Hip-Hop Vinyl New Releases - News

special 7x7" collectors box !!!

On this new limited 7inch vinyl and digital release Equinox Records introduces Andreikelos from Greece to the label's artist roster. Mediterranean sound meets electro as the traditional Greek organ bouzouki smoothly flows over an abstract hip-hop beat alongside violins and synths, all blended with an MPC 2500 accompanied by two Technics 1200s.

'Not all of my beats have a mediterranean character but since this is to be my first official international release I wanted it to sound like home'. (Andreikelos)

The philosophy of '(Call For) The Last Stand' is all about unity even when there is no hope spotted nearby. Though fighting for your rights and beliefs until the last breath can lead to what the ancient Spartans called 'The ultimate glory', you never know how the final battle will end and who will be the last man standing.

Leaving these Greek affairs behind, Earthkeptwarm (who already provided us his great remix of 2econd Class Citizen's 'Step Inside') adds some UK flavour to the tune. The wobbling bass of his striking dubstep remix is giving the track a completely new feel and makes this release a useful tool for djs as well.

Another northern rarity - out now on SOUL7!!! And as usual this SOUL7 reissue is FULLY LICENSED and restored from the ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES so it SOUNDS GREAT - unlike what you get from SHODDY BOOTLEGS! And in keeping with the spirit of collecting the pressing run is limited to ONLY 500 COPIES worldwide!

THE STORY BEHIND THIS RECORDING:

Another total quality double sider, this time recorded by Claude Huey and taken from the Fantasy-owned Galaxy label out of San Francisco. "Why Would You Blow It" has been in major demand for some time, not surprising given the easy, laid-back dancefloor appeal - it's a mid-tempo Northern mover sure to put a smile on the face of every dancer in the room. The flip side "Drifting" meanwhile, is held in equal esteem amongst aficionados of Heartbreak soul. A deep-soul ballad of the down and out, no-hope variety, the song contrasts beautifully with the breezy feel of "...Blow It".

The original 45 is a pretty tough one to find, and even then there is major interest and competition, given the broad appeal of "Why Would You Blow It", a song which would sound at home in a Northern, Crossover and perhaps even a Funk set. The price and demand is only going to rise, making this a very timely reissue indeed.

We're proud and happy to present our newest signing, Budapest based Latin Boogaloo band EL CHAVO, produced by the legendary Jazz DJ PAUL MURPHY. This is going to be our first ever vinyl 7" - the only relevant format for this fantastic rocking piece of music. Here El Chavo offer 2 versions of Tito Puente hits - Hit The Bongo and the Acid Jazz Classic Hola Muneca - and they sound like their straight out of Spanish Harlem in 1967! A sure future classic!!

For our 24th release we wanted to go back to our classic Funk Weapons roots, and to do that we bring you Mash & Munkee aka David Hanke & Kolja Starkowski from Germany. They have produced three slices of supreme nu-funk goodness for all you break beat loving freaks. First off we start with 'Work it Out', a full on funk fest of horns, funky bass, and enough cracking break-beats to satisfy the nimblest of b-boys. 'Giving you the Funk' does just that, complete with a jumping live bass-line, building horns and hip hop vocals and groove that eventually builds up to a nice fat synth bass-line that takes the track to the next level. 'Make A Difference' gets all Ron Burgundy on us with some funky flute and smooth blaxplotation style horns and of course another funky bass-line to keep the kids body rocking. Finally we round out the package with Neighbour's remix of 'Make a Difference', who remixes the track in his signature future-boogie style, complete with honking bass-line and smooth chords and injects back in the horns and flute to make the whole thing jam perfect for those late night roller-disco vibes.

PLUGS are a London-based three-piece made-up of front-man/guitarist Morgan Quaintance (ex-Does It Offend You, Yeah ~), bass player David Chin and Boomer Opperman on drums. PLUGS music ranges from funky, sometimes bleepy, techno with seriously soulful vocals to melody driven Afro rhythms knitted together by tight electro bass lines and soaring guitar parts. As well as producing their own material they've also remixed We Have Band, Clor, The Noisettes, The Boxer Rebellion, Post War Years, 586, Erik Hassle, Alex Roots, and others... "PLUGS never made us feel more like busting a move to synths in a Justice-meets-Metronomy kind of way." NME... also including a PONI HOAX remix

MUSIC

...continuing where they left off the NYB don't disappoint with another glimpse into their extensive archive of ethereal, esoteric and otherworldly sounds! Percussive polyphonics, transient pulsations and phonosynthetic oscillations massage your brain and ease your senses into a floating world of physiodelic cosmic space throb.

BACKGROUND

Nothing much has changed since "Away with the Melancholy", the first album recorded by NYB. It sold out everywhere, quickly, and much was said about the band, much of it rumour and conjecture. They have yet to perform live, and they still refuse to do interviews. We put out their records and we still haven't even met face to face!

Of course what really matters is whether or not they make good music. Here's a single that's taken from their new album, "Tuck in with the Natural Yogurt Band", which will be out in the autumn. Let your ears decide!

This 7" release is a limited edition release as always on Deep Root. These tunes already have UK and German radio air play and sound system play on Iration Steppers, Vibronics, King Shiloh, Jah Tubby World System and perch's Abassi Hi Power systems. This release is on BLUE vinyl.

After the success of the "Star Wash EP" Space Ranger present two new boogie bangers from their voyage to the stars in order to make the wait for their debut album (due out in October 2010) a lot more bearable. Cosmic disco galore, with Madrid-based producer Rayko slowing the title track down a tad more and making it even more psychedelic than it already is, and Italian Ajello using his stardust on "Shave Me, I'm Famous" for extra space/spice.

Todd Terje rekutt of Dee Dee Sharp's 1981 track 'Easy Money', plus David Morris '82 Boogie-Funk special 'Saturday Night'

The best two R'n'B sides on the label coupled here for your delectation

LIMITED 500 HAND SCREENED SLEEVES

Brand new label focussing solely on 7 inch vinyl, Digga Please' aims to bring you the finest in dancefloor funk, hip hop, disco, electro & whatever else can fit onto 7"s of shiny black plastic. Born from the long running night of the same name, the first release finds DJ Shepdog serving up a couple of juicy edits, pitching 2 soul legends against each other on the classic "Heard It Through The Grapevine" and adding a bit more bump and grind in the process. Over on the B-side is a tribute to the classic "Spread Love" on the Bozo Meko label and reputedly the work of Mark The 45 King. Here, Shep takes the drum break and adds the full song from which the samples were originally lifted. Simple, but very effective.

Rare & Unreleased Funk from Norfolk, Virginia 1971-73. Collection of 13 funk tracks from out of print 45s.

A whopping 9 man crew (which shares players w/the Half-Truths). "Smoothie Pie" is sweetly styled groover all the way through culling only the best elements of Motown inspired soul. "Get Yourself Together" is an up-tempo banger.

She has the luxury and the freedom of not being part of a clique, of making music without concessions. Her style, somewhere between folk-rock, soul, jazz, and a hundred other influences, remains elegantly unclassifiable.

fifth instalment for this soul series that's been bringing up to light some amazing soul wonders. this time, it's a very special one for the crew, as they bring some of their very personal all time favs. two from Al Wilson's amazing voice, one from Jimmy Ruffin, and a particularly killer jewel from divine diva lady Rosetta Hightower. straight from the heart to the dancer's soul.

Brand new single from 6ix Toys - a storming cover of Bassment Jaxx classic 'Do Your Thing'

Reggie Blount is one cool fucker doing some great p-funk electro tracks as one would expect to hear from Midnight Star, Morris Day and the Time

A well-placed RnB reissue which cheekily pairs 2 of the gems from Maybelle's '50s recordings for the Okeh label.

'I've Got a Feelin' has been sought after on the mod scene for a good while and proven really rather difficult to track down, especially on its 45rpm format. With fantastic latin accented congas, swinging horn patterns and Maybelle's dread-drenched vocals delivering a strong sense of foreboding, this is one of those tracks that really cuts through genre and scene fetishism and stands alone as a bloody brilliant record!

On the other side we have 'Ocean of Tears', one of Maybelle's more widely recognized sides and a true Rhythm and Blues masterpiece. A deep gospel feel is off-set by a really swinging rhythm and great horn parts, whilst Maybelle's immense, gut-wrenching vocal is the Blues encapsulated.

It's our 7th release on the Jukebox Jam label, so we thought it was about time to throw you a curve ball with something truly interesting and unique. Back to back on one 45 are the 2 best sides from the 2 super hard to find singles accredited to the mysterious Marga Benitez, a calypso singing 'exotic dancer' originally from the Caribbean who first made her way to a studio in 1954 with vocal group the Mello Tones. The label artwork for this reissue, incidentally, features an illustration of the lady herself, in full shake 'n' maraca mode!

The top side here features the potent and intoxicating concoction that is 'Geechie Goomie', a record unlike any other we've ever heard like of. The slinky, seductive tones of Ms Benitez and her whacked out lyrics sit alongside an almost clunky exotic piano-led accompaniment and some oddly sinister backing vocals from the Mello-Tones to create a wonderful record which was perhaps always destined to find its audience in another time and place.

The B-side features the prize of the earlier session for Decca Records, 'Wino's on Parade', a curious one-off oddity which should definitely appeal further to fans of the weird and wonderful with its unique blend of calypso vocals, quirky story-telling lyrics and doo-wop backing vox.

Both singles dually flopped on original release and whilst 'Geechie Goomie' has had a small but dedicated following on the Belgian popcorn scene for a while, we anticipate that with this limited run 45rpm reissue the time and place for Marga Benitez's indisputably unique charms has finally arrived!

What a killer package. Gamm crew strikes high on this one with remixes of two ennnnnormous classics : "who is he..." from Bill Withers, and "get up stand up" from Bob Marley of course.

" Without doubt one of the most important voices in 20th
century music, Gil Scott-Heron's unfailingly sharp and
ironic eye spared neither Black Power phonies or scheming
presidents. In 1971 he laid out the blueprint for the whole rap
genre with his slinky anthem 'The Revolution Will Not Be
Televised' while, throughout a career spanning five decades,
his deep, soulful voice spoke of nukes, Reaganomics or
apartheid, always from deep inside the tradition.
" 'I'm New Here' sees Gil Scott-Heron sounding as vital as
ever; a record that reveals something unexpected at every
turn; one that sees Scott-Heron pushing, probing and testing
the boundaries just as he always has. Alongside his 'I'm New
Here' collaborator - producer and XL Recordings head
Richard Russell - Scott-Heron has made an album that
eschews the cosy arrangements and retrospective leanings
one might expect from an artist over forty years into their
career.

[A] CD 1 | Donny McCullough - From The Heart [Kon's Multi Remix]



[E] CD 5 | S.F.B. - Burnin' Up [Kon's Edit]




(Kon's Edit)

The debut single by The Filthy Six on the Acid Jazz label. The London based organ jazz outfit are one of the most talked about funky groups of the last year, with a sound that is more musical than many of their contemporaries. Led by trumpeter Nick Etwell and featuring the sublime guitar skills of Nigel Price they are always capable of musical surprises.
Their single, lifted from their forthcoming self-titled long player, features a stunning version of Roy Budd's theme from 'Get Carter', that moves the action out of a North-Eastern dockside and onto the dance floor. It is backed with their own composition 'Knockout' which is a compelling calling card for the album. Available as a strictly limited 7 inch single this is an essential way to lift you out of the torpor of the long cold winter



A. Get Carter
B. Knockout