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A powerful 2 sider from the mighty Little Beaver right here! Both sides simply oozing that Florida Funk feeling, outstanding!
Another stone cold authorised repress courtesy of those TK folks, this 1977 jammer opens with the sublime instrumental 'We Three' - some serious Disco flavour, one for the late night action. 'Listen to my heartbeat' is the flipside, another wicked storming dancefloor cut, this time with the main man himself pleading for that special lady to come and find him and make an honest man out of him. Brilliant. They don't make records like this anymore - for real. This one's been repressed with the og CAT label artwork, and it looks great too. An all-round quality reissue of yet another rarity from the world of Funk. Essential.

Released with love and respect by: Above Board and TK Disco, Miami FL. 2020.

Presenting a collection of stone-cold classic breakbeats and b-boy jams from the sunkissed vaults of Miami's legendary TK Disco label!

NYC in the late 70's and early 80's saw a nascent street subculture fully evolve, a movement with it's own language, art, aesthetics, dances, fashion and way of living.

What would become what is now globally known as 'hip-hop' was in its infancy, with it's own legends and history being forged on an almost daily basis across the city's Black and Hispanic neighbourhoods. Music was central to hip-hop, the DJ was king and at the hands of people like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Flowers, Mean Gene, Jazzy Jay, Afrika Bambaataa, Charlie Chase and numerous other groundbreaking DJ's of the era, music took on a whole new meaning that would reverberate through popular culture for the rest of time.

The breaks - minute sections or breakdowns of a record where we get to the unadulterated groove and the band on the record cut loose - is what it was all about! Unlike the discotheque DJ's who favoured the long mixes and blends in their club scenarios, hip-hop DJ's were amassing huge collections of records that had these magical sections on them, often x 2 copies of each, so that they could elongate the best part of the record ad infinitum by cutting them up live - all killer no filler! These special on the fly mixes and edits were then unleashed in the local parks of their neighbourhoods, on gargantuan DIY sound systems for all of their friends and neighbours to party on down until the wee small hours. These breakbeat segments also gave the MC's space to address the gathered masses without their voices colliding with lavish string arrangements or vocals underneath. A clear, concise, stripped back slab of funk on which to put forth their ideas, feelings and rhymes for all to enjoy.

Collected here are some of those most infamous breakbeats, all from the TK vaults. These records were studied by these young DJ's, coveted, covered up, hunted down, whispered about in darkened corners by those who needed and obsessed over the freshest of beats. There's a good chance you will have heard these records in some form or another as they have been covered, sampled, recreated and spun in clubs across the galaxy for over 4 decades. These are the very building blocks upon which popular culture and club music have been built, and here they are all in one place for your listening enjoyment!

Released with love and respect by: Above Board and TK Disco, Miami FL. 2020.

Berlin-based, Dutch-born Steffi possesses near-boundless prowess. As a DJ, she’s proved her effortless mastery of disco, house, electro, and techno; as helm of labels Klakson and Dolly, she’s long maintained her status as tastemaker; as a producer, she has graced us with three solo LPs and numerous 12”s. Dark Entries is now honored to unveil the debut of her project Crushed Soul, a moniker she had used only once in 2013 for an Ostgut Ton compilation track. The mutual esteem of Steffi and DE has been previously fruitful, with Steffi providing a remix for Cute Heels’ 2016 EP on DE, but this is their first full-length collaboration.

The Family of Waves EP represents both familiar and novel pastures for Steffi. While her love of electro and classic Detroit techno have been oft-evident, here we witness the darker shades of new wave and industrial creep to the forefront. This turn for the twisted feels not just natural, but predestined, an inevitable succumbing to morbid forces. But Steffi also views Family as “a playful association...a mix of my past and new modern waves". There is a kernel of whimsy, even joy, lurking within the record’s temporal jumblings. The A-side opens with “Gravitational Field”, which juxtaposes its gnarled bassline with unearthly percussives and a recurrent resonant gong. The wild sonic palette speaks Steffi’s singular voice. “Scalar Property” continues the paranoid propulsion with an unhealthy dose of what can only be described as Metroid-funk, its staccato bass jabs interlaced with ghastly vocal pads. The B-side contains a diptych of slower tracks that juggle reference points both retro and futurist. In “Family of Waves”, a churning EBM-esque bassline battles acerbic yelps. On this track, the collision of past and present is most pronounced, as if A Split Second were covering Mike Parker. “Diffusion of Heat” closes the EP with what feels like a perfect synthesis of Steffi’s musical passions: funky, warbling chord stabs; intricate rhythmic diversions; the ecstasy of repetition. Here, disco, new wave, and techno marry harmoniously, if only to inform us of the disharmony of our present.

All songs have been mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve and accompanying postcard were designed by Eloise Leigh using video art stills by Goldenliustra.

Seeing himself as a social commentator, Coops continuously draws inspiration from everything around him and is feeling more inspired than ever. Having signed to the label in 2018 he has already released 2 poignant albums and continues to create at rapid speed.

The 8-track project - which was made in just 4 studio sessions - is unlike Coops’ usual 14+ track albums both he and his fans have become used to. Coops turned the album around in record time to ensure his music was released during this unparalleled time in history. The homegrown beats come from his close friend and long term collaborator Talos who has produced almost all his beats to date.

In the opening track, ‘ Boom Biddy Bye’ Coops doesn’t waste a second in putting his fellow rappers through their paces. A block rapper with no one to please but himself, Coops professes that he barely listens to what other rappers release to ensure they don’t infiltrate and influence his own music. Highly appropriate for these times, title track ‘ Crimes Against Creation ’ is the stand out voice of this generation and his message to the world. ‘W arped perception, thwart connections, they force perfection, then claim the antidotes an injection...’ plays out and we begin to appreciate how the current situation is playing heavily on his mind. As the album progresses we get to see all sides of Coops’ personality with ‘Piss Poor’ reminding us of the raw gritty London lifestyle from which he has risen from, whilst ‘Profile’ demonstrates his softer more promiscuous side as well as touching on themes of fatherhood and online relationships.
Coops’ musical entry point begun by making music with his friends, but it wasn’t until he really looked at himself and the world around him when he decided he needed to go it alone, opening his mind and his solo stream of creativity which hasn’t stopped since. A self-proclaimed hermit he embodies the essence of a true artist and only finds comfort in doing what he loves, not what he is told.

Limited run of the Instrumental versions taken from the recent "Swing Convention" LP from OXP - Onra x Pomrad.

Dona Aka Dj Plant Texture’s debut on Mannequin is the result of an effective true love for the early Chicago Acid and Jackbeat, mixed with textures of EBM and Cold Wave.
“Mindscapes”, featuring the haunted vocals of Aloth, represents a trip into states of consciousness and psychiatric diseases. Ispired by some reports describing America’s Mental health System during the latest 70’s, the EP is a blend of analog machines, forced to create the perfect jam session.

Mastered by Q3000
Graphic design by Silent Servant and AA.

Limited edition of 300 copies on 140gr black vinyl.

Three reworks, three classics, three chances to transport your mind, body and soul to somewhere with a little more sizzle and spice.

Timeless Legend are Jackie Hogg, Allen B. Burney, Donald Harmon, and Michael Harmon from Columbus, Ohio.

Their music is among the most elusive on the rare funk/soul scene with “I Was Born To Love You” a huge crossover club anthem and with ‘timeless’ appeal.

The ‘Synchronised’ album from 1980 is iconic and one of the rarest ‘rare grooves’ and original copies currently sell for over £1,000 a copy. There will only be 1000 copies of this numbered reissue

Adeen Records 006 Introduces Bari born by way of Italy producer Nico Lahs. The South Italy producer delved deeper into his roots and returned using an array of vintage analog and digital hardwares, to give life in total freedom (as the name suggests) to his own sound and trademark.
The 2xLP album is the result of an unceasing and steadily research of one of the Italian music innovators, who doesn't just make house, but he's just as adept making hip-hop, downtempo, technoish and ethereal stuff deeply rooted into Chicago and Detroit history that starts with mellow atmospheres to then go up and down, skillfully juggling among samples, hardwares and artistry, showing his abilities with the sole purpose of calling out all the music heads, regardless of their taste, and unite 'em under one only message. Simply something for everyone!

FIZZY is a selection of eight tracks by Catastrophe, for the first time gathered on vinyl. Born in 2016, Catastrophe would like not to forbid anything, even if it means the risk of ridicule. Whether in forests, on rooftops, crossing France and summer festivals (Rock en Seine, We Love Green, Francofolies), Catastrophe imagines. On stage, surprise reigns supreme and explodes into a musical kaleidoscope.

In 33T and with printed innersleeves, this vinyl is a beautiful introduction to the world of Catastrophe. Their recent performances on major French and international stages (Eurosonic, Reeperbahn, Munich, Tokyo, Warsaw) show the growing interest for their music and energy. This selection is an ideal gateway to discover them.

Eric D. Clark
"Written in approximately 1996 or shortly thereafter & born of a night out on the town naturally!
...having been to hear Ranga Tikki (Ms. Codi from New Zealand) drop knowledge in Berlin's SO36: she'd
played the "I have a dream" speech orated by Martin Luther King;
...the mind stopped at "From every Mountain Top"! I walked back through the streets shouting that to myself
until entering the flat then started immediately on the song!
Written and produced: ERiC D. ClARk
publisher: SUBCURRENT Music lTd.

Hans Nieswandt:
Between 1996 and 2000 (and in some cases beyond), Cologne project Whirlpool Productions produced a lot
of music, both as a group and as solo artists, at the legendary Can Studio in Weilerswist, a small town about
20 kilometres south of Cologne. Much of this music has been released, most notable the international
classic „From: Disco To:Disco“; but some of the music never saw the light of day. These two tracks I
produced myself at some point shortly after my first solo album „Lazer Muzik“ and I’m super glad to get a
chance to finally release them - because there is the important cause of helping to save the Paloma Bar, a
place where I played times and always loved it - an experience I dearly hope to repeat many times more.
And because I always liked those two tracks a lot, they just never found their proper platform, for whatever
reasons. As I think they are quite fitting to the sound of the Paloma, I’m more than happy to support this
unique place with this humble contribution. Written and produced by Hans Nieswandt around 20 years ago
at Can Studio, Weilerswist. Original date unknown.

Lowtec & Marvin Dash:
"Es gibt ein paar Lieblingsclubs in Deutschland, kleine Clubs wie z.B. Paloma in Berlin oder Pudel in HH -
wo es nur um die pure Liebe zur Musik geht - wo keine Kompromisse eingegangen werden müssen in
Bezug auf Trackauswahl oder zu deepen Sets, weil das Publikum einfach versteht worum es geht.
Sozusagen das verlängerte Wohnzimmer... Bei gefühlt jeder 2. Platte fragt jemand nach einer Track ID, alle
paar Minuten bringt jemand etwas zu trinken...das wollen wir unterstützen." (Lowtec & Marvin Dash)
Marvin Dash – Lost in the Woods: Written and produced by Ronald Reuter in around 2010. Previously
unreleased.
Lowtec – Museum Of Natural History Of Life: Written & produced by Jens Kuhn, 2000. Previously
unreleased.

Matthew Dear has unveiled a new alias, Brain, which will debut with a double-EP called The World on Planet E. It’s the latest in a long line of trackier Matthew Dear aliases, including False, Jabberjaw and Audion, whose 2006 classic “Mouth To Mouth” came in at number 20 on Resident Advisor’s Top 100 Tracks Of The ’00s feature. The lead-off cut on the inaugural Brain release, “Boss,” was first heard on Carl Craig’s Detroit Love Vol. 2 compilation.

A slow dance with love and death.

Duñe and Crayon have been working together for a few years now. Crayon, discovered by Kitsuné is a close relative of FKJ and Kartell. Duñe, on the other hand, has evolved with the duo Saje.

It was within the Roche Musique family that they met and naturally started working on a joint-EP in 2016, soberly entitled Duñe x Crayon. Both self-taught producers, Crayon and Duñe, former inhabitants of Parisian suburbs located at opposite positions, yet quickly found each other.

For their first album, they lock themselves in their studio day and night, until they choke. It would take them several years - interspersed with a few solo projects - for the two artists to give birth to Hundred Fifty Roses. An album through which they expose themselves, both in production and in writing but also in interpretation. On rhythms sometimes inspired by Anglo-Saxon sensuality, but with a production that is indie enough to infuse more warmth. A groove with a soft pop feel to which Thomas Clairice, former bass player of HER, also contributes. To accompany Duñe, bright voices were invited on six of the album's thirteen tracks : We hear French singer and rapper Ichon‘s velvet voice (whom Crayon also produces) on "Pointless"; Gracy Hopkins brings his soul on "Your fruit". Ph Trigano - another artist who produces Ichon - participates in "PS" along with Swing.
Lossapardo - with whom Crayon had already recorded on his solo projects - close the album with "Slowdiving". On the English side, we discover Jadu Heart, a duet signed on Anchor Point, Mura Masa's label, giving the replica on "Invisible". More than perfection, Hundred Fifty Roses resolutely seeks emotion. The album is the musical result of an open discussion in an intimate context, halfway between the live experience and the digital exercise.

First up is Nehuen, an Argentinian born but Barcelona based artist who is notorious for his abrasive dance floor workouts on I Love Acid, BNR Trax and the Classicworks label he co-owns with Cardopusher. Cardopusher is, of course, a true electronic legend from Venezuela. His dizzyingly diverse sound takes in rave, acid, electro, techno and house influences and distills them into hugely
Raw and energetic new forms.

Nehuen's Psyops Part One kicks off with the excellent title track, which contorts acid and electro into a writhing monster filled with dark energy. The visceral 'Toxic' is built on slapping hits and spangled basslines that will tie you in knots as the bumping drums drive things forward. The late-night menace continues on 'Bailar', with tight synth arps layered up in robotic forms over clunky drums that are industrial and futuristic in equal measure. Last but not least, the eerie 'Desire' strikes a more twisted note with double kicks juddering beneath echoing hits. It's pure, filthy, brilliant body music.

Cardopusher kicks off Part Two with the fantastic 'Disobedience' (feat. Lbeeze) a slow-motion drum workout that is like dark disco mangled through a psychedelic filter, with robotic vocals and stiff arp
jerking your body. 'Abyss Antidote' is then a flurry of drum breaks and electro bass, frazzled synths and whipping hits that keep you on the edge of your seat. Darkness abounds on the gritty 'Initial Decay' (ft. Lbeeze), which layers up taught drums and hits with spraying synths that come from a dystopian planet.

Closing out this epic mini-series is 'Mutant Brain', a cyborg techno meltdown with manic acid for
company.

These are devilishly distorted tracks from two of the best producers around.

Originally released in 1982, on Cobiana Records.

Limited deluxe version of 500 copies on 180 gram vinyl, with insert and tip-on cover.

Tustumnhos di Aonti can be defined as “a testimony of the weakness of yesterday.” The album is an African Groove made with European instruments, but with its heart and soul deeply grounded in Guinea-Bissau. The eight tracks represent Ze Manel’s (member of Super Mama Djombo) poetic yet frustrated account of what was happening around him. “Love is a social thing, when I see something I don’t like, I sing it in my way. About the people. The people are never wrong.”

Released during the late 1970's Disco era, Milton Wright's sophomore long player has always stood out as a singular, innovative example of the deepest, rarest grooves known to underground Soul lovers all over the globe. This often overlooked body of work has found a whole new audience who revisited the man's work retrospectively, pushing the LP into the domain of "holy grail" status amongst Black music lovers and Funk fanatics. "Spaced" has been at the top of the wants lists of serious music lovers for decades, often unattainable and commanding stellar collectors prices on-line, sometimes fetching amounts of upwards of £400. This unique LP could be perceived as being Wright's most personal work, tragically overshadowed by the burgeoning successes of his then label mates on Miami's Alston Records imprint. The sheer craftsmanship and songwriting prowess on show is undeniable, as is the top level musicianship and production, sounding ridiculously fresh almost some 40 years later. Above Board distribution has collaborated with Alston / TK Records to ensure the quality of this fully legitimate repress of this long lost Soul / Funk classic has been maintained. Remastered, reissued and represented with the full cooperation of the license holders for 2016. Do not pass up the chance to own a true gem, a pivotal, lost LP like "Spaced", now made available again to be enjoyed by all. "Magic Music".

Digging deep into the annals of Gospel now, the name Pastor TL Barrett should be familiar to the eagle eyed crate diggers amongst you. An extremely "colourful" character from Chicago's Southside neighbourhood who found himself on the wrong side of the law for his involvement in some activities of a dubiously illegal nature, more importantly, besides this the pastor was widely known for his community activism and positive sermons preaching love and responsibility. Shady past aside, this fantastic 1976 LP entitled "Do Not Pass Me By" is a real Gospel beauty and features 8 tracks of resplendent hands in the air rejoicement. Having never been reissued before this rare as gem is finally back out in the open, complete with it's incredible untampered with sleeve artwork and design. Barrett's unique voice and message is timeless and instantly recognisable, you can't help but become one of the congregation whilst listening to these wonderfully rousing and positive paeans to the lord almighty. Saying that, even if you find yourself to be a non-believer, the soul, funk and jazz stylings (with the odd flourish of synth!) the good pastor is laying down will be equally as alluring to those of you who dig those particular sounds. "Do Not Pass Me By" was originally released on Miami's TK Disco offshoot Gospel Roots, it's the Pastor's second release on the label and is a beautiful snapshot of how things might have gone down at his "Mount Zion Baptist Church of Universal Awareness". A unique LP with with a somewhat lo-fi charm, the tracks contained run the gamut from slow, downtempo ballads to roof raising, danceable Disco-esque anthems.
This is the first time that "Do Not Pass Me By" has been reissued on vinyl, fully remastered from Gospel Roots/TK's original tapes, represented the way the the LP was issued in 1976 with all original cover and label artworks intact. Now, almost 40 years after it's original release the album has now been made available again for 2016, fully licensed in conjunction and with the full permission of Henry Stone music / TK Disco, Miami, FL.

Horse Meat Disco unveil the latest preview of their forthcoming album ‘Love & Dancing’ with ‘Message To The People’, featuring one of the main co-artists on the LP, Amy Douglas, alongside soul trio Dames Brown. A record that started as an adaptation of the Shirley Caesar original, recorded in the studio with the Dames; Horse Meat Disco and Luke Solomon then headed to Amy’s native Brooklyn, where she wrote her verses sat at the piano for this sublime disco jam. This 12” delivery features remixes from some of the genre’s most revered artists, each turning their hand at this labour of love. Up first, unrefuted master of the edit Danny Krivit delivers a blissful, club-friendly extended version, making full use of the longer playtime with an elegant, journey-like mix. The Key-A-Pella follows, an essential DJ tool that allows Amy and Dames Brown’s vocals to really shine. The funk-fuelled Michelle Mix kicks off the B-Side, an empowering, uplifting narration provided by a sample taken from none other than former First Lady Michelle Obama, inspired by Chicago legend Kelly G.’s creative sampling on his Deeper Message Groove mix, the track that closes out the release. Kelly’s mix is a soulful, grooving affair with dreamy keys you can’t help but move to.

Step in the Arena is the second studio album by hip hop duo Gang Starr, printed as a 1990 release and commercially released on January 15, 1991. The album received critical acclaim and was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The Source magazine stated: “Step in the Arena stands alone on a musical level, yet it also remains true to hip-hop’s underground heritage.” In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source’s 100 Best Hip Hop Albums. Urban Legends/UMC will reissue Step In The Arena on 2LP 180 gram black vinyl on 28th June, 2019.

Albert Ayler’s 1969 album New Grass has been misunderstood from the day of its release. The album fi nds Ayler experimenting with soul music and digging back into his R&B roots (he started his career playing saxophone with Chicago bluesman Little Walter), fusing it with the avant-garde free jazz (the one element of the record which garnered consistent praise) and adding the vocals of Rose Marie McCoy, The Soul Singers and Ayler himself. As if predicting the divisiveness of the record to follow, Ayler speaks directly to the listener and explains that New Grass is nothing like his albums before — that it is of “a different dimension of his life” — in the album opener “Message from Albert.”

New Grass deserves reconsideration, if not for the heavy grooves and surprising arrangements, then for its bravery in challenging norms of the time; by the ‘60s, jazz was well-accepted as a uniquely American art form, while soul as a genre was very much still seen as primitive. Ayler melds them together and creates something novel, adventurous, and completely his own. At the time of its release, despite its divisive reception, New Grass helped break down the unnecessary walls dividing genres and revealed music’s potential freedoms. The album has gone on to infl uence generations of Jazz, R&B, Funk, Hip Hop, Post Punk, No Wave and unshrinking artists like Pharaoh Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Funkadelic, Jungle Brothers, Red Krayola, Sonic
Youth and Mark E. Smith.

Third Man Records can’t recommend this record highly enough. We are confi dent that it won’t take but one listen for you to understand New Grass is an undeniable healing force

Will Saul, DJ/Producer and Aus Music label head primes the 150th release for the longstanding British label with a stellar cover of the 1990 seminal techno record of the same name by Yolanda on seminal label Underground Resistance.

With the original record being one of Saul's all time favorites and UR being a constant source of inspiration it was beyond a dream to get his version fully approved by Mike Banks to celebrate the landmark anniversary. Saul then worked with Berlin based vocalist Gilli.jpg - who has recently worked with Cinthie - to re-vocal Yolanda’s song.

As a former intern at Skint in the late 90s heyday, this up-streamed anthem feels extra special finally landing digitally on the label where Saul began learning his trade over twenty years ago. The vinyl will be released on Aus. There is also a version expected later this year which see's Saul collaborate with Paul Woolford and additional remixes by Move D and Space Dimension Controller that will land shortly. The release features artwork by Trevor Jackson, the man behind the Output label, who’s releases launched careers for huge artists like Four Tet and LCD Soundsystem to name just a few. His iconic, pop art influenced work has been seen on releases including the undisputable 80’s dance classic, Raze ‘Break 4 Love’ and S'Express 'Theme from S'Express'.

ebut full length LP from Japan's favorite underground native son. A fixture in the Japanese beat scene & known by those in-the-know for years now, PEPIN lands his spaceship in Chicago courtesy of STAR CREATURE for his debut, modern funk meets space boogie anchored by Japanese King, SAUCE81.

Washed Out is Atlanta-based producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene. Over three enchanting, critically-lauded albums and an EP, his music has proved both transportive and visual, each release inviting listeners into immersive, self-contained universes. With Purple Noon, his fourth album, and his return to Sub Pop, he delivers the most accessible Washed Out creation to date. Life of Leisure, Washed Out's 2009 debut EP, set the bar for the Chillwave era, shimmering in a warm haze of off-the-cuff Polaroids and pre-IG filters. Within and Without, his 2011 full-length debut on Sub Pop, morphed into nocturnal, icy synth-pop and embraced provocative imagery. 2013's Paracosm was Greene's take on psychedelia, with a full live band and kaleidoscopic light show, and saw him playing to the largest audiences of his career. The sample-heavy Mister Mellow (2017, Stone's Throw) delivered a 360 audio/visual experience, with cut-n-paste and hand-drawn animation to match the hip-hop influences throughout the album. With each release, Greene has approached his evolving project with meticulous detail and a steadfast vision. For Purple Noon, Greene again wrote, recorded, and produced the entirety of the album, with mixing handled by frequent collaborator Ben H. Allen (Paracosm, Within and Without). Production of the album followed a brief stint of writing for other artists (most notably Sudan Archives) which enabled Greene to explore genres like R&B and modern pop. These brighter, more robust sounds made their way into the songs of Purple Noon and mark a new chapter for Greene as a producer and songwriter. The vocals are front and center, tempos are slower, beats bolder, and there's a more comprehensive depth of dynamics. One can hear the luxuriousness of Sade, the sonic bombast of Phil Collins, and the lush atmosphere of the great Balearic beat classics. Mediterranean coastlines inspired Purple Noon, and Greene pays tribute to the region's distinct island culture - all rugged elegance and old-world charm - and uses it as a backdrop to tell stories of passion, love, and loss (Purple Noon's title comes from the 1960 film directed by Rene Clement and based on the novel The Talented Mister Ripley by Patricia Highsmith). Much like romantic Hollywood epics, the melodrama throughout is strong: a serendipitous first meeting in "Too Late"; a passionate love affair in "Paralyzed"; disintegration of a relationship in "Time to Walk Away"; a reunion with a lost love in "Game of Chance." Purple Noon adds a layer of emotional intensity to the escapism of Washed Out's oeuvre, taking the music to dazzling new heights.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album 'Olympian', this is the definitive ‘Best Of’ Gene compilation, available exclusively on vinyl. Compiled by Matt James, Steve Mason and Kevin Miles and featuring 22 tracks, pressed on 2LP 180g heavyweight blue coloured vinyl Featuring fan favourites, plus all of the bands 10 top 40 UK singles including ‘Sleep Well Tonight’, ‘Haunted By You’, ‘Olympian’, ‘For The Dead’, ‘Fighting Fit’, ‘We Could Be Kings’, ‘Where Are They Now?’, ‘Speak To Me Someone’, ‘As Good As It Gets’ and ‘Fill Her Up’
Includes a selection of sleeve notes from the band and respected journalist Keith Cameron Inspired by the songs of The Smiths, The Jam and The Faces, Martin Rossiter’s literate vocals and Steve Mason’s fluid guitar lines were perfectly complemented by the intuitive rhythm section of Kevin Miles and Matt James. Gene released four studio albums and a collection of Bsides and radio demos between 1995 and 2001, and were named Best New Act at the inaugural NME awards in 1995, and went on to score 10 Top 40 hits.

Bing & Ruth, the ever-evolving project helmed by New York composer David Moore, has announced details of a new album, scheduled for release this summer. Entitled Species, the 7-track, 49-min record will be released via 4AD.

While on a surface level, Species is an exploration of the sonic possibilities of the Farfisa organ, aided only
by a clarinet and double bass (played respectively by
founding members Jeremy Viner and Jeff Ratner), the
title Species is a nod to both humanity and humility –
a devotion to the godly intuition with which we are all
endowed, and the humbleness required of us to
perceive it. It’s also about suspended time and trance;
not just a steady movement from A to B, but as
something that flows, meanders and eddies, like
water.

Species, and the transcendental state it embodies,
was inspired by two recent loves of Moore’s: the
desert and long-distance running. Briefly relocating
from his New York base to Point Dume, between the
Pacific Ocean and the desert, Moore was able to
indulge in both passions, which in turn provided
stimulus for new work. He says, “I’d found myself in
places unfamiliar enough that I could easily lose all
sense of direction, size and, more than anything, all
sense of time. The music I was making became a kind
of reflection of these intentional detachments - and a
place to mirror that feeling of trance that had pushed
them out in the first place.”

"An amazing dub infused reimagination by buzzy Brooklyn duo Overcoats, of the Local Natives hit single When Am I Gonna Lose You. This version of When Am I Gonna Lose You has never been released physically
Local Natives have released a new version of “When Am I Gonna Lose You” back in December, with the touches of Brooklyn duo Overcoats. The original single is off of Local Natives’ latest album, Violet Street. “We loved singing this song and the more we sat with the lyrics and layered the harmonies, the more powerful the words became for us. It’s a beautiful song and we were really excited to be part of a reimagined version. “It’s hard to have perspective on songs you’ve spent so long with and are so close to, so having an amazing group like Overcoats reimagine one feels like a gift. We’re honoured that they created their own version of When Am I Gonna Lose You, they did a great job, especially with their beautiful vocals.”"

2020 Re-issue of Keith Kenniff's debut under his Goldmund moniker. Originally only released on CD in 2005 via John Twells' Type Recordings, this album of rare and unusual minimalist beauty is now presented as a vinyl edition for the first time.

Multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff is a busy man. He has appeared as Helios on a number of acclaimed releases, including Deaf Center’s ‘Neon City EP’, and released a debut album ‘Unomia’ on Merck records which has appeared on many best of 2004 lists. All this while studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and playing drums, guitar or contributing production to a host of amazing musicians. Kenniff lives and breathes music, something that is very obvious when hearing tracks under any of his pseudonyms.

As Goldmund, Kenniff has disregarded the electronic elements of his music almost entirely in favour of just a piano, a microphone and occasionally a guitar. ‘Corduroy Road’ is thirteen tracks of pure recording, the sound of the piano being opened and the feet on the pedals, the sound of fingers pressing lovingly onto the keys. This is a record of rare and unusual beauty, so shocking and yet unpretentious in its simplicity. When the guitar does emerge from beside the delicately touched piano, it serves as a balancing point for the record. Weaving in and out of the melodies, it adds another layer to what is already incredibly moving music.

‘Corduroy Road’ is rooted in Kenniff’s love of folk music from the American Civil War. We can hear this directly from his rendition of Civil War era classic ‘Marching Through Georgia’, but the influence carries throughout the record. There is an unheard voice which propels each track through history, maybe the ghosts of dying soldiers whispering in a long forgotten bar. Every haunting note drifts deep into the psyche and is lost in the ether of nostalgia. In this way it is a concept recording of sorts, it certainly has a narrative and has to be listened to in sequence. The story has clear themes; loss, history, friendship, camaraderie, forgiveness and hope, all clearly marked out by musical segments. It is no surprise that Kenniff’s passion for cinema shines through so strongly.

It would be hard to draw comparisons to music so rooted in folk traditions, but the music evokes traces of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mark Hollis, Keith Jarret or even Eno’s more piano based compositions. Yet influence seems unimportant when listening to this deeply personal work. Just let it sink in and drift into the psyche.

Modern britfunk extraordinaire OURRA teams up with Indie duo THE GRAVITY DRIVE to present the "SUPERNATURAL EP". OURRA continues his hot streak for STAR CREATURE laying down the production & instrumentals while GD deepens the mood with their calming/chill/future/ retro vocal stylings.

Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles announces details of his highly anticipated new album Articulation, released on Erased Tapes on 31 July 2020.
‘Articulation’, the lead track and album centrepiece, links the record back to the analogue fluidity and colour of 2016’s Night Melody. The division of varying time signatures, intertwined with a complex structure of notes, creates an expression of a moving structure and conjures a dreamy motorik energy. Ryan Lee West explains, "The title track is about articulation and playfulness with shape and time. Its structure is very machine-like, but I was really interested in how melody and sense of story could develop out of this, and it became an exploration of mathematical structures - patterns and shapes having a conversation. I love that something on paper can appear rigid and calculated, but then take on new meaning based on the context that surrounds it, or how it changes over time."
Articulation (which follows 2018’s Persona) was conceived with a very visual way of thinking, unusual for the London musician and producer. During the writing process Ryan drew structures, shapes and patterns by hand to try and find new ways of thinking about music, giving himself a way to problem-solve away from the computer. The album title references a piece by the avant-garde contemporary composer Györgi Ligeti, though not for its music, but for the non-traditional graphic score that accompanied it.
“I find electronic music is often battling to say something with integrity because technology and production can easily get in the way. I think the goal of a lot of electronic composers is to find a balance between the vision of the idea and the power of possibilities on the computer. With a pen and paper sketch you can compose and rethink ideas without technology getting in the way, so for me it acts as a very helpful tool to refresh the process.” - Ryan Lee West
The idea of using analogue drawings and tools to bolster digital creations can be heard in the structure of the pieces that make up Articulation from the broody techno opener ‘Vibrations on a String’ all the way to the album’s boundless closer ‘Sudden Awareness of Now’. While the anthemic rise and fall of ‘Still Here’ and the beatless ambient meditation ‘Melodica’ evoke a certain nostalgia, ‘Forwardism’ achieves the very opposite by burying its melody within the fast-paced rhythm of its pulsating synths.
Rising out of birdsong heard from his studio window, ‘Sudden Awareness of Now’ has a particular urgency about it and seems to perfectly capture a longing for escape. Built around a simple and repetitive melodic theme, expanding and retracting over the course of its seven-minute odyssey, Lee West explains; “I like the fact that if you say something over and over again in music, then over time it can become something else, something reflective.”
Since the release of Persona, Ryan Lee West has taken his captivating live A/V set to all corners of the world. Last seen live on stage with 17 players of the London Contemporary Orchestra for a sold-out orchestral performance at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in January 2020.
Meanwhile Lee West has kept busy. After contributing an exclusive track titled ‘Them Is Us’ to Adult Swim’s coveted Singles series, he recently shared the beautifully textured solo piano piece Winter’s Lament on this year’s Piano Day. He has also been in high demand as a composer, scoring Charlie Brooker’s much talked about Black Mirror episode Striking Vipers, composing original music for Secret Cinema presents Stranger Things as well as renowned choreographer Alexander’s Whitley’s groundbreaking new work Overflow which was set to premiere at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre this spring.
Articulation will be available worldwide on 31 July, with live activities to be announced as soon as the situation allows safe event planning

Sublime, unique, sexy and peculiar unreleased scores by electronic and jazz pioneer Ron Geesin, made for the sublime, unique, sexy and peculiar films by maverick director Stephen Dwoskin. There. we’ve said it. And if you have not heard of one or either of these two dudes it doesn’t really matter. Geesin made great music and worked with Pink Floyd. Dwoskin made odd films, most of them are in the BFI permanent collection. They are great and a bit strange.
These superb unreleased soundtracks come from a fascinating, progressive and important period in British film history. They represent an intriguing collaboration between the lively Ron Geesin from Scotland and the American Stephen Dwoskin, who both met in London.
Musically they are minimal, charismatic and quite groundbreaking. Here is the story…
HISTORY:
Steve Dwoskin arrived in London in 1964, aged 25, with several 16mm films in his trunk, shot in the cold-water flats of Greenwich Village. He had been on the fringe of the Factory scene, and some of his films starred Beverly Grant, ‘the queen of the underground’. But they had scarcely been seen, and they didn’t have soundtracks. For almost a year they stayed in the trunk, and stayed silent. Then he met Ron Geesin, somewhere around Portobello Road.
‘Slept last night, completely dressed after working over 12 hours on sound tracks at Ron’s,’ wrote Dwoskin in his diary for 29 July 1965. ‘My films are not anywhere near being anything. I need more energy, more concise and positive ideas and less inhibition. And of course space, money and people.’ Dwoskin, who taught and practised graphic design by day, had recently decided to stay in London beyond the term of the Fulbright scholarship that had brought him there.
Ron, living with Frankie in a basement flat in Elgin Crescent – they would marry the next year, with Dwoskin as best man – was about to leave the Original Downtown Syncopators, the trad jazz band he had joined aged seventeen-and-a-half, and was trying to go solo. On stage he would make vigorous use of piano and banjo; at home Frankie had bought him a new kind of instrument – a tape recorder. ‘Soon I had one tape recorder, two tape recorders, three tape recorders.’

Ron, wrote Dwoskin in his unpublished autobiography, ‘loved to record, and to cut and splice the quarter-inch recording tape to make new sounds. This triggered in me the idea of getting back to my films and finishing them’. Soon he was living in a dank basement in Denbigh Road, a few minutes’ walk from Elgin Crescent. Ron’s soundtracks for Dwoskin’ films, recorded in the Geesins’ flat, encompassed Ron’s very eclectic range of styles – madcap piano and fretted banjo as well as tape manipulation.
Aside from Ron’s soundtracks, some of which belong to films that no longer exist (including Pot Boiler), Frankie would act in one of the films that Dwoskin either lost or never finished during these years. He was disabled, having contracted polio as a child, and Ron and Frankie were both carers and collaborators; Ron had met him when he was struggling into his car.
There was no London equivalent to the underground film scene that Dwoskin had known in New York, and his films remained unseen until such a scene began to come into being, in the autumn of 1966. Some of them made their debut at the Mercury Theatre, near Notting Hill Gate, that September. Dwoskin wrote that Alone, starring Zelda Nelson (from Ron Rice’s Chumlum), and Chinese Checkers, with Beverly Grant and Dwoskin’s friend Joan Adler, went over best.
Soon both Dwoskin and Geesin became involved in the nascent London Film-Makers’ Co-op, which put on screenings in Better Books on Charing Cross Road – ‘if you can call them screenings,’ Ron recalls; ‘I’d call it fifteen blokes in various stages of disarray, peering through the smoke’. One or more of the films had been ‘striped’ with magnetic audiotape; with others ‘we had no means of direct syncing to the picture, so he started the film and I started the tape recorder’.
In the same autumn, Dwoskin moved into a flat almost opposite the Geesins on Elgin Crescent. More collaborations followed, including Naissant, on which Gavin Bryars, whom Geesin had met during a stint on the northern club circuit with novelty act Dr Crock and His Crackpots, played double bass.
Around the end of 1967 Geesin released his first solo LP, A Raise of Eyebrows, and Dwoskin won recognition the Fourth Experimental Film Competition, aka EXPRMNTL 4, an occasional film festival staged at Knokke-le-Zoute in Belgium. By now the films had optical soundtracks.
It was only after this that Dwoskin completed his first ‘British’ films, including Me Myself and I, with Barbara Gladstone, an American dancer who had appeared in Barbara Rubin’s Christmas on Earth, and with whom Dwoskin and Geesin had at one point devised a stage show, never produced. For Moment, a single-shot film, Geesin provided his most experimental score yet. At the time of its debut in 1970, Dwoskin and the Geesins were sharing a house in Ladbroke Grove.
By then, Ron was working with Pink Floyd, and soon afterwards he and Frankie moved out to the country, to be replaced by Bryars both in the house and as Dwoskin’s principal collaborator.
Until now these scores have remained part of the Geesin Archive and have never been issued.

How Old Are You - The World Is You - Two For Love - I Like The Woman's Heart - I Believe - Toc Toc Toc - How Old Are You - Two For Love...

Washed Out is Atlanta-based producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene. Over three enchanting, critically-lauded albums and an EP, his music has proved both transportive and visual, each release inviting listeners into immersive, self-contained universes. With Purple Noon, his fourth album, and his return to Sub Pop, he delivers the most accessible Washed Out creation to date. Life of Leisure, Washed Out's 2009 debut EP, set the bar for the Chillwave era, shimmering in a warm haze of off-the-cuff Polaroids and pre-IG filters. Within and Without, his 2011 full-length debut on Sub Pop, morphed into nocturnal, icy synth-pop and embraced provocative imagery. 2013's Paracosm was Greene's take on psychedelia, with a full live band and kaleidoscopic light show, and saw him playing to the largest audiences of his career. The sample-heavy Mister Mellow (2017, Stone's Throw) delivered a 360 audio/visual experience, with cut-n-paste and hand-drawn animation to match the hip-hop influences throughout the album. With each release, Greene has approached his evolving project with meticulous detail and a steadfast vision. For Purple Noon, Greene again wrote, recorded, and produced the entirety of the album, with mixing handled by frequent collaborator Ben H. Allen (Paracosm, Within and Without). Production of the album followed a brief stint of writing for other artists (most notably Sudan Archives) which enabled Greene to explore genres like R&B and modern pop. These brighter, more robust sounds made their way into the songs of Purple Noon and mark a new chapter for Greene as a producer and songwriter. The vocals are front and center, tempos are slower, beats bolder, and there's a more comprehensive depth of dynamics. One can hear the luxuriousness of Sade, the sonic bombast of Phil Collins, and the lush atmosphere of the great Balearic beat classics. Mediterranean coastlines inspired Purple Noon, and Greene pays tribute to the region's distinct island culture - all rugged elegance and old-world charm - and uses it as a backdrop to tell stories of passion, love, and loss (Purple Noon's title comes from the 1960 film directed by Rene Clement and based on the novel The Talented Mister Ripley by Patricia Highsmith). Much like romantic Hollywood epics, the melodrama throughout is strong: a serendipitous first meeting in "Too Late"; a passionate love affair in "Paralyzed"; disintegration of a relationship in "Time to Walk Away"; a reunion with a lost love in "Game of Chance." Purple Noon adds a layer of emotional intensity to the escapism of Washed Out's oeuvre, taking the music to dazzling new heights.

Betty Wright (original name Bessie Regina Norris) rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as “Clean Up Woman”, “Lovin’ Is Really My Game”, and “Tonight Is the Night”. She was an outstanding performer and this Live album provides much evidence of Wright’s vitality as a singer. Besides the wonderful performances of her own hits she also sounds incredible on the cover of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You”. The album peaked at #63 in the Canadian Album Chart. This expanded edition features two bonus tracks not available on the original album. Betty Wright passed away May 10th, 2020 at the age of 66.

Available for the first time on coloured vinyl as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow vinyl