Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

One Of The Great Forgotten Sounds Of Mid-70s Funk Was The Washington D.c.-based Ensemble Experience Unlimited. (later Shortened To Eu.) Though Best Later Known As Pioneers Of The "go-go" Subgenre Of Dance/funk, And For Their Billboard-charting Hit "da Butt" In The Late-80s, The Group Was A Potent Collective Of Jazz-funk Musicians, In The Vein Of Innovators Like War, Earth, Wind, & Fire, And Similarly Overlooked Dc Contemporaries Oneness Of Juju. Experience Unlimited Were Renowned For Their Ostentatious Instrumentals, Winding And Precise Rhythms And Grooves, And Party-ready Jams, All Of Which Are On Full Display On Their Debut Record Free Yourself, Which Came More Than A Decade Before Their Greatest Commercial Success, But Is No Less Heavy On The Classic Deep Funk Sounds.

He Was Born In Sierra Leone In The 1930s. Fact Is That Gerald Pine Was Son To A Lawyer Working In Nigeria, Lost His Mother And Sister At A Very Young Age And Found Relief In Music. He Played Social Clubs By The Early 60s With His Newly Founded Band The Heartbeats Delivering Cover-versions Of American Hits And Congolese Rumba Tunes That Were Then Utterly Popular In The West Africa Area. Due To The Influence Of Congolese Popular Musicians Franco And Dr. Nico He Adopted The More Exotic Sounding Stage Name Of Geraldo Pino And He Moved On From There. The Heartbeats Literally Played Until Their Fingers Bled In Popular Night Clubs In Sierra Leone, Became One Of The Highest Earning Bands Of Western Africa And Were Even Able To Put Up Their Own Television Show After Television Had Been Introduced In Sierra Leone In 1962. All Those Developments Put Geraldo Pino And His Band In The Position As Leading Figures In The African Popular Music That Even A Legend Such As Nigerian Cult Musician Fela Kuti, Who Is Often Credited With Originally Creating The So Called afro Beat' Style Stated Geraldo Pino And The Heartbeats As Major Influence Which Even Made Him Setting Sail To The Usa To Introduce His Musical Vision Over There For He Could Not Match With Geraldo Pino Concerning Popularity In Africa. This Of Course Is A Whole Different Story. Geraldo Pino Lived And Played In His Area, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria And Created Some Of The Hottest Funky Sounds With Sophisticated Sound Gear, Outstanding Clothing And Songs That Made Your Blood Boil. After A Few 7' Releases Throughout The 1960s The First Real Album Of Geraldo Pino & The Heartbeats Hit The Scene In 1972. afro Soco Soul Live' Is As The Title Suggests An Album That Has Been Recorded At A Concert And Geraldo Pino Often Communicates With The Utterly Enthusiastic Audience, Gives Longer Announcements Between The Songs Or Introduces His Lead Guitarist Before He Starts A Simmering Solo. All Songs Here Have An Average Length Of Six Minutes And Despite Their Composed Parts They Show This Free Jammy Flow. The Basic Style Is Funk With Soulful Vocals Which Gets Mixed Up With Traditional African Percussion Grooves. This Album Swallows You With Its Mesmerizing Rhythms. It's Afro Funk At Best With A Frantic Atmosphere Whirling Up From The Ever Flashing Percussive Arrangements. The Funky Hammond B - 3 Organ Is Omnipresent On All The Tracks And Duels With The Wild And Completely Unleashed Lead Guitar From Time To Time. Repetative Chord Progressions And Harmonies Decorate The Solid Rhythmmical Base And Deprive You Of Your Senses While You Get Deeper And Deeper Into A Trance Like State Moving And Floating Along On The Dancefloor. Due To The Crisp And Clear Sound This Record Gives You The Feeling Of Being Right At The Scene, Everything Sounds And Feels So Vivid, Even After More Than Four Decades. So It Is No Wonder That This Record Is A Popular Gem In Western Africa But How Is The Reception From The European And American Fans Of Furious Funk Music Well, Geraldo Pino Has Become A Legend In His Home Area But Just A Short Time Before His Death In 2008 People From The Western World Really Discovered Him And His Amazing Band. Original Copies Of This Album Go For Several Hundred Usd If They Ever Turn Up. So A Reissue Of This Sacred Gem Of African Funk Music From The Early 70s Has Been Long Overdue. A Record That Is Made To Let Dancefloors Smoke And Tremble And The Musicianship Is Sheer Amazing!

Ian Dury, Like Ray Davies And Paul Weller Was A Very English
Talent. The Colourful, Metropolis Inhabiting Characters Like
Billericay Dickie Or Plaistow Patricia He Sung About And The Ever So Cockney Music Hall Accent He Chose To Sing In Were A Big Part Of That. But Most Of All It Was The Detailed, Poetic Way He Catalogued English Life And The Melting Pot Of Musical Styles Used To Do So, From Punk To Funk To Jazz And Rock 'n' Roll, Which Left The Listener In No Doubt That Dury's Work Could Only Come From One Place: The Very Heart Of England.
Released On Yellow Coloured Heavyweight Vinyl, This Is All Killer And No Filler. With Dury's Most Loved Songs, Including 4 Uk Top 40 Singles And The Number 1 Smash, Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick.

After Another Short Hiatus, The Og Crew Are Back With Another Bomb. Side A Sees Bristol's Mr. Fantastic Put The Knife To Joe Farrell's All Time Classic, upon This Rock' And Cuts It Down From The 12 Minute Original To A Dancefloor Friendly 3m50s - A Perfect Fit For Our Favourite Format. On The Flipside, We Have Chosen The Artifacts whassup Now Muthafucka' From Their 1994 Debut Lp between A Rock And A Hard Place' Which Is Kinda Where We At Right Now! Don't Sleep - Doubles Essential! #artifactsapproved @orignals45s

First Time Reissued On Vinyl! This Is In Fact More Than Just A Rare Record And Definitely More Than Just A Vinyl Share For Insatiable Collectors Who Only Judge A Record By It's Monetary Value. This Is A Prime Example Of Overflowing Talent Coupled With A Simmering Passion For Music And The Hunger For Life Right At The Moment. The Story Begins On Jue 7th 1957 In A Small Ghanaian Village Where Kofi Kwarko Gyan, Nicknamed Kiki, Was Born Into A Middle Class Family. Soon His Talent As A Musician Began To Show When He Started Taking Piano Lessions By The Age Of 5 And Went Professional By The Age Of 12. He Dropped Out Of School Shortly After And Began Living A Life On The Road With Regional Ghanaian Bands. One Trip Abroad Took Him To London In The Early 70s Where His Career Received A Giant Push At The Age Of 15. He Joined Afro Rock Legends Osibisa In 1972 As Their New Keyboardist After His Predecessor Had Left The Band. By The Mid 70s Kiki Gyan Had Played With Osibisa To Giant Audiences Allover The World And Met Personalities From The International Music Scene Such As Elton John And Mick Jagger. He Was Not Only A Steady Keyboardist For Osibisa But Also A Very Popular Session Man For Fellow African Bands And Musicians, Among Them Ofege From Nigeria. He Released A Couple Of Solo Albums And We Take A Closer Look Now At His Second Effort From 1979, feeling So Good'. The Music Keeps What The Title Promises As This Is A Delightful Example Of Joy Manifesting In Music. Everything Is Bright Here, The Grooves Are Complex And Powerful, Yet Always Accessible. The Harmonies Enchant You With Their Friendly Approach. The African Sun Shines From Each Note Played On This Record. Gyan Mixes Western Disco Sounds, Funk, African Traditional Chants And Reggae Sounds Into An Ever Flowing Groove Music That Has Lot's Of Melody And Mesmerizes By The Swirling Percussion Patterns. feeling So Good' Is An Equally Physical And Spiritual Affair And Contains Six Lengthy Tunes. Tunes That Live From The Tight Interplay Of All Instruments, The Crisp, Clear And Powerful Production And A Wild And Steaming Atmosphere. Kiki Gyan Was On The Step Of Entering The 'hall Of Legends' Like Stevie Wonder Did, To Whom He Often Got Compared To. His Legacy Remains Huge, Not Only For African Music But For All Black Music That Ruled The Early Disco Scene In The 70s And Whose Popularity Is Still At Full Blossom. Next To Fela Kuti And Geraldo Pino, Kiki Gyan Can Be Called A True Force In African Pop Music Of The 70s!

Not to be confused with the 80s heavy rock/funk band from the US, this Living Color track was written, produced and released by Tony Kalangis on his Sophisticated Funk label in 1974. Kalangis, who sadly passed away in 2017, was a man of many talents who could not only write a great tune but also novels, poems, and film scripts.

'Plastic People' has one of those faultless grooves that goes where you want it to go and does what you want it to do. Small but perfectly formed, somewhere between mellow funk and a mid tempo 2 stepper. A great niche if ever there was one.

The clavinet riff is gently twangy and instantly funky, the horns punctuate an uplifting melody, while the backing vocals float in and out celestially. The relevant lyrics are carried off with a vocal style full of emotional urgency. Pure joy.

"Plastic people, better make some changes soon, or you'll never find a dancer for your tune". Thankfully not the case on this groove! Clavinet freaks will love the instrumental on the B side.

Two northern soul dance floor destroyers that rocked the dance halls of the 1970's. Roscoe & Friends powerhouse instrumental Broadway Sissy' has been a perennial favourite for the last 40 plus years and can rightly lay claim to being regarded as a northern soul classic. While Robert Tojo' Barnes falsetto dancer Broken Hearted Lover' rose to prominence under the cover name of Ann Perry Have You Ever Been In Love' in the later days of Wigan Casino but fell away during the ensuing years. That is until recently when some of the more adventurous northern DJ's who look to reactivate titles which still have some life in them are giving Broken Hearted Lover' it's well deserved second coming. The Broadway Sissy' too is enjoying more widespread popularity having crossed over and found a new audience with the funk scene.

This is the only album from The Tutt Band known to ever be recorded. The ultra rare and sought after boogie-funk LP on Spoonful Records out of Phoenix, Arizona was released in 1988, but style-wise it sounds much more like being recorded in 1983 or 1984. It contains ten very solid and good tracks - both club tunes and slow jams - that all hit the required spot. There's also some treats for all Roger Troutman and vocoder lovers. Head straight to the ultra dope tracks 'Get It On' and 'She's Got It Going'. In retrospect The Tutt Band has been one of the little known but essential groups whom created the funky and beat heavy new jack swing sound that dominated American r&b from the mid eighties and early nineties.

* Natalie Prass Had Her New Album Written, Her Band Ready, The Recording Studio Booked. Then The 2016 Election Happened And Out Of Her Despair And Disappointment In Those Results Came An Impulse She Could Not Ignore: She Rewrote The Album To Reflect These Swirling Emotions. The Result Is 'the Future And The Past', A Stunning Snapshot Of A Musician In A State Of Personal Rediscovery And Surging Femininity.
* The Celebratory And Defiant 'the Future And The Past' Also Signals A Significant Artistic Leap For Prass On The Heels Of Her 2015 Breakthrough Debut Album. It Finds Prass Tapping Into Deep, Dancey Grooves That Glisten With 80s Pop And 90s R&b, Nestled Alongside Quivering, Lushly Orchestrated
Ballads.
* Like Her Debut Album, Prass Made 'the Future And The Past' In Richmond, Va With Long-time Friend And Collaborator Matthew E. White At His Spacebomb Studios. She Added Some New Collaborations To The Mix As Well: Blue (solange's 'a Seat At The Table,' Blood Orange, Carly Rae Jepsen) And Michael Brauer (elle King And James Bay). 'future' Is Ripe With String
Orchestrations And Piano Flourishes, Snaking Synth Lines And Fuzzed Out Guitars.
* 'the Future And The Past' Is Bursting With Myriad Grooves And Natalie's Vocals Float On Top, Light As A Feather And Tough As Nails. 'short Court Style' Dials The Tempo Into 90s R&b Territory - Punctuated By Handclaps, Sampled 'woo's And A Dr. Dre-esque Whistling Synth Line. Lyrically She Wields A Sharp Knife As Well. The Love Torn 'lost' Begins With: turn Up The Fader, It's Like A
Lightning Bolt / We Can't Be Saved, So Now I'm Listening On My Own / Once There Was A Time When You Had Me Hypnotized / You Realized That Your Finger Prints Were On My Bones.' Funky Feminist Anthem 'sisters' Is An Empowering Rallying Cry: i Want To Say It Loud / For All The Ones Held Down / We Gotta Change The Plan.'
* Natalie's 2015 Self-titled Debut Earned A Perfect 5/5 From The Guardian, 9/10 From The Line Of Best Fit, Cos, Drowned In Sound, Raves From Rolling Stone, Pitchfork (best New Music). She Toured With Fleet Foxes And War On Drugs And Appeared On Hbo's 'vinyl' (as Karen Carpenter), Jools Holland And Cbs Saturday.
* The Lp Format Is Pressed On Rust Coloured Vinyl And Contains A Booklet And Digital Download Code.
* this Is Disco-funk As Fluffy As A Pomeranian After A Blow-dry - Reminiscent Of Feist, And, Further Back, The Kind Of Singer Found On The Brilliant Ladies Of Too Slow To Disco Compilation: Carly Simon, Laura Allan And The Rest. Will Have You Clicking Your Heels Amid The Bleak Midwinter.' - The Guardian

Bouncy Lady is an essential funk track prod'd by Wayne Henderson (The Crusaders) w/drums sampled by Jazzy Jeff, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul. "Why Can't People Be Colors Too" break sampled by Q-Tip, Pete Rock, Diamond D, Dilla & more.

One of the best Jazz-Funk-Fusion albums from the 70s Euro scene, featuring such giants as Charly Antolini (famous for his MPS recordings) on drums, Max Greger jr. on electric piano, Moog, Hammond, Mellotron and Milan Pilar on electric bass. Top notch jamming & soulful funky-jazz sound with some kraut-prog touches, recorded at the legendary Studio 70 in Munich and originally released in 1975 on the Calig label.

Including the rare-groove classic Onkel Joe' and more.

Original artwork and master tape sound.

Donald Austin's First (and Only) Album Was Originally Released In 1973 On Eastbound Records, Super Rare And Fetching Large Sums On The Collectors Market, Now Finally Back Available As A Limited (500 Copies) Deluxe Vinyl Edition.crazy Legs' Is A Collection Of Psychedelic Funk Instrumentals Every Bit As Physical And Wild As Its Title Portends. The Muscular Grooves That Galvanize All 13 Of The Album's Brief But Memorable Tracks Are Relatively Unique Within The Westbound Catalog, They Are Relentless And The Playing Is Top-notch. Also Included On This Amazing Record Are Two Funkadelic Covers, Perfectly Performed In Donald Austin's Unique Style. There Are Musicians Who Have Done Little In Their Carreer, But The Little They Have Done Has Left Their Mark. One Of These Examples Is Donald Austin's 'crazy Legs' Album.Originally From Memphis, There Is Little Known About Donald Austin.. He Worked As An Arranger And Sessionist For Junie Morrison Of The Ohio Players & For Fuzzy Haskins Of Funkadelic....and Then There Are The Rumours: 'he Played On Some Of The Very Last ' Motown Detroit Sessions', 'he Wrote The Song Angel For Aretha Franklin At Age 14'... All We Know And All We Have Are These Thirteen Funk Tracks Represented Here On The 'crazy Legs' Album. The Album Was Produced By Funk Veteran 'bernie Mendelson' (funkadelic, Ceasar Frazier, Melvin Sparks) And Mastering Duties Were Handled By 'howard Craft' Who Worked With Legends Such As 'al Green', 'syl Johnson', 'isaac Hayes' And Many Other Top Artists. Also Worth Mentioning Is The Fantastic Cover Art Designed By Neil Terk (known For His Work With Cymande, Muddy Waters, Dire Straits, Funkadelic, Grace Jones Etc). It's No Surprise That The Album-art Was Featured In Joaquim Paulo's Book 'funk & Soul Covers'.

First Ever Vinyl Reissue Of This Rare & Sought After Private 12' From Germany, 1979, Recorded At The Legendary Conny's Studio.

Smooth & Laid-back Disco-funk-balearic Sounds, Including The Underground Club Classic house At The Sea'.

Goya Was A German Band Featuring Drummer Charles M. Heuer, Also A Collaborator Of Günter Schickert.

Riyl: Stephen Encinas, Psychemagik, Gino Soccio, Dexter Wansel...

Official Mr Bongo reissue of the ultra-rare album by 'Super Elcados'. A fusion of heavyweight Nigerian funk, soul & disco, originally released by EMI Nigeria in 1976. The 'Super Elcados' (and 'Elcados' on other recordings) recorded three albums in the mid and late-70's, this is their first. It was followed by 'This World Is Full Of Injustice' and 'What Ever You Need'. Licensed from Geoffrey Johnson (Elcados), courtesy of PMG, with special thanks to Dave Hill for his help.

The Nineteenth Whole's first (and only) album was originally released in 1972 on Eastbound Records, super rare and fetching large sums on the collectors market, now finally back available as a limited (500 copies) deluxe vinyl edition.

Presented here are five lengthy soul-jazz pieces (including material from 'Sly Stone', 'War' & 'The Jackson 5') with funky grooves and some of the best sparkling organ & guitar licks you'll ever hear. This album sets the stage for a constant shift in grooves, a collage of earthy Funk, Soul, Rock and Jazz Fusion straight outta 1972... an emotional ride packed with the main ingredients for a 'get down'.

The Nineteenth Whole were an Indianapolis-based funky jazz outfit who were part of a very vibrant scene. Jazz guitar legend 'Grant Green' had originally hailed from there and he recruited the members of the 19th Whole as his rhythm section for live dates. (Green also discovered the other great Indianapolis jazz outfit Funk Inc. at about this time.) The attention that followed their work with Green allowed the Nineteenth Whole to sign with producer Bob Porter (responsible for many superb jazz productions for Prestige and Atlantic) on Eastbound, a label he had set up with Detroit independent Westbound Records.

Fronted by Billy Wooten's distinctive vibes, joined by guitar legend Cornell Dupree (you all know his opening riff on the intro of Aretha Franklin's 'Respect') and percussionist Buddy Caldwell (THE session musician for respected labels such as Prestige & Muse) makes Smilin' an organ funk groove classic at its best!

Recorded in 1972 by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder (known for recording Miles Davis in the early 1950's and the countless work he did for Blue Note, Prestige, Verve .. and many others) at the Indianapolis club that gave the band their Eastbound name: 'The Nineteenth Whole'. Production on the album was handled by Bob Porter (responsible for many superb jazz productions for Prestige and Atlantic).

The Badasonics mixes soul and funk together with Jamaican riddims and horns with the soulful rock and reggae voice of Caz Gardiner to deliver a pulsating party of soul steady beats. Band members' experiences playing with various Jamaican artists like Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, Doreen Shaffer, Rico Rodriguez, The Pioneers, Dave & Ansel Collins, Pat Kelly to name but a few and Caz's ska chops that can be described to be like The Meters meet The Upsetters or Lyn Collins goes to Kingston. Funky Soulsteady Beat from Washington D.C. & Belgium. Single taken from their debut album to be released in September 2018 on Badasonic Records.

The first ever vinyl LP compilation of songs by the great Eddie and Ernie! The duo produced tons of great singles throughout the 60's and early 70's. This LP features a couple dance numbers, but mostly slow dramatic soul ballads reminiscent of the best moments of more well known acts like Sam and Dave and Otis Redding. Some pretty eerie soaring vocals and existential lyrics of the highest order. Under appreciated in their time, Eddie and Ernie are two of soul musics greatest talents! Old school "tip on" record cover and classy black inner sleeve. One time limited pressing.

Africa 45, number 17
Fathili & The Yahoos came from Kenya. Soulful but raw, mid-tempo afro-funk. Licensed from Melodica music stores courtesy of our great friend Abdul Karim. The Wings were a Nigerian band. 'Gone With the Sun' featured on their 1974 album 'Kissing You So Hard' and fuses bluesy disco, funk and soul moods with quirky synths and effects.

La Soupe A La Grolle Has That Trademark Forever Pavot Sound, Beautifully Constructed '60s Psych Blended With An Irresistible Twist Of Ennio Morricone. There's A Passing Nod To Contemporary Bands Such As Tame Impala And Aquaserge, Mixed In A Dream-like Gallic Atmosphere With The Help Of Fuzz Guitars, Wild Farfisa And Bass Lines Interwoven With Flute.

Incredibly Sweet Funky-soul Double-sider Which Certainly Appeals To Both Soul And Funk 45 Collectors. What It Is Nice! 300 Copies Pressed.

The black vinyl 7' will be released on Friday 25th May

The basic feel of the songs is Jazz, but you also find a portion of Funk and lots of spirituality in them too. Whether you like your Jazz funky or your Funk jazzy - check out this 45. You can't go wrong with it! 300 copies pressed.

Compilation Of Sam Cooke's Great Production Work For His Independent Sar Label. Sar Records Was Founded By Sam Cooke And Jw Alexander In 1959 And Closed In 1965, Shortly After Sam Passed Away. Nobody Knows Knows What "sar" Stood For. Sam Kept That Secret And Died With It. (maybe It Was "sam And Alex Records") They Had One Employee - Zelda Samuels. She Wrote Songs, Handled All Publishing And Distribution And Ran The Office More Or Less Solo.
Their Office Was Just Two Desks And A Piano In A Tiny Room. Sar Records Was The Kind Of Small Family Affair That Stax Was In It's Early Years And Motown Pretended To Be. The Label Produced Both Gospel And Secular Recordings, All With The Odd Distinction Of Sounding Almost Like Sam Cooke.
Alexander Explains: The Goals Of The Label As Such - we Wanted To Give Young Black Artists The Benefit Of As Good A Production As They Could Get With A Major Company. We Used The Top Studios. We Didn't Short-cut. We Never Thought Of It As A Training Ground. We Thought Of It As An Opportunity To Contribute Something Back To The Community.'
This Compilation Features Gospel Side By Side With Soul And R&b Songs. Classics By Rh Harris, The Simms Twins, The Womack Brothers, The Valentinos, The Soul Stirrers And More. Old School "tip On" Cover And A Classy Black Inner Sleeve. One Time Limited Pressing.

A true oddity - Side A features John Coltrane's meditation on the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963, an attack by the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four African-American girls. The song is repeated for 19 minutes, with the "jazz section" removed. This creates a hypnotic effect. Not for the faint of heart.
Side
B features a beautiful and politically timely acapella Gospel song. Austere!

Olli, one of the most popular Underground Funk artist, is back with 2 brand new single in featuring with Ivan Makvel. For first time in a 7' 45 rpm for both artists, the song Blow Your Mind was already played and promoted in a Paris Radio FM during the Happy Milf Show, and is also playing during the most important Street Dance Events worldwide like Juste Debout, KOD, BTS etc.
It will be a limited edition of 500 copies.
The 7' is a powerfull Modern Funk trip, with voices & talkbox lyrics on the A Side, and a groovy strong P-Funk instrumental on the B Side.

Remastered and resissued double A sider for soul aficionados, B Boys and jazz funk lovers.

Both instantly recognisable across the generations, the A side sees a reissue of one of the most feel good records out there in - 'Express Yourself'. Most famously sampled by the mighty N.W.A. in '89.... 'Whatever you do, do it good'.

On flip you get pure funk destruction in the form of The Meters - Just Kissed My Baby. An insatiable, groove laden intro which has been prime sampling material throughout the years - most notably in Public Enemy's 'Timebomb'. Here's a chance to own two gems on one limited green coloured vinyl, with a large / dinked centre hole.

45 year anniversary of William DeVaughn's smooth soul classic remastered and reissued for RSD on exclusive white vinyl.

'Diamond in the back / Sunroof top / Digging the scene with the gangster lean" - Does it get any smoother than that Stick this record on and get lost in that effortless bassline, sensual guitar licks, coupled with DeVaughn's silky vocals and you'll be right there kicking back in the Cadillac. Oft sampled by the likes of NWA and De La Soul and covered multiple times, most notably on Massive Attack's debut album.

On the B side you're treated to 'Blood Is Thicker Than Water', DeVaughn's first single giving a taste of the masterfully stylish soul he was to carry throughout his career.

Afro-Funk meets Japanese traditional music!

"A joyous and mind-blowing combination of Afrofunk rhythms and traditional Japanese instrumentation, "Abrada" is kaleidoscopic party music." - Andrew Jervis, Bandcamp.

AJATE is a Japanese band who plays a unique blend of afro-groove dance music mixed with Japanese traditional festival music called "Ohayashi". Formed in 2011 by the band-leader John Imaeda, Ajate consists of 10 Japanese musicians.

Another unique feature of the band is the use of hand-made bamboo instruments as well as traditional Japanese percussion. The "Jahte" is a bamboo-made xylophone or balafon with a piezo pick-up mic attached to each key, connected to a pre-amplifier to obtain a loud sound and to add some touch of dirty distortion to its warm and natural acoustic sonority. The "Piechiku" is also a bamboo-made string instrument inspired by the west-African "Ngoni" or Moroccan "Guembri" instruments. The Piechiku uses strings of the Japanese traditional "Shamisen". This instrument is also played through a pre-amplifier and John sometimes adds some wah-wah effect to it. All these bamboo instruments are designed, made and named by John Imaeda himself.

Now, add to this unique sound some well-crafted Japanese female and male singing and you get a killer mix of Afro-Funk flavored grooves with traditional Japanese music.

The current lineup of Ajate was established in 2014. Since then, Ajate has played in various concerts, clubs, bars, and music festivals in Japan, including the "Sukiyaki Meets The World", one of the biggest World-music festivals in Japan.

Abrada is the second album from Ajate. Recorded in Tokyo at the end of 2016, this vinyl LP release is the first output of the 180g label. 180g is a Japan specialized label service run by Greg Gouty, who met John Imaeda in Tokyo in April 2017 during an epic Ajate concert at an underground club in the Shibuya district of the Japanese capital. The label aims at releasing highly unique and quality music from Japan, showcasing the vast talent of the Japanese underground scene, never heard outside of the country. Some music you will not be able to hear anywhere else!

Two Soul/funk Songs From A Shelved Album Recorded The Year Before This Release, Now Here For The First Time Ever On Any Format.
From The New Uk Label Six Nine Records Ltd Based In Newcastle Upon Tyne And Wear. This Record Is From A Series Of Planned Releases On Our Label.
Limited Uk Press Of 500 Copies On Laquer Cut Vinyl With Small Hole And Full Colour Printed Picture Cover!

Two Soul/funk Songs Now Here For The First Time Ever On Any Format.
Written By Rashaan Patterson And Produced By Howard Johnson Together With Khris Kellow For Two Sioux Music. From The New Uk Label Six Nine Records Ltd Based In Newcastle Upon Tyne And Wear. Limited Uk Press Of 500 Copies On Laquer Cut Vinyl With Small Hole And Full Colour Printed Picture Cover!

With their new Horizon EP, Lucien & The Kimono Orchestra open a music box which transports you in a blue and dawnish atmosphere, a morning spent on walking in an old cinematic Paris.

First step in the eighties, Connection starts as a film opening. Then arrives the single, Fresh Start, full of indelible voices and gimmicks. Horizon, sung in French, is a delicate reference to the French songwriting tradition inherited from Michel Berger, Alain Chamfort or Alain Souchon. To get some breath back between two songs, Georges, offers a strong instrumental interlude. Almost at the end, the English-spoken Shell extends the panel of influences with it's downtempo emotion. With its spontaneous declamations and slick guitar riff, Asile closes the journey, as the splendid climax of the foursome's second EP.

ORIGINAL RELEASE OF THIS EDDIE SAUNDERS (NEW JERSEY CONNECTION) PENNED SONG FEATURING GOSPEL SONGSTRESS MARLO COZART. WRITTEN PURPOSELY FOR MARLO COZART'S DEBUT, RELEASED BY SIX NINE RECORDS Ltd. LIMITED AND EXCLUSIVE UK
PRESS OF 250 COPIES ON LAQUER CUT VINYL WITH SMALL HOLE AND FULL COLOUR PRINTED PICTURE COVER.

It Was A Musical Cocktail Born In A Marketing Meeting: Two Parts Easy Listening, One Part Jazz, A Healthy Dollop Of Conga Drums, A Sprinkling Of Bird Calls, And A Pinch Of Textless Choir. Serve Garnished With An Alluring Female On The Album Jacket For Best Results. Exotica! The Soundtrack For A Mythical Air Conditioned Eden, Packaged For Mid-century, Tiki Torch-wielding Armchair Safariers. Be It Mosquito-bitten Torch Singers, Landlocked Surf Quartets, Fad-chasing Jazz Combos, Mad Genius Band Leaders, D-list Actors, Or A Middle Aged Loner Programming Bird Calls Into A Hammond, Exotica Was Always More Concerned With What Geography Might Sound Like Over Who Was Conducting. Captured Across Three Albums Are 48 (54 On The Cd) Curious Examples Of The Short-lived Genre's Reach, Each Summoning Their Own Sonic Visions Of Shangri La, Bringing Their Versions Of The Pacific, Africa, And The Orient To The Hinterlands Of America. Technicolor Paradise Is Where One Makes It, After All.

Various Artists - Technicolour Paradise: Rhum Rhapsodies & Others Exotic Delights

Jimi Tenor's mind will travel where his body can't go. Living in isolation in east-Helsinki suburb he picks mushrooms and has exotic musical fantasiesin the calmness of the endless. He has made a quantum connection in Berlin with rhythm geniouses Ekow Alabi Savage and Max Weissenfeldt to create his latest tour de force "Order of Nothingness".

Mind travel is easy and music is a perfect way to illustate the possibilities. Using historical failed experimental keyboard Extravoice from Hammond organ company has opened the floodgates of Jimi's creative passages. Philophon studios in Berlin has a plethora of exotic instruments and they have been extensively used in making this album. JIMI likes to switch between wind instruments and keyboards to get a creative edge.

Is there any meaning in Mysteria Did Salvador Dali design the Chupa Chups logo Was Finland part of the Soviet Union Order of Nothingness might not aswer these question, but instead will confuse you a little bit more.

For the second release, we bring you obscure 1985 North Carolina boogie/gospel/electro banger filled with crazy bass synths, piano chords and rhythm machines. Very proud we managed to put out this unique record.

Also supported and played by Peanut Butter Wolf from Stones Throw!

Few words from the man himself:

"I was 32 years old when I did "Come Together", I recorded it in the studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It was my first studio project. I wrote it to reflect on how we all are God's creation and we all need each other no matter our skin color or background, we should love each other as God tells us to. I always wanted my music to go mainstream and worldwide to reach everyone. Shurfine gospel record company picked up my record and the rest is history..."