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Motown Collected brings together the biggest names in the rich history of this legendary label. From very early singles to the artists that made Motown a household name for decades to come and the cross-over pop success of the late 70's and 80's. Featuring legendary artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Jackson Five, Smokey Robinson and The Commodores, as well as gems from the likes of Marv Johnson, Barrett Strong, The Marvelettes and Tom Clay and pop superstars Rick James, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie and Debarge: just a selection of the 33 incredible tracks featured on Motown Collected.

"For Volume 5, we looked to a broad church - from Brazil to Cuba, Ghana, Jamaica, Japan, Mauritania, South Africa, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK, and the US. We pulled songs from the 70s up to the present day and feature a stellar cast of artists. There’s an exclusive track from Sven Wunder which was recorded solely for this compilation. We also have a track from Admin which was released as a private press 7" at the start of 2021 and one we felt was far too good to only be available for the lucky few. You’ll also discover one of our most treasured Gyedu Blay Ambolley productions, a full-force African disco colossus! We hope you will enjoy this selection of seventeen eclectic songs as much as we do."

Born in Spanish Harlem to Puerto Rican immigrants, Louis Antonio Castro inherited his voice from musicians on both sides of his family. Latin music was the predominant choice in the Castro household, but Louis was also inspired by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, Nat King Cole and even Argentinean Tango singers.

To avoid association with the famous Cuban leader, Castro switched to the stage name, Tony Amaro, for much of his career. He also released a few 45s too, the most notable being the unmistakable W.E.L.F.A.R.E. on his own Universal International label. Recorded sometime around 1970 and with just a few hundred copies pressed up, the song laments the difficulties of a man in Spanish Harlem who attempts to hold onto his dignity through times of poverty.

This rare and highly sought-after 45 is in great demand from both funksters after something a bit more heart rendering, and soulies who want something a bit more rhythmical.

Selma's own Doctor T, a.k.a. Lenoah Presley Strong, a.k.a. Rick Strong, was a fierce Selma talent, he could pick up any instrument and play it and was always playing local clubs. Lenoah came from a large musical family, his Dad, a professional gospel singer, would mentor him and his brother, who ended up recording on Malaco Records and has an underground classic - "Doing It Cause It Feels Good.

Lenoah split his time between the historic community of Selma, AL, where he was born, Beverly Hills, CA where he worked as an auto body hand alongside his older brother, Chuck Strong, a musical force in his own right. In California, T impressed the great Willie Hutch with his playing, rubbed elbows with soul icons such as Leon Haywood and Carl Carlton.

Athens of The North is proud to present a compilation of Doctor T's 7" Recording, all have been difficult to find on original vinyl even to the most avid collectors, most notably "Love Is A Heartbreaker," which is one of the best ballads and grittiest recordings ever laid to wax.

T recorded all of the instruments himself and had an ear like no other, always listening to music and drawing inspiration from his surrounding artists and musicians. Sadly, T passed away in 2021 at the age of 68 but leaves us some timeless Funk & soul that will endure

No spot in music is immovable. No music can sit still but it’s hardly ver as true as it is for Dowdelin, a band that can’t be tied down to a single geography and genealogy. The creole language, Caribbean rhythms, urban energies, dazzling virtuosity, sensual electro: The group evolves in a unique place where genres and colors, heritage and audacity can merge.

Immortal Technique, the most radical revolutionary rap lyricist to hit wax, combines with Green Lantern and a gang of like-minded MCs to produce THE 3RD WORLD, a furious mixtape which is perhaps Immortal Technique's best work to date. The title track is a compelling summary of all the Harlem rapper has proclaimed in his past verses, as he reworks Jay-Z's 'Where I'm From' into a scathing diagnosis of the state of the world in the 21st century. Tech also breaks down the power structures behind NYC gentrification on 'Harlem Renaissance,' deconstructs accepted understandings of 'pimp' on 'Reverse Pimpology,' and examines corporate privatization on 'Open Your Eyes.' Violent, angry, and unabashedly challenging, THE 3RD WORLD is everything hardcore hip-hop should be. TRACKLIST: 1. Death March (featuring DJ Green Lantern), 2. That's What it Is 3. Golpe De Estado (featuring Veneno & Temperamento), 4. Harlem Renaissance, 5. Lick Shots (featuring Chino XL, Crooked I), 6. Apocrypha - Interlude, 7. The 3rd World, 8. Hollywood Driveby (featuring Psycho Realm & Sick Symphonies), 9. Watch out (remix), 10. Reverse Pimpology (featuring Mojo), 11. Open Your Eyes, 12. The Payback (featuring Diabolic & RasKass), 13. Adios Uncle Tom - Skit, 14. Stronghold Grip (featuring Poison Pen & Swave Sevah), 15. Mistakes, 16. Parole (Evil Genius Mix), 17. Crimes of the Heart (featuring Maya Azucena).

Newly awarded Dub Artist of the Year 2020 by the specialized website Reggae.fr, Manudigital presents the second volume of his famous "Digital Kingston Session" on vinyl, three years after the release of volume 1 in 2018! These videos filmed in the streets of Kingston, in which the producer invites Jamaican singers from the golden age of digital Reggae to perform their classics in one take on riddims that he plays with the legendary Casio MT40 or "Sleng Teng Keyboard ”, have become a real institution! With more than 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, Manudigital continues to bring together an ever larger and more international audience.

In this volume 2 of the “Digital Kingston Session”, Manudigital gather a five-star cast with the legendary Capleton, the essential Junior Cat and more underground but no less talented artists such as Devon Morgan, Peter Metro, Jigsy King or Bunny General. As on the first volume, two bonus sessions recorded outside Jamaica complete the tracklisting: one in Brooklyn with Red Fox, the most New Yorker of Jamaican deejays, and the other in Paris with the spectacular English MC Deemas J, who has been accompanying Manudigital on stage since 2018.

A second volume of the "Digital Kingston Session" on vinyl which should delight the public, while waiting to get back to live music and sound systems!

If you have any of these Insanely rare tracks then a nod of the hat to you. This LP includes tracks from the 2 70s soul 45s and the best tracks from the schizophrenic and wonderful self titled super rare LP from Melvin miller and Finley Martin's band known as Premonition and Premonitions. Deepfunk, Deepsoul, Disco and More. A seriously excellent listen end to end.

"Previously unreleased, Manchester, 1991. Betonska hits hard with their second release travelling back to an essential period of dance music history. A record blending rave, downtempo, ragga, dancehall, and early hardcore/breakbeat; a crossover which continues to shape and define some of the most innovative sounds of contemporary club culture.

Produced by Philip Kirby, with vocals/rap by Martin Merchant (together Two The Hardway). On the A side Graham Massey (808 State) accompanied them on the synths, and Howard Walmsley played the saxophone on the B1 and B2. All tracks were recorded in ’91 in Phil’s house, where “funnily enough Massey co-wrote ‘Army of Me’ with Björk!”. Find more info about it in the text below.

The whole release consists of solely ’91 originals: a deliberate choice to not take it out of context. The A side serves two versions of ‘Who Said?’, a mysterious midtempo jam with a jumpy acid line, organic yet punchy drums and a mesmerizing lead synth, played by none other than Graham Massey. The instrumental version has a more elusive feel to it, while the Vocal version tops it off with toasting by Manchester’s very own Martin ‘Sugar’ Merchant. Both tracks were pressed on the earlier test pressing from ’91, but have never been released officially before.

The flipside boasts two mesmerizing versions of ‘Hot Number’. Driving proto-jungle rhythms and Sugar Merchant’s ragga vocals, are fused with secondary vocals by Phil and a saxophone solo by Howard Walmsley to form a seamless and smokey sonic concoction that will get bodies moving. Whilst the B1 surfs on a slick breakbeat rhythm with a deep bassline, the B2 bounces on a 4/4 beat with a pulsing hardcore bassline.

To top it off, the B3 and final track in the running order is a deep and dub track. Originally produced in the 90s, but recently finished by Phil, ‘Blossom Street Dub’ has an added synth line and an iconic King Tubby filter which help to enhance a time-warping, headrush effect. This track, alongside the ‘Hot Number (Alternative Version)’ B1 tune, will both be pressed for the very first time on vinyl, having been absent from the original ’91 test pressing. "

Explorations in Tradition, Technology & South African Dance Music (1983​-​1991)...

In the last decade, the breadth of plugged-in African music has become increasingly apparent. Samplers and synths have spread across the continent; nowhere is this more striking than in South Africa, where the end of apartheid coincided with the gradual move away from funk and soul-based township sounds and the emergence of electronic styles.

Enter Shangaan Electro, a seminal compilation released in 2010 of 180-plus bpm South African dance tracks; its rapid dispersal through global dance channels introduced ecstatic audiences to a previously marginal scene.

Shangaan Electro has its own prehistory in electronic variations of neo-traditional Tsonga music (Tsonga has replaced Shangaan as the favoured designation since the 1994 national elections). A new style materialised, pioneered in the early 1980s, integrating Western elements with electrified neo-traditional sounds, known as Tsonga Disco.

Tsonga Disco emerged at a time when apartheid-dictated radio censorship laws exerted near-impenetrable control over radio airwave access. Despite the restrictions, a raft of Tsonga musicians rose to national prominence.

Tsonga Tremors highlights a small but necessary sign of an emerging future. A stunning example of home-grown magic; something both organically arrived at and politically expediated through a cross-wiring of local rhythms, imported dance-pop, cultural censorship, emerging technology and limited means that became the catalyst in shaping the future of South African dance music, paving the way for Shangaan Electro’s international emergence nearly two decades later.

This compilation seeks to revive an important moment in Tsonga music history. These 18 tracks compiled by chOOn!!, a label specialising in obscure, archival and forgotten releases, should serve as a necessary starting point. Featuring early Shangaan-influenced dance music from legendary producers Paul Ndlovu and Richard Siluma alongside lesser-known Tsonga Disco and neo-traditional rarities from South Africa (1983-1991), they offer a disorientating and frenetically accelerated rhythmic bricolage of programmed drum patterns, cascading percussion, squeezebox keyboard lines and truncated vocal interjections sung in rich harmony. Infinitely absorbing and tangled with rhythm in a knotty osmosis between beat and pitch. The effect is both ecstatic and unusually elegiac, a DIY brand of pastoral neo-traditional soul, amplified minimalism and infectious body music.

Mastered for vinyl (2LP) and digital by Josh Bonati. Artwork by the acclaimed book designer Luke Bird.

21 Bridges ensures the classic Beastie Boys demo collection gets a proper reissue, following its former relegation to only CD and bootleg vinyl formats. 'The Def Jam Master Demos' hears our favourite rabble-rousers at their rawest, with every track from their landmark project 'Licensed To Ill' getting an exclusive, less polished look-in. Fight for your right to definitively own every Beastie Boys rarity, and grab this one while you can.

Limited Edition hand numbered 12” – 1000 Copies: 40th Anniversary 12” release of much sampled “Baby Don't You Know” by fusion flautist, former Blue Note jazz artist Bobbi Humphrey, produced by Roy Ayers.re-created on original Uno Melodic art. Bobbi is from Texas who came to Uno Melodic after highly acclaimed music for Blue Note (including ”Harlem River Drive”) and Epic (“The Good Life”). She also recorded for Duke Ellington and Stevie Wonder. Out of the two versions of this record, the instrumental has gained particular notoriety over the years. Both the original 7” and 12” are extremely rare, the music production from Bobbi, Roy Ayers and his team in their element.

Martin Dumas Jr, Paul Coleman and Morris Browns, sublime 70s soul / 2 Step LP is IMO is some of the best sophisticated soul from the 1970s, Production, Vocals, Writing are all on point. On this 45 we are not messing around, two of the best cuts from the band 'Lover's Holiday and 'Love Ain't Easy', first time on 45 for them both. Licenced direct from the band members. You know what to do!

Few groups arrive as fully formed as EPMD did. This dropped as the third single from the album of the same name, and further cemented their distinctive aesthetic: Slow rhyming, trading lines rather than the rappers being confined to their own verses, and backings that were ruthlessly funky and simple at the same time.

They’d go on to be labelmates with Public Enemy when Def Jam picked up their contract in 1990, and to compare and contrast the two is illuminating. While PE at that time were making waves with the Bomb Squad’s breathless, kitchen sink approach to production, EPMD were equally adored for taking the opposite approach.

Here, there’s a sprinkle of drums from Kool & The Gang’s oft-sampled ‘Jungle Boogie’, paired with a very recognisable portion of Eric Clapton’s ‘I Shot the Sheriff’. And that’s pretty much it – the two samples are linked, looped and left to their own devices. Such was Erick and Parrish’s confidence in their own rhyming ability and strong voices, no further embellishment was needed.

That confidence extends to the subject matter. While their debut album and later projects were heavy with concepts – the ‘Jane’ series – and notable guest verses, this was the third straight single of pure brag rap. Two MC’s, one beat, a whole heap of lyrics about how good they were. It’s something you can’t do unless you truly are special, and this duo most certainly were.

Paired with the classic instrumental version, which didn’t make it to the US 7” releases – it’s only on a hard-to-track-down French 7” pressing from 1989 – this this is a timely reminder of how breathtakingly perfect hip-hop can be.

• Two break beat gems from the Flying Dutchman catalogue. First-time reissue of the 7-inch edit of ‘Mama Soul’, whilst Pretty Purdie’s ‘Heavy Soul Slinger’ gets its 7-inch debut.

IDRIS MUHAMMAD was born Leo Morris in New Orleans in 1939. He mastered the drums at a very early age and can be heard on Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill” at just seventeen! His early career was steeped in R&B before moving to New York to emnbrace the jazz scene. “I’m A Believer” is the perfect fusion of the two genres and features the sublime vocals of his wife Dolores LaLa Brooks of the Crystals (aka Sakinah Muhammad).

Our chosen B-side by Chicago soul singer JEAN SHY is the rare modern soul masterpiece “What Can I Do I’m So In Love With You” reissued here for the first time.

Jahmal Padmore’s debut solo album, Esparonto, arrives via Telephone Explosion Records on May 28th, 2022. Padmore has been honing his producing, songwriting, and drumming skills since 2007, working with artists like MSTRKRFT, The Carps, Just John and Brendan Philip. This extensive studio & collaboration experience has primed Jahmal for a standout debut, one that encompasses the diversity of his past musical work. Esparonto is a stunning collection of ten post-Afropunk R&B tracks that are languid, sexy and wry.

There is an undeniable sense of self-reflection that runs throughout Esperanto. Lyrics about distant regrets, ego detachment, and unconditional self-love are reoccurring, sung through Padmore’s signature lyrical croon. “... I can’t give you the things you need, without forsaking a part of me,” sings Padmore in the chorus of album opener Sorted, perfectly encapsulating the overarching vibe of Esperonto. Guitarist Benja’s foggy haze of abstract jazz chords provide a welcoming and warm atmosphere required for such deep contemplation.

Esperonto kicks it up a notch on the more hip hop-leaning tracks. Operator (ft: Matthew Progress), Ingestion (ft: Keita Juma) and Pretty are all rife with energy, with the latter taking the cake as the song most likely to be stuck in your head for the next 10 months, at least! The classic combination of a sample pack-worthy beat and a massive chorus are at work here. The song begins with the lyrics “I can’t help it if god made me pretty,” setting the hook for a stadium-sized chorus where Padmore proclaims “My ego gets me high/My ego tells me who I really am.” A follower of spiritual guru Ram Dass, Padmore appears to be one step closer to his goal of enlightenment, and is not ashamed of it.

The album closes with “So Cold,'' its most delicate track and a perfect come-down after such tireless self-evaluation. The epic crescendo sees Padmore repeatedly announcing “I’ve lost myself.” It’s clear that he has shed some unnecessary facets of his personality and is ready to move forward. Recording at Telephone Explosion’s Studio Z, the trio of Padmore, Benja and OBGMs drummer/keyboardist Colanthony Humphries began with lengthy jam sessions which eventually became the cores of each track. Padmore plucked the most progressive bass and percussion

elements from the sessions and added samples to create Esperonto’s uniquely live aesthetic. The album was then mixed by Louis Cremades at House Of Balloons (The Weeknd) and mastered by Kevin McPhee at East End Mastering.

Esparonto’s title is drawn from the name of the constructed language that Polish ophthalmologist L.L. Zamenhof created in the late 1800s. On this album, Padmore constructs a musical language all his own, with songs firmly rooted in R&B that expand to include elements of jazz, ambient, house, hip hop and pop. After years of holding space for other artists and productions, Padmore’s thrilling debut is a clear proclamation from an artist who is ready to step out of the shadows and into his own light.

During the late 1970s, deejay-turned-producer Jah Thomas played a key role in the emerging dancehall movement, harnessing the Roots Radics at Channel One studio for rough-edged futuristic rhythms that became platforms for songs of everyday life. Junior Keating’s solid debut LP Weekend Lover gathered popular singles such as ‘Watch What You Do,’ which implored upright living, and lovers laments ‘Long Long Time’ and ‘Something Is Bugging Me’; ‘Conquering Lion’ showed that the versatile singer was also adept at deep roots tunes. With a tough mix by Scientist at King Tubby’s studio and additional editing by Bullwackie, this superb offering is of massive appeal to all fans of late roots and foundation dancehall.

nothing,nowhere. commented on the new album detailing, “TRAUMA FACTORY is an accumulation of songs written during a confusing time. it is about accepting the present and following your true north through the pain and suffering of human life. I wanted to make an album that was truly genreless and inspire others to challenge themselves artistically. I believe the most inspiring art is unpredictable and unrestrictive. to me that’s what TRAUMA FACTORY is.”

Over the course of 15 tracks, TRAUMA FACTORY cuts deep and finds nothing,nowhere. once again emerging from darkness, shedding external expectation, and moving forward into the glow of pure creation. Whether it be the anesthetized beats and intoxicating lull of “love or chemistry,” the cold piano-laden longing of “crave,” or the emotional immediacy of “upside down,” nothing,nowhere. paints from a wide palette of pain.

nothing,nowhere. is the musical endeavor of Vermont songwriter, singer and guitarist Joe Mulherin. For Mulherin, nothing,nowhere. is about a connection. It’s one he finds with fans around the world, who gather to see him play on tour and to listen to his songs online. It’s that connection that urges the singer to place his fears aside and step onstage each night to share his art. He sees the potential to help, to make a change, however small it may be and that is why he brings his music out of the Vermont wildness.

First reissue of this legendary album from Orchestra Baobab. Limited Vinyl 180g, remastered from tapes.

Released in 1981, the legendary album "Mouhamadou Bamba" is the masterpiece of the Orchestra Baobab, which has dedicated more than ten years of existence. Under the direction of the percussionist saxophonist Issa Sissokho, of the irremovable guitarist Barthélémy Attiso the band records this album at the Golden Baobab studio in Dakar directed and produced by the young producer Ibrahima Sylla.
The Baobab symbolizes both the rooting in Senegalese traditional values and the ability of the tree to reach heights, the sound of the group is a perfect syncretism of Senegalese and Afro-Cuban imaginaries in which the montunos of electric guitars and vocal improvisations in wolof language marry subtly to the rhythms of cuban son and other boleros.

Limited run 400 copies

40 years after its initial release, the impossibly rare diamond-in-the-rough 45 from Pure Release is once again seeing the light of day.

Led by James Fernandez, this East LA Funk crossover is in a league of its own. It’s sunshine and feel-good vibes from top to bottom with a decidedly learned but still naive aesthetic. Fernandez stacked his band with a cast of mostly Latino local session musicians so it’s needless to say that the çrhythm section punches well above its weight for a private release such as this one.

One of the choice tracks from the album, “I’ll Know it’s Love For Sure”, met some criticism after the album’s release for its lack of a certain level of polish in the production. It was eventually re-recorded and pressed to an equally rare 7” single. This version of the hit song would go on to become the most sought after, and therefore most easily recognized version. This means, for old and new fans of Pure Release alike, that the 45 cut of this track from On the Loose might be an entirely new experience with all the same floor-filling potential.

A unique Japanese funk masterpiece from 1973, in which Rinsyoe Kida, Tsugaru's shamisen Maestro, and Akira Ishikawa, one of Japan's most loved and celebrated leading drummers, as well as experimenter and brilliant composer, performed together. The ancient sound of the shamisen ride on the finest funk and the intense groove of Ishikawa. An extraordinary audiophile-quality recordings. With OBI. Includes a 4-page insert with English texts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

marbled green vinyl - limited to 300 copies

Nero Zang open the ep with a slow emotional lysergic journey followed up by Oblako Maranta, the new project composed by A-Tweed and Radial Gaze, with a tribal triplets flow scanned by edgy synth, literally a peak time fire gem.

Pletnev close the A side with a trippy electro sequence marked by his voice.

Turn the vinyl to listen Matteo Coffetti in search of a new galaxy, planets are connected to each other through glitchy synths, Camboja draw us a dark scenario with twitchy screaming coming from who?

Closing the various is Hassan Abou Alam the Egyptian emergent artist with triggered voices floating on fattybass.

Back in 2005, the Luaka Bop and Stones Throw labels jointly issued World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's A Real Thing - The Funky Fuzzy Sounds Of West Africa with the former releasing the CD edition and the latter a double LP version. As the elongated title suggests, the third edition of Luaka Bop's World Psychedelic Classic series swung the focus to West African music from the seventies and really opened people up to the psychedelic sounds of Manu Dibango, William Onyeabor, Gasper Lawal and a whole other host of artists from West Africa. Luaka Bop have evidently secured the rights for a vinyl reissue of the compilation, and anyone who indulged in their popular fifth volume focused on William Onyeabor will relish the opportunity to pick this up again.

This is Guice with 'Ashes of my Blunt'. One of the sickest and smokiest classic rap albums Memphis got to date. First time on vinyl and official as fuck. Tracks like 'Murder on they Minds', 'Fire it up' and 'Find myself' are genius and timeless bombs for your eardrums. Enjoy them tunes while drinking Alizé and smoking a big fat blunt. Wet dreams come true!

Reissue des Debütalbums 'Press On' (2007) des Multiinstrumentalisten, Produzenten und DJs Adam Gibbons (aka Lack of Afro). Gibbons ist ein Koloss der UK Retro-Soul/Funk-Szene, war jahrelang auf Freestyle Records gesignt und betreibt nun sein eigenes Label Bastion Music Group. Sein glorreiches Debüt 'Press On' wurde von iDJ als 'eines der wichtigsten Alben der modernen Funk-Ära' beschrieben und kürzlich vom Future Music Magazine als 'Klassiker' bezeichnet. Transparent-gelbes 180g Vinyl im Gatefold mit farbigem 12x12" Booklet.

A colossus of the funk & soul world, Adam Gibbons (aka Lack of Afro) has been releasing music for 15 years and continues to go from strength to strength. Previously signed to Freestyle Records in London and running his own label The Bastion Music Group since 2015, he has been responsible for some of the genre’s most important releases, not least his debut album Press On described by iDJ as “one of the most important albums of the modern funk era” and more recently given ‘classic’ status by Future Music Magazine.

An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ and composer, his music has won worldwide critical acclaim and to date has gained 115 million streams on Spotify. It has been featured on films, TV shows and adverts all over the globe, on networks including HBO, ABC, Sony Pictures, BBC, ITV, Sky TV, Fox Pictures & Warner Brothers Television, and used in multi million ad campaigns by the likes of Google, Spotify, Miller Lite and Adidas.

As a DJ and live performer, he has performed in over 20 countries worldwide and undertaken countless live sessions for radio and TV including two for the BBC at the highly revered Maida Vale Studios.

To date, he has released seven albums under the Lack of Afro moniker (most recently I’m Here Now in 2020), three as The Unity Sextet, one under LUSTRE, one under his own name, an EP with Herbal T as The Damn Straights, albums for other artists, music for several TV shows and over 60 remixes. He has also produced 13 award winning, sample packs for Loopmasters.

Two monster sounds from The Trinikas circa 1969, the culmination of the female four piece’s short-lived career.

Recorded in Missouri and sneaking out on the Pearce label, ‘Black Is Beautiful’ was a post-hippie dance anthem that later made a short-lived appearance on their native west coast Century label.

A horn-led classic with a four-part vocal and a truly funky drummer in attendance, it’s a spiritual blast.

The B-side of the original single is dusted off here too; a funkier cut that’s turned up in a few DJs’ setlists thanks to a re-issue via Numero and Jazzman.

‘Remember Me’ with its staccato guitar, upbeat horns and swirling organ is an infectious head-nodder.

Remastered for full-on soul supremacy.

I admit I wasn't familiar with this album, so many just pass us by, but as I sat back and listened, I slowly realized that this isn't just any soul LP, its a masterpiece, full of passion and tenderness, it was like a huge hug from long lost lover... Beautiful... Enjoy it

Repress

4 signature tracks from the man himself on a heavyweight hand-stamped white label.

LP reissue. Pressed on 180gm black vinyl. Boney M's 1976 debut LP, which contained the hits "Daddy Cool" and "Sunny"

Melbourne-based producer, DJ and instrumentalist, Harvey Sutherland announces his stunning debut album, Boy to be released Friday 29 April 2022 via House Anxiety

Drop the needle on Boy and find yourself transported to a hypermodern take on funk music. Recorded between London, Los Angeles and Katz’s own Swimming Pool studios with a host of hotshot Melbourne session musicians and a string of guests, tracks like “Age Of Acceleration” and “Michael Was Right About You” take the base elements of funk and fire them through a prism of influences – the hyper-produced studio pop of Todd Rundgren, the lush synth groove of New York boogie and the harsh snap of coldwave. Early Harvey Sutherland 12-inches like “Bermuda” and “Priestess” (handpicked by Paul Woolford aka Special Request for his recent DJ Kicks compilation) were electronic dance records in love with the sound of soul, funk and disco music. But Boy is every bit the real deal.

Boy has been a couple of years in the works, taking shape in between tours with Khruangbin and Hot Chip as well as a busy studio schedule that include production and killer remixes for Disclosure, Genesis Owusu and Hiatus Kaiyote. In this time, Katz also spread his wings as a bandleader, touring internationally with his live ensemble and directing an 11-piece band for the New York boogie icon Leroy Burgess on his Australian tour. Boy, though, was a chance to make something more personal. Katz made most of the record “in a circular loop between my studio and my psychotherapist”, so inevitably it started out being a record about his father (hence the “boy” of the title, a term of endearment used by the men of the Katz family). Increasingly, though, Katz realised he was really writing about his own traits and habits. Instead, Boy became a sort of quest for identity; that’s when he knew he had to put his own face on the cover. “I like the idea of oversharing,” he explains. “Electronic music has that archetype of the brooding, faceless producer. I sort of like hacking that, doing the opposite.”

For all its introspection, Boy looks outwards too, “Age Of Acceleration” and “Feeling Of Love” attempt to capture something of the confusion and unrest of modern times. The latter is a collaboration with boogie legend DâM-FunK. Katz wrote the beat in Melbourne, took it out to Culver City, and the pair worked on it in an afternoon writing session. It could pass as a love song, but really it’s about keeping your head straight in an era of misinformation. “Is it about a girl, or is it about society?” asked DâM-FunK. “It’s definitely about society”, Katz replied. There’s another stand-out collaboration in the shape of “Type A”. A taut coldwave number with a deadpan vocal from Jack “sos” Summers of Melbourne punks CLAMM, it’s both a satire on that very Australian custom, “tall poppy syndrome”, and an anthem to the sorts of enthusiastic overachievers who are never, ever satisfied.

But if you’re looking for a key moment on Boy, look to “Holding Pattern”. Katz often sings on his records, honeyed backing vocals and crooned refrains. But after sending the track out to a collaborator and having it fall through, he decided to bite the bullet and step up to sing his first lead vocal. A gorgeously smouldering soul turn with a zesty sax solo, it’s a dare that came off. “That whole process was really confronting,” remembers Katz. “It was like, I don't know whether I'm a good singer or not – I'm just gonna just kind of put this out there. You know, the world’s ending, why not?” Overthinking it, embracing awkwardness, putting yourself out there: that there is the essence of neurotic funk.

BBE Music announces a special 20th Anniversary edition of one of the most important records in the label’s history: J Dilla’s Welcome 2 Detroit, presented in a deluxe 7” vinyl box set boasting instrumentals, two brand new interpretations by Azymuth and Muro, a stash of
previously unreleased alternative mixes and studio outtakes pressed over 12 discs, plus a book revealing the album’s hidden story, told by those who were there. First issued by BBE Music on Monday 26th of February 2001, Welcome 2 Detroit was James Dewitt Yancey aka Jay Dee’s first solo outing and the debut appearance of his new ‘J Dilla’
moniker (bestowed on him by none other than Busta Rhymes). The album also inaugurated the producer-led Beat Generation album series, which would later spawn classic LPs by DJ Jazzy Jeff, Pete Rock, DJ Spinna, Marley Marl and even will.i.am, all of whom had been
inspired to reach for new creative heights by hearing Dilla’s magnum opus. Choosing to showcase his own voice and the voices of local rap-heroes from across the city instead of big stars, Welcome 2 Detroit marked a coming of age for the then 27 year-old producer, who fully embraced the creative-freedom offered by BBE for his first solo project.
As Dilla tells it: “Peter (Adarkwah, founder of BBE) let me do whatever I wanted to do. So, Iwanted to put people on there who are gonna spit y’know, lyrically and represent Detroit. Because I wouldn’t have been able to pull this album off if it came out under a major. Cos they’re not gonna let you just do a song or you can’t just do an instrumental. You gotta have this feature and you’re Jay Dee, why ain’t you got Erykah Badu? Why ain’t you got so and so on your album? I’d have had to go through all of that, instead of just putting out…y’know, Beej on this joint!”
The album would prove to be the perfect distillation of Dilla’s Detroit. From Kraftwerkinspired Tech Noir that would make Metroplex proud, through subtle echoes from Africa, live jazz-funk and bossa-nova grooves, to tough Midwest boom-bap, this record somehow showed reverence to the city’s past without ever leaving its present. Grimy street flows that somehow swayed like James Brown. Unquantized marvels, so free and alive in their bounce, that they could seduce the hardest of hard-rocks into the sweetest screwface! Diverse, multifaceted, super collaborative and yet somehow singular, Welcome 2 Detroit was the shy and humble James Yancey revealing his true self in the only way he knew how: through his music.
“The numerous guest appearances from some of the city’s best MCs at the time — Beej, Big Tone, Elzhi, Frank N Dank, Phat Kat — added to the album’s immersive experience, offering listeners a taste of Detroit in a way that only Jay Dee could do." – Okayplayer
To mark the 20th Anniversary of this momentous record, BBE Music is issuing a specially remastered edition of Welcome 2 Detroit, featuring a stunning new remix of ‘Think Twice’ by Japanese DJ/producer Muro and a stellar cover version of ‘Rico Suave Bossa Nova’ by legendary Brazilian jazz-funk juggernauts Azymuth, plus a stash of newly discovered alternate versions and work-in-progress recordings from the album sessions, lovingly reproduced from priceless cassette tapes recorded by J Dilla himself. An accompanying book by British writer and filmmaker John Vanderpuije offers an oral history of the album’s making, as told by Amp Fiddler, Ma Dukes and all of the album’s key musical contributors. The deluxe 7” vinyl box set and digital album will be released on February 5th 2021 during the annual #DillaMonth celebration, as close to the great man’s birthday as possible and will be available to pre-order from the BBE website and Bandcamp from November 3rd 2020. I’m real happy that Welcome 2 Detroit was done by BBE. Because I don’t think another label
would have helped him embrace his full creativity and given him the control to make it a piece of who he was! Because of BBE he was able to pour more of himself into it, into every bit of music on this album. His spirit lives in Welcome 2 Detroit. It’s him! Alive and thriving in
every song!” – Ma Dukes

'Reachin' Up' ist der sechste Longplayer der Pimps Of Joytime und Nachfolger des von der Kritik gefeierten Vorgängers 'Third Wall Chronicles' (2017). Die Band aus Brooklyn und New Orleans präsentiert auf 10 neuen Songs ihre lässige Mischung aus Soul und Drive, Funk, Rap und Afrobeat. Als Featuregäste dabei sind diesmal die Vokalist*innen Marcus Farrar (Antibalas) und Carol C (Si*Sé) sowie begehrte Studiomusiker wie Pete Shand, Will Woodlock und Chauncey Yearwood.

Berlin-based producer, beatmaker, and all-around big papa Suff Daddy returns with an irresistibly-bouncy instrumental long player to herald in the new year, aptly titled “Basically Sober,” releasing on Jakarta Records February 25, 2022.

TRAMP RECORDS is extremely proud to present an absolute unique treasure to celebrate our 100th ANNIVERSARY release.

Originally released as an ACETATE with two copies in existence, this is not only spiritual jazz-funk as good as it gets but certainly one of THE rarest records of the genre.