quête:meant

Dallas, Texas resident Ben Hixon is a consistent performer with a tasteful take on deep house that most often comes on this label. His final missive of the year opens up with 'Meant To Be', a nice bumpy cut with bass reverberations and glitchy percussive textures. Hi-hats tick in the background to keep time as smudged vocals burn with soul and lolloping rhythms take centre stage. 'Love Crazy' is another stripped-back sound that is dusty and gritty with bass that folds in on itself and more sprinkled analogue percussion to add extra bite.

Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new 7inch single release, filled with 2 beautiful tracks previously compiled on the famous and now almost sold-out, AOR Global Sounds series.

First comes “What Its Meant to Me” by Jonathon Hansen. Self-produced and self-released in 1978 by Jonathon, this is another perfect recipe of AOR soulful style. Jonathon Hansen told us a bit about its story: “’What Its' Meant To Me’ was a song I wrote about the breakup of a band. As with a lot of my songs, I always write them to be about more than one thing. Primarily relationships. The song was recorded in Costa Mesa, CA at Sunwood Sound Studios. It was recorded with fellow bandmates and other musician friends.”

Another top track from the series comes next, with “It’s Always Something With You” by Jeff Silna. Originally only released on a promotional radio compilation, it was reissued by Favorite Recordings in 2017 on the 3rd edition of the AOR Global Sounds series and is still now in high demand. Here again Jeff Silna reminds: “This track was recorded at TK Studios, credited with the inception of disco music and pumping out what were considered the first Disco hits. TK created what’s known as the Miami sound. I was fortunate to work with some amazing musicians like guitarist Sheldon Stauber and players from the U of M Jazz Band, which was tops in the country at the time. My influences were funk and soul bands like Earth Wind & Fire and Average White Band.”

Ezra Collective’s new era, a venture in discovered maturity and raised stakes, will be defined by the anticipated second album.

'Where I’m Meant To Be' is a thumping celebration of life, an affirming elevation in the Ezra Collective’s winding hybrid sound and refined collective character. The songs marry cool confidence with bright energy. Full of call-and-response conversations between their ensemble parts, a natural product of years improvising together on-stage, the album - which also features Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sandé, Steve McQueen, and Nao - will light up sweaty dance floors and soundtrack dinner parties in equal measure.

Where I'm Meant To Be is out on 4th November via Partisan Records.

John Scofields Quartett mit Tenorsaxofonist Joe Lovano war eine der führenden modernen Jazzgruppen der
1990er Jahre. Auf seinem zweiten Blue-Note-Album “Meant To Be”, das nun erstmals als Doppel-LP auf
Vinyl erscheint, demonstriert der Gitarrist in elf unverkennbaren Scofield-Originalen die ganze Schlagkraft
und nuancierte Musikalität dieser Band. “Das farbenfrohe und unterhaltsame Programm bietet moderne
Mainstream-Musik der 1990er Jahre, die sich nach vorne orientiert, aber gleichzeitig an den Wurzeln von
Hard Bop, Funk und Fusion festhält.” (Scott Yanow, AllMusic, 4,5 Sterne)

Lim. Natural Vinyl Version!

Third studio album of Tren, following two sold-out releases (The Rising and Setting of the Heavenly Bodies; The Passages through Space and Time). An hour of hypnotic minimal techno and electronica, unfolding seamlessly to guide the listener on an introspective journey. Coming out 1.5 year after the unreleased set (mixed version), which gathered great feedback from fans:

"TREN touches deeply within the spirit / soul / most emotional part of self. It's a new and refreshing
sound, but still with the same fingerprint. Just Amazing!!!"

"Godly creation! Loved it from the first few seconds"

"Probably his best mix as of yet. So mature and well-rounded tracks."

Black Vinyl

Third studio album of Tren, following two sold-out releases (The Rising and Setting of the Heavenly Bodies; The Passages through Space and Time). An hour of hypnotic minimal techno and electronica, unfolding seamlessly to guide the listener on an introspective journey. Coming out 1.5 year after the unreleased set (mixed version), which gathered great feedback from fans:

"TREN touches deeply within the spirit / soul / most emotional part of self. It's a new and refreshing
sound, but still with the same fingerprint. Just Amazing!!!"

"Godly creation! Loved it from the first few seconds"

"Probably his best mix as of yet. So mature and well-rounded tracks."

“Here is my first-born child, a fuck you to all my exes, and basically me just trying to figure out some shit openly and honestly on record. First of many and if you don't like it, then this wasn't meant for you anyway.” - Lola Young.

This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway marks a remarkable shift in Lola’s sound as an artist. Recorded in LA and produced by friend and collaborator Solomonophic (Remi Wolf, BROCKHAMPTON, Dominic Fike), This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway
is a multi-faceted, fearless concept. As irresistible as it is unexpected, Lola’s album is crackling with kinetic energy and lyrically fuelled by rage, passion, narrative flair and comedy derision. A contemporary break-up album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway
encapsulates the sound of what it means to be young and in constant romantic chaos. With exciting plans up Lola’s sleeve, her upcoming record will undoubtedly add to her musical trajectory.

Donovan invited fans to submit their top 5 favourite songs of his to help curate this limited edition Record Store Day exclusive vinyl. With over 680 submissions, the top songs were chosen and became the tracklist. Each fan who submitted their song picks will have their name listed in the liner notes of the record. Description from Donovan Woods: People like vinyl records, you may have heard. So folks are always asking me about when certain songs will be available on vinyl. The problem is, some of these songs were singles. They were never on an album. I’m not gonna make vinyl singles. This ain’t 1952. I was hoping that vinyl’s popularity would wane and I could wait it out, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. So, we had an idea to let fans vote on which songs they’d like on a vinyl release. Not like a greatest hits, because I have no “hits”, but like a compilation. So, you voted (thank you) and these are all of the popular choices that would fit on an album. Do I agree with all of them? No, of course not. But it's not up to me, that's the beauty of it. It’s not a greatest hits, I can’t stress that enough. It’s just a compilation of songs that a certain set of people enjoy and they'd like to hear these songs with a few more vintagey crackley-pops. Canada RSD Exclusive Pressing - 300 Units - Recycled Mixed-Blend Colourway USA RSD Exclusive Pressing - 200 Units - Recycled Mixed-Blend Colourway Merch Store Exclusive Pressing - 200 Units - Pink Colourway (DW Online Sales Only)

Repress on Galaxy Blue Vinyl. Limited to 500 copies. On their second long player, FIRES IN THE DISTANCE further expand on their musical foundations of wistful melodicism, crushingly heavy guitar work and intricate atmospherics. Across Air Not Meant For Us' six tracks, FIRES IN THE DISTANCE tie together intensely personal ruminations on mental health and themes of existentialism in the form of mortality salience, without losing sight of the importance of perseverance. Teaming up with Salt Lake City producer Randy Slaugh (Devin Townsend, Tesseract, White Moth Black Butterfly), FIRES IN THE DISTANCE's chief songwriter Yegor Savonin (composition, guitars, programming, lyrics) sought to reach even greater dynamics within the band's core sound of melodic death and doom metal. With live orchestration in the form of violas, violins, cellos, as well as piano work, proving to be an incredibly fruitful collaborative process for both band and producer.

Donovan Woods was curious: What if he re-recorded Both Ways, his acclaimed 2018 record that won him a Juno Award for contemporary roots album, and distilled its 12 songs to their bare essence? An “acoustic reimagining,” if you will. “We started from scratch,” he says, from the instrumentation to his vocals to a fresh understanding of the heartache and regret that underpinned those songs. “There are no recording elements carried over from that album. It’s all brand-new.” Woods ended up with The Other Way, his album that brims with inspired interpretations of Both Ways that are intimate yet startling in their urgency. Released on May 3, 2019 on Meant Well, this release is a reminder of why the Canadian artist has become such a sought-after songwriter whose work has been recorded by Tim McGraw (“Portland, Maine”) and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley (“Leaving Nashville”), with Spotify streams approaching nearly 90 million. You’ve always been able to hear and connect with Woods’ words. But an odd sensation washes over you when the varnish is wiped off of Woods’ songs. Somehow the lyrics burrow with even greater resonance and then linger like little smoke rings. For a producer, Woods enlisted ace guitarist Todd Lombardo, who produced Woods’ song “Portland, Maine” in 2015 and wrote and played most of the guitar parts on Kacey Musgraves’ Grammy-winning Golden Hour. Woods gave Lombardo artistic license not only to change the chords and song structures but to overhaul the arrangements with acoustic instruments and Lombardo’s luminous guitar work as the centerpiece. “I think this album draws out the pain and the darkness of these songs,” Lombardo says. “The record is about loss and failure and feeling like you fucked it up, and there’s no mistaking that. You hear every single word – and feel it, too.” Coming on the heels of “Go to Her,” Woods’ first song of 2019, The Other Way is so revelatory that it makes you wonder why he didn’t try this approach sooner. “It’s always been an interesting idea to me, especially when you’re an artist like me who inherently disappoints some people anytime your sound gets bigger,” Woods says. “But a really good song is a good song in any arrangement. It’s like a beautiful hardwood floor. You can put any furniture in there, and it’s going to look good.”

For his new album, Without People, Donovan Woods explains: “Anything but protest music feels out of place right now. In the middle of a pandemic, as the truth of our environmental devastation sinks in, in the thick of protests reshaping our thoughts on policing and crystallizing the reality of white supremacy at work in all corners of our society, it feels silly to write about relationships. I was thinking about that when the title “Without People” came to me. It made me think about the intrusion of real life, other people’s needs and opinions into our internal worlds. It made me think about life as a series of lessons that all seem to be about learning to cope without people you love. And it made me think about how beautiful the world could be without us, and how we’re perhaps the first generation to consider that notion as a real possibility.”

Donovan Woods’ album is a study in contrasts, as one would expect from its name: Both Ways. That push-and-pull, especially in relationships, has long been Woods’ stock in trade. As the lead track of Both Ways, “Good Lover” unfolds with acoustic instruments and Woods’ quietly compelling delivery -- not what a listener might expect from the title alone. That masterful perspective has led to nominations for the Polaris Prize and the Juno Awards. In addition, his single “What Kind of Love Is That?” climbed to No. 1 on the CBC Top 20 Chart, while his catalog has accrued over 45 million streams. Woods is also a notable songwriter in Nashville with credits by Billy Currington, Charles Kelley, Tim McGraw and Charlie Worsham. NPR Music stated, "There are very few writers who can make you laugh and break your heart in the same song.” No Depression noted that Woods’ style is “as fresh and captivating as any out there.” Asked if he writes differently for himself than he does for other artists, Woods replies, “I used to think that there was a difference. I know now there's no difference. You just try to write the best thing. Everything I wrote where I said, ‘This is mine and I’m going to put it out’ – every song like that gets recorded by somebody else. I know now that I just try and write a song that I would want to do.”

Ezra Collective’s new era, a venture in discovered maturity and raised stakes, will be defined by the anticipated second album.

'Where I’m Meant To Be' is a thumping celebration of life, an affirming elevation in the Ezra Collective’s winding hybrid sound and refined collective character. The songs marry cool confidence with bright energy. Full of call-and-response conversations between their ensemble parts, a natural product of years improvising together on-stage, the album - which also features Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sandé, Steve McQueen, and Nao - will light up sweaty dance floors and soundtrack dinner parties in equal measure.

Where I'm Meant To Be is out on 4th November via Partisan Records.

Mit „Where I'm Meant To Be“ bricht für die britische Jazzfusionband Ezra Collective eine neue Ära an, definiert von musikalischer Reife und einem noch höherem Einsatz.

Das zweite Album des Londoner Quintetts ist vertonte Lebensfreude, eine Weiterentwicklung ihres hybriden Sounds und kollektiven Charakters. Die Songs vereinen kühle Zuversicht mit heller Energie. Das Album, auf dem auch Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sandé, Steve McQueen und Nao zu hören sind, ist das Produkt jahrelanger gemeinsamer Improvisationen auf der Bühne und lebt von Ruf und Antwort, dem Call and Response der Ensemblemitglieder.

Musik, die sich gleichermaßen für die Tanzfläche als auch zur musikalischen Untermalung einer Dinnerparty eignet.

Format:
Deluxe 2LP Col. Ltd. - Deluxe-Vinyl - zwei 140g schwere, limitierte, orange und gelb marmorierte LPs in einer Deluxe-Gatefold-Hülle mit zwei bedruckten Innenhüllen und 14-seitigem Fotobuch.

Mit „Where I'm Meant To Be“ bricht für die britische Jazzfusionband Ezra Collective eine neue Ära an, definiert von musikalischer Reife und einem noch höherem Einsatz.

Das zweite Album des Londoner Quintetts ist vertonte Lebensfreude, eine Weiterentwicklung ihres hybriden Sounds und kollektiven Charakters. Die Songs vereinen kühle Zuversicht mit heller Energie. Das Album, auf dem auch Sampa The Great, Kojey Radical, Emile Sandé, Steve McQueen und Nao zu hören sind, ist das Produkt jahrelanger gemeinsamer Improvisationen auf der Bühne und lebt von Ruf und Antwort, dem Call and Response der Ensemblemitglieder.

Musik, die sich gleichermaßen für die Tanzfläche als auch zur musikalischen Untermalung einer Dinnerparty eignet.

Format:
Deluxe 2LP Col. Ltd. - Deluxe-Vinyl - zwei 140g schwere, limitierte, orange und gelb marmorierte LPs in einer Deluxe-Gatefold-Hülle mit zwei bedruckten Innenhüllen und 14-seitigem Fotobuch.

In 1978, Roy Roberts produced and wrote a song for soul music legend Eddie Floyd; this melancholy storyliner has languished in the vaults for over forty years. IZIPHO SOUL are thrilled to release on a 45 and continue our Rock House Records/Westwood Music Group licensed collaboration.
Featuring on the A Side, Southern soul legends Barbara Carr and Roy Roberts duet on the supreme mid-pacer ‘It’s Only You’.
250 collectors’ copies pressed for the Real Soul Heads!

Please note ‘Guess It Wasn’t Meant To Be’ has been restored from the original tape to its best possible quality - unrepairable damage is evident in the final parts.

Rain&Shine proudly present Steve Elliott's first album -True Image (1981). After failing to find musicians with the same direction and devotion to music he had acquired, Steve taught himself to play eleven different instruments and move from hometown of Pasadena, California to Denver Colorado.

Eager to express his musical ability, Steve became a DJ on KDKO radio, and would then go on to compose, arrange and perform True Image on September 20th 1981 with a collection of drum machines, synthesizers, and contributing musicians on rhodes, flute, guitar and vocals.

Mr. Elliott's philosophy is 'You hold in your hand a dream, a dream come true by a man whose only objective was to express the love he contains, the love we all contain within through music.'

On many collectors want lists, passing for a median price of $450 online.

* 15 brand new and exclusive cuts from some of their favourite producers, alongside another 13 tracks that have been the soundtrack to your clubbing experience their nights. If you have been to any of their nights in the last few months then you may well have heard these being road tested.

* Highlights include the Spectrasoul remix of LSB's 'Rollings Sideways' and the sublime Vanguard Project rework of BCee's 'Lost & Found'.
* Support from High Contrast, LTJ Bukem, Fabio, London Elektricity, Rockwell, Etherwood, Technimatic and a whole load more...