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Before Madvillain, before Yesterday’s New Quintet and before Quasimoto or any other of his several alter egos, Madlib perfected his craft as an MC/producer in the Lootpack. Along with DJ Romes, and fellow rhymer Wildchild, they released the dusty full-length, Soundpieces: Da Antidote back in 1999, that laid down the foundation for the unique and dusty sound now associated with Madlib. The loose, freeform recordings on this collection are circa 1996 when the group was managed by Madlib’s father, and they show the now-renowned maverick producer in comparatively restrained form. Madlib’s scope and imagination was clearly fixated on East coast jazzy hip-hop production from the early ’90s, laying down soundscapes for his hungry crew including the likes of Kazi, Declaime and Medaphoar, who have all become well known underground rap vets. Madlib’s own strong mic presence is noticeable given his now only-on-rare-occasion rhyming, but it’s his production that is the most fascinating element here. While a resolutely hip-hop project, the burgeoning jazzy flourishes and Madlib’s heavily accomplished ear for sound makes the record an important starting point for adherents of his more recent exploratory work.

In the past few years, Clarice Jensen has forged her own path. Recently, her focus has shifted to film scoring, successfully recording work for three feature films between 2020 and 2021. At the same time, Clarice continues to serve as artistic director of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, while continually collaborating with an impressive array of musicians, such as Max Richter, Björk and Stars of the Lid, to name a few.

That being said, it was her 2019 tape release on Geographic North, »Drone Studies«, that initially caught the attention of a wider audience, with the work showcasing a compelling assembly of deeply immersive drones, and elegantly orchestrated compositions, in which neoclassical elements collide with electric density.

Three years later, the work has lost none of its innovative character and appeal. It also documents a turning point in Clarice's career, one where her classically trained background started to converged and overlap with her interests in improvisational electronics and drone music. As a result, the aptly titled »Drone Studies« shows Clarice at her most exploratory, introspective, and daring, channeling her areas of interest into a collage of richly textured timbers and cello movements of sublime tension.

Now for the first time, the original album can be experienced through an expanded vinyl reissue, mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, and carefully adjusted for vinyl by Ian Hawgood. The new reissue also features an additional track by Clarice called »Platonic Solids 2«, which was originally conceived around the same time as »Drone Studies«, and which has now been made available exclusively for the vinyl edition.

We hope that this new reissue will aid in introducing Clarice's groundbreaking »Drone Studies« to a new crowd of listeners through this expanded edition.

Life, Sex & Death are a hard rock band from L.A. who achieved their success in the early nineties. Their sound was in retrospect quite ahead of their time and their lyrics were more thought-provoking than most L.A. bands, which resulted in a huge cult following.

The band only released one album, The Silent Majority. Now, the album is available as a 2LP for the first time, which includes the complete recordings including the following three tracks: “Raise A Little Hell”, “Farm Song” and “Wet Your Lips”.

The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band make an interesting case for being one of the era's more unclassifiable bands. Vol 3. A Child's Guide To Good And Evil was a great example of this. This album is considered to be the band's most accomplished work and a masterpiece of the psychedelic genre. Released just nine months after Volume 2, the band explores their incredibly creative psychedelic pop song writing with an accomplished mastery of studio technique.

The album cover features iconic original artwork by Jon Van Hamersveld, who also created covers for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. During their short existence The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band became known for their strange compositions, sometimes referring to the sound of the Byrds, while at other times exposing the weirdness of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa.

Coleman Leslie McCann, known as Les McCann, is arguably the most soulful jazz pianist of the sixties. All you have to do to be convinced of this is to go and listen to him, all business ceasing, with Eddie Harris, in concert in Montreux, on June 21, 1969. This recording is a monument in the history of soul jazz.

But before this concert, the trio of Les McCann with Herbie Lewis and Ron Jefferson, imposed a new style characterized by joy and pleasure, to play, to groove, to listen. Impossible in a Les McCann concert not to participate in his joy, in his desire to share, impossible not to beat time.

Intimacy is manifested in every moment of Radiator, the debut album from Philadelphia’s Sadurn. This feeling of closeness, of being able to lend your every sense to one’s confessions of internal conflict, is due in large part to the circumstances under which this album was created.

Much of the world fell apart in 2020, but Sadurn tucked themselves away in a Pocono’s cabin, creating and recording what would become their first full-length. Within the confines of their close quarters, passing animals as the only auditory witness to a make- shift recording studio created by moving furniture, Sadurn created an album that will break your heart and then slowly piece it back together.

“Radiate Like This” - Warpaint’s much anticipated new record, not to mention their first in almost 6 years - arrives with its own very modern mythology intact, continuing the strange, brilliant, beautiful story of the band and quite neatly picking up where “Heads Up” left off. It’s an album that pulsates with ideas, energy and- most crucially – gorgeous melodies. Listen on in wonder. Pres includes Total Guitar - 3 page feature - April 2022 issue , Dork - 4 star album review. The band will have a UK tour in May. Available formats include releases on Black LP.

Seventh studio album from acclaimed/multi platinum Canadian rock outfit, released via Music For Nations/ Sony Music. 2015's 'Human' marked the group’s second straight #1 slot on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart as well as their fourth consecutive debut in Top 20. It spawned two #1 singles 'Painkiller' and 'I Am Machine', signaling their 13th overall and 5th consecutive number ones on the U.S. Active Rock Radio chart. THe band continue to average over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify (remaining one of the most listened to rock bands in the world). A 12 track album pressed on standard black vinyl and CD formats. Forthcomiong UK live dates. Promo/marketing activity across all media outlets.

'You & Me', 'The Ballad of John Henry' and 'Live from the Royal Albert Hall'.
The 2009 fan favourite and iconic 'The Ballad of John Henry' will be also available
on coloured vinyl for the first time, has been remastered on 180g heavyweight
2LP brown vinyl and includes a bonus track – B.B. King's "Chains and Things."
Bonamassa's seventh studio album saw him steamroll into another US Billboard
Blues #1 as well as it making waves across the charts around Europe. Well on his
way to becoming a superstar, several Bonamassa originals adorn the album as
well as covers of Tom Waits, Sam Brown and Ike & Tina Turner, highlighting the
sheer scope of his palette.
With 25 #1 albums, yearly sold-out tours worldwide and custom annual cruises,
he's a hard act to beat. These albums are a testament to his credentials and a
toast to his longtime fans who remember them originally and new fans who can
experience them for the first time. It's Joe Bonamassa at his finest, ready to rock.

EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF SIGH'S EARLY DEMOS, EP's & RARITIES,
PRESENTED ON DOUBLE CD FORMAT - INCLUDES INTERVIEW & LINER
NOTES COURTESY OF MAINMAN MIRAI KAWASHIMA ON THE
FORMATIVE YEARS OF THE JAPANESE LEGENDS.Cult Japanese black
metal legends Sigh formed in 1989/90, featuring mainman Mirai
Kawashima, Satoshi Fujinami & Kazuki Ozeki
Following initial demos, Shinichi Ishikawa was brought into the band, & Kazuki
removed from the line- up. It was following this shift that the band set about
recording the masterpiece debut 'Scorn Defeat' for Euronymous' Deathlike Silence
Productions, going on to become one of the country's greatest & most revered
metal exports. With a journey through the strange & the psychedelic,
incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout
their career, Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field.
However, at its core, Sigh has always remained true to its roots of old school
metal. 'Eastern Darkness' contains a comprehensive collection of Sigh's early rare
works showing their swift musical evolution as well as the strong utilisation of
keyboards in their compositional process throughout. The collection includes the
band's legendary demo tapes, 'Desolation', & 'Tragedies', plus their EP's & rarities,
as well as contributions to various compilation releases in the mid 1990's.
Considering Sigh's well- known regard for UK legends Venom throughout their
career, 'Eastern Darkness' also contains the band's own tribute to the 1980's black
metal pioneers, in the form of tribute 'To Hell & Back', originally released on tape
in 1995.
This edition of 'Eastern Darkness' is presented on double disc CD format &
includes a 12- page booklet featuring an interview with Mirai Kawashima about
the early years of the band, along with his recollections of the origins of each title
contained within the release, three decades on from Sigh's formation.

Northlane are a chart topping, award-winning metal band from Sydney,
Australia
Their new offering, Obsidian, is their most expansive and dynamic album yet. Selfrecorded and self- produced, the sound Northlane have been working towards
over the span of their career has been fully realised on Obsidian.
Sonically spanning the gamut of their entire discography, Northlane's trademark
heavy comfortably coexists with techno, drum and bass, intriguing synths,
perplexing time signatures and widescreen choruses. It's this fearless evolution
that keeps them light years ahead of everyone else in heavy music.

The impressive new LP from Cypress Hill, Back In Black, is the group's
10th studio album - They are arguably one of the most successful hiphop groups of all time, celebrating 30 years of non-stop touring
They are the biggest-selling Latin hip-hop group in the world and the first hip-hop
group to have sold multi- platinum albums, having sold over 30 million albums
worldwide.Cypress Hill are considered to be among the main progenitors of West
Coast and 1990s hip-hop, and the group has received critical acclaimed for their
first five albums. As well as this, all of the group members advocate for and are
very vocal about the medicinal and recreational use of cannabis in the United
States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip-hop group to have a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cypress Hill will join heavy metal giants Slipknot on the 2022 Knotfest Roadshow
(April 2022 tour).

Tibor Szemző's new LP features two composition, »The Other Shore« & »CUBA«. As the album title implies, »Snap #2« can be considered a sequel to his cult album »Snapshot from the Island« (released in 1987). Back then the island was a metaphor for isolation, while »Snap #2« offers Szemző’s reflections of his visits to real islands, Cuba (1988-1990) and Japan (1992-1994). As usual, Tibor Szemző processed the themes both visually and musically and has presented them many times live as cinematographic performances.

A previous version of »The Other Shore« was released in 1999 on CD. On this album, the original recording from 1997 is used; it has been recomposed, remixed and remastered and some additional recordings have been included. The core of Szemző’s Gordian Knot ensemble of the mid-nineties (Tibor Szemző on bass flute, Péter Magyar on drums and Tamás Tóth on bass guitar) has been enlarged by a string section and additional percussionists. The Other Shore composition has a multilayered texture; it starts with strings and is followed by prerecorded voices reciting the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law (Myôhô-Renge-Kyô in Japanese), the most important sutra of Mahayana Buddhism. Then percussion introduces the basic beat of the piece and the voice of the 102 year-old Buddhist priest Ônishi Ryôkei giving a lecture on Kannon sutra is heard. The following uneven entries of drums and bass guitar are like paint brush strokes in Zen calligraphy. The long tones of Szemző’s bass flute enters the piece as the last element suggesting itself as a connecting thread through all previous layers.

When Tibor Szemző first visited Cuba in 1988, he had just started shooting film on 8mm, something of a personal diary. When he met Jonas Mekas in Budapest a few years later, he realized that this footage could be screened publicly and also be an integral part of live performances. »CUBA« is the recording from 2000 of one such performance and was remixed by the author in 2021. It is as similar to and yet different from »The Other Shore«. The Gordian Knot band seemingly structures the piece in the same way, but the resulting sound is much heavier especially thanks to drummer Péter Magyar. Nevertheless, the contributions of Szemző on bass flute, Mihály Huszár on electric bass and T. Bali on prepared electric guitar also inject the proper rock sting. Incorporated Havanna street sounds and local radio broadcasts recorded by the author provide even more steamy roughness to the sound of Szemző’s »CUBA«.

The cover design of the »Snap #2« with photo reproductions from Szemző’s films reflects the aesthetics of the Snapshot from the Island album. This vinyl LP runs at 45 RPM for better sound quality.

T. Gowdy has kept up a productive albeit mostly virtual pace since the release of Therapy With Colour (his third full-length album and first for Constellation) which dropped just as things were locking down back in spring 2020: performances at numerous festivals including MUTEK Montréal, Node Festival and NEW NOW; audiovisual pieces exhibited at various European galleries and events; a track and video for Constellation's Corona Borealis Longplay Singles Series; sound design for the documentary Atalaya by filmmaker Emma Roufs. Gowdy now returns with Miracles, his second full-length for Constellation, which draws on source materials originally performed in 2018 for an unreleased audio/visual project based around surveillance footage_a precursor to videocapped, monitor-based horizons that soon took on new meanings. Re-immersing himself in those recordings, Gowdy disassembles and deploys them as raw source material for new experiments with vactrols, noise gates and analog-to-digital triggering and aliasing, the original recordings juxtaposed anew amidst their successive textural and rhythmic treatments. Gowdy keeps this re-composition process stripped down, elemental and purposive, guided by an ascetic Aufhebung: synthesis as sublation_subjecting a temporal material/theme to analysis and transformation, reintegrating to form a whole that overcomes what it preserves without erasure, reshaping and intrinsically carrying its origins forward. Where Therapy With Colour was strictly and rigorously a set of stereo live performances, Miracles fuses iterative_though still spartan_layers of performance. "Therapy With Colour was about healing through self-hypnosis; Miracles is about forging a future with memory through subjection to trigger mechanisms" notes Gowdy. The result is a captivating collection of minimal IDM and oscillated electronics from the Montréal/Berlin producer, working primarily in a 120-140 BPM zone of tonal percussion and corrugated pulse. Gowdy's sensibility and sound palette gets deeper and dirtier, summoning new pathways of alluvial flicker and abraded euphoria. As the album progresses, low-pass gate vactrols coalesce into a clear and vital theme, conveying immanence through woody timbres at times reminiscent of the Shinrin-yoku aesthetic (Japanese `forest bathing'), though always with a grainy transcendence rather than invoking any clean pure sheen. Gowdy consistently heats and heightens the presence of each component in the mix, balancing different elements in democratic compression/distortion, attaining an unornamental and earnest form of mantric-industrial majesty. Miracles is live, corporeal, activated electronic music of the highest caliber, deployed with monastic and meditative focus.

Closing out another breakthrough year, Anfisa Letyago has established herself as one of techno's most talked about names. An intrepid selector with a positive attitude regarding all things art and dancefloor related, the Russian born starlet has been making seismic waves within the industry for a number of years. Past releases have been featured on revered labels such as Carl Cox's Intec, Nervous Records, Hotflush and Rekids. Letyago returns now with a brand new project primed and ready for her own imprint - N:S:DA. Originally a celebration of her own dark-brooding style of techno, the label has entered a metamorphosis of sorts, welcoming in a host of established producers to remix the labels first releases.

The unapologetically raw house sound of DJ Seinfeld opens up the third and final remix EP, putting his own spin on Letyago's deep cut 'Insidia'. Cavernous synthlines occupy the track's main body, reminiscent of late seventies golden-era Chicago house. The remix is laced with hard hitting percussion and bubbling sound fx, a supercharged production primed for widespread club usage. Seinfeld welcomes us into the project with his trademark, rough and gloriously danceable sound palette.

Letyago follows suit by revisiting 'Nisida', reshaping the track into an electro-acid workout adorned with sharply tuned drums and heavily-treated shimmering vocals. The euphoria-inducing breakdown at the center point of the arrangement unfolds weightlessly, building into an energetic barrage of low-end frequencies. Letyago's ability to raise and release tensions within a track is truly exceptional, a technique she has perfected over several years of DJing, witnessing at first hand the importance of building up to moments of high intensity on the dancefloor for maximum impact.

Drum and bass royalty, Calibre offers his dark and brooding interpretation of 'Don't Hide'. The original track has been wickedly morphed into an after-dark roller fit for extensive basement usage. Commanding and minimal, Calibre's remix has been executed with devastating precision, perfectly balanced space-age pads glide seamlessly across the disjointed rattle of breakbeats and white-noise imbued hi-hats. A painter, fine artist, multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer, this multifaceted Belfast producer never ceases to disappoint.

Closet Yi concludes the compilation with a slow burning techno metamorphosis of Letyago's 'Listen'. Subterranean and primal, the track unfurls from its ambient beginnings into a low-end focused four-to-the-floor rhythm steeped in misty reverb and distant chords. Based in Seoul, South Korea, Yi has played at some of the most respected underground clubs in the capital, including Cakeshop, Faust, Pistil, Contra and more. A welcome addition to the remix project and a seductive end to this shadowy collection of tracks.

First time reissue of the holy grail of Colombian garage music, originally released in 1967. Includes two wonderful covers of the Californian band Count Five: 'Psychotic Reaction' and 'They're Gonna Get You', as well as the stellar original 'Cosmos 901'. DESCRIPTION In the mid-sixties, when the temperature of modern youth music was at its highest, Colombian label Codiscos placed its bet on some of the emerging figures of Colombian pop and two exciting wild bands: Los Flippers and Los Streaks. After the fleeting brilliance of the so-called "new wave", the 4-song EPs released by the label -mainly for promotional use- lay forgotten on the shelves of radio stations or stored in the musty trunks of the fans who managed to buy the few copies that were distributed by the record label. Today it's incredibly difficult to find any of these EPs released by Codiscos between 1965 and 1967 in mint condition, with the original sleeve. Los Streaks didn't just come out of nowhere, it was the brainchild of the radio DJ, manager and promoter Édgar Restrepo Caro. Towards the end of 1966, while working as the manager of Los Flippers, Caro became fascinated with the idea of creating a group made up of some of the most talented musicians on the Bogota rock circuit. On January 20, 1967, Los Streaks made their debut at the discotheque El Diábolo as a warm-up act. The following weeks were crazy: they appeared on national television, starred at matinee sessions at two major venues in Bogota, and headlined at the concert organized by the music magazine Juventud a Go 67. During this short period, they established a powerful stage presence, combining exquisite musicianship and a sharp sense of humor. Their repertoire was also bold, encompassing Giuseppe Verdi, The Beatles, Pérez Prado, The Ventures or Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels. The band's solid sound was perfectly aligned to Codiscos' interests. After some enthusiastic promotion by their manager, Humberto Moreno met them, and they signed a contract to release two LPs. In mid-1967 they traveled to Medellín and recorded eleven tracks that would shape the first of these albums. One of these songs was kept back for "El disco de oro a Go-Go" (LDZ-20331), while the rest were included in "OPERAción A Go-Go" (LDZ-20343), released on August 12 of the same year. It included four songs that the label had released on an EP, which decades later has become the holy grail of Colombian garage music. The stunning "Reacción sicótica" EP includes the stellar 'Cosmos 901' composed by Manuel Jiménez, the sparkling 'Escápate mi amor' (a cover of the classic 'Get Away' by Georgie Fame that they most probably heard in the version recorded by the Spanish band Los Angeles) and two wonderful covers of the Californian garage band Count Five: 'Psychotic Reaction' and 'They're Gonna Get You': 'Reacción sicótica' and 'Soy así_ y qué?'. Four hits that shook things up memorably.

"This 10" single reissue comes in celebration of the upcoming 30th anniversary of Ozzy Osbourne's 'No More Tears'. A new mashup sure to inspire only the best moshpitting and hair-flicking skills from every true hard rock head, this new track hears a the original Ozzy song mashed up with Motorhread's version. Never before released, it sounds like an alternate Dante eagerly cruising through the many layers of hell, as new drum reversings, stereo effects and soundscapes are peppered into this masterful musical jigsaw. The B-side also contains the two original, unremixed versions.

Deep Heads in association with Dubstar records are proud to present the 2021 Remaster, Vinyl edition special, of the seminal album ‘My Sound’ by Dubstep legend Kromestar.

Originally released in 2009, with high critical acclaim, the record is no doubt one of Kromestar’s most celebrated and recognised albums he’s ever created. An absolutely timeless collection of music, the album was groundbreaking at the time and still holds up as a quality album from start to finish in 2021.

Anfisa Letyago has established herself as one of techno's key players. An intrepid selector with a positive attitude, and an infectious smile, the Napoli based starlet has been making seismic waves within the industry for several years. Her own imprint - N:S:DA has been a home for her own dark-brooding style of techno, but it welcomes a brand new project to kick off 2022, with the first of 3 remix packs featuring a host of very special artists and artwork designed exclusively by Sergio Fermariello.

DJ Rush, a master of hard techno and wicked percussive elements, he's committed himself to the art of rhythm and drums. A Chi-town hero whose music transcends continental boundaries now takes his hand to "Rising Sun". Staunch and unrelenting, the barrage of bass drums keeps momentum at a hauntingly steady pace through the entirety of the track. A true drum-machine wizard who said "It was a pleasure to put my stamp on Anfisa's release. I felt her vibe and wanted to keep the traditional feel to the song but give it that Rush bump".

Adiel has graced the stages of some of the industry's most accredited venues, Panorama Bar, Dekmantel, DC10 and Concrete. She continues to bring her unique take on techno and doesn't disappoint with her kaleidoscopic iteration of "Orizzonte". Renowned for her ability to manipulate crowds with her mind-bending DJ sets and mosaic-like track selection, Adiel twists the original mix into a living techno organism of sorts, evolving and shifting through a deep palette of atmospheric sounds and vocal cuts. "It was a lot of fun to remix 'Orizzonte', it's maybe one of my best remixes and I am really happy about it" - adds Adiel.

Boston 168 leads us deep into an acid laboratory for this reinterpretation of "Gravity", masters of sound design and reformation of classic drum machines like the Roland 909, 808 and 707, the psychedelic and twisting nature of this Italian duo's tracks is unmatched. Currently residing in one of techno's capital party cities - Tbilisi, the pair hold down a residency at the legendary Khidi. "Gravity is the track that inspired us the most with its deep vocal, so we merged this with our cosmic sound" add the duo.

Very few producers have rode the pinnacles of techno as it unfolds through the decades, Chris Liebing is one such figurehead. Revered for his energetic, seize-the-moment style of DJing and music production Liebing is forever finding new ways to innovate within the booth. "Remixing 'Not There' was a huge pleasure, and the production process was very organic. I tried to take it in a little less melodic direction by just hinting it in the break". Says Chris Liebing.

This Germanic trailblazer continues to ignite dancefloors internationally between running his label CLR and juggling family life. Liebing steps up to the plate with his own take on "Not There" to conclude the pack. Instantly drawing your attention with his trademark grit laden kick drums and sweeping dubbed-out vocal shots, along with a hypnotic and body-jolting start to a literal Pandora's box of remix material.

"Someone like Anfisa, with such a high spirit and a smile that lights up any room deserves to have that same representation to her music. Good music will always put a smile on your face" adds DJ Rush.

Storming into 2022 with a flurry of high-octane remixed from a stellar array of artists, Anfisa Letyago continues to solidify her position as one of techno's most talked about names. An intrepid selector with a positive attitude regarding all things art and dancefloor related, she's been making seismic waves within the industry for a few years. Letyago launched her own imprint - N:S:DA last year, originally a celebration of her own dark-brooding style of techno, the label has entered a metamorphosis of sorts, welcoming in a host of established producers to remix the labels first two remix EP's.

Kompakt head-honcho and German techno extraordinaire Michael Mayer opens up the floodgates of this remix project with an alluring interpretation of "Nisida". Decades of industry experience have finely tuned Mayer's taste making to an impeccable standard, his extensive knowledge of dancefloors and deep cuts serves as an excellent explanation for his undeniable ability in the studio. Ethereal vocal snapshots from the original mix are weaved intricately amongst the machine-orchestra of arpeggiated synths and stalwart drum loops. "My aim for this remix was to crystallize this yearning sentiment in Anfisa's whispers by adding more warmth and drama to the track" adds Michael.

The Italian-born, multi-faceted DJ Tennis steps into the arena with his unique take on the original mix of "Nisida". Elegant pads flourish through the mix, carrying listeners weightlessly into warping basslines and razor-sharp drum work. The droning synths seem to induce hypnosis, circling and swaying around the driving kick and scattered hi-hats. A production powerhouse since the early nineties, DJ Tennis continues to juggle event promotion, running a label and booking agency. A hugely talented all-rounder.

1979 draws the EP to a close with a swirling techno edit of "Orizzonte", tastefully minimal and precisely crafted with compelling sound design from the analog synth wizard. Classically trained with a deep penchant for attending illegal raves in his youth, 1979 has been making waves with a flurry of breakout hits in recent years. The arrangement climbs through cycles of high-pitched tones and rolling mid-range bass, taking listeners on a sonic journey steeped in warmth with classic drum machine hits. "'Orizzonte' caught me in many ways, and I decided to use the beautiful space-arpeggios and the shoegaze pads made by Anfisa to create my own version of the track" he adds. The perfect track for highway driving and rocking dancefloors.

HIGHLIGHTS Classic Brazilian soul funk from 1976 in the same vein as Tim Maia, Jorge Ben or Carlos Dafé's recordings from that period. All four tracks are stunning and feature dramatic vocals, fat drum beats and sophisticated arrangements, following the tradition of the best funk music coming from the States in the '70s. First time reissue. DESCRIPTION Tony Bizarro was a Brazilian songwriter, producer and singer who worked with most of the greatest soul and funk artists in Brazil. Boogie and disco music were making headway and soon became popular in the Brazilian market. His own discography comprises just one solo album, released at the peak of his career, a bunch of compactos and some later LPs that did not get any bigger than his best-known hit 'Estou Livre'. This 1976 EP has been a long-time dancefloor weapon for DJs in the same vein as Tim Maia, Jorge Ben or Carlos Dafé's recordings from the same period. All four tracks are stunning! The opening song 'Que Se Faz Da Vida' is a downtempo funk joint with some dramatic vocals by Tony Bizarro, fat drum beats and Isaac-Hayesque wah-wah sounds that could have easily been included in the soundtrack of a blaxploitation movie_ The strings and sophisticated arrangements featured on the flipside elevate this record to the top of the best Brazilian funk ever recorded in the '70s. Very hard to find, especially in good condition, this record now gets a proper reissue for the first time.

Martin Matiske's superb new six-track EP Circle Of Enlightenment on LDI Records is based around the concept of one-mindedness and togetherness. This German artist was fascinated with mixing records as early as his 10th birthday and had his first release on the legendary International Deejay Gigolo Records aged just 15. In the 20 years since he has released a selection of records on labels like Moustache Records and Bordello A Parigi. His timeless sound comes with a vintage touch and always fuses electro, italo and techno in fresh new ways. This new EP aims to describe the direct connection between human beings and the universe. Martin says: "Human beings are aliens always looking for answers to questions like why are we here and what life is about? We know the answer but won't accept it. We are made up of the elements of space and are directly connected to the universe. Each person contains the energy of the universe and is connected with everything that surrounds it. We are one! We are here because we are here! Our mission is to be!" The EP opens with 'Memory', and Martin explains that "Remembering is the ability to do things right but most of the time it causes pain." The track is a slick and icy electro workout with gorgeous retro-future pads bringing a cosmic sense of soul while the corrugated bass keeps busy below. 'Breakout' describes breaking out of normal thought and reaching a state of "no-mind." It is a playful and dynamic electro cut with characterful bass and synth stabs like shooting stars as shimmering arps ride up and down the scale. 'Lost In Space' deals with the idea that human beings on earth are just as lost in space as aliens. It's an interplanetary electro trip with glistening synths shining bright next to more twisted, tortured bass. 'Microbot' is about miniature robots that make our lives easier and ride on a punchy bassline, with neck-snapping snares and pads that circle around like spacecraft during battle. It is another lush electro workout that leads into 'Stars' and pays homage to the importance of these twinkling rays of light. It's a widescreen track with withering leads, cyborg vocals, and a real sense of hope as the snappy drums march into an unknown future. Last of all, 'Solaris' pays tribute to the life-giving force of the sun with another super crisp electro groove, slithering arps and conversational pads that make both a physical and emotional impact. Circle Of Enlightenment is a brilliantly adventurous and storytelling new EP from the ever-excellent Martin Matiske.

It is widely accepted that the recorded musical output of Indian-born British guitarist Amancio D'Silva came to a premature closure with the landmark 1972 albums,Cosmic Eyeand the unreleased masterpieceKonkan Dance.The Roundtable are here to prove otherwise, announcing the discovery of an extraordinary lost recording. Forty years after it was recorded we proudly presentSapana, the forgotten piece of a remarkable musical legacy, the final recording from one the most singular artists to emerge from the British Jazz scene of the 1960s/70s. Recorded in 1983 and released here for the first time,Sapanais thematically akin toCosmic Eye,a further musical impressions of the subconscious (Dream Sequences), vividly imagined with traditional Hindustani and western improvisation. A spellbinding fusion of Indian raga and New-Age jazz.

Celebrated as a pioneer of the 'Indo-Jazz' movement of the 1960s, D'Silva's adventurous synthesis of modal jazz and Indian classical music defined the seminal 1969 Lansdowne jazz recordingsHum DonoandIntegration. Here we find D'Silva fifteen years later, removed from the jazz scene and musically in place of deep introspection and meditative tranquility. The recording features Sitarist Clem Alford, a collaborator from theKonkan Dancesessions plus renowned Tabla player, Jahlib Millar and Saxophonist/Flautist Lyn Dobson, a musician who had previously worked with Soft Machine, Third Ear Band, and Henry Lowther. Together the quartet construct a deeply evocative set transcending the realm of both jazz and Indian music. Pressed on 180g vinyl and packaged in a custom flip-back sleeve.

1900 to 1930: The Dawn of Dementia; The Oldest Novelty Records of All
Time from Dr Demento.The world famous Dr
Demento's influence on pop culture is undeniable and to commemorate his 50th
anniversary, we celebrate the earliest days of novelty and comedy records.
He is a world- renowned record collector and music historian, whose lifelong
passion for music of all kinds (from Frank Zappa to punk rock and everything in
between) is reflected in his radio show and most importantly, in this unique
collection of rare songs from the early days of records.

Wu-Tang Clan founder and producer RZA releases a 12" vinyl single
featuring a collaboration with Flatbush Zombies.Robert Fitzgerald Diggs,
better known by his stage name RZA, is an American rapper, actor,
filmmaker and record producer
He is the de facto leader of the hip- hop group Wu- Tang Clan, having produced
most albums for the group and its respective members. He is a cousin of two
other original Wu- Tang Clan members: GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He has also
released solo albums under the alter ego Bobby Digital, along with executive
producing credits for side projects. After forming the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA was a
founding member of the horrorcore group Gravediggaz, where he went by the
name The RZArector.
Flatbush Zombies are an American hip- hop group from the Flatbush section of
Brooklyn, New York City, formed in 2010. The group is composed of rappers
Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and Erick Arc Elliott, with Elliott also serving as their
regular record producer. The trio are part of the East Coast hip hop supergroup
Beast Coast, with fellow Brooklyn-based rap groups the Underachievers and Pro
Era.

New album from South London producer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Wu-Lu.

Leader of the punk-rap awakening, Wu-Lu pulls inspiration from personal hardship and the underrepresented on his latest for Warp entitled 'LOGGERHEAD'. Miles Romans-Hopcraft based his artistic moniker on the Amharic word for water, “wu-ha”. True to his fluid sound and nature, he decided to change it to something that felt more liquid. He ended up with Wu-Lu, a name he has been using since 2015. His first record GINGA opened the floodgates to a career that would take him to various places, people, and genres. From breaking bones at skateparks as a teenager, to DJing as one of the original members of Touching Bass, and eventually getting signed to Warp in 2021.

As an artist, Wu-Lu seems concerned with feeling and communicating the full spectrum of human emotion. Throughout his varied discography, he touches on disparate themes and sounds, straddling a divide between blissed-out beats and grungy guitar dirges, and often mixing both into one amorphous, unclassifiable sound of his own.

On ‘'LOGGERHEAD'’, Wu-Lu hones his unique sound. On ‘Take Stage’, a despondent spoken word intro opens with sombre strings and underlying bows dragged delicately across them. Then the lights flicker to life on ‘Night Pill’, and the mosh pit with them - the bassline approaches like a hungry shark and the guitars snarl with a homemade 90s grunge energy. This grunge drawl and punk spirit is peppered with dry old-school drum sounds of classic hip-hop, with laid-back beat-oriented tracks are spread amongst those with intermittent growls, scratches, and shrieks. Sonic elements are constantly rearranged and juxtaposed throughout the album, like on ‘South’ where the fluctuating pitch of squealing guitars and screaming vocals is contrasted with the steady flow of Lex Amor.

Listening through the album you are constantly greeted with about-turns, and through the element of surprise and deft use of contrast 'LOGGERHEAD' sits at an exciting point in Wu-Lu’s genre-defying artistry.

"Off-kilter melodies, dense instrumentation and lyrical explorations of the darkest side of the human condition" -- The Guardian

With B FLAT A this much acclaimed quartet from Gdansk, Poland have
produced their most epic and visceral statement to date.

A universe where echoes of Can, Syd Barrett and Fugazi lovingly collide. Cryptic and possessing of a great moral force, Trupa Trupa is a band for these times, whether we are ready for them or not.
The frst single "Twitch" is already out and is receiving strong airplay from BBC6 Music. Clash magazine wrote "Polish art-rock group Trupa Trupa return with the storming 'Twitch.' The band's imposing physicality is matched to some truly ground-breaking artistry - imagine a kind of Eastern European answer to Swans and you'd be close. With their intense live shows and crunching studio output,
Trupa Trupa have built an imposing catalogue, one with an international reach."

UK GIGS
19.02.2022 – UK – London – Lexington
21.02.2022 – UK – Brighton – Green Door Store

»Tides« marked a radical change in direction for Arovane. After Uwe Zahn had made a name for himself with cutting-edge IDM rhythms and slick ambient textures on a slew of releases, his sophomore album saw the prolific producer opt for a sample-based approach that resulted in a more organic sound and laid-back downbeat grooves. Having reissued Arovane’s seminal »Atol-Scrap« as a double LP in 2021, the Berlin-based Keplar label now makes »Tides« available on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 2000 through the legendary City Centre Offices. The new version has been remastered by Kassian Troyer at Dubplates & Mastering and comes with a brand new cover artwork. It shines a new light on a release for which Zahn quite literally ventured into previously unknown territory — »Tides« is an album that emits a timeless, quiet calm and nonetheless stays constantly in motion.

»The idea for the album came to me after a vacation in France«, says Zahn. Inspired by the landscape, especially the coastline and the sea, he made field recordings throughout his trip that were also used on the record, giving it its sensual feel. The foundation of the album however, the loose yet gripping grooves at the heart of every track, result from Zahn working extensively with samples. »I wanted to make use of drum sounds and small excerpts from old jazz vinyl records«, he explains. He maintained the unique sound signatures and rhythmic flutter of the source material while building intricate beats with them. Most of the material was culled from the record collection of Christian Kleine, whose spontaneous guitar improvisations over the first musical sketches were recorded and edited by Zahn and can be heard on four tracks. Also employing the occasional cembalo or spinet sound, he worked with a hardware sequencer and a delay to integrate the different, discrete elements into nine tracks that feel both dense and light at once.

What’s astonishing still 22 years later is how spacious »Tides« sounds. This is due to the fact that Zahn not only paid close attention to the sonic idiosyncrasies of his source material, but also to what happened in between those sounds. »Mark Hollis’s solo album was a huge inspiration at that time«, says Zahn. »What I find fascinating about it until this day is how silence and the subtle hiss of the mixing boards were being used on that record.« Silence was also an important stylistic element on »Tides« and adds greatly to the overall atmosphere of an album that with the appropriately named »Theme« immediately sets the mood with intricate spinet melodies: Zahn opens a door for his listeners and invites them to follow him to see a specific part of the world through his very own lens.

As a whole, the album mirrors Zahn’s trip that took him along the steep cliffs on a foggy day (»Seaside«), to an abandoned house in which he found old maps (»A Secret«), along the coastline during a long car ride (»Deauville«), to a sleepy village and the slowly moving sea (»Tides«) and finally back home to his native Germany where he started reflecting upon his experiences, ultimately deciding to translate them into music (»Epilogue«). »Whenever I listen to this album now, the images and memories it evokes are incredibly vivid and vibrant«, he says. It’s not hard to see — or rather hear — why. »Tides« may have been a deeply personal project, but it effortlessly evokes universal feelings by (re-)building an entire world in the course of only a few pieces of music.

Milanese producer Nelson of the East sets out on a deeper exploration of percussive house/techno on Sub Erotic, the first release on Tartelet Record’s new dance floor-focused sub-label DANCEMPORIUM – out May 6th.

Following his 2021 album release of Kybele, Nelson of the East (Nicolas Meyer) is embarking on a new area of sonic exploration rooted in club music motifs. His forthcoming EP, Sub Erotic, builds on his accomplished artistic imprint, balancing the urgent pulse of dance music with the rhythmic sensibilities of non-Western cultures. “After the release of Kybele, it took me a while to figure out what would be a good sequel, and I found myself deconstructing tracks from the album,” says Nelson. “I came to the conclusion that the most important thing on the new EP would be the relationship between the different elements, while trying to use fewer layers.” While the lilt and sway of organic musicality remains at the heart of his sound, the Berlin-based producer applies these qualities in a variety of ways. On “Ellipsis”, for example, live percussive patterns were recorded and recreated using synthesis, which Nelson found to be more effective than the acoustic originals. The result is three tracks that pivot around danceable structures while moving well outside the established norms of house and techno. From the pinging textures and staggered beat impulses of “Ellipsis” to the Go Go-flavored funk of “Sub Erotic” and the trance-inducing acid incantation of “Memoria”; Nelson’s distinctive inspirations spill out of his music in intriguing formations.

Danish mainstay Kasper Marott rounds out the EP, applying a seductive pulse to push “Ellipsis” towards a psychoactive peak. The perfect brooding partner to the original, while reinforcing Nelson’s vision of an electronically minded album. Sub Erotic marks the first release on DANCEMPORIUM, Tartelet Records’ new home for dance floor-oriented music. Having grown to become a broad church of musical modes and expressions, the label is now breaking out into more focused sonic spheres. With his use of rich timbres and adventurous spirit, Nelson of the East is the perfect inaugural candidate.

First release in 1999 by Don One Records

12 Beautiful songs by Dennis Brown of which most was recorded in the late nineteen ninety on the Studio One Rhythm

All of the songs on the single LP are Produced by Don Moodie/Noel Alphanso/Dennis Brown/Bill Sample
There are only 120 copies in stock

First release in 2000 by DON ONE

12 Beautiful Roots Reggae songs by Cornell Campbell of which most was recorded in the late nineteen ninety
All tracks on the Studio One Rhythms

All of the songs on the single LPS are Produced by Noel Alphanso/Bill Sample/Donald Moodie
There are only 95 copies in stock

Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino return in 2022 with their luminous 10th studio album, El Mirador; a hopeful, kaleidoscopic beacon of rock, bluesy ruminations and Latin American sounds, to be released on April 8.

Convening at longtime bandmate Sergio Mendoza's home studio in Tucson, Arizona, the ensemble recorded throughout the summer of 2021, crafting one of their most riveting and whimsical productions to date. Convertino, who now resides in El Paso, and Burns, who relocated to Boise in 2020, channeled cherished memories of Southwestern landscapes and joyful barrio melting pots into an evocative love letter to the desert borderlands that nourished them for over 20 years.

Sonor Music Editions release the first ever reissue of this quintessential, oustanding Italian Library grail, originally released on Sermi label in 1972. Highly-regarded album and considered a masterpiece of the genre, "Nel Mondo Del Lavoro" (also released at the time with the title "World At Work" on Conroy) is one of the most precious and beatiful works conceived by the Italian maestro Rino De Filippi, and originally used for the soundtrack of the Rai-TV documentary series "SAPERE: IL PETROLIO". Music is written and composed by the maestro backed by the great I MARC 4 studio ensemble and accompained by I Cantori Moderni di A.Alessandroni with breathless scats, insane arrangements and unbelievable, unique and complex mood music from Jazz to Lounge, Bossa Nova and more. A real monster of record that best catches the library music job in adding music to films and documentaries!

Mr Emotinium goes rogue on a new breaks-heavy bop for Acid Waxa, riding a wave of mid tempo squelchers and industrial strength gurner-churners, pressed on vinyl for the very thirst time!

The tough breakbeats, slippery machine funk and fizzier end of the acid spectrum have always been a predominant driving force throughout most of Roy’s impressive output to date but on his new Fenix Break slab for Acid Waxa, Nottingham’s finest lays the mid-tempo gurner-churners on thick with a trowel and goes in deep on a wild, cement mixer bop.

Employing the use of an old Akai sampler avec floppy discs and the mega rare Cwejman S2 & Synton Fenix 19 synths alongside his usual acidic apparatus - Roy delivers six heavily-processed 303 sizzlers, recorded straight to tape for added rawness and pressed on to vinyl for the very thirst time, following a sold out, limited edition cassette version of Fenix Break, released in 2019.

Since the release of his debut album ‘Interplanetary Radio’ in 2021,

Unglued has continued to storm his way to the top of the drum & bass world with one of the most versatile back catalogues in the scene today.

12 Beautiful Love songs by Frankie Paul of which most was recorded in the late nineteen ninety
All tracks on various Studio One Rhythms

All of the songs on the single LP are Produced by Noel Alphanso/Bill Sample/Donald Moodie

The long-awaited reissue of this rare Eastern and psychedelic Jazz LP by the famous Hungarian guitarist, originally
released in 1968. For the first time and as extended Edition with four bonus tracks: radio version from 1968/69 7”
singles 7”. Deluxe 6-sided Digipak CD with 20 page booklet and Gatefold Vinyl comes with long, exclusively written
inner notes by the famous researcher and biographer Douglas Payne.
“The performances on this LP have a restrained, introspective quality. Szabo’s work is lyrical, rather economical, and
somewhat angular, and his tone is warm and glowing.” – Harvey Pekar, DownBeat
“Gabor Szabo is at the musical zenith of his career. This album could rank as his best to date.” - Billboard
“But for sheer lyrical beauty, few players are in Szabo’s class. His startling use of dissonance is a delight, too, and
time and again he will alter a final phrase just slightly, totally reorienting a familiar tune.” – Alan Heineman, DownBeat
“This is definitely one of my ‘go to’ Gabor albums.” Mike Stax, Ugly Things
"Gabor Szabo’s Bacchanal documents one of the earliest and finest examples of what was then known as “jazz rock.”
Years before this new jazz style evolved – or devolved, according to some – into “fusion,” jazz rock was mostly
fashioned by younger jazz players whose ears were open to the emerging sounds coming out of rock and roll,
especially those of the Beatles and, later, Jimi Hendrix. " - Douglas Payne
After recording four albums for Impulse in 1967, the distinctive guitarist Gabor Szabo cut three strongest records for
the Skye label in 1968-1969: "1969", "Dreams" and "Bacchanal" all of them became a legendary classic. This time
EBALUNGA!!! are rediscovers "Bacchanal". Szabo's regular group of the era is heard on record for the last time:
guitarist Jimmy Stewart, bassist Louis Kabok, drummer Jim Keltner and percussionist Hal Gordon. With the exception
of two Szabo originals, the material is comprised of current pop tunes including two songs by Donovan, "Love Is Blue,"
"The Look of Love" and "Theme from the Valley of the Dolls."
Gabor Szabo was one of the most original guitarists to emerge in the 1960s, mixing his Hungarian folk music heritage
with a deep love of jazz and creating a distinctive, largely self-taught sound.
Born in Budapest, on March 8, 1936, Szabo was inspired by a Roy Rogers cowboy movie to begin playing guitar when
he was 14 and often played in dinner clubs and covert jam sessions while still living in his hometown. He escaped
from his country at age 20 on the eve of the Communist uprising and eventually made his way to America, settling
with his family in California.
He attended Berklee College (1958-1960) and in 1961 joined Chico Hamilton's innovative quintet featuring Charles
Lloyd. Urged by Hamilton, Szabo crafted a most distinctive sound; as agile on intricate, nearly-free runs as he was
able to sound inspired during melodic passages. Szabo left the Hamilton group in 1965 to leave his mark on the popjazz of the Gary McFarland quintet and the energy music of Charles Lloyd's fiery and underrated quartet featuring Ron
Carter and Tony Williams.Szabo initiated a solo career in 1966, recording the exceptional album, Spellbinder, which yielded many inspired
moments and "Gypsy Queen," the song Santana turned into a huge hit in 1970. Szabo formed an innovative quintet
(1967-1969) featuring the brilliant, classically trained guitarist Jimmy Stewart and recorded many notable albums
during the late '60s. The emergence of rock music (especially George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix) found
Szabo experimenting with feedback and more commercially oriented forms of jazz.
During the '70s, Szabo regularly performed along the West Coast, hypnotizing audiences with his enchanting,
spellbinding style. From 1970, he locked into a commercial groove, even though records like Mizrab occasionally
revealed his seamless jazz, pop, Gypsy, Indian, and Asian fusions. Szabo had revisited his homeland several times
during the '70s, finding opportunities to perform brilliantly with native talents. He was hospitalized during his final visit
and died in 1982, just short of his 46th birthday.

Two years and one pandemic after his previous release, the Italian, London-based solo project M!R!M is back with a new full- length album.

Inspired by the synth pop classics, as well as from cold and dark waves, multi-instrumentalist Jack Milwaukee has been releasing material on labels such as Fabrika and Manic Depression until his first record on Avant! ”The Visionary” back in 2020.

On April 22 his fourth LP ”Time Traitor” will be released and we’re excited to say this is Milwaukee’s most personal job to date.

If you are familiar with his work, you know the DIY/lo-fi approach of his first recordings was already gone with his previous LP but these new ten recordings dig even deeper, drawing the outlines of a fantasy world lost within the foggy memories of a collective childhood.

Possibly locked in his bedroom for the necessary time, Milwaukee has been able to recreate an imaginative realm of 80’s FM suggestions, scattering a number of acoustic clues from different parts of this parallel, yet so familiar dimension. It’s almost like M!R!M is sending us a message in a bottle with each of these new tracks and each message tells a different story.
Post Fight has a punchy pop-punk riff drove by solid synthwave beats, Faultless Pitch hosts a mellow, funky bass line over a solemn drum gate, Desert Love screams italo like nothing else and it was indeed composed four-handed with fellow artists Nuovo Testamento, Say Nothing features SDH singer Andrea Pérez’s backing vocals to invoke a dream-like scenario.
There is even a Turquoise Days’ Grey Skies cover that is just one more perfect example of Milwaukee’s ability to take a single item from the suitcase of the past and make it extremely current in a handful of minutes.

All this is adorned by semi-instrumental postcards with suggestive names such as Moody Moon, Peninsula and Goodnight Galaxie that will guide you through this journey across M!R!M sound-&-memory experience.

A new album by legendary Estonian pianist Tõnu Naissoo, accompanied by his new group Tõnu Naissoo Electric Trio !

Accompanied by his synthesizers and two of the best Estonian jazz musicians, bassist Mihkel Mälgand and drummer Ahto Abner, Tõnu Naissoo began recording his album “Different Directions” in the autumn of 2019 at the legendary Linnahall studio that he had booked for that purpose several years in advance. The new tracks he composed for the album flow from jazz-rock to smooth jazz, lingering briefly on the frequency of free jazz.
The popular Estonian jazz pianist Tõnu Naissoo was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1951. His father Uno Naissoo was a renowned composer and an organizer of jazz festivals, who encouraged Tõnu to take an interest in jazz and improvisation. By the age of 15 he had already begun participating in local jazz orchestra. He performed first time with his trio and presented his jazz music compositions at the international Tallinn Jazz Festival of 1967 in Tallinn. The next year he was given an opportunity to record his own album. Since then he has dedicated himself to jazz music and recorded around 30 albums that have been released in Estonia, Japan and Russia. Most of his earliest recordings have been reissued in recent years.
“Different Directions” feels like Tõnu Naissoo’s ’missing piece’ album from the 1980s. It will be a worthy addition to Tõnu Naissoo’s and Frotee’s discography.

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

Charles Tolliver / Music Inc ‘Live In Tokyo 1973’ 180g Vinyl (Pure Pleasure) 5/5

It’s incredible to witness this resurgence of Strata-East’s recordings over the last few years – an appreciation for the label’s ground-breaking approach to music-making, backed by a phenomenal catalogue, continues to attract listeners both new as well as its devoted faithful once again giving rise to its revered and cult-like status. The label’s return to prominence and its subsequent reintroduction to new audiences has been aided, in no small part, by reissues like these – Pure Pleasure as a prime example of a label that lovingly curates these treasured releases, repackaging them for vinyl enthusiasts the world over.

There’s certainly a keen eye that goes into the joyous task of plunging through the Strata-East vaults and although Charles Tolliver and Music Inc’s ‘Live in Tokyo 1973’ isn’t as forgotten a treasure as previous Pure Pleasure reissues of projects like Stanley Cowell’s ‘Such Great Friends’ may be, it’s no less of an incredible project to revisit in this way.

Recorded 7th December 1973, the fifth album by trumpeter Charles Tolliver and his quartet of musicians comprising Music Inc performed a 50-minute set in Tokyo’s Yubinchokin Hall. The performance was initially released through Strata-East the following year and would even be revisited a further time by Mosaic Records in 2005 as part of a three-disc box set – all of this a true testament to the masters of the craft gracing the stage on this night.

Despite the slew of releases with Music Inc, Tolliver boasts an incredible resume that has seen him perform alongside luminaries including Horace Silver, Andrew Hill, Roy Ayers, Gary Bartz amongst others. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, and raised in New York from the age of 10 years old, Tolliver’s inspired contributions to jazz couldn’t be celebrated enough – from his innumerable successes as a musician in his own right to his achievements as co-founder of Strata along with Stanley Cowell. Despite neither having any formal or business training, Tolliver and Cowell’s pioneering efforts positioned them as beacons for being an independent, black-owned success story.

With the Music Inc quartet comprised of bassist Clint Houston, drummer Clifford Barbaro and Stanley Cowell on piano, Tolliver and company present a set of five compositions including tracks from the pen of the trumpeter himself (‘Drought’ and ‘Stretch’) as well as a heralded rendition of ‘Round Midnight’ initially composed by Thelonious Monk. Kicking the project off with the exquisite slow build of ‘Drought’ which starts with Tolliver’s trumpet holding court on centre stage while the glorious crescendo builds around him. ‘Stretch’ eschews in another high-energy number before making way to the sublime lament of ‘Truth’.

‘Live in Tokyo 1973’ is certainly a project that has been afforded its due reverence over the years but once again, an exceptional performance from Charles Tolliver and Music Inc benefits from an unrivalled presentation at the hands of Pure Pleasure. By Imran Mirza/ukvibe.org - est.1993