Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

Columbia, South Carolina’s Chaz Bundick (aka Toro y Moi) rose to the fore of the music blogosphere in sum- mer 2009 when he and a few peers made their hazy bedroom recordings the most talked-about sound of the season. Critics across the board took notice of the range of his compositions, and his debut album, Causers of This, showcased his ability to make elements of Brian Wilson’s pop, 80s R&B, and Stone’s Throw hip hop coalesce into a distinct sound that’s as suitable for a dancefloor as it is a pair of headphones.
When Chaz first signed to Carpark Records, the plan was to release two records in 2010 — one electronic and one with live instrumentation — and although it didn’t quite fit into the same calendar year as his debut, Underneath the Pine is that latter offering. This release sees him following the same creative urges to com- pletely different ends. Having spent the year listening to film composers like Ennio Morricone and François de Roubaix, Bundick returned to his home in Columbia, the birthplace of many Toro tracks of yore, to bring his new ideas to fruition. The result of these sessions is an album evocative of R. Stevie Moore’s homespun rumi- nations, David Axelrod’s sonic scope, Steve Reich-ian piano phrasing, and the pervasive funk of his first record. Underneath the Pine announces a new phase for an art- ist whose talent defies classification.

Ridiculously rare & sought after private pressed 45 from Atlanta, Georgia, that hardly ever turns up for sale in its original issue. It features the seemingly widely unknown pounding modern soul dancer "I Wanna Take A Chance With You", an absolutely killer tune with stellar production and vocals from the talented Early. A side's "Who Are You " is an intimate and deep piece of soul music with superb songwriting techniques.


Featured on the playlists of very few crate digging DJ's out there, this 45 gets an overdue and legitimate repress in its original form. Essential! Born and raised on a small farm in the heart of Georgia, lead singer and guitarist Early Clover started his own band Early Clover and The Bosa Novas' at the age of 14. In1967,
he changed the band's name to the Middle Georgia Soul Drifters'. They became very popular locally and began being the backup band for such acts as Rufus Thomas, Joe Simon, William Bell, Jay Hines, Nancy Butts, and opening for such acts as Tyrone Davis, Marvin Sease, Clarence Carter, Betty Wright and Full Force. After the breakup of the group, Early Clover put together some musicians and went to Haywood Recording Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and recorded Who Are You' and I Wanna Take A Chance With You' in 1977 to be a part of an album, but went on the road and didn't complete the album but performed the
song live a year and a half before releasing it as a 45 rpm single.

A spectacular Hi-Life album with funky digital touches from the great Ghanaian producer Frimpong Manso.

Recorded in 1987 at Ghana Films Studio in Accra, the album Boafo Ne Nyame, that we can translate as “Helper is god”, is led by the great and sweet voice of K. Adusei.

Five long tracks filled with hypnotic hi-life grooves and many funk inflexions that go way beyond lots of standard riffing of modern Afro Funk. The track “Asem De Ye So” (There's a problem on us) is a dancefloor-friendly song, already known from connoisseurs and maybe a future anthem when the clubs will reopen!

Manso Frimpong was born Feb 21st at Nkawkaw and sadly died Nov 23rd 2016 in Kumasi.

Are you ready to boogie ? Orly Sad, Italian producer based in Trieste built this solid 6 tracks EP dedicated to the ride.
Melting heavy electro funk grooves & vocoder hooks in the pure west coast tradition, it's a must have for the poppers, lolow's drivers, and lowfi boogie lover!

Reaching deep into the earliest foundations of his voluminous collection, Danny Krivit presents a psychedelic pop classic rearranged for today’s sound systems and setlists. Recorded in the Beatles’ Abbey Road studio at the height of the Summer Of Love, the Zombies’ “Time Of The Season” is firmly linked in pop culture to the late ‘60s and the Vietnam era, although it almost never made it out to a wider audience. Ignored on its initial release, it was given a second chance by the label as the last gasp from a band that had officially split up a year before. This time around the song steadily gained fans and word-of-mouth plays in the U.S. and by the summer of 1969, two years after it had been recorded, “Time Of The Season” was ubiquitous and well on its way to being firmly enshrined as an emblem of the era.

Krivit’s edit highlights the parade of lush sonic textures that ornament the hip composition, from the iconic, exquisitely echoed bass-clap-exhale riff that opens the song to the cascading Hammond organ solos of Rod Argent. Naturally, this MEU issue keeps the audio quality at its highest level, the better to appreciate these nuances. “It’s a song from my childhood that really struck a chord,” Danny says. “Over the years I often played a rough edit which always seemed to go over great. The song seemed to get better and better, and age like fine wine.” We agree!

From flowers and incense, we move to glass and steel. “Theme For Great Cities” envelops us in a soaring, intense groove, as emblematic of the post-punk no wave style of 1981 as “Time of the Season” was to its own era. Produced by Gong’s Steve Hillage, this futuristic instrumental is a bit like Bowie’s wordless works with Eno, with an added downtown edge. “The original really struck me,” Danny recalls, “especially at Roxy in the early ’80s hip hop nights, on that Richard Long sound system… It really blew me away with its atmosphere!”

Danny’s edit combines the lean and mean original with a trackier remixed version, cleanly lifting off on an epic ride that clocks in at nearly ten minutes. With the revised rhythm section and its quick-punched low end sandwiching the meat of the original’s punishing drums and aggressive, picked bass line, Mr. K gives us the best of the expanded sonics of the remix without losing the atmospherics of the original take.

Fantastic and rare album by Manu Dibango, the Afro Soul Maestro!
These files were recorded in 1971 at Pathé-Marconi studio (Boulogne Billancourt) for professional
sound illustration intended for the cinema, television and advertising. The jazzman experimenting
with all genres was then beginning to convert solely to what soon to be called “Rare Groove”
somewhere between Soul, Jazz and Afro-Funk, with a hint of Latin clave.
In 2019, these tunes have not aged and the sound can be considered as “Huge” by many cratediggers. These recordings were not supposed to reach the club or radio audience, it was more free
sessions, a moment during they can open their imagination and test their “Afro something”, like
Manu Dibango call it. Theses recording sessions included the best of the french soul scene at this
time, Yvan Julien (Trumpet), Slim Pezin (Guitar), Jacques Bolognesi (Trombone), Lucien Dobat
(Drums), Emile Boza (Percussions, Manfred (Bass) and the conductor himself at the vibraphone,
marimba, saxophone, organ ...
This album is a wonderful return to the future and should satisfy the need of the Afro-Soul
aficionados! We're very happy to celebrate the 86th anniversary of the best French musician in
history with one of his best recording reissue!

NYC RECORDS latest 7”, “NYC, 1984” is an homage to that year for writers, DJ’s, dancers, mc’s, & producers based in NYC at the time.

"Emotional Rescue presents the music of Haile Maskel in the first in a reissue series working with Patrick Billard aka DJ Duckcomb, sourcing and licensing from this digger's vaults and out to the wider world.

Heralding from the furtive 60's Trenchtown, Jamaica, young Michael Ashley aka Haile Maskel grew up singing, learning guitar and bass. His first recording session was produced by friend Bob Marley, with Peter Tosh on keys, Robbie Shakespeare on bass and Carlton Barrett on drums.

The list of sessions is long, working with Lee Perry, Light Of Saba, Dennis Brown and Sugar Minott. Touring took him overseas where he settled in Los Angeles in 1983, soon launching his Opulence (Sound) label.

Maskel's band, the 101's featured members of The Twinkle Brothers, including cousins Asher and Debo Brown on drum and bass, and augmented by local players. Mixing conscious messages in love songs, Maskel crafts a boogie discodub on which to exalt an uplifting summer jam.

With the highly prized original the tapes unearthed unreleased dubs - "Take 1" providing a wonderful version. LA native Duckcomb found a trove of tapes of unheard material, still for discovery. For now, his longform Discomix, cutting and editing Maskel's vocal along with the dubs, completes a first archival splendor.

Spaziale coming in hot once again with another officially licensed, remastered, reissue featuring two hard-to-find rump shakers from
one of the key forces of disco in the ‘70s: The American producer and percussionist and sideman of Stevie Wonder in late ‘60s, Hamilton Bohannon.

Includes the super rare, long 12" version of “Me And The Gang”, plus on the flip the original version of “Let’s Start The Dance” both only available as rare promo singles. An essential bit of kit in the collection.

After a way long and overdue pause with music the Sugarloaf Gangsters duo is back again where they belong...on GAMM!

Mark & Cliffy aka Sugarloaf Gangsters have a long history with Brazilian and world inspired dance music and have that magic touch when it comes to spotting rare tunes that needs their signature rework style.Â

The A side 'Temarasa' literally explodes from the first breakbeat with a big Brazilian funk-jazz monster, peak time music.
The flip is all about the drum! 'Chor Gway' is an African style percussive jam that's got everything from crazy chants, sound efx and DJ friendly tempo changes.Â

Another G.A.M.M sureshot !!

Repress in black sleeve

New label Smiling C starts off with a compilation LP of released and unreleased works by the Arabic rapper, Shams Dinn.

For their first ever reissue, Smiling C connects with the Arabic rapper Shams Dinn to release a compilation his best songs, including the hit "Hedi Bled Noum". The compilation covers his entire career of with songs made between 1985-1990, most of which went unreleased at the time. One of the few Moroccan rappers to ever be recorded on vinyl back in the 80s, Shams Dinn was a pioneer of Arabic flow. Starting his career because he wanted to be a positive light for the Arabic immigrants living in France. He earned his status participating in freestyle competitions, and performing in small clubs around Europe. His career came to a turning point when he was asked by a major label to record a full LP. Unfortunately, the label decided they didn't want to promote Arabic music (largely because of the Gulf War) - and asked Shams to translate the Arabic to French. Shams Dinn wouldn't stand for that, and he was dropped from the label. The following years he worked at a school, teaching kids how to rap and express themselves through words.

The reissue comes with newly imagined art, and an inner sleeve with interview and photos.

Rain&Shine proudly present Steve Elliott's first album -True Image (1981). After failing to find musicians with the same direction and devotion to music he had acquired, Steve taught himself to play eleven different instruments and move from hometown of Pasadena, California to Denver Colorado.

Eager to express his musical ability, Steve became a DJ on KDKO radio, and would then go on to compose, arrange and perform True Image on September 20th 1981 with a collection of drum machines, synthesizers, and contributing musicians on rhodes, flute, guitar and vocals.

Mr. Elliott's philosophy is 'You hold in your hand a dream, a dream come true by a man whose only objective was to express the love he contains, the love we all contain within through music.'

On many collectors want lists, passing for a median price of $450 online.

Record Kicks Celebrates 15 Years In The Business With A Collection Full Of Exclusive New Singles. Available In Ltd Edition Double Clear Vinyl Lp, Cd And Digital Download. Side By Side With Similar Outfits Like Daptone, Truth And Soul, Freestyle Or Timmion, Under Its Motto "the Explosive Sound From Today's Scene" Milan-based Independent Label Record Kicks Has Been Pitching The Contemporary Funk & Soul Scene Since Day One.

With Over 200 Releases Under The Belt, Rk Has Released Bands From All Over The Globe And Earnedthe Support Of Vip Fans Such As Kenny Dope, Jamie Cullum, Craig Charles And Not Least Jay-z, Thanks To Which The Label Has Recently Received A Grammy Nomination For Hov's Use Of Hannah Williams' "late Nights And Heartbreak" As Backdrop For His "4:44". The New Instalment "record Kicks 15th" Coming Out Next May 18th On Double Clear Lp, Cd And Digital Download, Celebrates 15 Years In The Business With A Collection Full Of Exclusive New Tracks And The Very Best Of It's Roster.

The Album Kicks Off With Rk's Latest And Youngest Signing:
From Chicago, Heavily Inspired By The Impressions And Leroy Hutson, We Are Proud To Present You "the Devonns" With Their Super Soulful Debut Single "come Back", An Appetizer Of Their Debut Full Length Expected To Land On Rk Next Autumn. Another New Signing To The Label Is Men Of North Country's (acid Jazz Records) Side Project "the Faithful Brothers", Here With Their New Single "one More Time".

Other Exclusive Tracks Of The Comp Are "this Strange Effect", A Coverup Of The Hooverphonic's Single From 1998 Brought To You By Dutch Northern Soul Disciples The Tibbs, "love You Back" From Detroit Deep Funk Outfit Third Coast Kings, "the Sort" By The Buenos Aires Mod Reggae Kings The Crabs Corporation, "top Dog" By British Funk Combo The Hook & Slingers And Straight From Down Under "you Don't Know Me" By The Always Great Dojo Cuts.

Along With These New Exclusive Cuts, Dig On Some Label's News Singles And Heavyweight Classics Such As Dj Shadow's "this Time" Taken From Baby Charles Debut Lp, "don't Throw Your Love In The Garbage Can" By James Brown's Original Funk Diva Martha High Feat Japanese Funk Ambassadors Osaka Monaurail, "psycheground" The Brand New Afro-funk Single By Calibro 35 And Then Portuguese Tnt Dynamite Marta Ren & The Groovelvets, Toronto Soul Queen Tanika Charles, Uk Funk Ambassadors The New Mastersounds, The Diplomats Of Solid Sound And The Already Mentioned "late Nights & Heartbreak" By Hannah Williams & The Affirmations.

Outer Space, the 6-piece band from Barcelona is back with two original tracks, totally fresh and raw from the depths of the galaxy.

Dead Planet is a slow burnin' theme featuring Catalan guest singer Gemma Humet. A stunning young voice with an already extensive career that will transport you to the streets of Addis Abeba. On the flipside, Not Even Light, another original song where you can taste the distinctive flavour of Mulatu Astatke with extra added soulful grooves. On both tracks special guest percussionist Jesús Campos joins them with his fiery hands.

Once again, Outer Space bring you their characteristic approach to Ethiojazz that will strip paint off the walls.

Discodelic presents the second release in this series of exclusive 45 RPM records. From the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, province of Limón, the town of Cahuita, we present you with the incredible BOCARACÁ!

Bocaracá is without a doubt a gem from Caribbean Central America, bridging a spectacular concoction of Psychedelia with Afro Latin rhythms. Created by Isidor Asch and Luis Jákamo, two restless "limonenses", who were on the path of discovering their Latin musical roots since childhood, while also experimenting with soul and Rock in their own compositions. Together and on their own, they have written a big chunk of the history of Soul in Costa Rica with their subsequent outstanding groups: Marfil, Grupo Stop, and Manantial.

This limited edition is part of a project that has been in the making for several years. This is a labor of love and respect for the music of this singular band. Four “maes” who were known as “the only hippies in Limón” in their hometown.

This reissue includes historic material that was originally recorded between 1973 and 1974 in Audio Centro, a recording facility in San José. It’s a priceless and important document, a window to what was happening with music in the largely abandoned and forgotten province of Limón, where a musical revolution was cooking in the early ’70s, and where Bocaracá was the cornerstone.

Get to know the full story of Bocaracá in the special liner notes included in the release, prepared with love for all of you, featuring band anecdotes and photos.

• SPECIAL EDITION 200TH SINGLE
• FIRST EVER 7-INCH SINGLE RELEASE
• TWO STUNNING SIDES – “OVO”
• OFFICIAL SCEPTER STUDIOS ACETATE ARTWORK

To celebrate this historic landmark Outta Sight proudly present a unique 45 featuring two stunning sides by rare soul legends 'BETTY LAVETTE' and 'NELLA DODDS'.

First under the spotlight is Betty Lavette with her 1964 recording of “One Thin Dime”, popularised on the Northern scene by Holly Maxwell. Ms. Lavette’s version, unreleased at the time, with it's haunting brass and upbeat production is hands-down the superior version. It first came to light in 1993, thanks to Kent Records, on the rare sixties’ soul CD ‘Living The Nightlife’, and is now available, for the first time, on the premier division format … 7" single.

Next up is Sixties Soul sweetheart Nella Dodds with her Philly dancer “First Date” produced by the legendary Dyno-Dynamic production team for Wand Records. It was written by James Bishop and originally intended for a mid-Sixties album entitled ‘This Girl’s Life’. The album was rejected at the time but finally surface on a Kent CD in 2007.
However, like our A-side, “First Date” makes it's first ever appearance on a much anticipated 7" single.

The Canadian keyboardist and songwriter has a knack for crafting his skill to cater to a wide variety of different styles, which are more than apparent on the upcoming ‘Weekends’ EP. Tobin tells a soulful story, weaving together modern-funk and neo-soul with jazzy synth leads, layered chord progressions and groove-oriented beats. Since its release, the single ‘Kameleon’ has been doing well in the digital airwaves. In collaboration with talkbox virtuoso Swatkins from Portland and Melbourne based vocalist Meiwa, Kameleon is a smooth slow jam with a groovy synth bass. Accompanied by Tobin’s keen chord progression and Swatkins’ talkbox solo, the track feels like a elaboration of the Westcoast funk sound. Tobin bends the genre to his taste, adding his extensive knowledge of jazz. Synth heavy solos, basslines and larger-than-life chords characterize the entire project. With four- on-the-floor cuts like ‘Praise’ and ‘Cosmic Ocean’ and the gospel-inspired b-side (referencing the Holy day of the weekend), the record encapsulates the mind of the Canadian producer and shows his wide inspirations. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the EP can easily be described as “a lush soundtrack to a sun-drenched weekend”. Jonny Tobin is part of an up and coming wave of new artists within the modern funk and soul spectrum. The ‘Weekends’ EP sees him collaborating with artist from the same pool he’s in, such as Makadi, Guerschon Auguste, Janelle Reid and more. Together the collaborators are pushing their sound forward. something Wicked Wax is also keen on. Additionally, Tobin got some help from AstroLogical, one half of Potatohead People. He guided Jonny and helped co-produce the EP, with great success as you’ll surely hear." - Mo Wrights

Roy Ayers, at the height of his career, embarked on his own Uno Melodic record label. He wrote and produced for an array of artists including himself on two albums “Silver Vibrations” and “Drivin’ On Up” (amalgamated as “Lots Of Love”) in 1983. From these sessions come the boogie dancer “Everybody” and jazz funk classic “And Then We Were One”, presented here on 7” on original Uno Melodic artwork.

*Repress*

Repress

TWR opens a new railway to France and welcomes the notorious Gary Gritness on board, that you might already know for his unmistakable cyberfunk. This record features a sun-drenched, high speed funk vibe with hot & heavy beats. A 2k20 update of the music that could have been played in the cassette player of a VW Golf mk4, the classic hatchback known in morocco as a "Zebra".

Gary’s Gang are the New York group of musicians best know for their US hit ‘Keep On Dancin’’, which reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK #8 in 1978. The single sold over half a million copies around the world. The follow-up was ‘Let’s Love Dance Tonight’ (UK top 49 in 1979) and ‘Do It At The Disco’ and these three tracks have been sampled numerous times.

Five track EP of previously unreleased drum heavy Gallic hard-bop and risqué acidic folk.

The long-lost Parisian skin flick ‘Jeunes Filles Impudiques’ (AKA ‘Schoolgirl Hitchhikers’) marks a particularly vulnerable period in the career of one of the most underrated and misunderstood directors to emerge from the rising smoke of the 1968 Parisian social explosion.

From a director with early links with the Paris underground, the letterists, the surrealists, improv theatre and the free-press comes the reclaimed audio tracks from one of his rarest celluloid moments - but let’s not confuse this for high-art. Finders Keepers make no bones, this is Jean Rollin’s maiden voyage into adult entertainment, directed under the pseudonym of Miche Gentil with a flimsy plot, questionable acting skills and an awesome little schizophrenic soundtrack.

This long-lost movie has been buried for some 40 odd years, with a musical score bursting to jump out of the can and down your tone arm, now made possible by a recently renovated negative print and new source material. These original Pierre Raph (of ‘Requiem For A Vampire’ infamy) compositions from the publishing Library Of Paris’ Musicale Editions Dellamarre (of Acanthus / Unity fame) come straight from Rollin himself as an introduction to Finders Keepers’ new Rollinade series documenting some of the finest musical moments of the director’s career as an avant-gardener, counter-culture vulture and Gallic vamptramp, all housed in their original hand-painted promotional artwork.

This stunning new release on Soul Jazz Records looks at the explosion of music that came out of the Congo in the years leading up to independence in 1960. Congolese rumba, a wild combination of African, Jazz and Latin influences, created future stars of its now legendary creators – Franco, Grand Kalle, Tabu Ley, Dr. Nico, Papa Wemba – and all feature here in their ground-breaking early groups
such as O.K.Jazz, Brazzos, Rock-A-Mambo, African Jazz and The Beguen Band. The Congo is in fact two countries – The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) and the Republic of the Congo. Congo Revolution was first released as a sampler 7” box set for RSD, and this expanded release includes a 50-page booklet/double gatefold and inner sleeves containing
extensive text explaining the evolution of the music and history of the two Congos, and how music, politics and popular culture intersected at the point of independence from the two Congos’ European colonisers – Belgium and France – through songs such as ‘Vive Patrice Lumumba,’ and ‘MNC Uhuru,’ which celebrated the Congolese independence leader prior to his political assassination.
Also included is the stunning images of the Congolese photographer Jean Depara who documented the Congo’s vibrant nightlife in the period 1955-65 as well as being the official photographer for the superstar Congolese artist Franco up until his death in 1989. Depara also documents the rise of the
Bills (Congolese teenagers who dressed as cowboys) and sharp-suited évolués (which later gave rise to the fashion-conscious phenomenon of the Congolese ‘Sapeurs’). These images are reproduced in collaboration with Revue Noire in France.
This album comes as a deluxe heavyweight double vinyl with gatefold sleeve and individual inner sleeves, CD with slipcase and 50-page outsize booklet, and as digital release.

Two new afro-cuts by Marsupials.
Limited 200 copies in a green cover with hand-stamped label.

From label owner Terry Cole, "It was on March 16, 2020 that we closed up our storefront as the reality of a worldwide pandemic began to spread across the Midwest. We had no idea how it was going to impact our shop, our label, or the artists we represent. We were all fortunate to have our family members stay safe and healthy; however, the livelihood of many of our friends and artists were drastically and immediately impacted. No tours, no live performances, record shops closed, pressing plants shut down, etc. And while the level of uncertainty was unnerving, from that uncertainty came the idea for Brighter Days Ahead. We knew we wanted to continue to release new music, but proceeding with our heavy 2020 release schedule as planned seemed ill advised. So the idea was to release individual tracks from many of our artists on a weekly basis and as a musical family, we could all help shine light on each individual artist weekly. Strength in numbers! So throughout the summer and into the fall, that's what we did. We released several dozen tracks and the weekly announcements certainly garnered a strong sense of community for our artists and fans alike. We're very proud to present Brighter Days Ahead: a compilation from our talented stable of artists on both our Colemine and Karma Chief imprints."

Malian music is arguably deeper, more sophisticated and lyrical than any other form of African music. Those of us deeply entranced by Malian culture, and, in particular, the immense hypnotic beauty of Malian music, have put together a selection of songs from across the country.

Compiled by Vik Sohonie & Dave 'Mr Bongo’ Buttle, the story of this release began in 2015 when Dave happened upon the Soul Bonanza blog. A treasure chest of rare finds from around the world! One mix in particular stood out and totally enthralled Dave - le monde à change: a tribute to mali 1970 - 1991. He already knew of Malian legends such as the Rail Band, Salif Keita, & Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, but this mix was something else! Deep & culled from the collections of some of the heaviest African music collectors in the world; legends like Vik Sohonie, Hidehito Morimoto, Philippe Noel, Gregoire Villanova, and Rickard Masip. Dave immediately contacted Vik and a journey of discovery tracking down the rights-holders began. He also turned to the font of Malian music knowledge; Florent Mazzoleni. Florent has written the definitive book about Malian music – 'Musiques modernes et traditionnelles du Mali’. He proposed some incredible tracks to include and provided the back bone of the sleeve notes and photos that are used in the album. No Malian album would be complete without a striking front cover photo, and ours is sourced from the late great Malian photographer Malick Sidibé.

On this album you will find well-known artists sitting next to rarer discoveries. The Rail Band, who are one of the best known of all the big bands in Mali, gave us the stars Mory Kanté and Salif Keita. Les Amabassedeurs du Motel de Bamako were another big act that had Idrissa Soumaoro, Kanté Manfila, and for a while Salif Keita in their ranks. Sometimes Salif would play in both bands in one night, quite a feat considering the bands were fierce rivals. As an albino Salif has had to face considerable prejudice from society, focusing on his musical career to help overcome this.

A major discovery on the album has been Idrissa Soumaoro et L'Eclipse de L’Ija. L'Eclipse de l'Institut des Jeunes Aveugles was a Blind teenagers institute and their record was produced by the German association that took care of blind Malian teenagers in Bamako. It was never properly released commercially and was the first recordings by the legends of Malian music Idrissa Soumaoro, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia. Amadou & Mariam later got married and became household stars, including making an album with Manu Chao.

This album is a concerted global effort to showcase the most vital cornerstone of Malian culture in an attempt to preserve its reputation in the face of its current, grim reality. We hope our highlights of Mali's rich history of musical innovation will serve as a starting point for reclaiming an image tainted by unnecessary conflict. May peace and music return to Mali soon.

THE DEFINITIVE RE-ISSUE - supervised by Arthur Verocai from the original Continental master tapes. Limited Edition gatefold sleeve red vinyl

For a very long time, we have been trying to re-issue this record; a true and complete album masterpiece in every sense of the word, considered by many people to be one of the greatest ever made, regardless of genre.

Recorded at Studio Somil, Rio De Janeiro in 1972, the album was produced, arranged, directed by the self-taught, Arthur Verocai. Previously he had worked on many records in various capacities, with artists including Jorge Ben, Ivan Lins and Celia, this album gave him the chance to do his thing in it’s most pure form.

The 29 minute masterpiece, perfect in it’s arrangement and fusion of sonics, epitomises the sound of Brazil at the time; strings, guitars, pianos, break beats, basslines, synthesizers, vocals from the wonderful Célia and percussion from Pedro Santos. Bossa nova, samba, jazz, MPB, psychedelics and funk sit side by side effortlessly.

The album transcends the genre of Brazilian music, and infact all genres. Highlighted in part by the number of artists that have sampled from it; MF Doom, Ludacris & Common, Little Brother, Jneiro Jarel aka Dr Who Dat?, Dibiase and Action Bronson amongst others.

The original Continental versions of the album now fetch around $2000. Our definitive re-issue is an exact replica of the gatefold original LP and the source master is taken from the Continental tapes, re-mastered in 2012 under Arthur’s supervision.

"Cosmic Shift" by Swiss-based DJ and Producer 'Lexx', with real name 'Alex Storrer'. He's a smartly crafted blend of styles from start
to finish. Soulful sounds of the inner city meet distinct melodies with a longing for an island in the sun.

The Album encompasses Neo Soul, Dub, Pop and hints traces of the Producers twenties as a Hip Hop addict in the golden era of the genre.
Collaborators include the Los Angeles based Woolfy and Harriet Brown, Ella Thompson from Melbourne, Jonnny Spencer of Chicken Lips fame and up and coming songstress Asé from Zurich.

After a long list of official remixes for many renown labels; occasional singles, Lexx ultimately felt the urge to tell his own story. It’s intimate, the sound of dawn, of twilight. Right before the night falls...

The genre, electro (or electro-funk), is sometimes perceived to have a separate identity to hip-hop; however, this electronic cousin was integral to the early development of the hip-hop sound. Drawing on drum machines, such as the Roland TR-808, and influenced by funk, these two genres were intertwined and rode a parallel axis for a while, with rap, breakdance, and graffiti as pillars of the culture and community. The mechanical sound of electro would later go on to inspire a different set of producers and played its part in influencing contemporary electronic dance music. For this 7" release we are taking things back to 1984 and 1985 with a split single from The Egyptian Lover and Jamie Jupitor.

First up is a track from The Egyptian Lover, AKA Greg J. Broussard, the cult Los Angeles-based producer, vocalist and DJ, who is a true hip-hop / electro-fusion pioneer. 'Computer Love (Sweet Dreams)' is a seminal electro-fusion / machine-funk classic that saw a release on the iconic label Freak Beat Records (owned by Greg himself). The original 7" release is now very sought-after by collectors.

On the flip we have another electro jam from The Egyptian Lover disciple, Jamie Jupitor. 'Computer Power’ was additionally produced and arranged by The Egyptian Lover, and was released on Egyptian Empire Records (the label that evolved from Freak Beat Records). For this release we have opted for a special 7" unreleased radio edit, that has Greg kindly provided us with, which differs slightly in composition from the previously released versions. One for fans of Dãm Funk, electro and 80s funk.

Few would challenge the claim that the 1960s and 70s have been the most fertile two decades in the history of popular music ever - a period which, regardless of genre, laid the foundations for everything that has followed. What is more, this period was so fertile that the speed with which tastes changed left a colossal amount of incredible music to gather dust - perhaps most famously a profusion of funk, soul and jazz. It was a musical legacy that lay mouldering until the rise of sampling in late 80s hip-hop precipitated a mad scramble for lost crates and suddenly, the music that became known as 'rare groove' - for obvious reasons (it was rare and very groovy) - experienced a phoenix-like rebirth.

A quarter of a century on and a million funk, soul, jazz-funk and 'rare groove' compilations, re-presses and re-releases later, you'd think that cupboard was bare and yet, even now, there are gems to be found. PT is re-releasing the rarest of cuts that often were originally only limited runs or private pressings and new compilation Down & Wired is just such a collection.

Always soulful, this features everything from mod groovers and northern stompers, to funky bumps and latin heaters. Yet while the quality of all cuts is immediately apparent, only one of the eleven has ever been previously been compiled because when PT 'do' rare, they don't mess around. In fact, if these tracks were steaks - they'd still be walking around eating grass.

Get ready for two brand-spanking new chapters in Perfect Toy's high octane, Down & Wired series of garage-mod-soul nuggets because the label has once again persuaded the man responsible for Volumes 1 and 2 - crate digger par excellence 'Chan The Man' - to unearth even more gems from his record collection!

The goodness kicks off with The Revival's virtually unknown, but irresistible, blues-funk head nodder I Chose To Sing The Blues followed by Take 5+2's stank slice of fuzz-heavy rnb, Motherless Child, originally (not to mention bizarrely) released on an EP handed out as a election promo giveaway for a man who later became mayor of Bonn - Hans Daniels of Germany's Conservative party, the CDU. Elsewhere, Heather Black delivers a blisteringly fast version of Third Avenue Blues Band's Come And Get It while The Turks provide an equally scorching take on Hendrix's Fire. The covers (and the treats) continue with teenage band The Aftermath's heavy take on Junior Wells' Messing With The Kid and Hunger's Brian Auger-ish Mind Machine. Elsewhere, Pump as well as the Sancho Brothers deliver two solid freaked-out instrumentals.

This is a super-hot collection of vintage rarities (accompanied by detailed liner notes and never-before-seen photos of the artists!) imbued with all the glorious imperfections of the golden age of the analogue era that artists now often strive so hard to recreate. Little surprise then that these cuts should sound so fresh today. Available on vinyl LP, CD and digital download.

Killer Gospel Crossover from Evangelist Rubeinstein McClure, first time cut on a 45 for these two killer album cuts, dancey on the A and low slung on the B!

Under exclusive license from Paul Tillman Smith and Jon Bendich
℗ & © 2020 HIGH JAZZ* Records - HJLP008

Bridge - Hailing from Oakland/Berkeley, California.. in 1981 they spent four weeks in Boulder, Colorado cutting an album for the Bang label that never saw the light of day.
This Double LP is a collection of the demos that helped the group land the Bang deal. Never released until 2000 on First Experience Records, it became an instant Modern Soul classic and highly sought after. 16 beautiful tracks featuring incredible vocal performances from Debravon Lewis & Derick Hughes. No fillers. One of the best and most beloved records in its genre. A must have!

Produced by Paul Tillman Smith & Jon Bendich for Drawbridge Productions.

"These selections reveal a sophisticated fusion of soul, jazz, rock, and latin elements that placed Bridge well ahead of its time. "
- Lee Hildebrand

"Derick was amazing, like a young Donny Hathaway, so spiritual, so pure!", "And Debra had a way of letting her vulnerability come through. When we were producing her in the studio, you felt everything that she was singing. There wasn’t any faking, and the tone that she had, Debra would make us cry!"
- Jon Bendich

Super dope South African disco LP from 81', not a bad track on this really.. Standout tunes are the mesmerising ''Mother Earth'' and the groovy ''Ukhamba'' (even better when pitched up a bit).. GREAT basslines and solid drumplaying all over. BIG tip !!

After the phenomenal response to our previous survey of disco and boogie sounds from early eighties South Africa, we decided to wade a bit deeper into the pool to focus on one of the most compelling acts to emerge from that theater, the Space Cats.

Hailing from the small, insular music scene in the coal-mining city of Witbank, the Space Cats were a five-man band fronted by singer/bassist Themba 'T'Rex' Mzwakali and singer/guitarist Santy Dladala. Operating as a semi-professional live combo rather than a studio-driven aggregation, they stood out from the slick, highly polished conventions of the day. And when they took the stage they offered a take on disco that was stripped-down, raw, rugged and inspired by afro-rock groups like Harari and Hedzoleh Soundz.

While the Space Cats' moment in the spotlight was short-lived—the band played together for barely a year before management issues necessitated a breakup—they managed to produce one endearing document of their brief career. Something New, their first and only album, released in 1981, features ten tracks of jittery, hard-edged disco-boogie-funk that capture the flavor of their performances in the rollicking dancehalls of Witbank.

Issued on the tiny Rejoice imprint, Something New had a very limited distribution reach even within South Africa and has remained heard by very few people over the last thirty-eight years. So we're proud to make it available for the first time to the wide audience it surely deserved upon its initial release.

We can’t think of many artists that have had as diverse a career and who have been involved in as many different genres of music as Asha Puthli. A musical pioneer who forged a path through 60's psych, free-jazz, pop, rock, disco, and more.

Asha's 1976 album 'The Devil Is Loose' is maybe her most well-known record. Featuring the beautiful disco-funk-classic 'Space Talk’, Asha's ethereal soaring vocals take us on a journey that almost mirrors Asha's eclectic career. The track was championed by a wide-range of musical scenes and movements, and over space and time it has been commandeered as their own. You would hear it played by David Mancuso at the now ‘mythical’ underground New York party 'The Loft’, in the most discerning disco nightclubs across the globe, in the Rare Groove scene, and also being sampled by hip-hop heavyweights such as The Notorious B.I.G / P Diddy, and The Pharcyde. The appeal and lifespan of ’Space Talk’ keeps on extending and morphing as new audiences gleefully discover it for the first time - it still sounds as relevant and fresh on the dancefloor today - a sign of a true classic.

Here at Mr Bongo we are thrilled to be releasing records by such an iconic musical maverick as Asha, from her roots in India to becoming a globe-trotting artist with a celebrated career in music and acting, whilst always staying true to her art. She has blazed a trail so that others could follow. Whether you are buying this album as a replacement for your worn-out original copy or it's the first time you've heard of Asha Puthli and you're just intrigued and drawn in by the cover, we hope you enjoy this quintessential slice of Asha's world.

• Featuring the legendary ’Space Talk’.
• Played by David Mancuso at the ‘mythical’ underground New York party 'The Loft’.
• Sampled by hip-hop heavyweights such as The Notorious B.I.G / P Diddy, and The Pharcyde.
• Also available on Limited Edition Pink Vinyl