DeBrett's compositions.
Once again featuring the core musicians of Stephen and Jon along with Neil Corcoran, Alan Barnes, Roger Beujolais, and the stunning spoken word vocals of Tenesha the Wordsmith. BDQ vol. 2 also benefits from the contributions of instrumentalists Nathan Haines, Crispin Taylor, Alastair Martin and the poetry of Daniel B. Summerhill.
Across the five tracks of this album this stellar line-up of musicians, composers and artists have created just under 40 minutes of the most fluid and fluent contemporary Jazz you will hear in many a year. Combining the spiritual with the modal and the modern, the atmosphere of this album will capture, enchant and enrapture all true music fans and those whose boundaries are blurred as to be non-existent."
One thing that is written in stone even in these days of near endless uncertainty is that when Topical Disco unleashes one of their vinyl releases they are a no questions asked, must have. For a label which regularly dominates the top spot of the download charts they still consistently manage to up the ante for their vinyl drops. It’s no wonder at all that the previous editions have gone on to become collector’s editions, disappearing from the shelves as quickly as you can say here today, gone tomorrow.
Volume 24 easily keeps this incredible run of club vinyl masterpieces going strong. Packed across two side of black gold are tracks from newcomers and scene heavy hitters alike Toscana, Toby O’Conner, Charly Angelz and Frank Virgilio.
The mysterious Toscana leads the way with the wonderfully enigmatic ‘The Girl With The Red Hair’, a six and a half minute slice of pleasure packed Balearic disco. Incessant, warm and inviting it combines a divine groove heavy bassline, funky guitar licks and a subtle percussive backbone with a rather brilliant stand-out guitar solo. This is a track which is guaranteed to fill those summer dancefloors.
Next up is Toby O’Conner who is returning to Tropical Disco after his lauded ‘The Heist / 1920 EP’ with another high energy slice of disco goodness in the shape of ‘Cave Of Gold’. Again this is classic Tropical Disco, combing both live chops with jazz overtones as throbbing club ready drums provide the framework for a bubbling bassline, subtle keys and sax solo’s aplenty to weave their magic. Expect jazz inspired shapes to be thrown on dancefloors across the globe when this one drops.
Over on the flip is Charly Angelz, another artist who has been making a considerable swirl on the disco scene of late. ‘Mother Phunk’ is very aptly named with an absolute gem of a bassline front and centre as classic funk vocal chops, vibey pads and guitar stabs all combine perfectly with earworm strings for anther sure fire floor filler.
Closing the EP out is scene stalwart Frank Virgilio. Hailing from Napoli Frank has been behind a virtual disco smorgasbord over the five years including regular chart bothering appearances on Tropical disco. ‘What We Love’ tips its hat to the golden era of house music, think 90’s Soulfuric meets MAW. Vibes abound here from the classic drum sounds right through to the divine ethereal percussion which adds that touch of class. This is another track which will sound just perfect on the golden Isle this coming summer, did some-one say Ibizan boat party? We’re onboard!
Few musical discoveries in recent years - perhaps ever - have been as staggering as that of Soap&Skin aka Anja Plaschg. The sheer force this young artist (she is only eighteen) injects into her compositions almost beggars belief, her songs consuming every last drop of her with no regard for grace or beauty. They say I'm different – and they have been saying it about Plaschg since she was a little girl in the small South Steiermark village of Gnas, where her parents had a pigfarm. With her punkish looks, ripped clothes and nihilistic attitude to match, she felt like the archetypal outsider, hating piano lessons until hitting her teens when, all of a sudden, piano playing became her elixir. Anja began practising for 12 hours a day, took up the violin as well and composed her first classical pieces for the village music school. Her older brother installed a sound programme on the computer for her to play around with, and having figured it out for herself, she experimented with productions.Soap&Skin's first album “Lovetune for Vacuum” is a logical progression from her previously released pieces, an unwavering line of drama, inner conflict and melancholy. The impact of this debut lies in its paradoxicality: remarkably mature on the one hand, yet feeding on unbridled youthful exuberance on the other. The songs you find on the album have been written between 2005 – 2008 and have been recorded back at Anja’s place - mostly just by herself.
Dead Dreams Don’t Die vol 1 marks the inception of Half Grand Records, a label focused on no-frills, raw talent electronic music. This artefact contains new output from several members of legendary Borft Records. Nimam (Spregleda) gives us a riotous and exuberant Drum and Bass banger that will have your teeth jingling. Jon Doppler’s signals transform from searing blasts of psychedelia to soaring synths that will make you pine for days of yore. A Stantz drops some body music that's equal parts acid and mosh pit. The closing track is by a group specific to the label; Cracktros. Cracktros is a collaborative group project that will continue to grow as more artists join the HG fold. With this number, the collective explores fantastic textures in this riveting deep house ditty. Keep your eyes peeled on this label.
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Today, Toronto-based producer Sven Lochenhoer releases his quirky two-track ‘It Knows’ EP, out now via Dirtybird.
Since 2017, Sven Lochenhoer has been a consistent character among the flock, popping up on various Dirtybird compilations and sub labels over the years. Diving into the depths of house music, Sven Lochenhoer’s ‘It Knows’ EP is reminiscent of Dirtybird’s 2005 origins. Thoughtfully produced, the EP consists of its edgy, club-centered title track and experimental downtempo companion ‘Rain Check’. Each layered with gentle piano melodies, warm basslines, and wonky vocal effects, Lochenhoer has crafted an intricate duality through this two-track project.
The rising Canadian producer first appeared on the scene six years ago. Since then, Lochenhoer has gone on to release records with such labels as Dirtybird, Trippy Ass Technologies, and Dumb Fat. Through his original productions and Splice sample packs, Sven Lochenhoer continues to earn the favorable regard of artists and aural aficionados alike.
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Waxwork Records in partnership with Back Lot Music is honored to release NOPE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Michael Abels. Oscarr winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope. The film reunites Peele with Oscarr winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer and Oscarr nominee Steven Yeun as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. NOPE marks Abels' third feature film score with director Jordan Peele, having previously scored Peele's GET OUT and US. The album also features songs from the film, including a new version of Corey Hart's classic "Sunglasses at Night (Jean Jacket Mix)", Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By", The Lost Generation's "This is the Lost Generation", Exuma's "Exuma, the Obeah Man", and a never-before-released gem by a young Jodie Foster, "La Vie C'est Chouette" from the 1977 film MOI, FLEUR BLEUE. "NOPE is my most ambitious score to date," says Abels. "There are elements from the genres of sci-fi, action, horror, and westerns, but always through the tonal palette of Jordan Peele's unique vision. The lines between source music and score are blurred, as a good part of the score seems to be playing at the theme park, which is a key location in the story. The score is at times terrifying, yet also invokes the sense of awe and wonder that the characters feel as they realize what they are seeing. The film eventually becomes a grand adventure, and so the music expands into the larger-than-life scale we expect of a summer blockbuster." He goes on to say, "it was a joy to compose a score that encompassed such a broad range of genres and emotions, and I'm thrilled to have audiences experience all of them through this album." "Michael is one the most exciting composers working today - he has this amazing ability to create new sounds which was important for this film," Jordan Peele says. "He's able to play in the familiar and in the unfamiliar at the same time, so that helps give every film its own character, and he has an incredible mastery of so many different music genres." Abels is known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films GET OUT and US, for which Abels won a World Soundtrack Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award, a Critics Choice nomination, and multiple critics' awards. The hip-hop influenced score for US was short-listed for an Academy Awardr and was named "Score of the Decade" by The Wrap. Abels is also co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, gaming and streaming media. Waxwork Records is thrilled to present the official NOPE deluxe double LP soundtrack album. The package comes complete with 180-gram colored vinyl, quality packaging, original artwork by Ethan Mesa, heavyweight gatefold jacket with matte coating, a multi-page 12" x 12" booklet, liner notes, & more!
This 2016 vinyl edition comes in Picture Disc LP with Gatefold Jacket, limited to 400 copies. Reissue on picture disc of the second studio album from the classic American thrashers Forbidden. The band released five albums and, though never sufficiently recognised worldwide as their peers, gained status among die-hard fans through the years. If you never get the chance of approaching Forbidden, tracks like "Infinite" or "Step By Step" will make it for you from the first listen.
Known for his proudly bugged-out delivery and laid-back style, the immensely likeable Declaime, p/k/a Dudley Perkins is pleased to rerelease his debut solo LP, Illmindmuzik on vinyl for the first time since 1999.
Produced entirely by his longtime homie Madlib, the Oxnard-based duo concoct a seriouly funky listening experience that combines Declaime’s delightfully woozy verses centered around crate-digging and mind expanding, over the Beat Konducta’s blunted instrumentals.
Illmindmuzik is a must for fans of Cali underground hip-hop and boasts guest appearances from the likes of the Lootpack, Evidence and more, and includes the stand out singles, “Let It Be Known” and “Roll ‘Em Right.”
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Murcof"s first three albums are to be reissued on vinyl to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of his seminal debut album, Martes. Out of print for many years, these albums have been hugely influential in the worlds of minimal and ambient electronic music in their use of modern classical instrumentation, and are significant landmarks in the history of The Leaf Label. Each of the reissues is presented in a new gatefold sleeve featuring updated artwork, with Remembranza and Cosmos featuring fully remastered audio, and Cosmos including a previously unreleased bonus track.
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Prolific Japanese producer T5UMUT5UMU has built up a reputation in the last few years for his ability not just to recreate club styles but to flip them into almost unrecognizable dancefloor hybrids. "Asyl" follows a blistering run of Bandcamp releases where T5UMUT5UMU has melted together gqom and techno, deconstructed grime and welded dubstep to traditional music from Japan and India. Here, he's operating completely off the grid, pulling raw materials from across the globe and hammering them into confounding shapes and patterns. On its surface, 'Fireball' sounds like a liquid metal approximation of South African gqom, but move in closer and you can make out dubstep bass squelches, trap hats, and industrial techno jet propulsion filling in the gaps with rubberized mortar. 'Desert' is the EP's most lightheaded cut, a psychedelic percussive spiral that curves micro-tuned mbira clangs around bee sting bass, aerated noise blasts and sub-aqueous kicks. It's a hard track to place, but fits in somewhere between Donato Dozzy, Menzi and 33EMYBW, all shifting rhythms and precision-edited sound design. 'Sea of Trees' retains this momentum, pushing the tempo and interspersing woodblock vibrations with syncopated bass drums and goosebump-inducing synths, while closer 'Bottomless Valley' shifts back into a gqom framework, shuffling the expected pulse with a powerful dembow swing, half step subs and Indian-inspired rattles. "Asyl" is a varied but shockingly coherent statement from an enigmatic producer who refuses to confine himself to a single path, and at a time when "cross-genre" is the norm rather than the exception, it's refreshing to witness a producer who's unafraid to truly make stylistic left-turns, rather than simply mash together top-level aesthetics.
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John Holt has one of the finest and most versatile voices to come out of Jamaica.Whether fronting the great vocal group 'The Paragons' which he joined around 1965,singing many of their greatest hits including'Tide is High','On the Beach','Wear You to the Ball' to name but a few or his extensive solo career.A career that saw him covering every musical style from Pop,Lovers,Soul and his much overlooked Roots period.
John Holt (b.1947,Kingston,Jamaica) was a child prodigy he began his career being a regular voice on talent contests run by Vera Johns across the Jamaican Island.He cut his first single in 1963 for Leslie Kong's Beverly's label,'I Cried a Tear/Forever I'll Stay' and sang many duets with various singers of the day including 'Rum Bumper' with Aton Ellis.
In 1965 to 1970 as stated above was John Holts Paragon years in a period which he also ran solo with hits such as 'Fancy Make Up','A Love I Can Feel' and 'Lets Build Our Dreams'.
For this release we are looking at his extremely productive period working with Bunny'Striker'Lee.This reissue of John Holts classic1976 album 'Before The Next Tear Drop' is an album filled with classic after classic sung by Mr.Holt effortlessly.....
Hope you enjoy visiting these tracks....
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Eck Echo records is set to release a mixed bag of original songs and remixes by one of digital cumbia's founding fathers, Peru's Tribilin Sound. Plastic Toy Sounds turns "Virgenes del Sol" into a woozy cumbia-dub with bright, shimmering guitar lines. Loris, adds squiggly sawtooth synths to the already irresistible beat of "Sarita", and Chancha Via Circuito offers up an atmospheric take on "Condorcanqui" that sounds like DJ Shadow and Augustus Pablo soundtracking a Peruvian heist while Peruvian duo Dengue Dengue Dengue reinvent "El Carmen's" Afro-Peruvian festejo groove as ageless ambient techno. Eck Echo records is set to release a mixed bag of original songs and remixes by one of digital cumbia's founding fathers, Peru's Tribilin Sound. Jalea is the affectionate term used by seafood-craving Peruvians for one of the country's signature dishes. In this jalea the menu consists of four original tracks highlighting the artist's career on one side, and four selected remixes by iconic producers from Mexico, Argentina, and Peru. Tribi arrived on the scene as digital cumbia was busy spreading its wings from Buenos Aires, soon to take over Latin America (and later the world), with Lima the next city to catch the bug. Ernesto had been DJ'ing in clubs since the mid-90s, and experimenting with Peruvian cumbia since the mid-00s, but the birth of his alias Tribilin Sound allowed him to go wholesale into his beloved chicha, reinterpreting grooves by classic Peruvian groups like La Pintura Roja, Los Titanes and Chacalón y la Nueva Crema, as well as proving to be a dab hand at a mash-up. Soon, he found himself at the heart of a like-minded community, releasing a debut self-titled album with Peruvian label, Terror Negro, and following it up with Aquí Siempre Bailamos (2014) for pan-Latin collective Sello Regional. Coming from a club background, rhythm has always been central to Ernesto's approach, his adopting of Peruvian styles never deviating from the necessity to get bodies moving, and the remixers here seem to take delight in stretching out his rhythms. Mexico's Plastic Toy Sounds turns "Virgenes del Sol" into a woozy cumbia-dub with bright, shimmering guitar lines; another Mexican, Loris, adds squiggly sawtooth synths to the already irresistible beat of "Sarita", and Chancha Via Circuito offers up an atmospheric take on "Condorcanqui" that sounds like DJ Shadow and Augustus Pablo soundtracking a Peruvian heist while Peruvian thunder-duo Dengue Dengue Dengue reinvent "El Carmen's" Afro-Peruvian festejo groove as ageless ambient techno..
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* Originally surfacing on a white label 12” in the mid-90s, these cuts have been out of circulation for 25 years.
* West of England-based Rhythm-ites recorded their debut album `Intergration’ (Bluurg Records) at Southern Studios. London in 1989, and were regular fixtures on the festival circuit. Although a live band, these tunes were designed for sound system play. With two cuts of `Dub of Independence’ backed with `Paranormal Dubwise’ which borrows the hook from a popular 90’s sci-fi TV show.
* Limited to 300 copies.
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You’re Not a Bad Person, It’s Just A Bad World is the fourth studio album from the genre-bending Canadian punks, Rare Americans. Containing the massive singles, “Love Is All I Bring,” & “Lose My Cool,” (which seeks to raise awareness on bullying), the nine-track album expands on the wildly inventive world Rare Americans have created through their gripping stories and visuals. After ripping through America on their first ever US tour, of which all dates were sold out well in advance, the band’s next mission seems clear. Global domination.
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Outernational Live from Studio Two Abbey Road" is a unique live LP featuring new stars of UK jazz recorded at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios during the winter lockdown of 2021.
Tracks were originally laid down for a covid-friendly filmed show hosted by the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in March of that year following a run of ground-breaking live showcases at the Austin event since 2017.
Featuring UK rising jazz stars Doom Cannon, Camilla George, Richard Spaven, Theon Cross, Noya Rao, Daniel Casimir and Tess Hirst, this will be a VINYL ONLY release - limited to 500 copies.
Previous acts from these internationally celebrated showcases include Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd with this special-edition LP highlighting the best of the next wave.
Theon Cross stated, "The JRF/BU Outernational showcase for SXSW filmed and recorded at Abbey Road in Feb 2021 was a very special one. It was one of the first times since the start of the pandemic that we were able to play together and make music for an audience despite them not being in the room. We really hit our stride with Panda Village a track from my album FYAH channeling all the joy and emotion of this cathartic moment."
Jazz Re:freshed also confirmed they will be returning to SXSW in 2023 for another landmark showcase, with further details to follow.creditsreleased September 2, 2022
Recorded in February 2021 in Studio Two, Abbey Road Studios, London.
Produced by Jazz re:freshed and British Underground.
Engineered by John Barrett
Mixed/Mastered by Mark Lewis
Photography Miles Myerscough-Harris
Cover Art by Luke Drozd
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Originally premiered in its earliest state at Tate Britain by William Bennett and Mary DeBlois in 2010, the SIXTEEN WAYS OUT magnum opus reflects over a decade's work of compositional refinement and elaborate studio expansion, and is the first Cut Hands release since 2014's highly-acclaimed FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD on the Blackest Ever Black label. The end result is a mystical showcase of musical esoterica, its seventeen tracks fusing the most arcane elements of subliminal extralinguistics, avant-garde transformational hypnosis, and dark self-help secrets. You will never hear anything quite like it. Available on 180gm vinyl and CD. CD version includes beautiful 12page booklet with expanded texts.
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Suck A Dick has been a favourite in PL’s live sets for years. It’s one of the most requested tracks by DJ’s & it’s been through many different versions. After a long struggle to clear the sample it’s finally out! The repetitive hook goes throughout the track while Mutado Pintado delivers another iconic vocal half way through. A more spacey version & instrumental can be found on the other side. As usual Paranoid London make the most of very few elements & twist them into a guaranteed dance floor throbber.
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The Belgian minimal synth band's three releases – a cassette and two vinyl EPs – were all titled »Against The Dark Trees Beyond«. This compilation collects the songs from these records.
"They were interesting times, the early eighties. Against a backdrop of cold war and economic crises, the DIY attitude of the earlier punk movement had spawned near countless new genres where artists and bands broke the three-chord guitar mould and experimented with new content matter, singular song structures and – in many cases – new instruments. Synthesizers became affordable and were no longer the sole privilege of rock millionaires. All around the globe, musical creativity boomed as never before, and Belgium was no exception: Digital Dance, Snowy Red, The Names, Pseudocode, Marine, 1000 Ohm, De Kommeniste, M.Bryo & D.M.T., De Brassers, Struggler, Siglo XX are but a few legendary names of bands and artists who started making a name for themselves.
In Leuven, things were happening as well. Until then, the music scene in this rather provincial town had been dominated by straightforward rock and blues acts. Not for much longer, though: in places like Arno'z and (later) The Gladhouse, where young budding artists met with kindred spirits, bands were often formed on the spot and, more importantly, started to make ripples.
Ludo Camberlin and Karel 'Bam' Saelemaekers already had a certain track record in Leuven's burgeoning music microcosm. But what they shared would become the cornerstone of A Blaze Colour (Against The Dark Trees Beyond): a fascination for new forms and instruments, a penchant for sonic adventure and a profound love for gripping songs. The full band name, by the way, was inspired by a phrase from the Irish-American novelist J.P. Donleavy, a writer who belongs in the definitely-worth-checking-out section.
After appearing on the first No Big Business LP (1981) with the instrumental 'Fisk', A Blaze Colour's first proper release, as was so often the case in those days, was a self-produced cassette. The music – which would later be dubbed 'minimal' – was characterized by the use of basic rhythm machines (Boss Dr. 55, mainly) and analog synthesizers (for the synth geeks: Korg Delta and MS20, Roland SH-2 and Jupiter IV, and the infamous Casio VL-1). Camberlin’s vocals, meanwhile, displayed an aloofness totally in sync with the zeitgeist. Equally important, though: all five tracks on this cassette were bona fide songs with a clear sense of structure, aided by a sonic mastery that demonstrated a high level of experience: 'Means To An End' started out as a proto-industrial track before bursting out into a moroderesque finale. The remix of 'Fisk' was as sprightly as the next river salmon, while 'Or Lie Again' proved the perfect soundtrack to a nightly walk through wet deserted streets. On the other hand, 'Through With Life', rife with disturbing sound effects countered by a slow portamento, could have been a prize track on a post punk 'Lamb Lies Down On Broadway'. And in true dramatic fashion, 'Follow The Signs' was the perfect ending of this five-song cycle: a driving sequencer and gripping chord progression coupled with a simple but powerful vocal line. Considering the limited technical means the duo was working with, this was no less than a triumph.
A few months later, the band released a seven-inch single on its own ABLACO label. 'Dark Trees Beyond', a quirky pop song, was coupled with 'Addict Of Time', a dark and brooding spoken word piece. Not the kind of single to storm hit parades, but it didn't go unnoticed. The Minny Pops' Wally van Middendorp, who had founded the Plurex label in 1978, invited A Blaze Colour to his studio in the Netherlands, to record an EP. It would prove to be a massive step forward: recording in a semi-professional studio offered great possibilities, the recently acquired TR-808 drum machine allowed for a broader rhythm palette, and the three new tracks (next to the re-recording of 'Through With Life') showed a band on the top of their game: 'The New Ones' was a wry and haunting song built around a live drum loop and an ominous bass pattern, while 'Nowhere Else' was a near-pop track with very un-minimal vocal harmonies. And it's a mystery why 'Altitude' – another instrumental – was never used in a stylized, high-profile detective soundtrack.
Another song from these sessions, the revved-up 'Cold As Ever' turned up on the high-profile Plurex "Hours" compilation, where it shone brightly, next to songs of a.o. X-Mal Deutschland, Nasmak, Minny Pops and Section XXV.
Meanwhile, Camberlin had already carved out a bit of a reputation for himself as a producer, while Saelemaekers was a respected graphic designer. It remains uncertain if this played a big part in the end of A Blaze Colour, but the fact remains: as studio recordings go, 'The Ultimate Fight' on the "No Big Business 2" compilation, was to be their swan song. What a way to go, though: maybe their best song ever, this was a synthetic bastard funk groove, complete with shout-out chorus and punch-drunk middle-eight. It shut a door, for sure, but it did so with a resounding bang.
So there it is and there it was. Short, sweet, visionary, pioneering and highly influential. And as anybody listening to this first ever compilation will be able to assess probably one of the most colourful electronic acts of its time.
On a more a personal note, A Blaze Colour proved to be instrumental in my own coming of age as a lyric writer, when Ludo and Bam graciously adopted some of my earlier writings, warts and all. To hear them translated into songs was no less than magic, and it certainly gave me the confidence to start our own band a bit later. And the magic continued when Ludo became our producer and Bam designed our record sleeves. But that’s another story, obviously. Because this is the place and the time to dive back into the wondrous world of A Blaze Colour!"
Bart Azijn (Aimless Device)
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Rui Fradinho has been DJing and record collecting since the age of 15, having played drums and keyboards on several different projects and starting his electronic music production journey in 2001, when he made his first ever original track – A Bright Future (release number 1 on the label).
Lover of music of all sorts, Rui’s musical base stems across different genres, including House, Drum N Bass, Hip Hop, Footwork, Bass Music, having more recently nurtured a deeper devoted passion for all things Jazz, Fusion and Broken Beat / Nu Jazz.
There are undeniable major influences from Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin, African, Brazilian and Global music on his productions and Rui has released remixes for several artists on several labels such as Str4ta for Colin Curtis Presents, Nimbus Sextet for Acid Jazz, Luiz Gabriel Lopes for Da Lata Music, Momenta for Lazy Robot Records, Various artists for MJDC – Modern Jazz Dance Classics, David Borsu for Broadcite, Makala for Orrua Diskak and Ray Lugo for Ammonite Records.
Highlights of his DJ career include a 6 year residency at Sociedade Anonima club in Portugal, then Bicaense Café and Lux Club in Lisboa. Earlier in 2017, he did a stint on London’s Back2BackFM, playing at Dalston’s Club Makossa, the BBE Store in East London, closing the Chill Out Gardens stage in Portugal’s Boom Festival 2018, DJ’ed at Gilles Paterson’s first edition of We Out Here festival, currently guests at Birmingham’s Bruk Up Broken Beat night and opened the Portuguese festival LisbOn - Jardim Sonoro in 2022.
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A potentially surprising release on Editions Mego. Another planned prior to the untimely passing of Peter Rehberg in 2021.
Melvin Gibbs is the renowned bass player and producer from Brooklyn who’s vast resume includes playing with Sonny Sharrock, John Zorn, The Rollins Band, Dead Prez, Caetano Veloso and Femi Kuti amongst others. A solid resume, no doubt, but what is Gibbs doing on Editions Mego?
Behind the scenes, those who know Gibbs knew that amongst all this he was also tinkering away at another form of music, one which skirts around the border between music and sound design. The Wave is the first release that reveals this side of Gibbs’ creative output to those outside his inner circle.
The driving force for this output is Gibbs’ multi-decade friendship with acclaimed American video artist and cinematographer Arthur Jafa. Over the course of time Gibbs and Jafa have had many conversations about music and the connection between film and music. Jafa’s desire to make film that worked the way Black (as in Black/African-American/ Afro-diasporic peoples) music worked inspired Gibbs to study the filmmakers Serge Eisenstein and Dziga Vertov and incorporate their philosophies and tactics when recording his own music. The two discussed sound design which directly informed Gibbs’ choice of music making tools and led to him acquiring Symbolic Systems Kyma software and hardware, incorporating this as a composition tool and sound design and component in his work. These conversations bore concrete fruit through Gibbs’ work for TNEG, the film studio Jafa ran with filmmakers Malik Sayeed and Elissa Blount Moorhead. Gibbs created the soundtrack for their very first project, the short film “Deshotten 1.0” (2009 - directed by Jafa and Sayeed) as well as their Martin Luther King-inspired meditation on Black life “Dreams Are Colder Than Death” (2013, directed by Jafa)
The bass-forward music, or ‘sonics’ as Gibbs calls it, emerged from an alternative mode of contemplation, a mode that he sees as closer to the mindset of a rootworker, an African-American herbal doctor who cures psychic ailments using means derived from African spiritual practice, entering a forest to find the right plants for a suffering client than a mediator attempting to invoke mindfulness. Gibbs says this practice yields results that suggest an aural form of creation akin to coagulation, a formal movement that gives the sense that a flow of sounds can emit something bearing resemblance to solidifying objects.
In 2020 Jafa asked Gibbs to work on the soundtrack for a work in progress called “The Wave''. When they got together to work on the soundtrack, Jafa played Gibbs a selection of sounds that included random moments of (probably unwanted) feedback on 70's Miles Davis records, Pop Smoke's Brooklyn drill, the music of Bernard Gunter and Darmstadt-style compositions made with test equipment. Those sounds, filtered through years of conversation with Jafa about Black creativity and the possible evolution of Black music, formed the sonic vocabulary of “The Wave”.
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MASK unveil the final entry in its untitled release series.
Berlin-based label MASK records has become known for releasing a string of vinyl-only EP’s by unnamed producers which have seen the support of respected artists such as Jimpster, DJ Bone, Ben Sims,
Santiago Salazar, Laurent Garnier, Ryan Elliot, Marcel Dettmann, and the Blessed Madonna amongst others. Now, the tenth and final instalment of the series consists of an eclectic collection of techno and house cuts, all recorded on tape during an analog live session in the artist’s studio.
The A1 eases you into the record through glitchy textures, swelling synths and broken beats before the A2 gets you into a rapturous tracky groove offset by lo-fi vocals and dreamy pads. The A3 takes a darker turn through hypnotic drums and a droning bass, readying the listener for the B-Side which continues this raw energy.
The B1 picks up the pace with energetic drums and clean ride cymbals while the B2 incorporates floaty arps and a tantalising repeating vocal. ‘B3’ closes out the release with a retro 80s synth feel, putting a wrap on yet another incredible vinyl EP by this exciting underground label.
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Semi Delicious is wrapping up the 2022 with a set of collaborative remixes of bossman Demi Riquísimo’s personal SD stash.
Following on from 2019’s ‘Reconfigured’, 'Reconfigured 2’ see’s Manami, Gallegos, Gina Breeze & Asa Tate put their own imitable stamps on the back catalog of label head’s own Semi Delicious back catalog.
First up with have Japan born, Peckham based Manami’s interpretation of ‘Mirage Over’. Originally released on SEMID008, Manami’s fingerprints are all over this revised iteration. High energy, twisted prog with balearic touches make for a considered & unique reimagining. Fresh from tearing apart Panorama Bar, Gallegos puts his spin on disco tinged roller ‘Point One’. Vintage percussion characterise a remix that wouldn’t sound of out of place in the bag of Larry Levan or Ron Hardy. The b-side kicks off with HomoBloc & Warehouse Project resident Gina Breeze beefing up the low end and levels of psychedelia on ’Sanitise’ making for some serious peak time gear. To wrap up the package we have Asa Tate’s revision of ‘Anxious Elephants’. Breezy piano and panpipes contrast the records chugging low end and acid inflections creating a truly versatile track suitable for shifting the mood up or down in a given context.
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World-renowned Irish American group The Gloaming return with their highly anticipated third studio album.
The Gloaming is four master musicians and one singer, seemingly suspended in time as their music unfurls around them, its tendrils reaching out into every nook and cranny of the room.
It's undoubtedly Irish music - with violinists Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, guitarist Dennis Cahill and Iarla Ó Lionáird, one of the greatest contemporary Sean-nós singers. However, it's also more than that: pianist and producer Thomas Bartlett steers the music towards a place where modernity and the old world become one. The heart of The Gloaming remains but there are touches throughout that signal its points of difference.
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Strut present a new repress of the influential first volume of 'Disco Not Disco' compiled by Joey Negro and Sean P as part of the label's 20th Anniversary.
'Disco Not Disco' was a perfectly timed compilation back in 2000. Released when interest in the myths, history and playlists of original New York clubs like Paradise Garage and The Loft was at its peak, the album drew on the outer limits of leftfield disco championed by Levan and Mancuso, bringing together unlikely dancefloor anthems by rock acts like Yoko Ono and Ian Dury, obscurities from cottage labels like BC and Splash and selected oddities from the unique mind of avant-garde hero, Arthur Russell.
It was essentially a celebration of the sonic melting pot in New York during the early '80s, an era when punk had burnt itself out and disco had become commercial and saccharine; in its place, the post-punk movement threw up brilliant oddities which tore up the accepted rulebook.
The album features full original artwork and Kris Needs' sleeve notes and is remastered and cut by The Carvery.
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Mysterious duo Manqo return to Damian Lazarus' imprint with Always Something. Following their first release on the label in 2021, called Breaking Hearts, their latest two-track EP displays the pair's penchant for compelling house music, produced with a tribal twist. Swedish star Ida Engberg adds her own flavour to the release with a progressive-tinged remix.
The title track opens with a chugging kickdrum and shaker-like percussion, as soft lyrics simmer between a melancholic, piano-led melody. It's moving but still appropriate for an intimate dancefloor. Ida Engberg delivers a progressive take with her remix. She mutates the stems of Always Something by adding dramatic touches to the synthline and stretching out the breakdown to create a tense atmosphere that explodes into a peak-time production. A perfect prog-house meets melodic techno remix.
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Nearly 10 years on since his last solo LP, Berlin techno icon Marcel Dettmann arrives on Dekmantel with an expansive album captured in a flash of inspiration.
In many ways Fear Of Programming is a reflection on the artistic process – the critical hurdles one has to overcome, the constant strive for originality, the ability to capture inspiration in its pure moment of inception. Bar the closing title track (and we all know Marcel loves a surprise closing), these 13 tracks came together during a period in which our hirsute host was able to immerse himself in studio practice and set the intention to record an album’s worth of material every single day. From the resulting mass of work there were many options to choose from, and Fear Of Programming stood out as one of the most complete statements on Dettmann’s approach in the here and now.
Unconcerned with an overarching concept, it was the work in the studio which drove the musical direction. No labouring over knotty arrangements, no painstaking mix downs – just honest expression, a moment caught, a groove locked, a stroke of synth sent pirouetting over a cavernous bed of texture. The results are varied, and while you might well hear plenty of bruising machinations in line with the techno Dettmann has made his name on, there are plenty of other shades expressed across the album.
Ambient sojourns, beatless epics and angular electronica have equal footing with strident, floor-friendly workouts. Standout piece ‘Water’ offers an icy ballet of swinging minimal and drip-drop melodics fronted by Ryan Elliott on lesser-spotted vocal duties, urging, ‘give me a sign, just a little something to let me know that you’re mine’. It’s playful, but still underpinned with the sincerity that comes with Dettmann’s work.
Running on instinct, Dettmann presents an honest version of himself in the here and now, speaking through the sonics and not over-thinking the results. His decades of experience helming a thousand techno parties speak for themselves, while his evolution as a musical entity through collaboration and his own BAD MANNERS label demonstrate his appetite for change. Indeed, the working method which resulted in the album also spurred him on to create a live set beyond his well-established DJ practice. Without resorting to a conceited overhaul, Fear Of Programming opens up the idea of what Dettmann represents in the modern techno landscape.
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Less than a hundred miles inland from the capital city of Lima lies the great Peruvian jungle, an untamed land of impenetrable forests and endless winding rivers. In its isolated cities, cut off from the fashions of the capital, a unique style of music began to develop, inspired equally by the sounds of the surrounding forests, the roll of the mighty Amazon and Ucayali Rivers, and the rhythms of cumbia picked up from distant stations on transistor radios. With the arrival of electricity, a new generation of young musicians started plugging in their guitars and trading in their accordions for synthesizers: Amazonian cumbia was born.
Powered by fast-paced timbale rhythms, driven by spidery, treble-damaged guitar lines, and drenched in bright splashes of organ, Amazonian cumbia was like a hyperactive distant cousin of surf music crossed with an all-night dance party in the heart of the forest. While many of the genre’s greatest tracks were instrumental, and others were simple celebrations of life in the jungle, the goal of every song was to keep the party going.
Radio stations in Lima remained unaware of the new electric sounds emanating from the jungle, but a handful of pioneering
record producers ventured over the mountain passes to the cities of Tarapoto, Moyobamba, Pucallpa – even Iquitos, a city
reachable only by boat or plane – and lured dozens of bands to the recording studios of the capital to lay down their best
tracks. Although many became local hits, few were ever heard outside the Amazonian region … until now.
With eighteen tracks from some of the greatest names in Amazonian cumbia, Perú Selvatico is both the improbable soundtrack
to a beach party on a banks of the Amazon and a psychedelic safari into the sylvan mysteries of the Peruvian jungle.
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140g LP, High UV Gloss Gatefold Jacket and 60cm double-sided fold-out poster.. it's a big release! TIP!
Raised across multiple cities, Amaarae’s music reflects a life split between New Jersey, Atlanta and Accra. As indebted to raw Southern rap as it is dancehall, her work also holds echoes of glossy mall rock and bubblegum pop. Embraced and endorsed by the Nigerian Alté scene as it was exploding into action several years ago, THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW is an exuberant opening statement from Amaarae, anchoring her sound in her heritage and myriad influences, channelled through female empowerment. Whilst working on the record, Amaarae’s
reference points ranged from Paul Wall to Meat Puppets, reflected in the kaleidoscopic vision of the album, effortlessly jumping from the country trap of FANCY to an Afro-house comedown in 3AM. The vinyl release of TAYDK is packaged in a UV gloss gatefold sleeve with double- sided poster insert. It features an exclusive remix of FANCY, featuring London rap royalty Bree Runway.
Press:
"The future of Afro-pop” New Yorker “An instant classic” The Guardian
“One of the most compelling new acts on any continent” Pitchfork
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A native of Los Angeles, Henry Franklin came of age while the city was producing a crop of exciting jazz talent. Frankin’s lasting impact on jazz can be evidenced by the long list of legends who sought him out for tours and recording sessions, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Humphrey, Freddy Hubbard, & Pharaoh Sanders to name a few. Franklin’s solo output is best remembered for his two solo outings with the Black Jazz label- “The Skipper” & “The Skipper At Home”. Together, they form one of the most compelling diptychs in the entire post-bop canon. Recognised by his peers and contemporaries, Franklin’s entry for Jazz Is Dead gives the living legend his flowers and recognises the contributions The Skipper has made as one of jazz’s most influential heartbeats.