Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

Official remastered re-issue of Jorge Ben's masterpiece from 1981 - Absolute Brasilian classic!

A mythical and misplaced masterpiece of lost soft rock and acidic folk funk by a one-hit wonderer lost in the wilderness for four decades. From the producer of Margo Guryan, writer behind Wool, Gerry Mulligan collaborator, Tarantino soundtracker and Wendy & Bonnie confidant, Paint A Lady now emerges from folkloric obscurity, to bring a wash of soft psychedelic colour to your vinyl collection and quench the repeat requests of a thirsty new found audience waiting for the rain.

Within certain record collecting circles, especially those who gather under the umbrella that covers fragile niches like 'acid folk' and 'soft rock', it's difficult to imagine a time when the legendary Susan Christie album didn't exist. When Finders Keepers Records first shared the unheard 60's songs like Paint A Lady, For The Love Of A Soldier and Echoes In Your Mind with a wide-eyed audience thirsty for organic soul and festival friendly acoustic funk, Susan's new found fan base instantly felt like they had known these songs all of their lives, and with a single needle drop we saw the birth of what could rightfully be described as an 'instant classic'. Which is why it's hard to believe that the music on this lost 60s acetate was only pressed 12 years ago. As our lucky seventh release in an international discography that now surpasses the 100 mark (and one of a small clutch of English language recordings on the label) Paint A Lady has slowly become one of our most requested re-releases, and with this 2018 edition it is technically accurate to say that this pressing is the first-ever reissue of this elusive and essential LP.

The oft over used term mythical applies to this album on many levels. Perhaps it's the woozy nostalgia found within the pop craft of Paint A Lady that has led to false rumours that original 1960's copies used to exist on the collectors market, or the bizarre claim that songs like the head-nodding title track, and the acid-drenched sound effects on Yesterday Where's My Mind were just a product of a contemporary studio band trying to create a fake folk funk red herring. As a result Susan Christie and her producer and husband of 40 years, John Hill have happily taken the repeat phrase 'unbelievable' as a compliment to their songwriting skills and foresight. In all fairness, with a decade to ponder, the original 1969 song titles alone do seem custom-built for the nostalgia market... No One Can Hear You Cry might lament the unrequited yearning for a record deal which never quite followed Susan's won one-hit wonder novelty hit I Love Onions; similarly When Love Comes might allude to the subsequent 35 year wait for the right label to eventually come along. Echoes In Your Mind and the aforementioned Yesterday... could easily allude to the haunting melodies that sat in the can on John Hill's studio shelf while his projects for Margo Guryan, Wool and Pacific Gas & Electric sat proudly in record racks before benefitting successful French cover versions or making their way on to Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. The track Paint A lady itself, complete with it's future-proofed sample-worthy rhythm section, seems like the perfect title for a mock rock pseudo psych contender - at which point you eventually step back and see the bigger picture. These guys were simply one drop too far ahead of their time; a family force of experimental pop perfection that late 60's America simply wasn't ready for. It is just over 12 years since champion record rustler Keith D'Arcy (who you'll meet on the inside sleeve) stumbled upon one of the original acetates that led to the final release of Paint A Lady, and it's almost a longer 50 years since Susan and John added their final touches to these recordings which tragically went into hibernation for over four decades.

Whether this album has been on your wish-list for what seems like a lifetime, or you are taking a plunge into this deep puddle for the first time, when the needle drops on the first track you'll find that Susan Christie, John Hill and Finders Keepers have been saving up for a very rainy day.

After releasing on Music From Memory sister label Second Circle, Androo starts his own label 'Poly Dance'. As usual, his music is infused with percussive rhythms and emotive melodies.

Cochemea Gastelum is coming home to connect with his roots. After nearly 15 years of touring the world with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, the saxophonist offers a deeply personal album of jazz and indigenous-influenced rhythms. All My Relations¸ out February 22 on Daptone Records, is 10 tracks of mesmerizing and spiritually ascendant instrumentation. The first single 'All My Relations' is available now.

'All My Relations is a way for me to explore my roots through music. Some of it is a memory that is imagined from a time and place I've never been ('Sonora') or a musical impression of ritual ('Mitote'),' Cochemea says. 'I felt compelled to add the way I feel when I go to ceremony, when I feel connected with my ancestors, to the musical narrative.'

A California native with Yaqui and Mescalero Apache Indian ancestry, Cochemea grew up surrounded by music but without knowing much about his heritage. Both his parents were musicians, and they gave their son a heavy name meaning 'they were all killed asleep.' Cochemea has spent much of his diverse musical career - as a soloist, musical director, composer and ensemble player - exploring and iterating on roots music, and All My Relations is a capstone meditation on his own ancestry.

Originally conceived during Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings' final year of touring, Cochemea and Daptone's Gabe Roth cast a varied but familial set of New York musicians to bring All My Relations to life. A large portion of the album was created through improvisation and collective writing, where its 10 musicians created a melodic, percussive conversation. 'It was a beautiful experience - people would start playing and we'd work up these arrangements on the spot, then record it.'

'In a sense, this record is a prayer for unity, love and the recognition that we are all part of a web, and everything we do effects everything else,' Cochemea says. 'These days there's so many lines being drawn, I wanted to focus on what unites us.'

Cochemea has a long history of uniting multiple genres with his powerful polyrhythmic sensibilities. His roots in jazz, Latin, funk and rock led to multiple tours with funk-jazz organist Robert Walter's 20th Congress, and connected him with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings for their 2005 Naturally tour. Cochemea also played tenor sax with The Budos Band and Antibalas, and Baritone sax on the Amy Winehouse sessions, before becoming a full-time Dap-King in 2009.

In between marathon tours, Cochemea recorded a critically acclaimed solo album of soul, funk, and afro-Latin jazz, The Electric Sound of Johnny Arrow, all while doing session work for the likes of Mark Ronson, Rick Rubin and Quincy Jones. He's performed alongside Archie Shepp, Beck, David Byrne, Public Enemy and The Roots. Cochemea was also a featured soloist in the award-winning Broadway play Fela!, which led to historic performances in Lagos, Nigeria.

Volume 9 of Mukatsuku Afro series kicks off with 'M'Ongele M'Am' from Cameroon artist Eko Roosevelt Louis taken from his early 1980's self-titled album and licenced for this 45 from Nubiphone & Africa Seven. The track was one of the highlights of the 2017 Pop Makossa compilation for Analagog Africa and it's the first time ever on a single in its own right.Driving brass funk fuelled afro disco does not really get much better than this. On the flipside Georges Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso gives us us the dance floor bomb ''Deni'' taken from his 1978 long player ''Gnanfou Gnanfou'' also licenced from Africa Seven and also the first time ever on a single. Punchy brass offset by those hipnotic vocals and funky wah-wah guitar has a deserved place on the flip. Strictly no repress. Essential 45 for the dancefloor !

Following up on their debut full length release, 79.5 drops a new and revamped version of their dance floor classic "Terrorize My Heart (Disco Dub)". A tune that leaves no room for gray and finds the ladies of 79.5 walking the line between vulnerability and forthrightness. Setting out with admonishments of love and infatuation that are quickly checked by the bluntness of women who've lived in the Big Apple for years, 'is it her or is it me, that's how it's gotta be'. Remixed and remastered with a new intro for the DJs, producer Leon Michels and engineer Jens Jungkurth managed to take an already smash of a tune to a higher level. For the B side we enlisted one of underground hip hop's brightest stars, Tall Black Guy. His 'Bounce Remix' of 'Terrorize My Heart' is just that. The Detroit producer takes the tune to a different level and turns it into a monster of a head-nodder. Loose drums and chord stabs provide backing track while vocal samples through out keep the track super hype. An easy dancefloor killer for the Hip Hop / R&B jocks.

Naughty NMX cooks up summer in the winter with two primo tracks of Boom Bap Soul. Side A takes you through Harlem from Rutger Park, down Malcolm X Blvd all the way to the Apollo with sweet soul music and neck snapping drums down all of Our Streets. Side B gives you a Million And One reasons to then hop the A train all the way to Marcy, Brooklyn, with silky piano stabs for the journey.

Jim Sharp returns with two rebuilt edits aimed at the dance floor and the ladies. Side A takes a healthy amount of Crazy bongos, blends them with epic horn stabs In an ode to the psychological side of Love. The B side rebuilds from the ground up with fluttering pianos, wah-wah chords, warm rhodes and a dash of 90's R&B swing to remind you of the first time falling in love.

'nice & greasy' is an appropriate title for this album. Not only was the familiar progressive rock sound in place, the soulful and funky vocals of Chris Farlowe continued to influence their sound as it did on 'Made in England.' It was indeed absolutely nice n' greasy, albeit maturely.

Crane's hammond b-3 organ was ever present and always influential in the final outcome of each song, with this album being no exception to that rule.

'Voodoo in You' is a shining opportunity for new guitar player Johnny Mandala to show his wares and he really seizes the moment by giving Crane some great biting chords to wrap his spirited keyboard playing around. 'take one toke' leads off side two in a big way. It's the best track on the album, combining the strengths of each band member effectively and mightily without any compromise. Crane was never one to negotiate his music in any way, and this final effort for this line up gave their fans another classic Atomic Rooster LP to covet and cherish for the years to come.

On own imprint Jimi Tenor releases a 4 track 7" for Kati Juurus' film Cinema Dadaab. While in the field of Jazz-Funk it has a pinch of avant garde, and more than a little touch & texture of the Middl East. Resembling stady late 60 jazz, but melodically travelling towards psychedelica and most of all eastern tonalities it's a combination of traditional, crafted and compact story telling.

The title track, along with "Love City," "Plastic Jim," "Into My Own Thing" and especially "Dynamite!" signaled a perfect alliance between Sly's multi-influence, far-reaching musical vision and the burgeoning hippie ballroom community, already spreading like lawn daisies throughout the land. Never before had juicily syncopated beats dovetailed so perfectly with distortion-laced rock guitar.

Produced arranged recorded & remixed by Ibz Sun Runner for UltraWaveVisions® 2018

Co-produced, mixed & enhanced by Steven Julien @ Apron Studios

Mastered by Professor Ptthmllnsprts @ Limehouse
Artwork Marija Marc
Photography by Steve Mom's Hallway Wall
Album concept by Sun Runners (Goddess Lovers)

Peace to all the Fans, Apron Records, Herb Powers, Phantom lovers & all the beautiful ladies xxx

Light Touches Records is devoted to shed a new light to hot rarities, unknown grooves as well as forgotten classics.

The new 12' brings three hot smoking tunes, from the killer acidic and hypnotic groove of 'Flashed', to the bass-driven funky roller of 'Changes'. To round up the edges, 'Do' is a sweet conscious twostep jewel.

All tracks have been carefully edited without overdubs, in order to bring the spirit of classic disco manipulators to today's dancefloors!

A few years ago, Melodies family members Floating Points and DJ Red Greg got their hands on a couple of original 70s obscurities. While these standout records shone brightly in their own right, the two DJs saw the potential to create their own edits behind the scenes, finely attuning the original versions to modern-day dancefloor standards. Of these new recordings, they cut only five copies for themselves and a few DJ friends of theirs.

Today, Melodies International is very proud to bring you MEL006 and MEL007. Fully licensed, lovingly mastered to the highest possible standards and carefully edited to dial up that dancefloor enjoyment, these two 'You're A Melody' classics weren't originally meant to get official releases. But due to popular request, they are now available to play and share in very special moments at parties around the world.

Kêtu Records started as a project which sells original vinyl discs with the aim of promoting African music of the Golden Age (1960-70). We have developed a large network in Africa to trace these original vinyl discs. We also organize events and sell the discs. Part of the profit is reverted to support local initiatives such as local orchestras, O.N.G. that help disables and schools.

For this first single release, NKOTTI FRANCOIS, great Cameroonian artist of the 70s-80s and still active on the African scene, signs for a reissue of 'MUWASO MWA LONGE' and 'NJA KA'; two amazing titles from the LP Retro 2000.

The Expansions allow space and time to take precedence, with once-more-restrained peaks and developments. It becomes clear though, that the band cannot resist one last explosive finale, as they rise with screeching synths, strings and dubs for a perfect race to the finish line.

You can hear the influences of Idris Muhammad, Grover Washington, even parallels with South London peers Yussef Kamaal and Ruby Rushton.

But The Expansions have tirelessly worked to create a sound of their own and are very proud, along with label Albert's Favourites, to finally share it.

The Expansions allow space and time to take precedence, with once-more-restrained peaks and developments. It becomes clear though, that the band cannot resist one last explosive finale, as they rise with screeching synths, strings and dubs for a perfect race to the finish line.

You can hear the influences of Idris Muhammad, Grover Washington, even parallels with South London peers Yussef Kamaal and Ruby Rushton.

But The Expansions have tirelessly worked to create a sound of their own and are very proud, along with label Albert's Favourites, to finally share it.

For those who will know Baggy Leggins for previous release 'Expensive Sheeeeet'
& 'Disco Lando' this put together Hand Stamped 7" press will pop your joints, the
run is 300 copies hand stamped.
Side A.
Mondo Disco
Heres a fury filled foundation of bongos, beats and bass, with layers of rolling piano
and hypnotic movement of brass, giving nothing else but good time vibes for the
dance floor with plenty of outro for any discerning DJ.
Side B.
Bug Wax
Rewind for vintage 70's retro kitsch ditchsco , rhythmic bass guitar, enchanting flute
and swirling strings, sprinkled with subtle vocals and hints of electronic glitch over a
pumping beat.

I Marc 4, the brilliant quartet that collaborated with Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Armando Trovajoli, Gianni Ferrio, Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani, Alessandro Alessandroni, and their fantastic sound, now again available on a unique and really representative release, their holy grail session: G.L.P. 1007 from 1971. The best and most valued volume of the GLP series featuring the fantastic modal madness of "André", "Peroche", "Suoni Distorti" and the milestone 'Alfio' feat the flute by Alfio Galigani. The music goes from insane Psychedelic tunes to Jazz, Funk and more Bossa and Lounge tracks with plenty of Fuzz guitars, amazing Hammond job, and totally catching drum Breaks. An insane trip into early gold Italian Psychedelic and Underground vibes with loads of laden beats and grooves with the mark of the legendary Italian quartet. Simply essential!

This rather mysterious Jazz recording, which dates back to 1971, was quickly put together in a studio session sandwiched between RAI orchestra rehearsals, film soundtrack recordings and various other projects that make up this incredible musical library, all recorded in that period by our best musicians. The unique particulars of this record are that the musicians are not named, except for a mythical 'Plakoti' but also the rights and the tapes seemed tohave strangely disappeared. After a period of accurate research, thanks to Maurizio Majorana (bass player for the Marc 4) we have been able to find the original recordings and also the musicians that played on it. Even though this recording was accredited to the Marc 4, by semi-official sources of the time, strangely enough only two of them are effectively present on this record Antonello Vannucchi on the Hammond Organ, Vibraphone and Piano and Roberto Podio on the Drums. The other two musicians are Giovanni Tommaso playing his mythical 'Pedrazzini' (ndr) double bass who already played together with Vannucchi as part of the famous 'Lucca Quartet' and then as the bass player of the group 'Perigeo' and Enzo Grillini, part of the Rai orchestra and a favorite guitar player of both Armando Trovajoli and Gianni Ferrio who, at the time, was considered one of the best Italian Jazz guitar player and who rarely recorded music outside of the RAI orchestra. The style of this record, thanks to this very particular group of musicians, contrary to many other Library recordings, is very jazzy and the very special sound reminds us of the Jazz organ of the Verve/Blue Note labels made in the Sixties. The Seven Men Label, another characteristic of this new edition, born from a partnership of 7 mysterious producers and musicians in order to produce background music, in fact, only produced four recordings and they are : '1' that you are already listening to, 2, AKA 'Il Cinghialetto' directed by Gianni Ferrio and played by the very best popular and classical musicians of the day, as the soundtrack of a theatre piece written by Grazia Deledda and to conclude there are two recordings made in the 1970's written by Bruno Canfora: 'Musiche di scena n°1' and 'Musiche di scena n°2'. To have been able to bring this recording out again, knowing about its ups and downs and how it was made, is even more important now, as we have been able to add yet another gem to the numerous reeditions of the 'Italian Library Music' over these past years.

Hmm, what's this then 'Sliced tomatoes' sounds very familiar.... that's right, it's entirely possible that when your needle hits the groove on this classic 1972 slab of surf-funk you will have a 'oh yeah!' moment. Sampled by one of the UK's biggest DJ's and producers and propelled into the charts this one will have you 'Rockafella skanking' around your frontroom in no time. An essential 45 to have in your stash, an instant party starter for sure. reissued here in it's original form on the Music Merchant label and backed with it's original '72 B-side 'You've got the love to make me over' - a lovely piece of danceable and breezy soul of the Northern persuasion. All in all, a dope little reissue for all you 45 fiends out there, remastered from the original sources and fully legit. Essential business.

Delights is thrilled and honoured to release the new 7'' by Beta Hector (a.k.a. Simon Hill of Baby Charles, Derriere and MNP)!

After a 7-year hiatus, Hill returns with two sides of raw cinematic psych-funk, recorded with an ensemble of his long-time musical allies. Infectious, tense and Noir-ish "King Lunp Theme" is backed with the warm, intimate and melancholic "Into The Light" on the flipside.

SOUL/DISCO/FUNK SINGLE HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON VINYL 7'/45!
FROM THE INDEPENDENT UK LABEL SIX NINE RECORDS Ltd, BASED IN
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, COOL MILLION IS HERE WITH TWO BRILLIANT SONGS.
'TONIGHT' (FEATURING GLENN JONES) HAS GOT A STUNNING REMIX BY YUKI
'T-GROOVE' TAKAHASHI MAKING IT SOUND REALLY FRESH AND CRISP. 'LEAVE
ME' (FEATURING LAURA JACKSON) IS NOW GETTING ITS LONG OVERDUE FIRST
VINYL RELEASE, TRULY A TIMELESS MID-TEMPO MOVER. DEFINITELY NOT TO
BE MISSED AS IT IS A LIMITED UK PRESS WITH SMALL HOLE AND FULL
COLOUR PRINTED PICTURE COVER!

Support for My Life at 45 part 1 came from Huey Morgan and Craig Charles on BBC 6Music

The second instalment of Dr Rubbefunk's 'My Life At 45' series. 'Canvas Cathedral' on the A-side is a jazzy all-instrumental affair that will have you head-nodding like nobody's business. Over uptempo hip-hop flavoured beats reminiscent of early 90s golden era hip hop, chopped and looped riffs from sax man Ben Castle give way to rolling melodies and rapid fire solos.

On the flip, unstoppable gospel powerhouse Izo FitzRoy is here, flexing her soulful tones over one of the most elastic basslines ever pressed on wax. Underpinned by signature laidback drums that groove like a classic rhythm section of yesteryear, tasteful guitars and chiming electric piano weave their way between Izo's lyrics and, bingo! That's 'A Little Blahzay' right there! Always keen to give the DJs a bonus, the good doctor even squeezes some 'Canvas Beats' onto the 7" for good measure.

The Seeds of Fulfillment by David Drazin (November 2018)

Andrew Venson founded Seeds of Fulfillment (SOF) in early 1978. In the 1960s he had played electric bass with Arthur Conley, and later the original Peaches and Herb. On the same bill with Big Brother and the Holding Company, he hung out backstage with Janis Joplin. Yes! Vince was hoping SOF would get all of us to the top. He composed three tunes for the band, and we always had a ball playing them.

Roger Myers is a marvelous drummer. We co-composed Namaste. Roger would settle on a drum pattern of four measures at a time that he wanted to keep, and I'd put chords and melody right on top of his pattern. When he layered a second drum pattern on top of the first one, we'd get two melodies at the same time. We thought we were going to collaborate on more songs this way, but it didn't happen.

Lee Savory is a very inventive jazz man. He's musically literate, and wrote excellent transpositions. I remember Lee's asking for my input while he was composing Tight Squeeze, but it was clear he had it down. Once when I was visiting a DJ who played the album in a local radio station, the total of checks next to Tight Squeeze for number of plays was by far the highest!

Randy Mather's sax playing always knocked me out. I could hardly wait to hear him solo. When he left SOF to go with Woody Herman's orchestra it was amazing, but true.

Jeanette Williams had recorded 45s for the Duke and Peacock label when she was 17 years old. Her powerful singing was incredible to me. When we needed an original for Jeanette, Vince composed it, and Roger's wife Linda wrote the lyrics.

In 1978 I was in my senior year at Ohio State University when I met Vince. He came into a bar called My Brother's Place where I was playing with a trumpet player named Bobby Alston. When I was a freshman at OSU I'd played in an off campus band called Akadama. Before that I played in my home town of Cleveland, Ohio in the Brush High School Stage Band and a jobbing band called The Midnight Combo.

Everyone in the band contributed something to Egg Cartons in a composition jam session. We rehearsed in Vince's basement, and he had covered the walls with egg cartons to make the room sound more like a recording studio. The Provider was inspired by Country Preacher by Joe Zawinul. In those days I especially admired the way Zawinul would get his soulful feelings across, but also loved Herbie Hancock and to a lesser degree Chick Corea too. It took two years (with a break of several months) for the band to conquer Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. It shows you what consideration and dedication is, that ultimately they felt it was worth learning.

We recorded at Fifth Floor Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio. While we were there I got to shake hands with Bootsy Collins, who was recording in the rooms downstairs at the same time. Years later, Fifth Floor burned down and all the master tapes were destroyed.

If You Need Me Is An Early Solomon Burke Album, Named After Its Opening Cut. It Contains 12 Songs He Recorded During The Period 1959-1962. Solomon's Legend Was Built Upon This Material, Consisting Of Bluesy Surroundings And Country Ballads. The Single "if You Need Me" Became A Huge Success, Originally Written And Recorded By Wilson Pickett. Each Song Shows How He's Able To Reach His Audience In An Emotional Way.

Roy ayers - most iconic LP, Includes the super funky 'We live in Brooklyn' and the Dilla sample 'Aint got time' first time on 7', don't miss out.

10 Years After His Last Lp On Vinyl, The Legendary Funkmaster Ozone, One Of The Kings Of The Underground Funk Movement Is Back With An Explosive New Lp!
As Always On His Records, There Is A P-funk Side And An E-funk Side.
There Are All The Elements That Have Characterized Its Unmistakable Sound Since The Beginning Of The Funkmaster Ozone Era!
Power Analog Synthesizers, Talkbox, Vocoder, Dmx, 808 And His Absolutely Amazing Funk Touch.
The Lp Includes A Featuring With The Wonderful Voice Of Jamie Davis & The Touch Of H.m.klotz In The Song "freaky Friday", An Incredible Master Piece Which Seems To Have Come Directly From The 80s!
And Also A Great Collaboration With Another Superb Artist Like Eddy Funkster On "integrity".
The Lp, Is A Full Trip Into The Universe Of Funkmaster Ozone, A Must Have Release!

Creating songs of both eulogy and revolution, the expansion of 21st century black consciousness is felt in waves through Ohio's Mourning

Italo and Funk! A long standing relationship that goes back to American R&B artists connecting with the Italian audience in the 60's. At that time the Italian music market was still influential on a global scale and you could find an artist like Wilson Pickett singing in Italian (with a quite puzzling accent!) at the Sanremo Festival in 1968. The song he performed, "Un'Avventura", was written by Ludo Battisti the biggest Italian pop star of all time, a lover of all black American music, who has recently been re-discovered by global diggers, for his psychedelic, latin, funky period of the mid to late 70's. But the market was ready for that real funk: in 1971 James Brown performed "Sex Machine" live on national TV. Then Umbria Jazz festival opened for business in 1973 bringing the likes of Weather Report and Horace Silverto the more intellectual side of listeners. While the mainstream crowd was grooving in cinema theaters to the orchestral funk of masters like Piero Umiliani, Piero Piccioni and Armando Trovajoli and their soundtracks of the 'Poliziotteschi' B-Movies. With the 70's giving us the Mediterranean soul-funk of Napoli Centrale, directly influenced by the nearby NATO American base dwellers, the picture was complete: it was time for the Disco revolution! From Moroder to Mauro Boncaldi the list of Italian pioneers that molded dance music into a new hybrid of electronic basslines and over the top melodies is endless. The enormous international success of Italo Disco created a market of independent labels and distributions that were the basis of the next mutation of funky dance music: House. Italo Disco influenced the birth of House in America and then House came back to Italy and gave a new generation of producers the kick in the ass to start their own thing.

RRR have once more tapped in to their combined creative vaults producing another sophisticated slice of smouldering modern soul and subtle funky grooves. A potent and vastly enticing hybrid laced with killer hooks - enthused in the tradition of Norman Whitfield, with a twist of psychedelia.
(Emrys Baired - Blues & Soul)

Gareth Tasker plays and Barrie Sharpe produces. Their sound is individual - based upon the funk of the early 70s: however, with a totally modern production. The clean unique Sharpe production places every part of the puzzle into the correct space: 'every note is audible'. Accompanied by the outstanding abstract gospel vocals of Danelle Harvey - the understated, haunting jazzy horn of Kenny Wellington (Beggar & Co / Light Of The World) & the soulful smatterings of AprilFoolChild's flutewomanship. Fritz Catlin (23 Skidoo) adds the final edge with his Studer 169...
'I was a product of the times and the product became the producer. I designed the clothes, ran the club, played the records, was in the band and made the music, which created the scene that changed youth culture worldwide. I just kept falling up hill.' (Barrie Sharpe)...The clothes - Duffer of St. George (created 1984) - from the street, 4 young men shook up the fashion industry globally...
The Clubs - Black Market (Wag) 84/85 and The Cat In The Hat 85/86 - he with his friend Lascelle Lascelles played their favourite 70s funk records to a brand new audience. The style they played became known as 'Rare Groove' - the change in club culture...The band - Diana Brown & The Brothers - that consisted of The Brand New Heavies, The Young Disciples and Diana Brown & Barrie K Sharpe - became the defining sound of the Acid Jazz Movement...

Jaye P Morgan's 1976 million dollar private press featuring the cream of the LA jazz and funk scene and one of David Foster's first productions is finally reissued. Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release on deluxe LP and CD of Jaye P. Morgan's ultra rare private press originally released in 1976. This lost classic recorded in LA at the legendary Sound City Studios is also the first full-blown production by David Foster two years before he co-produced Earth Wind and Fire's album I Am and went on to become one of the hottest producers on the scene. Featuring an extraordinary line up of the best LA musicians including Harvey Mason, Ed Greene, Jay Graydon, Ray Parker Jr. Tower of Power, Ernie Watts and many more, it's probably one of the most expensive private press ever produced and a delight of sophisticated Los Angeles funk featuring Jaye's superb soulful vocals. The LP edition will come with the original 4 page insert full of session photos and credits.

With a line-up that reads like a who's who on the 70s Californian scene, this album was a bold move for the singer who had made her mark in the 50s and 60s as a popular music singer and actress. Hiring Foster was a masterstroke as he hadn't yet produced any noticeable hit but together they gathered the most impressive crew of musicians you could think of including two of Foster's closest associates, guitarist Jay Graydon and singer / arranger Bill Champlin (of Sons of Champlin's fame) and created the perfect white Soul album with a breezy California feel.

Featuring masterful renditions of such iconic songs as Stevie Wonder's songs as Seems So Long and Earth, Wind And Fire's Can't Hide Love (for the anecdote, Foster, Champlin and Graydon would soon pen After The Love Has Gone which would become a mega hit for Earth Wind AND Fire two years later), together with a handpicked selection of originals, the sound alternates between uptempo funk and soulful mid-tempo ballads, all served by Morgan's superb vocals. The missing link between Steely Dan and Earth, Wind and Fire, Jaye P. Morgan is pure, undiluted Funk music and an essential LA classic which Wewantsounds is glad to make available for the first time.

1990 and Chubb Rock jumps upon the scene with the classic hip hop party starter "Treat Em Right", backed with the original sample source, Dee Felice Trio's "There Was A Time", produced by the Godfather of Soul himself Mr James Brown. As always, limited to 300 copies.