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‘The Soul Jazz label once again proves how smart they are with excellent Studio One Groups, an almost overwhelming set of killer cuts from bands and singing groups affiliated with Clement Coxsone Dodd’s ‘University of Reggae.’ There’s an amazing, deep history to be explored and even when you focus on just the groups, one disc isn’t enough to tell the whole story, but this collection functions as both a killer mixtape and exciting introduction for novices.’ ALL MUSIC

Soul Jazz Records’ classic ‘Studio One Groups’ collection is now available in three new one-off limited-edition coloured pressing anniversary format editions! A heavyweight gatefold special edition red 2xLP vinyl + download. Secondly, there is also a new special one-off edition red-pressed CD enclosed in jewel case and slipcase. And thirdly there is a very limited unique new one-time-only high-quality studio style tape (the same quality used for reel-to-reel studio tapes) cassette format release manufactured on red caseing cassette!
15 years on from its original release Studio One Groups remains one of the toughest of all Soul Jazz/Studio One releases and features some of the biggest groups in the history of Reggae music including Bob Marley and The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals and The Heptones who all began their careers at 13 Brentford Road, under the guidance of the great producer and label owner Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd.
Featuring many, many classic and killer tunes from The Wailing Souls, Carlton and His Shoes, The Gladiators, The Ethiopians, The Mad Lads and more. Studio One Groups brings together numerous classic artists alongside a number of rarities and delves into Studio One’s musical output in its prime in the 1960s and 70s featuring Ska, Roots, Rocksteady, Dub and more. Clement Dodd’s role in launching and nurturing Reggae groups and singers is unsurpassed and Studio One’s success was due to Dodd’s ability to see talent, surround himself with it and nurture artists.
Launching Bob Marley and The Wailers career at Studio One also meant housing Marley in a flat in the studio compound, as well as employing Marley in an A&R role, checking out the latest American soul and jazz 45s that came out for Studio One artists to cover. In similar fashion Leroy Sibbles, lead vocalist with the Heptones, became the key in-house bass player after being taught from scratch by Jackie Mittoo.
Studio One Groups were at the heart of the label’s success. The sweet three-part harmonies, so close to the heart of Jamaican music, can be heard throughout every stylistic change of Reggae music – Ska, Rocksteady, Roots and beyond - all of which are featured here in all their vocalised glory.
The album comes with excellent informative sleevenotes by the author and Studio One discographer Rob Chapman, and exclusive photography including the stunning colour picture of Bob Marley and the Wailers on the front of the release.




‘Featuring Bob Marley and the Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, the Heptones - just three of reggae’s greatest groups who all started at Clement Dodd’s Studio One records’
ROUGH TRADE

One of the most important harmony groups in the entirety of Jamaican music, the Paragons have a long and complicated history. First formed in the ska years by Bob Andy and Tyrone Evans as the duo of Andy and Ronnie, the group soon expanded to a quartet through the addition of Howard Barrett and John Holt, the latter naturally assuming lead duties, following the subsequent departure of Andy, Holt, Evans and Barrett made the Paragons the quintessential rock steady trio. They had an incredible run of hits for Duke Reid and Coxsone during the mid-to-late '60s, and also issued some self-produced work, before Holt's solo career skyrocketed, leaving the group on the back-burner. Then, in the mid-1970s, the Paragons reformed, cutting material for New York-based labels such as Clocktower and Clintones, which led to this intriguing album, which saw material recorded in Jamaica at Harry J for Bunny Lee mixed with work cut at Bullwackie's studio in the Bronx, along with re-workings of classics such as 'Left With A Broken Heart' and 'Memories By The Score' is a whole range of new material, dealing with contemporary themes.

Bomb alert !
After the first fantastic collabo between french dynamic duo Mister Modo & Ugly Mac Beer and American MC Crimson Alchemist, the time has come for those three to team up again. The result is another amazing 45. Both sides are equally dope. If fall 90s hip-hop is your Line, then you defo should grab a copy or two.

Technoir is DTCHPLNES' debut studio album. Technoir is an homage to Detroit's past, present and future, additionally invoking associations to classic Film Noir. The album showcases a diversity in styles combining live instruments, drum machines, samples, and features guest appearances by some of the most talented contemporary artists of Detroit: Danny Brown, Tunde Olaniran, Melanie Rutherford, Fat Ray, Liz Shar and Sam Beaubien. The full vinyl LP is accompanied with 3D glasses along with two additional bonus tracks.

New Japanese label "amidst" debut EP by up-and-coming Colombian-born Canadian producer and DJ, Cosmic JD. The tracks stand somewhere amidst solid Techno with a Garage twist, cosmic funky Deep House, trippy Downtempo and epic Ambient.

Crystal Winds legendary sophisticated soul LP first released on the privately pressed Cash Ear label in 1982, it's mad to me these amazing tracks have never made it to 45 yet so time to put that right, the classiest of classy 70s soul sides for your Djing and listening pleasure, you all know how much I love floaty 70s joints, not sure it gets better than this.


The key figures behind Crystal Winds were Paul Coleman and M.C. (Morris) Brown, both alumni of the band Rasputin's Stash which had had two albums out in the mid-'70s which had done reasonably well for Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion and Chicago indie Gemigo, respectively.

Between them, keyboardist Coleman and saxophonist Brown wrote the vast bulk of the album (guitarist Martin Dumas co-wrote Lover's Holiday with Brown, and one J.Lagrone is added to the credits of So Sad and Signs of Winter's Time) and handled the male lead vocals, with the distaff element provided by Theresa Davis. Brown wrote the horn arrangements, the pair did the string arrangements, and legendary concertmaster Rich Tufo (associated with Curtis Mayfield and other Curtom acts including Linda Clifford) was also on hand for the album (credited with conducting and orchestrating both strings and horns). Guitarist Dumas had also been a member of Rasputin's Stash, as had drummer E.Frank Donaldson (who plays on two tracks).

Incienso is excited to announce ‘basement, etc…’, the debut album from Brooklyn producer downstairs J a.k.a. Josh Abramovici.

Combining elements of Trip-Hop, Acid House, Dub, Korg Triton timbres and a healthy dose of the most chilling beats of the ‘20s, J steps out into the world from down below with an entrancing set of seven songs that warmly elude to his previous releases under the aliases snacs and VOSE 106, but taken in new directions and heights - strangely familiar but fresh, friendly, and uniquely J…

New album by french producer Joakim on his label Tigersushi. Through 16 tracks, he explores a world of sounds that blur the line between the natural and the artificial, a psychedelic journey on a modern Noah's Ark, back to his roots in IDM, Classical music, avant-garde Pop and Ambient.

7 piece instrumental soul group from Melbourne, Australia featuring members from Karate Boogaloo, Surprise Chef and Saskwatch.
Produced by Henry Jenkins (Karate Boogaloo, Mo'Ju), the recording mind behind Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo, Waiting Room moves deftly through moments of fuzzed-out psychedelia, dusty deep soul backbeat and incendiary minor key funk.

We are extremely proud to announce our 32nd compilation from the Analog Africa regular serie, "Cameroon Garage Funk", highlighting Yaounde's 1970's underground music scene. The quest to assemble the puzzle-pieces of what seemed to be a long lost underground scene took us to Camroon, Benin and further on to Togo and it was in the cities of Cotonou, Lome? and Sotouboua that we managed to lay our hands on most of the songs presented in this compilation. Since there were no local labels, no producers, and almost nothing in way of infrastructure in Cameroon at that time, the artists had to be everything: musician, producer, executive producer, arranger, financier, promoter and sometimes even distributor. The sixteen tracks on Cameroon Garage Funk pulse with raw inspiration and sweat DYI mood uniting the featured diverse musicians around their willingness to do everything themselves in order to take a chance in the music scene.

HETA BILALETDIN BRINGS SOME WEIRD DUB AND BEDROOM RADIO HITS STRAIGHT FROM THE FINNISH FOREST CITIES. Her debut solo album Nauhoi is a collage of home recordings and hidden hits. It has been made slowly during many years in the spirit of cut & glue – utilizing samplers, vocals, field recordings, computer, found objects, synths, no-tune guitar and dusty four-track tapes.

1981 South African Soul-Funk-Jazz from the master tape vault of the As-Shams/The Sun label by the creator of the Black Disco albums. As underground jazz fermented in the social and political powder keg of early-80s South Africa, composer and bandleader Pops Mohamed retired the Black Disco moniker in favour of Movement in the City. Their second offering yielded one of the most treasured releases in the As-Shams catalogue by way of Black Teardrops (SRK 786150), a singular blend of down-tempo and atmospheric South African rare groove featuring Dollar Brand saxophonist Basil "Manenberg" Coetzee and bass wizard Sipho Gumede on stand-out cuts like "Lament" and "Camel Walk." This carefully restored Sharp-Flat reissue in an edition of 500 puts the album back in print for the first time in 40 years.

‘The Afro Modern Seventies Sounds of Soweto’s First Nightclub

• Over ten years in the making, this is the first compilation from South African vinyl re-issue specialists Matsuli Music

• Ten track double gatefold album journey through jazz, funk, fusion and disco, detailing the incredible story and sounds behind the Soweto nightclub during the height of apartheid

• Uniquely South African take on the trans-Atlantic sounds of Philadelphia, Detroit and New York City

• Cover artwork by Zulu Bidi (of Batsumi fame) with unseen photographs, and liner notes by Kwanele Sosibo featuring interviews with key musicians, players and a former president of South Africa

• Audio mastered and cut for vinyl by Frank Merritt at The Carvery with heavyweight 180g vinyl pressed at Pallas in Germany

A night-time haunt in the backstreets of Soweto run by a well-known bootlegger should have been a prime zone for nefarious underworld activities. Instead, it nurtured an underground of a different kind. Soon after its opening in 1973, Club Pelican became a spot where musicians steeped in the tradition of South African jazz began to cook up experimental sounds inspired by communion, competition and the movements in funk and soul blowing in from the West. Located in an industrial park on the western edge of Orlando East, Soweto, Club Pelican was off the beaten track, among a matrix of railway and industrial infrastructure. In a different time and place, this would have been a prototypical nightclub location, except there was no local precedent to follow. This was Soweto’s first night club.
In the intervening years, this location has served to heighten the now-defunct spot’s legendary status as a singular venue, one that ruled the night in the Seventies. Initially called Lucky’s and established in 1973, the Pelican’s impact on the Soweto cultural landscape was immediate. Lorded over by a charismatic figure known as Lucky Michaels, the club became the jewel in a nondescript collection of family businesses. It boasted a diverse pool of talent in its succession of house bands and an A-list of ghetto-fabulous singers as

its cabaret stars. Its VIP section was a veritable who’s who of Soweto society and its stage, hosting a mix of the day’s pop culture infused with the creativity and individual histories of the musicians, the Pelican filled a live music vacuum.
One Night in Pelican captures the halcyon seventies period with a single nightclub embodying an indomitable spirit of its troubadour players. While schooled and rooted in “standards” and local forms, the music could take any direction, at a moment’s notice. This compilation features all the key groups and players of the time: Abacothozi, Almon Memela’s Soweto, The Black Pages, Dick Khoza and the Afro Pedlars, The Drive, Ensemble of Rhythm and Art , The Headquarters, Makhona Zonke Band, the Shyannes and Spirits Rejoice.’

This project has been a long time in the planning, but good things come to those who wait. We are delighted to present the second volume in our "Brazil 45 Boxset Curated by" series. For this one we have gone straight to the source, Brazil’s DJ Marky (Marco Antônio Silva) selects inspirations and favourites from the golden era of Brazilian music.

Reminiscing to the early 2000s, we can remember the freshness that DJ Marky and other Brazilian producers bought to drum’n’bass by taking two different forms of music from two different cultures and interweaving them effortlessly with a beautiful synchronicity and unity. This merging of the genres even produced one of the biggest commercial tracks of 2002, firstly on an underground level and then as a crossover chart hit, with DJ Marky & XRS's 'LK 'Carolina Carol Bela' which samples Jorge Ben and Toquinho. The importance and legacy of DJ Marky and his Brazilian contemporaries from this era are far greater than their productions and records alone, for many, they were also the gateway into the deep and rich world of Brazilian music.

For his boxset, DJ Marky has gone back to his roots and selected tracks by Brazilian music royalty from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Artists such as Marcos Valle, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, and Joyce all feature. It is Joyce's anthemic 'Aldeia De Ogum’ that has proven to be responsible for many record collectors and DJs outside of Brazil starting a lifelong obsession with Brazilian music exploration. We also find another anthem in the form of Jorge Ben's 'Take It Easy My Brother Charles’, which was sampled by Drumagick for their 2002 track 'Easy Boom'. His selection from Marcos Valle is the tripped-out, rarer 1970 version of 'Os Grilos’ which, with its irresistible quirky swagger, is impossible to keep your feet from moving. The accordion-led 'Baião Violado' by Dominguinhos, with its soaring strings and funked-out drum beat, is a real star of the show in the collection.

This boxset feels like your long-lost favourite mixtape, packed with evocative memories and skilfully gelled together with inspirational tracks that will appeal to those with a knowledge of Brazilian music and to the first-time buyer just wanting to discover something new. Exactly what we hoped for from such a respected DJ, producer, and bonafide musical pioneer.

Mainly known to DJs for the funk groover "Te Queria", Rota-Mar is the first solo album by the charismatic Zéca do Trombone. During a vertiginous career which started in the late 60s, Zéca was a permanent member of Wilson Simonal's band, toured with Luiz Eça's Sagrada Família (alongside Joyce, Naná Vasconcelos, Nelson Angelo and others), recorded the seminal Brazilian funk "Coluna do Meio" for his joint effort with Roberto Sax, and played and recorded for some of the big names of Brazilian music such as Tim Maia or Martinho da Vila. Particularly for samba artists such as Alcione, Leci Brandão or Moreira da Silva, Zéca do Trombone was the trombonist of choice.

Rota-Mar displays the work of an established musician who has nothing to prove. Impregnated with Zéca's characteristic voice, the songs draw inspiration from the sea, love and bohemian life, and let us all dream of what life in Rio the Janeiro was during that time. "Te Queria", penned by Zéca's childhood friend Elízio de Búzios (known for his highly collectable funk/boogie single "Tamanqueiro") is the obvious highlight, although we believe the real beauty of the album lies in the relaxed sea-side groove and MPB in the rest of the songs, including Zéca's superb take on Martinho da Vila's "Manteiga de Garrafa".

gem-K is the femme fatale alter-ego of Maria Korkeila, a Finnish multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of fashion, graphics, textiles, photography and music. Super Utu and Korkeila first crossed paths in 2017 at The Community, a small independent art gallery then located in Paris’s 10th arrondissement run by a group of Finnish expats. It was from then we learnt that Korkeila’s artistry is influenced not by any one discipline but by praxis itself. This can be observed through her myriad creative explorations: In My Room - a site specific installation at Kämp Garden, Helsinki; Her Aalto University grad collection - a junction of photography and textile design through a feminist lens; and Fiskars by Maria Korkeila - a gender-neutral gardening and urban exploration clothing collection.

11th studio album from D.C. based electronic duo featuring artists: Mr. Lif, Sitali, Racquel Jones, Notch, Natalia Clavier, and Lou Lou Ghelichkhani. The 12 track Treasures from the Temple is a continuation from their last album Temple of I & I, recorded in Port Antonio. Blending their signature sound with classic dub, dancehall, and roots vibes.

Kaito Winse comes from a Burkina Faso griot music family, where from an early age he was formed in the tradition of his family and the region of Sourou in the north of Burkina Faso. Kaladounia means ‘Here the world’. As a griot, Kaito is the message bearer for the traditions of Burkina Faso. This debut album takes its impetus from the desire to perpetuate these traditions. The tama, the toutlé and the Fulani flutes accompany the songs addressed to Ancestors and newborns, and appeal to the force of planet earth. Many musical and spiritual techniques are updated and unveiled on this album. “Kaladounia” also takes its inspiration from the richness of human values and the need to communicate with nature. His mouth bow leads the voice and carries uplifting messages. His voice rises in Mooré, Samo or French and pays homage to women, to their courage, to love and to life. His album reveals the mastery of traditional musical techniques and rhythms, a spirituality rooted in ancestral values of men and nature, and a powerful and striking voice you won’t forget. This is the world, this is the place to do good things.

Kynant EX is a new series for non-dancefloor focused records on hand-stamped vinyl. The first release comes from a legendary UK band, O Yuki Conjugate, who have been making unique experimental music since 1982. The duo have reworked their 2019 album track “Forgotten Summer” into a two-part, 12m45s epic, which starts broken-beat and ends with a five minute beatless sequence. The B-side houses two new tracks, the first is abrasive and full of dread, the second a bass-heavy ambient cut.

“Music with a modern but discreet sound”. This is how Piero Umiliani himself described the content of Pianofender Blues, entirely recorded with the aid of two electric pianos (Fender, of course, and Wurlitzer), bass, piano, drums and percussion; yet another curious foray of the Florentine artist, here exploring territories different than his usual jazz, soundtracks and avant-garde experimentations.
Pianofender Blues is quite honest right from its title, and the melancholy of the sound produced by the world-famous American keyboard goes well with a much lighter repertoire that we could call, by using a vaguely old-fashioned locution, ‘easy listening’; an album that can be easily placed within Umiliani’s ‘less challenging’ production, together with other titles such as atmospheres, Fischiando in Beat or Motivi Allegri e Distensivi, that testify their author’s versatility.
Originally released in 1975 under the name Rovi, Pianofender Blues combines excellent instrumental technique with a sound inevitably born of those years, and enriches Umiliani’s long series of sonorizations - the so-called ‘music libraries’ - that have made him famous as much as his efforts within the jazz and soundtrack fields.

*limited edition cassete**
Printed see through plastic inner cover inside an orange fluorescent case, with folded paper insert. 20 track compilation.

Inspired by Clarissa Pinkola Estés canonical text, Women Who Run with the Wolves (1992), the eponymously titled Donne che corrono coi lupi is a dedication to feral feminine energy, connection and sisterhood. In the book, Estés – a psychoanalyst, poet and cantadora, or “keeper of old stories” – draws on Jungian theory to weave an alternative mythology of The Wild Woman archetype. She conjures images of the underworld, rivulets of menstrual blood; a lumpen mass of placenta splattering onto a cave floor. In a mirrored gesture, for Donne che corrono coi lupi, more than twenty artists and producers have come together, giving rise to a primal, mystical compilation destined to entrance and ensnare.

An eerie lullaby, Cucina Povera’s ‘Liikaa liimaa’ recants her trek through Glasgow’s Victorian Necropolis, a gigantic cemetery comprised of elaborate tombs and monuments. Searching for some healing growth during the bleak Scottish winter, she wandered among the graves, coming face to face with an elusive herd of deer. Translating this encounter into sound, Povera’s ethereal vocals glide and glissade, taking on the malleability of melting ice. Another eulogy to animals in the landscape, Kakubo’s ‘Aboyá’ derives from the Brazilian Portuguese word “Aboiar” – a chant utilised by farmers to herd cattle. The sloping beat is interlaid with synthetic horns and Brazilian folk songs, traditional compositions made by marginalised rural communities.

Camille Mandoki and Lucrecia Dalt’s contribution is named after the ancient Greek goddess – Baubo is a fearsome, headless torso, who appears with nipples for eyes and a vulva for a mouth. In Estés’ envisioning, Baubo is a gloriously obscene character who shakes her breasts and tells hilarious dirty jokes. Her nipples are described as “psychic organs,” with the vulva becoming an endless portal to women’s stories and secrets. On the track, developed during a virtual artist residency at the Goethe Institut, Mandoki and Dalt experiment with timbre, creating the uncanny, spectral presence of a third singer. Voices are an essential component throughout Donne che corrono coi lupi, harmonising and unifying, refusing to be silenced. Eva Geist, in her native Italian tongue processed through a multitude of fx pedals, casts spells – incantations to honour the power of female friendship. While label boss Elena Colombi, utilising Ece Özel’s hypnotic reading of the parable of The Red Shoes and Pirinç by Turkish poet Lale Müldür, summons dissociative glossolalia.

In defiance of the punitive rationality that structures the domesticated world, Estés instead holds reverence for intuition – wild impulses generated from one’s body and soul. Bergsonist – whose alias references Bergsonism, a school of philosophical thought which rejects static values in favour of motion and change – records almost all her music live. ‘Speculation’ is an improvised piece, instinctively composed in the heat of the moment.

"Dare, dare, dare ... She/her gets caught staring at the wall, bashing table with brushes, shouting at the clouds filling the red-loud sky. What is left? Just … sound, sound, sound." Percussionist Valentina Magaletti’s ‘Bubble Pain’ seethes like a boiling cauldron, her rapid, heart-fluttering rhythms inflected with bat screeches and canine yelps.

Borusiade – a stalwart figure in Romania’s queer dance community – unleashes ‘Our Hustle,’ the title referring to the urgency of gaining “an equal status in society.” A powerful industrial affair, the track sways with mechanic momentum. Also tuning into cyborg fantasies, Isabella, alone in the midst of the pandemic, conducts a ​​seance with her Elektron Octatrack – ’Cherry Sky’ blends mechanical synth with sticky-sweet lyrics. Formerly known as Inga Copeland, Lolina takes a bath with a drum machine, its waterlogged utterances meandering over her disquieting refrain: “Let me drown in sound.”

Closing off the B-side, ‘Dali's Elephant Caravan Melting Desert’ is a recording of a performance held in a former brothel – perhaps the oldest – in Hudson, New York. Emulating the motion of a train thundering past the building, Deradoorian encapsulates the dynamism of the city, its ghosts and obscured history of labouring sex workers. Reaching climax, the record concludes with Fetter’s ‘Karma’ – a cacophony of raucous punk-noise, exploding into incandescent fragments as sharp as broken glass.

Pure Californian funky soul sunshine from drummer and bandleader Edward 'Apple' Nelson, who first featured for Jazzman way back on our California Funk compilation with the tough and gritty 'Curse Upon the World'. Originally issued in scant numbers on Apple's own Sagittarius imprint, 'Love brings Out The Best In You' is a far lighter affair, a breezy Northern soul dancer which lilts away like a hot Cali afternoon.

King Earthquake 12" - Barry Isaac - Earthquake / Money

Much is said in the mainstream media about million-selling records, yet the opposite is true of the no-hitters - the obscurities that sold badly and which sank without a trace. Bobby Moore has the bittersweet experience of both. He gained fame and fortune with his million-selling Checker 45 'Searching for My Love', yet his later album 'Dedication of Love' is known today in just a handful of copies. Yet the music contained therein, in terms of heartfelt soul, is pure gold. For the first time on 45, here are two tracks taken from the album, a Holy Grail that will soon be released in its entirety on Jazzman.

'Hopelessly obscure and off the radar to even the most dedicated soul & funksters, here's a real gem of a funky soul double-sided dancer! The Georgia Soul Twisters started out in the early '60s and were originally based out of Lyons, GA. They were led by Mose Braziel, nicknamed "Pop" who was the owner and manager. A 10 member touring band, they travelled and played all of the southern states, heading north when gigs presented themselves, although not always being lucrative. They would learn to follow the seasons, in the winter they headed south and then during the summer they hit the road. The band relocated to central Florida by the mid '60s. While touring in Texas the bands first 45, 'Soul Shing-a-ling Dance' b/w 'Switching Lucielle', was recorded in Dallas for the Duplex label owned by Jimmy Liggins, with whom Pop had arranged a deal. The group's second outing was 'My Love Tonight' b/w 'You Shot Me (Through the Grease)', recorded in 1967 in Tampa, FL and released by Mainstream records via Dave Crawford. The tapes were sent up to New York but Pop decided against the deal and never signed the contract. An offering of 10% per record sales and signing the band to the label for 15 years, he felt wasn't worth it. The 'Shot me Through the Grease' side did get some airplay but was pulled due to the issue with the contract, hence the stock copy being much harder to track down. Pop passed away in 1969 and the band recorded their third and final recording at a small central Florida recording studio some time in the very early '70s. 'Look Out (I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind)' b/w 'Mother Duck' was self-financed and self-released, and poor distribution means the record remains extremely elusive to this day. They continued to play into the late '70s but as members would drop out, get married and replacements became harder to recruit, they finally decided to part ways once and for all.

One of our specialties at Jazzman is focusing in on the obscure and often previously slept on regional based sounds across America. This time our radar was honing in on state of Virginia and its Norfolk Sound. Many celebrated musicians have contributed to 'The Norfolk Sound', but Lenis Guess was probably the most active, prolific and influential showman of the soulful '60s and '70s. This collection of unique recordings captures the essence of the multi-talented entertainer, singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, band manager and label owner - a calm, cool and collected quintessential music man about town.


This limited edition boxset features 3 different 7 inches with a total of 6 tracks highlighting not only the rarest and most in demand of Lenis Guess' recordings, but the best. We're delivering some of the funkiest and most soulful releases on the DPG, Peanut Country and SPQR labels right to your doorstep. Despite being a relatively well-known and highly-respected soul/funk musician back in VA, releases such as 'Why, Why, Why'd She Leave Me' have reached holy grail funk status and are now are practically impossible to find. The gritty, fast moving, charismatic 'Working For My Baby' is guaranteed to immediately fill any funk, soul and RnB dancefloor. Every single track in this collection touches on a different facet of Tidewater talent. Due to the obscurity of these original releases, while some were celebrated locally when they first came out, most of these incredible funk 45s haven't been heard outside of the Tidewater region. As a result not only have the vast majority of collectors and soul fans been unable to enjoy the music, but for over 30 years Lenis himself has not had the satisfaction, pride and joy felt, heard and enjoyed by many. So we decided to put things right. With his help and assistance, we have created a boxset that displays a wide showcase of soulful talent from funky rare grooves to beautiful ballads. Recorded across the '60s and '70s, we reveal in our detailed liner notes from our exclusive interviews the story behind Lenis Guess, Frank Guida, the Raw Soul band and the entire Norfolk Sound, and how a small-time group of musicians from coastal Virginia came to entrance soul fans and collectors the world over with such a superb yet under-appreciated masterpieces.

Athens of the North is proud to present Milton Wright's stunning alternate version of the now Classic Miami soul LP 'Friends & Buddies'. An altogether more stripped down, folky soul affair than its highly respected, much sampled brother is now available on Vinyl, CD and Digital for the very first time.

Shelved at the last minute then re-recorded and overdubbed, only a few promo copies of this early version escaped from the studio and are deep in the collections of the very few previously in the know.

The master tapes burnt in a fire at T.K Disco in Miami in the early 80s so even the label has not heard this in 30 Years. Many reissues of the second version of Friends & Buddies LP have come and gone, but Milton's original vision has remained hidden until now.

As searingly honest and stunningly soulful as any seminal Marvin Gaye or Terry Callier LP, it stands tall amongst its exceptional peers as one of the true pillars of quality 70s soul.

- Unreleased Alternate version

- New sleeve notes by Milton Wright

- Super-heavy high quality tip-on sleeve!

- Cut by the experts at Timmion Cutting Laboratory, Finland

Turntablism seven inch killer !

Skip proofs and stuff fot you to improve your skillz and demonstrate with A-Class (golend Vinyl ^^ jajaja !!!)

The third outing on the Timmion sublabel Stylart presents two musical heavyweights from up north. Pratt & Moody are Tuomo Prättälä and Markus Nordenstreng, neither of which are strangers to singing, songwriting or playing instruments in jazz, soul or rock circles in Finland.

On "Lost Lost Lost" Pratt is heard on vocals and Moody on guitar. Recently they have performed under the contemporary americana duo Tuomo & Markus, but now it's time to hear their take on old school soul balladry. It's not reaching too far from home since Tuomo has worked on soul and r&b as a solo artist for 10 years already, dating back to his debut single "Don't Take It Too Hard" from 2007. Markus has also three solo albums under his belt and has also collaborated with artists and groups such as Kris Kristoffersson, Wayne Kramer, Levon Helm and Wilco.

Backed by the Stylart house band Cold Diamond & Mink "Lost Lost Lost" takes the listener to the soundscapes of classic late 60's West Coast soul. It's not a song of many words, but once the mood pulls you in, you'll be locked for a while, and asking for a second helping. This one is a firme rola for sure.

Previously unreleased KILLER northern soul dancers! From the long-forgotten archives of Alley Records from Arkansas, we've unearthed a batch of awesome raw '60s soul from Ike Noble and the Up Tights! We've cooked up 2 killer 45s and a long player out of this incredible find, and first up is 'That's the Sound of my Heart' - raw and infectious, uptempo feel good 60s Midwestern dancer with menacing horns and driving guitar rhythms. And if you like the A side then then you'll love the flip! Scorching vocals over positive, pounding 60s Northern instrumentation. What a find! When these are gone they're gone - floor packers today and collectors items tomorrow!

Duke Ellington once said that there are 2 kinds of music: the good one and the bad one. With the compilation series “Shaolin Soul” we are always certain to be on the right side of the line since its 1st episode released in 1998 and which compiled two dozens of tracks sampled by RZA and the Wu-Tang Clan. Following a second episode in 2001 and a third one in 2014, the famous curator Uncle O is back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Shaolin Soul series with a fourth episode compiling 22 tracks among the rarest and finest treats of soul music, because “everybody’s talking about the good ol’ days !”.

Limited edition of 500. Vinyl edition includes tracks not available on digital and streaming formats

Grup Ses, Istanbul based veteran beatmaker returns to Souk after 2 years with first fully instrumental album since 2011's sought after 'Beats and Pieces from Turkish Psychedelia'.

Grup Ses project dates back to 2007 which at the time focused on v/vm style edits and breakcore infused mash ups. Starting from 2008 Grup Ses started to build a version of Stones Throw & Brainfeeder influenced beatmaking mixed with a touch of humour. A blend including all kinds of local recorded material like records, tapes, radio broadcasts etc., which became the building blocks of signature Grup Ses sound.

'Beats from the vaults' is a showcase of beatmaking aesthetics Grup Ses visited between 2008 and 2021. Including various cuts available only on soundcloud plus unheard material compiled just for this album.

As we approach to the summer – it’s that time to deliver some fresh vibes in the most finest form as what we would present to be the tenth release from the Ashanti Selah Music label featuring a deep and heavy 12” alongside, Swedish reggae artist; Dan I Locks, as featured on other releases such as ‘Solid Foundation’, ‘Glorious Days’ and ‘Better Be Careful’ - is now stepping up to forefront once again; with some more powerful word sounds ‘Jah is Love’ – coming complete with trilogy of dub versions – This one is sure to bring that dancing feeling again to your mind, soul and body!

This release project incorporates the essence of which both Ashanti Selah & Dan I Locks are best known for individually bringing that ancient sound of Nyahbinghi transitioned into the power of the modern roots steppers style (most profound through the sound system); which you can clearly hear infused within the mix – comforting the sound of the Drum & Bass; emphasised by the Kette & Thunderdrum. There is also an array of bells and retro-influenced synth melodic elements accompanying around the vocal arrangement enforced with an addition of traditional spring reverb licks & strong feed-backed delays throughout the dubbed versions of the creational work!

The new label on the block DRPN GEMS is focused on crowd rockin’ block party joints. Release number one has that in spades. The A side has label boss Wally Puma stepping up with a hybrid blend / remake of two old school anthems that fit together like OJ’s glove - mad tight. The other side has a couple of useful Jim Sharp DJ tools / Breaks meaning that doubles are a must. If there were any actual parties the play records at this year, this would be a definite go-to 45.

Repress!

Silver Sleeve 2012 Version

This special edition 2LP package comes housed in an a silver jacket featuring DOOM’s infamous metal mask icon embossed on it.

Each record is pressed on black vinyl. An absolute must have for the DOOM completist. The long awaited reissue of DOOM's first solo gem, Operation: Doomsday. Remastered from the original Fondle 'Em 1999 issue. Side A is listed as "Side Zero". Side B is "Side One". And so forth. Underneath his mysterious metal mask, MF DOOM hides the cachet underground legends are made of. After KMD (his first group)’s 1994 sophomore album Bl_ck B_st_rds was shelved by Elektra in 1994 and his blood brother Subroc (one half of the sibling rap duo) passed away, surviving frontman Zev Love X mutated into the MC Avenger known as MF DOOM and the Rap world is better for it. This 19-cut deep album is ridiculously dope, in a bizarro Ol’ Dirty Bastard kind of way. Doom sounds either high or drunk on most of the tracks, his self-produced beats are gritty, and his rhyme styles are almost indecipherable. On arguably the best track, “Rhymes Like Dimes,” Doom weaves some pointed lyrics through his abstract wordplay, spitting ‘only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck / And still keep your attitude on self-destruct.’ Who You Think I Am? features DOOM‘s crew M.onster I.sland C.zars, while on “?” he trades hot verses with former Columbia artist Kurious Jorge. Doom’s avant-garde ghetto-rhyme philosophies take even more intentionally weird twists on “Tick, Tick...” where he and guest MC MF Grimm’s flows warble over a rhythm track whose tempo speeds up and slows down continually. The comic-book themed skits, will help take you deep into the mind of an MC who is as otherworldly as they come. And in today’s bland commercial Rap universe, Operation Doomsday’s left-of-center beats and rhymes are the perfect remedy.

So many of us head back out into the world post-lockdown, with a different perspective on the overpowering nature of it. Nothing Feels Like Everything, looks deeply at how the absence of something can be just as overwhelming, whether the absence of physical contact, the absence of love, the absence of empathy and respect.

This album places gentleness beside power and cacophony to recreate the vast swings of emotion experienced in isolation. When nothing can be too much, while at the same time, all we want.

The sixth studio album from Scrimshire is an atmospheric and emotional experience. Moments of swirling orchestral energy perfectly countered by quiet, meditative calm. Moving string arrangements sit alongside delicate synthesiser-soaked rhythms. After huge collaborations with Emma-Jean Thackray, Omar, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Ego Ella May and many more on previous records, with only four vocal contributions this time, it is his most instrumental exploration to date.

But those few vocal contributions are captivating. From the opening explosion of UK jazz and soul legend Cleveland Watkiss, with a powerfully clear call on behalf of the marginalised and oppressed in society to the deeply intimate and supportive incantations of Ursula Rucker. No word is wasted here.

The record carries on a tradition of collaboration, with contributions from Jessica Lauren, Idris Rahman (Soothsayers, Wildflower, Ill Considered), Nat Birchall, Huw Marc Bennett, Miryam Solomon, Emanative and recent Albert's Favourites signing Pie Eye Collective. In fact, the phone calls that led to these songs are in many ways the power of it. Reaching out across long distances, through conversations to find meaning in difficult times, and then capture those feelings in music. The process being a therapeutic experience that is now present in the sounds.

"Throughout lockdown I've been writing so much, and when I released Believers Vol. 1 back in November, I'd wanted to bring people something that captured the warmth and hopefulness I think we needed despite deep political and cultural turmoil. But there were obviously very low moments, socially and personally and I was still capturing those too. This album holds more of those moments of loss and being lost, of solitary contemplation and meditation, of yearning, of anxiety.

More than I've experienced before, the collaborations came through long and beautiful phone conversations, developing friendships with new people, rekindling and supporting older relationships, taking time and giving each other time, care and space to create. It's what makes this album special to me."

Originally released by Bethlehem Records in 1959, NINA SIMONE AND HER FRIENDS was a compilation album comprised of the few remaining, unreleased tracks from the Little Girl Blue recording session plus songs recorded by two other former Bethlehem artists, the powerhouse jazz vocalist Carmen McRae and the elegant song stylist Chris Connor.

As Daphne Brooks explains in the release’s brand new essay, “Bethlehem clustered their work—tracks that had previously appeared on the label’s Girlfriends compilation—together with the younger, upstart Simone’s and essentially offered up a collection of songs that span a range of genres—folk, jazz, pop song staples, and torch song laments, plus a couple of provocative original compositions by McRae and Simone. Each track is a reminder

of the clear-eyed independence, verve, and confidence of three artists whose music, taken together, brims with the majesty and the assured talents of the late 1950s women artists who led with conviction and invention as musicians and song interpreters.”
Featuring a brand new stereo mix by four-time Grammy winner Michael Graves. Includes new essay by author of Liner Notes For The Revolution, Daphne A. Brooks.