Kool Keith has long been hailed as hip-hop’s greatest eccentric. Over the course of a career stretching back to the mid-’80s, he’s perfected a singular style of abstract yet deadly precise rhyming that often focuses on subjects such as science fiction, hardcore pornography, and a distrust for the music industry. His sprawling discography includes numerous collaborations and aliases, with some of the most acclaimed including Dr. Octagon and Dr. Dooom, Black Elvis & Tashan Dorrsett. He began his career as the mind and mouth behind the Bronx-based Ultramagnetic MC’s, whose influential debut, Critical Beatdown, was released in 1988. Following the release of the band’s third album in 1993, Keith headed for the outer reaches of the stratosphere with a variety of solo projects. His lyrical thematics remained as free-flowing as they ever were with the N.Y.C. trio, connecting up complex meters with fierce, layers-deep metaphors and veiled criticisms of those who “water down the sound that comes from the ghetto”. Keith’s latest LP “Mr. Controller” entirely produced by Junkaz Lou is yet another work of art. No MC on the planet is so grimy and yet so polished — after years in the rap game, Kool Keith’s as unique as ever. TRACKLIST
Unknown Assailant is a limited run vinyl only label shrouded in mystery. Each of the four tracks on this second release touches on a different style of techno/deep tech, ranging from the timeless sound of the Detroit inspired “Ancient Beauty” to the peak time energy and in-your-face style of “Rude Awakening”.
It also incorporates the dark and stripped-back minimal style of “Isolated Mechanics” plus the trippy atmosphere and dystopian vibe of “How Has It Come To This”.
Unknown Assailant is a secretive artist who lets the music do the talking, and all four of the tracks on this release are solo productions from the illusive producer. Striking from the shadows to showcase an eclectic range of dancefloor focused techno/deep tech that orientates around raw grooves with machine driven sounds, this vinyl only release cuts straight to the heart of the dancefloor.
This release is limited to a vinyl pressing of only 200 copies with the previous release picking up support by artists ranging from Gerd to Arnaud Le Texier.
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Massive power trio HIGH ON FIRE are a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume. Equal parts molten metal and earthquake panic, HIGH ON FIRE's Motorhead-meets-Slayer roar is outrageously loud and absolutely punishing. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike (ex-Sleep) unleashes a devastating combination of bombastic guitar and howling war cries, weaving fantastical tales of supernatural beasts, forgotten battles and rivers of blood over an unstoppable bass and drum assault.
Philadelphia’s DEVIL MASTER’s roots in ritual magick have never been more prominent than on their highly anticipated new album Ecstasies Of Never Ending Night. Recorded live to analog tape by Pete DeBoer (Blood Incantation, Spectral Voice), Ecstasies expands on the warped riffing and dark atmospheres that have already propelled DEVIL MASTER as one of the underground’s most unique and unfettered bands. From the band’s blackened punk maelstrom of “Acid Black Mass” to the spiraling death rock of “Abyss In Vision” and the layers of refined atmosphere on the closer “Never Ending Night”, lead guitarist Darkest Prince of All Rebellion shines across a collection of fiery, tumultuous riffs - Lyrically, vocalist Disembody Through Unparalleled Pleasure laces Ecstasies with life-affirming blasphemy and existential dread. Ecstasies of Never Ending Night witnesses DEVIL MASTER at its core. Vocalist Disembody Through Unparalleled Pleasure has assumed the role of bassist, strengthening the songwriting alongside Darkest Prince and founding member/rhythm guitarist Infernal Moonlight Apparition. Fresh blood was required and found in drummer/keyboardist Festering Terror in Deepest Catacomb (a.k.a. Chris Ulsh of Power Trip and Iron Age). Ecstasies of Never Ending Night proves to be a crucial addition to the pantheon of evil satanic metal. In the end, magick reigns!
Germany’s progressive death metal masters OBSCURA complete their long-running, four-album conceptual circle with the release of Diluvium (defined as a great oceanic flood), their most evocative, diverse and vibrant release to date. Recorded with longtime producer V. Santura (Triptykon, Pestilence) at Woodshed Studios in Landshut, Germany, Diluvium is a stunning achievement for the illustrious quartet and a landmark release for progressive metal as a whole. Complete with all the band's signature elements plus groundbreaking polyrhythms, dramatic songwriting, and jaw-dropping virtuosity, OBSCURA raise the bar once again with an album that will go down in the annals of metal history as one of the most astonishing performances the genre has to offer.
Sweden's HUMANITY'S LAST BREATH have returned with their heaviest full length offering yet...'ASHEN'. Having long been regarded as the act that sets the bar on anything Down Tempo and Blackened, HLB remains one of the most influential bands to emerge from the 'post Meshuggah movement'. The Swedes have established a sound and dynamic that is truly their own, with multi instrumentalist Buster Odeholm cementing himself further as one of his generation's brightest trailblazers. Like a one way trip into the vortex of a black hole, the claustrophobia sinks in thick and fast with every song.
Five years since the release of the universally-acclaimed Omnivium, Germany's progressive metal masters OBSCURA are poised to return with their strongest and most dynamic release to date. The aptly-named Akroasis (Greek for "hearing" or "listening") draws on all the various elements of OBSCURA's signature sound and combines those qualities into a mind-blowing and cohesive whole. Produced by the band and V. Santura (Triptykon, Pestilence), Akroasis is eight songs diverse enough to serve as a near-comprehensive introduction to all of extreme metal. Packed to the gills with virtuosic musicianship, compelling themes, and airtight songwriting, OBSCURA will undoubtedly breathe new life into death metal, progressive metal and beyond.
Philadelphia's DEVIL MASTER stake their claim as one of the most venomous, twisted entities in the underground with their hellish debut, Satan Spits on Children of Light. The album, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Arthur Rizk (POWER TRIP, MAMMOTH GRINDER, OUTER HEAVEN, and more,) rattles the very gates of hell with a vile dose of black metal-infused punk mayhem. Commanding the steel of VENOM, the fury of BATHORY's earliest years, and the raw, uncompromising nature of the notorious GISM, Satan Spits on Children of Light sees DEVIL MASTER emerge from the grave and reach new blasphemous heights. Give in to the Satanic panic and obey your DEVIL MASTER!
Stark, cavernous and politically critical dub-poetry lands next on FELT in a vital sign-of-the-times fashion. Where much new music in our scene seems to act as a conduit for escapism, usually via melodic mind-balm or, if vocal at all, lyrical surrealism and ambiguity, the collaborative works of ELDON & Withdrawn take the left turn. The sound design perfectly fits into the FELT jigsaw puzzle: cold, slightly glitch-inspired, echo/reverb minimalism etc, but things are kicked up a stratosphere with the half dancehall-toasting, half scathing analysis of modern Britain coming straight from the mouth of ELDON.
Processed, enveloping kalimba notes shatter off into the distance in the opening moments of 'reGenaRation' before we're plunged into the depths. Bleeding into the title track, the A-side is all claustrophobic commentary on trickle down economics, overdrafts, killer shark metaphors and empire. Adam & Eve? Rewind and there's Shango, god of thunder and lightning. 5 rewinds later - still going. The B-side continues with equal strength, amazing wordplay and broken, industrial rhythms for a broken United Kingdom.
IYA SHILLELAGH is ELDON & Withdrawn
Recorded at Zig Zag Zig Studios
A2 co-produced by How-du
B1 co-produced by Shifting Borders
Mastered by GENG PTP
Design by Fergus Jones
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He has curated an intimate, thoughtful collection of songs that deal with cherished loved ones, love denied, the power of faith, and a simpler, less encumbered way of life.The album features a healthy mix of country classics and contemporary bluegrass songs: Sparks revives warhorses from the repertoires of Lefty Frizzell, George Jones, and Hank Williams, complementing them with material from present-day writers including Wyatt McCubbin and Daniel Crabtree.
An evocative, heart-felt singer with few peers, younger bluegrass musicians are inspired by and study the subtle nuances of Sparks' vocal style. But Sparks, however, is a double threat, being equally revered for his innovative guitar playing.
Countless guitarists have tried to emulate his singular flatpicking style, but few - if any - have truly mastered it.
For some years, fans of the Bluegrass icon have requested that he do a project of this nature. At long last, that wait is over. Listeners get pure Larry Sparks.
Recorded at his newly built home studio, it's just him, his signature 1954 D-28 and his son Larry "D" Sparks providing subtle backing rhythm on bass. The warmth and intimacy of this album affords his admirers the opportunity to pull up a chair, relax, and listen to a true bluegrass master do what he does best - playing and singing from his heart to theirs.
Louis' Yowie , laying down their first new music since the release of
"Synchromysticism".
This deluxe Gatefold Double Vinyl edition includes three sides of music, with side four silk-screened with exclusive new artwork by Gumballhead the Cat cartoonist Rob Syers and SKiN GRAFT Records' Mark Fischer. Resting inside the gatefold sit two uncut sheets of 18 collectible Lobby Cards. Each card casts a spotlight on one of the album's performers with a band photo and trivia on the flipside. The
entire package is topped off with a collectible "Footlong" OBI, featuring selling points and review snippets for retail display - and the final product is wrapped in a crystal clear resealable sleeve.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with Rambler Sparkling Water, introduce ‘Texas Wild’, a standout album featuring Texas musicians as they pay tribute to classic Texas tunes showcasing that untamed spirit found only in Texas music.
Produced by Texas singer songwriter Walker Lukens (The Song Confessional, Golden Dawn Arkestra, Darkbird, Coco Zandi), ‘Texas Wild’ is a standout album that blends the sounds of traditional Texas genres like blues, cumbia, and country with modern sounds like hip-hop, R&B and electronica, sure to please old school country fans
and new listeners alike.
Block print album art created by Texas artist, Mishka Westell.
Featuring covers of classic Texas songs by Texas musicians including Toadies, Fat Tony, Shaky Graves and Sir Woman.
Sales from the album will benefit Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation.
The unforgettable sound of Sarah Vaughan is captured in this collection of essential recordings. From the swinging hits, "Lullaby Of Birdland" and "It’s Crazy", to her best-loved recordings, including “Misty" and “Broken-Hearted Melody”, this album highlights Vaughan's impeccable phrasing, emotional depth and remarkable range. Whether backed by a trio or a full orchestra, singing hits of the day or jazz standards, every track serves to remind us why Sarah Vaughan is still known as ‘The Divine One’.
dispari introduces you to Hanoi-based Vietnamese artist Trần Uy Đức. Carried by large curiosity, urgency and delight, their sonic expression can be grasped as a self-exploration which is touchingly intimate, fragile, rebellious and cociliating. In their own words:
„It's my desire to escape into this person I don't know.
Die, orphaned kite flutes.
Watch me escape the orphaned kite flutes.
If you beat it up many times.
Don’t, don't, he predict thunder.
Who asked me tonight to explain one, two, two miracles.
Same problem.
C-c-c-fuck
I'm singing for my body.“
Majid Jordan is presented in a blue vinyl pressing. Majid Jordan was featured on and co-produced Drake’s triple-platinum #1 hit "Hold On, We’re Going Home" from Nothing Was The Same. Their next collaboration with the hip-hop superstar was "Mine" for Beyonce’s self-titled fifth offering. Solidifying their sound and identity, 2014’s EP A Place Like This would see them construct the framework for this, their self-titled full-length debut original issued in 2016. Majid Jordan features the single ""Something About You"" and the critically acclaimed track "My Love" featuring Drake.
Portland-based Kevin Palmer returns to blundar with his Best Available Technology for another release (having previously been featured on cassette). This time it’s on vinyl but still messing about with the same business of constructing and deconstructing head-nodding beats into a foggy bowl of ambience that has become the trademark sound of BAT.
Initially inspired and influenced by the sound-worlds created by Hank Shocklee, BDP and KDAY, Palmer spent his formative years combing pawn shops for samplers. This kicked off his self-described obsessive compulsive work crunching out impossibly naive and obviously unschooled jams in what might have been and continues to be an attempt to capture and document something he felt when listening to the bombastic sonic collages of early hip hop.
Going backwards in order to go forward could be an apt mantra to describe the philosophy behind BAT. Often attached with labels like nostalgia and melancholy, Palmer surely deals with the longing for that perfect time capsule of N.Y. hip hop in the 90s - but where others zoning in on that era simply imitate it, Palmer goes way further into a world of his own making.
Far removed in both time and place to the outskirts of Portland, the sonics of Palmer filters through an outsider’s perspective, sometimes offering a personal journal of the here and now via field recordings from skateparks and surfing trips.
As if one would imagine looking slightly to the left of what was supposedly going on, these tracks continuously shift one's focus. That funky feel good beat is there, but almost always just out of grasp. Palmer gives us the sound of a memory slipping away.
Yet this reads not as the end of something, but rather a stepping stone into a world of possibilities. Operating at the outskirts of genre, you could imagine anything from dub, hip hop, ambient or techno to emerge and crystalize from the haze, yet it never does. This is all those things and nothing. Or maybe it’s just some “sad fucked up funk” as Palmer puts it.
Now Available In A Limited Edition Red Vinyl Pressing. Ayalew Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend of 1970s Ethiopia. Mesfin’s music is some of the funkiest to arise from this unconquerable East African nation. Mesfin’s recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this East African nation. Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later with this triumphant set albums – the first time that his music has been presented in this form. These albums give us a chance to discover a rare and beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes. Mot Aykerim gives us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in an anthology built from his uber-rare 7” single releases. Contains an oversized 11” x 11” 16 page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Mesfin’s role within it.
Despite presumably being insanely busy A&Ring for all his many labels, which put out music at a high rate of release, Burnski does also still find time to make his own music. And it's top tackle too, whatever he tries, from garage to ambient. To kick off with here the Northern rock cooks up a super breezy and Balearic-tinged house tune that you can imagine playing at some vibey Ibiza sunset party. That's probably why he called it 'Summer 23' to be honest. On the flip, 'Afters' gets more chunky and tribal, with tight and pinging drums and that sort of wide-eyed, tongues-out energy that gets the freaks going.
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California's Joe Babylon has been steering his own Roundabout Sounds through some lovely deep house waters over the last few years. Now the producer makes a big statement with his own debut album. He is something of a veteran having co-founded Plug Research back in 1994 and hosted underground events in Los Angeles during the mid '90s. Following on from outings alongside the likes of Rick Wilhite and Rondenion he now brings his own dusty, carefully disheveled house sounds to the fore. They have been crafted using an MPC which gives them their rough-edged appeal and they go from heads down back room joints to dubbed-out minimalism via dream late-night reveries. It makes for a fresh take on a tried and tested house template.
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After many years of dedication, devotion and hard work behind the scenes we are happy to share the first album ever released on vinyl by the Wedding Acid Group.
This musical odyssey consists of 8 meticulously crafted tracks, created between 2010 and 2021, representing over a decade of evolution and growth. Each song showcases a unique facet of the trio’s musical prowess, with tempos ranging from 100 to 150 bpm.
Disc 1 serves as a testament to the signature sounds of WAG, kicking off with the iconic and mesmerizing dark break journey “Toy Story” at 150 bpm. The energy continues to soar with the pulsating beats of “Colombo Acid” and “Low Moisture Acid,” both guaranteed to ignite dancefloors worldwide. The first disc comes to a close with “Lost Memory FM,” a true sonic adventure that starts in the abstract, gradually building up to the trademark dancefloor groove that the trio is renowned for.
Disc 2 delves into the introspective and emotive side of WAG’s production process. “Optimistic Acid,” the sole 4/4 track on the second record, enchants listeners with its rhythmic grooves and dreamy melodies, setting the stage for a captivating journey. “Sunday Circles” takes a detour into deeper realms with its evocative and playful melodies. The final side of the album delves even deeper into emotional territory with “Dog Park Memories,” culminating in the breathtaking closing track, “City Gate Funk.”
We are humbled and honoured to present this remarkable work by our dear friends, the Wedding Acid Group. As the second album to grace the shelves of Undersound Recordings.
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Stelios Vassiloudis enters an inspiring new phase as he unveils his sophomore LP All Else Fails available March 25th via Balance Music.
Hailing from Athens, Greece, Stelios Vassiloudis poses a triple threat as a composer, producer and DJ. Having been active in the electronic music scene since the early 2000s he has cultivated his own brand of distinctive ambience reflective of his rich and diverse musical background; transcending the dance floor via an emotional narrative of complex soundscapes, intricate harmonies and hypnotic rhythms. Over the past decade Stelios has released music under various other monikers, yet this new endeavour is his most diligent to date - allowing him to rediscover his love for making music during the process, "I'm more hopeful, inspired and determined than ever before."
Ten years on from the release of his debut LP, Stelios' detail-oriented offerings remain incomprehensibly thought-provoking and thorough with this new album. Noticeably dissimilar to any previous efforts, Stelios consciously took a step back from the pressure of maintaining a steadily flowing supply of functional, club-oriented music and as the world stood still amidst the pandemic, he embraced the opportunity to reconnect and express himself with a broader musical vocabulary. He admits that: "with the world around us seemingly on the fast track to Armageddon, the music ended up being very much reflective of the sadness and helplessness I felt."
All Else Fails is a stimulating odyssey to anyone listening. Harmonically dense, arcadian glistens seep throughout the ten tracks, each complementary to the next. Bask in the wistful iridescence and you won't be disappointed.
Stelios carved his way into electronic music by traversing around the globe as a DJ and performer - performing at intimate underground bars in Beirut, festivals in Miami, after-hours in Tokyo, beaches in Goa and mega clubs in Argentina. Having developed a formidable discography on esteemed labels such as Bedrock, Poker Flat, Ovum, Constant Sound and Darkroom Dubs, among others, Stelios' studio prowess and coveted productions cemented his reputation as a versatile and acclaimed artist. His intense passion and drive for innovation in music serves as the fuel to keep him inspired and relevant, qualities that no doubt ensure his reputation as an artist of the highest calibre, will endure.
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Beyond Paradise returns with a sumptuous slice of tripped out business from the mind of Richard Hardcastle aka Solid State, complete with two stunning remixes from Richard Sen and The Veteran Delinquents.
Over 35 years in the game, as a club DJ, radio presenter and producer since the late ‘80s, Richard Hardcastle is a true veteran of the scene and certainly knows a thing or two about what works on the dancefloor. ‘Seven More Minutes Of Funk’ delves into the psychedelic side of his production with a club-ready cosmic stomper complete with twisted guitars, hypnotic synths and wall shaking bassline.
‘Rhodes To Nowhere’ is more beachside than basement, a funked up retro electro cut with dazzling keys, ‘80s snares and a serious shot of feel-good flare.
On the flip, the title track gets the remix treatment from Richard Sen and The Veteran Delinquents, the former warping the original into an EBM powerhouse whilst the later turns into an end of the night, electro-infused chugger.
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Carbon Music continues its conquest in a special single summoning some of drum & bass' greatest minds, as Goldie & Lenzman make illustrious debuts alongside label pillars Jubei & Submotive.
Two years after their first collab 'Component' (CM002), Submotive & Jubei reforge the foundations upon which Carbon Music was built, in two tracks written with two powerhouses sharing the same ethos.
Goldie reinstills his prowess, linking to form a holy pantheon on 'Game Of The Gods'. 10 years since Jubei released his album on Metalheadz, they collaborate again with a mutual accomplice in Submotive. Reinforcing the core principles, its a celebration of vigour and mysticism; brute force balanced with celestial pads - bringing shared beliefs full circle towards a new golden era.
Lenzman makes his intro on the flip, with a touch of nonchalent class on the effortlessly rolling 'Members Only'. Having all released with The North Quarter and Metalheadz, the trio share a close bond, developed over years of performing and travelling together. Its an innate understanding; a brotherhood; three elements that progress, intensify and naturally form, in a way that no others can.
«Opening Soon» is a culinary buddy movie with a background of gourmet grooves where body tricks at the turntables have been replaced by acrobatic pizza tricks. This album from Jean Tonique and Mi Man is a real tomato concentrate and ingredients cleverly dosed which abound in suave and feel good tracks. 11 tracks that we can imagine as the perfect soundtrack to accompany the dolce vita 2.0 of this great musical duo (between Mario Bros and Cheech & Chong).
A tasty and pop cuisine that gives pride of place to a nostalgia that gathers behind the tiled counter («No One Really Knows», «Memories») or on the dancefloor («Running After Time», «The Music»). We let ourselves slide and be lulled by the smoothness of the arrangements as silky as an «Extra Virgin Olive Oil».
Do The Right Thing, as they say, and it seems like those two found a way to celebrate a lifestyle full of friendly looks.
Tonique, who had already accustomed us to the spiciness of his sharp guitars continues to demonstrate a knowledge all in funk and finesse. He is accompanied by Man, who brings his sweetness and harmony. They combine their strength on this project initiated with the title «Day & Night» and its languorous disco tinged with rhodes and percussions with Salsoul accents.
If the tablecloths are white and red, we don't doubt that the inside of the delivery van is lined with silk and velvet of the most beautiful effect to "cruise" the night as in Brooklyn and East Harlem to the rhythm of «Never Get Old». Lightness and nonchalance for a songwriting full of coolness and analogical charisma boosted by a Moog which invokes the best of the 70/80's.
Iconic and timeless, with or without a disco ball, wouldn't the key word be Pizza-Yolo?
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The story of the invention of the term, 'deepfunk' is probably only known among fans and practitioners of this niche-genre. In short, it all started in the 1990s when DJs like Keb Darge, Mark 'Snowboy' Cotgrove and others began spinning obscure and feral Funk 45 RPM singles from local American bands, ostensibly generating another sub-category branch off of the mighty Northern Soul tree. The dance-club phenomenon inevitably spilled over to contemporary groups on the funk scene which immediately tried to record their music the way their idols did. The 'rare groove' and 'acid jazz' movements had run their course and there was a concerted effort to reinstate primitive idiomatic styles and techniques into the music, most notably by 90s funk collective The Poets of Rhythm. As more years passed by the number of bands steadily increased (although in tiny numbers, compared to the mainstream market). Almost every country had a representative with the majority of them coming from the United Kingdom. The deepfunk sound was still a niche, however a very few bands made it onto the mainstream charts, most notably Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings.
At the height of the retro-soul movement a questionable development took place. As more bands arrived on the scene, the production became more and more polished and pop-ish. Some of that squeaky-clean tidiness began to creep into the recordings, encouraged in part by the signature sounds of the digital recording technology available at that time. Some bands even tried to jump onto the possibility of promoting their music as 'deepfunk' although they were actually playing slick, funky pop music. This way some people who thought they were listening to raw, energetic funk actually felt quite ambushed when hit with real deepfunk. In fact, a certain percentage of funk music produced within the past 20 years does not deserve to be described as 'deepfunk' at all. Fortunately there were (and are) some pleasant exceptions which did not just imitate but actually rendered amazing funk music just like some of the finest funk combos of the 1960s and 70s.
One of those creative minds is without a doubt Joel Ricci aka Lucky Brown. Originally from Seattle, Washington, USA, he has enriched the deepfunk community since the mid-2000s with his stellar abilities. He is not only an amazing musician playing multiple instruments, but also a brilliant composer, arranger, and producer too. But for us here at Tramp he is much more, a close friend and remarkable human being. Whenever we were struggling, whether with the label or in private life, Joel and his musical work helped us to overcome everything and to keep going our path.
So here we are in 2023. The songs you are listening to right now are the complete Space Dream collection, split into two parts, representing the two living-room recording sessions from which his 2011 Tramp Records debut was compiled. Each fully remastered album contains unreleased material and comes with brand new, beautifully reimagined artwork by Ricci himself, housed in an authentic 1960s tip-on cover. A first class product from a first class musician for the discerning funk enthusiast.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
The story of the invention of the term, 'deepfunk' is probably only known among fans and practitioners of this niche-genre. In short, it all started in the 1990s when DJs like Keb Darge, Mark 'Snowboy' Cotgrove and others began spinning obscure and feral Funk 45 RPM singles from local American bands, ostensibly generating another sub-category branch off of the mighty Northern Soul tree. The dance-club phenomenon inevitably spilled over to contemporary groups on the funk scene which immediately tried to record their music the way their idols did. The 'rare groove' and 'acid jazz' movements had run their course and there was a concerted effort to reinstate primitive idiomatic styles and techniques into the music, most notably by 90s funk collective The Poets of Rhythm. As more years passed by the number of bands steadily increased (although in tiny numbers, compared to the mainstream market). Almost every country had a representative with the majority of them coming from the United Kingdom. The deepfunk sound was still a niche, however a very few bands made it onto the mainstream charts, most notably Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings.
At the height of the retro-soul movement a questionable development took place. As more bands arrived on the scene, the production became more and more polished and pop-ish. Some of that squeaky-clean tidiness began to creep into the recordings, encouraged in part by the signature sounds of the digital recording technology available at that time. Some bands even tried to jump onto the possibility of promoting their music as 'deepfunk' although they were actually playing slick, funky pop music. This way some people who thought they were listening to raw, energetic funk actually felt quite ambushed when hit with real deepfunk. In fact, a certain percentage of funk music produced within the past 20 years does not deserve to be described as 'deepfunk' at all. Fortunately there were (and are) some pleasant exceptions which did not just imitate but actually rendered amazing funk music just like some of the finest funk combos of the 1960s and 70s.
One of those creative minds is without a doubt Joel Ricci aka Lucky Brown. Originally from Seattle, Washington, USA, he has enriched the deepfunk community since the mid-2000s with his stellar abilities. He is not only an amazing musician playing multiple instruments, but also a brilliant composer, arranger, and producer too. But for us here at Tramp he is much more, a close friend and remarkable human being. Whenever we were struggling, whether with the label or in private life, Joel and his musical work helped us to overcome everything and to keep going our path.
So here we are in 2023. The songs you are listening to right now are the complete Space Dream collection, split into two parts, representing the two living-room recording sessions from which his 2011 Tramp Records debut was compiled. Each fully remastered album contains unreleased material and comes with brand new, beautifully reimagined artwork by Ricci himself, housed in an authentic 1960s tip-on cover. A first class product from a first class musician for the discerning funk enthusiast.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Analogue Attic presents the second solo release from label co-founder and one half of Albrecht La'Brooy.
6 stunning compositions to soundtrack your half-time break, or to celebrate the big win, 'There's Always Next Year' is a tribute to the misguided hopes and dreams of a sports fan.
Field recordings and commentary from a range of codes weave between silky saxophone lines and piano chords in what is a textbook showcase of the classic Analogue Attic downtempo and early evening sound we've come to know.
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Last delivered 10 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
LOS ANGELES BASED PRODUCER MINION DEBUTS ON EVAR RECORDS WITH THE FOUR-TRACK EP 'NITE LYFE.' RELEASED ON AURA T-09 AND TRICKFINGER'S REVERED RECORD LABEL, 'NITE LYFE' MERGES HARDCORE, TECHNO AND GABBER WITH SOFT TEXTURES AND GOSSAMER SHEENS, EVOKING AN INTENSE, WAVEY TRIP. THIS ONE IS SUITED TO A CHURNING, POST-3 AM DANCEFLOOR, OR IN MINION'S OWN WORDS, "WARM SUMMER NIGHTS IN LOS ANGELES WAREHOUSES."
OPENER 'SAD B0I MASSIVE' BLENDS DISTORTED, GABBER-FLECKED DRUMS WITH CRUNCHY SNARES, WHILE A HAZY, DAFT PUNK-ESQUE SYNTHLINE CONJURES A DREAMY VIBE. THIS SIGNATURE MINION MOVE CONVEYS HIS KNACK FOR SERVING UP HARSH YET ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERES, PAIRING TWO OPPOSITE MOODS THAT MELT INTO ONE ANOTHER LIKE ACETONE AND WATER.
ON 'MAGNETAR', WE'RE CAUGHT UP IN THE THUNDERDOME CIRCA 1990, BUT JUST FOR A MOMENT. WHILE RUBBERY KICK DRUMS AND WHOOSHING HOOVER SOUNDS SHAPE THE TRACK, MINION COMBINES THESE OLD-SKOOL ELEMENTS WITH A MORE MODERN QUIRK, PRODUCING A TWINKLING MELODY THAT AROUSES EMOTION AND EUPHORIA.
THE PENULTIMATE TRACK 'GREY GOO' IS THE TOUGHEST OF THE FOURSOME. BUILT WITH OFF-KILTER, GRAINY KICKDRUMS AND CINEMATIC PADS THAT SLINK BETWEEN RUSTY BEATS, IT BRIDGES HARDCORE MOTIFS WITH DELICATE SHADES OF GREY, MINION-STYLE.
FINAL TRACK 'SATURDAY NIGHT IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE' DISPLAYS MINION'S VERSATILITY AS A PRODUCER. DELVING INTO A POTENT PALETTE OF ELECTRO, BREAKBEAT, TECHNO AND 2-STEP, HE WELDS RAPID-FIRE CLAPS, FIZZING HI-HATS AND A HEARTFELT MELODY, WEAVING THROUGH BLEEPS AND A CHUNKY BASSLINE—A SIGNAL TO END A LONG TRIP, SOMEWHERE IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE.
ALTHOUGH MINION PRODUCED THE TRACKS FOUR YEARS AGO, 'NITE LYFE' STANDS THE TEST OF TIME AND DOESN'T FOLLOW ANY ONE TREND OR GENRE. INSTEAD, IT'S AN ALCHEMY OF SONIC PATTERNS AND CONTRASTING COLOURS, NODDING TO MINION'S PUNK, HARDCORE AND EXPERIMENTAL INFLUENCES THAT CULTIVATED ODDBALL ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN THE 80S. THE AFTERGLOW OF THESE SOUNDS CULMINATES IN AN EP THAT RIPPLES WITH INTRIGUING HOOKS, CORROSIVE QUALITIES AND STRANGELY BLISSFUL MELODIES. IT REFLECTS THE EXPANSIVE ETHOS OF EVAR DOWN TO THE FINAL BAR.
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Rare Montreux festival sessions from 1982.
Live Album by Detroit/Tribe Jazz Icon Reggie Fields.
Featuring an All-Star Line-up.
First ever vinyl reissue.
180g BLACK vinyl limited to 500 copies (w/obi strip) . Non-Returnable.
The Real ShooBeeDoo (AKA Reggie Fields) has always been a consistent name on the Detroit jazz scene … Fields who played with Pharoah Sanders while he was living in Motor City, worked with Sun Ra in the late 1970s and early 80s and who was also a close associate of the Afro-centric TRIBE label and artist collective, leaving his marks on a few essential TRIBE sessions such as Phil Ranelin’s “The Time Is Now!” as well as Ranelin & Wendell Harrison’s masterpiece “A Message From The Tribe”. It was Wendell Harrison who gave Fields the chance to record his landmark solo album (Reminiscing from 1981) to be released on his Wenha imprint. Reggie chose to record under his moniker “The Real ShooBeeDoo” because he built a rock-solid reputation as an internationally acclaimed performer under that name.
In 1982 he embarked on a European tour and performed at various clubs in countries such as Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Luxemburg, France and Norway. This ecstatic touring vibe can later be heard on his fantastic ‘‘Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, 1982” album (simply called ‘Good To Go’).
“Good To Go” which we are proudly presenting you today features 10 tracks consisting of smooth Jazz-rumbas, French avant-garde jazz vocalizations, bass lines that can blow through walls as if they were made from paper, foot stomping rhythmic beats, lyrics that are pure poetry and ecstatic beats that took the crowd on a musical trip that ended in them raving for more. Playing before a large and enthusiastic crowd, Reggie’s spiritual cosmic free-flowing rhythms took the audience by storm…and the stakes were high because the bill was pretty impressive, he shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the genre (the festival bill also included Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins).
Also…a quick closer look at the cast of all-star players featured on the album is most likely to be enough to get an impression that this is a very special record. Detroit preferred pianist Earl Van Riper brings his rich musical experience to the table that he perfected during his collaborations with Marcus Belgrave, Eddy ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson, Dinah Washington, Wes Montgomery and countless others. On the tenor saxophone we have Robert Barnes known for his work with Donald Bird…and last but not least we have Tani Tabbal on drums who is famous for his performances and recordings with Roscoe Mitchell and Sun Ra!
All of the above makes this rare album a total must-have that just begs for a prominent place in your record collection.
Tracklist:
Jumping With The Bellboy , Dark Eyes , Qu'est Ceque C’est , Do You Call that Friendship , Oo Shoobee Doo , Crazy She Calls Me , Have You Met Miss Jones , Ye Brac Hareesee , Hit That Jive Jack , Too Late Now
Trippie Redd läutet eine neue musikalische Ära mit seinem mit Spannung erwarteten Album ”A Love Letter To You 5” ein. Die Serie, mit der alles im Jahr 2017 begann, ”A Love Letter To You” hebt bekanntermaßen Themen der Liebe durch sanfte Hip-Hop-Flows hervor, die von ikonischen Samples und Beats untermalt werden.
Nach vier Veröffentlichungen in den letzten sechs Jahren ist das kommende Album ein Garant dafür, dass Trippie auf den Tracks zur Höchstform auflaufen wird. Die erste Single ”Took My Breath Away” featuring Singer/Songwriterin Skye Morales und zuletzt die Single ”Last Days” sind ein Vorgeschmack auf das, was noch auf uns zukommt.
Das nunmehr 20. Studioalbum der erfolgreichsten deutschen Art- & Progressive Rockband ELOY. Es ist zugleich das 3. Album einer einzigartigen, vom Band- Mastermind Frank Bornemann als Rock Opera gestalteten Trilogie über das Leben und Schicksal der französischen Nationalheldin und Heiligen Jeanne d´Arc.
Bereits die beiden ersten Alben mit dem Titel „The Vision, the Sword and the Pyre, Part 1 & 2“, auf denen sich diverse illustre Künstler (u.a. Alice Merton) auf der Gästeliste befinden, wurden nicht nur durchweg positiv rezensiert, und erreichten hohe Chartsplatzierungen, sondern fanden auch aufgrund ihrer auf profunden Kenntnissen basierenden Umsetzung in allen historischen Details auf kultureller Ebene viel Beachtung.
Mit „Echoes from the Past” legt nun der Autor nochmal nach, und lässt den durch die Handlung der ersten beiden Alben führenden Protagonisten und Waffengefährten von Jeanne d´Arc, Jean de Metz, die aufwühlenden Ereignisse der Vergangenheit auf sehr emotionale Weise reflektieren.
Musikalisch entstand dadurch ein Werk, bei dem sich sensible und atmosphärische Passagen mit gewaltigen, dramaturgisch geprägten Klangwogen abwechseln, die den ELOY-Fan sicherlich an frühere Konzept-Werke der Band erinnern werden.
Diese Melange ist aber gemäß Frank Bornemann, der sich bei dieser Produktion erneut mit Veränderungen im Line up konfrontiert sah, voll beabsichtigt. Obwohl es sich bzgl. seiner musikalischen Elemente bestens in die Trilogie integriert, ließ es bei seiner Entstehung offensichtlich doch viel Spielraum für künstlerische Momente, die man nicht erwartet, aber die sich außerordentlich prägend für das Album auswirken, welches wieder einmal einzigartig ist.
Welcoming a vibrant selection of artists to the label, Oblivium records presents OBL 002V Various Artist. This 4 tracks is an ambition project that unites 4 great artist with diverse approsches to music production, 4 different minds and vision, 4 declination of the same mood. We like to experiment and try to pusch our boundaries over. Tommy Vicari jnr, Flaze, Carlo di Roma, Jay Tripwire & Jehr
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Up next on TRIP is berlin-based, but boston native, soren jahan.
for his debut on the label, nina signed 16 tracks that were conceived in 2016 following a simple concept: no samples. all rhythms and sounds are synthesized and controlled with lfo modulations as well as step sequencers. the result is a minimal masterpiece straddling the line between danceable music and ambient.
Soren got his start in boston in 2011 with the label supply records that he founded with john barera. since coming to berlin in 2013, he has released a string of ep's on his own labels supply, blank slate, ygrok / ssto as well as projects for the double r amongst others. these days he's also active as an analog photographer and printmaker in berlin's underground fetish scene.
The 12" features special locked groove edits of all 16 tracks.
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"Paul, Rick and River" is a programmatic title for the new album from Munich-based Paul Brändle Trio, a Modern Jazz group led by the eponymous 31-year old guitar player and band leader. Playing together for years and across continents, this recording manifests the trio's current state of matter, focusing on a no-gimmicks approach and a classic, melodic style of musical world-building.
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DJ Python’s Worldwide Unlimited return with a trio of giddy-up garage screwballs by BFTT of the Mutualism cohort.
’THP’ hails BFTT’s transition from one party city, Leeds, to another, Manchester, in the post-lockdown euphoria when everyone was dusting off their dancing clogs. He hadn’t made club music during the pandemic, but got right back on it that summer, chiselling signature production details into a trio of restive swingers and buoyant steppers explicitly built for the party.
‘THP’ trains his energies into an itchy switch of Yorkshire garage-techno-donk aerated with feathered dub chords and percolated percussion. ‘Keeplies’ more loosely dances on the offbeat complete with unstable, grinding subs whisked into a dipping UKG lather like Pangaea meets early Aya, and ‘Seems’ picks up your trotters on a ruggedly warped speed garage tilt, all melting Moschino logos and acid-spiked fizz bound for peak times.
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Originally released in 1994, this re-issue bring new wind to "Lamento" with a compatriotic remix by Berlin based Italian producer Trent. Sitting somewhere between tribal and techno with early hints of progressive trancey elements, "Lamento" boasts an assertive underlaying beat coupled with playful percussive elements that get skillfully laced with a driving sawtooth wave synths. 4 mixes to choose from, peak time italian 90s early progressive sound brought back to your record bags with newly remastered care.
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On Rock Island, their second LP, Palm produces evidence of a distinct musical language, developed over time, in isolation, and out of necessity. On the island, melodies are struck on what might be shells or spines. Rhythms are scratched out, swept over, scratched again. Individual instruments, and sometimes entire sections, skip and stutter. There is the sense of a music box with wonky tension or a warped transmission in which all the noise is taken for signal.
Like other groups so acclaimed for their compulsive live show, Palm has been burdened by the constant comparison between their recorded material and their touring set. On Rock Island, they render this tired discussion moot, using the album form to present that which could never be completely live, reserving for performance that which could never be completely reproduced.
Despite appearing behind the instruments typical of rock music, Palm trades in sounds of their own making. On these songs, one of the guitars and the drum kit are used as MIDI triggers, producing an index that can be combed through later and replaced with new information. The percussion is sometimes augmented so as to suggest a multiplication of limbs. The strings are manipulated to choke, crack, and hum like other instruments, or other bodies, might.
Working again with engineer Matt Labozza, the band spent the better part of a month in a rented farmhouse in Upstate New York. With the benefits of time and space, Palm recorded the various elements piecemeal, only rarely playing together in groups larger than two or three. While some members tracked, others holed up in the next room, experimenting with quantization, beat replacement, and other methods borrowed from electronic music. Even accounting for the many labors that brought them to be, these materials seem produced by an organic logic. Their complex friction forms a habit of thought, scores a network of grooves on the floor of the mind.
This is music with dimensionality. Sonic objects are deployed, developed, and dissected in various states of mutation. The listener flits about between the field and the lab. The tone is warm in a way only the sun could make, the pace as forceful and as variable as a gale. Whether one locates Rock Island in a sea or in a refinished attic (as in Greg Burak's album cover), whether one escapes to there or is banished, its psychic environs are charted clearly enough. Only at this remove from the mainland can we sense the conditions necessary for such a strange species of sound.
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Michael Mayer’s IMARA imprint is proud to announce a reissue of German electronica maestro Schlammpeitziger’s second album, Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut. Originally released in 1996 by Köln’s A-Musik label, it was the first Schlammpeitziger release to signal to a much wider audience that there was something very special going on in the music of Jo Zimmermann, the mastermind behind Schlammpeitziger. And while he’s subsequently gone on to release a further eight albums for labels like Sonig, Pingipung, and Bureau B, Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut is where it really all started for this most singular musician, illustrator and performance artist. Named after the ‘Schlammpeitzger’ or Weather Loach, a fish that breathes through its intestines, moves through substrate, and is surprisingly sensitive to changes in barometric pressure – hence its name – Schlammpeitziger is a similarly remarkable, singular creature.
Like all Schlammpeitziger’s music, Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut is overflowing with melody. Using the simplest of set-ups – much of his early music was made with Casio keyboards – Zimmermann magics entire worlds of joy and melancholy. The nine songs here are both rich tributes to the joys of the everyday, and surreal fantasias. “Cosmic Fick” sails out to sea on clouds of taffy and spindrift; “Winterschlafsüßbärentraum” slips and slides around a dream aviary of the mind; the closing “Mango und Papaja auf Tobago” is a diorama spun from springs and Slinkys. Sometimes there are echoes of more peaceable Kosmische music – think Cluster circa Sowiesoso – and both the pacing and the amorphous, tactile textures sometimes recall Chris & Cosey. But Zimmermann’s unique signature is everywhere on Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut – simply put, no one else makes music quite as lovely and incandescent as this.
The album’s initial release coincided with an explosion of interest in the music coming out of Köln. This was a unique moment – one where pop, techno, house, ambience, avant-gardism, musique concrete, heavy DSP, and all kinds of other creative phenomena got muddied up in the ‘general jelly’ of Köln’s fast-moving, spirited musical communities. Zimmermann was closely aligned with the music coming out of the A-Musik and Sonig labels – a tightly-knit collection of artists centred around the A-Musik record store, making all kinds of weird and wonderful music, from the electronica of Mouse On Mars to the compositions of Marcus Schmickler, from the electro-acoustics of C-Schulz and Hajsch to the digitalia of FX Randomiz. Zimmermann himself would collaborate with the latter on an album under the name Holosud; friends such as Mouse On Mars and Kompakt’s Reinhard Voigt turned up on Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut’s remix EP.
Here, then, is one of the loveliest albums of its era, a pop-electronics album of serious play, one as moistly melancholy as it is melodically riveting. Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut is rare beauty indeed.
Michael Mayers Label IMARA ist stolz darauf, eine Neuauflage des zweiten Albums des deutschen Electronica-Maestros Schlammpeitziger, “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut”, bekannt zu geben. Ursprünglich 1996 vom Kölner Label A-Musik veröffentlicht, war es die erste Veröffentlichung von Schlammpeitziger, die einem viel breiteren Publikum signalisierte, dass in der Musik von Jo Zimmermann, dem Mastermind hinter Schlammpeitziger, etwas ganz Besonderes vor sich ging. Obwohl er seitdem weitere acht Alben für Labels wie Sonig, Pingipung und Bureau B veröffentlicht hat, ist “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” der Ort, an dem alles für diesen einzigartigen Musiker, Illustrator und Performance-Künstler begann. Schlammpeitziger, benannt nach dem “Schlammpeitzger” oder Wetterbarsch, einem Fisch, der durch seine Därme atmet, sich durch den Untergrund bewegt und erstaunlich empfindlich auf Veränderungen im Luftdruck reagiert – daher der Name – ist ebenfalls eine bemerkenswerte, einzigartige Kreatur.
Wie alle Musik von Schlammpeitziger ist auch “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” voller Melodien. Mit einfachsten Mitteln – ein Großteil seiner frühen Musik wurde mit Casio-Keyboards gemacht – zaubert Zimmermann ganze Welten voller Freude und Melancholie. Die neun Songs hier sind sowohl reiche Hommagen an die Freuden des Alltags als auch surreale Fantasien. “Cosmic Fick” segelt auf Wolken aus Karamell und Gischt hinaus aufs Meer; “Winterschlafsüßbärentraum” schlittert und gleitet durch einen Traum-Vogelkäfig im Geist; das abschließende “Mango und Papaja auf Tobago” ist ein Diorama aus Federn und Slinkys. Manchmal gibt es Echos von friedlicherer Kosmischer Musik – denke an Cluster circa “Sowiesoso” – und sowohl das Tempo als auch die amorphen, taktilen Texturen erinnern manchmal an Chris & Cosey. Aber Zimmermanns einzigartige Signatur ist überall auf “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” zu hören – ganz einfach, niemand sonst macht Musik so lieblich und leuchtend wie er.
Die ursprüngliche Veröffentlichung des Albums fiel mit einem Aufschwung des Interesses an der Musik aus Köln zusammen. Dies war ein einzigartiger Moment – einer, in dem Pop, Techno, House, Ambient, Avantgardismus, Musique Concrete, Heavy DSP und allerlei andere kreative Phänomene sich in der “Allgemeinen Gelee” der schnelllebigen, lebendigen musikalischen Gemeinschaften von Köln vermischten. Zimmermann stand in enger Verbindung mit der Musik der Labels A-Musik und Sonig – eine eng verbundene Gruppe von Künstlern rund um das A-Musik-Plattengeschäft, die alle möglichen seltsamen und wundervollen Musikrichtungen produzierten, von der Electronica von Mouse On Mars bis zu den Kompositionen von Marcus Schmickler, von der Elektroakustik von C-Schulz und Hajsch bis zur Digitalia von FX Randomiz. Zimmermann selbst würde mit letzterem an einem Album unter dem Namen Holosud zusammenarbeiten; Freunde wie Mouse On Mars und Reinhard Voigt von Kompakt tauchten in der Remix-EP von “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” auf.
Hier also eines der schönsten Alben seiner Zeit, ein Pop-Electronics-Album voller ernsthaftem Spiel, so feucht melancholisch wie melodisch fesselnd. “Freundlichbaracudamelodieliedgut” ist wahrlich eine seltene Schönheit.
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