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If you collect vintage 70's soul-jazz vinyl, there is a good chance that you already own a record that features the amazing vocal talents of Dee Dee Bridgewater. Whether it be Roy Ayers, Norman Connors, Billy Parker or Carlos Garnett - Dee Dee is the glue that fuses these artists together. Although best known for her jazz work, Dee Dee has had a wonderfully rich and varied career encompassing soul, musicals, gospel, and underground disco from the 70's to the present day. She is still active as a vocalist, composer, and producer and remains one of our favourite vocalists at Mr Bongo HQ. We take things back to the early years of Dee Dee's career with her debut album 'Afro Blue'. Recorded in Tokyo in 1974, the album was released exclusively in Japan via two different Japanese labels (Trio Records in 1974 and All Art in 1985 respectively). Each release had unique cover art and we have opted to present the album in its original 1974 form.

'Afro Blue' features an exquisite collaboration of American and Japanese musicians, such as Cecil & Ron Bridgewater, Motohiko Hino and producer Takao Ishizuka. The result is a sublime deep soul-jazz masterpiece with timeless versions of 'People Make The World Go Round', 'Love From The Sun', and 'Afro Blue'. It is arguably one of the finest albums in its genre. This record has long been a sought-after item for DJs and collectors alike, so we are delighted to finally make this wonderful music from an understated great available to all.

Das italienische Acid Duo ist zu unserer Freude mit der „Vax Of Love“ EP zurück bei BPitch, die beiden veröffentlichten hier 2019 die „909 Therapy“ EP und davor schon das erfolgreiche „Drops In Heaven“, damals ihr Debut bei BPitch. Sie setzen ihre Experimente mit industriellem Sound und der quirligen, zeitlosen Roland TR-303 fort. Was wir hier hören ist der Sound Turins einer der italienischen „Motor Cities“, der Geist verlassener Fabriken ist in jedem Beat und jeder Bass- und Acid-line präsent.

House Of EFUNK Records returns with a vinyl only offering of floor focused club jams from Tom Flynn, the UK based producer who’s seen outings on Planet E, Vega Records & Dirtybird to name a few.

Highlighted by “Fifty Ways”, a polyrhythmic feast for the ears featuring Grammy nominated NYC legend Luisito Quintero on percussion... The original rides a pulsating afro-feel, while the deep mix envelops us in tense foggy atmospheres fit for those late night / early mornings. Detroit heavyweight, Shigeto supplies a remix that pumps the tempo and injects that Motor City jazz he’s so known for.

Rounding it out... "Catching Stars" brings us down gently, capturing the coastal breeze & warmth of a late summer day... Touché concludes the story, riding a bubbling bassline & playful melodies, it’s a track perfectly fit for the sunrise.

Oracolo is Skinshape’s second full length originally released in 2015 and now remastered for 2020. The album plays out like the soundtrack to a psychedelic Spaghetti Western. ‘Old Days’ is one of a handful of vocal-lead tracks on the release that along with ‘Summer’ and the cinematic album title track, ‘Oracolo’ conjure references to bands like Can, The Bees or modern pysch pioneers Tame Impala. The instrumentals peppered throughout like the Quentin Tarantino-esque gem ‘Mandala’ and Motown reminiscing ‘Rubber Gloves’ highlight Dorey’s superb talent as an arranger and composer. Don’t let the vintage sound fool you either. All of his magic is original, without a sample in sight. Every instrument either played by Dorey himself, or his array of guest friend musicians. For the Oracolo artwork, Skinshape joined forces with acclaimed New York based artist Jared Buschang. This is one of Buschang’s early pieces simply named ‘Untitled’. The Picasco-esqe style makes the perfect visual representation for the music within.

This 3rd of the Motordiscs opens with a slow and delighted beat by The JuanMacLean, which turns into an electro mesmerizing track. Is it slow trance or is it some kind of house ? Are we early in the night or late in the after party ? Are we still dreaming ? A2 « Mark 211 » by Javi Redondo takes the energy level up with some acidy synth and punchy snares, proving that the power of a track does not necessarily lies in its speed. It is now time to flip the disc, Naduve takes us later in the night, bringing a murky vibe, thanks to haunting pads and low frequency instruments, picturing a proper underground club. The sun now starts to rise on the Seine river, the last track sounds like an ode to the dawn, where voices and shiny synths will emerge and open the crowd’s eyes. It was « Peppi » by Fairmont. This was a night at Garage

THE JUST BROTHERS were Jimmy and Frank Bryant and are best known for their throw-away instrumental 'Sliced Tomatoes' that first graced the scene at Blackpool Mecca. 'Carlena' is a different beast altogether, a powerful slice of gritty up-tempo soul propelled by various members of Motown's Funk Brothers. A collector's item that was first picked up by Wigan Casino DJ Richard Searling on a visit to Soul Bowl circa 1976-7, a trip that also produced the first copy of The Honey Bees' 'Let's Get Back Together', both on the Garrison label, reputedly part-owned by Mike Terry, and both incredibly rare, approaching a combined $5,000 in today's market!
THE HONEY BEES were an in demand, for-hire, backing vocal group working the New York circuit in the mid-Sixties and can be heard, in fine voice, supporting Jack Montgomery (real name Marvin Jones) on his superb Barracuda 45 'Don't Turn Your Back on Me'. Here they deliver their own, much deserved, recording, co-written by Don Mancha and Wigan's adopted son, the late, great Edwin Starr.

2LÄRM UND STAHL 2" is a new worldwide radiography of the actual “hidden” scene in dark electronics offering sharp- and crude minimal industrial beats as it's best; the featured bands are 89’s† from Mexico, S.A.D from UK, PALMARIELLO from Argentina & CHRIS SHAPE from Italy. All tracks have been specially remastered for LONG CUT Vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young & Cold Studios!

WRWTFWW Records is excited to announce the official reissue of Motohiko Hamase’s remarkable ambient/environmental/minimalism project #Notes of Forestry, available for the first time since 1988. The album is sourced from original masters and available on vinyl and CD with liner notes from the artist. This marks the third release from the ESPLANADE SERIES which focuses on the works of Yoshio Ojima, Motohiko Hamase and Satsuki Shibano. One of the most fascinating and peculiar works from the golden era of Japanese ambient, #Notes of Forestry was initially released in 1988 by Newsic, the cult label started by Tokyo’s Wacoal Art Center (also known as Spiral), home, notably, of Yoshio Ojima who co-produced the album. Conceived by Jazz bassist turned experimentalist Motohiko Hamase, the magnum opus offers an enchanting mix of free-form pastoral electronics, otherworldly percussions by Yasunori Yamaguchi, and delightfully allusive piano played by none other than Satsuki Shibano (Sound Process’ Wave Notation 3). Vibrant, sometimes eerie, and absolutely captivating, #Forestry captures Hamase’s quest for musical freedom, he explains: “Inside the body of a musician, music is always transcendentally resonating. More than language, music reigns. When creating music overlaps with the moment my body performs, I strive to be as close as possible to the feeling of musical freedom. I feel that this notion lies at the foundation of this album". Musical freedom, here, provides an essential escape, extending the path uncovered by pivotal releases such as Midori Takada’s Through The Looking Glass, Satoshi Ashikawa’s Still Way, and Yutaka Hiros’s Nova. #Notes of Forestry is reissued in conjunction with Motohiko Hamase’s Technodrome and Anecdote albums,

WRWTFWW Records is very happy to announce the official reissue of Motohiko Hamase’s astounding ambient house album Technodrome (1993). The album is sourced from original masters and available on vinyl for the first time ever as well as on CD. It comes with liner notes from the artist. This marks the fourth release from the ESPLANADE SERIES which focuses on the works of Yoshio Ojima, Motohiko Hamase and Satsuki Shibano. Inspired by John Cage, Jon Hassel, Brian Eno, and the emergence of house and techno music, Technodrome is jazz bassist turned electronic experimentalist Motohiko Hamase’s foray into what he calls ambient house or, as he explains, “using the gritty sensation inherent to the core of house music” to create an ambient record “aiming to express inverted images, optical illusions, and the sense of déjà vu that modern people can get in the city". Technodrome is constructed around innovative minimalism, a robotic funk orchestrated by bass lines and percussions, and monochrome moods. It’s the most intriguing project in Hamase’s discography, a ghostly ride set in 90s urban landscape, where repetition sets the groove and brings things to life, echoing Hamase’s deeper subtext for his compositions: “and attempt to recreate (as metaphor) the time in our mother’s womb". The album was initially released in 1993 by Newsic, the cult label started by Tokyo’s Wacoal Art Center (also known as Spiral), home, notably, of Yoshio Ojima who co-produced the album. It is now reissued in conjunction with Motohiko Hamase’s #Notes of Forestry and Anecdote albums.

Repress

Motomitsu is a Japanese producer, DJ, Children’s book author, Illustrator, Poet living in Paris. The tracks of this EP are inspired by the original Detroit House Music, however it’s not an imitation. The tracks are made with Japanese sensitivity and Parisian atmosphere.

The Advent (Cisco Ferreira) delivers his first full-length Electro album in 17 years. Released this May on Sync 24's burgeoning Cultivated Electronics label, 'Life Cycles' finds the past meeting the future. Because, to get a truer feel for this new long-player, we should head back even further to a 1995 classic - The Advent's debut album, 'Elements Of Life'. In fact, fans will recognise a nod to the original artwork of that seminal release, as 'Life Cycles' takes us full circle, containing unreleased Electro gems from the '90s, available for the first time.

"I have been making electro music for nearly 3 decades now and excited to see that it is in demand with this new wave of talented producers out there. 'Life Cycles' is an album where I explore my older past and connect with the future, 2020 and this new electro generation," says Cisco. Ever since Cisco Ferreira discovered Acid House in the London clubs he frequented, his journey has been about making his mark on the electronic music scene.

Fresh from college he landed a job as assistant sound-engineer in several recording studios where he learned the art of translating feelings to frequencies, recording high profile artists from the world of Rock, Pop, Dance and Reggae. When acid label, Jack Trax moved in next-door, Cisco started recording for the likes of Adonis, Fingers Inc, Marshall Jefferson and Derrick May.

These rendezvous sparked the inspiration for his first EPs on R&S and Fragile. By 1994 Ferreira had signed a record deal for 12 EPs and 3 albums together with Colin McBean. This was the beginning of an era during which the duo set a worldwide standard for high quality underground Electro and Techno.

They hit the world with a refreshing sound, both as The Advent, and G Flame (Cisco) and Mr G (the alias Colin still uses today). Nowadays The Advent is a solo project for Cisco as he bombards crowds around the world with his trademark raw, energetic sound.

As much as The Advent is known for uncompromising Techno, so his Electro has been a huge influence for a lot of young Electro artists today (including his own son and sometime Electro collaborator, Zein) and when you listen to 'Life Cycles' you'll understand why. From the moment the beats kick in on track 1, 'Music Is Life' we're met with full on Advent power. The album explores classic old-school Electro vibes from the tough machine funk of tracks like 'This Is Not' and 'Vast' to the acid excursions on 'Panda', via some the ghetto boogie of 'L.U.' or 'Stasis V2'. And lest we forget what an amazing live performer The Advent is, there's even the deeply hypnotic 'Live@Motor 1998'.

Thatmanmonkz returns after his critically acclaimed and just damn good 2nd LP 'Non Zero Sum Game' with a heavyweight remix package !!

Favourite LP cut 'Them Thangs' anchors the EP, with Detroit superhero Waajeed laying down a typically high class interpretation, trademark Dirt Tech vibes abound, with equal parts motor city machine soul and tough rhythms taking the original straight to the floor.
Talking of which, the OG Dubstramental concentrates the irresistible groove into an effortlessly fierce afro-centric House jam.

After the PPF crew submitted their tearaway rewire of one of the LP's tougher moments 'Freaks 'N Prophets' its place on this 12 was assured.
A Chicago style slammer that extends and leans into the powerhouse groove with a nod to the forefathers.
Finally, a previous digital release highlight (which got a lot of love) finishes off the EP, a flute-laden romp for dancin' close.

Following 2019’s New Atlantis LP under his experimental techno alias Efdemin, Phillip Sollmann’s Monophonie is a project dedicated to uniting different strands of utopian music. His approach: combining and recontextualizing rare historical instruments of sonic research of Hermann von Helmholtz (19th century) with the self-designed, microtonal instruments of Harry Partch and metal sound sculptures of Harry Bertoia.
The result is a psychedelic investigation into just intonation – alternative tuning systems that create unique sets of harmonics not found in conventional scales. Monophonie recasts these sounds into new rhythmic environments where epic kosmische, polyrhythms, acoustic techno and microtonal glow are interwoven into a rare music.
Over nine tracks, the album explores multiple forms of minimalism, from unwavering repetition to paired-down chords and sparse sonic environments. But it also seeks to expand the sound spectrum of Partch’s custom built organs and melodic percussion instruments as well as Bertoia’s sonambient singing metal rods into a atmospheric otherworldliness.
Monophonie was first composed in 2016 and premiered at Berlin’s Volksbühne theatre in 2017, before it went on to the renowned Ruhrtriennale and Kampnagel in Hamburg. It was performed by one of Germany’s premier neue musik collectives Ensemble Musikfabrik together with Sollmann himself on von Helmholtz’s original double siren, with set design by Michael Kleine and wardrobe by Peter Kisur of Honeysuckle Company.

One Sided 7", Limited edition of 200 copies on black vinyl, handstamped whitelabel with additional photo inlay.

Tribe'n'Bass? Tech'n'Bass? Drum'n'Tech? Whatever you might call it, the first ever vinyl release of the freshly launched imprint Freebreakz.FWD is a quite trip, a journey into the unknown and unexplored.
For their conjunctional studio effort that is „Alien Swamp“ we see Hamburg's baze.djunkiii and Berlin-based Donna Maya draw influences from spiralling TribeTekno and the freeform approach of the teknival scene, pay homage to their love for advanced, experimental Drum'n'Bass and fuse these elements with a stripped down high tech vibe somewhat reminiscent of early Minimal Techno coming out of Motor City Detroit. Imagine all these bits falling together at breakneck speed and with a well psychedelic notion and you'll be
captivated by one of the most unique dancefloor cuts from a space-exploring future, the electroid soundtrack for illegal raves taking place under the two suns of life-bearing exoplanets in binary star systems far far away.

Limited to 800 copies Green Vinyl
Includes postcard and poster
Their one and only single was originally released in 1985 on Creation and spent 19 weeks in the independent chart. From East Kilbride in Scotland, they morphed into Motorcycle Boy

The Devonns dust off the golden age of 70's Chicago Soul with their self-titled debut album on Record Kicks. Straight from the streets of Chicago, Illinois, The Devonns (pronounced "De vaughns") are the brand new soul outfit and the latest addition of the Record Kicks' family, whose self-titled debut album that drops April 03, is an assortment of influences taking us back to the heyday of soul.

Drawing influences from bands such as The Dramatics, The Isley Brothers and Leroy Hutson, yet bringing in their own unique modern twist, influenced by artists such as Jamie Lidell and Raphael Saadiq; singer Mat Ajjarapu explains how unintentionally, the rich heritage of Chicago's history with soul music influenced him.

"The city was at the epicentre of a lot of good music back in the 50's all the way to the 80's, a lot of the labels specialising in soul were based in the Chicago and we even had our own sound known as "Chicago soul". Through several years of crate digging it surprised me how many songs I loved were recorded in this city, for example one of my favourites is this great little song by The Natural Four, produced by Leroy Hutson 'Can This Be Real', and released via Curtom Records."

The band started in 2016 after multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mathew Ajjarapu dropped out of med school and found himself unemployed and drifting. Listening to music constantly at the time, he found inspired to put a band together and create his own music. Pairing up with some of the best musicians Chicago has to offer, he founded The Devonns: the rhythm duty is entrusted to Khalyle Hagood (bass), Ari Lindo (guitar) and Khori Wilson (drums).

Originally he wanted to focus on 50s style doo-wop, similar to The Flamingos; rich in reverb and vocal harmonies, but in the first initial practise they had it was evident the band clicked on their love of soul music from the 70s, so their music took a natural turn towards that sound, with tracks such as the Wilson Pickett-esque single 'Tell Me'.

The release took almost two years to complete as Mat explains "I am a perfectionist, I had a very specific vision in my head about how it should sound and I wasn't going to rest until I achieved it."

"This is a definitely a throwback soul record, as well as being drawn to lush and intricate arrangements of Motown, I was also inspired by the more lo-fi works of smaller labels such as Chess and Capsoul, and I wanted to capture the magic they had in those recordings in our record, as everything feels too precise nowadays" clarifies Mat.

It was thanks to his engineer Mike Hagler, who introduced him to Paul Von Mertons (Mavis Staples, Paul McCartney, Elton John) who arranges and conducts for Brian Wilson's live touring show and after a 45 minute phone conversation about what Mat wasn't keen on, on the album, he realised Paul totally understood where he was coming from.

After a few months wait for Paul to get back from touring they entered the studio with "Paul's players" and as soon as they hit record, Mat explains "I was getting chills up my neck, it was one of the happiest days of my life, and finally we had nailed it!"

Tracks such as 'Come Back; which Mat wrote in ten minutes on a $300 Daneelectro Singlecut guitar initially, came to life, with Paul's rich string arrangements and features guitarist and percussionist Ken Stringfellow (R.E.M.).

It still took a few months to get the recording process finished but finally after a torturous nineteen months they album was finally finished.

The result is an album filled with lavish arrangements and catchy melodies which take us on a nostalgic musical journey inspired by chic 70s soul, yet the band don't hesitate to add their own unique and elegant contemporary stamp to the record.

1970s Detroit American funk-soul group signed to Invictus, part of the legendary HDH label group (HollandDozier- Holland), who helped define the iconic Motown sound. Highlights include 1971 single ‘She’s Not Just Another Woman’ which was picked up by radio stations and
reached #11 in the US Billboard charts. This was followed up by ‘You’ve Got To Crawl (Before You Walk) #28 in US Billboard chart. In 1972 ‘Enny Meeny-Miny-Mo’ reached #29 in the R&B charts and ‘I’m Worried’ was released as a solo single with Northern Soul legend Melvin Davis. Plus the Mick Jagger covered ‘Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)’ Reissued with original artwork, printed inner sleeve and pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl

Shed Remix – This one is made for cardiovascular shit. Best used in dark basements, group gatherings, fire-dances (think Rothschild Surrealist shindigs), but can do wonders for your lower back and thighs, if surrounded with thugs and nasty guys.

Reformed Society Remix – This goes down the threaded path of classic Motor-city tech. That famed conveyer belt gave us the best combination of man and machine. And here it works quite well, might we add. Cruise-control on.

Detroit blue-eyed soul from The Flaming Ember, a band who signed to the then newly created Hot Wax Records (founded by the prolific hit making Motown team Holland Dozier Holland) Sunshine is the bands third Hot Wax LP with highlights including ‘I’m Not My Brothers Keeper’ to ‘1200 Miles From Heave’. Recognised for their contribution to music and inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999
This 1971 album is reissued with original artwork presented in a gatefold sleeve and preseed on 180g heavyweight black vinyl with printed inner sleeve

We were first introduced to Marumo’s ‘Modish’ album via DJ Okapi's amazing resource the ‘Afrosynth’ blog, which archives South African bubblegum/disco from the 80s & early 90s. Aside from this blog, this music would otherwise remained unknown outside of South Africa, apart from the most hardcore of digger and record collector.
‘Modish’ was originally released on Spades Record in 1982 and was recorded by producer West Nkosi, who was a member of supergroup ‘Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens’. He worked with the big hitters in South African music such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Teaspoon & The Waves, Patience Africa and many more. Marumo were made up of a group of musicians from the Athlone School for the blind in Bellville, close to Cape Town. The band members, John Mothopeng, Munich Sibiya, Simon Falatsi and Marks Mbuthuma, had previously played in the groups Batsumi, All Rounders and The Orations and came together to record this versatile album. It covers a wide number of genres from Sotho soul, Mbaqanga, disco-funk, gospel & spacey-synth slow jams.
Flash forward 30 or so years later and lost dead-stock copies of the album start to appear and Marumo’s music begins to be heard across the world in the DJ sets of Motor City Drum Ensemble, Invisible City Editions, Floating Points, DJ Okapi and others.
We included the afro-disco-funk beauty of 'Khomo Tsaka Deile Kae?’ on our Mr Bongo Record Club Volume Three compilation, but felt ‘Modish’ needed to be available and heard in it’s entirety. We hope you enjoy!

Clear Vinyl

Detroit Underground label head Kero returns to his sonic roots with the first of the Detroit Map Series originally featured on the limited DUTT-181 Series functional record player designed by Neubau Berlin. As a kick-start, Kero reveals Highways—a 5-track extended player of (abstract) electronics that is cleverly pulled together with a downbeat flow and tracks aptly sub-titled as major freeway arteries of the Motor City.


"Davison" commutes through glitch bits, bobbles, and broken beats flickering back and forth as it eventually opens midway through the traffic jam and hopscotched potholes with a synthesized melodic stream. Fisher displays its minimized techno flurry and rumbling low-end growl tempered by subtle blips'n bleeps and clinical precision. Southfield busts apart with modular maneuvering and heavy percussion showcasing an opportunity for Kero to cruise in the passing lane as the piece gradually mutates into a crunchy experimental electro epic. Lodge ebbs and flows with The Detroit Escalator Company-styled minimalism felt many miles away from its source. Chrysler expands and contracts with its 7-minute acid-electronic sprawl—here we see Kero carefully downshift to allow an ambient undercurrent to traverse a moonlit sky in the late night hours creating perhaps the finest soundtrack to (minimal) Detroit-inspired techno of yesteryear with a thumping heartbeat. ~PDS

Luz Azul is a group started by LA-based vocal and performance artist Anna Homler (aka Breadwoman) together with musicians Marcos Fernandes and Robert Montoya in 2007. On this record they compose their own mesmerising cosmic universe where the hypnotic speaking in tongue voice of Anna Homler blends mesmerising together with the sound of her found toys intensified by the shamanistic percussion of Marcos and the pulsating electronics of Montoya.

As fellow percussionists and sound artists, Marcos Fernandes and Robert Montoya's collaborations began in 1983 and ran the gamut from ambient to noise, rock to electronica to improvisation. Both were founding members of Trummerflora, a collective of creative musicians based in San Diego from 1999 to 2009.

All three artists were active in the improvised music scene in Southern California and met at Spring Reverb 2006, an annual festival of experimental music curated by the Trummerflra Collective. At the time, Fernandes was experimenting with processed percussion as well as phonography and samples while Montoyawas exploring improvisational possibilities on the computer.

Fernandes and Homler expressed their mutual interest in collaborating but it was not until the fall of 2007 that they performed a series of concerts together. Pleased with the results, they performed together again in the spring of 2008 with the addition of Montoya. There was chemistry and the trio promptly decided to enter the studio to capture their collective magic. The session yielded the music found on Luz Azul.

Anna Homler - voice, pocket theremin, sample sticks, whistles, assorted dry and squeaky objects, greeting cards, wood devil, tiny metals and motors and potato slicer
Marcos Fernandes - percussion & electronics
Robert Montoya - electronics

The Devonns dust off the golden age of Chicago Soul.
Straight from the streets of Chicago, Illinois, The Devonns (pronounced "De vaughns") are the brand new soul outfit and the latest addition of the Record Kicks' family, whose self-titled debut album that drops April 06, is an assortment of influences taking us back to the heyday of soul. "Tell Me" is the 1st single from their anticipated full length and sees the lights on limited edition 45 on March 06 and digital. Drawing influences from bands such as The Dramatics, The Isley Brothers and Leroy Hutson, yet bringing in their own unique modern twist, influenced by artists such as Jamie Lidell and Raphael Saadiq; singer Mat Ajjarapu explains how unintentionally, the rich heritage of Chicago's history with soul music influenced him. "The city was at the epicentre of a lot of good music back in the 50's all the way to the 80's, a lot of the labels specialising in soul were based in the Chicago and we even had our own sound known as "Chicago soul". Through several years of crate digging it surprised me how many songs I loved were recorded in this city, for example one of my favourites is this great little song by The Natural Four, produced by Leroy Hutson 'Can This Be Real', and released via Curtom Records." The band started in 2016 after multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mathew Ajjarapu dropped out of med school and found himself unemployed and drifting. Listening to music constantly at the time, he found inspired to put a band together and create his own music. Pairing up with some of the best musicians Chicago has to offer, he founded The Devonns: the rhythm duty is entrusted to Khalyle Hagood (bass), Ari Lindo (guitar) and Khori Wilson (drums).
Originally he wanted to focus on 50s style doo-wop, similar to The Flamingos; rich in reverb and vocal harmonies, but in the first initial practise they had it was evident the band clicked on their love of soul music from the 70s, so their music took a natural turn towards that sound, with tracks such as the Wilson Pickett-esque single 'Tell Me'.
The release took almost two years to complete as Mat explains "I am a perfectionist, I had a very specific vision in my head about how it should sound and I wasn't going to rest until I achieved it." "This is a definitely a throwback soul record, as well as being drawn to lush and intricate arrangements of Motown, I was also inspired by the more lo-fi works of smaller labels such as Chess and Capsoul, and I wanted to capture the magic they had in those recordings in our record, as everything feels too precise nowadays" clarifies Mat. It was thanks to his engineer Mike Hagler, who introduced him to Paul Von Mertons (Mavis Staples, Paul McCartney, Elton John) who arranges and conducts for Brian Wilson's live touring show and after a 45 minute phone conversation about what Mat wasn't keen on, on the album, he realised Paul totally understood where he was coming from. After a few months wait for Paul to get back from touring they entered the studio with "Paul's players" and as soon as they hit record, Mat explains "I was getting chills up my neck, it was one of the happiest days of my life, and finally we had nailed it!"

After five R&B hits on Chess Records, Laura Lee signed to Hot Wax records in 1971 to work with the ex Motown producers (Holland – Dozier- Holland) newly created label. ‘Two Sides Of’ is Lee’s 1972 classic featuring the stand out tracks ‘Rip Off’, which became her biggest R&B hit at #3 and ‘Crumbs On The Table’. Lee recorded this album while in a relationship with singer Al Green. The Chicago born singer gives a husky voiced performance on a record that was mainly produced by William Weatherspoon, formally of Motown.

This classic is reissued on 180g heavyweight black vinyl with original artwork and printed inner sleeve.

London based French producer Mondowski follows a spate of recent releases on Relish and Ombra with a new club-orientated vision for London label and clubnight SC&P. Following his remix services on label's debut and 4th releases, Mondowski makes his full lavel debut with an electro inspired turn. Dancefloor orientated lead track Sholay finds a mesmerizing path somewhere between extroverted 80's electro and celebratory spiritual transcendence and gets the remix treatment from Pinkman's Kris Baha who subverts the original by turning the electro backbone up to 11. The EP's B-side, Negative Space, voyages into darker electro territories with Kraftwerkesque synths, rolling pads and a motorik bassline, all of which provides the launchpad for Multiple Man to turn out a pitch black EBM banger.

Though Al Gardner’s Detroit 60's soul classic ‘Sweet Baby’ was issued in France as well as on a now expensive Sepia release in Detroit, it has never had a UK 45 release until now. The flip is a terrific previously LP-only track by Jack Ashford – the producer and writer of both sides of this 45. Best known for his percussion work at Motown, Pied Piper and Just, he shows he has a good voice on this great, now popular, song.

Official re-edition of St Andy classic Detroit tracks. Released on Soirée Records.

Ace !

Sharif Laffrey is something of an unheralded hero of the underground Detroit scene. Active since the halcyon days of the early-90s Motor City rave movement, his sporadic releases are rarely less than superb. Sharif Laffrey has been playing records and making music for over 20 years. Born in Detroit, Michigan - he's worked on the line checking camshafts for Chryslers & as an operative for Underground Resistance (UR) at Submerge for Mike Banks, at the same time. Currently releasing music on his own label SPECIAL FORCES.
Championed by DJ Harvey, Carl Craig, Dixon, Andrew Weatherall, Ivan Smagghe, Seth Troxler, The Juan Maclean, Optimo, Trevor Jackson, Hunee, Manfredas, Solar, The Chemical Brothers…

"SOUNDS TO COME" - Is the 2nd release on Laffrey's own label SPECIAL FORCES
following its successful debut release "AND DANCE".

'Sounds To Come' is a long trip of low "techno" with a brute baseline and mesmeric vocals - when turning directly into The Golden Hour of a late night / morning is the thing to do.

"Rhyth-matic traditions that have become oblivious to our modus operandi.…
welcome to awesome…..the sound of sounds to come"

Dukwa is back with the second chapter of his own personal output with a new killer four tracker EP: first cut on A side is the stunning motor city anthem Akira, an epic soulful winner which reminds some of the best Inner City’s moments thanks to its catchy vocal parts and twisted up grooves. If you are more a fan of instrumental club tracks on the second cut instead you will find Akira’s dub version where drum parts , strings, its original wicked bass line and the romantic piano solo totally stand out!

We stuck in the Detroit with the raw jam of Violet opening the flip-side, a wonky lost brother of Strings of Life that through its original arrangement and a clever broken beat will be able to amaze any dance floor. Dukwa’s pinnacle of poetic and compositional intensity happens with the poignant combination of dramatic strings together with beautiful piano notes and acid tinged bass within the closing track Water. Timeless stuff and absolute burners to enrich your record collection.

After taking time out to search for the right blend of carefully curated tracks, Bristol-based dancefloor futurists Innate return with a third multi-artist EP - shot through with melody, warmth and soul.

A quartet of timeless-sounding tracks full of stargazing sounds, undulating acid lines, far-sighted electronics and crackling beats, the A side kicks off with Perseus Traxx's "Drifting In Space": a loose-limbed exercise in analogue house deepness that wraps slowly shifting pads, meandering melodies and pulsating TB-303 motifs around broken house drums.

Welcoming Australian scene stalwart Ewan Jansen to the fray with "Sinders", he effortlessly blurs the boundaries between far-sighted, Motor City style techno and the kind of head-in-the-clouds analogue sounds that have always been his forte.

On the flip, Reedale Rise adds his touch with "Coral". In keeping with the brilliance of his 2018 debut album "Luminous Air", he drops a colourful, picturesque voyage into deep electro territory rich in ear-catching melodies, engaging chord sequences and crunchy machine percussion. To round, label co-founder Owain K returns with "Teifi", another ultra-deep treat: an enveloping, dancefloor excursion rich in fluttering lead lines, slowly expanding chords, vintage bass and punchy drums. A fitting conclusion to Innate's latest immaculate, eyes-closed voyage."

This time last year, The Forgotten Man launched the Noctu Recordings imprint via a superb single-sided salvo. It portrayed a producer in tune not only with dancefloors, but also the fundamentally far-sighted, intergalactic vision of Motor City techno. The good news is that this belated follow-up is arguably even better. Epic A-side "Pulsar" is a superb example of his craft; a deep and melodious voyage through shimmering pads, B12 style sci-fi melodies and crunchy machine beats. His ability to wrest every last ounce of soul from his machines is confirmed by delicious B-sides "Sky Birds of Ki" and "Beyond Sector 9", both of which fix dreamy chords and melodies to punchy electro grooves.

Motordiscs is a various artists record serie created by the people behind Garage. The parisian club was shut down during summer 2018 but its spirit continues with Motordiscs: Putting artists together and promoting independant electronic music has always been the credo and is now continuing on records.

The releases goes both digital and vinyl. Motordisc 2 features tracks from Sascha Funke, Modular Project, Massimiliano Pagliara, Concret & Cantor.

New Zealand juggernaut Fat Freddy’s Drop return with a new studio album, ‘Special Edition Part 1’, due for digital release on 15th November, with 2LP Vinyl and CD following up on 10th January. The 45rpm vinyl edition is produced with
a different track order across four sides and promises to deliver super fat loud audio.

Part 1 of a double album, ‘Special Edition Part 1’, comprises of six tracks of which ‘Raleigh Twenty’, ‘Trickle Down’ and
‘Six-Eight Instrumental’ were written and recorded undercover at the band’s Wellington studio, BAYS, while the other
tracks; ‘Special Edition, ‘Kamo Kamo’, and ‘OneFourteen’, have all been developed and evolved from the band’s celebrated live jam sessions, whilst on the road in front of audiences worldwide.
Supremely crafted at Freddy’s own BAYS studio in hometown Wellington, the deep musical and rich vocal layers reflect
Freddy’s inspiration from the black music lexicon and is a response to the crowd energy at their world dominating live
shows.

‘Special Edition Part 1’ is the first release of a long envisaged double album project with separate chapters. The next
journey, Part 2 will be released in 2020 after stringent road-testing with audiences over 35 shows across New Zealand, UK and Europe celebrating the release of the Part 1. These upcoming live performances will allow the band to fully explore new song-writing technology and give rise to a slamming Part 2. The new album follows on from 2015’s ‘BAYS’ LP, which saw support from Financial Times, Resident Advisor, Dummy, the DJ Mag and Clash-acclaimed ‘Blackbird,’ second album ‘Dr Boondigga and the Big BW’ - which gained rave reviews by The Guardian and BBC Music - and the band’s record breaking debut album ‘Based on a True Story’, which went nine times platinum and remained in New Zealand’s top 40 charts for over two years after its release in
2005.
The album cover artwork is by Wellington artist Otis Chamberlain, a continuing evolution from his creation for the its first single ‘Trickle Down’, a work that's morphed from digital cover art to the band’s massive summer tour backdrop and the recently released late-night buttery steppers ‘Kamo Kamo’. Fat Freddy’s Drop have been performing and recording together for more than 15 years, establishing themselves as one of New Zealand's most internationally successful acts. Considered one of the best live experiences in the world, they will embark on their biggest European and UK tour since they sold out a double hitter at London’s 02 Academy Brixton in 2018. Including an already sold out show in Dublin, the band will headline Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on 29th April 2020, Liverpool’s Invisible Wind Factory on 30th April, returning back to London’s Alexandra Palace on 1st May – the palace was the scene of two triumphant sold out headline concerts in 2014 and 2017 - before heading north to Glasgow’s Barrowland on 3rd May.

IZIPHO SOUL RECORDS are thrilled to be releasing JASON ANTHONEY WRIGHT’S 2008 masterpiece, 'RESET TO ZERO' on a 7’’ single! Produced by Absolute’s Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins, 'RESET TO ZERO' is one of the finest pieces of U.K. retro soul.

The soaring lead vocals, layered over a soulful groove has made this a respected song on the musically knowledgeable rare soul scene, whilst still maintaining that wider reaching appeal a feat only achieved by very few compositions. On the B-Side is the Pete and Steve Lewinson produced Motown flavoured LOOKING THROUGH THE WINDOW.

Whether offering up dreamy, hypnotic deep house tracks or soft downbeats, Jenifa Mayanja's work has always tended towards the melancholic fields and cinematic soundscapes. Jenifa sets the bar always high, also in terms of quality and depth. She again delivers 5 extraordinary tracks, a mixture of elongated chords, playful smooth melodies and synth games, gentle new age jazz keys, all what your open minded heart can welcome. The mini album also contains a space ambient with pensive synth lines remix by Allstarr Motomusic.

Following January’s acclaimed vinyl debut from Exterior and summer’s much-loved Kota Motomura EP, Edinburgh’s Hobbes Music label ends 2019 with its first album release, also a debut, from GAMING, a fresh new braindance electronica project straight outta Glasgow.

GAMING is a new solo outing that brings together a lifelong love of music and technology and creating left field, rhythmic electronica. It’s the sound of IDM, nineties techno and mensch maschine computer music that is as spontaneous as it is programmed. It's a bit of a grower and may take time to get under your skin....

“Scenes From A Deserted City is a collection of tracks that started as a set of riffs, loops, rhythms and grooves and unfurled around a sense of growing unease about the future of the urban environment around me.

It’s an album that started out as sound…and ended up as a way of telling stories about the age of anxiety we live in, how our world is changing, and how we find a way through that.

This is DIY electronica from Glasgow – it was made on a growing collection of digital and analogue synths and FX units, including a bunch of modular racks, each with its own idiosyncrasies and character that belies the assumption of the binary.

The studio where it was recorded – an abandoned, and often very cold, school building reclaimed by the community some twenty years ago – offered up stories of resilience, even when all seems lost. (I’m not sure what the mice contributed but they definitely climbed in and out of some synths).

This album is ultimately about my changing relationship with Glasgow, a city I’ve lived in for more than 25 years. It’s about how I feel now about the increasing sense of urban decay and how the city can be a very isolating place. It’s about how I reflect on my younger creative self trying to find a direction but mainly feeling a sense of dislocation and not fitting in. And it’s about the questions I have about how that relationship is changing, how it will be forced to move forward.
The result is a soundtrack for walking home on your own, in that headphone bubble when it’s just you focusing on that music that makes sense to you alone. It’s for early in the morning, after the night before, or going to work with the memories of that slipping and sliding inside your head. It’s about how it feels to be both elated and lonely, to be lost in the familiar, despairingly hopeful.”

Fabio & Grooverider have been at the forefront of UK dance music for over 3 decades. This is the roots of their story told through music.

The 2 London DJ's are part of the DNA of the global Jungle / D&B movement and they have remained relevant, cutting edge, authoritative and essential to this truly underground art-form since it's inception. RAGE could arguably be the ground zero of Jungle. The party was started at London's cavernous Heaven club by Fabio & Grooverider in 1988, at the height of Acid House fever that was making it's way up and down the motorways, slip-roads, fields and warehouses of the M25 and further beyond every weekend, troubling the nation, the police, your parents and the press as it went. RAGE was a different beast, it certainly channelled some of that Acid energy but pitted it against the new and exciting sounds emanating from Belgium, Amsterdam, Detroit, Sheffield, Essex and Hackney and in turn created a new style, a new sonic attitude and energy in the process. Rumbling bass-lines, narcotic synth rushes and roughly chopped and sped-up breakbeats all merged into a style that we now know as Jungle. Nothing like this had been heard before, this was a brand new style and it was coming out of London's West End and Fabio & Grooverider were the people firmly behind it.

RAGE is approaching it's 30th anniversary. It's sonic and cultural legacy is still being felt today, Fabio & Groove are still shutting down raves and festivals every weekend all over the world with their superior DJ sets and musical knowledge guided by their pioneering spirit. This musical selection you hold in your hands, the first of 4 parts, sees them delve into their prodigious memories and record boxes to select a true musical representation of the very beginning of one of the UK's most unique and influential musical movements of the last 50 years. Across 4 x 2 x 12"s compilations we are taken on the journey through the sounds of RAGE, accompanied with track by track notes from Fabio & Groove themselves. This is the sound of the underground, from the inside out.

This is a masterclass in the old-school. The roots. There is no filler here, it's simply ALL killer. Lovingly selected and programmed by the masters - 'The Living Shock' & 'The Ladies Choice'. Produced in conjunction with Above Board distribution and Fabio & Grooverider. All tracks mastered from original sources and fully licensed. Mastering by Optimum, Bristol. Artwork and design by Atelier Superplus. 2019

Huren returns to the Zhark Catalogue with his latest fory ‘ELEKTRONISCHE SELBSTDARSTELLUNG’ his first in five years since the ‘MRTVI’ release.
Whith this outing Huren explores further uncompromising Terrain…
While the Signature layers of distrortion and heavy kick drum burials retain his distinct Hardline Approach – with ZHARK032 Huren layeers complex Masses of Sound into Ominous textural electronic compüositions….Drawing interdisciplinary from the works of Marker, Kayn, Ligeti and Penderecki…
Disconcerting and challenging ‘Elektronische Selbstdarstellung’ galvanizes Huren’s place as an artist operating on his own wavelength.