Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

12 track Album from Horace Andy, Wayne Jarrett & The Wailers released by Dub Store Records

Continuing with the theme of finding and releasing quality 21st century CD-only tracks on to 7” vinyl, Jai Alai now are proud to present their fourth release which showcases the stand-out tracks from the only two albums released under the name Sir Wick.
Chad ’Sir Wick’ Hughes is probably best described as a musician (trombone, piano, percussion), composer, teacher, adjudicator and clinician, but somehow that doesn’t seem quite enough to describe such a unique musical talent. Born in Detroit, and graduating from the same High School as Diana Ross, Paul Thompson, & Ron Carter, he went on to study composition and arranging, and holds regular clinics around the north and mid-west US states sharing his expertise.
The topside on this limited edition release is the lead track from his debut album “An Interpretation Of A Universal Language” (2007 Sir Wick Entertainment LLC) which features the sublime vocals of Sedalia Marie, a beautiful mid-pacer, whilst the other side “I Love You” features the mellow vocals of Anthony Saunders on a track from Chad’s opus work “A Tale Of Two Fools”, which he began in 1996 but only finally orchestrated and released as his second album in 2017 - a soundtrack featuring a full orchestra comprising eight woodwind parts, full strings, big band brass, and seven-piece rhythm section.
Originally intended as an operetta, it was evolving into something bigger; an opera, musical or stage play maybe, but he finally referred to it as a ‘novical’ (a musical novel), which best describes this story of a young musician falling in love for the first time. A biopic, maybe?
One could easily take these two fabulous tracks at face value as simply just another great double-sider, but isn’t it nicer to know the full story?

Steve Hobbs (Solar Radio, Totally Wired Radio)

First release in 2000 by DON ONE

12 Beautiful Roots Reggae songs by Cornell Campbell of which most was recorded in the late nineteen ninety
All tracks on the Studio One Rhythms

All of the songs on the single LPS are Produced by Noel Alphanso/Bill Sample/Donald Moodie
There are only 95 copies in stock

Building on his already impressive resume, DJ Kay Slay returns to set the streets ablaze with his latest offering, Accolades. Featuring the next installment in the highly-acclaimed posse cut series, Rolling Deep, DJ Kay Slay blesses listeners with the ultimate version, Rolling 110 Deep, containing over 40 minutes of pure bars from some of hip-hop royalty, including Sheek Louch, Styles P, Dave East, Crooked I, Black Thought, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and many more. Other standouts include 72 Bar Assasin (feat. The Game), Extravagant Lifestyle (feat. Raekwon, Sheek Louch, Ghostface Killag & Tragedy Khadafi), & Harlem Block Money (feat. Dave East, Vado, Jim Jones, Shoota 93 & Talkit Trigga)

Jai Alai is different from sister label Soul4Real in that this imprint focuses on 21st century releases that were either CD only, or totally missed, and there is a very exciting programme of future releases already lined up. But before we get into my favourite release so far, the correct pronunciation of the label is “hi-uh-lie” which is a Basque version of the court ballgame pelota - no more mis-pronunciations please!
It would be fair to say that we could have done with a few more releases from this immensely talented “Songbird Of Love” over the years, but maybe your purchase might help that. I fell in love with her voice on the wonderful stepper “I’ll Always Be A Part Of You”, released on the short-lived New York label 1800 Records in 1986, so I was surprised to learn that Elaine was Los Angeles born and bred, particularly as her 1990 follow up dancer “The Sweetness Of Your Love” was on Miami label Never Stop Productions, which further enhanced her underground following in the UK & European soul scenes.
In 1993 her “Good Love” was included on the Meteor Man film soundtrack (starring amongst others, Luther Vandross), but it would be a while before she returned to the studios having toured as background then lead singer in Rose Royce from 1997-2007.
She finally released her own CD album “The Woman I Am” on Eee Project in 2007, from which these two killer cuts have been released for the first time on vinyl: “Come See About Me” is an infectious floor-filler pitched just below mid-pace, but “What Am I To Do” is the most sublime kneetrembler, taking you straight to a late night smoky jazz room with Ella or Billie on stage. Worth it for this side alone.

Steve Hobbs (Solar Radio, Totally Wired Radio)

Question: How do you create a perfect newly recorded modern soul masterpiece that sounds authentically mid 70s?

Answer: You have KIM TIBBS write, sing, play, produce and record it at the legendary Royal Studios in Memphis, TN., with Lawrence Boo Mitchell at the controls.

Add the most talented of musicians playing Fender Rhodes, Hammond Organ, four electric guitars, bass guitar, drums, percussion, trombone, trumpet, tenor saxophone, bari saxophone, four violins, two violas, a cello and four backing vocalists. VOILÀ! The flip is cut at 33RPM so you can experience the full version of WHERE WOULD I BE WITHOUT YOU? in all it’s glory on a 7”!

Happenstance can be a fortuitous element. A union funded single discovered in a dusty store, a long disbanded band found, leads to unreleased post punk dubs in a box of unreleased demos.

Formed during the mid-80s in the downbeat town of Walsall, their music a blend of disparate influences from 50s crooners, blues and reggae to Killing Joke and The Bunnymen; Ron's Neighbours were out of step with the perfect pop of the C86 indie generation.

Their only single - "To The Fight" - a split 7" was supported by the Trade Union Resource Centre, while many gigs were benefits for striking miners, leading to a loyal local following.

Engineered by Ozzy Osbourne's brother Tony, tracks were recorded at an 8 track bedroom / home studio, while a terraced house served as rehearsal space. Here Ron Next Door was born. When a tape recorder was left running it captured the long-suffering neighbour for posterity. His outburst gave the band and song, its name.

Experimenting with drum machines, the resultant jam track, here in its "Alternative Mix", languished unheard until now. Ron's 'Black Country' tones lead to driving bass / percussion against crashing Stratocasters and repeating, refrained vox - a post punk dub turned symphony.

The B side, Sitting On Top of the World, is an indie anthem, becoming their theme, a blend of grandiose and banal that characterised their songs.

Trailblazing UK jazz renegade, saxophonist Sean Khan delivers his scintillating new album ‘Supreme Love: a Journey Through Coltrane’ on BBE Music. “Who is John Coltrane for me?” asks Khan. “He is man, legend, myth, storyteller, sage and atmosphere. My road and journey has been a rocky one, and like most on this journey, I have carved a path full of mistakes and triumphs. However, throughout my life Coltrane’s music has been a constant.” Weaving together disparate strands of the UK music scene (jazz, dance, broken beat and electronic) together onto one record, Supreme Love is presented in three parts: autobiography, homage and encyclopaedia. A pioneer of the Broken Beat movement early in the new millennium, working with Omar, Bugz in the Attic and 4hero among others, Khan enlisted the input of two old friends, Kaidi Tatham and Daz I Kue, who each contribute a future-minded yet reverential sense of originality to the album. Also featured on Supreme Love are two legends of UK jazz, Peter King and Jim Mullen, both of whom bring a rich and palpable sense of history to the project. Guitarist Jim Mullen has played with Brian Auger, toured with the Average White Band and recorded with Terry Callier over his long career. Mullen was also a regular fixture at Ronnie Scott’s, as was saxophonist Peter King, who actually performed at the club’s opening night, as well as working with two of Coltrane’s favourite drummers, Philly Joe Jones and Elvin Jones. Sadly Peter King’s contribution to ‘Supreme Love’ would be his last recording session, and he passed away in August 2020. Also featured among a talented and diverse group of performers on the album is Cinematic Orchestra front-woman Heidi Vogel, who adds her distinctive, soulful voice to Khan’s, and Coltrane’s, heartfelt lyrics. “I have always been a strange prisoner to my ambition” says Sean “and most of my recordings bear testimony to this, with this record being the next part of that evolution. I made a conscious effort to represent all of Coltrane's main artistic periods from hard bop (with Miles Davis), to sheets of sound (Giant Steps, Moments Notice), spiritual jazz (Love Supreme) and finally his last, most experimental and cosmic period (Interstellar Space). I have never heard a record that attempts to reflect all of the great man’s epochs in this way and use the recording artist’s autobiography (my own) as a conduit to these ends, and so here I am, for better or for worse.” Supreme Love: a Journey Through Coltrane is available on 3LP vinyl, CD and digital, November 19th, 2021.

Limited Pressing.

Invisible City Editions returns with an official repress of a fantastic double-sided private press rarity from 1989 Detroit. Featuring two legendary Inner City alumni Producer/keyboardist Engineer Art Forest and Inner City background vocalist dancer/singer Shawn Pittman. On the A side a lush slow modern soul slow burner “Dreams'' features a deep,spatial throbbing bass line with glistening synths floating underneath cool angelic hypnotic vocals by Ms Pittman.” 'Dreams are only Dreams till you make it real' chants Shawn Pittman and we’re lead down a dazzling maze of mirrors. With “I'm Losing Control (Extended Bass-ment Club Mix)” on the flipside a wild late night warehouse dub remix features sci-fi vocal effects,fostex tape loops and ultra-heavy bass and driving drum machines. Minimal lush soul perfect for early mornings and the post-club world and a wild sci-fi house winner for late night club sessions. An IC fave! Remastered by Brandenberg/The Carvery (Note: we’ve also removed the drum machine going out of sync that was on the original press) Official Repress via Art Forest and his label Wildboy.Essential stuff!

Art Forest is an Electronic Engineer and production wizard from Detroit Michigan. He originally recorded 2 of Inner CItys’ Biggest Hits “Good Life” and “Big Fun” and continues to record to this day. Art Forest still finds and repairs equipment to add to his studio today. He also recorded for Paula Abdul “Straight Up” and Madonnas’ “Justify My Love” Shawn Pittman was a singer and dancer from Detroit who was a good friend of Inner City vocalist Paris Grey. Shawn Pittman sang backing vocals and harmonies on “Good Life” and “Big Fun”.

* Strictly limited-edition 2x12” vinyl in full colour sleeve. Includes card to download full album in WAV format.
* The debut Drum & Bass album from New York native T.R.A.C. pressed to vinyl for the very first time due to public demand!
* Features productions from Lenzman, Calibre, Serum, L-Side, Command Strange, Bladerunner, Marc Mac, Random Movement and many more. Lyrical collaborations from MC Conrad, Dynamite MC, David Boomah, Adrienne Richards, Christina Tamayo amongst others.
* Radio support for the album came from MistaJam, Friction, DJ Target, ReneLaVice and more, and with DJ support from across the whole scene.
* Press support from Mixmag (DnB Album of the Month), DJ Mag (In The Studio feature), D&BArena, DMC World, In Reach, Data Transmission
* When it comes to Hip Hop, New York is home to many great MC's and artists of all genres. Anyone who has ever visited the borough of Brooklyn will have seen its wide mix of cultures, ethnicities, and renowned musicians living within some of the most historic neighbourhoods in the world. Growing up within this melting pot has inspired the MC known as T.R.A.C. and as a result, he holds a deep burning ambition To Rule And Conquer the scene he is so immersed in.
* Although his roots lie in NYC Hip Hop, T.R.A.C. is also a long-time lover of breakbeats at 174bpm, taking inspiration from Marc Mac, legend of 4 Hero and Reinforced fame, who would eventually produce his debut album on BBE Records. Building a loyal following over the past ten years, performing at Drum and Bass events all over North America, Canada and Europe, it was on one such occasion that he caught the attention of V Recordings head honcho Bryan Gee who instantly recognised his lyrical skills and the opportunity to unite that East Coast Hip Hop style with its distant cousin from across the pond, Drum and Bass. This album is the result of that link up. The first full length D&B album from a US MC!

Originally released in 2008 following the birth of his daughter, Show You The World takes Living Legends MC, The Grouch, on a new path of growth and maturation as he navigates his new world of fatherhood and the new perspectives it brings. With topics ranging from his experience as a new father, partner, and son to drug addiction in the family, as well as his own personal struggles and triumphs, The Grouch succeeds in showing us his world. At 16 tracks, the album features appearances from Murs, Bicasso, Scarub, Mike Marshall, Raphael Saadiq, Abstract Rude, Marty James, & One Block Radius, and is best known for the hit singles, "Artsy," "The Bay To LA," &"Breath."

Back in stock!

Previously Unreleased Soul tracks from 1971 recorded at Scepter Studios, New York, and penned by Clark/Williams/Bailey. "Fallin' For The Same Ole Lie" is a Deep-Soulful Downtempo Crossover stepper. The B-Side, "If You Can't Undo The Wrong" is another beautiful Crossover Soul tune. Both songs were found on a demo reel-to-reel tape by Front Page Scandal. No other information about the band or members is known. Limited Edition Hand-Stamped pressing of 300 copies.

Well Street welcome south London based Kincaid to the label. Expect precision drum programming and sound design cut across 4 floor-focused workouts. Limited pressing!

The music that would become Conversation Peace began with a trip to KPM’s London HQ in late January of 2020. I had just finished wrapping up post production on my album Ocean Bridges with Archie Shepp and Raw Poetic. I actually received the invitation during the summer of 2019 during studio sessions for Ocean Bridges and scheduling for the top of 2020 made the most sense. So I packed up a few records and a few drum machines then embarked on my first trip to England. We had a quick meeting about expectations, then it was time to see the archive. As a record collector, I’m very familiar with the legacy of the KPM brand. I had been lucky enough to find a few over the past decade during my digging trips up and down the east coast, but looking at the complete vinyl catalogue was a great privilege. I anxiously began combing through records from morning to night looking for the right sounds. The whole experience was surreal.



Listening to the entire catalogue was a history lesson and the amount of great composers and compositions in the recordings was endless. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t somewhat overwhelming. As a producer looking for textures, inspiration and grooves, the abundance of those things made it extremely difficult to narrow down what I wanted to use. From drums to sound fx to orchestras to small rhythm sections to ambient noises, I heard a wide variety of things and they were all so well produced and recorded. Every instrument you can think of was there! I spent a little over a week capturing sounds knowing that my work was cut out for me when I returned to my home in DC. Once I got home, I got to work. I captured so much, that it took me about a month just to organize all those ideas. Little did I know the world would drastically change in the next month following my return. My flight to and from London would indefinitely be my last time traveling for a while. I worked diligently with the material and took my time making sure I had strong ideas. The history of KPM and the opportunity to collaborate with the prestigious lineage made the stakes very high for me and I knew I needed to deliver a quality product. It’s an honor to be the first artist to release a KPM Crate Diggers title. - Earl Davis (Damu the Fudgemunk)

After two various released on Discolored Field’s « Hornstars » and on Comic Sans Records « Pr. Raoult Secret Weapons », UNGENEROUS is the debut four-track EP of the live-music project with PPC (Ramses and Gablab).

The two friends begin their musical excursions at the end of 2019 as they initially want to "pouet pouet" with various materials. There is no emphasis on compositions but rather the structures that alternate between techno, uk breaks and dancehall.

The outcome of UNGENEROUS came after a residency at the end of summer 2020. They have a desire to remain close to live music. To do so, they make use of only little elements and just loud sounds. They recorded a batch of improvisations on the Hornstar Soundsystem (built by Roloil and Ramses in march 2020).

The music then beholds the specific sound of the Hornstar : a physical and distinctive layered sound characterized by scoop, mid, top and horn.

In this occurrence, PPC offers their specific cross-sound electronics combining clipped dancehall, footwork riddims, heartbreaking drill and grime wave.

The impressive new LP from Cypress Hill, Back In Black, is the group's
10th studio album - They are arguably one of the most successful hiphop groups of all time, celebrating 30 years of non-stop touring
They are the biggest-selling Latin hip-hop group in the world and the first hip-hop
group to have sold multi- platinum albums, having sold over 30 million albums
worldwide.Cypress Hill are considered to be among the main progenitors of West
Coast and 1990s hip-hop, and the group has received critical acclaimed for their
first five albums. As well as this, all of the group members advocate for and are
very vocal about the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis in the United
States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip-hop group to have a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cypress Hill will join heavy metal giants Slipknot on the 2022 Knotfest Roadshow
(April 2022 tour).

Culture III is the fourth studio album by American hip hop trio Migos. It was released by Capitol Records, Motown Records, and Quality Control Music on June 11, 2021. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Cardi B, Polo G, Future, Justin Bieber, Juice Wrld, Pop Smoke, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. It is the follow-up to their 2018 album Culture II and serves as the conclusion to their Culture trilogy

What do jazz improvisation, Polish Radio, dingy rap from Memphis, cassette tapes, trap, drill elements and hip-hop loops have in common? These are the ingredients that the Błoto quartet used in their lab to cook an explosive mixture for their third LP entitled “Kwasy i zasady” (eng,“Acids and bases”).

Nobody thought that a band who appeared suddenly and unexpectedly on the jazz scene would develop so rapidly and in such an unforeseen direction. A year ago, critics and music journalists treated Błoto only as a one-off spin off of a larger band, EABS, when the debut album “Erozje” (eng,”Erosion”) was released. The band used their momentum and decided to release the second album “Inflorescence, all in 2020. Both albums resonated strongly enough to be at the top of many annual charts, and receive nominations for the most important music awards in Poland.

The reality around us continued to inspire the band to create. The Błoto quartet only needed a small spark to make another burst of creativity. The igniter turned out to be Polish Radio, which came up with the initiative to invite the band to a new project. This was the starting point for the creation of "Kwasy i zasady", Błoto’s third album within twelve months.

Wuja HZG, Cancer G, OlafSaxx and Latarnik already had the opportunity to use high-end equipment in well-equipped recording studios, so this time the musicians decided to go in the opposite direction - lo-fi. The recordings were made with a minimum number of microphones, and the whole thing was recorded on a cassette with a Tascam 122 MKII stereo tape recorder, giving a dirty and warm character to Błoto’s sound, which can be clearly heard from the first minutes of the disc.

The team has always operated in the sphere of metaphors close to nature. It is similar this time, but Błoto has gone deeper into "chemical compounds" called acids and bases. Ultimately, the album's theme cleverly avoids the direct meaning of these words, playing with the convention. A set of improvised beats refers to interpersonal relationships, which nowadays often have an extreme, corrosive and explosive nature, so we need a framework that will allow us to counteract them.

The album "Kwasy i zasady" will be released on Astigmatic Records under the patronage of the Second Polish Radio Program on April 30, 2021. The album will be available on vinyl, CD and on all streaming platforms.

A masterful mix of timeless American soul with vintage 1970s African samples in a most rewarding way – musical traveler Eamon teams with production duo Likeminds for No Matter The Season, his second album for Now-Again. “I’ve been singing since I was a tike, promoters used to call me ‘the boy wonder’, but with this record it felt new, almost like I was singing every note as if my life depended on it,” says Eamon from his home in Southern California, a far cry from his native Staten Island, New York City. But you wouldn’t know his birthplace from the way he sings, especially on No Matter The Season, where Eamon put a new spin on vintage samples from the Now-Again catalog, crafting beats from various African rhythms such as Amanaz’s Zamrock, the Hygrades Nigerian funk, and Ayalew Mesfin’s Ethiopian tezetas. Shortly after the release of his last Now-Again project, Captive Thoughts, he began working with the production duo on two original compositions that appear on No Matter The Season. But as time went on, he came upon the idea of completing the album by sending the duo samples from the Now-Again catalog to work with. Which were expanded upon with a multitude of live instruments. “There was something special about combing through the African records at Now-Again,” Eamon reflects. “I had never heard the variety of funk and soul that existed in places like Lagos and Addis Ababa, it was like a history lesson in Rhythm & Blues. I was hearing the godfathers of the movement here in the US. I wanted to pay my respect to that lineage. Since singing in my father’s doo-wop group as a kid, I’ve always used music from the past to create and express something new in the present. But to be able to do that across continents and get back to the roots…that was really impactful for me.” Likeminds, helmed by Chris Soper and Jesse Singer, two East Coast transplants to LA who are as comfortable chopping up samples on an MPC as they are playing classic instruments, using vintage microphones, or recording to tape, offer up what could be described as a West Coast spin on the revivalist soul sound championed by Daptone Records. “For sure, the album is soaked in an old school feel, but to still tap into the depths of my soul today is always the end goal,” Eamon states. All but two tracks are based on Now-Again samples, using the classic rhythms as accompaniment to showcase Eamon’s emotional singing style that is still as honest and raw as when he was a 16, singing about heartbreak. The end result, No Matter the Season, is a celebration of the musical relationship between Africa and America and the thrilling soul music that relationship has spawned since the 60s and 70s. “My hope is people know that I’m not leaving anything on the table in this chapter of my career,” Eamon reflects. “Only thing I can do is pour my heart out on every single line. Even though I’m writing and screaming to the heavens about my joy, my pain, my love…these are songs for everyone, everywhere, anytime. You’re gonna walk away feeling something. This is why I titled the album No Matter The Season.”

Godfather Don is a classic hip hop artist with a serious back catalogue of self produced tracks and collaborative projects such as the Cenobites, or more recent Jazz Spastiks remixes.

'Stuck Off The Realness' first appeared on a highly sought after test pressing 12" in 1997 (the same one as 'Status'), on the flip we've put the super dope 'Burn' with that distinctive Biggie vocal sample... both sides epitomise that classic 90s NYC indie sound.

Fresh Afro-Soul Music - Ghana’s Highlife going by the heartbeat of 70s Soul Music. Jembaa Groove is a multicultural band founded in late 2020 by bass player and composer Yannick Nolting, and singerpercussionist Eric Owusu.

Speaking the same musical language, they quickly realized the fruitful
outcome of their musical encounter and decided to spend a couple of
months composing their original music. Digging deep into both their
backgrounds and musical identities, they came up with an organic result both like to label as Afro-Soul.

After seeking for the right companions for the upcoming journey and
stumbling on a few of Berlin's finest musicians, they finally formed Jembaa Groove, a 7-piece band that combines fresh sounds from Berlin's underground music scene with traditional West-African sounds from Ghana and Mali, such as Highlife, Adowa and Wassoulou. Their aesthetic vision is inspired by soul music from the ‘60s and ‘70s and avoids overly-produced commercial arrangements while merging driving bass grooves and steady drum patterns with fresh horn lines and catchy melodies. Produced by Yannick Nolting. Composed and arranged by Yannick Nolting. Vocal
arrangements and lyrics by Eric Owusu.

Reggae is more than the national music of Jamaica. It's a social force which embraces the cultural needs of the people it serves. Everyone in Jamaica listens to the latest songs for an immediate line on the political and spiritual pulse on the island, or just enjoys simply the lyrics about a long lost love. The symbiosis of producer Alvin Ranglin and singers Larry Marshall and Alvin Leslie (of course backed by a well-trained group of musicians known under the name of The Revolutionaries) led to a beautiful ten songs album in 1978. But as it happens sometimes the material was never issued with the exceptance of the song ''Last Nite'' (sic) which was released in 1981 on Ranglin's Hit label. The Dutch Jamaican Gold CD-label issued four songs of the Larry & Alvin album on a various artists cd in 1997, and plans were made for a full album release to follow soon. But it all went down the drain after the Jamaican Gold label was terminated in 2001. Through the positive input of Alvin Ranglin and the Jamaican Art Records team we can now finally proudly presents Larry & Alvin ''Poor Man A Feel It''. Larry Marshall's career spans more than 55 years and he was not only a great songwriter but also an original roots-singer. Larry's songs are easily indentifiable because of his emotional and intense voice, heavily influenced by the Revival church and Folk traditions in Jamaica. No matter it's gospel, spiritual, love, folk, roots or reality songs, his deliverence is omnipresent. Hopefully you will appreciate our labour of love at Jamaican Art Records and the great songs on this album as we do

Tuff Scout come through with some crucial riddims here from Peter Mereo and Daddy Culture. Metro goes first with his particularly natty 'Dancing Spirit', the intense vocal work never letting up over the suspenseful chords that drop in from great height. A dub version pairs things back to the heavy weight drums and bass. On the flip is 'Give Them Style', a digi-dub stepper with shiny synths bringing electric feels to the plucked acoustic guitar and lumpy drum work. All three tunes are primed and ready for sound system deployment this summer and beyond.

Drawing on a diverse range of influences, Quimbie’s debut album ‘Sunday Fiction’ is a sophisticated journey through myriad grooves. From dancefloor to home listening vibes, it’s a riot of warm chords, dusty samples, booming bass and infectious rhythms. The mysterious producer has managed that difficult feat of crafting a ‘dance’ record that works outside of a club context, imbuing his tracks with a charisma and vibrancy that appeals to the mind as much as the body.

A perfect complement of analog synths and drum machines make the perfect bed for Quimbie’s magpie-like sample selection, and the overall effect is a wistful, engrossing record that you’ll want to come back to again and again.

A relentless, tough, cool as f**k, Afro Beat-tinged Funk winner made for dancers by a dancer. It's the brainchild of Rare Groove innovator, Barrie K Sharpe & his musical partner Gareth Tasker

60 copies only

Nomadic, London-born MC Slim Papi follow up to his ‘Châteauneuf-du-Papi Vol. 1’ EP - which saw support from Clash, COLORSXSTUDIOS, BBC6 Music, Iggy Pop, Huey Morgan, Jyoty (Rinse FM), Shy One (NTS Radio) BBC Introducing, Amazon ++ - with Vol. 2 in his ‘Châteauneuf-du-Papi’ EP series.

This time he once again brings along Westside Gunn/Madlib collaborator Sonnyjim along for the ride, as well as his New Jersey rap twin Crimeapple (fresh off the back of appearance on Rosnerberg's 'Real Late' comp alongside Ghostface Killah & Jim Jones) and Lunch Money Life/Touching Bass’ Poison Zcora, for a 4-track travel-rap opus.

Slim Papi (Noonian Soong) levels up his bars celebrating lifes wins and luxuries. Rolls out some of his most high grade references of cuisine ("Steamed bream with creamed beans in a limousine, I'm eating langoustines and tangerine's in Aberdeen"), travel ("I back flip off a catamaran in Kazakhstan, the man with the plan is stuck in Milan in a traffic jam) and cultural touchstones ("iridocycltis”) over largely self produced cuts. The result is a confident, mature and unique offering for rap music from British shores, bridging the worlds of funk, electornica and rap and packaged as some of the best London music has to offer.

An infrequent but invigorating contributor to Phantasy, U returns with a beguiling new single entitled ‘Ecstasy’. Initially available as a limited pressing with a sleeve designed and printed by U themselves, this haunting return promises to draw the curious into two divine rhythms, transferring unknowable forces and mysterious energies.

The first side of the artefact portrays ‘Ecstasy’, a wide-eyed and spectral incantation rich in intimacy, whispering voices and earthy psychedelia. Somewhere between machine funk and folk canticle, a sonic gift perhaps for a field in England bathed in moonlight, else a dire basement dripping in energy, ‘Ecstasy’ leaves the system almost spiritually.

On the contrary, ‘Morpheus’ presents a tougher meditation, a creeping jam with an analogue consciousness, ghostly rave echoes and a conundrum at its heart. The dream seems so real, but what if you can’t wake from it after all?

It’s been more than a year since our last release on Suction Records, and we’re excited to be back with the introduction of a new artist to the label’s roster. In fact, this split 12” serves as an introduction to both Useless Idea, and Seven Nights Alone, two aliases from the same Italian artist and producer, Cesare Bignotti. The split also serves as a taster for two forthcoming Suction Records full-length LPs, coming soon from both aliases.

Useless Idea, with previous under-the-radar cassette album releases on WéMè Records (2018’s “Acid Hologram”) and EVES Music (2020’s “Xa Peh”), has been quietly recording his own brand of inventive, playful, and melodic IDM/braindance for more than 20 years. We’ve been slowly compiling Useless Idea’s debut vinyl full-length for several years now, and the resulting “Glitch In The Colors” will be released later this year on 2LP vinyl, covering the span of his 20+ years of recording. From “Glitch…” we’ve included standout cut “Mello Tron” alongside two tracks that are exclusive to this split 12”.

Seven Nights Alone is a more recent alias, and outside of 1 track released on a compilation, this marks the new alias’ debut release. There is an undeniable Boards Of Canada influence here, but this is a unique and sophisticated take on BOC’s woozy and melancholy electronica. Both “Soft Where” (a menacing, futuristic instrumental hip hop killer) and “Walkman” (like a BoC “Campfire Headphase” outtake but on an optimistic tip) are taken from Seven Nights Alone’s debut 2LP vinyl full-length “Another Place”, to be released on Suction Records in 2023, alongside a 3rd track that’s exclusive to this split 12”.



Vinyl is limited to 200 copies, and comes with a Bandcamp download card.

Adayofthesun’ is Veezo’s second EP released on May 2nd 2021 (digital). This concept release blends cinematicatmospheres with a lo-?hip hop?avour. The EP shows o?the artist's pedigree - choppy vocal samples meldwith wobbly pads, and Veezo's warm wandering Rhodes grooves tying everything together.
B-Side Etching

As pieces of musical curation go, Kenny Dope’s reimagining and reediting of the Wild Style breakbeats is outstanding. While the music from the ‘Wild Style’ OST is truly seminal, the story behind it is even more fascinating.

Underneath the voices of important rappers from hip-hop’s first wave – Cold Crush Brothers, Double Trouble, Rammellzee, Busy Bee and more – were a selection of backing beats that have underpinned and influenced a whole lot of hip-hop ever since.

It would be easy to mistake them for genuine breakbeats dug out of crates, but they’re not. Overseen by hip-hop impresario Freddie Braithwaite – better known as Fab 5 Freddy – in collaboration with Blondie’s Chris Stein – the songs from the Wild Style soundtrack are all unique creations intended as a homage to the early breakbeats.

Drummer Lenny Ferrari – who had played for Aretha Franklin before emerging on the punk scene – and bassist David Harper played many of the iconic grooves, two somewhat forgotten participants in shaping a legendary sound. They – and Chris Stein – weren’t even in the same studio at the same time.

Kenny Dope, a long-time fan of the music, later acquired the original reel-to-reel tapes from Charlie Ahearn, the film’s director. Using the Wild Style breakbeats – many just a minute or so long – he transformed them into longer edits that give them more room to breathe. ‘Down by Law’ and ‘Subway Beat’ are two of the most famous, breakdance classics that summon up visions of graffiti’d trains speeding through the South Bronx.

Introducing the 'Saltpond City Band'. A buoyant 8-piece outfit hailing from Ghana, blending soulful highlife and percussive funk in their new album 'Boko A Ko', forthcoming on Meet Me There Records.

The Saltpond City Band was initially formed by the legendary Ghanaian highlife musician Ebo Taylor and is now led by his son, keyboardist and lead vocalist, Henry Taylor.

The album 'Boko A Ko' is a blend of highlife, funk and afrobeat, woven into a refreshing take on traditional Ghanaian highlife. With the core of the band set deep in the highlife experience, Taylor and company deliver a combination of driving horns, fluid percussion and earthy vocals. The album features Ebo Taylor himself on 'Mennbo Wobi', which also showcases Ghanaian flute extraordinaire Dela Botri adding fine elements of melodic escape.

The forthcoming album is set to be released on the brand new label 'Meet Me There Records' (MMTR). MMTR is a community-based project aiming to put the artist first. With profits split 50:50 between artist and label, 25% of the label profits will go directly towards the building of a recording studio in the local community of Dzita in West Ghana, Wornana Studios, which will become one of the first accessible recording studios in the Volta region.

'Boko A Ko' is already receiving praise from highly acclaimed artists and DJ's, but is also an example of what else is to come from MMTR and is paving the way for new and unexplored talent that is coming out of the Ghanaian and West African music scene.

Ramrock Records are hugely excited to announce the forthcoming release of Ghetto Priest’s ‘Big People Music’ LP, the long awaited follow up to his 2017 album, ‘Every Man For Every Man’. The idea for this LP was originally floated in 2018 and was intended to be a 6 track EP called ‘Songs for my father’. However, once Ghetto Priest got in the studio, the idea expanded as he went the extra mile adding his personal favourites, conjured up from childhood memories of his father’s tunes being played on the family radiogram with additions from his youthful excursions. A magical mixture of tracks associated with the greats – Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Slim Smith, Ken Boothe, Aaron Neville – ‘Big People Music’ can lay claim to being the 21st century’s equivalent of John Holt’s ‘1,000 Volts of Holt’ – an absolute essential on every Blaupunkt radiogram on a Sunday and a blues party staple.

The combination of standards and righteous releases were mixed down by the Bishop of Dub, Adrian Sherwood who blessed the project with the title ‘Big People Music’, a powerful acknowledgement to those tunes which filled many a Caribbean household with immeasurable sentiments that echoed down through subsequent generations.

Please be upstanding for Ghetto Priest and ‘Big People Music’.
'In memory of the Right Honourable Arthur Beresford Townsend - My Father'

Released on CD and digital on the 21st May 2021, this eagerly anticipated LP from I Grade Records immediately soared to the number one position in the iTunes reggae charts. The LP is now being released on 12" vinyl and cassette tape courtesy of Before Zero Records.

Polarities is the 13th and final full album of new material from Vaughn Benjamin and I Grade Records, the culmination of a 20 year working relationship that began with 2001's Nemozian Rasta album, which was Midnite's 4th album released to date at that time.

Polarities was produced jointly by the Zion I Kings production team, with Tippy I of I Grade at the production helm, alongside Vaughn Benjamin himself.

The album also includes two notable guest features: Tiken Jah Fakoly of Ivory Coast on "Everything Bless" and Chronixx of Jamaica on "Black Carbon", which were both released in 2020 as the first singles off of Polarities.

Four Flies keeps digging into the secret archives of Alessandro Alessandroni to bring hidden treasures back to light. After two successful releases - the EP Afro Discoteca and the compilation album Lost & Found -, it is now the turn of a new 7'' single featuring two tracks with a strong soul-funk influence, sung by the Maestro's beloved Cantori Moderni in a typically Italian harmonizing style, poised somewhere in between gospel and disco music. Both tracks are previously unreleased and were recorded in the same 1976 sessions that birthed Sangue di sbirro (Knell / Bloody Avenger), his most blaxploitation-inspired soundtrack.

Shine On, on Side A, is a disco-funk anthem driven by a killer rhythm section, with heavy drum breaks and bass lines enhanced by a powerful brass section, string interludes and Fender Rhodes phrasings with a distinctly jazz-funk flavour. In the same vein, Prohibition on Side B is a mid-tempo funk floor-filler built on a super groovy bass line on top of which are layered prominent brass and Wurlitzer passages.

This is another great find that expands the known horizons of Alessandroni's discography. And it won't be the last one…

Legendary A&O 90's album reissued in 2 volumes incl previously unreleased tracks! The vintage UK Dub sound: roots, spirituality and heavy basslines. Bass-music, play LOUD! Incl "Jerusalem", "Stepping Up", "Promised Land", "Great Tribulations", ….

Freestyle puts out another reissue 12" in their drive to unearth rare and classic UK funk, soul & boogie records - this time a much needed pressing of the late Candy McKenzie's heavy boogie-funk cover of Patrice Rushen's classic Remind Me. Produced by Candy's late cousin, and seasoned session bass player, John McKenzie (and licensed from the family estate) this was originally released in 1983 - and comes with an excellent dubbed-out 'Different Style' instrumental version on the flip.

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Candy McKenzie (1953-2003) was a North West London-based vocalist from a Guyanese family heavily steeped in musicianship . She began learning the piano at a young age, picking up vocal harmony from her father, a jazz bass player. Her brothers Bunny & Binky, were also celebrated bassists. Candy would marry young in 1970 at the age of 17, though just one year later her brother Binky (who played with the likes of Cream, Alexis Korner & John Mclaughlin in the late 60s) tragically killed her mother and father, along with Candy's husband in an attack at the family home to which Candy was present. Candy was also injured but escaped with her life.

In the years that followed the tragedy Candy, regularly accompanied by her brother Bunny, would find reggae vocal session work - often at the Chalk Farm Studios frequented by many key producers & acts. She found her way onto Aswad's first album and Keith Hudson's legendary Flesh Of My Skin Blood Of My Blood LP - and a little while later on a couple of sessions with Bob Marley for Island, under the supervision of Lee Perry.

The latter two parties took a keen interest in Candy, with Island wisking her away to Jamaica in 1977 to record an album at the legendary Black Ark. Her vocals found their way onto The Congos seminal Heart of the Congos LP, but the album she recorded with Perry was shelved - with just the Black Art holy grail 12" Disco Fits / Breakfast in Bed finding it's way to release at the time.

Back in London, Candy spent the early to mid 80s recording various lovers and funk/soul 12"s, including this fantastic cover of Patrice Rushen's Remind Me, produced by her cousin John. She went on to record singles for labels like Elite & Cooltempo throughout the '80s and early '90s, and appeared as backing vocalist with the likes of Leonard Cohen, Whitney Houston, Elton John and Diana Ross. She passed away in 2003, with her one and only album recorded at the Black Ark finally seeing release on Trojan in 2011.

Candy's cousin John McKenzie got his starts in the music industry in the mid 70s as part of prog group Man and communal festival rockers Global Village Trucking Co., as well as playing with the likes of Annette Peacock and Steve Hillage. His father Mike McKenzie was also a key Carribbean jazz figure in the UK throughout the early 1950s, through to the '60s and '70s. John would become a heavily in-demand session musician - playing with everyone from the Eurhythmics to Bob Dylan - while also finding time to produce this record, alongside a couple of excellent 12"s with Mel Gaynor as Finesse, between 1982 and '83. He would regularly tour the world as a live musician for a huge array of headline acts, appearing on multiple chart hits, and in his later years was a member of the excellent group Ibibio Sound Machine. He lost his battle with cancer in 2020.

This reissue is dedicated to the memory of both John & Candy McKenzie.

There is never any doubt that soul is in the house, when you hear the poetic guitar and organ licks from Cold Diamond & Mink starting to twirl together, and out of nowhere Carlton Jumel Smith steps effortlessly inside the groove. "Heaven In My Arms" is the second in line of Carlton's new trio of singles on Timmion, and what a treat it is: deep as Mississippi mud, light as a feather.

This time our trans-Atlantic tag team delivers a melodic beat ballad of the highest order, which should sweep fans of lowrider soul off their wheels. Spanish Harlem-bred Carlton has been steadily churning out gems since meeting the Timmion folks some years back and shows no signs of stopping yet. This is a love song with plenty of heart to give everybody. Just take it all in, and enjoy the instrumental on the flipside while you're at it.

Carlton Jumel Smith is back on Timmion Records, doing what he does best: grooving, testifying and romancing his way into your heart. His last album for the label 1634 Lexington Ave. left many contemporary soul fans in awe – some in tears of joy – and they will be pleased to know that he has something new cooking in 2022.

The first release from an upcoming trilogy of singles, "Devoted To You" packs everything you could want from a mid-tempo jam. A steady tambourine beat rides the mellow Cold Diamond & Mink groove, leaving Carlton all the pockets he needs to fill with his ever-funky but delicate delivery.

Keep tuned this year for a bunch of new soulful tracks from Carlton and Cold Diamond & Mink. They will keep you warm and cozy through any kind of weather!

There is never any doubt that soul is in the house, when you hear the poetic guitar and organ licks from Cold Diamond & Mink starting to twirl together, and out of nowhere Carlton Jumel Smith steps effortlessly inside the groove. "Heaven In My Arms" is the second in line of Carlton's new trio of singles on Timmion, and what a treat it is: deep as Mississippi mud, light as a feather.

This time our trans-Atlantic tag team delivers a melodic beat ballad of the highest order, which should sweep fans of lowrider soul off their wheels. Spanish Harlem-bred Carlton has been steadily churning out gems since meeting the Timmion folks some years back and shows no signs of stopping yet. This is a love song with plenty of heart to give everybody. Just take it all in, and enjoy the instrumental on the flipside while you're at it.