Search:ja

Repress.

The re-release series of original Ethiopian classic vinyl continues -- the finest Ethio jazz by Mahmoud Ahmed and his band from 1975 plus two tracks from 1978.The liner notes: 'Melancholy blues, piercingly minimalist country airs, brassy, danceable urban jazz, heart-wrenching, off-key crooners: a rich and stirring patchwork of sounds, crossing Afro-beat, Latino-swing moves and Eastern arabesques (Ana�s Prosa�c).' Such were the first -- informed and enthusiastic -- opinions of the music press when the first strains of modern Ethiopian music sounded on our shores. This was in 1984-1985. Such a positive note, struck about such a country at such a time, created plenty of reverb. The country had been so thoroughly trashed by the media's feeding-frenzy, which spewed out a mix of horror and pious pity, bitter denunciation and humanitarian appeals, wallet-tickling clich�s and refusal of identity. In one brutal swoop, TV-reality transformed Ethiopia into a cursed nation, forsaken by God and by man. In contrast to these tragedies, but in the same hackneyed tones, Mahmoud Ahmed's life resembles an edifying fairy-tale where destiny, talent and achievement combine to triumph over poverty, fate and the evil eye. Biography, history and legend, with the help of God, infallibly weave the lesson of merit rewarded. But who can argue, in spite of the mockery that celebrities invariably draw, when faced with one of the greatest voices in all of Africa? Once upon a time, there was a street urchin in Addis Ababa, who started off as a shoe-shine boy and went on to become one of his country's biggest stars, opening the door to Ethiopian music to Western audiences. --Francis Falceto

180g vinyl + Deluxe hard-cardboard sleeve + OBI + resealable outer sleeve

This isn’t just a seminal album. It is an estuary. All the black rivers that would form Brazilian funk/hip-hop flow through it. Led by Paulista pianist Salvador Silva Filho – Dom Salvador – “Som, Sangue, e Raça” from 1971, one year after the explosion of Tim Maia on the scene, catalyzed the bossa nova and jazz background of its leader with the rhythm and blues of its members like saxophonist Oberdã Magalhães, nephew of samba-enredo master Silas de Oliveira and future leader of Banda Black Rio, who since the group Impacto 8 (which had, among others, Robertinho Silva on drums and Raul de Souza on trombone) had already been trying to reconcile MPB with Stevie Wonder and James Brown. Add to all this a mixture of samba, Nordestino accent, and even the black side of the Jovem Guarda represented by the authorial presence of Getúlio Cortes (older brother of Gerson King Combo, our James Brown “cover”) in ‘Hei! Você’. Alongside these elements and the presence of Rubão Sabino (bass), who still called himself ‘Rubens’, drummer Luis Carlos (another member of Black Rio), the record enlists the trumpet and flugelhorn of symphonic musician Darcy in place of the original Barrosinho (yet one more founder of Black Rio), who was traveling during the recording but would end up being a leading force of the band.



The album ‘Som, Sangue e raça’ paves the way for future generations of musicians and producers of the Carioca scene at the beginning of the 1970s. The lyrics that dealt with the question of race and the explosive fusion of samba, soul, jazz, and funk, elaborated by Dom Salvador and his troupe, Abolição, established the bases for the development of new sounds and tendencies in Brazilian music.

An innovative and idiosyncratic pianist, Thelonious Monk has been hailed as one of Be-Bop’s founding figures, with unexpected melodic shifts and dramatic hesitation hallmarks of his work. Monk By Five is one of the lesser-known sessions recorded for Riverside in the late 1950s and is one worthy of a wider audience; it features the bright swing of the new ‘Jackie-ing’ and the more dissonant ‘Played Twice,’ alongside engaging revisits of ‘Straight No Chaser,’ ‘I Mean You’ and ‘Ask Me Now,’ the interplay between Monk, cornetist Thad Jones and saxophonist Charlie Rouse especially noteworthy. Definitely worth investigating.

Comes with insert and download coupon.

Imagine a Latin remake of Back to the Future. The mad scientist is Arsenio Rodriguez (the godfather of salsa) and the young student who travels through time with him is Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers). This album can only be described as the perfect soundtrack for that movie that never was.

After the massive buzz generated by his first solo album, Mentallogenic, Alex Figueira got back in the studio to work in a more collective fashion this time, carefully assembling the second album of his largest project to date, Conjunto Papa Upa; a team of 6 musicians, spanning 3 generations of some of the best talent in the Latin and avant-garde scenes.

In an era where tropical music is dominated by purely electronic and rhythmically uniform sounds, the ten songs encompassed in “Fruta Madura” (“Ripe Fruit”) wander through the most diverse tempos, rhythms, and motifs effortlessly. A real breath of fresh air that gracefully incorporates soul, funk, jazz, psychedelia, and electronics into a solid tropical, irresistibly polyrhythmic foundation, without ever succumbing to the many genre clichés.

The distinctive production and catchy songwriting of Figueira shine in a very distinctive light on this second full-length. Living up to his reputation (Miles Cleret, founder of Soundway Records, called him “one of the scene's truly authentic and eccentric producers”), he takes the opportunity to show he’s not afraid to keep walking his own path.

Taking the band for a wild ride through the traditions of Africa, America, and the Caribbean; contrasting them with a ridiculously wide plethora of vintage, contemporary, and futuristic sounds, and pivoting on the exuberant musicality displayed by his musicians; the result leaves no doubt: this album is destined to be considered a future classic of the exciting tropical psychedelic music of the 21st century.

Addressing the most diverse themes in this new collection of songs, things take on a much more mature tone, as the title clearly suggests.

The opening track “El segundo es más sabroso” (“The second one is tastier”) sets the tone in the most assertive way imaginable, with the band boldly declaring, through multiple metaphorical references (laid upon a crazy mix of Dominican merengue, Detroit techno, classic and free jazz, dub, and electro), that the bar will be set higher with this second album.

The remaining compositions touch upon the most diverse subjects, with a fair dose of humor, sarcasm, and postmodern “magic realism”. “El Algoritmo” (The Algorithm) is a parranda-cumbia hybrid (for lack of a specific term) about the omnipresence of technology in our lives. The sophisticated Latin soul of the titling track “Fruta Madura” makes a case for the beauty of the maturity process. Some key philosophical teachings of Marcus Aurelius (the role of causality, the impositions of “the logos” and the importance of self-control) get a twisted cumbia treatment on “Reos del Deseo” (Prisoners of Desire). “No le pongas Coca-Cola” (“Don’t put Coca Cola in it”) shows us the most satirical side of the band, accusing those who mix Coca Cola with Rum of committing "sacrilege", on a powerful base of Dem Bow (the grandfather of Reggaeton), intertwined with touches of soul, salsa, and Cuban comparsa.

"Háblame Claro" (“Talk to me clearly”) is a story of heartbreak that evokes in its first part the spirit of the erotic salsa of the 80s (a subgenre deeply despised by purists), and after an unexpected samba interlude, leads to the hardest salsa of the 70s (a subgenre adored by purists), to end up in the surprising form of pure Afro-Cuban ceremonial music.

“Tu mamá tenía razón” ("Your Mom Was Right") is an attempt to exalt the spirit of the Latin American soap opera in the key of “acid bachata”, to recount a real-life case, witnessed by the band on countless occasions: the partying woman who arrives at the show accompanied by her bitter husband, who obviously does not like to dance. A very cheeky song to talk about the very serious and pertinent topic of female empowerment.

“La misma vaina” (“The same thing”) with its indescribable blend of bantú, candomblé, and Mozambique rhythms with abstract synthesizers, is an ode to adventure in favor of the aversion to taking risks and seeking predictability.

“Amigas picadas” (“Salty friends”) is another humorous song recounting another real-life case witnessed by the band on countless occasions: a love encounter sabotaged by the girlfriend's friends, who all happen to fancy the same guy. A jazzy take on the ancient Dominican rhythm of pambiche (grandfather of merengue), with generous psychedelic touches, resembling the classy late 60s releases of Guadeloupe's legendary producer / label owner Henri Debs.

“Vinimos a hablar” (“We came to talk”) takes sarcasm to the highest level, to ridicule the absurdity (also experienced by the band firsthand) seen in live music venues where people pay a ticket to go and have conversations that could be carried out much better on any bar, where no band is playing. The music alternates between a delicate melody with loose, sparse percussion and a full-on, pumping Angolan semba, with a techno kick drum included; bringing things to an apotheotic grooving finale, where the peculiar swing of Venezuelan calypso from the Callao region is thrown on top of all the precedent elements; closing the album in the most uplifting, “end of the carnival parade” feel.

The artwork is a delicate and impactful oil painting by Colombian artist Kevin Simón Mancera, who has collaborated many times with the label before (“Maracas, tambourines and other hellish things” tape and the Lola’s Dice LP).

What the experts are saying:

“Alex (Figueira) dove into this work with a brutal cohesion between lyrics and synths. Timbre poetry, sound poetry (you name it). And that, superimposed on his always impeccable percussive base, confirms the title of “avant-garde visionary of our beautiful Latin music”".
EBLIS ALVAREZ (MERIDIAN BROTHERS)
“Papa Upa's infectious quirkiness is a balm against boredom. A mature album, but without an expiration date”.
GLADYS PALMERA

“Here there is a lot of strength, drum, cadence and psychedelia, lost dance rhythms, united in an intercontinental Latin/African/and Caribbean journey, a unique winning combination that we could consider the new “Ritmo Figueira”.
DISCODELIC

Conjunto Papa Upa are: 



Alex Figueira - Timbales, percussion, vocals. 

Gerardo Rosales - Congas, percussion, vocals. 

Ramón Mendeville - Bongos, percussion, vocals. 

Randy Winterdal - Bass.

Andrew Moreno - Guitar.

Nico Chientarolli - Organ, piano, synths.



All songs written by Alex Figueira. 

Arranged and performed by Conjunto Papa Upa. 

Recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Alex Figueira at Heat Too Hot, Amsterdam.


Deeeeeep from the Ariwa archives... all unreleased music on here. Sounding absolutely essential to us. Dates of production uknown at time of writing...

The A Side is a Mad Professor produced version of Aisha's 'Give a Little Love', given the UK treatment. The Dub is a proper roller.

Side B is the unheard African Message Dub (Parts 1& 2). Recordings ft Jah Shaka on bass, Norman Grant (Twinkle Brothers) on Drums, Sgt Pepper and Mad Professor on the desk. Masterful UK Dub from these key figures.... pulled out of nowhere.

Not to be missed!

Three laidback electronic-meet jazz-cuts byTheo Parrish on his own Sound Signature label !!

Bringing together the undisputed talents of Nigerian percussionist Aleke Kanonu and soul legend from Alabama, O.C. Tolbert, this 12' created quite the buzz when it was released in New York in 1982. Shops and leading DJs were clamouring for it, but short supply saw it disappear into obscurity. The A-side, 'Happiness' is an uptown style Gospel ballad where Tolbert's gravelly, soulful voice channels years of hurt an pain. The B-side, 'Nwanne, Nwanne, Nwanne', is an Afrobeat disco monster that rattles along on the back of Kananu's awesome percussion skills. Both tracks were written and produced by Jack Taylor, a producer, songwriter and purported gangster from Harlem and released on his own label. This reissue comes courtesy of the good folk of PMG, purportedly cool guys, based in Austria. - Peter Moore,

First in a Brand New series of Limited Edition 12” of all-time Studio One party bombs now available for the first time ever on loud 12”.

Marcia Griffiths’ ‘Feel Like Jumping’ is a stone-cold classic, one of the best reggae songs ever made! Includes version on the flip.

100% essential monster tune that rocks any dancefloor!

Paketo Wilson's 'Immigration' is a hymn to freedom from the Kingston, Jamaica-born artist. It first arrived on the Child of God label in 1982 and is one of the self-declared "positive rastaman"'s finest tunes. He was introduced to music by his father and through watching them play managed to pick up his own skills with no formal turning. His career began at age 16 when he played concerts all around the island with the New Vibration Band before going solo with Daddy U-Roy's King Stur Gav Sound System. Now back in its original form, 'Immigration' is a tune that remains as relevant now as ever.

Double header 12" with extended mixes, mixed by Prince Jammy. Stickered & shrink-wrapped.

Ten bad boy digi riddims from the myspace era by Copenhagen’s Maffi crew, dubbed out into 3D space by disrupt in 2024. Raw, minimalist CyberDancehall at its best, nostalgic and oddly futuristic at the same time, this album is quickly becoming RoboCop’s favorite playlist when going to work.
…………………………………………………………………

Maffi Promotions a.k.a. Maffi Boys come straight outta 1773 Kbh V, Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally founded in 1990 by the two homeboys, lazy body Moog and Junior the Rat, Maffi Promotions have been a steady producer of simple digital riddims for years. Hanging out in the streets of Hummel City Junior & Moog used to entertain their friends with the primitve riddims of the Maffi sound. Not knowing that they would do the exact same thing fifteen years later, they continued to believe that one day they would move up the ladder, break out of the underground and reach for the stars.

Now, after finally adopting a little sense of realism, the two homeboys have realised that stardom is nothing compared to spamming people on myspace. So the two stoners decided to get a couple of friends together and turn up the bass online. Together with their sound crew FIREHOUSE, Maffi deal nuff weed and gyals!

Maffi Boys are very dedicated to the art of playing Sensible World of Soccer, rolling weed joints with Manitou tobacco and keeping it real in a Vesterbro-style. So watch out! And don’t test! We’ll be putting up new riddims on a weekly basis. We have nuff things brewing – including a delicious chicken!
………………………………………………………………

Growing up in the streets of Hummel City, Vesterbro, MOOG learned the pleasures of sleeping late, playing Sensible World Of Soccer and picking up hot gyals at an early age. He has spent most of his life trying to master these crucial skills. Taking a break from the dog race, Moog is currently focused on reaching a higher understanding of reggae-science and weedology.

JUNIOR experienced the necessity of rolling well-made spliffs at an early age. Incorporating the aestethic heritage of Scandinavian design, he has spent most of his life perfectionizing this old and traditional art form. Junior is currently taking his ph.d. in digital reggae by buying crates of 80’s 7″ and selecting for his sound system Firehouse.

Third outing by Utrecht's Böhm on M>O>S Recordings! As always, a beautiful collection of warm, jacking, bleep-y, deep house. Reminiscing to good old times, 90's Chicago house, early 00's UK bleep techno, it all feels very much at home here on M>O>S.

Craft Recordings feiert das 15-jährige Jubiläum von Silversteins meistverkauftem vierten Album A Shipwreck in the Sand mit einer Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichung. Das Konzeptalbum aus dem Jahr 2009 bleibt mit Titeln wie ”Vices” (feat. Liam Cormier von Cancer Bats), ”The End” (feat. Lights) und ”American Dream” ein Favorit in der umfangreichen Diskografie der Band. A Shipwreck in the Sand wird am 28. Juni erscheinen.

Sumer Is Icumen In is Quentin Thirionet's (Dhavali Giri, Pairi Daeza) debut album. Still, his musical escapades are vast and varied, based almost entirely on improvisation and live recordings, of which he occasionally distributes tapes without further information. Elusive to categorization and identification, unwilling to fix his musical activity under a stable pseudonym, his projects have ranged from gypsy jazz guitar swings, French traditional songs from Auvergne, and various experimental collaborations. Increasingly closer to electronic instrumentation, he crafted what Belgian label KRAAK presents here as Maibaum, his first ever solo output. As the title goes, this may be a maypole on which his multicolored sonic visions spring about.

Former rope access worker and currently a farmer of organic greens, Thirionet lives up to these lines of work as a musician. He assembles precisely what seems like a subtle balance between high manmade structures and soft fertilized soils; a high voltage pylon placed in a biotic landscape. It's all an even blend, spontaneous and steady, but this contraption comes from profound considerations. "I chose these tracks among many others," says Quentin, "because I heard the melodies all the time in my mind, and because I cried while playing them without really understanding why."
Armed with nothing more than a blackbox, a sequencer, a freeze pedal, and a tape player, Thirionet orchestrates a vivid rite of polished futures. At times reminiscent of Hans-Joachim Roedelius' enveloping arrangements, Maibaum's ambiances rely on mild repetitive patterns subsequently textured by prickling sprouts, mechanic dislocations and revamps that stoke and brighten the stirring motions. Jim O'Rourke's I'm Happy and I'm Singing comes to mind in terms of its detailed and prismatic nature, but Sumer Is Incumen In has its particular narrative. It's a tale of regeneration, of spring's delicate procedures and allure, a celebration of gracious and fortunate junctions between nature and machinery.

The album unfolds like a massive engine being made flesh to drift along the ether of a sultry land. The terrain turns pleasant and fertile in the title track; the colors and melodies of May start to unravel. Chromatic columns rise and define the scenery's depth of field breeding a synesthetic stream between crystal lights and warbling organisms. Grande Albero Buono Magico Uoma's brisk kaleidoscopic arpeggios sound like scanning a tree's litmus foliage. Then Ciguri takes us back to the foggy swamp of the beginning but is suddenly lit by an insect’s labyrinthine roundabout. The Jeweled Grid is a poem Quanta Qualia's lustrous metallic voice recites as a report of the album's phenomena. "Shiny revelations jump out. Pearls of thought flicker about." Images from within that distill to swirl around among us. The thicket dissolves as the album concludes calmly in Le Concept De Chien N'aboie Pas. Swaying under sieved solar light, leaves and branches tingle until the winds grow weak. All the warm creatures gathered along the way, and all those who danced around the maypole's splendid equilibrium now withdraw, folding up small to foster rebirth once again.

José Badía Berner

This feels deliciously fated. Musical soulmates, Cromby is the only person Sally C will go record shopping with. The duo minted their friendship back in 2016, not long after both migrated to Berlin. A friendship forged through shared dancefloors, long hours at the pair’s beloved Bikini Waxx and impromptu B2B sessions, they have a common passion for good times and serious digging. If you want a sense of the genesis of Sally’s label baby Big Saldo’s Chunkers, just listen to the cult-favourite ‘Big Saldo & Cromby Dusty Hip Haus Mix’ that’s lived on her Soundcloud since 2019.

Cromby knows a Chunker that’s for sure. His contribution to the label is elite. Rinsed by the pair all year, it’s supports also include Job Jobse and Bambounou. In January it highlighted Nachtiville, where it was played all weekend long and became an unofficial hype anthem of the festival. A fiercely hunted track I.D ever since, lock this in as one of those catchy Crombyclassics we all love and can’t stop playing (and singing). ‘Pump It’ is an atmospheric roller, a perfect cut for maintaining the energy after the hands-up vibes of ‘House Flava’. ‘Free’ features Cromby’s own vocal debut – “I didn’t realise at the time of writing how fitting the lyrics would be for our times unfortunately,” he shares. Driven by punchy purring bass, it brings plenty of rugged energy with 303 flourishes, while dreamy keys balance things nicely. One for the after-hours.

The EP is rounded out with the wicked hoover-led ‘Best Not Miss’, that transports us back to a steaming Trade dancefloor circa 1997 and is thrilling in every sense.

Repress.

British-Trinidadian poet/musician/author Anthony Joseph’s latest album was inspired by and echoes the fertile London scene. Anthony has surrounded himself with some of the best musicians on the local scene, including Jason Yarde, Shabaka Hutchings (Sons Of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming), Crispin Robinson (founder of the iconic acid jazz band Galliano,) and Rod Youngs (Gil Scott Heron’s drummer). Operating as a dedication to poetic ancestors and a coming together of musical generations, ‘The Rich are Only Defeated When Running for their Lives’ is also an almighty jam. Recorded live in August 2020, it shows off the prowess of a team of master musicians from Paris and London. Jason Yarde, who also produced Joseph’s 2018 album ‘People of the Sun’ is credited as producer/ composer/arranger - to startling, albeit intimate, effect. Running throughout the release are inter-connected themes: memory, place, belonging and acts of homage. Anthony Joseph has released seven previous albums - six on Heavenly Sweetness - and collaborated with Archie Shepp, Keziah Jones and Meshell Ndgeocello who produced his album, ‘Time’ in 2014. He is the author of four poetry collections and three novels. His 2018 novel Kitch: A Fictional Biography of a Calypso Icon was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award, and long listed for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature.

Strut present the first definitive retrospective of an icon of 1970s and ‘80s soul, jazz and disco, Patrice Rushen, covering her peerless 6-year career with Elektra / Asylum from 1978 to 1984. Joining Elektra after three albums with jazz label Prestige, Patrice had shown prodigious talent at an early age and had first broken through after winning a competition to perform at the Monterrey Jazz Festival of 1972. By the time of the recordings on this collection, she had become a prolific and in-demand session musician and arranger on the West coast, appearing on over 80 recordings for other artists. She joined the Elektra / Asylum roster in 1978 as they launched a pop / jazz division alongside visionaries like Donald Byrd and Grover Washington, Jr. “The idea was to create music that was good for commercial radio / R&B,” Patrice explains. “We were all making sophisticated dance music, essentially.”

Drawing on some of the leading musicians in L.A. like saxophonist Gerald Albright, drummer “Ndugu” Chancler and bassman Freddie Washington and keeping an open minded approach from her training in classical, jazz and soundtrack scores, Patrice’s music was a different, more intricate proposition to many of the soul artists of the time. “L.A. musicians were not so locked into tradition,” she continues. “None of us were accustomed to limitation and the record label left us to take our own direction.”

Early classics like ‘Music Of The Earth’ and ‘Let’s Sing A Song Of Love’ were among Patrice’s first as a lead vocalist before her ‘Pizzazz’ album landed in 1979, featuring the unique disco of ‘Haven’t You Heard’ and one of her greatest ballads, ‘Settle For My Love’. “Although ballads make you feel more vulnerable as an artist because they are often personal, I think listeners relate to that sincerity,” she reflects. By now, Patrice’s records were supremely arranged and produced as her confidence as an all-round writer, producer, arranger and performer grew. Slick dancefloor anthem ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ and the ‘Posh’ album in 1980 led to her landmark album ‘Straight From The Heart’ two years later. Receiving little support from her label, Patrice and her production team personally funded a promo campaign for the first single from it, ‘Forget Me Nots’. It went on to peak at no. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album was later Grammy-nominated, while the track became a timeless anthem and popular sample, inspiring Will Smith’s theme for the film ‘Men In Black’ and George Michael’s ‘Fastlove’.

Patrice’s final album for Elektra, ‘Now’ kept the bar high with sparse, synth-led songs including ‘Feel So Real’ and ‘To Each His Own’. It concluded a golden era creatively for Patrice which remains revered by soul and disco aficionados the world over.

‘Remind Me’ features all of Patrice Rushen’s chart singles, 12” versions and popular sample sources on one album for the first time. Formats included a 3LP set and 1CD fully remastered by The Carvery from the original tapes. Both formats include an exclusive new interview with Patrice Rushen and rare photos.

• First definitive Patrice Rushen compilation released on vinyl since the ‘80s
• Includes all of her chart hits, DJ favourites and sample sources
• Official release featuring full interview with Patrice Rushen about her career and music • Features rare photos from her personal collection + some of the photographers she has worked with during her career
• Fully remastered by The Carvery from the original ¼” tapes
• Start of full Patrice Rushen reissue programme from her Elektra era

Recorded straight on the heels of Bad Company's 1974 debut — just a matter of three months later; not quite long enough to know how big a success the first LP would be — Straight Shooter is seemingly cut from the same cloth as its predecessor. It is, after all, a tight collection of eight strong, steady, heavy rockers that never, ever proceed in a hurry, but from the moment "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" kicks off the proceedings, it's clear that Bad Company have decided to expand their palette this second time around, writes AllMusic.

The album, released in April 1975, reached No. 3 on both the U.K. Albums Chart and the U.S. Billboard 200. It was certified gold (500,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release.

The jacket for the album was designed by Hipgnosis, who also designed their debut album.

"Good Lovin' Gone Bad," was released in March 1975 and reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was released in April. The album's final single "Feel like Makin' Love" was released in August and reached No. 10 on the Hot 100.

"Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Shooting Star," became classic rock staples due to this expanded aural vocabulary, and even straight-ahead rockers like "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" and "Deal with the Preacher" benefit from this additional muscle, while they feel comfortable enough to settle into a soulful groove on "Anna" and "Call on Me."

Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in a tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jacket by Stoughton Printing, this is the definitive pressing of Straight Shooter and one fans of Bad Company will be proud to own.

Limitiertes farbiges Vinyl, 2024 Pressung! Valley of Rain ist das Debütalbum von Giant Sand, das 1983 von Howe Gelb (Gesang, Gitarre) und Winston Watson (Schlagzeug), Tommy Larkins (Schlagzeug) und Scott Garber (Bass) aufgenommen und schließlich 1985 veröffentlicht wurde. Zum Zeitpunkt der Aufnahme war Howe Gelb mit den Möglichkeiten von Röhrenverstärkern nicht vertraut und hatte den Großteil des Albums mit einem Roland JC120 in den wunderbaren 8-Spur-Studio The Control Center in Korea Town, Los Angeles zusammen mit Ricky "Mix" Novak produziert. Gesamtkosten der eineinhalbtägigen Aufnahme betrugen $400. Als Enigma Records anbot, das Album zu veröffentlichen, baten sie um weitere 15 Minuten Musik, um es zu einer vollständigen LP zu machen. Ron Goudie wurde dann hinzugezogen, um die zusätzlichen Aufnahmen in einem Studio in Venedig, CA namens Mad Dog mit Eric Westfall Engineering zu überwachen. Es war dort, als Howe sich einen Verstärker auslieh, der im Studio gelagert worden war, dass er das Polster eines Röhrenverstärkers entdeckte und seine Welt sich veränderte. Der Verstärker war ein leicht modifizierter Fender Twin Reverb von Robbie Krieger von The Doors. 30 Jahre später, nachdem die Band auf unbestimmte Zeit eingeschläfert worden war, begannen sich die ersten Songs in die letzten Giant Sand Tourneen einzuschleichen. Irgendwie schien es angebracht, ihnen einen weiteren Versuch mit dem richtigen Verstärker zu geben, nur um zu sehen, was sie hätten sein können. Was die Idee zugänglicher machte, war die Verfügbarkeit der beiden ursprünglichen Schlagzeuger, die in Tucson lebten. Der erste Versuch kam letzten Sommer mit Winston & Tommy und Thoger Lund am Bass, sowie den beiden neuesten Mitgliedern, dem 29-jährigen Gabriel Sullivan und der 23-jährigen Annie Dolan an Doppelhalsgitarren. Das Geräusch war wahnsinnig. Der lustige Teil war Gabriel, der die Session entwickelt und gemischt hat und ihr einen absichtlichen 80er Jahre Produktionssound gab. Howe erklärte ihm später, dass er sich seit den ersten Originalaufnahmen im Krieg mit diesem Produktionstrend befand. So versuchten sie es alle noch einmal zur Weihnachtszeit, diesmal mit einem neu entdeckten Fender 30 Amp, der von 1980 - 1983 in Produktion war. Diese neue Neuaufnahme des ersten Albums klingt jetzt so, wie es hätte klingen sollen. Es wurde für $400 und am selben Tag und in der halben Sessionzeit wie das Original neu gemacht. Scott Garber kam sogar von Austin TX mit seinem Fretless Bass, so dass das Album buchstäblich die ursprüngliche Besetzung für mindestens die Hälfte der Songs zusammen hat. Giant Sand sind an den Anfang zurückgekehrt.

Mit der Veröffentlichung des Live-Albums "New Gold Dream - Live From Paisley Abbey" präsentieren uns die Simple Minds ihren großartigen Auftritt in der atemberaubenden Paisley Abbey in Schottland. Ihr fünftes Studioalbum, das 1982 veröffentlicht wurde, markierte einen Wendepunkt für die Band, als sie in Großbritannien und Europa sowohl kritischen als auch kommerziellen Erfolg erlangte, der sie vom verehrten Kultstatus zur kommerziell erfolgreichsten schottischen Band der 1980er Jahre machte.

Mit den Hits "Promised You A Miracle", "Glittering Prize" und "Someone, Somewhere (In Summertime)" wurde die Band zu einer festen Größe und hielt sich ein ganzes Jahr in den britischen Albumcharts.

Der Auftritt der Band in Paisley Abbey ist elektrisierend und dynamisch, mit Frontmann Jim Kerr als stimmgewaltigem Sänger und der Band, die eine straffe, energiegeladene Performance liefert.

In Craig Charles' eigenen Worten enthält "The Craig Charles Trunk Of Funk Volume 3" "19 der feinsten Stücke von super-slinky Soul, boot shaking Blues und Boogie, schillernde Discosongs und feine funky rump shakers!"

Als Dichter, Schauspieler, Radio- und Fernsehstar (u. a. in der Science-Fiction-Comedy "Red Dwarf" und der Seifenoper "Coronation Street") ist er seit seiner Jugend berühmt, und seit über 22 Jahren predigt er in seinen weltberühmten BBC 6 Music-Wochenend- und Tagesshows für den guten Groove, legt in Clubs und auf Festivals rund um den Globus auf - sein Ruf als einer der profiliertesten Botschafter für alles, was Soul und Funky ist, ist unbestritten.

Craigs neueste Kollektion mischt Up-Tempo-Club-Klassiker mit frischer Musik von der Creme de la Creme der zeitgenössischen Soul- und Funk-Szene mit einer Prise Oldschool-Klassikern. Das Ergebnis ist so, als ob Craig persönlich als DJ auflegen würde - eine Mischung aus modernem und klassischem Soul, Disco, Deep Funk und beatlastigem Rhythm and Blues.

Die Geschichte von Canned Heat ist auch gleichzeitig die Geschichte von Exzessen, Drogenmissbrauch, psychischen Erkrankungen und Tablettensucht, verbunden mit der Affinität für bandinternen Begräbnisse. So sagte erst vor kurzem Drummer Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra in einem Interview: "Ich bin nach über 55 Jahren noch immer bei Canned Heat. Überhaupt noch am Leben zu sein, ist hier schon ein Triumph". Schließlich war Fito seit dem zweiten offiziellen Album der Band "Boogie With Canned Heat" mit dabei, das 1968 auf dem US-Label Liberty veröffentlicht wurde. 1970 erschien "Future Blues", das erste Album mit dem neuen Gitarristen Harvey Mandel. Mit "So Sad (The World"s in a Tangle)" enthält das Album den ersten Umweltschutz-Song der Band. Es handelt vom ständigen Smog über Los Angeles. "Let"s Work Together", eine Coverversion von Wilbert Harrisons "Let"s Stick Together" aus dem Jahre 1962, wurde für Canned Heat weltweit zu einem Top Ten Hit. Im gleichen Jahr folgte der Konzertmitschnitt ""70 Concert: Recorded Live In Europe". Aufgenommen an verschiedenen Orten während der Tournee durch Europa (u. a. der Londoner Royal Albert Hall), ist dies das erste offizielle Live-Album der Band und gleichzeitig das letzte Tondokument von Canned Heat mit Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, der im September 1970 an einer Überdosis Tabletten starb. Mit "Final Vinyl" veröffentlichten Canned Heat vor kurzem ihr letztes Album; "Future Blues" und ""70 Concert: Recorded Live In Europe" gehören zu ihren essentiellen Alben, als die Band in ihrer Keybesetzung mit Al Wilson, Bob Hite, Fito de la Parra, Harvey Mandel und Larry Taylor Ende der 1960er / Anfang der 1970er Jahre den Zenit ihres Schaffens erreicht hatten. Wilsons Tod hinterließ eine Lücke, die nicht mehr zu schließen war, zumal auch Larry Taylor und Harvey Mandel kurz zuvor Canned Heat verlassen hatten, um sich John Mayalls "USA-Union"-Band anzuschließen.

Filipovich is one of a kind. The Belarus-born, Paris-based artist works in a multitude of media - found footage films, painting, silkscreening and performance to name a few. It's her musical output that has caught the attention of late, though, with Filipovich dropping a run of releases in recent years which began with 2021's Magnificat on Time Released Sound. Filipovich takes as much of a novel approach to her music-making as she does with her other artistic endeavours - Magnificat was centred around treated samples of Sergei Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil, and she's also combined classical composition with contemporary electronic techniques on her subsequent drops.

For Idealized, Filipovich's debut on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit, she maintains the gothic air which characterised her previous releases and applies it to a record of widescreen contemporary techno joints. These tracks represent something of a gear shift for CPU, a label which has long made its name by delivering top-quality electro and machine-funk jams, but such is the quality of Idealized that these superbly-executed techno productions are sure to win over label fans both old and new.

Idealized is very much schooled in the German tradition of minimal/dub techno. Tracks like 'Physical', 'Wave' and 'Dance Minor' all anchor themselves on single, steady drum pulses and delay-drenched single-chord loops. Filipovich generally lets the central idea of these tracks play out across several minutes while introducing increasingly disorientating elements into the rest of the mix - wiccan atmospherics, clashing chords, spiralling delays and so forth. It's an approach at once respectful of Filipovich's predecessors - Basic Channel, Deepchord, Ellen Allien and so on - but also full of idiosyncrasies and individuality.

Many of the club cuts here hardwire us into the moody, murky environs of the darkest Berlin Basements. 'Ultra Red' rides forward on a crisp drum machine snap, a menacing burble of bassline and an eerie single-note synth whistle in the upper end of the mix; 'Dance Minor' shows off a bit of KiNK in the brain-bending modular loop that waxes and wanes at its centre; the second-half run from 'Wave' to closer 'Small Cave' travels ever-further out into deep space - the kick drums remain insistent, yet the textural elements are delivered with an edge and flair that evidences Filipovich's ability to think outside the box.

Filipovich's unusual methods, and the influence of sound art and electroacoustic composition on her music, are drawn out further when Idealized steps away from the dancefloor. 'Hydra' comes off like a more gothic version of Pole - its central pulse draws from dub techno but never quite settles into a danceable groove, and this beat is combined with the kind of unnerving keyboard work that would make John Carpenter proud. Although closer 'Small Cave' eventually locks into another dark-room techno roller, the opening section of the track delivers a weightless soundscape of bright, tinny chords and a scene-setting field recording.

Idealized, the first drop on Central Processing Unit from Paris-based Belarusian Lina Filpovich, broadens the label's horizons with a selection of finely crafted minimal/dub techno joints.

RIYL: Andy Stott, Deepchord, Ellen Allien, Moritz von Oswald

Recorded in Japan during a tour in 1970. Featuring famous French musicians Eddie Louiss on organ and Daniel Humair on drums. A classy trio album with Louiss’ superb Hammond organ play front and center and a glimmering of the Caribbean dancing in the shadows.

When I See Your Smile” is a truly beautiful and elegant
soulful song, which was recently recorded in Jackson
Mississippi in March 2021 for Epsilon Record Co.

Diego Ruiz, aka DFRA, is an Argentine music producer very active in the last five years with several productions in the underground deep house scene. Now he's definitely setting the bar at the highest level with this project. He's introducing a full band of musicians with jazzy roots, and the result is a four-track EP that's a clear fusion of how jazz and electronic music merge in a unique way. It incorporates classic Deep House and House sounds plus the fusion of Modal Jazz, Bebop, and Hard Bop style melodies.

Electro-boogie-machine 'Straight Line' is taken from 'Cool Cool', the upcoming third album by British multi-hyphenate James Alexander Bright. "'Straight Line' started out as a wonky homage to 80s & 90s radio", says James. "It's based on the memory of meeting someone you want to stay up all night listening to music with".

James' passionate voice, pitched somewhere between Eddie Chacon, Beck and Michael McDonald, takes a confident lead over a melange of body-popping LinnDrum beats, a host of swooping, fuzzy synths, and backseat-rocking bass. Initially written and recorded at his home studio in the rolling hills of the Hampshire countryside, 'Straight Line' was completed with regular collaborator Peter Lyons in East London.

Repress!

A power combo of funk heavyweights, see’s the legendary Kool and the Gang paired up with the Jamiroquai front man.

Taken from a live performance of killer track, “Hollywood Swingin” featuring guest vocalist Jay Kay, has now been reworked by duo Matt Early & Lee Jeffries the result is a track that pays homage to the original while injecting new energy and groove, making it perfect for both longtime fans and newcomers to enjoy on the dance floor.
Limited Vinyl Release Act Fast!

The magic and majesty of Holger Czukay’s late career works for Claremont 56 is being celebrated on a new compilation. The former Can bassist – a musical maverick renowned for his freewheeling approach to composition, recording and promotion – released a string of inspired tracks on Paul Murphy’s label between 2009 and 2012, typically delivering hard-to-pigeonhole workouts, bona-fide epics and radical reinventions of some of his most beloved tracks.

The collection has been a labour of love – fitting given the sonic details and inventive musicality that marked out the late artist’s solo career – for Claremont 56 founder Paul Murphy AKA Mudd, who first reached out to Czukay after witnessing his now legendary live performance at the Roundhouse in 2009. As Murphy details in his introductory liner notes, it led to a productive working relationship between the pair that included collaborative recording sessions with Ben Smith in Czukay’s legendary Innerspace Studio – a former cinema in Cologne in which much of Can’s music was recorded.The impact of that Roundhouse gig on Murphy is reflected in the fact that two of the tracks on the collection are based on that celebrated performance. There’s ‘Ode To Perfume’, a languid and solo-laden version of one of Czukay’s most celebrated solo records that ratchets up the original’s inherent dreaminess, and a jaunty take on quirky kraut-pop number ‘Photosong’ featuring a spoken introduction recorded at the concert in question.

Murphy’s ability to coax Czukay into delving into his archives is evident across the compilation. Opener ‘A Perfect World (Remix)’ is an eccentric, ever-building masterpiece originally recorded in 1984 – but later re-imagined for Claremont 56 – featuring vocalist Sheldon Ancel and former Can band-mates Jaki Leibezeit and Michael Karoli, while ‘Fragrance’ is a subtly re-wired slab of picturesque Balearic kraut-dub which was initially recorded as a coda for ‘Ode To Perfume’ but lay unreleased for decades.

Then there’s ‘Let’s Get Cool’, a bright and breezy, French horn-sporting 2009 take on 1979 avant-disco classic ‘Cool In The Pool’; ‘My Persian Love (Remix)’, a 2010 re-take of one of his earliest solos recordings; and the near 18-minute brilliance of ‘Music Is A Miracle’. Originally recorded for his fans in the 1980s – but only released three decades later – this widescreen epic not only features drums by Jaki Leibezeit and a fine spoken word vocal by Czukay, but also numerous nods to some of his most revered tracks.

It's fitting, too, that two of the most potent cuts feature Czukay’s much-missed wife and musical muse Ursa Major: the dense, trippy and fittingly out-there ambient soundscape ‘In Space’, and the mesmerising ‘Music To be Murdered By’. Partially inspired by hearing painfully out of tune violin practice through his studio windows, the track was originally recorded for an unreleased album but finally found a home on Claremont 56’s 10th anniversary box set ion 2017. A genuinely spaced-out and mind-mangling slab of organic dub in Czukay’s distinctive style, it delivers a fine curtain call to the iconic artist’s endlessly inventive career.

2024 Repress

Teknotika goes back to 1995 and 1996 to hand pick two favorites to be reworked and computerized for perfect tempos. “2020 Interview With An Alien” uses the original rare and sought after version with an added “jack” in the rhythm. “Acid Spores From Outer Space” is what happens when you mix acid with science fiction. It contains the original but changes the bassline and adds a tripped out section 3/4 in the song. Both the originals and the reissues are written and produced by Gary Martin with some help from The Outer Limits.

Legalize Lambada is back and there ain’t no moldy gorgonzola in this Italo homage! Legendary cosmic captain Albion returns to Lambada-land and starts this edit compilation with 'Nucleare', a robotic jam seasoned with Italian vocals which serves as a great intro to the release. Ric Piccolo’s 'Disco teacher' on A2 and 'Alright' on B1 are serious floor fillers, possibly ready to injure part of the Boston dynamics fleet after inducing uncontrollable dance moves. At the end it’s Hysteric’s 'Moment' on B2 that prompts a soulful side of italo for some deep machine learning.

Combination summer anthem by Japanese reggae DJ BunBun The MC and singer Sister Sheez. Remixes by Akio Nagase (EmotionalEspecial,DarkerThanWax,Chillmountain Rec) and Big Ken-G, previously only released digitally, are now available on vinyl for the first time.

Soul Revivers are back with ‘Holding it Down’, the first single from the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut album ‘On The Grove’. • For ‘Holding it Down’, Nick Mansseh and David Hill enlist the help of West London keyboard maestro and producer, Ash Walker, and ace vocalist Lyn Gerald. • Together they’ve cooked up an ethereal but infectious tune, which tips its hat to the great Jackie Mittoo and oozes balmy summer evenings. • Being a Soul Revivers single, the main track comes with a Manasseh dub workout, of course, titled ‘Holding the Dub’.

The fourth release of a series of EPs containing some of the best originally unissued Motown tracks, now available on vinyl / 7" for the first time. There´s a price increase on these specific EPs as licensing costs were more expensive than usual.

Following in the form of his last outing on Baroque Sunburst, the Italian percussive virtuoso delivers three wholly uncategorizable, tripped out drum workouts. Both frentic and hypnotic, these rhythms roll and snap into jagged grooves that leave dark basement dance-floor walls imprinted with the stains of psychic and somatic revelry.