Hot on the heels of their fifth fantastic LP ‘Thee’ - their first for 25 years and debut for Acid Jazz - house stalwarts X-Press 2 have enlisted David Holmes to remix album track ‘Phasing You Out’.
The original version of ‘Phasing You Out’ features Kele Okereke from Bloc Party and sits at the heart of the new album which again showed that Rocky and Diesel remain dedicated to proper house music.
David Holmes has had a 25-plus year career in music that has seen him release several vital albums and remix artists like Andrew Weatherall, Primal Scream and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, hold down a cult NTS radio show and turn out a seminal mix for Late Night Tales.
David Holmes brings plenty of signature musicality to what is a standout remix - his version of ‘Phasing You Out’ is an intense one that unfolds over eight minutes of percussive density, dusty drum work and careful treatment of the original vocal. The whole arrangement is lavishly decorated with wispy pads and glassy sound effects, police sirens and a rhythmic intensity that never lets up and will work any floor into a frenzy.
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Teranga Beat returns to its roots in West Africa and more precisely to Gambia, to present Galgi, the second album of Bai Janha’s groovy steamroller Karantamba on the label. The first album of Karantamba - Ndigal was a crucial one for the label as it was its third release, marking its identity: exploring cultural hybrids where traditional music is still present, in that specific region of West Africa in the beginning and later on to other parts of the continent and the Mediterranean.
Galgi was recorded 4 years after Ndigal in 1988 in Studio Wings in Dakar on reel tapes. An Afro-Mading jewel that remained unreleased until today and as an original ‘80s recording, guitars and synthesisers are thriving together with a killer groove throughout the entire album. The difference between Galgi and the previous recordings of Karantamba is not only the ’80s sound but also the female vocals of Ndey Nyang!
Galgi means “Slave ship” in Wolof, a track dedicated to the people who suffered during the Atlantic slave trade, and this is why the photo of the cover was shot in the emblematic House of Slaves in the Gorée island in Dakar. The song remains contemporary, as many people today take the risk of sailing through the maelstrom of the Atlantic Ocean towards unknown shores—a journey reminiscent of the historical immigration from the West Coast of Africa, where slave ships once set sail. This time though, it reflects an effort to escape the realities imposed on Africa by former colonisers since the continent gained independence.
This album was realised with the support of Eligo Audio Culture
"LATZFONSER KREUZ / FELTUNER HÜTTE scheduled for release on September 20th 2024 is the third single to be lifted from Ulrich Troyer's TRANSIT TRIBE due later this year.
Mamadou Diabate, originally from Burkina-Faso and now resident in Vienna, who is also a world-famous virtuoso balaphon player, collaborates on "Latzfonser Kreuz" with fellow countryman Hamidou Koita to produce a remarkable percussion track, both singing and employing talking drum and djembe to come up with a sound that can only be described as dubbed-out Nyahbinghi-style electro-beats! The track references the little church at Latzfonser Kreuz, which is the highest pilgrimage spot in South Tyrol, one of the highest in Europe; every year in June, the Black Lord, a black carved Gothic wooden cross, is brought from the village church in Latzfons to thepilgrimage church, where it remains throughout the summer.
On the flip for "Feltuner Hütte" Ulrich Troyer is joined by co-producer Osman Murat Ertel, founding member of the electro-psych-folk group Baba Zula from Istanbul, who has worked internationally for many years collaborating with the likes of Jaki Liebezeit, Fred Frith and Mad Professor. But here Murat takes us on a dub psych-out trip with his favoured electric saz, with wha wha FX, delay and echo, like Link Wray meeting King Tubby on the old streets of Istanbul."
Steve Barker (DJ, Radio Presenter - On the Wire, BBC 1984 – 2023, now Slack City Radio & reggae/dub columnist and contributor to The Wire)
Credits:
Mamadou Diabate: vocals (A) & talking drum (A)
Osman Murat Ertel: electric saz (B)
Hamidou Koita: vocals (A), djembe (A)
Didi Kern: percussion (A), drums (B)
Flip Philipp: percussion (B)
Ulrich Troyer: analog synthesizers & drum-machines, sampler, field recordings, dub effects (A+B)
A written by Mamadou Diabate, Hamidou Koita & Ulrich Troyer
B written by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer
Recorded by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Studio & 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna - except electro saz on track B recorded by Osman Murat Ertel at Saniki Studio, Istanbul
Mixed & arranged by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna
Produced by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer
Mastering & Lacquer Cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin
Cover Drawing by Ulrich Troyer
Special thanks to Steve Barker, Mamadou Diabate, Osman Murat Ertel, Diggory Kenrick, Eva Kelety, Didi Kern, Hamidou Koita and Flip Philipp
Kindly supported by the City of Vienna (MA7 - Kultur), Federal Ministry Republic of Austria (Arts, Culture, Civil Service & Sport), SKE-FONDS (AT) & Amt für Kultur, Bozen (IT
"Following on from May's "ECHOES Part 1 & 2" this is the second single of three to be released as an introduction to the next album project of Ulrich Troyer - TRANSIT TRIBE - to be released later this year.
This time it's one for the reggae fans and dubheads with contributions from Diggory Kenrick who has been busy over the last few years adding the distinctive sound of his flute to many new reggae productions. He is also an associate of the U.K. reggae label Pressure Sounds that specialises in reviving classic sounds from the roots and dancehall eras of the genre. Also joining the production is Takafumi Noda aka Mystica Tribe, a Japanese producer and musician who has specialised in a new form of dub techno and is known for adding the signature sound of his melodica to productions of dub friends from around the world.
The subject of travel, especially along modern, fast routes has long been subject to fascinate musicians, from the days of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" and now the whole genre of dub techno seems to be one built for listening on long journeys. The Autostrada Del Brennero / Brennerautobahn is one of the most important motorways in Italy, as it connects the Po Valley with Austria through the Brenner Pass and features many modern bridges and overpasses that are ready built illustrations for the covers of dub techno albums! On this release this major European truck route is celebrated musically by Ulrich Troyer with inputs from Diggory and Taka to create two modern dub classics."
Steve Barker (DJ, Radio Presenter - On the Wire, BBC 1984 – 2023,
now Slack City Radio & reggae/dub columnist and contributor to The Wire)
Credits:
Diggory Kenrick: flute
Taka Noda: melodica
Didi Kern: drums
Ulrich Troyer: analog synthesizers, analog drum-machines, sampler, dub effects
A written by Diggory Kenrick & Ulrich Troyer
B written by Taka Noda & Ulrich Troyer
Recorded by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Studio & 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna - except flute recorded by Diggory Kenrick at Holloway Studio, London / melodica recorded by Taka Noda at Mystica Sound Studio, Tokio
Mixed & arranged by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna
Produced by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer
Mastering & Lacquer Cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin
Cover Drawing by Ulrich Troyer
Special thanks to Steve Barker, Osman Murat Ertel, Diggory Kenrick, Eva Kelety and Takafumi Noda
Kindly supported by the City of Vienna (MA7 - Kultur), Federal Ministry Republic of Austria (Arts, Culture, Civil Service & Sport), SKE-FONDS (AT) & Amt für Kultur, Bozen (IT)
The Viennese audio-architect with South Tyrolian roots delivers two exciting new tracks, co- produced by Osman Murat Ertel (Baba Zula) from Istanbul.
Ulrich Troyer's MOMENTS transforms classical & acoustic guitar recordings through tape machine treatment, guitar effect pedals, analog & digital effects into a shimmering soundscape. The combination of textures and effects generates excitement and invites to listen repeatedly, surprising each time with new details.
Fractured tones, beautifully rooted and held together by the tune underneath.
Credits:
Guitars, Tapemachine & Electronics: Ulrich Troyer
Recorded & Mixed by Ulrich Troyer @ 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna
Written by Ulrich Troyer
Produced by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer
Mastering & Lacquer Cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin Cover Art © Eva Kelety & Ulrich Troyer
Period of creation: 2021-2022
- A1: Intro / Toilet
- A2: Mouths
- A3: Nathan Armstrong / Dom Buys Photo
- A4: Traffic Lights (Part 1 & 2)
- A5: Yas & Dom / Seesaw
- A6: Dom's Flashback / Spilt Popcorn
- A7: Sweet Thing
- A8: Chemistry / Happy Dom
- A9: Rollerblades (Rye Lane Version)
- A10: Brockwell Park (Walled Garden)
- A11: I Haven't Decided Yet / Skyline From Brockwell
- A12: Yas' Flashback / Basic / Spilt Hummus
- A13: Mischief (Part 1 & 2)
- B1: Bbq Raid / What Have You Done? / Panic
- B2: Smooch / Moped
- B3: Jules Raid
- B4: Argue
- B5: Reminiscing
- B6: Fallout
- B7: Lgoyh (Let Go Of Your Hurt) Feat. Sampha & Tirzah
- B8: Moving Forward (Original Percussion Mix)
- B9: Wave At Boats
- B10: Open Up (Credits Version) Feat. Sampha & Tirzah
Kwesi Sey aka kwes., geschätzter Produzent und Kollaborateur von Solange, Sampha, Tirzah, Damon Albarn, Kelela, Nubya Garcia und Hudson Mohawke, veröffentlicht nach seiner Musik für die Kurzdoku 'Little Miss Sumo' (Netflix) nun seinen ersten Spielfilm-Soundtrack. 'Rya Lane', das Filmdebüt der britischen Regisseurin Raine Allen-Miller feierte mit begeisterten Kritiken seine Premiere auf dem Sundance Festival 2023. kwes.' Score untermalt den sublimen Trip der beiden Protagonisten dieser schrulligen, zeitgenössischen RomCom im impulsiven und fröhlichen Chaos der Londoner Rye Lane perfekt und ist so süß wie der Film selbst.
- 'The Best British Rom Com to hit our screens in more than 20 years.' - The Sunday Times
Modern highlife luminary Rex Omar has been a force within
the Ghanaian music scene for over 30 years. Now Soundway
presents five of his premier cuts remastered for a new self-titled
EP.
Over his career Rex Omar has evolved the genre, pushing
boundaries and dazzling listeners. A definitive piece of his
repertoire comes via his Dangerous album: while it was selfproduced and recorded in London circa 1997, upon CD
release it saw success mainly within his homeland of Ghana.
An irresistible blend of street-soul-come-highlife, with elements
of bouncing 90s RnB/hip-hop, it was developed with help
from Ibibio Sound Machine’s Kari Bannerman and prolific
Jamaican producer Bill Campbell. From this album rising
London producer and DJ Aroop Roy revisits the four-to-the-floor
excursion ‘Dada’, repurposing for today’s dancefloor with the
addition of fizzing synth chords and stabs.
While Omar regularly raps on his earlier works, on ‘Kele
Ngele’ (taken from his 2004 album Ajala) we hear a yearning
melodic vocal over a more laid back RnB beat. This rounds out
the new Rex Omar EP for the discerning listener to experience
the full breadth of his inventive output.
- Waiting For You
- Spiritual Garden
- Dreamy Ride
- Hey Ladies
- Full Moon
- Magical Thinking
- Xiang Xiang
- Endelig
- Voice Continues
- Tschüssi
- Sleep It Off
"Magical Thinking", Faraos drittes Studioalbum, entfaltet sich als vielschichtige Reise durch Verlust, Sehnsucht und Verwandlung. In Anlehnung an den Titel und den Geist von Joan Didions "The Year of Magical Thinking" bewegt es sich durch das stille Terrain zwischen Verleugnung und Akzeptanz - wo Trauer nicht gelöst, sondern getragen wird. Es sind Songs über Wiederaufbau und Widerstandsfähigkeit, geprägt von Themen wie Trauer, Mutterschaft und den wesentlichen Ritualen, die uns aufrecht halten, wenn die Klarheit schwindet. Das Album wurde zwischen Oslo und Berlin aufgenommen und pulsiert mit dem Flair des R&B der 90er Jahre, dem Glanz der 80er-Disco und der kontemplativen Schwungkraft des spirituellen Jazz - allesamt verankert durch Faraos intime Vocals und komplexe Arrangements. Vom ersten Schimmern von ,Waiting for You", wo Herzschmerz in Pailletten gekleidet ist und ein Groove an Robyn und Chaka Khan erinnert, lädt uns das Album in eine Welt ein, in der Sehnsucht zum Leuchten gebracht wird. In ,Spiritual Garden", benannt nach einer flüchtigen Textzeile von Janet Jackson, schafft Farao eine feuchte, narkotische R&B-Träumerei. Percussion im Stil von Timbaland und seidige Basslines umhüllen die unerwarteten Texturen ihrer Zither und beschwören eine Meditation über Verlassenheit und die fragile Rückeroberung des Selbstwertgefühls herauf. Wenn ,Dreamy Ride" einsetzt - wo Aaliyahs Coolness auf Dorothy Ashbys kosmische Harfe trifft -, gleitet das Album in nächtliche Bewegungen, eine R&B-Fantasie für nächtliche Autofahrten um 2 Uhr morgens, wobei ihre Zither sich wie ein Leitstern durch den Mix webt. Der verspielte Synth-Jam ,Hey Ladies" und eine kühne Neuinterpretation von Brandys ,Full Moon" lockern die Stimmung in der Mitte des Albums auf. Ersterer ist eine freche, einminütige Hommage an Destiny's Child, letzterer eine nächtliche Elegie, die einen geliebten Klassiker in tiefe Bässe und schimmernde Synthesizer hüllt. Dann kommt ,Xiang Xiang", ein intimes Intermezzo, das um eine geflüsterte Stimme einer Freundin herum aufgebaut ist und uns an die realen Bindungen erinnert, die Faraos üppiges Klanguniversum erden. Im Zentrum des Albums steht der Titeltrack ,Magical Thinking", der direkt auf Didions Memoiren Bezug nimmt. Hier zeichnen pulsierende Synthesizer und schwebende Vocals die verschwommene Grenze zwischen Präsenz und Dissoziation nach. Es folgt ,Endelig" (,endlich" auf Norwegisch), ein tiefes Ausatmen - ein minimalistisches, spirituelles Jazz-Intermezzo, das die Illusion einer Auflösung vermittelt. Farao tut sich dann mit dem Ambient-Pionier Laraaji für ,Voice Continues" zusammen, einer weitläufigen, von der Vierten Welt inspirierten Meditation, in der Zither, mehrschichtige Vocals und Synth-Texturen einen Klangteppich bilden, der die Spuren mütterlicher Liebe über Generationen hinweg nachzeichnet. ,Tschüssi" (ein luftiger deutscher Abschiedsgruß) wird zum Gefäß für etwas weit Schwerwiegenderes: ein Abschied, durchzogen von sich wiederholenden Erinnerungen und emotionaler Desorientierung, aufgebaut um ein gespenstisches Fragment aus Faraos Track ,Marry Me". Das Album schließt mit ,Sleep It O" zu einer verschwommenen, gnädigen Note, einem Wiegenlied für die Überwältigten - eine letzte Erlaubnis, sich auszuruhen, loszulassen, sich einfach hinzulegen. Keine Verheißung der Heilung, sondern eine mitfühlende Pause in einem Album, das von Sehnsucht und Illusion geprägt ist. RIYL: Erika de Casier, Tirzah, Sade, Kelela, Qendresa, Caroline Polachek, Solange
The Sator Arepo, or Sator Square, is an ancient word puzzle comprising five palindromes that's etched on various historical sites throughout the Western world. Its origins are unknown, but the square has long been thought to hold magical properties, used as a charm against illness and evil, to cure insanity or to determine whether someone was guilty of witchcraft. Self-styled "punk ethnomusicologist", acoustician and musician Julien Hairon uses this mystical symbol as the starting point for his debut Judgitzu album in an attempt to reconnect with his Celtic heritage, exploring how its hallowed messages might harmonize with contemporary Tanzanian dance music.Hairon has been traveling across the world for over a decade, collecting field recordings from countries such as Indonesia, Australia, Cambodia, China and Bangladesh, and presenting them on his Les Cartes Postales Sonores label, re-issuing any curious cassettes and CDs he came across on the PetPets' TAPES imprint. It was during this time that he became fascinated by rituals that involved spirits, prompting him to examine his own ancestry when he returned to Brittany. "Many artifacts in the landscape remain," Hairon explains, "and the power of spirits is still palpable." He represents this Celtic mysticism on 'Sator Arepo' with murky drones and magickal synth tones, using xenharmonic scales (tuning outside of standard 12-tone equal temperament) that reach back to the ancient world. These sounds are augmented with fast-paced, sci-fi rhythms informed by his time in Tanzania; "Singeli has contaminated me," admits the producer.The most astonishing example of this is 'Miracle', a thrusting soundsystem experiment that layers serpentine, bagpipe-esque electronic wails over extravagant clusters of blocky percussion. Driven by the frenetic 175BPM pulse that echoes through the streets of Dar Es Salaam - popularized globally by forward-thinking producers like Sisso, Duke and Jay Mitta - Hairon opens up a rare conversation, seeking to draw parallels between today's most urgent dance forms and the archaic rituals of antiquity. On 'Vitalimetre', Hairon drives his sonic palette into the red, harmonizing with Dutch hardstyle and gabber, and splaying distorted drones over maddeningly blown-out kicks and ratcheting percussion. 'L'or Des Fous' takes a more meditative route, prioritizing Hairon's eccentric tonality with expressive sheets of pitch-warped sound that ghost walk across energized, rattling beats.If you heard Hairon's last Judgitzu release 'Umeme / Kelele', described by Boomkat as "one of 2019's deadliest dancefloor sessions," then you'll know how mindboggling this material can be. And with 'Sator Arepo', the French producer deepens his reach, grasping a world that we've almost forgotten and juxtaposing it with a landscape most of us barely comprehend.
- A1: Orchestre Du Jardin De Guinée Sakhodou
- A2: Orchestre De La Paillote La Guinée Moussolou
- A3: Bembeya Jazz National Guantanamera-Seyni
- A4: Bembeya Jazz National Sabor De Guajira
- B1: Balla Et Ses Balladins Sakhodougou
- B2: Balla Et Ses Balladins Samba
- B3: Orchestre De La Paillote Kankan-Yarabi
- B4: Myriam’s Quintette Solo Quintette
- C1: Pivi & Les Balladins Ka Noutea
- C2: Horoya Band National N’banlassouro
- C3: Orchestre De La Garde Républicaine Sabouya
- C4: Keletigui Et Ses Tambourinis Samakoro
- D1: Keletigui Et Ses Tambourinis Miri Magnin
- D2: 22 Novembre Band Kouma
- D3: Les Frères Diabaté N’fa
On October 2 1958, after over 60 years of colonial rule, Guineans voted overwhelmingly for their independence, and Guinea was declared a Republic with Sékou Touré as President. Guinea was the first of West Africa’s Francophone colonies to gain independence. To free Guinea from its colonial legacy, president Touré sought to restore dignity to his nation and give cause for Guineans to take pride in their culture, history and newfound freedom. To achieve this, he instructed his government to implement new cultural policies that were intended to revitalise and celebrate indigenous culture. The focus of these new policies was on music.
In 1961, President Touré launched authenticité, the name of his new cultural policy for Guinea. One of its first acts was to assemble the best Guinean musicians into a new state-sponsored orchestras that were tasked with presenting traditional Guinean music in a new and modern style. All musicians in Guinea’s orchestras were officially designated as members of the public service. During the years of Sékou Touré’s presidency (1958 – 1984), the government’s cultural policy of authenticité was applied strictly to the creative arts. Guinea’s sole political party, the Parti Démocratique de Guinée exercised complete authority over artistic production. The scale of the Guinean government’s commitment and efforts to invigorate its indigenous musical cultures was unmatched in Africa, and it presented a clear contrast to the minimal endeavours undertaken by Guinea’s former colonial rulers.
From 1967 to 1983, Guinea’s government presented selections of songs from the Voix de la Révolution catalogue on its own recording label, Syliphone. These recordings were described as ‘the fruit of the revolution’. Syliphone was revolutionary in many aspects: it was the first recording label to feature traditional African musical instruments such as the kora and balafon within an orchestre setting; it was the first to present the traditional songs of the griots within an orchestre setting; and it was the first government-sponsored recording label of post-colonial Africa. Syliphone represented authenticité in action, and over 750 songs were released by the recording label on 12-inch and 7-inch vinyl discs. All are highly sought after by collectors worldwide.
This first volume of a two-volume series presents a selection of the best of early Syliphone recordings. The songs demonstrate not only the essence of Guinea’s authenticité policy and of its subsequent Cultural Revolution, but of a confluence of musical styles from Cuba, jazz, highlife and the diverse influences of Guinea’s cultural groups.
- A1: Walking (Theme)
- A2: Just A Little Lovin’
- A3: Infinite Vibrations
- A4: Walking
- A5: Today Years Old
- A6: Choir Beat
- B1: Music Will Explain
- B2: 1000 Goodbyes
- B3: Animal Noises
- B4: Music Will Explain (Reprise)
- B5: Wiggle Room
- B6: The Outer Limits
Mockys neues Album - und das erste auf Stones Throw - 'Music Will Explain (Choir Music Vol. 1)' dreht sich um die menschliche Stimme und versucht, die Essenz des Menschseins in einer zunehmend digitalen und künstlichen Welt einzufangen.
Mocky lud Freunde und Kollaborateure ein, sich in seiner Garage um ein Mikrofon zu versammeln und eine bewusste Mischung aus menschlichen Harmonien, Live-Instrumenten und analogen Aufnahmen, die nur Menschen machen können, zu kreieren.
Seine Fingerabdrücke sind in der Musik vieler Künstler zu finden: Er produzierte für Feist, Kelela, Moses Sumney und Vulfpeck und wurde von GZA, Kanye West und Cordae gesampelt.
Für den Anime Carole and Tuesday von Shinichiro Watanabe komponierte er die preisgekrönte Filmmusik.
Für Fans von: Benny Sings, Feist, Eddie Chacon, Helado Negro, Sault, Michael Kiwanuka, Jamie Lidell.
"Long sought-after by those in know, this essential Irish jazz album finally gets a vinyl reissue on Outernational Sounds! Fully licensed from producer John D’Ardis, remastered at Abbey Road from the original tapes, and with lacquers cut at Dubplates and Mastering, the Noel Kelehan Quintet’s stunning 1979 Ozone is presented with unseen photographs of the band and commentary from original band members.
Featuring moody, modal jazz of the first order, subtle and original composing and world- class playing, Ozone was the creation of Ireland’s most respected jazz composer and musician, pianist Noel Kelehan (1935-2012). The only small-group album under his name, and arguably the first ever Irish jazz LP, Ozone was a landmark recording, but it was far from Kelehan’s only achievement. Born in Dublin, Kelehan had studied music from an early age. From the mid-1950s he worked at state-broadcaster Radio Éireann (RÉ, later RTÉ – Radio Telefis Éireann), and from the early 1960s he fronted Dublin’s first be-bop unit, the Jazz Heralds. A busy professional career saw him compose for numerous Irish pop stars, arrange and conduct many of Ireland’s Eurovision entries, and even contribute string arrangements to U2’s Unforgettable Fire LP.
But jazz was Kelehan’s first passion, and he never stopped playing in both small modernist units and composing for his own big band. The late 1970s saw him fronting the Noel Kelehan Quintet, alongside drummer John Wadham, saxophonist Keith Donald, bassist Frank Hess and trumpeter Mick Nolan. Playing weekly in Dublin for several years, they opened for visiting stars including Dollar Brand and the Ronnie Scott Orchestra, and eventually played a two-week residency at Ronnie Scotts in London. Though Kelehan had recorded a big-band LP of traditional Irish songs arranged as easy jazz in 1970, Ozone was his first album of modern jazz. Released on John D’Ardis’s independent Cargo imprint and press on blue vinyl, it featured original compositions such as the deep collectors cut ‘Spon Song’, subtle Latin flavours on ‘Spacer’s Delight’ and a beautiful modal arrangement of the traditional Irish air ‘Castle of Dromore’. A legendary recording in Ireland, Ozone reflected Kelehan’s keen appreciation of classic quintet-era Miles, with touches of the cerebral fusion of Ian Carr and the arranging genius of Neil Ardley. Not just a landmark Irish jazz set, Ozone is a lost classic of European jazz more widely."
Repress!
With Robyn, South London's cktrl shares his most ambitious work yet, collaborating with the likes of Duval Timothy, Coby Sey (Micachu, Tirzah, Dean Blunt) and Purple Ferdinand to create a vital exploration of contemporary-classical from the black perspective; out via Errol and Alex Rita's Touching Bass. Spurred on by the overpowering feelings of heartbreak, Robyn impressively creates emotive and heartfelt clarinet and saxophone-led soundscapes about the all-consuming power of love. On the project, cktrl says: "'Robyn' at its core is heartbreak and is just really sentimental. It's a journey of losing a love but it ends with optimism as you find strength to love again." Born and bred in Lewisham, cktrl aka Bradley Miller is an integral part of London's pioneering musical underground. One of the only remaining original DJs on NTS, cktrl has previously worked with and played alongside the likes of Sampha, Sango, Kelela and Dean Blunt. Throughout his career to date, cktrl has also been recognised and heralded by fashion and film VIPs including Virgil Abloh, Bianca Saunders, Tremaine Emory, Nicholas Daley and Jenn Nkiru who recently secured him a cameo in Beyonce's heralded 'Black Is King'. With a shared ethos of elevating and amplifying leftfield black music, he partners with London based label, Touching Bass, themselves a key cog within the city's bubbling musical underbelly.
The principles of pleasure radiate a knowing, carnal heat throughout the genre-fluid sound of LSDXOXO. His decade of dedication to the sensibility of underground club culture has brought forth club classics interwoven with pop music hooks and subversive, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
After four years of what LSDXOXO, real name RJ Glasgow, calls a period of “healing and self-discovery,” he is consolidating his multiplicitous sound with one compelling masterstroke: the debut album DOGMA, to be released on his own imprint F.A.G. DOGMA marks a complete paradigmatic shift: it is a poetic and fantastical performance, a route for deep escapism through an expanded musical palette including piano and guitar, and a deeply personal confessional through a fresh approach to songcrafting.
Within DOGMA, RJ meditates on the interlinked qualities of fame, infamy, lust and submission, as he rediscovers a pure, unadulterated approach to music-making, all the while adopting a futurist approach to pop music appreciation. RJ’s unmistakable signatures—the smutty dancefloor caller, the maker of irresistible bangers, the latter-day electroclash and DnB nostalgist—take on even more shades and intricacies. Despite his widespread acclaim as a collaborator with and songwriter for other artists, RJ strips DOGMA down almost exclusively to himself, carving out intentional space as a chameleonic vocalist and performer. He breathes life into the album with private thoughts, external fears and a red thread through personal themes that crystallise the album’s narrative from front to back.
The album’s promo single “Bloodlust” offers angsty, intimate indie-tronica, and musings on the intoxicating nature of love and infatuation. The lead single “Ghost” reaches beyond RJ’s Philadelphia origins to find itself in the deep south, in a sultry fever dream of coquettish R&B featuring backing vocals from close collaborator Kelela. Elsewhere on the album futuristic love, pensive pop earworms, evocative vintage dance styles and sleazy club tracks intermingle. While the DOGMA era will eventually explore remixes and reworks, the album is RJ’s purest embrace of himself and his artistry.
RJ first garnered attention as LSDXOXO in New York City with his on-the-pulse Soundcloud edits and then as part of the cult GHE20GOTH1K collective. His DJ sets and productions quickly earned him acclaim across globally-linked underground scenes. His decision to shift from sampled vocals to picking up the pen and microphone pushed his reach out to the stratosphere; his association with XL Recordings via the Dedicated 2 Disrespect EP in 2021 was a turning point for the burgeoning superstar.
This multiplicity of the LSDXOXO sound has led to enviable co-signs. These include being selected as the opening DJ for Beyoncé’s German Renaissance tour dates, remixing Lady Gaga, Pink Pantheress and Shygirl and producing five tracks for Kelela's highly acclaimed 2023 album for Warp Records, Raven. His fully-realised live show has also taken to the stage, serving fierce charisma to huge audiences at festivals including Primavera, Nuits Sonores and Rewire.
The label says: "Kéléjé” shows Kiko Navarro returning to Canopy to herald in the 10th vinyl single on the label. Enlisting the vocals of Kaleta, Kiko transports the atmosphere to somewhere off-planet, in orbit among a nebular of synth lines, hypnotic vocals and electro-afro-beat rhythms. Underpinned by weighty sub frequency oscillations, Kéléjé delivers a deep and powerful late night afro inspired dance floor workout."
Alliyah Enyo’s genius 2022 ‘Echo's Disintegration’ album infused William Basinski's "Disintegration Loops" with choral smoke, and she now returns with an even more immersive followup alongside ambient enigma and Kelela producer Florian T M Zeisig, making heady and translucent loop-finding vocal soundscapes.
In 2022, Enyo worked with the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop on an epic two-hour composition made from tape loops inspired by selkies, mythical creatures in Celtic folklore. Contemplating memory, grief and time itself, Enyo devised a "sonorous myth" installation and performance that drowned her voice in the deep sea, using echo to help parallel the communication of humpback whales. It was powerful enough for her to net the award for Sonic Arts at the Scottish Awards for New Music last year, and it's this material that she revisits here, entering into a dialog with Berlin-based producer Florian T M Zeisig, here adopting a new avatar - Angel R.
On the A-side, Enyo distills two hours of the original composition into 11 haunted fragments that ooze in and out of each other like a dream. Reworked at Glasgow's Green Door studio, she sculpts her voice into weightless Radigue-style incantations, leaning into the tape loops' corroded inconsistencies. Enyo's voice becomes the selkie's song: wordless echoes that sound as if they're being dragged slowly towards the sea bed. There are remnants of folk forms in there; we hear traces of church music and Celtic ballads - but she obscures her influences with dubbed reverb, distortion and repetition. Phrases disappear and re-appear, time becomes a loop, best absorbed in a single sitting to properly perceive its graceful, sinking bliss. By the end of the side, Enyo’s vocals are completely waterlogged, dimmed against Robin Guthrie-like shimmers, all brassy, blurred incantations emanating from the depths of a floatation tank.
Florian T M Zeisig responds on the B-side with three flooded, longer-form pieces that will appeal to anyone who devoured his album of corroded Enya loops a couple of years ago. Enyo's voice is now reduced to a whisper, blistered and gauzy expressions that float over dense pads on 'Untitled I' before getting lost in the weeds completely on the muggy 'Untitled II'. On the closing 'Gates of Heaven', he sculpts Enyo's voice until it's just an illusory, hypnotic reflection, slow-fading into the aether.
Jaw dropping album from Egypt's Dijit, featuring his own vocals for the first time alongside a star studded roster!
A vast array of moods fluctuate throughout the album, from gnarly drill & trap with the help of Brodinski, to wayward folk & ambience with vocals from Lella and Sarah Shedid, encompassed with tinges of pop and Kelesh's own trip-hop style. It's also the first time Dijit uses his own vocals, which creates an introspective and deep feel to the LP, with his voice being a constant throughout. Kelesh has exuded everything in to this piece of work, a true culmination of his personal experiences over the last five years, which ultimately converts into a supremely diverse but beautiful album.
Kele Okerekes unvergleichliches lyrisches Können glänzt, wenn das Album alltägliche Ereignisse mit tiefgründigen Themen verknüpft und so eine fesselnde Erzählung schafft. Sich überlagernde Gitarren und Gesang verleihen dem Album Tiefe und fangen die rohen Emotionen und die lebendige Klangwelt ein. Von introspektiven Momenten bis hin zu explosiven Hymnen ('Hunting For Witches', 'Flux', 'I Still Remember') hinterlässt jeder Track einen bleibenden Eindruck. Diese Wiederveröffentlichung ist ein Muss für Fans und bietet eine neue Perspektive auf Bloc Partys kontemplatives Meisterwerk.
"ECHOES PART 1 and 2 scheduled for release on 17th of May is the first of three singles set to introduce the next album project of Ulrich Troyer - TRANSIT TRIBE - to be released later this year.
Featuring the jazz vibes of Flip Philipp of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, "ECHOES" has all the resonance of pure gamelan in dub, stately, processional and instrumentally rhythmic with its sparser second part isolating contrasting pulses as the complexity unfolds and dazzles.
Twenty years in the making, now the fully developed vision of multi-instrumentalist Vienna-based Ulrich Troyer can be heard coming to its final fruition. The interface of electronics and the unique warmth of human interplay is apparent on this track as well as all the other sounds to be heard on the album where a remarkable array of new and old friends contribute to the proceedings. Thematically the album, as may be gathered from its title, is a clear appeal for humanity to be shown as the people of the world struggle to cope with increasing problems, whether caused by movement or lack of movement."
Steve Barker (DJ, Radio Presenter - On the Wire, BBC 1984 – 2023,
now Slack City Radio & reggae/dub columnist and contributor to The Wire)
Credits:
Flip Philipp: vibraphone, c-marimba
Ulrich Troyer: analog synthesizers, drum-machine, sampler, field recordings, dub effects
Written & arranged by Ulrich Troyer
Recorded by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Studio & 4Bit Bungalow except Vibraphone, C-Marimba recorded by Ulrich Troyer at Konzerthaus, Vienna
Mixed by Ulrich Troyer at 4Bit Bungalow, Vienna
Produced by Osman Murat Ertel & Ulrich Troyer
Mastering & Lacquer Cut by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin
Cover Drawing by Ulrich Troyer
Kindly supported by the City of Vienna (MA7 - Kultur), Federal Ministry Republic of Austria (Arts, Culture, Civil Service & Sport), SKE-FONDS (AT) & Amt für Kultur, Bozen (IT)
Special Thanks: Steve Barker, Osman Murat Ertel, Eva Kelety & Flip Philipp
Neues elektronisches Soloalbum des Produzenten Gifted & Blessed alias Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker - sein erstes Album unter diesem Pseudonym seit 2016.
'Heard and Unheard' wurde mit einem semi-modularen Synthesizer, mehreren Effektprozessoren und zwei analogen Drumcomputern erstellt.
Das Album besteht aus zehn nachdenklichen und hypnotischen Tracks mit Schwerpunkt auf Textur und Atmosphäre.
Gifted & Blessed war ein Gründungsmitglied der Beat-Szene von Los Angeles, er trat bei den allerersten Low End Theory-Events in L.A. auf und produzierte und arbeitete mit Künstlern wie Kelela, Ras G und Steve Arrington zusammen.
Seitdem hat er sich in der Underground-Elektronik- und Tanzmusikszene einen Namen gemacht und unter anderem Musik auf Eglo und All City veröffentlicht.
Die Musik von Gifted & Blessed ist auf vielen Compilations enthalten, unter anderem auf Sassy J für Rush Hour und Prosumer für Fabric.
Als 2017 Ilgen-Nurs Solo-EP No Emotions erschien, war die junge Songwriterin schnell in aller Munde. Ihr damaliger Slacker-Sound wurde als die neue Coolness im deutschen Indie-Pop gefeiert, es folgte eine Europa-Tour und Supports für Bloc Partys Kele Okereke und Tocotronic. Für Ilgen wurde ein Traum wahr, den sie von Kindheitstagen an geträumt hatte: Mit ihren eigenen Songs auf die Bühne!
Sie gewann Musikpreise, wurde zu Features eingeladen, ihre Songs wurden für erfolgreiche Netflix-Produktionen genutzt. Ilgen brach zwei Studiengänge ab, ging von Hamburg nach Berlin. 2019 kam dann ihr Debut Power Nap raus, das sie gleich auf dem eigens dafür gegründeten gleichnamigen Label selbst veröffentlichte. Die Kritik reagierte begeistert.
2022 dann also: Mit einer Handvoll Songs im Gepäck ging Ilgen schließlich mit ihrem Wahlproduzenten Jon Joseph in dessen Studio in San Pedro. Maximilian Barth, ihr neuer Gitarrist, flog über den großen Teich, Sessionmusiker wurden eingeladen. IT‘S ALL HAPPENING nun, das Resultat dieser Zeit, zeigt eine neue Ilgen-Nur, die herausgefunden hat, wer sie sein will, wer sie ist. Es klingt warm und melancholisch, gibt ihrem dunklen Timbre genau die Fläche, die
es verlangt. Und zeugt von gewonnener, hörbarer Reife.
Clear Vinyl
Cairo’s trip hop, illbient and club producer Hashem L Kelesh aka Dijit documents a decade of sprawling productions at his home studio, fuelled by the energies of his friends and collaborators.
Populated with the vocal presences of vocal spars Deedz, 7aleeb, and Lella, ‘The Room’ is a metaphoric synecdoche for Kelesh’s studio output between 2008-2019, featuring 9 tracks of lo-slung but levitating trip hop and illbient that overlaps his productions on the long sold-out ‘Hyperattention: Selected Digital Works Vol.1’ album, and augmented by a number of fiery percussive pieces and future folk works that give a wider frame of reference to his style.
While the album follows the smoke curl dynamic of his previous work, the glorious mesh of electro-chaabi breaks and Eno-esque ambient guitar licks on ‘Dreak’, and the heat-seeking street rave scenes of ‘Saga’ will no doubt disrupt your preconceptions, while his folk prayer-like ‘Loli’ reaffirms a knack for captivating downbeats. ‘Leban’ brings a chopped ’n screwed trip hop temporality, deploying laminar layers of male/female vocals that inevitably call to mind Tricky via Leila Arab, while ‘Hasheesh’ trades in red-seal levels of heads-down pressure shades away from Portishead or even Pessimist’s snapped productions.
Dijit smartly manages to keep it all just the right side of gloomy though, with the shatterproof tension between screwed vox and ascendant hyaline electronics on ‘Hamhama’, or likewise in the high-register piquancy and celestial chorales of ‘Dream of a bee’, while the upfront burst of drums in ‘Saga’ will bring heads to their feet.
Drop a needle on Psyché's debut album and you'll see visions, or rather Mediterranean visions, be they of waves of heat shimmering above dunes of sand, or of women dancing around a bonfire on a rocky plain, or of bushy cliffs overlooking emerald-green and turquoise sea. The name Psyché is of course ancient Greek for 'soul' or 'mind', signifying the band's love of psychedelic funk, but also the wide range of Mediterranean influences – from Southern Europe to the Balkan Peninsula, and from Anatolia to the Maghreb – that provide an endless source of inspiration for their hypnotic sound and minimalist style.
Psyché members Marcello Giannini (Guru, Nu Genea, Slivovitz), Andrea De Fazio (Parbleu, Nu Genea, Funkin Machine) and Paolo Petrella (Nu Genea) have been active in the Naples music scene for almost two decades, most notably during the first wave of the new Neapolitan Power movement (Slivovitz, Revenaz Quartet). Over the years they have often crossed paths and collaborated on side projects in various genres (math-rock duo Arduo and, more recently, synth-pop duo Fratelli Malibu), before working together as the rhythm section of Nu Genea's live band. Following their first tour with Nu Genea in 2018, they started Psyché with the intent of exploring more minimalist styles and making music with just a few elements.
A unique combination of psychedelia, groove and improvisation, the music of Psyché goes back to the roots of our future; it evokes visions of a mythical past, blending centuries-old music traditions and mixing them with modern genres. Like a warm Mediterranean breeze, it travels across lands, seas and eras, distilling essential rhythms and cosmic pulsations.
The album's opener "Kuma" (titled after the first ancient Greek colony on the Italian mainland, now an archeological site near Naples) is like a vibrant, magical wave. With its deliberately simple harmony and sharp guitar riffs, it travels across the Mediterranean from Italy to North Africa, first lapping gently on Greek and Turkish shores – with some compositional elements reminiscent of Italian pop legend Lucio Battisti – and then speeding up and landing on the driving, syncopated rhythms of afrobeat. While listening to it your eyes fill with images of small white houses shining in the sun, of fig trees heavy with fruit, of spice bazaars and colourful medinas, and you can almost feel the desert wind blowing in your hair.
The journey continues with two examples of Psyché's bold and elegant approach to contemporary afrobeat and cumbia fusion: "Cumbia Mahàre" and "Amma". The former combines minimal synths and exhilarating rhythmic patterns of drums, percussion, guitar and bass, drawing us into the movements of an imaginary ritual dance (the term mahàre was used in Southern Italian dialects to indicate witches). Next is the cinematic and mysterious ambiance of "Angizia" (a snake goddess worshipped by the Marsi in ancient Italy), another fascinating mixture of different sonic traditions and cultures where hip-hop/funk drums are blended with Maghreb influences, Balkan echoes, and hypnotic, Theremin-like synths that have sort of a sci-fi movie quality to them.
The title track "Psyché", with its uptempo afro-rhythms, ethereal vocalizations and refined percussion, is almost a manifesto of the band's style and confirms the freshness of their minimalism, which is not afraid of taking in the sun of lands confined between the sea and the desert. The following "Manea" (named after the Roman-Etruscan goddess of the dead) is an afro-funk number with smooth and introspective dreamy jazz touches, and with an arrangement dominated by a guitar that, dripping notes like drops of water, creates a delicate, cinematic sound. Next, we come to "Hekate" (the Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft and crossroads), a track that fuses psychedelia, spacious Latin guitars and a fast, tight groove. The album comes to a close with the exquisite melodic ballad "Kelebek", which seamlessly combines hip-hop drums and dreamy guitars, and whose warm, flowing sonorities and evocative atmospheres conjure the image of a butterfly (which is what kelebek means, in Turkish) floating over the Mediterranean and, from there, the world.
Multi-Award winning, hugely influential musician Feist returns with Multitudes, her sixth solo album and first since 2017’s Pleasure.
Multitudes was produced by Feist with longtime collaborators Robbie Lackritz (The Weather Station, Bahamas, Robbie Robertson) and Mocky (Jamie Lidell, Vulfpeck, Kelela). Blake Mills (Bob Dylan, Fiona Apple, Perfume Genius) and Joseph Lorge came in to mix, with Mills as a co-producer in the final stages.
Multitudes took shape soon after the birth of her daughter and sudden death of her father, a back-to-back convergence of life-altering events that left the Canadian singer/songwriter with “Nothing performative in me anymore.” As she cleansed her songwriting of any tendency to obscure unwanted truths, Feist slowly made her way toward a batch of songs rooted in a raw and potent realism which is touched with otherworldly beauty.
Largely written and workshopped during an intensely communal experimental show of the same name through 2021 and 2022, the songs on Multitudes developed in parallel with and were deeply influenced by the mutuality of the unconventional experience. The production, developed by Feist with legendary designer Rob Sinclair (David Byrne’s American Utopia, Peter Gabriel, Tame Impala) was formulated to bring people together as they re-emerged from lockdown while providing an outlet for connection between artist, art, and community.
In 1974, a brash young designer called Augustus Kerry Taylor had an idea. He'd gather together the hottest musicians in Ghana and record an album of the heaviest and funkiest sounds coming out of America. And this time, he wouldn't just design the cover, like he'd done with Fela Kuti, he'd even release it on his new label, Emporium, as well. Local Accra legends Joe Wellington, Jagger Botchway, Leslie Addy, Officer Toro, Oko Ringo, Soldier and Steve answered the call. They were christened the Kelenkye Band and gelled immediately. Moving World, is a funky, disparate album that exudes a rare warmth, enthusiasm and togetherness. 'Moving World' and 'Brotherhood of Man' are hard, grinding funk. 'Jungle Music' has a more soulful groove. There's also a bit of reggae, 'Dracula Dance', and old-skool highlife, 'Wale Tobite'. Accra's leading DJ, Charlie Sam, declared his mind 'well and truly boggled.' The Kelenkye Band never recorded another album. Augustus Kerry Taylor shut down Emporium and went back to designing album covers. But in Moving World they delivered a perfect moment of funk alchemy that has rightly become the Holy Grail of 70's Ghanian groove. - Peter Moore / Licensed by the bandleaders and songwriters of the album, Joe Wellington and Jagger Botchway.
DJ/Producer Kingdom (Kelela, SZA, Tinashe, Fade To Mind Records) und Songwriter/Producer Rush Davis (Duke Dumont, Dawn Richard, Scarface) widmen ihr Kollabo-Album 'Transmission' auf TOKiMONSTAs Label der legendären Queer-Party 'Mustache Mondays' in L.A. Mit technischer Weisheit und experimenteller Freiheit sprengen sie Dance- und R&B-Grenzen links der Mitte und verbinden klassische Kenny Dope House-Hymnen (oft in der Ballroom-Kultur gesampelt) und Janet Jackson-inspirierte Produktion mit Kingdoms komplex-synkopierten Rhythmen und Streuseln von Melancholie und Sex.
Following up his score for the japanese Netflix Anime series “Carole & Tuesday”, Mocky returns to album mode with his new orchestral opus “Overtones For The Omniverse”. Just days before the first Covid lockdowns, Mocky brought a 16 person orchestra comprising of his usual who’s who of underground talent into LA’s Barefoot Studios (and into the same room where Stevie Wonder recorded “Songs in the Key of Life”) to record a pile of scores he had come up with during his previous year’s sabbatical in Portugal. The result is a stunning orchestral album recorded in 36 hours in one or two takes straight off the written page. Shunning the “possible perfection” of today's recording techniques, Mocky looked back as a way to find an alternate future.
According to Mocky:
“We had to do it quick with no rehearsal to capture that big open sound of people working together in a room - in all its imperfect glory. In the imperfections you find the humanity. And in today’s tech driven spaces you have to fight to preserve a space for humanity. I felt a deep desire to create a sonic trajectory path for us to follow as we ascend and evolve our understanding of love and what it means to be human. This is the inspiration for „Overtones for the Omniverse“”.
The album runs the gamut from Steve Reich infused minimalism overlaid with Dorothy Ashby style harp runs (“Overtures”) to atonal analogue synth sounds over Martin Denny style percussion (“Bora!”). There's a classic Mocky crooning number that gives a Jim Henson-esque take on the state of “Humans” and the album as a whole captures Mocky's skill of bringing together the joyful energy of a unique cast of LA collaborators.
Featuring:
Randal Fisher / Flute, Vicky Farewell / Piano, Vocals, Harry Foster / Bass, Vibraphone, Tubular Bells, Vocals Joey Dosik / Organ and Glockenspiel, Vocals, Guilermo E. Brown aka Pw / Percussion, Vocals, Jhan Lee Aponte (TossTones) / Percussion, Vocals, Timpani, Paul Cartwright / Violin, Molly Rogers / Viola, Gabe Noel / Cello, Contrabass, Liza Wallace / Harp, Coco O. / Vocals, Mocky / Compositions, Drums, Vocals, Roland Sh-1000
O for the O Choir :
Nia Andrews, Leslie Feist, Moses Sumney, Durand Bernarr, Eddie Chacon
Recorded at Barefoot Studios, Los Angeles March 6 + 7, 2020.
All songs written by Dominic “Mocky” Salole and published by Heavy Sheet Music/Warner Chappell except "Wishful Thinking" written by Dominic “Mocky” Salole and Matt Corby and "Bora!" written by Dominic “Mocky” Salole, Guillermo Brown, Aponte Poro.
Produced by Mocky, Justin Stanley and Renaud Letang. Mixed by Renaud Letang at Ferber Studios Paris
Mastered by Emilie Daelemans. Cover artwork by Rand Sevilla. Photo by Vice Cooler.
ABOUT MOCKY
Performer, producer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Dominic "Mocky" Salole came to prominence in the Berlin electronic scene of the mid 2000s, releasing three acclaimed solo albums, co-writing and producing classics like Jamie Lidell's "Multiply" and Feist's "The Reminder" and making waves on stage with close collaborators (and fellow Canadians) Peaches, Feist and Chilly Gonzales.
In 2009, his music took a jazz-inflected turn to the acoustic with the release of "Saskamodie" and in 2011, after work in Big Sur on Feist's "Metals", Mocky relocated to Los Angeles, where he quickly established himself as a co-writer with uncommon credentials and eccentric working methods collaborating with L.A.’s brightest breakthrough artists like Kelela, Joey Dosik, Vulfpeck or Moses Sumney.
Whilst in L.A. songs he has written have been sung by Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott and many more and he has collaborated with artists as diverse as Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate and the GZA. His monthly rooftops gigs at the ACE Hotel breathed new life into the LA live scene and Mocky channeled those new creative energies into his fifth full length album "Key Change" and four digital mixtapes/EPs "The Moxtapes" Vol. I-IV.
After co-producing and co-writing Feist's "Pleasure", Kelela's "Take Me Apart" and Joey Dosik's "Inside Voice", in 2018 Mocky released two albums: "Music Save Me (One More Time)" - a collection of the best of Japan-only/unreleased gems and favorites from his so far digital only "Moxtapes" series and "A Day At United", an instrumental jazz album, recorded in a single day in the legendary LA recording studio United Recording.
In 2019 Mocky delved into soundtrack work by collaborating with legendary Anime director Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop) on the first two seasons of the breakthrough show “Carole and Tuesday” (Netflix) for which he won Best Score at the Anime Awards 2020.
Multi-Award winning, hugely influential musician Feist returns with Multitudes, her sixth solo album and first since 2017’s Pleasure.
Multitudes was produced by Feist with longtime collaborators Robbie Lackritz (The Weather Station, Bahamas, Robbie Robertson) and Mocky (Jamie Lidell, Vulfpeck, Kelela). Blake Mills (Bob Dylan, Fiona Apple, Perfume Genius) and Joseph Lorge came in to mix, with Mills as a co-producer in the final stages.
Multitudes took shape soon after the birth of her daughter and sudden death of her father, a back-to-back convergence of life-altering events that left the Canadian singer/songwriter with “Nothing performative in me anymore.” As she cleansed her songwriting of any tendency to obscure unwanted truths, Feist slowly made her way toward a batch of songs rooted in a raw and potent realism which is touched with otherworldly beauty.
Largely written and workshopped during an intensely communal experimental show of the same name through 2021 and 2022, the songs on Multitudes developed in parallel with and were deeply influenced by the mutuality of the unconventional experience. The production, developed by Feist with legendary designer Rob Sinclair (David Byrne’s American Utopia, Peter Gabriel, Tame Impala) was formulated to bring people together as they re-emerged from lockdown while providing an outlet for connection between artist, art, and community.
The classic debut album from Grammy-nominated Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara, ‘Fatou’ was originally released in 2011 to great critical acclaim and features guests Toumani Diabaté on kora, Tony Allen on drums and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones on bass. Since the release, Fatoumata’s profile has further grown thanks to her features with Disclosure, Gorillaz and Africa Express.
To celebrate this year’s Love Record Stores initiative, the release now sees a special limited edition yellow vinyl pressing.
- 1: Ebo Taylor - Amponsah
- 1: 2 Moussa Doumbia - Keleya
- 1: 3 Amadou Balaké - Super Bar Konon Mousso
- 1: 4 Mangue Kondé & Les
- 1: 5 Manu Dibango - The Panther
- 1: 6 Peter King - Ajo
- 1: 7 Itadi - Ayala
- 1: 8 Marumo - Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae
- 1: 9 Apples - Mind Twister
- 1: 0 The Wings - Gone With The Sun
- 2: 1 Kelenkye Band - Jungle Music
- 2: Super Elcados - Get Up And Do It Good
- 2: 3 The Apagya Showband - Kwaku Ananse
- 2: 4 Orlando Julius Feat. Ashiko - Get The Funk
- 2: 5 Alemayèhu Eshèté Feat. Hirut Beqele - Temeles
- 2: 6 Livy Ekemezie - Friday Night
- 2: 7 Willy Nfor - Boogie Down In Africa
- 2: 8 Shina Williams & His African Percussionists - Agboju Lo
- 2: 9 Soul Brothers - Bayeza
- 2: 10 Teaspoon & The Waves - Oh Yeh Soweto
Rare Groove Collection Explore the fusion of world music with soul, funk and disco through the Rare Groove Collection. With this new volume, discover unique groove tracks straight from Jamaica! Fully remastered original versions African RARE GROOVE A journey at the heart of Nigerian afrobeat from Orlando Julius to the ethnojazz of Alemayèhu Eshèté passing by the High-life of the Ghanaian Ebo Taylor...
Following up last year's orchestral album opus “Overtones For The Omniverse", Mocky has been releasing a number of upbeat and uplifting instrumental tracks and now collects them as "Goosebumps Per Minute, Volume 1" on classic vinyl and digital. Putting his vocals and songwriting to the side for this project, Mocky employs harps, horns, and 70’s analogue synths to provide a funky soundtrack that spreads a little of that California sunshine in the listeners direction. Built around Mocky's signature basslines and ensemble vocal arrangements that include his son Telly and his daughter Lulu, all recorded to his vintage ampex tape machine, Mocky did away with the normal metronomic BPM calculations in modern production and instead measured his music in "GPM" (the tempo at which music transmits Goosebumps) - and on top of a multitude of summery bass, drums & strings perfection, Vicky Farewell drops a blistering Rhodes solo on "Flutter" and Carlos Niño lends a percussive hand on the sublime "Iridescence”. Todd M. Simon handles the horn duties, and Liza Wallace infuses the dance tracks with live harp which recalls the floating approach of Alice Coltrane. Titles like "Refractions", "Wavelengths" or "Conduction" are hinting at a scientific approach to creating the conditions for "Goosebumps Per Minute" - his own calculus for the timing of how and when to hit and strum the things in his studio to make it raw & funky.
The songs were also inspired by his time hanging out at the Goldline bar in LA’s Highland Park. “Throughout the pandemic it was the one place I could go and sit outside and hear incredible music as I listened to my friend DJ Phonecalls playing from the Goldline's vinyl collection. He would be dropping these uplifting funk and disco cuts - and at the end of the night I would go home to my studio and make a track and upload it to my Bandcamp and the streaming services immediately … It reminded me of my time in Tokyo's vinyl bars so "Goosebumps Per Minute" owes a lot to that inspiring culture as well“.
About Mocky:
Performer, producer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Dominic "Mocky" Salole came to prominence in the Berlin electronic scene of the mid 2000s, releasing three acclaimed solo albums and co-writing and producing classics like Jamie Lidell's "Multiply" and Feist's "The Reminder". In 2009, his music took a jazz-inflected turn to the acoustic with the release of "Saskamodie" and in 2011 Mocky relocated to Los Angeles, where he quickly established himself as a co-writer with uncommon credentials collaborating with L.A.’s brightest breakthrough artists like Kelela, Joey Dosik, Vulfpeck or Moses Sumney. Mocky channeled those new creative energies into his fifth full length album "Key Change" and four digital mixtapes/EPs "The Moxtapes" Vol. IIV. After co-producing and co-writing Feist's "Pleasure" and Kelela's "Take Me Apart", in 2018 Mocky released two albums: "Music Save Me (One More Time)" and "A Day At United", an instrumental jazz album, recorded in a single day. In 2019 Mocky delved into soundtrack work by collaborating with legendary Anime director Shinichiro Watanabe on the first two seasons of the breakthrough show “Carole and Tuesday” (Netflix) for which he won Best Score at the Anime Awards. In 2020 he started a new Single series with 2 releases featuring the portugese singer Liliana Andrade and in 2021 he released his orchestral album "Overtones For The Omniverse" and started a series of funky instrumentals under "Goosebumps Per Minute".
Sämtliche Songs des Nachfolgers ihres von der Kritik hochgelobten Debütalbums TAKE ME APART, das Kelelas Aufstieg in den Mainstream beschleunigte, wurden von ihr selbst geschrieben, arrangiert und zusammen mit Asmara co-produziert, während das Ambient-Duo OCA (Yo Van Lenz & Florian T. M. Zeisig) und LSDXOXO, neben Bambii, als Hauptproduzenten des Albums gelten. Auf RAVEN taucht Kelela aus den Gezeiten der ozeanischen Umlaufbahn ihres höheren Selbst auf, um Autonomie, Zugehörigkeit und Selbsterneuerung als Heilung zu erkunden. Die beiden Singles 'Washed Away' und 'Happy Ending' wurden von Pitchfork bereits als 'Schaufenster ihres schwebenden Soprans' und Beweis für ihren 'gehauchten, anmutigen Gesang' gefeiert. Mit ihren talentierten Bewegungen zwischen den Frequenzen von R&B und Dance Music konnte sich Kelela als künstlerische Interpolatorin von Musik, Kunst und Mode etablieren. Ihre Frühwerke CUT 4 ME (2013) und HALLUCINOGEN (2015) zementierten sie als führende Kraft in der alternativen Underground-R&B- und Elektronikwelt und eröffneten ihr Kollaborationen mit weiteren visionären Künstler*innen wie Solange, Gorillaz, Andrew Thomas Huang und Danny Brown. Mit ihrer durchdachten Mischung aus Eleganz, Futurismus, Göttlichkeit und Sinnlichkeit hat sich Kelela einen Weg gebahnt, der Stil sowohl als Bestandteil der Kunst als auch als Kunst an sich demonstriert.
Ltd. Clear Vinyl 2LP+DL
Sämtliche Songs des Nachfolgers ihres von der Kritik hochgelobten Debütalbums TAKE ME APART, das Kelelas Aufstieg in den Mainstream beschleunigte, wurden von ihr selbst geschrieben, arrangiert und zusammen mit Asmara co-produziert, während das Ambient-Duo OCA (Yo Van Lenz & Florian T. M. Zeisig) und LSDXOXO, neben Bambii, als Hauptproduzenten des Albums gelten. Auf RAVEN taucht Kelela aus den Gezeiten der ozeanischen Umlaufbahn ihres höheren Selbst auf, um Autonomie, Zugehörigkeit und Selbsterneuerung als Heilung zu erkunden. Die beiden Singles 'Washed Away' und 'Happy Ending' wurden von Pitchfork bereits als 'Schaufenster ihres schwebenden Soprans' und Beweis für ihren 'gehauchten, anmutigen Gesang' gefeiert. Mit ihren talentierten Bewegungen zwischen den Frequenzen von R&B und Dance Music konnte sich Kelela als künstlerische Interpolatorin von Musik, Kunst und Mode etablieren. Ihre Frühwerke CUT 4 ME (2013) und HALLUCINOGEN (2015) zementierten sie als führende Kraft in der alternativen Underground-R&B- und Elektronikwelt und eröffneten ihr Kollaborationen mit weiteren visionären Künstler*innen wie Solange, Gorillaz, Andrew Thomas Huang und Danny Brown. Mit ihrer durchdachten Mischung aus Eleganz, Futurismus, Göttlichkeit und Sinnlichkeit hat sich Kelela einen Weg gebahnt, der Stil sowohl als Bestandteil der Kunst als auch als Kunst an sich demonstriert.
IDLES return with their new album, ‘CRAWLER’, an album of reflection and healing
amid a worldwide pandemic that stretched the planet’s collective mental and physical
health to the breaking point.
Frontman Joe Talbot says: “We want people who’ve gone through trauma,
heartbreak, and loss to feel like they’re not alone, and also how it is possible to
reclaim joy from those experiences.” IDLES albums have always been anchored by
these overarching themes, but the ability of the band to juxtapose beauty and rage
with humour and drama has never felt more satisfying than on ‘CRAWLER’.
These stories are vividly brought to life through IDLES’ most soul-stirring music to
date, recorded with co-producers Kenny Beats (Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs) and
IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen.
Previous album ‘Ultra Mono’ was Number 1 album in the UK, with over 35k sales
week one.
Huge 2022 January UK tour including five Brixton Academy dates, three at Glasgow
Barrowlands, two at Manchester Warehouse and more. Over 20k UK tickets sold in
the first hour of release.
Three high budget music videos, written and directed by LOOSE (Lucy Hickling,
Stink Films).
CD in digipak packaging.
Deluxe LP mastered at half-speed (45rpm), pressed on deluxe heavyweight 180g
black double vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves.
Eco-Mix coloured vinyl LP housed in a single-sleeve jacket and printed inner sleeve.
Eco-Mix vinyl production uses leftover wax that’s already in the factory, meaning
each record is different and the colour is completely random and unique.
Standard black vinyl LP housed in a single-sleeve jacket and printed inner sleeve.
- A1: Ebo Taylor - Amponsah
- A2: Moussa Doumbia - Keleya
- A3: Amadou Balake - Super Bar Konon Mousso
- A4: Mangue Konde & Les 5 Consuls - Pop Konde
- A5: Manu Dibango - The Panther
- B1: Peter King - Ajo
- B2: Itadi - Ayala
- B3: Marumo - Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae
- B4: Apples - Mind Twister
- B5: The Wings - Gone With The Sun
- C1: Kelenkye Band - Jungle Music
- C2: Super Elcados - Get Up & Do It Good
- C3: The Apagya Showband - Kwaku Ananse
- C4: Orlando Julius - Get The Funk (Feat Ashiko)
- C5: Alemayehu Eshete - Temeles (Feat Hirut Beqele)
- D1: Livy Ekemezie - Friday Night
- D2: Willy Nfor - Boogie Down In Africa
- D3: Shina Williams & His African Percussionists - Agboju Logun (Mr Bongo 7" Edit)
- D4: Soul Brothers - Bayeza
- D5: Teaspoon & The Waves - Oh Yeh Soweto
In hugo, there’s a central question that Loyle Carner keeps coming back to: “I’m young, Black, successful and have a platform - but where do I go next?” The answer is explored in this epic scream of a third album. With urgent delivery and gloriously widescreen production, Carner confronts both the deeply personal (“You can’t hate the roots of a tree, and not hate the tree. So how can I hate my father without hating me?) and the highly political (“I told the black man he didn’t understand I reached the white man he wouldn’t take my hand”). Cinematic in scale and scope, hugo is both a rallying war cry for a generation forged in fire and a study of the personal internal conflict that drives the rest of the album - as a mixed-race Black man, as an artist, as a father and as a son. With Mercury and Brits nominations, NME Awards and appearances in global brand campaigns (Nike, YSL, Timberland), Carner has undoubtedly had a meteoric rise to the top, culminating with his second album Not Waving, But Drowning charting at number 3 in the UK albums chart in 2019. However, hugo sees Carner taking a sharp detour from his previous work, putting it down to lockdown and the “hedonistic side of career being stripped away. There were no shows, no backstage, no festivals, no photoshoots”. By continuing to write in these tumultuous times with a renewed clarity and sense of artistic freedom, Carner reached deeper beneath the surface than he ever had before. The result is his most cathartic and ambitious record yet, a coruscating journey into the heart of what it means to be alive in these tumultuous times, and one which looks set to neatly cement his position as one of the most potent and vital young talents around today. Working alongside renowned producer kwes. (Solange, Kelela, Nao), Carner leaves no stone unturned on this album, in both its sound and its stories. In a 10-track album that moves from gorgeous neo-soul moments to thundering hip hop, with immediate, infectious bangers and sampled interludes from non musicians (mixed-race Guyanese poet John Agard and youth activist and politician Athian Akec) Carner shifts seamlessly from micro to macro, confronting everything from strained relationships with family to the societal tears caused by class stratification. It also lays bare bruises in his personal life that he has never revealed before – often in painful, deeply uncomfortable ways, focusing on Carner's experience of becoming a father in the context of growing up without contact with his biological father. With the song “Polyfilla”, against the backdrop of a warm melodic beat, Carner explores his desire to “break the chains in the cycle” of dysfunctional Black fatherhood, commenting on the narrative of fatherhood in the genre, and saying a key part of the process was realising that his father “grew up in a world where nobody showed him how to love or nurture”. The follow up track “A Lasting Place” is an exploration of the MC’s failure and inability to be perfect in this mission. The album closer is a powerful statement of love and forgiveness; with his signature lyrical dexterity, Carner declares his relentless commitment to his son and sees forgiving his father as a key part of this. The song closes with an emotional ending of Carner telling his dad “still I’m lucky yo that we talk”. There’s a striking duality of hugo’s bold, multilayered tracks and its often starkly intimate and tender lyricism, and that dichotomy is deliberate - it is a message for young Black men, but really, anyone, who is listening. Cognizant of the immense pain and fear and confusion that we are faced with everyday, Carner has thrown down the gauntlet, defying us not to rise above the fray, wake up each day and be ambitious. Ambitious in building strong personal relationships. Ambitious in our pursuit of our goals. Ambitious in never refusing to back down against injustice. Rejecting the title of leader, Loyle Carner sees himself “as holding up a mirror”, and that clearly translates into the album's universal messages.
Wah Wah 45s are proud to present a new set of remixes, as well as originals released on vinyl for the very first time, from Afrobeat supergroupEparapo. Having come togetherduring the unprecedented events of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, and despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, their music is ultimately an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence.
The word "eparapo" means "join forces" in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. It's also the title of a track by the late, greatTony Allen- drummer for Afrobeat legendFela Kutiand lifelong friend and mentor of our very own "Afrobeat Ambassador",Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music.
The force behind Eparapo is bassist, composer & producerSuman Joshi.He has been a member of Dele Sosimi's Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.
Featured vocalist on both original tracks, and remixes, is the aforementioned Dele Sosimi - keyboard player and musical director for Fela's Egypt 80 as well as Wah Wah 45s recording artist on both his solo material and the recent collaboration with house music producer, Medlar.
The rest of the group comprises of bandleader ofAfrik Bawantuand percussionist for Ibibio Sound Machine and Keleketla,Afla Sackey; highly rated UK jazz vocalistSahra Gure; saxophonist, composer, producer and bandleader of the renowned forward thinking jazz outfit Collocutor,Tamar Obsorn; keyboard player, producer and front man for Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat,Kishon Khan; one of the UK's finest and most in demand trumpeters,Graeme Flowers, who has played with Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and many more; trombonist for Bellowhead and mainstay of Dele's Afrobeat Orchestra,Justin Thurgur; and finally drummer for Steamdown and Sons of Kemet, as well as the man behind the Nache project,Eddie Wakili Hick.
From London To Lagoswas inspired by a talk given by writerRoberto Savianoat the Hay Book Festival in 2016, just before the Brexit referendum. In it he described the UK as the "most corrupt country in the world". This was a reminder of how the leaders of so-called developed countries, conveniently suffering from colonial amnesia, still point disparagingly at the rest of the world and talk of "endemic corruption" and "Banana Republics". All the while the ill-gotten gains of organised crime syndicates, corrupt multinationals and military juntas across the globe are funnelled through financial centres such as London. Same trouble, different methods, greater scale. Of course the best way to divert the population from all this is to find distractions such as populist leaders who declare their countries "world beating" and scapegoats such as refugees, immigrants and other members of the underclasses. It has always been thus but it doesn't always have to be so.
This track was once more recorded remotely during lockdown and features an all star lineup of world class musicians from the UK Afrobeat and jazz scenes. Members of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, Keleketla, Sons of Kemet and beyond have come together to create this powerhouse of a band. They encapsulate the meaning of "eparapo" and "join forces'' to fight a common enemy in the shape of corrupt and divisive ideologies.
Its remix comes fromWheelUP- the moniker of West London broken beat revivalist Danny Wheeler, who here delivers something of a smoother straight up Afro flavoured house workout that's sure to be heard across dance floors and festivals this summer. The Tru Thoughts signed artist adds gliding synths and tight drums that ride the original's hypnotic melody perfectly and make for a future club classic.
Black Lives Matterwas obviously inspired by the movement of the same name and was the first track to be released by Eparapo in late 2020. Dele's voice tell the story slave ships leaving West Africa in the fifteenth century, the brutal conditions that were experienced on board, and the continued suffering of the African diaspora today. As always, half of the artist's income for this song will be donated to the NAACP - a civil rights organisation in the United States, created for the advancement of black people by means of following judicial policies.
The remix here comes from Birmingham based producer signed to Jalapeno Records,Sam Redmore. Sam's love for breaks and beats comes into play well here, subtly chopping up the original to create a bass worrying version that still sends that very important message of justice and equality - Black Lives Matter!
a 01: From London to Lagos (WheelUP Remix) feat. Dele Sosimi
[c] 03: Black Lives Matter (Sam Redmore Remix) [feat. Dele Sosimi]







































![Eparapo - From London To Lagos (Remixes) [feat. Dele Sosimi]](https://www.deejay.de/images/l/1/5/1008215.jpg)
