Cerca:mo’ funk

Hot off the griddle, Cookin' The Books is the long awaited new album from Australia's kings of Hammond soul, Cookin' On 3 Burners. Their first studio LP in six years finds the trio in top form - deep in the pocket, wide in scope, and stacked with heavyweight collaborators. With a 27-year legacy, global tours, and over 2 billion streams (including the international smash This Girl), Cookin' On 3 Burners remain a defining force in vintage soul, funk, and groove.

Cookin' The Books features a collection of killer collaborators including electrifying live vocalist Stella Angelico, acclaimed soul artist Natalie Slade (Steve Spacek, Katalyst, Simon Mavin), hip hop mainstay Mantra alongside Jane Tyrrell (The Herd), rising alt-soul voice Wilson Blackley, and a sweeping string arrangement from composer/violinist Tamil Rogeon (Aloe Blacc, The Dandy Warhols).

Across the record, the group shifts seamlessly between gritty instrumentals and lush vocal cuts - from the cinematic funk of "Only Words", to the break-beat heavy title track "Cookin' The Books", the bumping bounce of "No Bread For You", and the introspective soul of "Phoenix". Every track reflects the group's deep funk DNA while carving out bold new territory.

With airplay from BBC6's Craig Charles, support from tastemakers (Wax Poetics, Dusty Groove, Rolling Stone Australia), and a world tour booked for 2026, this release is a must-stock for deep funk, soul, and cinematic groove audiences.

First Word Records are proud to bring you 'Penny Ballads', a 5-track EP from Royce Wood Junior.

Royce Wood Junior is a Grammy & Mercury Award-nominated musician, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Brighton. As a multi-instrumentalist, he's collaborated with a litany of brilliant artists over the years, such as Jamie Woon, Nao, Disclosure, Jessie Ware, Olivia Dean, Joy Crookes, Jamie Lidell and Jordan Rakei, additionally to touring with the likes of the legendary Thomas Dolby. He's released two acclaimed solo albums to date ('The Ashen Tang' in 2015, and 'No Two Blue Ticks' in 2021).

'Penny Ballads' demonstrates RWJ's varied talents, with a collection of alternative soul compositions, each one as unique as the next. It includes the first two singles, the Poplife-Prince era flavoured 'Go Get Your Money', and the double-time future funk adrenaline shot, 'Clean Up', along with three previously-unreleased tracks. 'Beretta' is low-slung soul funk, beginning with quirky squelchy synths, before the soulful lead vocal of feature artist Lucey Way breezes in to melt everyone's hearts. 'Things' sweeps in next, an infectiously soulful midtempo heavy soul bop, with an instant earwork of a hook, like a modern-day Steely Dan / Doobie Brothers, complete with a head-nodding string section to end the track. The collection concludes on a more melancholy downtempo tip with 'Rolling'; an almost-folktronic anthem, with a key refrain that wouldn't be out of place on a 70's Stevie piece.

RWJ (aka Jim Wood) says of this project… "Back in the 17 and 1800's Troubadours and minstrels would go from Tavern to Tavern selling Penny Ballads, single sheets of music and lyrics written quickly and frivolously to make a quick buck.. It strikes me that we're in a similar phase in the way we value music in 2025. An old Penny Ballad was cheap and dog-eared, ink-smudged, sung aloud by firelight, Now songs live in the digital ether, dissolved in the air, a ghostly breath paid in micro cents. The new era of Penny Balladry is here, and weird.

This EP is a snapshot of my writing over a two year period. Focussed on minimal recording styles, one mic on the drums, generally first or second takes on parts and vocals, I wanted the music to feel like small moments with lyrics that talk about the weird nuances of being alive as a latter stage human on the cusp of the Ai revolution. Culturally so evolved, but physiologically still just a bunch of mammals walking about with primitive fears and needs. Just trying to reconcile it all moment to moment…"

Previous support for Royce's music has included Radio 1's Future Sounds, BBC 6 Music's New Music Fix, Annie Mac, Clara Amfo, Jo Whiley (BBC Radio 2), Mary Anne Hobbs, Jamz Supernova, Tom Robinson, Huw Stephens (BBC 6 Music), Zane Lowe and MistaJam. There have been sessions previously for the likes of Red Bull and press from Huck, Line of Best Fit, Clash, Aesthetica & DIY magazine.

Entirely self-written and self-produced, this EP gives a solid taste of RWJ's talents. A deeply funky diverse set of music from an immensely talented individual.

'Penny Ballads' is due to be released on vinyl & digital, 24th October 2025.

The vinyl version also includes an exclusive additional mix of the first single 'Go Get Your Money'.

Die Musik aus Quentin Tarantinos Filmen ist längst Kult - und mit der neuen farbigen Vinyl-Edition von Tarantino Sounds wird diese legendäre Soundwelt jetzt noch einmal besonders zelebriert. Die Compilation vereint ikonische Tracks aus Tarantinos gesamtem filmischen Werk: von Pulp Fiction über Kill Bill bis Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Mit dabei sind musikalische Größen wie Dick Dale, Johnny Cash, Joe Tex, The Coasters, The 5.6.7.8"s, Dee Clark, Keith Mansfield und viele mehr. Tarantino Sounds entführt in eine Welt aus Surf-Rock, Soul, Rockabilly und Retro-Vibes - genau wie Tarantino sie liebt und inszeniert. Nach der erfolgreichen Veröffentlichung der Standard-CD und der schwarzen Vinyl-Ausgabe folgt nun die farbige Sammleredition - exklusiv für den deutschen Markt und streng limitiert. Ein besonderes Highlight: Die Farbe des Vinyls ist eine Überraschung! Erst beim Auflegen auf den Plattenspieler zeigt sich, welche Farbe du erwischt hast - jede Edition ist ein Unikat und macht das Sammlerlebnis noch spannender.

Sampler & Soul - The Originals Behind the Hits (5LP) Diese exklusive Compilation versammelt die Originalsongs, die später in großen Pop-, Hip-Hop- und R&B-Hits gesampelt wurden. Von Betty Wright über Quincy Jones bis zur Lafayette Afro Rock Band - hier sind die musikalischen Wurzeln moderner Urban-Sounds zu hören. Die 5LP-Box bietet eine stilvolle Reise durch Jazz, Funk, Soul und Blues mit Klassikern von Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, B.B. King, Screamin" Jay Hawkins, Ray Charles, Etta James und vielen mehr.

The Modern Soul Septet (later Modern Soul Band) was one of the hottest and most popular dance music groups in East Germany from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s.
In its early years, this band played a very unusual, raw, authentic, and freaky brand of funky Soul-Beat and Jazz-Rock for East Germany, which thrilled many music lovers and dance enthusiasts. The Modern Septett became one of the most booked dance bands in the country and recorded numerous outstanding tracks for the radio. Ahead of their time and too raw and hard for the state label, only two tracks were published in this first creative period. By the mid-70s, the Modern Soul Band had arrived in the midst of Fusion-Jazz and, thanks to their steadily growing popularity, finally received their first LP production in 1976. This album "Soul Komplex" fills a long-overdue gap in the band's discography and is an absolute must for any collector of East German Soul and Jazz.

Previously unreleased East German high class late 1960s and early 1970s funky Soul-Beat and raw Jazz-Rock titels.

Berlin’s ZentaSkai returns to his Mask Records with the ‘Billie’ EP, collaborating with Palawan, Jeremy Reinhard, and Thomas Grün for release on vinyl only, 2nd November 2025. He kicks off with the solo cut 'A1', which is quick, sophisticated, raw House with a funky clip to the beats that diffuses heat in the grainy sustained pads. It brings serene emotional release through stylish hypnosis and gorgeous vocals that blend seamlessly into the mix. Next, ZentaSkai collaborates with the mysterious Palawan, as he did on one track of his 2023 album The Architecture Of The Mind, on 'A2.' This one suspends you in backlit synth glows while rounded drums and funky claps tap out the supple rhythm. Cautious hope comes from the quiet chord stabs and soft focus melodies in what is a masterclass in deep Techno minimalism. 'B1' reunites ZentaSkai with Cologne's Jeremy Reinhard following previous cuts on that same 2023 album. Reinhard has long been a pillar of his local Berlin scene as a resident DJ, but also the wider underground with his own label Lekker Record. Their track taps into dub depths but ups the pace and allows radiant synths to piece the surface next to muttered spoken word that keep it intimate and perfectly seductive for body and mind. Last of all is a collab with Austrian Thomas Grün, who has been shaping deep and Tech House with his immaculate grooves for decades. Their 'B2' brings US garage snares to buoyant drums and douses them in layers of fuzzy synth warmth. It's meditative yet direct with an ever-rising sense of hope that makes it all the more indelible. ZentaSkai (aka No Mad Ronin, Matt Nowak, and MASK) is a German DJ and producer active since 1997. Based out of his studio in Berlin, ZentaSkai runs the Zaijenroots label and, since 2017, the Mask sub-label, which houses his stunning 2023 ‘Architecture of the Mind’ LP as well as his Cuddling Monsters project with Laura Merino Allue, who has been significantly involved in the label's work since 2023. - with other credits including a release on Jerome Sydenham’s Ibadan Records and support from the likes of Richie Hawtin, Joseph Capriati, Marcel Dettmann, Luke Slater, Laurent Garnier, DVS1, Ben Sims, and Radio Slave.

Manchmal geht einfach alles POP! Fall in Love Again with "Balloon Balloon Balloon"! Unterwerfung. Das ist das Wort, das mir in den Sinn kommt, wenn ich mich mit Kai Slaters Sharp Pins auf den überwältigenden Pop-Planeten begebe. Das Universum funktioniert nur, wenn man sich unterwirft: sich der Liebe unterwirft, sich der Rockmusik unterwirft. Sich der Kraft zu unterwerfen, die von einem Jungen ausgeht, der seine Gitarre schwingt, um makellosen Gitarrenpop zu kreieren, der ins Pantheon der Idole gehört, zu denen er mit diesem Album aufsteigt. Natürlich ist es verständlich, dass man zunächst wütend ist. Alle waren wütend auf Big Star, weil sie den Beatles zu nahe kamen. Und alle werden wütend auf Sharp Pins sein, weil sie dasselbe tun und dann noch Guided by Voices mit ins Spiel bringen. Wie kann er es wagen? Diese Überheblichkeit. Welcher 20-Jährige glaubt, er könne Robert Pollard übertrumpfen? ,Queen of Globes and Mirrors?" Ein Verbrechen. Mit dem noch schlimmeren Verbrechen, Songs zu schreiben, die so rätselhaft zeitlos sind, dass man glauben könnte, sie seien aus einem verlorenen Beatles-Band gestohlen worden. ,I Don't Have the Heart" und ,(I Want to) Be Your Girl" lassen einen wirklich im Unklaren darüber, wann und wo sie entstanden sind. Aber wenn der Lo-Fi-Noise-Pop von "Balloon Balloon Balloon" uns an etwas erinnert, dann daran, dass nur Kai das kann. Mit seiner 12-saitigen Gitarre und seiner unermüdlichen Besessenheit von Popmusik ist Slater einzigartig ausgestattet, um nicht nur von Pollard und Chilton das Erbe anzutreten, sondern auch den Byrds, den Temptations, den Four Tops und allen anderen Künstlern nachzufolgen, die versuchen, die wahre Liebe auf Band zu bannen. Er wendet die Taktik ,um Vergebung bitten, nicht um Erlaubnis" an, wenn er sich bei diesen Größen bedient, und uns bleibt nichts anderes übrig, als Slater zu vergeben, dass er uns diese Rock'n'Roll-Juwelen schenkt, die er aus der Vergangenheit in eine Zukunft katapultiert, die so melodisch makellos und doch kantig und aufrichtig ist, dass wir ihm auch dafür danken müssen, dass er das Genre vor der Bedeutungslosigkeit bewahrt hat. Denn was Slater hinzufügt, ist ganz und gar sein Eigen. Eine unbeschreibliche Sensibilität für das Songwriting, die trotz der zahlreichen Anleihen nur ihm gehören kann. Am Ende des Albums schluckt man jegliche Wut oder Ungläubigkeit, die man vielleicht hatte, und akzeptiert, dass Sharp Pins wirklich so gut sind. Auf diesem umfangreichen, aber niemals überladenen Album erschafft Slater eine Welt voller kleiner Pop-Perlen, die so einfach und dumm gut sind, dass sie uns daran erinnern, dass eine andere Welt möglich ist. Denn es ist nicht nur so, dass die Songs unmöglich aus dem Kopf gehen, was sie auch sind. Es ist Slaters eigene Hingabe an dieses Streben nach dem perfekten Popsong, die uns glauben lässt, dass dies nicht nur möglich ist, sondern auch ausreicht, um dem Leben wieder Form und Farbe zu geben. Fall in Love Again ist keine Empfehlung, sondern eine Verpflichtung. Nicht nur gegenüber einem schönen Mädchen, von denen es auf dem Album viele gibt, sondern gegenüber der Welt selbst. Vielleicht ist es dann möglich, die Zukunft zu erreichen, von der der 20-jährige Slater selbst träumt, aber bis dahin haben wir seine Liebesbriefe an den Rock'n'Roll und die Welt um ihn herum, die uns Gesellschaft leisten.

Househead London launch their 2nd 12" release - a limited-edition Chicago Vs London sampler featuring Glenn Underground and Emmaculate Remixes.

Following a string of critically acclaimed events featuring Chi-Town royalty, Househead London further cement their relationship with Chicago on this vinyl release which features two of the city’s esteemed producers - Glenn Underground & Emmaculate - remixing two sterling new tracks from two of the UK’s most exciting producers - Prefix One and Wez Whynt.

Opening the EP is an artist who needs very little introduction, Glenn Underground. A leading international producer & DJ who seems to effortlessly slide between Deep, Soulful, Disco, Jazz and beyond, Glenn boasts an exceptional discography that very few could compete with. His Cosmic Disco Journey Mix here weaves its lo slung groove in a funky off-kilter disco style with piano ripples as Nambi’s voice shimmers on top. Nambi’s heartfelt soars across Glenn’s Cosmic Journey remix unfurling beautiful piano and taut Chi-town beats. Deep and vocal, it’s got that raw soul power that both Glenn and Chicago are known for.

Known for his exquisitely high attention to detail and quality, Emmaculate is one of the go-to producers and sound engineers in Chicago. Working closely with Terry Hunter on a multitude of projects and a shining light across the global soulful house scene, he’s regularly featured across impressive labels such as Dopewax, Yorubasoul, United Music, Soulstice Music and S&S Records. His lush, tough-edged Remix of ‘Feelin’, rolls on with melodic piano hooks to unlock the groove and boosted with extra keys and vocal refrains before the full vocal unfolds. Solid and deep, “Feelin’ is pure joy for the dance floor.

The project is co-led by Copenhagen-born saxophonist Andreas Toftemark, a European Jazz Master and recipient of the Bent Jædig Prize, whose career has taken him from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam to The New School in New York. He is joined by Benny Benack III, the multi-award winning Emmy-nominated trumpeter and vocalist lauded for his charismatic performances with the likes of Christian McBride, Chad Lefkovitz-Brown, Peter Bernstein and more. Rasmus Sorensen adds a vital piano voice, fresh from winning a Danish Music Award in 2024 and releasing Balancing Act (2024) featuring modern drum icon Kendrick Scott. On bass, Finnish talent Kaisa Mäensivu - leader of her own project Kaisa"s Machine - brings international credentials shaped at the Sibelius Academy, Manhattan School of Music, and festivals including Pori Jazz. Completing the lineup is New York drummer Joe Peri, a Grammy-winning artist featured on Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga"s Love for Sale and a familiar face at Birdland, Mezzrow, and other NYC institutions. Together, they craft Roadmap - a set of originals born from tours around the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and honed on the road. Each member contributes compositions: from Toftemark"s modal-driven title track and brisk swinger What Gets You to Peri"s hard-hitting opener Icebreaker, Mäensivu"s funk-tinged The Lemur, and Sorensen"s harmonically dense New York Attitude. The quintet also delivers moments of intimacy, with Again - a co-write between Toftemark and Benack - adding lyrics penned on tour and sung with understated warmth. As Benack reflects: "When I play with Andreas, I"m thinking of Joe Henderson and Kenny Dorham, of Clifford Brown and Harold Land. But this isn"t just a revival of a classic hard bop record-the heart and soul of it is the Copenhagen-New York connection."

LTD EDITION

"Kaidi Tatham maintains one of the most prolific artists from the UK, he's been releasing music for 30+ years and has reached some form of cult status amongst many musicians. Seen as one of the key players in the broken beat movement, he collaborated with everybody from Bugz In The Attic, Dego, IG Culture, Andrew Ashong, to DJ Jazzy Jeff, Patrick Gibin, Volcov and the likes. For this special release he remixed the young Amsterdam-based group RADIOHOP, who are a quartet playing groove-based jazz, with influences from hip-hop, funk, fusion, broken beat & more. In the past 4 years they've made noise all across the country by playing in many venues, at festivals like Super-Sonic Jazz, and their stellar debut album 'All We Do' got really well received in 2024."

The third installment in Lance Ferguson's acclaimed Rare Groove Spectrum series builds on the success of Vol. 1 & 2, offering a fresh set of reimagined classics. From '70s Australian jazz-funk and Latin-fusion to big band soul and golden-era funk, Ferguson blends crate-digger sensibilities with modern studio craft.

Standout cuts include bold reworks of Idris Muhammad, Billie Eilish, Jungle, Billy Brooks and more, with the focus track "Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong" delivering a Gene Harris reinterpretation infused with Bossa Nova and Brasil '66 flair. Showcasing Ferguson's mastery as a multi-instrumentalist and arranger, the album brims with rich, cinematic productions throughout.

Selling Points

Known for projects The Bamboos, Menagerie, Lanu — widely regarded as one of Australia's most versatile producers.
Previously released 45 full-length albums and 100+ singles/remixes across labels including Atlantic, Universal, Sony, BMG, Tru Thoughts, and Ubiquity.
7× ARIA Award & 5× APRA Music Award nominations.
Co-writer/producer of the global hit "This Girl" by Kungs vs Cookin' On 3 Burners
#1 in 10+ countries
1.27 billion Spotify streams & 545M YouTube views
Multi-Platinum & Diamond certifications worldwide.
Collaborations with Aloe Blacc, Roy Ayers, Alice Russell, Durand Jones, Quantic, Joey Dosik and more.
Music featured in 200+ compilations and major syncs, including CSI NYC, Grey's Anatomy, Homeland, Suits, and House of Cards.

Four late-night burners from Francesco Carvetta, marking the second chapter of Lirica White Series. Deep, hypnotic, and spiked with a dark funky twist, this is music designed for dancefloors that thrive past the witching hour.

Torque and tension drive “Larch (Acid Mix)”, its 303 lines spitting early-2000s bite through a continuous escalation of energy and unexpected turns. “503” heads into progressive territory, sleek, propulsive, and subtly echoing a bygone era without ever lapsing into nostalgia.

On the flip, “Supaline” takes a more playful route: a wobbling bassline underpins restless synth chatter, shaping a groove in constant motion. Closing with depth, “That Wakes Me” unfolds like a cinematic trip, atmospheric and tinged with melancholy, yet never cold, leaving the record suspended in late-night resonance.

A new release from Fox & His Friends Records, Chapters (Screen & Stage Dancefloor Jazz from Yugoslavia 1971-1984) by Ozren Depolo brings to light a trove of previously unreleased music spanning more than a decade of his work in film, theater and television. This gatefold audiophile 180g LP, including a 12-page booklet with archival photos and detailed liner notes, offers for the first time a full album composed exclusively of Depolo's own authorship, drawn from master tapes held in private and institutional archives. Mastering and cutting was done by Frank Merritt from The Carvery Ozren Depolo rarely pursued opportunities to record original material, in part due to a general lack of interest among local publishers in jazz discography. Yet he was more than a gifted composer: he was also an accomplished saxophonist, clarinettist, flutist, pianist, arranger and occasionally, a jazz journalist who contributed articles to specialized programs on Radio Zagreb. Depolo also played in international big bands alongside jazz greats such as Clark Terry, Oliver Nelson and Gerry Mulligan, as well as in formations led by Bosko Petrovic, including the Nonconvertible All Stars and the B.P. Convention Big Band. He was a member of ensembles including The Alfi Kabiljo Orchestra, The Dragutin Diklic Ensemble, Jugoslovenska Pop Selekcija, The Stipica Kalogjera Octet, Vaclav Zahradnik & His East All Stars Band and the Zagreb Jazz Quintet. As both composer and arranger, he produced a significant body of work for large jazz orchestras and small ensembles. He was deeply engaged in jazz improvisation and avant-garde classical music, recording numerous chamber pieces for saxophone. A long-standing member of Acezantez, Zagreb's renowned contemporary music ensemble, he also collaborated with international figures such as Ted Curson, John Lewis, Johnny Griffin, Art Farmer, Leo Wright, Art Taylor, Slide Hampton and Lucky Thompson. This selection also includes his collaboration with Igor Savin and jazz vocalist Zdenka Kovacicek who were played on Karl Lagerfeld's fashion shows. The release demonstrates how Depolo was able to shift fluidly between idioms: from driving big-band passages to intimate chamber-like arrangements, from funk-tinged motifs to lyrical, impressionistic soundscapes. This stylistic breadth, always anchored in his deep jazz and funk sensibility, gave his music an adaptability perfectly suited to the hybrid world of stage and screen. The LP highlights that versatility while also presenting the coherence of his artistic voice, one that had gone unrecognized precisely because it was dispersed across so many contexts.

Debt is a new album by Harvey Sutherland about the cost of doing business in the meme economy. In his first LP since the 2022 debut, Boy, the Australian artist reduces his fusiony disco repertoire to ten microhoused funk essentials. This is minimalism not so much as aesthetic conceit than pressurised container, shaken in the Escherised time and space unique to our overdriven, red-lining present. The album's title nods to the financial contortions necessary to strive/survive/thrive as an independent artist. But Debt is better understood as the ledger of what we owe, and to whom, in the course of a creative life. What's the ROI on being an artist, a son, a friend, a partner, a father? Have we been worth our loved ones' own investments? If that sounds transactional, this is merely the lingua franca of our overwhelmingly digital culture, a grifter's bazaar in which Bob Dylan tunes up over Salt Bae, and Wordsworth's pitch is opposite the Rizzler.

Debt came to life when Harvey Sutherland acquired a freightload of Y2K minimal cargo from Akufen, Ricardo and Baby Ford—courtesy of local Melbourne hero Martin L—which bent the album towards a moreish pointillism. The resulting music's eyes-down minimal gestures within expressive pop shapes feels apt for the apparently contradictory things we can't help craving: immediacy and craft, on-tap "authenticity," life lessons drawn from Reel nonsense. A few years after the "neurotic funk" of Boy, a thorough excavation of interiority that comprised Harvey Sutherland's first LP proper, Debt is his to-the-point response to pressures that manifest outside the self. But in its own way it remains a reflection of Harvey Sutherland's musical innerscapes, which stretch across the grit and glitter of private-press disco and the sensual grids of Metro Area.

Pacific Northwest native and a mainstay of the Portland and Seattle scenes since the late 90s, Trevor Vichas, now becomes part of the Selections label family with the sort of smooth cruising EP that will quickly become a staple in the record bags of deep house heads. 'With You' opens with the sort of gentle, meandering chords that get you daydreaming while the subtle sax lines add some soul to a warm groove. London's Max Sinal of Soul Quest Records remixes with extra drive, then 'Your Love' brings a Terrence Parker-style soul to the EP. Rising Toronto DJ and producer Nicholas Nothing adds a more funky perspective to round out a diverse and delicious EP.

Guilherme Granado & Bruno Abdala reunite for a second volume of beats, jazz ghosts and synth-funk dust.
Following their first outing earlier this year (Vol. 1 on Sucata Tapes / SUC66), the duo returns with a bigger, deeper, and smoother bang on Vol. 2 – Filhos.
The grooves remain intact, expanding on the raw funk blueprint of Vol. 1 — now infused with Tropicália-rooted freedom, Sun Ra-style celestial chaos, and a tighter, more confident feel. The sonic palette is rich and eclectic: samplers, bells, analog synths, drums, marimba, vibraphone, bass, violas, and more are layered into a warm, rhythmic tapestry that honours the past while forging new sonic terrain.
At its core, Filhos (Portuguese for "Sons") is a tribute to lineage and tradition. It reflects the idea that we are all shaped by what came before — and through music, Guilherme & Bruno honor that legacy while pushing it into the future.

Colemine Records freut sich, eine spezielle 10-Jahres-Jubiläumsausgabe von ,Sound of Sinning", dem bahnbrechenden Studioalbum von Monophonics, zu präsentieren. Seit ihrer Gründung im April 2015 tragen Monophonics stolz die Fackel der reichen Musikgeschichte und -kultur San Franciscos durch die Generationen bis in die heutige Musiklandschaft. Sie halten an Traditionen fest, sind aber keineswegs Puristen, sondern spielen ihre eigene Musikrichtung, die als ,Psychedelic Soul" bekannt ist. Auf ihrem vorherigen Album ,In Your Brain" ließ sich die Band von Acts wie den frühen Funkadelic, Sly and The Family Stone und den von Norman Whitfield produzierten Platten der Temptations beeinflussen. ,Sound of Sinning" markierte den Beginn des Wachstums der Band in allen Bereichen. Mit Einflüssen aus Northern Soul, Doo-Wop, Rock ,n` Roll, Psych Pop und Filmmusik zeigen Monophonics ihre Vielseitigkeit, bleiben aber ihren Wurzeln treu. Insgesamt ist es herzliche Musik mit Old-School-Vibes, ohne dabei die Gegenwart aus den Augen zu verlieren. Diese Musik ist geprägt von dem zeitlosen Gefühl, als man noch Songs schreiben und produzieren konnte, die man sich immer wieder anhören konnte. ,Sound of Sinning" wurde von Kelly Finnigan & Ian McDonald produziert und auf einem alten Tascam-Acht-Spur-1/4-Zoll-Bandgerät in den Transistor Sound Studios in San Rafael, Kalifornien, aufgenommen. Seit ,Sound of Sinning" hat die Gruppe das von Kritikern hochgelobte Album ,It's Only Us" (2020) und das Konzeptalbum ,Sage Motel" (2023) veröffentlicht, das sich über 10.000 Mal verkauft hat. Die Band tourt weiter, hat kürzlich eine Reihe von Shows mit dem legendären Lee Fields absolviert und steht vor einer internationalen Tournee für 2025.

Mit Caramel entführt Connan Mockasin in seine ganz eigene Klanggalaxie – ein Ort zwischen surrealem R’n’B, verführerischem Soul und psychedelischer Pop-Experimentierfreude. Nach Kollaborationen mit James Blake, MGMT und Charlotte Gainsbourg sowie Tourneen mit Radiohead und den Finn-Brüdern zeigt sich der neuseeländische Künstler erneut als musikalischer Visionär. Das Album, fast vollständig in einem Tokioter Hotelzimmer aufgenommen, schillert in warmen, träumerischen Klangfarben und entfaltet eine verführerisch entrückte Atmosphäre.
Mit seinem Hang zu verdrehten Songstrukturen und einer betörenden Funk-Sensibilität schafft Mockasin ein Werk, das zwischen Traum und Realität schwebt – hypnotisch, intim und unwiderstehlich eigen.

Gold Nugget LP

DOUBLE VINYL
The full album on vinyl for the first time, packaged with the classic original Designers Republic artwork


ABOUT
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Collabs 3000: Metalism, the original classic pure techno album and first full-length collaboration between techno innovators Chris Liebing and Speedy J, is remastered and reissued via NovaMute.

Originally launched by Speedy J (aka Jochem Paap) as a platform for 12" collaborations with other artists, the Collabs series laid the groundwork for what would become one of techno's most compelling partnerships. The first release with Chris Liebing, Collabs 300 (featuring 'Trick_' / 'Treflon_'), landed in 2004 to a rapturous response; its machine-funk intensity and unmistakable breakdowns helped define the sound of early 2000s techno whilst revealing a writing and production chemistry that demanded a larger playground for their work.

That creative spark ultimately manifested in Collabs 3000: Metalism, a landmark record for techno. Combining the pair's mastery of subversive electronics and peak-time techno, the album remains a career highlight for both artists: a smouldering collision of taut techno rhythms, sonic abstraction, and, as the title suggests, robust metallic beats.

The 20th anniversary edition of this timeless techno masterpiece has been fully remastered by Liebing himself and is available on CD and for the first time on vinyl across 2 discs.

2025 REPRESS

A DJ, producer and significant figure in contemporary electronic music, Marcel Dettmann steps forward to contribute to Running Back’s ongoing Mastermix series. Whereas previous editions of Mastermix have taken an ear to the sound of lapsed, legendary clubs such as Wild Pitch and Front, Dettmann’s curation deftly captures the man himself in ongoing perpetual motion, raiding the vault for his own precision-tooled edits, long-employed on dancefloors to devastating effect. Alongside a continuous mix, this release arrives as a 3LP gatefold, and as a limited edition cassette.

Closely associated with Berlin’s techno landscape, Dettmann was born and raised in the former GDR, then later immersed in the bleary-eyed counter cultural landscape of post-unification Berlin. Initially oriented by post-punk, industrial and new-wave music, Dettmann has been DJing since 1993, always expanding and perfecting his repertoire. He later began working behind the counter at the city’s tastemaking rave boutique Hard Wax, and a decade after he first dropped a needle, became (and remains) resident at notable local nightspot Berghain/Panorama Bar, where his instincts have helped sculpt the signature sound of both main dancefloors.

Of course, you’re probably not asking, “Who is Marcel Dettmann?” More importantly, you might want to know; just what treats has he gifted us here? The trip begins with a simple pitch-shift skywards, transforming Identified Patient’s creeping ‘The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania’ into a peak-time freakout, before an alternate take on Toctronic’s ‘Bis uns das Licht vertreibt’ emerges from the vaults for the first time. Dating from 1995, and one of Dettmann’s all-time favourites, Cristian Vogel’s ‘Untitled’ clambers back into the box with respectable cuts, while John Bender’s ‘Victims of A Victimless Crime’ kicks off the flip sporting a new arrangement, transporting us back to the foundations of a confident, stripped-back sound.

A few subtle edits to Clark’s perilously funky ‘Dirty Pixie’ takes us to Dettmann’s remix of Junior Boys. Produced in 2010, it transposes the Canadian duo’s sophisticated pop with our curator in his minimal prime, and has since become an irresistible prize for high-minded diggers. The same can be said for Experimental Products’ explosive proto-electro anthem ‘Who Is Kip Jones?’, empowered from pricey Discogs purgatory with just the slightest of tweaks. It’s deservedly sandwiched between the guiding influences of Chicago and Detroit in the form of Mutant Beat Dance’s raw ‘The Human Factor’ and a shimmering new version of previous solo production ‘Water’, featuring close friend and Ostgut Ton ally, Ryan Elliot.

The second half of the Mastermix seamlessly connects the mechanical past and digital present of EBM and industrial in the dance, with Dettmann’s instincts as a guiding hand. Severed Heads’ iconic ‘We Have Come To Bless This House’ emerges with mere nips and tucks, while Nitzer Ebb’s ‘Shame’ is significantly reimagined as a highwire act of rhythm and tension, setting up a sensual second take on a 2017 remix of ‘Limbo’ from Swiss synth heroes, Yello.

Core musical memories are shaken and stirred with a context-shifting take on Frank Duval’s emotional classic ‘Ogon’, while Ian North’s ‘Sex Lust You’ and Ford Proco’s notable Coil collaboration ‘Expansion Naranja’ effectively throb with only minor adjustments, respectfully imagined as “shadow versions”. Meanwhile, a simple breakbeat lifts Albert Kuningas’s ‘Astraalprojektio’ in the direction of wide-eyed dancefloors, while a fresh take on K-Alexi Shelby’s ‘Season of The Real’ inexplicably emerges somehow even funkier than before.

The conclusion of the compilation leads back to Das Tier from the prolific experimentalist Conrad Schnitzler, whose swirling synths and hypnotic vocals are duly tightened by Dettmann, but only as he puts it, “in conversation with the original.” Concluding three discs and thirty years of commitment to the dancefloor, this Mastermix not only offers us the opportunity to eavesdrop on this endless exchange, but to gain some sought-after material for our own record collections.