Matt Karmil is a British musician currently residing in Sweden. '++++' is his third album, following 2014's PNN debut '- - - -' and IDLE033, released on Bristol label Idle Hands earlier this year. His output also includes a variety of singles for labels such as New York's Beats In Space Recordings and Stockholm's Studio Barnhus.
On this new album, Karmil can be heard exploring the concepts of impossible objects, reflection, symmetry, infinity - perspective, truncated and stellated polyhedra - hyperbolic geometry, tessellations and lost love. While making the music that constitutes '++++' he interacted with mathematicians George Pólya, Roger Penrose and Harold Coxeter as well as the crystallographer Friedrich Haag, and also conducted his own research into tessellation.
The result is '++++', Karmil's most clever, strange, emotional and fun work yet, a testament to his breadth and depth as a musician. Did we forget to mention that he's an awesome party dj
Das 1965er-Album "Beach Boys' Party!" wurde remixed, remastert und erweitert zu "BEACH BOYS' PARTY! UNCOVERED AND UNPLUGGED". Zum 50jährigen Jubiläum erscheint es als Doppel-CD und enthält 81 Songs und Sprachtracks. Am 4. März erscheint die Vinyl Edition mit 12 Tracks, remixed and remastered im "Uncovered and Unplugged"-Style.
On November 13th, PNN Records will release the debut album of its most enigmatic artist,
myr. 'Diamondbacks Make Wonderful Pets' is more than just a strange name, it nine tracks represent an exciting evolution in myr.`s trajectory as an artist. Following his debut EP 'Nobody knows Avalon' myr. seems to have dug deep and discovered another level to his sound. Each of the tracks on the record are confidently offbeat and precisely composed.
'A Little-Bitty Bowl (with B.Hotton)', mixes thunder sound-effects with glitchy synth bleeps, layering them above darker tones which build to a perfect storm in the middle. This 10 minute track fails to get boring and is representative of the album as a whole. myr.`s ability to carry off strange hybrids is what makes his music unique. From the ghostly warbles of 'I Think I Hear Them Coming' to the sunnier sounds of 'Eleanor', myr.`s disregard for the norm has lead to an exceptional record that surprises at every turn.
Warm Tapes Adjustment returns with the Second Volume once again performed by SCM a Gari Romalis.
On the A Side two raw and dusty live sample sessions from SCM.
On the B side two lo-fi disco styled house tracks from one of Detroit's finest underground producers
Four house tracks fused in a combination that makes this record unique! Vinyl Only release
Norman Jay MBE presents his latest compilation, titled 'Good Times Skank & Boogie', set for release 9th October 2015 on Sunday Best Recordings. This is his first compilation since 2011's Good Times 30th Anniversary Addition and follows on from his hotly anticipated Good Times Goes East party at St John Church at Hackney on 29th August.
Norman Jay is undoubtedly one of the finest and highly respected DJs in the world today and yet again pulls from his impressive collection to provide the ultimate eclectic selection.
For this 12th compilation, for those of you counting, Norman kicks off with St Germain's version of Henry Mancini's Pink Panther Theme. A cult favourite from 2004s Pink Panther Penthouse Party album, it of course immediately brings Peter Sellers to mind and a smile to your face. Next up former Uniques front man Slim Smith's Everybody Needs Love is a classic from 1968, cut at the legendary Duke Reid's Treasure Isle studio. Penned originally by Motown heroes Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland and covered by household names including The Temptations and Glady's Knight & The Pips, Slim's version became something of a signature tune until his mysterious death in 1971. Sticking with Motown, Stevie Wonder's Living For The City is up next but it's the Michael McDonald rendition from his 2008 album Soul Speak, which proves the man who gave us the sublime Sweet Freedom had lost none of his class 20 plus years on.
D-Influence's Good Lover takes things up and brings them closer to home, to the streets of London infact. After a couple of independent releases the band, who had strong connections to the London Jazz and Soul scenes, served up this contemporary boogie tune as part of their 1992 debut long player for East West. They would subsequently score hits as a production team for a number of British R&B acts. Homegrown soul continues with Paul Johnson's Better Than This, released here via longstanding UK soul imprint Expansion to deserved acclaim last year. It's quality and appeal are simply timeless, whilst master Dego and Kaidi's mix adds a classic 80s soul dimension to proceedings.
The Chi-Lites I Keep Comin' Back To You and The Real Thing's Love Takes Tears continue and expand the 80s theme, bringing in 2-step and boogie, as does Deodato's Never Knew Love from the same period.
We switch again with Delroy Wilson's Better Must Come, a massively popular sufferers lament from 1971 by this former Jamaican child star, it would go on to be used in election campaigns by various Jamaican political parties. Kent People by Laurel Aitken & The Gruvy Beat is the next one out the box and was the flip to the 1969 anthem Skinhead Train. It features the UK's top reggae band of the era The Rudies, who along with Aitken, the widely-proclaimed Godfather of Ska, comprised of Earl Dunn (lead guitar), Trevor White (bass), Sonny Binns (keyboards) and Danny Smith (drums). They would go on to enjoy UK chart success backing singer Freddie Notes before they evolved into Greyhound. From the same year Splash Down by The Crystalites is another slate that ignited dance floors in both Jamaica and the UK upon release. Some of you will have noticed the rhythm track is the same as that of the earlier Kingstonians' best-seller, Sufferer, which came courtesy of legendary producer Derrick Harriott.
As the end draws close The Stone City Band featuring Rick James serve up some hard edged boogie, hotly followed by a classic Tom Moulton slice of late 70s disco courtesy of The Fantastic Four and their I Got To Have Your Love. If that doesn't have you dancing then Chanson's superb Don't Hold Back featuring James Jamerson Jr. on bass will leave you no choice. Classic Good Times indeed.
New John Jastszebski & Second French artist on Syncrophone Recordings.
John Jastszebski release with Drone EP his superb Murphy Law title, is emotional deep track included remix by Aybee (Deepblack), The last track 'Little' Moody Jazz deep track ever played by Fred P on his last podcast. Ace EP.
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Tough, to the point, no-nonsense machine music is a longstanding Midwestern tradition.
Drawing a line all the way back to the old guard, The Bunker New York's latest EP is Walk The Distance, courtesy of Mark Verbos, a techno veteran and New Yorker by way of Milwaukee who put together four pieces of heavyweight dancefloor artillery, informed by an intimate, inside-out knowledge of the machinery used in the production of these tracks.
"I've been doing this for a long time. In the beginning, there was only hardware, and it feels better to make music with physical objects. Plus, I make hardware, too," says Verbos, recounting his production processes. Verbos not only produces music, he also produces the hardware he uses to make music—his company, Verbos Electronics, manufactures Eurorack synthesizer modules with a vintage sensibility. When he's making music, Verbos says, "I try to get to know the devices I use well enough that whatever I imagine can come from them. Techno is machine music. When I'm recording, it's just me and the machines."
The music, however, speaks for itself. No punches are pulled here—the record starts in top gear with "Start Up Drive," a devastating techno bomb centered around a throbbing, repeating bassline and a meaty kick drum that builds to a massive climax in the span of five minutes. "In The Back Room" kicks the tempo up a notch, featuring spaced-out atmospheric synth leads floating atop syncopated percussion. "Just A Little Late" is funkier than the other two, built around a rubbery, insistent synthesizer groove that worms its way deep into your head and doesn't let go.
The aforementioned three tracks alone would comprise a solid techno EP suitable for any number of dancefloors. But the last track on the record—its namesake—shifts gears entirely. "Walk The Distance" is a moody, pulsing slow burner, introspective and emotional. It's a haunting listen that adds remarkable depth and complexity to the record. "Walk The Distance, the track, is a reference to the fact that music is not a career. Any advice you could offer someone on how to have a successful career doesn't really apply to a career in music. By that I mean to say, process is everything, and the results don't really matter."
Sage advice indeed, but judging by Walk The Distance, Mark Verbos has figured out how to produce results that matter.
* Hospital Records present their latest compilation 'Fast Soul Music' - a welcomed lesson in the art of soul-inspired drum & bass of the high-speed variety. After nineteen years spent building upon it's lounge-core esthetic their extensive library of smooth-rolling sounds is at the ready, now it's time to get retrospective.
* From the work of thirty artists, a carefully selected forty-six tracks highlight the quintessential sounds of soul music in the Hospital Records back catalogue. Not only effortlessly blending classics from Hospital mainstays London Elektricity, High Contrast, Danny Byrd, Nu:Tone, S.P.Y and Logistics but also showcasing the fresh wave of talent that's reached our ears in recent years. The work of Fred V & Grafix, Hugh Hardie, Keeno, Etherwood, Anile, Tokyo Prose and Technimatic showcasing just how prominent soul music is in drum & bass today.
* Accompanying this two-CD collectors item is a perfectly polished mix by longstanding practitioner and newest member of the Hospital A+R team, Nu:Tone. With over two hours of soul-inspired sounds that effortlessly create the ideal soundtrack for any daydream-filled afternoon.
* With a nod back to London Elektricity's '03 classic 'Fast Soul Music' and a look forward to the fresh influx of talent passing through, Hospital Record's latest compilation provides any drum & bass fan with a chance to rediscover those once forgotten gems and dust off the cobwebs from their favourite nostalgia-fuelling drum & bass anthems.
* Digital Marketing: Youtube upload schedule for music and video content on Hospital Records YouTube channel - (260k subscribers), cross promotion exclusive mix upload with UKF Youtube channel.
* Press / Promotion: Comprehensive campaign in-house serving all UK music and dance titles as well as national, regional and student press - Mixmag, DJ, Trap, Notion, Music Week, Future Music, Time Out, Metro, London Evening Standard, The Guardian, The Independent, Dazed + Confused, Vice, The Wire, The Fly, Vice Magazine, Clash. Kmag (interview), D&BA (interview). UKF Website and Youtube Channel. Reddit AMA, FACT Mag TV interview.
* Radio / Internet: Comprehensive in house campain from Hospital Records. BBC Radio1 & 1Xtra support from Mistajam, Friction, B Traits, Annie Mac, Andi Durrant (Kiss), Eddy Temple-Morris (X-FM), DJ Hype (Kiss), D&BA TV Takeover, Rinse FM Hospital Records Show, Hospital Podcast Hospital Records Podcast USA series, Kmag Podcast, Ministry of Sound Podcast. D&BA Podcast, Hospital records Website, Hospital Facebook (262K Likes), Twitter (64K Followers), Soundcloud (48k followers), YouTube (238k subscribers), Hospital Records Mailing List (53k Subscribers)
aG CD 1-7 | Logistics feat. Nightshade and Sarah Callander 'Crystal Skies'
P.D.D are proud to present Craig Bratley's Magic Feet imprint. The label returns with another double header from two up and coming producers.
Paresse first featured on a Magic Feet label sampler and has gone on to feature on Jennifer Cardini's Correspondant label.
Markus Gibb is a new name to the label and is definitely a producer to keep an eye on, having previously released on Matt Walsh's Clouded Vision label. Both producers deliver two tracks, each one set to be a staple in DJ's boxes over the coming year.
In the beginning of the 80's reggae music became increasingly in tune with what was happening in Kingston's dancehalls....probably more so than at any time since the sound system operators had started to make their own shuffle and boogie in the late 50's..
The international audience and the critics were too busy looking for a new Bob Marley to appreciate what was happening downtown and failed to acknowledge that this was a return to the real,raw roots of the music...brash,confidient,young record producers who were totally in tune with the youth audience stepped forward and seized the moment...
Oswald'Ossie'Thomas began his apprenticeship in the music business at the age of fourteen and served his time as a record salesman for Bunny 'Striker 'Lee and Winston 'Niney the Observer' Holness before moving on to Miss Sonia Pottingers Tip Top Records...
'I ended up working in three record stores on Orange Street from 1976 to 1981...Yeah man,Me deh 'pon me bicycle till I buy my motorcycle..Them days records were coming out left right and centre..everyday'
Ossie Thomas...
It was during his time with Miss Pottinger that Ossie began to produce records for himself and in 1979 Ossie and Phillip Morgan began The Black Solidarity label based deep in the Kingston ghetto on Delamere Avenue.
And the man who had made his name in the business selling other people's records now became one of the most important and influential record producers of the era..
Bell Gardens combines the musical visions of Kenneth James Gibson (formerly of Furry Things, now recording as
*Bell Gardens' origins began arguably as more of an experiment than the duo's current 'experimental' projects - McBride's drone- and string-laden ambient symphonies, and Gibson's ventures in dub and minimalist techno - as they sought to manifest their mutual reverence for folk, psychedelia and chamber pop in a traditional band structure without cannibalising any particular past genre. Bell Gardens' sound is less reliant on effects and studio trickery than the pairs' independent guises, laying bare as it does vocals and live instruments with emotional sincerity, and presenting songs imbued with an almost pastoral or gospel simplicity and timelessness.
Slow Dawns for Lost Conclusions was again recorded mostly at home studios, but additionally the band made use of a friend's desert cabin in Wonder Valley, California, and it seems this willingness to retreat from the city has lent an expansiveness to the tracks, in particular the spacious, ceremonial 'Silent Prayer' (written in a snowbound mountain cabin in Idyllwild, C.A.) and the crepuscular 'She's Stuck in an Endless Loop of Her Decline' (mapped out under the stars in the desert).
While the addition of strings (contributed by Lauren Chipman of The Rentals and The Section Quartet) and trumpet (Stewart Cole of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros) provides a double rainbow of tonal textures throughout, the nine tracks of Slow Dawns for Lost Conclusions are united by an understated elegance belying the newly expanded, communal effort in the studio: each instrument earns its place, nothing is overwrought or conspicuous. Moreover, it is McBride and Gibson's artistry in building stirring soundscapes from the barest of materials in their other guises that lends such assurance and sophistication to these arrangements.
The band is a result of the complimentary cross-pollination of Gibson and McBride's musical tastes - borne from a late-night conversation between the two that grew wings - and it is the universality of the sentiments and their restrained, reflective approach to writing and recording that allows the music to simultaneously straddle the past and the present. The music avoids pastiche, its pedal steel, sleigh bells and harmonies giving a nod to the ghosts of musical genres past, but never overriding or distracting from the emotional content of the sum of its parts.
The album ends with the glorious 'Take Us Away' - one of the first demos Gibson gave McBride when he was on tour with Stars of the Lid - neatly bringing their work to date full circle and exemplifying the band's mindfulness of their own serendipitous beginnings: the dawning of an auspicious, unique musical force.
Bell Gardens - Take Us Away -
Harmonies alert!! Actually, this is rather lovely. Slow-tempo, just the right side of 'twee' and packed full of strings, as if Air and Midlake had been taking balloon trips over the mid-West and sprinkling good-vibes dust across the land. From L.A. and subconsciously plugged into the '60s dream-pop scene, taking in a little bit of Mercury Rev and Brendan Perry en route, stopping off at Pearls Before Swine and Big Star's house for inspiration, before getting stoned with '70s era Brian Eno and Harold Budd.
Trek With Quintronic are the duo, formed from the ashes of prog rock band Masque in 1979. They recorded two pioneering albums of unique electronic rock. 'Landing Plus' compiles the complete discography of Trek With Quintronic on a double vinyl for the first time in over 30 years. Trek With Quintronic wrote songs with a powerful sound, myriads of compositional ideas, synthetic noises and catchy melodies. Paul's rather unique vocals lie somewhere between David Bowie and Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs.nThis collection highlights a lost duo with a big sound on par with Ultravox, Human League, OMD or Devo
Dan Morrow, singer of Funkwerkstatt, going to a world of music with a high atmospheric density.
Funkwerkstat-Sänger Dan Morrow wandelt auf Solopfaden. Wohin In eine musikalische
Welt, deren hohe atmosphärische Dichte zwischen poppiger Leichtgkeit und tefsinniger Melancholie oszilliert. Es sind klassische Songs, die er hier unter dem Namen 'i Am Halo' vorlegt. Denn immer ist es die Textur seiner einzigartgen Stmme, um die herum sich Rhythmen und Melodien kristallisieren. Dies geschieht mal mit tanzbarer, mal mit eher bedächtger Dynamik, mal mit orchestralen Motven, mal mit elektronischem Gefrickel, aber immer mit ganz viel Gefühl und Stmmung. So ganz allein ist - i Am Halo' übrigens doch nicht unterwegs. The Micronaut steuert einen Remix zu Litle Planet bei, in dem die jazzige Vertracktheit seiner Beats immer wieder punktgenau auf der Eins landet. Gluid hebt unter die ießende Melancholie des Titels Not Invented gradlinige Rhythmen, die das symphonisch anmutende Original voll und ganz tanzächenkompatbel machen. Und Mollono.Bass arbeitet sorgfältg die sonnigsten Aspekte von Queen of Queens heraus um sie zu einem ungezwungen Groove zu verdichten.
Following on from their inaugural release DSNT Records are back with a second helping of unvarnished, pummeling tracks in-keeping with the label's clear focus of releasing only the highest quality techno.
Dead Sound (aka Paul Carroll) has made a name for himself after breakthrough releases with Videohead on Ali Wells' heavy duty Perc Trax imprint ('Murder EP', 'The Chosen'), as well as on Australia's Elektrax Recordings, ('DSGL EP'), and sub-label Gynoid Audio ('Your Move', 'Behind Time'), Acroplane Recordings and Counter Pulse ('It's Over').
Bolstering and reinforcing the power of the originals, this release comes fully equipped with some of the finest names in deep, dark and visceral techno on remix duties: Stroboscopic Artefacts' Xhin, Pole Group's Exium and an abstract cut from Monster X.
Support from:
Truss/MPIA3, AnD, Bas Mooy, Perc, Dj Skirt, Sawf, Inigo Kennedy, Raiz, Lakker, Roman Lindau, Donor, Sunil Sharpe.
Kartel is delighted to announce the 18th March release on Soundway Records of Magical Thinking by Antibalas multi-instrumentalist, Chico Mann. Tipping a genre-bending wink at 80's funk, boogie and electro stylings, with just a hint of Afrobeat spicing the mix, Chico effortlessly merges a downtempo groove with timeless pop sensibility to create a contemporary dancefloor classic. UK/European dates for March/April will be announced shortly.
A mixed underground ep with remixes by some of the best new
underground artists from all over the globe
Featuring new Spanish producer of Glider records the mighty Analog People,Tokyo's Little Nobody (Andrez Bergen) and Belgium's DJ Oska.
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"In Dub Vol.1" ist die erste Collection einer Serie mit raren, klassischen und neuen Dub Exkursionen des Bob Marley & The Wailers Kataloges. Sie beinhaltet 10 Dub Remixe und die neu angefertigte Dub Version von "Lively Up Yourself" als
"Lively Up Your Dub".
Once again, with spring, comes another addition to Vakant's fruitful and ever expanding family. We welcome the man formally known as Cesare vs. Disorder, for the first time releasing under his given name Cesare Marchese.
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Sunday Money welcomes 'Grusti' to the label - the collaborative effort of Argentinian musician Guti, and Russian producer Roustam. The background of the project and process of creation is described by Roustam: 'This EP was recorded in Guti's legendary loft studio in Barcelona. I was feeling down and out and just flew in for a week to raise my spirits to visit Guti for the first time. We spent a week living together making this EP, just making music non-stop, breaking for awesome tapas and wine and rolling a lot of spliffs. It features a lot of our influences from different sides of the world — Guti's a passionate fiery Argentinian and I'm more of a reserved and calculating Russian from up north but together we make some funky stuff. Also showcases our big love for breakbeat and similar deconstructed 4 x 4 material. Dedicated to the women we love!'
Hui Terra. The dreamlike shape of the half-heard word, abstracts with faint impressions of bucolic landscape, or handfuls of translucent and brightly-colored gemstones that hold odd, elusive, asymmetrical form. This enchanting, gently surreal debut album from Alex Cobb's Etelin project explores the power and playfulness of impulsive action diffused through electro-acoustic and ambient sound.
This music was created with digital synthesizers and a sampler in the four months immediately following the birth of his first child, a hazy period marked by a lack of regular sleep and a diet of INA-GRM, Nuno Canavarro's "Plux Quba", and Microstoria's "Init Ding" - records that appeared to produce both stimulating and soothing effects on a newborn's nascent consciousness. Recorded and arranged at all hours, this is an album that reflects on moments of tumult and fragility. Cobb sews small sharpnesses and surprises into its movements to uncover different aspects of each sound source, doubling as hypnic starts cast to advance and variate the narrative in subtle and unexpected ways. Sound and atmosphere manifest in eccentric, alchemical fashion, as though forming in processes of sublimation - solids dissipating into vapor - and deposition - clouds resolving and dropping to the ground in piles - to an obscure and domestic rhythm. There's the purveying sense of moving within the boundaries of small, hermetic ecosystem. This is underscored and doused by a slow, blooming sense of warmth; growing joy without bombast. Even the more startling textures conceal this same truth and emphasis, such as the alien, sour salt-butter electronic babble in "Little Rig", largely sampled from Cobb's son's voice at just a week old. It is emotional music - devoted, affectionate, and playful.
Minimalista Records' first vinyl does not choose one face: it chooses four. Two MURI collaborations (with C.I.S.C.O and C4STRO), a track from Martim Tonic, and the production debut of Little Freak, the new alias of Alex Mendes, form an Assemblage that favours diversity over uniformity. A conscious decision: to show from the very beginning that the label's philosophy, minimal as a lens not a limit, holds more than one sound. Lisbon, 2026. The first pressing of a scene taking shape.
On Left At Sunset, Tornado Wallace taps into those fragile, glowing moments after a long night in the club, when the lights come up just enough, the bass softens, and the first hint of morning slips through the windows. Time feels suspended.
The lead track Asahi Ga Yondeiru (“the morning sun is calling”) captures that feeling perfectly. Built around Courtney Bailey’s gentle vocal, it drifts somewhere between late-night house and early morning reflection. It is not about the peak. It is about what comes after it. That quiet euphoria when you realize the night gave you something you will carry back into the real world. The rest of the EP stays in that same emotional zone: warm, slightly melancholic, but full of light. These are tracks for the very last dance, when the floor is half-empty, hearts are wide open, and every sound feels a little more meaningful. Not an ending, really. Just the beginning of whatever comes next.
What an unbelievable record. From the wild cover to the iconic breakbeats, Roots from Ian Carr’s Nucleus is one of the dopest albums we know. This is seriously thick, funky-prog jazz-rock heaven. Originally released on Vertigo in 1973, other than a couple of versions at the time for other territories, Roots was never re-pressed since so it’s gone on to become another one of those impossible to find records.
Maybe it was a little too out there for the time, but it’s aged very, very well indeed and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press.
Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that.
Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels.
Working together with producer Fritz Fryer and engineer Roger Wake, the seven compositions by Carr, Brian Smith and Dave MacRae that make up Roots flirt with perfection, and Nucleus at that time made up of the cream of 1970s UK jazz with Brian Smith on tenor saxophones and flutes, Dave MacRae on piano and electric piano, Jocelyn Pitchen on guitar, Roger Sutton on bass, both Clive Thacker and Aureo De Souza on drums and percussion, Joy Yates delivering the vocals and of course Carr on trumpet.
The spellbinding title track immediately renders the album indispensable. Riding the illest of loping breakbeats, “Roots” is low-slung, doped-out heist-funk. An absolute monster. If it sounds familiar then that’s likely down to it being sampled by Madlib for Lootpack and Quasimoto’s “Loop Digga”, as well as by a whole host of beat manipulators. “Roots” conjures prime instrumental hip-hop / beat music, only 20 years ahead of its time. Truly, these are the roots. Through sinuous bass, twinkling keys and a hypnotic guitar riff, a smoky brass motif weaves its way into a gloriously deep haze around Carr’s solos. “Roots” is over 9 minutes long, but there’s not a single wasted second, not surprising given that this is a condensed version of an originally 40 minute long commissioned composition.
The soothing vocal fusion delight of “Images” follows. Meticulously constructed, with gorgeous flute work from Brian Smith, with Joy Yates’ silky vocals and Dave MacRae’s Rhodes never sounding better. The cool, driving “Caliban” closes out the first side. Originally the third movement in a four part commission to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday it stands up on its own, all robust rhythms and blended brass. Keyboard colour and Carr’s trumpet are splashed across the funk drums and basslines (and there’s even some bamboo flute). This really is fusion: the elements of jazz and rock coming together in beautifully synthesis.
Side two opens in riotous fashion with the short, thrilling samba of “Wapatiti”. Next up, “Capricorn” forms a smoothed-out, jazzy constellation. Mellow and dreamy, its twinkling percussion and languid horns slowly build the vibe before head-nod drums and a killer bassline enter the fray. With a distinct heaviness that Black Sabbath would’ve envied, “Odokamona” is a venomous slice of riff-soaked jazz metal (yes, you read that right), elevated by Carr’s wah-wah horns.
The album closes with MacRae’s exceptionally cosmic “Southern Roots and Celebration”. Very much in conversation with Weather Report, it opens as a languorous, spiritual jazz of chiming keys and serene guitar that turns slowly, gorgeously into a mid-paced, brass-laced banger. It’s another sure-fire party starter and the sound of the band having a righteous blast, building an ecstatic chaos that ends with Yates screaming.
And of course we need to talk about Keith Davis’ cover for Roots. Perhaps the coolest record cover of all time? Certainly one of the most bonkers. Just your run-of-the-mill high-gloss, acid-tinged airbrush dystopian/utopian living-room party scene. Consider this your chemical flashback trigger warning.
Front-and-centre the hip-to-death green robot holds court with their giant ball of yellow barbwire wool, hooked up to… something(?) being teased out from under the stairs (probably best not to ask). A thoroughly zoned-out, long-legged Pop Art party-goer lounges half-plugged in to the painting behind her as a pair of legs flail into shot from the the top of the stairs opposite. We won’t even begin to guess what the chap’s up to in the middle, but the view out of the windows is rather nice, and someone’s already got the hoover out ready to tidy up. All of the Nucleus sleeves are something special, but this particular one? Crikey.
This Be With edition of Roots has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Pete Norman’s cut to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The crazy cover has been restored at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.
Sublime frequencies from the golden era of ambient electronica.
Plumbing hidden depths beneath a deceptively tranquil surface, MLO's mid-90s masterpiece Io is an overlooked gem from a golden era for ambient electronic music. Originally released in 1994, Jon Tye and Pete Smith's collaborative album responded to the growing chill-out movement by leaning into classical and avant-garde influences from Satie, Debussy and Cage through to Soft Machine, Incredible String Band and Eno. Recorded across various studios stacked with classic and rare synths, Io was patiently composed into slowly unfolding suites punctuated with ripples of arrhythmic interference to arrive at a purist vision of true ambient.
The next instalment in Forever Records' ongoing reissue series shines a light back on this landmark piece of UK electronica with the first official reissue since its original edition on Rising High. As well as the original double LP pressing and a new CD digipak version, there will also be a uniquely numbered, limited edition housed in a gatefold sleeve that comes with a bonus 10" featuring two previously unreleased versions of the album's opening cut, 'Wimborne'.
Press response to Io:
"Not so much ambient, more environmental music, Io lets you bring as much (or as little) of your surroundings in as suits your mood. Every listen can be different. Interactive ambient at last.”
IO is pure ambience. Relying on motif as opposed to melody, MLO have produced a truly evocative album.
Peter McIntyre, Mixmag, UK 1994.
"MLO's influences range from the likes of Eric Satie and the intellectual salon music of his era to the more predictable reference point of dubby, modern techno, though they feel, perhaps rather contentiously, that "ambient music can exist in isolation from the rest of the dance music arena". Can it? Take a trip to Io, and find out."
Generator Magazine, UK 1994.
"If you like your ambient deep and moody with long chords that creep along at approximately the speed of drying paint then check out MLO’s Io."
Mixology, UK 1994.
"MLO set the controls for the heart of headspace for their first full album release. Io is top grade ambient brain… Ace album…"
Select, UK 1994.
DJ Support: Dj Harvey, Bicep, TEED, Sarah Story, Joe Goddard, Make A Dance, Dj Subaru, Demi Requismo, Horsemeat Disco, Greg Wilson, Crazy P, Justin Strauss, Sean Johnston (ALFOS), Masilmiliano Pagliara, Red Rack’em Jordan Nocturne , Gina Breeze, Heidi Lawden, Eugene Whang, Neil Diablo, Gina Breeze, Marcel Vogel.
After a mysterious hiatus, one of The essential edit labels of the 2010’s has returned just as inexplicably as it disappeared..
The previous 4 volumes now change hands with private collectors for $$ .. These limited run edits will no doubt sell out in similar fashion..
The A side see’s the most dance floor oriented but often over looked track from Bjork’s album Debut receive the DJ edit it always needed . A2 a unique rework of a very rare nrg record that started out like as Aerobics accompaniment album..
On the Flip B1 take Turn toward the Funk , PBR giving the heavy dub treatment to one of The Whispers most criminally ignored tracks. Rounding things off the B2 drifts into the work of wonky, sleazy Italo.. Magari uses the little understood “wrong speed” technique to sublime effect, combined with some extra synth work it delivers a an entirely different track…one for the heads..
Esteemed soul crooner Sam Cooke achieved much in a short space of time, notching 29 top-40 singles in his seven-year solo career. On Night Beat, released in 1963, Rene Hall’s tasteful arrangements allow Cooke’s voice to shine, most notably on ‘Lost And Lookin’; jump blues standards ‘Shake Rattle And Roll’ and ‘Little Red Rooster’ are playfully rendered, with Billy Preston’s organ on the latter. Originals ‘Mean Old World’ and ‘Laughin’ And Clownin’ remind of his strong song-writing ability and his spirited take of ‘Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen’ recalled his days with the Soul Stirrers. A prime album for all Cooke fans!
Logistic Records proudly presents a special 30 years anniversary repress of one of its most iconic releases: “Brainstew” by Tom Ellis. Originally released in 2010 and instantly recognized for its unique blend of hypnotic melodies, raw basslines and the unmistakable voice of Suz, “Brainstew” quickly became a standout track — unclassified, emotional and deeply immersive. Revisited by UK legend Baby Ford, the remix delivers a deep, stripped-back and hypnotic version built for the dancefloor. This anniversary repress also includes a previously unreleased take: “Brainstew (Little Nest Mix)”, a deeper and more introspective version by Tom Ellis. A cult track, reissued and expanded.
