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Continuing the series of single releases from Carlton Jumel Smith's album "1634 Lexington Ave." is a beauty of a track in the form of "Ain't That Love". In soul music guitar doesn't always take lead the way it does here played by Seppo Salmi of Timmion house band Cold Diamond & Mink. You might know those tracks like Darondo's "Didn't I" or "Oh Love" by Iron Knowledge that begin with a guitar line that just freezes the heart.

And there's of course one soulful guitar man we can't leave out here. If Carlton ever put his Bobby Womack to the front, it might be the case with this mid-tempo shuffler. Carlton always sings like he's squeezing the last drops of emotion from the human race, but in this number he's really aiming for the cherry. Cold Diamond & Mink supply the right ingredients for the mix with a strong beat and mellowed out horn melodies.

If there's one single you want to pick from Carlton's album for those Autumn Sundays looking through the window or walking in the park, make it this one.

Recital publish the newest record by Canadian composer Sarah Davachi. Currently working on her PhD in Musicology at UCLA, her trajectory has been unorthodox. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, which, if you've never been there, doesn't really scream "Avant-Garde" (Calgary is the rodeo capital of the world). From a young age, Sarah was a driven pianist (and figure-skater, although that's a story for a different time). It is important and interesting that she chose to study esoteric music; as Sarah could have easily been a cowgirl or a concert pianist had her ingrained love of synthesis and sonic phenomenology not taken the wheel.

Sarah is a considered person. I find few people that have the diligence and resolve to take their time with music... especially in a live context. I respect that about her. The first time I saw Sarah perform, I presumptuously told her that her music reminded me of my favorite Mirror albums (the exceptional project of Andrew Chalk and Christoph Heemann). Sarah was not familiar with Mirror, so the compliment was initially lost on her. Years back I was in the same situation when a review compared my music to Andrew Chalk, who was unknown to me at the time. So I felt a kinship in our magnetic drift towards unspoken and clustered beauty.

Let Night Come On Bells End The Day follows the release of her "sound-wheel" LP All My Circles Run, which examines the isolation of different instruments. Let Night Come On..., recorded mainly with a Mellotron and electronic organ, feels like a return to the nest. Burrowed in the studio, Davachi was the only performer on this album. She both splays her compositional architecture and re-contextualizes the essence of her early output. She chiseled careful and shadowed hymns; anchors of emotion.

Two pillars of this album are "Mordents", which to my ears drops hints of her love for Progressive rock music - and "Buhrstone," comparable to a sombre funeral march of piano and flutes. These two examine punctuations of early music, gently plucking melodies and movements. The three other compositions are tonal works, blowing slow jets of lapping harmonics.

Writing this description now, I find it hard to separate "At Hand" from filmmaker Paul Clipson, who made a melancholic film for this piece of Sarah's. A fitting title for Sarah and Paul's relationship - frequently working in orbit of each other, meticulous and tactile. I cherish this track as a memory of Paul.

This is a lovely album to fill an evening living room with. A blanket, a cup of wine, a dim bulb, a wide window.

Three beautiful photo-prints by Davachi are included with Let Night Come On Bells End The Day. Frames are not included.

- Sean McCann

japanese legendary jazz guitarist “ryo kawasaki”,some of his famous works are like mellow jazz fusion masterpiece “tarika blue”,dance jazz classic “trinkets&things”,cosmic new wave jazz “lucky lady”….

this album with his band “the golden dragon” is probably the best album for fans of wired jazz,brazilian,barealic music. japanese best digger “chee” picked up this album as his favorite album from japan on RA.

“little tree” is a first album that ryo kawasaki used self made guitar synthesizer.

this album is rich in variety, japanese brazilian jazz fusion classic “looking around you”,experimental guitar ambient “capricho arabe”,cosmic fusion “quasar infection”,barealic jazz masterpiece”you are the sun-light”,club jazz classic “little tree”,folky jazz vocal “jamiko”,a lot of great song on this album.

Brand new 12” from BLD on his own imprint. 3 highly effective cuts of stomping break beats combined with 303's, hypnotic basslines and mellow chord synths.

DEAIK is SJ Tequilla’s third record on his own imprint Shot Of T.
A solo affair, where the Berlin based Japanese artist keeps on exploring a variation of different sounds on his new 12″. Thumping Acid, moody ambient, Acid house for a club night, and some more familiar mellow drum machine and melodic pieces.
SJ Tequilla’s most varied record to date. Also with an interesting approach to tempo, where each side shifts between 33-45 by preference of the listener. Essential Shot Of T!

360 degrees of freedom is overwhelming in music, and you need not truly begin to find freedom until you put yourself under extremely narrow constraints.” It was with this quote that Don Slepian laid the groundwork for over 40 years of musical output. Slepian’s work draws equally from the harmonic terrain he explored while performing with a Javanese gamelan ensemble, as well as his time spent building and modifying electronic audio equipment for studios and fellow musicians. Gravitating towards improvisation and experimentation, Slepian built a breathtaking sound-world that stretched the briefest of moments into an eternity of detail and depth. In 1980, Slepian self-released a series of cassette albums that built upon and perfected this practice, offering “New Music for Digital Orchestra”.

New Dawn is one of those albums - an enthralling example of New Age euphoria, and early-electronic
experimentation.

New Music For Digital Orchestra? An ironic subtitle for an album without any traces of digital technology found within. The instruments, tools, and recording techniques are entirely analog. A Korg PS3100, Mellotron voices, Mellotron flutes, analog tape echo and analog recorder were used to create both of the pieces found on New Dawn with both tracks being recorded live with no overdubs

Razor-N-Tape welcome hometown hero Danny Krivit into their stable of editors with a 2-track EP that sources a pair of vibes from the catalog of the ubiquitous "Q."Stuff" begins with a mysteriously looped and reverbed-out saxophone sample, building perfectly toward an eventual explosion of soulful horn stabs and vocals over a percolating rhythm section, in classic Q style. "The Story" tells a mellower yet mesmerizing tale, with its lush string arrangement and artful groove, perfect for those early warmups or late-night comedowns. A true living legend of NYC's rich DJ history, Danny dug deep into his personal cache of edit weapons for this very special record. Absolutely essential!

ProForm Series hits you hard with another debut artist on label. This time it is musically very versatile record from Happopumppu exploring different sides of acid house, acid, techno and possibilities of 303 in these genres. A-side starts with a huge acid banger called 'This Is Da Acid' repeating this mantra all over the track where as 303 delivers some treats from the silver box. Next one is deep acid house track called 'Superfluous' which might as well be coming out from Detroit in the late 80s. On B-side there is something more distorted going on when rough floor burner 'Pain' will rip you apart! After this mayhem it's time to relax with some laidback and mellow acid perfectly named as 'Heat Of The 80s'. Once again limited and numbered edition of 200, after that it's gone, no represses, no digital, so you know what to do!

Orange Vinyl

With "Steamy!" Jukka Eskola Soul Trio reaches its second album on Timmion and delivers another sure-shot for the soul jazz thirsty masses. As with his first self titled debut, this troupe of premium Finnish jazzers turns all the relevant corner stones of soulful and progressive jazz, never running too far up the deep end, but always harnessed with expressive sensitivity and professional cool. It's like the 1960's and 1970's global jazz movement got condensed into a radiant ball of hipness, heady and completely unpretentious.

In addition to the two single releases "Tiny B" and "Stick Of A Branch" Soul Trio dip their groove jazz chops into numbers such as "Five On Three", the shuffling "Jongo Street" and the fatback funky "Steamy". There's also a strong strain of Brazil on several tracks from bossa nova to richly percussive rhythms. On the over 7 minute long "Smash" they mellow out into a beautiful mood that sounds like John Patton swinging with a bunch of European cats. There's even a few studio tricks that we'll leave for the listener to discover.

Calling the Soul Trio a group of virtuosic players is an understatement as all of them have been working at it on a professional level since the 1990's. Trumpetist Eskola and drummer Teppo Mäkynen were both a part of the Helsinki nu jazz movement of the time, which later evolved into the now iconic Five Corners Quintet, while organist Mikko Helevä has hammered his Hammond in underground Finnish jazz funk groups for as long as his two band mates. Together they cook up a stew, which is like a bowl of perfect bouillabaisse, rich with flavour and with nice bits to chew on.

TThe melodically adventurous soul of Leon Ware continues its expression in his final opus Rainbow Deux, released on double vinyl on September 13th. The album features new songs recorded and performed by Leon before his health turned, leading to his transition on February 23rd 2017. Co-produced by Taylor Graves, it has stellar musical contributions from the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Ronald Bruner Jr, Rob Bacon and Wayne Linsey.

Taylor Graves came into Leon’s musical family in 2002 when he, his brother Cameron and the Bruner brothers Ronald Jr and Stephen (Thundercat) were playing along with their schoolmate Kamasi at an L.A. jazz club. Taylor, Cameron, Ronald and Stephen became Leon’s band for his debut shows in Japan in 2002 and Taylor continued to work with Leon as his mentor and collaborator over the next 15 years.

“Leon was ALWAYS writing something or developing his musical palette” his wife Carol Ware tells us, so it’s impossible to pinpoint any single moment of Rainbow Deux’s genesis. Six of the songs go back to 2012/2013 and were released in 2014 as part of Sigh, a Japan-only CD collection heavy with Rob Bacon’s tasteful licks and Wayne Linsey’s piano vibes. The rest of the material comes from Leon’s sessions with Taylor.

Describing Leon’s and his process, here’s Taylor: “We’d start by having some great homemade food! Then a glass of wine ‘to slow down time’. After we’d have our fill and smoked our joints we’d go into his studio room to listen and create.”

The album was finished-up around August of 2016 in a back-and-forth between Leon and his go-to mastering engineer Toni Economides in the UK.

Leon worked on Rainbow Deux with life’s greatest challenge looming over him, yet it is one of his most focused and cohesive solo offerings since the 1980s. The entire record is a vibe: mellow, deep and smooth as silk. The lyrical themes are eternal, and the music is elegant, soulful and sensual.

The album opens with the hypnotic throb of “For The Rainbow”, coming on like a percussive, slow-mo house shuffle. Gilles Peterson is a fan. The exotic “Let Love In” follows, with its gradual-build Island Funk, intricate guitar picks and sassy female vocals. It explodes when it hits its stride. “Sigh” is the stylish slow jam close-out to side A. Serene guitars and polished drums create neck snapping funk, with a swaggering finger-snap strut.

Side B opens with the easy-burning broken-beaty “The Darkest Night”, the centrepiece of the album. Kamasi Washington’s lurking sax, restrained and beautiful, unfurls into the dank, sticky atmosphere of Thundercat’s signature creeping bass laid over his brother’s in-the-pocket drums. Leon’s vocals are perfect, a masterclass in seductive sax-soul.

“Surrender Now” conjures waves of vocals to swell and wash over the glossy piano, subtly bumping hip-hop drums and bubbling synth-bass stabs. It’s got the trademark Leon layers. “Summer Is Her Name” has Kamasi’s effortless, melancholic sunshine sax give way to rising tempos and propulsive rhythms.

“Are You Ready” is a total highlight (and we’ve been playing it out for ages). It’s a nimble groove of piano and synth rolling around Theo Croker’s sensual trumpet playing. Digi-soul at its finest. With lush G-Funk sensibilities “Streets (Keep Me Runnin’)” sounds like a lost Dam-Funk produced gem. All tough kicks and snares and street sounds. Leon’s hood pass will be forever intact.

“Samba Dreams” is the first of two tracks that bring a little Rio magic to Rainbow Deux. Leon created a whole body of work in partnership with Brazilian legend Marcos Valle that includes “Rockin’ You Eternally” - a hit for Leon - and “Estrelar” – a hit for Marcos. Leon channels his obvious love of Brazilian music here through more of Croker’s sumptuous trumpet, played over loose percussion. “Let’s Go Deep” is next up. A dreamy between-the-sheets quiet storm anthem and a real showcase for Leon’s vocals.

The dripping, honeyed harp-funk of “We Should Be Laughin’” marks the star turn of the brilliant Kimbra. Leon first met her on-stage to do an impromptu duet of “Inside My Love” during an open-air celebration of Minnie Riperton in July of 2014. Kimbra was working with Taylor on her music and he brought her to Leon’s house to do some writing. This was the result.

Warm synths radiate shuffling samba soul on “Wishful Thinking” as those Brazilian rhythms return to bring Rainbow Deux to a close.

During an apartment move Leon and Carol rediscovered some watercolours Leon had done years ago. One of these paintings had been dubbed “Deux Hearts” and Leon decided it should be on the cover of Rainbow Deux, getting as far as approving a draft concept for the artwork.

Carol has overseen developing that draft into the final gatefold sleeve. It brings together quotes, photographs and tributes in what is a reflection on the music, relationships and philosophy of the sensual minister.

Gerry “the gov” Brown, Leon’s long-time sound engineer, was by his side throughout the project, recording and mixing. The album was mastered by Toni Economides and Simon Francis’ additional sensitive work makes sure this double LP sounds like it should on vinyl.

Be With’s first ever release was Leon’s eponymous LP. Re-issuing that album planted the seed of a relationship that has grown to grant us the privilege of presenting his crowning achievement. We know that Leon’s fans all over the Earth will love Rainbow Deux. But we also hope that this album, the final entry in a phenomenal body of work, will reach new fans and find fresh conduits for the spirit of this oft-unsung hero of Soul.

Leon always said “they will get it when I'm gone.”

He also said that “the spirit never dies”…

Acclaimed by many as one of the greatest and rarest library LPs of all time, the album 'FEELINGS' by Jay Richford & Gary Stevan aka Stefan Torossi. With its iconic 'naked lady in the wild' cover, has been coveted for many years by collectors of all musical genres. This album showcases some outstanding compositions & arrangements that explore the exciting connections between rhythmic funk and orchestral jazz - and are now for the first time issued on 7" 45 vinyl double pack!

We open with the uplifting “Running Fast” - a driving, pulsating groove laden with Fender Rhodes and swept along by lush strings. If you're not feeling it - book an appointment to see your doctor! Next follows a B-Boy dancer filled with battle floor emotion - “Fearing Much” - this one packs a heavy bass and syncopated drum groove with dramatic, stirring strings. A must have 45 DJs fave! The opening drum break to “Feeling Tense” gives way to mellow vibes with a deep bass, silky strings and charged horns that deliver the perfect slick, down-tempo groove. Last one is another down-tempo vibe heavy on the bass and strings, “Walking in the dark”. 
All in all yet another MUST HAVE Dynamite Cuts 45!

Philippe Cam is the Thomas Pynchon of the electronic music world. Little is known about him and only a couple of pictures have been put online since he emerged on this planet to write his first and only album18 years ago. We know he worked as a sailor and that’s it. If you dig deeper you might find out that he worked as a DJ in the beginning of the 90ies in Brussels and began to study electronic music there and also began to write music for theaters and ballets.

The American distributor Forced Exposure once wrote that about him: „Philipe Cam is a star in his own field. He is among the few people who have succeeded to write hypnotic dance music without a conventional beat still conveying a thrilling, dramatic feel. Cam has developed an accurate, intense and complex formula of modulation-techno. Starting with music similar to Pan Sonic in 1996, his music turned towards a more elegant form of minimal music. Abstract soundtracks lead to an organic form of music, which was equally influenced by modern techno as Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1/Gas or Basic Channel/Maurizio. Cam's music corresponds heavily to the Cologne scene, where his music is appreciated and played throughout the clubs by the likes of Michael Mayer, Tobias Thomas and various other DJs as well as experimental djs from the A-musik corner.“

So what’s new with his music? Basically the art of filtering is still his passion. Maybe he can be less associated with techno and the themes of his new tracks emerge in a more distinctive pattern? Well that’s hard to say, we would comment the energy of his early techno days in Brussels have returned here in a fierce way with some oft he tracks. The rhythmic movements are classy and stick with you. Whereas other tracks look for a distinctive relaxation of some kind.

We are releasing the album as a double clear vinyl with cover art by Yvette Klein who also designed the cover for his Philippe Cam’s album 18 years ago. Graphics for "Rotterdam" come from Cologne designer Daniela Thiel. We also would like to thank the cultural department of Cologne for supporting us to finance the album and to see the artistic value in this piece of minimalism.

The album kicks off with the mellow and soothing "Cocoa Beach". A Gentle beat that moves like bodies swaying in the hot summer sun. The clock moves a step forward and then a step backward as evolution takes a rest.

"Manga" feels like an acceleration to the moon, the contemplative moments come in spurts and hide in the intervals of the chords which are on the loose. Philippe Cam is the most energetic person in the world when it comes to core activity, this is head banging stuff for the ambient lounge.

"Short Summer" is a heavy and violent recognition. As intensive as it is it knows when to stop and disappear. In the ear and brain of the listeners it leaves an indisputable echo which lingers on for minutes. We suggest not to make a pause but jump directly into "Vermillions Sands".

What can be said about into "Vermillions Sands"? Be prepared some Terry Riley might lure around the corner to offer you some oranges on a silver plate, but don’t eat them. This is luring and beautiful at the same time. Maybe the best ambient track ever written and yet who can ever venture to say that without making a fool of himself. "Vermillions Sands" comes in waves and they could be longer we think.

"Rotterdam" the home of Philippe Cam for a long time but not anymore. He moved away. So that changes the perspective. But when was the track written? "Rotterdam" seems mechanical and rusty and spooky and divided. This arrangement is very different to all the other tracks so far and is almost dub in style but way more fractured. A steady stop and go emerges. But the longer it runs the better it gets. At minute 6 the brain resets itself and tries to grasp what has happened so far, reconstruction as a result of its own phantasmic imagination and hardly true at all, wonderful. Applause included!

Here comes "Bis", a short episode of a track and before we can comment on it, it is already over.

"The Game" is a mule of a track. It has a quiet stubborn sequence that bites and kicks you in the back without any change in near sight. We can hear a voice whispering, which sounds like a miniature vocoder featuring the voice of a child calling out - never stopping. This is treadmill to some extend but starts to breathe towards the middle of the track and slowly changes perspective. In fact there are some changes taking place here which go beyond a sound design that works heavily on the stereo image. Stick with it and the experience will be a great one.

"Ultimate Fly For Halloway" somehow orchestrates how you might feel after you climbed a 8000 meter high mountain and reached the top. A rejoicing off a special kind. Lava for the ears. No cheerleader murder plot sorry.

"Last Track" is a perfect example of a true minimalistic pice of music that manages to make contact with other genres and does this with elegance, determination and a lot of soul.

key selling points: The key selling point is the fact that Philippe Cam once was referred to as one of the main protagonists of the minimal music scene along with Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1/Gas and Basic Channel/Maurizio. A true artist with a vision which is very rare.

Philippe Cam has picked up the sound he was famous for but has developed it further without selling out to any genre and expectation that rules our daily business.

Exactly this is the strength of the album to create a vivid world of impressions by using instruments in a whole different way than all software developers would suggest.

"Rotterdam" is a piece of art that can set off a firework when you listen to it and it owes nothing to anyone.

Enigmatic multi-instrumentalist Clive Tanaka returns after nearly a decade since his cult-classic Jet Set Siempre was released into the world with a collection of indie gems entitled ‘Pre-Sunrise Authority.’ This is an album experience ready for
summer road trips, shifting FM dials as the terrain changes and signals fade. In his words: What started as a rejection of loneliness with lyrics grew into a rejection of the ephemeral with the final musical composition. The dissonance between the mission
of the lyrics and the music is what finally satisfied me. The album, Pre-sunrise Authority, took 10 years to finish. This record is a tribute to scheduled, communal listening to music; to driving up to the bluff to get a clear signal of America’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem; to the friend that gave you Beck’s Mellow Gold on CD and said, “You have to listen to this;” and to my friend Carroll, who played all over this record, but passed away before he could every hear it… Music is not disposable.

DEAIK is SJ Tequlla’s third record on his own imprint Shot Of T. A solo affair, where the Berlin based Japanese artist keeps on exploring a variation of different sounds on his new 12″. Thumping Acid, moody ambient, Acid house for a club night, and some more familiar mellow drum machine and melodic pieces. SJ Tequilla’s most varied record to date. Also with an interesting approach to tempo, where each side shifts between 33-45 by preference of the listener. Essential Shot Of T! Artwork by: Fett Burger

LOFTSOUL x Miruga release cover version for Nina Simone's masterpiece See Line Womanon

10inch vinyl format. LOFTSOUL is the project by DJ/Producer UCHIKAWA MASAHIKO well known as Rhythm Of Elements (R2 Recordings/UK).For this Nina Simon's cover song,LOFTSOUL collaboration with Miruga (Moods & Grooves/Detroit) And featuring London's JAZZ/SOUL singer Fae Simon.

Also there include great "DUB" version by DJ D a.k.a Dominic Dawson (well known as release from Noid Otherand Reel Houze project with Rob Mello).

Marking the 15 year of Nina Simone's death,LOFTSOUL release cover version of her masterpiece See Line Womanas tribute.

See Line Womanis fantastic afro percussive number.This song is popular for club scene by 98's Kerri Chandler(Songstress)'s remake and 07's Feist's cover. LOFTSOUL x Miruga cover this song vibrant

Jazz/Soul Number. Original Versionis superlative Jazz/Soul version. There features beautiful harmony with Fae Simon's vocal and Soul-T's piano on the afro mystic groove (about BPM 90)

On the flips side ,Dominic Dawson a.k.a DJ D deliver fantastic "Dub Version" as (Dominic Dawson Dub Reversion)with afro percussive rhythm and dub wise sound&groove.

Release from UNKNOWN season x Jazzy Sport as special limited 10inch issue.

The collaboration between influential German artists Klaus Schulze and Pete Namlook led to the famous The Dark Side of the Moog series. The fifth volume in the series consists of the song “Psychedelic Brunch”, split into 8 parts. It’s one of the calmer albums, featuring Bill Laswell as an extra composer. It starts with a 14-second intro by the master, Robert Moog, himself. The sound design is amazing and offers everything from ambience, atmospheres and sequences. The mellotron and psychedelic parts showing the different perceptions of the composers.

The pioneering composer Klaus Schulze created over 60 albums during his career, which started back in 1969. Pete Namlook is another German composer, who played an important role in the increasing popularity of electronic music.

Adrian Younge presents Jack Waterson is an ode to the mind-expanding albums of the psychedelic `60s. Both colorful and dark, the album forces listeners to get lost in the impressionistic worlds of prog, krautrock, mellotrons, and fuzzed soundscapes. Laced with hip hop breaks and acid rock, their intention is to subvert the designation of what is black vs. white music. Recorded and mixed by Adrian Younge at Linear Labs, the preeminent analog studio of Los Angeles, CA.

Adrian Younge presents Jack Waterson is an ode to the mind-expanding albums of the psychedelic `60s. Both colorful and dark, the album forces listeners to get lost in the impressionistic worlds of prog, krautrock, mellotrons, and fuzzed soundscapes. Laced with hip hop breaks and acid rock, their intention is to subvert the designation of what is black vs. white music. Recorded and mixed by Adrian Younge at Linear Labs, the preeminent analog studio of Los Angeles, CA.