A Collection with An Exceptional Sound and Visual Aesthetic, In Collaboration With The British Photographer Chris Steel-Perkins, The Counter-Cultures Photograph.
This unique set brings together a treasure trove of R&B rarities enshrined by the $3,000 Lookin' For My Baby', recorded by The Nightriders in 1959 for Juggy Murray's Sue imprint.
Murray had co-founded Sue Records two years earlier with fellow New Yorker Bobby Robinson whose Fire label provides us with the equally compelling Keep A'Calling' by Paul Perryman (side 1, track 1), a snip at only $300!
The set bursts into life with Vernon Harrell's hot dance ticket Slick Chick', currently commanding a cool $400 on its original Lescay label. Northern Soul fans will be interested to know that Harrell co-wrote Seven Days Too Long' with J R Bailey (aka Chuck Wood) and Sweet Sweet Lovin'' for The Platters.
Mike Robinson ( Lula') also has a tenuous Northern Soul connection, he was originally in Bobby Thomas' Vibranaires before joining the Orioles alongside the legendary Sonny Til.
BOTH Earl King's make the playlist: Earl Connelly' with his hard Every Whicha Kinda Way' and the New Orleans native Earl King with Darling Honey Angel Child', an early prototype of the standard Come On'.
Look out too for rare soul sweetheart Baby Washington, Medicine Man'.
A Collection to Treasure...
MTD makes his debut on Binary Cells with "Mokusha". In this fourth vinyl episode, the Italian based producer also known as Sonntag Morgen and Methodical label head delivers three sophisticated gems designed for dancefloors, combining hypnotic bleeps, banging kicks and deeper textures. B2 also features a stunning remix from french craftsman Birth of Frequency.
Machines redefined and shaped the way we make music and gave access to new sounds. Enabling the availability of music instruments to a wider spectrum of artists gave birth to many genres and sound aesthetics. The sound of Roland machines from the 80's have had a huge influence on underground music and is outstandingly beautiful. Therefore this very first Talking Machines v.a. is dedicated to the synthesizer Roland SH-101.
Organic Analogue may be best known for its deep-diving techno and house and star-gazing electro, but on this latest transmission it digs into its roots in 1980s club music by way of the supremely talented Croza.Florence-based Adrien F Costes makes his first solo outing here with tracks lifted from his treasure trove of home-made, boogie-influenced beats. The sounds may tap up a direct line to the 80s, but there's a distinctly modernist slant to the heads-down groove that Costes cooks up.
Italian producer Ad Bourke also makes a rare appearance to remix "Night Heat". His version plays out like a hazy dream sequence injected with a little Italo strut, rounding this record out as a celebration of the deep-seated influences that guide Organic Analogue.
Kicking off Vivod's new pheasant series and making their debut on the label, UNI.OMNI are a Glaswegian duo comprising of MWX and Wave Energy Converter. Inspired by feelings of duality and the unpredictability of our dynamic world, UNI.OMNI respond with challenging dark electronic notes, driven vocals and expansive percussive backdrops. Their tracks emit contradictory feelings of chaos and calm, motion and stillness, frustration and excitement, whilst using the energy and turmoil of big city life as motivation for their first EP. "Acceptance Resistance" kicks things off with an experimental, cavernous foray that shifts to the rhythmic, subliminal undertones of "Metaphysical Lives". Both "Sequential Self" and "Viral Dread" are attuned to empowerment, exacerbated by the strains of the modern world, with strong vocals reiterating the need for resilience in the forgotten generation.
Tommy Mandel's Mello Magic' on Invisible City Editions is a compilation of personal synth-laden pop songs created between 1980-87 in NYC. BIG BIG TIP!
.
His professional work as a keyboardist and vocalist found him on stage and in the studio with many of the 80s greats from the Clash, Todd Rundgren, B-52s, Violent Femmes, The Ramones, Tina Turner, Mark Ronson, Dire Straits and Bryan Adams. While offstage and out of the major studio sessions, Tommy wrote in little books, made animation films and hooked up a massive amount of synthesizers, sequencers,microphones and recorded songs like diary entries. He self released almost 20 CDs, cassettes and one Self Titled 12' Ep. Each song selected here is stunningly simple, lush, desperate, playful, and harmonic, touching on disparate trangents like Brian Wilson, Egyptian Lover, Michael Shrieve,Holger Czukay, Ariel Pink, YMO, AOR FM West Coast Rock, Arthur Russell, Martin Denny, Peter Gordon, Drexciya, Prince and Private Issued New Age Boogie. Tommy recently jokingly coined his music corporate ambient' and and it all shouldn't work, but somehow he manages to effortlessly make each song a Tommy Mandel song - DIY, homespun,personal, stunning, and not too serious. This is perfect pop, charming, sincere, infectious and the work of a humble, good hearted, romantic savant. Tommy Mandel's Mello Magic' will be out on limited LP Vinyl release and available Spring 2018. Be sure to check his ambient new age LP from his cassette Music For Insomniacs'also out soon on ICE/Intelligent Instruments. Designed by Marko Vuleta-Djukanov. - Sesto F
* The Timespan was a regular artist on the famous Kniteforce subsidiary label, Remix Records. One of Luna-C's many aliases, The Timespan has always been on a mission to make simple, effective hardcore. This EP takes that formula and applies the years of knowledge gained since 1994 to make something that sounds...almost the same as it would in 1994. Only better. Full on pianos, running break beats, happy vocals, hip hop snippets and hectic stab patterns, this EP was made almost entirely on hardware rather than software. The result is that it contains not only the ideas of the old skool, but the warm analogue soundscapes from that era. It also features a 'revisit' by label mate Cru-l-t of the Timespan's classic track 'Music' - an updated and rebuilt from the ground up version of that tune.
Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker and many others
Hailing from sunny California, Subtle Mind have been making not so subtle waves in the US bass scene for quite some time. Their debut release on Subaltern Records brings in a different style to the imprint with a flavourful, melodic yet weighty selection.
Tracklist:
A: Ambitions feat. Ill Chill
Opening the EP, and featuring Bay Area artist, 'Universal Future MC' Ill Chill on the vocals, lounge vibes greet the listener before sinking into a bathe of bliss and bass. Words and synth lines transcending with low frequencies and space, 'Ambitions' is floating above clouds and diving in the deep ocean at the same time.
AA: Gelato
Subtle Mind are putting the classic 808 drum kit through its paces in 'Gelato'. Mellow pads disguise the heaviness at first, but once the ground shaking bass-line hits, there is no doubt that this one is a tactical weapon; it carries the dance easily while satisfying your melodic desires.
AA2: Standard Strain feat. Saule
With this high-grade collaboration we are welcoming the incredibly talented San Francisco-based Saule to the imprint. Carried by airy bells and soulful vocal hits, Standard Strain brings a jazzy twist to the table. Contrasted by dark synth shots and a bumping bass-line this track is an excellent showcase of the producers' musicality.
Dapayk Solo, Berlin based producer and veteran of the minimal techno scene, announces the release of his 10th studio album 'The Calling'. This latest project will be the producer's first solo album since
2015. The 8-track double 12inch LP will be available via Dapayk Solo's label Mo's Ferry Productions and comes with a free download voucher for the extended 12-track digital album.
The first track on this LP 'The Calling' shares its name with the album and starts off with a pang of energetic, chopped beats before exploding into a brassy melody, continuously gaining momentum.
'Blackout' immediately announces itself as a next generation Detroit House anthem. The rolling synths, hi hats, and vocals make this one of the most outstanding tracks on the album. 'Aurora' stays true to its name with a buildup composed of throbbing ethereal synths that give the track an otherworldly vibe. 'Flood' transports listeners to the dancefloor with its pulsating bassline combined with Komplement's quaint vocals.
The second part of the album begins with 'After All', one of the most enticing tracks on the album. It combines the groovy rhythm of four to the floor percussion with tantalizing vocals by VARS before New Release Information 'Low Tinnitus' reverts to Dapayk's signature minimalist sound. The transition into 'Wanderer' continues the momentum built up by the previous tracks. The closing 'Walk With Me' is a deep-house jam that features a rhythmic shaker layered under Mental Bend's powerful vocals.
Dapayk Solo, alias Niklas Worgt, isn't afraid to try new things. With 5 aliases under his belt, he continuously strives to experiment with different styles and production techniques to create innovative sounds. Throughout the span of two decades he went from producing drum'n'bass to house to ultimately crafting the groovy, edgy techno sound that he's now known for.
With more than ten LP releases and over 70 single releases on his record, he is one of the main protagonists in the world of underground electronic music. In 2017, he released an LP titled 'Harbour' with his wife Eva Padberg under one of his many projects, Dapayk & Padberg. While that album aimed to steer away from traditional club beats, 'The Calling' sees Dapayk reassume his deep, dark, and infectious sound. While Dapayk is often categorized as a minimal producer, the LP proves that he is capable of extending beyond the scope of a single genre. 'The Calling' is just another example of why Dapayk has managed to stay in the scene for so long: he loves electronic music and he's great at
making it, too.
Includes 12' Vinyl and Deluxe CD album, 30 page hard back book
Now that I've been to Nashville,' Kylie Minogue says with audible affection, I understand. It's like some sort of musical ley-line...'
Golden, Kylie's fourteenth studio album, is the result of an intensive working trip to the home of Country music, a city whose influence lingered on long after the pop legend and her team returned to London to finish the record: We definitely brought a bit of Nashville back with us,' she states. The album is a vibrant hybrid, blending Kylie's familiar pop-dance sound with an unmistakeable Tennessee twang. It was Jamie Nelson, Kylie's long-serving A&R man, who first came up with the concept of incorporating a Country element' into Kylie's tried-and-trusted style. That idea sat there for a little while, with Minogue and her team initially unsure about how to bring it to life. Then, when Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Wadge's publisher suggested Kylie should come over to collaborate in Nashville, a city Kylie had previously never visited, something clicked. You know when you're so excited about something,' she recalls, that you repeat it an octave higher and double the decibels I was like that. 'Nashville! Yes! Of course I would!'. I hoped it would help the album to reveal itself. I thought 'If I don't get it in Nashville, I'm not going to get it anywhere.''
Kylie's Nashville trip involved working alongside two key writers, both with homes in the city. One was British-born songwriter Steve McEwan (whose credits include huge Country hits for Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood), and the other was the aforementioned Amy Wadge, another Brit (best known for her mega-selling work with Ed Sheeran). It was then a truly international project: Golden was mainly created with African-German producer Sky Adams and a list of contributors including Jesse Frasure, Eg White, Jon Green, Biff Stannard, Samuel Dixon, Danny Shah and Lindsay Rimes, and there's a duet with English singer Jack Savoretti.
However, the album's agenda-setting lead single Dancing was, significantly, first demoed with Nathan Chapman, the man who guided Taylor Swift's transition from Country starlet to Pop megastar. If anyone knows how to mix those two genres, Chapman does. Nathan was the only actual Nashvillean I worked with. He's got a huge studio in his house, which is probably due to his success with Taylor... there's plenty of platinum discs of her, and others on his walls.' There's something of the spirit of Peggy Lee's Is That All There Is, of Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, even of Liza Minnelli's Cabaret about Dancing, a song which not only opens the album but sets out its stall, providing a microcosm of what is to come. You've got the lyrical edge, that Country feel, mixed with some sampling of the voice and electronic elements, so it does what it says on the label. And I love that it's called 'Dancing', it's immediately accessible and seemingly so obvious, but there's depth within the song.'
The experience of simply being in Nashville was an overwhelming one, before Kylie had even arrived. Once I knew I was going to Nashville, people talked about the place with such enthusiasm. They said without doubt I would love it and, I would come back with songs. They were sending lists of restaurants, coffee shops and bars. It really was a beautiful and genuine response and it felt like I was about to have a life changing experience and in a way, I did.' The reality came as something of a surprise, when she found a far more modern metropolis than the vintage one she'd envisaged. I thought it would be like New Orleans: little houses and bars, with music spilling out onto the street. It reminded me more of Melbourne: apartment blocks going up everywhere! The main strip, Broadway, where the honky tonk bars are, that's where the street was filled with music and it was just amazing.' Mainly, Minogue remembers the heat and humidity. It was 100 degrees. It was like it was raining with no rain.' She also relished the chance to wander around unrecognised, visit a few venerable music bars and soak in the atmosphere. I didn't get to the Grand Ole Opry or the music museums but I managed to go to a couple of the institutions there like The Bluebird Cafe and The Listening Room, and just by being there, through some kind of osmosis, you get this rejuvenated respect for The Song, and the writing of The Song. There's no hoo-hah around it. There's a singer-songwriter there, talking about the song and singing the song, to an audience who are there to listen. Although, I have to confess I was guilty of starting to clap too soon during a long pause at the end of one of the songs. The guy made a bit of a joke out of it and got a laugh from it, but I thought 'Of all people in the audience, no...''
It's probably no coincidence, therefore, that every track on Golden is a Kylie co-write, making it arguably her most personal album to date. The end of 2016 was not a good time for me,' she says, referring to well-documented personal upheavals, so when I started working on the album in 2017, it was, in many ways, a great escape. Making this album was a kind of saviour. I'd been through some turmoil and was quite fragile when I started work on it, but being able to express myself in the studio made quick work of regaining my sense of self. Writing about various aspects of my life, the highs and lows, with a real sense of knowing and of truth. And irony. And joy!'
The songwriting process allowed Kylie to get a few things out of her system. Initially, she admits, it was cathartic, but it also wasn't very good. I think I was writing too literally. But I reached a point where I was writing about the bigger-picture, and that was a breakthrough. It made way for songs like Stop Me From Falling and One Last Kiss. It also meant I had enough distance to write an autobiographical song, like A Lifetime To Repair, with a certain amount of humour. The countdown in that song: 'Six-five-four-three, too many times...'. I don't know if that will be a single, but I can just imagine a girl with framed pictures of past boyfriends, and kind of going 'Oh god, when am I going to get this right'' When she listens back to Golden, Kylie can vividly hear the Nashville in it. It is, she'll agree, probably the first time that a Kylie album has sounded like the place it was made. You wouldn't normally relate my songs to the cities. Can't Get You Out Of My Head sounds more like Outer Space than London. But Shelby '68, for example, was written in London but it was done with Nashville in mind. It's about my Dad's car, and my brother recorded Dad driving it! I don't think I'd have written a number of the songs, including Shelby '68 and Radio On without having had that Nashville experience.'
The latter, she says, is about music being the one to save you.' Throwing herself into the making of the record, she says, crystallised that idea. If there's one love that will always be there for you, it's music. Well, it is for me, anyway.' That song, in particular, carries nostalgic echoes of the golden age of Country, as heard through Medium Wave transistors and tinny home stereos in the distant past. Like any child of the Seventies, Kylie had a basic grounding in Country music, mainly absorbed from older family members. My Step-Grandfather was born in Kentucky and though he lived most of his adult life in Australia, he never stopped listening to his beloved Country artists.' If there's any classic Country singer whose imprint can be heard on Golden, it's Dolly Parton.
Kylie saw Dolly live for the first time at the end of 2016, at the Hollywood Bowl. It was like seeing the light,' she beams. It was incredible. Everyone, whether they know it or not, is a Dolly Parton fan. When I was in Nashville, I did pick up a T-shirt that said 'What Would Dolly Do' Maybe that should be my mantra.' And, whether consciously or otherwise, there's a timbre and trill to Kylie's vocals on Radio On that is distinctly Parton-esque. My delivery is quite different on this album,' she says. A lot of things are 'sung' less. The first time I did that was with Where The Wild Roses Grow. On the day I met Nick Cave, when I recorded my vocals, he said 'Just sing it less. Talk it through, tell the story.' This album wasn't quite to that extreme, but a lot of the songs were done in fewer takes, to just capture the moment and keep imperfections that add to the song. I remember on my last album, a lot of producers were trying to take out literally every vibrato they heard. And that's not natural to my voice. I mean, I can make myself sound like a robot, but it's nice to sound like a human!' Working within the Country genre also gave Kylie permission to write in the Nashville vernacular. Because we were going there, I wasn't afraid to have lines like 'When he's fallen off the wagon we'd still dance to our favourite slow song', 'Ten sheets to the wind, I was all confused', 'I'll take the ride if it's your rodeo'. The challenge of bringing a Country element to the album made the process feel very fresh to me, kind of like starting over. I started to look at writing a different way, singing a different way.'
If ever Kylie lost confidence in the Country-Pop concept, and found herself pondering This is great, but back in the real world - my real world - how will this work', Jamie Nelson was there to badger her into sticking to the path. We found a way to make it a hybrid with what we'll call my 'usual' sound. It had to stay 'pop' enough to stay authentic to me, but country enough to be a new sound for this album. The closer we zoomed in, and the more we honed it, I knew Jamie was right. We sacrificed good songs that weren't right for this album, because we wanted it to be as cohesive as possible. The songs that were hitting the mark were these ones, so we decided to be strong, and that's how we wrapped up the album. What he said, that stuck with me, was that 'I'd hate to get to the end of this and really wish we'd gone for it.'' Having worked with Kylie for so long, Nelson was able to put this latest shift of direction into perspective. He said 'You've traditionally done it throughout your career. You had your PWL time, then you did a complete turn when you went to deConstruction, then another complete turn with Spinning Around, and R&B dance-pop, and then another turn with Can't Get You Out Of My Head, icy synth-pop, and this is another one.' He was right. It felt like the right time to have a change sonically. New label, new stories to tell, and a new decade almost upon me.'
Kylie Minogue will, it's scarcely believable, turn 50 this year. This looming milestone is partly behind the album's title, and title track. I had this line that I wanted to use: 'We're not young, we're not old, we're golden' because I'm asked so often about being my age in this industry. This year, I'll be 50. And I get it, I get the interest, but I don't know how to answer it. And that line, for my personal satisfaction, says it as succinctly as possible. We can't be anyone else, we can't be younger or older than we are, we can only be ourselves. We're golden. And the album title, Golden, reflects all of this. I liked the idea of everyone being golden, shining in their own way. The sun shines in daylight, the moon shines in darkness. Wherever we are in life, we are still golden.' One of the album's shiniest moments is Raining Glitter, an exuberant banger which ventures closest to Kylie's traditional dance-pop comfort zone. Eg White, who is one of the producers and writers and a great character, was talking about disco one day. I said 'I love disco, but you know the brief.' We needed to be going down the Country lane, so to speak. But we managed to bring them both together. When I wrote it, I was thinking about the Jacksons video for Can You Feel It where they're sprinkling glitter over everyone. And I think there's a Donna Summer record that's got that feel to it. I think that's my job: I basically leave a trail of glitter after every show I do anyway.'
Kylie is looking forward to the challenge of incorporating the Golden material into her live shows. Mixing these songs in with my existing catalogue is going to be fun. And it could be fun to do some of those songs with just a guitar. It'll make my acoustic set interesting...'Her incredibly loyal fans - to whom one Golden song, Sincerely Yours, is intended as a love letter' - will, she believes, have no problem with her latest stylistic shift. My audience have been with me on the journey, so I shouldn't be afraid that they won't come with me on this part. I've had fun with it, and I'm sure they will too.'
The time spent making Golden has, Kylie says, been a time of creative and personal renewal. I've met some amazing people, truly inspiring writers and musicians. My passion for music has never gone away, but it's got bigger and stronger.' And if there's an overriding theme to the record, it is one of acceptance. We're all human and it's OK to make mistakes, get it wrong, to want to run, to want to belong, to love, to dream. To be ourselves.'
I was able to both lose and find myself whilst making this album.'
Spread across two 180g discs, spanning 24 cuts and served in a gatefold sleeve designed by members and affiliates, the Young Echo LP is a capsule intended for cementation through time.
It's been almost five years since their last album. As a group, extended radio submissions, prolonged studio sessions and notorious club nights make up the cogs of time. Over the course of these years, the network has grown continually, both as one, and with singular, multi-directional paths from each of the 11 artists that make up the Young Echo collective, counting Jabu, Vessel, Kahn, Neek, Ishan Sound, Ossia, Manonmars, Bogues, Rider Shafique, chester giles and Jasmine towards the crew, with projects such as Bandulu, FuckPunk, O$VMV$M, Gorgon Sound and ASDA adding to the table in their individual ways.However, this record aims not to be judged on any single producer or vocalist. It is most effective as a whole, simply titled Young Echo. Of course each of the artists has an important part to play, but it is very much about the act of balance, accepting individualism to form a greater whole.A good example is the welcome addition of new energy coming from Jasmine (1/3 of Jabu) who injects endless space with her vocals, perfectly answered by the cool-killin' wordplay of Manonmars - who makes his long awaited debut here - sharing stage with the immediate poetry of ASDA's very own chester giles, along the mighty sound of Rider Shafique, and Bogues' versatile style that can flit between rap & song within seconds. Five very different vocalists that could've tried to find a compromise, but instead choose to connect in different ways, finding their niche in the equal range of rhythms and sounds that sprawl in this shared space, the juxtaposition.
Detuned soundsystem stylings, love songs swaying in hacked up ambience, skeletal dancehall, microphone technique, dread electronics, outsider pop, this record manifests the outcome of the shapeshifting anarchy which rears it's head when no one idea can rule, embracing the diversities when one path must be made up of many.
First new LP in over 15 years. Builds on 3 successful ATFA reissues of Mergia's music. Legendary artist still active after decades of historic work. Modern Ethiopian jazz built on ancient scales and standards. Capping several successful years traveling the world performing to audiences big and small, Hailu Mergia's Lala Belu has been a long time coming. It builds on Mergia's remarkable career resurgence over the past few years. Beginning in 2013 with the reissue of his dreamy Hailu Mergia and His Classical Instrument followed by the enormous success of his seminal Ethio-jazz masterpiece Tche Belew and continuing with last year's widely acclaimed Wede Harer Guzo, Mergia has received considerable accolades from listeners and press globally, including The New York Times, Pitchfork and The Wire. His old recordings are cherished revelations for Ethiopian music fans; however, Mergia's return to the stage has been just as inspiring and electrifying. Mergia's vintage recordings are known for an inherently mysterious and worn-in quality, while his new recordings echo his band's 21st century live show with modern instrumental interpretations of crucial Ethiopian standards and Mergia's own original compositions. Tony Buck (drums) and Mike Majkowski (bass), who have backed Mergia on tour throughout Europe and Australia, form the bass-drums trio on the recording. Having played venues from Radio City Music Hall and the Kennedy Center to jazz festivals, rock clubs and DIY spaces all over North America, Europe and Australia, Mergia and Awesome Tapes From Africa want to document this moment in his landmark career with a snapshot of Mergia's current sound. Since he emigrated from Ethiopia and built a life in Washington, D.C. around 1981—where he remains working as an airport taxi driver when he is not on tour—Mergia's career has followed a humble trajectory. He made a few recordings in America but they didn't easily reach fans back home. He kept making music on his own and with friends but after the early 80's his gigs in the U.S. mostly dried up. It wasn't until he began working with Awesome Tapes From Africa and putting together bands with the help of booking agents and musicians in Europe and the U.S., that he was able to chart a new path. With a broad audience of young listeners in diverse venues and distant locales, at age 71, Mergia is enjoying his comeback and is not slowing down.
DJ Katapila's Aroo EP is the latest addition to the iconoclastic producer's catalog of fast-paced, pan-West African-influenced dance music. From a young age, Ishmael Abbey was a beloved local DJ in Accra, Ghana's competitive and rapidly-evolving music galaxy. DJ Katapila's debut release with Awesome Tapes From Africa, 2016's reissue of Trotro, ignited international acclaim for the Ghanaian DJ and producer: The New York Times, Pitchfork, Resident Advisor and FACT heaped praise on his work. Katapila launched a touring career beyond his grueling schedule of all-night parties around Ghana's southern coast and neighboring countries, heading to Europe and the UK, where he performed at festivals and clubs the pasty two years. Katapila brought Ghana's street party culture to audiences overseas, a wave of joy and happy dancers were left in his wake. The song Aroo' uses his earlier song Cocoawra' as a jumping off point and expands upon its endearing quick-rhythmed interplay of vocal hiccups and percussive clinks. Katapila thinks of Aroo' as a simple math equation: Francophone rhythms plus techno equals so hot and danceable.' While traveling this past summer in Europe, he continued to work on the minimalist electronic music steeped in his hometown rhythms that has made him a growing and singular voice in West African music. Having never travelled outside his region before, the contemporary sounds of London impacted his sonic palette, triggering new song African Techno.' He explains, In Europe and the UK they like these techno songs and house music. They have songs that sound like African music, and we have songs that sound like house music and techno music.' Ghana Baby DJ' references his ongoing development of Ga dance music style gbe ohe. It also conjures his daughter's voice and inimitable vibe and blends it with the characteristic clave rhythm of this. The EP's final cut is a track released with a an eye-catching music video this summer called "Monkey." Following radio play in Ghana and demand from fans online, this track makes its debut on vinyl. Awesome Tapes From Africa is proud to present new music from this unmistakably original artist with an honesty and unpretentiousness that feels good at this current point in history.
With its latest reissue, Majik's Back Into Your Heart - Melodies International dug deep into the back catalogue of Hi Records, legendary soul label from Memphis found ed in the 1950s.
Originally signed as a recording artist, Willie Mitchell took the reigns of the label and guided it through its most successful period in the 1970s, notably producing a string of studio recordings for Al Green, Syl Johnson and O.V. right among other eminent soul musicians of the time. Whilst the Hi Records catalogue shifted hands multiple times since the late 1970s, it was mainly exploited as a means to reissue recordings from Al Green and other high profile Hi Records artists (notably by Motown) while the label's more obscure back catalogue remained largely untouched. Years later, a few lesser known one offs from the label's vaults holding the distinctive raw Hi Records production sound and a circling hypnotic quality that makes them potential successful records for modern day dance floors have been getting a second life with record collectors, DJs and on dance floors worldwide. As such, recordings such as Africano's Open Your Hearts have become You're A Melody classics for some years now and Melodies International are glad to bring you one more reissue which in our hearts hold at least the same level of quality and potential as the former. With Back Into Your Heart, Majik pull through with a strong up-tempo disco tune that embodies Mitchell's sound as well as a level of modernity that might explain why it has remained largely unnoticed up until now.
Licensed and re-mastered, MEL010 comes forth in its original 7' format with a folded 14'x14' poster designed by Mafalda.
The second of Alma Negra's 12 Rhythms Series is dedicated to the Maloya sound from La Réunion, a tiny island where a
melting pot of cultures is reflected strongly in its music. Maloya's roots go back to the time of slavery, its quick tempo and raw
energy making it not only a popular dance music but also a powerful protest through movement.
On their Maloya EP, the Basel collective pay tribute to the hypnotic rhythms that were feared both by the Catholic Church and the French government for the musical form's subversive part in the rebellion against colonialism.
The release revolves around two contrasting Alma Negra re-workings of Lindigo's Tany Be. The first takes a classic call &
response structure in 12/8 and 6/8 rhythms, adding a driving bass line and guitar licks. A solid 909-kick locks things in step,
along with a sax flourish and FM synths. Their re-imagining of African and Tamil influences for modern dancers is a triumphant
manifestation of the music's origins.
With the main reworking focusing on a rolling dance floor groove, the Dub Mix concentrates on trance-inducing aspect of
Maloya. Using a modular set up to pick apart layers of percussion, it is a dense and heady trip into the spirit world.
The B side focuses on Christine Salem, one of today's stars of the Maloya scene. Without wanting to squeeze the soul from her
deep tones, Kabaré is slowed down a notch, with drums added sparingly. This sensitive treatment gives the track just enough
weight and tension to punch in on todays dance floors without losing the intent of the original.
The source material for this EP has been road tested from the very beginning of Alma Negra's journey. The collective have gone
to great lengths to ensure the original creators are on board with their treatment of their music and are honoured to be given the
chance to distil their own ethos into a record that is bubbling with today's dance floor drive. Their reverent treatment aims to
preserve the power and beauty of the source material, to bring uncovered gems to a new audience.
Fresh for 2018 the ever pioneering Octave One are bringing us some brand new music for the new year. Using their much loved Random Noise Generation alias the upcoming release entitled 'N2 The Enfinate, contains a new single as well as a remake of 'Rock my Soul' in the form of the 'Reborn Vocal Remix'.
The first Random Noise Generation release was 'Falling in Dub' in 1991 and sounding just as fresh 27 years later, 'Enfinite Soul EP' is due for release this April.
For this single a retro energy has been explored in the title track 'The EnFinate', running parallel to a more contemporary groove and rolling, marauding baseline. The second track on the package, 'Rock my Soul' (Reborn Vocal Remix) starts with a strong intent and a weighty bassline paving the way for precise and bright chord stabs.
The single is taken from the new album 'Endustry', a full body of work encompassing 7 full length cuts, set for release in spring.
After touring and making music for decades the spirit and essential energy of the craft is what keeps them eternally inspired to keep creating and touring the globe... 'Once it takes hold of you you can't stop even if you wanted to.' say the brothers.
On 30thMarch, Wah Wah 45s will release ORANGE WHIP, the new album by their latest signing, Honeyfeet. The outfit, who have received praise from the likes of The Guardian, have also set festivals alight up and down the country with their unique melange of sounds.
For the last couple of years the Honeyfeet (who name from a line in the Blues Brothers film) have been a conduit for the ideas and expressions of an exotic mixture of Manchester based musicians. This genre-defying band incorporate styles including jazz, folk and hip hop into their music. Someone once called it Folk-Hop and Barrelhouse-pop, and that's just vague enough to make sense.
The band are fronted by Ríoghnach Connolly - also known for her work with Real World artists Afro Celt Sound System and The Breath - "a remarkable singer and flautist who...can ease from Irish traditional influences to soul" (The Guardian). The line up is completed by Rik Warren (vocals/harmonica), Gus Fairbairn (tenor sax), Biff Roxby (trombone/vocals), Ellis Davies (guitar), Lorien Edwards (bass guitar), John Ellis (keyboards) and David Schlechtriemen (drums).
ORANGE WHIP finds the band at their most incredibly diverse. Opening with recent single Sinner (received radio play from the likes of 6 Music and BBC Manchester), which showcases Ríoghnach's extraordinary agile and emotive voice, the album moves with dizzying swagger on songs covering a wide range of subjects. Quickball tells the story of being so infatuated with someone you want to eat them, while Whatever You Do addresses the fear-mongering of the press over folk-hop and oom-pah, and Demons deals with love and redemption on a blast of harmonica-driven country, sung by Rik Warren.
Rik also takes lead vocal on a re-working of Robert Johnson's Love in Vain, a song showing Honeyfeet's more reflective side, his Skip James-esque drawl bringing an eerie quality to the lyrics about a doomed relationship. The band reshape the progression too, swinging the tune slowly and creating a little underground blues club in the midst of the recording.
Elsewhere the band go all New Orleanian on Colonel Hathi's Trunk Juice, a sinister tale inspired by trombonist Biff Roxby's horn riff recalling one of the elephants of The Jungle Book. Further showcasing their virtuosity, on one of the album's best moments - especially the nuanced vocal performance by Ríoghnach, who was raised on Irish folk - on Hunt and Gather the band do their own take on prog-folk, with a flute and cello melody running alongside a brass counterpoint.
Ríoghnach turns in another incredible vocal on the album's final track - future single Meet Me On The Corner. With a pounding beat, it is one of the album's main highlights. Guitar and brass propels Ríoghnach to sing lyrics that could be straight out of the playground, but suggest something deeper, possibly mystical even, in it's demands for a dalliance on the street. It closes the album on a high note, for a band who have that rare ability to distil all their disparate influences, while always sounding like their unique selves.
ORANGE WHIP heralds the sound of a remarkable band going overground.
2017's Once & Future Band' landed upon our brains like the birth of a starchild - fully formed, otherworldly, yet comfortingly familiar in its contours...Floyd, ELO, Queen, Steely Dan, and Beach Boys rearranged into an unapologetically poignant pop moment, underpinned by 4 guys that could play their way out of a Faustian bargain. While we await whatever warlock's potion they are brewing up next, they've pulled a maxi-EP Brain from the vaults for a moment in the sun. All of the mastery you've come to expect is at play here, enough chops to make a vegetarian's mouth sweat, songs that tug at the heart while they play tricks on your mind, and with the steady hand of a of studio wizard sprinkling stardust around the edges just so. It's out on Castle Face Records March 9th.
Solar Phenomena keeps up a busy schedule with the third EP of 2018. This one comes from cult UK artist Duckett who's past collaborations include Tom Demac, Grimes Adhesif and Leif. Recently he has served up solo EPs for labels like Galdoors, UntilMyHeartStops and Wisdom Teeth. Mixing up elements of IDM, techno and ambient, he is a sculptor of timeless tracks that come from another world.
'Could I Pulverise A Leg' opens up the EP with trippy synths falling down the face of the track, with minimal drums and corrugated bass racing below. It's the sound of space travel in turbulent times. 'Cycling Is Crushed Inside A Moment He Forgot' is more sparse, with watery keys and curious melodies drifting about above another barely there groove. It's heavenly, celestial stuff that places you in a microbial world of neon colours and beautifully alien sounds. 'Flex' is more for the club, with broken mechanical drums and fractured vocal sounds all grinding together to make for something truly new and original sounding. 'Risks' then rounds out the EP with edgy ambience and coarse hits, swirling pads and an ominous suspense that keeps you engaged throughout. It rounds out a hugely inventive EP.
* Brazilian producer L-Side releases his highly anticipated new album 'Carnal Mind' on the 6th April.
* Featuring American rapper Jeru The Damaja, British rapper DRS, dancehall/grime artist Lady Chann, and drum and bass vocalists MC Fats, MC Darrison and MC Conrad, the release is via the legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings.
* Taking his influence from Hip Hop artists such as Jazz Liberatorz, The Pharcyde and Tribe Called Quest, L-Side is making his mark in the world of raw dancefloor focused drum and bass. Originally producing hip-hop beats before branching into Drum and Bass, he is known for his meticulous mix of upfront and aggressive sounds merged with funk and soul styles, forging a flawlessly fresh take on drum and bass.
* Leonardo de Jesus Silva, aka L-Side, began his career as a DJ and Producer in 2008 and the Sao Paulo born producer has gone on to cement himself as one of the most formidable producers to hail from the flourishing and highly respected Brazilian drum and bass scene, which is home to some of the most inventive and funkiest contributors to drum & bass this century.
* As a nation bursting at the seams with prolific and highly talented producers, L-Side has managed to emerge as one of the most exceptional and 'Carnal Mind' proves the point.
* 'Holding On' ft. Lady Chann, is a dark, brooding, half time number, full of menacing atmosphere - infusing elements of dancehall and grime, complemented perfectly by Lady Chann's ferocious, trademark vocal delivery while tracks like 'High Times' unleash unrelenting breakbeat right from the gate. Pulsating synths add momentum, channelling subterranean depths as MC Fats patois-tinged vocals ride overhead. The dark storm clouds clear briefly, allowing celestial pads to momentarily reset the atmosphere before hurling the listener straight back into the thick of it.
* Having released music on such labels as Philly Blunt, Chronic, Celsius and Soul Deep, his music has been supported by DJs from around the world, including DJ Marky, Bryan Gee, LTJ Bukem, Bailey and Doc Scott, while new single 'Holding On' received it's first official play from Mista Jam on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
* In addition to his solo recordings, L-Side has collaborated with fellow V producers, Subsid, Andrezz and Critycal Dub among others.
* The legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings, was set up in 1993 by Jumpin' Jack Frost and Bryan Gee. Few record labels can claim to have changed the face of their respective scene. Celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2018, since its birth, the label has released over 100 cuts from the likes of Marky & XRS, Krust and Die, Adam F, Lemon D, Scorpio, Dillinja and Roni Size
Cover with laser-cutting and printed inner sleeve, ltd. to 500 copies, incl. mp3A Score for Darling is both the sound track for the Danish film "Darling" (2017) as well as a collection of outakes from it. Raúl Pastor Medall (Rauelsson) and Erik K Skodvin (Svarte Greiner & 1/2 of Deaf Center) were paired together to work on the accompanying music after the director, Birgitte Stærmose wanted to try a new direction. Both together and individually they have created a highly affecting collection of pieces to a film that is not afraid of pushing the emotional content to the max, centered around the story of a dancer on the rollercoster ride of her life. This is also the first time either of them have made a full lenght sound track, making it their debut on the big screen.The music and instrumentation heard on the album is brimming with dynamics and diversity, featuring violin by Christoph Berg, cello by Anne Müller as well as a mass of other sounds like church organs, synths, guitar amp violation, electro-acoustics, piano and more, all layered together into 15 beautiful and devastating fragments of mood. The final piece of the album "Breathe" - featuring Otto A Totland on piano and Katinka Fogh Vindelev (We like We) on voice - can be seen as their own lamenting end title to a longer period of work with this album, finally finished.
Ltd. edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinylGnashing, thrashing and teeming with enchanting microtones - Machine Guitars is the definitive recorded work of Remko Scha, although the late Dutch artist didn't play a single note himself. Rather, Scha arranged a motorized, rotating wire brush and saber saw in front of suspended electric guitars and let these metallic torrents flow.Scha was a linguist and generative artist, enamored of computers' capacity for algorithmic creativity. A leading researcher at the University of Amsterdam, he also cofounded the famed arts-space Het Apollohuis in a former cigar-factory in 1980. This haven for intellectuals and underground autodidacts served as the recording studio for most of Machine Guitars (as well as Ellen Fullman's brilliant The Long String Instrument), which originally appeared in 1982 on the small Dutch label Kremlin. Machine Guitars, as the critic Byron Coley has noted, ranks among the best of the era's minimalist-inspired, avant-garde guitar statements by Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham. The semiautonomous sound-making sculptures also evoke contemporaneous work by Christian Marclay. Scha's work falls somewhere between conceptual art and avant-garde music - a total revelation for minimalists and No Wave fans alike.First-time vinyl reissue. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinyl.
There are some records that manage to sound both of a time and utterly timeless and Bon Voyage Organisation's Jungle Quelle Jungle (a nod to Supertramp's Crisis What Crisis) is one of those albums. Its silken-smooth production, irresistible grooves, funk-tinged guitars, lush soundscapes and general glowing presence could easily lead one to believe that have dug up a lost disco gem from the 1970s. However, behind the disco-pop gleam lies eerie dystopian sci-fi ruminations of a futuristic bent and tones that can often feel as French as they do Asian or African.
This sort of cross-continental exploration is an expansion on BVO's previous two EPs, the man behind the Organisation, Adrien Durand, says. 'I tried to continue the musical expedition between dystopian Science-Fiction Haunted Africa - plus Haitian Vaudou on 'Soleil Dieu' - and futuristic Asia. Addressing, in a double entendre manner, some of the political issues that I am sensitive to.' In fact the jungle in question in the album's title is a metaphorical one and one that creates a vast series of environments for Durand to explore such subjects as world trade, utopian ideals and themes of idols, as well as of time and communication. However, one will need to speak French to decipher such explorations, as well as shake off the natural impulse to move with every glorious beat on its 13 tracks, of which are moved along by Maud Nadal and Agathe Bonitzer's golden vocals.
Durand is a full-time producer based in Paris, working with the likes of Amadou & Mariam, so it makes sense that this record would absolutely sparkle in this department. Durand feeds off the variety of musicians coming and going during recording sessions as well as the rotating members and numbers of people involved with the band but fundamentally he writes all songs on piano first before bringing them to record live. 'We recorded a rhythm section of five - drums, percussion, guitar and myself on bass/synth bass and keyboards - at La Frette which is a studio located in a mansion outside of Paris and fitted with a beautiful 1973 NEVE desk. We only used analogue gear, by taste really, and found it a pretty reliable way of doing things. This simply consists of putting good players together in a room and waiting for the right take to happen.' Two four-day sessions and a 'cooling off' period (to let the recordings settle) soon followed before Durand picked the material back up to give it a final polish.
The resulting album is one loaded with intricacies and idiosyncrasies, something that Durand puts down to his own unique approach. 'I don't consider myself much of a songwriter but I love arranging rhythm sections and I'm pretty proud of the ones on this record.' This applies when it comes to working with such musicians as Inor Sotolongo Zapata, who with Durand used traditional Cuban percussive instruments and explored Haitian rhythms. When Durand expands on some of the ideas and influences that were funnelled into the record, you begin to get a sense of the vastness of the sounds that fill his world, from Trevor Horn's production work on ABC's Lexicon of Love, to the literary work of JG Ballard to the visual flair of the original Blade Runner and even the Tuareg sounds of Tinariwen, due to the fact that his studio neighbours their manager's and he would hear their rhythms bleeding through the walls. You therefore end up with an album that offers tracks such as 'GOMA' that fuses Chinese and African rhythms as well as 'SI D'Adventure' a piece of pop music that is dazzlingly hook-laden.
As a result of this cooking pot of sounds, influences, thoughts and creations, Durand has more of a gumbo approach to making this music than a set-out scientific formula. 'There is no definite recipe for me to like the production of a record,' he says. 'Of course it really sticks out that my work is really influenced by the 1978-1983 period, the golden age and last stand of analogue studios and session musicians.' Whilst Durand adores the traditional and conventional music, he really views this as something bigger and wider. 'I have a taste for the otherworldly vibe from records coming from less sought-after musical scenes, particularly Poland, Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo and early Cantonese pop. Languages and the rapport of the people involved in the making of those records really inspires me. I particularly hate the use of the word 'World Music' as a potpourri for everything that doesn't sound quite western enough.'
* In his first release for Milan's Haunter Record, Berlin-based producer Broshuda generates simple yet complex emotional vignettes. Evading all definitions, he makes use of an an array of tools and techniques akin to those of classic dub and contemporary sound design on obscure/ random equipment, drawing from a limited pool of sound sources while paying a lot of attention to detail in the construction of sound. His post-rave power ambient poems, coalescing with a pronounced melodic element, give the release a profoundly introspective and earthy character. Blurring and masquerading different layers of sound into new forms and shapes.
Portuguese artist Ka§par gives Parisian label Escapade its third release. The four tracks span across a wide range of electronic sounds, telling a story that calls on many emotions. 'Wail Of A Loon' opens the record with an experimental atmosphere. After this laid back introduction, Ka§par goes into a much stronger style: 'Rigged's energy and catchy, twirling melody make it a total banger. On the B side, the mood gets much warmer and groovy. 'Vital' is the perfect tune to warm up a dancefloor, thanks to a swinging rhythm, mesmerizing vocal samples and funky synth lines. 'Alma D'Ouro' rounds up the record with strong jazzy vibes. Beautiful chords and piano solos never dissapoint!
The early 2000s were a time of upheaval for hip-hop. The underground and mainstream divide that had dened so much of the previous decade was showing the rst signs of irrelevance. Timbaland and The Neptunes made radio rappers sound futuristic while independent artists struggled in a quagmire of backpacks and misguided claims to keep it real. Away from this, in a misunderstood middle ground between hip-hop and electronic music, a new generation of artists were busy imagining a new sound for hip-hop.
One such artist was Scott Prefuse 73' Herren, whose perpendicular MPC chops on his 2001 debut for Warp Records set curious minds racing with possibilities. That same year Tadd Mullinix released his debut as Dabrye on Ghostly International, a sonic wildstyle that appealed to both hip-hop heads and IDM nerds. Sometime that same year Herren and Mullinix met after sharing a bill in Detroit. CD-Rs were exchanged and a year later Eastern Development, Herren's newly launched label, released Dabrye's Instrmntl, a short album with a big impact. On its fteenth anniversary Ghostly International is reissuing Instrmtl on vinyl and making it available digitally for the rst time.
Instrmntl is a continuation of the beat experiments Dabrye began with One/Three and a bridge to the diverse textures that would dene Two/Three four years later. About half of its nine tracks (ten if you lived in Japan) were created at the same time as One/Three while the rest were newer or made specically for the album. Once again Mullinix looked outside of hip-hop to techno, house, and drum & bass for stylistic and technical ideas while embracing the blissful minimalism of a good hip-hop instrumental and the rhythmic nuance of Detroit.
Despite the similarities between Dabrye's debut and this follow up, Mullinix didn't simply replicate what had made One/Three so arresting. He pushed and pulled further between the two cornerstones of his approach to reveal more potentials. Instrmntl takes you deeper into electronic depths — the rugged synth stutter of 'Won', the tumbling, wobbling bass in 'No Child Of God', the electro get down of 'Prospects (Marshall Law)' — while also treading more organic grounds by letting samples breathe and moods unfurl at a gentler pace ('Take Me Home', 'Evelyn', and 'You Know The Formula Right'). And then there are the moments where this push and pull nds balance and the result becomes more, as it does on the mournful march of 'D-Town Tabernacle Choir' and the twinkling daydream of 'This Is Where I Came In'.
At just over 30 minutes, Instrmntl offers a snapshot of a time when potentials seemed innite, when lines could be drawn between jazz, ragga jungle, techno, and hip-hop and the resulting shape divined an exciting future.
- Reissue of the out of print 2002 album, available for the rst time on Ghostly.
- Includes previously Japanese-only bonus track, Gimme Lowlands'
- Standard weight blue vinyl is housed in a matte jacket.
- Dabrye's beats are like Jay Dee getting crunked up with Autechre.' — Prefuse 73
It was chance that brought about the release of One/Three, Dabrye's debut album. Early demos were tucked on the B side of a cassette Tadd Mullinix passed to Sam Valenti in 2000 while working at the Dubplate Pressure record shop in Ann Arbor. Mullinix had spent the late '90s producing jungle, techno, house, hip-hop and more using the All Sound Tracker software as a primary instrument. Each style pulled from a similar sound palette as Mullinix used limitations to define the contours of di-erent musical personalities. Dabrye was his hip-hop wildstyle, a captivating collage of sparse instrumentals inspired by the laid back vibes of midwestern hip-hop and east coast boom bap, the futuristic funk of Umma-era Jay Dee, and the calculated subtlety of Detroit dance music. Released in 2001 as the first in an intended trilogy, One/Three announced Dabrye's arrival with an unavoidable contribution to Detroit hip-hop. Ghostly International is reissuing the album in 2017 for the first time, including a long overdue vinyl edition.
On its release One/Three was the rare album that appealed to both fans of Slum Village's smooth yet rugged hip-hop and enthusiasts of the distinct American IDM released by labels like Schematic. Over the following decade, the inadvertent demo submission turned into a body of work that placed Dabrye alongside innovators such as Prefuse 73 amid the cannon of a new generation of producers. Today, One/Three remains a concise and intriguing study in instrumental hip-hop that helps join the dots between J Dilla and Flying Lotus.
One/Three is a record that says much with little. There are no obvious hip-hop tropes. Instead Mullinix captures the ingenious minimalism of '90s hip-hop instrumentals to build tracks both supple and hard, joyous and melancholy, full of sharply angled rhythms and warm rubbery basslines: 'The Lish' throws a sickly sweet saxophone against digitally fragmented melodies, 'How Many Times (with this)' draws you in with an irresistible, clipped guitar groove, the rhythmic stutter of 'Smoking The Edge' makes your head spin with pleasure. Playing with his inspirations, Mullinix injects omitted downbeats for imagined rhymes and repurposes the intricacy of ragga jungle for breakdowns.
But what really defines One/Three is the rhythmic sensibility and metric modulation of Detroit's school of hip-hop production, which Mullinix was a fervent student of. The beats feel like they're constantly escaping a rigid tempo grid even though they are, in fact, pretty tight. A lot of it is nuance,' Mullinix explains. I've been known to say that I'm not impressed by spectacle. I think that nuance is what really captivates people.'
If you like your beats with a dash of class, do not miss this. An essential purchase of the highest order.' -BBC
- First time all tracks from the original 2001 release appear on vinyl.
- Remastered by Daddy Kev
- Standard weight black vinyl is inserted in to 3.5mm matte finish vinyl jacket.
- Download card includes free download of the Payback EP
In the vapor trail of How Does It Make You Feel,' the first track on this self-titled full length, one can smell the burnt ozone of a seventies-full-orchestra-nebula-pop-odyssey, the flakes floating down and landing like snow, giving grave-chills ... the ash of a masterpiece pop song. Once And Future Band: this incredibly accomplished cabal of total prog wizards has circled the earth, but then, these are the accomplished gentlemen of many former pursuits (the formidable Drunk Horse among them) and all of them comets themselves.
The very mid-'70s vibe at work here surpasses pastiche, and crests that lovely anachronistic conceptual peak: a fully realized and meticulously arranged psych record, meant to be listened to from top to bottom, with the lights down low and in a comfy chair perhaps, or while gazing out the window of your life pod. The Dark Side of the Moon feel, with shades of early Yes's technicality, a dash of Steely Dan's vocal prowess and effortless sheen, and some seriously outsized hooks that call to mind the mighty ELO, Le Orme and, yes, even the unsinkable Queen powered on Brian May's tape echo jet fuel and sequined power cells.
This is a head record in the classic sense but utter fealty to The Dark One insures both being trapped and infected by the pop-parasite. That it is largely self-produced (with tracking / engineering on three of the songs by Phil Manley at El Studio) makes it all the more jaw dropping. Making prog cool again, again, and then slightly more complicatedly, again.
Emotional Rescue delves deep in to the past with the release of the first ever recordings by UK post-industrial, ambient pioneers O Yuki Conjugate (OYC). Recorded in Nottingham in 1983, the EP's four tracks showcase OYC's early sound: a beat-driven, lo-fi that places them alongside the early British electronic pioneers.
OYC, celebrating their 35th anniversary this year, are known for their "dirty ambient" sound - but it wasn't always thus. In their earliest incarnation OYC explored a more industrial approach characterised by tortured analogue drum machines, one-finger synth lines, played bass, tape loops and even flute. This naive sound template lasted until their debut album 'Scene in Mirage' (1984) before being jettisoned in favour of more ambient explorations.The story behind these recordings is one of brotherly love between bands. OYC swapped time in their rehearsal space for a day's use of a four-track cassette portastudio owned by their associates, Metamorphosis. Three of the tracks included were recorded on May 1st 1983 at The End Room (literally a studio at the back of one of OYC's parents houses) with the remaining track (live favourite "The Clattering Song") being produced a couple of months later.
To date OYC have remained largely unknown in the UK due to their wilfully obscure approach. They have released a series of very well regarded studio albums and innumerable spin-off and side projects that has recently seen a revival of interest in their early years, including appearances on Cherry Red's compilation of formative UK electronic scene 'Close to the Noise Floor' and Optimo's compilation of Fourth World-style music 'Miracle Steps'.
Accepting their fate as musical outsiders, OYC continue to make music with little reference to the wider world. This EP makes a fine addition to that body of work.
Ever since the early 90s, The Mover has set the standard for apocalyptic melodramatic techno and has been praised as one of the leading artists of Planet Core Productions. His distinct tone and memorable production expertise, causes one to leave the world behind. In 2018 he returns with - Undetected Act From The Gloom Chamber', an album which implies all the goodness and fears he is renowned for. Eight masterpieces carrying the authentic excitement that you would expect from the Mover in a timeless fashion. Shifting between electro beats and classic old school techno patterns, the album sets a moody tone. The release is filled with magnificent bass lines and dark-dreamy pads that leave the mind in a trance. Muscular drums and authentic synth-lines paired with the unmistakable Mover signature, makes this assembly of gems an outstanding masterpiece.
Created at the footstep of Mount Victoria, Groeni wanted to challenge themselves compositionally and sonically with Nihx. Nihx explores the characteristics of points of conflict between opposing forces. As in the past, and as with many electronic outfits, the music had been written 'in the box', so to speak. To counter this technique the three members of Groeni (Al, Mike, and James) each wrote numerous compositional sketches that were more or less complete as frameworks before entering them into the digital realm. With similar inspiration the band wanted to create unique and personalised sounds away from the computer to sample and use with most of the sonic treatment happening also away from the computer. The vast majority of the drum sounds are made from samples of Mike's ever expanding synth collection, numerous sounds are manipulated feedback from guitars or vocals among other things. The entire record was written and recorded across three home studios in Wellington, NZ and has been almost 2 years in the making.
'Nihx' comes out worldwide on limited black, white marbled vinyl (including download code) & digital.
Detroit duo Ataxia offer up their 'Kodak Moment' EP via Visionquest this March, accompanied by an edit from label co-founders Shaun Reeves and Ryan Crosson.
Eric Ricker and Ted Krisko aka Ataxia have been at the forefront of the contemporary house and techno scene for some time, racking up releases on some of the leading labels across the globe such as Leftroom, Nervous, Culprit and Play It Say It, making the duo one of Detroit's finest exports in recent years. Here we see them making their debut on Visionquest, the label of fellow Detroit natives Ryan Crosson, Shaun Reeves and Lee Curtiss.
'VHS' leads the package with murky synth swells, resonant synth sweeps and fluttering square wave bass tones at it's core as shuffled drums carry the ever-evolving hypnotic groove along. The original mix of 'Kodak Moment' follows, shifting the focus over to snaking bass lines, mind-bending, modulating synth whirrs and dynamic, choppy percussion throughout.
Reeves & Crosson's 'Edit' of 'Kodak Moment' then rounds out the release, stripping things back to ethereal atmospherics and shuffled drums whilst subtly stirring in the original's hooky bass groove as the interpretation unfolds.
Aroop Roy has been making waves with his unique sounds for the past few years, with a wealth of successful releases and a busy gig schedule at the helm of some of the best clubs around the world. By fusing elements of Jazz, Afro, Latin, Funk and Soul with the deeper end of House and Disco, Aroop has forged his own style with EPs on revered labels including G.A.M.M, Basic Fingers, Freestyle and Lazy Days. For his Delusions Of Grandeur debut he pulled out all the stops, delivering three original tracks which further show his diversity as an artist and ability to produce left of centre, quality underground music without losing sight of the dancefloor.
Things kick off with Save Our Love, a track that's absolutely brimming with energy thanks to punchy Wurlitzer chops, tension-building Philly strings, and a rock-solid disco groove.
Next up we have What I love which sees Aroop take an altogether more freaky approach flipping an uptempo rolling break, distorted synth line, cross-rhythm stabs and rasping vocal cuts into an edgy dance floor workout.
Closing this brilliant EP is the low-slung bump of Walk That Walk featuring original vocals from Oakland, CA based Blacktroniks who delivers his flow on top of a bass-heavy slice of deep electro boogie.
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Gqom Oh! records presents "The Originators", a five track EP respresenting the past, the present and the future of Gqom - the thunderous club sound from Durban, South Africa. The Gqom Oh! label was set up by Rome-based DJ and musician Nan Kolè to highlight the music and artists of Durban, the often overlooked cradle of the new South African sound. The label's 2016 compilation - 'Gqom Oh! The Sound of Durban Vol.1' - broke the sound out of South Africa, Pitchfork calling it The largest and most thoughtful survey of the genre available to western audiences to date'. Recently joining Kolè is Sboniso Brandon Luthuli aka Citizen Boy on the ground as local A&R. The EP's A-Side is dedicated to two of the genre's most prominent producers. DJ Lag is a frontrunner in pushing Gqom worldwide. Making music from a young age and building up a solid reputation in South Africa, he's known as the "King of Gqom". Griffit Vigo, a real innovator in the Gqom genre, grew up in the same area as DJ Lag and has attained a legendary status amongst his peers. "When I was in Durban the first time I noticed that Griffit Vigo was a kind of legendary figure, he'd been inspiring all the Gqom Durban artists for a long time. Nobody knew where he was but everybody was playing him and sometimes using his beats to make new songs. The main track 'Ree's Vibe' was the peak moment of DJ Lag's sets all over the world. If Lag is the Gqom King then Griffit Vigo is the Gqom Legend."- Nan Kolè. Sbucardo is one of the most respected DJs around the streets and the townships of Durban. Featuring Abnormal on 'Iphoyisa', whose lyrics in Zulu translate to We at the club, Mr police man don't disturb us", the track represents the South African scene and Gqom culture in Durban very well. Naked Boyz (officially the first in Durban to explore new territories in broken beat in 2011) 'Story Teller' is characteristic of the Sgubhu style, a blend of Gqom with more conventional house sounds, the new genre taking over Durban and finding its way onto mainstream radio. Scene kingpins Rude Boyz round off the release's line up of Gqom originators with 'Umshunto'.
Dutch artist Mokona returns to Templar Sound for his third release on the label with 'Love in Restricted Areas', described as being set in a private laboratory complex deep inside a forest, recorded during the summer after long nights of medical research.
* 'Love in Restricted Areas' continues the lush and serene soundscapes explored on 2015's 'Breathless' EP, while mixing more club friendly tracks like 'Perfumed Steel' and 'A.N.G.E.L. Guard System' with the meditative as found in 'Heart Sync' and 'Natalie's Aquarium Lab'. With a strong cinematic feel permeating throughout, and having taken his name from a character of the manga xxxHOLiC, which explores Japanese mythology and culture, it makes perfect sense that a track like 'Cupid's Bow' feels like it could have been lifted from a Studio Ghibli soundtrack.
* Though hard to pin down to a single genre, Mokona has produced a beautifully layered record that is just as fitting for head phone listening as the chill out room.
Darren Cunningham's eagerly~awaited new album is an adventurous, ultramodern, thoroughly British affair, rummaging about in the inner lives of house and techno, and brilliantly elaborating the accomplishments of his debut, Hazyville.
Determinedly off~the~map and resistant to pigeonholing, Cunningham is an enigmatic and playful figure, citing Francis Bacon and Monet as inspirations longside Theo Parrish, Anthony 'Shake' Shakir, Daft Punk, 'binary codes and numeral systems', and The Avengers. He's a hard man to pin down - somehow a key player in the post~dubstep diaspora and yet not there at all - but everything comes across in his shape~shifting, richly textured music.
The South Londoner's acclaimed debut lived up to its name: a series of dreamlike sketches and ideas. For Splazsh the fog has lifted, the sounds are less submerged than before, but still sticky and close - a signature combination of exuberance and introversion, luminescence and puzzlement. Unconstrained by the formal cliches of the dance music he loves, Actress' melodies and arrangements are enthralled by their own genies. Worlds of disturbance and melancholy revolve giddyingly inside the insidious funk of tracks like Get Ohn and Lost. A range of musical influences is redrawn, from speed garage (Always Human) to grime (Wrong Potion), with none crowned king. There is a reflectiveness - the ambient drift of Futureproofing, the radiophonic judder of
Supreme Cunnilingus - in amongst the industrial, synth~wave flavours of Casanova, and the stirring, stately Maze.
Actress has quickly and justly become one of the most respected names in the UK's new dance music underground. His own label, Werk Discs, has proven itself one of the most formidable and taste~making UK independents of recent times, bringing the world extraordinary albums from Zomby, Lukid, Lone and Actress himself. In love with the mysteries of groove and repetition, Splazsh is both a culmination and a new beginning for Actress, a substantial and eccentric work from a brave and coolly individual artist.
With international press interest gathering - photo features in Dazed And Confused, and Fader in the US, and a session with Wolfgang Tillmans for the cover of the German magazine Groove - the stage is set for Actress.
With his new album 'Trail Of Intuition' Danish singer and songwriter Jacob Bellens once again is shimmering somewhere in-between electronically influenced songwriting and synthpop music, using his characteristic voice to reflect on his life's journey. Since the age of five, making music means creating a parallel universe to Jacob Bellens. It's his very own space, where he can be himself and always retreat to, no matter what happens. Out of this universe the Copenhagen based musician has released numerous songs and albums with his previous bands I Got You On Tape and Murder, with side projects and features as well as a solo artist. 'Trail Of Intuition' is his fourth solo album and the second one that's internationally signed with hfn music. Unlike the songs for his previous release 'Polyester Skin", which he wrote mostly on piano and guitar before sending them to producer Kasper Bjørke for final production, Bellens wrote all the songs for 'Trail Of Intuition' on his computer. You could see him sitting in front of his laptop in coffee shops across Copenhagen, with his headphones on, letting the basic programming and pre-production of the songs become an essential part of the writing process. The final production was made mostly by Rune Borup, who he knows back from the I Got You On Tape days and his friend Lars Iversen (The Asteroids Galaxy Tour), with whom Bellens also had the band project Goblins. The new album is a collection of snapshots of the whole range of feelings for which Bellens digs into the pool of his own experiences.
Tadd Mullinix first made a name for himself as Dabrye in the early 2000s with a pair of instrumental albums combining the rhythmic finesse of Detroit hip-hop with the ingenuity of electronic music. But instrumental beats were only a temporary goal, a way for Mullinix to catch the ears of MCs. On Two/Three, his second Dabrye album for Ghostly International, Mullinix brought together a formidable crew of local and national talent to make the statement he'd always intended. Released in 2006, Two/Three o-ered a fevered vision of rap's future that remains just as intoxicating a decade on. Ahead of the long-await-ed conclusion of Dabrye's hip-hop trilogy in 2018, Ghostly is reissuing Two/Three.
Dabrye's move towards rap began in 2004 with the album's first single, 'Game Over' featuring Jay Dee and Phat Kat. An early inspiration of Dabrye's, Jay Dee invited Mullinix to his crib in 2002 for a listening session during which he picked the 'Game Over' beat to rap on. Crucially everyone involved was in accord that despite perceptions of their respective work this would be a hardcore rap song. Together with Kat, Jay delivered a one-two lyrical punch on 'Game Over' that no one saw coming. Detroit made the world go round and everyone's head spun. 'Game Over' set the tone for the album and, over the next few years, became a Detroit anthem — shortly after Jay's passing in 2006 the audience at Movement Festival sung his verse.
Moody, propulsive, and above all ambitious, Two/Three emerges from a sonic stew of Detroit and UK dance music, Jamaican sound clashes, and hip-hop sampledelia. The guests, a who's who of the mid-'00s underground rap scene, engage in a raucous rhyming session that pays as much attention to the realities of the streets as it does world events. MF Doom, Wildchild, Vast Aire, Beans, and AG represent for the various coasts while local talents — Waajeed, Ta-Raach, Invincible, Finale, Kadence, Guilty Simpson, Big Tone, Phat Kat, and Jay Dee — bring Two/Three alive with an infectious energy. In between bursts of raw rap and hard beats, Dabrye showcases detailed instrumentals that evoke bleak industrial futures, underwater meditations, and smoky late night sessions. With Two/Three Dabrye placed himself at the forefront of hip-hop's new wave, throwing a Molotov cocktail into the rap world as uncompromising as the head-twisting cover art from WK Interact. The independent press praised Mullinix's audacity. Over the following years the impact of Two/Threewas felt in slow increments as Dabrye's music became central to the sonic makeup of a new generation of producers. As this beat scene grew and moved away from rap, it showed Mullinix the influence of his work and the value of his vision for Dabrye as his own brand of Detroit hip-hop.
We're very glad to welcome Argentinian born Manu Belgrano aka Manuk for the 3rd release on our imprint.He has been preparing four stunning original cuts that will keep you up dancing n tripping all night long. Under the pseudonym Bicicleta 99 he presents his latest work and it's fire!Inspired by edgy UK oldschool electro sounds, he definitely nailed down his modern version of the past. Unique soundscapes and very refined work on the drums make In Therapy 03 a must for your record collection.
