Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

The crucial, ambitiously artistic follow-up to Hayes' Shaft, Black Moses reached #1 on the Billboard Soul/R&B chart in 1972 and remains relevant today as the result of prominent samples by the likes of Portishead ( Glory Box') and Alesia Cara ( Here') who both used elements from Ike's Rap II' as the basis of their compositions. Boasting an ambitious package, complete with two 180-gram vinyl LPs, deluxe fold-out packaging, and a replica of the original multi-panel four-foot cruciform image of Hayes as Black Moses, this reissue from Craft Recordings showcases newly remastered audio cut at Elysian Masters under the supervision of Dave Cooley and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Record Pressing.

Reaching #1 on the Billboard Soul/R&B chart in the year of its release (1969), Hot Buttered Soul is a transformative genre-bending soul record that changed the shape of popular music forever. Featuring Walk On By' and Hayes' expansive, cinematic take on By The I Get To Phoenix,' this new reissue from Craft Recordings showcases newly remastered audio cut at Elysian Masters under the supervision of Dave Cooley and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Record Pressing.

Both a commercial and critical success, it remains Isaac Hayes' best-known and best-selling LP released by Stax Records, winning Hayes multiple Grammy® Awards in 1972 and an Oscar® for Best Original Song.' The album reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and spent 60 weeks on the chart. In 2014, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2014 for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.' The album contains the ubiquitous #1 chart-topping hit Theme From Shaft' and top-40 smash, Do Your Thing.' This new 2-LP reissue from Craft Recordings showcases newly remastered audio cut at Elysian Masters under the supervision of Dave Cooley and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Memphis Record Pressing.

Deluxe reissue of Leroy Hutson classic 'Hutson'. A high point in
mid 1970s soul, produced at Curtis Mayfield Curtom Studios.

Featuring Leroy's signature tunes, 'All Because Of You', 'Lucky
Fellow' and 'Cool Out'.
Remastered and reissued on Acid Jazz with the full cooperation
of Leroy Hutson.

Symphonical Records has the peasure to announce it's 5th release & first time working with a contemporary group to promote the new 'Modern Soul' movement. E Da Boss (Myron & E/Pendletons) & Ishtar team up as 'Lucid Paradise' for their second release, produced by non other than Russia's finest, 'The Soul Surfers'. 'Tonight' us the accunzkatuib of two Bay Area sizk aficianados coming together to create a smooth & crisp, timeless yet modern cut. Written alongside UK's pioneering soul singer Gizelle Smith, 'tonight' epitomises the talent of contemporary soul acts worldwide. Following on from their fist release in 2015, a 4-track boogie EP with London producer 'The Whole Truth', 'Lucid Paradise' return to formly set their standing as a duo to watch out for.

Mamas Gun are masters of modern soul music. Their blend of classic and contemporary influences have sparked millions of streams worldwide and garnered praise from The Sunday Times, Billboard, The Guardian, and Uncut Magazine. Collectively, the London-based group's first three albums, Routes to Riches (2009), The Life and Soul (2011), and Cheap Hotel (2014), spawned Top 10 hits on four continents, including #1 singles in Japan and Hong Kong, propelled by the band's sold-out tours and funky, full-tilt performances at the Billboard Music Awards (Tokyo), plus global music festivals like WOMAD, Greenroom, Java Jazz, and Pentaport. With the release of Golden Days (2018), Mamas Gun have delivered their defining masterpiece.

Golden Days is the culmination of a musical journey that spans ten years and has helped fuel the vanguard of 21st century soul alongside the Dap Kings, Charles Bradley, Lee Fields, and Mayer Hawthorne. Since 2007, group founder and frontman Andy Platts (singer, composer, producer) has piloted Mamas Gun with Dave "Eighties" Oliver (keyboards) and Terry "Spiller" Lewis (guitar), plus newest members Cameron Dawson (bass), and Chris Boot (drums). Their distinctive, full-band sound stems from a shared artistic vision among the five members in Mamas Gun. "The present lineup is the best version of the band to date, built on years of important creative exploration with previous lineups," Andy declares. "Those experiences definitely paved the way for where we are now and the decisions we've made for the direction of this new album," adds Spiller.

Produced by the band themselves for the first time, Golden Days captures Mamas Gun in peak form. "Everything is live on this whole album," notes Cameron. "It's all analog." The album also features notable contributions from horn players Andy Ross and Dominic Glover, who've performed and recorded with Amy Winehouse and Incognito, songwriters Conner Reeves (Tina Turner, Joss Stone, Joe Cocker) and Christopher Braide (Sia, Lana Del Rey, Paloma Faith), and artist/producer Shawn Lee (Jeff Buckley, Kelis, Saint Etienne), who lent his genius to the album's mix. No matter where the needle drops on Golden Days, the brilliance of Mamas Gun shines through the grooves. Album opener "You Make My Life a Better Place" is the perfect gateway to the proceedings. "That track is a bit of a mission statement," Dave says. "It's warm and inviting. It has that recognizability of the lineage we're drawing on from classic R&B and soul music." The song sets the tone for an album packed with potential singles, each fashioned by a sonic imprint that's unique to Mamas Gun. "It was really important for us that this album was a consistent listening experience from start to finish," says Chris. Indeed, they create a smouldering soundscape on "Diamond in the Bell Jar" while "I Need a Win" and "On the Wire", the band's tuneful retort to the Brexit referendum, both have an instant appeal on par with their very best work.

The sizzling and stylish "London Girls" holds a special place for Andy. "I wanted to write a tune with 'London' in the title," says the singer, who penned the song with his wife Jodie Seymour. "For most of my career, I've been making American-influenced music and it's nice to do stuff that kind of points to where you're from and the fibre of your being, having something with 'London' in it without it being too tongue-in-cheek. I also wanted to write something very empowering about the strong metropolitan London women, from the street to the board room." Elsewhere, Golden Days glimmers with vivid musical settings, from the velvety grooves of "We" to the spectral ambience evoked by "The Spooks" to the trail of interludes that conclude with closing track "This is the Day". In between, "Strangers on a Street" deftly juxtaposes buoyant melodies with a bittersweet storyline. "I love that idea of talking about something maybe serious, sad, or loaded emotionally, but dressing it up in something that doesn't have too much depth," says Andy. "The music calls you in, then you unwrap it and realize there's something a bit more at the center of it."

A sense of joy and fun, coupled with exceptional musicianship, has always distinguished Mamas Gun from their contemporaries, even as they've grown and experimented with each new release. It's those qualities that catapulted their first two singles from Routes to Riches onto BBC Radio 2 playlists and helped them surpass Madonna as the #1 international act on Japan's airplay charts. The Life and Soul won more support from BBC Radio 2 and solidified their draw as headliners across Europe and Asia. Cheap Hotel powered the group's profile even higher, reaching the Top 20 on the UK's Independent Album Chart with a Top 10 Airplay single ("Red Cassette"). However, Golden Days is the ultimate reflection of the band's approach to songwriting and recording. "Everything seems to feel consolidated," says Andy. "I feel like Golden Days is a high watermark, in terms of the songs, in terms of the camaraderie in the band, in terms of the outlook. I firmly believe that this is the best in the golden period of Mamas Gun."

Preservation Records dug out two killer blue eyed soul tracks from the Mirage vault.

Here is the original version of "Just Cause I'm Guilty", taken from the unissed tracks from the group. Shelved for over 40 years.

The soulful B side is another sureshot killer soulful track, you have probably heard it by Ruben Howell and Carl Carlton. This version made it to a mega limited demo 7" run on Warner Brothers, but never had an official release. The track is so good that it deserved a place on our Mirage releases.

Carefully remastered and cut by Timmion for Preservation Records.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- FEATURING SUN GODDESS', JUNGLE STRUT', LIVING FOR THE CITY' AND MORE

Ramsey Lewis is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist and composer born 1935, Chicago. He has recorded over 80 albums and played with artists like Max Roach, jazz-singer Nancy Wilson and performs with his own trio.

The album Sun Goddess was a soul jazz-funk album, recorded in 1974 and was produced by Maurice White, Teo Macero (who had produced albums by Miles Davis) and Ramsey Lewis himself. The opening track Sun Goddess' was composed, by Earth, Wind & Fire member Maurice White and featured Philip Bailey on vocals. Living For The City' was composed by Stevie Wonder, arranged by Ramsey Lewis and Jungle Strut' is a jazz track melting funk and R&B.

Sun Goddess was Ramsey Lewis' biggest success of the decade reaching #1 on the Billboard Black Albums chart, #12 in the Pop chart and has been certified gold, it also featured most of the key players of Earth, Wind & Fire.

For over 20 years, your irrepressible host Rex and his legendary Fool's Paradise radio show on WFMU has held a grudge against the whole square world. Broadcasting from an undisclosed location in rural New Jersey in a fur-lined fall-out shelter located miles below the earth's crust, this weekly "excursion to nowhere" continues to proudly play nothing but greasy grooves from inane 45s, non-hit misfires, curveballs and oddballs from the Rock & Roll era. Yes sirree, those weird and warped ones about monsters, beatniks, chickens, apes, stewed moonbeams and mosquito knees...

And now, in the tradition of free love and nickel beer, Jazzman Records has teamed up with Rex to bring together a fabulous collection of his top spins! These are the songs that, by virtue of Rex's dogged persistence, have now achieved a kind of classic status that was surely never previously thought imaginable - The Fool's Paradise Favourites.

Gatefold LP includes 18 tracks with extra special chicken-themed twin spin bonus 45 single!

- First-ever 180-gram vinyl reissue

- Lacquers cut by Kevin Gray, Cohearent Audio

- Old-school style tip-on jacket

- Includes Jazz Dispensary "Authorized Dealer" window cling

A true is a masterpiece of genre-bending groove, Vibes of Truth covers all the bases: from silky-smooth R&B, to politically conscious jazz-funk grooves, Vibes of Truth has it all. Long sought-after by collectors for the three club friendly tunes within its grooves, Backed Up Against The Wall,' Concrete Jungle,' and I Need You Girl,' this lost classic from the Fantasy catalog represents the very best of the mid-70's jazz-funk crossover sound and fits perfectly in a collection next to the likes of the Blackbyrds' City Life or RAMP's Come Into Knowledge.

Released on March 9th 2018, Memories is a bold collecton of uninhibited songs inspired by Ady's personal experiences. Drawing on touchstones of Britsh adolescence, the album covers a broad range of themes - from love and relatonships through to mental health issues.

All the tracks on Memories are writen by Ady, and co-produced by Ady alongside the likes of Ivor Novello winning Cassel The Beat Maker (Akala, Plan B), Richard Archer, Eric Appapolay (Neneh Cherry, Craig David, Lionel Ritchie) and Grades (Bastlle, Dua Lipa, Khalid). Highlights include forthcoming single 'Need Somebody To Love' which sees Ady intertwine sprawling jazz
with adolescent infatuaton over a teardrop drumbeat and sparse
choral samples.
A def songwriter and a singer with soulful brilliance, Ady Suleiman has a rich era-spanning appreciaton of music, and an innate need to turn life experiences into narratve. His tmelessly classic yet fresh sound and lyrical distnctveness has garnered him a broad range of infuental fans from both sides of the Atlantc - from Chance the Rapper, Leon Bridges and Joey Bada$$ through to Labrinth, Michael Kiwanuka, Laura Mvula and Lianne Le Havas. Awarded 'Breakthrough Act of the Year' at Gilles Peterson's
Worldwide Awards, Ady has also been earmarked as an artst to watch by the likes of Fader, NME, Complex, The Line of Best Fit and Mahogany to The Independent and GQ.

Following the huge success of the lead single "Settle Down" (played twice on one show by David Rodigan!), Blend Mishkin and the Roots Evolution band deliver their stunning debut album "Survival Of The Fittest" for NICE UP! records. Having spent most of his professional career behind either a computer screen or pair of turntables, Athens based producer Blend Mishkin (real name George Mantas) has been putting in work since the mid 90s with releases on labels such as Pork Recordings, Tru Thoughts, Shadow Records and many more. For this, actually his 8th studio album, he decided to do something a little different and step out from behind the computer. A chance meeting with some like minded musicians led to a conversation about them re-creating some of his past tracks for a potential live show, but after much thought it was decided that something brand new and fresh was needed. After numerous sessions and jams, a collection of tracks had begun to take shape. Recorded live and then taken back to the lab for mixing and dubbing, "Survival Of The Fittest" is the fruits of these sessions. The next step was to scout for vocal performers to bring the rhythms to life, with the focus on using both international and local talent to give a wide breadth of influences and themes. Lining up are Rebel Salute show-stopper and Juno award winning Exco Levi and seasoned veteran Skarra Mucci from Jamaica, UK reggae/dancehall don Gappy Ranks, Italian raggamuffin KG Man, Mandinka Warrior from Denmark and fellow Greek BNC amongst many others. Retaining an authentic vibe whilst keeping it current, "Survival Of The Fittest" is a truly modern roots reggae album.

- 180-gram vinyl pressed at Quality Record Pressings (QRP)

- Vinyl housed in a one-pocket old-school style tip-on gatefold jacket

- Includes Jazz Dispensary "Authorized Dealer" window cling

Harlem Bush Music - Uhuru remains extremely relevant. Though the album came at a time when Black Consciousness and Black Pride were coming to the forefront of American culture, current times are such that its message of struggle, love and hope transcends racial categories. That is both a great testament to the power of this music, as well as to the dawning fact in this country that we're all in this together," said All About Jazz. Joined by the inimitable Andy Bey on vocals, Juini Booth and Ron Carter on bass, Harold White on drums, and Nat Bettis on percussion, Bartz turns in a set of politically relevant, hard-grooving, funky, searching and essential soul-jazz. The centerpiece of the album is the righteously grooving, original seven-minute version of Celestial Blues' featuring the incredible vocals of John Coltrane's favorite vocalist, Andy Bey.

The special edition 7' release of Protoje's hit single 'Blood Money' features the original track, an exclusive Gregory Morris' dub mix, and is pressed on blood red vinyl.
The song lyrics provide hard-hitting, raw and unapologetic commentary on the current state of Jamaica, touching on several
recent grievances and social injustices that have afflicted Jamaican society.
Protoje masterfully describes the air of discrimination, classism, and oppression prevalent in the Jamaican political landscape, calling out corrupt practices, and conveys the meaningful message to his audience of awareness, activism and the need to call for change and accountability.
This message has been championed across the world, with 'Blood Money' becoming a firm favourite with both reggae fans, as well as those outside of the scene. 

Collecting some of his finest gospel sides with The Soul Stirrers, Peace In The Valley is not just the starting point of Sam Cooke's iconic career, it is also some of the most beautiful music ever put to tape. Though the songs are religious in nature, one can easily hear the architecture of Cooke's later secular R&B work in these sides. Soulful and sanctified music from one of the finest voices in the history of 20th century popular music.

The Single > Side A 'PARALLEL UNIVERSE' is T.D.O.S. debut single featuring Thai rapper MC Sinnamon (Dujada-Dubway), is an cosmic trip between the heat of Chennai's bazars and Bangkok chaotic streets. Based on a rare indian library sample, Side B is 'WAT THAT TONG' featured samples of Thailand molam queen Yenjit Porntavi with modern dub beat and indian percussions. The Artist > The Dude Of Stratosphear aka T.D.O.S. is Jerome Doudet (Swiss/French artist and bass player based in Bangkok). DJ, vinyl collector, musician, graphic designer and East Asian music connoisseur, The Dude of Stratosphear was groomed in the vibrant alternative scene of the very international city of Geneva Switzerland. Growing up in a musical household (His father was a disco DJ), Growing up in a musical household (His father was a disco DJ), Jerome was exposed to a wide range of music at very early age, and started playing the 4 strings at the age of 10. Bass player in the swiss math-core bands Knut for a decade, he toured intensely all around Europe's biggest venues and festivals. He also joined the very underground american band Half Japanese for a couple of european tour and recorded the album Bone Head in 1997. And on top of the list was opening for the mighty KISS with the canadian band Bionic (CA) at Molson center in Monteal. Also member of various bands such as Imericani (SP/IT/CH), Intercostal (CH), Troll Patrol (CH), Bliscappen Van Maria (CH-IT), Edison (CH), Polar (CH-FR), Prejudice (CH-FR), Buz (CH), Void (CH), Ultra DB (CH), to name a few. Aside from the rock scene, he was also part of the multimedia team Ultra Pepita , developer of the today's world famous VJ software Modul8.

Two great 45s with an early R'n'B / carnival vibe. Recorded in New York in 1953 but this is real New Orleans music.

Philly's Double Exposure have undoubtedly earned the title of Disco legends, their music has long been part of the heartbeat with numerous classics under their belts. Their mighty release 'Ten per cent' was the first commercially issued 12" single and subsequently ushered in the notion of the format as a 'go to' in the clubs and among DJ's. Originally thought of as a fad in a world where the 45 was king, this 12" release unknowingly changed the direction of dance music and music promotions practically overnight. Disco history indeed.
Having worked over the years with some of the biggest producers and arrangers in the game, Double Exposure have benefitted from the talents of people like Norman Harris, Tom Moulton, Bunny Sigler and even in later times, David Morales and Frankie Knuckles. This isn't to say the boys themselves were slouches though, their iconic vocals have laced many classics over the decades. Featured on this fine compilation is a collection of Double Exposure's biggest tracks, all the proper mixes are here, untouched, respectfully sequenced and re-presented in their entirety. Mixes from Walter Gibbons, Tom Moulton and Bobby 'DJ' Guttardo all included. Loud and extended 12" mixes are the order of the day. A truly essential package for the die-hard Disco aficionado or for those who are exploring this most important movement in dance music for the first time. Curated with the full input and backing of Salsoul Records and carefully selected to reflect the truly timeless nature of the music contained within. For listening, for dancing, for turning on a party! Remastered by Optimum Mastering. Artwork & design by Million Dollar Disco.

repress

Gatefold 2LP set. known Unknowns is billy woods' new album, a follow-up to 2013's Blockhead collaboration Dour Candy. Blockhead is still behind the boards here but there are also a couple beats from his longtime collaborator Aesop Rock. But the center of the whirlwind is still woods, who reemerges from a two-year hiatus after releasing the avant-garde Today, I Wrote Nothing in early

2015. Known Unknowns finds the artist on more melodic ground, but still his esoteric, acerbic self, spinning verses equal parts joy and terror, wry wit and blind rage. There are guest appearances from ELUCID (Armand Hammer), as well as Aesop Rock, Homeboy Sandman, Googie, singer Barrie McLain and DJ Mo Niklz.

'No Master Dynamics' is an album of Skweee inspired experimental Hip-Hop from Scottish composer and sound artist Germlin aka Joe Howe. This record features vocal appearences from Kiki Hitomi from King Midas Sound and visual artist Hardeep Pandhal. Joe Howe released his debut album 'Youth Pixxel' under the alter ego Germlin on Adaadat back in 2006. He has gone on to release music on numerous other imprints including, Sound Pellegrino, Darla, Upset the Rhythm, Lo Recordings, Musique Large, Dødpop and #Feelings. In addition to his solo work, Joe's discography is filled with numerous collaborative projects including the notorious New Rave parody act Gay Against You. The instrumental drums and synthesiser duo Ben Butler and Mousepad, Frearson Howe a collaboration with visual artist Annabel Frearson. The albums Sunbutler and Joemus both produced inconjunction with Edinburgh's anti-Morrissey Momus. Joe currently plays saxophone in a new band called Banana Oil, that sound something like 'The Mothers of Invention without all the toxic masculinity', they have a cassette recently released on Winning Sperm Party.

Late 70s classic, with version.

Moment In Time - This song is being released to mark the end of an era.

A catchy song inspired by Usain Bolt and his Jamaican team mates when they secured a record beating 1st 2nd and 3rd places in the 200 metres of the Olympics...The phrase 123 ARGUMENT DUN was coined immediately.
Written and produced in the heat of that incredibe moment by the Jamaican sax man Ray Carless & bass man Colin 'steamfish' McNeish, this anthem is performed here by UK rapper Watusi87 and soulful vocalist Emzee Haywoode.
This is our musical tribute in recognition of our legendary and Iconic Jamaican sprinter who has been showing a clean pair of heels to all-comers for quite some time now.
Lets face it, sain's been breaking records faster than us musicians can make or compose them, and we just wanted to sing his praises and express our love to the champ through song... #TheGreatest

Well before Shuggie Otis (Born Johnny Alexander Veliotes, Jr.) cut his debut album, musicianship and performance had long been a part of his life. The son of rhythm and blues legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie learned to play guitar as early as the age of two, and performed professionally with his father's band at eleven. Throughout his long and illustrious career he'd performed on records for the likes of Frank Zappa, Al Kooper, Etta James, and George Duke, to name a few. In spite of all this, widespread mainstream success eluded Shuggie for much of his early career, though he'd later pen the Brothers Johnson hit "Strawberry Letter 23". Despite never managing a great amount of commercial success upon its release, Shuggie Otis' third album Inspiration/Information was a critical smash decades after its release, and has maintained a level of cult status normally reserved for mysterious, unearthed legends like Sixto Rodriguez or Lee Fields. Inspiration/Information was noteworthy among Shuggie's other releases, as it was the only one produced entirely by himself, as opposed to his father Johnny Otis. Shuggie's signature blend of baroque funk is on full display, but with a heavy dosage of psychedelic soul blended in, resulting in an album that's equally swarthy, lush, funky, and emotional. Gathering all the best bits of Marvin Gaye, Love, Miles Davis, and even Os Mutantes, Inspiration/Information is more than worthy of acclaim awarded to it.

"...a swirl of the bedrock elements that make up modern music, his LP lifts from Soul, Funk and Hip-Hop to create this ode to Detroit House."
A NATION OF MILLIONS

EARLY SUPPORT FROM ALEXANDER NUT ("Tight beats from Snips as always. Dexters Pain is my fave here. Big ups"), KARIZMA ("Proud to hear a friend grow musically, great work on the album my friend...Full Support. K'), RED RACK'EM, SK VIBEMAKER

SNIPS delivers the first vinyl release on Houseology. The Barbershop LP is a tongue in cheek play on the production techniques Todd Worsnip aka Snips normally uses when making his Hip-Hop work. This 8 track LP is meeting of the two worlds of House and Hip-Hop tapping into Snips' raw ability to find the best cuts and chops needed for any genre.

DJ Snips began his career at legendary London record store Deal Real', where he ran the open mic night alongside British host and comedian Doc Brown, Snips' years at Deal Real saw him DJ'ing alongside performances from several US heavy hitters including Kanye West, Mos Def and the Black Eyed Peas.

Snips' knack for manoeuvring through a wide range of Hip Hop oeuvres has seen him play around the world, Specifically in NYC where he has been a guest at legendary parties including Everyday People, Bible Study, Mobile Mondays and Ginny's Supper Club. As well as being a regular in NY, Snips has also headlined events in The Philippines, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Qatar, France, Norway and Spain. When Snips isn't touring or on the Club circuit, he's known for churning out beats for some of the most talented MCs on both sides of the Atlantic. His production work includes tracks for several major US recording artists including M1 (Dead Prez), Capadonna (Wu Tang), Sean Price.

Work on the Houseology record label allows Snips the opportunity to articulate himself even more so within his skilled production, by drawing a definitive line between the House/Hip-Hop relationship which has existed for years.

Soul Jazz Records are releasing Studio One Dub Plate Special, an exclusive Record Store Day collectors 7' box set featuring 10 amazing unreleased Studio One tracks, only ever released as extremely limited edition hand-etched one-sided dubplates (250 copies!), available only directly to Soul Jazz Records subscribers (most of these sold out in less than 2 hours!). This box set brings together all 8 of these exclusive dubplate unreleased cuts, plus two more also never before released alternate cuts. Featuring Alton Ellis, Cedric Brooks, Brentford Road All Stars, Jacob Miller and more!

They are now available worldwide for the first time ever, only for this collectors' box set RSD special release. This unique box set edition is only available as a one-off pressing for Record Store Day 2018!

Excellent instrumental dub sound, Rough and melodious. Ritch sound !

Recorded in Miami in 1985 by a school teacher and originally released as a self-published single for educational purposes, copies of 'Do You Know Black History' did not circulate much further than Florida's public school libraries and the record has been shrouded in mystery up until now.

Dr Mary Sullivan Bain recorded the song to be used as an educational and motivational tool in the Miami-Dade public school system she taught in.

Produced with no label constraints, this cross-genre grail sits comfortably in many boxes... 808's, bass synths, deep chords, live percussion and effects dubbed into the mix. The production leans towards the electronic diy framework that informed the local sound on the Miami south side. Whilst the categories are blurred what's clear is that Bain was thinking outside of the box. Official 12' reissue from Backatcha Records.

Wewantsounds is proud to announce the release of Hiroshi Sato's ultra rare synth masterpiece, originally released in 1979 on Kitty Records in Japan only. Digitally remastered from the original tapes it features the cream of Japanese musicians including Shigeru Suzuki on guitar, Haruomi Hosono on bass, Pecker on Percussion and Sato himself on keyboards and synthesizers. This highly sought-after album is a superb breezy mix of Japanese synth- pop with a subtle touch of mid 70s Herbie Hancock-style funk and AOR.
Fully remastered from the original Kitty Records tapes by Universal Japan, the album will come with its original 4-page colour insert including English translations of the original liner notes by leading Japanese journalist Yasufumi Amatatsu plus the full track-by-track musician line up.
The album includes such cult tracks as Son Go Kuw' and Jo-Do' popular on the international DJ scene.

After a disjointed childhood that saw him raised largely by two aunts between eastern Kingston and rural St Mary, Melbourne James became the toaster Jah Stitch after running away from home and linking with the Spanglers street gang, whose Princess Street headquarters was also the base of the popular Tipper Tone sound system. After cutting his teeth on Tipper Tone alongside Big Youth and Dr Alimantado, friction over financial recompense saw him forming the rival Black Harmony set in 1975, but because the new sound was based in a district that was on the other side of the political divide, Stitch was shot in the face at point-blank range, his miraculous survival immortalised in the Bunny Lee-produced hit, 'No Dread Can Dead,' which became the title track of Stitch's debut album. Watch Your Step Youthman was the follow-up set released by Bunny in 1977, and again places Jah Stitch's understated Rasta-oriented chanting over a set of rock-hard Aggrovators rhythms, recorded with Johnny Clarke, John Holt, Derrick Morgan and others.

Roots harmony trio Tetrack formed in the Mountain View area of east Kingston in the early 1970s, borrowing the name from a local sound system (which had taken the moniker in reference to the Tetrarchy established by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the 3rd Century). Although Paul Mangaroo was the primary lead singer, Carlton Hines wrote most of their material and was the real figurehead of the group, Hines and Dave Harvey were typically employed as backing vocalists, but each also sang lead. A mutual friend introduced them to the visionary producer Augustus Pablo, leading to impressive debut recordings at Lee Perry's Black Ark and the stunning debut LP, Let's Get Started. Despite the album's widespread acclaim, the lack of ready finance and slow pace at Pablo's Rockers stable led the group to shift base to Gussie Clarke's Music Works in 1983, with Hines also being employed as a songwriter for other artists there. The resultant album Trouble was cut for Gussie with Sly and Robbie, the engineer Soljie and a range of other stellar players, including guitarist Willie Lindo, the material issued in extended 'disco mix' format, to make the most of its captivating rhythms, British and Japanese editions complimented its initial Jamaican release.

Ewart Beckford, aka Daddy U Roy, changed the focus of Jamaican popular music by turning the sound system deejay from an incidental figure that told jokes in between records and made announcements about where the next dance would be held, to a major star whose rhyming toasts were as important as the lyrics for any singer. U Roy's command on the microphone on sets like Dickies Dynamic and Sir George the Atomic paved the way for his influential residency on King Tubby's Hi Fi. Keith Hudson, Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Bunny 'Striker' Lee were some of the first producers to bring him into the studio, but the breakthrough hits came for Duke Reid in 1970, with Roy toasting over old rock steady rhythms. Work for Prince Tony subsequently brought him international fame through a contract with Virgin, but he continued to record grassroots efforts at home. The Originator gathers some of the greatest tracks U Roy cut for Striker, voiced as usual at King Tubby's studio over hot hits by Johnny Clarke, Cornell Campbell, Gregory Isaacs, and others, King Tubby's Skank' celebrates Tubby himself.