Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

If now the time for voodoo amulets and protective talismans, sharpened swords and unbreakable shields, it’s also a moment for music to assume its highest form as a healing art, a source of benevolent spells, and a refuge from the chaos. After all, the best creators are always those that tap into the telluric current that exists below the surface. Those who delve into the collective unconscious so that timeliness is a happy accident; timelessness was always the intent. If Quelle Chris and Chris Keys’ Innocent Country 2 sounds like an antidote for a moment of surreal anxiety, the same could be said of it a decade from now. It’s an album best understand in a dialogue with the first volume of the series. Released in 2016, the initial Innocent Country focused on isolation, pessimism, and the notion of finding peace within pain. At a time when those feelings convey the mood of the moment, Quelle and Keys have responded with a soundtrack that offers soothing light in a bleak timeline. A hopeful record in a hopeless moment, precisely when it’s needed most.

If now the time for voodoo amulets and protective talismans, sharpened swords and unbreakable shields, it’s also a moment for music to assume its highest form as a healing art, a source of benevolent spells, and a refuge from the chaos. After all, the best creators are always those that tap into the telluric current that exists below the surface. Those who delve into the collective unconscious so that timeliness is a happy accident; timelessness was always the intent. If Quelle Chris and Chris Keys’ Innocent Country 2 sounds like an antidote for a moment of surreal anxiety, the same could be said of it a decade from now. It’s an album best understand in a dialogue with the first volume of the series. Released in 2016, the initial Innocent Country focused on isolation, pessimism, and the notion of finding peace within pain. At a time when those feelings convey the mood of the moment, Quelle and Keys have responded with a soundtrack that offers soothing light in a bleak timeline. A hopeful record in a hopeless moment, precisely when it’s needed most.

Luv N'Haight is proud to present another dose of Chicago Spiritual, Jazz-Funk from The Pharaohs. "Bring Back Peace To The World" sees a pairing of the legendary band with fellow Chicago natives and vaunted Gospel-Soul group Spencer Jackson Family. The result starts off as a traditional yet powerful Gospel exhortation then morphs into a riotous and vivid deep Soul-Funk number.

LIMITED EDITION 100 HAND NUMBERED COPIES ON RED WAX

We can't believe it ourselves! Brandnew music by the original Hip Hop Band. Prince Paul, Daddy-O, Wise, Delite & Bobby Simmons are currently working on a new album. Stetsasonic is back and what a track they have cooked up for their return after 30 years!
IN A SPECIAL EDITION WE GIVE YOU THE VOCAL AND THE INSTRUMENTAL VERSION ON A STRICTLY LIMITED 100 HAND NUMBERED COPIES EDITION RED WAX. ONLY 15 COPIES LEFT.
STETSASONIC IS BACK!

We can't believe it ourselves! Brandnew music by the original Hip Hop Band. Prince Paul, Daddy-O, Wise, Delite & Bobby Simmons are currently working on a new album. Stetsasonic is back and what a track they have cooked up for their return after 30 years!

Limited 300 press only. 50copies left.

Laid back roots, led and arranged by the great Tommy McCook. Never before pressed on 45 and this mix has never been released before. A thing of great beauty! Comes in a hand stamped bag. Produced by Bunny Lee. If you were looking to explain to someone what was great about both Tommy McCook and the Aggrovators and Bunny Lee’s production prowess. Play them this.

Volume Three in the Mr Bongo Record club series. Another showcase of recent vinyl finds and favourites from our DJ sets and radio shows. This is an extra special one however, as it lands in 2019, the year that we celebrate 30 years since it all began way back in 1989.

Compiled by David Buttle and Gareth Stephens, assisted by Graham Luckhurst and Gary Johnson.

Black Flower is a vibrant, hypnotic mix of Ethio jazz, afrobeat, psychedelia and oriental influences, inspired by Mulatu Astatke, Fela Kuti and varied western musical traditions.

The classic album from Immortal Technique now available. Features Akir, C-Rayz Walz, DJ Roc Raida, Diabolic, Jean Grae, Lou Cipher, Mumia Abu Jamal, Poison Pen, Pumpkinhead & Tonedeff.

For the second chapter of his odyssey, we find again Le Commandant Couche Tôt in the middle of the Amazon River, escaping from drones and wildfires in a hovercraft.
Une Histoire d’Amour Brésilienne (A brazilian love story) shares a dystopian vision widely inspired by the environmental issues of 2020 and 2021, which illustrates a form of anxiety toward the future.
Its soundtrack however is purposely the antithesis of the story: a very optimistic tribute to space-disco and brazilian funk. A “good vibe” pill to give hope for a new beginning.

This Gem of a soul album has been transformed into a 45s collection for the first time. Dynamite Cuts releases a high quality limited edition 1000 copies double pack 2x7' release which gives you ALL of those masterpieces from the album. Two never before on 7' vinyl
DYNAM7013/014

Once again it is an incredible honour to license music from Soul Blues legend Roy Roberts, the picks on offer this time are LOVE ON THE LINE, which was recorded last year - this
one hits the Southern Soul sweet spot for us and we are naturally thrilled to present it on vinyl.

On the flip is dreamy stepper YOU AND ME TOGETHER, taken from the revered LP ‘Country Star’ which also gained a 7” release on Roy’s House of Roton label in 1977.

Limited Edition of 300 copies.

It was a blessing to make contact with California gospel music icon Leonard Lothlen.

The concept behind this release was to place two gospel compositions recorded fifty years apart on one record! Musically diverse, both inspirational. IN THE PRESENCE features DERICK
HUGHES’ powerhouse vocals with a nod of respect to the late great Bishop Rance Allen

Leonard’s first record in the group G.C.’s from 1971, LET US PRAY is a proven rarity with only a handful of copies documented as sold online. Uniquely trippy in sound with the sweetest
of harmonies. Limited edition of 300 copies.

HONESTY, RESPECT & TRUST have helped the Soul 4 Real team secure wonderful gems for its record label which showcases the acts at its events.
Following the release of “Garden Of Love”, please let me introduce to you this latest unreleased song and its flip side´s first outing on vinyl.
Recorded in the mid-seventies at Florida’s Playground Studios, "Shadow Of A Doubt" is a great composition penned by Motown’s Reuben Howell. This down home southern soul masterpiece, to which extra horns and strings have been added to beef up the production, is a winner, make no mistake! Jimmy is in great voice on this mid-tempo outing, which is pure class! Expect a sell out.
The Finley Duncan produced "Chasin’ A Rainbow" is an up-tempo dancer which will be filling the dance floor, but I have a feeling "Shadow" will be tugging at our heartstrings for years to come.

At the start of the 70s Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams was at the height of his creative powers, writing and producing hits in Muscle Shoals on artists like Freddie North and Doris Duke. Although these two tracks voiced by his childhood friend Wilson Williams at Widget Studios remained unissued, their quality is sky high. “Ghost Of Myself” was also cut by Duke but the excellent deep soul of “Don’t Let My Foolish Words Keep Us Apart” may just be the pick.

Wilson Williams had worked for his home town Norfolk, Virginia music man Noah Biggs’ How Big and Shiptown labels. He played guitar on several Biggs releases, and voiced two name discs. These rare 45s were followed by his album on ABC “Up The Downstairs” in 1978 and a further collaboration with Jerry on the “Eating Ain’t Cheating” CD in 2001.

By then Wilson had been a member of the Platters for several years already, touring the world on the various oldies circuit where he still works.

Soul music changes just like the weather. Different styles, rhythms and dances have been emerging over the years, making the genre so exciting and assorted. For almost a decade, in the post-disco era, synths and drum machines ruled the day, but by the mid 90s a group of new artists were turning their attention to the golden age of soul music.
One of those names was Adriana Evans, whose debut album from 1996 surprised soul fans around the world. Adriana boasts a solid musical background and this can be heard on the record. Her mom was the jazz singer Mary Stallings and she was also the goddaughter of Pharoah Sanders, so she has been surrounded by music since childhood.
Both choices here are taken from that outstanding album. "Looking For Your Love" is a beautiful mid-tempo tune which could have been recorded by The Emotions or Phyllis Hyman. On the reverse, "I'll Be There" is a sublime piano and flute-led ballad in the vein of Minnie Ripperton.

Part of the joy of collecting soul music is searching for and discovering lesser known gems. Phoenix, AZ, might not be known as one of the main American cities for black music despite spawning artists such as Dyke & the Blazers and Eddie & Ernie, but the city holds a cult status among rare soul collectors thanks to the small output of labels like Artco, OK&T, Poorman’s and Raina.
One of the state’s well kept secrets is Bobby Barnes, who had a small number of 45 releases on local labels. All strong tracks which really deserved wider recognition than they got.
The 14th S4R release contains two previously unissued songs, from 1977 and 1984 respectively, recorded for the Raina label with Lawrence Carroll producing and arranging.
”Super High On Your Love” is in my opinion his best song - a super soulful floater type of modern soul dancer. The flip is an alternative, extended version of “I’ve Had My Share”, to my ears superior to the original with a sparser backing and keyboards replacing the guitar. Two truly sublime sides!

Calvin Richardson is a bit of a chameleon, smoothly able to transition between the most heartfelt gritty soul ballads to the latest cutting edge urban R&B that now dominates the more mainstream sound of today´s “Black America”.
His revered solo debut “Country Boy” came back in 1999 when signed to major label powerhouse Universal Records and went on to sell 100,000 units but, in those halcyon days, still not enough to get him a second bite of the cherry at the time. He then went on to strike deals with Hollywood Records, Jordan House (owned by Eric Benet) and Shanachie Records where he still resides.
With comparisons drawn to a young Bobby Womack, it’s easy to see why he chose to record long player “Facts Of Life: The Soul Of Bobby Womack” back in 2009.
For their ninth release those sterling Soul 4 Real guys have chosen to resurrect two fantastic sides from that debut recording, with the soulful as hell “I’ll Take Her” backed with the melodic gem of a beat ballad “Looks Like (You’ve Been Crying)”…make sure you don’t miss it!

Wallace Daniel Pennington. More familiarly known as Dan Penn. Considered by many to be the greatest songwriter of his era, a key component in the evolution of Southern Soul, and a man whose lyrics and melodies completely define that genre.
Dan’s song list is much bigger than his discography, and opportunities to own any “new” Dan Penn 45 are rare. Fans everywhere will therefore celebrate this coupling of two exquisite tracks from Dan’s recent CDs for his Dandy label. You may know “Blue In The Heart” via Irma Thomas’ version on her Penn tribute album “My Heart’s In Memphis”. “Time To Get Over You” (co-written with Cajun legend Jo-El Sonnier) may be less familiar. Spin it frequently, and it will become no less loved.
Collectively these recordings show that, even after seven decades of peerless writing and singing, Dan’s music is still of a quality that today’s other tunesmiths can barely aspire to… …This IS Soul. For Real.

For the next release we head to Barbados and 1985 for the first official reissue of ‘Exit’ by Fire Flight. The best reissues succinctly capture a moment in time and this album provides a snapshot of Island life in the Caribbean region of the America’s in the middle of the 1980’s. The LP encompasses new wave, funk and early house rhythms with a backbone of calypso.

The idea for Fire Flight started with Carl “Beaver” Henderson, a musician, arranger and producer who initially provided back up band services for the Royal Bank of Trinidad & Tobago’s annual staff Calypso competition. In 1981 the idea quickly evolved into the 15 piece band that was Fire Flight who took Trinidad and Tobago’s performance spaces and annual carnival by storm with their electrifying life performances. The band also travelled to Toronto, Montreal and New York for their annual carnivals. In 1984 the band entered the now defunct Coral Sound Studios in Barbados to record their debut album. The driving force behind the LP was the band’s main songwriter Francis Escayg’s desire to explore alternative avenues of recognition for the band and to perform and thrive in the carnival off season. Highlights from the LP include the slow new wave funk of ‘Best Shot’ & ‘White Horse’, the melting pot of calypso, zouk and reggae influences on ‘Hard Life’ & ‘Mornin Lovin’ and the tropical proto house of ‘Wantin U’ that was a highlight of the Fire Flight live show.

The LP is pressed on heavyweight 180 Gram Vinyl with new full sleeve artwork from Bradley Pinkerton.

1971 and Black America was luxuriating in the soft soul
of the O’Jays, the Temptations had just left behind their
flirtation with psychedelia, James Brown was
explaining Soul Power, Sly & the Family Stone were
having a Family Affair, and Marvin Gaye was asking
‘What’s Going On’.

• In their own inimitable way, Funkadelic were laying
down their own statement about the ecology of the
planet in the opening of lead and title track ‘Maggot
Brain’, turning it into an elegy for the Earth in the
ensuing heart-wrenching extended Eddie Hazel guitar
solo – one of the most radical records of the period.

• The album also spawned two Top 50 singles with the
usual Funkadelic wry observational humour of ‘You
And Your Folks, Me And My Folks’ and ‘Can You Get To
That’. And just in case you think things have
normalised, the set closes with nine minutes of the
chaotic sound collage ‘Wars Of Armageddon’.

• This 50th anniversary edition includes a second 12”
with two versions of the title track. Side A features the
live version from Meadowbrook from the same year that
the studio album came out. Jump forward 46 years to
the “Reworked by Detroiters” release and side B has
the BMG Dub, showing the enduring quality of one of
the great guitar records of all time.

• This issue is mastered from fresh transfers of the tape.

• Facsimile gatefold sleeve

Collectors of Black American music have long revered maverick genius Jerry Williams Jr. a.k.a. Swamp Dogg. His brilliant songwriting and unique voice have left indelible imprints on soul for decades, and Soul 4 Real Records are proud to add a Swamp 45 to their ever-growing catalogue.
Both these tracks make their vinyl debut here. If you saw Swamp perform “Oh Lord” at 2019’s Soul 4 Real weekender, it’s a memory you’ll treasure forever. Swamp’s exquisite studio version of the soul standard was recorded in 1967 as a follow-up to “Baby You’re My Everything”, but inexplicably stayed unissued for 40 years.
Almost 40 years have also passed since Swamp recorded his demo of “If You’re Leaving”, a song from his “lost” country album on Mercury. Never issued anywhere before, it’s a rare chance to hear work-in-progress from one of soul’s most beloved artists.
As he enters his seventh decade of recording, Swamp continues to be active and musically provocative. A man of many names and many talents, here’s Swamp Dogg at his vintage best!

Malaco has long been a favourite label of mine and I always felt that Jewel Bass was a huge talent that never realised her potential there. She was somehow was overtaken by the likes of Dorothy Moore, Denise Lasalle and Fern Kinney in the “pecking order“ down in Jackson, MS. Jewel sang countless backing vocals for such luminaries as Johnnie Taylor, Tommy Tate, Jean Knight, Eddie Floyd, Bobby Bland and many others, and was featured in bands like the Carbon Copies, Natural High and Centaura.
Both of these tracks which have lain undiscovered until now were recorded in 1981 in International Recording Studio, Pearl, Mississippi, and are two contrasting delights for soul fans.
“I Wanna know“ is a mid-tempo shuffler with hints of a “Joy & Pain” riff in there and definitely one for the most discerning dancefloors. ”Sweet High” is a so soulful string laden ballad on which Jewel´s vocals are launched effortlessly into the heights on the back of an impressive production.
Enjoy these two fine examples of real soul music exhumed from the vaults for your pleasure.

Soul4Real bring you the last 45 in their trio of previously unreleased Jimmy Gresham Playground Studios recordings from the mid-70’s; a perfect tribute to a great but under-recognized.
“A Million Things” has been a huge collaborative effort, meticulously pieced together in 2020 from an unfinished vocal track. Jimmy’s trademark rich, velvet voice, imbued with soul and inflected with a large pinch of southern grit, has been complemented perfectly by the addition of multitalented Marc Franklin’s evocative vibes, horn and string arrangements. Clayton Lancaster laid down the gorgeous, choppy guitar licks which drive the whole mid-tempo groove, and the absolute pinnacle is formed by the glorious, soaring backing vocals of Jimmy’s sister, Mary.
A recording that sounds as though everybody had been in that same Florida studio in the mid-70’s, bouncing off each other’s talent, on a day when they could feel the electricity in the air and they knew something special had been created.
Flip it over to find Jimmy in a more down-home style on "No Way to Stop It", a worthy track getting its first release on vinyl thanks to the efforts of the Soul4Real team.

At times The Masqueraders must have felt like they were Soul music’s best kept secret; a career overflowing with some of our music’s finest recordings, yet never gaining the recognition and worldwide fame they truly deserve. “Man, everyone tells us ‘how good we are’… but that don’t pay the bills. After 50 years of trying we still don’t have anything to show for it”, Harold wryly laughed.
Somehow, by chance, we found ourselves sat in Harold’s Memphis home as he played “just an old tape” he had found buried in his garage, “Oh my goodness”. Suddenly, we were goose-bumped back to December 67’ inside American Sound Studio, as The Masqueraders´ exquisite vocals poured out over the legendary “Memphis Boys” rhythm section led by the illustrious Tommy Cogbill.
Originally scheduled for release in the spring of ’68, the record sadly got caught amidst the tragic and turbulent troubles of Martin Luther King’s assassination in Memphis and was never released. Until now…enjoy!

It’s somewhere between late ’67 and early ’68 and The Masqueraders are in American Sound Studio in Uptown, Memphis. On the agenda for today’s session are some self-composed songs; a mix of pleading, deep and electrifying, up-tempo soul songs including “I Don’t Want Nobody To Lead Me On”, “Let’s Face Facts”, “Do You Love Me Baby” and “Sweet Lovin’ Woman”. They have two other songs for the session: “Prophet Of Love” and “You’re The One”.

Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill are taking care of business on production while Bobby Womack is up front with his guitar, working with the studio band “The Memphis Boys”. It’s a busy time and output has been prolific; in just one week, 25% of Billboard’s Top 100 have come from the studio. Time is precious, choices will be made and sadly some cuts from the session may not make it to vinyl release…not just yet.

Time is a healer, and here, rescued from a dusty and forgotten tape box, are the lost tracks; two of the coolest, sweetest cuts with the tightest group harmonies gliding over those Memphis mid-tempo rhythms.

Back in what now feels like a golden period in music and creativity, in the 1970s, many bands were formed by students. It almost seems like so many people could either sing, play, dance or write songs! This was also the case of several Woodland High School students in New York, who created Newban with fellow classmates.
The group started gigging around the tri-state area of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, and were soon brought to the attention of legendary Bell Recording Studios audio engineer Malcolm Addey, who recorded with the band over a two-month period in 1974. Three years later the tracks made up two superb and sought-after albums released by tax scam label Guinness.
In 1977, Newban headed out to play the Los Angeles nightclub scene, closed a deal with A&M, and changed the band name to Atlantic Starr at the request of Herb Alpert.
For the first time on a 7” format, Soul4Real brings you two of the best songs from Newban. Enjoy the music...

'Dieser neueste Soundtrack aus seiner Feder fühlt sich an wie ein längst überfälliges Wiedersehen mit einem verloren geglaubten Freund: Sofort erkennt man die bekannten Züge wieder, es umgarnt einen und zieht einen hinein in eine Welt, die unverwechselbar seine ist – die Welt von N.O.W. Immerhin kann man dieses Mal drei Dinge identifizieren, die zusammenkamen und dieses Album ganz klar prägen sollten: ein persönlicher Schicksalsschlag, ganz viel Zeit (ein Nebeneffekt der Pandemie) und Black Lives Matter. Inzwischen eher eine Art Bandleader, streckte er seine Fühler aus und knüpfte Kontakte mit jungen Talenten, deren Ansatz irgendwie zu N.O.W. zu passen schien. Bald war er mit Leuten wie Shabaka Hutchings, Haile Supreme, Mara TK und Sabrina Mahfouz in Kontakt. Auch Greentea Peng, OSHUN und Pip Millett fragte er an, erklärte ihnen die Stoßrichtung: Sie alle sagten zu und nutzten die im Titel angedeuteten Freiheiten und Freiräume auf ihre Art, lieferten ihre ganz eigene, vertonte Definition von Freiheit ab.' - Don Letts aka The Rebel Dread

In order to celebrate the label’ 5 years anniversary, MENACE releases a compilation of 14 songs with producers from around the world, featuring Antoine Berjeaut, Hugo LX, DJ Mitsu The Beats, Bluestaeb, Kidkanevil, Lex, Jeremy Talon, Plantar & Maika Loubté, Unisun, Charles Dollé, Maxim, Midori & Takumi Taneko.

A compilation that presents the finest artists of the Catalogue, blending House, Jazz, Electronica, Hip-Hop, Ambient & Soul - all the genres that shapes the label aura from 5 years.


"At the time of the MENACE "5" release, a compilation to celebrate the five years of the label, it is important for me to express my thanks to all the artists involved in this adventure as well as all the people who participated in the creation and development of the label - most of them since
day one. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet, and to continue meeting, so many talented and generous souls from around the world.
I am looking forward to carrying on with you, my friends, and to keep producing quality projects and good music. As well as continuing to travel with you, to the sessions, rehearsals, dinners and to the meetings.
Culture is resistance."
Mido.

Killer trip into unknown South-East Asian Melayu & Pinoy Funk - Rare Groove -Deep Soul - Disco & AOR!

Here at Cultures of Soul, we haven’t let the doldrums of 2020 slow down our global exploration across space and time to discover the funkiest pockets of music culture the world has to offer! This time we make a pitstop in Jakarta, in the years between 1979 and 1991—the peak of the New Order. No, not the British electronic post-punk band that enjoyed great success during this same period (although synthpop is quite popular here) but the revolutionary government of President Suharto, which could be characterized as a “dictatorship”… along with all the political repressiveness that entails. However, at the same time, Suharto’s full-throated advocacy of foreign trade resulted in a new economic buoyancy, an expansion of tourism and culture industries, and a flourishing of the entertainment sector. Suharto aggressively courted western corporations to do business in Indonesia, which led to the need for more and more entertainment to distract the expatriates after hours. Jakarta became a wonderland of colorful discotheques, nightclubs and restaurants that merged traditional Indonesian ambience with the sexy ultramodern pulse of the disco beat. While imported disco records dominate playlists, a local music scene has developed in parallel, with indigenous artists like Chaseiro, Rafika Duri, The Rollies and Lydia Kandou embracing the use of synthesizers and drum machines, modern studio production and influences from western pop, rock, funk, boogie, disco, jazz, yacht rock as well as Japanese “City Pop.” And from all this they are forging a distinctive Indonesian dance-pop sound that will largely remain hidden from the rest of the world… until now. Compiled by Munir Septiandry of the influential Indonesian DJ collective Midnight Runners, Tanamur City collects some of the high points of the latter part of this era, conjuring up a world of humid nights in packed discos, no-holds-barred genre blending, fun, fashion and funkiness of a kind never before seen in Southeast Asia… and seen rarely since.

3 cuts of the classic rhythm from Yabby You. ‘King Pharoah’s plague is coming down on the land’, righteous soulful rendition of old testament doctrine. Yabby always delivered his lyrics with authenticity and passion. This 3 track EP comes with the Tommy McCook cut and a thumping Tubbys dub. One of Yabby's most essential rhythms. Comes in a Pressure Sounds house disco bag. Rocking time is here!

Beatsqueeze Records and Bigwax Distribution are proud to present
«VIDEOCLUB», a concept album made of 17 original compositions
that will bring back ghost memories of your VHS sessions
in company of Charles Bronson, Roger Moore, Pam Grier...
Dusty deserts, casinos of the Riviera, wild jungles haunted by
gloomy cults, enemy base on top of snowy peaks... Dive into the
epic quest for the GOLDEN VHS, a powerful artefact that will open
the doors of fiction !

Fresh in from the powerhouse that is Bokeh Versions, we have a first time vinyl issue of two (future)classic Dancehall EPs from Kingston - RDL Shellah's 'Showcase' on one side, and G Sudden's 'Bunout Boss' on the other, with the elusive / productive SEEKERSINTERNATIONAL on production on both sides.

Few groups of musicians would be brave enough to tackle such an iconic jazz funk classic, but the Incognito guys under the guise of Citrus Sun and in the capable hands of their producer, Bluey, have pulled it off. This rendition of the Lonnie Liston Smith masterpiece from 1975 was recorded in 2020 and became the title track of an album, further to which it has brewed on the underground dance scene building an insatiable appetite for a release on 12” vinyl. So here it is in all it’s glory, coupled with an original instrumental jazz funk creation “Hard Boiled”. Grab one while you can. This 12” version comes in straight on the bass line.

Reissue of George Duke's classic 1976 jazz-funk-fusion album 'Liberate Fantasies'

This 1976 album, the last one of the MPS fusion series, continues George Duke's tendency to couple his fusion world with accessible R&B songs. Once again, he shows a discernible vocal development. In "Tryin' And Cryin" the Californian together with rock singer Napoleon Brock overlays multiple vocal tracks.
On "Seeing You" Duke lays on a glaze of soulful tenderness, whereas "What The…" is 30 seconds of frivolous funning around. "Back to Where We Never Left" is a witty gem in which Duke bundles his pool of synthesizers into a united groove, whereas "I C'n Hear That" shows off synth and marimba tonal colors in dialogue, with the bass riffing on the bottom.

The album flows into the final bend carrying along the sonorous richness of Brazil. "After the Love" plays with the languorous erotic colours of the tropics, whereas all the band members are allowed to shine on the epic circa ten minute title track with its hot samba flair: the rhythm section with "Ndugu", Al Johnson, and Airto Moreira's percussion arsenal, Daryl Stuermer with his rock interludes on guitar, and Duke himself with inspired virtuosity on all sorts of synths and
keyboards.

Another entry into Unidisc's mammoth 40th anniversary celebrations is this sublime prime piece of 1983 boogie pressure from Ingram, boasting a refix from the mighty Mark Knight & Michael Gray.

James Ingram's evergreen jam was an anthem at 80's soul weekenders in the UK, as well as being a crossover record that found favour with B-boys and ravers alike with it's easy electro funk groove. A true classic in every sense of the world, 'DJ's Delight' is one of those tracks that just doesn't stop - watch that bassline! In the spirit of celebration, Unidisc has invited remix heavyweights Knight & Gray to bring their vision of the track into the year 2021 with their modern peaktime version appearing here in both extended and single versions alongside the OG mix. Absolutely essential repress, beautifully presented by your friends over at Unidisc.

Franco-Cameroonian rapper of 25 years old, MIKANO has been lucky enough to visit the four corners of the world during the first part of his life. He grew up in cities as diverse as Abu Dhabi or Cairo where he discovers life, but also music.

Since his childhood he is passionate about rap music, Snoop Dog, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent or Nas. Later, the click will be with Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and Kid Cudi's "Man Of The Moon". His new favorites naturally guided him towards rap and English language.

At the age of 17, his family settled down in Paris, where he began to compose and write, inspired by the music that touched him at each stage of his life and his travels.

Now inspired by artists such as Agnès Obel, Frank Ocean and Alabama Shakes, he’s started recording titles and the release of a first EP "No Devices Found", first test quickly followed by "Blind Man Dreams" a second haunting and dreamlike EP (entirely produced by his accomplice SVTVS) which allows him to appear on the radars of the French and international music industry. It has positioned him as an artist who crossover the genres.

MIKANO presents "Melting Ballons" a mixtape where imagination and emotions are put in the foreground. The artist has chosen to put sensations at the heart of his creation, from his mind directly to the microphone and invites the audience to walk in a museum of thoughts, raw emotions, that he can modulate on demand.


"Melting Balloons" opens with the instant ear-worm « Silhouette " where the rapper continues to have fun, by mixing genres, in putting his voice on a production halfway between Afro-Beat and Trap. Follow tracks as intimate as "Silent Screams » a song totally sung and « Symphony » a true invitation of letting things go. It gradually intensifies and gives place to "Fuego", a demonstration of strength: where the rapper reveals all his power and his technicality.

Mikano's music is made for those who love Frank Ocean, Blood Orange or Kid Cudi. So many influences that the rapper had digested and diluted with subtlety. He’s been able to make something that sounds like it has never been heard before, something completely new. Mikano's sound is intimate, deep, juggling lightness and strength. He’s taking the listener from one extreme to an other, from a song tinged with sweetness and fantasy to a title inflated with energy and raw power, served by an impeccable flow.

The insanely rare first 45 from the band that became Brief Encounter, so rare in fact most people are not aware of existence. Two covers, The Van McCoy and Cobb penned 'So Much Love' flipped with (My Favourite) Barbara Mason track 'Yes I'm Ready', a true deep soul classic. The sticking point in doing this 45 was waiting years to find a clean copy as the tapes were long gone, the band finally turned up a minter after a long time looking so big love to Gary and Montie Bailey.