quête:john mayer

When Berus debuted in January 2021 on Kommerz Records with his “Voyage EP”, he had no idea how precise the title would be for the coming months. A little over a year before the release of “Voyage” the Berlin based multi-instrumentalist and producer had taken his focus away from his, more than a decade lasting, house and techno career towards a new sound, inspired from neo soul and hip-hop. Whilst his electronic projects found home on Kerri Chandler's Madhouse Recordings and DVS1’s infamous Mistress and gained his moniker Frag Maddin worldwide attention, it was part of his progress to focus on himself and Berus, his real name. He took this step not knowing it would lead him into a dark journey of self revelation, identity finding and for the foremost new hope: blue hope.
Berus was born to a Zaza family in Kurdistan, which eventually migrated to Germany escaping prosecution and discrimination of the nationalist regime in Turkey. The family settled in Hamburg and Berus grew up to be a New Release Information
musician. He played the drums, formed teen punk bands and started producing at an early age experimenting and shaping his future as an artist.
Since the beginning of his career Berus releases can be seen like a diary, always expressing his very personal state at the time. For the work on “Blue Hope” two main topics fall into the production of the album: love relationships and seeking identity.
There is a blue melancholy and reflection leading through the album. On “Talk to Me (Karþýlýklý)” Berus opens up about his feelings of true love and the need to set free when they are not answered. Whilst the incredible Mulay who is featured on “Holy Waters” answers with her female perspective. And there is hope. The hope (“Dream On”) and fears (“Being Alive” feat. Sedric Perry) of a young migrant generation. “Blue Hope'' is a coming of age story that’s relatable and yet unique, honest but vulnerable and for the foremost: 100% Berus.
The album is a neatly curated mixtape and delivers a wide range of styles like the jiggy sounding Mike Nasa on “On Me” all the way to “Wholesome” on which Barne delivers a John Mayer-esque performance.
On “Blue Hope” Berus gathered a mixture of old friends and new talent around him to produce the record. The outcome is an LP referencing different influences without the use of any samples.

TOTAL turns 21 this year, and Kompakt’s venerable compilation series couldn’t have asked for a more auspicious coming-of-age collection. If TOTAL 20 was consolidation against the odds, the Kompakt crew producing for a dreamt-of dancefloor in an uncertain future, then TOTAL 21 feels abuzz and alive with possibilities. Significantly, it’s the first TOTAL in some time that’s streamlined down to a single disc; this makes TOTAL 21 even punchier than usual, a joyous, reflective, and always thrilling 75-minute audio scan of the world according to Kompakt.

As with every instalment of TOTAL, there’s a deft balancing here of Kompakt regulars and new blood. Of the latter, there’s a first appearance by KOLLMORGEN, remixed by PATRICE BÄUMEL into an astral torch song; Amsterdam’s NICKY ELISABETH, offering up ROMAN FLÜGEL’s pulsating, arpeggiated remix of “Celeste”; and CAPTAIN MUSTACHE swoops down into view, PLAY PAUL in tow, with the dream-like electro lift-off that is “Everything”. JONATHAN KASPAR also drops by with a new track, “Von Draussen”, a stealthy and lethal floor-hugger with prowling bass.

Elsewhere, there’s the lead track to MICHAEL MAYER’s astonishing recent EP, “Brainwave Technology”, which not-so-gently spears the tech-futurist babble of AI, transhumanism and posthumanism, soundtracked by one of Mayer’s typically lush, glimmering soundscapes. JOHN TEJADA reaches back to the heyday of glitch and dub techno with the gorgeous “Spectral Progressions”, while the brothers VOIGT & VOIGT, on “Nicht Mein Job”, seem reinvigorated by the interwoven patterns and funky minimalism of the Profan days. Not to be outdone, JÜRGEN PAAPE kicks TOTAL 21 with “La Guittara Romantica”, a chiming and lilting lullaby for woozy late-night reflection.

Throughout, it feels as though Kompakt are taking a moment to both breathe in the dust of the past and look forward to a bright future. Perhaps that’s why, on “Fasson”, SASCHA FUNKE seems so confident, with pinprick melodies bouncing around a hall of audio mirrors, or why THE BIONAUT returns with “Blue Sky Motor Lodge”, a song so moistly melancholy, so enduringly lovely, it’ll make you weep tears of joy. ROBAG WRUHME gets a little delirious on the ticking, twisting “No”, and then GUI BORATTO mops everything up with the bubbling, bumping glam-stomp “Wake Up”.

That’s not all – spring for the digital and/or vinyl edition and you’ll get a new cut, “Happy”, from MICHAEL MAYER, and MARC ROMBOY & C.A.R.’s “I Am A Dancer”. But however you choose to play it, now TOTAL’s turned 21, it’s your duty to throw it the celebration to end all celebrations. Let the party begin, and don’t forget to bring a party favor…

Compass Records is proud to announce the release of Colin Hay’s
(Men at Work) 2001 classic ‘Going Somewhere’ on LP for the first time.
The release will include a limited pressing of white vinyl. For many of his newer fans, that weren’t already familiar with Men At Work, ‘Going Somewhere’
was their point of discovery of Colin Hay and his music.
The album includes some of Colin’s best known solo work, including “Beautiful World,” “Waiting For My Real Life To Begin, and “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever
Get Over You,” which was featured in the hit film, Garden State. That song
has gone on to be featured in numerous television shows including Dawson’s
Creek, Judging Am and Scrubs where it was sung by the entire cast.
Writing about the song, guitarist John Mayer said: “This is without a doubt my
favorite song of the year. I’m still trying for a tune like this of my own. It’s my
favorite kind of ballad, ‘chin up’ sadness that even a cold bastard would get
swept away by - ‘And if I lived til I could no longer climb my stairs / I just don’t
think I’ll ever get over you.’ No further comments.”

Since her crowning in 2009 at the Blues sur Seine Festival, the young guitar prodigy Nina Attal, with a powerful soul voice, has imposed herself to the public, recording 2 EPs, 3 albums and performing more
than 600 concerts.
‘Pieces of Soul’, is Attal’s fourth album and shows her return to the blues, rhythm ‘n’ blues and rock. Written and composed in the wake of a road trip on the West Coast of the United States, ‘Pieces of Soul’ is eagerly awaited.
These 12 tracks, to which is added a cover of “You’re No Good” popularized by Linda Ronstadt, put the guitar back at the heart of her creative process, through a range of sunny sounds, discreetly and respectfully tinted by various Californian influences (Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer...).
The riffs with rock distortions are next to great blues-soul ballads, folk, or rhythm ‘n’ blues. Her lyrics, very personal, translate as many doubts as to her desire for emancipation. Inspired by her incompressible love for the music she has in her skin, just like her tattoos, ‘Pieces of Soul’ undoubtedly offers Nina Attal a new dimension.

All music improvised by Michael Wollny, Emile Parisien, Tim Lefebvre
and Christian Lillinger (except ‘Nostalgia for the Light’, written and
arranged by Michael Wollny).
The music we hear doesn’t fit into any category. We’re in uncharted
territory, so a good way to capture its essence might be to break it
down into its four component parts. First there’s Michael Wollny, here
for the very first time playing only on electronic keyboard instruments.
He creates a characterful world of retro-futuristic sounds that is very
much his own. We find the occasional nod to early Jean-Michel Jarre,
references to science fiction and horror movies and also vivid
memories of the sounds of avant-garde Krautrock: Can and Irmin
Schmidt and Klaus Schulze.
As for Tim Lefebvre, here is a musician who has plied his very great
craft with stars such as David Bowie, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, John
Mayer, Knower, Steely Dan, Elvis Costello and Wayne Krantz. Here
he is like a rock in a tempestuous sea. He propels the music forward
with a combination of bass and effects. He builds structures and
tames unruly elements. The way he lays down a groove is
overwhelming.
As a counterbalance we find the explosive yet highly sensitive playing
of drummer Christian Lillin-ger. He stacks layer upon layer of rhythms
and textures.
And the melodic lines of Emile Parisien on soprano saxophone
always have an astonishing springy inventiveness. Such is Parisien’s
latent energy, it seems as if at any moment he could suddenly
become airborne.
The players’ eager curiosity as to what the next turn, the next
impulse, the next push will be is palpable to the listener. One can
sense the tension between the urge to construct forms, lines,
grooves, harmonies, textures, versus the illicit joy of tearing such
fragile structures apart before they have even been heard. There are
beats and patterns from the 90s, 80s and 70s, all coalescing into
cinematic bacchanalia of sound. These four master improvisers and
composers all have the urge to rewrite the rules of their musical world
- and to do so in real time.
LP pressed on 180g vinyl with digital download code.

Trouble, the aptly named new album on Goner Records, is a confident and joy-filled statement delivering the good-news gospel message unapologetically through music influenced by Ray Charles, Junior Kimbrough, Bill Withers and of course, his father.

Recorded at legendary Royal Studios in Memphis by Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell (Al Green, Solomon Burke, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars, North Mississippi Allstars), Trouble is the culmination of everything in Rev. Wilkins’s remarkable life, his regional history, his family music history. And in a world once again riven with discord and division, like the Memphis of Wilkins’ youth in the 1960’s, Trouble delivers passionate and confident musical performances with a message of hope that meets our present moment equal to the best music from that earlier era.

To call the Reverend John Wilkins a national treasure would not be an overstatement. He is the son of pre-war blues/folk-revival legend Reverend Robert Wilkins and he leads one of the most exciting and uplifting musical acts on the blues and gospel circuit today. His multiracial, multi-generational band blends soul, southern gospel and hill country rhythm, into a sound that has the infectious drive of hill country blues with the emotional heights of a summer tent revival.

Following in the footsteps of his famous father Rev. Robert Wilkins, a blues-singer turned preacher who went from the juke joint to the pulpit, the life of Rev. John Wilkins took a similar path, echoing the story of the elder Wilkins’ most famous song, “Prodigal Son.”

But in 2020 John Wilkins’ life has been closer to a different iconic bible character, Lazarus, as he has miraculously risen after surviving a month-long stay in intensive care battling Covid19 in a Memphis hospital. As Rev. Wilkins sings on the closing track of his forthcoming album, “I’ve come through the storm and rain, I’ve come through the storm and rain, and I made it!”

Another killer collection of blues and gospel, this is the eighth volume in the super enjoyable 'La Noire' series. The LP comes in a cool gatefold sleeve.

Trouble, the aptly named new album on Goner Records, is a confident and joy-filled statement delivering the good-news gospel message unapologetically through music influenced by Ray Charles, Junior Kimbrough, Bill Withers and of course, his father.

Recorded at legendary Royal Studios in Memphis by Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell (Al Green, Solomon Burke, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars, North Mississippi Allstars), Trouble is the culmination of everything in Rev. Wilkins’s remarkable life, his regional history, his family music history. And in a world once again riven with discord and division, like the Memphis of Wilkins’ youth in the 1960’s, Trouble delivers passionate and confident musical performances with a message of hope that meets our present moment equal to the best music from that earlier era.

To call the Reverend John Wilkins a national treasure would not be an overstatement.  He is the son of pre-war blues/folk-revival legend Reverend Robert Wilkins and he leads one of the most exciting and uplifting musical acts on the blues and gospel circuit today. His multiracial, multi-generational band blends soul, southern gospel and hill country rhythm, into a sound that has the infectious drive of hill country blues with the emotional heights of a summer tent revival.

Following in the footsteps of his famous father Rev. Robert Wilkins, a blues-singer turned preacher who went from the juke joint to the pulpit, the life of Rev. John Wilkins took a similar path, echoing the story of the elder Wilkins’ most famous song, “Prodigal Son.”

But in 2020 John Wilkins’ life has been closer to a different iconic bible character, Lazarus, as he has miraculously risen after surviving a month-long stay in intensive care battling Covid19 in a Memphis hospital. As Rev. Wilkins sings on the closing track of his forthcoming album, “I’ve come through the storm and rain, I’ve come through the storm and rain, and I made it!”

And there is much to celebrate with this resurrection.

Fjordfunk is Jann Marius Dahle. He started releasing records back in 1998 and is part of the Norwegian disco scene. His earlier productions has gained the support of diverse people like Idjut Boys, Francois Kevorkian, Anu Pilai, Laurent Garnier, Andrew Weatherall, Headman, Michael Mayer, Steve Bug, Bjorn Torske, Prins Thomas and Tim Sweeney. This album is inspired by ambient, Detroit techno, disco, funk, rock, dub, jazz and latin. Already getting early support from the A love from outer space outfit of Sean Johnston and Andrew Weatherall. He's already booked to play at their Convenenza festival in France later tihs year where he will perform live with Amy Douglas(DFA).

LIMITED GREEN AND RED VINYL WITH DIGITAL DOWNLOAD INCLUDED.

All-conquering Dutch heroes Kraak & Smaak have taken the electronic music scene by storm in recent years with a slew of killer collaborations with the like of Mayer Hawthorne, Romanthony (RIP), Eric Biddines (Golden Rules), Parcels, and many more. Their live show has seen them play every festival and club worth the mention from Glastonbury to Detroit Movement, Coachella to Space Ibiza.

After their debut album 'Boogie Angst' established them in the spotlight with heavy Radio 1 support from Pete Tong and Annie Nightingale, the band followed up with breakthrough albums – 'Plastic People' and 'Electric Hustle'. Launching them to another level, these albums featured the standout singles - 'Squeeze Me (feat. Ben Westbeech)', and 'Let's Go Back (feat. Romanthony)' which have both become ubiquitous through TV ads, funky dancefloors and tens of millions of streams.

Riding high they then released a seminal piece of work in the shape of their fourth studio album - 'Chrome Waves'. An album that is a joyous fusion of disco, funk, indie, electronica and pop all smooshed together with Kraaak & Smaak's unique sonic signature throughout. Teaming up with a crew of ultra-talented vocalists: Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly), John Turrell (Smoove & Turrell), Stee Downes, Capitol A, Joi Cardwell, Janne Schra and their very own live band singer - Berenice Van Leer , they created an album packed full of dancefloor-ready jams for all occasions…

It was received well by both fans and critics alike, picking up a coveted Mixmag tune of the month award, topping European club charts, becoming a staple on radio playlists everywhere, and of course selling out on the original vinyl pressing runs.

Well after much demand we are now reissuing this masterpiece on a 2xLP limited edition green and red vinyl and once again you can own it on wax. A present for both the fans of old who missed it the first time around, and those who have discovered Kraak & Smaak in more recent times.

Recorded in 1972 at the legendary Landsdowne Studios in London, Cosmic Eye is an extraordinary piece of recorded music. Led by Indian born guitarist Amancio D'Silva, Cosmic Eye was a highly innovative studio experiment in which 'Jazz Meets World'. Following in the footsteps of other pioneering Landsdowne jazz recordings such as Joe Harriott & John Mayer's Indo Jazz sessions, Cosmic Eye is modal, but is also under-pinned with traditional Indian instrumentation and structure, resulting in a hypnotic, psychedelic jazz excursion.
Constructed into two conceptual pieces (Dream Sequences), two side-long jazz ragas showcasing D'Silva's soulful guitar playing reminiscent of his earlier 60s sessions, Hum Dono and Integrations, as well as his session work for the Bollywood film industry under the musical directors Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Featuring a host of UK and Indian musicians, Cosmic Eye is a Singular recording from a fervently rich period of British modern jazz. Finally this phenomenal jazz recording sees a legitimate reissue.

Big Colors will be released on April 19 via a partnership between Adams' PAX-AM label and Blue Note Records. Ryan Adams, who has been hailed as "one of the most elegant singer-songwriters of his generation' by The New York Times, co-produced the album with Beatriz Artola. John Mayer, Bob Mould, Benmont Tench, Don Was and The Section Quartet are featured on Big Colors, which was recorded at Electric Lady, Capitol Studios and Adams' own PAX-AM.



Big Colors follows Adams' 2017 album, Prisoner, which debuted at No. 3 on in the UK album chart, his highest ever charting position in the UK. Professing his love for Manchester online around the album announce, Adams pays homage to the city that he claims shaped his life by naming a song after it. 'It is at the heart of all the things I love about music, from The Smiths, Joy Division, Oasis, New Order and The Stone Roses.'


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Big Colors follows Adams' 2017 album, Prisoner, which debuted at No. 3 on in the UK album chart, his highest ever charting position in the UK.

Professing his love for Manchester online around the album announce, Adams pays homage to the city that he claims shaped his life by naming a song after it.

'It is at the heart of all the things I love about music, from The Smiths, Joy Division, Oasis, New Order and The Stone Roses.'

Part two of the Tunnelvisions remixes include four artists: Fort Romeau, David Mayer, Yor Kultura and Bawrut. Fort Romeau's remix is a typical track you will hear back in clubs such as Robert Johnson, Bawrut's remix is a big-room beast and David Mayer shows his typical tribal sound. Yor Kultura finishes this remix EP and Tunnelvisions' Celestial Ritual project with a downtempo version of Umai's Dance. The Remixes are out March 22nd on Atomnation.

Spectral Empire are George Thompson (aka Black Merlin / Karamika) and Kyle Martin (Vactrol Park / Land of Light). With the release of Iron Muscle they are celebrating 10 years since their debut ep Innerfearence saw the light of day in 2008 on the now defunct THISISNOTANEXIT record label. Legend tells all track were made around the same time (2008-2009), at what was back then Kyle's studio in Archway, London, however opinions remain divided over the validity of this info. What is remembered for a fact is that they'v used practically every home appliance and improvised noise they could find, record and harness, in order to create the feeling of what they describe as a ' Robot walking' for the title track Iron Muscle. Anything from kitchen drawers to DVD's and cutlery was sampled and then drenched in effects and manipulated in order to create what came out as a cinematic futuristic piece to dive into again and again, a soundtrack for an unwritten sci-fi movie, or just a dramatic soundtrack for your everyday lives.. With See the invisible, rules do not apply. An arpeggiated groove sitting on a steady half time 60bpm beat, its like the perfect soundtrack to the perfect car chase. Mediterranean riverbed guitars- not-guitars, sirens, and a heavy (dreamy) atmosphere fill the voids and keeps the track pushing forward throughout... The 4th track on the record is a never before seen the light of day epic remix by Die Wilde Jagd, that back then still included Ralf Beck (Unit 4) as an active member of the band (back when they were still known as Der Rau¨ber und Der Prinz). The release will be a vinyl only release, and is already getting massive support from the likes of Vladimir Ivkovic, Michael Mayer, John Talabot, Red Axes, Manfredas, Trevor Jackson, Lena Wilikkens, Man Power and many more...

After more than a decade of deep, expansive productions on labels such as Detroit Underground and CPU, Annie Hall arrives on MUSAR for a record typically rich in texture and understated grooves.

Opening track 'Linium' immediately seduces listeners with a complex drum pattern that somehow feels spacious, subtly twisting and turning its way around Hall's analogue world. Dutch artist Mattheis maintains this understated feel but adds a soft, compelling kick in response on his suspenseful remix of 'Lavandula'. The original, moodier version of this cut the follows to open the B side, gradually erupting around a killer distorted bassline. The EP continues to hit a more urgent note with the tense machinations of 'Silene', where dense layers of stuttering, frenetic drums interweave with Hall's trademark, melancholy keys. The record concludes on a weightless, transcendent note with 'Santolina', taking each visceral element featured thus far and slowing each down, with affecting results.

Indebted to vintage electro and IDM, Hall's music is no throwback, always looking forward and moving dancefloors in the most unexpected ways.



DJ FEEDBACK

Early support from



Michael Mayer (Kompakt) : Nice vibes from Mattheis... will play for sure!

James Zabiela (Born Electric) : Linium is a nice one, thanks.

Arnaud Le Texier (Cocoon / Chronicle) : Nice music. Thx!

Marcel Dettmann (Ostgut Ton/MDR) : Thx!

Carl Craig (Planet E) : Thx!

Gonno (Beats In Space Records / Endless Flight) : I like Mattheis' :)

Thomas Hessler (Index Marcel Fengler) : Nice one! Thank you!

Slam (Soma) : Thanx

Âme (Innervisions) : Thanks

Blasha & Allatt (Meat Free / Manchester) : Amazing!

EREZ / John Byrun : A superb EP

Tom Lye (Melodic Distraction - Liverpool) : Big fan of the whole EP. Strong, building electro with different moods. Essential!

Afrodeutsche (NTS / LuckyMe / Skam) : Glitchy melodica... Right up my Strasse...

DJ Shiva / Noncompliant (Valence / Detroit Underground) : Stellar music here. Moving beyond "DJ music", this is just really fantastic to listen to in headphones. Gorgeous stuff.

Lonya (Asymmetric Recordings) : Great stuff here!

Nori (Posivision) : Cool work.

Cinnaman (Rush Hour / Naked Naked) : Lavandula and Santolina are my favorites! thanks

Dj Windows XP (E-Beamz) : Dope E.P. Will play Lavandula.

Ambivalent/LA-4A (Delft/Cocoon/Ovum) I'm a huge fan of Annie Hall and Mattheis!!! This is a FANTASTIC release!! One of my favorites of recent months just on first listen!!

Benoit C (Tsugi) : Linium for me

Ian Blevins (ESP Institute / Sulk Magic) : Linium and another bit of top work from Mattheis. Santolina is pushing my buttons too. Aphexy vibes.

Joe Europe (Ransom Note) : Very nice!

Azterisco: Very interesting record. Nice remix!

Oded Peled : What a fantastic release! Was hard to choose a favourite between Linium and the Mattheis Remix of Lavandula. Both will come in handy in my sets. ....Thanx a lot and keep em coming.

Naduve (Cocktail d'Amore / Disco Halal) : Both A1 and A2 are great!..Thanks.

Anastasia Kristensen (Nous) : I dig this a lot, it's a crazy well produced record.

Demia E.Clash (Darknet) : Such a good ep-.i love them all,quality production yess.

Pedro Martins (Karakter Records) : Nice EP overall. Linium, Silene, and Santolina are my favorites. Thank you so much!

Xinobi (Discotexas) : Great record. I'm specially enchanted by the original version o Lavandula. Congratulations.

Scan Mode (DJ Mag Spain) : Lavandula in both mixes for me

John Osborn (TANSTAAFL) : Can't pick a fav. it is all Devine. thank you.

Madloch (Sound Avenue) : Nice EP, Linium & Lavandula original are my favs, thanks.

DVS NME (Transient Force) : The standout track is Lavandula.

Crosstown Rebels celebrate their fifteenth year with their monumental 200th release. American DJ and producer Arthur Baker reunites with Rockers Revenge for the first time in thirty years. To complete the package, dance music heavyweights Francois K and Michael Mayer take on remix duties.

On A Mission is exactly that, 'a mission of love, a mission of peace'. The positive vocals hark back to those of early 90s house tracks, which created unity through music and clubbing. The rhythmic beat of the drum is determined, as percussive layers build and the vocals bleed into the synths. Francois K provides two variations of the track. His remix features more prominent drumbeats driven by a growling bassline. On his rockers dub version, Francois goes all out and dubs us into the stratosphere. Up next is the Michael Mayer remix, with a more electronic take on the original with driving synths and a whirring, throbbing bass-line.

Created in 1982, Rockers Revenge was the brainchild of Arthur Baker and Donnie Calvin. Donnie provided lead vocals with Baker's wife, Tina B, Dwight Hawkes and Adrienne Dupree Johnson on backing vocals. Their most prominent track, Walking On Sunshine, was a post-disco hit reaching #1 in the US dance charts and #4 in the UK charts.

Three years ago Baker and Hawkes reconnected through social media with Baker sending through his original Mission idea. Baker is known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and New Order whilst also remixing the Pet Shop Boys' 1986 hit In The Night. Fast forward to 2018 and the group performed a monumental live show at Get Lost Miami, and are currently in the studio working on new material. This Summer they will shoot a new documentary and perform live at various events.

Crying Bamboos is a translation of the pidgin description of the sound of sacred flutes: "Mambu i cry, i cry, i cry".

Sacred flutes are blown to make the cries of spirits by adult men in the Madang region of Papua New Guinea. Pairs of long bamboo male and female flutes are played for ceremonies in the coastal villages near the Ramu River. There are seven male initiation flute cries from Bosmun, four flute cries from Bak: Borai with occasional single garamut percussion and two flute cries from Kaean, one with vocals and hand drums. The flute players were of the last generation to have learned this skill during a complete cycle of male initiation. These previouslyunreleased recordings were made in 1979.

Recorded by Ragnar Johnson

Notes by Ragnar Johnson and Jessica Mayer

Photographs by Ragnar Johnson

Tape to digital transfer and mastering by Dave Hunt at

Dave Hunt Audio, London

Cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates and Mastering, Berlin

Never before reissued, this legendary 1968 EMI recording is a revered Indian jazz rarity, a collectors' holy grail. Raga Jazz Style is an original Indian excursion into Indo-jazz fusion. A one-away recording from the almost unknown Bombay jazz scene, it is among the few jazz LPs to hail from the subcontinent.Closely contemporary with the UK-based explorations of Amancio D'Silva, John Mayer and Joe Harriott, Raga Jazz Style takes the melodic, scale-based raga system of Indian classical music and marries it with a swinging jazz rhythm section assembled by Bollywood's most highly acclaimed musical directors, the soundtrack composing duo Shankar Singh and Jaikishan Panchal.Singh and Panchal were a dominant force in Hindi film music from the late 1940s onwards. Shankar had been trained in classical tabla, while Jaikishan was an expert harmonium player. They worked together on well over a hundred films, and their innovative compositions and orchestral scoring revolutionised the music of the nascent Bollywood industry. Central to their sound was regular collaborator Sebastian D'Souza. From 1952 onwards, D'Souza would work on every Shankar Jaikishan soundtrack, eventually becoming Bollywood's most coveted musical arranger.
Originally from Goa, D'Souza had cut his teeth in the dance-band era, arranging and playing with his uncle's jazz bands in Lahore and Quetta. After Partition, he had moved to Bombay to follow the reliable work provided by the film industry, where Goan musicians had become the mainstay of Bollywood's film studio orchestras. Goans were also the core of Bombay's thriving dance-hall and hotel-based jazz scene, with artists including saxophonist Braz Gonsalves, guitarist Amancio D'Silva and trumpeter Chic Chocolate all working in the city during the post-war years.
The team assembled for Raga Jazz Style were drawn from this inventive and forward-thinking milieu. Pianist Lucilla Pacheco, saxophonist Manohari Singh and guitarist Anibal Castro were all fixtures on the Bombay jazz circuit, while drummer Leslie Godinho is reputed to have taught Joe Morello the 5/4 'Take Five' beat when they jammed together during Dave Brubeck's State Department tour of India. To this jazz backbone was added the sitar of Ustad Rais Khan, scion of long line of classical instrumentalists, and nephew of the renowned sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan. Bombay's jazz modernists had been experimenting with the fusion of ragas and jazz since the 1950s, long before American or British jazz musicians had tuned in to Indian classical music. But very little of this exciting scene was ever captured on record. Raga Jazz Style offers a rare chance to hear the innovative sounds of the Indian jazz scene, as peerless composers Shankar Jaikishan and arranging supremo D'Souza join with veteran Bombay jazzers to explore classical themes in a jazz setting — eleven ragas to a swinging beat!This is a highly impressive inaugural salvo by Outernational Sounds, using original masters and beautifully rendered facsimile artwork, with 180g vinyl pressed at Pallas, in Germany.

TOTAL compilation series hardly needs an introduction: we rummage through the Kompakt releases to select our favorites from the past year that reflect our best and unsaid tracks, compiled and packaged as a cohesive whole.

For TOTAL 16, the 2xCD and digital track listing features 25 prominent cuts from artists such as THE FIELD, WEVAL, REX THE DOG, TERRANOVA, HUNTER/GAME, FRANKEY & SANDRINO, JOHN TEJADA, BLOND:ISH or PATRICE BÄUMEL.

On top, TOTAL 16 includes eight exclusive tracks which happen to make up the 2xLP vinyl track listing. What you have is a dynamic assortment and comprehensive profile of Kompakt's current label portfolio, including both newcomers and veteran producers in peak form.

Keeping up a good old TOTAL tradition, we also planted brandnew material from core artists and friends - check out exclusive tracks such as MICHAEL MAYER's aptly named ACTION, an absolutely rinsing acid cracker, or MATIAS AGUAYO's stellar KOMM, sitting comfortably among his best and most stirring work to date. Meanwhile, JÜRGEN PAAPE drops silky, atmospheric synth pads on EDEN and THE MODERNIST teams up with Hot Chip's JOE GODDARD for the pop-infused THE PRICE OF LOVE. Another highlight is the debut release from exciting newcomer LAKE TURNER: BEACON FIELDS is a misty- eyed, melancholic piece focussing on exquisite electronic textures and sweeping melodies.

As with previous TOTAL installments, we collect these exclusives on a separate 2xLP edition, but like to add a handful of cuts that can only be found on the vinyl version - for TOTAL 16, these include ALEX UNDER's LLAMAN A LA PUERTA, a densely layered, slow-paced synth jam that makes for a inspired detour from the propulsive, lean beats the Spanish producer has become known for. SWEET 100 present a masterfully crafted study in hypnotic minimalism on SIX, while VOIGT & VOIGT hark back to the pounding, sensual abrasiveness of early Auftrieb releases on DENKEN SIE LAUT, crossbred with the tongue-in-cheek gloom of the brothers' later, more psychedelic offerings.

The Kompakt favorites from the past year, compiled and packaged as a cohesive whole, with cuts from THE FIELD, THE ORB, COMA, BLOND:ISH, HUNTER/GAME, JOHN TEJADA, REX THE DOG, TERRANOVA and many more..

Features exclusive new tracks from MICHAEL MAYER, MATIAS AGUAYO, JÜRGEN PAAPE, THE MODERNIST, ALEX UNDER, SWEET 100, VOIGT & VOIGT and LAKE TURNER