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Ikonika's third album 'Distractions' builds on 2013's 'Aerotropolis', and the title answers the question Why has the album taken so long' In the last few years she's been building up a strong CV of remixes, from Chvurches to Dawn Richard, Austra and Junior Boys, as well as DJing and working on this album. 'Distractions' distils the character of Ikonika's music productions across a wider set of styles than previous albums, and she subtly fuses and switches elements from contrasting genres, giving the whole set a uniqueness and consistency that puts it in its own lane. Furthermore what sits at the centre of 'Distractions' more than ever is her love of R&B and hip hop, in all its forms, which has opened the door to bring in a selection of guests in a way she's not fully explored before. From the full throttle blend of grime and 80s synth soul 'Noblest' with Andrea Galaxy, to the reflective 'Sacrifice' with up and coming MC Jammz, a slowjam that merges dubstep with hip house drums. The final vocal track is the languid 'Hazefield' co-produced with Sweyn J and featuring Jessy Lanza on vocals. Its mix of mechanic clunk and minimalist, lulling funk could only happen in 2017. The LP artwork takes its inspiration from West London's Golden Mile, a stretch of the Great West Road where the A4 meets the M4, and the road takes on the character of the arcade game Poll Position, with art deco factories and illuminated, hi-tech signage selling lifestyle products. It's this kind of mix of futuristic and industrious with a touch of gentle glamour that the album exudes.

Alexey Volkov first appeared in the techno scene in 2011. His past releases on the Semantica and Jealous God labels have gained Alexey and his music widespread acclaim. Since his debut, Alexey has been busy crafting and perfecting his sound. His origins in Punk and Industrial become apparent in his new EP for Escapism. He continuously proves that his assertive yet refined style is worth the hype as unconventional rhythms and unsettling sounds dominate the tracks.

This box contains all four solo albums by Bill Wyman, the first Rolling Stone to release a solo record. The first two (from 1974
and 1976, both issued on Rolling Stones Records) were made the help of a galaxy of musical friends like Lowell George, Dr John,
Joe Walsh, Van Morrison, the Pointer Sisters, Danny Kortchmar, Dallas Taylor, Leon Russell, Bob Welch and Nicky Hopkins.
- The eponymous third album was home to Bill's 1981 big hit single (Si Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star' as well as follow-up hits
Come Back Suzanne', A New Fashion' and Visions, while fourth album Stuff' appeared in 1992, originally in Japan only.
- The albums are now issued on vinyl for the first time since their original release (and 'Stuff' on vinyl for the first time ever),
gathered together in a beautiful rigid slipcase. The new inner sleeves feature all the lyrics and the musician credits.

ll Camille, LA hip hop's female perspective.

Ill Camille has been a vital member of the LA music scene for some years. Kendrick Lamar used her vocals prominently for the 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' track 'Sing about me', she has been working with other TDE artists occasionally and spend a lot of time writing for different projects Terrance Martin was involved with.

At the same time Camille was developing her own material with her fellow peers such as MNDSGN, Iman Omari, DJ Battlecat, Like (Pac Div) Georgia Anne Muldrow & SIR who are all featured on her album 'Heirloom' just like TDE co-president Punch. 'Heirloom' productions range from smooth, g-funk esque west coast beats to live & organic soulful beats, working as the perfect backdrop for Camille's powerful, intelligent and thought thru lyrics

The album is deeply personal revolving around the issues that mater in her life from friends and family, her role as a woman and the heirloom of her and her surrounding: 'I feel like everyone are heirlooms of our mothers and fathers. An heirloom is just something that's passed down through a family. We get heirlooms in the form of game, encouragement or wise words. I know everyone has an aunt or uncle that's given them some bars about life in general. I have a village around me that have given me heirlooms in the form of conversations'.

The American Boogie Down finally makes it on vinyl! To celebrate the 10 years anniversary of the groundbreaking compilation by Jerome Derradji & Rob Sevier (Numero), Past Due Records, the reissue division of Still Music is finally releasing this incredible selection or rare and lost boogie funk and disco from the Midwest and beyond on wax.
The DLP includes an exclusive poster with liner notes by Rob Sevier and artwork by Al Kent.

REPRESSED !!
Originally released in 2005, this sought after 12' from West End offshoot West End Blue gets an exclusive reissue for 2017. A four track slice of night time Detroit Soul comes backed with a remix from fellow Motor city resident Theo Parrish.

DRIVETRAIN (Detroit, USA) - This is Detroit' ...label founder, Derrick Thompson detonates an explosive, acid-tech fireball of tweaking frequencies accentuating a commanding vocal homage.
J.GARCIA (Detroit, USA) - Ask Yo Self' ...a sub-sonic groove, brimming with peaks and valleys of elemental funk finely seasoned with a penetrating voice articulation.
ELLERY COWLES (Chicago, USA) - Dolphin' ...the long overdue return of Ellery melts his trademark glossy pad arrangements with a propulsive rhythm beatdown.
JEROME BAKER (Chicago, USA) - Put It To Work' ...the underground tech-house specialist debuts on Soiree Records with an organic banger laced with gritty stabs atop unrelenting percussion.


MOTORWIND...when The Motor City meets The Windy City

Hailing from Japan, Iori Wakasa is a name that has been gathering a great deal of hype over the past few years - and with good reason. Having built up his skills as a majorly talented DJ in Tokyo spinning a wide range of sounds and styles, his reputation continues to grow at pace thanks to a string of amazing releases on labels such as Highgrade and WirSindEins in recent years - not to mention strong support by some of the scene's biggest names. Here he proves what all the fuss is about - a stunning three track EP on Steve Bug's Dessous Recordings. 'Be There' starts things off right - uber deep vibes throughout, with bubbling synths and spacey effects, all tied together by a hypnotic Chandler-esque rhythm track. 'Give Me' continues the vibe, deep and jazzy chords punctuate the shuffling rhythm and trippy vocal samples add a layer of wonkiness that will see this get a lot of attention. 'Feel It Dizzy' strips things down a notch, a bass heavy dancefloor filler with dubbed out percussion, effects and vocals snippets. A triumphant EP from Iori Wakasa - truly one to watch.

Without sampling any breaks or loops, Funky DL has created the perfect audio tribute to arguably the best group in Hip-Hop history by remaking the beautiful sounds of A Tribe Called Quest's 1993 classic album "Midnight Marauders". This is a beautifully presented piece for keen vinyl collectors.

Omar has a totally unique, individual style and sound still marks him out as a future thinking and utterly unrivaled artist, who has collaborated with so many legendary names that it would be foolish to deny his worldwide reputation - who would dare contradict the likes of Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Carleen Anderson, Angie Stone, Common and fellow fans and followers like Maxwell and Jarrod Lawson

Following on from 2013's album The Man, 2016 sees his new long player further cement this undeniable reputation. Love In Beats is Omars' 8th studio album of his long, illustrious career and may just be the most eclectic & varied to date. Somewhat more electronic in it's conception and sound than it's predecessor, Love In Beats incorporates soul, Caribbean rhythms, an undercurrent of funk, with touches of zouk, a jazzy waltz, spoken word and also features collaborations with Us soul legend Leon Ware, Blue Note pianist Robert Glasper, grime MC Ty, Guadeloupe born singer Jean-Michele Rotin, and Uk soultress Natasha Watts, The Floacist and Mayra Andrade, the Cape Verdean born singer who lives and records in Paris.

Co produced by Scratch Professer, Omars Grammy winning brother,this collection should create excitement worldwide, the sounds are varied - but all have Omars' unique fingerprint on them, style and substance beautifully merged!

'Soul Jazz Records' new journey into the mighty vaults of Clement Dodd's Studio One steps once more into the fertile musical environment of Jamaican music in the late 1960's and early 1970's, from the sweet harmony vocals of seminal 1960s Rocksteady right up to the nascent birth of Reggae and Roots music at the start of the 1970's. Sleevenotes to this album are by Steve Barrow, author of 'Rough Guide to Reggae' as well as Soul Jazz Records' own 'Reggae Soundsystem Cover Art' books.

While Ska at the start of the 1960's had taken American Rhythm and Blues as its main influence, Rocksteady focused on the emergence of American Soul music - with Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, John Holt & The Paragons, Carlton & The Shoes showing a particular fascination with the close harmonies of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions and other US Soul acts. Here The Heptones even feature with a cover of Bob Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released'.

The influence of Soul music on Jamaican Rocksteady and Reggae is almost palpable, so much so that one wonders how much more successful singers like Delroy Wilson, Alton Ellis, Slim Smith and John Holt would have been had they been born in Chicago, Detroit or Memphis. Artists such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson and Owen Gray defined the era - a slowed down beat as Jamaican political and social heat slowly increased when the 1960's progressed into the start of the 1970's - and the music evolved further from Rocksteady into Roots Reggae. This album is released on heavyweight gatefold sleeve double vinyl (plus download code), CD with slipcase and digital album (ex-North America).

It's a pleasure to introduce Tony Rainwater - undoubtedly the most productive and creative savage we've come across recently. See usually we don't do this, Lehult is a crew affair, but this guy left us no choice. Being a music enthusiast, DJ and dancer for a long time, Tony has only most recently picked up producing his own music, yet at a stunning rate: When we first asked him for a demo - three months after he started producing - he swiftly dropped us a set of twenty-five tracks, another set of fifty more soon followed. His productions are straight rough edged, no-prisoners-taken Jams, combining samples from the most far-flung corners of his eclectic music collection. His magical patchwork wild style is on full display on his debut "Rockberry Jam" EP for Lehult. The A-Side takes us through the lighter side of his repertoire with the title tracks slow building house groove, some dizzy medieval monk grooves on "To All The World" and seductive R&B on "Lay It On The Line". On the flip "Operalight" irresistible groove and "Black Dream Flowers" provide some darker moments, before "Alone" closes on a soft note. The Vinyl version includes an extra goodie after the runout's. Tony is now a fixed member of the crew already and we're proud to have him and his crazy energy on the team. This won't be the last you'll hear of him.

Cookin' On 3 Burners are Australia's foremost organ trio joining the dots between funk, soul, boogaloo & jazz. Long time partners Lance Ferguson (guitar), Ivan Khatchoyan (drums) and Jake Mason (organ) have taken their home brew of soulful Hammond get down everywhere from jazz festivals to after hours bars and clubs. Their top notch reputation led to them supporting Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings in Sydney, jamming live with Breakestra and becoming THE in demand band south of the equator. With a musical CV that includes names like Joe Bataan, Alice Russell, Mark de Clive-Lowe and The Quantic Soul Orchestra, as well as the world beating outfit The Bamboos, it's not surprising this latest CO3B album has generated huge interest even prior to its' release. Their first Freestyle album 'Baked, Broiled or Fried' featured the group in a hardcore funk groove but on 'Soul Messin' sees the sound, feel and influences widened further with some quite magical results. Versatile singer Kylie Auldist (Tru Thoughts Recordings) opens proceedings on the deep funk groove of 'Push It Up' but it is the Freestyle 45 'This Girl' (FSR7057) that provides the mellow, beautiful and incredibly catchy vocal highlight of the entire collection, shimmering horns ride over this laid back, future deep soul classic. We don't yet know what Gary Numan will make of CO3B's version of his 80's synth pop hit 'Cars' (CD only) but Jake Masons organ playing (including simultaneously supplying the super funky bass lines via his Hammond foot pedals and left hand) takes this track in a direction no one was expecting! Drummer and top notch singer Fallon Williams provides his gritty, searing voice on 'Hole In My Pocket' and 'Seen Through Your Disguise' sounding very much like US soul legend Robert Moore and the band display their versatility whilst doffing their caps in the direction of The Meters on the numbers 'Dog Wash' and 'Piranha' The down tempo, moody album closer 'The Proving Grounds' (CD only) once again shows the groups expanding musical textures and rounds off 'Soul Messin' the bands most varied and accomplished recording so far.

Recent Mark Lamar Live Session on Radio 1

"This Girl" has been Freestyle's top selling single of 09 so far !

Einzelkind, Randy Fox, Robin Scholz and Philipp Boss join efforts to bring you HOER001. The Joint Effort EP, first instalment on the new Frankfurt-based imprint Einfach Hören, contains four hardware-driven house-jams, all ready for excessive club-use. Honoring the Godfathers of housemusic, the producers invite you on a journey into ecstatic rhythms, funky basslines, lush pads and wicked vocals garnished with the imperfection, roughness and the evolving character of a neverending jamsession in their shared Studio.

Welcome to a science fiction nightmare helmed by the legend that is DJ Overdose. Alien prey, DNA in test tubes. Who is being regrown Will the town survive Who has been replaced In these present times of truth vs fiction it's easy to become paranoid. We have the soundtrack HAEX-HRLL's Further From The Truth: An abductee saga by replicons from beyond the moon. Chiming in between hot electro, Vangelis dream scapes, XTRO drone. This is one of OD's most fascinating records to date. Art by a mysterious figure. Mastered by Alek Stark.

a gatefold heavy card board sleeve and heavy vinyl !! remastered and recut from original masters !!! the artwork will be true to the original (including textured covers and embosses where appropriate) and will feature lyrics, and additional sleeve notes and artwork !!!

Produced by Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Jon-John Organized Noize, and Sean 'Puffy' Combs, CrazySexyCool (1994) is the second studio album by American girl group TLC. The album peaked at three on the Billboard 200 and spent over two years on the Billboard album charts, and spawned two Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, including the worldwide smash hit, 'Waterfalls', and earned them two Grammy Awards.CrazySexyCool has sold over 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by an American girl group, and the second best-selling album worldwide by a girl group behind Spice Girls' Spice. The album was certified Diamond, making TLC the first girl group in history to be awarded Diamond status.
All four singles from the album reached the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, two of them ('Creep' & 'Waterfalls') reaching number one.

Recorded in 1969, the fourth album from Sly And The Family Stone, "Stand!" was the crowning musical statement by this unisex, multi-racial rock and soul combo from the Bay Area of San Francisco, featuring four chart hits, including the number one smash "Everyday People", "Stand!" virtually invented the 'progressive' funk of the 1970s and 80s, jettisoning the trappings of 60s soul and paving the way for a new sound that would influence other artists to this day.

Undefined 005 is made by the legendary S-Max. Labelhead (together with FYM) of the famous freaked and forward electronic musiclabel "Boogizm" started back in 2000. We are more than honored to present him on Undefined!

This EP will take you on a freakshow of yorkshire bleeps, wonky basslines and 4/4 approach on house/minimal/broken beats. The tracktitles are as ingenious as the tracks itself.

Dont sleep on this future classic!

Finally the new Lossless hits the stores and labelowner Mathias Schober formerly know as SHOW-B delivers some great house tunes we played a lot in the recent weeks.
Housemusic the way we like it. Nuff said...!

Free Hardcore, very dancefloor. Still featuring some tribe accent... Winter style ! Also notice some Scratch Toolz Bonus.

Before Bob Marley came on the scene, many in Britain dismissed reggae as either the stuff of one-hit wonders or skinhead
dance music. Now it is recognised as influential style, which has not only sold millions of records worldwide but had a major effect on the mainstream. But only a few of his fans realise the man's recording career was as lengthy as it was: though he died aged just 36 in 1981, he'd been active in the studio since 1962 onwards.Despite some of the tracks featured here would be re-recorded on later albums, these 'prototypes' exhibit a rough-hewn, soulful feeling. We all knew his music was timeless, this was but further proof.

'I take my guitar and strum and sing some tings and blow people's mind. But I ain't trying to do anybody's music. I'm doing what I feel' - Shadow

When it came out in 1984 the far-out album Sweet Sweet Dreams by Trinidad & Tobago's Shadow (aka Winston Bailey) was described as 'way ahead of its time'. Undeservedly it was panned by critics and, unable to reach markets, disappeared into the dusty record collections of a few music aficionados. Now, more than three decades later that cosmic dance-floor UFO is about to take off again, change all that and set the record straight. Remastered and cut by Frank Meritt at The Carvery the album is truly a masterpiece.

But who is this Shadow behind Sweet Sweet Dreams Shadow is a man of understated magnitude. A truly enigmatic artist, he first emerged in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1970s, becoming a part of the tapestry of Caribbean music and reinvigorating calypso at the time. Calypso, the indigenous folk music of Trinidad and Tobago, has roots in West African kaiso rhythms, French Creole influences, and the hardships endured by the African slaves brought to Trinbago, whose descendants still use it as a tool for satire, self-expression, and social commentary. Calypso has also given birth to several other music genres, including soca, with its uptempo beats and festival context. Shadow effortlessly moves between both.

Shadow came from a humble but musical family and started writing songs as a youth while tending cattle in the fields. To his family's initial chagrin he chose calypso over church music but his talent and drive were undeniable. In the early days of his career Shadow's style was cramped when working with some of the more conservative music arrangers who felt that calypso and soca should fit a mould. But after a while Shadow teamed up with more innovative arrangers, including Arthur 'Art'de Coteau, who followed their and Shadow's intuitions resulting in a long line of hits.

'The first time we met for me to arrange his music we had a heated argument on the arrangement for one of his songs, I was theoretically correct but Shadow was musically right. Shadow broke all the traditional musical rules and made his own and that made him a musical giant. He changed the face of Calypso music in 1974 with the release of "Bassman" a tune in which Bass and magnificent horn line took central stage changing Soca music for ever. What Shadow did with his music was to put calypso on the International Dance circuit, giving it a totally different groove. You could take his music and swing it in any direction, Disco, Pop, Calypso, you name it. His music was different from anything that existed before'. - Carl "Beaver" Henderson, one of Trinidad's veteran producers.

This inert creativeness culminated in Sweet Sweet Dreams which was arranged by Shadow and deals with burning and ever-relevant themes like love and the ups and downs of relationships. a surprising fact for someone mainly known for his satirical and political lyrics. It prompted his manager to wonder if Shadow had written the lyrics while in a state of 'tabanca' (a word used in Trinidad and Tobago to describe lovesickness).

Sweet Sweet Dreams was recorded at the legendary SHARC studios, located on a hill in Chaguaramas (near Port of Spain) and despite a fantastic sound and monster Soca-boogie tunes like 'Lets get it together', 'Lets Make it Up' and 'Way, Way Out' the album was a commercial flop, probably due to the fact that it didn't sound like anything else coming out of Trinidad & Tobago at the time: It fused a range of different rhythms and new sounds, primarily heavy synth riffs.

Shadow took the album's lack of success in his stride with usual aplomb:
'When I did Sweet Dreams I expect something could happen. But nothing big happen because I have no big market and no distribution and all this thing now. So I just cool myself and move on to another song. I wasn't doing just one song. I used to always have plenty songs at the one time. And be writing music'.

What Shadow didn't realise back then was that the proto-electronic cocktail he had mixed in 1984 would only find the recognition it deserved three decades later. Life has swung full circle: Sweet Sweet Dreams has come true and been elevated to holy grail status becoming one of the most sought-after Caribbean disco records in existence.

For this re-release we carried out extensive interviews with Shadow and the musicians and have included as bonuses exclusive photos from Shadow's personal collection and the dancefloor filler tune 'D'Hardest' was added as a bonus track.

Stevie Wonder's legendäres, 15. Studioalbum - ursprünglich 1972 über Motown veröffentlicht - ist jetzt endlich wieder auf 180g Vinyl inkl. Download Voucher erhältlich. Legendenstatus konnte sich dieses
Album alleine schon Dank zwei Songs sichern - Songs die heutzutage auf keiner Best Of von ihm fehlen: Für den, gerade von Jack White gecoverten Song, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" erhielt
Wonder seinen ersten GRAMMY Award, und "Superstition" schmückte ebenso Platz 1 der Billboard Hot 100.

Dublin based disco imprint Fatty Fatty Phonographics return with the 4th instalment of their 'Downtownsounds Classics' series, this time throwing three stone-cold classics onto one 12, all given the re-edit treatment by in house producers Pablo and Shoey.
Voiced by Leroy Burgess, with drums by hip hop legend Marley Marl and production by The Aleem Brothers, 'Release Yourself' was a huge across-the-board anthem in the clubs of NYC on its release in 1984.
The lads have superglued elements of both the vocal and dub sides together for an epic end of night take on this beloved classic.The B side features two under appreciated classics from the pen of one Billy Nichols, a man known for his work with West End Records (the Levan mixed 'Give Your Body Up To The Music') and the funky band of brothers that was BT Express.
On 'Take Me...' Nichols' hooked up with disco master Patrick Adams for an emotional, string drenched disco belter that has found favour with the likes of Dimitri from Paris, Floating Points and Hunee.While 'Dance If Off' is a wonky proto Acid-Disco trip beloved of Rahaan and Eric Duncan of Rub 'n' Tug. With copies going for over 300 euros, you can do your bank account and your dancefloor a favour here...

The Round up part III is here: Our annual cocktail of "Heisty" re-imaginations. With our busiest release schedule so far, we've moved up from a 12" and 10" pack to a double 12" pack, with 7 artists re-rubbing each other's originals in their most personal way imaginable. Nachtbraker turns Nebraska's sweet and moody 'It won't be long' into a raw as hell acid stomper. Ouer and Adesse Versions, deliver a great jackin' take on both their victims and Nebraska adds some disco flavour to Frits Wentink's free handing piano work. Frits on his turn gets going with the SP404 to add some dusty vibes to our own Future Imperfect while we've turned Obas Nenor's down-tempo excursion with 'Wakee' into an up-tempo Chicago-esque affair, bringing in our Crumar Performer for some lively work on the strings. Obas on his turn, gets his MPC fired up and delivers a great Midwest inspired version of Push it Along. We've had a truly great year with Heist and have released so much to be proud of, and this Round Up is a great conclusion to it. A nd as always, special artwork courtesy of Baster. Sincerely yours, Lars & Maarten

Love Notes from Brooklyn offers up this platter from a very exciting new Brooklyn artist, Subtenant. As it says on the tin, The Artisanal Acid EP is heavy on the 303 squelches and emotional content. Each track has a unique pairing of soul and heavy acid funk. Evergeen Soul is the clear lead track here, using a female snippet to keep this otherwise tough little number dancefloor friendly. This track is then reworked by Detroit underground darling, D'Marc Cantu, who pitches things up into funky rave territory. The flip side sees the title track feature the most soulful chords on the entire record, and then on the B2 the artist himself takes to the mic on Know How It Feels. This whole EP feels live and direct from the Brooklyn underground.

On UKNOWYs latest release 'Homeless Soul Music' NEMOY delivers a trilogy of warm & unique house grooves further extending and developing UKNOWYs catalog of organic dance music. From the rolling and hard hitting banger 'We made it' to the percussive piece 'Particular Beat' to the laid back, bassline driven 'One for CKENZ' NEMOYs sophisticated blend of delicious synth- and samplework with additional remixes by Sam Irl & Chief makes for an overall exciting EP. Ranging from classic house cuts to afrobeat elements this crisp production will get into your head & legs!

The first vinyl LP on our specially created Pied Piper imprint - featuring established favourites, recent discoveries and other rarities from the Detroit-based production company.

First northern soul collectors scoured the junk shops, charity shops, deletion bins and mail order lists for records by their favourite artists. Next they tried other discs on labels for which their heroes appeared. Later came the search for titles by songwriters such as Van McCoy, Popcorn Wylie and Ashford & Simpson and the work of producers, arrangers and the companies they worked for.

Pied Piper was a Detroit-based production company with a big enough catalogue to have been a successful indie label in its own right. Apart from their own short-lived Giant imprint, they were credited on another 20-plus 45s and three LPs issued on various other logos. Even more impressive was the music they left on master tapes. Around 50 finished tracks have emerged over the last 20 years and it has been Kent's honour to release them on our specially created Pied Piper label. This is our first vinyl album taken from that catalogue.

Included are perennial favourites such as 'I'm Not Built That Way' by the Hesitations, 'That's When I Need You' by Freddy Butler and Mikki Farrow's 'Set My Heart At Ease', which we've mixed with recently discovered soul sensations 'Voo Doo Madamoiselle', 'More Than A Memory' and 'We Go Together'. As a bonus, the version of the Cavaliers' 'We Go Together' is a completely different take to the one on our first Pied Piper CD, featuring a rap intro all serious fans will need. Nancy Wilcox's opening track 'More Than A Memory' is a superior sounding master taken from a recently discovered tape and there are alternative original takes of Lorraine Chandler's 'I Can't Hold On' and 'You Only Live Twice'. Classy rarities from Tony Hester, September Jones and Rose Batiste complete the collection.

Ady Croasdell

Virginia-born singer/songwriter Nicole Wray has everything you'd want in a singer: an infectious Jackson-5-family-member flare, a range like Aretha's, and a church upbringing that's brought a pure, healing texture to her voice. But the struggle she's been through has made her more than a singer. Nicole Wray is an artist. When talking about Queen Alone, her first solo album in some time, Nicole explains, It's a reflection of my soul. It's who I am today.' And aptly so. Nicole is writing and singing songs about her life. And yet to even start to know her soul, you have to go back to the beginning. Growing up in Portsmouth was tough at times for Nicole. However, at the age of fifteen, life opened up quickly when Missy Elliot paid a visit to Nicole's family home to audition her on the spot. Missy was there on the rumored strength and quality of her voice. Instantly blowing her away, she signed and left with Missy that night. Two years later, at age 17, she had a hit gold single off a solid debut album (Make It Hot). Suddenly she was part of a team that included late '90s R&B and rap royalty: Missy, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Playa, Timbaland and Magoo. She made it, and fast. However, as rapidly as she achieved success, Nicole then found herself needing to re-make it. By late 2001, her time with Missy and company had run its course. They amicably parted ways and Nicole, once on top of the R&B world, was unsure of what was next. It was a very low, but important, point in her life. While neck-deep in this struggle, Damon Dash and Roc-A-Fella Records called. They signed an album deal and by 2004, in what was starting to be a pattern, just as things were looking up Roc-A-Fella suddenly (famously) split. Nicole found herself in a familiar situation. In 2013, Nicole paired up with London vocalist Terri Walker and released the album Lady. Once again, Nicole was tested. Terri parted ways with the group to pursue her own projects shortly after the album's release. Fast forward to now-the transformation from singer-for-hire to pure artist is evident in this new full-length solo release, Queen Alone. The record was written and recorded in 10 days at the legendary Diamond Mine Studios, in Queens NY with Leon Michels and Tom Brenneck handling production. Nicole says she is Singing out loud now-singing from the stomach.' Back in 1998 she was coached how to sing, and told to stay in a pocket that never let her show her range, power, and passion. Today, after stutter-stepping in and out of the industry, there is a new soul and substance to her songs-all of it from her life. They Don't Hang Around", tells the story of her post Roc-a-Fella days, Guilty", is about her brother's incarceration, Make Me Over" tells the relatable story of being broke with expensive taste, and 'Let It Go', a perfect way to end the record, is about the simple act of letting go and moving on. Almost echoing her new record, Nicole says, You have to go through something for it to be real.' She has been living with one foot in fame and the other in real life. The result is clear: she's feeling something real in her music again. And it's hard for us as listeners not to follow suit.

The 5th Myor Massiv release also marks FFF's 3rd outing for the label. No split this time, but a full 4 track solo ep by the Dutch Amen manipulator extraordinaire. No time for funny business on this one. FFF takes you straight into moody sci-fi territory and heavy yet intricate choppage on 'It Began In Man's Mind', followed by 'We Sleep', on which he takes a slightly less throat-cut approach, slowly building things up to a dark hoover climax. 'Would D Think It's Smooth Enough' displays a beautiful mish mash of slick sounding synth stabs, 808 Juke drums and break beats. Dedicated to Dyanko. The ep is finished off in style with 'Murder Comet', which kicks off with a loud and clear clash message to all soundboys out there, followed by a spot of smoothness, only to take a turn for the worse again after about a minute or so, before all mayhem is finally unleashed via a set of mentasm stabs halfway through the tune. No prisoners, no mercy..

New fully remastered re-release of Soul Jazz Records’ ‘The World of Arthur Russell’, the seminal collection of Arthur Russell’s essential music is being released on limited-edition heavy deluxe triple vinyl and deluxe CD edition.

This album brings together some of Russell’s best-loved and most accessible works including his wide-ranging music both solo and in groups including Dinosaur L (the essential ‘Go Bang’), Loose Joints (the equally classic ‘Is It All Over My Face’) as well as rarities such as the 7” only ‘Pop Your Funk’, Indian Ocean’s ‘Schoolbell/Treehouse’, Lola’s ‘Wax The Van’ and more.

Arthur Russell’s music effortlessly crossed musical boundaries making it timeless. His dance music credentials are faultless and this collection features mixes from Larry Levan, Françcois Kervorkian and Walter Gibbons. Similarly, his song-writing, musicality and performance skills are equally cherished as composer Philip Glass wrote, ‘this was a guy who could sit down with a cello and sing with it in a way that no one on earth has ever done before or will do again.’

When Soul Jazz Records’ The World of Arthur Russell first came out in 2003, Russell’s music had slipped into near obscurity. Nearly 15 years later there are over a dozen releases of his music, reissues of his original albums and more. ‘The World of Arthur Russell’ is the classic first collection of his work available once more.

“Arthur Russell fused the avant-garde with disco and sounds like nothing else on earth.” The GUARDIAN

“Russell is the great enigma of the New York music scene” THE WIRE

“Simply one of the best compilations of this or any year.” RECORD COLLECTOR

With the release of fourth album Crown Posada, Smoove & Turrell cement their position as one of the UK's most exceptional soul acts with their innate ability to deliver hard times social commentary in a dancefloor friendly medium. Proudly working class as a band - this album celebrates love, life, politics and the lows and the highs of growing up and raising families in the North East of England.

Gritty and powerful, the band make no attempt to sound or look like anyone else - not for them the sharp suits and trumpet twirls of some of their peers. Instead you get a wildly talented and vital crew of larger than life Geordie lads taking their rightful place on the international soul scene having already become figureheads within the UK.

New project from Massimo Vanoni in which his black streak with Slow-Down & Nu-Disco-Funk features prevails.
The tracks have strong groove rhythms, with intense, rather thick and ascent.loops. The contaminations collected
by the club consoles seem to merge in the creation of unreleased songs which recall an interesting return to the
old beat with dynamic rhythm. Deluxe package Artwork.
For fans of Frank Booker, LTJ Xperience, Stereo 12", Tee Mango, Fouk, Inkswell, The Revenge, Session Victim, Debonair...

Originally released on Trojan in 1974, it was essentially a re-release of the Soul Rebels LP from 1970, with a few extra tracks. This historic release marked Bob Marley & the Wailers first collaboration with Lee Perry and the true beginning of their musical and spiritual commitment to Rastafari. This is Bob Marley and the original Wailers (Peter Tosh & Bunny Wailer) long before they became international reggae superstars with Island. The tracks found here redefined reggae music, tracks like "Soul Rebel," "Duppy Conqueror," "Small Axe" never sounded better.