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SCRUSCRU MEETS MEOWSN - SURR RENDEZ-VOUS EP
OUPLW013
OUTPLAY
12inch15.10.202015.OCT.20

HouseDeepJazzy

Our lucky 13th release is here!

We have a powerful serving by Russian team Scruscru meets Meowsn.
Both have really cool releases under their belt on Sloth Boogie, NOmada, Nurvous & Star Creature Universal Vibrations.
So, here at Outplay we're very excited to bring you 'Surr Rendez-Vous EP'

A patchwork of creative sampling, wonky jazz chords and powerful synth melodies with a small sprinkling of tongue-in-cheek makes for a super cool four tracker.
The story of the tracks made us reminisce of the rise of the loose beat, broken house of a few years back, while this one still feels very contemporary.
Being a firm believer of letting the music speak for itself: enjoy!

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Last delivered 23 months ago
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10,29 €
T La Rock & Jazzy Jay - It’s Yours
PT104P
Partytime Records
7"-Vinyl14.10.202014.OCT.20

Hip-HopScratchBeats

The debut release on Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons now seminal Def Jam label that shook the world with its evil bass and percussion. Never released on 7" before, this is a true Hip Hop collectors dream. Featuring the ground-breaking "Scratch Party Death Mix".

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Last delivered 6 years ago
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13,40 €
Various - Peace Chant Vol.1
TRLP90551
Tramp Records
12inch13.10.202013.OCT.20

PopJazz

From 1963 to 2014: "Peace Chant - raw deep and spiritual jazz" exhibits 51 years of music. A well matched anthology with sounds to dive into, hard rhythms to dance to and vocals to meditate on.

The Tramp Records crew has compiled 9 tracks in nice order and dramaturgy. Some tunes you might have never heard before unless you own one of the rare original vintage vinyl records. Peace Chant is released on two separate LPs with own catalogue numbers and on one CD. Some songs I can't get out of my mind:

The previously unreleased "Don't Give Up Your Smile Today" is opening the compilation. It's from Das Goldene Zeitalter, a band that didn't survive - but whose members had a huge influence on German jazz, soul, afrobeat and funk within the last years merging into groups like The Poets of Rhythm, The Whitefiled Bros., and The Malcouns. Boris Geiger aka. Bo Baral sings a Pharoah Sanders like tune, his voice deeply resonating, the rhythm section heavily grooving.

After the first three woolly recorded tracks Walt Bolen's "Peace Chant" with its dry and funky sounds with flute, two guitars and percussion is quite a pleasure to listen to. Organ and voice are Bolen's who used to play the keys in San Fernando Valley church when he was a child. "Peace Chant" was recorded for his own Ar-Que label in 1972 and is one of the few cuts with him as a leader. He has played sessions and clubs for years and today he is sitting at the church organ again.

This publication's oldest recording dates back to 1963: "Mozambique" by Luna Brothers Trio, a Caribbean and hypnotic instrumental. For my jazz trained ears it is rather unusual that the güiro (the gherkin played with a stick) is being played throughout the entire song. Heavily laid back cowbell, concas and timbales and the slightly detuned piano are wonderful! "Mozambique" sounds like from another star but its origin is Los Angeles, where the brothers Fred and Ricardo Luna had their night club band. You could imagine a bast skirt strip and at the same time the great Raumpatrouille (Space Patrol) landing on German B&W TV screens in 1966.

Hozan Yamamoto recorded crime jazz with the Japanese bamboo flute shakuhachi. He belonged to Tony Scotts "Music for Zen Meditation" in 1964, played with Ravi Shankar, avant-garde jazz bassist Gary Peacock and appeared at Donaueschingen Festival for contemporary music. Tokio university's open minded lecturer recorded the funky and modal "Spotlight on Sapporo" in 1972.

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12,73 €
GIANMARCO LIGUORI - DUGA-3+ 2x12"
SBR036
SARANG BANG RECORDS
2x12inch12.10.202012.OCT.20

BeatsExperimentalPopJazz

„Gianmarco Liguori has created his own fascinating niche in music which exists at a place where jazz, soundtracks and improvised art music intersect … mesmerising, sometimes eerily ambient … grounded in electronica soundtracks, experimental Miles Davis of the Seventies, slightly funky Eighties jazz-rock with a nod to minimalism and impressionism … Albums by Liguori offer the indefinable and stand at some distance from just about everything else going on in New Zealand music.”
Graham Reid, NZ Herald

Duga-3, composed and produced by New Zealand-based multi-instrumentalist Gianmarco Liguori, was originally released in 2011 in an edition of 200 copies. The album quickly sold out, with original copies sought after by collectors and fans of Murray McNabb and Kim
Paterson (who appear on the LP), both pioneers of jazz rock in New
Zealand in the early 1970s.

Co-producer Murray McNabb (1947-2013), keyboardist with legendary NZ jazz rock group, Dr Tree in the
1970s, recorded his album Song For The Dreamweaver with ECM artists
Ron McLure and Adam Nussbaum in New York (1990), and had performed with the
likes of Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell, Charlie Haden, Joe Henderson and Sam Rivers. He
was also a top-tier composer/arranger for film, television and radio.

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19,29 €
BOUNDARY - Interlazados
SECRET028
SECRETSUNDAZE
12inch09.10.202009.OCT.20

HouseMinimalTech

"Secretsundaze continue their quest to uncover amazing new music with the signing of exciting young Dominican artist Boundary. At just 19 years old Boundary aka Josue Suero makes music that is brimming full of ideas and influences that belie his young age. The 'Interlazados' EP is his debut release for a UK label.

Taking cues from his fascination with video game music, his first real gateway to electronic music, the four track EP showcases Boundary's melodic sensibilities and ear for a killer rhythm.ALead track 'Opticamente Avanzando' unwinds over 12 minutes of deep, mesmeric melodic, contemplative electronica with hints of 90's UK rave influences.ACheck the grins when the killer bassline drops half way through!A

The glossy melodies, jazzy motifs and hip-tugging bass of 'OP.AV' and the breakbeat house of 'Interlazados' channel more lo-fi, ambient house influences but all sent through that unique Boundary filter. Finally, the brain-warming, hypnagogic, tempo-changing rhythms of 'Planos de Ausencia Casualidad' could be the EP highlight and recalls the work of Lone and Actress.

You could listen to these tracks and be mistaken for thinking this is an artist who has maybe been lost in the throws of extended Villalobos DJ set or the deep pads of old Sun Electric records, but as an artist who is an outsider to the European dance scene, his inspiration comes from closer to home, as Boundary explains:

"For this EP I was interested to see if i could hit close to the feelings i have when I listen to certain video game music, how I could convey the amazing and deep storytelling in these songs. I really wanted them to feel like a ride/adventure. 'Opticamente Avanzando' ('Optically Advancing' in English) for me is like a venture into a machine that analyses a bunch of electronic music genres and it outputs as many different variations of these genres it can, each with their own little quirk/details, creating something unique in the process."

With previous releases on LA based label, Point Records, and Paris' Third Try label (Axel Boman, SFV Acid) Boundary's emergence represents a promising prospect for the electronic music world and 'Interlazados' another essential release on Secretsundaze."

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10,71 €
Mama Ode - Tales & Patterns Of The Maroons
FEP029
Five Easy Pieces
2x12inch09.10.202009.OCT.20

Hip-HopHip-Hop

Brothers Reginald Omas Mamode IV and Jeen Bassa come together as Mama Odé on full length album 'Tales And Patterns Of The Maroons'. At its core this is a classic "hip hop" format LP - but have you ever heard Creole Sega Rap Roots music before? Of Creole descent from a group of African islands that transiently have hosted many settlers, west African slaves, colonialists and the potentially indigenous East African-Malagache Maroons; the brothers have an inherent spirit of diversity that runs through their recordings. Musical influences consist of jazz, funk, blues and reggae to un-placeable but definite Afro-drum patterns, through to their Golden-Era-Rap vocal flows, which have a sure nod to ATCQ and Slum Village. The album's deep grooves overwhelmingly seed optimism, subscribing to a positive future drawn from historically multi-ethnic ancestral lines. The brothers' natural vocals carry messages of unity, love and well being as well as a conscious questioning of humanity's ill practices and ideas.

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20,97 €
SOLA ROSA - CHASING THE SUN
WU029LP
Way Up Recordings
2x12inch09.10.202009.OCT.20

Hip-HopR & BSoul

First new album in five years from Kiwi musician and producer Andrew Spraggan, aka Sola Rosa, spanning the genres of soul, funk, R&B, nu-jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music. The album features a heavy hitting line-up of vocalists, including regular collaborator and Streets singer, Kevin Mark Trail, Basement Jaxx’ long term collaborator Sharlene Hector and genre-defying, rising UK reggae star Kiko Bun. Other collaborators include London singer/songwriter Josh Barry, London’s eclectic Neo-Soul singer Jerome Thomas, British reggae and dub MC vocalist Eva Lazarus, plus up and coming Australian vocalist Thandi Phoenix. Closer to home, ex-pat Kiwi vocalist Wallace and Aotearoa’s own musical maverick, Troy
Kingi add their talents to the mix. Two single national/specialist radio campaign pre release Full UK/EU print and online PR campaign for singles, DSP tracks, and album release Extensive online/social marketing and advertising campaign to accompany each release
Physical product will consist of digipack CD, gatefold double black LP and ltd edition double Post-coronavirus touring and international promo trips are planned for 2021
Black double vinyl in a gloss gatefold sleeve.

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23,49 €
FREDERIC GALLIANO - PLIS INFINIS NO. 2
F073
F Communications
12inch07.10.202007.OCT.20

HouseDeepLatinJazzy

Being in love with music since his adolescence, Frédéric forged a culture, integrating song, Latin music, jazz, as much as Kraftwerk's electronic preludes in the late 70’s. In addition to studying drums and piano, his interests is also in African and oriental music. His curiosity is limitless, and all musical cultures find an interest in his eyes, which makes him a personality apart on the electronic scene.

In 1997, his meeting with F-communications was an important step since it gave him the opportunity to release his first record. He combined electronic music and jazz in a new way. So much so that the classification in one genre or the other is impossible. The album, "Frédéric Galliano & the African Divas", recorded especially in West Africa with African singers, is the perfect missing link between traditional music and electro music.

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14,08 €
JOCY DE OLIVEIRA - A MÚSICA SÉCULO XX DE JOCY
LIT001
LITORAL RECORDS
12inch07.10.202007.OCT.20

PopWorld Music

A virtuoso pianist and composer of seminal works in early electronic and experimental classical music, Jocy de Oliveira’s musical output has had a great influence within Brazil and abroad. Her sole contribution to Brazilian popular music, her 1959-recorded album, ‘A Música Século XX de Jocy’ in many ways stands apart from the rest of her artistic oeuvre.

The original vinyl release marketed the record as adding to Brazil’s samba heritage with a ‘simple and original dialectic’, naming its style ‘vanguard samba’, which differs from both traditional samba and Bossa Nova, in its infancy at the time.

Listening to Jocy’s ‘20th century music’ in the context of the contemporaneous and vastly more influential Bossa Nova style is especially striking. Where Bossa Nova’s innovators incorporated influences from jazz and French piano music to a samba foundation, Jocy de Oliveira took a greater leap, wedding her century’s classical music to samba. Where Bossa Nova dawned a new epoch of poetic lyricism in Brazilian popular songs with great poets such as Vinicius de Moraes and themes of longing, love and nature, Jocy de Oliveira’s lyrics are concerned with scenes of urban tragedy and decay, presenting an alternative vision to Brazil’s stereotypical tropical paradise image almost 10 years before the emergence of the Tropicália movement.

The sounds and lyrics of Jocy’s landmark release still shock today. Put in the context of a conservative Brazil on the eve of Brasília’s inauguration, it is even more startling that this record ever got made. An unconventional mix of classical and popular musical influences combined with socially critical, ironic and at times journalistic lyrics make for a unique listening experience.

A unique representation of Brazilian popular music, Jocy de Oliveira’s masterpiece ‘A Música Século XX de Jocy’ is reissued for the first time. Meticulously remastered, the record is pressed on high-quality 45-RPM vinyl, with a modernised back cover and printed inner sleeve including previously unseen pictures taken for the record’s release in 1959.

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19,71 €
LLORCA (FEATURING LADY BIRD) - MY PRECIOUS THING
F141N / 267WT21133
F Communications
12inch07.10.202007.OCT.20

HouseDeepVocal

(25th Anniversary Edition) Originally released on F Communications 2001. If we were to define Llorca's music, we could sum it up as a mixture of electronic and acoustic music, inspired by the heritage of black African-American music - from blues to jazz, from soul to techno.

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Last delivered 4 years ago
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14,24 €
Chiminyo - I Am Panda
GB1563
Gearbox Records
2x12inch06.10.202006.OCT.20

PopJazz

Unclassifiable percussionist and producer Chiminyo will be releasing his long-awaited debut album “I Am Panda” via London tastemaker label Gearbox Records on the 25th of September. The ten-track album is a foray into unexplored sonic territory, featuring a host of diverse guest musicians from London’s burgeoning music scene. Chiminyo's music may be rooted in the London jazz scene, but his music is transcendent of anything that could be defined as such. Whilst his joint use of analogue and digital technology meaningfully honours the manic city lights of London’s bustling scene, it remains ever-changing crossing over into hip-hop, future pop, experimental electronic and global spheres. Chiminyo's tech-heavy drum kit set-up, combines the raw, immediate live sound of percussion and the futuristic timbres of his electronic productions to create his own, daring soundscapes. Via laboriously self-coded software, each cymbal crash and drum hit triggers a synth or sample, allowing Chiminyo complete control and freeing him of all loops, click-tracks and backing tracks.However, it is important to note that Chiminyo's music is far more than just a technical feat. Whilst still highly innovative in it's composition, "I AM PANDA" is purely the result of a deep and tireless exploration of the music that Chiminyo truly resonates with to create a soulful, spiritual, and evocative record that feeds off the conflicting duality between technology and nature. Composed and arranged by Chiminyo and recorded at Konk Studios by Ricardo Damian (Jorja Smith, Sampha, Binker & Moses), the new album also features a host of talented guests including Kweku Sackey aka K.O.G, singer Dunja Botic, and spoken word artist Brother Portrait of Steam Down fame. The new album follows on from Chiminyo's 2019 debut EP "I Am Chiminyo", which served as a visceral introduction to his unique sound, and earned plaudits from the likes of Gilles Peterson, BBC 1Xtra, CLASH, Red Bull, Jazzwise, Jazz FM and more. As well as his own solo project, Chiminyo also performs and records with some of the leading figures of London’s music scene, including spiritual jazz-leaning outfit Maisha and psychedelic energy bomb Cykada. He has also previously collaborated and recorded with Gary Bartz, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Theon Cross, and Zara McFarlane.

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24,16 €
291out - Wellington
TS4501
Terrasolare
7"-Vinyl06.10.202006.OCT.20

Hip-HopFunkPopJazz

Jazz / Funk / Fusion 45" from the Italian collective 291out. Comes with a premium brown paper sleeve and pantone label. Mastered and manufactured by Timmion Cutting.

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8,36 €
GoGo Penguin - Last Words / Fanfares (Alternate Versions)
GOND07006
Gondwana Records
7"-Vinyl06.10.202006.OCT.20

PopJazz

Gondwana Records are delighted to announce the 6th release of our '7" Series', our first ever 7" vinyl collection series. Featuring bespoke artwork from Gondwana Records designer Daniel Halsall, cut at Calyx in Berlin, and manufactured at Optimal. This one is limited to strictly 500 copies and housed in a reverse board printed sleeve with classic 'dinked' centre holes.

Last Words and Fanfares were GoGo Penguin's breakthrough tracks, taken from their first album, Fanfares, they first introduced the band's trademark mix of jazz, dance and classical music influences to the world outside of Manchester. For this this very special release we feature two breathtaking alternate versions. Recorded in 2013 they feature the now classic line-up of GoGo Penguin with pianist Chris Illingworth, drummer Rob Turner and bassist Nick Blacka (replacing Grant Russsell) together with producer Joe Reiser - they are released here for the first and only time.

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10,88 €
Sw. - Truelips (2x12"LP)
AVE66-10
Avenue 66
2x12inch05.10.202005.OCT.20

HouseMinimalTechno

2LP Over the past decade, SUED co-founder SW. has arranged the building blocks of dreamy rave and techno music-billowing pads, undulating sub-bass and adroit, nuanced drum programming-into and novel dance floor structures. TRUElipS, SW.’s first full album since 2016 and his first for Avenue 66, is a beguiling, fully-realised statement. The 12-track LP is rooted in the storied ’90s era when the spirit of orbital raves and free parties was channeled into massive leaps forward in the studio. A combination of house and drum & bass looms large, as does the much-referenced intelligent techno era, but if you’ve listened to an SW. record, you already know TRUElipS is the work of a singular auteur. Breakbeats, rave stabs and major chords permeate the album, motoring along on a chassis of sine-wave bass lines and SW’s widescreen percussive vision. Forays into downtempo and sweeping ambience keep the listener’s head in the clouds, while the superb melodic techno constructions that comprise the album’s core are at once contemplative and liable to bring on a giddy head rush. TRUElipS brims with the optimistic, escapist spirit that fueled dance music’s original triumph, a throwback to bright, imagined futures.

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19,87 €
Various - Essays 1
FEUILLETON004
FEUILLETON
12inch05.10.202005.OCT.20

HouseDeep

House music connecting people! Feuilleton is back with a 5-tracker of short stories by the imprint‘s usual suspects and a bunch of new but well known artists from New York, Newark, Munich, Hamburg and Mainz.
Tilman & Will Buck deliver a smooth opener with discoish moments on A1, followed by a classical, dubby house roller by the label heads Fossar and Tim Eder, spiced up with some vocals by US house veteran Tony Rodriguez aka Brothers’ Vibe. Feuilleton’s regular RR presents a cinematic mélange of breaky jazz vibes with a maximum
organic sound impression. The B-Side is clearly dedicated to the dancefloor. Melina & Jakob Seidensticker created an uplifting floor filler with outstanding vocal action. The twisted shuffle will lift the crowd to the next level! Thomas Stieler is rounding up the compilation with an energetic morning jam, shifting back from the extrovert peak time moment to a deeper, more intimate feel. One for the sunrise, that’s for sure.

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9,87 €
NEONATS feat. PHILOSOPHER - Black Magnetic EP
AMBIWA7
Ambiwa
12inch02.10.202002.OCT.20

HouseDeepJazzy

Neotnas feat. Philosopher is a new collab of electronic music producers from Russia (Chelyabinsk and Moscow accordingly). As the environment of the cities mentioned as well as social milieu vary significantly a profound personal reflection of the artists results in a very specific outlook sculpted by both history and presence of Russia – a surprisingly nice stuff inspired mainly by jazz, ambient and trip-hop. Four new tracks give a deep insight into the way the artists feel the groove and associate it within a dancefloor culture regarding its roots and worldwide influence. Two of them (Jazz Engine and You're Mine) – are 124 BPM house party cuts place all the emphasis on intensively syncopated TR-808 hi-hats layered with properly selected percussive jazz elements and flavored with brass licks and reverbed chords, catchy vox and driving by a grit kick and pumping low bass patterns. Another one (Spirits Of A Dawn) cautiously takes a listener to a personal journey to the edge of an imaginary big city, leaving its downtown, and moving out of the night shade slowly, coming near a sleepy morning glimmering focusing on a light sparks of a new day. The last but not the least track (Traffic Love) is a dense powerful banger galvanizes trip-hop beats and house chords with a lush and mystic 90`s female vocal all together aimed to stir up a crowd on a dancefloor and make them wet and happy. This release – fresh and diverse – will definitely hits it off with a large audience and joins a marketplace properly.

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10,88 €
Vladislav Delay / Sly Dunbar / Robbie Shakespeare - 500-PUSH-UP
SR499V
Sub Rosa
12inch01.10.202001.OCT.20

TechnoExperimentalBeats

From Mille Plateaux to Leaf, Staubgold and Raster-Noton, ~scape, or on his own label Ripatti, the Finnish artist Sasu Ripatti aka Vladislav Delay has been exploring various iterations of the dub culture vs. electronica, since 1997. His sonic crafts and unique signature sound has been sought after by an eclectic range of bands and artists, ranging from Massive Attack, Hauschka, Black Dice, Autopoieses, Animal Collective or AGF.

Somewhere between the old-school electronica culture, the soundscaping, the experimental paths of Lee Perry and Adrian Sherwood, ghostly clubbing anthems, minimalism, pop, jazz, without being, influenced, Vladislav Delay is building a drifting and coherent sound enigma.

Vladislav Delay met Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (the most prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo) thanks to a series of jam sessions. Trumpet player Nils-Petter Molvaer had been asked by the Jamaicans to join them and he invited Delay alongside guitar player Eivind Aarset to tag along, which eventually turned into the Nordub project.

The result of these jam sessions turned into an album, mixed and mostly produced by Vladislav Delay, released on the label Okeh. It was also followed by an extensive series of live dates. This one-shot reunion was the beginning of another story: a trio composed by Delay, Dunbar and Shakespeare.

In January 2019, Vladislav Delay went to Kingston and spent some days at The Anchor studios, to record drums and bass with S&R, some voice takes and a series of atmospheric field recordings. Back to Finland, Delay started to experiment with this precious material, mixing and overdubbing, in the comfort and quiet of his studio, based on the island of Hailuoto, Baltic Sea, Northern Finland, giving another feeling to the Jamaican trip.

This became a tribute to the 'dub spirit', but in a very personal way, far beyond any influence or "the obvious". 500-PUSH-UP is two worlds collapsing, merging, also showing some intriguing approach of the Jamaican groove, used as a filigree, like the echo or the ghost of reggae, converging and conversing with a post-industrial and experimental approach. To file beside experiments - for instance - such as Lee Perry's 'Scientist Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires' or the On U-Sound productions.

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16,77 €
Joe McPhee, Lasse Marhaug - Harmonia Macrocosmia
STSAFJ302
SMALLTOWN SUPERSOUND
12inch01.10.202001.OCT.20

PopJazz

“Joe McPhee is a legend of modern music, which from the release of the classic "Nation Time" album almost 50 years ago has had an incredibly diverse career that's spanned a wide range of expressions, from jazz and improvised music to experimental and electronic free music. McPhee's life in music could basically be read as a map of leftfield music of our time, but after all these years he refuses to stand still or lock back with any sense of nostalgia.

After 30 years of making electronic music Lasse Marhaug is now synonymous with Norwegian noise music, with hundreds of releases and countless collaborations and projects to his name, including music for film, theatre and dance. In the last ten years he has also made a name as a producer for other artists, including Jenny Hval and Okkyung Lee.

McPhee and Marhaug has known each other since the early 2000s, but only in 2015 did they find time to record together as a duo. The result is "Harmonia Macrocosmica", an album that the two considers a science fiction inspired work. For McPhee it can be read in the linage of his 70s work with John Snyder, as well as collaborations with Pauline Oliveros and the Nihilist Spams Band. Marhaug of course is well versed in this field, but McPhee's sax and voice puts his electronics in a whole new perspective. The pair also found inspiration in early electronic music and vintage science fiction films, with McPhee describing going to the cinema in the 50s as a kid to see "Forbidden Planet" and being blown away by its electronic score as the start of a lifelong love of cosmic music.”

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17,86 €
Azymuth - As Curvas da Estrada de Santos/ Zé e Paraná
JD49
FAR OUT RECORDINGS
7"-Vinyl30.09.202030.SEP.20

PopJazzKrautrock

Following 2019’s release of Azymuth’s Demos (1973-75), two more home-recorded demo tracks by the Brazilian psychedelic jazz-funk masters have surfaced from a tape in drummer Ivan Conti’s private archive. These five-decade old recordings by the young band show the maturity, musicianship and distinctive style that saw Azymuth become one of the most important groups in Brazilian history.

Featuring an instrumental take on Roberto and Erasmo Carlos’ 1969 Jovem Guarda hit “As Curvas da Estrada de Santos”, and spacey psych-folk oddity “Zé e Paraná”, the new 7” release via Far Out Recordings shines yet more light on this critical period for Azymuth.

As is the case with many of Brazil’s pop icons, Roberto and Erasmo Carlos had been backed by Bertrami, Malheiros and Conti either on stage, in the studio, or with compositions (in Bertami’s case) since the late sixties. Conti notes that “As Curvas da Estrada de Santos” was a big hit in Brazil when it came out in ‘69 and had already been covered by Elis Regina a year later.

But where both Elis’ version and the original were grand pop-rock ballads, Azymuth’s take is a moody, melodic jazz excursion, featuring Bertami’s incredible Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes and grand piano juggling, Ivan Mamao Conti’s distinctively tough drums, and unusually, Alex Malheiros plays a double bass instead of an electric one.

As the title suggests, “Zé e Paraná” is guitarist João Américo (Paraná) playing alongside Bertami’s Rhodes comping, synth embellishments and dreamy wordless vocals. While credited as the composer and guitarist on “Linha do Horizonte” a track from Azymuth’s debut album which would become the theme tune for a famous novella, Paraná has to this day, remained relatively unknown.

Both tracks were recorded in Jose Roberto Bertrami’s house in Rio de Janiero at some point between 1973-75. These tracks were not recorded in a professional studio, meaning the sound quality differs from other Azymuth releases. At Far Out we take great pride and extreme care in ensuring our releases and reissues are produced to the best possible sound quality. In this case the original source material had not aged well and was considerably damaged. The sound has been restored to the best possible condition but there is still some noticeable tape hiss and slight distortion on ‘Zé e Paraná’. For this reason, we strongly advise listening to preview clips before buying this release.

Keyboards: José Roberto Bertrami

Guitar: João Américo ‘Paraná’

Produced by Azymuth and José Roberto Bertrami

Recorded at José Roberto Bertrami’s home studio in

Laranjeiras, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 1973

Issue and project co-ordinator: Joe Davis

Additional tape restoration by Daniel Maunick at the Sugar Shack

Mastered by Frank at Carvery Cuts

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13,74 €
SUNNY G feat. DJEMAÏLI - SO WHAT YOU WANT
BBR016
Boogie Butt Records
7"-Vinyl30.09.202030.SEP.20

HouseDiscoHip-HopFunk

Freshly signed artist named Ian Ash (also know as “H” and Sunny G) delivers a massive filtered boogie house track. So What U Want will also come with a Lord Funk remix which sound a bit more electro funk to blast the dancefloor.

This track is a radio killer and should be loved by many musiclovers including DJs, producers or simply people who like to listen to mainstream vocal house as French touch production. A bunch of samples and played instruments make it efficient and support the
sweet voice of the singer Djemaïli. He is known first as an R’n’B singer, but he liked to perform on this future classic – and you can hear it! Ian Ash is known as a resident DJ of the World-famous Montreux Jazz Festival where he has spun records yearly between 2001 and 2019. Including 1st and 2nd parts of George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic, Spearhead feat. Michael Franti, Doctor L, Tony Allen,Jean Grae, Raphael Saadiq, Will Calhoun, Common,Dj Cam, Mister Mike, Benji B, Souljazz, Andy Smith,Buddah Monk, Jimmy Cliff back band, Jamie Lidell, and Claude Nobs himself! He spun also at Cargo (London), SPACE (Ibiza), NL (Amsterdam), Divans du Monde
(Paris), etc. He surely is in the top 10 Funk DJs in Europe. He also has been stage and studio audio engineer for 2 decades and has mixed a couple of live artists such as Joe Sample, Mandrill or even AIR. He has mixed more than 90 concerts at Montreux Jazz Festival 2002 and deeply participated in producing 4 Days in Geneva by Ohmega Watts
more recently.

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11,13 €
Gil Scott-Heron & His Amnesia Express - Summer '86 LP
TDP54024
Trading Places
12inch29.09.202029.SEP.20

Hip-HopSoulPopJazz

Gil Scott-Heron was one of the foremost singer-songwriters of his generation. A committed
civil rights activist that also wrote a couple of unusual novels exploring negative elements of
the black experience and the punitive societal attitude against black people in the United
States, Scott-Heron recorded an exceptional body of work during the 1970s and 80s, and
although longstanding issues with drug addiction resulted in repeated bouts of imprisonment
and an ultimately shortened lifespan, he continued to produce noteworthy material into the
new millennium. Anyone that had the pleasure of seeing Scott-Heron and His Amnesia
Express band during the mid-1980s is unlikely to forget it; percussionist Larry McDonald,
drummer Rodney Young, saxophonist Ron Holloway and backing vocalist/keyboardist Kim
Jordan provide a full yet uncluttered backdrop to the man and his piano, as evidenced by
these stunning excerpts from the summer 1986 tour, with “Winter In America,”
“Johannesburg,” “Blue Collar” and “Shut ‘Em Down” being among the standouts.

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19,29 €
Alexis Cabrera - Acidity EP
INFUSE045
Infuse
12inch29.09.202029.SEP.20

HouseMinimalTech

Alexis Cabrera debuts on FUSE sister imprint Infuse as he releases his four-track ‘Acidity’ EP.

Argentinian born, Berlin-based producer and live act Alexis Cabrera has emerged as one of South America’s finest electronic music exports with a string of stand-out releases via the likes of Raum…Musik, Moscow, Yaji and Salty Nuts over the past few years alone. A co-founder of Fun Records alongside fellow Argentian Barem, Cabrera’s sophisticated, groove-heavy sound combined with his impressive live performances have seen him take to world renowned venues such as Watergate, Tresor and Hoppetosse in his adopted hometown, and September now welcomes another ‘feather in his cap’ as he makes his debut on FUSE sister imprint Infuse to deliver his four-track ‘Acidity’ EP.

Taking cues from its title, lead cut ‘Acidity’ unveils a bubbling acid-driven production guided by sweeping synths and slick drum licks, whilst ‘Bulevardò’ journeys through warping electronics, shuffling percussion and off-kilter vocal murmurs to offer up a twisting, hypnotic ride. Next up, ‘Tocado’ introduces an infectious medley of organic drums, resonant bass melodies and icy hats, before closing proceedings via the jazzy chords and funk-heavy bass licks of the infectious ‘Esa Vaina’.

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13,87 €
Jon Hester - Converge Part I
REKIDS164
Rekids
2x12inch29.09.202029.SEP.20

HouseDeepTechTechnoTechno

Prolific American artist Jon Hester returns to Rekids for the first instalment of his new album, ‘Converge’, this September.

Jon Hester grew up in the Midwest US, living in Chicago and Minneapolis while taking musical cues from Detroit. Initially he was a dancer, and later transitioned to the decks with a refined understanding of what it takes to move a club. He progressed to hosting his own events, holding residencies, and working at a record shop, and now brings his physical rhythms and adventurous drums to his productions, with output on respected labels such as Transmat, Deeply Rooted, Dystopian, Klockworks, and LET Recordings, not to mention multiple appearances on Rekids.

Continuing to show fine form on his debut album, Hester now serves up eight of his signature house and techno fusions with plenty of his trademark directness across four sides of vinyl. The superb 'Sending Signals' opens the album with scene-setting synth modulations full of sci-fi atmosphere. It's the calm before the storm as 'Metropolitan' then immediately sets off on a cantering groove that is eventually run through with busy, jazzy piano keys that bring the soul.

'Haze' has excellently taught kick drums with hypnotic synth tones adding colour, and features Hester on saxophone. When 'Rain' comes, things grow darker and more menacing, with shakers and urgent stabs keeping you moving at a slick pace.

The second half of this compelling record features the loopy punches and pulses of the super smooth 'Dreamstate', beautifully cosmic and widescreen techno of 'Free' and pensive but urgent deep electro of standout cut 'Flex.' Last of all, 'Equinox' is lit up with distant chords which bring a far-sighted gaze to the rolling, robust kicks.

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20,80 €
Coladera - Remix EP
AR136VL
Agogo Records
12inch29.09.202029.SEP.20

HouseDeepDisco

Coladera is a merge of friendship and talent formed by Vitor Santana from Brazil and Joao Pires from Portugal. Both artists were eager to create a sound which they felt was missing in the Lusophone world: a true refelection between Portugal, Brazil and West Africa, especially Cape Verde and Angola.

With their latest Album "Lá Dôtu Lado" ("There on the other side") they created an authentic example of their dream, featuring songs which emphasizes the close musical and cultural ties within the Atlantic triangle. An epiphany on both sides of the Atlantic were the goddess called Yemajá on one side and Kianda on the other side. both are associated with the water and feminine mysteries.

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9,45 €
The Allergies - When The Heat Comes Down / Big Bad Woman
JAL286V
Jalapeno
7"-Vinyl29.09.202029.SEP.20

Hip-HopReggae

"Omne trium perfectum" is an ancient Latin phrase suggesting everything that comes in threes is perfect, or, every set of three is complete. And in this case, it certainly rings true as the third single from The Allergies' third album 'Steal The Show' is pure musical gold…

Mixing it up amongst international hip-hop big guns - ASM the boys get the floor moving with 'When The Heat Comes Down'. The ASM crew have been doing hip hop right for over 10 years and have collaborated with some giants of the music world including Bonobo, Wax Tailor and DOOM.

Bombastic and always strutting, the track is built around a bouncing guitar riff and classic funk horn stabs - the perfect home for some upbeat party raps from Green T and Funk E Poet. We're inclined to agree - when the heat comes down they're definitely coolin'…

Honey LaRochelle is a 'Big Bad Woman' and she'll eat you alive. And that's exactly what she threatens to do in the track of the same name… It's a hand clapping, foot stomping, 12-bar fiesta on a jazzy piano rhythm and blues tip. Yes Ray Charles himself would be happy with this one and as an added bonus The Allergies use the instrumental gaps to showcase their skills on the decks.

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9,79 €
Astrid Engberg - Tulpa
CREAK07
Creak Inc. Records
12inch28.09.202028.SEP.20

Hip-HopSoulPopJazz

‘Nordic Soul’ singer, producer, composer and DJ Astrid Engberg feels the light on new album, Tulpa. Overcoming a life-changing brain trauma through sonic explorations of contemporary electronic-organic jazz layered with strings, horns and percussive minimalism. Interplaying between contemporary soul, classical, electronic music, jazz improvisation and her hiphop roots, Astrid sketches sonic landscapes that are both steeped in her Scandinavian roots and infused with the kaleidoscopic hues of her many travels.

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Last delivered 2 years ago
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16,77 €
ASHA PUTHLI - ASHA PUTHLI LP
MRBLP221
Mr Bongo
12inch28.09.202028.SEP.20

Hip-HopFunkSoul

Official Mr Bongo coloured vinyl re-issue for Record Store Day 2020

Asha's debut self-titled album is a wonderful fusion of jazz, soul, blues, and disco. It includes an outstanding cover version of J.J. Cale's ‘Right Down Here’; a track which Asha has made very much her own by flipping it into a deep-funk groove with sultry ethereal vocals and a drumbeat almost ready-made for samplers of the future.

The record was produced in the UK by Del Newman, who had worked with Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, and Elton John to name a few. It was released on London CBS records in 1973. Shortly after the release of the record, Asha (who was born in Mumbai), was banned by the Home Office from working in the UK for a period of time due to visa issues. These obstacles along with problems with her recording contract did not hold her back. Asha moved on and continued her musical journey elsewhere. This resulted in further astounding creative works that Mr Bongo will also be presenting soon.

For this special RSD special edition we have pressed on sky blue vinyl to bring out the colours of Asha's stunning dress that she wears for the cover portrait.

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25,42 €
SPECTER - DREAMSCAPE
ITDR006
Into The Deep
12inch24.09.202024.SEP.20

HouseDeepChicagoJazzyRaw

Chicago based Tetrode mastermind Specter takes up the torch with a (too) long awaited solo EP on Into The Deep records. As a true soldier of the underground, Andres has been designing his sound for two decades, bridging the gap between Chicago and Detroit. A spectacular EP exploring jazz, raw, deep and spacey territories from one master of the genre: that's what Dreamscape is all about.

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10,46 €
Chene Noir - Orphee 2000 (reissue) (LP + insert)
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17,61 €
AUBREY - SLEEZE FUNK EP
SHFIMPR006
Shift Imprint
12inch22.09.202022.SEP.20

HouseTechTechnoChicago

Shift Imprint gives a warm welcome to one of the best producers and DJs ever to come out of the UK, nothing more, nothing less than Mr. Allen Aubrey!
The sixth cut of the label is composed by four original tracks fueled by dark, noisy, foggy, groovy, distorted jazzy and funky vibes, accurately named as the “Sleeze Funk EP”, no other title could do the job better.
So, here’s an invitation to transcend the mundane and expand your thoughts deep into the raw sound of the British maestro, Aubrey.

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9,71 €
Damian Lazarus - Flourish
CRMLP043
Crosstown Rebels
2x12inch22.09.202022.SEP.20

HouseDeepTech

PRESSED ON ECO-FRIENDLY VINYL AT THE GREENEST PRESSING PLANT IN THE WORLD

The ends of days are ones with which Damian Lazarus is familiar, but, much like his biblical namesake, he too, has come back from the brink and risen to fight on, his career is interwoven with themes of survival and re-birth. Fittingly then, his second solo album does not wallow in our current dark times but charts a path of hope. Flourish, offers a glimpse of a new world worth living in and surviving for.

Flourish takes us through the many lives of Damian Lazarus, who, as he has grown older, and traversed the globe, has come to more deeply examine the role the dance floor plays in his own life and that of others. With parties cancelled, it would have been easy to wallow, but instead urgency took hold, and isolated Italian countryside Damian took the space to tackle the larger questions he has been grappling with for years.

As anyone who has watched Lazarus DJ can attest, his inspirations are deep and varied, criss-crossing show tunes, drum n bass, jazz, electro, soul, house, techno and everything in-between. This album reflects his immersion in a multitude of scenes over the years, from the early days of London drum n bass, to his role as a figurehead in the electroclash scene, and of course the significant impact his Crosstown Rebels label has had on contemporary underground house and techno. Flourish is far from a box of functional DJ tools, in the same way as Damian’s debut album Smoke The Monster Out or the more worldly outings in his brace of albums with the Ancient Moons. It’s a personal, brave and varied body of work. It’s also the work of an artist who has grown over the ten years since his last solo album. Lazarus plays with nuances of texture, tempo and style to create a rich and dense album that takes us on an odyssey that is at times both dark and uplifting. Vocals of his own cast an intimate shadow over the album with those of his sole collaborator Jem Cooke offering a soothing balance amidst the madness.

Damian’s work reminds us that however taxing the journeys there are always moments of beauty to be found.

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19,29 €
Gloria Burger - Kiss Me
KALREC330
Kalvaberget Recordings
12inch22.09.202022.SEP.20

HouseMinimalChicago

Since the digital only release Happiness with Gloria Burger on Kalvaberget. We've waited for more.
Kiss Me is a vinyl only release including four tracks.

The tracks are nearly impossible to put under a genre. It's house of course. It's Chicago like. Raw and funky. The tracks got elements of Jazz, 60's Afrobeat, Dub and Soul.
This is highly danceable!

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12,82 €
Caiphus Semenya - Listen To The Wind
BEWITH084LP
Be With Records
12inch21.09.202021.SEP.20

Hip-HopFunkSoulPopDiscoWorld Music

Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend, and Listen To The Wind, his iconic debut album, is simply a superb modern-soul/boogie album. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue.

Now a revered composer, musician, and arranger, Caiphus left apartheid South Africa in the 60s for self-imposed exile in Southern California together with his wife, Letta Mbulu. Settling in Los Angeles he started working with the likes of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba and other exiled and semi-exiled South african artists, as well as, of course, his wife Letta.

Caiphus also found himself working with and composing for a broad range of jazz and pop artists, including Lou Rawls, Nina Simone and Cannonball Adderley. His facility with both jazz and African forms served him well. His LA stay was also the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with Quincy Jones, the fruits of which can be tasted in Caiphus’s African compositions for the scores to Roots and Spielberg’s adaptation of The Color Purple.

Given his decades of work behind the scenes, it’s no surprise that it took until 1982 for Caiphus to get around to putting out the first album of his own. But all that experience shows. Listen To The Wind is a deeply impressive synthesis of early 80s US production and instrumentation together with his traditional South African musical roots.

It’s stylistically diverse but the ingredients are never diluted. There are elements of boogie, soul, funk and jazz, all shot through with pan-African flavour, and moving effortlessly from uptempo floor fillers to more meditative, slower soulful tracks. Produced by Caiphus himself, he makes full use of a stellar line up of session musicians including Nathan East, Michael Stanton, Sonny Burke and Paulinho DaCosta. And of course, there are Letta’s show-stopping vocals. To our ears, Listen To The Wind is just one big party, and lord knows we need that more than ever right now.

Opener “Angelina” is one of Caiphus’s most beloved tracks at Be With HQ. It’s a breezy, feel-good SA boogie-funk classic. Harmonic and horn heavy, it sounds as fresh today as it would’ve done in the early 80s. If this one doesn’t make you move, you may need your pulse taking. The drum breakdown alone, a little over halfway through, is sensational.

It’s followed by the gentle reggae lilt of “Play With Fire”. A real melodic slo-mo delight, carried by the tropical vibes and, above all else, by the extraordinary performance of Caiphus himself and his backing singers.

Closing out side one, the spectacular “Umoya” is driven by triumphant horns and slick bass. With its proto-Graceland vibes, we reckon Paul Simon must’ve been listening. Hard. Caiphus trades verses with the unmistakable tones of Letta, and it sounds divine. Yes, it’s as good as anything on Letta’s canonical In The Music… The Village Never Ends. A wide-eyed wonder, made for unity and togetherness, it’s all infectious, smiling faces for nearly nine minutes. But never mind nine, we could party to this for ninety minutes and “Umoya” would leave us re-energised for ninety more.

Elegantly firing up side two is perhaps the album’s best known track. “Without You” is a heavenly slice of modern soul, an end-of-nighter to end them all. Smooth strutting, disco-fied funk with that unmistakably South African sound, it’s just sublime, with those lyrics that keep coming back to smiling faces and community, “without You the sun won’t shine”. Big with the likes of Rush Hour’s Antal, this is aural perfection.

“Ziph’inkomo” is a soul-soothing, swooning epic. Gently building throughout, its final few minutes are genuinely stirring as the backing vocals and instrumentation swell. Jaw-dropping. The irresistible groove of frantic, percussive workout “Gumba Boogie” closes out what must surely be one of the greatest artistic statements of the 1980s. If his friend Quincy wasn’t feverishly taking notes for Thriller, then you could’ve fooled us.

With Simon Francis handling the mastering of this Be With edition, you know it sounds as fantastic as ever. The cover art, as breezy as the music, has been faithfully restored. All that’s missing is you.

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20,63 €
Caiphus Semenya - Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow
BEWITH086LP
Be With Records
12inch21.09.202021.SEP.20

Hip-HopFunkSoulPopDisco

Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend and Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow, his second solo LP, is perfect. A ten out-of ten album if ever we heard one. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue.

Now a revered composer, musician, and arranger, Caiphus left apartheid South Africa in the 60s for self-imposed exile in Southern California together with his wife, Letta Mbulu. Settling in Los Angeles he started working with the likes of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba and other exiled and semi-exiled South african artists, as well as, of course, his wife Letta.

Caiphus also found himself working with and composing for a broad range of jazz and pop artists, including Lou Rawls, Nina Simone and Cannonball Adderley. His facility with both jazz and African forms served him well. His LA stay also the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with Quincy Jones, the fruits of which can be tasted in Caiphus’s African compositions for the scores to Roots and Spielberg’s adaptation of The Color Purple.

Originally released in 1984, Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow is not just a musical masterpiece, it is also the soundtrack to the life of many South Africans - both then and now. Fusing the US-heavy sounds of boogie, disco and funk with Afrobeat and traditional African elements, it’s truly a spectacular listen. Jabu Nkosi handles keyboards on the album, with synths by Caiphus and Craig Harris. Sipho Gumede is on bass and Condry Ziqubu is on guitars.

The Afro-Cuban grooves of “Mamase” open the record. Continuing where Listen To The Wind left off, this is another horn-heavy call-and-response ode to a positive life. Life as an invitation to party, to take part, to “get involved”. But only if you’re willing to let in the transcendent power of music. “There’s gonna be a Mardi Gras, there’s gonna be a carnival; there’s gonna be a jamboree, there’s gonna be a bacchanal”. Who can resist that? Vibrations everywhere.

It’s followed by the joy of “Aida”. Gleeful, dayglow keys and synths *just* on the right side of mid-80s sleaze are accompanied by a killer bassline, slick, skipping drums and proud horns. Infectious funk.

The tempo is taken down a few notches for the powerful “Nomalanga” and the lamentations of a heartbroken man who must leave his wife Nomalanga and their children to join the fight against apartheid. It’s an emotional song, no question, but it doesn’t bring you down. The uplifting music and optimistic vocal delivery from Caiphus and his backing singers in the second half offer hope.

Breezy drums and contemplative keys act as a backdrop for the stunning backing vocal harmonies in the intro of “Moshanyana”. This gives way to stuttering beats, a bassline to die for and Caiphus giving it his all, over guitars, marimba and synth strings. Another slo-mo winner.

Side two opens with “Dial Your Number”, an uptempo English-language boogie-funk workout, complete with mid-song cutaway to a random telephone call. Whether or not this propels the song into “key track” status, we’ll let you decide.

What’s not up for debate is the brilliance of “Matswale”. This was a hit in South Africa in the mid-80s and you can still hear why. It might just be our favourite Caiphus hit. Wow. This is some damn fine breezy, beautiful, emotional pop. The restrained playing, the guitar licks and the gentle keys are out of this world. The beats? Thundering, direct and slick. The singing? It’ll give you goosebumps. As for the sentiment? This is Caiphus singing to his in-laws about their daughter’s adultery, begging them to intervene and help him save his marriage. Not your typical pop single story-telling!

The ferocious “Ndi-Kulindile” closes the set with a nod to the coming sound of the States. The hard-edged, electro-influenced drum patterns and bouncing, elastic bassline are something of a departure from the album’s predominant sound, yet one wonderful constant, Caiphus’s exceptional delivery and his sparring with his backing vocalists, is satisfyingly present and warmly deployed.

With Simon Francis handling the mastering of this Be With edition, you know it sounds as fantastic as ever. The stunning sleeve has been restored, with its painting of a dream-like cosmic vista, as a lone figure takes in a scene that’s part distant planet, part urban sprawl. One listen and you’ll be transported.


Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend and Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow, his second solo LP, is perfect. A ten out-of ten album if ever we heard one. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue.

Originally released in 1984, Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow is not just a musical masterpiece, it is also the soundtrack to the life of many South Africans - both then and now. Fusing the US-heavy sounds of boogie, disco and funk with Afrobeat and traditional African elements, it’s truly a spectacular listen. Jabu Nkosi handles keyboards on the album, with synths by Caiphus and Craig Harris. Sipho Gumede is on bass and Condry Ziqubu is on guitars.

One listen and you’ll be transported.

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Last delivered 51 days ago
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20,63 €
JR Bailey - Just Me ’N’ You
BEWITH081LP
Be With Records
12inch21.09.202021.SEP.20

Hip-HopR & BFunkSoul

A dramatic, string-drenched epic, James Ralph Bailey’s Just Me ’N’ You has been a sought-after soul masterpiece for decades. A lush suite of beautiful songs, it was conceived as a concept album; a sophisticated paean to love.

Originally released by MAM Records in 1974, Just Me ’N’ You is a breathtaking jazzy soul album. It’s similar in style to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On - particularly the performances, orchestrations and chord progressions - but dealing with a different universal subject matter. If What’s Going On was about romance instead of politics, it would sound like this.

Fans of Marvin, Leon Ware, Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson and Willie Hutch will love this record. Not as well known - this is definitely an underrated gem - the work of James Ralph Bailey is no less mind-blowing. It’s got to be one of the best soul albums of all time.

The original productions were made on a basic home tape machine and enhanced with strings, rhythmic overdubs and a variety of other instrumentation. These are beautiful arrangements of strings and jazzy horns. Rhythm guitars and bouncy bass serve as the groove foundation, congas provide a Latin feel whilst the vibraphone and harmonica add colour. And then of course there’s JR’s voice.

His style recalls Hathaway, with a delivery akin to Marvin at the time. As he scats and sings, accompanying himself in sweet harmonies, there is still a rawness of pain and longing in his voice, the rawness familiar to all deep soul.

As an album, Just Me ’N’ You is no mere collection of songs. The tender, smooth tunes flow perfectly together into a fluid, single artistic statement. This is one where it’s hard to pick out any standouts. You may have heard the soaring title track before, maybe on Gilles Peterson’s Digs America compilation. The opening track “After Hours” sounds as fresh now as it ever was and segues beautifully into the majestic “Heaven On Earth”. Recorded by Hathaway the previous year, Bailey’s original of “Love Love Love” is incredible and arguably the definitive version. The powerful, dreamy, sax-and-harmony-laced “All Strung Out Over You” has echoes of the Chi-Lites, it’s that good. Goosebumps. And we could go on.

Mastered by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and pressed at Record Industry, this Be With edition of Just Me ’N’ You sounds every bit as brilliant as it should. A joyous celebration of love, this album is perfect in every way. If you don’t already own a copy then now is the time.

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20,63 €
Junie - Suzie Super Groupie
BEWITH063LP
Be With Records
12inch21.09.202021.SEP.20

Pop

Walter ‘Junie’ Morrison released his third solo LP, Suzie Super Groupie, in 1976. A slick, smooth and soulful record, it’s a genre-melting tour de force with rich elements of proto-boogie, funk and jazz. In short, this is yet another essential album reissue from Be With.

The sublime “Suzie Thundertussy”, is a favourite of Harvey and Theo, and was brilliantly sampled by Madlib for Kanye West’s “No More Parties In LA”. The track opens with a sinuous synth and combines Junie’s storytelling abilities with an emphatic vocal style and funky arrangements. The powerful bass and sinister chords create an undeniable groove, and the explosive chorus is full of ambition and joy.

“If You Love Him” is a great, mid-tempo soul song. With a swinging jazz-infused middle-eight, it demonstrates Junie was much more than a mercurial funkateer. The laconic groove of “What Am I Gonna Do” recalls “Fresh”-era Sly Stone, whilst the frantic “Super Groupie” showcases his sharp imagination and sense of fun. The lyrics range from humorous to dirty, all fuelled by an infectious groove and tight horn arrangements.

The P-Funk of B-side opener “Surrender” bounces and sparkles, with a strutting Junie backed by great harmony vocals and joyous horns. “Suzie” is a sleek, softer affair albeit with a disco pulse; a beautiful combination of bright, funky horns, fluid basslines and vigorous rhythms. “Stone Face Joe” is another character song, this time one that chugs along on a sweet boogie rhythm.

The winner for us, however, is the closing piece. An extended funk-rock jam, “Spirit” has a heart-rending spoken-word intro and, as a nod to Jimi Hendrix, creates a live concert sound, complete with screaming crowd and fuzzy vocals.

Junie made his name as the lead singer and keyboardist of the Ohio Players. As the mastermind behind “Pain”, “Pleasure”, “Ecstasy”, and the oft-sampled “Funky Worm”, he was beloved by countless musicians, not least Prince. As co-writer of some of Funkadelic’s seminal works - “One Nation Under A Groove”, “(Not Just) Knee Deep” – his standing as one of the structural fathers of funk is undisputed.

In late 2016, Solange’s “A Seat At The Table” featured a track called “Junie”, a tribute to the freedom he created in music. His work continues to be as relavent and inspiring as it was when it was first recorded.

In February 2017, Junie died, aged just 62. With records as mighty as Suzie Super Groupie, his legacy will live forever and Be With is proud to be able to do our bit to make this LP accessible again on vinyl.

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Last delivered 6 years ago
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23,15 €
Chris COCO / DJ ROCCA - Discoteca EP
FAR044
Faze Action Records
12inch21.09.202021.SEP.20

HouseDiscoNu DiscoSlow

FAR are excited to bring Chris Coco and DJ Rocca to the label for this release. Both artists need no introduction to Balearic /House and Disco aficionados, the pair have both notched up stunning solo musical releases.

Meeting at La Casella festival in Italy in the summer of 2019, the duo decided to team up in the studio resulting in the ''Discoteca'' EP, a shimmering slice of Balearic, Disco House containing all the right ingredients and forward motion required for maximum sunshine or nightime connection.

On A1 Discoteca (The Heavy Fun Dub Mix), they manage to create a heady cocktail of synth riffs, ARhodes and Guitars all underpinned by a solid bass line, nodding to the Jazz funk of Atmosphere with the edge of Dinosaur L recording in Italy circa 1982. AAntonio prosper turns up on vocals, whispering, and chanting, evoking imagery of a night out in the mid-summer heat somewhere in southern Europe.

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Last delivered 5 years ago
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9,20 €
HARLEM POP TROTTERS - HARLEM POP TROTTERS
UR831261
Underdog Records
12inch21.09.202021.SEP.20

Hip-HopFunkPopJazz

Harlem Pop Trotters is one of the best jazzfunk albums in the French library, and one of the grooviest too. Written & produced by Jean Claude Pierric & François Rolland for Les Tréteaux in the mid ‘70s, this real masterpiece is now reissued on Underdog Records (Janko Nilovic, Martial Solal) in a rare colored edition!

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Last delivered 5 years ago
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15,92 €
Sly5thAve - What It Is
TRULP389X
Tru Thoughts Recordings
2x12inch17.09.202017.SEP.20

Hip-HopHip-Hop

Ltd. Purple Edition

Out 18th September, ‘What It Is’ is the second LP from Brooklyn- based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer Sly5thAve; his first new music since the critically acclaimed project ‘The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute to Dr. Dre’. The recording had been first devised as a benefit concert in LA which was attended by Dr. Dre who took to the stage to express thanks for Sly5thAve’s arrangements. Having spent the past three years performing the project with orchestras around the world, ‘What It Is’ sees Sly5thAve retain the high-quality that fans and critics alike have come to expect from him while stepping out with something considerably different, delving deeper into the worlds of hip hop, jazz and soul. Celebrating not only his own versatile musicianship but that of his collaborators and friends, ‘What It Is’ is a collection of tracks showcasing the best of the multi-faceted musician. A sought-after collaborator himself, Sly5thAve has attained much respect from his work with a host of highly fêted musicians including; Prince (as a member of the New Power Generation Band), Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Taylor Swift, Janelle Monáe, Freddie Gibbs and Quantic.

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Last delivered 6 years ago
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18,87 €
The 3 Pieces - Iwishcan William
RCRS003
Rogue Cat Resounds
12inch16.09.202016.SEP.20

HouseDiscoNu DiscoPop

Washington collective, The 3 Pieces, privately-pressed Iwishcan William on their own DL Records in 1982. The 12 has Discogs, for one, confused. Is it soul, rap, jazz, go-go, funk, electro, or educational? By nature of its birthplace and date of birth, it`s all of those.

Synths shimmer in harp-like glissando. The bass grumbles, rumbles, machine-made. The beat pops and locks. The whole thing grooving and exuding positivity. One part the cosmic funk of say Cloud One`s Patty Duke. Another, the balearic chug of Will Powers` Adventures In Success. Like Brother D it looks to “agitate, educate, and organize”, and stirs in the sentiments of Razzy`s I Hate Hate. Imagine if the Last Poets jammed with sister Sarah Webster Fabio. Keys parp like car horns, a real trumpet blows a Don Cherry solo, but the track really revolves around its sweet Sesame Street call-and-response chorus:

“I wish love. I can love. I will love. I am love.”

Swiss gentleman DJ and Phantom Island resident, Lexx, produces a killer remix - smoothing out the OG`s jerky edges, upping its sophistication. Making clear the contributions of Lexx` new bubbling electronics. rescuing a clipped guitar, previously lost deep in the mix, and moving the children’s voices to the fore. Ensuring you’ll remember that

““I am” is the glory of a wish come true.”

Idjut Boy Dan Tyler then ties up the package, well he actually kinda sends it out into space - expanding everything in echo. NYC Peech Boys-esque delay. The result is a mind-blowing, psychedelic, almost ambient, Larry Levan-like, Paradise Garage dub. Where fragments of song fly at you from four corners. Trippily pan from left to right. The horn blasts now paying tribute to King Tubby`s Hi-Fi. François Kevorkian going bang!

All carefully mastered with love from the original master tapes by Sam Berdah at The Wall studios.

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