World Seven is a record label brought to you by the Paris & London based Africa Seven crew . We have joined forces with a collective of label heads, music freaks & crusty crate diggers to expand our musical quest - to search the world for sounds, vibes & scenes which cross musical genres and geographical borders. It's all about the music brothers and sisters.
Michel Sardaby was born in Fort de France, Martinique in the French West Indies in 1935. As a child he was surrounded by music in his dad's brasserie. He became a child prodigy on the piano and went on to study art at the Boulle School in Paris before deciding to concentrate on a career as a jazz pianist. Throughout the 60's, he played piano with blues musicians like Sonny Boy Williamson and T-Bone Walker, at the same time beginning to release more jazz-focused solo albums.
The record was recorded in New York in 1975 and the personnel on record is formidable. Billy Hart (McCoy Tyner alumni) is on drums, Richard Davis on bass and Leopold Flemming on Percussion. Michel himself is on keys and delivers a Rhodes master class.
The album itself has been remastered specially for vinyl and pressed (at the request of Michel himself) on heavy weight vinyl.
quête:mc 8
- A1: So Lang
- A2: Woanders
- A3: Prototype
- A4: Naww Featuring Uschi Brüning
- A5: War Das Schon Alles
- A6: Your Love Is King Featuring Maikel
- B1: Heimlich Rauchen Featuring Souly
- B2: Whip Featuring Rin
- B3: Haus Aus Zink Featuring – Luna
- B4: Was Es Braucht
- B5: 070 Shake Featuring – Bonez Mc
- B6: Nach Hause Komm´ Featuring – Jassin
Trettmanns Your Love Is King Trilogie erscheint in voller Länge als Vinyl-Edition.
Die exklusive Your Love Is King 3 Vinyl-Edition vereint alle 12 Tracks der EP-Trilogie und dokumentiert Trettmanns musikalische
Entwicklung, die er gemeinsam mit dem Produzenten-Team aus Ahzumjot, Dexter, Florida Juicy, Greedo,
Levin und vekst beschritten hat. Die Vinyl erscheint als streng limitiertes Gatefold mit einer transparenten
140g-Vinyl.
The first in a four-volume retrospective of Kuduro and tarraxinha pioneer DJ ZNOBIA. Incoming unto the world for a very long time from the musseke of Rangel, home of Casa da Mé&e Ju, in the Angolan capital o Ldanda, one if not the pivotal visionary of his country’s music electronic and digital modernism DJ Znobia, o/fum/an inventor. Usually considered the first purveyor of the fluency regarding tarraxinha (drinking in its foundational slow shuffle from the city of Benguela), as well as a main player in free thinking, spontaneous, funny, depressive, silly, melancholic, hilarious all encompassing beats within kuduro, batida, techno and beyond, his influence as a producer, DJ, MC and public fiuce has had a great imprint in Angolan culture for the better part of the last three ecades. This venture went through over 700 tracks of his archive (more than double are lost in the meantime between his and the NNT library) in order to collaboratively select a fiercely representative albeit balanced affair from his production, between instrumentals for sung kuduro, instrumental kuduro/batida, sung and instrumental tarraxinha, and other creative styling from the late 90’s to the mid 2000’s. Forms now heard around the world which started here, with Znobia a decisively influential contributor, along with several of his peers and collaborators, which will be also in evidence in this four volume retrospective. His story is way too far flung for this endeavor to try and make a simple narrative out of it. You have to be him, you have to be within this territory, and we ask of the people who will approach to ask him what has happened with the history of this music and what is the current reality at ground zero Luanda, as he is a mirror and visionary of its streets, in a country with such complicated dynamics and brutal treatment of its citizens. To try to put in a clean slate for this conversation, let’s talk to a genius of street music. Your question. First, here's the opening collection of what we have to share with you.
SHOCK Remembering the Classic tune "Let Your Body Do The Talkin", Shock was an amazing FUNK band run by Marlon McClain & Roger Sause. The LIES EP is an extended version of the mega rare and expensive 12" released in 2011 on Boogie Times Records. It features the songs LIES as a splendid Tony Massera re-edit Version, as well as the original version from 1984. WORK YOUR BODY is featured as well and new added on this version is now the song YOU GOT THE LOVE, which has never been released before on vinyl.
Frenchie King is a veteran artist and producer from the world of Reggae music. He was born in Jamaica and moved to the UK at the age of 12, where he began singing in a church choir. In the late 1960s he formed a church band with two friends called "The Ressurectors". Their music caught the attention of Reggae star Alton Ellis. After meeting Alton a new band formed called "Black Stallion" and their first song on Venture Records was released entitled - "Love Power". Alton was mentor and guiding light for Frenchie and crew; enabling them to jam with a host of Studio One artists.
Frenchie went on to work with noteworthy Reggae arists like: Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown, Dennis Alcapone, Ken Parker, Tito Simon, Dave Barker, Bobby Davis (The Sensations), Ruff Cutt, Owen Gray and Akabu.We didn't tour with Dennis or John Holt but Alton would always call them to the stage to jam, but we did a few shows with Alton sister Hortense Ellis and few other too much to mention...
Moving into the 1980s, Frenchie started a solo career and switched to the label "M1" where he released projects like "Your Entitled" and "Poor Me Natty Dread". During this time he also worked with renowned producer Sid Buckner (Studio One), before taking a brief hiatus; returning to help produce artist Owen Gray. He also wrote the song "Blackbird" for the band Akabu which was released in 1995 on U-Sound. M1 recording produce yours truly under name countryman linkup with the man Ezekiel in Luton hence M1
Moving forward into the 2000s, along with other musical adventures the iconic album "People Had Enough" was released in 2017, along with singles, "Let Us Do Something" and "Dance Cork". On let us do something and dance (kark) is produce by Michael McNeil aka the original jah son , a good musical sou-jah.
Which brings us up to date. In 2023 Frenchie hooked up with The Blackstones. Through this came the opportunity to work with Iron Sound Records and producer Alien Dread. This is the first single on ISR, with a solid Roots vocal track backed by studio band: Alvin Davis, Asha B and Steven Wright. More to follow!
KRÆK makes his debut onto Flexout's main label with a powerful and deeply personal collaborative EP, joining forces with Ukrainian artist NickBee. Born from an extraordinary connection forged in the crucible of war, this release transcends music. NickBee's contributions were crafted amidst the chaos and danger of his homeland, making this EP a testament to resilience and the enduring power of friendship.
Their shared creative journey became a lifeline, offering a much-needed escape and a channel for processing the turmoil of conflict. The result is a sonic experience charged with raw emotion and an undeniable narrative force. Each track pulses with the energy of survival, frustration, anger, and hope.
This EP is not just a musical statement, but a reminder that the war in Ukraine continues. It stands in solidarity with NickBee and all Ukrainians, amplifying their voices and their unwavering spirit.
Daniel Dumile, better known as the late, great and always mysteriously masked MC MF Doom was one of a kind. His legend lives on through his work which here gets served up on new label Doom in instrumental form. 'Saffron' (MF instrumental) is a silky late-night sound with warm melancholic chords and subtle boom-bap beats. On the flip, things get more jazzy with the expressive trumpets and more raw broken beat patterns of 'Arrow Root' (MF instrumental). It's a timeless and sophisticated sound that will woo any listener into a calming mood and comes on a limited 7".
Pain Management presents a debut collaborative release from Bristol’s Larry McCarthy & mysterious newcomer Eris FM. The limited edition single fuses hellish Bristolian dub with tender vocal excursions on two dark cuts in equal parts tough and tender. A heartfelt comedown offering for the hyperactive via two cathartic weapons primed for maximum emotional release.
The A side’s foolish titular opener is a hellish mess of dub delays and eerie narrative exposition. Reminiscent of blown-out early No Corner offerings; a tangled mess of sirens and harsh noise ensnare FM’s disembodied commands. Turn your phone off / Tell no one where you are / Go out / Press your lips to the cracks in the soil. Overtly human exposition shrouded in a plosive shell of sawtoothed frequencies and machine drum paranoia. The effect is an unsettling hybrid of softness and uncertainty. A teeth-grinding mess of grit and potent anxiety primed for anti-dancefloor devastation; one to comfort the disturbed or disturb the comfortable depending on where you’re at.
On the flip ‘Red’ applies this same methodology to a beatless format, noisy chaos swapped out for ascendent grandeur. Here FM’s voice has more room to breathe, floating above an ever expanding synthscape. Reflective prosaic cohesion replaces the A side’s splintered present-tense directives.The rawness remains but on Red it takes the form of a commanding emotive clarity rather than claustrophobic uncertainty. A subtle heartbeat rhythm pulses beneath the nebulous pads, swaying like a slow dance in the early hours.
Hyper-limited run of 100 7” records
2024 Repress
Micron Audio embodies a hub for a modern and futuristic electro sound, led by its master DJ Stingray 313. The imprint beckons intense electronic sounds, roughened textures and geometries that speak to a guiding principle of making technological advancement accessible to the people. These technoid adventures of sci-fi sound design and arrays of unabating rhythm, draw its listeners through warped microworlds and wicked contortions. Behind the sounds, it exists as a display of artistic responsibility, making statements and providing solutions from socio-political commentaries.? The first Micron Audio physical release emerged in 2011, with DJ Stingray 313's Electronic Countermeasures EP, following a digital-only compilation that is no longer available. Tracks from the Micron Audio hemisphere have featured in several compilation records released by the likes of Rush Hour and Creme Organization, including Stringray's Urban Tribe project. It represents a crisply defiant and firmly electronic approach, drawing in the infective indicators of video games. Relaunching afresh in 2021, Micron Audio is working with new artists and is stepping not only further into the future but into the foreground, where its clear scientific intention and political attitude is entrenched through top-shelf sound design and pumping rhythms.
Toy Tonics presents a new EP by one of the label’s lead artists: CODY CURRIE. The London born talent comes with 4 new tracks that combine neo soul and jazz funk with uptempo house music
Cody usually plays all the instruments on his tracks working as the bassplayer, singer, guitar virtuoso and drummer and becoming one of the hot names in London's club scene as a DJ around 5 years ago at a young age.
His vibe is similar to his the soulful and extravagant sound as these his heros had. Not needing any help from anybody. Even mixing and engeenering all his music himself
Cody Currie’s sound is perfect for today’s DJ sets and fits with the current wave of funky house and groove oriented music coming from London that is taking over the clubs.
Cascading through kaleidoscopic stardust and forming in the outer reaches of the music universe, transcending time and distance, cosmonaut musicians Mo Morris & Zeben Jameson reconnect to write & record songs from opposite sides of their planet (Bali and London) written over the internet during the pandemic. Landing the much anticipated and eagerly awaited new A Mountain of One album "Stars planets dust me".
Welcome to the formative British psych electronic heroes A Mountain Of Ones 3rd studio album.
Mastered and reimagined and a full forthcoming album rework by electronic wizard, master selector & global superstar Ricardo Villalobos, featuring additional collaborations from 80s/90s Balearic legends "The Woodentops`s" front man "Rolo McGinty,”, Japan’s cult heroes ``Dip in the Pool" and "Unkle" and "Toy Drum`s" Pablo Clements.
UK Dub master "Dennis Bovell MBE" also makes an incredible appearance on the "Custards Last Stands" dub versions. Now available on a ltd Japanese 10". A beautiful artwork series generously loaded in by photography legend Dick Sweeney, and co-mixed by Dea Barandana in Indonesia. With its cosmic pop sound, soulful soaring, balearic sensibilities and feel good choruses it carries all the weight of a much needed revo- lution in psychedelic, conceptual ever popular music and sounds & feels like the infamous crossover album that promised to come from the heady days of the bands ascend last time round.
So here’s some back story, garnered from the hearsay, folk law, the myths and the legends, of 10 years ago, in case, like Mo & Zeb, if they'd remembered any of it, they probably weren’t there, after 2 much acclaimed albums and sellout shows vanishing in a cosmic cloud of dust the yin and yang brothers Mo Morris (ZSOU/Electric Stew) & Zeb Jameson (Oasis/Tricky/Pretenders) uncoupled and each em- barked on a pathfinder mission to equip themselves for their inevitable return... they just didn’t know it at the time... and as the global community ground to a halt 2 years ago they sought refuge from opposite sides of the planet in each other's company again.
The solace and rejuvenation it gave had them re-emerging as invigorated, inspired and wiser music creators, this has given rise to the evolution of their 3rd all important album‘s sound.
Zeb "our capacity as human beings is more phenomenal and limitless and way beyond the conventional thinking of society constructs but also in complete harmony with the intelligence and brilliance of advancing technologies".
Experiencing this energy together, as dedicated and devoted music pioneers, these great collaborative universal truths were revealed, imbed and steeped in their writing and recording experience as the music touched and resonated with all involved to create the fresh and fully formed A Mountain Of One 2.0.
For Quiet Town, her first album of new material in 12 years, Smith called on producer and musician Neilson Hubbard, alongside engineer Dylan Alldredge. Hubbard enlisted guitarists Will Kimbrough, Megan McCormick, and Juan Solorzano, bassist Lex Price, Danny Mitchell on keys and horns, and a host of acclaimed vocalists for the background vocals, including Maureen Murphy, Nickie Conley, Jodi Seyfried, Matraca Berg, Kate York, and Park Chisolm.
Smith’s talent for expressing the most human of vulnerabilities is on full display on the new album. Beyond the title track, other album highlights include “Jericho,” co-written with esteemed artist and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame songwriter Matraca Berg, which gives voice to anticipation of impending life changes of monumental import; “I’d Rather Be a Bridge,” a plea for compassion and connection; and “Farther Than We Should Have,” co-written with Natalie Hemby and K.S. Rhoads. The latter is a song about overcoming the deck stacked against kindred spirits who together trek through a difficult journey and find footing beyond beating the odds.
Discover the essential high tempo Singeli Sound that currently echoes throughout Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. This accompanying release to the mini-documentary on the scene from NTS, focuses on two of the central studios in the scene and their singular takes on Singeli; with Pamoja, helmed by DUKE, and the inimitable DJ Sisso
- Open Sesame
- But Beautiful
- Gypsy Blue
- All Or Nothing At All
- One Mint Julep
- Hub's Nub
Hubbard was only 22 years old when he recorded the album, yet it showcases his prodigious talent and hints at the remarkable career he would go on to have
The album has become a classic in the hard bop genre, combining elements of bebop and blues with advanced harmonies and improvisational flair and features a stellar lineup of musicians, many of whom were already influential figures in the jazz world or would go on to become so Freddie Hubbard, Tina Brooks, McCoy Tyner, Sam Jones, Clifford Jarvis. "Open Sesame" is rooted in hard bop, a jazz style characterized by a mix of bebop's fast tempo and complex improvisations with blues, gospel, and R&B influences. Hubbard's trumpet playing is both aggressive and lyrical, marked by his technical precision and emotive phrasing. His performance is complemented by Tina Brooks' soulful tenor saxophone and McCoy Tyner's distinctive piano comping, which adds a rich harmonic layer. The album's compositions range from the upbeat and fiery title track "Open Sesame", to the lush ballad "But Beautiful", and the bluesy groove of "One Mint Julep". The track "Gypsy Blue", written by Tina Brooks, is a highlight with its sophisticated chord changes and melodic inventiveness. Open Sesame received critical acclaim upon release and established Hubbard as one of the premier trumpet players of his generation. It's considered a cornerstone of Hubbard's career and a significant recording helped launch Hubbard into a long and successful career where he would collaborate with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter and remains an essential listen for anyone exploring Freddie Hubbard's discography.
- A1: Mr. Consular Man
- A2: Ambush
- A3: Rebel For Real
- A4: Find Something To Do
- A5: Love Makes A Good Man
- A6: Brother’s Keeper
- B1: Struggling Youth
- B2: Rudeboy Shufflin
- B3: Love Is All You Need
- B4: Borderline
- B5: Sugar Me
- B6: On The Rock
Remastered Reissue des 1995er Israel Vibration-Albums "On The Rock", produziert von Doctor Dread unter Beteiligung der Roots Radics in Originalbesetzung. Mitte der 1990er klang der Israel Vibration-Sound härter und grösser und war besser produziert, was der Band die Türen zum internationalen Erfolg öffnete, die sich auf Marathontour durch Europa, die USA und Südamerika begab. Die LP enthält das kraftvolle "Rudeboy Shufflin", das kultige "On The Rock", beides Meilensteine ..der Bandhistorie, sowie die Beatles-Interpretation "Love Is All You Need". Um die Soundqualität weiter zu verbessern, wurde die ursprüngliche Einfach-LP auf ein Doppelformat erweitert.
- A1: Apt A (1) 06 29
- A2: Apt A (2) 05 52
- B1: And All You Can Do Is Laugh (1) 05 35
- B2: And All You Can Do Is Laugh (2) 05 51
- C1: I Promise Never To Get Paint On My Glasses Again (1) 05 46
- C2: I Promise Never To Get Paint On My Glasses Again (2) 06 02
- D1: Jimmybreeze (1) 07 01
- D2: Jimmybreeze (2) 05 33
- E1: (Cloud Dead Number Five) (1) 05 23
- E2: (Cloud Dead Number Five) (2) 06 00
- F1: Bike (1) 07 13
- F2: Bike (2) 06 54
US version[44,33 €]
cLOUDDEAD's debut album, compiling six 10" EPs that appeared between 2000-2001, is aurally dense and obscured. A sprawling mass of miniature beat-suites and Dadaist lyrics, this strange and beautiful 3xLP would influence a myriad of sub-genres (cloud rap, hauntology, lo-fi hip-hop, etc.) in the two decades since its initial release.
Only the three members of cLOUDDEAD – Why?, Doseone and Odd Nosdam – can speak to the group's origins, but in the context of underground hip-hop towards the end of the 20th century, their arrival makes perfect sense. Cincinnati had a vital scene; home to Scribble Jam, an annual confluence of MCs, DJs, B-boys and graffiti artists. While the trio soon relocated to the Bay Area where they co-founded the Anticon collective, their Midwestern roots – in ramshackle basements of off-campus hovels, as the "cerberus of Southern Ohio" – would remain the atomic heart of their early recordings.
As Chris Martins writes in the liner notes, "The only reason we know their names today is because of how loudly and curiously they aired their insularity. They rewrote the entire world as they knew it through their own fucked perspective, and when those mysterious 10-inches started popping up in record shops, it wasn't just a puzzle to investigate: there seemed to be a whole cosmology hidden in those grooves."
Each side of the album represents one of those elusive 10-inches, each embodying a universe unto itself. Opening salvo "Apt. A" and "And All You Can Do Is Laugh" are perhaps most emblematic of the cLOUDDEAD experience. Why? and Dose create a new language through boundless non-sequiturs, sing-song non-choruses and call-and-response hooks, while Nosdam's dexterous production shifts from crackling ambience of Flying Saucer Attack to tight Ohio Players drum breaks and oblique film samples.
Taken all together, cLOUDDEAD is an original interpretation of hip-hop in the surreal Y2K glow – a bizarre meeting point between William Basinski's Disintegration Loops and MF DOOM's Operation: Doomsday. All it took was a Dr. Sample SP-202, Tascam cassette eight-track and cheap RadioShack mic. There's truly nothing like it.
This edition has been faithfully restored by Nosdam. European exclusive version comes on clear vinyl, incl. fold-out poster and liner notes insert.
2024 Repress
“Live at Sound City” is an instrumental collaboration between bassist Pino Palladino, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Blake Mills, and LA-based saxophonist Sam Gendel. Recorded in one day at the legendary Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, the EP presents new versions of compositions from Palladino & Mills’ Grammy-nominated 2021 album “Notes with Attachments” in an intimate chamber trio setting. Across four tracks, the accomplished trio explores common musical vocabularies, then goes about the work of defamiliarizing them in search of something new, blending the sounds of West African and Cuban music, jazz, R&B, English folk, pop, and beyond.
Pino Palladino is a Grammy Award winning songwriter, producer and bassist who helped create the rhythm-section sound of D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Black Messiah, and over a four-decade career has worked with artists including Keith Richards, Erykah Badu, Eric Clapton, Nine Inch Nails, Questlove, John Mayer, Paul Simon, Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock and Adele.
Blake Mills is a two-time Grammy Awards Producer of the Year nominee. He has released four solo albums and produced and recorded with artists such as Alabama Shakes, Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan, John Legend, Perfume Genius, Jim James, Moses Sumney, Laura Marling, Phoebe Bridgers, Cass McCombs, The Killers, Sara Bareilles, Weyes Blood and Randy Newman. His most recent album Mutable Set, released last year, was praised by Pitchfork as “a hushed collection that floats through the subconscious like a tender dream,” and earned their Best New Music title.
Sam Gendel is a musician living in Los Angeles, CA. He is most known for his work with the saxophone, though he is proficient on multiple instruments. His work is diverse and includes collaborations with a wide range of artists including Ry Cooder, Laurie Anderson, Mach-Hommy, Sam Amidon, Perfume Genius, Moses Sumney, Knower, Vampire Weekend, and inc. no world.
- Fugitive Song
- If This Is Love (I'd Rather Be Lonely)
- Chips Chicken Banana Split
- Grand Funk
- Together
- I Wish It Would Rain
- African Wake
- Love Is The Answer
- I Believe In Music
- Eternal Love
- Fire (She Need Water)
- Right On
- You're So Good To Me Baby
- Mr. Fortune
- Memories
- Here We Go Again
In den späten 1960er Jahren erlebte Kanadas größte Stadt einen musikalischen Aufschwung, als karibische Einwanderer Toronto zu ihrer neuen Heimat machten. Die besten Ska-, Rocksteady- und Reggae-Aufnahmekünstler jener Zeit - die Gründer von Studio One, Treasure Isle und Trojan Records - taten einfach das, was ihnen in den Sinn kam. Einer nach dem anderen gingen sie ins Studio und nahmen einige der härtesten Songs diesseits von Kingston auf. Gemeinsam überwanden sie die rassischen und kulturellen Barrieren und bildeten eine beispiellose und wenig bekannte kanadische Soul & Reggae-Community. "Jamaika to Toronto: Soul, Funk & Reggae 1967-1974" beschreibt diese entscheidende klangliche Migration im Detail. // Mit Jackie Mittoo, Johnnie Osbourne, Wayne McGhie, Lloyd Delpratt, The Mighty Pope, Jo-Jo Bennett, Eddie Spencer, Noel Ellis und mehr_ // 2024 erweiterte Ausgabe mit 20-seitigem Deluxe-Booklet mit Archivbildern, Künstlerbiografien und Essays // 2xLP-Set, läuft mit 45 rpm, in einem luxuriösen Klappcover // Zusammengestellt, und kommentiert von dem GRAMMY-nominierten Produzenten, DJ und Journalisten Kevin Howes (alias Sipreano, Voluntary In Nature) in Zusammenarbeit mit Light in the Attic // Yellow & Green ReVinyl, eine nachhaltige Alternative aus 100% recycelten Materialien //
- Tony Mottola - Danger Theme
- Hirao Masaaki & His All Stars Wagon - Crazy Love
- Jeri Southern - Señor Blues
- Les Harris - And The Bull Walked Around Olay
- John Mckinney & The Premiers - Gee
- Guy Mitchell - Ninety Nine Years
- Lyn Avalon - I Walk The Streets
- Roger Smith - The Legend Of The Volcanoes
- The Surfmen - Paradise Cove
- Billy Fury - Don't Jump
- Andre Williams & Gino Parks - Put A Chain On It
- Carl Holmes And The Commanders - I Idolize You
- Charles Brown - My Heart Is Mended
- Mr. Sad Head - Hard Luck And Travelling
Zwölftes Volumen dieser grossartigen Erfolgs-Serie (und Stag-O-Lee Bestseller) mit entschleunigten R&B/Soul/Exotica Songs, so wie sie einmal im Monat in einem Club in Melbourne/Australia auf den Plattenteller kommen. Um Mitternacht am letzten Samstag jeden Monats versammeln sich jede Menge finstere Gestalten und vintage music lover in einem schlecht beleuchteten, mit Zigarettenqualm gefüllten Raum in Melbourne, um zu diesen slow grinding Tunes zu tanzen. Compiliert von SGF-Chef Ritchie1250, der auch für die Linernotes verantwortlich ist.
- A1: Runway
- A2: Track Of The Time
- A3: Reaching Through
- A4: Holy Low
- A5: Just To Feel Alive
- B1: Seasons Change
- B2: Some Are Lucky
- B3: Ruby
- B4: Call The Days
- B5: Holy Loud
8/10 FULL-PAGE LEAD REVIEW IN UNCUT: “TALENTED ARTISTS SUCH AS ALDOUS HARDING , DELANEY DAVIDSON, IVY ROSSITER AND MARLON WILLIAMS REPRESENT A FRESH COUNTRY-FOLK/AMERICANA MOVEMENT IN AND AROUND CHRISTCHURCH AND DUNEDIN. NADIA REID'S IMPECCABLE DEBUT WILL MAYBE SET A WIDER ORBIT IN MOTION.”
4/5 LEAD REVIEW IN MOJO: “INSPIRED DEBUT BY A YOUNG NEW ZEALAND SINGER-SONGWRITER YOU'LL FEEL YOU'VE KNOWN FOREVER. A WONDERFUL ALBUM"
SUNDAY TIMES DEBUT OF THE WEEK: "SHE RANKS ALONGSIDE LOW AND THE COWBOY JUNKIES FOR DELIVERING SLOW-BURN EMOTION"
"It has all that well-smoked wisdom, that mingling of strength and yearning that seems to charge the work of all my favourite female artists – Laura Marling, The Weather Station, Sharon Van Etten and Tift Merritt, to name but four. Reid is just 23, and since I am loathe to run that “old beyond her years” line, let us simply say that when I hear a young artist making an album as soulful and rich and self-possessed as Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs, I feel so thrilled not only for the existence of that record but for all the music they will make over all the years to come.” THE GUARDIAN PLAYLIST
6MUSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
A richness of voice; a depth of emotion; and wise beyond her years; with Listen To Formation, Look For the Signs, 23-year-old New Zealand native Nadia Reid has claimed her place as one of the country’s most evocative and profound young songwriters. Her music traces the sharp mountain peaks, azure coastline, and mirrored images of the land and sky that pinpoint her home country’s vast open landscapes.
Whether nerding about with friends, stunning audiences into silence with her spellbinding live shows or unwinding in the tranquillity of her favourite hometown spot overlooking Port Chalmers’ harbour through her large-rimmed spectacles, Nadia Reid has achieved a gloriously fresh and eloquent new folk sound. “I’ve been in New Zealand my whole life and guess at times I take for granted the serene beauty that I live so closely with,” she says of her music’s majestic affiliation with nature. Mapping out tales of change and loss, whilst drawing inspiration from reading, writing, the human condition, falling in and out of love, death, and birth - it all lends to a superbly balanced album that moves surreptitiously between sparse and fragile melancholia to beautifully brutal lyricism with a philosophical maturity that bellies her years.
Born in Auckland, Nadia’s acoustic roots stem from an upbringing in a musical household where attending folk clubs and festivals were regular occurrences on the family calendar. “I was lucky to witness a lot of live music and theatre performances because my mum was an actress. I was encouraged to learn piano and guitar, and attended a Steiner school where we spent a lot of time in nature, singing songs.” Before long Nadia was listening to The Be Good Tanyas with friend and fellow recording artist Aldous Harding, which spurred her chosen career path. “There was something spiritual about the Tanyas’ records - I vividly remember the goose-bump feelings up my arms, a true connection to the lyrics and vocals,” she recalls. “Aldous was the first person who told me I had a good voice and I thank her for that. I admire her as an artist and writer, and we like to keep up with what each other is up to.”
Creating her own enchanting wonderworld, each of Nadia’s songs explores the elements; truly organic, her vocals ebb, flow and soar but are always ignited with fire from the gut. Her lyrics clearly reference lush landscapes but equally reflect alienation provided by the surrounding Pacific Ocean and mortality of living in such close proximity to Mother Nature’s wrath, as experienced whilst living in Christchurch at the time of 2011’s devastating earthquake. “It shook the city to its core,” Nadia recalls. “I’m sure living through it has shaped my personality and writing. My first EP was recorded just months afterwards, it was a strange time. We were all quite fragile, but I was braver somehow.”
Boldly infusing folk with full flavour, Listen To Formation, Look For The Signs was produced by Ben Edwards, owner of Lyttelton Records in his Sitting Room studios with Nadia’s band consisting bassist Richie Pickard, guitarist Sam Taylor and percussionist Joe McCallum. Whilst 'Reaching Through’s rich but unhurried nature evokes She Hangs Brightly -era Mazzy Star and intricate nuances of Beth Orton are recalled on lead single ‘Call The Days’ which talks of moving to a new town and was the first song penned after Nadia moved from Christchurch to Wellington; spurred on by a “panic attack” and being “worried about making the right choices in life”. Elsewhere ‘Runway’ and ‘Some Are Lucky’ immediately channel Nadia’s love of TBGT’s Jolie Holland and appreciation for New Zealand’s Maori music by Maisey Rika and Anika Moa, plus the inspirational narratives of Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire.




















