Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

Important Note: This unit features non-volatile memory which will retain the Data you have written (such as Track compositions) even when switched off and disconnected from any external power source. This back-up circuit, however, relies on its batteries, therefore not available if the batteries are flat or not securely connected. Please be sure to keep the batteries securely connected even while using the AC adaptor

Dark Entries is humbled to continue digging through the archives of legendary producer Patrick Cowley. While best known for his production on chart-topping cybernetic disco anthems such as Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” or his own “Menergy”, Cowley, who passed away from AIDS-related illness in 1982, left us with a substantial body of work. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to shed light on the lesser known facets of this singular artist’s output. This has resulted in a string of celebrated archival albums, including Catholic (featuring Jorge Socarras), School Daze, Muscle Up, Afternooners, and the recent Mechanical Fantasy Box. Some Funkettes, the latest addition to this series, is a collection of previously unreleased cover songs recorded from 1975-1977. These raw, unembellished tributes both showcase Cowley’s early musical interests and chart the development of his production techniques.

Some Funkettes opens with Cowley’s sauntering instrumental rendition of “Do It Anyway You Wanna”, the disco classic by People’s Choice. Next is a psychedelic reworking of the Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”, here hazily retitled “Papa Wuzza Rollinston”. Over its 7 minute runtime, the track’s metronomic, minimal groove builds to a frantic synth solo - this is pure Bay Area motorik. “Spiked Punch”, a curious riff on Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” follows. Cowley’s lurching, minimalist reimagining of Hancock’s opus prefigures the work he would later do on Sylvester’s masterpiece “I Need Somebody to Love Tonight”. Side B opens with a truly important historical document: Cowley’s cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”. The Moroder-produced disco anthem was a critical influence on Cowley - he would later resculpt the original song into arguably its highest form with his 15-minute-long remix. The instrumental cover version here is sparse and euphoric, brimming with classic Cowley synth signatures alongside the infectious Moroder bassline. A relatively faithful take on Bazuka’s 1975 funk classic “Dynomite” follows. The record closes with the dub version of “Spiked Punch”, which highlights developments in Cowley’s recording and synthesis techniques by way of its resonant burbles and spring reverb-laden passages.

Some Funkettes was made possible with help from Patrick's brother Jim and his former studiomate Maurice Tani. All songs were mastered for vinyl by George Horn. The sleeve is a collage designed in 1975 by Cowley’s former roommate Francesca Rosa that was found covering a reel to reel box. It features a yin-yang symbol and a photograph of a scruffy 24 year old Patrick, to which we added his original handwriting. Each record comes with an insert featuring a four page essay by Francesca as well as a postcard featuring liner notes and a photograph by Cowley’s roommate and best friend, Theresa McGinley. Vocal versions of “Papa Wuzza Rollingston” and “Do It Anyway You Wanna” are included as bonus tracks on the digital and CD releases. This peek into Cowley’s formative years arrives just in time for what would have been his 70th birthday.

Imagine if you could put together a dream line-up of MCs and producers from all four corners of the rap world?

That’s what artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles set out to do when he put together a stellar collection of tracks by the rappers and talent that inspire his work for the first Gangster Music comp back in 2018. Working on that he says “was one of the most satisfying & fun projects I've been able to be a part of and the idea of continuing the series was a no-brainer. Thankfully All City was interested in keeping the party going”

If it ain't broke and all that – this second volume follows the first with an all-star line-up which features everyone from hotly-tipped emerging Producers and MCs like Ovrkast, Shungu, Woodie Smalls, Big Baby Scumbag next to underground perennials like Teebs, Ohbliv and Knxwlege all the way up to top flight producer Dam Funk and established vets like M.E.D, Black Milk, Lil B and Open Mike Eagle.

This second collaboration between All City Records and Gangster Doodles is a jam-packed sonic adventure featuring 28 killer tracks from some of the finest creators out there. “Gangster Music Vol.2 is a living/breathing tracklist of all the music and artists I've been obsessively listening to over the past couple of years(and beyond). Every artist that's on Vol.2 is a creative force pushing boundaries and trailblazing new paths to greatness.”

An exhausting compiling process via emails, DMs, texts and a myriad of other electronic form of badgering and prodding, the last few years have been busy for Marlon "Gangster Doodles" Sassy. In addition to this he released his acclaimed Gangster Doodles (The Book) alongside an ever-expanding array of prints, original works, apparel and exhibitions across the globe. Topping that off with animation projects, a graphic novel in the works and now, with this his second curated LP titled " Gang$ter Music Vol 2".

Describing the cover art “Every morning I start my day with a bowl(or 2) of Fruit Loops. Usually on the back of the box they have different activities to do. On one of them was a black and white image of Toucan Sam chilling in a tree. In large colorful font, it said you could cut out the image and color it in to create your own version. That idea really resonated with me. Continuing the cartoon cat theme from Vol.1 I chose Felix the Cat to help encapsulate this idea and then flip it on its head. A black and white album cover that could be left as is or if the mood strikes- go and grab some markers, pens, crayons, paint, ink and create your own unique doodle versions”

“After a year and a half of covid hell I'm thrilled to be able to release this new music compilation. Fuck the bubble. It's time to get weird.”

LIMITED STAMPED WHITE LABEL

* A limited 10” featuring the ever-reliable Alpha & Omega with a track called `Shuruaat Aur Ant’ from 1991.
* The A-side was previously an LP-only track while the B-side, a dub versiappears on vinyl for the first time.
* Features a haunting Hindi-sampled vocal.
* 300 copies only

2 more sure fire party starters - guaranteed floor fillers every time!

Two downtempo tracks by Khotin originally released only in Japan are now available for the first time on this limited edition hand-stamped 7”. A side “Mind Altar” first appeared as a bonus on the Japanese edition CD of his 2017 album “New Tab.” On the flip, “A Loving Blue” was the bonus track included with the Japanese edition CD of his latest “Finds You Well” album on Ghostly International. Pressed in Canada and lovingly stamped and stickered at Khotin Industries HQ.

Original KILLER drum breaks by Mike Bandoni. Exclusive to the Crate Breaks series. 100% Killer No Filler.
Founder and band leader for Funkshone. Former drummer of the Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band. Drummer, multi instrumentalist and composer.

Right On Time - Trojan Rock Steady is the 2nd part of the exclusive Music On Vinyl’s Trojan compilation series, which celebrates the best works from the legendary reggae label Trojan Records. It was compiled by Laurence Cane-Honeysett, who also wrote the linernotes. Some of Trojan’s finest are featured on this compilation; as there are The Gladiators, The Melodians, The Gladiators, Ken Boothe a.o. The album is released as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent green vinyl. The package also includes an exclusive Trojan / Music On Vinyl coaster.

Right On Time - Trojan Rock Steady is the 2nd part of the exclusive Music On Vinyl’s Trojan compilation series, which celebrates the best works from the legendary reggae label Trojan Records. It was compiled by Laurence Cane-Honeysett, who also wrote the linernotes. Some of Trojan’s finest are featured on this compilation; as there are The Gladiators, The Melodians, The Gladiators, Ken Boothe a.o. The album is released as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent green vinyl. The package also includes an exclusive Trojan / Music On Vinyl coaster.

For his first release with Artificial Dance, Black Merlin aka George Thompson takes a departure from the hard-wearing techno and intricate field recording work that he has come to be known for. Scape One is a fifteen-minute psychedelic diversion recorded in one continuous live session. While the track’s sonic characteristics may echo dance music from the turn of the millennium, its pulsating rhythm is more suggestive of the slowly evolving landscapes seen outside of a train window as opposed to raves from the late ‘90s.

Appearing on the B-side is Gordon Pohl’s remix of Scape One. Like its source material, this track is long and subtle in the way it develops over time, but Pohl dissects the most salient elements of the original to construct a new rhythmic urgency. The high frequency accent that guides the remix does so at a speed that recalls the rotations of Brion Gysin’s stroboscopic Dream Machine, which taps into your brain’s alpha waves, aiding drug-free hallucinations.

Pohl and Thompson are frequent collaborators and release music together as Karamika. While Scape One is not a collaboration in the strict sense, there is plenty of crossover in the working methodology of the two musicians, especially when it comes to constructing uncomplicated arrangements.

The repetitive nature of their respective tracks locks the listener into a contradictory sensation of travelling whilst staying seemingly motionless. This sensation is not altogether uncommon, but in this instance it’s not quotidian either. The result is a record that unravels slowly, leaving space for the listener to home in on all the available information and, in the process, discover elements that can be just as unnerving as they are satisfying.

Wild One: Think funky, flowing rap vocals. Warm heavy drums, funky horn melodies and dirty basslines. Think Jurassic Five and 90’s Boom Bap Hip Hop! What makes “Wild One” different is the unique production style of DJ X-Rated. Using rare vintage samplers and animal nature recordings in the percussion of this record.
Andy Cooper is an accomplished songwriter, performer, producer and arranger who hails from and resides in Long Beach, California. Andy helped form and produce the Hip-Hop trio Ugly Duckling which, over the span of 20 years, released six albums while frequently touring the globe, their success has taken them to over 30 countries. Recently, Andy wrote 16 songs for ‘Recorded In Hollywood’, a musical about the famous, Los Angeles record shop ‘Dolphins of Hollywood’.

Kartel is delighted to announce the 18th March release on Soundway Records of Magical Thinking by Antibalas multi-instrumentalist, Chico Mann. Tipping a genre-bending wink at 80's funk, boogie and electro stylings, with just a hint of Afrobeat spicing the mix, Chico effortlessly merges a downtempo groove with timeless pop sensibility to create a contemporary dancefloor classic. UK/European dates for March/April will be announced shortly.

A chunky slab of shimmering synth-soul on a hip-hop beat throbs out of the speakers on the new Chico
Mann and Kendra Morris single. Served up with trademark afro guitar licks and spacey synth stabs this
beautful one-of release follows their killer album-cut 'Same Old Clown', the highlight of the Chico Mann 'Magical Thinking' full-length of 2012. Kendra Morris explains: 'Nobody Wants To is about trying to fll the void and then being too stubborn
to let go....I feel like we all have this thing in us that we search to fll.. sometmes we are doing alright and it seems to maintain itself but then there are tmes usually when you're on some sort of self
destructve warpath where it just is this hollow thing and you try to stuf anything into it to feel good.... it feels good for a while but then it kinda botoms out ' Kendra's long-tme collaborator Jeremy Page (who produced both of her two albums for Wax Poetcs
Records) and Chico Mann built the instrumental - Kendra 'had a ton of vocal ideas' the second she heard it and Nobody Wants To was born. Chico Mann recently re-located from New Jersey City to Los Angeles where he's working on new mate-
rial both as Chico Mann and with his new psych-rock outit Here Lies Man The track plus an instrumental version will be released as a 7 inch Vinyl.

For his next release on Soundway Records,
Los Angeles-based Dexter Story hooks up with long time friend and compatriot of music, the saxophonist, jazz composer, producer and band-leader Kamasi Washington. A fierce, rumbling electro Ethio-Funk groove provides the platform for an intense and powerful interplay between Washington on tenor sax and Todd Simon on trumpet. An instrumental cover version of Tilahun Gessesse's 1970s cut of the same name, it's Story's homage to the oppressed Oromo people of Southern Ethiopia. Backed on the flip by the one cut from Story's 'Wondem' long-player that did not make it to vinyl when the LP version was cut, Nia Andrew's
sublime and atmospheric collaboration on Eastern Prayer
will keep all those happy who grumbled at it's exclusion
from wax first time around. This is a record that no lover
of Ethio-Jazz, Afro-Beat or Funk should be excused for not
owning.

Award-winning, London-based Family Atlantica are back with their far-reaching second album 'Cosmic Unity', which follows on from their 2013 eponymous debut - an album that won the band a range of awards including Songlines Magazine's Best Newcomers 2015.

'Cosmic Unity', like the band itself, mirrors the mixed-up, intercontinental terrain of their home town. Moving through genres as diverse as psychedelic highlife, steel- pan Ethio-funk, calypso, biao and scorching equatorial jazz underpinned by deep afro-Atlantic dance rhythms, they have created a cohesive, forward-looking sound that echoes classic tropical recordings of the past whilst still sounding fresh and contemporary. Lush string and horn arrangements give way to acidic commentary on the immigration system and slavery as well as incantations of unity.

Producer and multi-instrumental director, Jack Yglesias (also a core member of the underground pysch-jazz-funk unit The Heliocentrics) leads the explosive ensemble. Alongside Jack, the band features the powerful vocals and poetry of Venezuelan diva Luzmira Zerpa and the percussive West African mastery of Nigerian/Ghanaian Kwame 'natural power' Crentsil as well as Adrian Owusu (Guitar).

Joining them as guests on the album are two musical legends: The Sun Ra Arkestra's bandleader Marshall Allen on alto saxophone, ewi and vocals, and Nigerian Afro-beat colossus Orlando Julius on tenor sax who was at the time of the recording living with Yglesias and Zerpa. The diversity of the Family Atlantica project is reflected in the lyrics, with singing and poetry in Spanish, English, Yoruba and Portuguese. This is a rapid-fire, rhythm-heavy journey, simultaneously moving between the past and future of trans-Atlantic roots music.

LTD. FULL COLOUR SLEEVE 12' (500 COPIES ONLY) INCLUDING FULL RE- LEASE DOWNLOAD
Fantasma, the latest project of South African innovator and creatve pioneer Spoek Mathambo, is a fve-man collectve which weaves together electronica, hip-hop, traditonal Zulu maskandi music, shangaan electro, South African house, psych-rock and punk to form a unique, original and fresh hybrid.The godfather of 'Bacardi House', producer DJ Spoko joins with former Machineri guitarist André Geld- enhuys, drummer Michael Buchanan and maskandi mult-instrumentst Bhekisenzo Cele to complete
the line up. Fused by Spoek Mathambo's futurist vision, Fantasma pulls inspiraton from all corners of South Africa:
the sounds and spirits of townships and cites as well as the rural countryside. It is diverse not only in its membership but also in its forward-looking music. The band will be in the studio this summer recording their debut LP set for release early 2015. Watch
this space.

FUTURE AFRO-LATIN JAZZ HOUSE FROM MASTER PERCUSSIONIST, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST AND COMPOSER GABRIELE POSO.

A true multi-instrumentalist, Gabriele Poso found a particular affinity for percussion at a young age, studying in Puerto Rico and Cuba. His latest album ‘Batik’, to be released on Soundway Records, is once again entirely selfproduced and features guest vocalists Nailah Porter, Nina Rodriguez, Quetzal Guerrero & Sofia Rollo.
Following a long-term collaborative partnership with Osunlade / Yoruba Records, as well as albums on BBE and Agogo Records, Gabriele Poso has garnered acclaim from reviewers and selectors including Gilles Peterson. On ‘Batik’, Poso further develops and matures his sound - exploring his extensive roots in Afro-Cuban percussion, while delving into the realms of jazz and soulful house. Much of the album features Poso on not only vocals but many of the instruments - including percussion, guitar and kalimba. With mixing by renowned Spanish DJ and producer Kiko Navarro, the lead single “Africa Linda” is an up tempo live take on Latin house, featuring American-born soul singer Quetzal Guerrero on vocals.

George & Glen Miller’s 1979 hit “Easing” - encapsulating late 70s New York in its blend of disco, soul and Caribbean soca... BIG tune! Version on the flip..

The Miller brothers’ musical journey began in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 70s. During their teenage years they formed The Groovy Millers - a five piece band made up of George, Glen and their three siblings. After a chance meeting with Lord Shorty, they went on to collaborate with one of the Soca stars of the time and firmly plant their feet in the Soca scene of the musically rich Caribbean island.

Of the five siblings it was George and Glen that pursued a career in music, and in the late 70s the two brothers made the move to North America to develop their music style. Disco dominated the airwaves at the time and a studio session with the prolific Frankie McIntosh resulted in the masterpiece that is Easing. Drawing influence from the blossoming disco and soul scene, George and Glen added Caribbean flavour to the New York sound to startling effect. Soft, subtle keys and guitars are punctuated with layered trumpet and violin riffs, complimenting George’s silken, restrained vocal. Frankie McIntosh’s arrangement shines through with what might be his finest work, placing this track on the mantle with other New York classics of the time.

Peter Sagar — also known as HOMESHAKE wrote the majority of his fifth studio album, Under the Weather, in 2019, when he was going through a long, unrelenting period of sadness. “I was in a deep, deep depression,” he recalls of that time period now. Sagar and his partner were living in Montreal, and while everyone was out being social, he was inside listening to ambient music, binging Star Trek, and writing songs. (Sound familiar?) “It was a bit of a dark pit,” he says. “That’s kind of what the whole album is about.”

Under the Weather is hazy and moody, the pace slow as syrup, and from beginning to end, a fog falls over every synth and guitar line. “Oftentimes when you’re in a dark place, you’re supposed to journal and that helps release the pressure,” Sagar says. “For me, it always found its way into the music.”

Capturing the cloudy sound of a depressive funk was no simple feat, especially in the headspace Sagar was in for over a year. For that reason, he decided to enlist his friend, Jerry Paper ’s Lucas Nathan, to help with production on the record. Having Nathan contribute helped Sagar dial back some of the “dry, pristine digital sound” that defined his fourth studio album, Helium , and add back personal analog touches that drew people to the HOMESHAKE project in the first place.

As Sagar readies for the album’s release this September, the record he wrote about feeling isolated, alone, and despondent has begun to seem eerily prescient. “I’ve been writing about feeling isolated my whole life,” he says — but with age, he has come to understand them better. “I had a fairly clear idea what the album was going to be like based on where I was emotionally at the time,” he says about Under the Weather . “I just try to make music that is honest about how I’m feeling.”

Journeyman, DJ, radio presenter, beat raconteur - it's been hard to keep up with all of iZem's movements lately. The innovatve Lisbon-based French producer has been hard at work on his debut LP Hafa, exploring the sounds of Latn America and North Africa in a vivid analogue-digital, genre-defying soundscape that is sure to leave your head spinning. Inspired by cultural greats like Jack Kerouac, Paul Bowles, Tahar Ben Jelloun and Matsse, iZem spent tme soaking up the atmosphere at the inspiring Café Hafa, an idyllic clif-top joint overlooking the strait of Gibraltar, in Tangier, Morocco, which has formed a golden backdrop to his debut LP. Brimming with soulful exotcism, personal narratves and adven-turous collaborators, Hafa has been an experiment in taking on the afro-centric sounds of his journey to-date by incorporatng modern, introspectve songwritng and hybrid beats.
Ofen writng music whilst crossing contnents, the only place iZem allows dust to setle is in the heart, heat and rhythms of his local-global future sounds. A decade of nomadism between Spain, Brazil, Argentna, Ireland and Portugal made way for a series of critcally acclaimed EP's and remixes for Soundway, GAMM, Far Out, Agogo, ZZK records, Wah Wah 45s, and Mais Um Discos. Arrival on the global, forward-thinking, artstcally leffeld scene was predicted by Gilles Peterson, XLR8R, Okay Player and fellow tropical hed Quantc. iZem is an acronym for In Ze Early Morning' and his debut album Hafa' evokes new days
dawning in far-of lands and strring horizons of the present. So if you aren't hearing iZem's pastche of future tropical rhythms and organic grooves on statons such as BBC, KCRW or
Funkhaus Europa, then make sure you you catch him raising the dance foor temperature on one contnent or another.

Soundway fans frst got a taste of Jay-U's infectous beats with the track 'Some More', featured on the Soundway compilaton Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound Of The Underground Lagos Dancefoor 1974-79'.
Originally released by EMI Nigeria in 1977, this now-rare album was writen by Jay-U and engineered by disco-boogie artst Goddy Oku. Opening with the up-tempo reggae number Reggae Deluxe', the album descends into mind-blowing jazz-funk featuring several killer saxophone solos. The journey ends with a trip into psych-prog rock, with a sound not dissimilar to that
coming out of the early 70s Britsh rock scene.
(*Note: track 5 from the original recording will not be included in this reissue)

Jorja Smith returns to announce a new 8-track project. ‘Be Right Back’ is due May 14th and is the first body of work from Jorja since her 2019 critically-acclaimed, Mercury Prize nominated debut album ‘Lost & Found’, for which she won her second BRIT Award for ‘Best
Female’ and earned herself a nomination for ‘New Artist’ at the GRAMMY Awards.
The project finds Jorja delivering some of the most emotive and imaginative songs of her career. Over string-heavy production, she unveils a collection of songs that are diverse in their range but still extremely cohesive as a body of work - “It’s called be right back because it’s just something I want my fans to have right now, this isn’t an album and these songs wouldn’t have made it. If I needed to make these songs, then someone needs to hear them too.” - Jorja says of the project.
To coincide with the announcement, Jorja is sharing new single ‘Gone.’ Highly anticipated,
Smith states that “There’s something about being able to write about one thing and for it to mean so many different things to others. I love that this song, well any of my songs really, will be interpreted in different ways, depending on the experiences of the people listening.
This one is just me asking why people have to be taken from us.”
‘Gone’ follows in the footsteps of Jorja’s stunning March release ‘Addicted’, which also appears on ‘Be Right Back’, alongside 6 additional unheard tracks including a feature from
rising South London rapper, Shaybo on track 3, ‘Bussdown’.
Over the past three years, Smith has been celebrated unanimously across the world for her evocative song-writing, powerful delivery, pure emotion and unbridled talent as a young woman navigating her way through the world. Smith has graced multiple magazine covers,
performed at awards ceremonies and on late night TV, and sold out shows across the globe, now surpassing over one billion global streams. Her 2019 hit single ‘Be Honest’ featuring Burna Boy has become her biggest song to date at almost 250M streams worldwide. Smith continues to hone her craft and ‘Gone’ serves as a much-anticipated prelude for the release of ‘Be Right Back’ on May 14th.

British flavor for this brand new 7" from Legofunk Records with
an impressive action! Poetry edit over the epic music…

Just Do You is the first single from underground super-producer Lord Echo's hotly anticipated 3rd album 'Harmonies'. So long has it's gestation been that it has reached a status reserved only for the mythical and the absurd. Some say it will never be finished with the album devouring its host creator and assuming a life of its own - but this first single proves other wise.Lord Echo emerges from the darkness with a gleaming diamond in his hand - a slice of pure disco dub indulgence with all the rough trimmings that have made him a cult favourite from Tokyo to Trinidad.With the real life concerns of the DJ always foremost in his mind, this 12" has something for every occasion with two different vocals and a radical excursion into the realm of left field disco dub that record collectors sweat over in feverish night dreams of cult record acquisition.Both vocalists are long time Lord Echo collaborators : Electric Wire Hustles' Mara TK and Fat Freddies Drop's Toby Laing.Mara's version sees the golden voiced visionary wax lyrical on a night time affair stemming from a tiresome diplomatic function in a sweaty, exotic location deep in the recess' of your mind. Toby's vocal was recorded in a hotel room in France on one of Fat Freddies Drop's sweeping European Tours and features some of the most obtuse yet deeply penetrating lines in contemporary songbook narrative.

Britsh quintet Me and My Friends are set to release their captvatng and mesmerising second album,
Hide Your Way, on Soundway Records this summer. A unique and singular blend, it's the sound of Eng-
lish folk colliding head-on with the golden-era music of 1970s West Africa and the West Indies.
Towering vocal harmonies, soaring cello and clarinet lines, colossal basslines and drum paterns
combine on an exquisite rollercoaster-ride of the emotons from euphoria to melancholia and back
again.
Bound by a mutual love of the sun-drenched vintage sounds of afrobeat, soukous, highlife and roots
reggae, the UK-based 5-piece re-invent these infuences around the instantly recognisable voice and
fnger-style guitar of songwriter and singer Nick Rasle. The band's sound involves a meetng of diverse
musical backgrounds: Fred Harper's gospel-infuenced drumming and James Grunwell's deep basslines
provide the bed for Sam Murray's growling clarinet tone and Emma Coleman's strident cello and faw-
less ear for vocal harmony.
Having enthralled festval audiences across the UK with their breathless live show, Hide Your Way sees
the band embarking on a deeper exploraton of the playfulness and rhythmic agility which has come
to defne their sound. A rich and varied pool of musical ideas sits alongside a plaintve lyricism, as the
songs tell tales of regret, corrupton, loss and deceit. The result is something fresh and original, mar-
rying the emotonal vocal power of folk music with early jazz and delta-blues singing and the driving
rhythms of West-Africa's golden era and the heart and soul of the great roots-reggae songwriters.

Soundway are proud to present two blistering LP's of afro rock funk from Nigerian multi-instrumentalist & his band MonoMono. Both with bonus 12"s

Described by Swiss press as an “inventive genius marked by total unpredictability,” Roger Baudet’s music has preserved its freshness and spontaneity. Provoking feelings of surprise, anxiety and subjugation, he ends up bewitching you completely through his bizarre non-conformity. The oddity of the sounds is a choice of heterogeneity: the works gathered, although coming from one person, have little to do with each other. Forming a mosaic that provides a fragmented vision of atmospheres without apparent links, his music multiplies diverse rhythms and combinations, rejecting any principle of hierarchy in the musicality of the moment. The decorative music was composed as the soundtrack for theatre and ballet performances, documentaries, short films and exhibitions of paintings – a context that inevitably shines through the twenty-two pieces. Despite these classical settings, the music had a forward-facing, futuristic cadence – a precursor to the electronic genres that would later become techno or trance. This compilation from the past century is a collage of ornaments made out of sounds; stripped down, yet undoubtedly imbued with sensitivity, with hints of classical training, all suitable for contemplation.

#1 debuts for the digital single in US, Germany, Israel and France +7 million
streams on the video in the first three weeks of release Massive buzz on social
media including +5,000 creations on Tiktok, top trending on YouTube and Instagram Shazam chart activity in San Francisco, Costa Rica, Netherlands, Romania
Instrumental version exclusive to vinyl 12-inch release
The single is setting up the debut album from Spice “Ten” coming this summer!

The Heliocentrics are a group for which genres are meaningless and boundaries invisible. Since first appearing on DJ Shadow's 2006 album The Outsider the group have gone on to release a string of records that float through jazz, hip-hop, psych, krautrock, and musique concrete whilst collaborating with numerous genre heavyweights from Mulatu Astake to Gaslamp Killer and picking up prestigious fans along the way, such as Madlib and the recently departed David Axelrod.
The primarily instrumental group, who operate out of their vintage analogue studio in East London called the Quatermass Sound Lab, bring in a new singer on album number four - a young Slovakian singer called Barbora Patkova. The result is an album that takes the band, already solidified in ever-expanding grooves and rhythms into new previously unexplored dimensions.The group's deep-set ability to craft music intuitively and impulsively stems from a desire to avoid typical processes or generic structures. Since its conception, the band's music has mainly been created from live improvisation. This musical approach gives the band its own sound and identity -'for anything to happen it must be at that time from the people in the room, and on the spot'. A decade of such sonic adventures has resulted in a tightly knit bond that the group refer to as almost a form of telepathy' with musical changes that otherwise would be near impossible to write.

Soundway Records presents the eponymous debut LP from in-demand Amsterdam five piece The Mauskovic Dance Band – fusing no-wave dance punk, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and space disco in a “controlled explosion” (The Quietus).

Entirely self-produced, the band has reiterated their favourite elements of the 70s and 80s legacy of the Afro-Latin psychedelic music of Colombia and Peru, interpreting it through the context of modern day Amsterdam. The output is a lo-fi No Wave groove all its own - rooted in a deep love of champeta, Palenque, psychedelic cumbia, chichi, classic afrobeat and picó soundsystem culture.

Since the release of their “Down In The Basement” EP on Soundway Records in early 2018, the band have found themselves on a hectic European touring schedule – not to mention being involved in other side projects. Following stints with Turkish psychedelic folk rock group Altin Gün, and touring with the re-formed 70s Zamrock outfit W.I.T.C.H., Nic Mauskovic also teamed up with Dutch neo-psychedelic artist Jacco Gardner to form the “cinematic Balearic disco” duo of Bruxas (released by Dutch institution Dekmantel) – and together, they mixed The Mauskovic Dance Band debut album in Lisbon.

Lead single Space Drum Machine encapsulates the band’s prototypical brand of busy rhythmic patterns interwoven with insistent synth stabs and vibrant disco toms, layered with an elastic guitar riff drawing inspiration from Kenyan kikuyu and benga styles. High-pitched vocals describe being on a flight together and inciting each other to press a button of unknown consequence with “push it, push it” - and push it they do, at breakneck pace. And of course, the undeniable influence of Amsterdam’s hotbed of underground dance producers shines through as it does on all tracks - with the vintage psychedelic swirl of synthesiser, lo-fi drum machines and tape recording.

Esa's compilation Amandla: Music To The People holds diverse dancefloor tracks from over the world. The first compilation in 2019 for Soundway and a comprehensive picture that connects the dots of Esa’s musical journey.

Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, during the last days of Apartheid, Esa recalls the immense power that music had in resisting oppression and division. “Amandla, Awethu”, which literally means “the power is ours”, was an ubiquitous chant echoing throughout the politically charged atmosphere of the time – a call to unite, and a call from which this release derives not only its title, but its intention as well.

“Music was a crucial way of bringing people and communities together”, reflects Esa, “and it’s what I hope to achieve with this compilation, too”. For Esa Williams is not only a musical polymath but also passionate about connecting people through music – be it as a skilled DJ, an educator in production, a band leader reigniting the legendary Ata Kak band from Ghana, or a collaborator with the likes of Tanzanian artist Mim Suleiman. A firm favourite on the DJ circuit, he held a monthly residency at Phonox London for over 6 months - bringing guests such as Nu Guinea to Brixton audiences - as well as delivering memorable sets at Dekmantel, Atlas Festival, Boiler Room and more.

The last few years have seen a recent surge in interest in South African music from the 80s and 90s, including bubblegum, which was recently showcased on Soundway’s critically acclaimed 2018 compilation Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth Boogie in 1980s South Africa, put together by DJ Okapi. It was only natural that the label looked to delve deeper into the country’s rich musical legacy and tap another of its esteemed ambassadors for the role of compiler.

The result is a rainbow of complementary electronic styles hailing from not only South Africa but further afield, including zouk from Brazil and the French Antilles, as well as Afro-futurism. Together, they form a comprehensive picture that connects the dots of Esa’s musical journey – from growing up in South Africa, to artists he has encountered in his worldwide travels who have helped develop his identity as a musician.

Selam means 'peace' in Amharic, the language commonly spoken in Ethiopia. Peace on you, peace for this world that knows it so little and needs it so much. It is an aspiration for everything, but also, as in North Africa where its equivalent is ‘salam’, a greeting to the interlocutor, an invitation to fraternity. With this third album, Arat Kilo addresses us its greeting as well as a wish for universal peace. It's not a sign of a new beginning after two already exhilarating recording adventures. On the contrary, it is that of a blossoming in the form of an opening. An openness that is not accompanied by any renunciation or compromise. The group, which brings together six French musicians passionate about ethiojazz, has made sure not to get away from its favourite field, these sweaty funks and fivelegged jazz strangely twisted in the witchcraft of Swingin' Addis, a brief parenthesis today considered as a golden age where some Ethiopian producers and musicians took advantage of a loophole in the censorship system established by Haïlé Selassié to unite traditional turns - the only ones authorized by the Negusse Negest regime - with Western jazz, soul and pop. In this album, Arat Kilo never leaves Addis Ababa in the early 70s where charming singers and electric orchestras developed, in an almost clandestine way, heady melodies and melodies full of mystery. The four characteristic ethiojazz scales are found there, which blend the ornamental chiselings and harmonic cement of each title, on a par with the associations of timbres and rhythms inherited from this composite aesthetic. But the band managed to bring to fruition the evolution that was taking shape in its previous album: on the one hand by accentuating the dancing character of its compositions - following an almost natural vocation, so much so that the prodigious drums of Florent Berteau, the bass of Samuel Hirsh, the percussion of Gérald Bonnegrace, the guitar of Fabien Girard, Aristide Gonçalves' trumpet and keyboards and Michael Havard's saxophones and flutes seemed predisposed to fit together to form a fabulous groover machine in every tone, every meter -, on the other hand, by incorporating with amazing ease two singers used to walking across very different horizons, Mamani Keita and Mike Ladd.

Third outing on Funclab Records, a dime bag of tunes that blends Hip- Hop and House while maintaining the same unpolished and crusty sound.

Roots reggae stepper released on B.B. Seaton's album Reggae Land. Strong actual lyrics, heavy dub "The People's Dub". Previously unreleased on 7inch. "B.B. Seaton is a musical veteran, having begun his career in the 60s as one of the Gaylads – finding himself harmonizing with the likes of Ken Boothe and Delroy Wilson – while this track is lifted from his 2005 long-player, Reggae Land. Bottom-end booming, it`s an impassioned Jah Shaka-esque steppers. A warning of revolution, which calls out the rich, the greedy, the heartless and callous – as a plaintive guitar figure unwinds in the
distance. It`s flipped by a version, suitable for disciples and bush chemists, that shifts between banging and ethereal. A flute floating in amongst the righteous thunder." (by Ban Ban Ton Ton)

Downbeat Melody records is a brand new label operated by Bristol based dj Frankie Downbeat. This label is a side project to the Downbeat Melody Soundsystem owned and operated by Steve Rice.

The first release will be a reissuing of “Bird of Paradise” LP , a downbeat musical journey in Rocksteady by “Count Bobo”. Count Bobo are a 6 piece group from Bristol playing in the style of early ska and rocksteady. Formed in 2012, they are part of the Bloom collective.

Their debut album 'Bird of Paradise' was originally released on limited edition 12 inch vinyl in 2015 by the band themselves and mainly sold at live shows.
Downbeat Melody proudly presents this quality repress with fresh updated artwork.

The album was recorded by their producer Drezz at 'The Tape Rooms'. As a fully analogue studio, the band was able to record live and straight to tape in an attempt to emulate the records of their early influences.

The playing style varies from a traditional Roksteady section into areas closer to Ethiopian Jazz at times as heard in tracks like “Melkor”. The album features 11 expertly played instrumental tracks along with one sombe haunting vocal track called “Don’t get left behind”.

It’s been a rollercoaster of a launch for Daje Funk records, a brand new limited 7” imprint which popped out of nowhere in 2019. Their first two releases, which dropped in quick succession, were nothing short of stellar with huge edits coming from Les Inferno, De Gama, Massimo Berardi & The Funk District. All were well received both critically and by the DJ community with support from some of the best selectors out there including Moplen, Fingerman, Jacques Renault and Lego Edit.

You will be pleased to know that DFR003 is just as ridiculously funky pairing up edits from Italian super producer DJ Rocca and another duo of seriously hot Italians Dirtyelements & Drunkdrivers.

DJ Rocca, who surely must be one of the busiest producers on the scene, kicks off proceedings with his supremely tight edit of Crew SDR’s ‘Don't Give Up’. This one is feel-good party funk all the way, designed first and foremost for the dance-floor. Building the groove with some great drum programming, jazzy keys and a hip shaker of a bassline, it hooks you straight away before setting things properly alight when the Saxophone kicks in. Changes galore keep the attention and the dance-floor moving. A wonderful track!

Flipping over Dirtyelements & Drunkdrivers go to town on Fat B’s ‘Keep It coming’. Bringing in some of the funkiest elements from The Fatback Band’s Bus Stop, it’s a ripping 6 minutes of pure dance-floor joy. The bassline and horns tear up the soundsystem as the looped up vocals merge perfectly with some sublime keys to give the track a dubbed out but hugely energetic disco-funk feel.

DJF003 is another release packed with serious quality. Make sure you grab it quick as this one will fly out of the door.

20 years after the release of his first mixtape, Trad Vibe Records proudly presents DJ Goodka - Two Three Break Japan Tour. Influenced in 1984 by the “Hip Hop” television programm presented by french ambassador DJ Sidney, Goodka began at the age of 16, dancing breakdance on cardboards with his ghetto blaster. In 2018, for the fifth year anniversary of the Rockman Series but also other events in Setagaya and Utsunomiya, Goodka was invited to mix in
Japan. This tape is the result of this trip and a concentrate of the songs that were heavily played for the dancers. It comes as a limited edition to 200 ex. beautiful tape with the proper Japanese Obi strip. Enjoy and dance the drummer beat through 45 minutes of unreleased breaks and beats cooked by Goodka himself!